NFC Hierarchy/Obituary with Week 10 in the books

An argument can be made now that eight teams in the NFC are realistically shot, that is if you include the awful Falcons and Panthers, who remain quasi-alive due to the terrible division where they reside. Here's this week's hierarchy, with one new obituary:

The Panthers have lost their last four games by a combined score of 124-57, or an average of 16.8 points per game. Cam Newton has caught a heavy dose of criticism, but it's not as if he has gotten much help. The Panthers' offensive line and offensive skill players are bad. But more importantly, Carolina's defense, which was such a dominant unit a year ago, has seen a drastic downturn in 2014:

Both the Panthers and Falcons are only a game behind the Saints in the NFC South, but both teams are just... so bad.

The Saints are 4-5, and somewhat of a joke in that they lead their division with a losing record. But they're probably a lot better than their record would indicate. Four of the Saints' five losses have been by three points or less, and as usual, they have an extremely potent offense. Here are the Top 10 offenses in yardage over the last 15 years, with the current season included:

If you find yourself in Vegas, I'd take a peek to see if the Saints' Super Bowl odds are a bargain.

I kind of don't know what to make of the Niners. They can lose to crappy teams like the Bears and Rams at home, but have beaten the Eagles, Chiefs, Cowboys, and Saints (at the Superdome). It's almost like they play to the level of their competition, except of course against the Broncos, who smoked them.

Dez Bryant had himself a game in London last Sunday, catching six passes for 158 yards and two TDs. He's on pace for his third consecutive 1200+ yard season. Meanwhile, DeMarco Murray continues to roll right along. He now has 1233 rushing yards on the season. The next closest rusher is 400+ yards behind him.

So that's great, right?

Sure. If the Cowboys make the playoffs.

But you know what those two guys have in common? They're both going to be free agents this offseason. Bryant is reportedly going to want to be paid like a top three receiver, and Murray certainly has an argument that he should be the highest paid running back in the game.

It's a good thing for Dallas that Jerry Jones and Co have managed their salary cap with clockwork efficiency in recent years and will have plenty of room to pay those guys.

Oh wait.

This season could actually wind up being a worst case scenario for the Cowboys if they're watching the playoffs from home yet again.

For the third consecutive game, Matthew Stafford led a game winning drive in the final two minutes. While he doesn't always put together a full game of good QB play, he's been as good with the game on the line as any QB in the league this season. Stafford is a rare example of a QB who actually has better numbers when his team is losing or tied.

The Seahawks' schedule the rest of the way is bruuuuutal:

That would be a winning % of .667, and the only team with a losing record above already beat the Hawks this season. The Seahawks just strung together wins against the Panthers, Raiders and Giants, or... Dumpster Fire Lane. Their title defense begins this week in Kansas City.

In their first three games this season, the Eagles had three sacks. Over the last six games, they've had 29, including five games with at least four sacks.

Before the season began, Invincible coach Dick Vermeil gave his thoughts on a timeframe on the Eagles'  Super Bowl chances on WIP:

"Someone asked me the other day how long is it going to take [the Eagles] to get to the Super Bowl," Vermeil said. "I said I think they can do it within three years. They got a quarterback, a left tackle, a running back and a wide receiver."

Vermeil did point out the one thing the Eagles do appear to be missing. "What they don't have is the obviously great pass rusher. Most Super Bowl teams have somebody that can really rush passer."

It appears the Eagles may have a bunch of guys who can rush the passer. So chalk that one up as a pleasant surprise. The quarterback situation, on the other hand...

Aaron Rodgers last week: 18 of 25, 315 yards (11.7 per attempt), 6 TD (all in the freaking first half), 0 INT.

I feel like I say it every week. He's the best football player on Earth.

The Cardinals have the best record in the NFL. Here is how they compare statistically to the NFL average in very basic statistical categories on offense. If there's a negative number in the "Difference" column, they are of course below the league average.

Below average nearly across the board.

Here is how they compare statistically to the NFL average in very basic statistical categories on defense. If there's a negative number in the "Difference" column, then they are better than the NFL average.

Average.

Of course, the one stat that really matters: Turnover differential: +12

The Cards better continue to win that turnover battle week in and week out. Because otherwise, this is an average team.

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