It gets me thinking – since we know we’ll see the Saints, Colts and probably the Vikings go deep in the playoffs, it’s never too early to start assessing their chances. One way to do so is to see how “battle tested” they are so far this year. How many truly challenging opponents have they faced? How did they do in those matchups?
Saints
New Orleans’ schedule is slightly deceiving. The blowout win over Philadelphia came against Kevin Kolb, not Donovan McNabb, and Kolb threw three picks. The Saints most noteworthy wins were both home romps – over the Giants and Patriots. It would be nice to see New Orleans win a truly tough road game but last week’s battle with Washington definitely showed the Saints’ resolve.
Colts
Arizona seemed vulnerable at the time but, looking back, Indy’s road win against a now 8-4 Cards team looks impressive. Manning’s comeback over New England was pretty legendary and consecutive road wins at Baltimore and Houston certainly boosted the Colts’ support among football picks makers.
Vikings
Minnesota has something to prove against Cincinnati and the New York Giants this week. The Vikes’ wins over Green Bay stand out but so do their big-game losses to Pittsburgh and Arizona. They’re arguably the least proven team in big games.
Right now, I’d argue that Indianapolis is the most proven team through 12 games. It came from behind to beat San Francisco, Houston, New England, Baltimore and Houston again in consecutive weeks. Only time will tell if the tough regular-season challenges give the Colts a playoff edge.