5-2: 1 Team
4-2: 3 Teams
4-3: 5 Teams
3-3: 1 Team
3-4: 1 Team
2-4: 1 Team
1-4: 1 Team
1-5: 2 Teams
1-6: 1 Team

That would be 10 of the 16 teams within 2 games of first place Atlanta in the NFC. And the thing is, trying to pick a favorite is seemingly impossible. Almost everyone has something that could make them a favorite and at the same time, has a glaring issue that makes them very vulnerable. Let’s look at each of the contending teams (sorry San Francisco, Carolina, and Detroit) and the reason why they can win, and the reason why they shouldn’t win the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad NFC.

Atlanta (5-2)
They Can Win Because….They’ve got a weapon at every offensive position, are well coached, and play really well at home.
They Shouldn’t Win Because….They’re a different team away from the Georgia Dome. 3-0 at home. 2-2 on the road (the wins are against Cleveland and New Orleans). Also, they’re pass defense ranks 28th in the NFL and when you have the home field advantage of playing in a dome, teams are going to throw on you. Like Cincinnati did yesterday. For 385 yards.

New York Giants (4-2)
They Can Win Because….They’re very good on defense. 2nd against the pass. 7th against the run. And they’re a veteran bunch, led by a veteran coach.
They Shouldn’t Win Because…Eli Manning seems willing to throw an INT for every TD he throws this season. And if you look at their schedule, the best team they’ve played thus far is either Indianapolis or Tennessee. They were blown out in both of those games. But they did just beat the Lions by 8. At home.

Seattle Seahawks (4-2)
They Can Win Because….They play in an atrocious division and have a very good defense (third fewest points allowed in the NFL). And unlike Atlanta, they have a real home field advantage.
They Shouldn’t Win Because…Pete Carroll is their head coach. I’ve chided this team from the start and I’m perplexed by their 4-2 start. Their leading receiver weighed 260 LBS and was out of football last year. And Matt Hasselbeck has been shaky, at best. Do you trust him to lead your team to the promised land?

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-2)
They Can Win Because….They’re young, hungry, and they’ve learned how to win the games that they should, like yesterday’s against the Rams.
They Shouldn’t Win Because…They’re coached by Raheem Morris, have an awful rush defense, and an awful running game. Oh, and that youth thing? Also can be a disadvantage.

Chicago Bears (4-3)
They Can Win Because…Their defense is very good, when they show up and play hard for 60 minutes.
They Shouldn’t Win Because….Let’s see, they turn the ball over like it’s a hobby, they have no offensive balance, Matt Forte is wasting away in Mike Martz’s outdated offense, Jay Cutler is going to get killed with these preposterous 7 step drops, oh, and their defense isn’t good enough to carry them, because they have lapses where they allow people like Ryan Torain to rush for 120+ yards on them.

Green Bay Packers (4-3)
They Can Win Because…They can throw the ball down your throat.
They Shouldn’t Win Because….They’re just too injured. Everywhere. It started with Ryan Grant in week 1. They’re without Nick Barnett and Atari Bigby on the defensive side. Charles Woodson isn’t playing like he did last year. Clay Matthews Jr. is playing hurt. And the biggest loss of all, Jermichael Finley, their stud TE, is done for the season. It’s a lot to ask of Aaron Rodgers.

New Orleans Saints (4-3)
They Can Win Because…They did last year. And Reggie Bush will be back soon.
They Shouldn’t Win Because…They did last year. And they haven’t put that past them. They can say all they want to that last year’s Super Bowl is old news, but when you lose at home, like they did yesterday, to the Cleveland Browns (who are being led by a 3rd string rookie QB, no less) there’s got to be a pretty heavy hangover.

Washington Redskins (4-3)
They Can Win Because….They’re winning the close ones. They’ve only been involved in one game with a result of more than one TD (a questionable loss to the Rams.)
They Shouldn’t Win Because…Their defense. Is. Awful. Second to last against the pass and 21st of 32 against the run. They don’t do anything well. So far, they’ve done enough to get by. They’ve bent, but not broken. Who’s to say they won’t crumble?

Philadelphia Eagles (4-3)
They Can Win Because…They’re so balanced offensively (Top 10 in both passing and rushing) and Michael Vick is on his way back.
They Shouldn’t Win Because….Of games like yesterday’s. There’s no way that the Eagles should get blown out by the Titans. But they did. They have this electricity that makes them elite, but that only comes out once every 3 or 4 weeks. You can’t do that and hope to win a trip to the Super Bowl.

Arizona Cardinals (3-3)
They Can Win Because…They’re really good at home and play in a really bad division. And that formula has worked before.
They Shouldn’t Win Because…Good heavens, are they awful. Easily the worst 3-3 team I’ve ever seen. Offensively, they rank 32nd in passing (dead last) and 29th in rushing. Defensively, they’re 21st against the pass and 29th against the rush. They do nothing well and are led by an undrafted, 25 year old, rookie quarterback, who is 5’11” and hasn’t thrown a TD in 4 games played. Good enough for you?

St. Louis Rams (3-4)
They Can Win Because…They’re like the Buccaneers. Young and hungry.
They Shouldn’t Win Because…They’re led by a rookie QB. I can’t name more than 10 players on their active roster and I follow sports like my life depends on it. And, most importantly, they haven’t quite learned how to win the games that they should win, like yesterday’s against Tampa Bay. But they could easily be 4-4 heading into their bye week, with a game against Carolina this Sunday.

Minnesota Vikings (2-4)
They Can Win Because…They’re the best team in the NFC. They just haven’t realized it yet.
They Shouldn’t Win Because…It’s getting close to being too late to realize it. They’re led by the NFL’s all-time leader in every major passing statistic, the best running back in the game, the NFC’s best offensive line, a future Hall-of-Fame receiver, the most electric skill player in the conference, and a veteran defense. And yet they’re 2-4. And I think the record is the only thing standing in their way. And themselves.

Dallas Cowboys (1-4)
They Can Win Because….They’re the second best team in the NFC. And they actually know it.
They Shouldn’t Win Because…They’re so poorly coached. How it is that such a good football team is close to being 1-5 is beyond me. Every loss has been a close one because they’ve beaten themselves. They’re 3rd in passing and no NFL team has allowed fewer yards on defense. If you eliminated one bone-headed play per game, this entire post would be irrelevant because they’d be 5-0. Instead, they’re close to becoming irrelevant.

So who’s got it? Well, a few weeks ago, I picked the Giants. I also think Michael Vick changes the Eagles. He makes them electric every week, potentially. And Minnesota was within a few inches on a Brett Favre pass from being a game back in the North. And a win tonight could really put the Cowboys on track. And there’s always the Falcons. They’re a boring bunch. Nothing sexy there, but in such a weird season, maybe, for once, sexy isn’t en vogue. Last year, it was the Saints and their great story line. They had hero QB Drew Brees and a reenergized city. They were sexy. But now, maybe perfectly mediocre is good enough to get the job done in 2010. And if so, why not the Falcons? Or the Seahawks? Or the Bears? Right now, the NFC is a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad conference. But I have a feeling, come mid-December, we’re going to be in for some pretty great, fun, and thrilling football, as all of these teams scramble for that one playoff berth that could lead them to the promised land.

Until they get thrashed by the Jets in the Super Bowl.