Closer and closer, we inch towards the NFL playoffs. Only four of the twelve spots have been clinched thus far (Seattle, Denver, Kansas City, Indianapolis). While this past weekend was supposed to clear things up, I feel like it only made things more confusing. Numerous teams that were supposed to take care of business failed to do so. Some teams lost their games, but still control their fate (Dallas), while other teams won their games, but got booted from the one through six seeds in their conference (Miami). Here is a review of the bizzare scores and story lines from a whacky Week 15 in the NFL.
NFC East
Say what you will about the quality of play in this division, you cannot deny the entertainment value attached to these four teams on a week to week basis. The New York Giants were probably the most boring team from this division in Week 15 as they continued their awful season, losing 23-0 and gaining a grand total of 181 yards. The Redskins, meanwhile, may have gotten more news coverage on ESPN this week, than any 3-10 team has ever gotten. The drama surrounding Mike Shanahan and the quarterback situation finally got a bit of rest as the 'Skins actually had to play a game in the Georgia Dome against an equally disappointing Atlanta Falcons team. There was one stat in this game that showed how embarrassing these two teams have been this year: Washington's turnovers.
The 'Skins had seven turnovers, yet the Falcons only won by one point. There was one sequence where on three plays in a row, there was a turnover (Alfred Morris fumble, Matt Ryan sack and fumble, then a completion to Santana Moss and he fumbled). Then, wanting to keep things interesting, the Redskins decide to go for two after they scored a TD with 18 seconds left to make the score 27-26. Look, I understand their logic. You're on the road, with a chance to win, and it's not like another loss will hurt (Rams fans were rejoicing when this decision happened as they have Washington's first round pick). The problem I have was that if the Redskins were really trying to win that game, you kick the PAT for overtime. You have all the momentum, and turnovers have been the only thing that have halted your offense. They gained 476 yards on a 29th ranked defense! Shanahan decided against this, went for two, and failed. The 'Skins nightmare season continues and it feels like only a matter of time before Shanahan is out the door.
The real fun started in the Philly-Minnesota game as the Eagles needed to keep pace with the Cowboys. This seemed like a dream game for the Eagles. After playing through a snow apocalypse last week, they got to move their high flying offense indoors. The Vikings, despite their record, have played teams tough down the stretch, but I don't think anyone expected the Vikes to win this game. Matt Cassel looked like he was back in New England, Greg Jennings looked like he was back in Green Bay, and Matt Asiata is a player in the NFL. Surprisingly, they were able to out shoot the Eagles en route to a 48-30 victory, with most of the Eagles' points coming in the second half. There was now legit concern in Philly as they opened the door for Dallas to really put a good hold on the division. But remember, it's the Cowboys. They want to be the stars of this soap opera.
Rather than win against the Aaron Rodgers-less Packers, the Cowboys decided to make things interesting. 26-3 at the half. Game over. 'Boys win. "Let's just run the ball in the second half and control the clock," said Jason Garrett never. Rather than go with a rational game plan, the Cowboys decided to air it out in the second half. Do they have the weapons to do so? Yes, of course. But the Cowboys needed first downs to move the chains and kill the clock, not necessarily TDs. Keep in mind, DeMarco Murray averaged 7.4 yards per carry that game. The fact that he wound up with less carries than Eddie Lacy even though the Packers were trailing most of the game, is ridiculous. Watching this game, I kept thinking, 'Here we go again.'
Rather than follow Football 101, the 'Boys allowed Matt Flynn to lead the Packers on a comeback for the ages, and possibly the one that gets Garrett fired (especially if they don't make the playoffs). The most amazing part of this whole drama, however, is that it's actually the Cowboys who still control their own destiny. Despite this meltdown, if they win out, they will win the NFC East. They face the Redskins this week, and face the Eagles in Week 17, most likely with the division on the line. Predicting this division is impossible, but the games are entertaining as heck. Even if you're not affiliated with any of these teams, you should try and catch a couple of their games. They'll make you laugh, cry, scratch your head, make you say 'ooh' and 'aah,' and keep you on the edge of your seat.
Drama Division, Part II
Not to be outdone, the NFC North is also making a play for their own drama. Quarterback drama dominated the headlines this past weekend as Aaron Rodgers couldn't go, Matt Cassel did go, and Jay Cutler returned to a Bears' fan base that seems to have zero love for him. The Packers, with that miracle win at Dallas, are somehow still in the thick of things. That defense is awful, but if they get A-Rod back, it could be trouble for the rest of the division. They get the Steelers at home and close out the season in the Windy City, so it's by no means an easy stretch run. Still, if A-Rod is at full health, it gives the Packers a shot to make some noise.
The Lions, meanwhile, had everything going for them. They swept the first place Bears earlier in the season, and have their final two games against teams with losing records in domes (home vs Giants, at Minnesota). They also have, I believe, the most talent of any team in the North. Unfortunately, talent alone doesn't win you games. Megatron had some terrible drops last night as the Lions lost to the Ravens, despite Baltimore not even scoring a TD. They looked like the classic Lions with dumb penalties, questionable play calling (empty backfield on 3rd and 1?!), and Stafford driving fans crazy with his passes going everywhere. With that loss, they actually fall to third in the division and are in real danger of being out of the playoffs before Week 17 even comes around. Even if they are still in it, I fully expect them to choke away that opportunity in their last game at Minnesota.
The Bears, meanwhile, had their own drama begin before the game even started. The decision to bench Josh McCown and start Jay Cutler was met with more than its fair share of critics. I thought the criticism was completely unwarranted. I also thought it was a good thing this game was played in Cleveland and not Chicago. I guarantee you that on Cutler's first bad incompletion, and especially on that pick 6, that he would have gotten booed unmercifully. Who knows what that would have done to his psyche. Despite a rocky start, Cutler was able to rally the troops and beat a fairly stout Cleveland defense to the tune of 31 offensive points with him contributing to 21 of them. Would McCown have thrown for 400 yards and 5 TDs? Maybe, but going back to Cutler was certainly the right decision, and he should start as long as he's healthy.
AFC Top Teams Falter
Denver, New England, and Cincinnati all had a chance to make a move for a playoff bye and home field advantage in the AFC. All three had winnable games. All three faltered. It started Thursday night when the Broncos welcomed San Diego to Mile High. San Diego gave them a scare the first time they played, but Denver prevailed. Surprisingly, it was San Diego's defense, and not Phillip Rivers and the offense, that won this game for the Chargers. They held a Wes Welker-less Broncos team to only 295 total yards en route to a 27-20 victory. The Chargers remain on life support for the playoffs, while the Broncos left the door open for the Patriots to nab home field as the Pats beat the Broncos in a Week 12 thriller.
Rather than seize the opportunity, the Pats came up yards short against an improved, but beatable, Dolphins team. Still, when the Dolphins scored with 1:15 left and the crowd was going crazy, I was thinking that they left too much time on the clock. Brady will get the ball back, do his Brady thing, and crush the hearts of Dolphins fans. Well, almost did. He even converted a fourth down that would have won it for the Dolphins. Instead, he marched them down the field and had a couple good shots at the end zone. One was dropped by Amendola and the other should have been a defensive pass interference call as he was trying to get it to Michael Hoomanawanui. His final pass guaranteed they would stay in second place in the AFC for one more week as it was intercepted in the end zone. Not quite enough Brady magic.
The Bengals, playing on Sunday Night Football, were able to see all the carnage happen to the teams ahead of them. They could now move into a tie with New England for the second seed, and put distance between themselves and Baltimore for the AFC North crown. Everything fell apart in Pittsburgh as the Bengals weren't able to do anything. The Steelers defense played like the defense of old as they held the Bengals to only 57 total rushing yards, forcing Andy Dalton to throw 44 times. That is not a recipe for success for the Bengals. Now, since the Bengals lost to the Ravens earlier this year, it is actually Baltimore that controls their own destiny. If the Ravens win out (home vs Pats, at Bengals), it will be them that win the division crown and a home playoff game. They'll need to find some more offense as field goals likely won't get it done against the Patriots like it did last night, but the opportunity is at least there for them to take.
The Curious Case of the New Orleans Saints
Never before have I seen such a discrepancy between a team's performance when they are at home and when they are on the road. They've looked scary good at home this year, and I would probably pick them to beat anyone in the Superdome, including Seattle and Denver. Once they leave those confines, however, it's like they forget how to play football. Their only comfortable road game this year was in Chicago, and even that got hairy at the end. Their other ones? A two point win over the Josh Freeman, yes that Josh Freeman, led Bucs, a three point loss to New England, a loss to the lowly Jets, a four point win over a struggling Atlanta team, an absolute beat down loss in Seattle, and most recently an 11 point loss to the Kellen Clemens led Rams. Bummer.
There was one point in the St. Louis game where Brees had 0 TDs and 2 interceptions, while Clemens had 2 TDs and 0 interceptions. The players are still the same, the coaches are still the same, they just can't seem to get it done on the road. Up next is a trip to Carolina, a team they just destroyed in the Superdome a couple of weeks ago. I'm not one to bet against Drew Brees, mainly because he's on my fantasy team, but I think that he and the Saints will struggle and lose this game. They squeaked out wins against bad Tampa and Atlanta teams, but Carolina will show up to play having that awful Sunday Night Football performance fresh in their minds. With a very good defense and ball control offense, I could see the Panthers winning this one comfortably and making the race for the number two seed in the NFC very interesting.
Current Playoff Standings (As of today)
AFC NFC
1. Denver 1. Seattle
2. New England 2. New Orleans
3. Cincinnati 3. Philly
4. Indianapolis 4. Chicago
5. Kansas City 5. Carolina
6. Baltimore 6. San Fran
Matty O
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