NFC playoff picture - after week 15 - Page 3

FiveStars · December 17th, 2007, 06:56 AM

Well, Dallas, Seattle, and NY all get the "stumbling into the playoffs" award yesterday after losing to what should have been inferior teams. I didn't get to see Seattle or NY play, but I can confidently say that Dallas' game was lost by the coaching. The announcers wanted to talk about Romo's thumb, but I hate blaming losses on injuries. I think the most apt observation was when Troy Aikman said "It looks like Dallas has completely abandoned the run." And he was right. That was the worst coaching job of the year so far. I hope it doesn't continue.

Green Bay is still beating up on weaklings and Minnesota still has an opportunity to show that they could be the scariest wildcard team in the playoffs tonight.

Edge · December 17th, 2007, 08:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FiveStars

...but I can confidently say that Dallas' game was lost by the coaching. The announcers wanted to talk about Romo's thumb, but I hate blaming losses on injuries.

Yeah..all the ints and horrible throws Romo made were were because of poor coaching.

FiveStars · December 17th, 2007, 11:37 AM

Edge, Romo made some bad throws, but why do you continue to throw if your QB is having a bad day, bad luck, injured, or whatever and you're only down by a point? That's bad coaching. Marion Barber should have had over 30 carries in this game. Hopefully, they'll rediscover the run in the next two games. If they don't, they could see an early exit from the playoffs.

FiveStars · December 18th, 2007, 11:38 AM

Well, lookie here. Coach Phillips thinks he may have screwed up by abandoning the run. Only 4 runs for the second half. Amazing.

DallasCowboys.com - News

BMW · December 19th, 2007, 09:38 AM

Well this at least makes the last two weeks worth watching both the Dallas and Green Bay games...

FiveStars · December 20th, 2007, 10:42 AM

So here is the rest of the regular season for Dallas and Green Bay:

Dallas - @ Carolina; @Washington
Green Bay - @ Chicago; DETROIT

I'm honestly concerned at this point. If Dallas wins out, they would have finished 8-0 on the road this season. They've probably never done that in their entire 40+ year history. Winning on the road is hard no matter who you're playing. Dallas has proven that this season by needing two last-minute scores to beat Buffalo and Detroit.

If Phillips is serious about establishing a running game, then I think Dallas can win these two games. If he insists on always looking for the big play, they may lose their home field advantage to Green Bay. We've yet to see a good December game from Dallas.

FiveStars · December 24th, 2007, 12:45 PM

Merry Christmas, Cowboys!

Chicago delivered an early present to the Dallas Cowboys by pummling Green Bay 35-7. When the Packers lose a game, they don't mess around. Favre looked like he was about to die in that cold.

So the Cowboys still aren't looking like world beaters, but they do look like the best team in the NFC. Any road win in the NFL is something to be proud of, and Dallas delivered as much as they needed. The only concern down the stretch would be the slow performance of the offense over the last few weeks, but you can't really expect a team to score over 25 points in every game.

I normally wouldn't talk about injuries, but I do think that Owens' injury ruined the Cowboys' gameplan. Otherwise, this would have been a bit higher scoring game. I still don't think Dallas would have blown out Carolina, though, even if Owens had been in the whole game.

The surprise for me is the Minnesota loss. If Washington can win against Dallas next week, they're in the playoffs and Minnesota will be staying home. I didn't expect that. Washington may have an excellent chance of winning that home game since Dallas really has nothing to play for at this point. Home field is wrapped up and they've already matched the highest regular season win total in franchise history (13).

FiveStars · December 24th, 2007, 12:57 PM

Looking forward to the wildcard games, I still think both of the wildcard teams can win these. Seattle and especially Tampa Bay don't look all that great, but they will be at home. Seattle can be thankful they will be facing either Minnesota or Washington instead of New York. I strongly believe New York can go into Tampa Bay and win.

If New York and Seattle win, the seeding system gets flipped on its head since the better team (New York) would be heading to Dallas instead of Green Bay.

bedir than average · December 25th, 2007, 11:32 AM

I would actually prefer to see the New York Giants in Qwest. They'd set a league record for false starts in a playoff game. That stadium and fans are so in their head the offense would be nearly useless.

FiveStars · December 27th, 2007, 08:49 AM

Seattle will play Minnesota or Washington. These are mediocre road teams and Seattle is a strong home team. The odds say Seattle wins, but they were a bobbled snap away from losing to a 9-7 team in the first round last year. So who knows.

New York is 7-1 on the road this year. I think they will beat Tampa Bay and head for Dallas. I'd rather see Minnesota or Washington instead for Dallas' first playoff game. But it will be a good, hard game in preparation for Green Bay.

LongtimeBravesFan · December 27th, 2007, 02:32 PM

Not a whole ot of playoff drama this weekend. All eight divisions are decided.

In the AFC, San Diego only has to beat the 4-11 Raiders to claim the #3 seed. The Titans get the last playoff spot by beating the Colts, who have zero to play for and may rest a lot of their regulars. If the Titans lose, the Browns get in for the first time.

In the NFC the top five spots are all locked. The Redskins get in if they beat the Cowboys, who have zero to play for and may rest a lot of their regulars. If they lose, the Vikings can make it by winning with the Saints next in line.

The Pats -giants game is getting a lot of attention for two teams already locked in their playoff spots. Not sure why.

FiveStars · December 28th, 2007, 07:41 AM

I do hope Dallas doesn't rest too many players. I think there's something to be said for a team playing every game to win. They have an opportunity to win 14 games which would be a franchise record. They do have something to play for in my opinion - not going into the playoffs flat, winning 14 games, knocking a division rival out of the playoffs, going 7-1 in their division, etc.

Not going into the playoffs flat is my biggest concern. Dallas needs to keep playing hard to win. They haven't exactly been perfect in any game this season. They could easily be 11-4 at this point.

BMW · December 28th, 2007, 06:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LongtimeBravesFan

Not a whole ot of playoff drama this weekend. All eight divisions are decided.

In the AFC, San Diego only has to beat the 4-11 Raiders to claim the #3 seed. The Titans get the last playoff spot by beating the Colts, who have zero to play for and may rest a lot of their regulars. If the Titans lose, the Browns get in for the first time.

In the NFC the top five spots are all locked. The Redskins get in if they beat the Cowboys, who have zero to play for and may rest a lot of their regulars. If they lose, the Vikings can make it by winning with the Saints next in line.

The Pats -giants game is getting a lot of attention for two teams already locked in their playoff spots. Not sure why.

The Browns get in for the first time since what? Since they lost in the first round in like 2002?

LongtimeBravesFan · December 28th, 2007, 09:25 PM

Sorry, I thought they hadn't made the playoffs since the new team was born.

December 19th, 2007, 09:38 AM	#35 (permalink)
BMW Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Cape Coral Florida Posts: 830	Well this at least makes the last two weeks worth watching both the Dallas and Green Bay games... __________________ BMW Green Bay Packers 14-4

December 25th, 2007, 11:32 AM	#39 (permalink)
bedir than average Hall of Famer Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Starbucks Posts: 8,258	I would actually prefer to see the New York Giants in Qwest. They'd set a league record for false starts in a playoff game. That stadium and fans are so in their head the offense would be nearly useless. __________________ I'm sorry I left for a while. I needed a vaction, and then work changed substantially. I'm over 50 hour weeks, plus two hours a day of commuting time. A few weeks ago I launched my own blog about Seattle Sounders FC and Life in Puget Sound. I won't be by these parts often as my focus has changed. Sorry about the unannounced retirement.

December 17th, 2007, 06:56 AM	#31 (permalink)
FiveStars Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 1,618	Well, Dallas, Seattle, and NY all get the "stumbling into the playoffs" award yesterday after losing to what should have been inferior teams. I didn't get to see Seattle or NY play, but I can confidently say that Dallas' game was lost by the coaching. The announcers wanted to talk about Romo's thumb, but I hate blaming losses on injuries. I think the most apt observation was when Troy Aikman said "It looks like Dallas has completely abandoned the run." And he was right. That was the worst coaching job of the year so far. I hope it doesn't continue. Green Bay is still beating up on weaklings and Minnesota still has an opportunity to show that they could be the scariest wildcard team in the playoffs tonight.

December 17th, 2007, 11:37 AM	#33 (permalink)
FiveStars Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 1,618	Edge, Romo made some bad throws, but why do you continue to throw if your QB is having a bad day, bad luck, injured, or whatever and you're only down by a point? That's bad coaching. Marion Barber should have had over 30 carries in this game. Hopefully, they'll rediscover the run in the next two games. If they don't, they could see an early exit from the playoffs.

December 18th, 2007, 11:38 AM	#34 (permalink)
FiveStars Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 1,618	Well, lookie here. Coach Phillips thinks he may have screwed up by abandoning the run. Only 4 runs for the second half. Amazing. DallasCowboys.com - News

December 20th, 2007, 10:42 AM	#36 (permalink)
FiveStars Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 1,618	So here is the rest of the regular season for Dallas and Green Bay: Dallas - @ Carolina; @Washington Green Bay - @ Chicago; DETROIT I'm honestly concerned at this point. If Dallas wins out, they would have finished 8-0 on the road this season. They've probably never done that in their entire 40+ year history. Winning on the road is hard no matter who you're playing. Dallas has proven that this season by needing two last-minute scores to beat Buffalo and Detroit. If Phillips is serious about establishing a running game, then I think Dallas can win these two games. If he insists on always looking for the big play, they may lose their home field advantage to Green Bay. We've yet to see a good December game from Dallas.

December 24th, 2007, 12:45 PM	#37 (permalink)
FiveStars Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 1,618	Merry Christmas, Cowboys! Chicago delivered an early present to the Dallas Cowboys by pummling Green Bay 35-7. When the Packers lose a game, they don't mess around. Favre looked like he was about to die in that cold. So the Cowboys still aren't looking like world beaters, but they do look like the best team in the NFC. Any road win in the NFL is something to be proud of, and Dallas delivered as much as they needed. The only concern down the stretch would be the slow performance of the offense over the last few weeks, but you can't really expect a team to score over 25 points in every game. I normally wouldn't talk about injuries, but I do think that Owens' injury ruined the Cowboys' gameplan. Otherwise, this would have been a bit higher scoring game. I still don't think Dallas would have blown out Carolina, though, even if Owens had been in the whole game. The surprise for me is the Minnesota loss. If Washington can win against Dallas next week, they're in the playoffs and Minnesota will be staying home. I didn't expect that. Washington may have an excellent chance of winning that home game since Dallas really has nothing to play for at this point. Home field is wrapped up and they've already matched the highest regular season win total in franchise history (13).

December 24th, 2007, 12:57 PM	#38 (permalink)
FiveStars Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 1,618	Looking forward to the wildcard games, I still think both of the wildcard teams can win these. Seattle and especially Tampa Bay don't look all that great, but they will be at home. Seattle can be thankful they will be facing either Minnesota or Washington instead of New York. I strongly believe New York can go into Tampa Bay and win. If New York and Seattle win, the seeding system gets flipped on its head since the better team (New York) would be heading to Dallas instead of Green Bay.

December 27th, 2007, 08:49 AM	#40 (permalink)
FiveStars Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 1,618	Seattle will play Minnesota or Washington. These are mediocre road teams and Seattle is a strong home team. The odds say Seattle wins, but they were a bobbled snap away from losing to a 9-7 team in the first round last year. So who knows. New York is 7-1 on the road this year. I think they will beat Tampa Bay and head for Dallas. I'd rather see Minnesota or Washington instead for Dallas' first playoff game. But it will be a good, hard game in preparation for Green Bay.

December 27th, 2007, 02:32 PM	#41 (permalink)
LongtimeBravesFan Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 4,674	Not a whole ot of playoff drama this weekend. All eight divisions are decided. In the AFC, San Diego only has to beat the 4-11 Raiders to claim the #3 seed. The Titans get the last playoff spot by beating the Colts, who have zero to play for and may rest a lot of their regulars. If the Titans lose, the Browns get in for the first time. In the NFC the top five spots are all locked. The Redskins get in if they beat the Cowboys, who have zero to play for and may rest a lot of their regulars. If they lose, the Vikings can make it by winning with the Saints next in line. The Pats -giants game is getting a lot of attention for two teams already locked in their playoff spots. Not sure why.

December 28th, 2007, 07:41 AM	#42 (permalink)
FiveStars Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 1,618	I do hope Dallas doesn't rest too many players. I think there's something to be said for a team playing every game to win. They have an opportunity to win 14 games which would be a franchise record. They do have something to play for in my opinion - not going into the playoffs flat, winning 14 games, knocking a division rival out of the playoffs, going 7-1 in their division, etc. Not going into the playoffs flat is my biggest concern. Dallas needs to keep playing hard to win. They haven't exactly been perfect in any game this season. They could easily be 11-4 at this point.

December 28th, 2007, 09:25 PM	#44 (permalink)
LongtimeBravesFan Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 4,674	Sorry, I thought they hadn't made the playoffs since the new team was born.