Tag Archives: NFC
Former Giants’ DC Stays Out of Philly, but Ends up With Another NFC Power
One look at this year’s NFC title game matchup demonstrates how the National Football League is anything but predictable.
The defending Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers, owners of the NFL’s best record (15-1) this season and the NFC’s top seed this year are missing from that game, as are the previous Super Bowl champs, the New Orleans Saints, despite going 13-3 this year.
In the Packers’ place are the fourth-seeded New York Giants, who only five weeks ago, were a mediocre 7-7 and fighting desperately for their playoff lives before upsetting the Packers by 17 points on Green Bay’s home field last Sunday, to continue their second magical playoff run in five seasons after missing the postseason each of the past two years.
Tagged New Orleans Saints, NFC, NFL, Steve Spagnuolo |
JPP is taking over (photo credit: Jim O'Connor US Presswire)
Giants’ defensive lineman Jason Pierre Paul (JPP) has been named the Defensive Player of the Month in the NFC for the month of December/January.
The second-year wonderkind has had a whale of a season and has racked up statistics that rival franchise greats Lawrence Taylor and Michael Strahan.
from Jorge Castillo of the Star-Ledger:
It only makes sense that he was named the NFC’s Defensive Player of the Month for December/January today.
In the season’s final five games over the month-plus stretch, Pierre-Paul had 37 tackles (28 solo), including six sacks for 46 yards in losses. He twice had two sacks in a game, both of which were followed with the weekly award.
Yet, Pierre-Paul — along with his coaches and teammates — believes there’s still some untapped potential considering he’s only in his second pro season and began playing football his senior year of high school.
JPP is not surprised with his sudden success. It has been his goal to get better with each game – a goal he has far exceeded thus far this season.
“Actually, I knew that I was going to have a great year this year,” he told reporters today. “I came in and last year I had an alright season and I wanted to do better than what I did last year. Next year or next season in 2012, I should be better than this year.”
What’s that look like…?
Tagged Jason Pierre-Paul, JPP, New York Giants, NFC |
Tier One: Elite
1. Packers (14-1) – Aaron Rodgers’ five touchdown performance against the Bears pretty much guarantees that he’ll be the MVP. But we already knew that.
2. Saints (12-3) – The Packers are the better team, but when the Saints and newly crowned yardage champion Drew Brees are playing in the dome, they are close to un-beatable.
3. 49ers (12-3) – I don’t think any of the NFC playoff contenders will be able to run the ball on this defense.
Tier Two: Playoffs, Here We Come!
4. Lions (10-5) – Don’t look now, but Matt Stafford has quietly thrown himself into the discussion for the best NFC quarterback not named Rodgers or Brees.
5. Falcons (9-6) – They looked helpless against the Saints, but so has every other road team in New Orleans.
Tier Three: Someone From The NFC East, By Rule, Must Make The Playoffs
Tagged NFC, power rankings, week 17 |
Tier 1: Elite
1. Packers (13-1) – No longer the owners of their own tier, the Packers are still the favorite to win the Super Bowl. Some of the luster is off after their first loss, but you’d still pick them against anyone.
2. Saints (11-3) – Drew Brees is a cyborg. It’s that simple.
3. 49ers (11-3) – They looked dominant in dismantling the Steelers on Monday night. I still don’t think they’d be able to keep up with the Packers or Saints, but they clearly have the best defense in the NFC.
Tier 2: Playoff Bound!
4. Lions (9-5) – Matt Stafford is one of the game’s best young quarterbacks, but I think I could lob a couple of touchdown passes to Calvin Johnson before being carted off the field with a fractured torso.
5. Falcons (9-5) – The duo of Roddy White and Julio Jones is finally emerging as one of the best in the league, and they’re only going to be better next season.
Tagged NFC, power rankings, week 16 |
Tier 1: The Packers
1. Packers (13-0) – The Packers are to football what Breaking Bad is to television.
Tier 2: Playoffs, Here We Come!
2. Saints (10-3) – There’s no doubt that they would have won by at least ten points had they played at home, but the fact that the Saints were able to gut out a tough win in Tennessee is a very good sign.
3. 49ers (10-3) – They are certainly a strong team, but I don’t think the Niners’ defense would be able to stop either the Saints or Packers, and their offense would not be able to keep pace.
Tier 3: In The Hunt
4. Lions (8-5) – The Vikings made things close and the Lions got away with a late facemask, but they won a game they had to win before finishing with three tough ones.
Tagged NFC, power rankings, week 15 |
Tier One: The Packers
1. Packers (12-0) – The Giants gave them their toughest test, but 58 seconds is enough time for Aaron Rodgers to lead three scoring drives.
Tier Two: Playoffs, Here We Come!
2. 49ers (10-2) – A shutout is impressive, even if it is against the hapless Rams. With the win, the Niners clinched the NFC West.
3. Saints (9-3) – They didn’t look nearly as unbeatable this week, but they are clearly the best team in the south. Big drop off after them.
Tier Three: In The Hunt
4. Falcons (7-5) – The Falcons did not look in top form, but even without a legitimate quarterback, the Texans are a tough team to beat.
Tagged NFC, power rankings, week 13 |
Tier 1: The Packers
1. Packers (11-0) – For any other quarterback, 22 of 33 for 307 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions is a great game. For Aaron Rodgers, its an off day.
Tier 2: Playoffs, Here We Come!
2. 49ers (9-2) – There’s no shame in losing to a quality team like the Ravens, but Thursday night’s loss further proved that this offense is not built to come from behind.
3. Saints (8-3) – If I could rank them just based on how they play at home, they would be right up there with the Packers. Not only is New Orleans 5-0 in the Metrodome, but their margin of victory is 23 points per game.
Tier 3: In The Hunt
4. Cowboys (7-4) – Neither of their past two wins were impressive, but they are winners of four in a row with a very manageable schedule. At this point, it would be a shock if they did not win the NFC East.
Tagged NFC, power rankings, week 13 |
1. Packers (10-0) – The Bucs made it close, but at some points it felt like the Packers were just playing with them: BJ Raji and Tom Crabtree scored the first two offensive touchdowns.
2. 49ers (9-1) – Jim Harbaugh and the Niners will face arguably their biggest test of the season this Thursday when they visit John Harbaugh and the Ravens. And you thought your family fought on Thanksgiving (I’ll be here all week!).
3. Saints (7-3) – Not that they need the help, but the Saints’ toughest remaining games are all at home, where they are 4-0 (3-3 on the road).
4. Bears (7-3) – With Jay Cutler out for an extended period, the Bears’ defense will have to carry them. Luckily, only two of their six remaining opponents sport a winning record.
Tagged NFC, power rankings, week 11 |
1. Packers (9-0) – It is now clear that Aaron Rodgers earned his medical degree over the offseason; the guy is a surgeon.
2. 49ers (8-1) – A good team that does not make mistakes has the potential to be great. It would be an upset if Jim Harbaugh does not win Coach of the Year.
3. Saints (7-3) – The Saints got their first quality road win against the Falcons in the Georgia Dome, which is impressive even if Mike Smith handed them the ball in overtime.
4. Bears (6-3) – Winners of four in a row, the Bears were able to avenge their last loss with a shellacking of the Lions. They have a solid chance to double that streak as they now face each of the four inconsistent AFC West teams in a row.
Tagged NFC, power rankings, week 11 |
The Giants went west 3 1/2 point underdogs and came back seven point losers. They came one play from barnstorming back against the stingy Niners in Candlestick Park after making a slew of mistakes earlier to bury themselves.
Neutral observers come away from this game believing the Giants were the better team and the Niners had upset them. That’s the way I saw it, anyway…
I’m moving on. The Giants play every game like pilots who fly by the seat of their pants. Sometimes they miss the runway while landing….The Giants are in first place after 10 weeks after all that’s happened this season with the injuries and whatnot…. I’ll take it. So should you.
Next up: Philadelphia. Last season, the Eagles came here and stole the Giants’ dreams of postseason play in a seven-minute flurry of heartbreak. This time around, the Giants will be ready. They want to bury Philly, who basically needs to win every week the rest of the way to have any chance at anything this year.
A crushing of Philadelphia would make my season. After what happened last December, that game means the most to me on the schedule this year. My mandate to the Giants: crush them.
Beat Philly, split with Dallas, put Washington out of it’s misery and then steal one of the other games on their schedule against Green Bay, New Orleans and the Jets.
That gets you to 10 wins and the NFC East crown. That is all I am asking for.
When Michael Boley got hurt yesterday, the Giants decided to go with undrafted rookie Spencer Paysinger instead of Jacquain Williams. Why do I feel Drew Rosenhaus is the reason for this…?
When the Giants replaced the injured Aaron Ross with Michael Coe yesterday in the red zone, the Niners did not challenge him. They took shots at Corey Webster, instead. They ended up kicking a FG….
Tagged New York Giants, NFC, NFL | ← Older posts
