NFL: Week 13 Recap

Nothing says "what the f***?" like Jeff Garcia throwing for 300+ yards and three touchdowns on Monday Night Football against the Carolina Panthers. I mean seriously. What the f***? Starting now I am officially not surprised by anything. I mean it. My male roommate could tell me he was impregnated by a sterile shemale transvestite cyborg and I don't think it would phase me. The NFL is a nutty place and I am afraid of it sometimes.

And speaking of afraid, how about the AFC playoff picture after Week 13? Kansas City and Denver losing and Cincinnati, New York (Jets), and Jacksonville winning leaves FIVE 7-5 teams for two playoff spots. Not only that, but those five teams are behind the four division leaders by at least two games and ahead of everyone else by the same margin. What you have here is a three tiered AFC: the division leaders, the playoff hopefuls, and everyone else. So clean cut and tidy. That is, of course, until you start thinking of tie-breaking scenarios and your brain shuts down.

Thoughts on the NFC playoff picture and the week that was?


If you look at it, BOTH conferences are three tiered with almost identical number of teams per tier.
AFC four Division winners: Indy, Pats, Chargers, Ravens.
NFC four Division winners: Chicago, Dallas, Saints, Seattle
AFC five teams for two spots: Jax, Cincy, Jets, Chiefs, Broncos at 7-5.
NFC four teams for two spots: Phily, Giants, Atlanta, Carolina at 6-6.
AFC has seven teams out of it.
NFC has eight teams out of it.

The NFC is more intriguing for two reasons. First, the teams are so much more inconsistent and mediocre that anything can happen. Second, and this is what I'll be writing about today, there are loads of head-to-head matchups involving those four NFC teams. I find it incredibly difficult to rank those four teams in probability of making the playoffs.

Carolina always finishes strong and Delhomme to Smith is one of the deadliest hookups in the sport. However, their schedule has them hosting the Giants and Steelers these next two weeks. Then the Panthers close with two road games in Atlanta AND New Orleans. That's a tough closing schedule. Rmember that they host the Giants and travel to Atlanta in two head-to-head matchups between three of these four teams. This is a theme.

Atlanta is interesting. We were both high on them earlier in the year, but then the headbird of the dirty birds gave his fans the dirty bird and now everyone involved feels dirty. Their schedule is also tough, going to Tampa, then hosting Dallas and Carolina, then finishing in Philadelphia. The Falcons host Carolina then play in Philly on the last two weeks of the season. Those will be immense games.

Philadelphia is weird, and I don't just mean the city itself. Losing McNabb hurt, but Jeff Garcia is probably the second best backup quarterback in the league. That win over Carolina last night was huge. However, I don't know if they can keep it up. They have road games the next three weeks, going to all of their NFC East rivals' home buildings. Then they welcome in the Falcons on the last week of the season. So the Eagles played Carolina last night, they play the Giants in Week 15, and the Falcons in Week 17...all of the 6-6 teams. Crazy. If they beat the Giants and Falcons, they can lose their other two games. They'll make the playoffs at 8-8.

The Giants play two of the 6-6 teams in the next two weeks. This weekend they go to Carolina in the game of the week, and then host Phily the week after. They close hosting New Orleans then traveling to Washington. Not a slouch schedule at all.

It's enough to make one's head pull a Linda Blair. I was going to rank the Panthers as the most likely to make the playoff simply because of talent and reputation, until I realized their conference record doesn't match up very well against the other contenders. A quick peak at the conference records show the Giants and Eagles at 3 losses, while the Falcons are at 4, and Panthers are at 5. So I just don't know anymore.

I'll go on the record with my prediction later today. I've already figured it out, but I want to see yours first because I am frequently emulated.

I can't get over all these head-to-head matchups between these four teams. Considering that head-to-head is the first tie breaker, that makes these games THAT much more significant. One of these teams is going to get in on the last week of the season because of a head-to-head. At least one.

So how about it? Who's coming out the NFC?


I feel like every week we make a prediction about which team is going to grab the two wildcard spots. And every week our predictions are different. Last week I said it would be the Giants and the Rams. Of course the Rams lost to the now 3-9 Cardinals and that prediction looks really stupid. And speaking of the Rams, they're only one game back of the four 6-6 teams, as are the Vikings and the 49ers. With the orgy of head to head matchups in the next four weeks it's not unlikely that one of these teams sneaks into the playoffs.

In keeping with the spirit of picking different teams every week to make the playoffs, this week my teams are Atlanta and San Francisco. Remember, you heard it here FIRST. Just kidding: New York and St. Louis.


In your defense, last week, I forced you to choose a 5-6 team that is most likely to make the playoffs. You went with St. Louis. That wasn't your actual pick for the playoffs. *End defense of Saj.* However, I don't see how the Rams became your actual pick after a loss.

Also, we're stuck by our picks. We have both saw the Giants and Carolina as the last two teams, yes? I know I have. They remain my picks. I think the Eagles come up short. I think the Giants and Falcons finish the year tied, giving the G-Men the head-to-head tiebreaker thanks to their win in Atlanta earlier in the season. And I think Carolina doesn't lose again until it's safe to lose. What I mean by that is they win out to get to 10 wins unless they only need 9.

What I think this sets up is an NFC first round divisional rival extraveganza. I see Seattle winning out and they have the common opponent tie-breaker over the Cowboys. Therefore, the Seahawks hve that 2nd seed. Thus, in the first round, Dallas will host the Giants and the Saints will host the Panthers.