At least the Packers have the comfort of playing in the NFC North. Some team has to win this division. But no one right now looks good enough to run away with it.
BENGALS on prowl
The last time the Cincinnati Bengals were 3-0, it was 1990, and their current coach, Marvin Lewis, was a young assistant at the University of New Mexico.
Lewis has come a long way, and the Bengals, who are 2-0 entering Sunday's game at Chicago, have come a long way under Lewis. When Lewis became Cincinnati's coach in 2003, the Bengals were coming off a 2-14 season and had become the franchise where coaches went to fail. None of the three coaches who preceded Lewis in Cincinnati -- David Shula, Bruce Coslet and Dick LeBeau -- had a winning season there.
But in Lewis' first season, the Bengals improved to 8-8, and in Lewis' third year, fans in Cincinnati are mentioning the playoffs. The players are trying to keep the quick start in perspective.
"We love that the crowd is behind us, that the city is behind us, and that there's a lot of electricity in the city right now," quarterback Carson Palmer said during a news conference on Wednesday. "That's great. But people also realize it's only two games." Cincinnati has impressive talent at the skill positions, led by Palmer, wide receivers Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh, and running back Rudi Johnson. Meanwhile, Lewis was a respected defensive coordinator with both Baltimore and Washington before joining the Bengals, and Cincinnati has a plus-seven turnover ratio through two games.
EAGLES versus raiders
Containing Randy Moss will be the top priority for the Philadelphia Eagles (1-1) today when they play host to the Oakland Raiders (2-0). Moss's track record against Philadelphia's defense is poor. The Eagles faced Moss twice last season when he was still with Minnesota, and Philadelphia won both games, holding Moss to a combined 11 catches, 10.9 yards per catch, and one touchdown. In last year's Philadelphia-Minnesota playoff game, Moss' last game with the Vikings, he caught three passes for 51 yards.
To achieve one of their goals this season, to go unbeaten at home, the Eagles will have to contain the Raiders' offense. "Home needs to be a place that teams fear coming into," said Eagles safety Brian Dawkins.
RSS