The NFL Blog: Week 12, 13, 14, and 15 Reviews

Week 12 Review

Jets End Titans’ Perfect Season Hopes with 21 Pointing Thumping in Tennessee

Coming off of the Jets’ overtime win over the Patriots in Foxboro on Thursday night in week 11, the most anticipated matchup of week 12 was New York’s trip to Tennessee to play the League’s only remaining unbeaten team, the 10-0 Titans. People had been looking at each week’s game and wondering if this would be the week that the Titans finally lost, and many thought the Jets might be able to do the trick even though the game was in Tennessee. The Titans came in as 5.5 point favorites but the Jets didn’t just beat Tennessee, they controlled the game from start to finish and blew them out, 34-13. The win was the 5th in a row for the Jets, who ended Tennessee’s 13 game regular season win streak. With the impressive performance, the Jets improved to 8-3 on the season and had many around the game proclaiming them to be as much a favorite to win the AFC Championship as any other AFC team.

The Jets impressively dominated the game at the line of scrimmage, shutting down the Tennessee rushing attack with a stout defense and opening holes in the Titan defense to facilitate a time consuming ground game. The Jets held Tennessee to just 45 yards rushing while themselves gaining 192 yards on the ground. New York had 12 more first downs than Tennessee (28-16), outgained them 409-281, and had a ridiculous 40:30-19:30 edge in time of possession. The Jets scored the first 10 points in the game and shutout the Titans until a field goal with less than a minute left in the first half made the score 10-3. The Jets held Tennessee scoreless in the 3rd quarter while adding 10 more points of their own to take a commanding 20-3 lead to the 4th quarter. The Titans hit a field goal to make it a 14 point game early in the 4th, but on the ensuing New York possession, Leon Washington got loose for a 61 yard TD run that broke the game wide open. With the lead now up to 27-6, the Jets may have relaxed a bit because the Titans got the ball back and went 66 yards in just 4 plays a minute and 24 seconds for their first TD of the game to make it a two score game again with 9:43 to play. The Jets responded with a clock eating drive that put the game away. Aided by a pair of pass interference calls against Chris Carr, the Packers went 75 yards in 12 plays, taking 7:34 off the clock, and officially putting an end to Tennessee’s perfect season with a 4 yard TD run by Washington that made it a 21 point game with just over 2 minutes left in the game. They would go on to win by that same score.


Cassel Leads Patriots Over Dolphins in AFC East Shootout

While the 1st place Jets were establishing themselves as a Super Bowl contender in Tennessee, the two teams tied a game behind New York in the AFC East at 6-4 squared off in week 12. Led by Matt Cassel’s 2nd straight 400 yard passing game, the Patriots avenged the embarrassing home loss to the Dolphins from earlier in the year, outgunning the Fish 48-28 in Miami. The two teams combined for 926 yards, with the Patriots putting up 530 yards, as Cassel completed 30 of 43 passes for 415 yards, 3 TD, and only 1 INT. He also scored on an 8 yard run. One of the major developments of the game was the connection between Cassel and Randy Moss, who caught 8 passes for 125 yards and 3 touchdowns. Wes Welker also caught 8 passes for 120 yards.

This back and forth game featured 7 lead changes. The Dolphins led 7-3 after 1 and held a 14-10 lead in the 2nd quarter until a 25 yard strike from Cassel to Moss put the Pats on top 17-14 with just over 2 minutes to go in the half. Miami went back ahead on a TD early in the 3rd quarter but a second Cassel to Moss TD strike gave the Patriots the lead again, 24-21, with 6:12 to play in the 3rd. It turned out to be the score that put the Pats ahead for good. A 21 yard TD run by Kevin Faulk on the final play of the quarter gave the Patriots a commanding 31-21 lead. It was the first time in the game that either team had put back to back scores together. Miami scored early in the 4th to make it a 3 point game again but the 3rd Cassel to Moss TD connection, this time from 29 yards out, made it a 10 point game again with less than 9 minutes to go. The Patriots would score the final 17 points in the game and go on to win by 20, 48-28, to stay within a game of the Jets and pull a game ahead of the Dolphins in the AFC East.


Philly Freefall: McNabb Benched, Eagles Routed by Ravens

The Philadelphia Eagles had been dealing with criticism and controversy all week following their ugly 13-13 tie against lowly Cincinnati and Donovan McNabb’s comments afterwards that he didn’t realize a game could end in a tie. The troubled team took another face plant in week 12, getting destroyed by the Ravens in Baltimore, 36-7, with coach Andy Reid pulling the longtime face of the franchise McNabb at the half and replacing him with 2nd year QB Kevin Kolb. That was basically like throwing a lamb to the wolves, as the ferocious veteran Raven defense tore Kolb to shreds in the second half. McNabb went 8 for 18 for 59 yards, 0 TD, 2 INT, and a fumble all in the first half. That gave him 7 turnovers in the last 7 quarters of play. Kolb was 10 for 23 for 73 yards, 0 TD, and 2 INT, including one that was returned a record tying 107 yards for a TD by Ed Reed.

The game was scoreless until late in the 2nd quarter when the Ravens scored 10 points in a minute and 11 seconds. Quentin Demps took a kickoff back 100 yards to cut the score to 10-7 at halftime. Reid would draw much criticism after the game from people who thought he should not have bench McNabb and brought in the inexperienced Kolb, who had basically never played in the regular season before. Some critics didn’t disagree with the benching of McNabb as much as the timing, as the Eagles—a team in the thick of the playoff hunt—were still very much in the game down only 10-7 at halftime. The Ravens blocked a punt for a safety to increase their lead to 12-7 going to the 4th and kicked a field goal early in the final period to make it 15-7. The Eagles were still within a score but the Ravens put the game away on a long bomb from Joe Flacco to Mark Clayton that went for a 53 yard TD to make it 22-7 with 11:30 to play The Ravens went on to win 36-7 to go 7-4 on the year while dropping the struggling Eagles to 5-5-1.


Lions Blow 17-0 Lead, Lose by 18 to Bucs to Remain Winless

The Detroit Lions entered week 12 as the League’s only winless team at 0-10. At the end of the 1st quarter of their home game against the Bucs the Lions led 17-0, but they would be outscored 38-3 over the final 3 quarters to lose 38-20 to fall to 0-11 on the season. The Bucs finally got on the scoreboard on a 13 yard run for a TD by Warrick Dunn with 11:19 left in the 2nd quarter. The Lions still held a 10 point lead until a 36 yard TD strike from Jeff Garcia to Ike Hilliard cut the score to 17-14 with 4:40 left until halftime. Tampa Bay got the ball back quickly and scored again just a minute and 40 seconds later to take the lead, 21-17, and they would never relinquish it. The Bucs blew the game open in the 3rd quarter on a 70 yard punt return for a TD and a 65 yard INT return for a TD before the Lions kicked a field goal to finally end a 35-0 run by the Bucs. The Lions got shutout in the 4th quarter and lost 38-20 to fall to 0-11.


Giants Roll in Arizona without Jacobs and Burress, Again Prove Superiority

The New York Giants came up with yet another impressive victory in week 12, besting the Cardinals 37-29 in Arizona despite being without star receiver Plaxico Burress and running back Brandon Jacobs. The victory snapped Arizona’s 7 game home win streak and gave the defending champs a 10-1 record. The Cardinals led 3-0 after 1 and led 12-10 late in the half before Eli Manning hooked up with Amani Toomer on a TD strike with just over a minute remaining on the clock to give the Giants the lead, 17-12. The G-Men would lead the rest of the way. New York had a 34-19 lead in the 4th quarter until the Cardinals mounted a rally in the final 4 minutes of the game that left the final score at 37-29.


Other Week 12 Notes

Week 12 was one of the least competitive weeks of the season so far. 14 of the 16 games in week 12 were decided by at least 8 points; 13 of 16 games were decided by double digits; 12 of 16 games were decided by 13 points or more; 7 of 16 games were decided by 20 points or more…Favorites were 10-5-1 ATS in week 12, 11-5 straight up…The Colts and Chargers played the most competitive game of week 12 on Sunday night in San Diego, with the Colts winning 23-20 on a 51 yard FG by Adam Vinatieri as time expired. The loss dropped the Chargers to 4-7…The Saints and Packers squared off in New Orleans on Monday Night Football in week 12, with the Saints blowing Green Bay out, 51-29, to win a battle of 5-5 teams…The Falcons rebounded from their disappointing home loss to the Broncos by upending the NFC South leading Panthers, 45-28, to get to 7-4 and pull within a game of both Carolina and TB in the division…Denver came into week 12 as a 9 point favorite over the Raiders at home following their impressive win in Atlanta the week before, but they got pounded by Oakland, 31-10, to fall to 6-5 on the season.




Week 13 Review

Titans Rebound From First Loss, Feast on Lions as Detroit Remains Winless

Had Tennessee not lost to the Jets at home in week 12, the early game on Thanksgiving Day would have pitted an 11-0 team against an 0-11 team. As it was, the Titans were still 11 point favorites on the road over the winless Lions. More than ever before there was discussion about whether or not Detroit should always play on Thanksgiving. Fears about a non-competitive game proved well founded, as the Titans rebounded from their first loss of the season by trucking the Lions, 47-10, in front of a less than capacity crowd at Ford Field. The loss dropped the lowly Lions to 0-12, as they remained the NFL’s only winless team.

Tennessee destroyed the Lions, achieving 13 more first downs than Detroit (19-6) and outgaining them by 302 yards, 456-154. They outrushed the Lions 292-23. Detroit went 0 for 11 on 3rd down, while the Titans converted on 8 of 16 3rd downs. Detroit turned the ball over 3 times and the Titans held the ball for nearly 14 more minutes than the Lions. Tennessee went ahead 7-0 just a minute and a half into the game. After the Lions got on the board with a field goal, Chris Johnson busted loose for a 58 yard TD to make it 14-3. Then Dave Ball intercepted a pass from Daunte Culpepper and took it back 15 yards for a TD to give the Titans a 21-3 lead after 1. LenDale White’s TD 40 seconds into the 2nd quarter gave the Titans a 28-3 lead and his second TD of the quarter made it 35-3. The Lions scored right before the half to make it 35-10 but the game was over. The Titans basically sat on the lead and called off the dogs in the second half, shutting out the Lions and getting 4 field goals from Rob Bironas to finish off the 47-10 victory.


McNabb, Eagles Bounce Back, Smoke Cardinals On Thanksgiving Night

Unfortunately for NFL fans, the only spread in week 13 that was larger than the 11 point spread between Tennessee and Detroit came from the second game on Thanksgiving, with the Cowboys favored by 11.5 over the Seahawks at home. The Cowboys spanked Seattle as expected, winning by 25 points, 34-9. But most people thought the night time game had a chance to be competitive. The sinking Eagles and their embattled QB Donovan McNabb were in desperate need of a solid performance and win in front of the homefolks. Although Arizona came into the game 7-4, they were underdogs due to their history against decent teams on the road. They would struggle again, as McNabb and the Eagles controlled the game throughout. Philly got a huge boost from the play of team MVP Bryant Westbrook, who many thought would not be able to play or at least wouldn’t be able to play at a high level because of injuries and the short week. But Westbrook was his usual dynamic self and McNabb was superb. Westbrook rushed 22 times for 110 yards and 2 TD’s and caught 3 passes for 20 yards and 2 receiving TD’s. McNabb completed 27 of 39 passes for 260 yards and 4 TD’s and (most importantly) he did not throw a pick or fumble. He even ran 4 times for 24 yards.

Philly dominated Arizona on both sides of the ball, achieving 20 more first downs than the Cards (32-12) and outgaining them 437-260. The Eagles outrushed Arizona 185-25 and held the ball for 19 more minutes. Philly won the turnover battle, 4-1, and converted on 10 of 15 3rd downs while holding Arizona to 3 for 10 on 3rd down and 0 for 2 on 4th down. Westbrook caught a pass from McNabb for the game’s first TD midway through the 1st and then ran in from 1 yard out later in the quarter to make it 14-0. Another McNabb to Westbrook TD connection made it 21-0 midway through the 2nd. The Cards finally got on the board with a TD late in the quarter but the Eagles drove down and got a field goal in the final seconds to take a 24-7 lead to halftime. Westbrook’s 9 yard TD run with 6:17 to go in the 3rd quarter made it 31-7 and put the game away. The Cards got the deficit to 14 points early in the 4th quarter but McNabb fired a pair of TD’s and Philly wound up winning by a whopping 28 points, 48-20, to get back over .500 on the season at 6-5-1.


Unpredictable Broncos Pull off Shocker, Double Up Jets in New York

The most surprising outcome of week 13 was easily that of the meeting between the Broncos and Jets in New York. The Jets came into the game as the hottest team in the AFC, having just beaten the previously undefeated Titans by 21 points on the road for their 5th straight win to get to 8-3 on the year. Denver came into week 13 from the exact opposite end of the spectrum, having lost by 21 at home to the wretched Raiders the week before to fall to 6-5 on the year. The Jets were 7.5 point home favorites and that seemed perhaps a little small. The NFL is consistent in its unpredictability. Yet there are still a few games every year that literally stun you and leave you with your jaw dropped. This was one of those games, as the Broncos came into the Meadowlands on a rainy afternoon and spanked the Jets, 34-17. The Broncos amassed 484 yards of offense, with Jay Cutler throwing for over 300 yards and the obscure Peyton Hillis becoming the first back to run for over 100 yards against the Jets this season, carrying 22 times for 129 yards and a TD.

Denver took a 7-0 lead early on when Vernon Fox returned a fumble 22 yards for a TD. The Jets answered immediately on a 59 yard TD run by Thomas Jones, but the Broncos matched that score with a quick 59 yard TD strike from Cutler to Eddie Royal. Denver led 17-7 after 1. After Jones scored again to cut the deficit to a field goal, Hillis scored to make it a 10 point game again and the Broncos added a field goal late in the quarter to take a stunning 27-14 lead to halftime. The Broncos had a 10 point lead at the start of the 4th and they put the game away on Cutler’s 36 yard TD pass to Brandon Stokley that made it 34-17 with less than 10 minutes to play.


Giants Roll on Despite Burress Cirrus, Handle Skins Easily in DC

The Giants had established themselves as the top team in the NFL over the course of the first 12 weeks of the season. But after star receiver Plaxico Burress shot himself in the leg while at a nightclub on the Friday before their week 13 game in Washington, everyone was looking to see how the Giants would handle things on the field. The Giants passed another test with flying colors, controlling the game throughout on their way to a 23-7 win over the Redskins in DC.

Behind a balanced offensive attack and a stingy defense, the Giants led for nearly 55 minutes and never trailed. They scored just over 5 minutes into the game and led 10-0 after 1, eventually going up 13-0 before the Skins got on the board to make it 13-7 at the half. Brandon Jacobs busted over the goal line midway through the 3rd to make it 20-7 and the Giants shutout the Redskins in the 2nd half. New York held Clinton Portis to just 22 yards on the ground and Eli Manning threw for 305 yards as the Giants won 23-7 for their 7th straight victory to improve to 11-1 on the season.


Panthers Score Late to Shock Packers and Win Wild One in Green Bay

The best game of week 13 was probably the battle between the Panthers and Packers in Green Bay. Carolina came into the game facing a lot of doubt as to just how good they really were following their 17 point loss in Atlanta the week before. But the home team was downright desperate, having lost to New Orleans on Monday Night Football in week 12 to fall to 5-6 on the season. The game turned out to be a wild, back and forth affair with many twists and turns of momentum. The Packers outplayed the Panthers most of the day, gaining 10 more 1st downs than Carolina (25-15), outgaining them by 140 yards (438-298), controlling the ball for nearly 16 more minutes, and going 8 for 16 on 3rd down and 1 for 1 on 4th down conversions. But in the end, Carolina snatched victory away from the Packers, 35-31, despite the snow and the Lambeau crowd and a late deficit.

The game was crazy right from the start. On the first play of the game, Jake Delhomme hooked up with Mushin Muhammad on a 44 yard pass completion, but Muhammad fumbled and the Packers recovered at their own 19. The Panthers controlled things early on and they scored midway through the opening quarter to take a 7-0 lead. The Packers got on the board with a field goal early in the 2nd but the Panthers got a long kick return by Mark Jones and a long run by Jonathan Stewart to set up a QB sneak for a TD by Delhomme that gave the Panthers a 14-3 advantage. Green Bay responded with a TD drive and then stopped the Panthers and got the ball right back. But on the first play of their next possession a bad shotgun snap resulted in a loose ball and the Panthers recovered at the Green Bay 17. Four plays later DeAngelo Williams scored his second rushing TD of the game to make it 21-10 Carolina with just 34 seconds remaining in the half.

The Packers would take control of the game in the 3rd quarter. After getting a FG on their first drive of the second half, the Packers stopped Carolina and then went 98 yards in just 8 plays for a TD. They went for 2 and got it to tie the game at 21 with a little over 5 minutes to play in the 3rd. On the 3rd play of the 4th quarter, Aaron Rodgers fired a 21 yard TD strike to Greg Jennings to give Green Bay their first lead of the day. Carolina would come right back. Jones produced another good kick return and an interception by Tramon Williams was negated by pass interference. Delhomme found Steve Smith for a 36 yard gain down to the 1 and then Williams scored his 3rd TD of the game to tie it at 28 with 11:10 to play. The Packers started their next possession at their own 20 and proceeded to go on a grueling march towards the end zone. They converted a 3rd and 4 from their own 44 and a 4th and 1 from the Carolina 41. The Packers had a 2nd and goal at the 1, but the Panther defense stuffed Green Bay rushing attempts on back to back plays to bring up 4th and goal. Following the 2 minute warning, the Packers settled for the chip shot field goal to go up 31-28 with 1:57 to play. Running the football had been a weakness for Green Bay all year and it would hurt them again in this game. One of the biggest weaknesses for the Packers in this particular game was kickoff coverage. Mark Jones burned them yet again on the ensuing kickoff, returning it from the goal line to the 45 to give Carolina great field position. On the first play, Delhomme threw deep for Smith and got him. Smith went down at the 1. That forced GB to call a timeout, and on the next play, Williams scored his 4th TD of the game to put the Panthers up 35-31 with 1:30 left on the clock. The Packers had time to go down and score a TD themselves but Rodgers was picked off on the 2nd play of the GB’s ensuing possession and the Panthers hung on to win it, 35-31, to go to 9-3 on the year.


Other Week 13 Notes

Week 13 was more competitive than week 12. There were a number of very close games in week 13 and also a number of major blowouts. 7 of the 16 games in week 13 were decided by 7 points or less; 4 were decided by 4 points or less. On the other hand, 9 of 16 games were decided by 13 points or more; 6 were decided by 20 or more points; and 4 games were decided by at least 25 points…Favorites were 10-6 straight up in week 13 and just 7-8-1 ATS…After snapping a 4 game losing streak to get back in the hunt in week 12, the Buffalo Bills suffered a major setback in week 13, losing 10-3 to the 49ers at home as 6.5 point favorites to fall back to .500 at 6-6…The Ravens continued to roll in week 13, crushing the Bengals 34-3 to improve to 8-4 with their 6th win in 7 games…The Colts came out on top in another squeaker in week 13, eking out a 10-6 win over the Browns in Cleveland to get to 8-4 with their 5th straight win, all of which have come by 6 points or less…Just when things in the AFC East appeared to be separating they closed back again in week 13. The Dolphins hung on for a 16-12 win over the Rams to improve to 7-5, while the Patriots got demolished in the rain at home, 33-10, at the hands of the surging Steelers. At week’s end, the Dolphins and Patriots were tied in 2nd place in the East and just a game back of the Jets. The Steelers were now 9-3…While the Panthers got their huge win in Green Bay, the Bucs stayed on a roll, hanging on to beat New Orleans, 23-20, for their 4th straight win to remain tied with the Panthers at 9-3. The loss dropped the Saints to 6-6…The Falcons were 6.5 point underdogs on the road at San Diego but they beat the Chargers, 22-16, to go to 8-4 on the year and stay a game behind the Bucs and Panthers in the South. The disappointing Chargers saw their record go to an unthinkable 4-8…On Sunday night, the Bears and Vikings staged a crucial NFC North battle at the Metrodome, with the Viks coming out on top, 30-14. The victory was Minnesota’s 4th in 5 games and put them in 1st place by themselves in the division at 7-5, with the Bears dropping a game back at 6-6.



Week 14 Review

Finally a Misstep: Giants Fall to Eagles at Home, Suffer Second Loss of the Season

Through the first 13 weeks of the NFL season, the New York Giants had answered just about every challenge and overcome just about every obstacle to distinguish themselves as clearly the top team in the NFC, and probably in the NFL. In week 14, the Giants finally stumbled, as injuries, distractions, and a challenging schedule finally caught up to them at least for one Sunday. The Giants were 6.5 point favorites over their visiting division rivals the Eagles, but they were without (obviously) their best receiver in Plaxico Burress, and running back Brandon Jacobs came into the game banged up and left early in the second half with a knee injury. New York did almost nothing right in the first half, got back in the game due to a freak play right before halftime, but got outplayed by the Eagles almost all day. Philly continued their rebound from week 12’s rock bottom, winning 20-14 to go 7-5-1 on the year. The loss was just the 2nd of the season for New York and snapped a 7 game win streak, as they fell to 11-2 on the year.

Philly really controlled the action on the field all day long. They had 10 more first downs than New York (24-14), outgained them by 120 yards (331-211), held the ball for 10 more minutes, and went 12 for 18 on 3rd down conversions while holding the Giants to 3 for 11 on 3rd down and 0 for 3 on 4th down. There were strong winds at Giants Stadium on Sunday and that had a major affect on the game. The Giants went for it on 4th and 4 from the Philly 31 on their first possession rather than try a field goal into the wind and they ended up turning it over on downs. With the clock ticking under 30 seconds to play in the 1st quarter, the Eagles suffered a big loss on 3rd down inside New York territory and wound up facing a 4th and 13 from the Giant 33. Andy Reid called a timeout with 4 seconds left in the quarter in order to stop the clock and allow David Akers to kick with the wind at his back. Akers hit the 51 yarder on the final play of the opening period to give the Eagles a 3-0 lead.

The 2nd quarter began with Eli Manning going deep down the middle of the field for a wide open Domenik Hixon, but Hixon dropped the ball. The Giants ended up going on one of their better drives of the day, taking the ball from their own 15 across midfield and inside the Eagle 30. The drive stalled and on 4th and 6 from the 29, John Carney came out to attempt a 46 yard field goal to tie the game, but Trent Cole got a hand up and blocked it to keep it 3-0. Late in the half, the Eagles went on a 77 yard march for the game’s first touchdown. Brian Westbrook got loose and sprinted 30 yards for the score to make it 10-0 Philly with less than 2 minutes to go in the half. The Giants got the ball back and moved into Eagle territory. But Manning threw incomplete on 3rd and 3 from the Eagles’ 42, and with the wind against Philly and the Eagles out of timeouts, the Giants decided to go for it on 4th and 3 with 1:08 left in the half. Manning threw incomplete on 4th down and the Eagles took over with 1:02 on the clock and no timeouts. The Eagles were aggressive and they moved quickly into New York territory and into an area of the field where Akers might be able to kick a field goal into the wind. Donovan McNabb hit Greg Lewis with a pass on 3rd and 5 from the 21 and Lewis got out of bounds at the 14 after a gain of 7 to stop the clock with 7 seconds left. Akers came out for a 32 yard field goal try. Now back in week 6, the Eagles had a 17-9 lead over the 49ers in San Francisco late in the first half, when Reid called on Akers to try a 54 yard field goal with 1 second remaining in the half. The kick was blocked and easily returned for a TD to cut the score to 17-16 and give the 49ers all kinds of life heading into the locker room and the second half. Here Akers was only attempting a kick of 32 yards, but Justin Tuck got up and blocked and Kevin Dockery scooped it up and was off to the races. He knew he had to make it all the way or would be of no use, and Dockery was nearly caught a few times, but he made some nice moves, got help from his mates, and eventually made it all the way to pay dirt for a 71 yard FG block return for a TD that got the Giants right back in the game, down just 10-7, with all kinds of momentum heading into halftime and the second half.

The Eagles helped to take some of that momentum away at the start of the 2nd half, as they got the ball first and drove from their own 30 into Giants territory and into the red zone while milking away half of the quarter. But then momentum shifted back to New York. The drive stalled when McNabb threw incomplete on 3rd and 3 from the 16 yard line and Akers was sent out for a 33 yard field goal. This time he had the wind at his back but he was blocked again. The score remained Eagles 10, Giants 7, into the 4th quarter. On the 3rd play of the 4th quarter, the Eagles faced a 3rd and 11 from the Giants 40. McNabb dropped a pass off to Westbrook and he busted it loose for a big gain and took it all the way for a touchdown to give the Eagles a 10 point lead. The Giants next possession died at the Eagles 38 when Manning threw incomplete on 4th and 1. The Eagles then took 7:17 off the clock during a drive of just 47 yards that ended in a field goal that made it 20-7 with just 2:09 to play. The Giants finally scored an offensive TD with 15 seconds left but they could not recover the onsides kick and the Eagles hung on for the huge 20-14 victory. The Giants lost the game but when the Cowboys lost later that day New York clinched the NFC East Division Title.


West Coast Blues Hit Brett’s Jets Again as New York Suffers Second Straight Stunning Defeat

The Jets had fallen swiftly back to earth in week 13 with their 17 point loss to the Broncos at home, and they had lost twice previously on the West Coast this season. Yet the Jets were still 4 point favorites over the San Francisco 49ers in their road contest on late Sunday afternoon in week 14. But apparently New York was in need of more than a wakeup call, as the Jets would suffer a second straight shocking loss, falling 24-14 to the Niners. Just two weeks before the Jets could claim to be as good a team as there was in the AFC, but after back to back upsets, they were now 8-5 and in a 3-way tie for 1st place in the AFC East.

Again, it wasn’t like the Jets just let this game slip away or anything. They played poorly and San Fran took it to them. The Niners had a 25-10 first down advantage and outgained the Jets 375-182. New York committed 8 penalties for 57 yards and went 1 for 10 on 3rd down conversions. The Jets had the ball for just 20 minutes and had only 59 yards rushing. Brett Favre went 20 for 31 for just 137 yards, no TD, and a pick and he was sacked 3 times. The game was scoreless until late in the 1st quarter when Jason Hill caught a pass inside the New York 5 and took it to the 1 before fumbling into the end zone. The Niners had already fumbled the ball away inside New York territory once in the game, but this time offensive lineman Joe Staley fell on the ball in the end zone to give SF a TD. Midway through the 2nd quarter, Favre scored on a 2 yard run to tie the game at 7-7. But with less than a minute to go in the half, Shaun Hill threw a pass to Frank Gore that went for a 4 yard TD to give the Niners a 14-7 lead at halftime. The Jets tied the game again midway through the 3rd quarter on a 17 yard spurt by Thomas Jones. The Niners appeared to score on a long pass by Hill late in the 3rd but it was nullified by a penalty. Less than a minute into the 4th quarter the Niners got a 32 yard field goal from Joe Nedney to take the lead, 17-14. The Packers had to punt on their next possession and the Niners took the ball and went 51 yards in 10 plays for a TD to take a 10 point lead with just 6:05 to play in the game. A miscue on the ensuing kickoff forced the Jets to start at their own 1 and they had to punt. Favre was picked off on their next possession and the Niners held on to win it, 24-14, for their 3rd win in their last 4 games.


Cowboys Collapse, Steelers Pull out Win Late on INT for a Touchdown

The biggest matchup on Sunday’s slate of games in week 14 was the game between the resurgent Dallas Cowboys and the steady and healing Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field. On a cold and dark late afternoon, two great defenses dominated the action, and for much of the day it looked like the visitors would come away with an enormous win. But the Steelers battled and stayed in the game and they then stole the game on one dramatic play. Pittsburgh came back from a 10 point 4th quarter deficit to win 20-13 thanks to an INT for a TD in the final minutes. Early on both offenses were frustrated. Tony Romo was intercepted on the Cowboy’s first possession but the Steelers couldn’t take advantage as Jeff Reed missed a field goal. On Dallas’ 2nd possession they went for it on 4th and 1 from the Pittsburgh 33 and got stuffed to turn it over on downs. Pittsburgh drove to the Dallas 36 but wound up having to punt. On the next Pittsburgh possession Heath Miller fumbled. The 1st quarter ended with the game scoreless and the 2nd quarter began with the Cowboys going for it on 4th and 2 from the Steelers 34 and Romo throwing incomplete to turn it over on downs again. Romo fumbled on Dallas’ next possession but then Big Ben Roethlisberger fumbled it right back to them. Later in the 2nd the Steelers recovered a muffed punt but couldn’t take advantage of it. Then Romo was picked off at the Cowboy 22. The Steelers moved to the 6 but couldn’t get in the end zone and had to settle for a field goal. Still, it was the first score of the game, and Pittsburgh now led 3-0 with 2:40 to play in the half. Amazingly, the Cowboys were able to go down and kick a field goal to tie it up at 3-3 heading to halftime.

Tony Romo threw a 12 yard strike in the end zone to Terrell Owens early in the 3rd quarter for the game’s first TD, giving the Cowboys their first lead of the game, 10-3. The Cowboys added a FG on their next drive and they took what looked like a huge 13-3 lead into the 4th quarter. Early in the final period, the Steelers went for it on 4th and goal from the 1 and got stuffed. They were still down 10 with 12:20 to go. It looked like they were done for. They got the ball back and managed to kick a field goal that made it a 1 score game with 7:15 remaining. It still didn’t look good, as points had been so hard to come by. But the Steeler defense had taken over the game by this point. They forced a 3 and out and the Steelers got the ball back at their 33 with 5:10 remaining. Big Ben converted a 4th and 1 with a run and led the team on an 8 play, 67 yard drive for a TD to tie the game at 13 with 2:04 on the clock.

It was obviously disheartening for the Cowboys to see the Steelers erase the 10 point lead here at the very end, but they had over 2 minutes of clock to work with and 3 timeouts to try and win the game in regulation. Unfortunately for them, they only returned the kick to the 15 yard line. Then on 2nd and 8 from the Dallas 17, Tony Romo took the shotgun snap, felt the rush, and fired a ball that was intercepted by Deshea Townsend at the 25 and returned all the way for a TD to put the Steelers ahead 20-13. The Cowboys still had 1:40 on the clock to try and come back but their next drive ended at their own 28 when Romo threw incomplete on 4th down and 10. The Steelers had pulled it out, winning 20-13, for their 4th straight victory to get to 10-3 on the year. For Dallas it was a crushing defeat, one that snapped their modest 3 game win streak and dropped them to 8-5 on the year.


Lions Put a Scare in Minnesota Again, Come up Short to Keep 0-16 Hopes Alive

Detroit was a 10.5 point underdog at home against the Minnesota Vikings in week 14, a team they had nearly beaten on the road earlier this year. The Lions would hang around in this game and threaten just as they had back in October. But in the end they came up short, losing 20-16, to remain winless, falling to 0-13 on the season. Detroit led 3-0 at the end of the 1st quarter and scored the first 6 points of the game. They led 6-3 at the half. After falling behind 10-6 early in the 2nd half, the Lions retook the lead on a 70 yard TD bomb from Daunte Culpepper to Calvin Johnson. They led 13-10 going to the 4th quarter but Minnesota went back on top with a TD early in the period. The Lions got within a point on a Jason Hanson field goal with 5:44 to play, but Minnesota grinded out a 10 play, 54 yard drive, taking over 5 minutes off the clock, with Ryan Longwell drilling a 50 yard field goal to cap it off and increase the Viking lead to 4 with just 22 seconds to play. The Lions couldn’t pull out a miracle and they lost it 20-16 to keep the dream of an 0-16 season alive.


Panthers Run Over and Through the Bucs in Monday Night Showdown to Take Control of the NFC South

The Monday Night Football matchup in week 14 was perhaps the best of the season. The Tampa Bay Bucs and Carolina Panthers squared off in Charlotte with both teams tied atop the NFC South at 9-3. The Bucs had dominated the Panthers in their meeting in Tampa earlier in the season but this game had a decidedly different outcome. The game was highly competitive and back and forth for most of the night until the Panthers took control in the second half and ended up breaking Tampa’s will. It was Carolina’s running attack that imposed its will on Tampa’s proud defense. The Panthers broke open a tight game and went on to win by 25 points, 38-13, to take sole possession of 1st place in the NFC South.

A pair of turnovers by the Panthers and some impressive work by Jeff Garcia kept Tampa in the game for much of the evening. But eventually the Panthers offense began to dominate the Tampa defense and the Bucs’ offense was unable to keep up. Carolina rushed for 299 yards against Monte Kiffin’s vaunted defense. The Panther defense came up with 5 sacks. Carolina went 8 for 10 on 3rd down conversions. DeAngelo Williams carried 19 times for 186 yards and 2 TD and Jonathan Stewart had 15 carries for 115 yards and 2 TD. Steve Smith had another terrific night, hauling in 9 passes for 117 yards and a TD.

Early on the game was a low scoring affair as the defenses held their own and the offenses failed to take advantage of their opportunities. Carolina led 3-0 after 1 and 10-3 at the half. Antonio Bryant hauled in a 50 yard bomb from Garcia to tie the score early in the 3rd but Jake Delhomme and Steve Smith connected on a 38 yard score moments later to make it 17-10 Carolina. Tampa tied it up again late in the 3rd and it was 17-17 at the start of the 4th quarter. Carolina dominated the final period, outscoring the Bucs 21-6. TD’s by Stewart and Williams early in the 4th gave the Panthers a 31-17 lead with 8:30 to go. The Bucs got a touchdown with a little over 2 minutes to play to cut it to 31-23 but the Panthers recovered the onsides kick and added another TD for good measure to win it 38-23.


Other Week 14 Notes

Week 14 was a little more competitive than the previous few weeks. There were not an increased number of very tight games but there were a few less extreme blowouts. 7 of the 16 games in week 14 were decided by 7 points or less. 9 of the 16 games in week 14 were decided by 10 points or more, and 8 of those were decided by 13 or more points. 5 of the 16 games were decided by 19 points or more, and 4 of those games were decided by at least 24 points…Favorites were 12-4 straight up in week 14, 9-7 against the spread…The Bears whipped disappointing Jacksonville 23-10 at home in week 14 to stay just a game behind the Vikings in the NFC North race at 7-6. The Packers were 7 point favorites in week 14 but they were unable to stay alive in the playoff hunt, falling at home to the streaking Texans, 24-11, to fall to 5-8 on the year. For Green Bay it was their 3rd straight loss and 5th in their last 6 games. The Texans, meanwhile, won their 3rd in a row to improve to 6-7 on the season…The Tennessee Titans took care of business at home against the Browns in week 14, winning 28-9 to improve to 12-1 on the season and clinch the AFC South Division Title…The Colts demolished the Bengals 35-3 at home in week 14 to improve to 9-4 with their 6th straight win…The Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots won in week 14 to pull even with the Jets atop the AFC East at 8-5. Miami caught a break in that their road game against the Bills was played indoors at the Sky Dome in Toronto rather than outdoors at Rich Stadium in Buffalo. The Fish won 16-3, handing the Bills their 6th loss in their last 7 games, and all but eliminating them from the playoffs. The Patriots were 7 point favorites on the road in Seattle in week 14 but they trailed for much of the day before going ahead late and hanging on to win 24-21. With the victory, the Patriots improved to 5-0 following a loss this season…The Arizona Cardinals won 34-10 over the Rams at home in week 14 to improve to 8-5 on the year and clinch the NFC West Division Title, their first division crown in 33 years…The New Orleans Saints kept their playoff hopes alive and dealt a serious blow to the hopes of the Atlanta Falcons with a 29-25 win over the Birds at home in the Superdome in week 14. With the victory, the Saints got back over .500 at 7-6, while the loss dropped the Falcons to 8-5, a game back of the Bucs and 2 games behind the Panthers in the NFC South…The Sunday night game in week 14 was a battle of the DC area teams—Baltimore and Washington—who were clearly going in opposite directions. The home team Ravens cruised to a 24-10 win, their 3rd straight and 7th in their last 8 games, to improve to 9-4 on the year. It was a major blow to the playoff hopes of the Washington Redskins. The loss was the 4th in 5 games for the Skins and dropped them to 7-6 on the year.



Week 15 Review

Bears Use Pass Interference Call to Win in OT over the Saints on Thursday Night

Week 15 was one of the more interesting and exciting weeks of the NFL season, and it began on Thursday night when the New Orleans Saints squared off against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field for a game that each team had to have. Both teams entered the game at 7-6 and near the back of the playoff chase in terms of the wild card standings. For either team, a loss would be devastating. Defeat would definitely be a bigger problem for the Saints, as they had almost no chance of winning their division, they would be eliminated from the division race with a loss, and their only real shot at a playoff spot was as a wild card. A loss for the Bears would certainly not be a good thing, but they entered week 15 just a game behind the Vikings in the NFC North, and Minnesota had 3 tough games left to play. It was going to be very difficult for a 9-7 team to make the playoffs as a wild card team in the NFC, so the Saints basically had to win out. That plan would end in Chicago, as they fell in overtime to the Bears, 27-24.

For most of the chilly evening it seemed like things would go according to plan, with the home team Bears taking care of business against the dome team from the south. The Saints had lost the NFC Championship Game here 2 years ago and then lost on the final day of the regular season last year to be eliminated from playoff contention. They appeared headed towards a similar fate in the early part of this game, as Danieal Manning took the opening kickoff back 83 yards for a score to put Chicago up 7-0 right off the bat. This was a huge mistake by the Saints, as the Bears had trouble doing much of anything offensively during the first 20 minutes of the game, and wouldn’t have scored otherwise. Drew Brees was intercepted on the Saints’ first possession. That kick return TD by Manning wound up being the only score of the 1st quarter. Twice the Saints had drives stall out at the Chicago 39 and had to punt, but that strategy paid off early in the 2nd quarter when Kyle Orton fumbled a snap and the Saints recovered at the 1. Two plays later, Brees threw a 2 yard TD pass to Pierre Thomas to tie the score. Manning burned the Saints again on the ensuing kickoff, going 52 yards to the New Orleans 41. Devin Hester drew a 39 yard pass interference penalty that gave the Bears 1st and goal at the 5, and Matt Forte scored 2 plays later to put the Bears on top again. Late in the half, the Bears got great field position at the Saints’ 42 yard line and turned it into a TD, with Orton scrambling for the TD on 3rd and 6 from the 6 to put the Bears up 21-7 with just 55 seconds left in the half. Chicago took that 14 point lead to halftime and it didn’t seem likely that the Saints would overcome that deficit in the freezing temperatures.

The Saints actually looked to be on the verge of getting back in the game right away in the 3rd quarter when they took the kickoff and marched down the field and inside the Chicago red zone. After converting a 4th and 1 with a QB sneak by Brees, New Orleans had a 1st and goal at the 9, but on 1st down, Brees had a pass grabbed out of the air by DE Adewale Ogunleye for a crucial interception. Brees was now 14 of 30 with 2 INT in the game. The Bears now appeared to be about to put the game away, as they moved the ball to midfield, but Orton’s deep ball was intercepted by Josh Bullocks at the New Orleans 32 and returned all the way back into Chicago territory. That play would not only keep the Bears from putting the game away, it would turn the whole think around. Two plays later, Pierre Thomas skirted 42 yards for a TD to cut the score to 21-14. The Bears went 3 and out on their next possession and the Saints had the ball near midfield when the 3rd quarter came to a close.

The New Orleans drive stalled at the 12 and they had to settle for a field goal to make the score 21-17. The Bears started their next drive at their 41 but they could gain just 6 yards on 3 plays, bringing up a 4th and 4 from their 47. The Bears ran a ballsy fake punt, with Brad Maynard chucking the ball down the middle of the field for the other Adrian Peterson. Peterson appeared to make the catch but the ball was jarred loose and the officials ruled it an incompletion. Now the Saints had it at the Bears’ 47. But they were immediately faced with a 3rd and 1 and the run was stuffed to bring up 4th and 1 from the Chicago 38. The Saints went for it and gave it to Pierre Thomas and the Bears defense closed the door 5 yards deep in the backfield. Chicago took over possession at their 43, leading by 4, with 5:29 to play. Instead of trying to run out the clock, the Bears stayed aggressive, and just 2 plays into the possession Orton was picked off by Scott Fujita and he returned it to the Bear 31 yard line. The Saints needed 6 plays to get in the end zone, with Brees firing an 11 yard TD pass to Marques Colston on 3rd and 7 to give New Orleans the led for the first time in the game, 24-21, with 3:05 left on the clock.

Now trailing by 3, the Bears began their next possession at their own 30 with 3 minutes and 3 seconds left to play. A 20 yard pass completion to Devin Hester moved the ball to midfield. On 3rd and 5 from the New Orleans 45, Orton found Hester again for a 9 yard gain and a 1st down at the 36. That brought up the 2 minute warning. Moments later, the Bears faced a 3rd and 1 from the 16 yard line with 19 seconds left and 1 timeout. They needed a FG to tie and a TD to win. Orton threw to Greg Olson for a 7 yard gain and a 1st and goal at the 9, but after a sack at the 10 yard line on 2nd down, the Bears called timeout with 2 tics left and had Robbie Gould boot the chip shot through to tie the game at 24-24 and send it into OT. The Bears won the all-important coin flip. On 3rd and 7 from the Chicago 47, Orton went deep for Devin Hester and Roman Harper freaked out and grabbed him to draw a pass interference penalty that moved the ball all the way to the New Orleans 15. That basically ended the game. After Orton lost 3 yards while centering the ball, Gould came out and hit the 35 yarder to win it, 27-24 in overtime.



Falcons Overcome Mistakes, Missed Opportunities, Top Bucs in OT for Huge Win


One of the numerous key matchups in week 15 was the battle between NFC South rivals Tampa Bay and Atlanta played in the Georgia Dome. The Bucs were playing on a short week without Jeff Garcia and were coming off their embarrassing 2nd half performance against the Panthers on MNF. The Falcons were coming off a disappointing loss at New Orleans. The Bucs had won the first game between the two teams in Tampa back in week 2 and they were a game ahead of the 8-5 Falcons in the NFC South at 9-4. This was a big game for both teams but it was a virtual must win for the Falcons. The Bucs last two games of the season were very winnable, while the Falcons would have to travel to Minnesota to play the Vikings in week 16. With Tampa banged up and tired, the Falcons were expected to win and they were actually 5.5 point favorites by the time the game started. For a while it looked like they would have their way with the Bucs but it turned out to be anything but easy thanks to mistakes, missed opportunities, and a number of strange plays. This game would take overtime to determine a winner, and in the end it would be the Falcons who would prevail, 13-10, to clinch a winning season just 1 year after the darkest season in franchise history.

They Falcons started their 2nd possession of the game in Tampa Bay territory and they wound up getting a field goal to open the scoring. On their next possession, the Falcons went 72 yards in 9 plays for a score, with Michael Turner going in from 1 yard out to put the Falcons up 10-0. The Falcons were in complete control and midway through the 2nd quarter they looked to take a 3 score lead on Tampa and put them in a bad spot. The Falcons had the ball at the Tampa 34 on 2nd down and 8, and Matt Ryan decided to go for a big play and threw deep down the left side for Roddy White. But Aqib Talib closed the gap and intercepted the ball at the 1 yard line. Ryan had gotten a bit greedy and the score stayed 10-0. Late in the half the Falcons looked to increase their lead before intermission and faced a 3rd and 5 from the 50 yard line with the clock ticking under 1 and a half minutes. Ryan dropped back and floated a ball over the middle and veteran Ronde Barber intercepted at the 33. Again, the Falcons would get no points, and even worse, Tampa turned around and got a late score of their own. Brian Griese fired a 20 yard TD pass to Antonio Bryant to close the gap to just 10-7 at the half.

Early in the 3rd quarter, the Falcons finally appeared to have added to their lead when Ryan hit backup tight end Jason Rader all alone down the right sideline for a 27 yard touchdown pass. However, Jermaine Phillips ripped the ball loose from Rader as he was crossing the goal line, the Bucs challenged, and the refs overturned the call and said it was a fumble and a touchback. The Falcons got an interception to thwart Tampa’s ensuing drive and they took a slim 3 point lead to the 4th. The offenses really bogged down at that point. Finally with less than 4 minutes to play, Tampa lined up for a 53 yard field goal that would tie the game, but Matt Bryant missed it wide left and the Falcons took over with 3:38 to go. The Falcons were stopped for a 3 and out, and on 4th and 7 from their 46, Michael Koenen came out to punt. The Bucs got a man around the right side and blocked it. Tampa advanced the ball all the way to the 18. Disaster had struck but the Falcon defense held and forced a 38 yard field goal by Bryant which he made to send the game into OT tied at 13-13. The Bucs won the all-important coin flip and had a 1st and 10 at their 35, but on 3rd and 8 from the 37, John Abraham burst through with his 3rd sack of the day to force the Tampa to punt. The Falcs drove from their 29 to the Tampa 16 in 11 plays, nearly losing a fumble along the way, to get in position for a 34 yard field goal try by Jason Elam. Elam hit it to give the Falcons the win, 13-10 in overtime.


Jets Get Early Christmas Gift from Bungling Bills, Survive to Stay Tied atop AFC East

After suffering back to back discouraging losses to fall into a 3 way tie for 1st in the AFC East, the New York Jets were facing a must win against the collapsing Bills at home in week 15. They entered the game as 9 point favorites but they would need to make a tremendous play and get a tremendous bit of good fortune to escape with a win. In all honesty, the Jets should have lost. Early on things looked to be going just as expected. The Jets went 72 yards in 7 plays for a TD on their opening drive, with Thomas Jones scoring on the ground to make it 7-0. The Bills answered with a field goal but the Jets went 70 yards in 8 plays on their 2nd drive, with Brett Favre firing a TD pass to Jericho Cotchery to put New York up 14-3. Early in the 2nd quarter the Jets had a 1st down at the 50 yard line and looked to be about to blow the game open. That’s when Favre threw a pick that got the Bills back in the game. Buffalo took over at the 50 and went 9 plays for the score to cut it to 14-10. A 56 yard punt return by Roscoe Parrish later in the quarter set up Buffalo’s 2nd TD that gave them the lead for the first time, 17-14. Leon Washington scored on a 47 yard run to give the Jets the lead back before the half, 21-17. But it was clear now that this would be a game.

A Favre pick in the 3rd quarter led to a Buffalo field goal that made it a 1 point game. JP Losman was Buffalo’s quarterback in this game and he made a costly pick early in the 4th quarter that gave the Jets the ball at the Bills’ 20. But the Jets could get just a FG out of it. The ensuing kickoff was returned 100 yards for a TD but it was called back on a holding penalty. The Bills couldn’t do anything on that drive but on their next possession they went 64 yards in 6 plays for a score to take a 27-24 lead with just 5:30 to go. The Jets started their next drive at the 50 but they couldn’t move the ball and had to punt. On 3rd and 1 from their own 19, the Bills gave the ball to Marshawn Lynch and he picked up 3 yards and a 1st down at the 22. He got the ball again on the next play and went for 5 yards. The Jets called their first time out with just 2:06 left. So far in the game the Bills had gained 187 yards on the ground on 32 carries, an average of 5.8 yards a rush. Lynch had averaged 6 yards a pop. All the Bills needed to do was get one more first down to virtually ice this game. A run on the next play would take it to the 2 minute warning and a run on the next play would force the Jets to call another timeout. Even if—and it’s a reasonably big if—the Jets were able to stop the Bills from gaining 5 yards over the next 2 plays, the Bills would be able to punt the ball and force a stagnant Jets offense to come down the field and kick a field goal in less than 2 minutes with only 1 timeout. Instead of choosing this path, the Bills decided to come out and run a play action pass. Losman rolled to his right, looking for someone to throw to, and got mauled from behind by Abram Elam, who ripped the ball away from him. Shaun Ellis pushed the ball towards the end zone and then was able to scoop it up and stay on his feet and take it into the end zone for a miracle touchdown that put the Jets on top 31-27 with 1:54 to play. The Bills had time to try and negate the blunder with a drive for the game winning score, but Losman was picked off on the first play of Buffalo’s next possession. The Bills used all of their timeouts and got the ball back with 1:17 still on the clock. They advanced to midfield and Losman threw a Hail Mary pass towards the end zone that was intercepted at the 2, giving Losman 3 turnovers in the final 2:06 of the game. The Jets had escaped, 31-27, to get to 9-5 and stay tied for 1st place in the AFC East.



Steelers Come From Behind, Win on Controversial Last Second Touchdown to Clinch AFC North Title

The most anticipated matchup on the late game slate during week 15 was the battle between the Steelers and Ravens staged in Baltimore. Going into this one the Steelers were a game ahead of the 9-4 Ravens in 1st place in the AFC North at 10-3. A win for the Steelers would give them a 2nd straight AFC North Division Title. A win for the Ravens would bring the two teams into a tie for the division lead with 2 games to play. Though the Steelers outgained the Ravens by over 100 yards and limited the Baltimore offense to just 202 total yards, they would actually trail for the majority of the game. Matt Stover put the Ravens up 3-0 on a short field goal early in the 2nd quarter after the 1st quarter ended scoreless. Jeff Reed tied the game on a FG with 5:44 remaining in the quarter but that would be Pittsburgh’s only offense until the 4th quarter. Stover kicked another short field goal with just 49 seconds left in the half to give Baltimore a 6-3 advantage at the break. Stover’s 3rd field goal of the day was the only score posted by either team in the 3rd quarter, as the Ravens took a 9-3 lead to the 4th. The Steelers finally scored again on a FG by Reed that made it a 3 point game with 9:26 to play. The Ravens went on a long clock eating drive into Pittsburgh territory but wound up punting to pin the Steelers at their own 8 yard line with 3:36 on the clock, trailing by 3. The Steelers would cross the 98 yards to the end zone against the vaunted Raven defense in 12 plays over 2:53. But it was the touchdown scoring play that would result in one of the bigger controversies of the year. With 50 seconds on the clock, the Steelers faced a 3rd and goal from the Baltimore 4 yard line. Big Ben Roethlisberger dropped back to pass, bought time, waited, waited, and then fired to Santonio Holmes at the goal line. Holmes made the catch with his feet in the end zone but the officials ruled that the ball hadn’t crossed the plane and marked it at the half yard line. It looked like Mike Tomlin was going to be forced to choose between kicking a field goal and sending the game into overtime or having his offense go for the TD on a do or die play from inside the 1 yard line against the Baltimore defense. However, the replay officials stopped play and chose to review it. After a lengthy delay, the officials came back out and reversed the call, ruling it a touchdown to put the Steelers ahead, 13-9 with just 43 seconds to play. If you really study every angle available it becomes clear—in my opinion—that Holmes did have possession of the ball while it was across the goal line. However, it was surprising to see the play overturned because it was far from an obvious, cut and dry deal where the call on the field was clearly incorrect. The Ravens got the ball with 47 seconds left and drove to the Pittsburgh 38 but Joe Flacco’s pass into the end zone was intercepted by Williams Gay to seal the 13-9 victory for the Steelers and their 2nd straight division title.


Cowboys Get Huge Win Over Giants Despite Turmoil, Deal New York 2nd Straight Loss


The Sunday night game in week 15 was a crucial battle between the two most publicized and scrutinized franchises in the NFL: the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Giants. It was a must win game for the Boys and in spite of the unrest and upheaval discussed in the media over the entire week prior to the game, they came out and got it done against the defending champs in front of the home folks to remain in good shape in the hunt for a wild card spot. Dallas won it 20-8 to move to 9-5 on the season, handing the Giants their 2nd straight defeat. For the G-Men it was the first time they had lost back to back games since opening the 2007 season 0-2. New York now finds itself in a battle for the top spot in the NFC playoff seeding with Carolina. The Dallas defense turned in a dominant performance, holding the Giants to 218 yards of offense and 3 for 13 on 3rd down conversions. The Dallas D sacked Eli Manning 8 times and intercepted him twice. The game stayed scoreless into the 2nd quarter until Tony Romo and Patrick Crayton hooked up on a 34 yard TD strike to put the Cowboys up 7-0. The Giants cut it to 7-3 with a field goal and that was the score as the two teams headed to the lockers for intermission and at the start of the 4th quarter. Finally, Romo tossed a 1 yard TD pass to Derrick Anderson with 12:13 to go in the game to increase the Cowboy lead to 14-3. A bad shotgun snap that went into the end zone resulted in a safety that got the Giants back in the game with 7:06 to play. But New York could only get a field goal on their next possession and the Cowboys put the game away on a 38 yard TD run by Tashard Choice that made it 20-8 with just over 2 minutes to play.


Lions put up a Fight but Eventually Fall to the Colts to Remain Winless on the Season

The Detroit Lions kept the dream alive in week 15, falling to the Indianapolis Colts, 31-21, on the road to remain winless, dropping their record to 0-14 on the season. They are now just 2 losses away from the “imperfect” season. The Colts were 16.5 point favorites over the Lions but they were a little beat up and the Lions gave them a run for their money like they have done in almost every game this year. The Colts took an early 7-0 lead in the game and led 7-3 after 1 and 14-3 early in the 2nd. Dan Orvlosky hooked up with Calvin Johnson for a long TD pass to make it 14-10 but the Colts scored on a 3 yard TD pass to Dallas Clark right before the half to go back up by 11. The Lions got a field goal in the 3rd quarter to make it a 1 score game heading to the 4th quarter. Orvlosky led the Lions on a touchdown drive and threw for the 2-pt conversion to tie the game up at 21-21 with 12:52 to play. But we’d all seen this sort of thing a number of times over the last few weeks and knew not to worry all that much, as the Lions would surely bomb from here on out. And they did just that. The Colts drove 88 yards in just 7 plays for a TD to take a 28-21 lead. The Lions had to punt on their next possession and the Colts drove down the field and kicked a field goal to put the game away with 39 seconds left. The 31-21 win was the 7th straight for the Colts, who moved to 10-4 on the year, the 7th straight season in which they have posted double digit victories.



Other Week 15 Notes

Week 15 was one of the tightest, most competitive weeks of the 2008 NFL season. 8 of the 16 games in week 15 were decided by 4 points or less! 9 of 16 were decided by 5 points or less and 10 were decided by 7 points or less. 6 of the 16 games were decided by double figures but 12 of the 16 games were decided by 12 points or less. 4 of 16 games were decided by 20 points or more but no game was decided by more than 23 points…Favorites were 11-5 straight up in week 15 but just 5-10-1 ATS!...The Tennessee Titans lost for just the 2nd time all season in week 15, falling 13-12 on the road to the red hot Houston Texans. It was a rough game for the Titans, who turned down a chance to win the game with a field goal and lost key defensive players Albert Haynesworth and Kyle Vanden Bosch to injuries. The loss opened the door for the Pittsburgh Steelers to win the #1 seed in the AFC if they can win in Tennessee in week 16. For the Texans it was their 4th straight victory and it got them to 7-7 on the year…Apparently the Arizona Cardinals don’t care whether they are the 3rd or 4th seed in the NFC playoffs. One can’t help but draw that conclusion after their effort (or lack there of) in what was supposed to be an important game between themselves and the Vikings in Arizona in week 15. The Cards fell down 28-0 and went on to lose 35-14 at home to fall to 8-6 on the season. The Vikings won their 4th straight to go to 9-5 on the year and stay alone atop the NFC North standings. They need just 1 more win or Chicago loss to clinch the division title…After a week of squabbling and between coaches and players, the Redskins went out as 6.5 point favorites and lost to one of the worst teams in the League in week 15, falling 20-13 to the Bengals in Cincinnati for their 3rd straight loss and 5th in their last 6 games. It was just the 2nd win of the year for Cinci. The loss dropped the Skins to 7-7 on the year and all but eliminated them from postseason contention…The Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots both won in week 15 to keep pace with the Jets atop the AFC East standings, all three teams improving to 9-5 on the season. Miami somehow found a way to win against the 49ers at home, 14-9, for their 3rd straight win and the 7th in their last 8 games. The Patriots routed the Oakland Raiders, 49-26, on the road in the most lopsided game of week 15…The Carolina Panthers continued to roll in week 15, trucking the undermanned Denver Broncos 30-10 at home to improve to 11-3 on the season. Carolina’s 3rd straight victory guaranteed them of at least a tie for the NFC South Division Title and prevented the Broncos from clinching the AFC West Title, as they fell to 8-6 on the season. The Panthers also positioned themselves to claim the top spot in the NFC playoff seeding if they can win on the road against the Giants in week 16…The Broncos almost clinched the AFC West before their game in Carolina even started, but the San Diego Chargers somehow escaped again, coming from behind to nip the idiotic and pathetic Chiefs by a point on the road. The Chargers trailed 21-3 late in the 3rd quarter and 21-10 with less than 2 minutes to play in the game, but they rallied to win 22-21 to go to 6-8 on the season and stay alive in the AFC West Title hunt. The Chiefs lost for the 12th time in 2008…Green Bay was officially eliminated from the playoff chase after they lost 20-16 to the Jags on the road in week 15 to fall to 5-9 on the season. It was the Packers’ 4th straight loss and the 6th in their last 7 games. For the Jaguars, the win snapped a 4 game losing skid and improved their record on the season to 5-9…The Eagles continued their resurgence in week 15, pummeling the Browns, 30-10, at home on Monday Night Football. The win was a 3rd straight for the Eagles, who improved to 8-5-1 on the season with the victory.