Under Center w/Maly Mal (Week 13)

“It’s the most wonderful time, of the yeeeeaaarrrr!” No, not because it’s the holiday season (which I do love). But, because it’s the 4th quarter of the NFL season… Crunch time! As teams jockey for playoff position, there’s always that logjam of teams fighting for the final two playoff spots. And, this year isn’t any different.

The New York Giants look to be on cruise control to winning back-to-back divisional titles, while the other three teams in the division scramble to just make the playoffs. The Dallas Cowboys have made it 3 in a row, with a win over the lowly Seattle Seahawks. Dallas looks like they have the offense is back in stride, again. T.O.’s catching TD passes, Marion Barber’s running wild, and Roy Williams is starting to get comfortable in his role. And, there couldn’t be a better remedy for a struggling defense than the paltry Seattle offense. It may be too little to late for an NFC crown, but, the Cowboy’s are the team no one wants to play come playoff time.

The Washington Redskins seem to have pulled a hamstring. They don’t quite have that ‘beginning of the year swag’ any longer, and Coach Zorn is throwing down clipboards. The Redskins have a huge problem… Clinton Portis has physically hit the wall. Giving credit where credit is due, Portis has been the Redskins workhorse, and has performed admirably. However, Portis hasn’t been the most durable back, since joining the Redskins. Ladell Betts has been disappointing since signing the big contract, and Shawn Alexander was just released. No running game in the playoffs spells certain defeat! The New York Giants kept 8 in the box the entire game, against the Redskins on Sunday, daring them to put the game on the arm of Jason Campbell. If the Redskins don’t come up with something to offset Portis’s decline in production, they’ll be in the house come January.

The Philadelphia Eagles put together an impressive win, whipping up on the Cardinals, last week. HA! Like that means something…

Here’s the rankings:

1) New York Giants – With all the distractions, injuries, pressure, and what ever else gets thrown their way, the Giants keep on winning. Is a dynasty on the horizon?
2) Pittsburgh Steelers – Their defense is playing just as well as the Titans. However, I give Pittsburgh the edge on offense.
3) Tennessee Titans – See above.
4) Indianapolis Colts – Forget the record, Peyton Manning’s in midseason form and the Colts are rolling. Even though they seem to always have one or two ‘dud’ games a year, like they had last week.
5) Dallas Cowboys – The cream always rises to the top. We all know this team will have a say in who is crowned NFL champions this year.
6) Carolina Panthers – Great comeback win in Lambeau showed the Panthers have a lot of mettle. DeAngelo Williams is hitting his groove at the right time.
7) Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Once again, forget the record… Does anyone really believe Jeff Garcia will lead this team to a Super Bowl?
8) New York Jets – Bad lose against Denver. Need to win this weekend, because confidence is fragile on a team that’s not used to winning.
9) Atlanta Falcons – In the crowded NFC, the Falcons may not even make the playoffs. However, they can celebrate a winning season, with a win Sunday.
10) Baltimore Ravens – They have a QB they can rely on. The defense is still physical. This may be the sleeper team come playoff time.