Thenflthisweek.com has ranked the top 10 NFL teams going into the NFL Playoffs and Wild Card Weekend. Factors that were used in determining the top 10 include: regular season record, momentum, critical injuries, offensive and defensive stats, coaching and intangibles.

1. Indianapolis Colts (14-2)
Although the Colts lost the last two games after winning 14 in a row, they are poised to go far in the 2010 NFL playoffs. Superstar QB Peyton Manning has already won a Superbowl and is always Mr. Clutch. They have homefield advantage throughout the playoffs and will benefit from the bye-week. And don’t be misled by the fact they are ranked last in the entire NFL in rushing (#18 defense overall)- it’s their passing game that ranks them #1 in our rankings and passing ability has been the key for the top ranked NFL teams.

2. San Diego Chargers (13-3)
The Chargers high powered passing game is the reason for them being ranked in the number 2 spot. QB Phillip Rivers has thrown for 28 TDs and 104.4 QB rating. Just above the Colts, they have the second worst ranking in the rushing category (#16 overall defense. They have the #10 ranked offense.

3. Dallas Cowboys (11-5)
The Cowboys have been impressive over the second half of the season and even owner Jerry Jones hasn’t been able to find anything to be mad at. QB Tony Romo has been extremely effective and the Cowboys are clicking on all cylinders. The Cowboys are ranked #2 in Total Offense in the entire NFL. The Cowboys defense is ranked #9 in the entire NFL. But what puts the Cowboys at #3 is they have their confidence back.

4. New Orleans Saints (13-3)
The Saints are #1 in the NFL in total offense and QB Drew Brees has thrown for 34 TDs and only 11 Interceptions – his QB rating is 109.6. They have three effective rushers in Mike Bell (654 yds 5 TDs), Pierre Thomas (793 yds, 6 TDs) and Reggie Bush (390 yds, 5 TDs). However, the Saints offense is tempered by their defensive ranking of 25th in the NFL. The Saints have slid to #4 in our NFL ranking because they have lost their last three games.

5. New England Patriots (10-6)
What can say about the Patriots. They have arguably, the best coach in the game; combine that with the history of future hall-of-famer Tom Brady and you have a team that ranks at the top in the NFL. The Pats are ranked #3 in total offense and #11 in total defense. In ranking the Pats, the uncertainty of the health of formidable receiver Wes Welker puts them in the #5 spot.

6. New York Jets (9-7)
Surprised? Shouldn’t be! Although the Colts and Bengal fans may feel that the Jets won those games because their opponents had nothing to play for. Regardless, the Jets are hitting their stride and are managing the play of rookie QB – Mark Sanchez just enough to avoid his rookie mistakes. The Jets are ranked #1 in Rushing and #1 in total defense in the entire NFL. The Jets do belong!

7. Green Bay Packers (11-5)
You don’t hear much about the abilities of the Green Bay Packers but they are for real. They have the #6 ranked offense and #2 ranked defense – very impressive stats. QB Aaron Rogers hsa thrown for 30 TDs and only 7 Interceptions with a 103.2 QB ranking. Their rushing attack is led by Ryan Grant (1253 yds, 11 TDs). Donald Driver (70 recs, 1061 yds, 7 TDs) and Greg Jennings (68 recs, 1113 yds, 4 TDs) are the 1-2 punch of the Packers passing game.

8. Minnesota Vikings (12-4)
The Vikings are led by 20-year NFL veteran Brett Favre. They are ranked #5 in total offense and #6 in total defense – an excellent balance. Early in the season the Vikings defense were just outstanding. However, the season ending injury to E.J Henderson has made the defense more vulnerable. Although the Vikings won their last game against the “lay-down” Giants, in their 3 previous games Brett threw 4 TDs and 3 Interceptions and Adrian Peterson didn’t have a 100 yard game. The Vikings are vulnerable and that’s the reason for their position in thenflthisweek.com ranking. And don’t forget the Brad Childress – Brett Favre episode that happened a few weeks ago. If you think it’s over – think again. There is a power struggle in Minnesota!

9. Arizona Cardinals (10-6)
The NFL top ranked teams all have one thing in common – great QBs, and Kurt Warner is no exception. The Cards offense and defensive numbers aren’t that impressive (#14 total offense, #20 total defense), but they have two proven wide receivers in Larry Fitzgerald (97 recs, 1092 yds 13 TDs) and Anquan Boldin (84 recs, 1024 yds, 4 TDs).

10. Philadelphia Eagles (11-5)
The Eagles have had an impressive season and added some creativity to their offense with the addition of Michael Vick. The Eagles, like all NFC East teams pride themselves on great defense. They have the #11 ranked offense and #12 ranked defense, putting them in top third of the league. Although the Eagles won’t beat the Cowboys in the Wild card weekend game, they are our number 10 ranked team.

There is one commonality of the top 10 ranked teams going into the 2010 NFL playoffs. A great QB and a top ranked passing game. And as long the defense is mediocre in passing defense, being the worst against the rush hasn’t mattered.

source: nfl.com

Going into week 15 of the 2009 NFL season, the NFC playoff picture is pretty clear. Four teams have already clinched a spot in the NFC playoffs; they are the Saints (13-1), Vikings (11-3), Cardinals (9-5) and Eagles (10-4). Three other teams are in the hunt for the final two NFC playoff spots, they include the Cowboys (9-5), Packers (9-5) and the Giants (8-6).

Here is the NFC playoff picture going into week 15 of the NFL season:

New Orleans Saints (13-1)

• Clinched the the NFC South and a first-round bye
• Clinches homefield advantage throughout the NFC playoffs with:
  A win or tie OR
  Minnesota loss or tie

Minnesota Vikings (11-3)

• Clinched NFC North
• Clinches first-round bye with:
  A win and Philadelphia loss or tie OR
  A tie and Philadelphia loss

Arizona (9-5)

• Clinched NFC West

Philadelphia (10-4)

• Clinched a playoff spot
• Clinches NFC East with:
  A win and Dallas loss or tie OR
  A tie and Dallas loss

Green Bay Packers (9-5)

• Clinches a playoff spot with:
  A win and Giants loss or tie OR
  A win and Dallas loss OR
  A tie and Giants loss

Dallas Cowboys (9-5)

• Clinches a playoff spot with:
  win and Giants loss or tie OR
  tie and Giants loss

The New York Giants are still in the NFC playoff picture but it will take a loss by both the Packers AND Cowboys over the next three weeks in order for them to have a chance.

sources: NY Daily News, nfl.com, espn.com

Is the NFL’s game plan to use Twitter a brilliant marketing strategy or are they opening themselves up to new public relation blunders?

This is the first NFL training camp where the NFL has featured Twitter as a new marketing vehicle to expand it’s reaches and bring football fans closer to the game.

While the NFL league office recommends that clubs allow their players to Tweet, some clubs don’t agree.

Take for instance, the Miami Dolphins and Denver Broncos. Both teams ban their players from tweeting from training camp. Bans go against a league memo sent last week to all teams that recommended best practices regarding Twitter. NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy stated “We recommended that clubs allow limited live reporting from practices that are open to the public, subject to the guidelines set by the clubs on the issue”.

There are also concerns among the clubs that players may not what they should and should not be tweeting. Cincinnati Bengal wide receiver Chad Ochocinco announced his intention to tweet from the sidelines during games, apparently not aware of the ban on any kinds of outside communications on game day. Minnesota Vikings tight end Visanthe Shiancoe decided to show how bored he was during first day of training camp by tweeting “ZZZZZZZZZZZ” from a meeting. He later tweeted that he was referring to an “administrative” meeting, not a team meeting. And now the San Diego Chargers ordered star cornerback Antonio Cromartie to pay $2500 for using Twitter to comment on the “nasty food” in training camp.

Although the use of Twitter will undoubtedly cause some PR problems, it offers the NFL a “free” venue to market it’s product worldwide, and brings the diehard football fans even closer to the game. Using Twitter also puts the NFL on the forefront in the new media age – where information is instantaneous and just a few keystrokes away.

The NFL’s decision to adopt as it’s social media venue is a brilliant marketing decision. You can bet that controversial Tweets by NFL players will only help promote NFL football.

source: technewsworld.com