NFL Dark Horse (Page 2)

That's still a longshot.

The Chiefs are having a nice season but it is in large part due to a soft schedule so far. I would put put them around the 4th best team in AFC, and while they are pulling out some tight ones, I just don't see the talent to make a run through the playoffs. It could happen but I wouldn't expect it.

They Seahawks will likely be in the Superbowl if they end up as the 1 seed but after watching them play Monday I'm not so sure that is going to happen. They looked terrible, but I'm pretty sure the Rams suited up one of their cheerleaders at QB in order to lose. Injuries are killing Seattle. Harvin is going help but they need the OL to get healthy. The NFC is a wide open 4 horse race at this point.

I'm still sticking my Cowboys prediction....

Sure, they're at .500 now, but they've lost 4 games by a combined 12 points. Largest defeat was to the Chargers by 7.

Our two Tackles should both be back before our next tough game (NO). Harvin will be taking the field either this week or next as well. Honestly, Stl has had oru number ever since Fisher came into the division. If you look at both games last year they were far from pretty. STL bigggest strength (pass rush) very clearly went up against our biggest weakness (pass protection) and the result wasn't good. Everyone is harping on how bad we looked but this was our 4th road game in 5 weeks missing 2 OL with a 3rd mvoed from LG to LT.

Hawks finish the season with 5 out of 8 games at home in addition to getting Okung/Giacomini/Harvin back. I said over the summer in another thread I expected 13-3 or better and right now I don't see why that should change.

Yes it was a nightmare matchup against that pass rush, but I wouldn't say Clemens against the "Legion of Boom" is a great matchup for St Louis either.

A win is a win, but I would really say that was more of a St Louis loss than a Seattle win. Sherman's pick was a gift and if Jenkins plays the deep ball correctly, Tate's touchdown is an incompletion at worst, most likely a INT. The play calling at the goal line was truly terrible as well.

Speaking of Tate, somehow I doubt that Carrol was telling hime "We don't do that here" when he went to sideline, as Gruden informed us during the broadcast. I'm sure it was a "Don't get flagged for it," since i specifically remember a pregame feature on one of the networks about hwo to trash talk featuring Sherman.

Seattle will likely end up 13-3, one loss either way. GB, NO, and SF will likely all be at 11+ wins also. I don't think there has been a year when homefield was more important for the playoffs.

KC's schedule has been favorable, and their 8-0 record probably does not reflect how good they really are in relation to the rest of the NFL. The key to KC actually making a playoff run is to split the series with Denver and hope Denver loses another game or two. I don't see KC finishing any better than 13-3 even if they split with Denver, and the problem is that even if they finish 13-3 and Denver finishes 14-2, they will be on the road for a wild card game because they are in the same division. That's the one thing I hate about the NFL playoffs. You can have the second best record in the whole conference, yet have to play on the road against a division winner who may have 3-4 less wins than you...and you're on the road for the rest of the playoffs unless the 6th seed also makes it to the conf championship.

If KC can manage to win the division, secure they bye and likely home field throughout the AFC playoffs, then they've got a shot to make a run as Arrowhead is a really tough place to play. Especially in late December and January where some of these pass happy teams may have trouble in the cold. KC is the perfect cold weather team. Play good defense and field position...don't make mistakes.

But realistically, I don't like KC's chances of winning the division. I think they lose a couple of these close games they've been winning recently and I even though a split with Denver is more likely than a sweep either way, I don't think it's enough for them to win the division. I think they end up 12-4, or possibly 11-5 if Denver locks up the division before week 17 starts and KC rests their starters in prep for the wild card game.

And I just thought of this. Lets say KC does somehow win the division and the top seed in the AFC and Denver would most likely be the 5th seed (top seed for non division winner). Assuming Denver wins their playoff game, and the 3rd seed beats the 6th seed...guess who Denver plays next. Yep...sucks to be KC in hopes of making that playoff run. Further reason why the NFL needs to redo their playoff seeding. I don't have a problem with division winners getting a playoff spot, but they should not be given a higher seed. They should seed strictly by record.

I'm going to say that the NY Jets will make it to the playoffs this year, they could realistically get to 9-7 or 10-6 with only a couple more tough teams to play. Plus with how the AFC is shaping out they have a good shot at a wild card. But only if Geno stays consistent. I think they're one of the biggest surprise so far this year.

Give me $20 on the Bears. 40:1 looks a little long as they're in a division which is winnable and any upset is possible in the playoffs.

There's realistically only 1 wild card available. The KC / Denver fight in the west means 1 of them thanks 1 of the wild cards. The Patriettes likely win the east meaning the Jets are in contention with Tennessee, San Diego, Baltimore or Pittsburgh. I don't see them as my first choice from that field of 5