Week 16 minus MNF

Where to begin...how about the top 5 games of the week? Sounds good...

Ravens 33 Cowboys 24...This was a high scoring affair where Tony Romo looked awful. In the last game at Texas Stadium, he sure did slap the Cowboy gods in the face with his 24/45, 252 yds, 2 td, and 2 INT performance. He made poor decisions all night and was trying to force too many passes. His reliance on Jason Witten was apparent seeing as him and Owens caught the same number of passes. What was phenomenal during the game was the Ravens running game. Willis McGahee looked like he was a Miami Hurricane again the way he sliced through the Cowboys D for 108 yards on 8 carries (yeah do the math...that's 13.5 yds per carry)and a 77 yard touchdown run. And don't forget Le'Ron McClain, who is listed as a full back, who ran for 139 on 22 carries and had an 82 yard TD run to seal the game. The fake field goal by the Ravens was perfectly executed and Derrick Mason playing with a chicken wing was very inspiring. I do not know how he played with a bum shoulder and still managed to show up the Cowboys corners. Overall, this game proved that the Cowboys are not ready to go into the playoffs and lose again, but also, that the Ravens can dominate a game with their run game since their rookie QB is very Trent Dilfer-esque...aka he lets the Defense win the games (Ed Reed had 2 INT's...the man's a beast). The defense let up 92 yards rushing and 235 yards passing and 24 points. So look for the Ravens to be a force in the playoffs.

Steelers-Titans was a game that was upsetting because of how lopsided it was...Titans 31 Steelers 14. The implications of the game made for a good setup but the Steelers just could not produce. Roethlisberger had a sub par day going 26/40 for 331 yards with 2 tds and 2 INTs. The main reason for his below average play was the time he spent on the ground. The Titans recorded 5 sacks and continually had pressure on the QB all game. Also, the Titans run defense was fantastic keeping the Steelers to 71 yards on the ground and they also had a late INT return for a TD. Don't forget about Old Man Collins, the pride of Happy Valley, who went 20/29 for 216 yards and 1 touchdown. This was a very uncompetitive game and in order for the Steelers to do well in the playoffs they need to iron out some of their wrinkles from this game seeing as they may find themselves in Tennessee sometime in the next month or so.

In the White Christmas bowl, the Patriots had a hard fought battle against the Cardinals who decided to fly north for the winter...final score 47-7. This game was as funny as it was embarrassing especially when Wes Welker dropped down and got his snow angel on only to receive an unsportsmanlike penalty. Well worth the extra 15 Wes, definitely my favorite celebration of the year. Positives for the Cardinals include a 78 yard touchdown by Larry Fitzgerald against what I'm guessing could be a defense that was made up of mostly fans. But hey, way to go Matt Leinart, you won the Heisman and also threw a 78 yard touchdown pass after your team decided Kurt Warner was done for the day. You sir are an accomplished athlete.

Giants 34 Panthers 28 in OT...This game was actually very competitive until the Panthers defense refused to show up for the last 5 minutes of the 4th quarter into overtime. They were dominating the game offensively and were doing well against the pass giving up 181 yards through the air. But the Giants devastating ground game was what gave the Panthers a problem. 301 yards given up on the ground mainly between Derrick Ward (215) and Brandon Jacobs (87...Eli Manning had 1 rush for -1 yard). In order for the Panthers to be a force in the playoffs they need to mend the holes in their Swiss cheese defense...obviously, but also they must balance their offense (19 pass to 35 rushes). A great offense is made from keeping defense on edge. Without enough runs, your passing game hurts, without enough passing the defense will stack the box. Even in a cold environment, you still need to make the pass effective.

The most awful game of the week...Redskins 10 Eagles 3. HOW DON'T YOU RUN YOUR ROUTE 2 YARDS DEEPER?! Anyway, after the Eagles put up 98 points in the past 3 weeks, they fell far short in putting up 3 points...THREE. Main problem? No established run game. 46 pass attempts to 16 rush attempts. Really? That looks like the Colts from 2003 but at least they had pass support to outscore opponents. Donovan could not get started completing only 57 percent of his passes for 230 yards. Play maker Brian Westbrook was held to 116 yards of total offense (45 rushing 71 receiving). The play calling was my biggest problem with this game, until the last 2 minutes of the game where the Eagles just dinked and dunked down field. They know you're going to pass so just pick away 7 or 8 yards a play. Too little too late however since LJ Smith made a costly error by trying to turn the ball up field instead of getting out of bounds wasting nearly 15 seconds...awful. But let's get to the smartest receiving play of the day...Reggie Brown...from the 18 yard line with 12 seconds left, Mr. Brown runs a 17.5 yard comeback. Seriously, you know the situation you're in as a receiver. You know you have to run your route into the end zone, not to the goal line. This is pitiful that Reggie Brown could not have run his route a yard and a half deeper in order to have scored a touchdown. Don't forget the play of star rookie wide receiver DeSean Jackson. 2 catches for 14 yards and he had a costly drop in the end zone that was a "sure touchdown" according to Troy Aikman. The drops need to stop in order for the Birds to be effective. Next week vs. the Cowboys, the Eagles are hoping to win and also praying for the Bucs to lose to the Raiders (fat chance) and either the Vikings or Bears to lose in order for them to make the playoffs. Hey, a great Christmas present for Philly would be the Cowboys missing the playoffs too, so playing the spoiler would be great Birds. Don't forget Philadelphia Phans...the Phillies are World Champions...World F***in' Champions! Makes me smile daily.

AFC playoffs are nearly set in stone with the 1. Titans 2. Steelers 3. Dolphins (subject to change) and 4. Broncos (also subject to change) with wildcard 5. Colts and 6. Ravens (subj. to change)

NFC playoffs are a little trickier with 1. Giants 2. Panthers 3. Vikings (subj. to change) 4. Cardinals and wild card 5. Falcons (who could potentially be a #2 seed with a win next week) and 6. Cowboys (which will more than likely change)

So for the first time in a while, week 17 is going to be worth watching so stay tuned.