NFL Playoff Scenarios

This has been a bit of an odd year in the National Football League. One of its best players, Peyton Manning, has missed action for the first time in his career. Certain teams who were thought to be locks for the playoffs have come out slow. Other teams have emerged from the bottom of NFL power rankings to the top 10. While anything can happen between now and the end of the regular season, three teams in particular have risen up and appear to be on their way to post-season appearances.

1. Oakland Raiders
This one may be the biggest lock of them all. They have started off the season with a 4-2 record, and have perhaps the best rushing offense in the league. Also, they play in a bit of a suspect division, which increases their odds of earning an automatic spot in the playoffs. On October 18, they traded for semi-retired quarterback Carson Palmer, who still has a lot of talent left in him. He will start immediately, and it will be interesting to see where he can take the team.

2. Buffalo Bills
There are still some out there who don’t believe in the Bills, but I am not one of them. They are playing very well on both sides of the football, and have earned some early signature wins as a result. They made some important moves in the offseason, acquiring such Read more »

The Eagles finished the 2010 season with 10 wins and 6 losses but somehow managed to underachieve. Mike Vick was a revelation on the offensive side of the ball, running and passing his way to a great year. Defensively, the team did not performed as is expected in Philly. This resulted to the firing of defensive coordinator Sean McDermott following the season. Look for a rebound in 2011 as Andy Reid and his boys regain some of the magic of the past.

The Eagles were not their normal dominant selves in 2010 on defense. Many of the key players in the defensive lineup are aging and on the decline. It is time for Philly to restock. Philadelphia finished 2010 ranked 12th in the National Football League in total defense, allowing 327 yards per game. They allowed 217 passing yards per game, ranking them 15th in the league. They also ranked 15th in the league in rushing yards, giving up 110 yards per game. Opponents scored 23.6 points per game against the Eagles, ranking them 24th. Have the Eagles finally run out of defensive mojo or will the coaching change make a difference?

The stars of the 2010 Eagle defense were Asante Samuel at cornerback, Trent Cole at defensive end, and Quintin Mikel at safety. Asante Samuel was terrific at corner as evidenced by his 7

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The NFC North is one of the most competitive divisions in the NFL. This division consists of two teams that met in the NFC Championship Game, one team that is climbing the ranks extremely fast, and another team that should benefit from fewer distractions.

The Green Bay Packers have once against risen to the cream of the crop. This is an organization that always picks itself back up. They began their winning tradition by winning the first two Super Bowls. It took decades to win another one with Brett Favre. And now they have a fourth Super Bowl ring with Aaron Rogers. But Aaron Rogers isn’t the only reason the Packers are so good. Their receiving corps is nasty. Every receiver is different, which allows them to compliment each other well. With Jermichael Finley coming back at tight end, they’re going to be even more dangerous on offense. The defense for the Packers is also dangerous. They don’t overpower you, but they always play smart and consistent. When the moment is right, someone steps up and makes a huge play. This is not the team you want to play against. Even the Bears played all their starters for the last regular season game to knock the Packers out of the

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Santonio Holmes is best known for his incredible late-game catch to win the Super Bowl against the Cardinals. This event took place when he was still with the Steelers. Faithful Steelers fans probably remember it best, especially considering they could have used him in their Super Bowl loss against the Green Bay Packers last season.

The Steelers faithful are not too thrilled with the way Holmes left town. Maybe that’s why Holmes doesn’t want to make the same mistake in New York with the Jets. But probably not. A more likely scenario is that he wants to continue playing on a team that has a chance to go to and win the Super Bowl, even though the team is aging. Two other benefits are big money and plenty of media spotlight. The bottom line is that despite Holmes being a free agent, he wants to stay on the New York Jets. He even announced this news on Facebook.

Let’s take a look at Santonio’s 2010 stats in order to check his value. He had 52 receptions, 746 yards, a 14.3-yard average, a long

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It is probably a testament to the greatness of Chris Johnson that the Tennessee Titans’ running game as a whole produced roughly league average numbers last year. It was a lost season for the Titans, marred by the immature behavior of quarterback Vince Young, that ended with the departure of Jeff Fisher. Fisher was, until his dismissal, the longest-tenured coach in the NFL, and had created an identity of consistent, tough, smashmouth football around the Titans.

Under Fisher, the Titans were consistently one of the top rushing attacks in the NFL, particularly with the great Eddie George, and especially two years ago when Chris Johnson became one of just a few backs in history to top 2,000 yards rushing for an NFL season.

Last year, with a struggling passing attack led by the frustrating Young and the aging Kerry Collins, defenses keyed on Johnson and “limited” him to 1,364 yards and 11 touchdowns. That’s a career year for most backs, to be sure, but it wasn’t what Johnson wanted, and was only good enough to lead the Titans to a

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Atlanta had a hot run through last years regular season, only to go cold in the post season. Many people had picked Atlanta as a favorite to win the Super Bowl. All the pieces seemed in place, yet it was not to be. After a disappointing lose to Green Bay the Falcons must retool their basic game plan for the new season.

Atlanta is a team already set for a run at the post season. Matt Ryan is one of the greatest young quarterbacks in the game. He has a cool head, Has great vision, and knows how to ride the hot hand. Roddy White is the kind of game changing receiver anyone would want on a team, and Tony Gonzalez can still make all the catches, regardless of his age. Michael Turner can still eat up the ground, even if he has slowed a bit in recent years.

The offensive line was very good for much of the season, and their defense was constantly ranked among the best in the league. Where this team needs to improve most is the play calling, and the protection. Atlanta relies mostly

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The Farmers may be sponsoring the stadium in Los Angeles. And by far it won’t just be an ordinary one. The proposed Farmers Field is supposed to be one of the best of the best football stadiums in the US.

The AEG has secured a naming rights deal with Farmers Insurance to name the stadium after the company. It will cost the giant insurance firm $700 million dollars to secure naming rights for 30 years.
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Wow, the Lions thought they will finally win on the road. After 3 years! Instead they not only lost the game, 19-14 to the Bears but also their starting quarterback. And that is not an outcome a team would expect from this game, no.

Luckily their quarterback is not lost forever, however with a shoulder injury that he suffered at the end of the first half, chances are that he won’t be back playing for a long time.
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Jake Locker finished university vocation having a triumph which has led Washington Huskies returning to respectability.

Locker returned again through a personal injury he explained appeared more serious compared to it had been, rating on the two five yd go on the 3 rd one fourth to assist Washington to some triumph above Nebraska within the Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl .
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