As we reach the end of November it’s time to separate the contenders from the pretenders. In the AFC all the divisions are pretty much set with just the wild-card spots up for grabs. While the NFC has gotten a bit more intriguing with the injury to Jay Cutler and the hot hand of Drew Brees.
First Down: “It AINT over yet for the SAINTS” After starting the season off 0-4 the chances of making the playoffs for the New Orleans Saints started to fade fast. After winning five of the last six the Saints have put themselves at .500 and back into the playoff picture. Last week the Saints cruised to a 38-17 road win agains the hapless Oakland Raiders but it was the win before that against the Atlanta Falcons that saved their season. With five of their last six games coming against teams ahead of them in the playoff hunt there can be no setbacks. Drew Brees has maintained a top aerial threat even without Darren Sproles and a running game. While their defense has completely made a 180 turn after Jonathan Vilma and Joe Vitt returned from suspensions. They also have to find ways to win on the road and in Atlanta, New York and Dallas. Up next a home game against Colin Kapernick and the San Francisco 49ers, a rematch of last year’s crazy NFC Divisional game.
Second Down: “Not so LUCK-y” To show you the importance of the quarterback position, the Indianapolis Colts won just one game last year and this year with most of the same team intact Andrew Luck has already won 6 games! Things were looking very good for Luck and the Colts until they flew into Foxbourough. In a game that many thought would be close, I believed that this was going to be a bad game for Luck and the Colts; and it was. The New England Patriots showed the difference between a verteran team and a young team learning how to win. The Patriots laid a beat down on the Colts and won 59-24, but it’s the psyche of Luck that will be a question going forward. Can he bounce back? Can he put this game behind him? No question, that he's talented but Luck threw three picks and fumbled once and looked out of sorts in a primetime game. The Colts are in a playoff spot for the moment and with Ben Roethlisberger out for Pittsburgh there is a chance. However, they will have to win their three remaining home games against Buffalo (this week), Tennessee and Houston and won on the road in either Detroit, Houston or Kansas City.
Third Down: “A Good Backup QB?” Is there such a thing as a good backup quarterback? The answer has yet to be determined and this past Monday Night, backup quarterbacks Jason Campbell (Chicago) and Colin Kapernick (San Francisco) went head to head, and it was the latter of the two getting the last laugh. The rookie Kapernick was tremendous throwing for 243-yards and 2 touchdowns against a stingy Bears defense. While Campbell was horrendous and may never get a job in the NFL after this year. There is no secret that the quarterback play is the toughest and most important in the NFL and there is a reason why only 32 men in the world have the job of a starting quarterback. Backups like Drew Stanton, Tim Tebow, Kyle Orton are not legitimate starters and are on the bench for a reason.
Fourth Down: “Can’t STEEL a win” The Pittsburgh Steelers had a tough task last week against the Baltimore Ravens and loss just 13-10 with Byron Leftwitch under centre. The Steelers defense was phenomenal holding the Ravens offense to just three points. However, now that Roethlisberger and Leftwitch are out there are forced to rely on Charlie Batch. Batch will probably get the next two starts in Cleveland and in Baltimore. Both seem like tough games with an offense that can’t score. If the Steelers want any chance at the playoffs they will need to win of the two and then split the last four games. The team is good but without their quarterback and leader Ben Roethlisberger they are just an average group of guys and Troy Polamalu has been out nearly the entire season. The way it’s looking if the Steelers lose this week I believe they will not make the playoffs.
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