While I think we'll win the last two games
The Gemini Method, (with a nail-biter against the Cards, and a decisive but gradual win over the niners) I think we pretty much are who we are right now. There will be no improvement across the board, which means the offensive line is what it is. Bad news is that every team in the playoff picture likes to move the ball down field by air quite a bit. Aside from Dallas for the most part, which sucks because Earl is gone. And with our line, you can't really get a ground-game going to combat that. But I think we have a lot to look forward to. A likely bye, and possibly one of our 3 toughest potential opponents losing in the first round. As crazy as this sounds (and no offense is intended to all the Dallas faithful), of all the teams out there, I'd rather play them.
The Falcons, The Giants, The Packers, and even the Bucs give great cause for pause. Especially seeing as how we lost to two of the four, and many will attempt to state that we lost to ATL, and it was close nonetheless.
-What's great is that it's an almost certainty that the Lions will lose at least one their last two games. And to be straight-up, I'm not sold on them. There isn't one win on their schedule that impresses me. And, they have the Cowboys and the surging Packers left on their schedule.
-The Falcons being a game back is great, and they have a New Orleans team in the last week of the season that on any day can beat anyone. So hopefully we just win out to kill any suspense. I do not want to see this team under any cir stances, they are one of the most scary teams in the NFL by far. Julio being banged up is certainly an issue for them, but if he's ready to go, I'd rather not be in their way. Too explosive for my liking, and they have multiple good wins, and close losses on their resume. No thank you.
-The Giants have only won a single important road game, but still tough. I'd like them to lose one of their last two games obviously, so I'm overly optimistic that Washington will pull through LOL. Their defense has been up-to-snuff, they beat Dallas twice, but only two of their opponents this year have scored 24 or more, and nobody has scored over 29 against them. They haven't figured out yet that Paul Perkins is their best running back, but if they do, they will be a real force. But they have a front-four that concerns me as our line is a problem.
-The Packers just gave us the business, in every facet. Although that game was an anomaly to the extent of the beating we took, it was decisive regardless. Good news is, if we have to play them, it highly likely will be in the Clink, so that ALWAYS helps. But they have weapons across the board, and an adequate enough defense to cause real problems. They can create pressure, which our line cannot handle that well. Dom Capers is a real strategist.
-The Bucs front-seven destroyed us. Yikes. There was nothing we could do, and, at home to boot. Six sacks, and only 245 yards of TOTAL offense. WTF. Jameis is the real-deal, but their offense was significantly slowed down in the second half so, that one sits squarely on the offense. Given the dominance of their front, seeing them again is an obvious concern. Plus, they have two other signature wins against the Falcons and Chiefs. Both of which were on the road. They're definitely not to be trifled with. That defense is top-notch right now. Last two games against the Saints and Panthers, I like Jameis, but please lose both.
-The Redskins beating the Giants and Packers was impressive, but that defense doesn't worry me one bit. I kind of view them as a lesser version of Green Bay, Detroit with a lesser defense. Although they did smack Green Bay this year, but lost to Detroit. I'd posit that if they saw Green Bay amidst this run they're on (even though G.B's loss to them began their run), it likely would've been a different story but I digress. Maybe I'm over hyping Green Bay as the only team they've beat on this run is us. TBD I guess.
-And that brings me to Dallas. With a Farm Plow of an offensive line. They run the out of the ball, that is for certain. And given the fact that we have a defensive line that is quicker rather than stout, this provides a critical point of concern. But for some odd reason, I just think we can beat them. I don't know what it is, I just feel that way. I never get these kinds of feelings, and perhaps I cannot convert it into logic, but nevertheless it is there. I guess for once I can understand how a woman thinks (J/K ladies). They have a good defense, but not a monster of a defense. Everything on that side is good, and not great. Plus, Dallas runs so effectively that they're relatively fresh quite often. It's truly a middling defense, with an over emphasis of being good against the run and bad against the pass for obvious reasons. Dak is good right now but he doesn't scare me to quite truthful, he just doesn't. But when you have all the time in the world, people get open. Signature wins against Tampa, G.B, Pittsburgh, and Washington twice.
-We're not that far off in rushing defense comparatively to the Giants, and all of that given with the fact that we were missing key components all year. Granted, not having Earl is a major loss. But, I think that will mainly be missed in the deep and middle secondary where Dallas is less likely to spend excessive time. And aside from Dez, I'm not particularly threatened by any of their receiving options.
-Despite our offensive line woes, we're still top ten in the league in rushing, all that with the -show of a beginning to the year. A big chunk of that can be attributed to the amount of attempts we have per game, so in reality, we're actually a middling rushing team. But that's OK. Slightly above the average in passing team as well, but that also feeds into attempts, and, we have to also factor in the O-Line in both.
-I think we have the advantage on Special Teams, Defense, and at QB. I think we have better receiving options overall. Dallas clearly has the better RB and OL. But something tells me that the lack of elite pass rushing will be a major boon for us in a potential matchup. For a team that gets thrown against quite frequently, that sack total is paltry. Likewise, is the amount of interceptions. They can force fumbles damn well though so that's a major bright spot. But, they haven't given up much points this year, but how much of that is due to the offense? That defense feels similar to New England's the more I think about it. They don't do much, but they don't give up much. And we beat N.E. In a grind-it-out game, if we can give their ground game trouble (or even just get up early), I like our chances.
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