It’s Tennessee versus the New York Giants in the Super Bowl.
That’s what you really want to know as the NFL reaches midseason. Tennessee is 7-0 and New York 6-1 as the clear standouts of their conferences. It doesn’t take much imagination to choose either for the Super Bowl, but they’re clearly the top teams in a league of mediocrity.
Tennessee ripped through Indianapolis last week to prove the Titans are for real. Quarterback Kerry Collins has made everyone forget Vince Young, even with a mediocre 75.0 pass rating. The defense is incredible.
The Titans have a four-game lead in the AFC South while Indianapolis (3-4) is iffy to reach the playoffs. Clearly, Colts quarterback Peyton Manning is not healthy with nine interceptions indicating he’s forcing passes on a bad knee.
Who’s Tennessee’s biggest AFC rival? Don’t look now, but New England’s back. The Patriots (5-2) have won three of four with Tom Brady’s replacement Matt Cassel sporting an 84.6 rating. New England isn’t a 16-0 powerhouse like last year. It’s erratic on both sides, but beating Indianapolis today would provide a major emotional boost over Buffalo (5-2) in the AFC East. The Bills have lost two of three since a 4-0 start and might be more of a wild card contender.
Otherwise, the AFC seems devoid of standout teams after a recent run of a handful of contenders annually. Pittsburgh (5-2) is 5-0 against the AFC, 0-2 versus the NFC East when facing Washington tomorrow. The Steelers will reach the postseason behind their defense, but somehow the offense doesn’t intimidate anyone. Denver (4-3) probably takes the AFC West as San Diego (3-5) threatens to collapse, but nobody’s afraid of the Broncos.
Meanwhile, the Giants’ biggest problem is outlasting Washington (6-2) and Dallas (5-3) for the division title. The only other standout NFC team is Carolina (6-2). Arizona (4-3) and Chicago (4-3) probably take their divisions, but aren’t postseason bullies.
New York is playing better this season than last when winning the Super Bowl. They’ve continued that late-season momentum with receiver Plaxico Burress the only drama on a team that usually thrives on it. Burress needs better numbers than 28 catches and three touchdowns to merit his diva act, but the Giants can tolerate it.
The NFC will have New York, Chicago, Carolina and Arizona as division winners and Washington and Tampa Bay as wild cards. Dallas and Green Bay miss the postseason after posting 13-3 marks last year. New York meets Washington in the NFC Championship.
New England, Pittsburgh, Tennessee and Denver take their AFC divisions. Buffalo and the New York Jets are the wild cards. Tennessee meets New England in the AFC final.
Does New York win consecutive Super Bowls? No — Tennessee is better. Then again, New England was better than New York when losing the championship last year.
Tennessee takes the Lombardi Trophy 23-17.
Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Contact him at [email protected].
