Time to put up or shut up
Three division leaders get a chance to prove their worth this weekend. For the Rams and Bears, the task couldn’t be much more difficult. For the Jaguars, the challenge is somewhat easier.
St. Louis, which won all of one game last season, heads to New Orleans, where the Saints celebrated their first Super Bowl title in February. A mismatch? Hardly.
The Rams are tied for the NFC West lead at 6-6 and won their last two road games. Even if beating the Saints is beyond their reach, getting into the postseason isn’t.
“Of course we respect the fact they won the Super Bowl, but that was last year,” Rams cornerback Ron Bartel said. “We’re more concerned with ourselves. It’s a big game for us, we’re trying to get to the playoffs. It’s a big game for them, they’re trying to win their division just like us. So the Super Bowl and all that, that’s out of the window.”
Chicago (9-3 and atop the NFC North) hosts AFC East leader New England and gets the opportunity to show all those skeptics that its turnaround is for real.
Bill Belichick believes. After calling the Bears’ third-ranked defense “disruptive,” the Patriots coach then praised Chicago’s offense and special teams.
“They’re a very explosive team that can score on any play from anywhere,” Belichick said. “They can throw a 90-yard touchdown pass or (Matt) Forte can make a 67, 70-yard run. Or (they get a) strip sack, turnovers, kick returns. They’re very, very dangerous.”
Jacksonville coach Jack Del Rio was on the hot seat when the season began. Now he is in the AFC South driver’s seat: if the Jaguars win out, they take the division title. The first step toward that could be taken against Oakland Sunday.
“We’ve embraced every challenge, kind of identified what it is and then gotten prepared for the opportunities,” Del Rio said. “It hasn’t always played out the way we’d like, but I think we’ve learned some lessons from those experiences, and then we go back and make the corrections and keep plugging ahead, and so that part’s been very good.”
Four teams: New England, Pittsburgh, Atlanta and the New York Jets, can clinch playoff berths, although it’s a complicated scenario for all but the Patriots (10-2). If they win, they’re in.
The Steelers are home for Cincinnati, the Falcons at Carolina and the Jets host Miami.
Also Sunday, it’s Philadelphia at Dallas, the New York Giants at Minnesota, Green Bay at Detroit, Kansas City at San Diego, Seattle at San Francisco, Tampa Bay at Washington, Cleveland at Buffalo, and Denver at Arizona.
Baltimore is at Houston Monday night.
