They all say that they’re just playing one game at a time and that the coming Sunday’s game is their only focus. Maybe. But this is what they are really all playing for and focused on: the playoffs!
The 2011 NFL Playoffs begin today with a pair of Wild Card match-ups, followed by another set on Sunday. Great stuff!
The Packers, of course, owners of the best record in the entire NFL, do not play this weekend. They get to stay home, rest, and mend, watching the other guys knock heads for an extra weekend. And one of those teams we’ll be watching this weekend will be Green Bay’s next opponent on Sunday afternoon, January 15th.
Four NFC teams take the field today and tomorrow: New Orleans, Atlanta, Detroit, and New York. Any of those except the Saints might qualify to come to Lambeau in a week. So which team would we like to see?
Now I should detour long enough to say that, if the Packers were not in the playoffs, I would be pulling for the Falcons most of all and the Lions least of all from among the other NFC teams. And, indeed, I will cheer for the Falcons when they go into New York tomorrow. But, for today, I’m going to be a Lions fan.
I think that the Saints are a frightening potential opponent for Green Bay in the NFC Championship game. They have almost as much firepower on offense as we do, and their defense is arguably better than ours this year. And so I’ll be rooting against them this weekend. Again, if the Packers weren’t in it, then I’d want to see the Lions humiliated by New Orleans tonight. But my self-interest as a Green Bay guy makes me a temporary Detroit fan.
Meanwhile, over on the AFC side, the Texans host the Bengals today, while the Steelers visit the Broncos tomorrow.
Personally, I would not be sorry to see either Houston or Cincinnati emerge as the AFC Champion. I’ll be rooting for the Texans today, but it’s not a big deal to me either way.
The Sunday game, on the other hand, is a game about which I am likely to feel some passion. As a long-time resident of Cleveland, I have football reasons to hate both the Steelers and the Broncos. And yet my dislike for Denver has softened over the years, while my contempt for the Steelers remains inexplicably intense. And so, against all odds, I’ll be cheering for the unlikely Broncos to upset the hobbled Steelers on Sunday afternoon.
Falcons, Lions, Texans, and Broncos: that’s my slate this weekend. Two NFC road teams and two AFC home teams.
If the Lions win tonight, we’ll know right away that they’ll be coming back to Green Bay next Sunday, and the Packers can start preparing for a familiar foe. If the Saints win tonight, however, then we’ll wait to see whether the Falcons or Giants will visit the Frozen Tundra on the 15th.
And so, for this one weekend at least, in the ongoing battle between man and beast, I am on the side of the animal kingdom. Go, Lions! Go, Falcons!
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