During the course of the pro football season, it’s
always important to check schedules. Some teams might be looking ahead
to next week’s opponent, while others might be in the middle of a
grueling schedule against strong teams or even several road games.
We’ve played six weeks of the NFL season and here’s a look at some
potential sleeper teams that catch a scheduling break over the next
month and those with some challenging schedules.
Jaguars:
Jacksonville had a bye this weekend. After a 12-4 2005 season, the
Jaguars are sitting at 3-2 looking up (as usual) at the Colts in the
AFC South. Disappointment? Not really. The schedule has been tough,
taking on 3 playoff teams from last year and another (Dallas) that is
expected to be fighting for the NFC crown this year. Despite injuries,
they have been impressive, shutting out the defending champs, topping
Dallas and giving the Colts a fight on the road before losing 21-14.
The
schedule the rest of the way is easier. Over the next four weeks the
Jaguars play the Titans once and the Texans twice. Down the road, they
also get a rematch with the Colts at home in December and also play the
Titans again, the Bills, Dolphins, Jets and Chiefs. Remember that this
is a talented and physical Jaguars defense and the offense is more
aggressive this season. Don’t put the Colts down as division champs
just yet.
Patriots: New England is also off its bye and sports a
4-1 record, so they are not a sleeper team. However, despite playing
only 5 games, the toughest part of the schedule is actually BEHIND
them. They won at Cincinnati and they only have one tough road game
remaining (at Jacksonville). The only other tough games are the Colts
and Bears, both at home. With the AFC East pretty much a joke, they
will have little trouble winning the division, so their focus will be
on improving the pass defense and clinching as high a spot as possible
for the postseason. When they won Super Bowls in 2003 and 2004, the
Pats were the No. 1 seed in the AFC each time and had home field
through the AFC playoffs. That’s something they didn’t have last year
(losing at Denver).
Colts: Will the Colts go undefeated THIS
season? No. They have road games remaining at Denver, New England,
Dallas and Jacksonville, as well as home games with the Redskins,
Eagles and Bengals. They might not even get the No. 1 seed.
Steelers:
Some folks were counting the defending champs out after that 1-3 start.
Ben Roethlisberger had morphed into turnover prone Kerry Collins and
the ship appeared to be springing leaks. Sunday’s 45-7 thrashing of
Kansas City should stop folks from burying the champs. This is still a
talented team that lost almost nothing from last year’s team. However,
one thing not in its favor is the schedule. Pittsburgh plays six of its
final 10 games on the road and has to play at Atlanta, at Baltimore, at
Carolinaand at Cincy, and then they have a home date against a
revenge-minded Broncos squad. They are good enough to repeat, but might
be looking at more road playoff games, provided they can survive the
tough slate of games.
Chargers: The schedule-maker has been kind
to San Diego. The Chargers just flattened the 49ers Sunday and stand at
4-1. The rest of the season they have some easy games with the Chiefs
(twice), Browns, Raiders, Bills and Cardinals. If they don’t make the
playoffs this season it’s their own fault (again).
Bears:
Everyone’s raving about the Bears, and rightfully so. They’ve been
terrific, with a punishing defense and a new-found explosive offense.
However, take a look at Chicago’s schedule beginning November 12. They
play four of five games on the road, including three in a row at the NY
Giants, the Jets and the Patriots. Throw in a Dec. 12 game at the Rams
and that’s a tough 5-game stretch. Another thing to consider is that
they will be playing several teams during that run that play a physical
style on defense (Giants, Pats, Jets Vikings, and Rams). Three of those
teams have new coaches (Jets, Vikings, Rams) who have been preaching
aggressive, physical play on defense. The Bears need to not only stay
competitive in November but also avoid injuries against those teams.
Seahawks:
I know it’s still early, but the Seahawks appear to be a shoo-in to get
the No. 1 seed in the NFC again. They just had a huge win at St. Louis
Sunday, coming from way back to win 30-28 on a 54-yard field goal.
Their schedule the rest of the season looks easy, with the only tough
road game at Denver. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.
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