It’s the most wonderful time of the year!
That’s mostly because of Christmas, of course, but it’s also a very exciting time to be a football fan. And especially a Green Bay Packer fan!
Only one of this weekend’s 16 NFL games matches two teams already eliminated from playoff contention (Dolphins at Bills), which means that every other game has meaning and impact. Great stuff. And some of those contests are especially intriguing.
ESPN.com offers a very helpful at-a-glance summary of where we’re at right now in terms of playoff seedings. Meanwhile, SI.com offers a prose summary of what can be clinched during this weekend’s games.
The Houston Texans, one of the great stories of the 2011 season, are clinging to the top seed in the AFC. New England, Baltimore, and Pittsburgh are all nipping at their heels, though, and with three weeks to go, no one can afford to stumble. The Texans get the Panthers, Colts, and Titans, which is not a bad road to have to travel. The Steelers are the most hobbled of the group these days, and they have to play the surprising 49ers on Monday Night Football. The Ravens, meanwhile, have to travel to San Diego this week, while the Patriots journey into the jaws of Tebowmania.
That particular AFC match-up is getting the lion’s share of the attention in Week 15. Every week, folks want to know if Tebow and the Broncos are for real. The Patriots seem like a worthy litmus test.
The Steeler-49er game, meanwhile, should be a beauty. Both teams are in tight playoff races, so there will be tremendous urgency on both sides. San Francisco’s upset at the hands of the Cardinals last week puts them at risk of losing the second seed to the Saints. Personally, I think I’d rather keep the 49ers in that privileged spot. but since the Saints are certain to blow the Vikings out this Sunday, San Francisco will have to win a tough one against the Steelers on Monday.
No matter what happens with the 49ers and Saints, though, our Packers are almost certainly guaranteed the #1 seed in the NFC. It’s just a formality now. And so I find that my rooting turns to other concerns. Specifically, the teams that stand in the way of 16-0.
I worry a little about the Chiefs. Not a lot, honestly, but a little. My concern is simply that they’re playing at home, they have this strange dynamic of an interim head coach, and this has to be their Super Bowl. They played us close at Lambeau in the preseason. They have a really solid defense. And if they can stay close, I think they’ll be energized by the thrilling potential of being the team that knocks us off. That worries me. On the other hand, if we can get a good 21-point lead, they don’t have the kind of offense to come back on us, and I think they’ll lay down and die.
Then we’ll have the Bears on Christmas and the Lions on New Year’s Day. Fortunately, both games are in the Frozen Tundra, and the atmosphere there should be absolutely crazy as the team pursues perfection in front of the hometown fans.
I think it would be nice if the Seahawks would beat Chicago this weekend. That would take perhaps the last gasp of hope out of the Bears before they have to spend Christmas in Green Bay. And for as excellent as their defense is, without Cutler and Forte on offense, I can’t quite picture them keeping up with us.
Which brings us to the Lions. Detroit is currently the 6th seed in the NFC, with a trip to Oakland and a visit from the Chargers coming before their game in Green Bay on New Year’s Day. It’s probably too much to hope that the Lions will be eliminated by the time we play them. It would be nice, though, if their position was locked in and could not be improved by a win over the Packers. I’ll be rooting for the Falcons, Giants, and Cowboys accordingly. (Although, candidly, I’m pulling for the Cowboys to come out of the NFC East rather than the Giants. I’d much rather have the all-thumbs team from Dallas come into Lambeau in January than the dangerous Giants.)
Finally, check out this great piece by Don Banks about what the Packers are in the midst of accomplishing. This is a season to savor, for sure. A team for the ages.
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