Joe's 2010 NFL Final Drive: Week 16

With the NFL regular season on its last legs, the playoff picture is coming into focus. Who stepped up in week 16 action and who fell flat? Let's start the Final Drive! 

Well, at 5-10 the Niners didn’t exactly have the break-out year everyone expected them to. I was wary of the hype, but I certainly didn’t think they’d fall off the face of the NFC West. Despite the firing of Mike Singletary after the loss, the real story is Sam Bradford and the St. Louis Rams. They’ve put themselves in a position to win the NFC West by beating the Seahawks next week. Bradford is fighting over the rookie hurdle and giving hope for the future.

Oh Miami. Are you too good for your home? The ‘Phins finish with a 1-7 record at home this season, which is officially a mega-fail. Tony Sparano is undoubtedly out at the end of the year, leaving a vacancy at the coaching position and questions about the future of inconsistent Chad Henne. After winning three in a row without Matthew Stafford, Jim Schwartz has the Lions looking forward to next season. Now Stafford has to stay healthy.

Just when the Jaguars could have used a win to even out the AFC South race, they drop a heart-breaker to the ‘Skins in overtime. Now they need to win and get an Indy loss next week in order to be the AFC South division champ. Story of this game: Rex Grossman. Uh… is it just me or has he looked not uber-crappy? Just wait until he gets named the starter for next year… the ensuing chaos would be hilarious.

You’re fighting to get into the playoffs and you lose to freaking Cincinnati? How embarrassing. I’m honestly glad the Chargers didn’t get into the postseason. They don’t deserve it and I don’t want to hear every five minutes about they’re the “dark horse,” just to watch them crash and burn in the wild-card round. For Cincy, maybe Carson Palmer’s better off without two diva wide-outs yelling at him? Take a cue from the Patriots and ditch the drama.

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Despite an opening return for a touchdown, the Raiders couldn’t mount enough offense to out-shoot the Colts. At 7-8, the Raiders are toying with .500 yet again but have the arrow pointing up… if ever so slightly. As for Manning and the Colts, they might be hitting a hot streak at the right time.

So the Giants are in the biggest game of their season and they fall flat on their big blue faces. What a surprise. Since their Super Bowl win, this team’s M.O. is falling apart down the stretch. To me, that speaks volumes about the coaching and their preparation.

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When the Saints needed a score, Drew Brees made sure it happened. Well, it happened after two interceptions (one of which was a pick-six), but you get the idea. Atlanta’s offense couldn’t get anything going almost all night, being shut down through the air and on the ground. The Falcons defense faltered late, but I don’t think anyone would object to seeing a rematch in the post-season. The only question is who gets home field? (Spoiler: It’ll be Atlanta.)

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Whoops! Who saw that coming? That’s a massive stumble for the Eagles, who were fighting for a first-round bye in the NFC playoffs. Instead, they have a meaningless game against Dallas next week and then they must prepare for the wildcard round, leaving the Bears with a bye. Joe Webb looked solid at QB for the Minnesota Vikings tonight, but don’t get too sucked into the performance yet. He’s a long way from being a starting quarterback in the NFL.