While the Border Battle will be even more heated than usual this week – which would appear to settle the ongoing question regarding whether the Bears or the Vikings are now Green Bay’s primary rivals – I’m quite curious to learn if the Jets are for real. Sportswriters love a swaggering, gambling defense, but as TMQ has repeatedly pointed out in the past, such defenses tend to crumble at inopportune times. I’m also a bit skeptical of Sanchez being all that he’s cracked up to be.
I think Baltimore looks like the most impressive team thus far and if they’re able to beat up on what looks like a less than invulnerable Patriots team, this will establish them as the early Super Bowl favorite. While last week’s game was incredibly exciting and San Francisco isn’t the complete pushover they were expected to be, the reality is that the Vikes haven’t looked at all dominating in beating three weak opponents they were expected to beat. On the other hand, an easy schedule and an absence of injuries are two of the primary factors underlying success in the NFL and you can only beat the teams you play. If they can beat Green Bay convincingly this week, they’ll merit being taken seriously as a potential contender. Otherwise, the jury will remain out.