Bleacher Report - Articles by Mike Craig

2009 NFL Week Five Power Rankings

Mike Craig — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 22:28:03 -0400

Week 4 is in the books. The Power Rankings are finally starting to take shape. Teams are where they should be by now. For any team that is in the high twenties to come back and get into the top 10 by now will be a surprise. So the Steelers got themselves back on track, however something is still wrong with the defense. Brett Favre is now the only NFL player to beat all 32 teams. There are still 6 teams in the NFL right now with out a win. There are still 5 teams in the NFL right now with out a loss. However, enough of that, lets get to the power rankings.

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Packers-Vikings: The Anticipation Leading Up To The Game

Mike Craig — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 20:25:57 -0400

As a football fan, anyone should be excited for tonight's game between the Green Bay Packers and the Minnesota Vikings; Aaron Rodgers against Brett Favre. I am going to approach this as a fan and not a writer.

The Packers are my team, no confusion about that. Yet Brett Favre is my favorite player. In a Mike Craig perfect world, Brett Favre has an amazing day, and the Green Bay Packers walk out of Minnesota with a victory giving the rival Vikings their first loss of the season. If any team can do it, it would rightfully be the Green Bay Packers.

However, as a realist, and as my predictions have shown, I think the Green Bay Packers will fall to 2-2 while the Vikings move to 4-0. Brett Favre will probably not even be much of a blip on the radar as Adrian Peterson will end up rushing for almost 200 yards and three touchdowns. Favre may get one touchdown and it will probably be either Chester Taylor or Percy Harvin who catches it.

Aaron Rodgers will probably throw his first interception of the season, or at least only throw for 130 something yards. Ryan Grant will rush for less than 50 yards, as Minnesota's defensive unit will run all over the Packers' offense.

Regardless of the outcome of this game, as a fan, I will probably be disappointed, unless the Packers win. If the Vikings win, Favre probably won't be a factor.

Sure, if Favre wins, he will become the only player in NFL History to beat all 32 teams, as if Brett Favre needs any other records. No matter what, this game will go down as a really good one. If it turns out to be a shoot out, then that would be something unexpected. If it turns out to be a one-sided matchup, that will also be unexpected.

Be ready for some Monday Night Football.

Craig's 2009 NFL Week Four Predictions

Mike Craig — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 15:25:13 -0400

When predicting any week of football, you have to go over certain things. In any case, Mike Craig, which is me, goes over how the divisions are starting to shape up. So without really much BS, here it is.

AFC EAST
At the start of the season, nobody would have expected the New York Jets to be ahead of the New England Patriots in the division. Unless of course you are me. I picked the Jets to win every week, including over the Pats.

Nobody expected the Miami Dolphins to be 0-3, either. Being at the bottom of the AFC East has been one of Miami's specialities in the past couple of years, though. Their Wildcat stormed through the NFL last season by surprise, but everyone began to catch on.

So far it is looking like the Jets are going to win the division, however, Tom Brady is still trying to regroup after his season-ending knee injury from last year. Don't panic too soon, New England fans—Tom Brady will return to form. If not this year, next.

AFC East Games:
NYJ @ NO
BAL @ NE
BUF @ MIA

AFC NORTH
Baltimore leads the division undefeated at 3-0. The Bengals are in second at 2-1. Now wait a minute. Something is missing here. Isn't the AFC North the division with the defending Super Bowl Champs?

Oh, thats right, the Steelers are 1-2 right now. After defeating Tennessee in Week One (which as we can see now isn't much of a feat at all), they have lost to the Chicago Bears and Cincinnati Bengals.

With the Browns once again having quarterback problems, don't think too much about them. If the Bengals keep playing the way they have been, look for this division to be a fight to the finish between the Bengals, Steelers, and Ravens.

AFC North Games:
BAL @ NE
CIN @ CLE
SD @ PIT

AFC SOUTH
Yet another surprising thing in the NFL this year, or is it? The Tennessee Titans are 0-3 right now. Last year, they went 12-0 before being defeated. But last year they had an easy schedule.

On the other hand, the Indianapolis Colts are leading the division 3-0 without much competition at all. Some people were saying because of the departure of Tony Dungy and offensive coordinator Bob Sanders, the Colts were not going to be as good as they've been. Looks like those people were wrong.

If Tennessee or Hoston can pick it up, look for this division to be competitive, but if they don't, then Indianapolis wins it hands down.

AFC South Games:
SEA @ IND
TEN @ JAC
OAK @ HOU

AFC WEST
Switching from the NFC to the AFC for any quarterback normally isn't an easy process. However, when Kyle Orton switched over to the Denver Broncos from the Chicago Bears, he showed that he can compete, anyway.

With Denver leading the division, San Diego is trailing close behind at 2-1. Meanwhile, Kansas City and Oakland are doing what they do best, sitting in the back seat.

Look for San Diego and Denver to duke this one out to the end of the season, just like last year.

AFC West Games:
DAL @ DEN
SD @ PIT
OAK @ HOU
NYG @ KC

NFC EAST
Here is a division that is normally competitive every year. Once again, it is looking to shape up that way. The New York Giants are on top 3-0. However, both Dallas and Philadelphia are right behind at 2-1.

Washington, on the other hand, has only won one game so far and it was against the lowly St. Louis Rams, who are developing a reputation as the next Detroit Lions.

Like every year, there is no sure winner in the NFC East. Stay tuned, as the season progresses, the picture will start to become clearer.

NFC East Games:
NYG @ KC
DAL @ DEN
TB @ WAS

NFC NORTH
This division is looking competitive again. It took a couple years, but now it seems like the Bears, Vikings, and Packers are all going to fight to be the 2009 NFC North Champs.

What about them Lions, who sit at the bottom of this division? Well, they finally broke their losing streak after beating Washington last week, but that doesn't mean anything but hope for Detroit fans.

Just like the NFC East, don't look for answers as to who is going to win just yet. Stay tuned.

NFC North Games:
GB @ MIN
DET @ CHI

NFC SOUTH
It's got to be depressing knowing that two teams in your division are 0-3. However this division does look like it might be a close contest between the Saints and the Falcons.

The Panthers can't seem to catch a break, and the Bucs are just bad. Now that Byron Leftwich is benched, will one of these two teams finally get a win?

I wouldn't place any money on it. Look for this division to be an all-out brawl between New Orleans and Atlanta. Although, if I was a betting man, I'd say New Orleans, with Atlanta getting a Wild Card spot.

NFC South Games:
NYJ @ NO
TB @ WAS

NFC WEST
Although it looks close right now, the 49ers don't really have much competition. The Cardinals may pull off an upset and get a wild card spot again this year, however, the only reason they were in the playoffs last year was because they won their division with an 8-8 record.

The Seahawks are lost without Matt Hasselbeck, while the Rams are just simply awful. Not very much fight in this division.

Look for the 49ers to win the NFC West, with the Cardinals barely knocking on the door.

NFC West Games:
STL @ SF
SEA @ IND

GAME OF THE WEEK:
Monday, October 5th, 2009: Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome

Green Bay Packers @ Minnesota Vikings

This is a game that people have been waiting to see since Brett Favre signed with the Minnesota Vikings. Did Green Bay have a right to be scared when they traded Favre away to a team that they didn't have to play? I guess we will find out in this NFC North Monday night battle.

Key Matchups:
Green Bay's O-Line vs. Jared Allen, Pat Williams, and Kevin Williams
Green Bay bounced back from a loss to the Bengals by slapping around the lowly Rams. However, can Green Bay's offensive line stop the three pass-rushing, run-stopping giants of the Minnesota Vikings?

Ryan Grant is going to need holes to run, and Aaron Rodgers is going to need time in the pocket. Hopefully the answer to that question, for Green Bay's sake, is yes.

Brett Favre vs. Aaron Rodgers
No, they don't line up across each other on the field, however, you know everyone in the nation is going to be watching and comparing the master against his apprentice.

Favre, for the most part of the season, has only needed to be a game manager, while Aaron Rodgers, without a good offensive line to protect him and help the run game, has had to try and carry the offense.

PREDICTION: MINNESOTA 24 - GREEN BAY 17

Other Predictions:

DET @ CHI - Bears

CIN @ CLE - Bengals

OAK @ HOU - Texans

SEA @ IND - Colts

TEN @ JAC - Titans

NYG @ KC - Giants

BAL @ NE - Ravens

TB @ WAS - Redskins

BUF @ MIA - Bills

NYJ @ NO - Saints

DAL @ DEN - Cowboys

STL @ SF - 49ers

SD @ PIT - Chargers

2009 NFL Week Four Power Rankings

Mike Craig — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 13:02:35 -0400

What is there to say about Week 3? Defending Super Bowl Champs got rocked by the Bangs, a number of teams stayed undefeated while some lost their undefeated status. But really, what is at the core of this all? The Pittsburgh Steelers need a running game and fast. The Bengals proved that. Perhaps the old man is better, Favre once again proved why he is still in this game today. Tom Brady, though still a little shaky is starting to progress back into his former form...slowly....very slowly. Some how, the Tennessee Titans, the team that went 12-0 before getting their first loss last season, is now starting the season 0-3. Perhaps whatever team Jason Taylor is on, they get screwed over?

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2009 NFL Week Two Power Rankings

Mike Craig — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 15:05:12 -0400

(Image: Brett Favre and Bernard Berrian tackle Percy Harvin in the end zone after his first career touchdown. The Vikings are high up on the list, but who is number 1?) So what does the 2009 season bring from Football? Well, for starters, it brings people like me back out of hiding to start writing about some football again. It is obvious that the most exciting time of the year for any football fan is between September and February. What happened or have we learned from Week 1? Brett Favre won his debut as a Viking, however, it wasn't because of him. We all might have to look at that man we have come to know him as "All Day". Either the Buffalo Bills are good, or the Patriots and Tom Brady aren't so good. Michael Vick's suspension needs to be shorter. Ben Roethlisberger can still play, even with all of the stupid legal accusations against him. Green Bay's secondary is still as stingy as they were at the beginning of last season. Of course, Dom Capers and the new 3-4 I'm sure has helped. And probably the most important thing we may have learned is, this is looking to be a good year of football.

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Top Ten NFL Teams with the Most Hall of Famers

Mike Craig — Thu, 14 May 2009 23:20:10 -0400

(Left: Dan Marino is a Hall of Famer, but does his team make the top 10?) Usually, by an indication, the Franchises that have been in the NFL longer would most likely have the most Hall of Famers correct? Well that is the case with the first two, however, how does the rest of the list look? See if your team makes the top ten list on most Hall of Famers for a Franchise.

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The Top Five Repeat Super Bowl Teams

Mike Craig — Thu, 14 May 2009 06:55:48 -0400

There have only been seven teams to win back-to-back Super Bowls. One team did it twice. In chronological order, those teams are: AFL vs NFL Championship, 1967; Super Bowl II, 1968: Green Bay Packers Super Bowl VII, 1973; Super Bowl VIII, 1974: Miami Dolphins Super Bowl IX, 1975; Super Bowl X, 1976: Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl XIII, 1979; Super Bowl XIV, 1980: Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl XXIII, 1989; Super Bowl XXIV, 1990: San Francisco 49ers Super Bowl XXVII, 1993; Super Bowl XXVIII, 1994: Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl XXXII, 1998; Super Bowl XXXIII, 1999: Denver Broncos Super Bowl XXXVIII, 2004; Super Bowl XXXIX, 2005: New England Patriots (Jim Kelly of the Buffalo Bills did not have any repeat championships. As a matter of fact, he did not have any. However, the Bills are very notorious for going to four Super Bowls in a row from '91-'94 and losing every one of them. That is why they got the nick name, Boy I Love Losing Superbowls. Shorten that up into an acronym and what do you get? B.I.L.L.S.) Sorry, the Bills did not make the list. If this were a list of the worst Super Bowl teams ever, they would be number one. However, this is the real list.

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Predicting the 2009 NFL Season

Mike Craig — Mon, 11 May 2009 20:58:19 -0400

In 2008, the Pittsburgh Steelers took home the Lombardi trophy. This made them the only team in NFL History to win 6 Super Bowls. They ended up winning a comeback game against the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII. However that is now in the past, and the 2009 Regular Season is just about here. June, July, and August are all we have left before the 2009 Season comes to us. However some things happened over the offseason. In example, Brett Favre retired...AGAIN. And once again, there is speculation on wither or not the Old Gun-Slinger will return. Also, Jay Cutler now plays for the Chicago Bears, and Kyle Orton now plays for the Denver Broncos. Three teams are switching to the 3-4 Defense from the 4-3. All and all, the 2009 NFL Season looks to be good. So without anymore delays, Mike Craig is going to take you through his prediction of the 2009 NFL Season.

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Brett Favre: Minnesota's Answer, Every Football Fan's Nightmare

Mike Craig — Wed, 06 May 2009 00:34:32 -0400

It's not secret that I am a huge Brett Favre fan. I have two Brett Favre Jerseys. One for the Packers, and the other for the Jets. I know a lot more than your average person does about Mr. Favre. For example, I know that his home town is Kiln, Mississippi, where as I've heard a lot of people say he lives in some other town in Mississippi.

I know that his first pass in the NFL went for a touchdown to the other team. As a matter of fact, he was on the Atlanta Falcons, and he threw an interception to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I also happen to know that his first pass as a Green Bay Packer was to himself. At least he completed that one huh?

I'm one of those people who was a Brett Favre fan first, a Green Bay Packers fan second. However, you will not see me jumping up and down when No. 4 ends up playing for the Minnesota Vikings.

Brett Lorenzo Favre is a household name, he has been for many years. Unfortunately, it's not much of a good thing when his name is brought up in households these days. To see Mr. Favre in a purple and yellow jersey may be a little weird.

Who do the Vikings have? Tarvaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfels. Who do I want on my team? Brett Favre, Tarvaris Jackson, or Sage Rosenfels? Such a hard decision. Or is it? Brad Childress seems to think Favre is who he wants on his team and I honestly cannot blame him.

Minnesota's Answer

The Vikings have Adrian Peterson. He is an amazing running back. Some may even say the best running back. It is arguable, but he definitely makes the top five. Who's backing up AP? Chester Taylor, that's who. He is a good backup. You cannot go wrong with Minnesota's running attack.

So how about their passing attack? They must have decent wide receivers to make Tarvaris Jackson look decent last season. Speaking of Jackson, he is not the answer to the future of the purple and yellow. Neither is Sage Rosenfels. Maybe John David Booty, but his time is definitely not now.

So if Brad Childress brings in Mr. Favre, No. 4, the "Iron Man" of football, it will make the receivers look even better for one.

Secondly, it will also help AP out (not that he really needs it). Brett Favre and Adrian Peterson on the same team.

The Vikings made the playoffs last season. Sure, they lost in the first round, but they still made it. That was without a good quarterback. Now imagine a Minnesota Vikings team with Brett Favre. I do believe that Brett Favre is the answer, at least right now, for Minnesota.

The Nightmare

The problem with this for us football fans is seeing him come back for another season. No, that's not even the problem. If Brett wants to come back and play, then so be it, let him. Everyone needs to shut up about him needing to stay retired because that is not our decision.

However, the real problem will be watching Brett Favre play on a team that we all know he does not belong on.

Sure, Green Bay pretty much told him he needed to retire. So he did, and then ended up coming back to play for the New York Jets. Did Favre really belong on the Jets? No, not really, but it didn't look that wrong. In the end, everyone accepted it and moved on with their lives.

Yet, Brett Favre on the Vikings—I do not believe many fans will be able to get over it.

Who can get used to No. 4 wearing a purple jersey and helping the Vikings beat the Packers? In the end, Favre's name may become tarnished. However, he may also end up playing a pivotal role in helping the Vikings win a championship. Maybe.

So as you can see, things may not be looking too bright for the 2009 NFL Football season. Will Brett come back? Well if he really is meeting with Brad Childress, then my bet is yes, he will. Will I be happy with Mr. Favre playing for the Minnesota Vikings? No, I will not. Will I buy the jersey? You bet I will.

Minnesota Vikings' 2009 Season: Game-by-Game Forecast

Mike Craig — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 15:56:32 -0500

Green Bay Packers: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/134700-green-bay-packers-2009-season Chicago Bears: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/134995-forecasting-the-chicago-bears-2009-season-game-by-game One of the more dominant teams in the NFC North with Adrian Peterson as running back. However the Vikings have a bad situation at quarterback and have ever since Daunte Culpepper left. We already looked at how the Packers' season should pan out so far with everything. And we saw the mighty Bears fall to 8-8 for 2009. Where will the Purple and Gold fall under? Well lets fine out where they rank in the NFC North.

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Forecasting the Chicago Bears' 2009 Season, Game-by-Game

Mike Craig — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 01:26:18 -0500

Green Bay Packers - http://bleacherreport.com/articles/134700-green-bay-packers-2009-season So I went over how I think the Packer's season will go. Now lets finish at least half of the NFC North with the Chicago Bears. As a Packer's fan, I will not be biased about the Bears. I know I am supposed to hate them until I die, but I have to be 100% honest with how I feel things will go. Which why I came to the conclusion that I did with the Chicago Bears. Enjoy!

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Forecasting the Green Bay Packers' 2009 Season, Game By Game

Mike Craig — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 15:30:42 -0500

This will be the first of many to come. A first glance at the 2009 NFL Regular Season. Just when you all thought football season was over, guess again. While most people will be writing about the Draft and the Free Agency, I will be looking at how next season will pan out. Here is a look at the Green Bay Packers 2009 NFL Regular Season. Enjoy!

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Ted Thompson Once Again Is Doing What He Does Best...

Mike Craig — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 17:22:27 -0500

What has Ted Thompson done in the past? First we will take a look at his draft classes.

2005
1st Round: Aaron Rodgers
2nd Round: Nick Collins
                Terrence Murphy
4th Round: Marviel Underwood
                Brady Poppinga
5th Round: Junius Coston
                Michael Hawkins
6th Round: Michael Montgomery
                Craig Bragg
7th Round: Kurt Campbell
                William Whitticker

2006
1st Round: A.J. Hawk
2nd Round: Daryn Colledge
                Greg Jennings
3rd Round: Abdul Hodge
               Jason Spitz
4th Round: Cory Rodgers
                Will Blackmon
5th Round: Ingle Martin
               Tony Moll
6th Round: Johnny Jolly
               Tyrone Culver
7th Round: Dave Tollefson

2007
1st Round: Justin Harrell
2nd Round: Brandon Jackson
3rd Round: James Jones
               Aaron Rouse
4th Round: Allen Barbre
5th Round: David Clowney
6th Round: Korey Hall
               Desmond Bishopp
               Mason Crosby
7th Round: DeShawn Wynn
               Clark Harris

2008
2nd Round: Jordy Nelson
                Brian Brohm
                Patrick Lee
3rd Round: Jermichael Finley
4th Round: Jeremy Thompson
                Josh Sitton
5th Round: Breno Giacomini
7th Round: Matt Flynn
                Brett Swain

So out of these four draft classes, which ones are still notable? Well obviously from 2008, Jordy Nelson, Brian Brohm, Patrick Lee, Jermichael Finley, and Matt Flynn are still well known on the active roster.

Then you take a look at the 2007 draft class. The number on draft pick looks like he is going to be a bust. Brandon Jackson looks promising. Sometimes even more promising than Ryan Grant. James Jones and Aaron Rouse are still on the team. David Clowney now plays for the Jets. Korey Hall, Desmond Bishopp, and of course Mason Crosby are still on the team as well. DeShawn Wynn even though he had that injury in 2007, is still on the team.

This brings me to the 2006 draft class. A.J. Hawk has proved to be a very good first round draft pick. When Nick Barnett went down, he had to fill in his place at middle line backer. Now that the 3-4 defense is coming in, they might need more players like A.J. Hawk. Daryn Colledge and Jason Spitz are both still on the offensive line and are getting better as time progresses. Greg Jennings is an outstanding wide receiver. Will Blackmon has proved to be a very good Punt and Kick-off Return Specialist as well.

The 2005 draft class is where I find it ironic the very first player picked was a quarterback. Aaron Rodgers who is now the starting Quarterback for the Green Bay Packers. Did Ted Thompson in fact want Brett Favre out since day one? Perhaps, but regardless, this is what we are stuck with as football and Packer fans. Aaron Rodgers has proved to be a good quarterback, however on games where he needed to come from behind and win, he was 0-8. Not a good record. Eight of the ten games Green Bay lost last season could have been won if it were a quarterback who could play under that sort of pressure.

Onto the rest of the draft class. Nick Collins especially this year has proven that he is well worth his second round draft pick. And Brady Poppinga has also proven himself. It looked as if Ted Thompson knew what he was drafting. But really, Aaron Rodgers, Nick Collins, and Brady Poppinga are the only three notible players from that draft class.

Now let's take a look at Ted Thompson's Free Agent signings. (This is going to be based off of who is still on the team, have no other way of looking.)

In 2005, only two members still remain on the team from which he signed from the free Agency. Both of these players really did not start showing their potential until the 2007 season when Green Bay went 13-3. Those players would be Atari Bigby and Donald Lee. They are both now starters.

In 2006, there are still three players on the team from the free agency. None of them are really big impact players. Jason Hunter, a defensive end who is seeing very little time, and Ruvell Martin, a wide receiver who had two touchdowns in 2007 but that was it. Tramon Williams is the only one close to being considered a big part of the the team.

Let's of course not fail to mention the signing of Charles Woodson, probably one of Ted Thompson's greatest moves. Charles Woodson has proved to be a very valuable part of the Green Bay defense. There was also the signing of Ryan Pickett which has been a decent Defensive Tackle.

In 2007, he signed Joe Porter and Alfred Malone, neither are making any sort of appearance for that matter. Although, in 2007, He did make a trade with the New York Giants for Ryan Grant by giving them a 6th round draft pick in 2008.

In 2008, the Packers still have almost everybody he signed. There are still ten people from the 2008 Free Agency. However the punter is the only one who is of any importance of the ten.

With all of this being said, do you call Ted Thompson a true artist in his line of work, or an epic failure? After dealing Brett Favre to the Jets, the Packers went from a 13-3 team to a 6-10 team. Since Brett Favre became the starting quarterback of the Green Bay Packers, they have only had two losing seasons, both of them under the Ted Thompson era. Somebody please tell me, why has this man not been fired yet.

One more question...have the Packers done ANYTHING in the 2009 Free Agency? No, they have not. They have made offers to some restricted Free Agents who are already on the team. Doesn't count. Ted Thompson for his fifth straight year as the Executive Vice President, General Manager, and Director of Football Operations seems like he is driving the Packers further and further into the dirt.

If the the 2009 football season turns out much like the last one, I better start hearing shouts for Ted Thompson's head.

2008 NFL Week 17 Power Rankings

Mike Craig — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 20:25:17 -0500

So what did Week 16 show us? More than what we may have wanted to know. So the Bills beat the Broncos giving the Chargers the best hope they have now. San Diego and Denver will face off Sunday Night to see who is going to the playoffs. A coin toss hit off of Brian Urlacher's head, meanwhile the Bears beat the Packers in over time and kept their playoff hopes alive. The Falcons clinched a playoff birth as well as the Colts did. The Lions made history at becoming the first team to ever start off at 0-15.

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NFL Week 16 Predictions: It Ain't Over Until The Fat Lady Sings

Mike Craig — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 20:53:17 -0500

They may not have won their division but Thursday night, the Indianapolis Colts clinched a wild card spot. With the way the Colts have been playing recently though, is anybody really surprised?

So seeming how the AFC North and South, and the NFC East and West are locked up, there are only four divisions I really need to talk about.

The first of the four is ever so tough AFC East.

So the Jets, Patriots, and Dolphins are still tied for first. The Dolphins play the Chiefs this weekend. Looks to me that Miami will have another team to run all over with their wild cat offense.

The Patriots on the other hand play the Arizona Cardinals at home. The Cardinals are never good on the east coast. It looks like to me, that the AFC East will not be decided until the last week of the season.

The Jets will be traveling to Seattle so that Brett Favre and Mike Holmgren can meet up perhaps for one last time. the Seahawks have been having a very poor season. I do not expect to see the Jets lose this one.

The AFC West is still not wrapped up because of last week. However there are only two teams that could possibly win it. The Denver Broncos and the San Diego Chargers.

The Denver Broncos will be playing against the Buffalo Bills this weekend. Perhaps the Broncos can finally get away from the Chargers and take claim to the AFC West.

The Chargers on the other hand will be playing Tampa Bay in Florida. Perhaps the San Diego Chargers' chances of winning this division have suddenly gone down the drain.

In the NFC, we have the NFC North which is still undecided. Like the AFC West, there are only two possible teams that could possibly win the North. The Minnesota Vikings, and the Chicago Bears.

The Minnesota Vikings play the Atlanta Falcons at home this weekend. I do not expect to see Minnesota to walk all over the Falcons like they did against the Cardinals last week.

The Chicago Bears will be playing division rival Green Bay Packers on Monday Night Football. If their last meeting is any indication as to how this one will turn out, perhaps the Bears chances of winning this division are also down the drain.

The last division there is to talk about and probably the most exciting is the NFC South. There are currently still three teams that mathematically could win the division. The Carolina Panthers, the Atlanta Falcons, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Panthers face off against the Giants this weekend in a struggle for home field advantage in the NFC playoffs. With the Giants sudden down fall of playing, maybe the Panthers can pull it off.

The Atlanta Falcons seem to be on a roll right now and I do not see anybody stopping them. They play Minnesota this weekend in Minnesota. This will be a very close and good game.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers play the San Diego Chargers who are frantic and worried their playoff hopes hang in the balance of this game. If the Buccs play like they have the past two weeks, the Chargers could win.

Saturday, December 20th, 2008
Baltimore Ravens @ Dallas Cowboys at 8:15 PM
My Pick: Ravens

Sunday, December 21st, 2008
Cincinnati Bengals @ Cleveland Browns at 1:00 PM
My Pick: Bengals

New Orleans Saints @ Detroit Lions at 1:00 PM
My Pick: Saints

Arizona Cardinals @ New England Patriots at 1:00 PM
My Pick: Patriots

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Tennessee Titans at 1:00 PM
My Pick: Steelers

San Francisco 49ers @ St. Louis Rams at 1:00 PM
My Pick: Rams

Miami Dolphins @ Kansas City Chiefs at 1:00 PM
My Pick: Dolphins

San Diego Chargers @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers at 1:00 PM
My Pick: Buccaneers

Buffalo Bills @ Denver Broncos at 4:05 PM
My Pick: Broncos

New York Jets @ Seattle Seahawks at 4:05 PM
My Pick: Jets

Houston Texans @ Oakland Raiders at 4:05 PM
My Pick: Texans

Atlanta Falcons @ Minnesota Vikings at 4:15 PM
My Pick: Falcons

Philadelphia Eagles @ Washington Redskins at 4:15 PM
My Pick: Eagles

Carolina Panthers @ New York Giants at 8:15 PM
My Pick: Panthers

Monday, December 22nd, 2008
Green Bay Packers @ Chicago Bears at 8:30 PM
My Pick: Packers

PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS

AFC PLAYOFF SEEDS
1. Pittsburgh Steelers
2. Tennessee Titans
3. New York Jets
4. Denver Broncos
5. Indianapolis Colts
6. Baltimore Ravens

NFC PLAYOFF SEEDS
1. Carolina Panthers
2. New York Giants
3. Minnesota Vikings
4. Arizona Cardinals
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
6. Atlanta Falcons

Wild Card
AFC - Baltimore Ravens @ New York Jets (Ravens)
Indianapolis Colts @ Denver Broncos (Colts)

NFC - Atlanta Falcons @ Minnesota Vikings (Vikings)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Arizona Cardinals (Buccaneers)

Division Round
AFC - Baltimore Ravens @ Pittsburgh Steelers (Steelers)
Indianapolis Colts @ Tennessee Titans (Colts)

NFC - Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Carolina Panthers (Buccaneers)
Minnesota Vikings @ New York Giants (Giants)

Conference Championships
AFC - Indianapolis Colts @ Pittsburgh Steelers (Colts)

NFC - Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ New York Giants (Giants)

Super Bowl XLIII
Indianapolis Colts v.s. New York Giants (Colts)

2008 NFL Week 16 Power Rankings

Mike Craig — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 15:34:48 -0500

Week 15 of the 2008 NFL Football Season decided to show us that anything really can happen on any given Sunday. The Houston Texans handed the Tennessee Titans their second loss of the season. A fourth division was locked up on Sunday. The Titans have the AFC South, the Giants have the NFC East, and the Cardinals have the NFC West. Now the Steelers have the AFC North. The Vikings keep their lead in the NFC North as the Bears beat the Saints to keep their playoff hopes alive. The Patriots, Jets, and Dolphins all won Sunday to continue their tie in the AFC East. The Cowboys kept their playoff hopes alive as they beat the Giants As a result of the above, the Panthers will now be facing the Giants next Sunday for home field advantage in the playoffs. The Broncos won allowing the Chargers' playoff hopes to remain alive.

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NFL Top Ten Performances (Week 15)

Mike Craig — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 09:03:37 -0500

Sunday had a lot of important things happen. There of course are certain people who shined out there on the field to help their teams bring home the win. The Jets, Dolphins, and Patriots all kept their division hopes alive by winning and remaining tied in the AFC East. The Steelers locked up the North with an amazing touchdown pass in the end. The Panthers kept their hopes of getting the number one seed in the NFC by winning while the Giants lost. The Cowboys kept their playoff hopes alive as well. So here are the top ten performances from Sunday.

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NFL Week 15 Predictions: To Be, or Not To Be, That Is the Question

Mike Craig — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 17:07:51 -0500

So, Thursday Night Football this week signified the first time I was wrong on a Thursday night game. The Chicago Bears beat the New Orleans Saints in overtime. So what does that do to the rest of the NFC?

The AFC South is already locked up by the Tennessee Titans. Meanwhile, the Indianapolis Colts are making a good run for a wild card spot.

The NFC East was locked up by the Giants last week, regardless of their loss to the Eagles. Only because the Cowboys lost to the Steelers as well. Now, the Cowboys have to win out in order to make it to the playoffs. That is, of course, if the Falcons do not win out as well.

The NFC West was also locked up by the Arizona Cardinals. Was there even any doubt? Well, the 49ers ARE making a good run here in December. Perhaps the 49ers will finish 8-8?

Now, onto the divisions that are not locked up. The big question mark amongst these divisions is the AFC East. It's a three-way tie between the New York Jets, the New England Patriots, and the Miami Dolphins.

The Jets play the bottom feeders of the the AFC East division this week, he Buffalo Bills. If I remember correctly, they're not doing so hot anymore.

The Patriots play Oakland; they couldn't possibly ask for an easier game than that, correct?

The Dolphins are unfortunate to play a team that has seemed to of found some sort of luck recently. The 49ers could play a pivotal rule in who wins the AFC East.

Up North in the AFC, there are only two teams who are battling for the the division. The Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens.

Pittsburgh was able to beat the Cowboys last week helping thing Giants lock up their division regardless of their loss. Now, the Steelers will play Baltimore in probably the most important game of the season. The Ravens have home-field advantage. This is going to be a close one

That would bring us to the AFC West, where the Denver Broncos are currently in the lead. However, the San Diego Chargers are still there. Not close behind, but behind.

The Broncos play the Panthers this week which should prove to be a good game. However if the Broncos want to make sure that they do in fact win this division, they better win.

As for the Chargers, well they play the Kansas City Chiefs which should prove to be an easy game for them. Especially if last weeks trudging of Oakland is any indication of how this team is going to start performing.

In the NFC, we only have two divisions that are not locked up yet. The first of the two is the NFC North. Although not very likely to happen, the Green Bay Packers are still in the hunt. Meanwhile, the Chicago Bears or the Minnesota Vikings are the ones who will more than likely win it.

The Vikings start the first of their last three hard games of the season as they play the Arizona Cardinals. If they lose this one, then the Bears and the Vikings are tied yet again for first. Because of tie breakers, the Bears would be in the lead.

Seeming how the Bears already played and beat the Saints this weekend, we will talk about the Packers. This weekend the Packers play the Jacksonville Jaguars. However whether or not that will be a victory is another story.

In the NFC South, we have three teams that are still fighting for the division. And more than likely, the two teams that do not win it will be in the playoffs anyway. The Carolina Panthers currently lead the division, with the Bucs one game behind. Then you have the Atlanta Falcons, who are two games behind.

The Carolina Panthers play the Denver Broncos, which is probably an easier game for them than people may be expecting.

Tampa Bay plays Atlanta this weekend which could prove to be yet another important game in the NFC South. This will be the Bucs' second one in two weeks.

Sunday, Dec. 14, 2008

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-4) @ Atlanta Falcons (8-5) at 1:00 PM
My Pick: Falcons

Washington Redskins (7-6) @ Cincinnati Bengals (1-11-1) at 1:00 PM
My Pick: Redskins

Tennessee Titans (12-1) @ Houston Texans (6-7) at 1:00 PM
My Pick: Titans

Green Bay Packers (5-8) @ Jacksonville Jaguars (4-9) at 1:00 PM
My Pick: Jaguars

San Francisco 49ers (5-8) @ Miami Dolphins (8-5) at 1:00 PM
My Pick: 49ers

Seattle Seahawks (2-11) @ St. Louis Rams (2-11) at 1:00 PM
My Pick: Seahawks

Buffalo Bills (6-7) @ New York Jets (8-5) at 1:00 PM
My Pick: Jets

San Diego Chargers (5-8) @ Kansas City Chiefs (2-11) at 1:00 PM
My Pick: Chargers

Detroit Lions (0-13) @ Indianapolis Colts (9-4) at 1:00 PM
My Pick: Colts

Minnesota Vikings (8-5) @ Arizona Cardinals (8-5) at 4:05 PM
My Pick: Cardinals

Pittsburgh Steelers (10-3) @ Baltimore Ravens (9-4) at 4:15 PM
My Pick: Steelers

Denver Broncos (8-5) @ Carolina Panthers (10-3) at 4:15 PM
My Pick: Panthers

New England Patriots (8-5) @ Oakland Raiders (3-10) at 4:15 PM
My Pick: Patriots

New York Giants (11-2) @ Dallas Cowboys (8-5) at 8:15 PM
My Pick: Giants

Monday, Dec. 15, 2008
Cleveland Browns (4-9) @ Philadelphia Eagles (7-5-1) at 8:30 PM
My Pick: Eagles

How Brett Favre Changed the Football Universe

Mike Craig — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 02:46:07 -0500

The year is 2007, and the football season is about to start off. It is a typical year for the NFL as of late. The New England Patriots are starting off well. The Colts seem to be doing their usual. The Pittsburgh Steelers are always finding a way to hang on by a thread.

Now we are in the middle of the 2007 season. The Patriots are undefeated. The Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers are fighting for supremacy in the NFC. The Chargers found a way to come back from their poor start to the season. The New York Giants found a way to win no matter what on the road.

End of the 2007 season, all of your usual teams win the divisions. In the AFC, the Patriots won the East, the Steelers won the North, the Colts won the South, and the Chargers won the West. In the NFC, the Cowboys won the East, the Packers won the North, the Buccaneers won the South, and the Seahawks won the West.

The playoffs played out as expected. The Patriots made it to the Super Bowl, and the Giants upset everyone by beating both the Cowboys and the Packers to get into the Super Bowl. Even though the Patriots were 18-0, everyone expected them to lose to the Giants.

Offseason

During the offseason, some things happened. Of course there was the draft and free agency. However, on Mar. 6, 2008, the legendary Brett Favre retired. He stood up on a stage with the Packers logos behind him everywhere crying as he left the game he loved.

The football world did not hear much about the legendary No. 4 for a while after that. Packers' President Mark Murphy stated that they would retire Brett Favre's number on the opening game of the season on Monday night against Minnesota.

A couple of months rolled on and then the football world felt an earthquake. Only slight tremors as Brett Favre sent a text message to Ted Thompson saying he wanted to come back and play. However, it did not seem like that is what Mr. Thompson wanted. They had already committed to Aaron Rodgers.

So Ted Thompson tried to fight it. The longer this lasted, the more and more Brett wanted to come back into the NFL. He finally sent in his letter of reinstatement to the NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. After a day or two, Brett Favre was reinstated to the Green Bay Packers.

Mike McCarthy and Brett Favre sat down and had a long talk after Favre arrived in Green Bay. Brett felt that with the way the organization had treated him the past month that he could not stay in Green Bay.

It was nothing against the fans, nothing against Mike McCarthy, but everything against Ted Thompson and Mark Murphy who wanted nothing but Favre to be out of Green Bay at this point.

So Brett went back home to Kiln, Mississippi. Not too long after that, the slight tremor of an earthquake the football world felt when Brett said he wanted to come back became a 9.5 on the rector scale. Brett Favre was traded to the New York Jets.

The 2008 NFL Season

Brett Favre was now in a different jersey with the same number. Things were not the same for the football world. In fact, Brett Favre had caused a disturbance in the balance of the football universe.

First, Tom Brady went down with an injury causing the AFC East to become competitive (while Chad Pennington went to Miami). Right now, New York, Miami, and New England are all tied with a 8-5 record for the division.

The Tennessee Titans won the AFC South instead of the Indianapolis Colts. Not a usual thing, especially when the Colts were playing like garbage at the beginning of the season.

Same goes for the Chargers. Last year they started off bad, but came back and won the West. However this year, they are still three games behind the Broncos. Something isn't right.

The NFC North is also screwed up. The Vikings have a 8-5 record; however, the Bears are only a game behind them and could easily take the division if the Vikings lose their next couple of games. Meanwhile the Packers are a measly 5-8.

The NFL world is not the same. Even the Steelers are affected by this. They allowed a no-name running back gain 160 yards on them last Sunday! Something is seriously wrong here.

Worse of all, it seems that the areas and people Brett Favre was or is connected to are being affected by this the most. Mike Holmgren, the guy who believed in Favre and kept him in at starting quarterback for the Green Bay Packers when sometimes he shouldn't have is having the worst season of his life as a head coach.

The Seattle Seahawks are 2-11. Sorry 'bout that Mike.

Andy Reid, another coach under Mike Holmgren when he was running things in Green Bay is having troubles with his team. The Philadelphia Eagles tied with the Cincinnati Bengals. Meanwhile Donovan McNabb is so bipolar with his play, it is hard to tell whether the Eagles are even really that good.

Way to go Ted Thompson, you screwed up football for everybody. None of these things ever happened before. Perhaps it really was time for Mike Holmgren to retire last season instead of this one.

So this is how Brett Favre changed the football universe.

2008 NFL Week 15 Power Rankings

Mike Craig — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 01:58:22 -0500

Week 14 possessed many things. One of those was that three divisions were locked up: The AFC South, the NFC East, and the NFC West.

When Tennessee plays Pittsburgh after this week, do you think they will realize that they are not contenders and that they really are just pretenders?

So even though the Giants would have locked up the East by beating the Eagles, the Cowboys later lost to the Steelers, locking up the East anyway. Good for you, New York, Pittsburgh did your dirty work for you.

The NFC North is looking less contested, as the Packers dropped another game. The Vikings have three hard games to finish the season off, while the Bears could still take the the division.

Will Detroit win a game this season? Well, they do play the Packers in the last game of the season.

Tennessee Titans (12-1) (LW 2) - How did you get back up here?
Pittsburgh Steelers (10-3) (LW 3) - How many Irish players do you have?
New York Giants (11-2) (LW 1) - It's just like getting shot in the foot...or leg, right?
Carolina Panthers (10-3) (LW 7) - How does it feel to know that all that work could still be for nothing?
Indianapolis Colts (9-4) (LW 8) - Wild Card sounds pleasant, doesn't it?
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-4) (LW 4) - It's okay, you can do better next week, correct?
Miami Dolphins (8-5) (LW 9) - Apparently, you are not so tame, huh?
Atlanta Falcons (8-5) (LW 6) - Was that really what you wanted?
Minnesota Vikings (8-5) (LW 10) - Think you can keep that lead when you have Atlanta, Arizona, and New York next?
New York Jets (8-5) (LW 5) - Come on, where is that Brett Favre energy?
Arizona Cardinals (8-5) (LW 11) - How does it feel that you basically have had the division handed to you?
Baltimore Ravens (9-4) (LW 13) - Think you can beat the luck of the Irish?
Philadelphia Eagles (7-5-1) (LW 16) - Why start trying now?
Denver Broncos (8-5) (LW 14) - You can outlast the Chargers, right?
New England Patriots (8-5) (LW 15) - How does it feel to be tied for first in the division again?
Dallas Cowboys (8-5) (LW 12) - You still have a chance at the playoffs, you know this?
New Orleans Saints (7-6) (LW 17) - Why do I get the feeling you are close but yet no cigar for the playoffs?
Houston Texans (6-7) (LW 18) - Does December signify the time for all bad teams to start trying?
Chicago Bears (7-6) (LW 19) - Think you can take the division now that your schedule is easy and the Vikings have three tough opponents left?
San Francisco 49ers (5-8) (LW 24) - Two games? How 'bout three now?
San Diego Chargers (5-8) (LW 26) - You are only a couple games behind, do you think you can do it?
Washington Redskins (7-6) (LW 21) - How did you get to the bottom of the division so fast?
Green Bay Packers (5-8) (LW 20) - So now that you basically have run yourselves into the ground, what is next?
Cleveland Browns (4-9) (LW 22) - So when are you guys going to get somebody to make sure your quarterbacks are more durable?
Buffalo Bills (6-7) (LW 23) - Does it bother you that you are starting to live up to my before-season expectations?
Jacksonville Jaguars (4-9) (LW 25) - How about you look back at last season and see what you guys did and start repeating it?
Kansas City Chiefs (2-11) (LW 27) - Think you can keep those losses coming?
Oakland Raiders (3-10) (LW 28) - So will everybody be cheering when Al Davis dies?
Seattle Seahawks (2-11) (LW 29) - I am starting to feel bad for Mike Holmgren, aren't you?
St. Louis Rams (2-11) (LW 30) - How come the talent in this team is staying dormant?
Cincinnati Bengals (1-11-1) (LW 31) - You could have been 2-11, how embarrassing is that?
Detroit Lions (0-13) (LW 32) - Could you at least get one win?

Divisions Already Locked Up

AFC South: Tennessee Titans

Tennessee Titans (12-1)
Indianapolis Colts (9-4)
Houston Texans (6-7)
Jacksonville Jaguars (4-9)

NFC East: New York Giants

New York Giants (11-2)
Dallas Cowboys (8-5)
Philadelphia Eagles (7-5-1)
Washington Redskins (7-6)

NFC West: Arizona Cardinals

Arizona Cardinals (8-5)
San Francisco 49ers (5-8)
Seattle Seahawks (2-11)
St. Louis Rams (2-11)

Division Predictions After Week 14

AFC East: New York Jets

New York Jets (8-5)
New England Patriots (8-5)
Miami Dolphins (8-5)
Buffalo Bills (6-7)

AFC North: Pittsburgh Steelers

Pittsburgh Steelers (10-3)
Baltimore Ravens (9-4)
Cleveland Browns (4-9)
Cincinnati Bengals (1-11-1)

AFC West: Denver Broncos

Denver Broncos (8-5)
San Diego Chargers (5-8)
Oakland Raiders (3-10)
Kansas City Chiefs (2-11)

AFC PLAYOFF SEEDS
1. Tennessee Titans
2. Pittsburgh Steelers
3. Denver Broncos
4. New York Jets
5. Indianapolis Colts
6. Baltimore Ravens

NFC North: Chicago Bears

Minnesota Vikings (8-5)
Chicago Bears (7-6)
Green Bay Packers (5-8)
Detroit Lions (0-13)

NFC South: Carolina Panthers

Carolina Panthers (10-3)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-4)
Atlanta Falcons (8-5)
New Orleans Saints (7-6)

NFC PLAYOFF SEEDS
1. New York Giants
2. Carolina Panthers
3. Arizona Cardinals
4. Chicago Bears
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
6. Atlanta Falcons

PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS

Wild Card
AFC - Indianapolis Colts @ New York Jets (Colts)
Baltimore Ravens @ Denver Broncos (Ravens)

NFC - Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Chicago Bears (Buccaneers)
Atlanta Falcons @ Arizona Cardinals (Cardinals)

Divisional Round
AFC - Indianapolis Colts @ Pittsburgh Steelers (Steelers)
Baltimore Ravens @ Tennessee Titans (Ravens)

NFC - Arizona Cardinals @ Carolina Panthers (Panthers)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ New York Giants (Giants)

Conference Championships
AFC - Baltimore Ravens @ Pittsburgh Steelers (Ravens)

NFC - Carolina Panthers @ New York Giants (Giants)

Super Bowl XLIII
Baltimore Ravens V.S. New York Giants (Giants)

NFC North Analysis: Who Will Be the Champs?

Mike Craig — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 15:46:24 -0500

With four games left in the NFL season, we can already see where every NFL franchise is going. Whether they are going to be champions of their divisions or not is another question. Hopefully I can sit here and help with that for the NFC North.

Chicago Bears

In 2007, the Bears were not sure where they were going. They kept switching back between quarterbacks Rex Grossman and Brian Griese. The end result of their season was a 9-7 record and a place at the bottom of the NFC North.

This year, the Bears are in the running for the title of NFC North Champions. Whether they will be champions or not is another question. Here is a look at the games they have played up to this point in the season.

Week One: Bears 29 - Colts 13 W (1-0)
Week Two: Panthers 20 - Bears 17 L (1-1)
Week Three: Buccaneers 27 - Bears 24 L (1-2)
Week Four: Bears 24 - Eagles 20 W (2-2)
Week Five: Bears 34 - Lions 7 W (3-2)
Week Six: Falcons 22 - Bears 20 L (3-3)
Week Seven: Bears 48 - Vikings 41 W (4-3)
Week Eight: BYE
Week Nine: Bears 27 - Lions 23 W (5-3)
Week 10: Titans 21 - Bears 14 L (5-4)
Week 11: Packers 37 - Bears 3 L (5-5)
Week 12: Bears 27 - Rams 3 W (6-5)
Week 13: Vikings 34 - Bears 14 L (6-6)

The end result of the first 13 weeks of football is the Bears are in second place in the NFC North. If they win the rest of their games, they will finish with a 10-6 record. That would be an improvement from last season.

However, let me explain why that wont happen:

Week 14: Jaguars @ Bears

With four games left, the Bears only have two easy ones. The Jaguars game is one of them. However, with the recent decline the Bears seem to be having, perhaps a victory over the Jaguars will not be as easy as it should be.

This game will most likely be a win for Chicago, unless the Jaguars perform good which is a rare thing this season. This will increase the Bears record to 7-6.

Week 15: Saints @ Bears

Here is a tough one. With the way the Bears have suddenly started playing now, whether the close-yet-no-cigar-Saints or the Packers-crushing-Saints show up, this will not be an easy game for Chicago. The Bears will more than likely lose this one. Whether it will be a close one, or by a huge margin, the Bears record goes to 7-7.

Week 16: Packers @ Bears

A Bears-Packers match-up is always hard to predict. Will the Bears destroy the Packers like they did the last time they came to Soldier Field, or will Green Bay crush the Bears again like they already did earlier this season.

Like stated before, the Bears seem to be on a decline, so this will go to the Packers. Chicago Bears record now 7-8.

Week 17: Bears @ Texans

There is only one thing that does not favor the Bears in this one. Home field advantage. All through December the Bears will be at home except for the last week of football. They have to travel all the way down into the South to play the Texans.

Now, the Texans are a confusing team this year. One moment they show promise, the next they show you exactly why you should be picking against them.

For sake of argument, I am picking the Bears over the Texans in this one. Bears record ends at 8-8. Will a 8-8 record win the division. I do not think so.

Detroit Lions

In 2007, Jon Kitna promised a 10-6 season. Well, he was three games short of that one and led them right into third place in the NFC North. At least last season, the Lions showed some sort of promise.

Not this season. Jon Kitna got injured, which caused Dan Orvlosky to go in. However, that quarterback lost his job the moment he stepped out of bounds in Detroit's own end zone. So, the Lions decided to bring veteran Daunte Culpepper out of retirement. However, right now, they are still at 0-12 record even with Daunte.

Here is a look at the games they have played so far this season.

Week One: Falcons 34 - Lions 21 L (0-1)
Week Two: Packers 48 - Lions 25 L (0-2)
Week Three: 49ers 31 - Lions 13 L (0-3)
Week Four: BYE
Week Five: Bears 34 - Lions 7 L (0-4)
Week Six: Vikings 12 - Lions 10 L (0-5)
Week Seven: Texans 28 - Lions 21 L (0-6)
Week Eight: Redskins 25 - Lions 17 L (0-7)
Week Nine: Bears 27 - Lions 23 L (0-8)
Week 10: Jaguars 38 - Lions 14 L (0-9)
Week 11: Panthers 31 - Lions 22 L (0-10)
Week 12: Buccaneers 38 - Lions 20 L (0-11)
Week 13: Titans 47 - Lions 10 L (0-12)

As you can see, the Lions have not been able to win a single game this season. In Weeks Six, Seven, Nine, and 11, they were close and had a chance to win. The remainder of their games I would say are not exactly hard, however, they are. Even for a good team's standards.

This is why I believe the Lions will more than likely end with a 0-16 record this season:

Week 14: Vikings @ Lions

The only team the Lions got really close to beating is the Vikings. However the Vikings seem to be a different team now. That does not mean the Lions could not pull some out of no where to win. Then again, it is the Lions and even if they showed really good signs of winning, they somehow manage to ruin that too.

Bottom line is, the Lions lose and go to 0-13.

Week 15: Lions @ Colts

Maybe at the beginning of the season I would have said there was a chance the Lions could beat the Colts, but not with the way the Colts are playing now. This should be a blow out victory for Indianapolis.

0-14.

Week 16: Saints @ Lions

Watching the way the Saints destroyed the Packers, and seeing how they almost beat the Vikings towards the beginning of the season, I am guessing that this game will not be too friendly to the Lions. In short, I do not believe the Lions are going to walk away with a victory here either.

0-15.

Week 17: Lions @ Packers

Are you kidding me? The Packers are the team to score the most points on the Lions. And last season Green Bay put their second string in and they still destroyed them. Sorry Detroit, I do believe you will have a no win football team this year.

The end of this sad pathetic story for the Detroit Lions is they will finish at 0-16 and be the obvious bottom feeders of the NFC North and the NFL.

Green Bay Packers

In 2007, the Green Bay Packers at the beginning of the season did not have a running game and still found a way to be 7-1 before they found one. That would be due in part to a record breaking quarterback by the name of Brett Favre.

Once Ryan Grant came onto the scene, they also had a running game and ended the season with a 13-3 record at the top of the NFC North. They would go on to lose the NFC Championship game to the would-be Super Bowl Champions.

2008 marked a new era for the Packers, Green Bay, and the rest of the Packers fans. No. 4 would not be starting for them at quarterback anymore. Sixteen seasons with the same quarterback with only one losing season, what else could any football fan ask for from their favorite team?

Well now the Packers are at a 5-7 record and if they lose two more games, it will be the second losing season in the past seventeen years and the second losing season under management of Ted Thompson.

The Aaron Rodgers era has begun, or well more so called the After-Brett Favre-Era. Here is a look at how they fared in their games so far:

Week One: Packers 24 - Vikings 19 W (1-0)
Week Two: Packers 48 - Lions 25 W (2-0)
Week Three: Cowboys 27 - Packers 16 L (2-1)
Week Four: Buccaneers 30 - Packers 21 L (2-2)
Week Five: Falcons 27 - Packers 24 L (2-3)
Week Six: Packers 27 - Seahawks 17 W (3-3)
Week Seven: Packers 34 - Colts 14 W (4-3)
Week Eight: BYE
Week Nine: Titans 19 - Packers 16 L (4-4)
Week 10: Vikings 28 - Packers 27 L (4-5)
Week 11: Packers 37 - Bears 3 W (5-5)
Week 12: Saints 51 - Packers 29 L (5-6)
Week 13: Panthers 35 - Packers 31 L (5-7)

So where do the Packers go from here? Is this a lost season? Perhaps not. We all found out that Aaron Rodgers can in fact play and if anyone is to blame for the record, it is Mike McCarthy's play calling. The rest of their schedule un-like the rest of the NFC North's seems to be a little easy.

Here is why I think Green Bay's December is going to be a Christmas gift to them:

Week 14: Texans @ Packers

The Texans are not a push over team. As a matter of fact they have the same record as the Packers right now. However, looking at the Texans victories this season, they are not that impressive. They beat the Dolphins by one point and they beat the Lions, Bengals, Browns, and Jaguars. The Dolphins are the only team in that group that has a record above .500.

I take the Packers over the Texans in this one. The Packers record improves to 6-7.

Week 15: Packers @ Jaguars

So here is another team the Packers play with a record below .500. This is also a team that just got demolished by the Texans last week. Sorry, but the Jaguars like a lot of other teams in the NFL this year are a disappointment.

Green Bay wins this one too and improves to 7-7.

Week 16: Packers @ Bears

As if this one was not obvious. Each year, the Bears and Packers decide to switch back-and-forth on who is going to win. In 2005, it was the Bears, 2006 Packers, and 2007 obviously the Bears. So now in 2008, Green Bay had already demolished the Bears once this season, can they do it again? I think so.

Record improves to 8-7.

Week 17: Lions @ Packers

Here is the easy one. Merry Christmas Green Bay. The Lions will be wanting to win this game so bad for by this point they should be 0-15. However the Packers will understand that they will need to keep their starters in because there is a chance they could still win the NFC North.

There for the Green Bay Packers end their season with a 9-7 record.

Minnesota Vikings

The 2007 Minnesota Vikings looked like they were a team to beat towards the end of the season. Finishing strong with a 8-8 record, with Brett Favre traded away to the Jets, the Vikings looked like the sure winner of the NFC North.

Where are we now? Well with four games left in the season, they are currently 7-5 and are in the lead in the NFC North. However how long will that last? Here is a look at the games they have played so far:

Week One: Packers 24 - Vikings 19 L (0-1)
Week Two: Colts 18 - Vikings 15 L (0-2)
Week Three: Vikings 20 - Panthers 10 W (1-2)
Week Four: Titans 30 - Vikings 17 L (1-3)
Week Five: Vikings 30 - Saints 27 W (2-3)
Week Six: Vikings 12 - Lions 10 W (3-3)
Week Seven: Bears 48 - Vikings 41 L (3-4)
Week Eight: BYE
Week Nine: Vikings 28 - Texans 21 W (4-4)
Week 10: Vikings 28 - Packers 27 W (5-4)
Week 11: Buccaneers 19 - Vikings 13 L (5-5)
Week 12: Vikings 30 - Jaguars 12 W (6-5)
Week 13: Vikings 34 - Bears 14 W (7-5)

So it seems as if the Vikings have picked it up. However the remainder of their schedule after Week 14 does not look so promising. At the beginning of this season, it seemed as if the Vikings were going to be a disappointment. They may still prove to be a disappointment. Here is why:

Week 14: Vikings @ Lions

The only easy game they will have. The Lions are a push over. However considering the Lions almost beat them in their last meeting, perhaps this will be a trap game where the Lions could win.

Better safe-than-sorry, the Vikings win and improve to 8-5.

Week 15: Vikings @ Arizona Cardinals

Here is a little secret for you predictors out there, the only team to beat Arizona at home is the New York Giants who are amazing on the road. As much as you Vikings fans would be hoping for a win here, it does not seem like it will happen.

There for the Vikings will go to 8-6. Still not bad considering by Week 15, Chicago will be 7-7 and Green Bay will be 7-7. Still a game ahead.

Week 16: Falcons @ Vikings

Unfortunately for the Vikings, they also play the Atlanta Falcons who are in a tight race for the NFC South. The Falcons will be trying their hardest to get ahead of both the Buccaneers and the Panthers.

Minnesota loses this one as well making their record 8-7. By this point and time, the Bears would be 7-8, and the Packers would be 8-7.

Week 17: Giants @ Vikings

Even if the Giants clinch their division, they may keep their starters in. And if they do not and put their back ups, the Vikings will more than likely win this game.

But by the end of the season with Green Bay being 9-7 and the Vikings being 9-7, Green Bay wins the tie breaker because they only lost one game in the division where as the Vikings have lost two.

In short, the NFC North Champions will be the Green Bay Packers.

NFL Week 14 Predictions: Down The Home Stretch

Mike Craig — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 02:44:07 -0500

So what happened Thursday night? The San Diego Chargers played the way they should have been playing all season. Unfortunately it doesn't really matter now, unless the Denver Broncos take a major dive.

And the Oakland Raiders showed why their three wins have all been lucky.

There are only four games left in the regular season. Out of eight divisions, four do not have a clear winner. If you add the AFC West, that makes it five.

So with that said, these last four weeks of football are crucial.

In the AFC East, New York, New England, and Buffalo all lost last week. Miami was the only team to win, making the race for the AFC East bigger.

The New York Jets lost to the Denver Broncos last week and will be looking to rebound when they head into San Francisco this week. Shouldn't be too hard, should it? Especially for a team has knocked off the last undefeated team of the season. Oh wait, they mishandled the Broncos, who got crushed by the Raiders the week before.

New England, on the other hand, got whipped by the Pittsburgh Steelers. So the Pats too will be looking for a win this Sunday when they pay Seattle a visit. Lucky for them, Mike Holmgren can't seem to coach anymore.

Miami is closer in this race now with its win last week. Sure, the Dolphins only beat St. Louis, but a win is a win. Now they play the Bills in Canada. This should be a good one.

This brings me to the AFC North, where the race is between two teams, one of which at the beginning of the season looked as if it was hanging on by a thread because of its defense, and the other was a big question mark because of its rookie quarterback.

The Pittsburgh Steelers after destroying the Patriots are now letting the Dallas Cowboys come to the Steel City. Will we see Steelers go 1-3 in the NFC East?

Baltimore on the other hand will be playing Washington, which has not been doing so great as of late. Picking a rookie quarterback over this Washington team? At the beginning of the season, that might have been a little absurd. I don't know about now.

In the AFC South, we already have our winner. The Tennessee Titans play Cleveland at home this Sunday, then next week they travel to Houston, in Week 16 the have a hard game against the Steelers, and then to finish it off, in the last week of the regular season, they travel to Indianapolis. But by then, all they will probably do is put their backups in so the starters can get some rest. Consider this to be a 14-2 team.

However, if the Titans were to lose the rest of their games and the Colts win the rest of theirs, the Colts would win the AFC South. Indianapolis plays the Bengals this Sunday.

There is still a chance that the Chargers could win the AFC West. The Broncos on the other hand had a convincing win over the New York Jets last week. This week Denver plays Kansas City, which should provide for an easy win.

As for the Chargers, they just beat the snot out of Oakland and go on to play Kansas City next week.

This brings us to the more interesting conference of the year: the NFC. The NFC East and West are pretty much wrapped up, while the North and the South are in tight races.

In the NFC East, the New York Giants are riding the wave of satisfaction at 11-1. With nothing really in their way to stop them, the East should be theirs.

The Dallas Cowboys are the only ones who could take the spot, and only if the Giants lose the rest of their games and Dallas wins the rest of its.

In the NFC North, that is where things are really tight. People are already saying the Minnesota Vikings have the North wrapped up. However, the Vikings still have Atlanta, the New York Giants, and Arizona to play. This week is their last easy one as they play Detroit.

Chicago is a little less convincing as well, especially after both the Green Bay Packers and the Minnesota Vikings embarrassed them. Not even sure I should include them in this race.

However, it would be strange if I did not, considering the Green Bay Packers at 5-7 could still win the North. The Bears are 6-6. Green Bay, unlike Minnesota, has an easy schedule. The Packers have Houston this week, then they have Jacksonville, Chicago, and then Detroit. Not exactly hard ones. Schedule-wise, Green Bay could possibly be the favorite.

The last tight race division in the NFL this season is the NFC South. Both Carolina and Tampa Bay are tied for first. Atlanta is only one game behind.

This Monday, on Monday Night Football, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers travel to Carolina in a big NFC South battle. This one is for the lead. This game could decide the winner in the NFC South.

Atlanta on the other hand travels to New Orleans. Its hard to tell which New Orleans team will show up, the Packers-crushing Saints or the oh-so-close-but-no-cigar Saints.

There is only one obvious winner in the NFC West: the Arizona Cardinals. Not that any of the teams in this division is exceptionally great. The Cardinals could have won this division with a 6-10 record.

However, for an honorable mention, the 49ers have seemed to kick things into gear for the first time since the 90s.

Sunday, Dec. 7, 2008
Jacksonville Jaguars (4-8) @ Chicago Bears (6-6) at 1 p.m.
My Pick: Bears

Minnesota Vikings (7-5) @ Detroit Lions (0-12) at 1 p.m.
My Pick: Vikings

Cincinnati Bengals (1-10-1) @ Indianapolis Colts (8-4) at 1 p.m.
My Pick: Colts

Philadelphia Eagles (6-5-1) @ New York Giants (11-1) at 1 p.m.
My Pick: Giants

Cleveland Browns (4-8) @ Tennessee Titans (11-1) at 1 p.m.
My Pick: Titans

Atlanta Falcons (7-5) @ New Orleans Saints (6-6) at 1 p.m.
My Pick: Falcons

Houston Texans (5-7) @ Green Bay Packers (5-7) at 1 p.m.
My Pick: Packers

Miami Dolphins (7-5) @ Buffalo Bills (6-6) at 4:05 p.m.
My Pick: Dolphins

New York Jets (8-4) @ San Francisco 49ers (4-8) at 4:05 p.m.
My Pick: Jets

New England Patriots (7-5) @ Seattle Seahawks (2-10) at 4:05 p.m.
My Pick: Patriots

Kansas City Chiefs (2-10) @ Denver Broncos (7-5) at 4:05 p.m.
My Pick: Broncos

St. Louis Rams (2-10) @ Arizona Cardinals (7-5) at 4:15 p.m.
My Pick: Cardinals

Dallas Cowboys (8-4) @ Pittsburgh Steelers (9-3) at 4:15 p.m.
My Pick: Cowboys

Washington Redskins (7-5) @ Baltimore Ravens (8-4) at 8:15 p.m.
My Pick: Ravens

Monday, Dec. 8, 2008
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-3) @ Carolina Panthers (9-3) at 8:30 p.m.
My Pick: Buccaneers

2008 NFL Season Analysis: Without Plaxico Burress, the Giants Stay On Top

Mike Craig — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 01:56:47 -0500

So once again, things just keep getting interesting in the NFL.

Plaxico Burress shot himself in the leg. Not very smart of him. However, the Giants proved that they do not need that ego on their team to win.

The Titans beat the Lions, making Detroit 0-12. However, this does not prove anything for Tennessee. With the remainder of their schedule easy, the real challenge will be when they meet up with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Vikings beat the Bears to take sole ownership of the lead in the NFC North. While the Packers lost a close one against the Panthers. Count on the NFC North race not to be decided until seasons end.

The Pittsburgh Steelers dominated the New England Patriots showing that they may very well be the best team in the AFC right now. Meanwhile, the Jets lost to the Broncos still keeping them only one game ahead in the AFC East.

Mike Craig's Power Rankings (1-32)

New York Giants (11-1) (LW 1) - Who ever said they needed Plaxico?
Tennessee Titans (11-1) (LW 3) - Congratulations! You beat the Detroit Kitties! Do you think you will be that dominant when you let Pittsburgh come into town?
Pittsburgh Steelers (9-3) (LW 6) - Sure, it was the Matt Cassel-led-Patriots, but the Tom Brady-led-Patriots are only slightly better. Think you can handle Dallas that way?
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-3) (LW 4) - Big game Monday night. Think you can handle them Panthers to stay on top?
New York Jets (8-4) (LW 2) - Should I even ask?
Atlanta Falcons (8-4) (LW 7) - It's a close division. Do you think if you win the rest of your games you could win it?
Carolina Panthers (9-3) (LW 8) - The Bucs win the tiebreaker, so you have to win here no matter what. Think you can do it?
Indianapolis Colts (8-4) (LW 9) - How did you not beat them by much more than that?
Miami Dolphins (7-5) (LW 10) - The only team to win the AFC East this week. Now you are tied for second, how does it feel?
Minnesota Vikings (7-5) (LW 11) - Now that looks like a record for a team that is headed to the playoffs, doesn't it?
Arizona Cardinals (7-5) (LW 5) - Can you please tell me when you will learn how to play football on the East Coast?
Dallas Cowboys (8-4) (LW 13) - You are hopeing that Carolina and Atlanta lose this weekend, right?
Baltimore Ravens (8-4) (LW 14) - Aren't you a little tired of being one game behind?
Denver Broncos (7-5) (LW 17) - I do not know what that was, but do you think you can do it again?
New England Patriots (7-5) (LW 12) - How is anybody supposed to take you seriously when you play like that?
Philadelphia Eagles (6-5-1) (LW 22) - Where was this McNabb hiding all season?
New Orleans Saints (6-6) (LW 16) - How can you lose to Tampa Bay like that after that game against Green Bay?
Houston Texans (5-7) (LW 23) - Keep up the good work, after all you do know people are watching right?
Chicago Bears (6-6) (LW 18) - Tough break. You know if you do not beat Green Bay, your chances of winning the North are over?
Green Bay Packers (5-7) (LW 19) - You do know you still have a chance to win your division right? Start finishing your games!
Washington Redskins (7-5) (LW 15) - I do not blame you for losing, but is it possible that you could improve how you play football?
Cleveland Browns (4-8) (LW 21) - Brady Quinn, Derek Anderson, umm, who is going to be the starter now?
Buffalo Bills (6-6) (LW 20) - Your plan all along was to give up, right?
San Francisco 49ers (4-8) (LW 26) - Does knowing if you won the rest of your games you could win your division if Arizona suddenly takes a royal fall send chills up your spine?
Jacksonville Jaguars (4-8) (LW 24) - How did you win four games again?
San Diego Chargers (4-8) (LW 25) - Who are you, and what have you done with the Chargers?
Kansas City Chiefs (2-10) (LW 31) - There you go! Do you really fell better knowing you have more than one win?
Oakland Raiders (3-9) (LW 27) - You already beat the Chiefs once, and then you beat the Jets and the Broncos as well. How did you lose?
Seattle Seahawks (2-10) (LW 28) - Will Mike Holmgren even be able to retire or will he be fired?
St. Louis Rams (2-10) (LW 29) - Perhaps if you tried to play football you would win, you think?
Cincinnati Bengals (1-10-1) (LW 30) - Did Carson Palmer really make you guys that much better?
Detroit Lions (0-12) (LW 32) - If you go 0-16, will that be the wake up call this team has been needing?

Division Predictions After Week 13

AFC EAST: New York Jets

New York Jets (8-4)
New England Patriots (7-5)
Miami Dolphins (7-5)
Buffalo Bills (6-6)

AFC NORTH: Pittsburgh Steelers

Pittsburgh Steelers (9-3)
Baltimore Ravens (8-4)
Cleveland Browns (4-8)
Cincinnati Bengals (1-10-1)

AFC SOUTH: Tennessee Titans

Tennessee Titans (11-1)
Indianapolis Colts (8-4)
Houston Texans (5-7)
Jacksonville Jaguars (4-8)

AFC WEST: Denver Broncos

Denver Broncos (7-5)
San Diego Chargers (4-8)
Oakland Raiders (3-9)
Kansas City Chiefs (2-10)

AFC PLAYOFF SEEDS

1. Tennessee Titans
2. Pittsburgh Steelers
3. New York Jets
4. Denver Broncos
5. Indianapolis Colts
6. Baltimore Ravens

NFC EAST: New York Giants

New York Giants (11-1)
Dallas Cowboys (8-4)
Washington Redskins (7-5)
Philadelphia Eagles (6-5-1)

NFC NORTH: Minnesota Vikings

Minnesota Vikings (7-5)
Chicago Bears (6-6)
Green Bay Packers (5-7)
Detroit Lions (0-12)

NFC SOUTH: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-3)
Carolina Panthers (9-3)
Atlanta Falcons (8-4)
New Orleans Saints (6-6)

NFC WEST: Arizona Cardinals

Arizona Cardinals (7-5)
San Francisco 49ers (4-8)
Seattle Seahawks (2-10)
St. Louis Rams (2-10)

NFC PLAYOFF SEEDS

1. New York Giants
2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
3. Minnesota Vikings
4. Arizona Cardinals
5. Carolina Panthers
6. Atlanta Falcons

Playoff Predictions

Wild Card
AFC - Baltimore Ravens @ New York Jets (Jets)
Indianapolis Colts @ Denver Broncos (Colts)

NFC - Atlanta Falcons @ Minnesota Vikings (Falcons)
Carolina Panthers @ Arizona Cardinals (Panthers)

Division Round
AFC - New York Jets @ Pittsburgh Steelers (Steelers)
Indianapolis Colts @ Tennessee Titans (Colts)

NFC - Carolina Panthers @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Panthers)
Atlanta Falcons @ New York Giants (Giants)

Championships
AFC - Indianapolis Colts @ Pittsburgh Steelers (Steelers)

NFC - Carolina Panthers @ New York Giants (Giants)

Super Bowl XLIII
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. New York Giants (Giants)

Let's Not Call for Ted Thompson's Head Just Yet

Mike Craig — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 23:01:34 -0500

Come season's end, the Packers will most likely not be in the playoffs. They are in a division at this point in time where they can still win. However, this team does not seem to have the same energy it did last season to pull that off.

The month of November was not friendly to the Green Bay Packers. In Week Nine, the Packers visited Tennessee and almost made them lose their first game of the season. Instead, the Packers lost in overtime 19-16.

Week 10, the Packers traveled to Minnesota to play the division rival Vikings. It was a different Viking's team than earlier in the season. The Packers would eventually lose the game 28-27, regardless of the fact that they scored two touchdowns in the matter of a minute or less.

Week 11 brought their only win of November, as they demolished the Chicago Bears in Green Bay. Ryan Grant had his best game of the season and second best game of his career. The Cheese Heads won 37-3.

Then came a game that brought all of the Rodgers' haters back out of their little shells they crawled under. The Green Bay quarterback threw three interceptions in a game that they would lose 51-29. The New Orleans Saints played a full 60 minutes of football, while the Green Bay Packers only played 30 minutes of football.

This bring up Week 13, where they had the game. Aaron Rodgers led the team down the field for a comeback. Ryan Grant was sidelined with a thumb injury. Brandon Jackson stepped up and put a spark in the running game. However, both their efforts were for nothing as the Pack fell for 35-31.

So what does that mean for the 5-7 Packers? The Chicago Bears are above them at 6-6, while the Minnesota Vikings lead the NFC North with their 7-5 record. Is it really a long shot that they could still win the NFC North? No, it really is not. Let me explain.

Week 14

Minnesota Vikings—With an easy game coming up in Week 14, expect to see the Vikings hold onto that lead as they travel to Detroit. After Week 14, the Vikings will be 8-5, no doubt.

Chicago Bears—This game is a little bit more questionable. Depending on which Jacksonville team shows up, the Bears most likely will win this one. Increasing their record to 7-6.

Green Bay Packers—Statistically speaking the Packers should win their game in Week 14. The Houston Texans are not as good as they should be. If the month of December can be friendly to the Pack, perhaps you will see that the Texans are still the Texans after all, causing the Packers to go to 6-7

Week 15

Minnesota Vikings—Again, on the road the Vikings will travel to Arizona this time. The Cardinals are 4-1 at home. The only team to beat them at home was the Giants. The only time the Cardinals are bad is when they travel to the East Coast (as shown in Week 13). This will more than likely be a loss for the Vikings. This would make them 8-6.

Chicago Bears—After watching the way the Saints demolished the Packers and how bad the Bears are playing right now, this is an easy one to decide. Bears become 7-7.

Green Bay Packers—Same case as for when the Bears play the Jaguars. If Green Bay loses this game, their shot at winning the North becomes even more unlikely. However, it is the Jaguars. Say they win and increase to 7-7. They are now in second place in the NFC North because of tie-breakers.

Week 16

Minnesota Vikings—They have yet another hard game. Who would have thought that the Atlanta Falcons would be where they are right now? Michael Turner and Matt Ryan seem to have been on fire all season. Vikings go to 8-7.

Chicago Bears & Green Bay Packers—Is this one really that hard? Perhaps the Packers wins and the way they play at Soldier Field are a little inconsistent, but the play of the Bears at this moment in the season is not that good either. Bears become 7-8 while the Packers become 8-7.

Week 17

Minnesota Vikings—Now, even if the Vikings only lose one of those two games that I said they would, they are screwed when it comes to this week. They play the New York Giants. That is yet another loss, dropping Minnesota down to 8-8. Even if they did win, Green bay would win the tie breaker, and I will explain why when I get to the Packers.

Chicago Bears—Not that it really matters anymore. The Bears could win or lose this game. Being that it is Houston, it could go either way. For sake of Houston sucking, Bears go 8-8.

Green Bay Packers—Their last opponents of the season are the Detroit Lions. Now, if the Vikings go 9-7, the Packers have to win this game. If the Vikings go 8-8, this game doesn't matter. Because of division record, Green Bay has the best one out of all three of these teams.

End result is, the Packers would win the NFC North. So do not start losing hope JUST yet Packers fans.

Even if the Packers do not make it to the playoffs, this season was not a waste. We all got to see how Aaron Rodgers would play, and so far what he has put out on the field, it looks pretty good.

That being said, Ted Thompson should have one more season of a chance to build the team to Rodgers' strengths. Let's leave Mr. Thompson's head on his shoulders for one more season, shall we?

NFL Week 13 Predictions: That Is Good Stuffing

Mike Craig — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 23:21:48 -0500

Thursday, Nov. 27, 2008, there were three games on for Week 13 of the 2008 NFL season. Obviously, the Detroit Lions and the Dallas Cowboys played because it was Thanksgiving. Then you had the Thursday night game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Arizona Cardinals.

The Lions got destroyed (no surprise) by the Tennessee Titans, 47-10. Both running backs for the Titans ran for over 100 yards. Obviously, I picked the Titans to win.

Now that the Cowboys have Tony Romo back, it almost seems like they are unstoppable. Am I not right? They have not lost since he has come back. Including a 34-9 blowout on the Seattle Seahawks.

Now, to the game that I predicted wrong. With everything that has been going on in Philly lately, I did not see them winning this game. If somebody would have told me before the game started that Donovan McNabb was going to throw four touchdowns, I would have laughed in their face.

However, in the end, the Eagles beat the Cardinals 48-20.

We all know that in the AFC East you have the New York Jets who last week beat the Tennessee Titans giving them their first loss. Does that automatically crown them the best team in the AFC? Not so fast, there are still five more games for each team (excluding the six who played on Thursday) before the playoffs.

When it is all said and done, the team that makes it to the Super Bowl in each conference is the best team. The Jets play the Broncos this week. Not exactly a hard game, but not easy either.

The New England Patriots rebounded from a loss to the Jets on Thursday Night Football by taming the Dolphins' Wildcat offense. This week, the Patriots might not be so lucky when they allow Pittsburgh to come into their home turf.

By now, I can say that the AFC East is still a toss up for all four teams. After all the Jets are 8-3, the Patriots are 7-4, and the Bills and Dolphins are both 6-5. Even though the Dolphins lost their last game, which was against the Patriots, I see them having a better shot at winning this division than the Bills do.

That is to say, if if the Patriots and Jets both screw up badly towards the end of the season. Lucky for Miami, they have a rebound game against St. Louis.

Buffalo could also increase to a 7-5 record after Week 13 as they allow the 49ers on their home turf. The AFC East is not decided just yet.

In the North, we have two possible teams who could win it. The Pittsburgh Steelers are 8-3 right now and are finally starting to look good again. However, in Week 13, they could be missing five starters against the Patriots. Does this mean they will lose?

The Baltimore Ravens are right behind the Steelers with a 7-4 record. If the Steelers lose this weekend, and the Ravens beat the Bengals, then the AFC North may come down to the second meeting between these two teams.

The Tennessee Titans are now 11-1 with their win over Detroit on Thursday. If they only lose one more game, they will win the AFC South hands down. That would also give them the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs.

The Indianapolis Colts are working on a four-game winning streak now. They are the only team in this division that could possibly win it if the Titans suddenly bomb their last four games.

That being a very unlikely scenario, except to see this team being a wild-card team. The Colts play the Browns this week, who recently just lost Brady Quinn for the rest of the season.

Is it sad to say that the Oakland Raiders at 8-8 could possibly win the AFC West. Not that that will happen, but I am just pointing that out. The Denver Broncos are starting to look like an inconsistent team.

At any rate, they could very well end up losing their lead in the west. This Sunday, they play the New York Jets. Do you think they can win that after their loss to the Raiders?

The San Diego Chargers seem to be having some bad luck with winning games at the last second. So what do you do about that? Who knows. The real question is can they beat the rookie Matt Ryan led Falcons this Sunday?

So now I bring you to the NFC. Where even the lowest team in the NFC East can beat the best team in the NFC West. However, that might be due in part because the Cardinals flew to Philly.

The Giants, however, are the leaders in this division, and on Sunday, when they play the Washington Redskins, we will see if they in fact are going to remain there.

The Dallas Cowboys are now 8-4 and could be in the running for a wild-card spot, that is if the whole South doesn't take them. After destroying Seattle with Tony Romo back, if Giants start slipping up, the Cowboys could take this division again.

In the NFC North, we have a problem. A leader will be decided by the end of the Week 13, however, it does not make the division winner any more clearer.

The Chicago Bears head to Minnesota in a game for the NFC North lead. Both teams are doing well. However, after watching the Bears loss to the inconsistent Packers the way they did, who do you think is going to win this?

The other team is now 5-6. The Green Bay Packers. In order to win this division they will have to win their last five games. That includes this Sunday against the 8-3 Panthers. Is that possible? Well I guess we will just have to see which Packers team shows up.

The South is just like the AFC East. All four teams could still possibly win this division. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are the favorites to win. If they can stop New Orleans from scoring 51 points on them, they should be safe.

The Carolina Panthers lost to the Atlanta Falcons last week. However, this week, they place a 5-6 Green Pay Packers team that is having an identity crisis. Consistency is always a safer bet to go with.

One of the two rookie quarterback led teams is the Atlanta Falcons. In Week 13 they play San Diego Chargers. I expect this one to be close obviously but do the Falcons come out on top?

Once again, do I EVER have to really go over the NFC West? The only way the 49ers can win this division at 8-8 none-the-less is if the Cardinals lose the rest of their games. That would make them 7-9. However, I do not see that happening. I also do not see the 49ers winning five more games this season.

Sunday, Nov. 30, 2008
San Francisco 49ers (3-8) @ Buffalo Bills (6-5) at 1:00 PM

My Pick: Bills

Baltimore Ravens (7-4) @ Cincinnati Bengals (1-9-1) at 1:00 PM

My Pick: Ravens

New Orleans Saints (6-5) @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-3) at 1:00 PM

My Pick: Saints

New York Giants (10-1) @ Washington Redskins (7-4) at 1:00 PM

My Pick: Giants

Miami Dolphins (6-5) @ St. Louis Rams (2-9) at 1:00 PM

My Pick: Dolphins

Indianapolis Colts (7-4) @ Cleveland Browns (4-7) at 1:00 PM

My Pick: Colts

Carolina Panthers (8-3) @ Green Bay Packers (5-6) at 1:00 PM

My Pick: Panthers

Atlanta Falcons (7-4) @ San Diego Chargers (4-7) at 4:05 PM

My Pick: Falcons

Denver Broncos (6-5) @ New York Jets (8-3) at 4:15 PM

My Pick: Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers (8-3) @ New England Patriots (7-4) at 4:15 PM

My Pick: Steelers

Kansas City Chiefs (1-10) @ Oakland Raiders (3-8) at 4:15 PM

My Pick: Raiders

Chicago Bears (6-5) @ Minnesota Vikings (6-5) at 8:15 PM

My Pick: Vikings

Monday, Dec. 1, 2008

Jacksonville Jaguars (4-7) @ Houston Texans (4-7) at 8:30 PM

My Pick: Texans

Tom Brady or Matt Cassel? Long-Term or Short Term?

Mike Craig — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 06:47:13 -0500

When the 2009 regular season kicks off, Tom Brady will be 32-years-old. Sure, compared to Brett Favre (39), Kurt Warner (37), and Kerry Collins (36 in December), that is pretty young. However, not all quarterbacks stay for 14-plus years. Especially ones who have already won three Super Bowl rings.

Matt Cassel, on the other hand, will be 27-years-old when the 2009 regular season starts. At first, Matt Cassel didn't look too good. However, in recent weeks, he is starting to show that even players who haven't started since high school can play at a good level when surrounded by a good team.

Which one do the Patriots go with next season though?

For Starters

When Tom Brady first took over for the New England Patriots in 2001, he started 14 games while playing in 15 of them. During those 15 games, he compiled 2,843 yards, 18 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, and had a completion percentage of 63.9 percent. He ended the year with a 86.5 QB Rating.

Matt Cassel, so far in his 11 games played and 10 games started has compiled 2,615 yards, 13 touchdowns, eight interceptions, and a completion percentage of 66.3 percentage. He has a QB Rating of 90.5 right now.

Scrambled

Tom Brady was never really a runner. He had two seasons where he ran barely over 100 yards. No, the face of the New England Patriots did not run much. Tom Brady's skill much like people are used to with a quarterback always comes to when and how to throw the football.

However, Matt Cassel, in just 11 games, is only one yard below the 200 mark. This kid scrambles all over the place. He seems to know how to work with what is given to him. If the pass rush is on, he is gone.

For the Record

In 2001, the Patriots went 11-5 and clinched the AFC East through a tiebreaker with the Miami Dolphins. Want to know something else? This is the year the Patriots won their first ever Super Bowl.

Now, in 2008, the Patriots are 7-4 and are in second place in the AFC East. Matt Cassel's fault? He helped, that is for sure. Especially when has done something not even Tom Brady has done. He threw for 400 plus yards two games in a row. Can history repeat itself?

Speaking of history, if it does repeat itself, will the Patriots do what they did last time? Will the coaching staff, managers, and the owner decide that Tom Brady is no longer needed in New England? After all, that is what they did to Drew Bledsoe, is it not?

Matt Cassel could in fact be the next Tom Brady. However if you were the one who had to make the decision, would you choose long-term, or short-term? Tom Brady has a good five years left in him at best. That is if this injury of his doesn't affect his game play at all.

Cassel, on the other hand, has many more years left in him. He will be in his fifth season in the NFL next year while Brady will be in his 10th. I would not rule out the idea that perhaps Matt Cassel is a safer bet than Tom Brady.

As you can see, the Patriots are not in danger without Tom Brady. They are still in the race for the AFC East. They lost to the Jets putting them one game behind the Jets, however, the Jets could screw up this Sunday, or next Sunday, or the Sunday after that.

The Jets lose two, then the Patriots are back on top.

So Matt Cassel still has the Patriots in it for at least a wild-card spot in the playoffs. So, once again, I ask you the same questions as before. Tom Brady or Matt Cassel? Long-term or short-term?

2008 NFL Season Analysis: Playoffs Looking More Clear

Mike Craig — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 18:15:36 -0500

Something happened Sunday that not too many people thought would happen.

To put it simply: The best team in the NFC and the best team in the AFC share a stadium called Giants Stadium.

While the Giants proved that they can beat the good teams as well, the Cardinals showed that they still have some kinks to work out if they want to go anywhere in the playoffs this season.

The New York Jets, on the other hand, beat the ONLY undefeated team left. The score was 34-13. Not too many people saw that one coming. (I did.)

The Atlanta Falcons soundly defeated the Carolina Panthers to make the NFC South race even more competitive.

The Detroit Lions still do not have a single win, now having 12 straight regular-season losses.

Both the Bears and the Vikings won on Sunday to remain tied in the NFC North. However, the Green Bay Packers lost to the New Orleans Saints 51-2.

Mike Craig's Power Rankings (1-32)

1. New York Giants (10-1) (LW: 2)

Are they truly the best team in the NFL right now?

2. New York Jets (8-3) (LW: 5)

After beating the Titans as well as they did, is it safe to say that the Jets are for real?

3. Tennessee Titans (10-1) (LW: 1)

Can somebody please tell me how they won 10 games before finally losing this season?

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-3) (LW: 6)

Enough with the bye, do you think you can do that to the Saints?

5. Arizona Cardinals (7-4) (LW: 3)

Kurt Warner? Could you please tell me what happened in this game against the Giants?

6. Pittsburgh Steelers (8-3) (LW: 7)

So you beat the Bengals, piece of cake. Now can you go to New England and beat the Patriots?

7. Atlanta Falcons (7-4) (LW: 10)

So you beat a good Panthers team. Now you head to the West Coast to play the Chargers. Will jet lag be an issue here?

8. Carolina Panthers (8-3) (LW: 4)

Now that was embarrassing. Can you regroup and beat another team that got embarrassed?

9. Indianapolis Colts (7-4) (LW: 11)

About time you won in San Diego. Now you face the Browns in Cleveland. Easy right?

10. Miami Dolphins (6-5) (LW: 8)

Why did your Wild Cat look more like a stupid kitten?

11. Minnesota Vikings (6-5) (LW: 12)

Think you have what it takes to take first place in the NFC North this Sunday?

12. New England Patriots (7-4) (LW: 13)

That Jets' loss was just a minor setback, right?

13. Dallas Cowboys (7-4) (LW: 14)

Is Tony Romo the reason this team is winning now?

14. Baltimore Ravens (7-4) (LW: 16)

Will Pittsburgh be knocked off their throne in the AFC North?

15. Washington Redskins (7-4) (LW: 17)

It was Seattle, congratulations. Do you honestly think you can do that against the Giants?

16. New Orleans Saints (6-5) (LW: 22)

Do you guys think you can score 51 points in every game from here on out?

17. Denver Broncos (6-5) (LW: 9)

The Oakland Raiders? Seriously?

18. Chicago Bears (6-5) (LW: 21)

Think you can stop Adrian Peterson?

19. Green Bay Packers (5-6) (LW: 15)

What the hell was that?!

20. Buffalo Bills (6-5) (LW 23)

You have San Fran next. Another easy one, perhaps?

21. Cleveland Browns (4-7) (LW: 18)

Nice Brady Quinn, nice. Even better Derek Anderson. Guys ready to give up yet?

22. Philadelphia Eagles (5-5-1) (LW: 19)

Question, will Andy Reid start at head coach this week?

23. Houston Texans (4-7) (LW: 25)

Stop looking like contenders every couple of weeks! Why are you confusing everybody?!

24. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-7) (LW: 20)

Stop, stop, stop! Why do you guys even try anymore?

25. San Diego Chargers (4-7) (LW: 24)

Will you guys ever WIN a game that comes down to the last 20 seconds?

26. San Francisco 49ers (3-8) (LW: 26)

Sorry, are you guys playing for dignity, or do you still foolishly believe you have a chance at winning the division?

27. Oakland Raiders (3-8) (LW: 31)

Good job! Who will be the next team you beat? Well, how 'bout Kansas City? That shouldn't be too hard right?

28. Seattle Seahawks (2-9) (LW: 27)

Why doesn't Mike Holmgren retire now so he doesn't lose any sort of respect?

29. St. Louis Rams (2-9) (LW: 28)

What happens when Wild Cats and Rams meet?

30. Cincinnati Bengals (1-9-1) (LW: 29)

Going to have fun losing Sunday?

31. Kansas City Chiefs (1-10) (LW: 30)

Did you guys know that the Oakland Raiders are actually better than you?

32. Detroit Lions (0-11) (LW: 32)

Can Thanksgiving be friendly to the winless Lions?

Division Predictions after Week 12

AFC EAST: New York Jets

New York Jets (8-3)
New England Patriots (7-4)
Miami Dolphins (6-5)
Buffalo Bills (6-5)

AFC NORTH: Pittsburgh Steelers

Pittsburgh Steelers (8-3)
Baltimore Ravens (7-4)
Cleveland Browns (4-7)
Cincinnati Bengals (1-9-1)

AFC SOUTH: Tennessee Titans

Tennessee Titans (10-1)
Indianapolis Colts (7-4)
Jacksonville Jaguars (4-7)
Houston Texans (4-7)

AFC WEST: San Diego Chargers

Denver Broncos (6-5)
San Diego Chargers (4-7)
Oakland Raiders (3-8)
Kansas City Chiefs (1-10)

AFC PLAYOFF SEEDS

1. Tennessee Titans
2. New York Jets
3. Pittsburgh Steelers
4. San Diego Chargers
5. Indianapolis Colts
6. Baltimore Ravens

NFC EAST: New York Giants

New York Giants (10-1)
Dallas Cowboys (7-4)
Washington Redskins (6-4)
Philadelphia Eagles (5-5-1)

NFC NORTH: Minnesota Vikings

Chicago Bears (6-5)
Minnesota Vikings (6-5)
Green Bay Packers (5-6)
Detroit Lions (0-11)

NFC SOUTH: Atlanta Falcons

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-3)
Carolina Panthers (8-3)
Atlanta Falcons (7-4)
New Orleans Saints (6-5)

NFC WEST: Arizona Cardinals

Arizona Cardinals (7-4)
San Francisco 49ers (3-8)
Seattle Seahawks (2-9)
St. Louis Rams (2-9)

NFC PLAYOFF SEEDS

1. New York Giants
2. Arizona Cardinals
3. Atlanta Falcons
4. Minnesota Vikings
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
6. Carolina Panther

Playoff Predictions

Wild Card

AFC—Steelers over Ravens
Colts over Chargers

NFC—Falcons over Panthers
Buccaneers over Vikings

Division Round

AFC—Titans over Colts
Jets over Steelers

NFC—Giants over Buccaneers
Falcons over Cardinals

Championships

AFC—Jets over Titans

NFC—Giants over Falcons

Super Bowl

Giants over Jets

NFL Week 12 Predictions: Only Six More to Go

Mike Craig — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 12:43:47 -0500

There was a Thursday Night Game that didn't mean anything except for the Steelers making their win-loss record look even nicer.

A nice stat to come out of that game of course though is the fact that the Steelers did not allow a single sack on one of the most sacked quarterbacks in the league.

So it is that time again. Looking at how things have been turning out, the AFC East in fact went to the New York Jets last week when they beat the New England Patriots on Thursday night.

The Jets, however, play the undefeated Tennessee Titans this Sunday, and that is no easy task.

With both the Dolphins and Jets running on a four-game winning streak right now, the Dolphins could capitalize off of a Jets loss to the Titans if they win this Sunday against the New England Patriots.

If this happens, the AFC East will once again be tied. That is, of course, if the Jets do in fact lose to the Titans. The Patriots are inconsistent this season, so it is a better bet to go with the Dolphins on this one.

The Buffalo Bills are on a four-game losing streak. However, that should be easy for them to break as they head to Kansas City this Sunday. This will put them right back into the race, especially if the Patriots lose to the Dolphins.

As stated earlier, the Steelers are in fact the dominant team in the AFC North. Now, I know I didn't say that, but come on! They are now 8-3! Who is behind them? Oh yeah, the Baltimore Ravens at 6-4.

If the Ravens can beat the Philadelphia Eagles (which judging by the tie with the Bengals last week may not be too hard) then they will still only be one game behind the Steelers.

Then you have the Cleveland Browns. I know they are only 4-6, but if they win the rest of their games, that record becomes 10-6. Looks nicer doesn't it? I thought so. With Brady Quinn playing pretty good, and the Browns now starting to find some sort of rhythm, I wouldn't be surprised to see this team take second in the AFC North two years in a row.

They have Houston next who is now on a three game losing streak. Show us some more magic, Quinn.

The AFC South is still being dominated by the Tennessee Titans. At 10-0, obviously they look like they are to be the sure AFC South Champions. They play the New York Jets this Sunday, and as we have seen in these past four weeks, the Jets are a lot better than people expected them to be.

Will the Titans go 11-0, or will the Jets keep rolling on with their winning streak?

The only team to even cause ANY sort of challenge to Tennessee's reign as champs is the Indianapolis Colts, who are sitting on a 6-4 record right now, with a three-game winning streak. Perhaps Peyton Manning has returned to form? They play the Chargers this Sunday night, and I have to say, I am liking the Colts in this one.

There are only two teams in the AFC West that could possibly win it. This still being the worst division in the AFC. The Denver Broncos at 6-4 are a more likely candidate. This Sunday, they play division rival Oakland Raiders. Practice game? I think so.

The other team is the San Diego Chargers who are 4-6. Yes, the Chargers, the same team who lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers last week by one point (11-10). Stupid zebras ( referees). The Chargers play a Indianapolis Colts team that has turned it on these past three weeks. Sorry SD, I don't think you are winning that one either.

In the NFC, we have two for sure teams that are going to the playoffs. The 9-1 Giants, and the 7-3 Cardinals. The Giants in the NFC East are looking like the better of the two and not just because of their record.

However, we will see if the Giants can keep that up when they play the Arizona Cardinals this Sunday. They are going to need all the big plays they can muster.

The Dallas Cowboys (now with Tony Romo back) are looking like they might be on the rebound. Finally with the missing pinkie placed back into the line up, these Dallas Cowboys could indeed make a run for the playoffs. NFC East championship? Eh, maybe. This Sunday, the Cowboys play the San Francisco 49ers. Easy.

The Washington Redskins are a little off lately, or at least these past two weeks they have been. Washington should have a chance to rebound this weekend when they head to Seattle to play Mike Holmgren's deflating Seahawks.

Okay, so what if Donovan McNabb doesn't know about the over time rule? So what if they tied with the Bengals? The fact is, even with their record having a tie in it, I can't rule them out just yet. This Sunday the Eagles play the Baltimore Ravens who are better than those Bengals. Ummm good luck.

Can somebody please tell me what is going on in the NFC North? I mean one moment, it looks like we have a for sure winner, and the next...whoa, are the Bears, Packers, and Vikings all in a tie...again?!

Wow, okay, well lets see here.

We will start with the team that in in first (cause by tie breaker). The Packers and Bears are both 3-1 in the division while the Vikings are 2-2. Seeming how the Packers beat the Bears, that means the Pack is in first place if we had to have a tie breaker.

On Monday Night Football, the resurgent running game of the Pack heads to New Orleans to play the 5-5 Saints.

The Chicago Bears lost last week against the Packers causing this three way tie. Excuse me, let me rephrase that. Last week, the Bears got destroyed by the Packers causing the three way tie. This Sunday, the Bears head to St. Louis in hopes of trying to stay neck and neck in the division.

The Minnesota Vikings lost a more exciting game than that of the Bears. In the last couple of minutes of the game, the Vikings lost to the Bucs 19-13. This week the Vikings play the Jacksonville Jaguars in Florida. If all three of these teams win, the tie will remain at 6-5.

Heading down to the south of the conference, we have probably one the best divisions in the league right now. The Carolina Panthers are currently ahead of it at 8-2.

Well this Sunday, the Panthers have to visit the Falcons (6-4) down in Atlanta, GA. The Falcons are currently the No.3 team in the division and could very easily get up to the top in three games (if the Panthers lose three in a row).

The second place team in the NFC South is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They are 7-3 and could very well get into first place with two games. Might as well not even bother to watch their game this weekend. They will be 8-3 when it is over. They go to Detroit to play the 0-10 Lions.

Last and well, to be honest, least in all of the NFL when it comes to divisions is the NFC West. Can somebody please tell me why they don't just crown the Arizona Cardinals champs already? The Cardinals are now 7-3 and play the New York Giants at home this Sunday. This will be a good game nonetheless. Why can't the rest of the NFC West follow Arizona's lead?

Sunday, Nov. 23, 2008

Philadelphia Eagles (5-4-1) @ Baltimore Ravens (6-4) at 1:00 PM
My Pick: Eagles

Houston Texans (3-7) @ Cleveland Browns (4-6) at 1:00 PM
My Pick: Browns

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-3) @ Detroit Lions (0-10) at 1:00 PM
My Pick: Buccaneers

Buffalo Bills (5-5) @ Kansas City Chiefs (1-9) at 1:00 PM
My Pick: Bills

Chicago Bears (5-5) @ St. Louis Rams (2-8) at 1:00 PM
My Pick: Bears

New York Jets (7-3) @ Tennessee Titans (10-0) at 1:00 PM
My Pick: Jets

New England Patriots (6-4) @ Miami Dolphins (6-4) at 1:00 PM
My Pick: Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings (5-5) @ Jacksonville Jaguars (4-6) at 1:00 PM
My Pick: Jaguars

San Francisco 49ers (3-7) @ Dallas Cowboys (6-4) at 1:00 PM
My Pick: Cowboys

Oakland Raiders (2-8) @ Denver Broncos (6-4) at 4:05 PM
My Pick: Broncos

Carolina Panthers (8-2) @ Atlanta Falcons (6-4) at 4:15 PM
My Pick: Falcons

New York Giants (9-1) @ Arizona Cardinals (7-3) at 4:15 PM
My Pick: Cardinals

Washington Redskins (6-4) @ Seattle Seahawks (2-8) at 4:15 PM
My Pick: Redskins

Indianapolis Colts (6-4) @ San Deigo Chargers (4-6) at 8:15 PM
My Pick: Colts

Monday, Nov. 24, 2008
Green Bay Packers (5-5) @ New Orleans Saints (5-5) at 8:30 PM
My Pick: Packers

2008 NFL Season Analysis: Rankings and Predictions

Mike Craig — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 17:39:15 -0500

After just coming off of my best week of predictions thus far (13-2-1), I have decided to go back to doing my rankings. This time I will rank each team from 1-32.

So what happened in Week 11?

The Philadelphia Eagles and Cincinnati Bengals tied. The last time there was a tie in the NFL, it was back in 2002 when the Steelers and Falcons tied.

The Steelers and Chargers made history as the Steelers beat the Chargers 11-10. That looks more like a baseball game score I know.

The Titans beat the Jaguars to remain the NFL's only undefeated team.

The Dolphins moved to winning four games in a row now as they moved from last to second place in the AFC East.

The Jets beat the Patriots on Thursday Night football to become the sole leaders of the AFC East. The Jets are also on a four game winning streak.

The Buffalo Bills have lost four straight now and went from being a top of the AFC East to being in the basement.

The Green Bay Packers beat the Bears 37-3 while the Vikings fell to the Bucs 19-13 causing a three way tie in the NFC North. (Packers win tie breaker with a 3-1 record in the division).

Carolina continues to be doing amazing while being unnoticed at 8-2.

Mike Craig's Power Rankings (1-32)

1. Tennessee Titans (10-0)

When two old quarterbacks meet in Tennessee this Sunday, will the Titans remain undefeated?

2. New York Giants (9-1)

Do the Giants have what it takes to repeat?

3. Arizona Cardinals (7-3)

Is it just me, or does it seem like the Cardinals should have spent more of their money on Anquan Boldin than anywhere else?

4. Carolina Panthers (8-2)

Do they need to set some explosives off or something in order to get people's attention?

5. New York Jets (7-3)

How can you not believe in Brett Favre and the Jets after that performance?

6. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-3)

Does it really matter that they don't always win pretty?

7. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-3)

Why do people care wither or not the touchdown was there or not, didn't the Steelers win?

8. Miami Dolphins (6-4)

Will Miami win five straight when they head to New England this Sunday?

9. Denver Broncos (6-4)

Their record may be 6-4, but is this team really legit?

10. Atlanta Falcons (6-4)

Sure he makes SOME rookie mistakes; however, how well is Matt Ryan going to be now that all the rest of the games matter?

11. Indianapolis Colts (6-4)

Do I sense a resurgence?

12. Minnesota Vikings (5-5)

This team is on such a roller coaster, how do we know that there are other players on the team other than Adrian Peterson?

13. New England Patriots (6-4)

At 2-2 in the division, are they going to let Miami beat them again?

14. Dallas Cowboys (6-4)

Now that Tony Romo and his pinkie are back, will they be contenders again?

15. Green Bay Packers (5-5)

When this offense is rolling, it is scary to see what happens. Will Ryan Grant and Aaron Rodgers be able to keep it up for 10 more games (if they win their next six and enter the playoffs)?

16. Baltimore Ravens (6-4)

What happened Sunday during the Giants?

17. Washington Redskins (6-4)

How do you expect to make the playoffs if you keep losing?

18. Cleveland Browns (4-6)

Is Brady Quinn the answer?

19. Philadelphia Eagles (5-4-1)

Will they start giving NFL players a test on the rule book so everybody knows about overtime during the regular season?

20. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-6)

Are the Jaguars really bottom feeder material?

21. Chicago Bears (5-5)

How does a No. 4-ranked rush defense allow 200 total yards rushing and 5.3 yards per carry (especially to a team that is in the bottom in rush offense)?

22. New Orleans Saints (5-5)

Will they throw in the towel, or keep on trying as they face Green Bay on Monday night?

23. Buffalo Bills (5-5)

With four straight loses now, will they be able to catch themselves falling and climb back up?

24. San Diego Chargers (4-6)

How many close games are they going to lose before they realize that this isn't golf?

25. Houston Texans (3-7)

Will they ever start living up to their hype?

26. San Francisco 49ers (3-7)

Congratulations, you beat the Rams. Think you can do that with Dallas?

27. Seattle Seahawks (2-8)

So who thinks Mike Holmgren will retire in the middle of the season?

28. St. Louis Rams (2-8)

What happened to that two game surge that made this team look like a contender?

29. Cincinnati Bengals (1-9-1)

Will they ever catch a break?

30. Kansas City Chiefs (1-9)

Are they just trying to make it look like they are trying, or are they really just playing for respect now?

31. Oakland Raiders (2-8)

What do you think Al Davis? Was firing the coach the right direction? I don't see any difference.

32. Detroit Lions (0-10)

I wonder when the Lions will realize that the numbers are in the wrong column?

Division Predictions after Week 11

AFC EAST: New York Jets

New York Jets (7-3)
Miami Dolphins (6-4)
New England Patriots (6-4)
Buffalo Bills (5-5)

AFC NORTH: Pittsburgh Steelers

Pittsburgh Steelers (7-3)
Baltimore Ravens (6-4)
Cleveland Browns (4-6)
Cincinnati Bengals (1-9-1)

AFC SOUTH: Tennessee Titans

Tennessee Titans (10-1)
Indianapolis Colts (6-4)
Jacksonville Jaguars (4-6)
Houston Texans (3-7)

AFC WEST: Denver Broncos

Denver Broncos (6-4)
San Diego Chargers (4-6)
Oakland Raiders (2-8)
Kansas City Chiefs (1-9)

AFC PLAYOFF SEEDS
1. Tennessee Titans
2. New York Jets
3. Pittsburgh Steelers
4. Denver Broncos
5. Miami Dolphins
6. Indianapolis Colts

NFC EAST: New York Giants

New York Giants (9-1)
Washington Redskins (6-4)
Dallas Cowboys (6-4)
Philadelphia Eagles (5-4-1)

NFC NORTH: Green Bay Packers

Green Bay Packers (5-5)
Chicago Bears (5-5)
Minnesota Vikings (5-5)
Detroit Lions (0-10)

NFC SOUTH: Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers (8-2)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-3)
Atlanta Falcons (6-4)
New Orleans Saints (5-5)

NFC WEST: Arizona Cardinals

Arizona Cardinals (7-3)
San Francisco (3-7)
Seattle Seahawks (2-8)
St. Louis Rams (2-8)

NFC PLAYOFF SEEDS
1. New York Giants
2. Arizona Cardinals
3. Atlanta Falcons
4. Green Bay Packers
5. Carolina Panthers
6. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS

Wild Card Round
AFC - Steelers over Colts
Dolphins over Broncos

NFC - Buccaneers over Falcons
Packers over Panthers

Divisional Round
AFC - Jets over Steelers
Titans over Dolphins

NFC - Giants over Buccaneers
Packers over Cardinals

Championships
AFC - Titans over Jets

NFC - Packers over Giants

Super Bowl
Packers over Titans

Yes, in the end I still have the Packers going to the Super Bowl and the Titans going to the Super Bowl. Why? Well to put it simple, and I mean this is a real unbiased way, I think the Packers are being over looked because of their record. The Giants were only 10-6 last season coming into the playoffs.

At 5-5, the Packers are still very capable of going to the playoffs and to the Super Bowl. Especially if they play the way they did against the Bears for the rest of the season. If I would have done my analysis after last week, the Packers wouldn't be there.

NFL Week 11 Predictions: Playoff Picture Begins To Form

Mike Craig — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 04:51:14 -0500

Thursday Night football ended dramatically with the New York Jets beating the New England Patriots for the lead in the AFC East. That doesn't mean the Jets will be crowned AFC East Champions just yet, however, they look like they are heading in that direction.

If this team plays like it did against the Patriots for the rest of the season, then I wouldn't be surprised to see 2008 AFC East Champions: New York Jets! As for a Super Bowl run for the 39-year-old Brett Favre and company, we will see.

It is still a tight race in the AFC East. Buffalo plays Cleveland on Monday night, if the Bills win, then they are possibly back into the race. However I wouldn't count on it for the Bills have lost their last three games.

The Miami Dolphins on the other hand seem to be playing as well as the New York Jets right now, and even at the bottom of the Division right now, they have won their last three games. Guess what Miami, here comes your second bye week as you get to play the Oakland Raiders! Never has the AFC East race been so exciting before in such a long time.

The AFC North might have just got even more interesting with the Browns switching quarterbacks. I hope I am not the only one who thinks that Brady Quinn might have been the missing piece to the Browns playoff hopes. There is no for sure winner in this division just yet.

The Pittsburgh Steelers play the interestingly-not-so-good San Diego Chargers this Sunday. However, the Steelers lost last week to the interestingly-not-so-good Indianapolis Colts. We shall see.

The Baltimore Ravens are some how amazingly at 6-3 with rookie quarterback Joe Flacco. Can somebody please tell me how they are accomplishing this? Regardless, they are at a tie with the Pittsburgh Steelers a top of the AFC North. The Steelers of coarse win the tie breaker. The Ravens this Sunday play the New York Giants. Will the Ravens be the second AFC North team to take down the Big Blue?

The Browns play Buffalo on Monday Night. With the swith to Brady Quinn at quarterback instead of Derek Anderson, this team might finally be going places. Lucky them, they are playing a team that is on a three game losing streak right now.

Can I just write the Bengals off right now? There, already did. At 1-8, you are not winning this division!

The AFC South may be the easiest division to predict out of the whole AFC. However, even the mishap Indianapolis Colts could still come from behind and win it if the Titans suddenly start losing all of their games.

The Tennessee Titans are on top of this division with a commanding lead. At 9-0 they come into Sunday playing division rival Jacksonville Jaguars. Now to most people, a 9-0 team against a 4-5 team isn't anything. Well to be honest, you would be surprised what facing an undefeated team does to a team. It makes them step up. Everybody wants to be the first ones to beat them. The Jags still do not have what it takes.

The only other team in this division that could possibly give the Titans a run for their money (and the literally almost did become the first team to beat the Titans) is the Indianapolis Colts. This Sunday they play division rival Houston Texans. Do not count the Texans out just yet. They are not that bad are they? Oh wait, sorry, I keep forgetting we are not talking about the same Texans of last year.

The AFC West by far is the worst division in the AFC right now. The leader of the division is the 5-4 Denver Broncos. Behind them is the San Diego Chargers who are 4-5. These are the only two teams that I see winning the division. This division could easily be won with a 8-8 record though.

The Denver Broncos head to Atlanta to play the rookie lead Falcons. Of coarse, even with Matt Ryan, the Falcons seem to be firring on all cylinders.

If the Broncos lose to the Falcons like I think they will, and if the Chargers beat the Steelers (which I don't think they will), then there will be a tie in the division. Of coarse that isn't say very much because it could change very quickly the following week.

The NFC East is another big division that any of the four teams could easily win (much like their counterparts in the AFC East). The Giants lead this division with a 8-1 record. Followed by Washington being 6-3. The Eagles and Cowboys are both 5-4.

The New York Giants play the Baltimore Ravens this Sunday. Now where the Giants beat the Steelers, they lost to the Browns. Could Baltimore possibly beat the Giants. I doubt it.

The Washington Redskins play division rival Dallas Cowboys in a Sunday Night game. This one should be interesting as the Cowboys are supposed to have Tony Romo back. Will we see if Tony Romo and his pinkie are the real reason the Cowboys are sucking it up so bad?

The Philadelphia Eagles are the only ones with a sure win this Sunday. They play the one win Bengals. The Bengals of coarse could pull off an upset, but its not likely.

The NFC North is a tight race between the Chicago Bears, the Minnesota Vikings, and the Green Bay Packers. The Packers just lost to the Vikings by one point last Sunday, where as the Bears lost to the Titans last week (go figure).

The Chicago Bears play the Green Bay Packers this Sunday. If Green Bay wins like they should, then the division could be in yet another three way tie.

The reason it will be in a three way tie if that happens is because Minnesota goes to Tampa Bay this Sunday. The Buccs are looking really strong with Jeff Garcia back in his rhythm.

I just want to say it, I really really just want to say it. The Lions shouldn't even be called the Lions at this point. They are more like the Detroit Kitty Cats. Please please please drop out of the NFL, you are embarrassing yourselves AND the NFL.

The NFC South is probably the most interesting and biggest surprise of the NFC this season. The top three teams have six wins or more, and the last place team is only 4-5. Although, I am sorry to say, but I am counting the New Orleans Saints out of this.

The Carolina Panthers are at a soundless 7-2. I don't hear much about this team, but obviously they are good enough to not be mentioned in the "what the hell are you doing in the NFL" portion. At 7-2, they are the second best team in the NFC (record wise). As a matter of fact, there are only four teams in the NFC that are sucking really bad. This Sunday the Panthers welcome Detroit into their home. This team should be 8-2 easily after week 11.

The Atlanta Falcons are lead by rookie quarterback Matt Ryan. The Ravens and the Falcons are doing pretty good for themselves with rookie quarterbacks. They are both 6-3. This Sunday, the Falcons play the Denver Broncos. The Broncos are too inconsistent.

The Tampa Bay Buccs play the Minnesota Vikings. Jeff Garcia is back in his rhythm so expect a good game here. Adrian Peterson will have to yet again carry this Vikings team on his back if they expect to win here.

Last but not least, we have the NFC West. The worst division in the NFC, and NFL (much like THEIR counterparts in the AFC West). I don't even have to write up anything much about them. The Arizona Cardinals are 6-3 and are playing division rival Seattle Seahawks. The Seahawks are a mere 2-7. Whatever. Please tell me why you people thought I was insane for predicting this division (including the Seahawks) to be sucky? It looked like I was right after all.

Sunday, November 16th, 2008

Denver Broncos (5-4) @ Atlanta Falcons (6-3) at 1:00 PM

My Pick: Falcons

Detroit Lions (0-9) @ Carolina Panthers (7-2) at 1:00 PM

My Pick: Panthers

Philadelphia Eagles (5-4) @ Cincinnati Bengals (1-8) at 1:00 PM

My Pick: Eagles

New Orleans Saints (4-5) @ Kansas City Chiefs (1-8) at 1:00 PM

My Pick: Saints

Baltimore Ravens (6-3) @ New York Giants (8-1) at 1:00 PM

My Pick: Giants

Minnesota Vikings (5-4) @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-3) at 1:00 PM

My Pick: Buccaneers

Oakland Raiders (2-7) @ Miami Dolphins (5-4) at 1:00 PM

My Pick: Dolphins

Chicago Bears (5-4) @ Green Bay Packers (4-5) at 1:00 PM

My Pick: Packers

Houston Texans (3-6) @ Indianapolis Colts (5-4) at 1:00 PM

My Pick: Colts

St. Louis Rams (2-7) @ San Francisco 49ers (2-7) at 4:05 PM

My Pick: Rams

Arizona Cardinals (6-3) @ Seattle Seahawks (2-7) at 4:05 PM

My Pick: Cardinals

Tennessee Titans (9-0) @ Jacksonville Jaguars (4-5) at 4:15 PM

My Pick: Titans

San Diego Chargers (4-5) @ Pittsburgh Steelers (6-3) at 4:15 PM

My Pick: Steelers

Dallas Cowboys (5-4) @ Washington Redskins (6-3) at 8:15 PM

My Pick: Cowboys

Monday, November 17th, 2008

Cleveland Browns (3-6) @ Buffalo Bills (5-4) at 8:30 PM

My Pick: Browns