After the first quarter of the National Football
League's regular season has been completed, some indications of how this season
will progress can be discerned. Parity reigns as only three undefeated teams
and two winless teams remain. As usually occurs, some teams have fallen short
of expectations. Others have surprised the league with their level of success.
As we head into October, a glance at the results so far is warranted.
AMERICAN FOOTBALL CONFERENCE
AFC East: This division is not as tight as it
appears at first glance. While the Patriots, Jets and Bills all share a tally
of two wins and two losses so far, Buffalo has lost one game each to the other
two.
AFC North: Baltimore has nudged ahead of division
due to a win over Cincinnati and a two and a half overall lead over Pittsburgh.
Cleveland appears a serious contender for the first pick of the draft in April.
AFC South: Houston is pulling away from the rest
of the pack. The Texans already have defeated the Jaguars and the Titans in
addition to other intra-conference victories.
AFC West: San Diego and Denver have already made
this a two-team race for the divisional crown. The Chargers have two wins with
the division; the Broncos, one. In contrast, Oakland already has lost two
divisional games. The Chiefs’ sole win occurred over an NFC team while losing
one in the division and another one within the conference.
NATIONAL FOOTBALL CONFERENCE
NFC East: Philadelphia holds a one game lead
over Dallas and Washington. However, neither of those trailing teams has played
the Eagles yet. Despite only trailing the Eagles by one game in the standings,
the Giants’ deficit is greater due to two divisional losses, one to
Philadelphia.
NFC North: Minnesota holds a slight lead over
Chicago and Green Bay. The former lost a divisional game while the latter is a
game out of first place. The
Vikings will have to wait until next month to start securing the divisional
title since they play within the division for 5 of the last seven games. The
Lions are slipping back to their habitual level of putridity after finally
giving their fans a reason to cheer with a playoff appearance last season.
NFC South: Atlanta is running away with the
division. The Falcons are undefeated, including a divisional win. The other
three teams have at least three losses each. The Saints are proving the
importance of a permanent coach in charge of a team, especially when the head
coach also serves as offensive coordinator. The loss of Sean Payton has
crippled the Saints’ hopes of hosting the Super Bowl.
NFC West: Arizona has surprised the league with
its undefeated start. However, San Francisco only trails by one game and has
yet to play a divisional game. Seattle’s suspicious victory over Green Bay the
Seahawks’ plight, winless in two divisional games.
COPYRIGHT BY CHARLES KASTRIOT SEPTEMBER 2012
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