Playoff Hopes - Only one available wildcard?
Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2005 12:45 pm
Hey guys, new here (although I've lurked). Anyways, I've being doing a Redskins blog for a few weeks now and I thought I'd pass it on here. Here is a sample of what kind of stuff I try to write about. I've recently done midseason grade for the starters as well. Its obviously free, so check it out.
Link: http://theredskinreport.blogspot.com/
Much like Major League Baseball, one major issue in determining playoff berths is strength of schedule. It gets brought up more in MLB since the two highest payrolls exist in the same division. Year after year teams like Baltimore and Toronto start behind the eight ball knowing they have to battle Yankees and Red Sox while a team like the White Sox gets to play Detroit and Kansas City.
It�s a different animal in the NFL because of parity. Teams swing from good to bad to mediocre from year to year. So no one team is constantly being hurt by the schedule. For example, last year the NFC East had 1 good team and 3 weak teams. This year the NFC East has 4 legitimate contenders in it. So while St. Louis gets 4 games against New Orleans and Arizona, the Redskins are playing the Eagles and Cowboys. It is enough to keep a lesser team like the Rams in the race.
While I don�t think the Rams will end up being much of a factor in our playoff hopes, one wild card team will probably end up coming from the NFC South. Until Brian Griese got hurt, the South featured 3 contending teams. But the Chris Simms led Bucs team is tanking and no longer are much of a threat.
That leaves Carolina and Atlanta to battle it out for NFC South supremacy. The 2nd place team in the division will end up being a strong candidate for the wildcard. A quick gander at their schedules shows a significant advantage over the Redskins in that quest.
Carolina has become the trendy pick to win the NFC. The most complete team in the NFC they say. The Redskin homer in me wants to say �what about us?� But that notwithstanding, are the Panthers really that good? The honest answer is we don�t know. They�ve played one decent team thus far this year. This is a team that has lost to Miami and New Orleans. They�ve had tight games against Green Bay, Detroit and Arizona. The reason for all the hype is consecutive blowouts against weak Minnesota and fading Tampa Bay.
Luckily for Redskin fans they do face a harder road in the 2nd half. They go to Chicago and Atlanta and have home games against Dallas and Atlanta. They may get tested in Buffalo as well, but they do have some more cream puff games against the Jets, Tampa and New Orleans. Carolina will probably finish at 11-5.
I�d be willing to bet that the next media favorite will be Atlanta. They�ve won 2 straight and their next three games are home to Green Bay and Tampa Bay, then on the road in Detroit. Winning those 3 will put them at 9-2, and 1st in the NFC. They do have some tougher games down the stretch: the home and home against the Panthers and at Chicago. I�d look for them to finish 12-4.
If my fellow Redskins fan is looking for a bright side take solace in the fact that we�ll be battle tested if we do make the playoffs. These tough NFC East battles are going to be good experience when it comes to playoff time.
Link: http://theredskinreport.blogspot.com/
Much like Major League Baseball, one major issue in determining playoff berths is strength of schedule. It gets brought up more in MLB since the two highest payrolls exist in the same division. Year after year teams like Baltimore and Toronto start behind the eight ball knowing they have to battle Yankees and Red Sox while a team like the White Sox gets to play Detroit and Kansas City.
It�s a different animal in the NFL because of parity. Teams swing from good to bad to mediocre from year to year. So no one team is constantly being hurt by the schedule. For example, last year the NFC East had 1 good team and 3 weak teams. This year the NFC East has 4 legitimate contenders in it. So while St. Louis gets 4 games against New Orleans and Arizona, the Redskins are playing the Eagles and Cowboys. It is enough to keep a lesser team like the Rams in the race.
While I don�t think the Rams will end up being much of a factor in our playoff hopes, one wild card team will probably end up coming from the NFC South. Until Brian Griese got hurt, the South featured 3 contending teams. But the Chris Simms led Bucs team is tanking and no longer are much of a threat.
That leaves Carolina and Atlanta to battle it out for NFC South supremacy. The 2nd place team in the division will end up being a strong candidate for the wildcard. A quick gander at their schedules shows a significant advantage over the Redskins in that quest.
Carolina has become the trendy pick to win the NFC. The most complete team in the NFC they say. The Redskin homer in me wants to say �what about us?� But that notwithstanding, are the Panthers really that good? The honest answer is we don�t know. They�ve played one decent team thus far this year. This is a team that has lost to Miami and New Orleans. They�ve had tight games against Green Bay, Detroit and Arizona. The reason for all the hype is consecutive blowouts against weak Minnesota and fading Tampa Bay.
Luckily for Redskin fans they do face a harder road in the 2nd half. They go to Chicago and Atlanta and have home games against Dallas and Atlanta. They may get tested in Buffalo as well, but they do have some more cream puff games against the Jets, Tampa and New Orleans. Carolina will probably finish at 11-5.
I�d be willing to bet that the next media favorite will be Atlanta. They�ve won 2 straight and their next three games are home to Green Bay and Tampa Bay, then on the road in Detroit. Winning those 3 will put them at 9-2, and 1st in the NFC. They do have some tougher games down the stretch: the home and home against the Panthers and at Chicago. I�d look for them to finish 12-4.
If my fellow Redskins fan is looking for a bright side take solace in the fact that we�ll be battle tested if we do make the playoffs. These tough NFC East battles are going to be good experience when it comes to playoff time.
