Analysis of Week 16 in the NFL
Game Recaps
Chargers 42 Titans 17
And so ends the storybook comeback. Vince Young went only eight for 21 with 89 total yards and two interceptions. There were two rushing touchdowns – one my Young and the other by Chris Johnson – but none of the brilliance we have seen before. It is official, the only reason to watch the Titans next week is to see if Johnson can make it to 2,000 yards (and if his offensive linemen can earn themselves a car). On the other side of the ball, San Diego is flying under the radar as the second place team behind the Colts and above all of the other playoff mess. Philip Rivers is hot right now, and with a receiving core that has just so many options, you may see them come February.
Game Ball: Rivers went 21 for 27 for 264 yards and two touchdowns.
Bills 3 Falcons 31
This just wasn’t fair. Even if the Falcons are out of the race, is it fair to put them up against Buffalo, who started Brian Brohm this week? Even if the Bills’ defense could handle Roddy White and Matt Ryan, they would have still suffered. We would advise the Bills to pick up a running back this year in the draft, seeing as they will be low enough to go get a quality player, but they will probably also need a quarterback. We are upset to see Matty Ice not in the playoff picture, but doesn’t this answer the question: Joe Flacco or Matt Ryan?
Game Ball: White had eight receptions for 139 yards and two touchdowns.
Bengals 17 Chiefs 10
The Bengals may have ten wins on the season, but Carson Palmer isn’t doing much to make that happen. The guy is all over the place, and is being helped out by Cedric Benson. Palmer’s longest pass on the day was only 21 yards, and it is becoming evident that either he is hurting or this team is in trouble. The Chiefs are helpless, and this one came down to a touchdown and a defensive stop… just imagine what the Jets game will be like. With a defense like New York has, Palmer better get out of his little funk.
Game Ball: Benson went for 133 yards on 29 carries.
Raiders 9 Browns 33
The game with the least meaning of the day actually turned out to be one of the more entertaining. Who knew the Browns could be so exciting? Jerome Harrison followed up his 200+ yard game with 148 yards, Derek Anderson didn’t completely suck, and the defense picked off Charlie Frye three times. Couple all of that with a 61 yard field goal by Sebastian Janikowski and you have yourself a nail-biter. When Eric Mangini is under the gun in Cleveland, he responds beautifully.
Game Ball: Harrison had 39 carries for 148 yards and one touchdown.
Seahawks 10 Packers 48
What a rout! You can bet Green Bay’s roll this week has NFC teams backing off. No one would want to play the Pack if they had the choice right now. Aaron Rodgers is taking these next two weeks as practice for his first playoff appearance (which could come against you-know-who!)… but what about Green Bay isn’t looking good. Their numbers may not be mind-boggeling, but they got the job done yesterday. Between Ryan Grant, Donald Driver and Ahmad Green… as well as the defense that seems completely energized… they really look dangerous. Too bad the Seahawks got in the way.
Game Ball: Grant was only 3 yards away from 100, but he had two touchdowns to his name.
Texans 27 Dolphins 20
If Houston had played like this a couple of weeks ago they wouldn’t need so much help for a playoff berth. Unfortunately, however, their brilliance only lasted for one half of the game. The 27-point lead that the Texans enjoyed was apparently a big enough cushion, but what happened to them at halftime we will never understand. We do know one thing: in a match of inconsistant teams, apparently Miami had the losing hand. Chad Henne threw one touchdown but one interception to go with it… their running game was held to only 60 yards… we really can’t tell you what the problem was. Unless Miami puts up the points early, they really can’t win the game.
Game Ball: Jacoby Jones had only two receptions but his 79 yards and one touchdown was the difference.
Jaguars 7 Patriots 35
And all of the sudden, everything seems right in the world. The Patriots are in the playoffs, and being completely ignored… just like they like it. A good old fashioned beating in New England is exactly what the doctor ordered. What is scarier? That they walk down the field with Wes Welker or that they have Randy Moss to finish the job. Moss’s three touchdowns prove that he is just as dedicated as he always was, but Tom Brady may be back on track. Even the defense looks in control. The Jaguars, however, are completely eliminated. David Gerrard’s final moments are coming – this is the time when the Jags get to decide if they need a new quarterback or if he has a chance – and a two interception game is not the way to prove himself.
Game Ball: Tom Brady went 23 for 26 with 267 yards, four touchdowns, and a nearly perfect passer rating.
Buccaneers 20 Saints 17
You could have knocked us over with a feather. There is losing, and then there is the incredible lack of energy the Saints showed Sunday. How does a team go from undefeated to a losing streak? Simple – they didn’t play like they had all year. There was no showboating or “swagger” like the Saints have had all year. They looked lackluster. Drew Brees didn’t get hit a lot and there really weren’t any glarinly bad statistics. The Saints even won the turnover ratio. In fact, Brees completed 32 of 37 passes! But it just comes down to simple killer instinct, and when you can’t close a game out you can’t win in the playoffs.
Game Ball: Cadillac Williams had 24 carries for 129 yards and one touchdown.
Carolina 41 Giants 9
Watching New York lose it’s last game in Giants Stadium was embarassing enough, but the icing on the cake was Osi Umenyiora’s comments afterwards (“I only played what… five snaps. So I don’t know what went wrong”). What a difference a change at quaterback has made for the Carolina – who must be thinking about what could have happened if they had made the change earlier. Their offense was helped by a little birdy named Jon Steward who ran for over 200 yards… but that could just explain why the score was so outrageous. The Giants are out of the playoffs, their championship team and the lessons they learned that season have all disappeared, and now they can remember how much of a miracle it was.
Game Ball: While Matt Moore threw three touchdowns, Stewart’s 206 yards and one touchdown was just incredible to watch.
Ravens 20 Steelers 23
Those pesky Steelers just won’t go away will they? Although they need tremendous help to earn a playoff spot, Pittsburgh played inspired football for the first time in weeks. It always helps when it is against a division rival doesn’t it? What does help, however, is when the team you are playing completely beats themselves. The Ravens had this game in the bag at least twice – if not three times – but 110 yards in penalties completely ruined their chances. We have never seen Baltimore play more sloppy football than on Sunday. The twou touchdowns they had called back could have been the difference this season, let alone this game, and they let it slip through their fingers.
Game Ball: Ravens tight end Todd Heap had two receptions, both for touchdowns, for 37 yards.
Rams 10 Cardinals 31
We don’t know why the Cards are celebrating their abismal season-ending schedule, but that’s how you get in to the playoffs these days. Kurt Warner was solid, and his favorite connection Larry Fitzgerald was consistant again. The thing is, they were playing the Rams… led by Keith Null – the third string quarterback. Steven Jackson didn’t even play. As Adam Schefter said, St. Louis is one week away from being on the clock. Arizona is two weeks away from realizing that their success against sub-.500 teams doesn’t mean squat.
Game Ball: Anquan Boldin had eight receptions for 118 yards.
Lions 6 49ers 20
In another game that had absolutely no meaning, the 49ers scored 20 points on the Lions. Congratulations. You beat a team that is playing with their backup and third string quarterbacks, and has absolutely no leadership on the field. The Niners may end up .500 on the year, but they did not improve much from last year. Alex Smith isn’t playing the inspired football we expected, and we think Mike Singletary could only get more frustrated. The only offensive player with any impact was Frank Gore, as it has been for the last two weeks. They may be looking forward to next year, but San Francisco is in desperate need of a wake up call.
Game Ball: Gore had 71 yards and one touchdown rushing, but another 81 yards receiving on the day.
Jets 29 Colts 15
If you as us, Jim Caldwell is playing with fire. We completely understand resting your starters (especially the aching ones), but Caldwell didn’t even wait until they were ahead. The move caused the playoff picture in the AFC to shift, teams to lose their spots, and took away a chance at a history-making season. That isn’t to say that the Jets didn’t deserve this win (well, at least their defense did). Special teams wasn’t on the sideline were they? But the point is here that Peyton Manning shouldn’t have been on the sidelines… and sometimes a hall-of-fame quarterback should have a say in what happens on the field. We kinda wish Manning had less class.
Game Ball: Jets defense took control when the offense couldn’t. The fumble return for a touchdown by Marquis Douglas sealed the game, and closed the book on Indy’s undefeated season.
Broncos 27 Eagles 30
The Eagles weakness was exposed on Sunday… and we hope the other NFC teams were watching. Their glaring deficiencies – returning kicks and stopping decent wide receivers – were what made this game so close. Their explosive offense was what eventually gave them the win. The Eagles’ offense is so complicated and full of so many wrinkles, it is hard to imagine any team shutting them down completely. They have the deep threat, the incredible tight end, the running back(s)… you name it. The problem is their defense had holes and teams recognize that. Until Asante Samuels starts tackling people again, you can bet that teams will take the Eagles deep all day.
Game Ball: Brent Celek had four catches for 121 yards and one touchdown.
Cowboys 17 Washington 0
This wasn’t the beat down we expected after last week’s upset of the Saints, but Dallas keeps on winning. Where their offense was having trouble, the defense closed the deal. It was simple, but it got them their matchup: Meet the Birds, get the playoff spot. It does help that the ‘Skins are running around the field like a chicken with it’s head cut off… or that their coach is a lame duck and refuses to spend time bettering his young quarterback. We don’t think this counts as domination, but the ‘Boys can at least say they are winning in December.
Game Ball: Jason Witten had six receptions for 117 yards.
Vikings 30 Bears 36
Yes, it was exciting. But while Brett Favre has become the face of this Vikings team, it wasn’t entirely his fault. The notorious defense was weak, Adrian Peterson (who lost the game for them) was covered all night, and Jay Cutler played well – FINALLY. It’s Week 16 and Jay Cutler came out and decided he was still a good quarterback. Yes, his receivers stretched furthur than they usually do, but Cutler was on point the whole night and he won the Bears this game. As much as we love Peterson, he needs to not concentrate on getting another inch an worry about ball security. He has more fumbles than all other running backs this year – the good ones have maybe one or two and Peterson has six.
Game Ball: Cutler went 20 for 35 with 273 yards and four touchdowns.
Week 16 Recap
– Injury Report: Philadelphia center Jamaal Jackson will be sidelined for the rest of the season. Jackson tore a ligament in his left knee, and will have surgery to repair the damage this week…While Carolina is out of the playoffs, they have the misfortune to have lost wide receiver Steve Smith. Smith broke his arm in the last few minutes of the third quarter. He still got the touchdown…
– Newspapers in North Carolina and South Carolina have reported that Panthers’ head coach Jim Fox and his staff are safe this season. Although this is Fox’s last year of his contract, the Panthers have reportedly assured the coach his job is safe… for now.
– After Sunday’s embarassing loss, both head coach Tom Coughlin and quarterback Eli Manning came out to appologize to fans. The pair took center stage Monday, Manning in the locker room and Coughlin during a press conference. They both appeared confused as well.
And the UDU Game Ball goes to…
While the news these days follows the Saints and the Colts, and maybe a little Brett Favre, Tom Brady and New England have been flying under the radar. With the win Sunday, the Pats clinched the AFC East and a playoff spot. Brady was perfect in the game, throwing four touchdown passes along the way to a rout of the Jags.