Dr. Z's Forecast
Posted: Wednesday December 02, 1998 11:24 AM
By Paul Zimmerman
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Anthony Pleasant and the Jets should dispose of the Seahawks on Sunday. Damian Strohmeyer | The best division to handicap is the AFC East. Why? Because 1) it has four
good teams in it, 2) they're all contending, and 3) all four could wind up
in the playoffs, or only one of them could. The traditionalists wring their
hands and groan about parity, but isn't this what it's all about:
hard-fought competition going down to the wire? Let's take a look at what
lies ahead for this quartet.
Jets (8-4) . They're tied with Miami for the division lead, but
they hold a double hammer over the Dolphins: They've already beaten Miami,
and they've got a big edge in two other tiebreakers, division and
conference records. But the key is that, after taking on Seattle at home
this weekend, New York ends its season with games against the three other
division contenders (at Miami and Buffalo, then home for New England).
You could excuse the Jets for getting into a look-ahead mode as they
prepare for the Seahawks. But here are a couple of pluses: The Jets were
serious against the Panthers on Sunday, scoring on nine of their first 10
possessions, and they're as healthy as they've been all year. So we'll
give the Jets a win against Seattle, which isn't a bold pick, and then
we'll worry about the Miami game.
Dolphins (8-4) . The schedule is wicked, starting with Oakland on
the road. The Raiders are furious after their loss at home to the Redskins
and have wild-card hopes of their own. Miami gets the Jets the following
week, then the Broncos in a Monday-nighter, probably with all that hoopla
about spoiling Denver's unbeaten season. Finally the Dolphins go to
Atlanta, where the Falcons might be spurred on by the hope of getting home
field advantage for the NFC playoffs. First things first. The concern is
that Miami has a new left side of the offensive line and the Raiders' front
four can really bring it, but the Dolphins will win in Oakland ,
just as they did last year.
Bills (7-5) . They play at Cincinnati on Sunday, then have Oakland
and the Jets in Buffalo--where that stiff December wind can turn a passing
game upside down--before the finale in New Orleans. First the Bills have to
get over that awful loss to New England, courtesy of Walt Coleman's
officiating crew. What I didn't like about the Bills on Sunday was that
they never rushed more than four people on any of the 10 plays during the
Patriots' winning drive. Even before that, all they had to do to put the
game away was throw one little hitch pass to get a first down, but they
went conservative and gave New England the ball back with 1:52 to go.
That's old-world thinking. O.K., the Bills will get healthy against the
Bengals, but Buffalo's modus operandi in the crunch makes me nervous.
Patriots (7-5) . They play at Pittsburgh, at St. Louis, San
Francisco at home and then the Jets at the Meadowlands. Drew Bledsoe is gutting it
out with a broken finger, but New England fans will get to watch him just
one more time this year. I'm trying hard to find an upset here, but I
can't. After their coin-flip fiasco on Thanksgiving, the Steelers had three
extra days of rest, and they've won their last six over the Pats in Three
Rivers. Pittsburgh's the pick .
Will we permit a 5-7 team that everyone else has written off to still
entertain playoff hopes? Hey, we'll permit anything. The Bucs face two
winning teams, Green Bay and Pittsburgh, both in Tampa, then go on the road
to Washington and Cincy. If they run the table the Bucs could make it to
the postseason, but first they've got to beat the Packers on Monday night,
and without middle linebacker Hardy Nickerson, I don't
think it's going to happen. Green Bay is finally running the ball. Look for
the Pack to beat the Bucs with superior firepower.
Jeez, you say, will this guy pick even one upset? I'm trying, but I just
don't see any. San Diego at Washington? Nope. The Chargers dominated Denver
for a while and forced four turnovers, and still lost big. The Redskins
will keep it going. Giants over Arizona? Tempting, but Jake Plummer seems to be
in full stride, while New York's offense is limping along. Cardinals
in a close one. How about New Orleans over Dallas if Deion's still
out? Sorry, that matters against teams like Minnesota, but not when you're
facing an offense that's been outscored by its defense in two of the last
three games. The Cowboys are the pick.
Wait, I've found an upset. Ravens over the Oilers in Tennessee.
Baltimore's playing it loose, while the Oilers get tighter and tighter as
their slim playoff hopes slip away.
Issue date: December 7, 1998
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