The AFC has been the power conference in professional football for the last few seasons and no change appeared imminent heading into 2007. But still, the underwhelming performance of the NFC's top contenders has many people shaking their heads.
The New Orleans Saints, the feel-good story of 2006, lost in the NFC title game last season after finishing with a 3-13 record the year before. With a potent offense led by quarterback Drew Brees, the Saints were a favorite to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. But after an opening-night loss two weeks ago to the defending champion Indianapolis Colts, New Orleans was embarrassed in a 31-14 loss at the hands of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Saints' defense has struggled, particularly against the pass. Tampa wide receiver Joey Galloway exploited a suspect New Orleans secondary, finishing with 135 yards and two touchdowns on only four catches.
But the big surprise so far has been the disappointing play of Brees and the New Orleans offense. Turnovers were an issue Sunday, as Tampa Bay converted two miscues into touchdowns. Brees has had decent numbers, but the Saints have struggled to establish the run, leaving New Orleans last in the division they were expected to dominate.
The NFC East had three playoff teams last season, but now has two teams at 0-2. The Philadelphia Eagles won the division last year, but have struggled mightily thus far in 2007. Two muffed punts yielded a shocking 16-13 loss to the Green Bay Packers in Week 1.
Monday night, Philadelphia could not find a rhythm offensively, as the Washington Redskins' defense bent but did not break in a 20-12 victory that moved the Skins to 2-0. Brian Westbrook amassed 96 rushing yards and quarterback Donovan McNabb threw for 240 yards, but the Eagles could only convert four field goals.
The other playoff team from last year, the New York Giants, has been embarrassed in its two losses so far this season. The defense has surrendered 80 points in two games and the secondary has made Tony Romo look like a Hall of Famers and 37-year-old Brett Favre look like a he was 27 again.
Meanwhile, injuries have torn apart the Giants' offense, as quarterback Eli Manning played with a sprained shoulder Sunday afternoon and tailback Brandon Jacobs sprained his MCL, putting him on the sidelines indefinitely. A 35-13 loss at home against the surprising 2-0 Packers has left Tom Coughlin's team reeling and searching for answers on both side of the ball.
The St. Louis Rams have also stumbled out of the gate. The Rams' vaunted offense was virtually non-existent in a 27-13 loss in Week 1 to the Carolina Panthers.
And in its second game of the season, St. Louis gave away a win when former special teams extraordinaire Dante Hall dropped a punt to set up a 40-yard field goal for Joe Nedney. Nedney's kick handed the San Francisco 49ers a 17-16 victory and preserved the 49ers' undefeated status. With All-Pro tackle Orlando Pace out with a right shoulder injury, quarterback Marc Bulger looked as vulnerable as ever, hurried all day and sacked six times.
The Chicago Bears appear to be faring better than the rest of the NFC's elite - after all, they have a win under their belts - but looks can be deceiving. The offense was listless in the opener against the San Diego Chargers, and quarterback Rex Grossman looked equally as bad Sunday in a 20-10 win versus an atrocious Kansas City Chiefs team. A repeat of that effort against any other team, and the defending NFC champs would likely be 0-2 instead of 1-1.
Despite the abysmal performance by most of the NFC in Weeks 1 and 2, someone has to eventually rise to the top.
As far as high points go for the NFC, the Dallas Cowboys let the Miami Dolphins hang around for much of the game, but took over down the stretch Sunday and ran away with their second victory, 37-20. Romo threw two touchdowns, increasing his season total to six, as the Cowboys' defense forced five turnovers in the victory.
If not Dallas, could one of the surprise 2-0 teams in the NFC emerge as a legitimate sleeper? San Francisco, Green Bay, Washington, and the Detroit Lions all have opened the season undefeated. And while it is still early in the season, these teams certainly have looked better than most of their NFC competitors.
So while the New England Patriots established themselves as the team to beat in the AFC, demolishing the San Diego Chargers 38-14 Sunday night on national TV, the NFC picture is much cloudier. Which team will emerge is now anyone's guess.
