Week 15 Game Notes

Falcons over Jaguars

Adam

• The Falcons still haven't proved themselves to me as a legitimate big boy in the NFC.
• They have developed some consistency, winning 4 out of their last 5 games, but a big test looms next week with a trip to New Orleans.  Win or lose, that contest will tell us a ton about where the Falcons are in terms of readiness for the playoffs. 
• The Jaguars are terrible, and though it may be premature to write him off completely, Blaine Gabbert looks really bad out there.

Eric

• Dear NFL, Quit putting the Jaguars in prime time.  Sincerely, Everyone.

Cowboys over Buccaneers

Adam

• Not that it proves much of anything, but Dallas did what they were supposed to do, while their main division competition (the Giants) couldn't.
• Beating Tampa Bay is about as hard as finding pot at a college house party, but a win is a win.
• Tony Romo has to scare any opponent with 29 touchdowns and just 9 interceptions so far this year.
• Tampa is young, Josh Freeman will get back on track, and this team will improve, but Raheem Morris will not be around for the rebuilding process.

Eric

• Who best to play when you need a win?  How about the woeful Buccaneers?
• Dallas takes the hotly contested NFC East’s lead, and Tampa Bay loses their eighth-straight.

Dolphins over Bills

Adam

• The Vice Versa game: Buffalo started the season hot, and is now falling apart.  Miami, coaching change aside, is exactly the opposite.
• Reggie Bush is on the verge of a 1,000 yard rushing season.  That would be a nice bounce back for a man whose career has thus far been a big disappointment.

Eric

• Miami extends Buffalo’s losing streak to 7 games.

Seahawks over Bears

Adam

• Caleb Hanie is awful.  I don't know how the hell he played so well last year in the NFC Championship Game, but this guy is not fit for the NFL.
• Seattle has outside playoff hopes after a horrid start.  They're now 7-7, playing good defense, and Tarvaris Jackson has actually performed solidly this year.
• For Jackson, that's a big step.

Eric

• Caleb Hanie… just, no.

Panthers over Texans

Adam

• The Panthers are a team nobody wants to play.  Cam Newton and crew can light up the scoreboard at any time.
• The Texans showed that they are limited with TJ Yates, and especially without Andre Johnson.  Yates could keep this team in games if he had Johnson to bail him out and was supported by the run game, but by himself he can't carry Houston to victory.

Eric

• After the daring comeback last week, TJ Yates time was not meant to be against Carolina.

Colts over Titans

Adam

• This game sums up the Titans season, completely inexplicable.  They were right in the thick of the wild card race, and they lose to the worst team in football.
• I'm kind of glad Indy won a game.  Although 0-16 is funny, it's funnier when it happens to the Lions.  I wouldn't wish that on a solid organization like the Colts.

Eric

• Bust out the bubbly, ‘08 Lions!  There won’t be another 0-16 team this year.

Chiefs over Packers

Adam

• I thought a Packers win in this game was the lock of the century.
• The Chiefs lost their coach, have turmoil at quarterback, and just plain stink.  I guess that just goes to show anything can happen in a given week.
• Long-term, I think this will be good to re-focus the Packers on the real prize, bringing Lombardi home for the second-straight year.

Eric

• Aaron Rodgers replaces Brett Favre as another Packer record holder, this time for most passing touchdowns in a season with 40.
• 40 touchdowns rank sixth all-time.

Saints over Vikings

Adam

• Drew Brees vs. the Minnesota secondary: mismatch of the season.

Eric

• Drew Brees set an NFL record with his eleventh 300-yard passing game this season and tied another with his sixth career game throwing 5 touchdowns.
• More on Brees: he joins Peyton Manning as the only players to throw for 4500 yards in three different seasons.

Redskins over Giants

Adam

• If Washington had more consistency at quarterback and some more weapons on offense, this could be a really good team.
• They play almost everyone tight, they have some studs on defense, and if they could just finish games or create some more explosive plays, they could be a force.
• The Giants continue their inconsistent crusade.  On a good day they go toe-to-toe with the Packers, and on a bad day they can lose to anyone.

Eric

• New York needed this win to keep pace with the Cowboys, but instead they lose to an inferior Redskins team at home and fall one game back in the division.

Bengals over Rams

Adam

• The Bengals haven't made a single thing look easy this year, but they got a road win and kept themselves in the thick of the AFC Wild Card race.
• Question: If the Rams somehow got the first pick in next year's draft, would they possibly bail on Sam Bradford in favor of Andrew Luck?

Eric

• Andy Dalton joins Cam Newton with over 3000 passing yards.
• 2011 is the first year there’s ever been two rookies who have thrown for 3000 yards.

Lions over Raiders

Adam

• The Lions are probably going to make the playoffs, and I'm nearly positive they'll be one and done.  They are too inconsistent and immature to go on the road and beat the Saints, Niners, or Cowboys in a playoff atmosphere.
• How many comeback do the Lions have in them?
• Two first-round picks for Carson Palmer?  Whoops.

Eric

• This is the fourth time this year the Lions have come back from being down at least 13 points, an NFL record.

Cardinals over Browns

Adam

• The Browns have a ton of holes to fill.
• Question: would you rather have John Skelton or Kevin Kolb starting for you at this point?
• Either way, Arizona has played its way back to respectability at 7-7.

Eric

• The cardiac Cardinals won in dramatic fashion again.  Arizona scored 10 points in the fourth quarter to tie the game, and they won in overtime for the third time in seven weeks.

Patriots over Broncos

Adam

• In the first quarter we saw what has made the Broncos a difficult matchup for so many teams: a pounding ground game.
• The rest of the way we saw why they aren't a legitimate threat to do serious damage in the playoffs.  They simply can't throw the ball well enough to keep pace with big time teams.
• Tom Brady: 4,500 yards, 35 touchdowns, 11 picks, 66% completions.  Ho-hum, just another season for the all-time great.

Eric

• This is the third season Tom Brady has thrown for 35 touchdowns.  He’s the second player to have done that, joining Brett Favre.

Eagles over Jets

Adam

• The Eagles are so much scarier right now than the Jets.
• It just took Philadelphia until now to put their pieces together and get healthy.
• LeSean McCoy is in the super-star stratosphere.
• The Jets will not advance to a third-straight AFC Championship with a lethargic offense and an old defense.

Eric

• Maybe the dream isn’t dead.
• If the Eagles, Giants, and Cowboys all finish 8-8, Philadelphia wins the division.

Chargers over Ravens

Adam

• The Chargers are probably making their annual run too late, but Philip Rivers finally looks like his usual self.
• The Ravens are bad on the road.  They better hope they can beat out the Steelers for the two seed.

Eric

• Make it three in a row for San Diego.
• The previously 4-7 Chargers now sit just one game behind the AFC West-leading Broncos.

49ers over Steelers

Adam

• I don't understand how a team can beat the Giants, Eagles, Bengals, Lions, and Steelers, be 11-3 and still have so many questions whether or not they are “for real.”
• Their three loses this year have come by a combined 15 points, and the defense is yet to allow a rushing touchdown.
• Alex Smith is no star, but his rating is 91 for the year, and he has weapons like Michael Crabtree and Vernon Davis opponents have to game plan for.
• Plus, Frank Gore is on pace for 1300 yards.
• Niner rookie Aldon Smith notched his 13th sack in this game, breaking Charles Haley's team rookie record.  Smith’s 13 sacks also rank fifth in the NFL this year.

Eric

• Ben Roethlisberger probably should have sat this one out.  His ankle injury took away the greatest element of his game, the ability to run around and make things happen when plays break down.  And behind a shaky offensive line, Roethlisberger was a sitting duck in the pocket all night long.
• In addition to being sacked three times, Roethlisberger committed four turnovers, three of which were interceptions caused by his inability to stride on the injured ankle and make accurate throws.

--from @AdamHocking and @jeuneski