By Marc Lawrence If you are a vegan chances are you are likely a devotee of the NFC West. If you like barbeque, Cajun jambalaya and southern fried chicken, then the NFC South is sure to satisfy your palate. It's in this division they've been cooking up a winning recipe a lot lately. Atlanta, Carolina and Tampa Bay made playoff appearances three times each this past decade, while New Orleans won last year's cook... Read more

By Marc Lawrence The ‘Black and Blue' is down to two... that is two winning teams with four combined playoff appearances the last three years. Somewhere, Vince Lombardi is rolling over in his grave. Ironically, the two winning teams, Green Bay and Minnesota, have had one common denominator and that is Brett Favre. With his status (surprise) still up in the air, the division is just that - up for grabs. This year... Read more

By Marc Lawrence Long considered the ‘beast' of all NFL divisions, the NFC East features no less than three Pro Bowl quarterbacks. The division is also the top-heavy favorite with an average 8.5 ‘win total' for the season per team. Does this mean all four teams are playoff bound in 2010? That's doubtful, but they might insist that three's company by season's end. No team appeared in more playoff games during... Read more

By Marc Lawrence When the Denver Broncos selected Tim Terrific with its second pick in the first-round of this year's NFL draft, they issued a statement. It said last year's 8-8 record was not acceptable, not after rookie coach Josh McDaniels shot out to a six-lap lead before a frightful 2-8 finish. San Diego's third straight 2-3 start under Norv Turner was just a warm-up en route an 11-1 rush through the playoffs... Read more

By Marc Lawrence Don't look now, but it appears as if the South may be rising again. Let's put it another way. When quarterbacks go into battle they are the team's Generals. Some are five-star material (Peyton Manning, 99.9 QB rating last season), others are in the process of earning their stripes (Matt Schaub, 98.6 QB rating in 2009). As a result, teams in this division won more battles than they lost last season... Read more

By Marc Lawrence Once an AFC division powerhouse when operating under the ‘Central' brand, the AFC North has pretty much settled into a two-team loop with Baltimore and Pittsburgh leading the charge. Together, playing under the AFC North umbrella, the Ravens and Steelers combined to go 163-111-2 this past decade with only four losing seasons between the dynamic duo. On the flip side, Cincinnati and Cleveland paired... Read more

By Marc Lawrence It's Championship Week in the NFL and with it two teams are one win away from playing in Miami for Super Bowl XLIV. Like most football fans nationwide, everyone has an opinion on who those two teams will be. Our database does, too. There are generally two schools of thought when it comes to handicapping the final four teams on this week's card. You can look at them statistically, or you can analyze... Read more

By Marc Lawrence It seems like only yesterday when NFL playoff teams took the field with a week of rest against advancing Wild Card Round winners and proceeded directly to winners circle. But such is not the case today. As Bob Dylan so sagely put it, "The times are a-changin'." Don't know if you've noticed but what was once a moneymaking proposition backing rested teams in the NFL postseason has turned into a stone... Read more

The final four weeks of the NFL season are tantamount to the stretch run of a Graded Stakes race. It's where big races are won and lost. Its been said many times over that if you don't have the horse you won't win the race. For the most part this adage is right on the money. There are times, though, when the ride the horse gets by the jockey can put the team together in the winner's circle. It's why good jockeys are... Read more

Last year we went out on a limb and predicted that a sleeper team could emerge from the NFC WEST DIVISION and that the Cardinals appeared ready for a breakthrough year. And like the amazing Karnac, Arizona opened the envelope and answered when the Redbirds came within 30 seconds of winning the Super Bowl. Is there a team inside the NFC WEST that can stand and deliver again in 2009? Or better, yet is there another... Read more