The NFL regular season came to a close and the dust has settled on the playoff seeding! This season has been spectacular with eye-popping touchdown runs, amazing catches, unbelievable defensive plays, and surprising breakout performances. It also featured some heart-breakers, bloopers, and misfortunes.
First, I want to talk about some things that have surprised or shocked me about this year:
- The New York Jets not making the playoffs. With the team they have assembled, I believed this team would at least make it into the postseason. Their defense looked on par to what experts thought of them at the beginning of the season. Teams started to test Revis Island and paid the price. The main problem that Sanchez and the Jets had this year was their performances on the road. At home, Mark Sanchez had an TD-INT ratio of 16: 9. Eh, not the greatest, but it isn't the worst either. On the road though, Sanchez had a TD-INT ratio of 10: 9. His 2 touchdown, 3 interception game in Week 17 against the Dolphins ultimately knocked 'em out of contention. The Jets lost their last 3 games of the season and had they won one game, they would've made the playoffs. We can't blame Sanchez for everything but he certainly played the biggest role in the downfall.
- The Philadelphia Eagles......How sad it is. I'm a huge Eagles fan and this came to shock when they couldn't close out games. It reminds me so much of My Toronto Raptors...and that's not a good thing. All the hype for this team vanished after their collapse against a good 49ers team. You could also blame the play of Michael Vick after his stellar 2010 campaign. But, he did play injured. The defense didn't play well until the second half of the season. Many blame Juan Castillo, the newly installed defensive coordinator for that but the players have to have their share of the blame as well. Maybe it was their lack of experience in their linebacker core or the talent level at the safety positions. Nnamdi Asomugha did play well this year but he was utilized differently compared to when he was at Oakland. *sigh* At least LeSean Mccoy has proven that he has become one of, if not, the best RB in the league now. They got a lot of work to do.
- The play of Chris Johnson! Damn, he surprised me for topping 1000 yards this year! And that's not a good thing. With the talent and athletic ability that he possesses, he should've had a good year. Yes, 1000 yards is a good milestone to have but we all know the capability of reaching a higher mark for this guy. I'd say he only played good in 5 games. He posted two good outings against good defenses like the Steelers and Browns but his other good games were against BUF(ranked 26), CAR(ranked 28), and TB(ranked 30). The Titans ended up winning 4 out of 5 of those games! They needed him to bring that same production every week. He didn't top 100 yards in 13/16 games! And didn't even pass 60 yards in 10 of those games. He was decent in the passing game this year, but it was unlike the past! He wasn't the same CJ2K he was before. Oh how the lockout affects people.
- Some great unexpected QB's making names for themselves. Alex Smith of the 49ers finally had his long awaited breakout season. The Niners were ready to give the keys to the car to rookie Colin Kaepernick before the season if Smith didn't at least play decent. BUT, of course, winning cures all. Alex Smith wasn't as spectacular as the likes of Drew Brees or Aaron Rodgers but he did have a quiet, under the radar good season. He threw 17 TDs and only 5 INTs. I'd say that's pretty good. The Niners defence should get a lot of credit for their success but Alex Smith's improvement should take notice.
Everyone knew Cam was going to be a star but no one expected it to come as early as it did! He broke Peyton Manning's rookie record for most passing yards in their NFL debut. He also rejuvenated Steve Smith. Even though the W's didn't show up this season, expect big things from Cam for a long time.
Andy Dalton was the only rookie QB to lead his team to the playoffs! He and fellow rookie AJ Green anchored that team to a storybook season. They traded their long time faces of the franchise in Chad Ochocinco and Carson Palmer for many draft picks which lead a lot of people to believe they were a few years away from contention. WRONG. Those two aren't missed much back in Cincy anymore because their two young guys are ready to make an impact in the playoffs and for years to come.
Christian Ponder of the Vikings took over mid-season over veteran Donovan McNabb who was later,sadly, cut from the team. He had a decent rookie campaign and although they didn't win many games, they're primed for a big season next year as star RB Adrian Peterson isn't getting any younger.
For the limited amount of games that Jake Locker has played in, he has put up some good numbers! Locker threw for 4 TDs and 0 INTs en route to an 0-4 record as a starter! Yeah, I know, the wins aren't there but he definitely has the tools to become a successful QB in this league.
AND, TJ Yates.... He came in as the 3rd string QB after both Schaub and Leinart got injured. After that, many expected the Texans to have another heartbreaking season. But no.. Yates did as much as he could to get this team to the postseason! Yeah, his numbers weren't great but it was good enough for the team to make a good run at their first playoff berth in their history!
- Marshawn Lynch's surprising year bodes well for the future of that Seahawks team. They finally got themselves a RB to work with since Shaun Alexander.
- Drew Brees breaking the record was an amazing accomplishment. It'll take a long time for that to be broken again.
- I didn't know the Colts were that bad without Peyton....Now, we all can see how much Manning is valued by this team. Will they really draft Andrew Luck or stay with Peyton? That'll be interesting.
- Another "OK" season for Romo. We all know he's capable of being an elite QB but we also all know that he's capable of choking in the most crucial moments. Think Lebron James here. Sadly, I think this might be the end of his era as a Cowboy even though he has been so good....on paper.
- Tampa Bay Bucs being 4-12...That's a surprise. After their glorious season last year, they were primed for a breakout this year. They started out 4-2 but they couldn't do much after that. A bad defense added in with the relapsed development of their young offensive stars cooked up a 10 game losing streak to end the year which ultimately led to the firing of Head Coach, Raheem Morris. BAD MOVE. I believe that this guy will be a successful coach moving forward.
This ended up being the playoff seeding for the NFL
AFC - NFC
New England Patriots(13-3) - Green Bay Packers(15-1)
Baltimore Ravens(12-4) - San Francisco 49ers(13-3)
Houston Texans(10-6) - New Orleans Saints(13-3)
Denver Broncos(8-8) - New York Giants(9-7)
Pittsburgh Steelers(12-4) - Atlanta Falcons(10-6)
Cincinnati Bengals(9-7) - Detroit Lions(10-6)
So, the Pats, Ravens, Packers and 49ers all have byes this week. That means we got some interesting matchups.
- Houston vs Cincinnati - The Texans beat the Bengals earlier on the season. Both have young talent but the Texans do have a more experienced club. Arian Foster is arguably one of the best running backs and Ben Tate is probably the best 2nd stringer in the league who would be starting if he was on any other team. Andre Johnson, although injury plagued, is still one of the most lethal wide receivers in the game. Their defense has been good this year and former Jonathan Joseph is leading the charge. The Bengals do have younger legs and their D has done well. BUT, I'll take the Houston Texans in this ball game. They're at home and they have been waiting for this opportunity for a long time! Arian Foster will have a nice day against them. It'll be a close matchup though.
- Denver vs Pittsburgh - This matchup is an interesting one. They haven't faced each other season. I think this will be an all-defense time of game. The Steelers will probably be without Rashard Mendenhall which be a huge blow for them. Isaac Redman has to fill in big for them. Big Ben and his receivers have been playing well thus far and I think that'll continue this week. As for the Broncos....If Tebow doesn't play well from the get-go, it'll be over before they know it. They need Tebow to start playing well from the 1st quarter because his 4th quarter miracles have been erased for a while now. Expect the Steelers to win this game and don't expect anyone in Denver "Tebowing" after. The Steelers are more experienced and have a better team overall.
- New Orleans vs Detroit - This is going to be a fun one to watch. This game will be one for the ages. Two teams that are known for their great offenses will clash. Drew Brees and the Saints are rolling right now! The Lions have been derailed a bit but we all know what they can do. Stafford to Megatron is something we hear every week and it'll be no different. BUT, the story we'll be hearing the most this week is Brees to any reciever. Darren Sproles is my X-Factor in this game and I expect the Saints to take this one in a high scoring affair.
- New York Giants vs Atlanta - The Giants took a long, scary route to make it. They had to win to get in and luckily, they made it! Unfortunately, they'll have a tough matchup against the Falcons. Burner Turner should come up big for them this week but I expect Roddy White and Julio Jones to steal the show. The Giants do have home-field and more depth. Hakeem Nicks should be able to garner some big catches but the running game is the big key for the Giants. If Bradshaw and Jacobs give Atlanta some problems, Eli can have an easy day at the helm. This is a tough one, but I'll take the Giants in this game.
All these matchups are great and I expect all the best from all these teams! The season has been fun and exciting but its time for the real stuff! Move aside, the big boys are playing!
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