Super Bowl XLV will be played in Dallas. But the road to Jerry World is straight up I-95. Five contenders run from Baltimore to Boston, all tied for the lead in their respective divisions. For inspiration, perhaps a pit stop at the Vince Lombardi Service Area in New Jersey is in order.
Week 12 was generally a success for the fabulous five of I-95. All but Philadelphia won, bringing their combined record this season to 40-15.
For the geographically challenged, the teams are the Patriots (9-2), Jets (9-2), Ravens (8-3), Giants (7-4) and Eagles (7-4).
Is there anything to this power tilt toward the Northeast? Before you brush this off as a geographic mumbo-jumbo, consider this: Entering Sunday night’s game between the Colts and Chargers, none of the eight westernmost teams in the NFL had a winning record.
Those ugly eight are the Chargers (5-5), Raiders (5-6), Seahawks (5-6), Texans (5-6), Cardinals (3-7), 49ers (3-7), Broncos (3-8) and Cowboys (3-8), who are a combined 32-53. Neither of the West divisions of the NFL’s two conferences will have a wild-card contender this year. In fact, 8-8 might be good enough to win either division.
Are there geographic forces at play? Are fans in the east more demanding than those in the laid-back west?
A look at the five stalwarts of I-95 reveals some similarities. All have quarterbacks who are highly developed or on their way. All but the Patriots are known primarily for their defense. All build through the draft and depend little on free agency.
All also have stable organizations. Eagles coach Andy Reid (12 years), Patriots coach Bill Belichick (11 years) and Giants coach Tom Coughlin (seven years) are three of the longest-tenured coaches in the league. Ozzie Newsome of the Ravens (nine years) is one of the longest-tenured general managers.
Each of these teams has made the playoffs in recent seasons, indicating this is not one-and-done success.
So in January, don’t be surprised to see much of the NFL playoffs contended along I-95. Maybe the Jets and Giants will even host an unprecedented conference championship doubleheader at New Meadowlands Stadium, which, by the way, is just six miles from that Vince Lombardi Service Area.
