Week 14 recap

Colts 30-28 Titans

TJ: OK, so I was going to go into this whole thing about how everyone has overreacted and that Peyton is the same old awesome Peyton and the Colts are fine. My biggest argument was his stat line: 25/35, 319yds, 2TD, 0INT, 119 rating. Then I realized two things. First, the Titans D is 26th against the pass. Second, Kerry Collins stat line: 28/39, 244, 3, 0, 114, basically equivalent to Peyton’s. Maybe this game shouldn’t be the measuring stick for Peyton’s success. Know which game should be? This week at home against the Jags. It’s a must win for the Colts (if they lose, they’re two behind with two to go and lose the tie-breaker). The Titans had a chance to redeem themselves by knocking the Colts out of the playoffs and blew it. Their season is done, and maybe their coach as well. What a disappointment.

DP: I agree that the win does not prove the Colts are back, the real test will be this weekend against the Jags. The Titans were one of our pre-season sleepers and things looked good for a while and then fell apart. If Jeff Fischer has one weakness as a coach, its that he has a hard time turning things around when they start losing. I do think he will keep his job unless a new CBA is signed, otherwise why risk paying two coaches with no season?

Bills 13-6 Browns

TJ: I don’t know what to say about the Browns’ offense. It’s more one-dimensional than Mary Kate Olsen’s chest. Peyton Hillis has 108 yards rushing. The whole team had 82 yards passing. Delhomme is just God-awful in every possible way (49.2 QB rating this game, 63.4 on the year). The Browns’ season was over long ago, but they have two goals they can still achieve: humiliate the Bengals in Cincy this weekend, and screw up the division race by beating the Steelers or Ravens in the last two games. Let’s hope the finish the season with some hate. The Bills, whom I’ve ripped incessantly this season, picked up a third win and showed some spunk. Fitzpatrick might be a decent QB, and I like them to win 6 games next season.

DP: Two proud fan bases with teams going no where.

Lions 7-3 Packers

TJ: This just in: Aaron Rodgers is important. The Pack have a brutal remaining schedule (@NE, NYG, CHI), and without Rodgers they could easily go 0-3 and miss the playoffs. Their defense is playing so well right now (giving up 8.8 points per game over the last SIX GAMES!) that it would be a real tragedy if their offense keeps them out of the playoffs. The Lions continue to show heart, and could win significantly more games next year if Stafford can stay healthy (or they find another QB). They still have a chance to end Tampa’s playoff hopes and embarrass the Vikings at home one last time this season, so let’s hope the Lions keep up the solid defensive play.

DP: Alright this is our first major headline. The bad home loss to the Lions (a division team) means that THE BEARS CAN WRAP UP THE NORTH THIS WEEKEND WITH A WIN OVER THE VIKINGS AND A PACKERS LOSS TO THE PATS!!! That is huge since everyone has been assuming the Packers would make waves in the playoffs. Just a shocking turn, especially if Tampa Bay and the Philly/Giants runner-up can claim wild-card #2; which would leave the Pack out of the play-offs all together.

Steelers 23-7 Bengals

TJ: Another joke of a game for the Steelers. If they can put the Jets away at home this week, they should waltz into the playoffs with Carolina at home and the season finale in Cleveland. If Rothlisberger can find his rhythm, this may be the only team that can challenge the Pats for the AFC crown.

DP: Ho-hum. Steelers took care of business before this week’s game with the Jets. Cincy somehow has won 2 games and is the only challenge left for Carolina to claim the top draft pick.

Bucs 17-16 Redskins

TJ: Got to hand it to the Bucs, this was their chance to blow it and lose out on the playoffs, but they came up big in the 4th quarter and now can make some noise. With home games against the Lions and Seaskanks coming up, they have a real chance to go into New Orleans in Week 17 riding a three-game win streak with a Wild Card spot on the line (they need a loss from the Giants or Saints to get the spot, though). The Redskins continue to be a hot mess, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see one-and-done from Mike “The Genius” Shannahan. Especially if he has the balls to play Rex Grossman if Donovan is still able to walk.

DP: If this were NFL Jeopardy the answer would be: The Official Sleeper team of the 2010-2011 NFL season and the question would be: Who are the Tampa Bay Bucs? I had some decent pre-season picks (liked the Chiefs, hated the Cowboys and Vikings) and I had some terrible selections (Carolina as a wild-card), but nowhere did I ever envision the Bucs making a run at the second wild-card. Lions and ‘Skanks at home is pretty sweet.

Falcons 31-10 Panthers

TJ: No surprises here. The Falcons just need to stay healthy going into the playoffs. With Seattle and Carolina still on the schedule, they have a great shot at securing home field throughout, a particularly important advantage for this squad. A win in Week 16 at home against New Orleans would put the regular season to bed and really set them up to make a postseason run.

DP: Ho-hum part 2. That December 27th show-down the Falcons looks like a coup for the Monday Night Football crew.

Jags 38-31 Raiders

TJ: Lot of backbone shown by the Jags in this game. They were under some real pressure (knowing they have Indy the next game and needing to keep a division lead), and they performed in the 4th quarter. I worry about their defense, and even if they make the playoffs they probably can’t do much against a balanced team. This week against the Colts is really their superbowl. Oakland had a chance to really get into the AFC West race with a win, but now they’re two games behind the Chiefs and one behind the Chargers, and since they have to play Indy and go to KC in the last two weeks, they’re done.

DP: This was really the only fun game to watch all afternoon. The Jags rallied to set-up with showdown with the Colts this week and pretty much killed the Raiders play-offs chances. One thing about the Jags is that they are totally unafraid of the Colts. While the Colts have gotten into the heads of the Texans, the Jags have never feared the Colts and always play them tough. They will go into Indy thinking they can win the game, should be fun to watch.

Saints 31-13 Rams

TJ: Though it’s highly unlikely they’ll catch the Falcons, the Saints are right where they need to be to make a playoff run: riding a six-game win streak with five straight 30+ point offensive outings. They still have to play at Baltimore and at Atlanta before finishing at home with the Bucs, so a late-season collapse isn’t impossible, but they ought to secure a wild card with a win in any of those three games. The Rams are still tied for the NFC West lead, and though they have KC this week, the Seaskanks have Atlanta, so neither team should pick up their seventh win just yet. Doc, the 7-9 NFC West Champ Dream is still alive!!!

DP: Saints vs. Ravens is just one of a bunch of interesting games this weekend. I will roll the Rams analysis into my NFC West discussion next.

49ers 40-21 Seahawks

TJ: In the interests of time and sanity, we’ll keep this one short: the Seaskanks are retched, and the 49ers are almost as bad. Here’s hoping the Rams win this shitfest of a division.

DP: Alright here is what needs to happen for my dream of a 7-9 NFC West Champ: San Fran loses tonight (likely) and wins at the Rams next week (possible). The ‘Skanks lose at home to the Falcons (likely) and @Bucs (likely). The Rams lose to the Chiefs (possible) and 49ers (again possible). That would get everyone to 9 losses. The other possibility is that if the ‘Skanks or Rams manage to win of their games, then they would lose in the final game of the year between the two. I’d 7-9 is now about a 50-50 chance.

Pats 36-7 Bears

TJ: Holy cow. This performance was as dominant as any from the Pats 2007 campaign, and maybe more impressive since it came on the road against a division-leading Bears team. Last week, we could chock up the Pats win to the Jets being overrated loudmouths, but this week, we have no choice but to admit the Pats are once again the team to beat. You know what’s most scary about the Pats? They’re HUNGRY! They haven’t won a championship since 2005, so some a lot of these guys have never won one, and those that have (like Brady) are probably feeling like they’ve wasted a lot of opportunities in the last few years (i.e., 2007’s “Helmet Catch” loss to NYG). Unless someone (read: Dick Lebeau and the Steelers) figures out a way to shut down the Pats’ short passing game, this team will be a playoff juggernaut. The Bears got outclassed and every way and should feel pretty discouraged about their championship chances. However, it looks like Aaron Rodgers will miss at least another week, and the Pack have a brutal schedule (see above), so the Bears should be a lock for the division. They better figure out a new game plan for the postseason, though, because 7 points isn’t going to pick up too many wins, no matter how good your defense is.

DP: It took about 5 minutes for me to feel like a complete idiot for picking the Bears. Brady’s short passing game is made for the snow (and he has a history of doing really well in bad weather). Jay Cutler on the other hand needs to throw deep which was basically impossible. Probably the single dumbest pick of the year.

Dolphins 10-6 Jets

TJ: I’m tempted to overreact and say the Jets’ season is over, and after looking at the schedule, it’s hard to argue differently. Jets’ last three games: @Pitt, @Chi, Buff. Even if you take the Bills win for granted (and the Bills are playing too well for that), that’s still only 10 wins for the Jets, which might not get them a Wild Card. They needed the Dolphins win like Antonio Cromartie needs a vasectomy: it was essential. Nice win for Miami, who could win the next two (home against Bills and Lions) to make it 9 victories before getting crushed in New England to end the season. If they’d just get back to their run game, they could be a playoff team next year.

DP: Well Juice, I think we have been saying for weeks that the Jets had the look of a Paper Tiger and we might be right. I don’t like their chances @Pitt and then have @Bears. A 3 or 4 game losing streak is a real possibility and I don’t think this team has the leadership to survive that kind of collapse.

Cardinals 43-13 Broncos

TJ: Here’s what I said last week about the Broncos: We talked a bit in “5 Questions” this week about how Denver will react to the firing of Douchey McDaniel, and in the end, I’m thinking they’ll still stink. Well, every now and then I’m actually right, the Broncos stink. The Cards aren’t good either, but they ran the ball well, and capitalized on 6 (yes 6!) Denver turnovers. These two teams should be contracted.

DP: The Cards got another return TD bringing their total for the year to 8! But lets turn some love to the real star of the game. Mr. Jay Feely. Dude had 4, PATs, 5 FGs, and a TD. That’s 29 fantasy points! I would love to hear about guys losing in the fantasy play-offs because Jay Feely went crazy on their ass.

Chargers 31-0 Chiefs

TJ: I dogged the Chiefs all season. Then, just after I finally say I think they’re good, they get absolutely pounded by the Chargers. I guess Matt Cassel was more important than I thought. They still have a one-game lead on the Chargers, and the Rams, Titans, and Raiders left on the docket. The Chargers have SF, Cincy, and Denver, so this ought to be a good race as both teams rattle off some wins. Really, though, neither one can beat NE, Pitt, or Baltimore, so it’s relatively inconsequential in the end.

DP: Well the Chargers will likely win out with that slate of losers which means the Chiefs need to win out as well to win the division. KC is tough at home which means if they can slip by @Rams this weekend, then they have a chance.

Eagles 30-27 Cowboys

TJ: The Eagles have such enormous big-play potential, but they also seem like the most unstable playoff team in the league, and I could see them having huge mental breakdowns, penalties, or clock management issues and losing to a bad team in round 1. The Cowboys are bravely still struggling, but the whole squad needs to be put down like a racehorse with a broken leg. It’s hard to see next year being a whole lot better, either.

DP: I agree that the Eagles bring more Good Things and more Bad Things to the table than anyone in the NFC. They can basically knock-out the Giants this weekend with a win in New York (giving them a 1 game lead and the tie breaker). Even if they lose they end with the Vikings and Cowboys at home which should get them to 11 wins and a wild-card.

Giants 21-3 Vikings

TJ: A sad game in every way. Neither team played all that well, the Vikings are in shambles, and the crowd was more interested in doing the wave than watching the shitstorm on the field. The Giants have Philly this week, then have to go to Green Bay to likely face a healthy and motivated Aaron Rodgers, so this was a must win if they want a shot at the playoffs, and they did what they had to do. Next week will tell us whether they’re really a playoff team. Now, say this out loud: “The Los Angeles Vikings!” Has a certain ring to it, doesn’t it?

DP: I think it would have been hilarious if the Vikings decided to play their last home game this Monday in LA jus to fuck with their fans. Now they have to go sit outside in the U of Minn stadium that doesn't even have beer taps. The Giants are the other side of the baffling NFC East race. They don’t look pretty but they win a lot and now host the Eagles. They end with @Packers and @Redskins, so I give the Eagles a slight edge. If the Eagles don’t KO the Giants this weekend, they still might catch them to win the division.

Ravens 34-28 Texans

TJ: Nice win for the Ravens to keep them solidly in the Wild Card driver’s seat. With Cleveland and Cincy still on the schedule, they should have no problem reaching 11 wins. Their game against the Saints this week should be a good one. The Texans continue to disappoint. Steve Young basically called them “heartless” on Countdown, and it’s hard to disagree. They don’t know how to finish games, and I don’t see them changing much next year, either.

DP: This is what is weird about gambling. The Texans score a late TD to get to 28-26. If they miss the 2-point conversion, its over and I win (I had the Texans +3). But they get the score and go to OT which is usually settled by a FG, so I figure either I’ll either win or draw. Then Ravens get a TAINT and cover and I am screwed. Destiny is a fickle bitch. Its funny Mike Lombardi said earlier this year that the Texans should have traded for Albert Haynesworth and I think he is absolutely right. He is a head case but he is a monster in the middle if you just let him go and think of that D-line with Mario Williams lining up on the end. He would have brought some much needed attitude to the Texans. I’m pretty sure the Redskins would have liked to have traded him as well.