Sixteen down, one to go. We end 2010 with nine of twelve playoff participants are decided. All that remains is to crown an AFCS and NFCW participant and settle the final NFC wild card berth. Week sixteen did indeed settle some of those slots, including some seeding. It also left some doors open. Seven teams are fighting for a various array of the remaining three slots.
Week sixteen was sweet sixteen for several teams who locked up playoff spots and seeds. The Pats, Ravens, Chiefs, Steelers, Bears and Saints all have their tickets ready. The Colts stepped up to the window, ready to secure theirs. The Rams helped themselves by eliminating the 49ers. The Pack made a major stride toward the #6 slot by beating the Giants. The Bucs kept their hopes alive with a strong win over the Seahawks.
It was bittersweet for the Eagles and Jets, who benefited from the late Christmas gifts of others, but came up short themselves.
The sixteenth week was sour for others. As noted, the 49ers and Mike Singletary are done. Atlanta is in solid shape and wrapped up one of the top two seeds in the NFC when the Eagles laid an egg, but kept the NFCS in play pending week 17. Jacksonville hurt their chances with a loss at home to the Redskins. The week was sour, but not terminal, for Seattle. The Giants are in intensive care after blowing up in Green Bay
So, we eye the new year and week seventeen with the following questions:
Will the Colts take the AFCS, or can the Jags overtake them by defeating the Texans and having the Titans knock off Indy?
In the NFCW, will the winner be the 7-9 Seahawks or the 8-8 Rams, who meet on Sunday in Seattle?
For the remaining NFC wild card berth, will it be the Bucs, Giants or Packers?
Two other divisions remain to be decided, but the combatants in the AFCN and NFCS all move on to the playoffs regardless.
If nothing else, the last week of the 2010 season and the first games of calendar year 2011 should be interesting.
Thanks to Any, Ben and Goldie for their contributions to this week’s GBU. Happy New Year to all.
Good
Green Bay – In what amounted to a playoff game, the Packers produced a Good effort to seize control of their own destiny for a playoff slot. Aaron Rodgers threw for 404 yards and the offense put up a total of 515. They also controlled the ball for over 37 minutes. Defensively, the Pack generated six turnovers, picking Manning of four times and corralling a pair of fumbles. That negated the fact they did not exactly shut the Giants down, surrendering 386 yards total. The end result gave the Packers the edge for the final wild card slot heading into a matchup with the Bears in Green Bay.
Kansas City – It seems like all season long, most people were waiting for someone to rip the masks of the Chiefs, for them to be found out. What we found out is that KC is legitimate. The Chiefs offense put up 458 yards of offense against the Titans. Matt Cassel had 314 yards and 3 TDs. The win against Tennessee gave gave them their first division title since 2003. The Chiefs finish their season at home against the Raiders who are playing for pride and a perfect 6-0 divisional record.
Minnesota – Leslie Frazier really solidified his worthiness of being an NFL head coach with the banged up Vikings going into Philly and taking down the high-flying Eagles. Backup QB Joe Webb came into the season as a WR project and coaches saw he had a talent for throwing the ball. This talent shone last night as he led the Vikings to victory. Adrian Peterson and Percy Harvin both had big plays exposing a Eagles defense that just looked out of sorts. The Vikings defense harassed Michael Vick all night, forcing him into several bad throws which should have resulted in more interceptions if the Vikes DBs could have caught the errant balls. This victory is a feel-good story for a Vikes team that has had an underwhelming year. If Zigi Wilf is smart, he will sign Frazier to a long-term head coaching contract as soon as possible.
New Orleans – What makes Drew Brees so good is that he doesn’t let mistakes carry into his next pass. Two interceptions in the 4th quarter would have rattled a mere mortal, but Drew shook it off and proceeded to lead the Saints down the field for 90 yards and a TD pass to Rookie TE Jimmy Graham that resulted in the win against Atlanta. The win clinched a playoff berth for New Orleans and leaves them still in a battle for the NFC South with the Falcons.
Tampa Bay – The Bucs have quietly put together a good season and a major step forward in their rebuilding effort. While pounding on the Seahawks on the east coast is no major accomplishment, the Bucs did so thoroughly. They ran for 208 yards at 8 yards a carry. Josh Freeman continues to impress, completing 21 of 26 passes with 5 for TDs and a 144 QB rating. The Bucs outgained the Seahawks 439-174 and rattled off 31 consecutive points after falling behind 7-0. Let’s not forget, this game was not meaningless to the Seahawks at the kickoff. A Good performance keeps the Bucs in the playoff hunt entering the season’s final week.
Bad
Oakland – Just when you think Dr. Jekyll has beaten Mr. Hyde… Last week, Raiders HC Cable said the Raiders weren’t going to change what’s working for them, that would be leading with the run. And well, it HAD been working, so why would you change that? Because you’re the Raiders. Arguably one of the best RB tandems in the NFL, McFadden and Bush, got 14 touches between them while Jason Campbell threw the ball 42 times. That’s the most he’s thrown all season. And with that, the Raiders fall to the Colts 31-26. It’s not like the Raiders weren’t in the game, so it makes you wonder why they once again abandoned what works.
Philadelphia – Having locked up the NFCE thanks to the crater in Green Bay where the NY Giants once stood, the Eagles turned their sights to a #1 or #2 NFC playoff seed. You would not know it by watching them Tuesday night. The Eagles offense allowed the Vikings defense to limit their production to Michael Vick. Vick responded as well as he could, throwing for 263 yards and a TD, running for 63 yards and another TD, but was intercepted once and should have had at least three more picked. The Eagles never adjusted to the blitzing and the Vikings secondary did a decent job of not allowing receivers to get open when Vick was flushed from the pocket. Statistically, the game was fairly even, but three turnovers and the lack of an offensive flow hurt the Eagles badly. The result of this Bad effort was a #3 seed in the playoffs, meaning an additional game to win against the Packers, Bucs or Giants.
Ugly
Carolina – This review is brought to you by the Department of Excess Redundancy Department. It wasn’t that the Panthers got clobbered in Pittsburgh. Anyone with a pulse knew that was going to happen. But Carolina sets a new standard for ineptitude and Ugly on a weekly basis and this effort was no exception. Their longest play from scrimmage in this game was 15 yards. In fact, that was their only pass that gained more than 10 yards. Carolina averaged 1.7 yards per pass and fewer than 2.5 per offensive play. They posted seven first downs and a whopping 119 yards of offense. Once again, the defense was pretty much abandoned, spending over 35 minutes on the field. To avoid embarrassment, perhaps the Panthers should just start every series with a rush and then punt on second down. They are so Ugly they are unwatchable.
NY Giants – Faced with a golden opportunity to cement a playoff slot, the Giants responded by turning the ball over six times. On top of the six turnovers, the defense gave up over 500 yards, 400 plus in the air. While they did move the ball, they could not overcome the turnovers. Not much more needs to be said. Combine a porous defense that gives up far too many big plays with an offense that is a turnover machine and you get an Ugly performance and run out of the stadium. This just a week removed from giving up 28 points in the final eight minutes to blow a chance to take control of the NFCE. Things are Ugly all around for the Giants.
San Diego – It is one thing to have your playoff chances evaporate in week 16. It is another to be called a Super Bowl contender during the pregame shows and end those chances with a decisive loss in Cincinnati. The penalty for not taking the regular season seriously until late October is you have to be nearly perfect in November and December. In this game, the Chargers were outplayed in almost every facet. The defense was lackluster at best, giving up over 370 yards to the Bengals 22nd ranked offense. They made Palmer look like Joe Montana, with 4 TDs in 21 passes. Meanwhile, the offense was all on Phillip Rivers again, who could sue for non-support. In 29-degree, snowy weather with a swirling wind, the Chargers opened the game with a razzle-dazzle play that lost 19 yards and was lucky to not end in a turnover or safety. Later, faced with a 13-0 deficit and first and goal at the Bengal 1 late in the second quarter, the Chargers decided to establish the run and lost a yard on their next 3 plays, settling for a FG. Granted, this was played in frigid weather, something foreign to the Chargers. But the opponent was still the Bengals. This was not the AFC Championship in January of 1982. These Bengals are not 12-4 (possibly 4-12), the temperature was not -9, and thanks to this Ugly effort, the Chargers are not eligible for the AFC Championship.
San Francisco - Early in the 2nd Qtr, Tedd Ginn returned a punt 78 yards for a score. Then late in the 2nd Qtr, Troy Smith connected with Crabtree who ran 60 yards for their only offensive touchdown of the game. Add a 4th Qtr FG and there’s your Niners scoring summary in a nutshell. All playoff hopes were snapped when Troy Smith was sacked for a loss with just :28 left in the game. In a matter of hours, Mike Singletary was fired and Defensive line coach Jim Tomsula was named as the interim HC for the Niners final game against Arizona.
Honors
Indianapolis Colts rushing attack – Known for “not being able to run the ball”, the Colts put up almost 200 rushing yards on the Oakland Raiders with Dom Rhodes, Joseph Addai, Donald Brown and even Peyton Manning contributing. Peyton’s 27-yard naked bootleg run to end the game was the 2nd longest run of his career.
Jacoby Ford - Opened the game up for the Raiders with a 99 yard return TD, setting a franchise record of three return TD’s this season (two of them were the opening kickoff.)
Josh Freeman - He had a near perfect game, as cited in the Bucs Good writeup. A 144 QB rating and 5 TDs will get our attention. He has as many TDs as incompletions.
Joe Webb – Webb didn’t look like a backup as he led his Vikings to an upset victory over the Eagles in Philadelphia. He used both his legs and his arm to help in an impressive win over an NFC favorite.
Dishonors
Mike Singletary - Big Mike had been on the watch list for a while now, but engaging in a argument on the sidelines with your (sometimes) starting QB probably wasn’t the best career move. He’s mismanaged enough games to make you wonder if Singletary will ever get a chance at HC in the NFL again.
Placekicking for the entire league/season – It is somehow symbolically appropriate that the trend of usually reliable kickers going through horrible slumps was kicked off (sorry, the pun almost wrote itself) by Garrett Hartley. The minor league hero for the Saints in last year’s SB opened the season poorly enough to earn a temporary pass to ride the pine. This saw such notable events as the Steelers releasing long time fixture Jeff Reed, Miami’s Dan Carpenter, steady for most of the season suffering an 0-4 day and arguably culminated in week 16 with Dallas’ loss on a botched XP attempt by Buehler…the second instance in 3 weeks of a lost extra point late in the 4th that almost surely would have forced OT, but instead led to a 1 point loss. (to be fair, the first cas caused by a bad snap not a botched kick, but in a game where usually reliable Graham Gano had already mised 2 FGs.) Overall the accuracy for the entire league is respectable, and actually just a hair better than 2009, but it just seems like the failures have come in spectacular spurts and to some PKs who have rarely if ever hung their heads in shame before.
Awards
Ciron Black (Best of the Good): Green Bay. Over 500 yards of offense against the 6th ranked Defense in the league. With a healthy Aaron Rodgers, this team will be hard to beat.
Aunt Esther (Ugliest of the Ugly): Carolina. Because it’s the right thing to do.
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gbu,
nfl week 16
NFL Week 16: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
December 29, 2010 - 12:35 pm · 0 comments
by Zack Kelberman
in Community Commentary, Weekly Segments
Sixteen down, one to go. We end 2010 with nine of twelve playoff participants are decided. All that remains is to crown an AFCS and NFCW participant and settle the final NFC wild card berth. Week sixteen did indeed settle some of those slots, including some seeding. It also left some doors open. Seven teams are fighting for a various array of the remaining three slots.
Week sixteen was sweet sixteen for several teams who locked up playoff spots and seeds. The Pats, Ravens, Chiefs, Steelers, Bears and Saints all have their tickets ready. The Colts stepped up to the window, ready to secure theirs. The Rams helped themselves by eliminating the 49ers. The Pack made a major stride toward the #6 slot by beating the Giants. The Bucs kept their hopes alive with a strong win over the Seahawks.
It was bittersweet for the Eagles and Jets, who benefited from the late Christmas gifts of others, but came up short themselves.
The sixteenth week was sour for others. As noted, the 49ers and Mike Singletary are done. Atlanta is in solid shape and wrapped up one of the top two seeds in the NFC when the Eagles laid an egg, but kept the NFCS in play pending week 17. Jacksonville hurt their chances with a loss at home to the Redskins. The week was sour, but not terminal, for Seattle. The Giants are in intensive care after blowing up in Green Bay
So, we eye the new year and week seventeen with the following questions:
Will the Colts take the AFCS, or can the Jags overtake them by defeating the Texans and having the Titans knock off Indy?
In the NFCW, will the winner be the 7-9 Seahawks or the 8-8 Rams, who meet on Sunday in Seattle?
For the remaining NFC wild card berth, will it be the Bucs, Giants or Packers?
Two other divisions remain to be decided, but the combatants in the AFCN and NFCS all move on to the playoffs regardless.
If nothing else, the last week of the 2010 season and the first games of calendar year 2011 should be interesting.
Thanks to Any, Ben and Goldie for their contributions to this week’s GBU. Happy New Year to all.
Good
Green Bay – In what amounted to a playoff game, the Packers produced a Good effort to seize control of their own destiny for a playoff slot. Aaron Rodgers threw for 404 yards and the offense put up a total of 515. They also controlled the ball for over 37 minutes. Defensively, the Pack generated six turnovers, picking Manning of four times and corralling a pair of fumbles. That negated the fact they did not exactly shut the Giants down, surrendering 386 yards total. The end result gave the Packers the edge for the final wild card slot heading into a matchup with the Bears in Green Bay.
Kansas City – It seems like all season long, most people were waiting for someone to rip the masks of the Chiefs, for them to be found out. What we found out is that KC is legitimate. The Chiefs offense put up 458 yards of offense against the Titans. Matt Cassel had 314 yards and 3 TDs. The win against Tennessee gave gave them their first division title since 2003. The Chiefs finish their season at home against the Raiders who are playing for pride and a perfect 6-0 divisional record.
Minnesota – Leslie Frazier really solidified his worthiness of being an NFL head coach with the banged up Vikings going into Philly and taking down the high-flying Eagles. Backup QB Joe Webb came into the season as a WR project and coaches saw he had a talent for throwing the ball. This talent shone last night as he led the Vikings to victory. Adrian Peterson and Percy Harvin both had big plays exposing a Eagles defense that just looked out of sorts. The Vikings defense harassed Michael Vick all night, forcing him into several bad throws which should have resulted in more interceptions if the Vikes DBs could have caught the errant balls. This victory is a feel-good story for a Vikes team that has had an underwhelming year. If Zigi Wilf is smart, he will sign Frazier to a long-term head coaching contract as soon as possible.
New Orleans – What makes Drew Brees so good is that he doesn’t let mistakes carry into his next pass. Two interceptions in the 4th quarter would have rattled a mere mortal, but Drew shook it off and proceeded to lead the Saints down the field for 90 yards and a TD pass to Rookie TE Jimmy Graham that resulted in the win against Atlanta. The win clinched a playoff berth for New Orleans and leaves them still in a battle for the NFC South with the Falcons.
Tampa Bay – The Bucs have quietly put together a good season and a major step forward in their rebuilding effort. While pounding on the Seahawks on the east coast is no major accomplishment, the Bucs did so thoroughly. They ran for 208 yards at 8 yards a carry. Josh Freeman continues to impress, completing 21 of 26 passes with 5 for TDs and a 144 QB rating. The Bucs outgained the Seahawks 439-174 and rattled off 31 consecutive points after falling behind 7-0. Let’s not forget, this game was not meaningless to the Seahawks at the kickoff. A Good performance keeps the Bucs in the playoff hunt entering the season’s final week.
Bad
Oakland – Just when you think Dr. Jekyll has beaten Mr. Hyde… Last week, Raiders HC Cable said the Raiders weren’t going to change what’s working for them, that would be leading with the run. And well, it HAD been working, so why would you change that? Because you’re the Raiders. Arguably one of the best RB tandems in the NFL, McFadden and Bush, got 14 touches between them while Jason Campbell threw the ball 42 times. That’s the most he’s thrown all season. And with that, the Raiders fall to the Colts 31-26. It’s not like the Raiders weren’t in the game, so it makes you wonder why they once again abandoned what works.
Philadelphia – Having locked up the NFCE thanks to the crater in Green Bay where the NY Giants once stood, the Eagles turned their sights to a #1 or #2 NFC playoff seed. You would not know it by watching them Tuesday night. The Eagles offense allowed the Vikings defense to limit their production to Michael Vick. Vick responded as well as he could, throwing for 263 yards and a TD, running for 63 yards and another TD, but was intercepted once and should have had at least three more picked. The Eagles never adjusted to the blitzing and the Vikings secondary did a decent job of not allowing receivers to get open when Vick was flushed from the pocket. Statistically, the game was fairly even, but three turnovers and the lack of an offensive flow hurt the Eagles badly. The result of this Bad effort was a #3 seed in the playoffs, meaning an additional game to win against the Packers, Bucs or Giants.
Ugly
Carolina – This review is brought to you by the Department of Excess Redundancy Department. It wasn’t that the Panthers got clobbered in Pittsburgh. Anyone with a pulse knew that was going to happen. But Carolina sets a new standard for ineptitude and Ugly on a weekly basis and this effort was no exception. Their longest play from scrimmage in this game was 15 yards. In fact, that was their only pass that gained more than 10 yards. Carolina averaged 1.7 yards per pass and fewer than 2.5 per offensive play. They posted seven first downs and a whopping 119 yards of offense. Once again, the defense was pretty much abandoned, spending over 35 minutes on the field. To avoid embarrassment, perhaps the Panthers should just start every series with a rush and then punt on second down. They are so Ugly they are unwatchable.
NY Giants – Faced with a golden opportunity to cement a playoff slot, the Giants responded by turning the ball over six times. On top of the six turnovers, the defense gave up over 500 yards, 400 plus in the air. While they did move the ball, they could not overcome the turnovers. Not much more needs to be said. Combine a porous defense that gives up far too many big plays with an offense that is a turnover machine and you get an Ugly performance and run out of the stadium. This just a week removed from giving up 28 points in the final eight minutes to blow a chance to take control of the NFCE. Things are Ugly all around for the Giants.
San Diego – It is one thing to have your playoff chances evaporate in week 16. It is another to be called a Super Bowl contender during the pregame shows and end those chances with a decisive loss in Cincinnati. The penalty for not taking the regular season seriously until late October is you have to be nearly perfect in November and December. In this game, the Chargers were outplayed in almost every facet. The defense was lackluster at best, giving up over 370 yards to the Bengals 22nd ranked offense. They made Palmer look like Joe Montana, with 4 TDs in 21 passes. Meanwhile, the offense was all on Phillip Rivers again, who could sue for non-support. In 29-degree, snowy weather with a swirling wind, the Chargers opened the game with a razzle-dazzle play that lost 19 yards and was lucky to not end in a turnover or safety. Later, faced with a 13-0 deficit and first and goal at the Bengal 1 late in the second quarter, the Chargers decided to establish the run and lost a yard on their next 3 plays, settling for a FG. Granted, this was played in frigid weather, something foreign to the Chargers. But the opponent was still the Bengals. This was not the AFC Championship in January of 1982. These Bengals are not 12-4 (possibly 4-12), the temperature was not -9, and thanks to this Ugly effort, the Chargers are not eligible for the AFC Championship.
San Francisco - Early in the 2nd Qtr, Tedd Ginn returned a punt 78 yards for a score. Then late in the 2nd Qtr, Troy Smith connected with Crabtree who ran 60 yards for their only offensive touchdown of the game. Add a 4th Qtr FG and there’s your Niners scoring summary in a nutshell. All playoff hopes were snapped when Troy Smith was sacked for a loss with just :28 left in the game. In a matter of hours, Mike Singletary was fired and Defensive line coach Jim Tomsula was named as the interim HC for the Niners final game against Arizona.
Honors
Indianapolis Colts rushing attack – Known for “not being able to run the ball”, the Colts put up almost 200 rushing yards on the Oakland Raiders with Dom Rhodes, Joseph Addai, Donald Brown and even Peyton Manning contributing. Peyton’s 27-yard naked bootleg run to end the game was the 2nd longest run of his career.
Jacoby Ford - Opened the game up for the Raiders with a 99 yard return TD, setting a franchise record of three return TD’s this season (two of them were the opening kickoff.)
Josh Freeman - He had a near perfect game, as cited in the Bucs Good writeup. A 144 QB rating and 5 TDs will get our attention. He has as many TDs as incompletions.
Joe Webb – Webb didn’t look like a backup as he led his Vikings to an upset victory over the Eagles in Philadelphia. He used both his legs and his arm to help in an impressive win over an NFC favorite.
Dishonors
Mike Singletary - Big Mike had been on the watch list for a while now, but engaging in a argument on the sidelines with your (sometimes) starting QB probably wasn’t the best career move. He’s mismanaged enough games to make you wonder if Singletary will ever get a chance at HC in the NFL again.
Placekicking for the entire league/season – It is somehow symbolically appropriate that the trend of usually reliable kickers going through horrible slumps was kicked off (sorry, the pun almost wrote itself) by Garrett Hartley. The minor league hero for the Saints in last year’s SB opened the season poorly enough to earn a temporary pass to ride the pine. This saw such notable events as the Steelers releasing long time fixture Jeff Reed, Miami’s Dan Carpenter, steady for most of the season suffering an 0-4 day and arguably culminated in week 16 with Dallas’ loss on a botched XP attempt by Buehler…the second instance in 3 weeks of a lost extra point late in the 4th that almost surely would have forced OT, but instead led to a 1 point loss. (to be fair, the first cas caused by a bad snap not a botched kick, but in a game where usually reliable Graham Gano had already mised 2 FGs.) Overall the accuracy for the entire league is respectable, and actually just a hair better than 2009, but it just seems like the failures have come in spectacular spurts and to some PKs who have rarely if ever hung their heads in shame before.
Awards
Ciron Black (Best of the Good): Green Bay. Over 500 yards of offense against the 6th ranked Defense in the league. With a healthy Aaron Rodgers, this team will be hard to beat.
Aunt Esther (Ugliest of the Ugly): Carolina. Because it’s the right thing to do.
You might also like:
Tagged as: gbu, nfl week 16