JC's Take: NFL Week 12 Review

JC's Take: NFL Week 12 Review

Hello everyone! Welcome back for my review of everything from this past week's NFL action!

Team of the Week: Chicago Bears

-I'll be the first to admit that I did not think the Bears would make the playoffs. I thought they would stumble down the stretch and fade away. I didn't trust Jay Cutler or Mike Martz with the offense, and I didn't think the defense would be able to hold up. But I was wrong. The Bears went out and pretty much dominated the entire game against the Eagles. They held Mike Vick in check and forced him into mistakes. And Jay Cutler looked like the QB everyone expected him to be, throwing 4 TDs. Now, the Bears can say they are the second best team in the NFC. They just beat the Eagles, and they already beat the Packers earlier in the year. They'll be sticking around for the long run, and could very well be playing in late January.

Game of the Week: Atlanta Falcons 20  Green Bay 17

-Many people thought this would be the best game considering it was a match-up of two of the best teams in the NFC. It lived up to the hype. The Falcons were up 17-10 when Aaron Rodgers threw a beautiful TD pass to Jordy Nelson with 56 seconds left. Then on the kickoff, Eric Weems of the Falcons had a great return, with an extra 15 yards thrown in because of a Green Bay facemask penalty. Matt Bryant then hit a 47 yard field goal with 9 seconds left to win the game. Both teams showed that they belong in the playoff picture and are capable of playing in late January. The Falcons staked their claim for being the best team in the NFC, and continue to win at home. They'll probably end up with home field in the playoffs, and that's bad news for the rest of the NFC.

Goat of the Week: Stevie Johnson WR Buffalo Bills

-Let me start off by saying a few things. Johnson is not the only reason the Bills lost this game. Leodis McKelvin tripped over his own blocker on the opening kickoff in OT. Lee Evans fumbled a catch deep in Steeler territory on the opening drive of the second half. The Bills scored zero points in the first half. Now, saying all of that, I'll say this: YOU HAVE TO CATCH THAT BALL!!! You are a paid NFL Wide Receiver on the big stage. That was one of the easiest catches to make as a WR. Johnson showed some real emotion at his press conference. The kid has a bright future, so I hope it doesn't effect him for the rest of his career. Hopefully Chan and the rest of the Bills let him no that.

Other NFL Notes

-Even with Stevie's drop, that Steelers/Bills game was quite entertaining. I think the Steelers have some serious problems they need to fix before the playoffs. Their offensive line looks terrible as they were getting blown up by a less than stellar Bills front 7 all game. Their defense continue to get beat by short passes. And now they have to worry about Big Ben's foot injury. He'll probably play through it, but it might be something that bothers him the rest of the year. And with a huge showdown against the Ravens this week, it'll be a big test for Ben and the Steelers.

-How about that throwdown between Texans WR Andre Johnson and Titans DB Cortland Finnegan. Finnegan has a reputation for being a dirty player, and if you saw how him and Johnson interacted during the game, you had to know something was brewing. I give kudos for AJ for taking a stand. Finnegan was trying to clap off the incident afterwards, probably because he knew he just got butt-whipped on TV. Neither player was suspended, which I find surprising. They were fined as much as Richard Seymour was for his hit on Big Ben. Johnson is a calm player so it was surprising to see him react like he did.

-Just when you thought the Giants were dead and out of it, they come from behind and take down the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Giants are depleted with injuries on the offensive side of the ball, but Eli Manning picked up his game late and lead the Giants to victory. The NFC is going to be a tight playoff race all the way down to the end and every win is more and more valuable.

-After watching the Chargers/Colts game Sunday night, you have to think the rest of the league is finally catching up to the Colts. They have no run game to speak of, and that is allowing defenses to key in on Peyton Manning. And at 6-5, they are in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time in a long time. They have big divisional games left against the Titans and Jaguars. Win those games and they will be back in the playoff hunt. But coach Jim Caldwell has to tell Peyton to not do too much. He's been doing that the past couple weeks and he's been making bad mistakes because of it.

-Man, is the NFC West bad or what. The Seahawks and Rams are tied for first place at 5-6. What's worse is that one of them will end up hosting a first round playoff game instead of a team like the Saints or Packers who will finish with a much better record. I think the NFL has to step in and do something about that. I think a team that wins its division still deserves the right to make the playoffs, but if they finish with a sub-500 record, they don't deserve to host a playoff game. Now if they finish with a record of over 500 but still have a worse record than a Wild Card team, I'm ok with that. It's just not fair to Wild Card teams.

POWER RANKINGS!!!

1. Atlanta Falcons (9-2, #1 last week)- They staked their claim as the best team in the NFC. Now they just can't slip up down the stretch.

2. New England Patriots (9-2, #2)- Detroit gave them everything they could but they survived. Their defense still has some holes that need to be fixed.

3. New York Jets (9-2, #3)- They keep winning, and now have a huge showdown next week in New England on Monday night.

4. Baltimore Ravens (8-3, #5)- They could have been better against the Bucs, but a wins a win. They can stake their claim to the division next week with a win against Pittsburgh.

5. Chicago Bears (8-3, #10)- They catapult up because of their big win against Philly. It looks like they'll be around come January.

6. New Orleans Saints (8-3, #8)- They hung on against Dallas. As long as they keep winning they control their own destiny.

7. Pittsburgh Steelers (8-3, #7)- Their weaknesses were exposed against a gritty Bills team. That offensive line better get their act together fast.

8. Philadelphia Eagles (7-4, #8)- Their comeback effort fell short. The defense was exposed by Jay Cutler and that needs to be fixed.

9. Green Bay Packers (7-4, #6)- They could have won in Atlanta, but gave up a big special teams return late. Now they're on the outside looking in on the playoff race.

10. San Diego Chargers (6-5, #14)- They may not be leading their division, but they've been playing the best football over the last month.

11. Kansas City Chiefs (7-4, #13)- The offense looks to have found their form. As long as they keep winning they'll be in the playoffs. They control their own destiny.

12. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-4, #9)- They still can't beat a team with a winning record. But they aren't out of the playoff picture yet, and that's all that matters.

13. New York Giants (7-4, #15)- Just when you think they're down out they comeback and win. Now they have to maintain the momentum gained from last week's win.

14. Jacksonville Jaguars (6-5, #11)- A win in New York would have given them a leg up in the division, but the defense faltered late and now they're in a dog fight til the end.

15. Indianapolis Colts (6-5, #12)- They're not used to having to play this tough so late in the season. Hopefully for their sake they know how to.

16. Miami Dolphins (6-5, #17)- The offense could have used some of those points last week against Chicago. They can still make a late playoff run, but the offense needs to play consistent.

17. St. Louis Rams (5-6, #21)- They finally came threw on the road, and the offense looked great in doing so. If they keep winning, they'll make the playoffs.

18. Houston Texans (5-6, #23)- Just when you think they're out of contention in the AFC South, losses by the Colts and Jags put them back in. Finally got a good performance out of their D.

19. Oakland Raiders (5-6, #16)- They're now two games back in the AFC West. The loss against Miami hurts because it was one of the more winnable games left on the  schedule.

20. Washington Redskins (5-6, #18)- A home loss versus Minnesota pretty much puts them out of playoff contention. How will Daniel Snyder blowup the team this off-season?

21. Cleveland Browns (4-7, #24)- They keep playing hard. They even won a game with Jake Delhomme at QB!

22. Tennessee Titans (5-6, #19)- That was an ugly shutout loss. Even with a rookie QB, not being able to score on a bad Texans defense has to be considered disappointing.

23. Seattle Seahawks (5-6, #20)- The defense has been getting lit up recently. That won't help them win even a bad division like the NFC West.

24. San Francisco 49ers (4-7, #26)- They're only a game back in the NFC West, but they better hope Brian Westbrook is the Westbrook of old with Frank Gore out for the year.

25. Dallas Cowboys (3-8, #22)- They fought hard at home on Thanksgiving day but came up short. They'll still play spoiler come December.

26. Minnesota Vikings (3-8, #29)- Another team that looks to be playing hard for their interim head coach. Brett Favre on play action roll out? Don't see that everyday.

27. Buffalo Bills (2-9, #25)- Another missed opportunity against a big time opponent. They'll look back on this season as a missed chance to prove the critics wrong.

28. Denver Broncos (3-8, #27)- If McDaniels stays, Denver riots!!!

29. Arizona Cardinals (3-8, #28)- If Fitzgerald leaves, expect half empty a half empty stadium.

30. Detroit Lions (2-9, #30)- If Stafford was healthy, they'd probably be 6-5.

31. Cincinnati Bengals (2-9, #31)- T.O. probably thinks The Beatles were just average too.

32. Carolina Panthers (1-10, #32)- Almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.


AFC PLAYOFF PICTURE
1. New York Jets (9-2)
2. Baltimore Ravens (8-3)
3. Kansas City Chiefs (7-4)
4. Jacksonville Jaguars (6-5)
5. New England Patriots (9-2)
6. Pittsburgh Steelers (8-3)
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7. San Diego Chargers (6-5)
8. Indianapolis Colts (6-5)
9. Miami Dolphins (6-5)

NFC PLAYOFF PICTURE
1. Atlanta Falcons (9-2)
2. Chicago Bears (8-3)
3. Philadelphia Eagles (7-4)
4. St. Louis Rams (5-6)
5. New Orleans Saints (8-3)
6. New York Giants (7-4)
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7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-4)
8. Green Bay Packers (7-4)

COACHES ON THE HOT SEAT POWER RANKINGS
1. Marvin Lewis, Cincinnati
2. John Fox, Carolina
3. Josh McDaniels, Denver
4. Jeff Fisher, Tennessee
5. Gary Kubiak, Houston

Three Games I'd Like to See Next Week
Pittsburgh vs Baltimore- It's always a dogfight when these two teams play
NY Jets vs New England- Winner has inside track on home field in AFC
Atlanta vs Tampa Bay- Last chance for Tampa to prove they belong atop the NFC

That's all for today!

My first review is up at the new site I write for, rawreviewcrew.com. Go give us a look!

Until next time,
Justin C