The Thing About That

Since it has a limited shelf-life already, how about my 14-1 performance in Week 13? That was the first day I wished I had a gambling problem.

Handicapping the Playoff Races

THE AFC

1. Indianapolis - How crazy is it that this team can clinch home-field advantage throughout the playoffs as early as next week (at Jacksonville)? I'm of the opinion that Tony Dungy should do whatever he wants to do with his team over the final 3 weeks. If he wants to rest his players, let him. He knows his team better than anyone else.

2. Denver - The schedule is pretty favorable down the stretch, with cupcake home games (Baltimore and Oakland) and a winnable road game (at Buffalo) before playing the Chargers on New Year's Eve.

3. Cincinnati - Now, this may come as a surprise, seeing how it was less than a month ago where I thought the Bengals would finish out of the playoffs this year. But, I think the Bengals wind up with a 1st round bye in the post-season. They've got Cleveland, Detroit and Buffalo on their schedule, and then play the Chiefs in a tough game at the end of the year.

4. New England - The Patriots aren't as good as they were the last 4 years, but does anyone want to come to New England to play this team in January? Probably not. It's not cosmetically appealing, but then again, it never really was in the first place. They'll just continue to win football games, get healthy and then knock one of the fine wild card teams (Jacksonville, San Diego or Kansas City) out of the playoffs.

5. Jacksonville - Has a very easy schedule down the stretch, and will likely face the Patriots on Wild Card Weekend (Jan 7-8). Without Byron Leftwich, however, the Jags aren't going anywhere. Garrard may be able to beat the Browns, 49ers, Titans and Texans, but neither of those teams are anywhere close to playoff-caliber.

6. San Diego - Has the inside track at the final Wild Card spot, and you'd be hard-pressed to find any team playing better right now. They dismantled the Raiders offense last night, which is a good sign that they're defense is starting to catch up with the offense. Before you start popping those corks on New Year's Eve, be sure to check out the Broncos-Chargers game on CBS.

7. Kansas City - Another team that seems to be hitting its stride at just the right time are the Chiefs. The next two weeks are crucial to their post-season hopes, as the league did them no favors by sending them to Dallas and New York (to face the Giants, not Jets. That would be a favor) in a 6-day span.

8. Pittsburgh - It's real simple. If they can keep Roethlisberger in one piece after the Bears game next week, they've got a chance. If they can't, you can stick a fork in them.

Mac's Crystal Ball:

1. Indianapolis
2. Cincinnati
3. Denver
4. New England
5. Jacksonville
6. San Diego

THE NFC

1. Seattle - I'll get more in depth with the Seahawks a little later on, but they've already clinched the NFC West, so they will host a home playoff game.

2. Chicago - Thanks to that defense, I don't think anyone wants to face the Bears in January. This team is drawing comparisons to the 2000 Baltimore Ravens, but if I'm Baltimore, I'm taking exception to that. Offensively, the Ravens had a bruising RB, a Hall-of-Fame TE and a a couple of fine WRs. Chicago has none of that.

3. Carolina - Yesterday, the Panthers stole the keys to the NFC South. With 3 more divisional games left, the question now is whether or not Atlanta or Tampa Bay can steal them back. The answer: Not likely.

4. New York Giants - Similar situation as Carolina. Beating the Cowboys put the G-men in the driver's seat. The one problem I have with the Giants is discipline. They commit a lot of penalties, miss field goals and drop a ton of passes. With a QB as inexperienced as Eli Manning, the lack of discipline in others is what could ultimately derail this season.

5. Tampa Bay - With back-to-back road games against Carolina and New England, Tampa Bay is looking at being 8-6 before playing the Falcons and Saints in the last two weeks.

6. Dallas - If Bill Parcels & Co. can get through these next 3 weeks, then they'll deserve to be in the playoffs. A tough home game against Kansas City is followed by dangerous road trips to Carolina and Washington. Don't think Joe Gibbs wouldn't love to end his good friend's season.

7. Atlanta - Losers of 3 of their last 4, the Falcons are beginning to unravel. Thanks to Michael Vick and Jim Mora, this group has proved to be a resilient bunch, albeit rather inconsistent.

8. Minnesota - Ever go to a party where there's a person no one invited just milling about? Well, that's the Minnesota Vikings. Left for dead a long time ago, the Vikings have climbed back into the playoff race thanks to an improbable 5-game winning streak after their 2-5 start. They've got some winnable games left (St. Louis, Baltimore), but some tough ones (Pittsburgh, Chicago) may end up dashing their hopes.

Mac's Crystal Ball

1. Seattle
2. Carolina
3. Chicago
4. New York
5. Dallas
6. Atlanta

The Thing About That

Not that their opinions matter, but I get a charge out of these sportswriters and talking heads that love to mention that the Seahawks "can't win on the East coast" as a reason for ranking them below Chicago and New York in their "power rankings".

While it's true that the Seahawks have struggled in 1pm EST games (7-13 under Mike Holmgren), does it really matter? With games left against San Francisco, Tennessee and Green Bay (7-29 combined), and a home game against the Indianapolis Colts' b-team, the Seahawks are likely going to end up with home-field advantage in the playoffs. That means they'll never have to leave Seattle to play a football game in January, which makes how they play on the East coast meaningless.

I don't normally believe that there's an "East Coast Bias", but how anyone can look at the undisciplined New York Giants and say they're the best team in the NFC is beyond me. A team that commits that many penalties and drops that many passes, and has already lost to the team with the best record in the conference, can't possibly be the better team. Maybe in the court of public opinion, but not on the field, or in the standings.