 The Good, The Bad and The Ugly (Week 16) Well, as usual I’m a moron. I said there wouldn’t be any late season drama and I was wrong. Thankfully there are going to be some Week 17 games that mean something. In the AFC, there is one wild card spot up for grabs. Cleveland could’ve had it by beating Cincinnati but they couldn’t get it done, so now Tennessee has a chance to steal it away. All the Titans have to do is beat an Indianapolis team that will likely sit its starters after half time. If Tennessee loses, however, Cleveland automatically takes the last AFC Wildcard. In the NFC, the last Wildcard spot is the Redskins’ to lose. They play top seeded Dallas on Sunday in front of a fired up crowd at Fedex Field. The Cowboys are assured the #1 seed in the NFC and home field advantage throughout the playoffs. They don’t have anything to play for except for the fact that it’s Redskins/Cowboys. Lastly, New England plays its last regular season game against the Giants and they have their shot to have a perfect season and solidify themselves as one of the best NFL teams ever. All eyes will be on that game to see if Belichik benches his stars to save them for the playoffs or keeps them in for a shot at history. Blondie (The Good) 1. New England Patriots: Brady, Moss, Welker, and Co. better build a huge lead in the first half because Belichik would be stupid to play them in the 2nd half just to get a perfect regular season record. 2. Indianapolis Colts: Anyone who thought the Colts were going to lay down for the Texans just because they have the #2 seed locked up hasn’t watched Peyton Manning the last two seasons. 3. Dallas Cowboys: Having the first round bye will definitely be a huge help for them. Romo and T.O. are banged up and need the rest. 4. Jacksonville Jaguars: The Jags are among the hottest AFC teams heading into the playoffs. If they can just manage to beat a great team, they can start to get the respect they deserve. 5. San Diego Chargers: Hopefully Norv Turner won’t make the same mistake Mary Schottenheimer did in last year’s playoffs and Turner’s own mistakes in the beginning of the season where LDT was left out of the play calling. It’s obvious when he gets the ball 30 times or more in a game, the Chargers are tough to beat. 6. Pittsburgh Steelers: After looking like they might be fizzling out, Big Ben and the Steelers put up a big win to reclaim the AFC North title. 7. Green Bay Packers: The biggest slip of the week. That’s what happens when the freaking Bears beat you like you stole their loaf of bread. 8. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: I’m still waiting to see what happens when they play a decent opponent. They really haven’t been challenged much this year. 9. Seattle Seahawks: The Seahawks needed that type of big win to get their confidence back. They look like they are capable of at least one post season win. 10. NY Giants: Could that 2nd half offensive explosion be the catalyst the Giants need to make a playoff run? I’d ask Eli Manning but I’d rather ask someone who doesn’t have the personality of a sponge. 11. Washington Redskins: Hail to the Redskins. You’re making Sean proud. 12. Cleveland Browns: Now that the weather is colder, the Browns’ horrid run defense is being exposed big time. 13. Tennessee Titans: Here’s a team that is one Pro Bowl receiver away from being a dangerous team. Until they get Vince Young some serious targets, the Titans are utterly beatable. Angel Eyes (The Bad) 14. Philadelphia Eagles: Going back to the night they almost beat the Patriots, I can’t think of many other teams playing as well as the Eagles. Say what you will about Andy Reid, but he’s gotten this team prepared for every game when they really had nothing to play for. 15. Minnesota Vikings: You had a good run, Vikings. You really did. Now get yourself a QB in the off-season and you guys are solid. 16. Buffalo Bills: I really thought I saw an upset in the making against the Giants. The Bills still deserve praise for putting together a much improved season even with many key injuries. 17. Arizona Cardinals: Arizona has a shot at not having a losing season for the first time in a very long time. If you think these guys are going to be better next year, you’re crazy. 18. New Orleans Saints: Credit should be given to the Saints for at least making the season interesting after going 0-4. It should also be noted that Drew Brees has been crazy good in the 2nd half of the season. 19. Houston Texans: Again, they are still a year away from making any noise in the AFC. 20. Chicago Bears: Wow just think if the Bears played like that all year long. Not even the Cowboys beat the Packers that badly. 21. Denver Broncos: Some days they looked like a playoff team, some games they didn’t. Monday night, they sure didn’t. 22. Detroit Lions: OK, so 10 wins is out of the question, but 8-8 is a real possibility. After having the 2ndto worst record in the league last year, that’s gotta count for something. Tuco (The Ugly) 23. San Francisco 49ers: This is a surprisingly frisky team with Shaun Hill at QB. Should Mike Nolan go ahead and bench Alex Smith now before there is a controversy? 24. Cincinnati Bengals: Had the Bengals addressed their defense last off-season, who knows, maybe they could’ve been a playoff team. 25. Carolina Panthers: When Steve Smith goes off, this is a different team from those other stink bombs that have taken the filed with Panther uniforms on. 26. NY Jets: Can I just call them a “not horrible” bad team? 27. Kansas City Chiefs: I’m trying to decide which team has given up on their coach more, the Chiefs or the Ravens. 28. St. Louis Rams: The Rams may be closing the season with close games, but I’m thinking Scot Linehan’s days in St. Louis are after the Cardinals game. 29. Oakland Raiders: Maybe Lane Kiffin is the answer in Oakland. 30. Baltimore Ravens: Whatever the line is against the Steelers, take Pittsburgh. Really. 31. Atlanta Falcons: Likewise. 32. Miami Dolphins: Leave it to the Patriots to bring the Dolphins back to Earth after their big win against the Ravens last week.
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