Sneak preview

The NFL season is at its mid-way point and it has been an interesting campaign so far. We have the Indianapolis Colts (8-0) again flirting with perfection and the Chicago Bears had folks drawing comparisons to their 1985 Super Bowl team. We've also watched the defending champions (Pittsburgh Steelers) fall on their face and had more drama from our boy (Terrell Owen) in "Big D."

Instead of rehashing the past, I want to look forward and share my thoughts on the second half.

1. DON'T CROWN THE COLTS YET
Even though the Colts are still undefeated, don't rush to proclaim that this is the year they finally cap a great regular season with a Super Bowl title. When you look at teams they could face in the playoffs, there are a ton of match-up concerns for Indy.

As impressive as the Colts have been with their explosive offense and timely plays on defense, we know they still have problems establishing the run and stopping it. At this stage, you have to believe the Broncos, Patriots and Ravens could all exploit Indy in both departments. And the team I figure that would give them the most trouble in this regards as the Chargers. All of these teams have dynamic running attacks or backs and if they run for 200 yards against Indy in the playoffs, it's over for the Colts.

One thing in the Colts' favor is that they'll get some injured defenders back as the season goes along. In fact, safety Bob Sanders returned right in time for last weekend's game in New England and made some big plays in the win. But ultimately, the run defense is the team's weakest unit and it might very well lead to the Colts having another premature postseason run.

2. FEELING THE STING
It goes without saying that injuries will have an impact on the rest of the season. Look no further than the defending NFC champion Seattle Seahawks. How good will Seattle be with quarterback Matt Hasselbeck and running back Shaun Alexander coming back? Will those two be well rested? Will the team be able to start a winning streak at the right time?

On the flip side with the Bears, if they lose someone like middle linebacker Brian Urlacher for an extended period of time or Tommie Harris, or another one of those defensive lineman, it could spell an early hibernation this winter for Chicago.

3. BALTIMORE TRYING TO RECAPTURE THE MAGIC
A dangerous team to go up against, the Ravens can run the ball and have a proven veteran quarterback in control to compliment a stingy defense. In the two weeks that head coach Brian Billick has been calling the offensive plays we've seen the team cut back with the experimenting. Now, the Ravens are concentrating on simply doing the things that Steve McNair can do well. Forget about trying to do all these fancy things; hand off the ball to Jamal Lewis and stick to the things you know your quarterback can do well.

Since the bye week, McNair has a little freshness, a little bounce to him. And Billick will do all that he can to keep him fresh. He is the key to this team down the stretch.

4. BEWARE THE SEAHAWKS, PANTHERS
I know it's hard to gauge exactly how good it was since they were playing the Raiders, but the Seahawks' defense bounced back in a big way on Monday night. The unit still has a lot of young players and it's still figuring out what's best for it in terms of schemes. But the guys are starting to get their blitz package down; starting to get better coverage. I'm not sure there's another team in the league that could lose its starting quarterback and running back and still be in a position to win its division and have a first-round bye in the playoffs.

In addition, the Carolina Panthers are still a dangerous team. They have one of the best game-day coaches in John Fox; one of the most explosive offensive players in wide receiver Steve Smith; and one of the most dominating defenders in defensive end Julius Peppers. When you look at how they play, they're capable of going on the road and winning anywhere. Some people want to lock the Bears in as having home-field advantage in the NFC, but Chicago hasn't forgotten what the Panthers did to them in the playoffs last year, and it could happen again.

5. IT'S GETTING HOT IN HERE
With all the head coaching firings that took place last year, you're not going to have the same number of vacancies (10) this offseason, but we already know that Dennis Green of the Arizona Cardinals is atop the list. Second will be Jeff Fisher of the Tennessee Titans. And third likely is Art Shell of the Oakland Raiders. Simply put, there’s no reason to believe Shell and the rest of that group have done anything to make me think they'll be back next year.

Oh, and I would be remiss if I didn't mention Bill Parcells of the Dallas Cowboys. Now, people don't equate the word "quitter" with Parcells, but he's quit everywhere he has been. Call it what you want, but he always leaves his teams early. Keep in mind: He left New England because the Pats wanted him to cook the meal but didn't allow him to pick the groceries. And right now, there's no pot or pan that he can put Terrell Owens in and he didn't pick him.

6. APPEARING IN SUPER BOWL XLI ARE …
Yes, I think the Colts have some issues that could derail their title hopes, but that won't stop me from picking them to play the Panthers in Miami for the Super Bowl. The Colts are one of the few teams that can win with just one dimension – great offense. And they have one of the best of all time led by Peyton Manning.

The thing that separates this Indy team is I don't believe the Colts will have the same pass protection problems that hurt them during previous postseason runs. A staple of Indy's offense has been the three-wide receiver set. But in the last five weeks, they've been using more two tight ends, which affords them better protection.

As for the Panthers, they have rookie DeAngelo Williams coming back. He's a playmaker that will boost both the running and return games. Steve Smith is only going to get better as the season goes along, and the offense has more balance with the additions of Williams and Keyshawn Johnson. You just can't load up on Smith to take him out of the game because quietly, Johnson (37 catches, 479 yards) is having a rock-solid year.

Cris Carter is Yahoo! Sports' NFL analyst. Send Cris a question or comment for potential use in a future column or webcast.

Updated on Friday, Nov 10, 2006 7:12 pm, EST

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