NFL WILDCARD WEEKEND – EAGLES vs. COWBOYS
Wade Phillips needs one more win to keep his job as HC of the DC, and no one is rooting for him more than owner Jerry Jones.
It’s an uncomplicated relationship between Phillips and Jones.
Wade Phillips needs one more win to keep his job as HC of the DC, and no one is rooting for him more than owner Jerry Jones.
It’s an uncomplicated relationship between Phillips and Jones.
Let’s see now.
The best receiver just tore up every ligament in his left knee. The starting running back has a tendency to fumble the ball every time he touches it inside the opposing 5 yard line. The deep-threat receiver pouts when things don’t go exactly the way he wants them.
The Cincinnati Bengals what happened the last time they qualified for the playoffs. It looked like such a bright start as the Bengals looked like the perfect team to knock off the Pittsburgh Steelers…until Kimo Von Oelhoffen fell into Carson Palmer’s knee and threw the franchise off for years.
The Denver Broncos fired coach Mike Shanahan last year when the team lost its final four games, blew a division lead and missed the playoffs. Just one year later under a new coach and a new regime, the Broncos are poised to do the same.
The Seattle Seahawks have been one of the worst teams in the NFL this year and they are set to be this way for years to come. The Seahawks have been outscored 106-24 in their last three games and they have a look of a team that is ready to rebuild.
We all understand about playing the no-respect card. The Patriots used the tactic to motivate themselves to three Super Bowls.
The Ravens have employed a slightly different tack, complaining that the referees are always out to get them.
In a mega-game that everyone feels will be dominated by playmakers for both teams on both sides of the ball, will the outcome of the NFC East be determined by a substitute center?
Maybe.
Philadelphia’s offensive line has teetered between work in progress and absolute mess since the start of training camp, and now the Eagles will be forced to finish out with season without the one stabilizing force on the front five – center Jamaal Jackson, who suffered torn knee ligaments in the victory over Denver last Sunday.
Maybe Eric mangini isn’t happy unless he is being hated.
Mangini ticked off Bill Belichick by abruptly leaving the Patriots coaching staff a few years back, reportedly breaking an agreement the two had when Belichick made Mangini the defensive coordinator.
For the second time in three years the cranky old 1974 Dolphins are sweating bullets. Mercury Morris and his boys had part of their legacy chipped away when the 2007 Patriots went 16-0 in the regular season (before faltering in the Super Bowl). Now, less than two years later, the Colts are taking dead aim.
With the possible exception of Bernie Madoff, has there been a fall from grace more dramatic than that suffered by the Denver Broncos? From that blistering 6-0 start that included victories over the Bengals, Patriots, Cowboys and Chargers (who are now a combined 38-18), Denver enters Week 16 without a playoff spot yet locked down.
The Washington Redskins may have just hired a new general manager and may be in the process of hiring a new head coach, but they still aren’t playing for next year quite yet.
In the Redskins last five games, they have two wins over the Denver Broncos and Oakland Raiders, and three losses by a combined seven points (losses to the Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles and New Orleans Saints).
The San Francisco 49ers had their Super Bowl last week when they stopped the Arizona Cardinals from clinched the NFC West on Monday Night Football. Now, on a short week, the 49ers have to travel on the road to the East Coast and find a way to keep their slim playoff hopes alive.
The Minnesota Vikings don’t have a great shot to catch the New Orleans Saints for the top seed in the NFC but they do have an excellent chance to lock down the No. 2 seed in the conference.
The Dallas Cowboys have begun their annual December collapse and the cure for their ailments is not a road trip to face the lone undefeated team in the NFC. Nonetheless, the Cowboys will try to do what 13 other teams have failed to do: defeat the New Orleans Saints.
They’re circling the wagons on Foxboro, where the Holy Trinity of Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and Bob Kraft is defending Randy Moss in an obvious desperate attempt to keep the wide receiver from completely checking out in the final three games of the season.
Much has been made of the Cincinnati Bengals’ conversion from a team dominated by hoodlums to a group that stays home on Friday and Saturday nights, which greatly enhances the team’s chances of winning on Sunday afternoons. But a more subtle metamorphosis has taken place, and it will be evident Sunday when Cincy travels to San Diego in an important Week 15 game.