And it certainly provides some insight in Thursday’s epic Ice Bowl rematch between Green Bay and Dallas. And, yet again, signs indicate that Green Bay, and not Dallas, is the team to beat in the NFC.
Here's we use our Quality Standings to separate the pretenders from the contenders, while highlighting those teams we just can't figure out. Our most recent Quality Standings are found below and, as always,
in our Quality Stats section.
MORE LEGIT THAN M.C. HAMMER circa 1990
Green Bay – The Packers are clearly the class of the NFC. Their 3-0 record vs. Quality Opponents tops the NFL’s senior circuit and is second in the entire league only to 11-0 New England’s 4-0 mark.
Green Bay has outscored its three Quality Opponents (Chargers, N.Y. Giants and Lions) by +13.3 PPG. Thaht scoring differential against Quality Opponents is also clearly the best in the NFC. In fact, only one other NFC team, the Cardinals, have a positive scoring differential against Quality Teams, and Arizona's is a meager +3.3.
Pittsburgh – Yes, the Steelers still suffer the same syndrome that plagued them during the Cowher Years: they play well for a period and then get caught up in their press clippings and don’t show up for games against bad teams. Note Exhibit A (loss to Cardinals), Exhibit B (loss to Broncos) and the damning evidence of Exhibit C (loss to Jets).
But when the Steelers actually know the have to play, they do produce. Pittsburgh is a nifty 3-0 vs. Quality Opponents – only New England (4-0) is better – and has outscored those Quality Teams by a league-leading +17.0 PPG.
MORE FRAUDULENT THAN MARXIST THEORY
Dallas – That’s right, the Cowboys. America’s Team has made a lot of noise this year. But they’ve made all that noise playing a JV schedule. Dallas has faced just three teams this year with winning records. The ‘Boys got smoked by 21 points at home by New England. They won their other two games against Quality Teams, but both were against the Giants, who they beat by a combined 21 points in two games. (The Packers, for their part, destroyed the Giants by 22 points (35-13) in their one meeting in Week 2.)
Also, no team in the entire NFL has given up more points against Quality Opponents than Dallas (34.3). That’s right. Nobody.
As for the rest of the Dallas schedule? The opponents in its other eight games are a combined 29-58 (.333). Dallas may prove better than Green Bay on Thursday night.
But there’s no evidence that this is a team that’s built to win three straight against Quality Opponents in the postseason.
Buffalo – Made a little noise with its four-game win streak, but the Bills are now 0-5 vs. Quality Teams, 5-1 against the NFL’s great unwashed masses.
Houston – See “Buffalo” above.
MORE PSYCHOTIC THAN NORMAN BATES
Arizona – The Cardinals are the worst franchise in the history of North American sports, and embarrassment to sports fans of all stripes, colors and creeds. Simply note the two playoff victories in the franchises 87 years of NFL play, or the 37 points the surrendered Sunday to a San Francisco offense so inept that WE scored more often in high school.
Yet Arizona has won three of its four games against Quality Teams, beating Seattle, Pittsburgh, Detroit, while losing to Tampa Bay.
Of course, the pathetic Cardinals have now lost not once but twice to San Francisco, a team that’s 1-8 in its nine games against teams who are NOT the Cardinals.
Still, if Arizona plucked a lucky clover from the green, green garden of gridiron and somehow stumbled into the playoffs, their 3-1 record vs. Quality Teams tells us the Cards might actually make some noise – like maybe compete for a half or so in a wildcard game.
Denver – The Broncos are clearly the most psychotic team this side of the Bates Motel. Just look into the dead shark eyes of Mike Shanahan, and you can be fairly certain he has his mother’s body in the basement of Invesco Field somewhere.
The Broncos got crushed 41-3 by San Diego, then went out in their next game and edged Pittsburgh 31-28. To further confuse the uncluttered mind of the average Cold, Hard Football Facts reader, the Broncos hung tough with Green Bay, falling 19-13, a week before being humiliated, 44-7, by a Detroit organization so inept it gets a special parking spot in front of Wal-Mart.
At the end of the day, though, the Broncos are 5-6 and one spot out of first place in the AFC West. And as we noted last week, they’ve faced the toughest schedule in football this year, as noted by their 2-5 record vs. Quality Opponents. No team has faced so many winning teams. In fact, only Minnesota has faced at least six. Denver may not make much noise in the playoffs, but the fact that the Broncos are just one game out after facing so many Quality Teams gives us a sneaking suspicion that they might still just steal the AFC West division title.
