Once again, I did not start looking ahead until part of the week was behind me. The Jets and Broncos met in Denver on the NFL Network on Thursday Night Football to kickoff Week 11. And it was a fine start to the weekend’s slate of games, as once again Tim Tebow managed to play badly and win the game.
Tebow is something of an enigma for both his advocates and his opponents. The former can’t argue that he is a good quarterback by any standard definition. Yet the latter are having a more and more difficult time denying that he is a winner.
He’s not my quarterback and the Broncos are decidedly not my team, but I do know this from a distance: in the final analysis, it’s about wins and losses. And thus far into the 2011 Tebow experiment, Denver is 4-1.
Now looking ahead to Sunday, the most interesting match-up is probably the Bengals’ trip to Baltimore. Both teams are coming off losses, and both are chasing the Steelers. The two teams sport identical records yet inverse expectations. Everyone knows the Ravens are good, but they have been painfully inconsistent. The Bengals, conversely, are credited with having a good season, but have not yet persuaded the world that they’re actually a good team.
The other interesting game (apart from the teams that actually matter to us, that is) is the Bills-Dolphins. They are not only divisional rivals, but they are two teams heading in opposite directions. A few weeks ago, you’d have said this was no contest. Now? We shall see.
In terms of teams and games that do matter to Packer fans, we start with the 49ers. It would be nice to see them lose a game, but they do play in the high school division of the NFL. Cardinals have a little momentum, but it’s hard to imagine them upsetting the 49ers in San Francisco. Still, on any given Sunday….
The Vikings will try to regain their dignity as they host the Raiders. Oakland is looking good this season, and I expect it will be yet another “L” for Minnesota. How long ago must the 2009 NFC Championship Game seem for Viking fans?!
The truly interesting story in our Division is the race-for-second between the Bears and Lions. Chicago is on a
game winning streak, while the Lions have dropped 3 of their last 4.
The Bears look to continue their winning ways as they host the struggling Chargers. I’m not sure Chicago is actually better, but they are certainly playing better. I expect them to advance to 7-3.
The Lions are also playing at home, hosting the Carolina Panthers. I’m quite sure that Detroit is better. I’m not sure, however, that they’ll win this game. This year’s Lions strike me as an immature team -- more passionate than professional. I think that they’re struggling with a lot of distractions, and I can imagine them looking past the Panthers because of the big match-up with the Packers just four days later.
Those Packers, meanwhile, face exactly the same challenge. They, too, are playing at home against an inferior opponent. And so it’s easy to imagine Green Bay looking past Tampa Bay because of the important of Thursday’s game in Detroit.
No, let me qualify that. It’s easy to imagine some Green Bay teams looking past Tampa Bay because of Thursday’s game. But not this year’s team. I believe this squad is focused, professional, and businesslike. Honestly, they remind me of the Patriots at their best a few years ago. The Packers are coming off their best all-around performance of the season on Monday Night against the Vikings, and I expect them to build on that at the Bucs’ expense.
So I’m going to go out on a limb here… I think that when we meet the Lions on Thanksgiving Day, we’ll be four games ahead of Detroit in the NFC North.
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