What 3-0 Means to Me

29 Sep 2010

By Lenny Smalls

Does beginning the season 3-0 mean you are going to the playoffs?  Not if your roster has as many holes as Chicago and Kansas City does.  Neither team can convince me that they are anything better than the third best team in their division.  As a matter of fact, I’d be surprised if either team finished better than 8-8. 

After watching the Packers beat themselves…err…I mean, after watching the Bears beat the Packers on Monday Night Football the one thought that kept returning to me was how lucky Jay Cutler was.   He only recorded 1 interception in the game but he actually threw 5 including the last one that induced Favre flashbacks from 2005 that was wiped out by another Packer penalty.  They can’t run the ball (29^th in the league) and if your hopes fall on Cutlers shoulders, then do you really have any hope?  Let’s ask Bronco fans.   So far they’ve beaten the Cowboys while Megatron beat the Lions and the Packers beat the Packers.  The Bears are pretenders who will probably finish 7-9 (if not 6-10.)

Kansas City is intriguing for a few reasons.  To start the season 3-0 and to beat San Diego (AFC West Champs) and San Francisco (expected NFC West Champs) is impressive.  They also play in a division that isn’t looking as formidable as it did on paper before the season kicked off.  The Chargers are beat up and not playing complete football the Broncos cannot run the ball and the Raiders are the Raiders (see last week’s kicking debacle for clarification.)  They are the antithesis of Chicago offensively because they can run the ball but if they fall behind early it will be interesting to see how Charlie Weis scores points in bunches with the famed (rhymes with lame) Cassell to Moeaki connection.  This team is not good enough to win its division and it doesn’t look good enough to finish above .500 this year either.  Sorry Bear fans but stand by for big changes in the Windy City in the off season.

The one 3-0 team that will make the playoffs is the Steelers.  Dominating opposing offenses with a ferocious defense complemented by an offense showcasing a steady running game all while playing much improved on special teams means Pittsburgh is for real.  The Steel Curtain is punishing opposing running backs and quarterbacks and things will only get better for the team after the bye when Big Ben returns.  This is a team that not only has what it takes to win the division, make the playoffs and win the Super Bowl, it may even be a threat to go undefeated.  It’s early in the season and making such a prediction is a ways off but if there is any team that could possibly do it this year, Pittsburgh’s our best bet.