An NFC South rivalry renewed and other NFL thoughts

(1) The Atlanta-New Orleans rivalry doesn't get as much publicity as the Pittsburgh-Baltimore rivalry or even some of the NFC East rivalries, but rest assured that when the Saints and Falcons get together it is as chippy and hard-fought as any other.  Prior to Monday night, this bitter and tightly contested series had seen the last six games decided by a touchdown or less and the past four by a field goal each.  Last night, however, the Saints demonstrated for the entire nation how much the gap between the two teams was growing as the playoffs loom.  They didn't just beat their arch-rival handily, they dominated the Falcons in every phase of the game.  First of all, the New Orleans offense stayed on the field on night long as they converted 77% of their third down opportunities against a defense that was hell-bent on stopping them.  The Falcons shouldn't feel too bad about their inability to get off the field against the Saints because New Orleans entered the game leading the NFL in third down efficiency with a 55% conversion rate.  Secondly, New Orleans flaunted their abundance of offensive riches as five different players scored touchdowns and Drew Brees accounted for four of the TDs through the air.  The Saints were so good even though they were two men down as Mark Ingram didn't dress for the game and Lance Moore went off with an injury in the first half.  With Brees calling the shots and talented guys like Pierre Thomas, Marques Colston and Jimmy Graham making plays with the football, this is an offense that no defense wants to face in the playoffs.  Finally, the Saints exhibited an offensive balance that was reminiscent of their Super Bowl-winning season of 2010.  Although he struggled at times in the second half, Brees still threw for over 300 yards and four touchdowns.  In addition, they got 164 yards rushing from their three-headed running attack and they averaged an eye-popping 7.1 yards per carry along the way.  After all was said and done, it is safe to say that the Falcons want no part of the Saints in the playoffs.  As a result, they have to take care of business against Tampa Bay this coming Sunday and hope and pray that the Green Bay Packers find a way to beat the Detroit Lions, so that they can be the five seed and earn a trip to New York or Dallas instead of a Wild Card weekend visit to the Bayou.

You can excuse the Saints' fans for getting excited like a kid on Christmas at the prospect of hosting the Falcons in the playoffs after the way that their offense has dominated Atlanta mentally and physically this season.  In the first meeting, the specter of facing Drew Brees even one more time caused Mike Smith to make the ill-fated decision to go for a fourth down deep in his own territory.  Last night, Smith and his defensive coaches had no answer for the record-setting quarterback when the game was still in doubt in the first half.  Brees wasn't perfect, but he did just enough to bring down one of the game's most hallowed records, which had been owned by Dan Marino for the past 27 seasons.  Even though Brees' new record for passing yards in a season probably won't last as long as Marino's, he can still be proud of his accomplishments especially when you consider the adversity that he has faced in his career.  If you remember back to when he came out of Purdue University, there were many "experts" that believed he was too short to play the quarterback position in the NFL.  After he hurt his shoulder following several productive seasons in San Diego, there were many "experts," including Nick Saban, that believed he was damaged goods.  When he signed with New Orleans, both sides were taking a leap of faith, but no one can complain about how things have turned out.  In his six seasons in the Bayou, Brees has delivered three division titles, one Super Bowl victory and countless memorable moments.  It is pretty clear that the Saints are the NFC's best hope to dethrone the Packers, so there may be a few more wonderful memories to be created in the next month or so.

(2) The New York Jets are the biggest phonies in the NFL.  They are supposed to "Ground and Pound", but their offense has been grounded and their defense has usually been the one being pounded.  This is what happens when your running game consists of a not-ready-for-primetime Shonn Greene and an over-the-hill LaDanian Tomlinson or when your defense prefers to live off their reputation rather than to continually establish new reputations.  They are supposed to be the Road Warriors that have won four road playoff games over the last two seasons on their way to back-to-back conference championship game appearances.  Unfortunately, it has struck midnight on their penchant for winning road games because their 2-5 road record has nearly unraveled their season completely.  Now they face a must-win game in South Beach to keep their dimming playoff hopes alive.  Even if they do manage to pull a rabbit out of their hat against the Dolphins, they are still unlikely to make the postseason because they need about half the NFL to help them out by losing.  They are supposed to be the biggest bullies on the block behind a physical offense, suffocating defense and confident coaching staff.  Unfortunately, they have failed to deliver on any of things they sold their fans before the season started.  Being a Jets' fan must feel like getting an Etch-a-sketch when you ordered an iPad2.  Their failures start and end with two people: Rex Ryan and Mark Sanchez.  Ryan continued to talk tougher and tougher even when the checks he was writing were obviously never going to be cashed.  Even though he would probably claim that his comments were the result of the confidence he had in his team, it became very apparent that they were fast becoming a distraction and overcompensation for something that was lurking underneath the surface.  Ultimately, Rex needs to shut his mouth because it is never a good idea when the head coach overshadows the rest of the organization.  Hopefully, this latest indignity suffered at the hands of the New York Giants, in addition to his confrontation with Brandon Jacobs, will cause Ryan to take it down two notches.  Sadly, the Jets could have overcome Ryan's bragging and boasting had they had a credible NFL quarterback calling the shots.  Sanchez had managed to "manage" his way to the doorstep of the Super Bowl on two different occasions, but it is clear that he is a player whose confidence has been shot full of more holes than a piece of Swiss cheese.  How many more bounced passes or passes sailed over the heads of receivers will it take before the Jets realize that they have a problem at quarterback?  On Christmas Eve, it was apparent to anyone that watched that Sanchez was not only the worst quarterback in New York City, but also the worst quarterback in the AFC East.  Personally, as a fan of the Seattle Seahawks, I'm ecstatic that they chose Aaron Curry over Sanchez because I would rather miss on a linebacker than on a player who was supposed to be a franchise quarterback.  In the end, it will probably be a good thing to miss the playoffs because perhaps the Jets can use the time to reflect on their mistakes and come back better for it in 2012.

(3) Quick Hits

• Fair or unfair, Tony Romo's legacy is going to be further tarnished by the injury that knocked him out of the loss to the Eagles.  Even though the Cowboys would not have clinched anything by beating Philadelphia, it is another example of a time when Romo was unable to deliver when his team needed him most.  Does anyone, outside of the Dallas Metroplex, believe that Dallas is going to march in to MetLife Stadium and exit with a victory?  If so, then I have some waterfront property that you might interest you in Omaha, Nebraska.
• The shine has quickly rubbed off of Tebow mania following back-to-back blowout losses to New England and Buffalo.  The biggest concern for Broncos' fans is that the take-care-of-the-football Tebow that they saw during the 7-1 stretch has morphed into the second coming of Akili Smith.  Tebow has fumbled the football three times (losing one) in the last two weeks and he threw four huge interceptions in the loss to Buffalo.  If the Chiefs can force Tebow to make mistakes, then Kyle Orton will likely get his revenge.
• The Indianapolis Colts are quickly playing themselves out of the Andrew Luck sweepstakes.  After winning two games in a row, they are deadlocked with the St. Louis Rams for the first pick in the 2012 NFL Draft.  They would still own the pick, based on tiebreakers, if they end the year with the same record.  Unfortunately, the Colts have about a 50-50 chance to beat the Jaguars in Week 17, while the Rams have no chance to beat San Francisco this weekend.
• The Ravens better hope that they earn a top two seed in the AFC because I wouldn't bet on them in a road game if I was using my worst enemy's money.  Baltimore is a pristine 8-0 at home following their 20-14 victory over Cleveland, but they are only 3-4 on the road.  One of their road victories was at Pittsburgh, but they have had some ugly losses away from Chesapeake Bay.
• Congratulations to the Detroit Lions for making the playoffs for the first time since 1999.  They nearly had their season permanently implode in the middle, but they have rebounded nicely behind Matthew Stafford, who has thrown nine touchdowns and zero interceptions during their current three-game winning streak.