It was a crazy week 14 in the NFL, book-ended by division upsets on Thursday and Monday night. While the playoff picture is coming into focus, we still have loads of drama in the NFC East and two undefeated teams with their eyes set on the Lombardi Trophy. The Final Drive starts now!
(13-0) New Orleans Saints 26
(6-7) Atlanta Falcons 23
A Chris Redman-led Falcons mounted a valiant comeback, but Drew Brees and the Saints pulled out a thriller to clinch the NFC South. With a Saturday night game against Dallas coming up, the unbeaten New Orleans is proving they are the true team to beat in the NFC, winning in a variety of ways.
(7-6) Miami Dolphins 14
(7-6) Jacksonville Jaguars 10
Jacksonville had control of their playoff destiny. That is, until Miami won in a squeaker. Now the last AFC wildcard spot is up for grabs in a free-for-all. Sorry Jaguars, you had you chance. Chad Henne continues to impress and Ricky Williams continues to shoulder the load without Ronnie Brown.
(13-0) Indianapolis Colts 28
(8-5) Denver Broncos 16
Even when he throws three interceptions, Peyton Manning finds a way to crush your dreams. Josh McDaniels' defense looked lost at times and could never get anything substantial going on offense. I could care less about Brandon Marshall's NFL record 21 receptions. It happened in a loss where the Broncos were forced to pass all the time. Color me not impressed.
(11-2) Minnesota Vikings 30
(9-4) Cincinnati Bengals 10
After being thumped by the Cardinals, the Vikes took their frustrations out on the visiting Bengals. Carson Palmer did not break the 100-yard passing mark while Brett Favre let his defense do all the heavy-lifting. If Childress can give Favre some rest in the next few weeks, Minnesota will be in prime playoff position, even if they can't catch the Saints.
(8-5) New England Patriots 20
(5-8) Carolina Panthers 10
The game was meh, the drama afterwards was fantastic. All this talk about Randy Moss "giving up" and quitting on the field is nothing new. It's just new to New England. Benching Adalius Thomas is exactly what I expected from Bill "Control Freak in a Hoodie" Belichick. They're certainly not the elite team everyone expected them to be.
(10-3) San Diego Chargers 20
(8-5) Dallas Cowboys 17
Oh Tony Romo, why do you get all the grief and blame? I don't think anything's wrong with the Cowboys this season, they just have a ridiculously difficult end of the season schedule. While they're not the powerhouse of years past, I've seen some positives from Dallas this year. Chargers QB Philip Rivers is once again putting on an MVP-type performance that no one will notice.
(9-4) Philadelphia Eagles 45
(7-6) New York Giants 38
Apparently defense was optional on Sunday night. I didn't get that memo from the league. Maybe it went into my spam folder. The Eagles made big play after big play, thanks to an electric DeSean Jackson. New York racked up over 500 yards of offense and still lost! What up with that G-Men? Tom Coughlin's face is still red. Though even he'd admit that Andy Reid / Jackson jump-bump was pretty cool though.
Thanks for reading! I'm back to a regular schedule I promise!
Keywords: Bill Belichick, Brett Favre, Carolina Panthers, Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, DeSean Jackson, Drew Brees, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Joe Anello, Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, NFL, Philadelphia Eagles, Philip Rivers, Randy Moss, San Diego Chargers, Tony Romo
