With the regular season just a few days from opening, the
question many fans around the country are asking is, ‘what do the results from
this Preseason mean for my team over the next 17 weeks?’
The answer for each team is very different, so I can’t just
make a generalization to deliver to everyone. Instead I will go team-by-team.
Due to space I will only be able to dedicate a few sentences to each team so it
is my job to provide as much useful, relevant information as possible in a
short paragraph.
For each team there are two records in parenthesis. The first is that team’s 2012 Preseason
record. The second is my prediction
for their record at the end of the 2012 Regular Season.
Yesterday, I covered the AFC. Today
my focus shifts to the NFC.
NFC
East
Dallas
Cowboys (3-1, 9-7)
Dallas truly is the San Diego
Chargers of the NFC. The only loss the Cowboys suffered this Preseason was, in
fact, to the Chargers. The 3-1 record is a bit less impressive because their
wins came against Oakland, St. Louis and Miami. This season is about waiting
for December in Dallas.
New
York Giants (2-2, 8-8)
The Giants are a good team, and
despite the .500 Preseason, they outscored their opponents by 22 points. My
prediction has nothing to do with disrespect for the team. The NFC East is
likely going to be more competitive this year than it has been since the 2007
season. Also, the Giants show up in the postseason, but the Regular Season has
not been their strength in a while. We’ll see if that changes this year.
Philadelphia
Eagles (4-0, 11-5)
The Eagles were one of two teams in
the NFL that went undefeated in the Preseason. There isn’t much more to say
other than that this is a very talented team. Will they mesh better than last
year? I think they will, but some aren’t so sure. We will find out soon enough.
Washington
Redskins (3-1, 7-9)
Only three teams held their
opponents to fewer points this Preseason – the Seahawks (44), the 49ers (53)
and the Giants (58). Washington’s one defensive hiccup came against the Bears,
and the defense looked particularly atrocious during that game. It will be
interesting to see how the first team defense plays over the course of the
whole Regular Season. Meanwhile, the offense looks much improved over last
year. This team is certainly in contention for the postseason; I just don’t see
it happening out of this division.
NFC
North
Chicago
Bears (3-1, 9-7)
The Bears defense was not all that
impressive this Preseason, but other than a single hiccup against the Broncos
in the Preseason opener, their offense was very good. Still, despite the 3-1
record, the Bears were outscored by 15 points this August. The Packers were
able to win this division with a great offense and terrible defense last year.
I don’t think that combination will fly this year.
Detroit
Lions (2-2, 11-5)
The Lions had a very easy road this
Preseason. Their only game against a team with a winning record in 2011 was
their 27-12 victory in Baltimore. Their backups beat Buffalo but both Oakland
and Cleveland beat Detroit when their starters got playing time. The Lions had
a rough off-season, but I gave them the benefit of the doubt. This is one team
I am second-guessing my confidence in.
Green
Bay Packers (2-2, 13-3)
Aaron Rodgers actually ran for more
touchdowns than he threw for this Preseason. Outside of giving up 35 points to
Cleveland, this defense looks much better than they did last year. I also am
not worried about the offense. Rodgers can run this offense and if the defense
continues to play well, 13 wins is definitely a possibility. However, 11 or 12
victories might be more likely.
Minnesota
Vikings (1-3, 7-9)
Minnesota had a touch Preseason
schedule. They crushed Buffalo in a game that could have been much closer. The
Vikings losses came to San Francisco, San Diego and Houston, all of whom are
team that should be playing in January this year. Minnesota has a very strong
team this year, no doubt. But this division might not be conducive to a highly
successful season.
NFC
South
Atlanta
Falcons (1-3, 11-5)
I am not so much worried about their
loss to Jacksonville; they were expected to win against Miami so that game
didn’t impress me. Baltimore beat Atlanta by 14 and the Bengals won by 5. It is
difficult to read too much into this Preseason for Atlanta. Matt Ryan actually
played very well this preseason. It was mainly the backups who didn’t do so
well. I still believe this is an 11-win team, but uncertainty is certainly
understandable.
Carolina
Panthers (2-2, 8-8)
The Panthers won the games they were
supposed to – against the Dolphins and the Jets – and lost to Houston and
Pittsburgh. Their loss to Houston was the only game they played where the
difference was more than a touchdown. This will be a fun team to watch. It
really is just a question of how many games they can get the job done in. But
if there is any team that I projected to miss the playoffs that can prove me
wrong, Carolina is probably the most likely.
New
Orleans Saints (2-3, 9-7)
The Saints three losses came to New
England (by one point), Jacksonville (by 3) and Tennessee (by 4). They also
beat Arizona and Houston by seven points each. This team might play in more
close games than any other team this year. Some people are really upset over
the whole bounty thing that came out over the off-season, but it seems more
people will be pulling for this team, and I am one of them. We’ll just have to
let this season play out.
Tampa
Bay Buccaneers (2-2, 5-11)
The Bucs offense was very
inconsistent and Josh Freeman still isn’t back to the way he played two years
ago. I like what Greg Schiano is doing down in Tampa, but I’m not sold on this
team.
NFC
West
Arizona
Cardinals (1-4, 5-11)
The quarterback battle was fought
between John Skelton and Kevin Kolb. Skelton won the job to start the Regular
Season, but honestly I was more impressed with Richard Bartel despite him only
attempting around 20 passes this Preseason.
San
Francisco 49ers (3-1, 12-4)
The 49ers played well, but weren’t
overly impressive this Preseason. I honestly think 10 wins might be more
attainable for San Francisco, especially with a big surprise likely to come out
of this division.
Seattle
Seahawks (4-0, 4-12)
Did Seattle play anyone I expect
much of this season? No. But an undefeated record is tough to ignore. They won
their first game by 10 points; they won their second game by 20; then they won
game three by 30. The closed the Preseason out with an 18-point win over
Oakland. If you have this team’s defense for Fantasy Football, you should be
rejoicing. Their offense isn’t bad either. Matt Flynn won’t be their starter,
but it’s not because he has underperformed; the team is just that impressed with Russell Wilson, for
good reason. I have to rescind my prediction for their season. I actually fully
expect this team to make the postseason. It’s just a matter of whether it will
be as a wild card or a division winner.
St.
Louis Rams (2-2, 5-11)
Sam Bradford appears to be fully
recovered from last year and will be a big help to this team in 2012. But I’m
still not sold on the Rams. I was not happy when Steve Spagnuolo was let go
from the Rams, but Fisher is more than qualified to replace him and I no longer
think it was a bone-headed move, though I do find it funny that Fisher now
coaches the team that handed him a loss in his only Super Bowl appearance to
date. It may be a year or so before he can turn this ship around, though.
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