Philadelphia—They are the only clear contender coming out of the NFC. Donovan and TO are playing well, and the defense stop other teams from scoring. Anything less than a Super Bowl berth would be a bust.
Atlanta—The Falcons were on a roll until Sunday’s game. Michael Vick needs to improve his passing for this team to have a chance at knocking off Philly.
Green Bay—You can never count out Brett Favre and the Packers. The Packers’ pass defense is awful though, which could come back to hurt them come playoff time.
St. Louis—They can’t expect Chris Chandler to lead them. Marc Bulger needs to get healthy fast. If the Rams get their running game going, their offense could pose problems for other teams.
Minnesota and Seattle—Inconsistency is their problem. Seattle has shown no mental toughness in some games, while Minnesota’s defense still plagues them. Both should be able to hold out for wild card berths, though.
New York Giants—The day they started Eli Manning was the day they kissed the playoffs goodbye. Eli’s good, but he’s not ready yet.
Dallas—Bill Parcells will make sure this team competes every week. The emergence of Julius Jones helps, but too little too late.
Detroit—The Lions have a good foundation to work from, but they are too inexperienced to be much of a factor.
Chicago—I doubt Chad Hutchinson can keep up his performance. Chicago simply doesn’t have enough weapons to compete.
Carolina—Coming back from 1-7 is impressive. The offense and defense are playing well, but it will take a few upsets and luck for them to squeak into the playoffs.
Tampa Bay—Their defense is still solid, and Brian Griese has revitalized their offense, but I just don’t see it happening for the Bucs.
