I do believe the first team to 9 wins goes, but I also believe there will be a 10 win team. I honestly believe that Philthy has zero shot at all. They are like the Cowboys of last year, and it will take a miracle for them to see 7 wins. The Cowboys just aren't in it again this year, and while I expect them to win 8 or 9 games, I lean more toward 8. Either way, they miss the playoffs.
That leaves the Redskins and Giants. NY is weaker than their record implies. As the season progresses, it will be interesting to see whether they fight it out for some tough wins, or get frustrated and throw in the towel. I see them at 8 or 9 also, but I give them the slight edge over Dallas.
That leaves the Redskins. It's fairly obvious that our defense is seriously making a name for itself, and they have made a total turnaround from last season. Also, we have Phil coming back after the bye, so they will get even stronger. Torain gave me a semi, because I believe we now have a highly potent three headed monster in the backfield.
I believe that our only weaknesses on offense are the obvious - Trent and Rex. Trent just seems to suck pretty much always these days, and Rex can't seem to decide whether to be just decent, or highly effective. If he keeps up his back and forth, I see us meandering toward 9 wins. We will find ways to win in spite of his off games. However, if he starts to put up decent games with consistency, and we build momentum, we can easily pull off 10-11 wins.
I know it's early, and a lot is probably homerism and wishful thinking, but this team is starting to remind me of the 2000-2001 Ravens. Think about it. They had Trent friggin Dilfer at QB. Easily the most inept QB to ever win a title, but just effective enough to win it all. Very similar statistically to Rex in many ways. Jamal Lewis was a rookie that gave them 1300 rushing yards, a number we will easily surpass this year. They also had solid TEs and a speedy receiver. There stars were all on defense, and they went 12-4 and won a title.
Tim Hightower might not be as crazy as people think right now. I don't know if we're going to be Super Bowl calibur for a few more years, but you never know. I have to say again as I have several times since preseason.....I said it then and I stand by it now, that there is just something special about this team that I can't quite put my finger on. It's just a gut thing, and a statement I first made in the preseason. We're better than even a lot of fans give us credit for. You'll see what I mean, just wait and see.
Oh, that Ravens team also averaged 20.8 ppg, we are currently at 20.7. Our defense isn't quite at the level that team was, that's hard to do, but it's only been 4 games. Time will only tell where it goes.