NFL season is more bizarre than ever

Have you ever witnessed such a topsy-turvy season in the NFL?

It seems like more teams than ever have gone from bad to good – or good to bad – within the course of a season.

The good:

How about the Tennessee Titans going from 0-6 to 6-7 (and possible playoff contention) behind the play of QB Vince Young?

What about the Miami Dolphins going from 0-3 to 7-6 with second-stringer Chad Henne at QB?

And how about the San Diego Chargers going from a 2-3 start to 10-3 behind the MVP-type play of QB Philip Rivers?

Then there are the Green Bay Packers recovering from a 4-4 start to be 9-4 with QB Aaron Rodgers suddenly receiving some protection.

The bad:

Who could have imagined the Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers and QB Ben Roethlisberger going from 6-2 to 6-7 … and losing to the Cleveland Browns!

How about that 3-0 start of the New York Jets turning into a 7-6 season?

And don’t forget the suddenly-crippled Atlanta Falcons going from 4-1 to 6-7.

The indifferent:

Who would have thought the Denver Broncos would be sitting at 8-5 after winning their first six games?

And how about those supposedly invincible New York Giants slipping to 7-6 after a 5-0 start?

Indeed, there has probably never been a season quite like this in the NFL.

Pittsburgh is tough as Steel vs. Chargers

You can almost always expect the best NFL match-up of the week to be on Sunday Night Football on NBC.

This week is no exception when the San Diego Chargers travel to play the Pittsburgh Steelers.

San Diego has yet to win in 13 regular season games in Pittsburgh, but it did win the 1994 AFC Championship game in the Steel City. That gave the Chargers their only Super Bowl appearance (no big deal to the Steelers with six Super Bowl titles!)

We all know that San Diego has had trouble running the ball this season. Even if LaDainian Tomlinson returns Sunday night, it won’t make much difference. Pittsburgh takes away the run and forces you to pass, no matter who you are.

That’s where the Chargers excel. Philip Rivers leads the league in passing yardage, and Vincent Jackson is turning into a monster this season. (Once the Chargers replace Chris Chambers with Malcom Floyd in the starting lineup, they’ll be even more effective.)

The Steelers will once again be without safety Troy Polamalu, which will weaken their defense. But don’t be surprised if Ben Roethlisberger has once of his patented game-winning drives (remember the last Super Bowl?) at the end.

Prediction:
Steelers 24, Chargers 20

As for the upset special, we all know Brett Favre will be seeking revenge when the Minnesota Vikings host the Green Bay Packers. But don’t you think the Packers will seek revenge, too, on a QB who hasn’t exactly been respectful to them either?

Prediction:
Packers 31, Vikings 23

Winning is all that counts in the NFL

Did you notice how the three most-touted AFC teams all played very poorly on the NFL’s Opening Weekend?

But did you notice how the Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots and San Diego Chargers all came out winners in Week 1?

If you were to watch the game tapes without knowing who won, you’d swear that all three lost. Yet so often in the NFL, the lesser teams play harder … but the better teams win.

(If you’re a fan of the Chargers, you’ll remember all those years when the team couldn’t hold a fourth-quarter lead to save its life.)

The Steelers were anything but dominating in their 13-10 overtime win vs. the Tennessee Titans. Yet a fumble by Hines Ward near the goal line at the end of regulation didn’t stop Ben Roethlisberger from engineering another winning drive in overtime.

Tom Brady and the Patriots looked absolutely horrible for 58 minutes vs. the Buffalo Bills. However, that didn’t stop the Patriots from scoring twice in the final 2:06 to escape with a 25-24 win.

The Chargers were getting pushed all around for much of the night by the Oakland Raiders. But in the end, Darren Sproles scored on a 5-yard run with 18 seconds remaining (while replacing the injured LaDainian Tomlinson) as San Diego survived 24-20.

There were other such stories throughout the NFL such as Baltimore needing two late touchdowns to beat Kansas City 38-24.

But it’s not how well you play; it’s whether you win or lose. That’s why the Steelers, Patriots and Chargers are all undefeated despite sub-par efforts.

Pittsburgh may be pitts for Chargers

Remember this:
Ben Roethlisberger has one touchdown pass and eight interceptions in home playoff games.

Remember this:
The San Diego Chargers advanced to their only Super Bowl by winning the AFC Championship Game at Pittsburgh 14 years ago.

Remember this:
The Steelers, who host the Chargers on Sunday, have failed to beat San Diego in two previous playoff games.

But remember this:
The Steelers are 11-1 at home in the divisional playoffs; and this is a division playoff game.

Prediction:
Steelers 17, Chargers 13

Chargers: Will weekend be the Pitts?

Let’s see now:

The Pittsburgh Steelers lead the NFL in total defense.

They are first in pass defense, second against the rush, and tops in sacks.

The Chargers can’t run the ball. (Just ask LaDainian Tomlinson, who has made an issue of it all week.)

They can pass; but they can’t protect the quarterback too well.

On top of all that, the Chargers were underwhelming in a one-point escape at home against lowly Kansas City last week.

So how can the Chargers possibly beat Pittsburgh?

Remember, Steelers’ QB Ben Roethlisberger is banged up and has one TD pass along with eight interceptions his last three games.

But therein lies the rub for the Chargers: They have recorded ZERO turnovers in the past 13 quarters.

It all comes down to the Chargers creating some turnovers or suffering their third loss in the past four games.

Predictions:
Steelers 21, Chargers 17
Utah 38, San Diego State 10

Pittsburgh Steelers: Clubhouse leader in the AFC?

Let’s see now:

You can stick a fork in the New England Patriots without Tom Brady.

The Indianapolis Colts looked horrible against the Chicago Bears, even with Peyton Manning.

The San Diego Chargers will miss greatly Shawne Merriman on an already beleaguered defense.

The Jacksonville Jaguars couldn’t even beat the Tennessee Titans in Week 1.

So who does that leave as the early frontrunner in the AFC?

How about the Pittsburgh Steelers …

Few people are talking about the Ben Roethlisberger-led Steelers; this less than three seasons after their Super Bowl victory.

But with all the “powerhouses” in the AFC falling around them, Pittsburgh could once again figure in the hunt at the end.

One week does not a season make … but it makes the once-dominating AFC seem like a weakened bunch in 2008.

Weekend Predictions:
Chargers 24, Denver 13
San Jose State 31, San Diego State 23

Best Super Bowl chance: Brees or Rivers?

Of the first three quarterbacks taken in the 2004 NFL draft, two have won Super Bowls and one has not.

The haves are Ben Roethlisberger of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Eli Manning of the New York Giants.

The have not is Philip Rivers of the Chargers.

Now another question looms on the horizon: Which of the last two Chargers’ starting quarterbacks will win a Super Bowl first?

Will it be Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints or Rivers?

Brees took the Saints to the 2006 NFC championship game; Rivers led the Chargers to the 2007 AFC championship game.

Neither has played in the Super Bowl.

We know for a fact that Rivers has the cast around him to reach this season’s Super Bowl.

Ditto with Brees in New Orleans; especially now that the Saints have traded for former New York Giants tight end Jeremy Shockey.

Who will win the Super Bowl first? Brees or Rivers?

It’s your call.