One down, 11 to go.
With their 27-6 drubbing of the New York Giants, the Philadelphia Eagles have clinched their fourth straight NFC East title and become the first and only team to secure a spot in the playoffs.
The Eagles beat the Giants using the same basic formula which has propelled the team to a nearly perfect 10-1 record:
The offense is characterized by a West Coast passing attack led by Donovan McNabb and Terrell Owens, with the occasional but effective running of Brian Westbrook to keep teams honest.
Defensively, the Eagles continued to be extremely aggressive, particularly in blitzing situations, rendering Giants rookie quarterback Eli Manning totally ineffective.
Despite the win and impressive record, Eagles fans should continue to worry about the team's inability to defend against the run. Tiki Barber rushed 19 times for 110 yards on Sunday, averaging 5.8 ypc.
Even Ron Dayne got into the mix, rushing three times for 24 yards. No team, even a 10-1 team, should ever let Ron Dayne rush for eight yards per carry. Ever.
It's a telltale stat, and while the Eagles easily disposed of the Giants and are the clear frontrunners for the NFC crown, they still need to improve against the run. Otherwise, opponents will simply replicate the Pittsburgh Steelers' formula to beating them: run the ball right down their throats, eat up the clock and keep Donovan and Terrell on the bench, where they can alternately yell at and ignore one another.
The Eagles will have to stop the run eventually, but what of the other 11 teams that will eventually be joining them in the playoffs? Over the last two weeks, Inside the NFL has made playoff predictions for each conference. Looking at the most concrete of these picks (for now the New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers, Atlanta Falcons, Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay Packers and Indianapolis Colts), here are some potential weaknesses:
Pats: Errr, is none an acceptable answer? The Pats can throw a wide receiver in at nickleback and all of a sudden he's intercepting passes. The only potential problem New England could face is injury. They've been banged up all year, and it's going to be difficult to stay healthy during the stretch run. The first week bye will be key for the team to rest up. Other than that, New England should still be the favorite to win it all.
Steelers: Another tough call based on the way that the team's playing right now, but experience could be the crucial factor if the Steelers fall to the Pats or Colts in the playoffs. Ben Roethlisberger has been amazing, 9-0 as a starter, but he's still a rookie. He's played with incredible poise, but in the playoffs, some team will focus on shutting down the running game. Then it will all be on Roethlisberger's shoulders, and while the Steelers' defense is probably the best in football, that won't be enough. Putting it another way, if you had to put money on a rookie quarterback in an AFC championship game, would you?
Falcons: While the team's flaws have been largely ignored during a four-game winning streak, they'll reappear come playoff time. Close observers will note that the Falcons' defense is still inconsistent. While the defensive numbers have been decent of late, this unit isn't that far removed from the one that gave up 56 points to the Kansas City Chiefs a month ago. QB Michael Vick needed to perform his usual heroics late in the game to stave off an upset by the New Orleans Saints, one of the worst teams in football, and while he's incredible to watch he still has some problems in the West Coast system.
Vikes: It's a one man show. Culpepper's amazing and Minnesota is his team, but the Vikes just can't win without Randy Moss. Stop him and you win the game, period. The defense also gives up a lot of points. Minnesota might be able to squeak out a first round victory due to Moss's superhuman heroics, but that's it.
Pack: Defense wins championships. Every fan loves Brett Favre, and the Green Bay offense is one of the most potent around, but they won't be able to win shoot-out after shoot-out. The Pack will clinch the North and might make it as far as the NFC championship game, but a Super Bowl is out of the question if the team doesn't find some more defensive consistency.
Colts: Watching Peyton Manning is like watching that kid in Pop Warner who clearly was left back three to four times and is twice the age of the competition. The guy's in his own world, as anyone who watched his Thanksgiving feast of the Detroit Lions' defense (not a bad unit actually) could see. But as unworldly as Peyton's offense is, the Colts suffer from the same problem as the Packers. Without defensive improvements, they just can't make it all the way.
