Tuesday Morning Philosophy: The Question Each NFL Team Is Being Asked This Week

With each new week in the NFL comes a new pressing issue for each team.

Whether it is what a team needs to do to make a playoff run or simply what a team needs to do to win next week, every Tuesday morning I dive into the issues to shed some light on the direction that each team is heading as the season moves forward.

So let's take a look at the issues that affect each NFL team this week.

AFC East

New England Patriots: Can the Patriots make up ground on Houston or Baltimore for a chance at a first-round bye?

 

Miami Dolphins: With a big win over Seattle, can the Dolphins climb back into the playoff picture?

New York Jets: Forget the playoffs, can the Jets get through the rest of the season without embarrassing themselves further?

 

Buffalo Bills: With the playoffs out of reach, can the Bills get healthy and put some quality wins together?

AFC North

Baltimore Ravens: Can the Ravens put a virtual lock on the AFC North with a win over Pittsburgh?

Pittsburgh Steelers: Will Big Ben be able to make it back this week? The Steelers' playoff hopes are fading without him.

Cincinnati Bengals: With the Steelers reeling, can the Bengals take the Wild Card spot away?

Cleveland Browns: With nothing but pride to play for, can the Browns show that they still have some fight left?

AFC South

Houston Texans: With the defense getting torched the last two weeks, can the Texans get their dominating defense rolling again?

 

Indianapolis Colts: If the playoffs started today, the Colts would face the Broncos. Is Andrew Luck ready for Peyton Manning?

Tennessee Titans: With Jake Locker finally healthy, can the Titans get the offense rolling?

Jacksonville Jaguars: Chad Henne has the Jaguars' offense finally putting points on the board, can the Jaguars finish the season on an upswing?

AFC West

Denver Broncos: Peyton Manning looks more comfortable in the Denver offense with each passing week, are the Broncos poised to finish off the West?

San Diego Chargers: Is there any chance Norv Turner survives this season? The losses continue to mount for the Chargers.

Oakland Raiders: It was not a very warm reception for Carson Palmer in Cincinnati, can the Raiders get back on track this week?

Kansas City Chiefs: The Chiefs continue to battle on as their season winds down, can they put together enough fight to mess up someone else's playoff hopes?

NFC East

New York Giants: Is the Eli Manning "tired arm" discussion all over?

Dallas Cowboys: In the tightly contested NFC East, can the Cowboys put together enough healthy players to contend?

Philadelphia Eagles: Is the Eagles defense protesting the firing of Juan Castillo? That is the only explanation I have for their play over the last few weeks.

Washington Redskins: The Redskins seem to be coming together, can RGIII take down Eli?

NFC North

Chicago Bears: Are these the same Bears that played two weeks ago? Amazing the problems Cutler can hide.

Green Bay Packers: Has there been a more embarrassing loss for the Pack in the last 10 years?

Minnesota Vikings: The playoffs start now for the Vikings, can they knock off the Pack to keep their playoff hopes alive?

Detroit Lions: With their playoff hopes out the window, can Megatron break Rice's season yardage mark?

NFC South

Atlanta Falcons: The Falcons won't gain the respect of the division until they beat the Saints, is this the week?

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Can the Bucs bounce back from their tough loss to the Falcons and keep their playoff hopes alive?

New Orleans Saints: The Saints have officially backed themselves into a corner, can they score enough points to get out of it and into the playoffs?
 

Carolina Panthers: There is no other way to describe this season as anything but a disappointment. Can Cam get over his "sophomore slump" and finish the season on a positive note?

NFC West

San Francisco 49ers: The Niners are looking pretty dangerous with Colin Kaepernick leading the way, will Jim Harbaugh stick with him?

Seattle Seahawks: A loss to Miami has Seattle in a tough spot. Can they find a way to win one on the road?

Arizona Cardinals: Stevan Ridley didn't have the debut that the Cards had hoped for. Can he bounce back and put some positive plays together?

St. Louis Rams: St. Louis has a chance to hand Kaepernick his first loss as a starter. Can they put together enough offense to get it done?