Apparently the Run and Shoot doesn't work as well in the snow

Are the Cardinals the worst playoff team in history? I would argue yes, mostly because I don’t feel like digging up any evidence to the contrary. As a Bears fan, I’m especially upset that this disgrace of a team will take the place of someone at least slightly more worthy. Not that the Bears are the most deserving replacement, but I feel confident in saying that the Cardinals are the worst team in the NFC, outside of the rest of the NFC West and the Lions. I mean, the Cardinals haven’t even won a game outside of the crap-tastic NFC West since week SIX! We all know that the Cardinals have a great passing game (except when it snows) but no Arizona running back has managed to surpass even the eager milestone of 40 yards in a single game since week nine! And that was against the Rams! They’ve lost four of the their last five games, so I think it’s safe to assume that whoever earns the five seed in the NFC and has the good fortune of facing Arizona in the playoffs can go ahead and can cancel their plans for the following weekend.

Depending on what happens in tonight’s MNF game, Chicago is inching closer and closer to a surprise playoff berth. They looked dead after getting blown out by Minnesota and falling to 6-6, but with a win tonight at home against Green Bay and next week at Houston, the Bears can lock up the division title if Minnesota loses to the Giants next week. Unfortunately for the Bears, the Giants have already clinched home-field advantage so they may rest a few players. However, never underestimate Minnesota’s ability to choke.

Of course, a few obligatory comments on the Pro Bowl. I know that no one gives a gosh darn about it, but I think it’s worth pointing out that golden boy Matt Ryan did not make the NFC squad, while Eli and his goofy moptop did. Many pundits are throwing Matt Ryan’s name around for NFL MVP (OK, maybe just Peter King) so I think it’s safe to say that if he didn’t make the Pro Bowl, he probably won’t win MVP. A lot of people are getting bent out of shape about Philip Rivers not making the team, but I’m okay with it. Sure, he has great stats, but his team has pretty much sucked. Like or not, the QB has a lot to do with that. It’s only thanks to the Broncos’ own ineptitude that San Diego is still in the playoff race, which I guess raises the question of why Jay Cutler deserves to be in the Pro Bowl more than Rivers. To which I say, why not Chad Pennington? He may not have quite the yards or TD’s of the other two guys, but he has the lowest interception percentage among AFC QBs and helped bring the Dolphins from the brink of relegation to the Arena League to playoff contention. And how crappy is the AFC that Thomas Jones is the starting running back? Remember when the AFC was so good that Fred Taylor could never make the Pro Bowl despite surpassing 1200 yards and 4.5 ypc nearly every season? Those were the days…

I’ve complained about the NFL’s parity in the past, but it’s hard to argue against the excitement it generates at the end of the season. In the AFC, six teams are fighting for the last three spots, and in the NFC five teams are still in contention for the last two slots. Two or three quality teams will almost certainly be left out of the playoffs. As exciting as the race is, I’m pretty sure that there is something that has fans even more juiced. Of course, I’m talking about the Lions pursuit of (im)perfection, which could come to a close this Sunday. I know I would be watching the game - if it wasn’t blacked out, of course.