Statistically speaking, we know who the good teams in the league are right now. They're the Broncos, Chiefs, Seahawks, 49ers, Patriots, and Saints. An argument could be made for the Packers, Bengals, and Colts too, but I think they're all slightly below the other six teams. However, this weekend proved to be a bit of an equalizer since the Saints and Bengals both lost, the Seahawks nearly lost, and Chiefs only won because of their defense. One could even argue the Broncos could be picked off at the right (wrong?) moment, given how they had won 10 straight games last year before losing in the Divisional Round of the playoffs to the Ravens. That really leaves the 49ers as the only truly complete team, considering they've outscored their opponents by a whopping 113 points over the last five weeks. But who's to say they can't be slowed down at some point?
Speaking of figuring out who's really good and who's really not so good....
1. Will the real Nick Foles please stand up? Just who is Nick Foles? Is he the guy who torched the Buccaneers and Raiders, including a whopping 7 touchdown passes on Sunday, or is he the guy who looked incredibly ineffective against the Cowboys? Is he the long-term answer at quarterback for the Eagles, or will Chip Kelly look in the 2014 draft for a future franchise quarterback? These are all legitimately genuine questions, so if someone can answer them for me I'd appreciate it.
2. Will the real New York Jets please stand up? Meanwhile, who are the Jets? Are they the team who eked out some gutsy and big wins over the Patriots, Falcons, and Saints, or are they the team who were smoked by the Titans, Steelers, and Bengals? If there's a team looking more like a Jekyll and Hyde combination, I don't know who that is. Still, an 8-win season would be about double what I had expected from this time this season, so they're already playing with house money.
3. At least we know who the real Bucs are. The Bucs nearly pulled off the most unexpected upset of the season by jumping out to a 21-0 lead over the Seahawks, featuring a jump ball pass from running back Mike James to tight end Tom Crabtree. The Bucs came back to Earth soon enough, but the Seahawks also have to be aware of their weaknesses on their offensive and defensive lines. They're still the best team in the NFC, but a team like the Saints or 49ers could very possibly pick them off in the playoffs.
4. The real Chiefs will clearly be exposed in the final two months of the season. The Chiefs' turnaround from last season has been beyond remarkable. Andy Reid has already sewn up Coach of the Year for himself, though that obviously won't be as valuable or memorable if the Chiefs don't make a deep playoff run in January. But in looking over their remaining schedule, the Chiefs have 5 divisional games left, including two against the Broncos and another two against the Chargers. They also have to travel to Washington, and are home against Indianapolis. Even if they go a meager 4-3 in their final 7 games, they'd finish with a record of 13-3. They've looked shaky the last couple games, especially against the Bills on Sunday, but they've been playing with house money just like the Jets have for the last few weeks.
5. Jerry Jones is wrong. Following the Cowboys' 27-23 victory over the Vikings on Sunday, Jerry Jones said, "There are no 1-7 teams in this league." He was obviously trying to pay some respect to the Vikings, which in theory is the polite thing to do. However, the Vikings are a team whose only win was in London over a pathetic Steelers team. There is a quarterback carousel every week in Minnesota, where it's a question of which option will suck less than the other two. Moreover, Jones' comment is ironically in direct contrast to his own former head coach's philosophy. Bill Parcells once famously said, "You are what your record says you are." He was right, and the Vikings are clearly one of the worst teams in the league. There's no way to sugarcoat it or make the stench slightly more bearable.
6. The Ravens are in deep, deep doo-doo. After their loss to the Steelers two weeks ago, linebacker Terrell Suggs said the Ravens were in a "state of emergency" heading into their bye. Head coach John Harbaugh said plenty of the right things in order to get the team back on track for the second half of the season. Words truly are just words, and their game against the Browns Sunday showed that. All the same kinds of issues the team has been dealing with - primarily starting with shoddy offensive line play - were evident, and their next game is against the division leading Bengals. They are currently on the outside looking in at the playoff hunt, and even if the team gets Dennis Pitta back before the end of November, he may not be the team's saving grace since he wouldn't help the offensive line at all.
7. The Colts have the kind of mojo that championship contenders need. Talking about how good Andrew Luck is in only his second year in the league is already becoming old hat. After falling behind the Texans 21-3 by halftime Sunday night, Luck led the Colts to roar back in the second half, ultimately winning 27-24. And this latest victory was without their best wide receiver in Reggie Wayne. Whether they can beat the likes of Denver or New England in January remains to be seen, but they will definitely be a heavyweight in 2014.
8. The Goat of the Week Award goes to the Raiders' defense. Can it really go to anyone else? The Raiders gave up 7 passing touchdowns to Nick Foles on Sunday, a week after they shut down the Steelers for most of the game. They consistently let Riley Cooper beat them down field while bringing no pressure on Foles in the pocket at all. It's amazing that the Raiders can actually look like they're making progress as a team with Terrelle Pryor at quarterback, and then they take three steps backward this weekend.
9. Depending on the severity of Aaron Rodgers' injury, the Packers could be done. If Rodgers misses the next two to three weeks, he could return by Thanksgiving for a big game against Detroit. If he misses the rest of the season, the Packers' season is essentially over. The team has been ravaged by injuries all season long like few other teams have been; the one constant holding the team together had been Rodgers. If they have to rely on Seneca Wallace or bring in another quarterback to run the offense, they probably won't even make the playoffs, much less make a Super Bowl run.
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