The Fascinating NFC Playoff Race

[bigbluedefense]

Everyone is waiting for the bad Jay Cutler to show up.

But the problem with that is, outside of last year, there wasn't a bad Jay Cutler to talk about. Give the guy some time in the pocket and a run game, and look what he can do.

Jay Cutler was never the problem in Chicago. He was still worth the investment.

[jrdrylie]

Originally Posted by J-Mike88

The Vikings could definitely beat the Bears in Minnesota.
If the QB position is stable for the Vikings that week (Bears rarely face team's #1 QB), then I suspect Vegas will have the Vikings as the favorite.

They're playing well now, the Grape Apes.
yesterday, they did what Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Chicago, Kansas City didn't do, and that's just blow out the Buffalo Bills. When the Vikings are up for a game, at home, they're a tough tough out there.

Peterson & Sidney Rice looked like last year, yesterday.

The Vikings will beat at least one of their next 3 opponents (NYG, Chi, Philly), and they could easily win 2 of those games if the QB spot is settled.

This might be the first time in my life I will be a Viking fan 3 weeks in a row!

How will their QB situation be settled by then when it hasn't been settled all season? If Brett Favre is healthy, then he probably plays. That is great news for the Bears. But if Favre is still hurt (or benched) then we get T-Jack. Once again, greta news for the Bears. And they've allowed just 2 100-yard rushers all season, so I'm not afraid of Peterson.

[LonghornsLegend]

Originally Posted by bigbluedefense

Everyone is waiting for the bad Jay Cutler to show up.

But the problem with that is, outside of last year, there wasn't a bad Jay Cutler to talk about. Give the guy some time in the pocket and a run game, and look what he can do.

Jay Cutler was never the problem in Chicago. He was still worth the investment.

Give him no time in the pocket and no running game and look at what he can do. That's kind of my thing is I don't see Chicago consistently blocking that good, or the running game being that good. Those two things are not consistent, and while it's not always Cutler's fault if you can collapse the pocket and shut the run down it's a wrap.


I guess you could say that about any QB in the NFL, but out of every team in the race they have the worst offensive line, maybe in the NFL period. Alot easier to get to Cutler then anyone else.

[Gay Ork Wang]

Cutler has been a million times better under pressure than earlier in the year. He is hitting his hot reads and used shovel passes and weird jump passes to secure and wide open people

[yodapoop]

Okay I just plugged it into the similator on ESPN. I do still have the Bucs getting in over the Giants. The Vikings play spoiler I think. They beat the Giants next week (Giants have struggled with the Vikes) and the Vikes beat the Bears. So the NFC I have end up shaping like this.....

1. Atlanta (14-2, 4-0 to finish it out)
2. Phildadelphia (12-4, 4-0)
3. Green Bay (11-5, 3-1, losing to NE)
4. St. Louis (8-8, losing to NO and SEA, but backing in the NFC West way)
5. New Orleans (11-5, 2-2 losing to BAL and ATL)
6. Tampa Bay (10-6, 3-1 losing to NO)

7. New York (9-7, 1-3 losing to MIN, PHI, and GB)
8. Chicago (9-7, 0-4 closing out losing to NE, MIN, NYJ, and GB)
9. Minnesota (8-8, Really fudge up the playoff race)
10. Seattle (7-9, 1-3 losing to SF, ATL, and TB)

[Gay Ork Wang]

i hate u yoda

[nrk]

Originally Posted by jrdrylie

I'm not throwing out any loses. The Bears beat the Lions twice. But divisional games are always tough. Even when there is a great difference in talent. That is why the Jaguars always play the Colts close even though the last 3 or 4 seasons they have been much less talented.

Yeah that was my bad, for some reason I was thinking the Lions beat the Bears.

[P-L]

Originally Posted by nrk

Yeah that was my bad, for some reason I was thinking the Lions beat the Bears.

Because they did...

[Jughead10]

Originally Posted by P-L

Because they did...

Speaking of which. I think the Lions might be the best 2-10 I've ever seen. There is no doubt in my mind they'd be winning the NFC West right now. Maybe even running away with it.

[yodapoop]

Originally Posted by *** Ork Wang

i hate u yoda

Join the club. Please make a Yoda hate club. U can be president. U'll prolly get at least 20 members within a day.

[J-Mike88]

They key here (besides making it) is getting the bye.

If you're a wildcard team, you're going to have to beat both the #1 & #2 seeded teams in their crib, most likely. PLUS the wildcard game win.

Get the #1 or 2 seed, you just gotta beat one team at home, then you're in the NFC Title game. That's a much smoother sail than the other.

Sure, it can be done either way. But a BYE is as good as a win. And sometimes those cupcake wildcard games don't turn out so cupcake.
Right Falcons-Cardinal fan (2 years ago)??

[Rosebud]

Originally Posted by bigbluedefense

Everyone is waiting for the bad Jay Cutler to show up.

But the problem with that is, outside of last year, there wasn't a bad Jay Cutler to talk about. Give the guy some time in the pocket and a run game, and look what he can do.

Jay Cutler was never the problem in Chicago. He was still worth the investment.

Exactly. Jay Cutler is an excellent QB when he's rolling, and right now he's rolling just like he was before last year, a year in which he had to adjust to having no OL, running game or go to receivers for the first time on the NFL level. He kind of went into a shell last year because he was having flashbacks to his days in Vanderbilt playing on a team that was just drastically out classed in every game.

Now that the Bears D is healthy and has added Peppers, the OL got decent and they're running the ball consistently, which is important for an O that isn't very talented, and all of a sudden he's gotten his **** together and has been having a good year. He's got his confidence back and is playing well, even when he's getting under pressure and the OL isn't opening any holes for the running game. He just doesn't have the crushing weight of single handedly having to carry his team. Which, douchemonger though he may be, is letting him play like the excellent QB he is.

I don't think we see bad Cutler again this year. If they fall apart completely around him this year and the team doesn't add any offensive talent in the offseason that Cutler may come back, but I don't think da bears have to worry about that this year.

[Rosebud]

Originally Posted by J-Mike88

They key here (besides making it) is getting the bye.

If you're a wildcard team, you're going to have to beat both the #1 & #2 seeded teams in their crib, most likely. PLUS the wildcard game win.

Get the #1 or 2 seed, you just gotta beat one team at home, then you're in the NFC Title game. That's a much smoother sail than the other.

Sure, it can be done either way. But a BYE is as good as a win. And sometimes those cupcake wildcard games don't turn out so cupcake.
Right Falcons-Cardinal fan (2 years ago)??

*shrug* Maybe this is just because I'm a giants fan, but I'd rather we not get the bye, I just worry about the team losing the type of momentum and focus it would take for them to get the bye over that week off with the media sucking on their ding-a-lings. Plus Giants stadium is such a ***** to play in in the playoffs that if we're healthy I'd rather have the giants going on the road. Plus it would help keep the team focused in the hostile environment.

[Shane P. Hallam]

Originally Posted by yodapoop

Join the club. Please make a Yoda hate club. U can be president. U'll prolly get at least 20 members within a day.

I will not be a part of it because I was Yoda's assistant GM on my first ever Forum Mock. Yeah...think about that one for awhile!

[yodapoop]

Originally Posted by Shane P. Hallam

I will not be a part of it because I was Yoda's assistant GM on my first ever Forum Mock. Yeah...think about that one for awhile!

Yeah, I like to think of u as a Yoda project. It was great. Shane P. Hallam=Luke Skywalker.

[Gay Ork Wang]

Originally Posted by Rosebud

Exactly. Jay Cutler is an excellent QB when he's rolling, and right now he's rolling just like he was before last year, a year in which he had to adjust to having no OL, running game or go to receivers for the first time on the NFL level. He kind of went into a shell last year because he was having flashbacks to his days in Vanderbilt playing on a team that was just drastically out classed in every game.

Now that the Bears D is healthy and has added Peppers, the OL got decent and they're running the ball consistently, which is important for an O that isn't very talented, and all of a sudden he's gotten his **** together and has been having a good year. He's got his confidence back and is playing well, even when he's getting under pressure and the OL isn't opening any holes for the running game. He just doesn't have the crushing weight of single handedly having to carry his team. Which, douchemonger though he may be, is letting him play like the excellent QB he is.

I don't think we see bad Cutler again this year. If they fall apart completely around him this year and the team doesn't add any offensive talent in the offseason that Cutler may come back, but I don't think da bears have to worry about that this year.

we have not a solid oline. Cliff Avril had 3 sacks. i think we will lose horrible against a good defense, thank god all those good defenses are in the AFC.

[prock]

Originally Posted by jrdrylie

How will their QB situation be settled by then when it hasn't been settled all season? If Brett Favre is healthy, then he probably plays. That is great news for the Bears. But if Favre is still hurt (or benched) then we get T-Jack. Once again, greta news for the Bears. And they've allowed just 2 100-yard rushers all season, so I'm not afraid of Peterson.

This Vikings team is much different than it was earlier this year. We actually play hard now. Chilly is gone. And if you aren't afraid of Peterson, you are mistaken.

[jrdrylie]

Peterson has 1 100-yard game in the last 6 games. But hey, it was against the vaunted Buffalo defense. They only give up an average of 170.9 Yards-per-Game.

[Shane P. Hallam]

Originally Posted by *** Ork Wang

we have not a solid oline. Cliff Avril had 3 sacks. i think we will lose horrible against a good defense, thank god all those good defenses are in the AFC.

You do realize you play half those good defenses in the next 4 weeks? :P (Well, I guess NE shouldn't be included in that...)

[Gay Ork Wang]

I dont think the Vikes have a great defense either. but what i meant is teams with incredible passrushers like the giants...

[gpngc]

If you're not scared of Adrian Peterson....

I don't even know.

[P-L]

Originally Posted by Jughead10

Speaking of which. I think the Lions might be the best 2-10 I've ever seen. There is no doubt in my mind they'd be winning the NFC West right now. Maybe even running away with it.

It's so frustrating how close we always get but we are falling just short of coming away with the win in most of these games. 0-5 in games decided by four points or less. Stafford has only played in three games this year and we won the one game he played from start to finish and were winning at the time he got injured in the other two games. Agree about the NFC West too. We blew out the current NFC West leader, 44-6 with our backup quarterback.

[Gay Ork Wang]

Originally Posted by gpngc

If you're not scared of Adrian Peterson....

I don't even know.

we certainly kept him in check the first game and tried to let Brent beat us. Also id think we have a better defense than the Bills

[Jughead10]

Originally Posted by P-L

It's so frustrating how close we always get but we are falling just short of coming away with the win in most of these games. 0-5 in games decided by four points or less. Stafford has only played in three games this year and we won the one game he played from start to finish and were winning at the time he got injured in the other two games. Agree about the NFC West too. We blew out the current NFC West leader, 44-6 with our backup quarterback.

Just think of it this way. The improvement is definitely there on the field. It hasn't turned out to wins, but they could easily be 5-7 right now maybe even 6-6. They are taking the neccesary steps and will be getting a better quality player in the draft than they probably should be.

[prock]

I am not even referring to the game against the Bills. If you aren't scared of Adrian Peterson, you are ********. I would be scared.