Things I Noticed: Week 16

With Christmas falling on a Sunday this year, most of the week's games were moved to Saturday afternoon.  Which teams were in the Christmas spirit and which found nothing but coal in their stockings?

Here are some things I noticed this week:

• Ever since the Texans clinched their first playoff spot in franchise history, the team has started to unravel.  Despite another huge performance from Arian Foster, they blew another game to a losing team for the second week in a row.  With a first round bye now out of reach, the Texans have nothing to play for next week, but they may want to consider playing the season finale as if it does count in order to try to gain some momentum heading into the postseason.
• It's been a miserable season for the Colts, who lost 13 straight to open the season, but the ending may be even worse.  The silver lining to all that losing was supposed to be the reward of the top overall pick in the draft, but two straight wins may end up costing them that pick.
• It was a tale of two halves in New England as the Patriots got off to a terrible start.  Tom Brady was harassed by Dolphins defenders that found holes in the Patriots injury depleted offensive line.  The Patriots punted on their first 6 possessions before missing a field goal just before halftime on their way to being shut out 17-0 in the first half.  As expected, Brady and the offense made adjustments during the break and came back to score 27 unanswered points in the comeback victory.
• New England clinched a first round bye with the victory and can lock up the top seed in the AFC with a win next week against Buffalo.
• Brady was off target on many of his throws in the first half, but part of the problem was dropped passes that stalled their drives.  Wes Welker was one of the guilty receivers that dropped a few passes as the defense hung all over him on his short routes.  Welker would make the defense pay in the second half though, finishing the game with 12 catches for 138 yards.

• The league's leading receiver is now up to 116 catches for 1518 receiving yards on the season.  It's been an outstanding season for Welker, but he'll fall far short of Marvin Harrison's season catch record (143) or Jerry Rice's season receiving record (1848 yards).
• Miami finally scored again with under two minutes remaining in the 4th quarter to pull within 3 points.  They must have figured that was close enough, because they didn't bother with an on side kick attempt. Granted they had all three time outs in their pocket, but did they really expect to stop the Pats from picking up a first down given how the offense had been rolling through the 2nd half?  Probably not, but an interim coach looking to keep his job is probably satisfied with a 3 point loss, rather than risk giving the Patriots good field position if the on side attempt failed, which could have resulted in a bigger loss.
• Reggie Bush extended his career high streak of 100+ rushing games to 4 and has now passed the 1,000 yard rushing mark for the first time in his career.
• Tim Tebow had the worst game of his young career, completing only 13 of 30 passes with 4 INTs.  Two of those turnovers were returned for TDs, which helps explain how the Bills managed to bury the Broncos with 40 points despite scoring only one offensive TD.
• Tebow's 4 INTs were the most turnovers he's had in any game in college or in the NFL.  He also had the worst passing day of his career on deep throws, connecting on only 2 of 11 passes that were thrown at least 11 yards.
• CJ Spiller had a career day, rushing for 111 yards and a TD.  The Bills offense has struggled ever since Fred Jackson was lost for the season, but Spiller is starting to show some signs of life lately, helping to soften the blow of losing their top RB.
• The Bengals jumped back into a Wild Card spot after beating the Cardinals.  Keeping that spot may come down to whether they can beat the Ravens next week.  That should be an interesting match up, with the Bengals needing a win to ensure they make the playoffs, while the Ravens may need that win to lock up the division and a first round bye.
• Jerome Simpson had one of the most spectacular TDs you'll ever see, as he lept over a defender, did a flip and landed on his feet in the endzone.
• The Titans kept their slim playoff chances alive with a win over the Jaguars.  Tight End Jared Cook was the star of the game for them, as he racked up 8 catches for 169 yards and a TD.
• Maurice Jones-Drew broke the 100 yard barrier again to stay in the lead as the league's leading rusher.
• The Raiders stayed alive, while also eliminating the Chiefs from the playoff race, with an overtime win in Kansas City.  
• The Chiefs made a valiant comeback when Kyle Orton connected with Dwayne Bowe for the game tying TD without about a minute remaining in regulation to force overtime, but they couldn't keep the Raiders out of field goal territory in the end.
• The Giants and Jets share the same stadium, but only face each other once every 4 years.  Each came into this game needing a win to have the luxury of controlling their own playoff fates.  The Jets struck first with a TD in the 1st quarter, but the Giants controlled the game from there.  The game was put away by a TD run by Ahmad Bradshaw with about two minutes left to put the Giants up by two scores.

• After the game, Bradshaw ran up to the Jets loudmouth head coach Rex Ryan and shouted, "Now it's time for you to shut up, fat boy!"  That kind of behavior could land him on Santa's naughty list, but non-Jets fans will get a good laugh out of it.
• On one of the key plays of the game, Eli Manning connected with Victor Cruz on a simple short curl route that resulted in a 99 yard TD to give the Giants a lead heading into halftime.  The Jets rushed only four, with seven defenders back in coverage, yet nobody came close to tackling the Giants best big play receiver.  Antonio Cromartie looked as if he's allergic to contact as he stepped aside for Cruz to blow passed him, while several other Jets players merely jogged down the field in pursuit, with no real intention of catching him. 
• Despite that the Jets and Giants share the same stadium, the Jets were considered the home team in this game.  Jets management ordered curtains to be hung in the Giants locker room to cover a mural celebrating their 2008 Super Bowl victory.  Think that might have gotten the G-Men fired up for this game?  As if Rex Ryan's constant trash talking wasn't enough.
• Ben Rothlisberger took the week off to try to recover from his sprained ankle, but the Steelers didn't need him this time.  With the defense shutting out the Rams anemic offense, Charlie Batch was more than enough to get the victory.
• Knowing that the Colts had already won on Thursday night, you have to wonder if the Rams had any desire to win this game anyway.  The loss dropped them in position to be in the lead for the chance at the top pick in next year's draft.  Given how much they've already invested in Sam Bradford, you have to wonder what they would do if they did get the pick.  Do they give up on Bradford already and draft Luck to replace him?  Do they try to trade Bradford, even though they'll almost certainly be selling low after a poor season?  Or do they trade the top pick to a team that is more in need of a QB for a boatload of assets?  The same question could have been asked of the Colts if they got the pick, but in their case at least Manning is near the end of his career, so you could make the argument for keeping him and Luck .  That's not the case for the Rams.
• A Vikings loss could have actually put them in the lead for the first draft pick, but despite losing Adrian Peterson and Christian Ponder to injury in the game, they somehow managed to beat the Redskins.  It may not be a wise move for the long term, but give teams like the Vikings and Colts credit for not intentionally tanking to try to get Andrew Luck.
• Peterson's injury turned out to be a torn ACL and MCL, which could put his availability for the start of next season in jeopardy.  
• Joe Webb replaced Ponder, who left with a concussion, to help lead the comeback.  He completed 4 of his 5 pass attempts, 2 of which went for TDs.  He also added a rushing TD.  His ceiling isn't as high as Ponders, but in the short term he may be better for this team, given what he's shown in limited action the past couple weeks in relief of Ponder.
• Leave it to the Redskins to find another RB out of the blue that can come in and give them a big rushing performance.  With Roy Helu sidelined with injury, Evan Royster stepped up and ran for 132 yards in his first career start.
• Cam Newton lit up the Bucs for 3 TDs and added yet another rushing TD to his record total.  He only needed to throw for 171 yards in the blowout win, but it was enough to move him ahead of Peyton Manning for the record for passing yards by a rookie.

• Newton has now set rookie QB records for passing yards and rushing TDs.  He has more rushing TDs than 21 other teams.  He also has thrown 20 passing TDs, which is tied with fellow rookie Andy Dalton and Hall of Famer Dan Marino for 3rd most by a rookie all time.
• Newton ran for 65 yards, but he wasn't the only one to find success on the ground against Tampa's 31st ranked run defense.  DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart joined the fun, as the Panthers totaled 270 rushing yards on the day.
• The Ravens held on to beat the Browns to move one win (or a Steelers loss) away from clinching the NFC North and a first round playoff bye.  Ray Rice helped break the game open in the second quarter with a 42 yard TD catch.
• Cleveland did manage to close the gap in the second quarter, but they blew their chance at a comeback late in the 4th quarter.  Baltimore lined their offense up on 4th and 2 just before the two minute warning.  It seemed like an obvious attempt to lure the Browns off side, with no real intention of running a play, yet somehow the plan worked.  Cleveland blew their chance to get the ball back for a potential game winning drive when they jumped off side to give Baltimore a first down, which allowed them to run out the clock.  
• The Lions get to party like it's 1999, after clinching their first playoff spot since the '99 season with a blow out win against the Chargers.  Matthew Stafford buried the Chargers early with three TDs in the first half and the defense added the icing on the cake by returning an INT for a score late in the 4th quarter.

• Stafford has now set a franchise record for passing yards in a season with his current total of 4518 yards with one game still left to play.
• Calvin Johnson joined some elite company by becoming only the 6th player since the merger to record 45+ TDs and 5500+ yards through his first 5 seasons of his career.  Larry Fitzgerald is the only other active player on the list, while the others are either already in the Hall of Fame or at least virtual locks to make it some day.
• The Chargers are now officially eliminated from playoff contention for the second year in a row.  It's unlikely that coach Norv Turner will return next season after another disappointing ending.
• Once the results of the Giants game was announced, the meeting between the Cowboys and Eagles became essentially meaningless.  The Giants win ended the Eagles chances of coming back to win the division, while it also set up a Week 17 match up between the Giants and Cowboys that will decide the division regardless of how this game played out.  
• Lucky for Dallas, they didn't end up needing this game.  Tony Romo injured his throwing hand on his first pass attempt of the day.  At first it seemed like he was being removed from the game as a precaution given that a victory wasn't required, but after seeing Romo's swollen hand on the sidelines it was clear that he may not have been able to get back in there either way.  X-Rays came back negative and he claims he will be able to play next weekend in the division deciding game.
• The 49ers moved one step closer to clinching a first round playoff bye with a late FG to put away the Seahawks.  
• The FG by David Akers was his 42nd of the season, which surpasses the previous season record of 40 set by Neil Rackers in 2005.
• The 49ers defense had not given up 100+ yards to a running back or allowed a rushing TD all season.  Against Seattle, Marshawn Lynch managed both against them.
• The Packers locked up the top seed with a win over the Bears.  Aaron Rodgers added to his outstanding season with a season high 5 TD passes.  He now is up to 45 passing TDs for the season, putting him within reach of Tom Brady's record of 50 set in 2007.  It will be interesting to see if the Packers rest him next week, with nothing left to play for, or if they let him play, which could give him a shot at the record.
• The Bears apparently had seen enough of Caleb Hanie, as they went with Josh McCown in this game.  He wasn't much better, but he at least helped keep the Bears somewhat competitive, which is an upgrade over what they've been lately.
• Drew Brees passed Dan Marino for the single season passing record, while helping the Saints clinch the NFC South with a win over Atlanta.  

• Brees is now at 5087 yards for the season, but his team may have nothing left to play for as they are almost certain to stay as the #3 seed in the NFC.  If the Saints decide to rest Brees next week, his new record may not last long.  Tom Brady (4897) has a chance to pass him in a game the Pats need to win in order to lock up the top seed in the AFC.
• Last time the Falcons played the Saints they lost thanks in part to a controversial 4th down call that backfired.  This time, trailing 31-13 in the 4th quarter, Atlanta played it safe by kicking a field goal... from the 13 yard line!  In case that decision didn't seal their fate, a fumble on their next drive returned for a Saints TD certainly did.  
• The AFC West will come down to either the Broncos or Raiders, despite that both teams have a negative point differential!  Every team that has clinched a playoff spot already has a positive point differential.  If the Giants beat the Cowboys next week to win the NFC East, they will need to win by at least 23 points to avoid being another playoff team with a negative point differential (if the Cowboys win they are already in the positive).
• The Patriots and Saints are both on 7 game win streaks, which is best in the league.  If ending the season on a hot streak is any indication of playoff success, these teams could be good bets to meet in the Super Bowl.