The Redskins: Far Worse Than I Expected

I fired up NFL.com this morning and just started laughing.
Washington 28, Philadelphia 59.

Actually, that should probably say Washington 28, Michael Vick 59.

That's the most points the Redskins have ever given up at home - the last time they even came close to that was a defeat by the Bears in 1947, when they lost 20-56. Eerily, the rushing stats compiled by the Bears' Jim Keane all those years ago were similar to those that Jerome Harrison put up last night.

The 59 points the Eagles put on the board is the most they've scored on the road since October 1953, when they won 56-17 at the Chicago (now Arizona) Cardinals. In terms of points differential, it's Philadelphia's biggest away win since they spanked the Dallas Cowboys 36-3 in 2001.

Anyway, the recommendation was a bust, but if you're going to lose a bet I think it's preferable to lose by a mile.

With Week 11 coming in a couple of days, it's worth having a quick look at the standings after Week 10, especially as the bye weeks have now finished.

7-2
Jets, Patriots, Falcons
6-3
Ravens, Steelers, Colts, Eagles, Giants, Bears, Packers, Saints, Buccaneers
5-4
Dolphins, Titans, Jaguars, Raiders, Chiefs, Seahawks

I still think the teams from the 7-2 and 6-3 groups stand the best chance of winning the Superbowl, but a couple of teams in the 6-3 group deserve a mention. The Bears finished third in the NFC North last season (which satisfies one of the conditions I mentioned here), but hats off to the Buccaneers. They were dreadful last season and their improvement this season is obvious. Pete Carroll also seems to have done a decent job at Seattle after moving from USC.

There are some massive games this weekend: Miami v Chicago on Thursday, Pittsburgh v Oakland, New Orleans v Seattle, New England v Indianapolis and Philadelphia v New York Giants on Sunday. Although there are still six regular season games left, there's still a lot to play for.