NFL: Week 14 knee-jerk reactions
December, 11, 2012
12/11/12
1:35
PM ET
By ESPN.com staff | ESPN.com
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 14
| Team | Knee-jerk reaction | Reality or not? |
|---|---|---|
| NFC EAST by Dan Graziano | ||
 | Wait. We've won four out of five? How did that happen with our horrible coach and our horrible quarterback and our horrible owner who's killing the franchise by insisting on being his own GM? I thought I hated this team. What gives? | The Cowboys are playing pretty well, and while the rest of the schedule isn't easy, they have played their way into the hunt for both the division title and the wild-card spot. If you look at this as a building-block season in Dallas (as you should), it's turned encouraging. |
 | Chatter all you want, Cowboys and Redskins fans. We're still the champs until you take it from us. We still have a one-game lead and we just dropped 52 on Drew Brees and his gang with our backup running back. | All of that is true, but the Giants' season still comes down to two tough road games the next two weeks in Atlanta and Baltimore and then a home finale against the Eagles, who have won eight of their last nine against them. The Giants remain favorites, but they're far from taking it all home. |
 | Nick Foles! Nick Foles! Did you see the way he came back in the fourth quarter! Is it possible we've found our new quarterback? | Sure, it's possible. Foles did look poised and sharp when it mattered most. But he also was doing it against the league's worst pass defense, so let's not assume all of the kinks are worked out just yet. Foles has three more games to audition for next year, and they may not go as well as Sunday's did. |
 | Hey, uh... those Robert Griffin III MRI results... he's gonna be OK, right? Right????? | It sounds as though Griffin has dodged a serious knee injury, but it remains possible that he'll have to miss this week's game against the red-hot Browns. Kirk Cousins looked fine in relief, but can he handle a whole game against a good defense like Cleveland's? The season could rest on the answer. |
| NFC WEST by Mike Sando | ||
 | The Cardinals' nine-game losing streak and 58-0 defeat at Seattle proves this team needs more than a new quarterback. Arizona needs a total organizational overhaul from the general manager on down. This franchise is in trouble. | The evidence is piling up, no doubt. Arizona has fallen behind its division rivals at quarterback. The other NFC West teams appear to have stronger general managers, too. Coach Ken Whisenhunt talks about having a proven formula, but that formula hasn't worked without Kurt Warner. |
 | There's something a little unsettling about the 49ers as they recast their identity with Colin Kaepernick at quarterback. Do they have the same formula for success that served them so well in the recent past? That's tough to say. The team still hasn't won more than two in a row. | We'll find out soon enough. Trips to New England and Seattle over the next two weeks will largely define this regular season for San Francisco. It's tough knowing what to expect. |
 | Seattle is hotter than the 49ers at this point and should be able to unseat San Francisco for the NFC West crown with a little help from New England in Week 15. Victories over Buffalo (in Toronto), San Francisco (home) and St. Louis (home) should do it. | If the Seahawks are for real, they'll win the game against Buffalo and then run the table at home. Anything less than that would expose the Seahawks as a young team not quite ready to take the next step. That wouldn't be such a bad thing, either, given where the team has been previously. |
 | Don't anoint the 49ers and Seahawks as the only playoff teams from the NFC West just yet. The Rams are 4-0-1 against the division. Their current three-game winning streak makes them the hottest team in the West. This race isn't over yet. | The Rams have a good thing going. It's true that their current winning streak is longer than any for the 49ers or Seahawks this season. St. Louis hasn't been consistent enough offensively to inspire a ton of confidence in running the table, however. |
| NFC NORTH by Kevin Seifert | ||
 | This team is cooked. | The Bears started 7-1, beating two teams that currently have winning records, and now have lost four of their past five. They currently hold the sixth and final NFC playoff spot but are a team going in the wrong direction at the wrong time. They need to win at least two, if not all, of their three remaining games to qualify for the playoffs. They'll need to do so with a roster full of again and injured veterans. Tough duty. |
 | The Lions need to lose Sunday at the Arizona Cardinals to help their draft positioning. | It's once again come down to this for the Lions, who are one of five 4-9 teams in the NFL at the moment. The Cardinals are one of them. Only three teams have worse records, which means the Lions are in contention for a top-5 pick in the draft. You can do the math. |
 | The Packers are going to win the NFC North in a runaway. | After starting 2-3, the Packers have won seven of their past eight games to overtake the Bears. They'll have a chance to clinch the division Sunday at Soldier Field against a Bears team that has lost four of five. There is no question who has momentum. |
 | Adrian Peterson is going to rush for 2,000 yards this season. | If willpower is the driving force, there is no doubt how this story will end. Peterson's season is one of the all-time comebacks in sports history. |
| NFC SOUTH by Pat Yaskinskas | ||
 | The Falcons are poised for another playoff fiasco after Sunday's loss to Carolina exposed numerous flaws. | History could end up repeating itself. But it's also possible this Week 14 loss might be a much-needed wake-up call for Atlanta. |
 | The victory against Atlanta will be enough to save Ron Rivera's job. | A single win, although very significant, isn't going to save Rivera's job. But it puts him in a much better position. If the Panthers can play well in their last three games, Rivera has a chance. |
 | Drew Brees has lost it after throwing nine interceptions in the last three games. | Relax. Brees is still one of the best quarterbacks in the league. His receivers and offensive line haven't been doing a great job, and that's prompted Brees to force too many throws. |
 | Maybe Josh Freeman isn't a franchise quarterback. | There's no doubt Freeman's performance against Philadelphia was bad. But this guy has made a lot of progress this season, and it seems very likely the Bucs will try to sign him to a contract extension after the season. |
NFC EAST SCOREBOARD
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ABOUT THIS BLOG
Dan Graziano
Graziano joined ESPN.com in 2011 after two years as a Senior NFL Writer for AOL FanHouse. He covered Major League Baseball, the Olympics and various other sports during his time at the Star-Ledger and the Palm Beach Post. A New Jersey native and author of two published novels, he now lives in Ridgewood, N.J., with his wife and two sons.
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