8/7/08 Brett Favre signs with the Jets, so he’s not headed to the very-interested Buccaneers. Jeff Garcia or Brian Griese, two past-their-prime QBs (when even their primes weren’t that great), leading the Bucs to a home game Super Bowl in Tampa? Not so much.
9/6/08 Even the day before the season started, it was obvious the 49ers, Rams and Lions just didn’t have the talent to make a Super Bowl appearance a reality. The Seahawks, without a franchise back and missing their top two receivers for at least the first five weeks, also could be included on the “no hope” list. Even before the first game of the season, it was pretty obvious that the NFC West was the Cardinals’ to lose.
9/7/08 The Falcons were about to embark upon a dream season, where they would win 11 games and make the postseason, thanks in large part to rookie signal caller Matt Ryan. Matty Ice would look like a veteran during the regular season, repeatedly making gutsy throws in key spots, but the Falcons’ decision to start him ruined their Super Bowl chances on day one. No rookie quarterback has ever led his team to the Super Bowl, and even the unflappable Ryan looked very flappable in the playoffs. His postseason debut — 199 passing yards on 40 attempts, two interceptions, a safety and a fumble that was returned for a touchdown — doomed the Falcons in their first-round 30-24 loss against Arizona, further proving the playoffs are no place for a rookie QB.
9/14/08 The Saints had the offensive firepower, but their ability to get stops would determine whether New Orleans could reach the pinnacle of the league. Up nine with six minutes left, the Saints allowed two Washington TDs, including a 67-yard Santana Moss reception, proving that even a career year for Drew Brees wouldn’t be enough.
9/17/08 The benching of Tarvaris Jackson was just a vindication of what most fans already knew: The Vikings were never going to win a Super Bowl with him at quarterback. Adrian Peterson and the defense boosted Minnesota into the playoffs, but Jackson just made too many mistakes to be a successful game manager, as his game-clinching interception against the Eagles that Asante Samuel returned for a touchdown proved.
9/28/08 Down two on the road at Tampa, Aaron Rodgers had the chance to lead a game-winning drive and appease the still-skeptical Packers faithful. Instead, he threw his third interception of the day on just the second play of the drive, dropping Green Bay to 2-2 and proving that the promising QB wasn’t quite ready for the big moment.
10/12/08 Winners of four straight games, including impressive road victories against division rivals Dallas and Philadelphia, the Redskins looked legit and were hosting winless St. Louis as a heavy favorite. The new darlings of the NFC East showed that they didn’t have the mettle of champions, playing down to the lowly Rams, losing 19-17 on a last-second field goal and proving to be more chump than champ.
11/9/08 In a week 10 game against Oakland, the Panthers’ Jake Delhomme only mustered 72 passing yards — off of a bye week no less — in the Panthers 17-6 win. Their two-headed rushing attack of Deangelo Williams and Deshaun Foster was tremendous late in the season, but Delhomme’s inability to keep the defense honest ended up being the Panthers’ pitfall — he threw five interceptions and completed only half of his passes in their playoff loss to Arizona.
11/16/08 A team with a bearded backup as its starting QB, a kick returner as one of its top receivers and a rookie running back somehow mustered a 5-4 record in its first nine games. Still, the Bears’ uninspired 37-3 loss against rival Green Bay showed a lack of pride and, more importantly, a lack of the storied defense of old.
11/30/08 The Giants can say they didn’t miss Plaxico Burress or that this day’s gun-related incident didn’t distract them, but after Plax’s gat slipped down his designer sweatpants, the Giants were never the same. The G-Men, winners of seven straight games, lost three of their last four regular season games before falling to the Eagles in the Divisional Round. Sure, they were minus a healthy Brandon Jacobs for much of the stretch, but Eli Manning never reached 200 yards passing during their last five games. The Giants’ inability to stretch the field allowed the Eagles to jam up the line of scrimmage and knock off the reigning champs.
12/28/08 With all the dysfunction, the Cowboys still had the talent to turn it around and make a late run at the Super Bowl. Due to the failure of some fellow NFC playoff hopefuls, Dallas controlled its fate in week 17. One win and they were in, giving the circus a chance at redemption. After their week 10 bye, the Cowboys went 4-2 with their only losses to eventual AFC finalists Baltimore and Pittsburgh. If they could find a way to punch their ticket to the playoffs, the Cowboys would be a very dangerous and hot wild card team. Instead, they lost 44-6 to the Eagles, allowing Donovan McNabb to wash away the midseason sins with a run to the NFC finals.
1/18/08 It seemed like the tie against the lowly Bengals, followed by Donovan McNabb’s benching in a 36-7 loss to Baltimore, did in the Eagles, but they incredibly bounced back to win four of their last five. Thanks to losses by favored Chicago and Tampa Bay, Philly got the last spot into the NFC playoffs and took advantage of its second chance in the second season, winning on the road against Minnesota and New York. The Super Bowl was a very real possibility until Kevin Curtis let a late fourth down pass slip through his fingertips, effectively punching the Cardinals’ ticket to Tampa.