EnEfElquality

Parity, thy name is the NFL.  To be sure, at 10-1 each the Tennessee Titans and New York Giants are running away with the AFC and NFC, respectively, but after those two teams…  The next 17 teams all have records of either 8-3 (4), 7-4 (7) or 6-5 (6).  How close together are the majority of the NFL franchises?  Those records are by held all of the teams in AFC East and NFC South.  Factor in that the Philadelphia Eagles are at .500 due to the tie with Cincinnati, and 20 of the 30 NFL teams are .500 or better.

While even a one game difference in the standings at this point in the season can be a major obstacle to overcome in the playoff hunt, that level of parity means a vast majority of teams still have a viable chance at the postseason.  Like any season, this year has had both its surprises (the Dolphins) and its disappointments (the Chargers, who probably have been the least lucky team so far this year, and the Packers, who most likely are ruing the decision not to let Brett Favre unretire with them).  Somehow the Broncos, easily the most overrated team in all of the NFL, still have the inside track in the AFC West, despite being exposed numerous times in recent weeks.  Also, somewhat amazingly, the Patriots have kept themselves in the playoff hunt, having at various times this year shown both just how good a quarterback Tom Brady actually is (when he went down with injury) and just how good a coach Bill Belichick is (in developing Matt Cassel while leading his team to the degree of success they’ve managed to achieve without Brady).

What it all comes down to with that many teams still in competition is that the last five weeks of the regular season should be very exciting indeed.

• December 14, 2008 -- Playoff Picture Still Murky (0)
• January 12, 2009 -- Divisional Round Dish (0)
• December 1, 2008 -- December (0)
• November 16, 2008 -- Bizzare Stat of the Week (0)
• November 14, 2008 -- Cassel Comes of Age (0)