Tough to tell contenders from pretenders in NFL

There are only three weeks left in the National Football League, and aside from the Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers, and the New England Patriots, it is difficult to distinguish the mighty maybe’s from the mediocre.

At 12-1, these three juggernauts have displayed their ability to dominate all challengers on both sides of the ball with an evenly balanced mixture of offense and defense. The triumvirate has been about as close to perfect as you can get, but they have a trio of possible peers in the Indianapolis Colts, San Diego Chargers, and Atlanta Falcons.

At 10-3, the Colts have been making a mockery of opposing defensive units, as quarterback Peyton Manning has accumulated more numbers than most Vegas bookies. As it stands now, the Indy signal caller is just two touchdowns away from tying Dan Marino’s single season record of 48 with the Dolphins in 1984, and he may do just that this weekend against the Baltimore Ravens.

Having the league’s highest-powered offense has been more than a luxury for the Colts this year—it has been a necessity. The Colts defensive unit has been a blight on the city of Indianapolis for the last 14 weeks. Were they at least average, bookmakers would give them a decent shot at making it to the Superbowl this year. The only question under the dome is whether or not Manning’s arm will be enough as they enter the post-season.

The Chargers are in a slightly similar situation at 10-3, but while their offense has put the second most points on the board in the league (370), they still have to improve their defensive unit a touch before they will garner the respect from football community.

The Falcons are also atop their division at 10-3, albeit in the lowly NFC South. There’s no question that opposing defenses shudder when planning strategy for an offense that boasts superstar quarterback Mike Vick at the helm. While the incredibly mobile passer has made some spectacular plays with his legs, he has equaled them with several questionable decisions with his arm.

It’s difficult to leave Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers out of the mix at 8-5, and the New York Jets at 9-4, but with the Packers you get a defense that has allowed more points (307) than the 2-11 Miami Dolphins (289). If there’s anyone that can lead a team against all odds, it’s Favre, but the cheese heads were demolished when they played the Eagles in head to head competition.

As for the Jets, their biggest question mark is at the quarterback position. Chad Pennington has led them to a solid record, but a couple of injuries have proved him vulnerable, and with Cowboy castaway Quincy Carter as the back up, it’s difficult to see them gut out the rest of season with a real shot at the title.

There’s a logjam made of mediocre teams with a viable shot at the post-season by virtue of the wild card slots, but the chances are that those who take that avenue will be too physically and mentally depleted to win out.

It seems to be sound logic, but somehow the Denver Broncos managed to do it a few years back with John Elway. Maybe there’s still a shot for another aging quarterback who has yet to earn a Superbowl ring, and likewise plays for a city that has been teased by the several fruitless trips to the championship game.

Maybe John Blanco’s fellow alumnus Drew Bledsoe can lead the Red, White and Blue to the Promised Land, and bring the Lombardi trophy to my hometown of Buffalo, NY.

Blanco must have some sort of luck going for him, because he and Jennifer Lee managed to top the local prognosticators with identical 13-3 records, but with an overall total of 110-66, John finds himself in third behind Jennifer (111-65).

Not far behind is the Big Tuna at 108-68, but with three weeks left to go in the season, he needs to go out on a limb like Rich. “Big Daddy” Brooks is so far behind at 102-74 that he needs to take as many long shots as possible and hope that they come in for him. That may have been his strategy at the beginning of the season, but it really didn’t work.

Will Hunter needs to play it safe from here on out, as he leads the pack with a comfortable 117-59. If he takes the no brainers and wins a couple of coin tosses, he can win the title this season. It almost worked for him last week, as he finished with a 12-4. Will has been making wise choices all year long, but Will—buddy—What are you doing taking the Cincinnati Bengals over the Buffalo Bills? That goes for you too, Tuna!