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We do it every season. We predict what team will win each division and make the playoffs and what players will rule the league.
Scott Gleeson, Daily Vidette Sports Columnist The NFL’s 17 weeks are a long, arduous journey for all teams and, consequently, the prediction-making business is just as difficult for those who make the feeble attempt. It’s only Week 6 and the scribbling out of teams has begun to take place while the re-entering of teams also transpires. There’s always the puzzling analysis of: “How is this team so good?” (Denver Broncos) and “How is this team so bad?” (Tennessee Titans). Sure, the first six weeks had its share of notable performances. Tom Brady and the Patriots just took the Titans out to the woodshed and beat them up, took their lunch money and then beat them up some more. And once again in Cleveland, the Browns are searching for a quarterback because Dr. Brady Quinn Medicine Woman does not belong in the NFL. Speaking of bad quarterbacks, when is Tony Romo going to get things together? Oh, and let’s not forget the Detroit Lions shattering their 19-game losing streak against the Redskins. There are plenty of major headlines to touch on, however, no topic seems more appropriate at this time than that of the undefeated squads in the league right now. Here’s an undefeated analysis: Denver Broncos Where in the world did Denver come from? This team wasn’t on anyone’s radar. Try and tell me that the Broncos made a smart move six months ago and you’re guaranteed to be laughed at. What a bunch of dim-witted owners they are over there in Denver, the sunshine state (Will Ferrell, Old School). When Jay Cutler and Kyle Orton switched teams, just about every person wrote Cutler into the star of the Windy City while many people envisioned Kyle Orton to be a mediocre quarterback in the Mile High City. But as we sit here heading into Monday night of Week 6 and those knuckleheads are sitting with a 5-0 record, it’s hard to not sit and scratch our heads. Kyle Orton, yes that hobo-bearded love-him-or-hate-him QB that played for Chicago, is making winning look so easy, a Caveman could do it. Indianapolis Colts Tony Dungy’s departure was supposed to set the Colts backwards. Or was it? Despite playing a handful of sub-par teams thus far, Indianapolis owns a 5-0 record and will soon devour the winless Rams next week to keep their undefeated streak going. At 33, Peyton Manning continues to dominate games. While other AFC juggernauts have seen some stumbles (Patriots at 4-2 and Steelers at 4-2), the Colts look like the cream of the crop in the AFC through six weeks. Minnesota Vikings The Vikings found their missing piece to their Super Bowl puzzle with Brett Favre at quarterback. Obviously, Favre’s durability will come into play towards the longer end of the season, but regardless, Favre is taking the pressure off Adrian Peterson and thus, the Vikings are exactly where they should be: at the top of the NFC North and in Super Bowl-form. After a 33-31 win edging out the Ravens, it certainly appears luck is on the Vikes’ side. Still, it’s unfair to categorize Minnesota to be unvulnerable. Two showdowns against Jay Cutler and the Bears will give the Vikes the measuring stick they need. New Orleans Saints Easy ‘Breesey’ beautiful, cover boy. Drew Brees has been good before, but his transformation into one of the league’s most dominant signal callers this season has catapulted the Saints into one of the best, if not the best, team in the league. A beat down against the Giants sent the memo to the rest of the NFL: the Saints are big time. A marquee matchup against New England in Week 12 will give the Saints a good assessment of their Super Bowl chances. Looking into an NFL crystal ball, there’s no way I would have picked all four, if any of these teams to be sitting atop the league’s mountaintop.
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