The Good
Atlanta – This performance is easy to overlook. For the Falcons to edge the Bucs at home on an overtime field goal does not cause the earth to spin backwards. Even the fact that they rang up 375 yards against the Tampa defense leaves the earth’s rotation unaffected since it happened over nearly five quarters. This game was relatively even with the exception of the first ten minutes. The Falcons land here for an intangible reason: They may or may not make the playoffs, but they proved are up to winning meaningful games in December against the upper crust of the NFCS. Given where this team was one season ago, it is hard not to see that as Good.

Carolina – The formula to beat the Broncos is pretty simple. Make the most of your 400+ yards and either create a few turnovers or deny the Broncos their 400+ yards. The Panthers did all of that, including shutting Denver out for the final 48 minutes and only 163 yards in that same stretch. The result was an easy win to solidify their playoff and divisional title hopes.

Houston – Maybe the Texans should just approach the first half of the season like they are already out of the picture. They racked up 375 yards of offense and over 36 minutes of possession time while the defense held the Titans to four field goals. The result was a Good road win to even their record at 7-7.

Minnesota – The Vikings did what a team fighting for a playoff spot should by jumping out to a 28 point halftime lead. They wound up with almost 400 yards of offense, almost 240 of which were on the ground with over a 5 yard per carry average. The result is a big road win to land a step closer to the NFCN title.

Pittsburgh – Whether the final TD catch actually broke the plane of the goal line or was stopped less than six inches short can be debated, but what can not be is the fact that the drive went 92 yards (or 91 yards and 30 inches) in less than three minutes against an elite defense. Speaking of elite defenses, the Steelers held the Ravens 202 yards, 12 first downs and a pair of interceptions. The result was a Good win that secures the AFCN title and a first round bye.

Philadelphia – Granted, the opponent was the Browns who are so far down the depth chart at quarterback they need sonar to locate him. Still, the Eagles ran a balanced attack netting 418 yards. The offense was not the story, however. The defense stuffed the run and held the Browns to 11 first downs, 196 yards and no offensive touchdowns. In fact, the Eagle offense gave up more points than its defense. The result was a Good showing on Monday night that keeps their playoff chances alive and realistic.

The Bad
Buffalo – What made this bad was that the Bills had this game in their hands and gave it away. After a borderline Ugly start, they rebounded to take a brief lead by halftime, then regain the lead in the final six minutes. Unfortunately, they gave the game away with a fumble at the 2:00 warning that was returned for the decisive touchdown. This loss might have been worse on our Bad/Ugly chart if they hadn’t suffered so many Bad losses previously.

Denver – The Broncos probably were not expected to win this game in many circles and they did play a good opening 12 minutes. Unfortunately, the game lasted longer than 12 minutes and the Broncos offense only ventured into Carolina territory twice more in the remaining 48. The defense chipped in by holding the Panthers without a first down only twice and allowing five plays of 20 yards or more. As usual, when the Broncos lose they are Bad.

New York Giants – Losing a game in Dallas is not Bad by itself. In the process the Giants showed no offense at all, however. The problem was more than just not moving the ball. Manning was beaten around like a rented mule. Missing two major weapons will make an offense stagnant, but that alone does not account for 8 sacks and constant terror in the pocket. The Giants offensive line often did little more than turn and yell “incoming” after the snap. That resulted a Bad, listless effort that the defense could not compensate for.

Washington – The Redskins spotted the Bengals the first 17 points. With the Skins offense, that was enough. They did manage to claw back to within a TD and followed that up by putting the ball in the end zone from the 1. Unfortunately, the ball carrier was not attached. The Redskins have now lost to the 2-12 Rams and the 2-11-1 Bengals. A bad start followed by offensive futility will cause losses against most teams in the NFL.

The Ugly
Arizona – Clearly, the stress of their first division championship in 33 years and first home playoff game since the Declaration of Independence went to their heads. The Cards simply did not show up until the second half and by then it was far too late. Even then there were not anything to write home about. This performance probably has the NFL reconsidering the Cardinals playoff invitations.