Scoring the Duel - NFC

To finish off our Post-Partum Blog Explosion Tour, this is the first of two parts recapping and handicapping just how dead-on (or off) we were regarding our September Dueling Previews of the NFL and New Fall Television. If you remember, we paired each of the 32 NFL teams with a fledgling network rookie, and predicted which would have the better season. Since I am writing this introduction first (as intros are meant to be written, unless you ask my HS English teacher Mrs. Newman), I really have no idea how well we did. Surprises are fun. First, here’s the NFC. The AFC to follow later this afternoon.

(Oh, for archival purposes, these are the links.)

NFC North and South, NFC East and West,
AFC North and South, AFC East and West

(Initial Predictions in BOLD)
Green Bay Packers vs. NBC’s Twenty Good Years – The Packers (8-8) were better that expected, so much so that we’re going to enjoy a whole other year of John Madden and Peter King pining over Brett Favre. In other news, John Lithgow can go back to making bizarre soup commercials. VERDICT: WRONG!

Chicago Bears vs. FOX’s Standoff – Well, the Bears (13-3) did better than anyone expected despite Rex Grossman at the helm, earning a trip to the Super Bowl. So unless Standoff has become a ratings juggernaut for Fox, it’s unlikely it took down the Monsters of the Midway in 2006. (scanning Fox’s lineup) Yeah, I thought not. VERDICT: RIGHT!

Minnesota Vikings vs. CW’s Runaway – Sometimes a team in the NFL can be the fortunate beneficiary of having an easy schedule over a given season. So even though the Vikings (6-10) struggled after some big quality wins early on, it’s not hard to knock off a Donnie Wahlberg program that was cancelled by October. VERDICT: RIGHT!

Detroit Lions vs. ABC’s Ugly Betty – Let’s see, we sort of picked a team with Jon Kitna at the helm and no real reason to live over the eventual Golden Globe winner for Best TV Comedy. As punishment for such a blatant misfire, we promise to watch every Detroit Lion (3-13) game next year, no matter how painful. VERDICT: WRONG!

New Orleans Saints vs. NBC’s Heroes – WOW. There’s a good matchup. Heroes is easily my favorite new show, and thanks to the recent Mr. Bennet episode, it stands as the surprise hit of NBC’s Monday night. And at the same time, the Saints (10-6) were the surprise of the season, going to the playoffs, beating the Eagles before losing to Chicago in a blizzard. Both are high performers. However, we’ll ultimately vindicate our prediction and give the edge to Heroes. Why? The Saints lost at home to Washington. VERDICT: RIGHT!

Carolina Panthers vs. CBS’s Smith – Smith’s star Ray Liotta was finished with this 3-episode wonder so quickly he had time to participate in the wretched “Wild Hogs,” opening in theaters this weekend. Sadly, for William H. Macy, he didn’t have any other engagements. As for the Panthers (8-8), a mediocre year is all it takes to beat the first official canceled show on the Fall. VERDICT: RIGHT!

Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. ABC’s The Bachelor: Rome – Ok, let’s see – I know absolutely nothing about how well The Bachelor did picking beautiful women in Rome, or how well he did in the ratings. But I have to assume he fared better than Tampa (4-12), who only one four games and their starting QB was a weekly Injured List fixture because of a ruptured spleen. Ouch. VERDICT: WRONG!

Atlanta Falcons vs. CW’s The Game – Michael Vick would like you all to know that’s he’s very sorry about flipping the middle finger to the Falcons (7-9) fans, trying to smuggle weed onto an airplane, and preventing Matt Schaub from being a solid NFL QB. The CW would like to apologize for still being on the air. VERDICT: RIGHT!

New York Giants vs. FOX’s ‘Til Death – Wow, I actually predicted ‘Til Death on this one. But not out of a respect for Brad Garrett’s comedic timing, but out of doom for the G-Men’s (8-8) season. The problem here? Eli Manning in the pocket is funnier than the comedy of ‘Til Death, and that’s just tragedy. But somehow, inexplicably, the Giants made the playoffs, so we’ll give them the W. VERDICT: WRONG!

Washington Redskins vs. BRAVO’s Million Dollar Listing – What to say of an underachieving ‘Skins campaign? (5-11) Back in August, I said the following: “They’re not playoff bound, but they win this Scrooge McDuck matchup.” But while the Redskins won 5, MDL lasted 6 episodes. Dagger. VERDICT: WRONG!

Dallas Cowboys vs. Fox’s The Wedding Bells – This show is actually coming on the air in a few weeks, having been pushed back in the schedule so Fox could give us the World Series and Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader. One should consider Dallas (9-7) a success story, with a young QB, TO not exploding, and a solid defensive effort against everyone but Philly and New Orleans. The Wedding Bells – probably not in the market for a renewal. VERDICT: RIGHT!

Philadelphia Eagles vs. CBS’s Jericho – Jericho didn’t exactly grip the nation like CBS had hoped, as this Lost clone now is mired after a few scheduling changes. A week after the Eagles’ (10-6) loss to the Saints in the playoffs, someone asked me if I was over how it ended. I could honestly say yes. After McNabb went down, I’m more than happy with the streak of wins and a playoff game victory. VERDICT: RIGHT!

San Francisco 49ers vs. FOX’s Happy Hour – The 49ers (7-9) won 7 games and almost won the NFC West away from the coasting Seattle Seahawks. Their QB of the future showed promise, and Frank Gore was a fantasy stud. The cast of Happy Hour got their cars towed, as the show was cancelled so fast they didn’t even make it out to the parking lot. VERDICT: RIGHT!

St. Louis Rams vs. ABC’s Brothers and Sisters – In order to advance in my Condon fantasy league, I needed a huge MNF game out of Marc Bulger, hoping the Rams (8-8) could pull out a win themselves. I was within 6 points as Bulger fired down the right sideline during garbage time to Isaac Bruce, making it possible for me to move on. Instead, the Bears’ Charles Tillman picked it off. I guess he was a big fan of Brothers and Sisters. VERDICT: RIGHT!

Seattle Seahawks and FOX’s Justice – Justice was a Fox legal drama with no real “catch.” It was just lawyers dealing with cases in L.A. It got put on hiatus in November, and Fox is pretending it doesn’t even exist. The Seahawks (9-7) were almost canceled in the first round of the playoffs, but Tony Romo made sure that didn’t happen. VERDICT: RIGHT!

Arizona Cardinals vs. ABC’s Help Me Help You – The Cardinals (5-11) blew one of the most memorable Monday Night Football games in recent years, bowing out to the Bears and allowing us (via Denny Green) to know that the Bears “are who we thought they are.” The uninspired Ted Danson psych comedy was a goner by December. This is a real coin flip here, so let’s flip an actual coin. And the winner? Arizona VERDICT: RIGHT

NFC 11, Fall TV 5
Condon's Record: 11-5