What to predict, what to predict? Let's take a look at some teams listed as viable Super Bowl contenders this year:

Colts: 1-2
Jaguars: 2-2
Patriots: 2-1 (and very misleading, at that)
Chargers: 2-2
Vikings: 1-3 (though I never considered them a genuine Super Bowl team, the hype was certainly there)

Now, we all could imagine that some of the teams on this list would have come across some difficulties at this point in the season, but I don't think anybody imagined they all would. The AFC is wide open, and that's a preliminary to one of my picks. I'm not crazy, I swear to you.

TEN @ BAL: Tennessee hasn’t beaten any great teams yet, but Baltimore doesn’t fall into the “great team” category anyhow. Tennessee has the stingier defense and a veteran at quarterback. Upset special for Baltimore? I can’t call it. Winner: Tennessee

KC @ CAR: Kansas City didn’t so much prove that they are decent football team as much as they merely highlighted just how bad Denver is on the defensive side on the ball. They won’t run all day on Carolina, and Carolina gets a sure win at home. Winner: Carolina

CHI @ DET: Detroit finally ousted Millen. Detroit is still the same Detroit we know and love, and the same Detroit that Detroit fans find painful to watch. Winner: Chicago

ATL @ GB: Aaron Rodgers doesn’t need to be Brett Favre. He’s known that for years as Favre’s backup, and with an organization that showed some guts in supporting him, he won’t forget it this week. It’s unrealistic. One thing I admire about Rodgers is that he looks like a guy who’s learned from a great quarterback and is trying to make a mark as a great quarterback in his own right, as opposed to trying to be the guy that he studied under. Rodgers will be ready to go if he plays on Sunday. Winner: Green Bay

IND @ HOU: Indianapolis has been ####ed up. With the bye week, they are still hurting. They’ll be alright though. They have time to heal before playing Tennessee, and they’ll take this one from Houston. Peyton Manning will have a level-head, and for football fans, it’s going to be exciting to watch Peyton Manning grind out Ws. Winner: Indianopolis

SD @ MIA: In a recent blog post, I projected Miami sneaking into the playoffs this year on a wildcard spot in a shaky AFC. That starts here with a huge upset over San Diego. Granted, I think the Chargers are still looking damn good to take the conference this year with the way things have been going in the AFC, I still think this Miami team has upset potential. They don’t turn the ball over, and their one-two in the backfield is going to be rough on the Chargers. Winner: Miami

SEA @ NYG: Having the Bengals at home was a trap game, and as a Giants fan, it wasn’t the kind of thriller you like to see your team take part in. However, a “W” is a “W”, and the trap-game has come and gone. Or has it? The Giants are notoriously bad after the bye. Plaxico has been benched. However, I think the young guys will pick up the slack very nicely, seizing one of the few opportunities to be the go-to receivers they will have this year. The Giants have to pick up a win following a bye at some point or another, don’t they? Winner: New Jersey

WAS @ PHI: Philly is a physical team, and they are at home. But the Redskins have some confidence, and they’ll ride it out into this week over an Eagles team that has their greatest component on offense listed as questionable. This will put Philly in a tough spot if they lose, and Washington will be getting the Super Bowl hype when they win. Winner: Washington

TB @ DEN: Explosive offense, or great defense? I’ll take the great defense sir, and can I get a little “your offense couldn’t outscore the Kansas City Chiefs” on the side? Thank you. Have a good one. Winner: Tampa Bay

BUF @ ARI: Buffalo hasn’t gotten much credit at 4-0, and no, maybe they don’t deserve it. But take a look around the AFC and tell me who has lived up to the expectations? The Bills will be listed as a weak 5-0, but that’s still just two wins short of the total they accounted for last season in a 5 games as opposed to 16. Winner: Buffalo

CIN @ DAL: You know, Dallas has the talent, but I just think they are poised to fall apart against the Bengals. Oh, I couldn’t resist that. In all seriousness, Cincinatti without Carson Palmer means that the “any given Sunday” rule does not even apply. Winner: Dallas

NE @ SF: The Gold Rush is back! The Gold Rush is back! The Gold Rush is back! The problem is that New England is going to loot the 49ers down to their last peso. Winner: New England

PIT @ JAC: Pittsburgh is ####ed up. Jacksonville isn’t 100% either though, and Pittsburgh’s defense is still a rough unit. I’m going to bank on the fact that Jacksonville, while they will generate pressure, it won’t be enough to put Big Ben out of the game like the Eagles had. Winner: Pittsburgh

MIN @ NO: The Saints offense is starting to get some momentum going, and Minnesota has been dealt a tough slate and now finds themselves at 1-3. I’m going to pick against the Vikings in spite, seeing as in the preseason, they rivaled the Saints of ’07 with all of the Super Bowl hype surrounding what was in reality a .500 team. And to be honest, I just can’t stand that. Winner: Saints

Twelve teams make the playoffs in this league. That being said, these rankings will feature six teams from each conference. No more. No less. Your team may be a top 12 team in theory, but when push comes to shove, only 12 teams make the playoffs. As they stack up right now, the only teams that have proven anything remain in the NFC East. Bias? I guess one could call it that, but the top two teams in the AFC just haven't beaten anybody, and the rest of the conference is off to a pretty sorry start, considering where they were just a year ago.

1. New York Giants (NFC East division title): The defending Super Bowl champions are in first place in hands down the best division of football. Granted, any team in the NFC East could take the division, but right now, with Dallas hitting a snag, the Giants are undeniably the team to beat. If I sound biased, I really could care less. With what we've seen in the NFL this year, the Giants deserve the #1 spot, especially after a Cowboys loss. Granted, it was week 1 and this Redskins team has gotten better, but the Giants kept Washington out of that game altogether, and the Redskins are proving they are a talented football team. The defending champs are consistent on both sides of the ball, ranked 4th in both total offense and total defense, as well as tied for 2nd in the league in points allowed at 14.3 per game.

2. Washington Redskins (Wildcard): The Washington Redskins are doing what everybody is marveling at the Titans for doing, only they are playing ball-control football against better teams. That's exactly why I had the Redskins picked for an upset in Dallas. Both the Titans and the 'Skins share the league lead with a +6 turnover differential. However, the Redskins have proven they can control the ball against a talented cowboys team, holding onto the ball for over 38 minutes in that game. That's the kind of play that brings home championships.

3. Dallas Cowboys (Wildcard): The biggest cause for concern for the Cowboys is what makes the Washington Redskins a tough football team. Ball control. They have a big-play offense, and the kind of offense that is liable to score on an opposing defense every time it takes the field. That's all fine and good, but twice this year Dallas has had problems in the time of possession battle. Against the Eagles, they were dominated in that regard into the third quarter of play. The Redskins dominated that battle throughout. The Dallas defense is solid, but when put out on the field for twice as long as the offense, they are put into a bad situation. That will wear on this defense and the unit may have problems late in the season if the Dallas offense doesn't manage the clock better.

4. Buffalo Bills (AFC East division title): Sure, Titans fans probably aren't too happy to see their team not in the top two, let alone fall behind the Bills. At the very least, the opponents the Bills have beaten combine for a total of 4-11, which is one game ahead of those that Tennessee has beaten. Their defense is playing well, and their offense is far more explosive than that of Tennessee. If you're looking for a the overlooked mark the Bills have made through the first four that resembles that of a championship squad, look no further than their defense's ability to come up with the stop on third down, with a league leading 19.2%. Granted, this will probably change once they encounter better opponents, but even to force weaker teams punt more than four out of five times is damn good.

5. Tennessee Titans (AFC South Division title): The Titans have yet to beat a legitimate opponent this year, so I'm sorry I'm not sorry for ranking them this low, considering their four opponents have a combined record of 3-12. How this fact has completely escaped the minds of fans and analysts alike is beyond me. They are ranked a whopping 22nd in the league in offense. Now, that being said, I've always said the Titans were a good team, and they are playing good football. They just haven't done anything great yet this year, and a division that was supposed to be the AFC counterpart to the NFC East is a whopping 3-7 outside of Tennessee, while the East is 8-4 outside of the front-running New York Giants.

Plenty of people will draw comparisons between the Titans and championship teams. The difference-maker is that championship teams do what the Titans are doing now to good football teams. I'll believe in the Titans when they grind one out against a team with a winning record.

6. Carolina Panthers (NFC South division title): The Panthers have played well, and winning the first two without Steve Smith was solid. They get the one-up over the Bucs here because they don't turn the ball over so much on offense, even though the Buc's defensive play has made up for that. Still, at 3-1, the Panthers only have outscored opponents by a total of 10 points. What to make of that? Well, they have some resolve, that's for sure. Two wins decided by a field goal or less came against good teams in the Chargers and Bears, without Steve Smith. The loss to the Vikings will go overlooked, for now.

7. Pittsburgh Steelers (AFC North division winner): Yes, the offense has taken a couple of more hits and losing a starting guard is no joke for a line that has already been looking poor. Still, the Steelers defense is one that will win games for them. Surprisingly enough, they are behind only the Redskins and Titans in the turnover differential column, and that's a credit to Big Ben just as much as it is this defense. Despite taking an absolute beating, Roethlisberger has kept a good handle on the ball.They will grind out wins, and with Cleveland looking in poor shape this year, it will be another division title for Pittsburgh.

8. San Diego Chargers (AFC West division title): San Diego Super Chargers? I'm Ron Burgundy? Well, San Diego came back and beat the Raiders to avoid a 1-3 start. Granted, they haven't been playing great football, but for this team, it was merely the "W" they needed. Much like the Colts need to do in this week upcoming, the Chargers bought some time to get back into a groove. They will, and fortunately for them, the Broncos don't have the defense to make a run at the division crown.

9. Green Bay Packers (NFC North division winner): Aaron Rodgers is currently being limited to handoffs in practice, but it looks as though he is going to start against the Falcons. It was a toss-up between Da Bears and the Pack, but I just can't bank on Kyle Orton to play decent enough week in and week out. We won't have an idea until week 11, and that's one to mark on the calender. The Packers got the guns on offense. Da Bears have the defense. Sure, defense wins championships, but nobody ever said offense couldn't get you there. The Packers defense will settle down and get back to their '07 form, giving them the edge.

10. Indianapolis Colts (Wildcard): The Colts are off to a shaky start and are being dragged down by injuries. They needed that bye week, and all they need to do this week is stay healthy against the Texans and come away with the "W". This is not a statement game for the Colts. They've got three games upcoming before they take on the Titans, and I can certainly see them coming away with two of those to pull to .500. They ought to be quite a bit healthier when they take on the Titans, which will make for an exciting game. The Colts will heal up, and much like the 2006 regular season which ended with a Super Bowl victory, the Colts will be dangerous come playoff time. Perhaps it's even better for this team to not have a chance to rest in the last week of the season, as it surely didn't help them in '07.

11. Arizona Cardinals (NFC West division title): Arizona was brought down to earth in these past couple of weeks, and if I didn't have a crazy wildcard selection to throw at you, they would be in the twelve spot. The Arizona Cardinals are going to be that one team that keeps the fans guessing, "Is there really going to be a 7-9 team in the playoffs this year?" Brought back down to earth via the Redskins and Jets, this Cardinals team will win in the same fashion many thought the Seahawks would earn a playoff berth: keeping their head above water in a very weak division. Good news for the Cardinals though: the Gold Rush is not in fact back, the Seahawks are sending Holmgren off in dramatic fashion, and the Rams are making a case for the #1 draft selection.

12. Miami Dolphins (Wildcard): Call me crazy. Say it again. I'll take two for this one, but in a weak division and conference this year, the Dolphins have the guns to grab that last spot. I just said the Dolphins have the guns to grab that last spot. I did. I said it, and I will take all accountability for saying it. However, seeing as turnovers are the theme of the day, let's throw a number out there: 1. Just one turnover by this Dolphins team this year, and that single turnover was a Pennington interception in the final second of the Dolphins/Jets contest in a situation in which he had to force a pass. But that's not the whole story here.

The one-two punch of Brown/Williams finally got going in full effect last week. With Pennington being the "underrated game manager" that he is, and I wholeheartedly agree with the SRMgenius when he says that, this offense has the pieces to be real good. The defense is young, but not terrible. They will make progress. Most importantly, it's a Bill Parcells team, and everybody knows that he can turn around the league's worst faster than anybody.

An upset over San Diego in week 5 is a viable possibility, especially with the coaching staff's apparent willingness to get creative with the play-calling. The Dolphins went up against a very good receiving core (even without Brady, a tough unit to cover) against New England, and had the bye week to serve as additional preparation. One can imagine that they will throw something interesting out there. A win over San Diego would set the tone for the rest of the season, and would put the Dolphins right there in the mix.

Dark horses:

Philadelphia Eagles: Shame to call this team a dark horse, but right now they seem to be falling back to Philly's old bad habits. They could easily make the top ten on the rankings here, and they could very well make the playoffs with a wildcard berth. With every single game in this NFC East being so critical though, Philly has to be able to close out games. They haven't done that in two big games this year.

Denver Broncos: I'm sorry, but a team that is all offense and absolutely no defense is hard to consider a playoff team, especially if dropping a game to the Kansas City Chiefs is any indication. Definitely got some firepower and could very well pull it together, but I do think this team is poised for an average season, and not a whole lot more.

Week Four in the NFL. Things have settled down. Last week, I picked 'em decently enough, but credit to the Cowboys for picking up another "W", despite the fact that I sincerely thought the Pack could grind one out at home. The Packers have a good football team, but the NFC East is quickly becoming a league of its own, and I can't say enough about them. Yes, they only play one game out of the division this week, but that is a very winnable one for the Eagles, and the East could very well be a perfect 9-0 against the rest of the league heading into week five. That's a bit more difficult than it sounds, and the beauty of it is that each divisional contest will hold the significance of a playoff game. That's a lot of good football on the slate.

CLE 14 @ CIN 28: Carson Palmer and Cincinnati showed resolve last week, and played well to give the defending champs a serious run for their money in the Meadowlands. Cleveland, has fallen short of every single expectation of them this season, and they'll be the team to continue on winless through the first quarter of the season.

HOU 7 @ JAC 20: Jacksonville drove down the field to beat the Colts in Indy last week, just after Peyton had apparently nailed the coffin shut. Houston has been another disappointment this year, and will be a nice stepping stone for Jacksonville as they make it back to .500.

ATL 16 @ CAR 21: Atlanta's been averaging over 200 yards on the ground through the first three. That will take a lot of pressure off of a rookie quarterback, and that will make this game interesting. However, it won't be enough to topple the Panters. Carolina will ultimately bounce back from last week's setback.

ARI 35 @ NYJ 20: One ancient quarterback versus another, but on the bright side, they are high-profile old-timers. Arizona and that offense is just too much for the Jets to handle though, and Favre just doesn't have a good enough grasp of the offense yet. Hey, Chad Pennington's looking pretty good over there in Miami. Maybe the Jets could trade for him?

MIN 13 @ TEN 17: This week's defensive struggle, and one of the better games this week. These teams are very similar, with great defense and great running games. Tennessee has the better QB in Kerry Collins though, and he can still manage the game consistently and efficiently. Titans grind out the win at home.

GB 28 @ TB 20: The game will not be as close as the score suggests. In the NFC, the teams could be divided into two divisions: the NFC East, and the Rest. Green Bay, coming off of a loss to Dallas, is still the best of the Rest.

SF 27 @ NO 17: The Niners haven't beaten impressive teams, but that's not to say they haven't impressed. From where they were last year, to be looking at 3-1 through the first four has to inspire some confidence. New Orleans is ####ed up on offense, and their defense has played poorly, as expected. No Shockey, and their top two wideouts will be absent from this contest as well. Not looking good for the Saints.

DEN 45 @ KC 10: Denver is explosive on offense, and while the defensive play is a huge concern, their isn't much to worry about against the Kansas City Chiefs. An exciting one for Broncos fans to watch, but not so much for the rest us. Kansas City is in rebuilding mode, but what remains to be done is the removal of Herm Edwards.

BUF 35 @ STL 17: Scott Linehan got to go. The Rams need something, and it's not coming this year. Watching the Rams play the Giants in week two, it was fairly easy to draw that conclusion just by looking at the guy's demeanor on the sideline. He's wound tighter than a clam's ####, and that's certainly not what a football team that is beaten and getting blown out week after week needs. Bills to move to 4-0.

SD 31 @ OAK 13: The San Diego Super Chargers pull back to .500 this week against a Raiders team that won't have a whole lot of fight left in them, as Al Davis continues to do whatever it takes to drain that from the team. Kiffin is still here, but having him on the chopping block is a bad situation if you're looking for wins. Back to the Chargers, all of the sudden an 0-2 start becomes nothing to worry about, especially with former AFC heavyweights dropping like flies around them.

WAS 23 @ DAL 20: Yes, I am not showing Dallas the love they've earned to this point. Dallas has more talent, but I like the way Washington's been playing, and that offense will progress with each week, as they become more comfortable with the scheme. Just how has Washington been winning games, pulling wins out against the Saints and the Cardinals, gives reason to believe in them. Washington is 1st in the league in turnover differential, currently at +5. Dallas is tied for 27th, at -3. Teams can have a world of talent and win games without winning the turnover battle. However, once they get into close contests against tough opponents (exactly what they are slated for this week), losing the turnover battle means losing the game. That's why I'm going way out on a limb here in picking the Redskins for the upset.

PHI 24 @ CHI 13: I wasn't sure if Philly was the real deal after what I saw out of them in Dallas. Granted, at that point, I wasn't sure if Dallas was all they were hyped up to be, as both teams looked sloppy at times in the Monday Night match-up. Philly bounced back the very next week though with a defensive performance that will send chills through offensive coordinators scheduled to play them. Jim Johnson and this Philly "D" at full force in a Philly win.

BAL 10 @ PIT 20: Pittsburgh's defense played considerably well in Philadelphia. The offense just couldn't get anything going, and for this defense to reach the sideline and then turn around, head back onto the field, and continue to play well shows they have great durability. Yes, Big Ben was sacked countless times and the Steelers converted 15% of their third downs (2/13). However, the question of whether this Baltimore offense can move the ball on a defense that has allowed the second fewest points in the league  and the third fewest total yards is a great one. Take Pittsburgh.

First off, I would like to address the Monday Night "thriller" between the Cowboys and Eagles. Whoever buys into the idea that the shootout between these two teams was a showcase of talent is out of his mind. Alex Marvez calls Tony Romo's play heroic, and I'm thinking that he watched a different game. Tony Romo cost his team big on that endzone fumble, and when he had a chance to put the game away, he went three and out. Donovan McNabb simply wanted the game less, fumbling it twice on handoffs and running around like an #### and not making a play when afforded all of the time in the world. On third and long, a veteran quarterback should know that checking it down is a must. To take a sack there was absolutely horrendous.

Where was that mighty pro-bowl supplemented defense of the Dallas Cowboys last night? The Eagles moved the ball effortlessly. Just the same, while the Eagles did a great job stuffing the run, their secondary got beat on the deep ball too many times. The difference in the game was the awful special teams play of the Eagles, as Felix Jones picked them apart to provide beautiful field position time and time again. Overall, a pretty sloppy game, and these two teams better pick up their play or they will lose this week to two very hot teams in Green Bay and Pittsburgh.

KC 10 @ ATL 21: Atlanta will work off a Michael Turner to beat a weak Kansas City team and jump to a misleading 2-1 start.

OAK 7@ BUF 24: Buffalo is looking more and more like the team to beat in the AFC East. The Patriots/Jets game indicated that the Jets just aren't a playoff caliber team. Buffalo is looking like the only real threat out of a sorry division, but that is not to take any credit away from them. Buffalo is 2-0 against '07 playoff squads, a mere two weeks into the season.

CAR 27 @ MIN 17: Carolina has gotten back to their playoff-caliber form, but let's not write off the Vikings just yet. EDIT: Let's in fact write off the Vikings. Gus under center is worse than Jackson under center, and even if he plays well this week (which I wouldn't bank on), he'll fall apart sooner than later. This is a must win for the Vikings, and the coaching staff has decided that they must lose.

ARI 24 @ WAS 28: This Washington picked up some confidence last week, and while Kurt Warner has looked brilliant, his near-perfect game did come against the Miami Dolphins. The 'Skins take this one.

TB 14 @ CHI 20: The Bears showed last week that their win against the Colts was no fluke. Their defense is looking like more than Tampa can handle at the moment. Da Bears.

HOU 14 @ TEN 24: Tennessee will move to 3-0 with Collins under center. Collins can win games, and he looked pretty damn impressive in week two.

MIA 14 @ NE 17: If Miami can finally get their ground game going, it will be a close game. I expect them too, but Matt Cassel will still be a headline next week, with a miraculous 2-0 record as a starting quarterback.

CIN 10 @ NYG 31: The defending Super Bowl champions continue to sharpen their game against inferior opponents, such as the hapless Bengals.

NO 20 @ DEN 28: Denver is the more complete team. Sure, they may have been put into position to win by a bogus call, but they still had to take advantage and execute. I like the call by Shanahan. It was a gutsy move to go for the conversion, and that will pay dividends for him and his team's confidence.

STL 17 @ SEA 28: I cannot decide who is a bigger disappointment between the Rams and the 'Hawks, even though Seattle has the upper hand in this one. The Rams just look embarrassed, and Scott Linehan looks like a joke out there on the sideline. The Seahawks are looking like this year's first legitimate pretender, and the NFC West is no longer soft enough for them to slip into the playoffs.

DET 17 @ SF 24: Detroit is looking a lot like Detroit, and San Fransisco will come out on top in this one. No need for a lengthy explanation regarding why the Detroit Lions are just awful year after year. Though to me, it's more entertaining to have a team like the Lions to depend on to be a sub .500 squad every year. It gives you something to talk about during the week. "Hey Al, what happened to your team on Sunday? Lost to the Detroit Lions, and you said they were going places. Chuckle, chuckle."

JAC 13 @ IND 17: Indy is simply looking like they may have gotten it together, and Jacksonville, while still a good football team, looks like they haven't. Indy keeps within a game of the Titans at week three's conclusion.

CLE 21 @ BAL 20: Cleveland's been a disappointment this year, and injuries are only hurting an already shoddy defense, but they have enough firepower to beat out the Ravens, at the very least.

PIT 27 @ PHI 28: This is going to be a hell o####ame. I'm going back and forth on this one as I write this, but I'm going to have to give it to Philly in Philly.

DAL 20 @ GB 31: I'm doing the unthinkable. That is, I'm putting the Cowboys down two scores to the Aaron Rodgers led Green Bay Packers. Who was it that gave the Pack a fighting chance with brilliant play when Brett "The Media's Beloved Jet" Favre was playing pretty damn poorly in the regular season against the Cowboys? Aaron Rodgers. The young quarterback is the real deal, and he faces an overrated defense on Sunday. Wade Phillips is a disgusting excuse for a head coach there in Dallas, judging by his reported comments at halftime and his refusal to acknowledge that the Eagles' offense moved the ball well against his defense ("well" is an understatement).

The NFC East loses it's first game to a non-division opponent, finishing week 3 at 9-3 collectively, and 7-1 against non-division opponents.

NYJ 14 @ SD 35: The San Diego Chargers are coming out fired up and will take out plenty of that aggression on an overrated Jets team. I'm kicking myself for picking the Jets last week, as my initial thoughts this season seemed to be a bit more accurate: the Jets and their savior are overrated. San Diego, after giving the fans a gut-wrenching first two weeks against teams that should not have taken them down to the wire let along beat them, finally gives them reason to cheer.

Giants 41 @ Rams 13

The Giants get off to a strong 2-0 start this season, and their level of play against the Rams is a strong sign for this Giants team. Granted, we are talking about the St. Louis Rams here. However, anytime you have a 28 point difference in the box score, the team that comes out on top is playing at a high level, regardless of how poor the other team is. The most impressive thing about this Giants team right now is the fact that, as a team, they are playing just as well as anybody across the board. Several different players came up with plays on defense. The ball distribution on offense was just downright scary. Whatever there might be to say about the state the St. Louis Rams are in, a 41 to 13 point victory can never be underestimated. Let's recap.

Offense: The Giant offense picked apart the porous St. Louis defense pretty thoroughly. They put up the stats last week against the Redskins as well, but the difference-maker in this game was the fact that they could translate yardage into points. Eli Manning did a beautiful job spreading the ball around, with 8 different receivers hauling in passes on the night, and 3 of those receivers with 60 yards or more. This is a huge improvement over the Giants and how they played for much of the regular season last year, as they were largely one-dimensional in the passing game with inconsistent receivers behind an unhealthy Plax. Domenik Hixon and Steve Smith both showed some serious big play potential (though Smith ended up ruled down after review on a play he had stretched for an additional 18 yards, that was still one hell of a run after the catch).

Still, the first sighting of a three-headed beast is what should have the rest of the league worried. Between the trio of Jacobs, Ward, and Bradshaw in the backfield, the Giants running backs posted 203 yards on a mere 28 carries. Considering that each back contributed over 50 yards on the ground, it is clear that each one of these backs is just as effective as the next. Each back had a reception as well, and though Bradshaw got the least amount of playing time, he posted 2 of the team's 4 offensive touchdowns.

This Giants' backfield is the best in the league. Better than Dallas. Better than Minnesota. Better than Jacksonville. Granted, they haven't stacked up against great defenses. However, it's hard to say that any single running back or even duo of backs can match their versatility. And when push comes to shove, it is invaluable to be able to have a play-making back that virtually never gets tired. The only thing that could slow this group down is injury.

Defense: The defense shut down the only hope the Rams had in this one, and for another week, the Rams were unable to move the ball on offense. The Rams' O-line was embarrassed for another straight week, surrendering 6 six sacks to this Giant D. Unexpectedly, three of those sacks would come from Robbins and Alford, two of the guys on that line that don't get a whole lot of credit. There's not a whole lot else to say here, so I will put the spotlight on one particular individual.

Justin Tuck: This guy has showed up big in the absence of Strahan, and for those that do not believe him to be the real deal, expect to by the end of the season. Tuck fought off countless holds that were not called (for anybody that watched the game, you would have seen this, and if you ignored it, then Troy Aikman pointed it out at one point for you), adding two sacks in this one. Being able to come down with an interception and run it in for the score shows you that he is on his game and playing heads-up football.

Coaching: I have to say I disagree with the no-call on the St. Louis touchdown play, and there's no excuse for Coughlin not throwing the challenge flag on that one. At that point, there wasn't a whole lot of separation in the score, and while whether or not it was actually a legal catch will never be known, the call was clearly in question. Had the game been a lot closer, it would have meant quite a bit to have that one possibly called back.


Overall, the Giants look like they are ready to rumble with the best in the league, and thus far, there is nothing to suggest that they are not amongst the best in the league. They are in a heavyweight division, but this is a heavyweight team. Anybody that thought it would be Philly and Dallas in the East, not to take anything away from those teams as they are both very talented, ought to remember that the Giants can trade hands just as well as anybody.

Side Note: The NFC East will be 6-2 heading into week 3, getting off to a collective 4-0 start against out of division opponents (Browns/Saints/Rams twice). The East has outscored these opponents 136 to 50. There is a team that can challenge scattered here and there throughout the NFC, with the Packers and Panthers looking good thus far, but the NFC is all about the East this year, and with the Chargers taking an 0-2 start and Tom Brady going down, the team that comes out victorious in this division is more than liable to be favored to run away with a Lombardi trophy. each of these teams scheduled to play six divisional games a piece, this is a going to be a hell of a year for fans of NFC East teams.

After a crazy week in the NFL and a dismal week in regards to my picks, I'm looking for a much more sound week. While I did throw down one too many upset specials (by that, I'm referring to my picking of Cleveland over Dallas), the two other teams I picked to upset brought the game down to the final drive, threatening not only in their respective opponent's territory, but threatening with do or die circumstances. Those two teams would be the Dolphins and the Bucs. There were definitely a few games this week that were beyond predictable. The Colts lose at home to the Chicago Bears? The Chargers fall short to the Panthers? And while Buffalo was a reasonable pick to win, I don't think anybody could foresee them putting the lights out on the Seahawks.

One pick I did have going for me was the Green Bay Packers winning at home. Rodgers played just as well as he did at Dallas last year. That was not an upset, but merely just bringing the Minnesota Vikings back down to earth. I will reiterate. The Vikings are reminiscent to the Saints of '07: overhyped and overrated.

This is how the NFL is shaping up for week two:

TEN 20 @ CIN 10: Tennessee is minus Young, but that matters not. Kerry Collins is still a solid QB who can step in and win games. And well, Cincy was looking bad heading into week one, and now they just look awful.

BUF 24 @ JAC 27: One of the tougher games to call, but I'm going with Jacksonville at home over the upstart Bills. The Bills are exciting, but they played a soft-looking Seahawks team. Jacksonville bounces back in a close one.

NO 28 @ WAS 17: The Redskins will take a few weeks before anybody gets a read on what will become of them this year. With the way Jim Zorn ran his two minute offense without that critical hurry-up aspect, don't expect a whole lot.

NYG 27 @ STL 7: In reference to a post I made a few weeks ago, the Giants looked very much like the NFL's Joe Frazier in the opener. They didn't continue to batter the Redskins offensively in the second half, but the defense held on eight of eleven in third down situations and looked strong throughout. Expect much of the same this week in a thoroughly one-sided Giants' victory.

GB 35 @ DET 14: The Aaron Rodgers led Green Bay Packers continue to roll.

CHI 14 @ CAR 24: I'm not hopping on the Bears' bandwagon, but Carolina looks to be tough this year, and they will win by two scores.

IND 31 @ MIN 17: Indy, despite a poor week one performance, lays it to the Vikings, who unexpectedly start the season two games behind Green Bay after just two weeks.

OAK 14 @ KC 20: A battle between two pretty bad teams, and Oakland is the worse of the two.

ATL 17 @ TB 20: Michael Turner was signed to be the spark plug in this Atlanta offense, and he will make the game interesting. However, the Bucs are the better team all around, and they will bounce back this week.

SF 21 @ SEA 27: Wow. A week ago I wouldn't have imagined this one as a tough pick. Seattle at home, but not by much.

BAL 10 @ HOU 20: Rookie quarterbacks have their ups and downs, and the Texans will be looking to bounce back from the spanking they took last week. Texans even out against the Ravens, and Joe Flacco will get a taste a Mario Williams.

MIA 21 @ ARI 14: Call me crazy but I like what I saw from the Dolphins a week ago (minus the lack of a running game). They had a shot to win the game on the final drive, and that in itself is a good sign. Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown will show up big this week, and Pennington will manage a Dolphins victory.

SD 28 @ DEN24: The Chargers lost on the final play to what looks to be a very competent Panthers squad. Denver went out and beat the Raiders senseless, but they are the Oakland Raiders and still a miserable team at that. Still, a good, close game in a Chargers win.

NE 10 @ NYJ 17: The experts are saying not to write the Patriots off, and that makes guys like me look more like an expert every day. As in the preseason, New England just looks like they do not want to be their without Brady on the field. Cassel will soon follow suit once he begins to play decent NFL teams.

PIT 28 @ CLE 27: I'm not sure that will be the actual score, but I'm lending emphasis to how close this game will be. Pittsburgh looked great last week and Cleveland looked awful. But in this rivalry, the games will be exciting and down to the wire, and they will still usually end with a Pittsburgh victory.

PHI 24 @ DAL 21: Hands down, the game of the week. I referred to the Giants/Dallas rivalry in another post as similar to that of Ali and Frazier. Philadelphia looks to be emerging as this year's George Foreman in that context, but there will be no rope-a-dope coming from Dallas. Philly wins in Philly fashion, with Donovan McNabb and Westbrook leading the offense and Jim Johnson masterminding this defense. Johnson's disciple Steve Spagnuolo ended the Cowboys' Super Bowl hopes this year, and the guru will pick up where his protege left off.

Seeing as we have more "weekly predictions" posts than anyone could care to count, perhaps we can organize a community based league to compare records for the purpose of bragging rights. We can also get discussions more centralized to keep a broader range of opinions in one place. If anybody is interested, just say so and post your week one winners, so we can get this going before the game on Thursday. All participants must submit this weeks' picks by 4:00 pm EST on Thursday.

Let's kick it off. I will throw an upset special or two into the mix here, and I look forward to any thoughts an opinions anyone might be willing to share. Crack open a cold one, 'coz it's football season, baby.

WAS 14 @ NYG 31: Giants by seventeen here, as the offense will roll and the defense will look good. The Redskins haven't looked too solid. If Jason Taylor does not play, the 'Skins D will have a difficult task ahead of them.

DET 27 @ ATL 13: Detroit will win and Jon Kitna may feel good enough about it to promise a Super Bowl. But everyone else will know that the Atlanta Falcons are the Atlanta Falcons, Jon Kitna is Jon Kitna, and the Lions are still a .500 team at best.

CIN 14 @ BAL 10: Cincy has a receiver to cover for a hurt Chad Ocho Cinco, but may struggle in the running game. Still, the Ravens have no quarterback. Joe Flacco, did it really come to you already?

SEA 24 @ BUF 20: Seattle is not as tough as they are thought to be, and the impression of a team that barely edged the Redskins in the playoffs last year before getting walloped by the Packers remains. They will still edge the Bills in this one.

NYJ 14@ MIA 17: Everybody will be looking to see Favre light it up, and while that may happen, I have a feeling Pennington will be the story of the week after upsetting his former team. He's about as tough as they come and has more talent (but lacked blocking) than most would care to realize.

KC 13 @ NE 28: Just because the entire New England team as a whole looks as though they don't even want to be out there on the field, my gut tells me to pick against them purely on principle. Against any halfway decent team, I would. But NE is lucky to have KC as a get-it-together game. That could still go both ways heading into week two though, as getting back into the habit of going for it on fourth downs will hurt them.

TB 28 @ NO 20: Tampa Bay, the more well-rounded team will win this one. Looking at players who want it bad, one might be inclined to focus on Shockey. But the moment things don't go Shockey's way, he forgets how to be a teammate and how to just shut up and play his role. On the other hand, we have Jeff Garcia, who just a few weeks ago was more or less told by his organization that he would be Favre's backup. Garcia is an average quarterback, but he can get fired up and playing well. With something to prove, Garcia will have a big game.

STL 10 @ PHI 17: Philly has looked good lately, and they will start the season on a good note against the Rams. The game will be a lot more one-sided than the final score will suggest.

HOU 14 @ PIT 20: Pittsburgh at home. Pittsburgh at home. The Steelers have tough schedule, but this is a game they will win.

JAC 28 @ TEN 17: Jacksonville is a tough team and can move the ball on offense, and I don't think Vince Young will be able to exploit their secondary.

DAL 31 @ CLE 35: Upset special. The Cowboys will be brought down to earth in week one, losing an offensive shootout with the Browns. The Browns didn't look great in the preseason, but they are more liable to show up determined to pull the upset, and they have the guns on offense to do it.

CAR 17 @ SD 24: San Diego, and it will be their playmakers on defense that make the difference. Phillip Rivers may struggle a bit, especially with the impending comeback of Julius Peppers, but he has an MVP in the backfield to bail him out.

ARI 20 @ SF 10: 'Zona, with Kurt Warner at the helm.

CHI 6 @ IND 24: Not even a question, as the Bears are a team that have no upset potential in them. They are a mess, two years removed from the Super Bowl, playing the very team that beat them up pretty good.

MIN 14 @ GB 20: Minnesota are similar to the Saints of '07: overhyped and overrated. Green Bay, a very talented team before even considering the quarterback position, is underrated. Rodgers is the right guy for them to have, as he is young enough to withstand the temperatures at Lambeau in January, something Favre apparently could not do.

DEN 21 @ OAK 7: The Raiders still aren't close yet. Another year of growing pains for Oakland fans.

In 2007, the NFC's most exciting rivalry bore striking resemblance to that of the rivalry between two of the greatest fighters to ever put a pair gloves on: Muhammad Ali and Smokin' Joe Frazier. Division rivals and arguably the top two teams in the NFC, the New York Giants and the Dallas Cowboys squared off three times last season. The Cowboys took two of those victories, outplaying the Giants in the second half of both games. However, in what would be their own "Fight of the Century" in a divisional round playoff bout, the Giants would come out on top. With these two teams guaranteed two clashes every year (one of those on Sunday Night Football, week 15), one can rest assured that there will be two classic NFC East showdowns on his hands, as is the case every year. However, the Giants and the Cowboys, both teams loaded with talent on both sides of the ball, will be hard-pressed not to carry over the Ali vs. Frazier feel of the '07 season and add a third match-up in the postseason.

The fact of the matter is, these teams do not just resemble the rivalry carried between two great fighters, but also the fighters themselves with their styles of play and demeanor. The Cowboys are fast, flashy, and talented, as was Muhammad Ali. The Giants play power football and play it well. They are quiet and low-key, and in essence, football's Joe Frazier.


Ali: The Cowboys find ways to attract media attention like none other. But like America's Champ, America's Team also finds ways to put points on the board and make their opponents look silly. Thirteen of their players reached the Pro Bowl in 2007, and the Cowboys were the number one seed in the NFC in the playoffs. Perhaps their somewhat cocky demeanor contributed to their playoff loss to the Giants, but after having fallen hard once, one can be certain that they will be determined not to let that happen once again.

To begin, we'll throw the spotlight on Tony Romo, the one thing the young quarterback just cannot seem to escape. Well, in January, it would be that as well as the Giant's pass rush. Romo had made a name for himself by staying cool under pressure and making smart decisions, scrambling out of tough situations. In the playoff loss however, he took a couple of long sacks when he could have and should have thrown the ball away. He is still a young quarterback in this league, and that game made that much clear. But with the way Romo has in fact made adjustments to the league during his short career, one can only expect him to progress as a quarterback, as opposed to taking a step back.

Romo still has weapons and an offensive line to provide a means to utilize them. The loss of Terry Glenn is not so significant, as the Cowboys played without him for the majority of the '07 season and averaged the second-most points per game in the league behind the record-setting Patriots, though he would've have added a weapon in perhaps one of the few areas that the Cowboys could use one. Dallas still has Owens and Witten, so if Crayton could step up and become a more consistent threat (not to neglect the fact that he did have 50 catches in '07), they should not have many worries there. Not to mention, the Cowboys added a compliment to Marion Barber in Felix Jones. Barber, a running back who hardly needs a compliment, will continue to be that tank who always seems to find a way to keep his feet moving and wear down defenders. However, Jones will provide great versatility out of the backfield and should provide headache for defensive coordinators around the league.

The Cowboys have a solid defense as well. In their 3-4 scheme, Zach Thomas is still efficient in the middle, and both Ware and Ellis are always good on the outside. A solid defensive line and great depth in the secondary (especially on the corners) has secured leads, kept this team in games when they were in fact down, and will continue to do the same in 2008. Remember, this was a unit last year that was ranked sixth against the run, and with improvements and added depth in the secondary, one could surely expect them to become a top ten pass defense (ranked 13th last year).

Altogether, with the Ali-like offensive production the Cowboys get and a rock-solid jaw, the Cowboys can afford to take a couple of hits. Still, the first four weeks of the season will be very telling of what kind of mindset this Cowboys team will be in. They go on the road against the Browns and the Green Bay Packers, as well as take on divisional rivals in the Eagles and Redskins at home. Two of these teams made the playoffs last year, and virtually all of them will challenge for a spot this year. Muhammad Ali claimed the heavyweight title three times. Tony Romo will certainly get his chances with this Cowboys roster. It's nothing more than a matter of America's Team following through and living up to all of the hype, which is something America's Champ did so well.


Frazier: Heading into the January playoff game between the Cowboys and Giants, the match-up was being described as the "All-Pros versus the All-Joes". The Cowboys had thirteen pro-bowlers to the Giants lone one. Very few expected them to win that game. Very few expect them to win a whole lot in the 2008 season, similar to the expectations most had that Ali would not have a problem reclaiming "his" status as the heavyweight champion upon his return. It was only a matter of time. However, Smokin' Joe Frazier would reinforce his attitude with Ali's mouth and media attention, and intensify his training. In his title defense, Frazier toppled Ali in the fifteenth round, giving the "World's Greatest" his first loss, while remaining the undefeated champion. However, the New York Smokin' Joes must be wary of the team that turns into the George Foreman of this analogy (knocked Joe Frazier down six times in two rounds following the first Ali vs. Frazier bout), as just about every team the Giants cross paths with will be looking to be the team that puts a hurt on the defending champs.

In New York, the majority of questions concerning the New York Giants offense still revolve around Eli Manning. He has showed us that he can play football at a high level in pressure situations against the top teams in the league. The bottom line is that Manning did that with consistency over his last five games, so do not expect a major drop off in his level of play.

On the offense, the Giants have great depth at the receiver position and in the backfield. Burress is reported to be at a hundred percent for the first time in over a year. Amani Toomer is Amani Toomer, providing a solid possession receiver. Steve Smith will continue to grow in his second year, and the Giants have two more potential play-makers in Hixon and Manningham. Brandon Jacobs provides the backfield with a 6-4, 264 pound feature beast. The Giants will continue to use him in Frazier-like fashion to pound the ball into opposing defenses. Perhaps the scariest thought that comes along with this Giants offense is the idea of the three-headed monster in the backfield. The Giants have two legitimate starters behind Jacobs in Bradshaw and Ward, provided they can stay healthy.

The one certain challenge the Giants offense will face this year will be the loss of Jeremy Shockey's exceptional blocking.

The major concerns for the Smokin' Joes this year rest with the defense, for a team that is built as a defensive juggernaut. The losses of Strahan, Mitchell, and Wilson were more or less losses that could be stomached, but with the loss of Osi Umenyiora for the season, the defense has been stripped of depth that they did not have. Kiwi will not be a huge drop-off from the Pro Bowl shoes he is set to fill. He showed a lot of promise in his rookie year, enough to have him moved to linebacker to keep him on the field as a starter last year. Tuck has looked fairly dominant on his side as well, and while the linebacker core has been stretched thin, an improved secondary should take some of the pressure off. The Giants' front seven cannot afford another major injury, or they will lose any legitimate chance of remaining a power defense in this league.

The Giants' offense is largely the reason their defense will be improved from last year, statistically. A team that ranked seventh in total defense last year was ranked a mere seventeenth in points allowed (21.9). With an '07 offense that was prone to turnovers, the defense was put in poor situations time and time again. A more consistent and productive offense will lend aid to a defense that lacks depth in the front seven. The real question lies within whether or not the Giants' front seven can stay healthy enough to keep the team's Joe Frazier look.


Whether it is a "Fight of the Century" or a "Thrilla in Manilla", the bouts between the Cowboys and Giants this year are almost guaranteed to be classics. The first bout is scheduled for week nine. The second bout is scheduled for week fifteen. The third? Well, the way these two teams play makes a football fan want to mark it on the calender already.

Writing off a Super Bowl champion team is nothing new. Just a year ago, the idea of the Colts, a young team loaded with talent and also led by a future Hall of Famer behind center, was buried by the hype surrounding the Patriots' off-season moves. While I did not agree with it at the time, the hype was in some ways justified by a historical, record-setting season. However, the Colts proved to be on the same level as the Pats last season, and we saw that it was not just on paper during a regular season match-up in which the Colts stacked up well against New England without Marvin Harrison. Clearly, both teams finished on the same page. Any one of the thirty-one teams that fall into the broad spectrum of varying degrees of talent that are also not defending Super Bowl Champions begin the season on the same plane.

For any team to win a Super Bowl, all of the right elements must fall into place. That much is a given. Even as superb a regular season as anyone can have does not translate into a successful one. Any member of the Patriots' '07 roster can attest to that. That being said, there are a small handful of teams that have the talent to make a serious run at the Lombardi trophy this year. The Giants are one of them. And while winning one Super Bowl is a daunting task in itself, the Giants certainly have the talent to make it to Tampa this year, barring any unforeseen circumstances that generally cause the training camp favorites to miss.

To begin the defense and the loss of the future Hall of Fame defensive end, Michael Strahan, is the basis of most arguments against the Giants' shot at any kind of success, as many would argue that the team is not capable of winning the NFC East. Yes, the gap-toothed wonder will surely be missed out there, and the Giants' would unquestionably be a better unit with Strahan, despite his age. Depth at linebacker is certainly one of the team's largest concerns, and Gibril Wilson is a hard-hitting young safety who is really starting to develop. Still, the Giants' defensive unit will be an improvement on last year's.

The Giants have a young defense that played exceptionally well down the stretch last year. Young players, generally speaking, progress from year to year. Not to mention, this was a defense that went from giving up 80 points in the first two games of the season, to punishing one of the league's best offensive lines for five sacks in the Super Bowl. The reason for this was the progressions the unit made in Steve Spagnuolo's brilliant Jim Johnson-esque scheme. With the core of this defense now having a full season and another off-season to work on mastering their craft, we will see a defense that plays at a high level, consistently. Michael Strahan will surely be missed, but let's not forget that Justin Tuck recorded ten sacks as a backup.

Moving on to the offense, once again, we will see a unit that plays at a high level, much more consistently. However, this will be primarily due to strides Eli Manning has made as a quarterback. Eli Manning, while showing a glimpse of brilliance here and there has been awfully inconsistent throughout his career. However, over the course of his last five games last season, he made his leap into the top tier of quarterbacks in this league by doing something he hadn't done throughout his career: manage games consistently. Looking at the statistics, during this stretch he was 4-1 against opponents who posted a combined regular season record of 67-13 (counting the Pats twice). He threw twelve touchdown passes, while only throwing two interceptions (taking into account the fact that the only pick he threw in the post-season was more or less a ball Steve Smith should have caught, but instead, tossed it to Ellis Hobbes).

During this stretch, he was without Shockey, and while the running game certainly could have used the star tight end's blocking, the Giant's offense will be fine without Shockey this year. Kevin Boss will only get better, and Steve Smith (who missed much of the '07 regular season due to injury) will continue to progress as well. The Giants drafted another potential play maker in Mario Manningham, and Burress is poised to have another big year, especially if he is healthy enough to practice during the season. That being said, look for Eli to put up Peyton-like numbers during the season, and that will largely factor into them having a much better regular season this year as opposed to last. Combined with a powerful running game and a great deal of depth in the backfield, the Giants offense has a considerable amount of talent overall.

In the right frame of mind, the Giants are as dangerous as a team can be. While the talk is centered around their NFC East rival in Dallas, the Giants have the talent to match-up well with them every single time they take the field. When the Boys in Blue take the field this season, do not look for the team that went 10-6 during the regular season, posting a lowly 3-5 record at home. They probably will not show up. However, it would not be surprising to see something along the lines of the Giants team that went 4-1 over that five game stretch, taking the field week in and week out.

As for the Cowboys and Giants and how their seasons will end, one would be hard-pressed not to believe that either of the two could bring the NFC, a conference mocked as the junior varsity league in recent years, another Lombardi trophy. And until we have crowned this year's Super Bowl champion, whoever it may be, football fans everywhere can expect to witness one of the most exciting season's in recent history.

Power Rankings:

1. Giants (Defending champions with a young team that is only getting better.)
2. Cowboys (With the losses the Patriots have taken and the additions the Cowboys have made, they are a small notch ahead heading into the regular season)
3. Patriots (Much of the defending AFC champion's team returns, and if they can avoid the hangover, they will head into the playoffs with home-field advantage once more)
4. Colts (Has the talent to match any of the top teams in the league, but the question of durability is a big one)
5. Jaguars (A talented team that will be exciting to watch, and should also give the Colts a run for their money in the division)
6. Chargers (The difference in determining whether the Chargers will be good or great this year will rest on the play Philip Rivers.)
7. Steelers (A tough team with a tough schedule. The Steelers may falter at times in the regular season, but come playoff time, they will be battle-tested and as big a threat as anyone).
8. Browns (A young and exciting team that will make the playoffs, but is still half a step back in the AFC)
9. Packers (The NFC's third best team has fallen down the ranks due to the question mark surrounding Aaron Rodgers at quarterback. Still, a talented enough team otherwise on both sides of the ball to compete and make the playoffs.)
10. Eagles (This may in fact be a little bit of a stretch, but I like the Eagles over the Vikings, who have huge question marks in the passing game and pass defense. Asante Samuel to an already solid defense and a healthy McNabb to take some of the pressure off of Westbrook in making plays will make this team a playoff contender in the NFC.)