NFL Weekly: Mark Sanchez & the New York Jets, Baltimore Ravens, Tennessee Titans, Atlanta Falcons,

I don't know how "weekly" my NFL posts will be this year, but I got a few things on my mind that I want to get out there.

AFC East: Mark Sanchez can play and the New York Jets are no joke this season. Sanchez will have his ups-and-downs for sure, but the Jets have both a solid offensive line and defense, so as long as they keep Sanchez in good situations there's no reason why the Jets can't make the playoffs this season just like the Falcons and Ravens did last year with rookie QB's. My guess is that the second place team in the AFC East will most likely make the playoffs and that team could very well be the Jets. Hell, the way the Patriots have played the first two games they are no lock to win the division. I think the Jets will be in the mix at the very least.

AFC North: I'm still extremely high on the Ravens this season and I think they will be a tough team to beat in the playoffs. Joe Flacco has been solid so far in the first two games and their win on the road against San Diego should not be taken lightly. I'm a little surprised the defense has given up 50 points through two games, but I still think the Ravens will win the AFC North and be as much of a threat as any to win the AFC.

AFC South: The Titans have started off 0-2 and I think they might struggle the whole season the match what they did last year. They won games last season due to their defense, but the Texans ran up 34 points on them at home and that is not a good sign for the Titans. They got a huge game from Chris Johnson, so they can't really expect to score 31 points every time they take the field. If they don't get their defense to play at the same level as last year, then I think they will struggle to make the playoffs. I think Jeff Fisher will get them on the right track, but it won't be easy now that they have dug themselves a little hole. Meanwhile, Indy will have a chance to take a early lead in a division that I expect to be extremely close with their matchup against the Dolphins on Monday Night. Indy has struggled on the road in the past few seasons, especially on grass, and it will be interesting to see how they play in Miami.

AFC West: This is the division I'll probably have the least to say about all season. I still expect the Chargers to win the AFC West going away. They shouldn't hang their heads about a loss to a tough Ravens team. It will be interesting to see which team emerges as the second place team in this division. My money is on Denver, who I think will find a way to win some games with their offense. I thought JaMarcus Russell was going to be improved this season, but after starting the season 19 for 54 passing, I think it's safe to say he's still got a long way to go.

AFC Power Rankings

1. Baltimore Ravens
2. Pittsburgh Steelers
3. New England Patriots
4. San Diego Chargers
5. Indianapolis Colts

NFC East: The Giants look like they won't miss Plaxico Burress as much this year as they did last year with Mario Manningham & Steve Smith stepping it up this season. Of course the Cowboys secondary still looks horrible, so that may be a factor too, but the Giants look like they will be better offensively this year. The Eagles better hope Donovan McNabb comes back soon, because they are a legitimate Super Bowl contender with him at QB and likely not even a playoff team without him in the tough NFC East. I hope he comes back as well, because he's not going to get too many more shots at a championship and I would like to see him make the most of the talent he has around him this season.

NFC North: The Vikings have beaten up on the Browns and Lions to start to season 2-0. That really doesn't tell us much, since those two teams are probably 2 of the worst in the NFL. They get the 49ers at home next week, who should at least give them a challenge with their tough defense. The Bears showed a lot by beating the Steelers with Jay Cutler playing much better than he did in his Bears debut. The Packers showed that their defense is still shakey after getting torched at home by the Bengals for 31 points. They were particularly bad against the run giving up 151 yards on the ground. I picked the Bears to win the NFC North and despite the Vikings 2-0 start, I think Chicago will be the better team by seasons end.

NFC South: I really like the Falcons and Matt Ryan continues to impress me at QB. Their defense seems to be improved through the first two games as well, but since they were both home games, I'll be looking to see how the Falcons play on the road against New England in Week 3. That's a huge statement game for this Falcons team because New England will not want to fall to 1-2, so I expect Atlanta to get the Patriots best in that one. Meanwhile, New Orleans continues to score points in bunches and Drew Brees is making an early run for NFL MVP. If New Orleans ever gets any kind of defense then you'd have to consider them as a legitimate Super Bowl threat. I think they'll make the playoffs for sure this season and should battle with Atlanta for the division title all season long.

NFC West: The 49ers are off to a somewhat surprising 2-0 start thanks to their tough defense and the running of Frank Gore. Mike Singletary will have this team in a winning position every week, but I still think Arizona has more talent then them and if they can stay focused they will repeat in the NFC West. Seattle lost QB Matt Hasselbeck to an injury and I'm starting to wonder if he is too injury prone to keep Seattle as a winning team at this point in his career. I thought they were going to have a solid season, but now I'm not so sure and I think the Cardinals and 49ers will both finish ahead of them.

NFC Power Rankings

1. Atlanta Falcons
2. New York Giants
3. New Orleans Saints
4. Philadelphia Eagles
5. Dallas Cowboys

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NFL Weekly: T.J Houshmandzadeh Signs With Seahawks, Jason Taylor, Julius Peppers To The Patriots?, Kurt Warner, & More

T.J. Houshmandzadeh: Ok, so I'm not exactly sure if T.J. Houshmandzadeh understands the benefits of free agency. He's been playing for a perennial loser for the first 8 years of his career and then he decides to sign with a team that looks like it's on it's downside and for the most part has been a perennial loser in the NFL as well. Yeah, Matt Hassleback is a good QB if he can stay healthy, but the pieces just aren't in place for the Seahawks to make it back to a Super Bowl anytime soon. Meanwhile, Houshmandzadeh passed up a chance to play with the Vikings and team up with Adrian Peterson during the prime of his career. The Vikings have way more upside than the Seahawks do since they have one of the best playmakers in the NFL and a defense that ranked 6th in the NFL last season. The Seahawks defense was a lowly 30th and I don't see any reason why it would improve much this season. The Vikings offense was dominated by the run game, which was 5th in the NFL. The offense finished just 17th overall, but considering that they were led by Tarvaris Jackson and Gus Frerotte at QB, you could definitely see their offense improving if they brought in a better QB. Now word comes out that Minnesota might be trading for Jay Cutler, who would definitely be an upgrade at QB for the Vikings. I really think Houshmandzadeh blew this one and I feel like he was shortsighted by choosing the team with the better QB, instead of just choosing the better team.

Other NFL News:

- The Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos, Green Bay Packers, Kansas City Chiefs, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers are all possible landing places for recently released DE Jason Taylor. My bet is that Taylor would like to go to the Patriots, but they may have other plans for DE. However, Bill Belichick has always spoke very highly of Taylor and loves veterans. The Patriots also need help with the pass rush and I think Taylor still has the ability to do that, so he is certainly a possibility. Of course if the Pats trade for DE Julius Peppers instead, they probably would not have a need for Taylor anymore. That certainly would be a monster move for the Patriots if they were to acquire Peppers.

- Kurt Warner is visiting the 49ers after stalled negotiations with the Cardinals. This is definitely something to keep an eye on because it could shift the balance of power in the NFC West. With Warner at QB the 49ers could very well be the favorite in the division. I still think Warner goes back to the Cardinals though because I think he's smart enough to realize that throwing to Larry Fitzgerald is a whole hell of a lot better than throwing to an aging Isaac Bruce and a bunch of other misfit WRs in San Francisco.

- Tampa Bay may solid pickup by signing RB Derrick Ward away from the Giants. I'm sure Ward will get the bulk of the carriers for the Bucs, but I don't think he will be the clear cut feature back and I expect he will be sharing at least 10-15 carries with another back throughout the season. Of course, it's always possible he has the same success as a feature back that Michael Turner did with the Falcons this year. I wouldn't expect him to put up the numbers that Turner did, but 1,200-1,500 yards and 10+ TDs doesn't seem completely unreasonable.

- The Cowboys signed LB Keith Brooking, who is a 5-time Pro Bowl selection. Brooking had 102 tackles last season for the Falcons, who he spent his entire career with until now. The Cowboys also acquired QB Jon Kitna from the Lions to backup Tony Romo.

- The Bengals and Bills are showing interest in WR Laveranues Coles. If I were him, I would stay away from the Bengals and go up to Buffalo to play opposite Lee Evans.

- The Lions are hoping that they can trade for Denver QB Jay Cutler or possibly even Browns QB Derek Anderson. Right now their # 1 QB is Daunte Culpepper, although they will probably draft a QB if they don't acquire one in a trade.

- The Saints are looking to improve their secondary, as they should be, and have talked to Darren Sharper and Shawn Springs and have offered a contract to Rams CB Ron Bartell. The Patriots are also said to be looking at Springs.

- Nate Washington left the Super Bowl champion Steelers to sign with the Titans and would have been a decent deep threat for Kerry Collins to try and stretch the field with. However, it looks like Collins has priced himself out of a job with the Titans after his contract demands were turned down by the Titans.

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NFL Weekly: Super Bowl XLIII - Pittsburgh Steelers 27 Arizona Cardinals 23 & Santonio Holmes Game Winning Touchdown Catch (Video)

Super Bowl XLIII Rundown:

Pittsburgh Steelers 27 Arizona Cardinals 23: Well, at least we got our money's worth in this one:

Capping a remarkable fourth quarter, Santonio Holmes made a brilliant catch for a 6-yard touchdown with 35 seconds remaining to give the Pittsburgh Steelers a record sixth Super Bowl title, 27-23 over the gutty Arizona Cardinals on Sunday night.

Definitely a classic finish to this one. I thought the Cardinals were going to pull it out when Larry Fitzgerald showed why he is the best WR in football and made a spectacular catch in the endzone and then looked like Jerry Rice running a slant pattern for a TD to put the Cardinals ahead 23-20. However, the Steelers offense, which was pretty much stifled by the Cardinals defense most of the game, got some big plays from Ben Roethlisberger and Santonio Holmes when they needed them most, which led to Holmes' spectacular game winning catch. Of course the big play in this game was probably James Harrison's 100 yard interception return for a TD right before half was huge, because it was at least a 10 point swing for the Cardinals and possibly 14 points. Without that TD, the Cardinals probably win this game.

I was surprised they didn't review the Kurt Warner fumble at the end of the game and I thought there were some questionable penalties on the Cardinals throughout the game, but overall I don't have any major complaints about the game. It was definitely a well played game and a highly entertaining one.

I'm a big fan of Larry Fitzgerald and it would have been nice to see him win a Super Bowl, but he still played his ass off and came up big for his team. He was 2 minutes away from being a Super Bowl legend, but instead Santonio Holmes made a couple big plays and ends up winning Super Bowl MVP. I'm happy to see that Mike Tomlin has won a Super Bowl as he becomes the second black head coach to win one and he also is the youngest head coach to win a Super Bowl.

Congratulations Pittsburgh Steelers and Mike Tomlin.

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NFL Weekly: Super Bowl XLIII Preview, Kurt Warner, & More

Super Bowl XLIII Preview:

Arizona Cardinals (9-7) vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4): The Super Bowl is less than a week away, but I still don't have a good feel on this game, and I wouldn't be surprised if either team won. The matchup on paper is not very appealing to me, but I actually think the game could turn out to be a pretty damn competitive one. When analyzing this one, it really doesn't make sense to look at the regular seasons stats for each team, because the Cardinals are pretty much a whole different team right now. The question is if the extra week off will cause them to lose the edge they've had all season on defense.

Here are a few thoughts on the game, and only a few because, quite frankly, it doesn't interest me all that much:

Kurt Warner: Anyone doubting the chances of the Cardinals in this game needs to remember two things. The first being that QB play is a major factor in who wins football games and the second is that Kurt Warner is a pretty damn good QB since he is former Super Bowl champ and 2-time MVP. If Warner has time to throw and protects the ball then the Cardinals should be able to score points against the Steelers and then it will be up to the Cardinals defense to get things done. Don't forget that Ben Roethlisberer is no slouch either with a 7-2 career playoff record, however, he did struggle in his one Super Bowl appearance.

Defense: The Steelers defense is based on pressuring the QB and creating turnovers and it's likely that the Cardinals are spending most of their practice time getting ready for the different looks that the Steelers are going to throw at their offensive line. I also think it will be tough for the Cardinals to run on the Pittsburgh defense and they might have to resort to throwing some designed short screen passes to their WR and RB. For the Cardinals, we'll have to wait and see if their defense is going to play as well as it has throughout the playoffs. If they can duplicate the success they've had, then I think they are going to be tough to beat.

Top 5 Most Likely to Win Super Bowl MVP:

1) Kurt Warner
2) Larry Fitzgerald
3) Ben Roethlisberger
4) Troy Polamalu
5) Adrian Wilson

Super Bowl XLIII Prediction: I've decided I'm picking the Arizona Cardinals to win it all. I didn't think they'd get past the first round, nevermind make the Super Bowl, but hey they are here now, so why not pick them to win it all? They have a better offense than the Steelers and their defense was decent all season and seems to have picked it up to a higher level in the playoffs. Plus, it's not like the Steelers offense is all that prolific. The Cardinals have plenty of playmakers on defense with Adrian Wilson, Antrel Rolle, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Betrand Berry, Darnell Dockett and Karlos Dansby all solid defense players. Are they as good as the Steelers' defense? No, but the Steelers offense isn't as good as the Cardinals offense either. Yes, defense wins championships, but I think the Cardinals defense will show up to play to complement their offensive attack. Or maybe I'm just trying to convince myself that this game will be interesting.

Arizona Cardinals 27 Pittsburgh Steelers 24

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NFL Weekly: AFC & NFC Championship Game Rundown, Mike Tomlin, & More

AFC Championship Game Rundown:

Pittsburgh Steelers 23 Baltimore Ravens 14: Here's what I said about this game last week:

I really don't like this Steelers team all that much, but I can't see Joe Flacco going into Pittsburgh against their defense and winning the AFC Championship Game. I know these two teams have played two close games already, but I think the lack of experience for Joe Flacco will catch up to him in this game. The Ravens passing game is pretty ordinary without the deep ball and I think the Steelers will take the deep passing game away from the Ravens.

Flacco went 13-30 in this game for just 141 yards and threw 3 interceptions. His longest pass was 22 yards. That's pretty much the story of this game to me. Now on to bigger and better things.

Mike Tomlin: While I am not a big Steelers fan, at least not of their current team, I do respect Mike Tomlin and would love to see him win a Super Bowl. Tomlin will be the 3rd black head coach to coach in a Super Bowl after Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith did it in the same year a few seasons back. It's too early to tell and I don't follow the Steelers as closely as their fans probably do, but it seems like Tomlin is on his way to becoming a top coach in the NFL. He has continued to show his ability to have a team with a good defense and on the offensive side of the ball the Steelers have been productive despite not really having any big time dominant play makers. Unless you consider Hines Ward and Willie Parker in the class of a Larry Fitzgerald or Adrian Peterson. I certainly don't and that is no knock on them. They are good solid players and they are winners and that is mostly what this Pittsburgh team is made of and I think a lot of that has to do with Mike Tomlin because his team ALWAYS plays hard for him.

NFC Championship Game Rundown:

Arizona Cardinals 32 Philadelphia Eagles 25: Man, these Cardinals are NO JOKE. I don't know what the NFL did with the real Cardinals, but they look like a completely different team out there in the playoffs. They ran for over 100, threw it for over 250, and created 3 turnovers on defense. If they can do that in the Super Bowl, they will have an excellent chance of winning and at this point it would not surprise me. Larry Fitzgerald was a beast in this game with 3 TDs in the first half alone and the Eagles weren't able to put enough pressure on Kurt Warner until the second half. That really was the key to this game, because the Eagles defense in the first half got no pressure on Warner and the combination of him and Fitzgerald just killed the Eagles secondary. By the time the defense picked things up, it was just too late and the Eagles came up a little short.

Other NFL News:

- After taking a beastly hit from Ryan Clark, Willis McGahee was released from the hospital and will make a full recovery. Good to hear that McGahee is alright after getting carted off the field.

- In other Ravens news, their defensive coordinator, Rex Ryan, has been named head coach of the New York Jets. Ryan should be able to help the Jets D, which was exposed against the pass last season, but he is still unproven as a coach, so we'll have to wait and see if this is a good decision by the Jets.

- The Giants also lost their defensive coordinator when Steve Spagnuolo was hired to coach the Rams. Good luck to him trying to turn that team around. He's got a few pieces to work with and is also in a weak division, but unless they upgrade at QB, I don't see them having much success next year.

- Finally, we have another coaching change in what has been a crazy offseason as far as the firing and hiring of head coaches go. This one was somewhat surprising with the Tampa Bay Bucs firing Jon Gruden and hiring Raheem Morris as his replacement. Morris is just 32 years old and is

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NFL Weekly: Divisional Round Rundown, AFC/NFC Championship Game Previews, Tony Dungy Retires, & More

Divisional Round Rundown:

Baltimore Ravens 13 Tennessee Titans 10: I had the Titans winning this won 16-13, so I'm not overly surprised that the Ravens pulled it out. Looking back there were 3 major reasons the Titans loss this game:

1.) Turnovers: The Titans turned the ball over 3 times and they were all while they were driving into Ravens territory. The Alge Crumpler fumble was the biggest turnover of them all and if he can hang onto the ball there, the Titans would have probably went in for the score and won the game 17-13, which is pretty damn close to my prediction of 16-13 no? The Titans also outgained the Ravens in the game 391 to 211, but because of the 3 turnovers by Tennessee the Ravens were still able to come out victorious.

2.) Chris Johnson: It also didn't help the Titans that Chris Johnson got hurt, since we was having success running on the outside against the Ravens with 72 yards on 11 carries. He was the biggest playmaker on the Titans all season long and to lose him was huge and it definitely affected the outcome of the game.

3.) The Refs: They completely missed the delay of game call in the 4th quarter when the Ravens were driving for the winning field goal. The Ravens clearly did not snap the ball before time expired on the play clock on 3rd and 2 and Flacco ended up completing a 23 yard pass to Todd Heap that got the Ravens into Tennessee territory. If they call the delay of game right there, then it would have been 3rd and 7 and even if the Ravens completed that same 23 yard pass, they would still be 5 more yards away that could have made the difference in both play calling and the game winning 43 yard field goal.

Arizona Cardinals 33 Carolina Panthers 13: I am not at all shocked that Arizona won this game, but I was shocked that they crushed the Panthers on the road after struggling all season. I guess they were due for a good game on the road and the Arizona defense is emerging with some play makers now. Antrel Rolle and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie came up with big plays in the secondary and overall the Cardinals defense forced Jake Delhomme to commit 6 turnovers. I have to say that I have not been very high on Delhomme all season and felt that the Panthers were overrated:

If this game was at Arizona, I would seriously think about picking them to win this game, but the Cardinals have shown nothing on the road this season or out of their division to make me think they can win a road playoff game. I honestly think Carolina is somewhat overrated though.

Many people were shocked that the Cardinals beat the Panthers, but I have felt that the Panthers were overrated all season long. A good team but certainly also a beatable team who also struggled on the road themselves. The more shocking thing here is that the Cardinals played so well on the road after showing no signs of being capable of doing so during the regular season.

Philadelphia Eagles 23 New York Giants 11: I nailed this one with my prediction of Eagles 23 Giants 20:

I'm going for the upset in this game and saying that the Eagles will knock off the Giants. The Eagles and Giants defense are about equal and Philly is actually a better passing team than the Giants. The loss of Plaxico Burress hurts the Giants deep passing game and I think Asante Samuel is going be able to pick off Eli Manning at least once in this game.

Well, Asante Samuel got his pick early in the game and that played a big part in the Eagles victory and Eli Manning did look shaky out there without Plaxico Burress. He threw for only 169 yards and completed just 15 of his 29 passes. However, there was one other huge factor in this game that I didn't even think of going into it: John Carney. Carney is not the best kicker from long range and in the windy conditions it makes it even tougher for him to hit from 40 yards plus. He ended up missing two attempts of more than 40 yards or else this game would have been a lot closer. I still think the Eagles would have pulled it out though.

Pittsburgh Steelers 35 San Diego Chargers 24: The way the Chargers came out and scored on the opening drive with a deep bomb to Vincent Jackson, I thought for sure that the Chargers were going to pull this game out. However, their defense just looked awful out there the whole game and couldn't get any pressure on Ben Roethlisberger and I think that proved to be the difference in this game. I still feel like the Steelers are either one lucky ass team or destined to win it all this season. First, after a Darren Sproles kickoff return to the Pittsburgh 23 yard line, the Steelers tip a pass in the air and a diving Larry Foote picks it off with a spectacular catch and then after they hold the Steelers, a punt goes off Eric Weddle's head and the Steelers recover it. Those were the two biggest plays of the game because it meant the Chargers only had the ball in the 3rd quarter for 1 second and San Diego eventually ran out of time trying to come from behind.

AFC Championship Game Preview:

Baltimore Ravens (11-5) at Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4): I really don't like this Steelers team all that much, but I can't see Joe Flacco going into Pittsburgh against their defense and winning the AFC Championship Game. I know these two teams have played two close games already, but I think the lack of experience for Joe Flacco will catch up to him in this game. The Ravens passing game is pretty ordinary without the deep ball and I think the Steelers will take the deep passing game away from the Ravens. Also, look for Willie Parker to have a solid game running on the edge against the Ravens. Chris Johnson had success running outside against the Ravens before he got hurt and Parker is a similar style of running back with excellent speed.

Prediction: Steelers 17 Ravens 9

NFC Championship Game Preview:

Philadelphia Eagles (9-6-1) at Arizona Cardinals (9-7): Nope, you are not delusional, the Arizona Cardinals are hosting the NFC Championship Game. Who in their right mind would have ever thought the Cardinals would make an NFC Championship Game, nevermind host one. What it really shows is just how weak of an NFL season this is, especially when you have two 9 win teams in a Conference Championship game. With that being said, I think the Cardinals are going to lose to the Eagles because the Eagles defense is way better than both Carolina and Atlanta. 3rd ranked overall, 4th against the rush, and 3rd against the pass. The Eagles are a very solid team and I don't see the Cardinals being able to run the ball on them at all. Once the Eagles take away the run, they will be able to focus on putting pressure on Kurt Warner to try to disrupt the Cardinals passing game. We all know the Eagles are one of the best teams at applying pressure ranking 3rd in the NFL with 48 sacks and they have enough play makers in the secondary to be able to deal with Larry Fitzgerald and company. I think they will do a good job in limiting the Cardinals offense. The biggest question in this game is whether or not the Cardinals can continue creating turnovers on defense. If they can't, then I don't see them being able to slow down the Eagles offense, and I don't think they will win the game.

Prediction: Eagles 27 Cardinals 17

Other NFL News:

Tony Dungy: Dungy is retiring as head coach of the Colts after 13 seasons as a head coach:

He has 148 career wins, including playoffs, and ranks 19th all time in victories. He's the only black coach to win a Super Bowl, the first coach in league history to reach the postseason in 10 consecutive seasons and the only coach to preside over six straight seasons of 12 wins or more (ESPN.)

Obviously having Peyton Manning certainly helped the Colts win a lot of those ball games, but Dungy deserves a ton of credit for giving the Colts a respectable defense. Without that defense, the Colts never win a Super Bowl and would not have had as many wins throughout the years. We can't forget that Dungy was limited in what he could do defensively, while the Colts had so much money invested in Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison. Dungy will certainly be a Hall of Fame coach and deservedly so.

Josh McDaniels: The Denver Broncos have hired Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels as their new head coach. McDaniels is an interesting choice considering that the Broncos issues seem to be more on the defensive side of the ball than on offense. I would still expect Jay Cutler, Brandon Marshall, and Eddie Royal to benefit from this hiring though. McDaniels will need to make sure he gets a solid defensive coordinator on his coaching staff though.

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NFL Weekly: Wild Card Rundown, Divisional Round Preview, Ed Reed, Asante Samuel, Darren Sproles, & More

Wild Card Rundown:

San Diego Chargers 23 Indianapolis Colts 17: I picked the Colts to win this game even after stating all of these facts:

- The Chargers are actually the home team despite having 4 less wins than the Colts.

- The Chargers have typically given the Colts trouble over the years and have beat them in the playoffs before.

- The Colts have the second worst rush offense in the league averaging 79.6 yards a game.

- The Colts are also 24th in rush defense giving up 122.9 yards a game on the ground.

So what happened? Well the Chargers held the Colts to just 64 yards rushing and 2.9 yards a carry and ran the ball themselves for a whopping 167 yards, which is pretty much exactly what you would excpect by looking at the numbers above. I should have stuck to the facts and predicted a Chargers victory, but I thought Peyton Manning would be able to put up more points threw the air, which wasn't the case. The Colts are usually less explosive on the road even when they had a great offense, so I should have saw this coming. I had the facts right, I just didn't use them.

Darren Sproles: Sproles was the man in this game finishing with 328 all-purpose yards, including 105 yards rushing, 45 yards receiving, and the game winning touchdown in overtime. He also had another rushing touchdown earlier in the game. Sproles is like a mini-Brian Westbrook to me and I think the Chargers need to give him more touches next season to help ease the workload on LT, who seem to be in decline after seeing his yards per carry drop the last three seasons from 5.2 to 4.7 to 3.8 this year.

Baltimore Ravens 27 Miami Dolphins 9: I had this game pegged correctly with a prediction of Ravens 24 Dolphins 6:

The Dolphins spent most of their season winning against mediocre and poor defenses. Check out the defensive ratings of all the teams they beat throughout the season: New England(10), San Francisco (13), Buffalo(14), NY Jets(16), San Diego(25), Oakland(27), St. Louis(28), Denver(29), Seattle(30), Kansas City(31). Yup, that's right 6 of their 11 wins came against teams that were among the 8 worst defenses in the NFL. The best defense they beat was the Patriots in Week 3 who later went on to crush them at home 48-28. Look for Baltimore's 4th ranked rushing offense(148.5 yards/game) to help the Ravens dominant the time of possession, which will make it even tougher for the Dolphins to score on their defense. I expect the Ravens to come out on top against the Dolphins in this one and it might not be that close.

The Dolphins struggled offensively all day in this one. Chad Pennington threw 4 picks and the running game only mustered up 52 yards. The Ravens were true to form forcing 5 turnovers and rushing for 151 yards. The Ravens know you can win a lot of football games with a turnover and rushing combo like that.

Ed Reed: Ed Reed is still a ballhawk, coming through with 2 interceptions and a 64 yard touchdown return. The man is quite simply one of the best defensive playmakers of our time. It's time for him to start getting some more love around the country. EdTheSportsFan showed him some props as well.

Arizona Cardinals 30 Atlanta Falcons 24: I had the Falcons in this one 34-27, but turnovers proved to be costly to them. As soon as the Falcons got down in this game, I thought they might be in trouble, because they might get away from the running game a little too much, which was the key to them winning:

This is a matchup against a great running team versus one that can't run to save it's life. Atlanta is second in the league with 152.7 yards a game on the ground versus the Cardinals who average just 73.6 yards a game which is worst in the NFL. So while both of these teams are bad on defense, I think the Falcons will be able to keep the Cardinals high octane passing game off the field by controlling the clock with their running game. That is the best formula for them to beat the Cardinals on the road by limiting the amount of chances Kurt Warner and company have to throw against the Falcons 21st ranked pass defense.

The Cardinals did a great job of slowing down the Falcons run game, limiting them to just 60 yards on 24 carries. Maybe the Falcons should have stuck with the run a little more, but the fact is that they weren't effective on the ground and I can't really blame them for trying to pass it instead. The Matt Ryan fumble and then TD return by Antrel Rolle was probably the difference in this game. I think the Falcons would have won if not for that play, so the Cardinals defense definitely deserves some props for stepping it up.

Philadelphia Eagles 26 Minnesota Vikings 14: I pretty much nailed this one with my analysis from last week's Wild Card preview post:

This is an interesting matchup because the Eagles biggest potential weakness is running the ball and the Vikings are 1st in the league in stopping the run allowing just 76.9 yards a game. If Philly isn't able to get a good ground game going they could struggle to score points. If the Eagles can't get the running game going, you may see them throw short screen passes to Brian Westbrook on first down instead. Fortunately for the Eagles, they are also strong at stopping the run and are 4th in the NFL allowing just 92.3 yards a game on the ground. I think they will load up against Adrian Peterson and force Tavaris Jackson to beat them in the passing game. If the Eagles are successful in containing Peterson than I think they will win the game. They should be able to have enough success passing the ball against the Vikings who are ranked 18th in pass defense to generate some points offensively.

While the Eagles didn't really contain the Vikings running game by allowing 148 yards and 2 TDs on the ground, they did force Tavaris Jackson into 35 pass attempts, which is definitely in the Eagles favor. The Eagles also had good success passing the ball for 283 yards on the Vikings. However, I nailed the play of the game, which was Brian Westbrook's 71 yard TD on a screen pass. Westbrook was struggling to run the ball all game against the Vikings defense and had just 38 yards on 20 carries, so the Eagles did what I thought they would do if they struggled to run. They threw a first down screen pass to Brian Westbrook, which resulted in the 71 yard TD. Good call by me and good call by the Eagles. They probably should have ran it earlier in the game though and maybe even given Correll Buckhalter a few more carries.

Asante Samuel: Once again Asante Samuel came up with some timely thievery and returned an interception 44 yards for a TD. If Ed Reed is the best play making safety, then Samuel has to be the best play making corner in the game and he always seems to come up big in the playoffs. The TD was Samuel's fourth career postseason interception return for a touchdown, which set an NFL record.

Divisonal Round Preview:

Baltimore Ravens (11-5) at Tennessee Titans (13-3): Offensively and defensively, these two teams are mirror images of each other:

- They both are rushing dominated offenses, who also stop the run well: TEN 137.4 yards vs BAL 148.5 yards on offense and TEN 93.9 yards vs BAL 81.4 yards on defense.

- They both pass very little and defend the pass well: TEN 176.2 yards vs BAL 175.5 yards on offense and TEN 199.8 yards vs BAL 179.7 yards on defense.

These might be the two most similar teams in the NFL, so I would not be surprised if either team won this game. I am going to pick the Titans though because I think Kerry Collins will protect the ball better than Joe Flacco will. The Ravens were able to beat the Dolphins, but Flacco did not play well at all, completing just 9 of 23 passes for 135 yards. I don't think the Ravens will be able to run on the Titans like they did against the Dolphins, so Flacco is going to have to make some plays down the field with his big arm and I just don't see that happening. I think the only way the Ravens win this game is if they can force the Titans to turn the ball over, which is certainly possible. I'm pretty sure Jeff Fisher and the Titans know this though and will make sure they take extra care of the football.

Prediction: Titans 16 Ravens 13

Arizona Cardinals (9-7) at Carolina Panthers (12-4): These two teams are a lot more similar then you would think on the defense side of the ball. They allow about an equal amount of rushing and passing yards(331 total yards allowed for both). On the offense side of things, they are complete opposites. The Panthers(152.3 yards) are way better at running the ball than the Cardinals(73.6 yards). Yup, they Panthers average more than double the rushing yards that Arizona does. The passing game of course favors the Cardinals(292.1 vs 197.4), which is what you would expect. The key to this game is going to be Arizona's ability to stop the run. They would actually have a chance to win the game if they can do that. However, I'm not sure they can stop the Panthers run game and hold Steve Smith in check at the same time. If this game was at Arizona, I would seriously think about picking them to win this game, but the Cardinals have shown nothing on the road this season or out of their division to make me think they can win a road playoff game. I honestly think Carolina is somewhat overrated though.

Prediction: Panthers 28 Cardinals 24

Philadelphia Eagles (9-6-1) at New York Giants (12-4): I'm going for the upset in this game and saying that the Eagles will knock off the Giants. The Eagles and Giants defense are about equal and Philly is actually a better passing team than the Giants. The loss of Plaxico Burress hurts the Giants deep passing game and I think Asante Samuel is going be able to pick off Eli Manning at least once in this game. They key of course is if the Eagles will be able to get a good balance of run and pass or short pass and pass on offense. Westbrook is the key and McNabb needs to protect the football. I think the Eagles will pull it off, if not then the Giants will be headed back to the Super Bowl.

Prediction: Eagles 23 Giants 20

San Diego Chargers (8-8) at Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4): The Chargers are better offensively and the Steelers are better defensively. I really don't like the Steelers offense and I think that the Chargers defense has a better chance of playing better than their numbers than the Steelers offense does. Part of me believes that the Chargers will somehow pull this game out, but I think it is going to be tough for them to win on the road in Pittsburgh in the cold against that great Pittsburgh defense.

Prediction: Steelers 20 Chargers 14

Other NFL News:

Mike Shanahan: I was pretty shocked to learn that the Broncos fired coach Mike Shanahan; not because he didn't deserve to be fired, but I just assumed that the Broncos were going to stick with Shanahan forever. I've always felt like Shanahan rode the coat tails of John Elway and Terrell Davis to two Super Bowl titles and that may be unfair, but he didn't really do much to convince me otherwise after those two guys retired. I'm sure Shanahan will find a good job, but the team that gets him might be a little disappointed in the results.

Matt Cassel: The New England Patriots have made the smart decision to franchise QB Matt Cassel, which means wherever he plays next season he will be making in excess of $14 million a year. The Patriots will either keep Cassel if Tom Brady is not ready to play next season or they can trade him and receive a 1st and 3rd round pick as compensation. Pretty good deal for the Pats and a no-brainer move.

Awards:

MVP: Peyton Manning, QB, Colts
Defensive Player of The Year: James Harrison, LB, Steelers
Comeback Player of The Year: Chad Pennington, QB, Dolphins
Off. Rookie of The Year: Matt Ryan, QB, Falcons
Def. Rookie of The Year: Jerod Mayo, LB, Patriots
Coach of The Year: Mike Smith, Falcons

More: NFL & NFL Weekly

NFL Weekly: Top 5 Super Bowl Matchups, Playoff Preview, Wild Card Matchups, Romeo Crennel, Eric Mangini, & Rod Marinelli Fired, & More

NFL Playoff Preview:

Usually I have a good idea of who I think will be going to the Super Bowl before the playoffs begin, but this year has been so crazy that it's hard to tell who the best 2 teams really are. I am not really high on any of the AFC teams and I think you are most likely to see a random team in the Super Bowl come from the AFC. I like Tennessee and Baltimore the most in the AFC, followed by the Steelers and Colts. It wouldn't totally shock me if the Chargers went on a little mini run to the Super Bowl either. Miami is solid but I don't think they will be able to win on the road when all is said and done. In the NFC, despite the loss of Plaxico Burress, I still see the Giants as the favorites, with the Eagles and Panthers having the best chances to knock them off. I have a hard time thinking that the Falcons, Vikings, or Cardinals will get out of the NFC, because I can't see any of them winning on the road if they get out of the first round.

Here are my Top 5 Super Bowl Matchups:

1.) New York Giants vs Pittsburgh Steelers:
This would easily be the best draw ratings wise and is probably the game that the NFL is hoping for. I would not be too excited about this matchup, but then again there aren't that many appealing matchups possible anyway.

2.) New York Giants vs Indianapolis Colts:
Manning vs Manning would be overkill, but it would at least be intriguing. I'm not sure who I would root for in this one, too bad it couldn't end in a tie. Sorry Donovan.

3.) Philadelphia Eagles vs Baltimore Ravens:
If the Eagles made the Super Bowl against the team that Andy Reid benched Donovan McNabb against a few weeks back then that would be a chance at redemption for both of them.

4.) Carolina Panthers vs Tennessee Titans:
Two under appreciated teams who have played great for most of the season wouldn't generate much hype if they faced off, but it would would certainly be rewarding for the team that comes out on top.

5.) Philadelphia Eagles vs San Diego Chargers:
This would be the most random of Super Bowl matchups possible, since both of these teams were left for dead about 4 weeks ago. I actually wouldn't be totally shocked to see this one actually happen.

Wild Card Matchups:

Indianapolis Colts (12-4) at San Diego Chargers (8-8): With the Colts winning 9 straight games and the Chargers being at just 8-8, you would think this one would be an easy game to pick. However, that is not the case at all for several reasons:

- The Chargers are actually the home team despite having 4 less wins than the Colts.

- The Chargers have typically given the Colts trouble over the years and have beat them in the playoffs before.

- The Colts have the second worst rush offense in the league averaging 79.6 yards a game.

- The Colts are also 24th in rush defense giving up 122.9 yards a game on the ground.

Fortunately for the Colts, there is a reason why the Chargers were just 8-8 this season: they can't stop the pass. They are next to last in pass defense giving up 247.4 yards a game through the air. Since the Colts still have Peyton Manning at QB, you have to think they will be able to take advantage of this. The key is that they actually have to run the ball respectively as well in order to really take advantage of the Chargers pass D. Since the Chargers are a solid but not great run stopping team, I think the Colts will be able to run the ball somewhat and give themselves the balance they need on offense to win the game.

Prediction: Colts 31 Chargers 28

Baltimore Ravens (11-5) at Miami Dolphins (11-5): I have to say I would be shocked if the Dolphins win this game. On paper these teams look pretty even, but if you check out the level of competition these two teams played against it paints a whole different picture. The Dolphins spent most of their season winning against mediocre and poor defenses. Check out the defensive ratings of all the teams they beat throughout the season: New England(10), San Francisco (13), Buffalo(14), NY Jets(16), San Diego(25), Oakland(27), St. Louis(28), Denver(29), Seattle(30), Kansas City(31). Yup, that's right 6 of their 11 wins came against teams that were among the 8 worst defenses in the NFL. The best defense they beat was the Patriots in Week 3 who later went on to crush them at home 48-28. Meanwhile the Ravens managed to go 11-5, while having 10 of their 16 games against teams ranked in the top 12 in defense: Pittsburgh(1), Philadelphia(3), Washington(4), NY Giants(5), Tennessee(7), Dallas(8), Indianapolis(11), Cincinnati(12). The played Pittsburgh and Cincinnati twice and finished with a respectable 5-5 record in those games. Look for Baltimore's 4th ranked rushing offense(148.5 yards/game) to help the Ravens dominant the time of possession, which will make it even tougher for the Dolphins to score on their defense. I expect the Ravens to come out on top against the Dolphins in this one and it might not be that close.

Prediction: Ravens 24 Dolphins 6

Atlanta Falcons (11-5) at Arizona Cardinals (9-7): This is a matchup against a great running team versus one that can't run to save it's life. Atlanta is second in the league with 152.7 yards a game on the ground versus the Cardinals who average just 73.6 yards a game which is worst in the NFL. So while both of these teams are bad on defense, I think the Falcons will be able to keep the Cardinals high octane passing game off the field by controlling the clock with their running game. That is the best formula for them to beat the Cardinals on the road by limiting the amount of chances Kurt Warner and company have to throw against the Falcons 21st ranked pass defense. I think the Falcons will be successful running the ball and win the game.

Prediction: Falcons 34 Cardinals 27

Philadelphia Eagles (9-6-1) at Minnesota Vikings (10-6): This is an interesting matchup because the Eagles biggest potential weakness is running the ball and the Vikings are 1st in the league in stopping the run allowing just 76.9 yards a game. If Philly isn't able to get a good ground game going they could struggle to score points. If the Eagles can't get the running game going, you may see them throw short screen passes to Brian Westbrook on first down instead. Fortunately for the Eagles, they are also strong at stopping the run and are 4th in the NFL allowing just 92.3 yards a game on the ground. I think they will load up against Adrian Peterson and force Tavaris Jackson to beat them in the passing game. If the Eagles are successful in containing Peterson than I think they will win the game. They should be able to have enough success passing the ball against the Vikings who are ranked 18th in pass defense to generate some points offensively.

Prediction: Eagles 20 Vikings 17

Other NFL News:

Head Coaches Fired: Eric Mangini, Romeo Crennel, & Rod Marinelli have all been fired after disappointing seasons. Crennel and Marinelli were pretty obvious firings. The Browns did not live up to preseason expectations and the Lions lost every game they played, so you can't really make a case for either one of these guys keeping their jobs. However, in the case of Eric Mangini, I'm not so sure it's his fault that the Jets collapsed down the stretch. Most of the time when I was watching a Jets game I can't remember too many moments where I was questioning the play calling, but I definitely have to question Brett Favre and it seems like it got to the point where Mangini was doing the same. If you take away the 6 TD performance against Arizona, Favre threw just 16 TDs versus 21 INTs on the year. Brett Favre was quite simply horrible this season, making too many mistakes at key moments and he cost Eric Mangini his job. Maybe you fire Eric Mangini anyway, but I say fire Brett Favre too.

Bill Cowher: Cowher is not interested in the Browns head coaching job, which opened up due to the Romeo Crennel firing. Good move by Cowher, who can't go to the Browns, because Steelers fans would never forgive him. I'm not surprised he passing up the opportunity.

Ben Roethlisberger: Roethlisberger suffered a concussion against the Browns in a meaningless regular season game. I have no idea why he was playing in this game when the Steelers could wipe the floor with the Browns no matter who their QB was. I think this was a bad decision by the Steelers and I hope that Roethlisberger is healthy once the playoffs start. I know injuries happen in the NFL, but I think you need to protect your QB in a meaningless game against a crappy team.

Mike Singletary: The 49ers have named Mike Singletary their full-time head coach after leading the 49ers to a 5-4 finish to the season. This is the right move by the 49ers and I think this will pay off for them for many years to come because it definitely seems like Singletary can "coach 'em up." Now they just need to get the man some better talent and the 49ers might be back on top of the NFC West as early as next season.

Tom Brady: The Patriots missed the playoffs despite going 11-5, but got more bad news when it was reported that Tom Brady is behind schedule for a return next season. It is possible that Brady might have to go through another operation which could force him to miss next season and possibly jeopardize his career. This certainly puts the Patriots in a tough situation seeing that Matt Cassel is a free agent now that the season has ended. If Brady can't return or has any setbacks, I would imagine that the Pats would lock up Cassel and let him start again next season.

More: NFL & NFL Weekly

NFL Weekly: NFL Playoff Scenarios, NFL MVP

NFL MVP: This might be the toughest season in a while to pick the MVP of the NFL. Most of the possible candidates are having good solid seasons but not really MVP type seasons. Matt Ryan and Chad Pennington have been good this year, but I can't see either of them winning the MVP because they they are more game managers than QB's who take over a game. Adrian Peterson leads the league in rushing, but only has 9 touchdowns and has had major fumble issues all season. Kurt Warner and Drew Brees both have big numbers, but their teams really aren't all that good and both struggle to win on the road.

With that being said, here are my top 10 candidates for MVP in no particular order:

Peyton Manning: Manning is not having his best season, but is still better than most QB's. The Colts have won 8 games in a row and are next to last in rushing offense. Without Peyton Manning, this team would be in big, big trouble with such a pathetic rushing attack.

Stats: 3,907 yards, 26 TD, 12 INT, 66.4% comp, 93.8 QB rating

DeAngelo Williams: Williams has been pretty much non-existent in MVP talks this season, but the man leads the league with 20 TDs, which is 4 more than any other player in the NFL. Williams might be hurt because he splits carries with Johnathon Stewart, but he still has the 11th most carries in the NFL and is 4th in the NFL in rushing. I think he's legitimate candidate and someone who will probably be overlooked.

Stats: 1,337 yards rushing, 20 TD

Tony Romo: Romo will most likely only be a candidate if the Cowboys beat the Eagles and make the playoffs, but there is now denying his value to the team. The Cowboys were left for dead when Romo got hurt, but have gotten themselves right back into the playoff picture behind the right arm of Romo.

Stats: 3,265 yards, 26 TD, 13 INT, 62.0% comp, 94.8 QB rating

Matt Cassel: It may come as a surprise to some but I had a hard time leaving Cassel off the list. He's carried the Patriots the last couple weeks, who would be in big trouble without him this season. I don't think many people gave the Patriots a chance this season once Brady went down, but Matt Cassel has been the main catalyst behind the Patriots success this season.

Stats: 3,615 yards, 21 TD, 11 INT, 63.2% comp, 89.2 QB rating

Thomas Jones: Let's face it, Brett Favre has been slighty above awful this season and the Jets would be screwed without the play of Thomas Jones this season. He's the main reason that the Jets haven't had to tell Brett to chuck the ball up 40 times a game. He's also 3rd in the league with 15 TD and 5th in the league in rushing.

Stats: 1,289 yards rushing, 15 TD

Michael Turner: Turner is the ying to Matt Ryan's yang and I think they deserve equal credit for the Falcons unexpected success this season. 2nd in the NFL in both rushing and TD is definitely MVP worthy.

Stats: 1,491 yards rushing, 16 TD

Kurt Warner: Warner is having a fine season, but I can't see him winning the MVP, when his team can't win a road game and is just 3-7 outsides of thr NFC West.

Stats: 4,320 yards, 26 TD, 13 INT, 67.3% comp, 95.5 QB rating

Drew Brees: If the Saints were any good then Brees would be the MVP without question, but since they won't be making the playoffs he probably won't get enough consideration to win the award.

Stats: 4,683 yards, 30 TD, 16 INT, 65.4% comp, 95.5 QB rating

Chad Pennington: Pennington has brought a stability to the Dolphins QB spot that they haven't seen in years, so it's no surprise that the Dolphins have a chance to win the division. Pennington has had lots of help from Ronnie Brown, Joey Porter, and others, so while he should be considered I don't think he's the league MVP.

Stats: 3,453 yards, 17 TD, 7 INT, 67.0% comp, 96.4 QB rating

Phillip Rivers: Rivers is the best QB statistically in the league and if the Chargers beat the Broncos and make the playoffs, he at least will be in the conversation for MVP. He's probably a long shot, but with all the issues that SD has had this season, Rivers has at least kept them alive in a few games to give them a chance to beat out the Broncos for the division

Stats: 3,802 yards, 32 TD, 11 INT, 64.8% comp, 104.0 QB rating

NFL MVP: I honestly think this is Peyton Manning's award right now. The media loves him and the Colts have been red hot to finish the season. Manning hasn't had a historic season statistically, but he's still been very good and he led the Colts to some huge come from behind victories early in the year that really saved their season.

Playoff Scenarios:

NFC

CLINCHED: New York Giants, NFC East, first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs; Arizona, NFC West; Carolina, playoff berth; Atlanta, playoff berth.

ELIMINATED: Detroit, St. Louis, San Francisco, Seattle, Green Bay, New Orleans, Washington
Atlanta Falcons: The Falcons clinch the NFC South title and a first-round bye with an Atlanta win and a Carolina loss.

Carolina Panthers: The Panthers clinch the NFC South title and a first-round bye with a Carolina win or tie OR Atlanta loss or tie.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The Buccaneers clinch a wild-card spot with a Tampa Bay win and Dallas loss or tie OR Tampa Bay tie and Dallas loss and Minnesota loss or tie OR Tampa Bay tie and Dallas loss and Chicago loss or tie OR Tampa Bay tie and Dallas tie and Minnesota tie and Chicago win or tie OR Tampa Bay tie and Dallas tie and Chicago tie and Minnesota win or tie.

Minnesota Vikings: The Vikings clinch the NFC North title with a Minnesota win OR Minnesota tie and Chicago loss or tie OR Chicago loss. The Vikings clinch a wild-card spot with a Minnesota tie and Dallas loss and Tampa Bay loss.

Chicago Bears: The Bears clinch the NFC North with a Chicago win and Minnesota loss or tie OR Chicago tie and Minnesota loss. The Bears clinch a wild-card spot with a Chicago win and Dallas loss or tie and Tampa Bay loss or tie OR Chicago tie and Dallas loss and Tampa Bay loss.

Dallas Cowboys: The Cowboys clinch a wild-card spot with a Dallas win OR Dallas tie and Chicago loss or tie and Tampa Bay loss OR Dallas tie and Minnesota loss or tie and Tampa Bay loss OR Dallas tie and Chicago loss and Tampa Bay tie OR Dallas tie and Minnesota loss and Tampa Bay tie.

Philadelphia Eagles: The Eagles clinch a wild-card spot with a Philadelphia win and Tampa Bay loss and Minnesota loss OR Philadelphia win and Tampa Bay loss and Chicago loss.

AFC

CLINCHED: Tennessee, AFC South, first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout playoffs; Pittsburgh, AFC North and first-round bye; Indianapolis, wild card and No. 5 seeding

ELIMINATED: Cincinnati, Cleveland, Houston, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Oakland, Buffalo

Denver Broncos: The Broncos clinch the AFC West title with a win or tie against San Diego.

San Diego Chargers: The Chargers clinch the AFC West title with a win over Denver.

Baltimore Ravens: The Ravens clinch a wild-card spot with a Baltimore win OR Baltimore tie and Miami loss or tie OR Baltimore tie and New England loss or tie OR New England loss.

Miami Dolphins: The Dolphins clinch the AFC East title with a Miami win OR Miami tie and New England loss or tie. The Dolphins clinch a wild-card spot with a Miami tie and Baltimore loss.

New England Patriots: The Patriots clinch the AFC East title with a New England win and Miami loss or tie OR New England tie and Miami loss. The Patriots clinch a wild-card spot with a New England win and Baltimore loss or tie OR New England tie and Baltimore loss.

New York Jets: The Jets clinch the AFC East title with a Jets win and New England loss. The Jets clinch a wild-card spot with a Jets win and Baltimore loss.

Fantasy Stars of the Week:

Matt Cassel: 345 yards passing, 3 TD

DeAngelo Williams: 108 yards rushing, 4 TD

Jay Cutler: 359 yards passing 30 yards rushing, 2 TD

Brandon Jacobs: 87 yards rushing, 3 TD

Phillip Rivers: 287 yards passing, 4 TD

Peyton Manning: 364 yards passing, 3 TD

More: NFL & NFL Weekly

NFL Weekly: Adrian Peterson & The Minnesota Vikings, Dallas Cowboys Are Back, NY Jets Get Lucky

Minnesota Vikings: It's about time I showed some love to the Vikings and Purple Jesus AKA Adrian Peterson. The Vikings went into Arizona and squashed the Cardinals 35-14 for their 4th straight victory and their 6th win in their last 7 games. The Vikings have largely flown under the radar, but as you can see they are one of the hottest teams in the NFL right now. Despite their hot streak of late, the Vikings could still possibly miss out on the playoffs, since they still have to play the Falcons and Giants, however, they do play both teams at home. The Bears at 8-6 are just one game back and finish up with the struggling Green Bay Packers and then the red hot Texans. I think it's possible the Vikings will win both of their home games, but they need to make sure they take care of the Falcons in Week 16 for sure. If Minnesota does win the division, then they will most likely be a 3 seed and probably have to play either Dallas, Atlanta, Tampa Bay, Chicago, or Philadelphia. I'm sure they are hoping that they won't draw Dallas in the first round, because they'd probably have a great chance at beating any of the other potential first round matchups.

The Vikings are led of course by Adrian Peterson, who has helped the Vikings become the 3rd best rushing team in the NFL, leading the way with his 1,581 yards, which has him on pace for over 1,800 on the season. The Vikings are not as strong in the passing game, averaging just 181.6 yards a game, which is good for 26th in the NFL. The offense overall is ranked 16th in yards per game. Defensively, the 8th overall ranked Vikings defense stops the run just as well as they run it themselves, giving up just 71.2 yards a game on the ground, which is tops in the NFL. That run defense is going to take a hit though with the news that DT Pat Williams will be out 2-6 weeks. The Vikings are not as strong against the pass, where they are ranked 22nd overall. The Vikings don't look like they are a team that can go deep into the playoffs, because of their poor passing game and pass defense, however, they still deserve a ton of credit for turning their season around. I'd like to see this team try to acquire a better QB in the offseason to complement Adrian Peterson and then try to work on improving their pass defense through the draft.

New York Jets: Man, the Jets are a lucky team right now. If it wasn't for the stupidity of the Buffalo Bills, they might be in second place right now and on the outside looking in at the playoffs. For some unknown reason, the Bills decided to throw the ball on 2nd and 5, while being up by 3 points with under 2 minutes left. So what happens? Well you can check the video below to see that J.P. Losman gets sacked and fumbles the ball and then it's returned by Jets defensive lineman Sean Ellis for the game winning TD. I have no idea why the Bills were passing the ball in that situation and not running it, but they certainly gave a gift to the Jets, and probably pissed off all the Patriots and Dolphins fans in the process. I'm starting to think the Jets are going to lose at Seattle in Week 16 and hell they might even lose to the Dolphins in Week 17. Either way, I think the Patriots or Dolphins end up winning the AFC East and I think the Jets are going to miss the playoffs.

Dallas Cowboys: The Cowboys defeated the Giants yesterday and would make the playoffs if they win their last two games. Those two games aren't easy though, as they must play the Ravens at home and then the Eagles on the road. Dallas is going to be a tough out if they make the playoffs and if I was Arizona or Minnesota, I would not want to be facing them in the first round. Dallas is ranked 8th overall on offense and 7th overall of defense, so statistically they are one of the best teams in the NFL and if Romo had never gotten hurt, they probably would have another victory or two under their belt. I like the way their defense has been playing the last few weeks. The offense has never been a problem, so now that the defense is stepping it up, I think that makes Dallas a legit threat to win the Super Bowl again. If Dallas doesn't make the playoffs, it would really be a shame, because I think the Cowboys, Panthers, and possibly Eagles are the only teams that have any chance to knock off the Giants. If Carolina somehow manages to knock off the Giants in Week 16, then the Panthers would have homefield advantage, which means Dallas would most likely play the Panthers in the 2nd round if they advanced. It's possible we could be headed for a Cowboys-Giants NFC Championship game and don't be surprised if the Cowboys come out on top.

Other NFL News:

- The Titans look like a team that might struggle in the playoffs offensively and it looks more and more likely that they are going to have to rely on their defense once playoff time rolls around. That's why it's important that Albert Haynesworth and Kyle Vanden Bosch are healthy for them to advance deep into the playoffs. If for some reason they aren't healthy then their defense is just not as dominating and won't be good enough to support their not so stellar offense.

- He may not be the biggest, flashiest, fastest, or strongest RB in the NFL, but Warrick Dunn has had quite the career. This week he became just the sixth player in NFL history with 10,000 career yards rushing and 500 receptions. Dunn joined LaDainian Tomlinson, Marcus Allen, Emmitt Smith, Tiki Barber, and Marshall Faulk; which is an impressive list of running backs.

- Jaguars RB Fred Taylor was placed on IR with an injured thumb and it's possible he may have played his last game with the Jaguars and maybe even his last in the NFL. It won't be easy for a 32 year old running back to find work next season, especially when it is easy for teams to find impact backs like Steve Slaton, Matt Forte, & Kevin Smith outside of the first round of the draft. Teams are more likely to fill a need at the RB position with a younger more dynamic player than the older veteran back.

Fantasy Stars of the Week:

Matt Cassel: 218 yards passing, 4 TDs

Pierre Thomas: 87 yards rushing, 59 yards receiving, 2 TDs

Andre Johnson: 207 yards receiving, 1 TD

Michael Turner: 152 yards rushing, 30 yards receiving, 1 TD

More: NFL & NFL Weekly

NFL Weekly: NY Jets Struggling, NFC Wild Card, Carolina Panthers, & More

New York Jets: The Jets have played themselves into a nice little mess after losing at home to Denver in Week 13 and then losing to the 49ers on the road. The Jets were in control of the division with a two game lead, but now find themselves in a 3 way tie with the Patriots and Dolphins. They have been horrible offensively the last two weeks only scoring 17 points against a pitiful Denver defense and then only 14 points against the 49ers. They were especially bad against the 49ers gaining only 182 yards of total offense and were in possession of the football for a measly 20 minutes the whole game. I'm not really sure why the Jets are playing so poorly, but Thomas Jones has been far and away their best offensive player, and he only touched the ball 13 times in the game against the 49ers. He definitely should be getting more touches than that, especially since he has scored a TD in 7 straight games. Brett Favre seems to be struggling to get the ball down field as well, because he has averaged only 5.7 and 4.4 yards per pass the last two games. The Jets offense must get things together if they want to win the division or even make the playoffs at this point. They finish up with Buffalo at home, at Seattle, and at home against Miami. Normally, you would think the Seattle game would be an easy win, but the Jets have lost all of their West Coast trips this season including at San Diego, at Oakland, at San Francisco. I wouldn't be surprised if they lost that at Seattle too. The Dolphins and Patriots seem more more likely to win the division at this point. I think teams are going to load up on the Jets run game and make Brett Favre beat them and I don't think he can do that anymore.

NFC Wild Card: The NFC Wild Card race is heating up after the Cowboys and Falcons both lost this week. Right now Dallas (8-5) holds the last spot in a tie breaker over Atlanta (8-5), but the Eagles (7-5-1), Saints (7-6), Bears (7-6), and Redskins (7-6) are all involved too. I still like the Cowboys to get the last Wild Card spot, but it won't be easy with the Giants, Ravens, and Eagles left on their schedule. Even more reason why their loss to the Steelers was a crucial one. They definitely should have won that game and coughed it up big time down the stretch. The Falcons are the dark horse here with games against the Bucs, Vikings, and Rams, which are certainly all winnable games. If Dallas slips up, then they could win out and clinch the last spot. If both Dallas and Atlanta lose one game, that could open the door for the Eagles, Saints, Bears, and Redskins. Of those 4 teams, the Redskins have the easiest schedule with games against the Bengals, Eagles, and 49ers, of course they also have been playing the worst of all the teams still in the Wild Card race. It wouldn't completely shock me to see the Eagles sneak into the playoffs, but they would be in a lot better position if they had won their games against the Bengals and Bears in prior weeks.

New York Giants: I've been wondering all season how anyone was going to be able to beat the Giants come playoff time. The loss of Plaxico Burress is definitely a big reason why the Giants might be slightly more beatable now and they are certainly no guarantee to reach the Super Bowl in the NFC. The Giants can get away without having Plaxico Burress for the regular season, but come playoff time, I think Eli Manning is going to miss Burress big time. Since Burress is such a lengthy and athletic receiver, he often does not need to be completely open for Manning to loft one up to him for a completion. The Giants won in the playoffs last season mostly because of the strong running of Jacobs and some deep plays to Burress. However, without those two I think their offense loses its dynamic capabilities, because although nobody will admit it, Eli Manning is still not all that great of a QB. He does need weapons around him and I think the Eagles proved that this week when they held Manning to 13 of 27 passing for 123 yards. I think Dallas will have an excellent chance to beat the Giants in Week 14 at home as long as they can avoid turnovers. Since the Giants have already clinched the division, this regular season game won't make much difference to them, but it could give us a look at what is to come in the playoffs for the Giants.


Other NFL News:

- I'd just like to say that I am officially sold on the Carolina Panthers now, but that's only if Jake Delhomme keeps his stuff together. I think they can beat the Giants if they play their A game, but I still think it would be tough for them to win in New York. If the can somehow get home field advantage in the NFC, then I'd increase those chances.

- Touching story about former Jags O-Lineman Richard Collier, who was shot and paralyzed before this season began.

- The Broncos RB position is clearly cursed as Peyton Hillis became their 6th RB to be lost for the season to an injury. Hillis is out for the season with a strained hamstring. Tatum Bell will most likely take over the RB duties for the Broncos throughout the rest of the season and their one playoff loss. Better watch your back Tatum, you already got some bad karma coming your way because of the whole Rudi Johnson stolen bags incident, and becoming the Broncos feature RB just made things worse.

- The Redskins lost 5 time Pro Bowl offensive lineman Chris Samuels for the season with a torn tricep muscle. This could be a big blow to their chances in making the playoffs, although with their poor play of late, that seems like a long shot at this point anyway.

Fantasy Stars of the Week:

Matt Ryan: 315 yards passing, 2 TDs (1 passing, 1 rushing)

Matt Schaub: 414 yards passing, 2 TDs

Brian Westbrook: 131 yards rushing, 72 yards receiving, 2 TDs

Antonio Bryant: 200 yards receiving, 2 TDs

DeAngelo Williams: 186 yards rushing, 2 TDs

Jonathan Stewart: 115 yards rushing, 2 TDs

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