Verdict
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I think a case can be made that the NFC is wide open for the taking. Presently the teams who are currently best poised to earn a playoff berth in the NFC are as follows:
Chicago 6 0
New Orleans 5 1
Seattle 4 1
Philadelphia 4 2
Carolina 4 2
St. Louis 4 2
N. Y. Giants 3 2
Dallas 3 2
Minnesota 3 2
Atlanta 3 2
While Chicago is a solid football team, IMHO they are not the dominant football team that their record would suggest they are. They have feasted on lesser talented teams, but the Arizona debacle suggests that they are not the 1985 Bears. Barring a total abysmal turn of events, it is likely they are playoff bound, but there are chinks in their armor.
The 2006 New Orleans Saints reminds me of Parcells' first Cowboys team. They are probaly slightly better on offense than that Cowboys team was, but probably not as solid on defense. I see them as a smoke and mirrors team that will be exposed over the long term.
Seattle is a little bit of an enigma. They are arguably one of the better teams in the NFC, but they are a rung or two below where they were a year ago. They have the talent to win the NFC, but without their "all everything" guard they lost last year, they are not going to be able to run roughshod over teams by running the football like they did last year. Hasselbeck is a very capable quaterback who can beat you passing the ball, but teams that can't run with authority are vulnerable. I see them making the playoffs, but they are very beatable, especially if Alexander does not return full speed.
Philly is playing better than they were last year, but I doubt that they are as talented. Philly appears capable of being a contender, but the fact that they do not have a power running game will make Philly vulnerable in the playoffs. Still, at this point they appear to have the talent to be in the mix.
Carolina seems to be the same team they were last year. They will be a contender, but their achilles heel is that if Steve Smith can be neutralized thay are a pretty average team. Unless Carolina can find a serious weapon other than Steve Smith, they are going to struggle to create enough offense to win against playoff teams' defenses.
St. Louis is a team whose record probably leads you to believe they are a better team than they really are. They are probably the weakest of the contenders listed above. They will probably be in the playoff mix simply because their upcoming schedule includes San Francisco, Oakland, Kansas City, and Arizona. They also play the Commanders late, who may already be out of playoff contention by then, and evaluating their young quarterback. I am not really afraid of the Rams, whether they make the playoffs, or not.
The Giants are a little bit deceptive. They have enough talent in place to make it to the playoffs and make some playoff noise. The problem for the G-Men is you never know what Giants team is going to show up.
Our beloved Cowboys have the talent to win the NFC, provided that they don't continue to shoot themselves in the foot. We seem to do a better job of stopping ourselves than other teams do.
Minnesota is a team that is a little hard to get a read on. They have the talent to compete, but are not a team that you look at and say that you are scared of.
Atlanta is all over the map. One week they look great and the next week they appear pretty marginal. The only way this team wins the NFC is if the Falcons "sell out" running the ball and put Vick in harm's way. He can flat out beat you with his legs, but is a pretty marginal passer. The trouble with that is if Vick gets clocked and misses time, this team will probably struggle to generate enough offense to even get to the playoffs.
To sum it up I think the Cowboys have as good a chance as anyone to win the NFC this year.
Chicago 6 0
New Orleans 5 1
Seattle 4 1
Philadelphia 4 2
Carolina 4 2
St. Louis 4 2
N. Y. Giants 3 2
Dallas 3 2
Minnesota 3 2
Atlanta 3 2
While Chicago is a solid football team, IMHO they are not the dominant football team that their record would suggest they are. They have feasted on lesser talented teams, but the Arizona debacle suggests that they are not the 1985 Bears. Barring a total abysmal turn of events, it is likely they are playoff bound, but there are chinks in their armor.
The 2006 New Orleans Saints reminds me of Parcells' first Cowboys team. They are probaly slightly better on offense than that Cowboys team was, but probably not as solid on defense. I see them as a smoke and mirrors team that will be exposed over the long term.
Seattle is a little bit of an enigma. They are arguably one of the better teams in the NFC, but they are a rung or two below where they were a year ago. They have the talent to win the NFC, but without their "all everything" guard they lost last year, they are not going to be able to run roughshod over teams by running the football like they did last year. Hasselbeck is a very capable quaterback who can beat you passing the ball, but teams that can't run with authority are vulnerable. I see them making the playoffs, but they are very beatable, especially if Alexander does not return full speed.
Philly is playing better than they were last year, but I doubt that they are as talented. Philly appears capable of being a contender, but the fact that they do not have a power running game will make Philly vulnerable in the playoffs. Still, at this point they appear to have the talent to be in the mix.
Carolina seems to be the same team they were last year. They will be a contender, but their achilles heel is that if Steve Smith can be neutralized thay are a pretty average team. Unless Carolina can find a serious weapon other than Steve Smith, they are going to struggle to create enough offense to win against playoff teams' defenses.
St. Louis is a team whose record probably leads you to believe they are a better team than they really are. They are probably the weakest of the contenders listed above. They will probably be in the playoff mix simply because their upcoming schedule includes San Francisco, Oakland, Kansas City, and Arizona. They also play the Commanders late, who may already be out of playoff contention by then, and evaluating their young quarterback. I am not really afraid of the Rams, whether they make the playoffs, or not.
The Giants are a little bit deceptive. They have enough talent in place to make it to the playoffs and make some playoff noise. The problem for the G-Men is you never know what Giants team is going to show up.
Our beloved Cowboys have the talent to win the NFC, provided that they don't continue to shoot themselves in the foot. We seem to do a better job of stopping ourselves than other teams do.
Minnesota is a team that is a little hard to get a read on. They have the talent to compete, but are not a team that you look at and say that you are scared of.
Atlanta is all over the map. One week they look great and the next week they appear pretty marginal. The only way this team wins the NFC is if the Falcons "sell out" running the ball and put Vick in harm's way. He can flat out beat you with his legs, but is a pretty marginal passer. The trouble with that is if Vick gets clocked and misses time, this team will probably struggle to generate enough offense to even get to the playoffs.
To sum it up I think the Cowboys have as good a chance as anyone to win the NFC this year.
