12 things: nonrepeating playoff teams

Every Friday through the Super Bowl, David Fleming will check in with 12 things about the NFL. This week, he gives 12 reasons why the 2009 playoff teams won't make the postseason this year. (Yes, that's one reason per team.)

Recently Dallas wideout Roy Williams said he has every reason to believe that the current Cowboys offense could match the 1998 Minnesota Vikings who, it just so happens, set an NFL scoring record with 556 points until it was broken by the 2007 Patriots.

A nice thought, but there's just one little problem, Roy.

So far this preseason, your No. 1 offense has scored only one touchdown. And with the way Tony Romo played in front of a banged-up offensive line last week -- four completions for 30 yards with a pick and one magical TD -- the Boys actually seem lucky to have scored at all.

To read why the other 11 2009 playoff teams won't make it back to the postseason, you must be an ESPN Insider.

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David Fleming | email

ESPN The Magazine

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• Senior writer for ESPN The Magazine FlemFile columnist for ESPN.com.
• Has written more than 30 cover stories for SI and ESPN.
• Author of "Noah's Rainbow" (a father's memoir) and "Breaker Boys" (stolen 1925 NFL title).