Since 2006, at least one NFC team made it to Week 12 before suffering its second loss. Not this year. Entering Week 7, every team in the conference already has at least two defeats and the preseason favorites have looked far from being Super Bowl contenders.
Dallas has fallen to 1-4 after losing to Minnesota in the “Panic Bowl.”
The Vikings improved to 2-3, but have a rough schedule ahead to turn their season around. Their next matchup against a team that currently has a losing record is Week 13 vs. Buffalo.
At 1-5, San Francisco — the trendy NFC West pick — is coming off its first victory of the season and has allowed the second most points in the conference.
Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers is proving how fantasy football can skew the perception of a quarterback. The top-rated fantasy passer has failed to win close games in reality, as the Packers have fallen to 3-3 after back-to-back overtime losses.
Even the defending Super Bowl champs have looked pedestrian en route to a 4-2 record. After its first six games last year, New Orleans had 108 more points than it does this season. Prior to the Saints’ 31-6 rout of Tampa Bay on Sunday, their average margin of victory was 3.3 points in wins over the Vikings, 49ers and Panthers — opponents with a combined 3-13 record.
The other 4-2 NFC teams — the Falcons, Eagles, Bears and Giants — are flawed as well.
After being anointed the top team in the conference last week, Atlanta was dominated by Philadelphia in a 31-17 loss.
The Eagles have a quarterback battle that Andy Reid is sure to screw up.
Chicago’s offense has sputtered since allowing nine sacks in the first half in a loss to the Giants in Week 4.
And although New York has the longest winning streak in the conference — it’s tough to forget how the turnover-prone Giants were dominated by the Colts and Titans.
The bright spots for the struggling NFC teams: It’s only Week 7 and someone has to represent the conference in the Super Bowl.
