Indy stays aggresssive in face of tough challenge

This is the time of year when legitimate playoff possibilities must be considered. NFC teams at 5-7 are to be taken very seriously, since they are in a position to challenge the elite wild-card contenders, the 6-6s. You're right, I'm saying this with a smile on my face, teeth showing, throwing a mini-fright into Little Jake, our grey tabby. But we won't have to get into those 5-7s at this current time, since the super-elites go first.

NFL Power Rankings Rank LW Team 1 1 New England Patriots (12-0) Close, huh? O-line got shoved around Monday night. So did D-line, big time. You like the way the Ravens' nickelback Corey Ivy, No. 35, locked onto Wes Welker, my greatest hot receiver of all time? You like the way Randy Moss turned himself into a non-factor in crunch time? Can the Steelers pack enough wallop next week? Yes, if what we saw Monday night was a Patriot team that was not overconfident, not in a lull period, but old and tired. 2 2 Dallas Cowboys (11-1) Clinched a playoff spot last week. Earliest clinching ever for them. Add to that the fact that they haven't had a winning December record for the past 11 years and you've got ... you've got what? A letdown maybe? Against Lions, Eagles, Panthers and 'Skins? Don't think so, guv'nah, 'fraid not. 3 4 Indianapolis Colts (10-2) Watched the Jags score with 2:47 left to cut the margin to three. Two timeouts, plus the two-minute warning left. Edward G. Robinson, watching the game alongside me, muttered, "Mother of mercy, is this the end of Rico?" Nah, don't sweat it, EG. On the first snap, Peyton threw a 16-yard sideliner to Reggie Wayne, who managed to stay in bounds. How many teams would have thrown on first down in that situation? Yeah, I know, teams with nothing on the line might have done it to show off, but how many serious teams? Next set of downs led to another first down because of a 7-yard hitch to Dallas Clark. And then it was over. Boy, I like the way this team operates. Just the way a defending champion should. 4 3 Green Bay Packers (10-2) The mystery of the ages, the undeciphered writing on the walls of the tomb, remains, what the devil were they doing with all those deep throws at the start of the Cowboys' game? I'm sure I'll find out some day, if not in this world, then in the next one. Here's an aspect of the game I forgot to write about -- the way the Cowboys' RT, Marc Colombo, controlled Aaron Kampman, who's been destroying right tackles all season. Is Colombo really that good? Never thought so. Guess I'm going to have to include him when I do my workup of the tackle position for my all-pros. 5 5 Jacksonville Jaguars (8-4) I usually catch a little heat when I fail to drop a team after a loss, but I just thought that the Jags, in taking Indy to the wire, looked better than the Steelers did in beating Cincy. 6 6 Pittsburgh Steelers (9-3) Ben Roethlisberger on the horrible conditions of Heinz Field's newly laid turf: "Wet and sandy. Every time you took a snap water and sand would come up into your face and it would kind of get in your eyes and it would be all over your hands." But still, it's not all negative. Two of Ben's cousins went clamming there before the game and came away with a bushel apiece. 7 7 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-4) Blind stat that came over the wires: NFL record for games won with a different starting quarterback-12, Jon Gruden, Tampa Bay. I get them all the time. They come flying in, like moths. Here's another, and see if you can answer it. Most regular season games won in Europe? And don't say Real Madrid. The answer is N.Y. Giants, one, 2007, London. 8 9 New York Giants (8-4) If I were a fan, I'd be very proud of this team for its effort against Chicago. Down to its third-string running back, quarterback in one of his blue funks, and coming out of it only in the late going. What was the single, unifying factor? The defense. Just when things seemed as if they could fall apart, it rose up with a fury and held Chicago to three points and four first downs in the second half. Not a bad thing to have working for you with the stretch run coming up. 9 10 Seattle Seahawks (8-4) I was happy to see that Lofa Tatupu got three interceptions against the Eagles. Reminded me of a talk I had with him before the NFC Championship game against Carolina a couple of years ago. "They've got me playing 15 yards back, in some sort of zone coverage," he said. "Wait a minute ... am I supposed to be telling you that?" Let's put it this way. I didn't go running to Carolina with my findings. And it worked out just fine for Lofa, who got a key pick in the game. 10 11 San Diego Chargers (7-5) Here they come. Two big victories. "We've finally found ourselves," LaDainian Tomlinson said. Well, where was the last place you looked?