At 6-5, the Miami Dolphins appear to be epitome of a "barometer" or "measuring stick" team. If you beat the Dolphins, you're likely an elite team (Jets, Patriots, Steelers, Ravens, Bears). If you lose to the Dolphins, you're likely a pretender (Bills, Vikings, Packers, Bengals, Titans, Raiders). The only exception might be the Packers, who appear to be playoff bound.
Packers are definitely not a pretender. And we better hope they win the NFC North division. I read that the last time the Dolphins beat a non-AFC East team that finished the season with a winning record was the Chiefs in 2006. So go Packers! As for the Titans, they are on their 3rd string QB now, so they are a pretender now, but not when Miami played them.
I don't think the NFC North is that bad. Bears are legit, they just smacked the Eagles around. They aren't as strong as the NFC South, AFC East, or AFC North but they are good, I'd rank it 4th.
Interestingly, I think they're going up against another one of those barometer teams - the Cleveland Browns - next Sunday.
I find it really odd that our 5 losses all come to teams in 1st place in their division... That has to be a record... With Cleveland not being in 1st place next week we should be a lock :-)
First of all, the NFC North isn't bad. Secondly, you really don't think the Packers are a playoff team?
First of all the division have all of TWO teams with winning records. Playoff team? Sure. From a bad division. Check their schedule cause I have watched it all year. Philly with Kevin Kolb - WIN Buffalo - WIN Chicago - LOSS Detroit - WIN Washington - WIN Miami - LOSS Minnesota - WIN The unexplainable Jets off the BYE - WIN Dallas "quit on Wade" - WIN Minnesota - WIN Atlanta - LOSS Altogether they have three wins from teams that have fired their Head Coach. The only win that was impressive at all was the Jets........... and that win appears to be the result of the Jets reading the papers for two weeks about how great they were. Chicago? They come to Florida to face a mash unit and managed to score 16 points. I thank God it was Chicago. New England might have put the forty burger on the Phins that week.
Looking at that schedule again it's not out of the realm of possibility for the Dolphins to be 8-2. It's a bad division and THAT makes their schedule a creme puff.
The AFC East and NFC South are the only divisions that have 3 teams with a winning record, and I'm not quite sure what you're point is. The Packers can only play who is on their schedule. They are a very good team.
i think we are just in the middle and need to finish games! after that were not the measuring stick! were the team to beat!!!
My point is exactly what you took issue with - they play in a bad division. ..........and you are correct. The schedule is what it is but that does not change that division. Minnesota was suppose to be a good team this year but for some reason they are not a good team. So that leaves the Packers one good team to play in their division. Take New England off of our schedule. Replace those two games with two more games versus Buffalo. Now you have four games against Buffalo. How good do you feel about our schedule now? That is exactly what the Packers get from playing in that division. Does that make them a bad team? No. That makes them about as good as the Dolphins except we know that they have already lost to the Dolphins. So they are not even as good as the Dolphins.