If you had to pick a Super Bowl champion, right now, who would you pick?
A week ago, I would have circled the New York Giants over the Pittsburgh Steelers. With Plaxico Burress suspended and probably jailed because of gun charges, everything changes.
And my selection of the Steelers is that they are the tough, but by no means great.
Anyway, let’s pick our Top 10 teams and a few honorable mentions:
1. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-3)
I don’t think this is a great team. In fact, I believe the Patriots offense could put up 27-plus points on them. The problem for the Patriots would be their defense against the Steelers offense. I put the Steelers here because they showed some moxie in beating Dallas and the Giants looked putrid without the safety blanket (Burress) not playing. The Steelers defense is not great. But it is very good. There aren’t many offenses that could score on them.
2. New York Giants (11-2)
I’m not ready to discard this team, but they had better get a deep threat on offense if they are going to make history and be a repeat Super Bowl champ. They play the Cowboys this Sunday night and we will find out how good they are. The Cowboys are desperate for a win after they blew it against the Steelers. The Giants go to Dallas for this prime time matchup. I don’t like the Cowboys. They have no leaders. So the Giants should win here.
3. Tennessee Titans (12-1)
Yup, I’m still dissing the team with the NFL’s best record. The Titans are not good enough to mail it in and rest players. They have three difficult games remaining — at Houston, Pittsburgh and at Indianapolis. They had better improve their passing game or they could lose their first playoff game. I think the Titans are tough. They can run the ball when they want. And their defense is very good. But they are more a product of a poor year than great team.
4. Indianapolis Colts (9-4)
This team, like the Patriots, is really floating under the radar. They — really Peyton Manning — figured out that stats are for losers. The Colts are finding ways to win games, usually with Manning making a big play in the fourth quarter. Their defense isn’t as good as it was during their Super Bowl run in 2006, but it’s good enough. Their problem is running the football consistently. To beat the Steelers in January, they will have to have some semblence of a running game. They play Detroit, Jacksonville and Tennessee. My guess is it won’t mean anything to the Colts or Titans, which is too bad.
5. Carolina Panthers (10-3)
I do this without certitude. The Panthers had to win last night against the Bucs and they did, convincingly. And they scored a lot of points (38), too. They have three potentially tough games remaining against Denver, N.Y. Giants and New Orleans. If they win two of these, which is a strong possibility, they are officially a good team. If they lose two of three, they are phonies.
6. Baltimore Ravens (9-4)
Don’t get me wrong. This is one tough football team. And they have some guys who know how to win with a great defense and mediocre offense. The Ravens play Pittsburgh and Dallas the next two weeks. If they win one of those games, they will probably clinch a Wild Card spot (one the Patriots need). I see them finishing 10-6 and just missing out.
7. Tampa Bay Buccanneers (9-4)
Against my better judgement, I am putting this team in the Top 10. I don’t like this team. They are pretty good at everything, very good at nothing. They had to beat the Panthers (it would have swept the series). They need to beat Atlanta this weekend to ensure a playoff berth. If they lose they are still alive, but are they a viable team?
8. New England Patriots (8-5)
I’m back on the bandwagon. That’s right, the Patriots could win the rest of their games and not make the playoffs and I have them at No. 8? Yup. I have come to the conclusion that the Patriots are going to try to outscore teams, rather than win ugly, like 16-13. Coach Belichick has come to realize this team’s bend-but-don’t-break defense is going to break more often than not. I believe Matt Cassel is going to lead the Patriots to three more wins, which would mean this No. 8 is earned. We shall see.
9. Denver Broncos (8-5)
The Broncos have quietly won four of five games and might be a sleeper team to watch in the
AFC. They play Carolina, Buffalo and San Diego. If they beat Carolina we pretty much have to make them contenders in the AFC. The key is to be playing your best football in December. They are.
10. New York Jets (8-5)
The Jets have really messed up a good thing they had going with two disappointing losses to Denver and San Francisco. They still have destiny in their hands. But I’m not sure any more. I thought they might be a good enough and rounded enough to beat the Titans and Steelers. Not anymore. They should beat Buffalo, Seattle and Miami, which would get them the division title. They aren’t moving ahead of the Patriots until they win a few games in a row again.
Honorable mention:
11. Dallas Cowboys (8-5) … If they gave out championship trophies for disappointing losses over the last three seasons, they would be a dynasty.
12. Philadelphia Eagles (7-5-1) … Benching Donovan McNabb may turn out saving a lost season, playoffs or not.
13. Arizona Cardinals (8-5) … Pats beat them on Dec. 21 they are in the playoffs.
14. Atlanta Falcons (8-5) … Loss to Saints kept them from taking an early first step. They are still alive. We will see if they are a good team this week when they host Tampa.
15. Miami Dolphins (8-5) … They have barely beaten a lot of bad teams and were pushed around by Patriots. Most pick to win division. I don’t.
