Things I Noticed: Week 15

A few huge upsets headlined the week.  This time of year, a set back can have a drastic impact on a team's playoff chances.  Which teams slipped up this week and which ones took advantage?

Here are some things I noticed this week:

• The Falcons increased their chances of claiming a Wild Card spot with a convincing win over Jacksonville.  Matt Ryan threw three TDs, two of which went to Roddy White.  The Falcons top receiver has found the endzone in each of the past four games and is now up to 8 TDs for the season.  He may have started slow, but he's gotten on a roll at just the right time.
• Maurice Jones-Drew increased his lead in league rushing yards category, but it wasn't enough to help the Jaguars offense accomplish much.  Their only offensive score came in the game's final minute with the game long since decided.
• The Cowboys got a much needed win to halt their short slide and move back to the top of the NFC East.  Tony Romo got his team off to a fast start with three TD passes and running one in as well to take a 28-0 lead into halftime.  The Cowboys went on cruise control the rest of the game, managing next to nothing on offense in the second half, but the Bucs were too far behind by then do do anything about it.
• Felix Jones reclaimed his starting spot from the injured DeMarco Murray, who was placed on season ending injured reserve.  Looking to prove himself capable of being an every down back, Jones totaled 131 yards to help balance the Cowboys attack.
• Who says Reggie Bush can't be an every down back?  After rushing for a career high 203 yards against Buffalo, Bush has now ran for over 100 yards in each of the past three games.  Prior to this stretch, Bush had never had back-to-back 100+ yard games.
• His day was highlighted by a 76 yard TD run.  Granted he hurt his team by being penalized for sliding in the endzone, but that just goes to show what a ridiculous rule that is to begin with.
• Buffalo has been better at home this year and had the advantage of playing the warm weather Dolphins in a game played in snowy conditions, yet still couldn't manage a victory.  After such a promising start to the season, the Bills have lost 7 straight games to ensure another losing season.
• The Bears seemed poised for a Wild Card spot until injuries deprived them of Jay Cutler and Matt Forte.  They are now in danger of finishing with a losing record after a fourth straight loss that puts them on the verge of being eliminated from the playoff hunt.  
• Caleb Hanie threw three INTs, two of which were returned for TDs by the Seahawks.  He's no Jay Cutler.
• Marion Barber may have put himself in the dog house last week with his costly fumble in the overtime loss last week to Denver (not to mention his bonehead play to step out of bounds near the end of the 4th quarter).  Seldom used Kahlil Bell led the team in carries this week and did a lot more with his chances than the struggling Barber did.  Yet clearly, neither of them is Matt Forte.
• Speaking of Forte, he made some news this week by stating he would not return to action until he was 100% healed, which likely means he's done for the season.  Hard to blame him, since even with him back on the field the Bears are now a long shot for the playoffs.  Forte wanted a new contract and didn't get it.  He ended up getting hurt while playing for far less money than what he's worth.  What incentive does he have to come back to help the Bears at this point when rushing back too early could result in further damage that could cost him more money down the line?
• Marshawn Lynch wasn't exactly in beast mode against a tough Bears defense, averaging only 2.1 yards  on his 20 carries, but he did find the endzone twice.
• In one of the week's biggest shockers, the Colts upset the Titans for their first win of the season.  Dan Orlovsky hardly lit of the scoreboard, but he'll gladly take the win anyway he can get it to avoid another 0-16 season.  He was also part of that 2008 winless Lions team, so nobody knows how much this win means to the Colts more than he does.
• Donald Brown did most of the heavy lifting for the Colts, plowing through the Titans defense for 161 yards.  Nearly half of the damage came on an impressive tackle-breaking 80 yard TD run that sealed the victory late in the 4th quarter.
• Matt Hasselbeck left the game early again, but this time it didn't appear to be due to an injury.  This time it was because his team was getting beat by the league's worst team.

• Jake Locker looked good once again in relief (11/16, 108 yards, 1 TD).  The Titans are still only one game back of a Wild Card spot, so they'll likely give Hasselbeck one more shot next week.  If they do make the playoffs then they'll want the veteran on the field, which unfortunately may not leave much time for Locker to get some late season experience.
• Now for the other big shocker of the week.  The Chiefs upset the Packers to hand them their first loss of the season.  Great start for new interim coach Romeo Crennel.
• This is latest in a season that the last undefeated team suffered their first loss while the last winless team earned their first victory in the same week.  The 1984 Dolphins were 11-0 before losing on the same day that the 0-11 Bills won their first game of the season.
• Aaron Rodgers had his worst game of the season with a QB rating of only 80.1.  I say only, despite that 13 other QBs had a lower rating this week, because of how great Rodgers has been all season.  Even a decent game looks like a let down by his standards.
• Rodgers has set a new season low for QB rating in each of the past three weeks (106.2, 96.7, 80.1).
• How much did the Packers offense miss the injured Greg Jennings?  Without their top receiver drawing extra attention on the field, Jordy Nelson, James Jones and Donald Driver combined for only 6 catches.  
• Kyle Orton got his first start for the Chiefs and didn't disappoint in leading them to a big win while out dueling Rodgers.  Despite sitting in last place in the AFC West, the Chiefs remain in the playoff hunt.  Sure, it's a long shot, given that they are two games behind the Jets with plenty of teams ahead of them, but mathematically they are still alive.  That West division may not be the best division, but it may be the most exciting to watch down the stretch.
• The Bengals got back on the winning track thanks to yet another easy match up as they beat the Rams to remain in the playoff hunt.  Andy Dalton added to his case for Rookie of the Year consideration by becoming just the 5th rookie QB ever to pass for over 3,000 yards (fellow rookie Cam Newton has also reached that milestone).  The Rookie debate should be interesting in the final weeks of the season, as Newton has the superior stats, but Dalton has a chance to get his team to the playoffs.

• While we're on the topic of rookies, let's not leave A.J. Green out of the discussion.  He just passed the 1,000 yard receiving mark (13th in the league) and also has 7 TDs.  QBs generally get most of the credit, but you can make the argument that Green has been the more valuable rookie for the Bengals given how he stacks up against other receivers compared to how Dalton compares to other QBs.
• Kellen Clemens got his first start in two years for the Rams, who were without injured starter Sam Bradford for the 4th time this season.  The Rams totaled a putrid 6 yards on 3rd down and didn't convert a 3rd down until late in the 4th quarter.
• We all know about what a great season Drew Brees is putting up statistically, so how does he top what he's been doing all year?  How about 412 yards and 5 TDs.  It's the kind of performance that even a Viking warrior from Minnesota had to be impressed with.  Seems like Brees is looking to wrap up the season passing record by next week just in case the Saints get the chance to lock up their playoff spot in time to rest him in Week 17.  

• Brees became just the 6th player in history to throw for over 400 yards while also adding at least 5 TDs.  Since I know you're wondering, that list is topped by Y.A. Tittle, who passed for 505 yards and 7 TDs back in 1962.  Too bad they didn't have fantasy football back then.
• Adrian Peterson returned for the Vikings, but despite a fast start that saw him pile up 60 yards on 10 carries (including a 39 yard run), he was taken out of the game plan for the second half after the Vikings fell too far behind for their running game to be of much use.
• AP vowed to return from injury this week despite his team's poor record in order to help his fantasy football owners who have been pleading for his return (he may have been half joking).  Apparently his coach didn't get that memo, as AP was woefully underutilized in a week that many people needed him for their fantasy football playoff match ups.  Thanks for nothing Vikings!
• Eli Manning may be having the best season of his career, but he laid an egg when it mattered most (I'm not just referring to fantasy football playoffs either.  But can you tell I was eliminated this week?).  Manning failed to find the endzone and threw three INTs in a loss to the Redskins, which allowed the Cowboys to jump ahead of them for the division lead.  You might say Eli played Rex Grossman level bad, except Grossman actually played better (although not good, just better).
• In Manning's defense, his day was impacted by some bad luck that was out of his control.  He had a TD taken away from him after a video review, one negated by a penalty and another perfectly thrown pass that was unforgivably dropped by Hakeem Nicks that should have gone for a score.  
• The 5-9 Redskins have been the Giants kryptonite this season, beating them in both of their match ups this season.  If the Giants miss the playoffs they can point to those two losses as the reason why.
• It's a good thing the Texans already clinched a playoff spot, because for the first time since Matt Schaub went down with a season ending injury in Week 10, the Texans looked vulnerable. T.J. Yates played his worst game since taking over as the starter in a loss to the Panthers.
• The Texans had one of the league's worst defenses last year before Wade Phillips took over as their defensive coordinator to turn them into one of the league's best.  Phillips missed this game after a trip to the hospital, which helps explain why the defense played so poorly.
• Cam Newton showed Yates who this year's top rookie really is.  Sure, Yates will get to play in the postseason, but Newton is clearly the better QB and on this day, his team was better as well.
• The Lions increased their chances of holding on to a playoff spot with a thrilling comeback victory over the Raiders.  Matthew Stafford engineered two masterful drives in the game's final minutes that each ended in TDs to put the Lions ahead.  Their final drive saw them march 98 yards down the field and ended with a game winning TD pass to Calvin Johnson with 39 seconds left.

• Megatron had a huge game, catching 9 passes for 214 yards and 2 TDs.  He now ranks 2nd in the league in receiving yards and leads all WRs with 14 TDs (TE Rob Gronkowski has 15).
• Oakland had one last chance to win the game behind the powerful leg of Sebastion Janakowski (who might be the only active kicker capable of hitting a 65 yard field goal), but his attempt was blocked by Ndamukong Suh, who made an impactful return from his suspension to help the Lions seal the win.
• The Jets may still be clinging to the last playoff spot in the AFC, but they can't like the way their team is playing as the season winds down after getting trounced by an Eagles team that has nothing left to play for.  Ok, so technically the Eagles aren't eliminated from winning the division yet, but they're highly unlikely to pass both the Giants and Cowboys in the final two weeks of the season, and the Wild Card spots are already out of reach.
• LeSean McCoy led a merciless attack against the Jets, rushing for over 100 yards and 3 TDs.  That moved him into first place as the Eagles franchise leader in rushing TDs (17) and total TDs (20) for a season.  He leads the league in rushing TDs and is second in rushing yards.
• The Cardinals tied the game late in the 4th quarter and went on to win in overtime for the 3rd time this season.  Only the Broncos have as many OT victories as the Cardinals.
• Kevin Kolb may have cost the Cardinals a boatload of assets to be brought in as their new franchise QB.  He may even have better stats than John Skelton.  But there is no getting around the fact that Kolb is just 2-6 as the starter for Arizona, while Skelton is 5-1.
• The late season surge continues for the Chargers as they upset the Ravens to remain in the playoff hunt.   Thanks to their good fortune of watching the Broncos and Raiders lose earlier in the day, they went into the match up knowing a win would spark their chances of getting back in the race.  They still have a ways to go, sitting a game behind Denver and being on the wrong end of a tie breaker with Oakland, but if they can win their last two games then they have a chance.
• As Ray Rice goes, so does the Ravens offense.  Rice managed only 57 yards in the loss to the Chargers. 

• Rice has had four other games this season where he's failed to reach that mark in rushing yards and they Ravens have lost three of those games.  Granted Rice is also very active in the passing game, but low rushing totals for Rice generally means the Ravens are in bad shape.
• The Broncos played the reverse of their typical trend by starting fast and actually taking a lead against New England late into the second quarter, before the Patriots took over and went on to crush them the rest of the way.  So much for Tim Tebow's late game heroics, as Tom Brady proved he is the real comeback king.
• Tebow did have one of his better games of the season, completing half of his passes for 194 yards.  Those aren't great numbers, but it's still pretty good for him.  He also added 93 rushing yards and 2 TDs on the ground to make it a fairly impressive overall performance.  However, he did lose a costly fumble that quickly led to another Patriots TD that helped them pull away.
• Saturday Night Live helped predict how the Patriots were able to overcome the Tebow mystique.
• With the Broncos focused on trying to take away Rob Gronkowski, the other half of the Patriots dynamic TE duo was able to shine.  Aaron Hernandez had a career day, catching 9 passes for 129 yards and a TD.
• Chad Ochocinco caught his usual one pass for the day, but this time it went for his first TD of the season.  Nobody looked happier on the field than Tom Brady after he finally connected with the disappointing former star receiver for a score.
• The Monday Night game was delayed due to a power outage after a transformer blew up outside of the stadium in San Francisco.  Once the lights came back on things settled back down so the game could finally begin.  Aside from another brief outage in the second quarter, the game was still played without any harm done.  Other than it kept us all up later that night.
• During the second outage, some moron from the stands ran out on to the field.  As if security didn't have enough to deal with at the time.  The TV microphones picked up someone from the Steelers pleading for someone to go hit the guy, to which Ben Rothlisberger replied, "Where's James Harrison when you need him?"  Harrison of course was suspended from this game for an illegal hit.  With his luck, the league will probably fine him again just because someone made a comment about him hitting someone.
• Ben Rothlisberger struggled due to an ankle injury that probably would have kept most players on the sidelines.  Given the importance of the game, Big Ben tried to tough it out, but his play was clearly effected early on as he threw INTs in each of the Steelers first two possessions.  

• Rothlisberger did pick it up a little in the second half, finishing with 330 passing yards, but he still didn't look right and took a lot of hard hits.  In the 4th quarter it seemed like Aldon Smith was hitting him on every play, as the offensive line proved incapable of containing the rookie pass rusher.  He finished with 2.5 sacks and 7 QB hits.
• Alex Smith didn't have the excuse of an injury to explain his play early on, but he missed on a few throws that should have gone for TDs if he had been on target, which could have allowed the 49ers to bury the Steelers early.  Instead they settled for field goals, which has been a common issue for the 49ers in the red zone lately.
• The 49ers defense came up with one of the key plays of the game in the 4th quarter, recovering a fumble after a strip sack that gave them the ball in the red zone, which quickly led to a TD to put the 49ers up by 17.
• The 49ers lead the league in turnover differential at +24, which is one of the primary reasons why they've improved so much over last season.  Even when the offense struggles to find the endzone, at least their defense is giving them plenty of chances to start drives with good field position.
• The only divisions that currently don't have at least one team that has clinched a playoff spot are the NFC East and AFC West.
• Green Bay only needs to win one more game to lock up the NFC's top seed.  New England controls it's own destiny, needing only to win home games against the Dolphins and Bills to clinch the AFC's top seed.