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| Monday, November 27 By Joe Theismann Special to ESPN.com | |||||
ESPN's Joe Theismann answers five pressing questions from Sunday's action:
I didn't think the Saints could beat the Rams, and they did. Because the Saints lost Jeff Blake and Ricky Williams to season-ending injuries, if you polled 100 people who know football and asked if the Rams would lose to the Saints in St. Louis, all 100 would say no. Although I still believe the Rams will bounce back and win the NFC West, you almost have to believe the Saints can do just about anything. With young quarterback Aaron Brooks making his first NFL start, the Saints were playing a Rams team capable of scoring a lot of points at their house, the TWA Dome -- and still won. Defensively, the Saints did a great job. The Rams have the most trouble against teams that can put pressure on the quarterback with just four rushers. Tampa Bay did it last year in the NFC Championship Game, and the Redskins and the Saints have done it this season. The Saints are the NFL's best feel-good story of the holiday season. They came into the season with new management, coach Jim Haslett and GM Randy Mueller, and no first-round pick from the draft. They had to find players through free agency and create the team the Saints are today. With Blake and Williams gone, the Saints are finding ways to win. They are still scoring points and making plays. I can't say enough about the job the Saints' coaches are doing. Haslett and his staff are getting the players to believe they are good. If the injuries to Blake and Williams had occurred earlier in the season and the Saints had not been able to establish any self-confidence, the injuries would have been more devastating. But they proved Sunday they can beat anybody. So much of what happens in football deals with momentum and belief. If a team believes it can win, it's amazing how the ball bounces in its direction. Maybe in the next four weeks, the Saints will lose a game, and everybody will say, "See? I knew the bubble would burst." But teams lose games in the NFL. The key is winning enough games to get in the playoffs. Then, anything could happen. I wouldn't put anything past the Saints. They are getting people to believe. Did Trent Green show how important Kurt Warner is to the Rams? I don't think Kurt Warner's absence is the reason for their struggles. The Rams' problems have surfaced all year. Even when Warner was the quarterback, the defense gave up a lot of points and yards. The offense scored 24 points Sunday. That's well below their average, but it's still 24 points. The Rams' defense, however, gave up its average -- 31 points a game. That's the problem, not the offense. I believe Warner and Trent Green are interchangeable quarterbacks. Green must be No. 1 on Mike Holmgren's wish list for Christmas. He would be the most likely quarterback to operate the Seahawks' offense with efficiency. In Holmgren's system, the quarterbacks are required to make quick decisions and get rid of the football. Green is very accurate throwing the ball down the field. Holmgren should be very interested in Green because he could get immediate results. Will the Giants make good on Jim Fassel's playoff prediction? Yes, they will. In the NFC, the playoff contenders are the Rams, Saints, Vikings, Lions, Bucs, Eagles, Redskins and Giants. Out of that group, six will make the playoffs. I think the Vikings will win the Central, and the Rams will win the West. In the NFC East, who knows? If the Eagles win the East, then the Lions, Redskins, Bucs, Saints and Giants will be vying for the three wild-card spots. The Giants play a make-or-break game against Washington on Sunday. If the Redskins lose to the Giants, they should run the table, winning their last three games. But the Giants finish against Pittsburgh, Dallas and Jacksonville, while the Eagles get the Titans, Cleveland and Cleveland. The Redskins and the Eagles should at least go 10-6. In a tie-breaker scenario, the Giants have to beat Washington and then get to 10 wins. They would then have tie-breaker advantages over the Eagles, whom they've beaten twice, and the Redskins, due to a better divisional record. The Redskins need to beat the Giants for the head-to-head edge, so the Redskins-Giants game could be the season for either team. If the Giants don't follow through on Fassel's promise, his job will be on the line. I love what he did. What does Fassel have to lose? If he doesn't make the playoffs, he will probably lose his job. If he does make it, he's backed up his promise. Keep in mind: In 1997, when Fassel took over the Giants, he basically read his team the riot act with three games left in the season but without making any guarantees. And they won the last three games and made the playoffs. The Giants look like they need to be picked up by the scruff of their neck and shaken a little to get results, and that's what happened Sunday night. The Giants played a solid game. Then again, it's hard to judge how well the Giants did because they played a bad Cardinals team. For the Giants, the questions remain: Can they be a good team and can they come back from behind? They still haven't answered those questions. Just because they beat a decimated team doesn't mean they are out of the woods. But I think they will make the playoffs. Are you surprised the Chargers finally won a game? No, because Denver could have been the first victim the week before. The Chargers should be very proud that they finally got the breaks to go their way. Earlier in the season, they had the Raiders on the ropes. And they had the Broncos on the ropes last week. This week, they hung on against Kansas City. The Chargers could have easily had four or five victories before they beat the Chiefs. They were just waiting for something to happen. In the Chiefs' case, what's disappointing is that they lost -- not that they lost to the Chargers. Based on their talent, the Chiefs should have a better record than they have. Are the Broncos good or just lucky -- or both? First of all, the Broncos are good in their choice of running backs that nobody else wants. First, it was Terrell Davis. Then it was Olandis Gary. Now it's Mike Anderson. Mike Shanahan and his personnel people deserve credit for coming up with back after back after back. They look all-world whenever they get a chance to play. Gus Frerotte continues to make life very interesting for Shanahan. But in the end, the Broncos find a way to win. Denver could make the playoffs. If Brian Griese and Davis come back, the Broncos will be an entirely different football team. Shanahan's biggest concern should be the number of points the Broncos' defense is allowing. In that regard, the Broncos are much like the Rams. Former NFL quarterback Joe Theismann works as a game analyst for ESPN's Sunday Night Football. He will review the NFL week for ESPN.com every Monday in his "Cup o' Joe" feature. He will also break down the Sunday Night Football matchup each Friday. | ALSO SEE
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Aaron Brooks is gaining confidence as the Saints QB.