Did last week live up to the hype or what? Week 16 lived up to everything we hoped it would and the energy just rolls into the final week of the regular season this weekend. Now granted some of the excitement is gone with the AFC playoff-picture all wrapped up, but there is still one Wild Card spot open in the NFC. Plus Adrian Peterson, J.J. Watt, and Aldon Smith are still in the running for breaking the NFL-single season records for rushing yards and sacks, respectively. Here is a look at the marquee games to pay attention to in Week 17.
New York Jets vs. Buffalo Bills
Yes, you are seeing this correctly. These two teams have been dismal this season with the Bills going 5-10 entering the contest and the Jets with a well-documented 6-9 record. What makes this game so critical is the implications for the post-season.
The talent is there for both teams but the Bills have just not put it together, while the Jets are losing their cool and could be in the makings of a rebuilding process. But let’s look at things here in terms of big picture for the Jets.
After making two consecutive AFC Championship games, they fell to 8-8 last season and missed the playoffs. Not how the season was envisioned but .500 in the grand scheme of things isn’t abysmal. However 6-9, it’s time to look at things a bit more closely.
And a big glaring problem is quarterback. Mark Sanchez was hailed as the starter after being the fifth-overall pick in the 2009 draft. Yet, this offseason GM Mike Tannenbaum traded for media mogul Tim Tebow and thus instantly created a quarterback controversy.
Things got worse when the world finally caught on to the fact that Mark Sanchez is not a starting quarterback. Remember what Pete Carroll said back in 2009 as Sanchez’s head coach at USC?
“As we go through the process, the information tells us a lot of stuff. Mark is going against the grain on this decision,” Carroll said while shaking his head at a press conference.
“He knows that. He knows coming out early is a tremendous challenge for a quarterback and the statistics don’t back up that it’s easy to be successful in the way that he’s going about it.”
Since the Sanchez-shenanigans started up, things have been a bit chaotic in New York to say the least. With Sanchez being benched by coach Rex Ryan, backup Tim Tebow got leapfrogged for the more conventional Greg McElroy last week against San Diego. That led to Tebow being upset and refusing to run his wild-cat formations in practice.
As it turns out McElroy hid a concussion from coaches and it will be Sanchez again in the drivers seat for the season finale against Buffalo. This is Sanchez’s last opportunity to prove himself as a legitimate starter and possibly as an audition for other teams as he has already been tagged as possible trade bait after the season.
Baltimore Ravens vs. Cincinnati Bengals
Remember last week when I said the game versus the Pittsburgh Steelers was a statement game? Well, the statement was made. The Bengals knocked the Steelers’ out of the playoff picture and locked themselves in for a Wild Card spot with a hard fought 13-10 overtime victory. Now they get to face their other division rivals, the Ravens.
If the Bengals can knock off a Ravens team that has gone 2-3 in the past five games, they will be tied with the Baltimore birds for tops in the AFC North with a 10-6 record. That’s easier said than done however.
These two teams tangoed back on September 10th to open the season. The Ravens dominated en route to a 44-13 win. The Ravens’ notorious defense dominated with four sacks, an interception, and a forced fumble.
The caveat? Linebacker Ray Lewis was the Ravens leading tackler that day with 11 stops and registered one of the sacks and forced the fumble. He won’t be playing in Week 17 as he is still on the mend from a torn triceps injury. He is on the active roster by coach John Harbaugh already insisted Lewis will not play.
If Bengals can take advantage of this battered Ravens defense, they will be rolling on a huge wave of confidence knocking off their two biggest rivals on their way to the playoffs. This could be a locomotive with a full head of steam come playoff time if they win Sunday.
Houston Texans vs. Indianapolis Colts
If this isn’t a story for the ages, I don’t know what is.
Head coach Chuck Pagano is diagnosed with leukemia just three games into his first season ever as a head coach. Having to step down to face the battle of his life, Pagano hands the reins over to offensive coordinator Bruce Arians who leads the team to a 9-3 record while the entire organization rallies behind their ailing coach. Players and cheerleaders shave their heads in support of their coach. Banners are plastered all over the stadium with the Twitter handle #chuckstrong.
And here comes the third act.
In the final game of the regular season, as the team charges into the playoffs, their coach returns. On Christmas Eve, Chuck Pagano finally stepped back into Indianapolis Colts facilities ready to resume his role as head coach with his cancer in remission.
“You [Arians] carried the torch and all you went out and did was win ball games,” Pagano said in his returning press conference. “[Y]ou got our 10th win yesterday and you got us into the playoffs and you did it with dignity and you did it with class. I can’t thank you enough.”
If Pagano can lead his team past the division rival Texans, it will be the culmination of one of the most emotional seasons ever played by a team in the NFL. Needless to say, there will be a lot of people pulling for the Colts this Sunday.
Miami Dolphins vs. New England Patriots
On paper this doesn’t look like much but looking at it closely, a lot is going on here. If Pagano and his Colts beat the Texans and Denver Broncos somehow loses to the Kansas City Chiefs, that will leave the Patriots in line to be the number one seed for the playoffs — if they beat Miami.
It’s not been easy two weeks for New England. After a grueling Week 15 battle against the San Francisco 49ers in which Patriots quarterback Tom Brady instrumented one of the greatest comebacks in NFL history only to fall 41-36.
Last week’s game wasn’t any easier. The Patriots looked exhausted from the week, appearing sluggish as they faced off against the 2-12 Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Jags were in it the whole way through and just missed upsetting the Patriots, having their last second touchdown attempt picked off by Pats’ safety Patrick Chung. The final 23-16 win likely left a sour taste in the Patriots mouth, having failed to execute up to their level of precision.
Brady turned the ball over twice and was sacked three times.
With home-field advantage and a first-round bye on the line for the Patriots, in this scenario, expect them to come out muskets blazing.
The NFC East
For clarity’s sake, we’re just going to lump the two divisional games into one group to focus on in Week 17.
First up is the Eagles versus the Giants. The Giants are playing for a playoff spot — and a little self respect after being slapped around by the Baltimore Ravens last week in 33-14 loss.
In the past two games, the Giants have been outscored a total of 67-14. The offense needs to get going if they mean to make a playoff push. The G-Men are known for getting hot at the right time, we’ll they but the burners on high because right now they are ice cold and appear to be on the outside looking in.
On the other side is possibly the final appearance of quarterback Michael Vick and head coach Andy Reid as members of the Eagles organization. Rookie-starter Nick Foles injured his hand in last week’s close game versus the Redskins. Vick will reclaim his starter role for the final week and much like Sanchez in New York, needs this game to show other teams he can play at a high level.
Elsewhere in NFC East, the Cowboys and Redskins battle it out in primetime, ultimately for the division title.
The ‘Skins are on a six-game winning streak after coming off their bye in Week 10, including a 38-31 win over Dallas. The season finally is at FedEx Field and the place will surely be rocking. Will this be the revival of the Hoggettes? We can only hope.
But the Cowboys won’t be going down without a fight, especially after last week. After battling back all game and the Cowboys finally managed to get the game tied up with late touchdown passes from Tony Romo to Miles Austin and Dwayne Harris. Yet overtime came and went and the Cowboys watched the Saints boot a 20-yard chip shot for the win.
If The Redskins emerge victorious on Sunday, they will have one their first division title since 1999. Not to mention, rookie Alfred Morris could break Clinton Portis’ franchise single-season record of 1,516 yards. He is only 104 yards off and averaging 94.2 yards-per game.
NFC North
Yup, an entire other division to watch for. The Bears and Lions are squaring off at 1pm EST and Detroit could be playing spoiler for the 9-6 Bears. The Bears are 2-3 in the last five games and are coming off a win against the Arizona Cardinals and despite the 4-11 record the Lions wear, they could pose a problem for the Bears.
The Lions are second in the league total offense and star receiver Calvin Johnson aka “Megatron” is looking to set an incredible record. He has already broken Jerry Rice’s 1995 record of most receiving yards in a single-season and is looking to become the first receiver to ever notch 2,000 yards in a season. He’s currently at 1,892.
But this isn’t a Goldilocks and the Three Bears type of story. The Bears have the fifth overall defense in the league. If Calvin Johnson and the Lions want to set a record, it’s going to be tough especially going against the Bears cornerbacks Charles Tillman and Tim Jennings both of whom were just named Pro Bowl starters.
The Bears need this win to keep their playoff hopes alive and you better believe they’ll fight for it. This game will be a battle.
Then there’s the 4pm EST game. The Packers and the Vikings. Adrian Peterson is still going for the single season record but will need to pick up a lot of yards against the Packers, who are giving up about 112 yards-per game. Peterson will need to double that for the record and keep their playoff hopes alive.
After a huge win against the Houston Texans last week, the Vikings are making a serious playoff push and head coach Leslie Frazier should get major credit for what he’s managed to do this season.
An offense with little offensive firepower outside of Peterson and an aging defense, Frazier has had this team playing tough all season long. His name should be seriously considered for coach of the year.
The Packers are in a good spot to lock-down the number one spot and home-field advantage if they win. All in all, it will be another week to pay extra close attention to.
