NFL Predictions: 25 Shockers To Watch for in Last Four Weeks of 2010 Season
Right off in the distance, somewhere past the ten extra holiday pounds we all gain the end of the regular season is coming within sight. The 2010 regular season has already been filled with interesting story lines. There have been three head coaches that were unable to survive to the end of this season fraught with peril.
It is a season that has seen Michael Vick turn into a superhero. In the same amount of games Brett Favre has become absolutely human. There have been fan favorite moments as well a players becoming villains. But we all have to remember. The season, she ain't over yet.
The last four weeks is a mad dash to the finish. Here is some madness you can expect to go down.
25. The Rams Will Win Division
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This is not as much a shocker as the record it will take to win the division. We knew the NFC West was bad coming into this one. We just thought the 49ers would blow them all away.
As it stands the Rams or Seahawks are set to win the division. But in doing so, they will finish at .500. I give the edge to the Rams because they have a bit easier of a schedule. Not that it will matter who goes from this division. A first round knockout is in the cards here.
24. Brett Favre Will End His Streak
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Including playoffs, Brett Favre has started 321 games. That will all come to a halt and not in a way we thought would happen. I always envisioned a man of Favre's grandeur to bow out from the game gracefully. That thought went out the window years ago.
What we are left with now is an old man with a hurt shoulder. Favre suffered a sprained sternoclavicular joint in his throwing arm last weekend. While head coach Leslie Frazier is hoping to get him a start against the Giants. It is just not in the cards.
The Vikings are out of the playoff hunt. Even if they were deep in it, an injured Favre is hardly the person to take you there. So why start him? So he can leave the game on his own terms? He had that chance. It is time for the Vikings to do things for themselves.
23. Andre Johnson Vs. Courtland Finnegan II
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We all remember the first match. Courtland Finnegan got all up in Andre Johnson's face. The big man wasted no time and beat the living hell out of Finnegan. This is bound to happen again, in some fashion.
If the Titans lose to the Colts next week, they will be pretty much out of the playoff picture. What better way for Finnegan to amuse himself in the week 15 game against Houston then see if he can rile Andre Johnson again.
With both teams looking at an early off season, there will be fireworks.
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22. Richard Bartel Will Get To Play an NFL Game
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Who?
The Cardinals have just signed Richard Bartel. The 27 year old from Tarleton State is the desperation pick up of the week for the Cardinals. They are without Derek Anderson (concussion) and Max Hall is still hurt if not ineffective.
That leaves the job to John Skelton. Derek Anderson's concussion should tell you that Arizona has a very bad offensive line. With Skelton knocked out, I see the man from nowhere getting in a few throws. It is a feel good story for a horrible team during a forgettable season.
21. Green Bay Sinks Out Of Playoffs
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The Packers are only one game ahead of Tampa Bay anyway. They happen to have one of the more difficult remaining schedules in the league. After they annihilate the Lions this week, they face a trio of formidable opponents.
Green Bay goes toe to toe with the Patriots, Giants, and then the Bears. Three losses to end the season are not completely out of reason.
20. Carolina Will Lose Out
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The Panthers will end the John Fox era in Carolina by losing out for the remainder of the season. The head coach is in the final year of his contract and the Panthers have one win.
Carolina has too many injuries and not enough leaders on the team. Even beating the Cardinals in the couple of weeks is a long shot.
19. Patriots Will Lose The Best Record to The Falcons
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The Falcons simply have an easier road. If they can side step the Saints, the Falcons could very well win out the rest of the season. Fourteen wins will be very hard for the Patriots to match.
They have the Bears up next followed by the Packers at home. As well know, the Packers love playing at home.
18. The Falcons Will Win The NFC
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This is more shocking to those left on a deserted island for the season. But it is still crazy to think that with a conference that touts the Saints, Packers, Vikings, Giants, and Cowboys, the Falcons are the ones that got it done this season.
They will be the team to carry home field throughout the playoffs. And the way they are playing, they are the ones that will most likely represent the conference in the biggest game of the year.
17. The Chargers Will Miss Playoffs
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The shocking aspect here is that they will miss the playoffs leading or near the top in most statistical categories. This will be the first time in history that the team with he best defense and offense fails to qualify for the postseason.
I really thought that they put their turnover days long behind them. I had a hunch that they might be able to catch the Chiefs in the end. Then came last week and their blowout loss to the Raiders at home.
16. Arian Foster Wins Rushing Battle
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With so many good backs in the league, we were all assured that Chris Johnson and Adrian Peterson would rule the day yet again. But it seems every year there is a new king sitting on the throne of rushing yards. This year it will be Arian Foster.
With only the Ravens left to stop his production. Arian Foster will most likely finish the year with 1600 yards and 16 touchdowns. Not bad for a second year.
15. Tampa Bay Will Make The Playoffs
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The young Bucs will be happy to know they are making the playoffs. With a very easy schedule coming up. The only loss they may be dealt is the final game against the Saints. Before that, they have Washington, Detroit, and then Seattle.
Ten wins should be enough to sneak into the playoffs, especially if...
14. Titans Will Finish Last In AFC South
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Only a few weeks ago the Titans were the talk of the town. When they got Randy Moss from waivers, all seemed right in the world for Tennessee. The only hole that needed plugging was with the receivers. Then the team blew up out of nowhere.
Vince Young got injured and seemingly tore apart the locker room chemistry in the process. The Titans have lost five straight and look to win at best two of the next four games. At the end of it all, Titans coaches will be left to look at the rumble and think, what the hell just happened here?
13. Dallas Will Get To Six Wins
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That will have to be enough for the good people of Dallas to be happy with. This was at one point of the season the worst team in football. Then they fired Wade Phillips. That was the correct move after all. Now imagine if they had done that sooner.
The Phillips firing was like smelling slats under the noses of the Cowboys. They actually started to play like they cared toward under Jason Garrett. 5-3 is not a bad start to a tenure without your starting quarterback.
12. Jacksonville Will Waltz Into Playoffs With Division
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I didn't see this coming. I noticed that the Jaguars were playing well but this is ridiculous. The Colts loss is the Jaguars gain it would seem. A team that had only Maurice Jones-Drew to tout at the start of 2010 now has a consistent defense to go along with their emerging star of a quarterback in David Garrard.
Are the Jaguars the real deal? Who knows, but they will take the easy road they are given straight into the post season.
11. The Bears Win 13 Games
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This has the maikings of 2006 all over again. At the start of the season, the Bears had too many question marks to compete. The whole season the Bears have answered their critics to little fan fare.
They boast a stout defense and terrific running back. For the time being it seems they have figured a way to buy Cutler time in the pocket. Could this end up the same as 2006, with the Bears in the Super Bowl? Only time will tell.
10. Tim Tebow Will Still Get Used In Denver
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It is clear that the Broncos are out of any kind of race at the moment. Interim head coach Eric Studesville understands that his main job at the moment is to pick up the pieces and find something that works.
The one things that we all know is the fans of Denver love Tim Tebow. It would behoove Studesville to assuage their desires and continue to use Tebow in some facet of the offense. What will he lose in doing so?
9. Urban Meyer Makes It To a Denver Game
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Now that news has surfaced that Urban Meyer has stepped down as head coach for the Florida Gators head coach, we can imagine what things will look like with Meyer in the NFL.
His main team of interest has to be Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos. A trip to the Mile High to see the team first hand would be a prudent investment.
8. Washington Loses Out The Season
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This team was doomed from the start. They may have had all the right pieces, but the chemistry was all wrong. Now with Albert Haynesworth ousted for the rest of the season, the locker room is sure to be splintered. Couple that with Donovan McNabb having the worst season of his career and it spells disaster.
The Redskins have to face the Buccaneers, Cowboys, Jaguars and Giants. All of which are hotter better playing teams at the moment. If this weren't the start of the Mike Shanahan era of Redskins football, he would be on the hot seat.
7. The Browns Have One More Upset In Them
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Never count out a team with nothing to lose. The Browns were already playing the role of spoiler long before the end of the season was in sight. They took down the Saints and the Patriots.
Look for them to give the Ravens and Steelers a run for their money at the end of the season. It looks like the Peyton Hillis trade will go down as the acquisition of the season.
6. Peyton Manning Will Surpass 20 Interceptions On The Year
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This is shocking as the majority of picks will have come in the second half of the season. Manning has not thrown over 20 interceptions since 2001. He is not himself lately and his woes will continue.
With little to no help from healthy receivers or lineman, Manning will continue his interception nightmare. He has thrown 11 in three games. Even reaching 25 picks is not out of the question.
5. Michael Vick MVP
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Right after the regular season comes to a close, we will be a party to a story of redemption. Michael Vick will have lead his team to four straight wins to end the season and a 12-4 record.
Coming into the season he was a back up quarterback with the fresh stench of scandal still surrounding him. In one season he will have turned that completely around and be named the best in the league.
4. Marvin Lewis Will Be Fired
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2010 will be the year of the fallen head coach. Or maybe it is the glorious year of the interim head coach. It is all in how you look at it, I find.
Marvin Lewis has done Cincinnati no favors. The Ohio town was ready to make a splash in the playoffs this year. The the team went out there and laid one big egg, right there in front of us all, a big fat disgusting egg.
The two All-Pro wide receivers situation never panned out the way we thought. The defense could not consistently stop anyone. In all, having a team with this much talent finish with just two wins is a fireable offense.
3. Brett Favre Will Retire
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Brett Favre may be forced to miss the upcoming game. With his streak ended and the Vikings out of the playoffs, there is no reason for the ol' gunslinger to continue.
As he likes fame more than money, He will use what is left of the season to bow out on his terms. In a huge display of ego.
2. Mike Singletary Will Be Fired
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You are afforded a few years to make your mark on a team. Singletary took over the 49ers in 2008 mid-way through the season. He went 5-4 the rest of the way. The next year he went 8-8, the Niners seemed to be on the right track.
At the start of the season, it was every NFL fans assumption that San Francisco would cruise to a division title. Even if they faltered out of division, they got to play six games against the horrible lot they have in division. But they started the season 0-5 including a blowout loss to the Seahawks to start the campaign.
Try as he might, Singletary has not been able to right the ship. The Niners have spent too long without returning to prominence. This storied franchise will look somewhere else for answers.
1. The Colts Will Not Make The Playoffs
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In just another week or so, those little asterisks will start to appear around teams names in the standings. They are meant to signify clinching a playoff berth. For Indianapolis fans, it will be a fool's errand to find one.
The Colts, one of the elite teams in the NFL for years, will fail to make the playoffs. As it stands, they are fighting an uphill battle with the Ravens and the Jets for one of the wild card spots. The fact that the Colts are tied with the Raiders and Dolphins should tell you how far they have fallen.
They are hurt and hobbled and Peyton Manning is not himself. Perhaps an early rest this season is just what they were looking for.
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