Updated Nov. 14
Question to ponder: Is anybody other than the Chicago Bears any damn good in the NFC?
Just when we thought the New York Giants might be that team, they lose half their team to injuries, and then suffer a second-half collapse against the Bears in a 38-20 loss.
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| David Diehl and the Giants can't stop a deluge of injuries. |
Now the Giants must go to Jacksonville to play the Jaguars, Coughlin's old team, and a team that plays well in big games.
The reality is the NFC isn't very good.
Aside from the Bears, the elite teams are all in the AFC. There are the Indianapolis Colts, San Diego Chargers, Denver Broncos, New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens.
After that comes a group made up of Kansas City, Jacksonville, the Jets and Cincinnati. Jacksonville would be the sixth seed in the AFC if the playoffs started today. Yet they're favored over the Giants on Monday night in Jacksonville by 3 points, which means they're considered even teams.
So should we just get it over with and give the AFC representative the Super Bowl trophy now? We know better than that. A lot can change in the next seven weeks.
A lot can change in 30 minutes.
At halftime of Sunday night's game, I had the Giants No. 2 in my CBS SporsLine.com Power Rankings. Now they're ranked sixth, but if not for a bunch of upsets, they might have fallen around the top-10 line.
But let's not give up on the NFC just yet. I get the feeling that a handful of good teams will emerge come January.
For now, though, the elite teams, aside from the Bears, are in the AFC. Just check out the top five:
| Power Rankings | ||||||||||
| Current | Team | Previous | ||||||||
 | 1 | Colts · Trends | 1 | |||||||
| They didn't look great against the 49ers, but they found a way. That's what good teams do. It has to be good having Bob Sanders back again. | ||||||||||
 | 2 | Saints · Trends | 2 | |||||||
| It was a little bit of a struggle against the Falcons, but the schedule is favorable the rest of the way, to say the least. Is an undefeated season possible? | ||||||||||
 | 3 | Vikings · Trends | 4 | |||||||
| They have a real hold on the division after sweeping the Packers. They really are a balanced team and Brett Favre is coming off a big game. There, I said it. Aside from the Steelers game, he is playing well. | ||||||||||
 | 4 | Broncos · Trends | 3 | |||||||
| After their first loss, here come the champions. The Pittsburgh Steelers will provide another stiff test for the Broncos. They need to throw it better. Period. | ||||||||||
 | 5 | Patriots · Trends | 5 | |||||||
| They come off the bye with a chance to take a real hold of the division by beating Miami. You know they'll be ready for the Wildcat. | ||||||||||
 | 6 | Bengals · Trends | 6 | |||||||
| At 5-2 after their bye, they get a rematch with the Ravens this week. They can throw it better now than when they beat them the first time, which should help. | ||||||||||
 | 7 | Steelers · Trends | 7 | |||||||
| They can show they are back with a road victory at Denver. The bye week gives them a little edge heading into that one, although Denver will be angry coming off its first loss. | ||||||||||
 | 8 | Eagles · Trends | 8 | |||||||
| We get Eagles-Cowboys this week for first place in the NFC East. That should be fun. The Eagles are rolling after that Oakland disaster two weeks ago. | ||||||||||
 | 9 | Cowboys · Trends | 11 | |||||||
| Is it time to stop ripping on Tony Romo? He's playing some of his best football. The defense, which was a problem much of the season, is playing better. | ||||||||||
 | 10 | Ravens · Trends | 14 | |||||||
| They had to beat Denver to save their season, but now they get a big one against the Bengals on the road. To have a real chance to win the division, they need that one. | ||||||||||
 | 11 | Cardinals · Trends | 9 | |||||||
| Can anybody figure this team out? They play well on the road and stink it up at home. Good thing they're on the road this week. | ||||||||||
 | 12 | Giants · Trends | 10 | |||||||
| They are an example of how fast things can go bad in the NFL. If that defense doesn't play better soon, they could be playoff-less. | ||||||||||
 | 13 | Texans · Trends | 16 | |||||||
| The improvement of the defense to go with that passing game has really helped this team. They do have a lot of premium talent on the defensive side of the ball. | ||||||||||
 | 14 | Chargers · Trends | 17 | |||||||
| They seemed to right things the past two weeks, but now must head east to play a desperate Giants team. That won't be easy. | ||||||||||
 | 15 | Falcons · Trends | 12 | |||||||
| They played well at New Orleans, especially in the second half, and the schedule gets easier now. They are a good 4-3 team. | ||||||||||
 | 16 | Packers · Trends | 13 | |||||||
| Boy that offensive line is bad. If they don't improve there, Aaron Rodgers doesn't stand a chance. | ||||||||||
 | 17 | Bears · Trends | 19 | |||||||
| Nothing like the Cleveland Browns to provide the perfect potion for all that ails a team. Facing Arizona at home this week won't be as easy. | ||||||||||
 | 18 | Dolphins · Trends | 22 | |||||||
| That wasn't pretty against the Jets, but they found a way. Now they have to go to New England, with a chance to get back into the race. Playing two consecutive road games is tough. | ||||||||||
 | 19 | Jets · Trends | 15 | |||||||
| There is no way they should have lost to the Dolphins at home, but at 4-4 they have been way too inconsistent. How about some special-teams work this week? | ||||||||||
 | 20 | Jaguars · Trends | 18 | |||||||
| They will be a .500 team at best. The defense isn't very good, so they will play a lot of high-scoring games. The good news is they have a winnable game against Kansas City this week. | ||||||||||
 | 21 | Panthers · Trends | 24 | |||||||
| Was that a job saver for coach John Fox and a season saver last week in Arizona? It was a big win, but those two things are still to be decided. | ||||||||||
 | 22 | 49ers · Trends | 20 | |||||||
| Playing close isn't good enough. They have to start winning those kinds of games. It's hard when they're limited on offense. | ||||||||||
 | 23 | Bills · Trends | 21 | |||||||
| The run defense is really bad and they don't have the offense to make up for it. Did you ever think they would long to get Trent Edwards back so much? | ||||||||||
 | 24 | Seahawks · Trends | 23 | |||||||
| They've been a major disappointment in a lot of people's minds. But the injuries have crippled this team. It's a tough first year for Jim Mora Jr. | ||||||||||
 | 25 | Raiders · Trends | 25 | |||||||
| At least they showed up and competed against the Chargers. It's more than they did the previous week. Wonder how Tom Cable's troubles will affect the team? | ||||||||||
 | 26 | Chiefs · Trends | 26 | |||||||
| They come off their bye with the Larry Johnson saga hanging over their heads. Something they need more of: Better play from Matt Cassel. | ||||||||||
 | 27 | Redskins · Trends | 27 | |||||||
| Did they fix things during the bye? Is Jim Zorn safe now that he made it through the week off? Can they turn it around? Doubtful. | ||||||||||
 | 28 | Rams · Trends | 31 | |||||||
| They won. They won. They won. After 17 consecutive losses, they should celebrate. Steven Jackson is having a good year for a bad team. | ||||||||||
 | 29 | Titans · Trends | 32 | |||||||
| The move to Vince Young paid off. Yeah, as long as Chris Johnson runs for 228, it paid off. They did show more life coming off their bye in winning for the first time. | ||||||||||
 | 30 | Lions · Trends | 28 | |||||||
| Losing to the Rams drops them down a few spots. They are competing, which is a good sign for this young team. | ||||||||||
 | 31 | Browns · Trends | 29 | |||||||
| Does this team need a bye or what? Do they really have to play out the season with that offense? | ||||||||||
 | 32 | Buccaneers · Trends | 30 | |||||||
| The Josh Freeman Era begins, and it's the right thing to do. They have to get him going for the future. Why wait? | ||||||||||
