New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) hands off to running back Shane Vereen (34) in the first half of an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, Dec. 14, 2014, in Foxborough, Mass.There are two weeks left in the NFL regular season. We are left with what we know, what we wonder and what we can hope.
It's not unlike Christmas, really. You know whether you have been good or not. You wonder what Santa may bring. You hope for the best.
Let's make our NFL list and check it twice.
We know that ...
You have to have good quarterback play to be among the heavyweights. Check the top teams in the league, and while they all have different strengths -- be it the Patriots' aura, the Seahawks' Legion of Boom, the Packers' receiving corps, et al -- the common thread is good quarterback play.
The Patriots, Broncos and Colts are division champs and contenders because of the above sentence. We also know that the Arizona Cardinals are in the playoffs but are long shots for a playoff run because of the same above sentence.
If the NFC wiggles free to where the playoffs run through Seattle, well, good luck with that.
We wonder if ...
This NFC South race would be described as a pillow fight to the death or maybe a Krystal eat-off between two Nigerian distance runners. The first team to seven wins.
There is a clear-cut MVP candidate. It was Aaron Rodgers, then Buffalo happened. Maybe DeMarco Murray was the front-runner, then he broke his hand. Tom Brady is insanely valuable every year -- same with Peyton Manning -- but no more so now than in any past years. Here's hoping the J.J. Watt express continues to churn up support.
The Packers realize how close they are to being left out of the dance. In fact, one of the fivesome of Seattle, Green Bay, Detroit, Philly and Dallas is going to be left out of the playoffs.
We hope that ...
The AFC playoffs schedule sets up to give us the wonderful drama of Manning vs. Colts and then Manning vs. Brady in consecutive weeks. That's better than good times.
Top five teams:
1. New England. The Patriots have become second-half serial mercenaries, leaving no one and nothing in their wake after halftime over the last month. How dominant have they been? In the last three second halves, the Patriots have allowed a field goal. One. Total.
2. Seattle. The defense is back. So is the swagger. And the Seahawks have the strut unlike any defending Super Bowl champ since the early 2000s Patriots.
3. Green Bay. The Packers stumbled mightily at Buffalo on Sunday. It was a bad loss against an underrated Bills team, but it still was painful.
4. Denver. Peyton Manning fought through illness Sunday, coming out of the locker room like a professional wrestler in a division-clinching win over San Diego. If Manning had intro music, what would it be? The theme to "Greatest American Hero," maybe? It's awkwardly cool enough -- and has the right message -- for Manning. A heavy metal song seems out of place. Rap? Uh, no. It could be "Rocky Top" -- remember his perfectly awkward preseason dance to it -- or maybe a UT-Nationwide hybrid. "Rocky Top, you make me smile."
5. Indianapolis. OK, we continue to be amazed by Andrew Luck. Dude is rewriting records as he goes along. He's been in the league three years and has more passing yards than anyone ever through three seasons (with two games left, mind you) and has won at least 10 games in each season. And now this: Apparently Luck has confounded opposing defensive players by his Emily Post etiquette-approved trash talk. When a defensive player makes a big hit, Luck screams, "Great job, No. 29!" or something of similar ilk. The stories are crazy, and there are several NFL defensive players who admitted to the Wall Street Journal that Luck's over-polite retorts to big hits and painful sacks are amazingly frustrating. Yes, ladies and gentleman, Andrew Luck is killing NFL defenses ... with kindness.
Bottom five:
28. Oakland Raiders. We want the Raiders to be good, because the league is better when the Silver and Black give you a meaningful afternoon option on Sundays. Here's thinking that when the Raiders move back to L.A. (eventually), there will be an uptick in fortune. The league needs a team in the nation's second-largest city, and that team needs to be competitive. It's the transitive property of franchise relocation.
29. Washington Redskins. This may be the ultimate statement of the NFL's overwhelming power in today's society. The Redskins are an absolute dumpster fire and have arguably the most toxic quarterback situation in the league ... and they are worth at least $3 billion.
30. Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jaguars fight. They also believe in Blake Bortles. Well, at least they fight.
31. Tennessee Titans. If your mom taught you not to say anything if you can't say something nice, what would she say about the Titans? They stink. (And as bad as they are, that's borderline Andrew Luck polite to tell the truth.)
32. Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bucs are the worst team in arguably the worst division of the modern era of the NFL. Worst of the worst ... and that's not good.
Contact Jay Greeson at jgreeson@timesfreepress.com and follow him on Twitter at @jgreesontfp. Listen to Jay and David Paschall on Press Row every weekday from 3-6 on ESPN 105.1 FM and timesfreepress.com.