Things I Noticed: Week 17

It's the final week of the regular season, but there were still teams with plenty to play for entering the week.  Two division titles still needed to be decided and playoff seedings were still up for grabs.

So, for the last time this regular season -

Here are some things I noticed this week:

• New England shutout the Dolphins in a dominant display that builds them some much needed momentum heading into the playoffs.  The win also bumped them up to the #2 seed in the AFC, earning them a first round bye.

• Rob Gronkowski returned from a broken forearm injury that cost him five games, picking up right where he left off.  His playing time may have been limited, but he made the most of it by finding the end zone for the 11th time this season - tied for 4th most in the league.  Given the time he missed, that means he averaged a score per game.  Despite having the game well in hand in the 4th quarter, the Pats made sure to get Gronk some snaps to integrate him back into the offense.
• Reggie Bush appeared openly frustrated as the final seconds ticked away.  Not because his team lost, or because they again failed to make the postseason.  No, his frustrations were about falling 14 yards short of his second straight 1,000 yard rushing season.  He broke an 18 yard run on the Dolphins last play of the game, but wasn't able to break a tackle to extend the run to get him to that milestone.  Glad to see he has his priorities in order.
• Despite having the top seed in the NFC wrapped up, the Falcons stuck with their starters in their season finale.  It's a tough decision for coaches in that situation to make, but in this case it may cost them.  Not only did they end up losing in a game they appeared to be playing to win, they also lost two key defensive starters.  Their leading pass rusher, John Abraham, exited with an ankle injury and starting corner Dunta Robison left with a head injury.  At least they get a week off to rest, hopefully giving those injured players time to recover.
• Doug Martin ran for 142 yards and finishes the season 5th in the league in rushing.  His day included a spectacular TD where he bounced off a defender with a slick spin move and dashed his way to the end zone.

• Well this is awkward.  A week after Mark Sanchez was unceremoniously benched as the Jets starting QB, an injury to Greg McElroy forced the team to turn back to Sanchez (because of course, Tebow was never an option).  Sanchez played like a scorned teenager, still bitter about being benched and pouting his way through a lackluster performance.  He completed less than half his passes, turned the ball over twice and failed to lead a single TD drive.  Oh wait, that's how his entire season has pretty much gone.
• Somehow Rex Ryan managed to keep his job, despite terribly botching his QB situation.  At least he kept his mouth shut (by his standards anyway) for most of the season, so perhaps the Jets consider that progress. 
• Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum wasn't so lucky, as the Jets did get rid of him.  I guess that's what happens when you give a $58.25 million extension to one of the league's worst starting QBs and trade for a backup QB that the coach has no interest in using.
• About the only silver lining for the Jets is that their defense held the explosive CJ Spiller to a meager 2.5 yards per carry.  That dropped his average all the way down to 6 yards per carry, which tied him with Adrian Peterson at the top of the league.  Still an impressive accomplishment, but far off his historic pace that he was on a few weeks ago.
• Spiller did also manage to score on a 66 yard reception, so it's not like he was held completely in check.
• The Bengals finished the season on a high note by beating their division rival Ravens in a game that meant nothing in the standings.  The win moved them into a tie record wise at the top of the division, but Baltimore had already clinched the division based on a tie breaker for a better divisional record.
• With their playoff spots already locked in, both teams benched many of their starters for most of the game, leading to a rather uneventful meeting between these two playoff bound rivals.
• The Bears held off a late rally by the Lions to keep their playoff hopes alive, only to see them fall apart when the Vikings clinched the final Wild Card spot later that afternoon.  Chicago became only the 2nd team since the playoff format expanded to 12 teams to fail to reach the postseason after starting the season on a 7-1 run.
• After breaking the receiving yards record last week, Calvin Johnson fell just short of becoming the first ever receiver to break the 2,000 yard mark.  By gaining only 72 yards in the last game of the season, Calvin finishes with 1,964 yards this season.  He dropped a couple passes in the game, which had they been caught, would have put him right on the brink of that milestone.
• Matthew Stafford finished the season by setting a new league record for pass attempts in a season (727).  Maybe it's good that the Lions season is over, because if Stafford had to keep throwing the ball any more than his arm may fall off!
• The Titans became the first team in history to have two players each score on returns in a game in their win over the Jaguars.  Darius Reynaud returned two punts and Zach Brown returned two INTs for scores.
• Jacksonville got a return of their own, a blocked punt that they ran back for a score.  That gave the Jags their first special teams TD of the season.  Better late than never!

• Already locked into the 5th seed, the Colts had only one thing to play for - their coach.  Chuck Pagano returned to the sidelines to coach his team to victory over the Texans.  Give the young Colts players a lot of credit for not coasting this week.  They played an inspired game, getting a win for their coach in his first game back following his battle with Leukemia.  #chuckstrong.
• Andrew Luck has turned the Colts franchise around.  They went from the worst team in the league to a playoff team, with the rookie QB getting a lot of credit for it.  Luck put the game away in the 4th quarter with a 70 yard TD pass to TY Hilton, who sprinted past a defense that failed to keep a safety over the top of him.
• The Texans are in a downward spiral heading into the postseason.  Not long ago they appeared to be the class of the AFC, until a thrashing at the hands of the Patriots on Monday Night Football derailed their season, leading to them losing three of their last four games and dropping them from the top of the conference all the way down to the third seed.  Their home field advantage is gone, their playoff bye is gone and if they don't turn things around quickly, their Super Bowl chances will be gone too.
• The Saints lost their final game of the season to finish with a losing record (7-9), finally putting an end to a miserable season.  It's been rough down in New Orleans this season, but the bounty scandal is behind them and they can now look forward to a fresh start next season.  They also got some good news, with the announcement that Sean Payton will in fact be back coaching the team next season, ending any controversy about his contract situation and the possibility of him bolting to another team.
• Drew Brees eclipsed the 5,000 yard mark for the season for a record third time.  His 5,177 yards this season doesn't quite match up to his record setting 5,476 from a year ago, but it is good for the third most in league history.
• In typical DeAngelo Williams fashion, the Panthers RB finished with a big game (210 yards, 2 TDs) that will ensure that he gets drafted far too high in fantasy drafts next season.  Williams put up monster performances in the season finale in 2007 and 2008, but has essentially been a bust ever since.  Don't be fooled by this performance against the Saints league worst run defense in a meaningless end of the season game.
• The Giants did their part to stay in the playoff hunt by dismantling the Eagles behind Eli Manning's career high 5 TDs, but they needed too many other things to go their way.  The defending champs failed to make the postseason once the Bears eliminated them with their win over the Lions.  This marks the 7th straight season where the defending Super Bowl champion has failed to win a playoff game the following year.

• Eli Manning has built himself a reputation as an elite QB due to his 2 Super Bowl rings and a history of dramatic comeback performances.  Perhaps that has him on a Hall of Fame path, but he still has a long way to go.  The rings help his case (even if he was extremely lucky to win at least one of them), but his overall body of work falls short so far.  Manning supporters mention his dominance in leading the Giants through the playoffs in those two championship seasons, yet overlook the fact that he's failed to make the playoffs in 4 of his 9 seasons.  Outside of those championship seasons, he was one and done with mediocre performances in his other three playoff appearances.  He only has one season on his resume with 30+ TDs, but that also came in a year that he led the league in INTs.  Last year was his first great statistical season, when he passed for nearly 5,000 yards, but he took a step back this season and so did the Giants.  That's why they will be sitting home this January.
• Another disappointing season for the Eagles has led to the firing of Andy Reid, ending his 14 year run as the league's longest tenured coach.  Reid certainly has his flaws, particularly when it comes to clock management and in game decisions, but he can still be a valuable asset.  Don't rule out his return as an adviser in the front office if he doesn't find another coaching job right away.
• Ben Roethlisberger threw 3 TDs to beat the Browns and save the Steelers from a losing season.  An 8-8 record won't get them to the postseason, but given the history of that franchise, you can expect them to be right back in the mix by next year.
• Denver took advantage of the floundering Texans loss to steal the top seed in the AFC, giving them a first round bye and home field advantage in the playoffs.  It's been a remarkable recovery for Peyton Manning.  It wasn't long ago that many wondered if his career might be over.  Even when he finally took the field again early in the season, he didn't look the same.  His arm strength was gone, as was his trademark accuracy.  It only took him a few weeks to turn that around and get back to his old MVP caliber self, leading the Broncos to 11 straight wins to finish the season.
• The season is mercifully over for the woeful Chiefs, who finish with the league's worst record.  Maybe they will draft a QB to help turn their franchise around.  Considering they haven't won a game with a QB they drafted themselves in over two decades, it'd be about time.  Unfortunately, there doesn't appear to be an Andrew Luck or RGIII in this draft, so they may have picked the wrong year to be awful.
• Adrian Peterson (199 yards, 1 TD) powered the Vikings to a win over the Packers to secure a playoff spot.  AP ripped off a 27 yard run in the game's final minute, down to the Packers 11 yard line, to set up the game winning FG.  Had he managed to keep going into the end zone, those extra yards would have broken Eric Dickerson's rushing record.  Instead, he fell 9 yards short of the record.
• The best part is that AP seemed unaware that he was that close to the record during his post game interview.  He was just grateful that his team won and they were going to the playoffs.  Class act, AP.  Manning has a great comeback story of his own, along with the top seed in the AFC, while Brady has the stats, but what Peterson has done is just amazing.  He's carrying the Vikings offense and brought them to the postseason.  Even without the rushing record, he still has to be in the mix for MVP.
• Norv Turner won't keep his job, after missing the playoffs for the third straight season, but at least he can say he went out with a win in his final game as coach of the Chargers.  They fought through bad weather and the Raiders (literally, as a mid-game scrum resulted in a couple players getting ejected) to come away with a win that ends their season on a positive note.
• The 49ers locked up the NFC West and the #2 seed with a win over the Cardinals.  Michael Crabtree led the way, with 8 catches for 172 yards and 2 scores.  The fourth year receiver had a breakout season and has shown steady improvement each year after entering the league as an over-hyped rookie in 2009.  He is the first Niners receiver to surpass 1,000 yards in a season since Terrell Owens in 2003.
• The Niners win meant Seattle would have to settle for a Wild Card spot, but with hope still alive, the Seahawks took care of business against St. Louis to remain undefeated at home.  In doing so, Russell Wilson tied Peyton Manning's record for TD passes by a rookie (26).
• The Rams lost a divisional game for the first time this season.  Unless you count their tie with the 49ers earlier this season.  In a tie, we all lose.
• The Redskins beat the Cowboys in a do or die game to crown the division champions.  Washington advances to the postseason despite starting the season 3-6 and having their own coach suggest they start looking ahead to next season as they entered their bye week.  They then finished the season on a scorching seven game win streak, being led by a rookie QB and rookie RB.

• Speaking of that rookie RB, while RGIII gets most of the credit, don't forget about Alfred Morris.  After a 200 yard, 3 TD performance, Morris finishes the season second in the league in both rushing yards and rushing TDs.  Not bad, for a rookie.
• The Cowboys suffered another late season disappointment and are left out of the postseason for the third straight year.  Tony Romo is now 1-6 in win or go home games, including the postseason.  He had another great statistical season, but was unable to deliver when it mattered most.  He threw three INTs in the loss to Washington, including a back breaking pick that ended the Cowboys chances when they had a chance to tie or take the lead in the few minutes of the game.
• The day after the final slate of games is often called Black Monday, because it's the day when lots of coaches get handed a pink slip (they would have called it Pink Monday, but that doesn't sound nearly as intimidating).  So far the list of coaches to get the ax are: Andy Reid (Eagles), Norv Turner (Chargers), Ken Whisenhunt (Cardinals), Chan Gailey (Bills), Romeo Crennel (Chiefs), Lovie Smith (Bears) and Pat Shurmur (Browns).  GMs aren't immune to Black Monday either, as the Jets and Jaguars have already fired their GMs, while KC's Scott Pioli remains on thin ice.
• At seasons end, here is how the playoff seeding line up:
• AFC: Broncos, Patriots, Texans, Ravens, Colts, Bengals
• NFC: Falcons, 49ers, Packers, Washington, Seattle, Minnesota