The Extra Point
Sorry, Yogi. Maybe it is over before it’s over. Just take a look at most of the NFL division races.
The NFC West will be over if Seattle loses at Carolina on Sunday. The AFC West looks done in favor of Kansas City. Both South divisions are runaways for the Saints in the NFC, the Texans — yes, the formerly 0-3 Texans — in the AFC. Pittsburgh appears to be more in a race for the top overall AFC seed than any challenge in the North. Chicago has a choke hold on the NFC North.
And did anyone think New England would be challenged in the AFC East? Combine the three other rosters in that sector and the resulting team might not challenge Tom Brady and the Patriots.
That leaves one division in serious doubt, and with some serious turmoil: the NFC East.
You’ll never hear a coach or general manager or owner claim anything is in the bag until, well, it’s in the bag, tied up and secured in a safe place. So don’t ask Sean Payton or Sean McVay or Matt Nagy about playoff byes and home-field advantages.
“For us, there’s so many different things we can get better at,” Rams’ coach McVay says, “and that’s the exciting thing about it is with football, there’s this never-ending goal of continuing to improve and focus on the little things. Whether that’s situational football, whether that’s taking care of it or taking it away defensively. So, there’s a lot of things within the framework of every single situation.
“Then, it’s going to be about continuing to improve and playing team football. If we do that, then we think good things are going to happen, but it’s going to be a tough stretch. We’ve got some great games coming up. For us, when we get back, the No. 1 focus will be on the Detroit Lions and then we’ll go from there.”
But it’s crystal clear what’s going on in most divisions, even before we reach December.
In the NFC East, Dallas (6-5) unquestionably has the inside track, especially owning wins over Washington (6-5), which has lost QB Alex Smith, and struggling Philadelphia (4-6). And you still can’t count out the Giants (3-7), just as receiver Odell Beckham Jr. pointed out a couple weeks ago, before the Giants won their past two games.
That might be the only division race in question come late December.