We’ll here we are, ten games into the 2008 NFL season.  There have been some surprises, such as the dominance of the New York Giants, and some disappointments like the mediocre Minnesota Vikings.  All in all it still isn’t quite time to start looking ahead to the playoffs, but we are starting to get a better picture of how the teams in the NFC are stacking up.

1. New York Giants (9-1): Coming into the season everyone was raving about how deep and talented the NFC East looked.  There was talk about how talented the Cowboys looked, and how explosive the Eagles were going to be.  It almost seemed like everyone was dismissing the possibility of the Giants even getting to the playoffs.  Now sitting at 9-1, undefeated in the division, and poised to rap up a first round bye, the Giants are literally running over every team they face and are clearly the team to beat in the NFC.

2. Carolina Panthers (8-2): With the Giants stealing most of the spotlight, the Panthers have managed to quietly work their way to an 8-2 start.  Everyone points to their two ugly wins against Detroit and Oakland as a sign of inconsistency, which makes this Sunday’s matchup against the Falcons crucial.  So many comparisons are being drawn between this team and the Super Bowl team of 2003, but the one major similarity is the constancy in the running game.  Carolina ranks 6th in rushing offense.

3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-3): Even though the Vikings aren’t a great team, it really says a lot about Jeff Garcia and that team being able to rally in the 4th quarter and win the game.  Offensively there are some concerns now with Ernest Graham being put on IR, but they have a solid defense, which is the key to success late in the season.

4. Arizona Cardinals (7-3): Kurt Warner is making another serious bid for NFL MVP, playing at the level that he was at back during St. Louis’ “Greatest Show on Turf” days.  Arizona has arguably one of the best wide receiving corps in the league, and Warner is absolutely shredding defenses because of that.  I think eventually the Cardinals running game, or lack thereof, is going to hurt them, but they are clearly going to win their division.

5. Atlanta Falcons (6-4): Okay maybe I’m being a little biased toward the NFC South, but you can’t deny how well the Falcons have been playing.  Matt Ryan is playing as good as any veteran quarterback in the league, and has a very good ground game to lean on.  Defensively there are still some weaknesses, but I think that they have enough offensive firepower to overcome those.

6. Dallas Cowboys (6-4): As much as I hate the Cowboys, with Tony Romo back, and the secondary getting healthy, I think the Cowboys are back in the running.  Now that Tony Romo has Roy Williams and T.O. to throw to, as well as a physical ground game, I expect the Cowboys to get back on track.  They aren’t the Super Bowl contender everyone made them out to be at the begining of the season, but they are still a good football team.

7. Washington Redskins (6-4): After a rough start, the Redskins appeared to be making strides, climbing to a convincing 6-2 record.  The problem is three of their wins before they got dominated by the Steelers,  have a combined record of 6-24.  It’s possible they were a little overrated, now having lost two strait.

8. Green Bay Packers (5-5): Undoubtely the Packers have had their struggles this season, getting out to a fast start, then loosing three strait, but now with Ryan Grant maybe getting somehting going, I think Aaron Rodgers can lead them to another division title.

Tags: 2008 nfl, ernest graham, NFC