One tough part of schedule (1 Viewer)

[BlackNGoldblood]

Other than our turnovers and defense's inability to stop big plays, one thing that has made this season a toughie is the fact that it seems nearly every week we're playing a team desperate for a win.

Carolina was 1-2 and knew they had to beat us to have any chance of coming back in the division. Tampa was 0-3 when we faced them, although we won that one. Pittsburgh was 2-6 when they played us and they basically have to win out from there to have a chance at the playoffs. Cincinnati 4-5 and reeling after several losses over the past month and they had to win the game to stay with the
Ravens. And this week will be no different as we face a 5-5 Falcons team who everyone is saying is out of it if they lose this one, and I can't say I disagree after their losses to Detroit and Cleveland.

Notice that all these desperate teams we're facing aren't the glorified college teams but perennial winning teams who the media thought would be much better at the beginning of the season. Am I overeacting to this trend or would you rather have faced some of these teams when they had a winning record instead of having our game with us be their playoff game?

 

[voodoo_blues]

Right now the whole NFC is desperate for a win besides the Bears. Welcome to the NFL

 

[SaintJ]

You've got something of a point. The schedule is not just who you play, but when you play them. Obviously, in retrospect you'd rather play the Steelers early in their post-Super Bowl hangover, or the Seahawks right after they lost Alexander and Hasselbeck for a stretch. Getting the Ravens right after Billick canned Fassel, with two weeks to prepare, wasn't exactly a lucky break, since that was the start of their hot streak. And I'm not thrilled that the Panthers now get to play the Eagles without McNabb in the lineup.

But you gotta line up and play anyway. An elite team, or a team that deserves a bye, finds a way to power through these things. They also tend to even out over time.

 

[Marlboro Man]

I hope you're right about things evening out over time, but it's been 40 years and counting.