Around the League in Week 13
Who gets top seed in the NFC? Are the Packers out of playoff contention? What the heck is happening in New York? With another week of football under our belts, The Great Zamboni rushes in to give you our review of Week 13.
The Minnesota Vikings (10–2) won their eighth consecutive game, while the Philadelphia Eagles (10–2) lost a game for the first time since September. Which team is more likely to end up with the top seed in the NFC?
I don’t want to discredit anything the Eagles have done up to this point but I don’t think everyone really understands the reality of their 10–2 record. Of their 10 wins, only one has been against an above .500 team (Carolina). They beat the now 6–6 Chargers by only 2, and put a whooping on the now 6–6 Cowboys in the second half of that game after trailing by 2 at half (and reminder, the Boys were without a MAJOR piece of their offense in Zeke that game. Again,not trying to discredit them, it takes a lot to get 10 wins in a season let alone through 12 games, but maybe they aren’t all we think they are.
The Vikings on the other hand are the real deal with their 2 losses coming at the hands of the Steelers (now 10–2 as well) and the Lions (a division rival). I don’t think anyone expected Keenum to do what he has done, but kudos to him and Mike Zimmer on an already awesome season. The Vikings take the top seed for me in the NFC.
With the firing of head coach Ben McAdoo and GM Jerry Reese, how do the New York Giants move forward as an organization?
I honestly don’t know what to think about the garbage happening in New York right now, but I’m damn happy I’m not a Giants fan. The fact that there wasn’t a whole lot of change for the Giants this off season, this year has been quite the surprise, especially since they made the playoffs under McAdoo in year one. All the G-Men can do is move forward and hope for the best… WITH ELI. The fact that Eli had the guts to decline starting if they were going to bench him only to have the staff be proven wrong. The proverbial cloud over the Giants’ heads had nothing to do with their All-Pro quarterback. If they haven’t figured that out by now, I don’t think any amount of firings will fix their problems.
Considering an overtime win against the Buccaneers, a potential week 15 return of Aaron Rodgers and taking into account their remaining schedule: (@ Browns, @Panthers, vs Vikings, @Lions), can the Packers sneak into the playoffs?
A lot of the questions we tend to ask on 4 Downs end up being toss ups for me, and maybe that’s the point; to get our readers thinking about how things shake up. But this one is the ultimate toss up for me, because, well; Rodgers has burned my Dallas Cowboys numerous times in the past so I have solemnly come to the conclusion that there isn’t a damn thing that man can’t do on the football field.
He is currently slated to return in week 15leaving him to play the Panthers, Vikings, and Lions. Combined those teams have a 24–12 record with the Lions heavily skewing that loss count with 6 of their own. I’m not saying it’s impossible, but it’ll take a lot of things to play out the right way outside of the Packers’ control. Same goes for every other team in the playoff chase. With how things have gone this season, I think they’re out. If the Packers lose again before he comes back, I’d think about giving him additional time to rest. No need to rush back from a broken collarbone (just ask Tony Romo).
Don’t miss out on next week’s edition of 4 Downs as the regular season winds down and the playoff push heats up!
