Who are the top two teams in the NFC now? Not even professional wrestling could script the kind of turnaround we saw at the top of the NFC over the weekend.
Heading into Saturday night's Cowboys-Saints game, the undisputed top two teams were the Saints and Vikings. About 27 hours later, the Saints had lost at home to an energized Cowboys team at home and the Vikings had been smoked on the road by the 5-8 Panthers.
Suddenly, the two hottest teams in the NFC are the Cowboys and the Eagles. Philadelphia has a five-game winning streak that includes three road victories. Remember, folks, the best team doesn't always win the Super Bowl. It's the hottest team at the end of the season. Two of the past four Super Bowl champions were wild-card teams.
Chargers and Colts on a collision course -- again? You can bet that the Colts are hoping the Chargers get the No. 2 seed in the AFC. If that happens, the two teams couldn't meet until the AFC Championship game. San Diego has eliminated the Colts in the first two rounds of the playoffs the past two seasons. Last season, an 8-8 Chargers team beat a 12-4 Colts team 23-17 in San Diego in a wild-card game. In 2007, an 11-5 Chargers team beat a 13-3 and well-rested Colts team 28-24 at Indianapolis in the divisional round. To clinch the No. 2 seed, the Chargers need one more victory or tie, or one more Patriots loss or tie.
Oakland's weird season The Raiders are 5-9, but Sunday's victory at Denver was their third victory against a team that currently has a winning record. That equals or surpasses the totals of five current division leaders. Here are the division leaders and their number of victories against teams that had winning records: Chargers 5, Vikings 4, Colts 4, Bengals 3, Saints 3, Eagles 2, Cardinals 2 and Patriots 1.
AFC logjam The AFC has six 7-7 teams. Each is a game behind the Ravens and Broncos in the wild-card chase. Which 7-7 team has the best chance to sneak into the playoffs? I'll say the Dolphins. Miami is the only one that plays its last two games at home, and both games are against 7-7 AFC teams (Houston and Pittsburgh).
MARK CRAIG
