The Favorite To Win The NFC Is...

by Brandon on Jul 27, 2009 2:00 AM CDT in Green Bay Packers Analysis

I'm a Packers' homer (obviously), and probably nearly everybody reading this is too. I do expect the Packers will hang with the top teams in the NFC and be in the mix to make it to the Super Bowl.

But coming off a 6-10 season, that hardly makes them the favorite. So who is the favorite?

New York Giants. Vegas has them at 9-1odds to win the Super Bowl, so they expect them to win the NFC. I'm penciling them in as the favorite too. They've got some problems to overcome such as the loss of defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo to the Rams and a whole bunch of players on offense. Despite the early playoff loss to Philadelphia, they had a great 2008 season. The defense is solid and the offense was outstanding, although I'm still not a QB Eli Manning believer since he's only played well since the start of the 2007 playoffs.
Philadelphia Eagles. They barely made the playoffs but managed to make it all the way to the NFC Championship game. They always seem to have a great team and something always seems to go wrong. It will be interesting to see if they can overcome the loss of their defensive coordinator Jim Johnson and whether RB Brian Westbrook will be healthy next season.
Arizona Cardinals. Vegas doesn't expect them to repeat and they've got the Super Bowl loser curse to overcome, but they're still the defending champs with a high powered offense that can't be ignored. They lost both their defensive and offensive coordinators to Kansas City, although their defensive coordinator became available because he was fired.

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I am with you...

You would have to think the G-men are the favorites. And the Eagles with a healthy and confident McNabb could be dangerous. Maybe even the Boys now that Tony doesnt have T.O. or jessica to distract him.

But I am with you on Eli. the begining of the ’07 year everyone in NY wanted to bench him and thought he was a bust. They barely made it to the playoffs and then he erupted, but I still am not a firm believer of him either. He is definitely not Peyton with his consistency

by bizzle4 on Jul 27, 2009 9:04 AM CDT reply actions

Inspired by your posting...

I went looking for the whole listing of the odds… and found the season win total over-unders at a site called Bodog.com. I was shocked to see how some teams were regarded in those totals. The Packers are at 8.5 wins, the same as Atlanta and Arizona. I guess Vegas is unsure on all three teams! LOL

I can understand worries about sophomore slumps in Altlanta, but I cannot see them not getting more respect after their season in ’08. Also, I think that Carolina is underrated right now.

Having lived in NYC area for many years, I think that people are underestimating how much the loss of Plaxico will affect that offense. The loss to the Iggles was anything but coincidence with Plax shooting himself in the leg. Without that physical presence at WR, the Giants just cannot run the ball as they’d like, since teams have no reason to play them honestly.

The NFC is a complete muddle, from what I see. Most teams that seem talented have histories that make it hard to pick them. For example, does anyone really want to commit to Minnesota, even with Brett, with the history of purple postseason meltdowns? I use them as the most clear example, but many of the other teams have similar questions about not having that certain “it.”

by NYCPac on Jul 27, 2009 12:44 PM CDT reply actions

People may be underestimating how much the loss of not only Plastico, but also Amani Toomer, will affect that offense.
I think that with the loss of both of their starting wideouts, receiver is a HUGE question mark for the Giants (I absolutely refuse to call a team that doesn’t have a G on their helmets ‘the G-Men’) this year.
Given the question of whether Manning has any more notable talent to throw to than, say, Jay Cutler does, and throwing in the fact that the Giants no longer have Derrick Ward to spell Brandon Jacobs (who, due to injuries, has yet to play even one full season during his career), I would be hard pressed to think of New York as the favorite to win the NFC East, much less the NFC, in 2009.

The glass is more than half-full.

by NorthStarr on Jul 27, 2009 10:15 PM CDT up reply actions

I think

The Eagles should be the favorites, though even that might be a questionable choice. I have to agree with what people have said above about the Giants. Losing Plax killed them last year, and the loss of Toomer is going to hurt too. The thing is their defense is going to be absolutely beastly this year.

by packallday555 on Jul 28, 2009 12:27 PM CDT reply actions