A few division races may have been settled, and the Jets have been dethroned as the best team in the AFC after only one week. How about the Giants you ask? Well they're just fine. Week thirteen is in the books and online in this Final Drive!
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23, New Orleans Saints 20
The Bucs needed to fight off a fourth quarter rally with a late field goal and two interceptions in the final four minutes, but they managed to come out on top over Drew Brees and the Saints. Tampa’s secondary picked off the MVP candidate Brees three times in total and held the Saints to 44 rushing yards to prove their defense is still one of the best on football. Jeff Garcia had a sub-par outing, going 9 for 23 and one touchdown, but Jon Gruden’s squad found a way to win. The Saints would need to win out and get a lot of help in order to get into the playoffs, so they’ll need to start looking at ways to improve that defense… again.
New York Giants 23, Washington Redskins 7
If you haven’t believed my hype regarding the Giants, you should now. Sans Plaxico Burress, Eli Manning put up almost 300 passing yards against a physical Redskin secondary. That’s a great sign for Tom Coughlin’s group, who will now be without Burress for the rest of the season. Defensive end Justin Tuck added two more sacks to his season total, providing star talent on what was supposed to be an under-manned defensive line. The ‘Skins are still in the playoff hunt, but with an ailing Clinton Portis and a closing schedule that includes the Ravens and Eagles (albeit mixed with the Bengals and 49ers); they’ll need some help to make it into January.
Atlanta Falcons 22, San Diego Chargers 16
Anyone who predicted that the Atlanta Falcons would be 8-4 with a rookie head coach and a rookie quarterback is either a certifiable genius or an authentic wacko. Matt Ryan is out-performing even the loftiest of expectations that come with being picked number three overall. On the flip side, the San Diego Chargers are experiencing a nightmare. They’ve gone from pre-season Super Bowl pick to well below .500 with only four games remaining. There won’t be any playoffs in San Diego this year, and despite a vote of confidence from his superiors, Norv Turner is on the hot seat.
Pittsburgh Steelers 33, New England Patriots 10
New England has been teasing its fan base with outrageous offensive output and an opportunistic defense the past few weeks. That ideal shattered last Sunday against the Steelers, as Matt Cassel was sacked five times, picked off twice, and was made to fumble twice. They may still be in the playoff hunt, but maybe Tom Brady is as valuable to the Patriots as we think. Pittsburgh got back to running the ball, racking up 161 yards and averaging 4.7 a carry. At 9-3, the Steelers are going to be a dangerous team in the playoffs, especially if they get to play at Heinz Field.
Denver Broncos 34, New York Jets 17
I don’t think the Jets’ bandwagon was ready for the massive amount of followers they received after beating the Titans. Everyone can jump off now without fear of ridicule. They were soundly beaten by a resilient Broncos squad, who stopped the Jets on three different fourth down conversion attempts and forced two key turnovers. It was a solid showing for a maligned Denver defense that needs to regain some confidence if they are to make any noise in the post-season. For the Jets, it was a humbling experience that they’ll have to use as motivation for their final four games. Maybe they’re not the best in the AFC just yet.
