Dallas Cowboys Report

NFL: Week 13 knee-jerk reactions

December, 4, 2012

12/04/12

2:05

PM CT

By ESPN.com staff

You’ve heard the chatter by the sports pundits and on the talk shows. Heck, you might even have heard it here. So, are the knee-jerk reactions about your team based in reality? Our NFL bloggers weigh in.

NFC Knee-jerk Reactions | AFC Knee-jerk Reactions

WEEK 13

Team	Knee-jerk reaction	Reality or not?
NFC EAST by Dan Graziano
	Am I crazy to think this team has a shot at the playoffs? Only one game out of the last wild-card spot, and not even out of the division race yet. If they could just put two good halves together one of these weeks!	The reality is, 6-6 is in the race (though the head-to-head loss to 7-5 Seattle hurts). But the Cowboys need to play very tough the next two weeks against tough, physical AFC North teams, and tough and physical isn't their game. Still a ways from celebrating.
	What the heck? We had this, right? Only good team in the division. Should have put it away weeks ago. Now I'm starting to think this is going to be a repeat of 2009 and 2010, not 2011.	The loss to the Redskins brought this possibility back into play. The Giants still hold the division lead, but with games still to go against the Saints, Falcons, Ravens and perennial nemesis Eagles, it won't be easy.
	Uh ... Let me see if the Sixers are on.	Just waiting for the clock to run out in Philadelphia at this point. No reason to think the Eagles will win any of their last four games, and the only remaining drama is who'll be the next coach and how high (currently fourth) they'll pick in the draft. Yowza.
	RG3! RG3! RG3! We're a game out in the division, a game out in the wild card, hold all the tiebreakers and ... well ... RG3!!! Redskins to the Super Bowl!!!!!	They look really good, and they just went 3-0 against division teams at a critical time of the year. The defense is held together with chicken wire, but it's working. How much chicken wire do they have?
NFC WEST by Mike Sando
	Ken Whisenhunt cannot possibly survive what is now his third consecutive season with a losing streak of at least six games. Ryan Lindley? Really? This cannot end well.	That might not be far from the truth. An eight-game losing streak and no progress at quarterback isn't the way for a coach to state his case for a seventh season on the job.
	Jim Harbaugh blew it. He messed with a good thing when he benched Alex Smith. Colin Kaepernick showed against the Rams he's not ready for prime time. Way to wreck the season, coach.	Lots of coaches make safe decisions to buffer themselves from potential criticism. Harbaugh made a bold move. He'll take the heat if this QB decision fails to produce a deep playoff run.
	How many quarterbacks in Seahawks history could lead 97- and 80-yard drives against the Bears' defense to win at Soldier Field? I'll take your answer off the air.	Russell Wilson might be the only one. The early evidence suggests he'll be the first legitimate franchise quarterback the Seahawks have drafted and developed.
	Beating the 49ers shows the Rams can hang with anyone. They'll beat the Bills this week. They can beat or have beaten every team on their schedule. Playoffs or bust, baby.	The Rams are 4-0-1 inside the division and 1-6 outside it. Their lone remaining division game is at Seattle, where the Seahawks are 5-0. St. Louis lost at home to Mark Sanchez and the Jets, so let's hold off on the parade for now.
NFC NORTH by Kevin Seifert
	The Bears' defense is old.	It sure looked that way in the fourth quarter and overtime against the Seattle Seahawks and rookie quarterback Russell Wilson. Middle linebacker Brian Urlacher (hamstring), outside linebacker Lance Briggs (ankle) and cornerback Charles Tillman (foot) are all nursing injuries. Defensive end Julius Peppers isn't on the injury report but has taken veteran rest days during the practice week to ensure he is fresh for game day.
	The Lions are a lot further away than they appeared at the end of last season.	The Lions have talent, but perhaps not as much as they thought. They have a strong nucleus, but it probably isn't as deep as they hoped. When you follow up 10-6 with 4-8, you have to question which one is the mirage.
	The Green Bay Packers will never be healthy this season.	It doesn't appear to be their year to maintain a consistent lineup. Receiver Greg Jennings finally returned after nearly two months away, but in the same game receiver Jordy Nelson reinjured his hamstring. That's the way it's gone this season for the Packers.
	The Christian Ponder era is a failure.	It's too early to say that. But Ponder is close to putting the Vikings in a really tough spot this offseason. If he can't finish the season strong, the Vikings will have to take a big leap of faith to give him an unquestioned third year as their starter.
NFC SOUTH by Pat Yasinskas
	Atlanta's defense is coming together at the right time.	It sure seems like coordinator Mike Nolan's system is taking hold. In their last two games, the Falcons have shut down running back Doug Martin and produced five interceptions from Drew Brees. That's the type of defensive play we haven't seen from the Falcons in recent years.
	The Panthers have the worst defense in the division.	The numbers say New Orleans and Tampa Bay are far worse, but sometimes numbers don't tell the whole story. The defense was responsible for the loss at Kansas City because it couldn't keep the Chiefs' offense off the field.
	After throwing a career-high five interceptions against Atlanta, it seems even Drew Brees is having a bad season.	There's no question Brees had a horrible game, and putting him against the Giants' pass rush this week is a bit scary. But Brees is just as capable of throwing five touchdowns as he is five interceptions.
	Sunday's loss to Denver pretty much ends Tampa Bay's playoff hopes.	The loss certainly didn't help, but the Bucs remain very much in the playoff picture. At 6-6, they're only one win off the pace for the final wild-card spot. But they may have to run the table to get into the postseason.

Team	Knee-jerk reaction	Reality or not?
AFC EAST by James Walker
	The Bills are hot. They will run the table and make the playoffs.	The Bills have won two of three and that's not hot enough. At 5-7, they would need a lot of luck to even have a chance at the playoffs. It's a wrap.
	I keep going back and forth on this Ryan Tannehill guy. One week I think he's Dan Marino, and the next week I think he's another Chad Henne. Which is it?	Well, Tannehill is neither. Let's not put too many expectations on his going to the Hall of Fame. But also don't label him a draft bust after each bad game as a rookie.
	I'm getting a little worried, Walker. The Patriots scored only 23 points when I'm used to them scoring 40 points. Is my bar too high?	Relax, Patriots fans. New England won't light up the scoreboard every week. Miami's defense is tough at home. New England will be fine.
	Greg McElroy for president! He's much better than those two tomato cans: Mark Sanchez and Tim Tebow.	Let's keep McElroy's performance in perspective. He threw for only 29 yards in New York's 7-6 victory. Let's not crown him as the next Tom Brady just yet.
AFC WEST by Bill Williamson
	Denver is going to get the No. 2 seed and a bye in the AFC playoffs now that it is 9-3 and tied with Baltimore and New England for the second-best record in the conference.	Not so fast. Yes, Denver has an NFL-high seven-game winning streak and is playing at a high level. But New England and Baltimore won't roll over. The Broncos have to keep on winning if they expect to get the bye.
	Brady Quinn should be considered a candidate to start next year after having the best Total QBR game of any Kansas City quarterback in the past five years in a win against Carolina.	Let's see if he can keep it up. If Quinn can be efficient and timely in the final four games, maybe he can be considered a contender for the job next year, but I think the Chiefs will look for a new starter.
	There is a legitimate chance Dennis Allen will last just one season in Oakland.	I'm starting to think it's a real possibility. If the 3-9 Raiders go winless in the final four games, owner Mark Davis will have a hard timing finding a reason to keep Allen. I think he needs another year, but it's not my call.
	The Chargers could go 4-12 and end up losing 11 of their final 12 games.	Why not? Does this team look capable of winning a game right now? Offensively, it is a mess, and the defense folds in the fourth quarter. I don't think the Chargers will go winless the rest of the season, but it is clearly possible.
AFC NORTH by Jamison Hensley
	The Ravens lost to a third-string quarterback at home. How can anyone expect them to beat RG3, Peyton Manning, Eli Manning and Andy Dalton the rest of this month? That Steelers loss has created a lot of doubts.	The loss to the Steelers is deflating, especially because it came against an undermanned division rival. But the Ravens can still clinch a playoff berth Sunday with a win at Washington and can make a run at the No. 2 seed in the AFC by beating the Broncos.
	The Bengals have won four in a row. That comeback in San Diego shows this is a special team. Cincinnati is more than a playoff contender -- it's a Super Bowl contender.	The Bengals are one of the hottest teams in the league, but let's take a deep breath. Cincinnati shouldn't be able to say "Super Bowl" until these Bengals players win a playoff game first. Still, you have to be impressed with how the running game and defense have bounced back.
	The Browns have won four of their past seven games and are starting to look like a team on the upswing in 2013. Maybe the Browns shouldn't get rid of Pat Shurmur as head coach.	The new regime probably decided to part ways with Shurmur long before the Browns started to turn things around. The Browns already have pushed out president Mike Holmgren, and they probably will fire general manager Tom Heckert after the season. It's hard to believe Shurmur would survive the housecleaning.
	That win in Baltimore in going to catapult the Steelers. This is starting to look like 2005, when they won their last four games to make the playoffs as a wild-card team before winning the Super Bowl.	It's a nice story that the Steelers saved their season with a surprisingly strong effort by backup Charlie Batch. But the Steelers need Ben Roethlisberger to win the Super Bowl. His health will determine how far Pittsburgh goes in the postseason.
AFC SOUTH by Paul Kuharsky
	With our beat up secondary Tom Brady is going to light us up. I see 11-2.	The Texans have become masters at finding a way to win, and that could happen in New England, too.
	Remember when we doubted the idea of letting Peyton Manning go and drafting Andrew Luck? Me neither.	It's hard to say anything bad about the Colts' future. Or their present.
	Is this thing over yet?	With four games left, it's about evaluating youth and QB Chad Henne.
	Fire everyone. And convince me in the next four games that QB Jake Locker is the guy.	A new staff isn't always the answer when things go bad. Let's see what they do in the last month of the season.

Tags:

NFC East, NFC South, NFC North, NFC West, knee-jerk reactions

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UPCOMING GAMES

	W-L	PF	PA	HM	AW	STK	L10
MIA	0-0	.0	.0	0-0	0-0	W0
DAL	0-0	.0	.0	0-0	0-0	W0

	W-L	PF	PA	HM	AW	STK	L10
DAL	0-0	.0	.0	0-0	0-0	W0
OAK	0-0	.0	.0	0-0	0-0	W0

	W-L	PF	PA	HM	AW	STK	L10
DAL	0-0	.0	.0	0-0	0-0	W0
ARI	0-0	.0	.0	0-0	0-0	W0

TEAM	W	L	T	PF	PA
Dallas	0	0	0	0	0
NY Giants	0	0	0	0	0
Philadelphia	0	0	0	0	0
Washington	0	0	0	0	0

MAY 2013

Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
			1	2	3	4
5	6	7	8	9	10	11
12	13	14	15	16	17	18
19	20	21	22	23	24	25
26	27	28	29	30	31

Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
						1
2	3	4	5	6	7	8
9	10	11	12	13	14	15
16	17	18	19	20	21	22
23	24	25	26	27	28	29
30

Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
	1	2	3	4	5	6
7	8	9	10	11	12	13
14	15	16	17	18	19	20
21	22	23	24	25	26	27
28	29	30	31

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