GJ Sports Blog - Sportzine Volume 2

SOCCER

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

After the first two games last week it looks as though it will be an all German Final but I would be surprised if there wasn't an upset somewhere.

In tonight's semi-final we have Dortmund heading to Madrid to defend a 4-1 lead from the first leg.  That away goal could be massive.  Dortmund have been having a fantastic year but nobody would rule out the possibility of Real Madrid winning 3-0 against anyone.  Whilst it's unlikely that Dortmund will collapse, if Cristiano Ronaldo arrives in the right mood, he could do enough damage to overturn the deficit. 

Similarly, in the other tie, Bayern Munich look to have one foot in the Final but if there's one place in the world I'd not want to be defending a four goal lead it would be the Camp Nou.  Barcelona on their day are simply irresistible.  Xavi, Iniesta and Messi are among the best players in the world and when things click for them there is no limits to what they are capable of.  I seem to remember a few weeks back that the obituaries were being written after Barcelona's 2-0 defeat to AC Milan.  On that occasion they turned it around with a 4-0 win.  Obviously, Bayern are a better side than Milan but Barcelona also have extra gears to go through and I certainly wouldn't rule them out.

Without doubt it looks likely that Dortmund and Bayern will meet at Wembley but they would be very wise not to make any travel arrangements just yet as funny things can happen in the Champions League and with the two best players in the world trying to spoil their plans, there will most likely be a sting in the tail somewhere along the line.


QUIZ

With the Champions League semi-finals taking place this week it seems to be a good time to have a Champions League quiz.  Either comment on this with answers or respond on Twitter, @gjsportsblog.

1. The last Final to take place at Wembley was between Barcelona and Manchester United but who were the beaten semi-finalists?

2. Who are the top three goalscorers in Champions League/European Cup history?

3. Lionel Messi has finished as top goal scorer in the Champions League/European four times. Which other striker has won the title four times?

4. Five different English clubs have won the Champions League/European Cup but how many titles do they have between them?

5. Which European city has the most combined wins?

AMERICAN FOOTBALL

NFL

The big story in the NFL this week was the 2013 Draft in New York.  It wasn't a great draft for the skill positions with just one quarterback and no running backs being selected in the first round.  Instead there were a huge eighteen line men drafted including the first seven picks overall. 

Eric Fisher an OT from Central Michigan went to the Kansas City Chiefs with the first pick of the draft.  In other high profile picks many expected Geno Smith of West Virginia to be the first quarterback drafted but the Buffalo Bills surprised everyone by picking EJ Manuel of Florida State with the 16th pick.  Geno Smith ended up dropping out of the first round completely before being selected by the New York Jets with the 39th pick. 

With the 38th pick the San Diego Chargers made a very clever move in my opinion by selecting Notre Dame's, Manti Te'o.  I was very disappointed that the Eagles passed on him with the 35th pick.  Te'o has obviously suffered because of his off the field issues and a disappointing display in the BCS Championship game against Alabama but if the draft had took place at the start of December he would have been a high first rounder.  He won't be the first or last player to play badly against Alabama and whilst the fake girlfriend story is possibly one of the most bizarre I have ever read these things don't tend to stick around too long in sports.  Sure you will be hot news and everyone will be talking about you for a while but this story has ESPN 30 for 30 series written all over it when Manti wins the Defensive Rookie of the Year award next season. 

Another player who fell a lot lower in the draft than he maybe should have is USC quarterback, Matt Barkley who went to the Philadelphia Eagles as the first pick of the fourth round (98th overall).  Barkley has talent and was listed as one of the favourites for last years Heisman Trophy but he and USC had a disappointing year.  In his first three years he was showing signs of improvement every year and if he can adjust to the NFL then the Eagles could have got themselves an excellent talent.

Meanwhile, in other NFL news, the New York Jets have released Tim Tebow.  Once the Jets drafted Geno Smith it became clear that they would have to move someone on and it's not really a surprise that Tebow pulled the short straw.  My own thoughts on Tebow are that he gets quite a tough time from NFL fans and commentators.  His throwing action isn't perfect but in today's NFL were there is so much emphasis on the mobility of quarterbacks I can't understand why nobody can find a use for him.  The Jets looked like a perfect fit to me.  They were struggling at receiver and with Mark Sanchez having such a bad season, Tebow would have been a perfect fit to give them something different.  Rex Ryan loves confusing offenses with different defensive schemes so I am surprised he didn't try to run more schemes with Tebow confusing defenses.  At time of writing there seems to be a lot of teams linked with Tebow but no concrete offers.  Hopefully, his career will continue in the NFL as while he's not perfect, I think he still has a lot to offer the league.

ICE HOCKEY

NHL

It didn't look likely last week but the Detroit Red Wings have kept "the streak" alive.  The Wings finished the regular season with four consecutive wins and it was enough to secure the Western Conference's seventh seed and extend their playoff streak to 22 seasons in a row.

The Red Wings will obviously be delighted to extend the streak but they will be even happier to secure the seventh seed and therefore avoid a first round match up with the Chicago Blackhawks.  I don't say that to disrespect the Anaheim Ducks as they have done well to secure the second seed but the fact is the Red Wings have a better record against them than they do against the Blackhawks.  In their seven games against the two the Red Wings have picked up two wins and a defeat against Anaheim compared to four defeats against Chicago.  Anaheim will still be expected to progress but in playoff hockey anything can happen.

In other playoff ties are:

WEST
Chicago Blackhawks v Minnesota Wild
Vancouver Canucks v San Jose Sharks
St Louis Blues v LA Kings

EAST
Pittsburgh Penguins v New York Islanders
Montreal Canadiens v Ottawa Senators
Washington Capitals v New York Rangers
Boston Bruins v Toronto Maple Leafs

The regular season records would suggest that the Blackhawks and the Penguins are the favourites for the Stanley Cup but no number one seed has won it since the 2007-08 Red Wings so this years title is still very much up for grabs.

BASKETBALL

NBA

I couldn't possibly do this edition of the Sportzine without giving the Chicago Bulls a mention.  I've been watching basketball for almost twenty years now and Saturday nights game against the Brooklyn Nets was as entertaining as it gets.

The Bulls started well and it looked like they were heading towards a comfortable win in the first half but the Nets finished the first half strongly and then stepped things up a gear in the second half.  With three minutes to go the Nets looked to have tied the series as they led by fourteen.  However, Nate Robinson and the Bulls had other ideas and they rallied superbly to take the game to overtime.

Robinson's fourth quarter performance was outstanding and he single handedly dragged the Bulls back into the game.  He scored 23 points in the fourth quarter which is just one point less than Michael Jordan's franchise record.  He continued to make things on offence until he was eventually fouled out of the game in the second overtime.

Credit to the Nets, once they gave away the fourteen point lead I expected them to collapse but they bounced back and held their nerve well to come from behind in the first two overtimes to keep themselves alive.  Eventually the Bulls secured a memorable win when they left the Nets with too much to do in the third overtime, running out 142-134 winners to take a 3-1 lead in the series.

Since then the series has returned to Brooklyn were the Nets have forced a game six after a comfortable, 110-91 win.

In the other games, Miami and San Antonio have swept the Bucks and the Lakers to secure their passage to the next round.  New York, Golden State and Oklahoma City are just one game away from progression, holding 3-1 leads.  The two series that look to be heading to the wire are Indiana v Atlanta and Memphis v LA Clippers.  Both are locked at 2-2 although if the games go with home court advantage it will be Indiana and LA who progress.

There is much basketball still be be played but I still haven't saw anything that makes me believe anyone can stop the Heat repeating as NBA champions.

Pro Bowl - What's The Point?

After the excitement of last weekends Conference Championship Games, things slow down this week as the Pro Bowl takes place in Hawaii.  I love American Football and believe that the NFL and the sport in general get a hell of a lot of things right but the Pro Bowl is the one exception.

I love the draft system.  Giving the weaker teams first pick is excellent as it makes a level playing field.  The salary cap is also excellent for the same reason.  I love that the players are drafted from colleges as it means the kids who dream of making the NFL but don't make it at least have an education to fall back on.  I would love to see a way that soccer in Europe could adopt this principle as there are so many kids who don't make it but have finished their education at 16 years old to go into football academies on a full time basis and therefore have little or no qualifications.  The one thing I don't love, is the Pro Bowl.

In recent seasons the Pro Bowl has been moved to the week before the Superbowl.  That for me was the final straw.  Previously you had a game that the players and fans didn't really care between the league's top stars.  Now you have a game that the players and fans don't really care about and you don't even have the very best players playing as they are preparing for the Superbowl.  Honestly, what's the point?  I understand that the players who are voted onto the Pro Bowl can use the fact that they are Pro Bowlers in leverage for better contracts but the players themselves would probably prefer it if it was just an award that was handed out at the end of the year rather than having to play a meaningless game when their season's over.  For the players who have been involved in the playoffs it's not so bad but if your team hasn't made the postseason there will be players who won't have played in four weeks who will then be asked to play in the Pro Bowl.  It's doing nothing other than eating into time that the players could be spending with their families or on holidays.

In other sports the equivalents are often played during the regular season.  I've had a think about this and it wouldn't work in the NFL.  There's just not enough games.  If the Pro Bowl was mid season the voting would have to start in week 2 or 3 to get all the votes in, counted and announced prior to the game being played.  That would be far too early and players who aren't necessarily fan favourites but have a good season, wouldn't get the recognition they deserve. 

In my opinion, players deserve recognition for being among the best in their position in the league but think the players would prefer it to be some sort of compromise between the All-Pro teams and the Pro Bowl teams.  I would start voting the day after the Superbowl and have three separate votes.  One for journalists, one for players and one for fans.  Each vote would be calculated as a percentage and added together.  The top players in each position would be named as All-Stars, All-Pros or whatever you want to call them.  You could go down the basketball route and have a first team, second team, third team or however many you want.  This way the top players are still getting recognised but we don't have to sit through a meaningless game were players play at a maximum of 50%. 

The players aren't interested, I don't know anyone who is really excited by the prospect of watching it and in Hawaii the game was close to being blacked out due to poor ticket sales.  If the people of Hawaii were interested in the one chance they get a year to see NFL players in action, they would have sold out weeks ago.  It seems to me that the only person who cares is Roger Goodell as it's simply another chance for him to get some more dollars into the bank before the season ends.  For a man that talks so much about player safety, I can't understand why he is making the players play in a meaningless end of season game were the only thing the players care about is that they don't get injured.  Would Roger Goodell stand in a field and let 300lb men hit him for no reason?  No, I don't think he would either.



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NFL - Championship Weekend Review

NFC - San Francisco 49ers 28-24 Atlanta Falcons

The San Francisco 49ers came from 17-0 down to beat the Atlanta Falcons and secure their first Superbowl appearance since 1994.

The 49ers started off very slowly and were 17-0 down early in the second quarter.  They rallied after that though and got back to 17-14 but the Falcons got another touchdown before half-time to lead 24-14 at the break.  The 49ers defense came up big in the second half though.  The Falcons were unable to add to the 24 points they had scored in the first half and the offense got the two touchdowns that were required to complete the comeback.

The defeat will have left some mental scars on the Falcons as they threw away a big league for the second week in a row.  Last week they were able to respond with a field goal to win the game but this week a field goal was no use and they needed to get the ball in the end zone but they were unable to get beyond the San Francisco 10 yard line.    They got one final chance when the 49ers went three and out and were forced to punt.  The Falcons had six seconds on the clock and the ball on their own 41.  The play had to be a Hail Mary or some sort of a lateral play but instead the Falcons played a mid range pass to Julio Jones at the 49ers 35 and he was tackled instantly which ended the game.  The Falcons had no timeouts left and the pass was played into the middle of the field so I have no idea what they were thinking of.  That play summed up the Falcons entire second half and they never really looked likely to score until the drive just after the 49ers scored.  Much of the criticism should be handed to the coaches.  They were having some success early on by being aggressive on offense.  Once they got into the lead they changed styles and tried to protect their lead.  They had all the momentum and let it slip but they are not the first team to make that mistake and certainly won't be the last.

Matt Ryan had a mixed game.  He threw for 396 yards and 3 touchdowns but he was also responsible for two bad turnovers.  He was intercepted after throwing the ball straight to Chris Culliver and he also lost a fumble when he took his eyes off the ball on a shotgun snap.  Turnovers aside, he was excellent but everyone knows that turnovers will cost you games and it was the case yesterday.  The Falcons weren't great on the ground, picking up 81 yards from 23 running plays.  The Falcons were once again led in the passing game by their three big stars, Julio Jones, Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez.  Jones caught 11 passes for 182 yards and 2 touchdowns.  White caught 7 passes for 100 yards and Gonzalez caught 8 passes for 78 yards and a touchdown.

The 49ers deserve a lot of credit for their performance.  After falling behind so early many teams would have crumbled but the 49ers refused to panic.  They stuck to their game plan and were rewarded with two touchdowns to get back to within three but conceded another touchdown just before the half to leave the deficit at ten points.  They came out in the second half and continued to plug away and got the gap back to three points with a touchdown early in the third quarter.  The teams then had a bit of a crazy spell were both had turnovers and the 49ers missed a field goal before San Francisco eventually took the lead thanks to a Vernon Davis touchdown with just over eight minutes remaining.  The 49ers allowed the Falcons to get up the field but a field goal was no use at this stage and they managed to keep them out of the end zone to secure the win. 

One man who deserves a lot of credit is quarterback, Colin Kaepernick.  He had what I would say was the best game of his career.  Everyone knows what he can do on the ground but I'm old fashioned and like a quarterback who can pass the ball.  I've spent many an evening over the last month or two writing about how bad a passer he is so it's only right that I acknowledge how good he was in this game.  He completed 16 of his 21 passes for 231 yards and a touchdown.  Those numbers are very good but they don't do justice to how well he played.  He left the running side of the game to the running-backs and stood in the pocket and made some fantastic passes.  I have to be honest and say that I didn't think he had that kind of performance in him but he stepped up and played like a pure passer to lead his team to a Superbowl and I can't give him enough credit for that.  He's still a young guy and if he can continue to improve as a passer and play with more consistency in that area, he could have a big career in the NFL.  Other stars for the 49ers were Frank Gore who ran for 90 yards and 2 touchdowns from 21 carries and Vernon Davis who caught 5 passes for 106 yards and a touchdown.

For the Falcons, there will be a lot of soul searching in the off season.  It looks as though Tony Gonzalez will retire which will be a big loss for them.  They will also need to address what happened in these playoffs and why they gave away two big leads in their two games.  In my opinion, it was bad coaching.  They got themselves into good positions with aggressive play calling and then tried to hang onto the lead by relying on their defense and running game to kill time.  Neither unit were good enough and the Falcons are at their best when they are going for the jugular and trying to beat teams instead of maintaining leads. 

For the 49ers, it's two weeks of studying film, training, hard work and coming up with a plan to pick up a win in New Orleans in the Har-Bowl. 

49ers Offensive Star : Colin Kaepernick - Vernon Davis and Frank Gore deserve this just as much but Kaepernick showed us a side to his game that we hadn't really saw before.
49ers Defensive Star : Patrick Willis - Twelve tackles including one for a loss was a good return from the linebacker.
Falcons Offensive Star : Julio Jones - Jones deserved to be in a Superbowl after picking up 182 yards and 2 touchdowns from his 11 catches.
Falcons Defensive Star : Thomas DeCoud - The Falcons safety made 8 tackles and also deflected a pass.



Baltimore Ravens 28-13 New England Patriots
The Baltimore Ravens secured an unlikely passage to the Superbowl after a big win over the New England Patriots last night.  Nobody has earned a place in the Superbowl more than this Baltimore Ravens team.  They came into the playoffs as the fourth seed and beat the Indianapolis Colts who had a better regular season record than them, the Denver Broncos who looked like the best team in the AFC by quite some distance and finally, the New England Patriots who have more experience of Championship games than any other team in recent years.  I did expect them to prevail against the Colts but I gave them next to no chance against the Broncos and the Patriots and on both occasions they have gone into hostile atmosphere's and done the business. 

Statistically the game was fairly tight but there were a few key differences between the sides and it turned out to be the difference between winning and losing.  I have been banging on all year about turnovers and once again this game was evidence of the fact that it's very hard to win in this league if you turn the ball over.  The Patriots turned it over three times and the Ravens managed to avoid any turnovers.  The first turnover was costly as the Patriots were eight behind and had drove  to midfield and then lost the ball to a fumble.  Not content at stopping the Patriots from scoring, the Ravens turned the turnover into points and got a touchdown to extend their lead to fifteen points.  The last two were interceptions when the Patriots were in desperation mode.  The first was in Ravens territory and the Patriots looked like reducing the gap to eight points with around half the fourth quarter to play.  Instead Tom Brady was picked off and the Ravens managed to drive down the field and take 4:44 off the clock.  That left the Patriots fifteen behind and just over two minutes left.  The Pats were moving the ball down the field but got intercepted again and that left the Ravens in the position were they could take two kneels to finish off the game.  The other difference was their success in the red zone.  The Ravens went four from four in the red zone and the Patriots only went one from four.  They had to kick two field goals and also turned another one over on downs. 

Baltimore were once again led by quarterback, Joe Flacco.  Flacco has been outstanding in the playoffs and had another fantastic game, throwing for 240 yards and 3 touchdowns.  His main targets were Torrey Smith, Anquan Boldin and Dennis Pitta.  Smith caught 4 passes for 69 yards, Boldin caught 5 for 60 yards and 2 touchdowns and Dennis Pitta caught 5 passes for 55 yards and a touchdown.  The ground game wasn't hugely effective and the Patriots done a good job of stopping Ray Rice.  He did get a touchdown but they restricted him to just 48 yards from 19 carries.  Bernard Pierce was a bit more dangerous and ran for 52 yards from 9 carries. 

Tom Brady didn't have a great game for the Patriots, completing 29 of 54 passes for 320 yards, a touchdown and 2 interceptions.  When Brady gets to throw 54 passes you expect a lot more than thirteen points to show for it.  His leading receivers were Wes Welker, Aaron Hernandez and Brandon Lloyd.  Welker led the way with 8 catches for 117 yards and a touchdown.  Hernandez caught 9 passes for 83 yards and Lloyd caught 7 passes for 70 yards.  Stevan Ridley was the leading rusher and picked up 70 yards from his 18 carries.  He was also the man responsible for the fumble that led to the Ravens fourth touchdown so it wasn't a great day for the running-back. 

To be honest, I'm not sure were the Patriots go from here.  Eight seasons have passed since they last won the Superbowl and for guys like Tom Brady and Bill Belichick who set their standards so high, it's not good enough.  They have been in the playoffs in seven of those eight seasons and their regular season record has never been worse than 10-6 but for some reason they keep falling short in the big games.  Belichick will undoubtedly look to see what he can do to fix things as they are clearly not far from the right formula but these guys are born winners and anything other than a ring at the end of the season is good enough for the Patriots.

The Baltimore Ravens will be delighted to be going back to the Superbowl after so many close calls in recent years.  They won it in 2000 and have made the playoffs in eight of the twelve seasons that have passed since then.  This is their fifth consecutive year in the playoffs and in each of those years, they have won a game but failed to reach the Superbowl, until this season.  It will be a very special occasion for the entire franchise and especially their legendary linebacker, Ray Lewis.  Lewis announced a few weeks ago that he will be retiring at the end of this season and surely there is no better way for a true NFL legend to go out than with a Superbowl appearance. 

Ravens Offensive Star : Joe Flacco - Who is this new guy playing under center for the Ravens?  We have saw a completely different Flacco in the playoffs and long may it continue. 
Ravens Defensive Star : Ray Lewis - Lewis has been in the conversation in the last two games but he gets the nod this week after a massive 14 tackles.
Patriots Offensive Star : Wes Welker - The Patriots need to get Welker's contract situation sorted as he is a huge player for the franchise.
Patriots Defensive Star : Rob Ninkovich - 8 tackles, two of which were for a loss and 2 sacks were not enough to send the Patriots back to the Superbowl.  

NFL Championship Weekend Preview

NFC Championship Game - San Francisco 49ers (12-4-1) @ Atlanta Falcons (14-3)

The NFC's top two sides successfully negotiated tough divisional round match ups to secure passage to the Championship Game.  The 49ers got it tight for three quarters last week against the Green Bay before sealing the game with two touchdowns in the fourth quarter.  The Falcons had the exact opposite.  They cruised for three quarters and led 27-7 as the fourth quarter started but the Seahawks scored three unanswered touchdowns to lead by one before Matt Bryant nailed a 49 yard field goal to secure the Falcon's first playoff victory since 2004. 

San Francisco were very impressive in their win against the Green Bay Packers.  Colin Kaepernick had a great game and led the ground game.  Between his passing and running he played a part in four touchdowns and 444 yards of offense.  He was well supported by Frank Gore and Michael Crabtree who also had very good games.  News broke yesterday of Michael Crabtree being questioned by police in relation to a sexual assault after the Green Bay game last weekend.  Details are sketchy at this point but it is far from ideal preparation for an NFC title game. 

Atlanta players must be riding a roller coaster of emotions after last Sunday's epic win over the Seattle Seahawks.  It was one of the most amazing games I have saw in all the year's I have been watching NFL but the biggest question will be how much did it take out of the Falcons?  Momentum and confidence are great things in sport and right now, I'm not sure Atlanta have either.  The 49ers will be feeling pretty good about themselves.  They went up against a top side and outplayed them on the way to a win with a strong finish.  Atlanta, on the other hand, were cruising towards victory and then before they even realised it themselves, they were behind and suddenly had to do something or their season was over.  I expect their players will be relieved but they will also be asking themselves a lot of questions about what went wrong and it will have taken a lot of the confidence that they were no doubt brimming with after three quarters of action. 

The match ups in this game are very interesting as both teams prepared for this game by beating a similar team last week.  The Falcons beat the Seahawks who have the strong defense, mobile quarterback and elite running-back that the 49ers have.  The one big difference though is that the 49ers should have most of their key players available, unlike the Seahawks who looked a little toothless at the line of scrimmage without Chris Clemons.  The 49ers beat the Packers last week and once again, they are remarkably similar to the Falcons.  Both teams rely heavily on their passing games and aren't particularly strong on the ground or on defense.  If anything, the Packers are probably a little better than the Falcons in most of those areas. 

The rest of the statistics are quite interesting.  The 49ers are 11th in sacking the quarterback but the Falcons have got good protection for Matt Ryan and ranked 7th best in the NFL in the regular season in sacks allowed.  On the other side of the field, the Falcons have really struggled to get pressure on the quarterback and ranked 28th in sacks but the 49ers aren't much better at protecting their quarterbacks and ranked 23rd. Both teams are good at protecting the football and both were in the top four in the NFC in giveaways. 

Atlanta finished the regular season with the joint best record at 13-3.  Many people said they had a soft schedule, which to be fair they did but it can't be ignored that last week's win sent them to 3-0 for the year against teams who qualified for the playoffs.  The 49ers had things a little harder and after last week, are 4-2 against teams who made the postseason.  It's also worth considering that the Atlanta Falcons have been very good in the Georgia Dome in recent times.  They went 7-1 at home this year but their only defeat came in week 17 when the number one seed was in the bag and the team were looking beyond that game.

Prediction - This game is very tough to call.  When I look at these two teams and rank them head to head, I am putting more ticks in the San Francisco column.  In my opinion the 49ers are the better team and would win this one if it was at a neutral venue but it's not and I have to decide whether the 49ers are good enough to go into a very hostile Atlanta and pick up the win.  The last time Colin Kaepernick played in a hostile atmosphere was against the Seahawks and things didn't really work out for him that day.  I can see a similar outcome this time and will go with the Atlanta Falcons to reach their second Superbowl in franchise history. 



AFC Championship Game - Baltimore Ravens (12-6) @ New England Patriots (13-4)

Baltimore and New England picked up wins last weekend to set up a repeat of last year's AFC title game.  On that occasion the Patriots came out on top so the Ravens will be going all out for revenge.  The Ravens did avenge that defeat in the regular season but I've no doubt they would quite happily change that one for a win tonight. 

The Ravens are the only team who played in the wildcard weekend who are still alive.  They have beaten the Colts and Broncos in successive weeks to get this far.  The win over the Colts was expected but the Broncos one was a big surprise and they deserve a lot of credit and respect for going into Mile High and leaving with the victory.  Joe Flacco has been excellent in the playoffs so far, throwing for over 600 yards, 5 touchdowns and no interceptions.  Ray Rice was also very good against the Broncos after a mixed game against the Colts.  Against the Colts, he had 100 yards from scrimmage but never done his team any favours with two lost fumbles.  He never let it get to him though and bounced back with 131 yards and a touchdown on the ground in Denver.  If the Ravens can get big performances from those two and at least one of their receivers has a big day there's no reason why they can't get points on the board.  On defense their job has got a little easier with Rob Gronkowski's injury.  In the two games so far, the Ravens defense has been excellent.  They have been very good as a unit and have had some good individual displays from Ray Lewis, Corey Graham and Cary Williams.  If the Ravens bring everything that they can, then the Patriots will be in for a tough day but the Ravens have struggled with consistency and it might be a big ask for it all to click for them two weeks in a row. 

The Patriots got here with a relatively comfortable win over the Houston Texans.  Tom Brady came up big once again, throwing for 344 yards and 3 touchdowns.  Wes Welker led the receivers with 8 catches for 131 yards.  Shane Vereen also had a huge game, picking up 124 yards from scrimmage and 3 touchdowns.  Steven Ridley and Aaron Hernandez also done their bit in winning the game for the Patriots.  New England look better this season than in previous years.  They have a much better running game than they have ever had in the Tom Brady era and they can also do a bit on defense and have one of the best run defenses in the NFL.  The Patriots will rightly start this game as favourites but when these two get together, the games are always tight. 

When I look at the match ups in this one, it looks very one sided.  The only place the Ravens are better than the Patriots is on pass defense but even at that both sides are ranked in the bottom half of the league.  The Ravens were 17th and the Patriots were 29th.  In every other statistic the teams were either level or the Patriots ranked higher.  New England ranked 4th in passing, 7th in rushing and 9th in run defense.  The Ravens were 15th in passing, 11th in rushing and 20th in run defense.  Having said that, the Ravens have looked much better in the playoffs and ultimately the only statistic that matters is the one with the scoreline. 

One of the key's in New England's success has been their ability to protect the football and their quarterback.  They allowed just 27 sacks on Tom Brady which ranked 4th in the league.  When a guy with Brady's talent gets time in the pocket, he's going to cause damage.  The Ravens haven't been as good at protecting Joe Flacco and they ranked 20th in the NFL in sack's allowed.  Both defenses sacked the opposing quarterback 37 times which was joint 15th in the league. 

Prediction - All signs point to New England.  I have a bit of a soft spot for Ray Lewis though and would have no objections to seeing him dance his way onto the field in two weeks time in the Superbowl but I have to go with my head and not my heart.  The best quarterback I have saw in my time watching the NFL is Tom Brady and he's the one guy I will always believe in.  Patriots win. 

NFL DIVISIONAL WEEKEND REVIEW

Baltimore Ravens 38-35 Denver Broncos (2nd OT)

The Baltimore Ravens pulled off the biggest surprise of the playoffs so far by beating the Denver Broncos at Mile High.  The game was tight all the way and there was never more than a touchdown between the teams.  Denver led for most of the game but the Ravens kept coming back at them.  Throughout the game Denver led 7-0, 21-14, 28-21 and 35-28 but they were unable to hang onto those leads and it was the Ravens who had the last laugh winning with a field goal in the second period of overtime. 

Peyton Manning was poor by his usual high standards.  He completed just 28 of his 43 passes for 290 yards, 3 touchdowns and 2 interceptions.  He also fumbled the ball which was recovered by the Ravens.  When you turn the ball over three times you are asking for trouble and unfortunately for the Broncos it has cost them their shot at an AFC Championship game.  All three turnovers led to points.  The first was a pick six, the next was a fumble which handed Baltimore the ball in Denver territory and the third one was the interception that led to the game winning field goal.  Those turnovers cost the Broncos 17 points and possibly more as they may have scored themselves on those drives. 

The Broncos struggled with their running game all day and that was another factor in the defeat.  They ran the ball 41 times but picked up just 125 yards.  That's 3 yards per carry and is simply not good enough in the NFL.  The Broncos offense had an off day and still managed to put 35 points on the board which goes to show how big a win this was for the Ravens. 

The Ravens showed a lot of character in this game.  As I have already mentioned, they spent a lot of the game behind but they didn't let it phase them and they came back time and time again.  The Broncos would have been starting to think they had the game won at 3rd and 3 with the ball on the Ravens 30 yard line but the Ravens had other ideas.  Joe Flacco unleashed a pass down field for Jacoby Jones to score the touchdown that took the game to overtime.  The Ravens defense stepped up in overtime and did not allow the Broncos to cross midfield and when their chance came they took it.  Corey Graham intercepted a Manning pass which allowed the Ravens to start from the Denver 45.  Ray Rice was able to run the ball down the field to set up the game winning field goal from Justin Tucker. 

The Ravens offense had a good day with Joe Flacco and Ray Rice particularly impressive.  Flacco threw for 331 yards and 3 touchdowns.  Rice picked up 131 yards and a touchdown from his 30 carries.  Torrey Smith also had a good game, catching 3 passes for 98 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Baltimore now head to New England to take on the Patriots in a repeat of last year's AFC Championship game.  On that occasion, the Patriots came out on top by a field goal and it promises to be another close battle between two teams who have shown themselves to be the cream of the AFC.

Ravens Offensive Star : Ray Rice - Flacco's completion percentage let's him down so I am siding with Rice who took charge when the game was on the line and got the Ravens into a position where they could kick a field goal.
Ravens Defensive Star : Corey Graham - Ray Lewis had another good game, making 17 tackles but I have to give it to Graham who made two huge interceptions, 8 tackles and 3 pass deflections.  Lewis was good but Graham was the difference.
Broncos Offensive Star : Eric Decker - A lot of guys were below par for the Broncos but Decker had a decent game, catching 6 passes for 84 yards.
Broncos Defensive Star : Von Miller - Again there was nothing exceptional but Miller led the way with 9 tackles, half a sack and 2 hits on the quarterback.



Green Bay Packers 31-45 San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers made their second consecutive NFC Championship game after a good win over the Green Bay Packers on Saturday night.  The game was close until the fourth quarter.  The 49ers entered the fourth with a seven point lead and extended that to fourteen on the opening play of the quarter before sealing the win with three and a half minutes to go.  The Packers responded with a touchdown but it was too little too late to stop the 49ers literally running away with the win.

The 49ers were deserving winners and one look at the statistics underlines how impressive they were.  In all of the key areas they were better than Green Bay and when that happens there's not much anyone can do.  They completely dominated time of possession, having the ball for just over 38 minutes.  They had 200 yards of total offense more than the Packers and they were also better in the most important stat in football, turnovers.  The 49ers turned the ball over once and the Packers turned it over twice.  The passing numbers were similar with the 49ers throwing for just 8 more yards than the Packers but the big difference was on the ground where the 49ers totalled 323 yards.

Aaron Rodgers didn't have his best game of the season, completing 26 of 39 passes for 257 yards, 2 touchdowns and an interception.  His interception was punished by the 49ers who picked up a touchdown from the following drive.  Green Bay's other turnover also led to a touchdown, when Jeremy Ross muffed a punt return which was recovered by the 49ers at the Green Bay 9 yard line.  In a game that was so tight for such a long time it would have to be questioned why the Packers didn't run the ball more often as they were picking up some good yards on the ground.  DuJuan Harris ran for 53 yards and a touchdown from his 11 carries and the Packers ground game ended up picking up 6.5 yards per carry.  If they had put a bit more faith in it, the result may have been different.

For the 49ers, Colin Kaepernick and Frank Gore were able to run the ball at will and beat up on the Packers defense.  Kaepernick's numbers weren't that great in the air but he was very effective on the ground.  He completed just 17 of his 31 pass attempts for 263 yards, 2 touchdowns and a pick six.  However, he was able to make amends by rushing for 181 yards and 2 touchdowns from his 16 carries.  He was in good company though and Frank Gore ran for 119 yards and a touchdown from his 23 carries.  Gore also caught 2 passes for 48 yards which meant he was the 49ers second best receiver on the day.  Michael Crabtree was the only one who put up better numbers, catching 9 passes for 119 yards and 2 touchdowns. 

The 49ers now head to Atlanta to take part in the NFC Championship game and they will be hoping for a better result than last year.  In last year's NFC title game, the 49ers lost at home to the New York Giants courtesy of a Lawrence Tynes field goal in overtime.  On paper the game looks like a cracker and I for one find it hard to make a call on who I think will win.

Packers Offensive Star : DuJuan Harris - Harris picked up 64 yards from his 11 touches of the ball.
Packers Defensive Star : Sam Shieds - Shields had a pick six, 4 tackles and 2 pass deflections.
49ers Offensive Star : Colin Kaepernick - Kaepernick threw for 263 yards, two touchdowns and ran for 181 yards and 2 more touchdowns so there could only be one winner.
49ers Defensive Star : Patrick Willis - Willis picked up 7 tackles, one for a loss and a sack to help the 49ers pick up the win. 



Seattle Seahawks 28-30 Atlanta Falcons
This will go down as one of the best games I have ever saw.  I'm not even a fan of either team and I was completely glued to my television and my nerves were shattered.  As an NFL fan living in Ireland I often hear the old rubbish about how can you watch that, it's so slow, it's too stop start.  If you know anyone who isn't a fan of the NFL, show them a video of this game.  This is why American Football is my favourite sport.  Credit to both teams, it was an absolute pleasure to watch.

In the first half the game looked over.  The Falcons led 20-0 at half-time and looked very comfortable.  The Seahawks got it back to 20-7 with a touchdown on the first drive of the second half but the Falcons responded with a touchdown on the next drive to extend the lead to 27-7.  With just over seventeen minutes remaining in the game and a twenty point gap between the sides the game looked dead but thankfully for us neutrals, nobody told the Seahawks. 

They got a quick touchdown early in the fourth quarter and then intercepted Matt Ryan on the next drive.  Four plays later, they were in the end zone again and all of a sudden the gap was reduced to six points with over nine minutes on the clock.  The next three drives never came to much and with the game still hanging in the balance, Seattle's offense came on the field with exactly three minutes remaining and were able to move the ball down the field and eventually into the end zone to take a one point lead with just 31 seconds remaining. 

At this point I was fearing for Matt Ryan's career.  The guy was already carrying a lot of baggage thanks to his 0-3 record in the playoffs but a defeat after leading by twenty points in the fourth quarter might just leave a deep enough scar to finish him off.  However, they don't call him Matty Ice for nothing.  He took to the field and made two big completions that got the Falcons down to the Seattle 31 yard line.  Matt Bryant came onto the field and kicked a 49 yard field goal to put the Falcons back in the lead.  Now the game had to be over?  No, not quite.  For some bizarre reason Matt Bosher tried an onside kick which the Seahawks recovered at their own 46 yard line.  Seattle made a quick completion to get them a little further up the field so they could attempt an all or nothing Hail Mary as time was expiring.  Unfortunately for the Seahawks, Russell Wilson made the pass a little earlier than they would have liked and Julio Jones was able to make the interception that won the game for the Falcons. 

Russell Wilson ended the game with good numbers.  He completed 24 of his 36 passes for 385 yards, 2 touchdowns and an interception.  Wilson also led the running game with 60 yards and a touchdown from his 7 carries.  Marshawn Lynch had a disappointing day on the ground, rushing for 46 yards and a touchdown at 2.9 yards per carry.  Seattle's leading receivers were Zach Miller and Golden Tate.  Miller made 8 catches for 142 yards and a touchdown.  Tate caught 6 passes for 103 yards and a touchdown.

Matt Ryan ended the game with mixed numbers.  He completed 24 of his 35 passes for 250 yards, 3 touchdowns and 2 interceptions.  There will be a lot of things he won't be happy with but ultimately when the game was on the line, he passed the test.  His leading receiver was Roddy White who caught 5 passes for 76 yards and a touchdown.  The biggest surprise in this game was the success the Falcons had on the ground.  Prior to the game everyone was talking about the Falcons passing game but they ended up doing their best work on the ground.  Michael Turner picked up 98 yards from 14 carries and Jacquizz Rodgers had 64 yards from 10 carries.  The Falcons averaged 6.4 yards per carry which was a statistic I don't think anyone saw coming.

The defeat will no doubt have an impact on the Seahawks but they are a young team and from what I saw this season, they will be back again.  However, if the Falcons had lost the game I think the scars would have been pretty deep for a few players and the franchise may well have made some changes.  Luckily for them, they go the win and can look forward to hosting an NFC Championship game on Sunday.

Seahawks Offensive Star : Russell Wilson - Wilson accounted for 445 yards of offense and three touchdowns but it was too little, too late.
Seahawks Defensive Star : Bobby Wagner - Wagner picked up an interception, 8 tackles and a pass deflection.
Falcons Offensive Star : Michael Turner - Turner stepped up this week and averaged 7 yards per carry. 
Falcons Defensive Star : Jonathan Babineaux - 3 tackles, one for a loss, a sack, 2 hits on the quarterback and a fumble recovery for the defensive tackle.



Houston Texans 28-41 New England Patriots
The fact that this game which had 69 points in it was the third highest scoring and the least entertaining game of the weekend goes to show what a special weekend we just had in the NFL.  The eight teams who took part in the divisional round of the playoffs brought everything they had and left it all on the field.  For myself and fans of all twenty-four neutral franchises, it was an excellent and entertaining weekend. 

There wasn't anything wrong with this game and it was quite entertaining but for the most part it lacked the drama that the other three games had.  In the first half the game looked to be getting away from the Texans but they managed to score ten points in the last 1:15 of the half to bring the scoreline to within four points.  They were unable to keep that momentum going however and the Patriots scored two unanswered touchdowns in the third quarter and then another at the start of the fourth to stretch the lead to twenty-five points.  The Texans had one last charge and got two quick touchdowns, the second also saw them successfully go for a two point conversion.  By this stage the lead was reduced to ten points with over five minutes remaining.  The Texans tried the onside kick which they had a chance of recovering but they failed to do so and from then the Patriots offense went on a clock killing drive which ended in a field goal.  By the time the Texans got the ball back they were thirteen behind with just 1:14 on the clock and no timeouts.  They were unable to get another score and once again it's the Patriots who will play the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC title game.

Statistically, the game was very tight and if anything the Texans had the better in quite a few categories although the game never really felt like that was the case.  The one area were they did come second best was turnovers.  They had one turnover which isn't the end of the world but it was one more than the Patriots had and as it happens, it was a costly one.  The Texans were in field goal range and Matt Schaub threw a pick to Rob Ninkovich.  What made matters even worse was that six plays later the Patriots were celebrating a touchdown.  If you take that seven off the Pats and say the Texans had got a touchdown of their own.  That's a fourteen point swing and suddenly it's Houston hosting next week's AFC Championship game. 

Matt Schaub completed 34 of his 51 passes for 343 yards, 2 touchdowns and an interception.  Once again his go to guys were Andre Johnson and Owen Daniels.  Johnson caught 8 passes for 95 yards and Daniels caught 9 passes for 81 yards.  Arian Foster also had a good game and ended up with 153 yards from scrimmage.  He ran for 90 yards and a touchdown and also caught 7 passes for 63 yards and a touchdown. 

Tom Brady completed 25 of his 40 passes for 344 yards and 3 touchdowns.  Brady targeted Wes Welker, Aaron Hernandez and Shane Vereen.  Welker caught 8 passes for 131 yards, Hernandez caught 6 passes for 85 yards and Shane Vereen caught 5 passes for 83 yards and 2 touchdowns.  Vereen also got a touchdown on the ground to end with 124 yards from scrimmage and 3 touchdowns.  Stevan Ridley was the leading rusher, picking up 82 yards and a touchdown. 

New England will now host this year's AFC Championship game which will be a repeat of last year's game.  On that occasion the Patriots came out on top and as a neutral it would delight me equally to see either Tom Brady or Ray Lewis take to the field in New Orleans for Superbowl XLVII.

Texans Offensive Star : Arian Foster - Two touchdowns and 153 yards from scrimmage but it still wasn't enough for the Texans.
Texans Defensive Star : Bradie James - 11 tackles and one for a loss from the linebacker wasn't enough to stop the Patriots.
Patriots Offensive Star : Shane Vereen - The running-back had a career day by scoring more touchdowns on Sunday than he had so far in his career.
Patriots Defensive Star : Rob Ninkovich - 4 tackles, one for a loss, 2 pass deflections, a quarterback hit and an interception from the linebacker.    

Saturday's Divisional Round Games

Baltimore Ravens (11-6) @ Denver Broncos (13-3)

Baltimore travel to Denver to take on the Broncos in the AFC's divisional round opener.  The Broncos have the number one seed and home advantage right to the Superbowl.  They have earned that with eleven consecutive victories to finish 13-3 for the season.  They were in the playoffs last year and got to this same stage but they made a franchise changing signing by bringing in Peyton Manning and look better for it.  At the time it was seen as a gamble as Manning was coming back from several neck surgeries and many experts had written him off.  A slow start only increased the pressure on him but it doesn't seem to matter to Manning.  He began to find his form after a few games and ended up having one of the best seasons of his career.  This year will mean a lot to Manning as I'm sure there would have been doubts in his own mind when he was struggling with injury and what could be a better end to a great season than to win a Superbowl in the city he was born in and where his father spent the bulk of his career.  It would be the perfect end to a fantastic year for the Broncos quarterback.

The Ravens have their own romantic story.  Legendary linebacker, Ray Lewis has confirmed that this will be his last season in the NFL and how fitting would it be if he ended it with a ring in Superbowl XLVII.  He has already played his last game in Baltimore which was an emotional occasion and that emotion will carry over each week now as every time he takes to the field, he knows it could potentially be his last game.  Lewis has had a great career which has saw him win a Superbowl, Superbowl MVP, Defensive Player of the Year (twice), voted into the Pro Bowl thirteen times and named as an All-Pro seven times.  Those are the numbers of a Hall of Famer and there can be no doubt that regardless of how this year ends, Lewis is worthy of a place in the hall.

Last week the Ravens picked up a win over the Indianapolis Colts but they didn't have it all their own way.  The Colts completed dominated possession and had the ball for over 37 minutes but were unable to finish off their drives.  If Baltimore are going to have any chance, they need to restrict Peyton Manning's time on the field as much as they possibly can.  If Manning gets the ball for 37 minutes, you can be sure he wouldn't waste the opportunity and would put at least 40 points on the board.  The Ravens need to keep the clock moving, which means plenty of running plays, plenty of short passes and if they can do that, then they can give themselves a chance.

The problem the Ravens have is the Broncos have got one of the best defenses in the league.  They ranked 3rd in the regular season in both pass defense and run defense, giving up an average of just 290.7 yards per game which was the second best record in the NFL.  They gave up just 18.1 points per game which was 4th and they sacked the opponents quarterback 52 times which was the best in the league.  That's a great return and with a defense as mean as that, you are halfway to having a good shot at a title.  The other half required is a good offense and Denver are right up there in that category too.  They are averaging just under 400 yards a game which is fourth in the league and they are scoring 30.1 points per game which is second in the NFL, behind the New England Patriots.  A big reason for that success is the protection they have been giving Peyton Manning.  They have allowed just 21 sacks this season which is the second best record in the league.  When any quarterback gets protection like that, he will hurt the opposition but when you have an elite quarterback like Manning getting that sort of protection, that's the stuff Superbowl's are made of.

When I look at the match ups, it doesn't look good for the Ravens.  The only place they have an edge is turnovers.  The Ravens have done a good job of taking care of the football, turning it over just 16 times in the regular season.  The Broncos defense's one weakness is they have only forced 24 turnovers but when you're sacking the quarterback as much as they do, he doesn't get to throw many interceptions.  Denver have turned the ball over 25 times and the Ravens defense forced 25 in the regular season.  The problem is, I can't see them getting enough pressure on Manning to force him into the mistakes they need him to make. 

Prediction - I really fancy the Broncos for the Superbowl and can't see the Ravens giving them too much trouble. 



Green Bay Packers (12-5) @ San Francisco 49ers (11-4-1)

This is the game I am looking forward to the most this weekend.  It should be an absolute cracker between two strong sides.  They met in Green Bay in the opening weekend of the season and on that occasion the 49ers came out on top.  A lot has changed since then though and for me the Packers have improved and the 49ers have weakened. 

Green Bay got here courtesy of a comfortable win over the Minnesota Vikings in last week's wildcard round.  They done a decent job of restricting Adrian Peterson to 99 yards and Joe Webb had a terrible day, completing just over a third of his passes.  The Packers were solid without ever really being exceptional but they done enough to beat a misfiring Vikings.  Aaron Rodgers completed 23 of 33 passes for 274 yards and a touchdown.  The Packers are almost back at full strength now and will be a match for anyone in the NFC as long as they can get their best players on the field.

The 49ers have been at the centre of a lot of controversy as a result of changing their quarterback half way through the season.  Colin Kaepernick replaced Alex Smith after Smith got injured against the Rams in week 10.  I've made it clear in the past that I don't think it was the right move and had many a debate with NFL fans about it but I will stand by my comments and say that I believe Alex Smith was the best option for the 49ers this year.  The 49ers system requires a quarterback who is required to make short, accurate passes and that job is done better by Alex Smith.  They both attempted 218 passes this year with Smith completing 153 compared to Kaepernick's 136.  Smith had more touchdowns and ended the season with a higher QB rating.  There can be no doubt that Kaepernick brings more in the ground game but there has been a drop in Frank Gore's numbers since Kaepernick came in and I can't believe that anyone would want Kaepernick carrying the ball down the field instead of Gore. 

The match ups are quite intriguing as well.  The 49ers have a very strong defense and ranked 4th in both pass defense and run defense.  More interesting though is the fact that they weren't particularly impressive in sacks or turnovers.  Most top defenses are very good at one or the other but the 49ers are mid table in both.  They are giving up 294 yards per game which is excellent and ranks 3rd in the NFL.  They are 4th in rushing but the passing game hasn't been great and ranked 23rd in the regular season.  A big part of this game hangs on the 49ers defense getting to Aaron Rodgers.  Rodgers has been sacked a lot this year but the 49ers haven't been great in getting to the quarterback.  The 49ers defense have 38 sacks this year and when you consider Aldon Smith got 19.5 on his own, the numbers aren't that great.  Aldon Smith's productivity has dropped in recent weeks since Justin Smith's injury and with the news that both are only listed as probable for this game I would worry about what Aaron Rodgers could do to the 49ers. 

Green Bay will play their usual game.  They will primarily look to pass the ball and will only run it to keep the defense honest.  They ran the ball a lot more last week but that was more to do with how the game was playing out.  Over the season the Packers have attempted to pass on over 56% of their plays but I would expect that figure to be a bit higher tomorrow night. 

Prediction - This game will be decided on who wins the battle between the Packers offensive line and the 49ers defensive line.  If the Packers win that battle, they will win this game easily.  If it's an even battle, the Packers will win in a tight win.  I'm going to put my faith in Aaron Rodgers finding a way of getting it done and sending Green Bay to the NFC title game. 

NFL SATURDAY WILDCARD GAMES REVIEW

Cincinnati Bengals 13-19 Houston Texans

The Texans set up a divisional round meeting with the New England Patriots by beating the Cincinnati Bengals in Saturday's opening playoff clash.  Houston weren't impressive however and unless they can finish off their drives, they will be leaving Foxboro disappointed.  The Texans had no problems moving the football but once they got into Cincinnati territory they struggled and ended up kicking four field goals.  They had 420 yards of offense and just 19 points to show for it which isn't good enough.  Field goals won't beat Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. 

The Bengals Superbowl dreams have now been ended in Houston for the second year in a row and to be honest the final score flattered them.  They were very poor in the first half but thanks to a good interception from Leon Hall, they went into the locker room trailing by just two points.  They showed a little more in the second half and managed to drive up the field on two occasions to score field goals from 34 and 47 yards but they always looked second best and if they had of stole the game at the end it would have been a huge injustice. 

Andy Dalton had a poor game, completing just 14 of his 30 passes for 127 yards and an interception.  He was also sacked twice.  The Bengals were having some joy running the ball.  BenJarvus Green-Ellis picked up 63 yards from just 11 carries.  That equates to 5.7 yards per carry and in a game that was decided by less than a touchdown it would have to be asked why he wasn't given more carries.  After a quiet first half AJ Green got involved in the second half and ended the game with 5 catches for 80 yards but it wasn't enough and the Bengals will have to come back again next year and have another go at winning a playoff game.

Matt Schaub had a decent game apart from the pick six in the first half.  He ended up completing 29 of his 38 passes for 262 yards and the interception.  There's still something about him though and when I watch him I always feel like a mistake is just waiting to happen.  He doesn't inspire confidence and I can't see him leading the team to a Superbowl.  Once again Arian Foster was the offensive star for the Texans and he had a very busy day.  Foster carried the ball 32 times for 140 yards and a touchdown.  He also caught eight passes for 34 yards to give him 174 yards from scrimmage.  Foster caught and carried the ball forty times and there's no way he can keep that up right to the Superbowl so if the Texans are going to go the distance, they will have to get him some help.  Owen Daniels and Andre Johnson also had decent games.  Daniels caught 9 passes for 91 yards and Johnson caught 4 passes for 62 yards. 

On the day, the Texans will be delighted to have got the job done but there is a lot of room for improvement and if they can't fix their issues by next week it will be another divisional round exit for this Texans team. 

Bengals Offensive Star : BenJarvus Green-Ellis - He averaged 5.7 yards per carry on the ground and should have saw more action.  I know he was carrying an injury but if you can't push yourself that bit extra in the playoffs then when can you?
Bengals Defensive Star : Reggie Nelson - He was the one Bengal who troubled the Texans.  He picked up 10 tackles, 2 for a loss and also got a hit on the quarterback.
Texans Offensive Star : Arian Foster - Who else?  40 touches, 174 yards and a touchdown from scrimmage.  It was a great performance from the veteran.
Texans Defensive Star : Johnathan Joseph - It was either him or JJ Watt but I sided with Joseph as not only did he get 5 tackles, broke up two passes and picked up an interception but he did all that whilst keeping AJ Green relatively quiet. 



Minnesota Vikings 10-24 Green Bay Packers

The Packers started their playoff campaign with a comfortable win over the Minnesota Vikings.  The Packers outplayed the Vikings in all areas and fully deserved their win.  The Vikings were dealt a blow before kick off when Christian Ponder was ruled out with a triceps injury.  His backup, Joe Webb struggled and had no answer to the Packers defense.

The Vikings started the game well and with the dual threat of Webb and Adrian Peterson, they were able to run the ball at will and kicked a field goal on their opening drive.  it was all downhill from there though and the next time the Vikings scored was late in the fourth quarter and the game was well out of their reach by that stage.  The Packers had scored 24 points in between the Vikings scores and Minnesota can have no complaints, they simply lost to a better team.

The running game for the Vikings was fine.  Peterson and Webb combined for 167 yards on the ground at 5.8 yards per carry.  The problem for the Vikings was when they had to let Webb throw the ball.  His numbers were terrible and the crazy thing is, they actually flattered his performance.  He completed just 11 of 30 passes for 180 yards, a touchdown and an interception.  Those numbers include a fifty yard touchdown pass, a 30 yard completion and a 23 yard completion at the end of the game with the Vikings well and truly beat.  He was also lucky to get away with just the one interception as he threw a few dodgy passes and in particular one when he was about to get sacked and he just tossed the ball in the air towards the Packers defensive line.  He got away with it but he was very fortunate.  Adrian Peterson ended the game with 99 yards on the ground and also caught a pass for 8 yards.  Michael Jenkins was the leading receiver, catching 3 passes for 96 yards and a touchdown.

The Packers had a good game on both sides of the ball and were very comfortable winners in the end.  Aaron Rodgers threw for 274 yards and a touchdown.  The running game wasn't great but they did manage to pick up the yards when required.  DuJuan Harris and John Kuhn both picked up rushing touchdowns but it was in the air that the majority of the damage was done.  One of the Packers strengths is that Aaron Rodgers has so many options to choose from and that was underlined by the fact that ten different Packers caught a pass in the game.  Running-back, DuJuan Harris didn't have a huge game on the ground, rushing for 47 yards from 17 carries but he was very effective as a receiver, catching 5 passes for 53 yards to give him 100 yards from scrimmage. 

The Packers seem to be hitting form at the right time and I cannot wait for them to play the 49ers next week.  These two met in the first game of the season.  The 49ers won in Green Bay on that occasion.  In my opinion, the Packers are a better team now than they were then and the 49ers don't look as strong but next weeks game is in San Francisco, so it is very much in the balance.

Vikings Offensive Star : Adrian Peterson - He was the one bright spark but he didn't have much help.  The final numbers show Michael Jenkins played well but his good work came when the game was over as a contest.
Vikings Defensive Star : Chad Greenway - The linebacker tried his best but his 11 tackles weren't enough to stop a rampant Green Bay offense.
Packers Offensive Star : Aaron Rodgers - He has more to give but he done what he had to and led his team to the next round with the minimum of fuss.
Packers Defensive Star : Clay Matthews - Matthews had an excellent game picking up 4 tackles, 2 sacks, 3 hits on the quarterback and he also recovered the ball which he had knocked out of Webb's hands for a fumble. 

NFL Power Rankings - Week 17

1 (1) Denver Broncos (12-3) - The Denver Broncos are the NFL's form team heading into the playoffs.  They have won their last ten games in a row and a win on Sunday at home to the Kansas City Chiefs would guarantee them a first round bye in the playoffs.  It could get even better for the Broncos if the Texans lose to the Indianapolis Colts.  If that happens the AFC playoffs will go through Denver and Peyton Manning would have home field advantage right to the Superbowl.  Manning threw for 339 yards, 3 touchdowns and an interception.  Demaryius Thomas had another good game, catching 9 passes for 102 yards and a touchdown.  Knowshon Moreno led the rushers with 78 yards on the ground.  

2 (4) Green Bay Packers (11-4) - The Packers put in another good display to get their ninth win in their last ten games.  This Packers team is hot and the only thing that could stop them in the playoffs is the offensive line.  Rodgers has been sacked 46 times this year but they are still getting the results.  If they protect him, the Packers WILL win the Superbowl.  They remind me a lot of last years New York Giants team.  The Giants had some issues and struggled a lot with injuries.  This Packers team have their own issues and have also suffered with injuries.  The Giants got their injured players back around this time and the Packers seem to be getting their full roster back now.  The 49ers defeat in Seattle means the Packers now hold the second seed in the NFC and if they win next week they will get a bye in the first round of the playoffs.  Aaron Rodgers threw for 342 yards and 3 touchdowns.  James Jones led the receivers with 7 catches for 100 yards and a touchdown.  Ryan Grant had a good day on the ground, rushing for 80 yards and 2 touchdowns.      

3 (5) Atlanta Falcons (13-2) - The Falcons secured the number one seed in the NFC playoffs with a comfortable win over the Detroit Lions.  The Falcons got off to a quick start and led 21-6 at half-time.  The Lions got back to within five points early in the fourth quarter but the Falcons responded with a touchdown and a field goal to secure the win.  The road to the Superbowl for NFC teams will go through Atlanta and in their current form, the Falcons won't be easy to beat.  They have the best record in the NFL and are 7-0 at home this year so it will take a good team to beat them.  Matt Ryan was excellent, throwing for 279 yards and 4 touchdowns.  Roddy White was the star receiver and he caught 8 passes for 153 yards and 2 touchdowns.

4 (7) Seattle Seahawks (10-5) - Seattle look very, very good.  They seem to have hit top form at the perfect time and are averaging fifty points a game in the last three weeks.  Their defense is excellent and the offense are picking up big yards on the ground.  Rookie quarterback, Russell Wilson has really grew into the role as the season has progressed and it took me a while to come round to him but he certainly looks like the real deal.  As a neutral I am looking forward to seeing the Seahawks in the playoffs but it is just a pity that they won't host a game.  The atmosphere on Sunday night looked intense and I would have loved to see how pumped up that crowd could get for a home playoff game.  Russell Wilson threw for 171 yards, 4 touchdowns and an interception.  Doug Baldwin was the leading receiver, catching 4 passes for 53 yards and 2 touchdowns.  Marshawn Lynch led the running game, rushing for 111 yards and a touchdown.

5 (6) New England Patriots (11-4) - The Patriots picked up the win on Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars but they made hard work of it.  The Jags took a 10-0 lead but the Patriots came back and won by a score of 23-16.  The Patriots currently hold the third seed in the AFC but depending on this weeks results, they could finish anywhere in the top four.  At their best, the Patriots will be a threat to anyone in the playoffs but they will have to improve on Sunday's display.  Tom Brady threw for 267 yards, 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions.  Wes Welker was the leading receiver, catching 10 passes for 88 yards and a touchdown.  Stevan Ridley also had a decent game, rushing for 84 yards.

6 (8) Baltimore Ravens (10-5) - The Baltimore Ravens saved their best performance of the season until Sunday and they picked up a blowout win over the New York Giants.  I haven't been slow to criticise the Ravens this season so it's only fair that I give them credit when they deserve it.  They completely dominated the Giants and fully deserved the win.  The defense done well and held the Giants to 186 yards.  As good as the defense was, the offense was even better.  They picked up 533 yards to run out 33-14 winners.  Joe Flacco threw for 309 yards and 2 touchdowns.  Anquan Boldin and Torrey Smith had good games.  Boldin caught 7 passes for 93 yards.  Smith caught 5 passes for 88 yards and a touchdown.  The Ravens also had two men who had one hundred yard rushing days.  Bernard Pierce ran for 123 yards and Ray Rice ran for 107 yards. 

7 (3) Houston Texans (12-3) - The Texans lost at home to the Minnesota Vikings to leave them needing a win next week over the Indianapolis Colts to secure home field advantage in the playoffs.  Houston never got going on offense and the Vikings restricted them to just 187 yards.  The Texans have hit a bad run of form at the worst possible time.  At 12-3 they have a very good record but their level of performance has dropped considerably and I can't see them beating Denver or New England in the postseason.  Matt Schaub threw for 178 yards and his leading receiver was Andre Johnson who caught 7 passes for 97 yards.  The running game was restricted to 2.1 yards per carry but more worrying for Houston will be the news that Arian Foster had to leave the game with an irregular heartbeat.

8 (9) Indianapolis Colts (10-5) - The Indianapolis Colts sealed their playoff place with a road win over the Kansas City Chiefs.  The Colts had to work for the win and credit to the Chiefs, they didn't look like a team who had give up on the season.  The big difference was turnovers.  The Colts defense forced three turnovers which won them the game.  The Colts will have to improve on their run defense as they gave up over 350 yards on the ground in this game.  Luckily for the Colts, two of the Chiefs turnovers came in the red zone or else the final outcome could have been very different.  Andrew Luck threw for 205 yards and a touchdown.  Reggie Wayne led the receivers again with 5 catches for 81 yards and a touchdown. 

9 (2) San Francisco 49ers (10-4-1) - The 49ers got beat up on Sunday night in Seattle and ended up losing 42-13.  The 49ers should still win the NFC West as they host the Arizona Cardinals next week and a win would secure the division.  The 49ers will do all they can to win that game as there's no way they want to risk going back to Seattle in the postseason.  I've had plenty to say on the quarterback situation in San Francisco and still believe that Coach Harbaugh got it wrong by benching Alex Smith in favour of Colin Kaepernick.  However, the decision has been made and the only thing crazier than changing the whole identity of your team during the season would be changing it back again a week before the playoffs.  The 49ers will live or die by that decision and I personally believe it will be the latter.  Kaepernick threw for 244 yards, a touchdown and an interception.  The leading receiver was Michael Crabtree who caught 4 passes for 65 yards.

10 (11) Washington Redskins (9-6) - The Redskins extended their winning run to six in a row with a win over divisional rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles.  A win in their last game against the Dallas Cowboys would secure a playoff place and the Redskins would be NFC East champions.  They have come a long way this year and even as an Eagles fan, I am quite looking forward to seeing Robert Griffin III in the playoffs.  RG3 had a quiet game on Sunday and done most of his work in the pocket.  He ran just twice but completed 16 of his 24 passes for 198 yards, 2 touchdowns and an interception.  Alfred Morris ran for 91 yards and a touchdown.  Pierre Garcon was the leading receiver and caught 7 passes for 89 yards. 

11 (12) Minnesota Vikings (9-6) - The Minnesota Vikings kept their playoff hopes alive with an excellent win on the road over the Houston Texans.  The Vikings are now up to 9-6 for the season and a win over the Green Bay Packers would see them secure a wildcard.  It won't be easy for the Vikings as the Packers also need the win to secure a first round bye in the playoffs but they have won their last three games against decent teams to get this far and they will be feeling confident.  I would be happy to see the Vikings make the playoffs as they have beat some good teams this year and the playoffs would be a better place if Adrian Peterson was involved.  Peterson needs another 208 yards to break the single season rushing record.  It will be a big ask but not out of the question.  Christian Ponder threw for 174 yards and a touchdown.  Peterson ran for 86 yards at just 3.4 yards but I'm sure the Vikings will be prioritising their playoff push over Adrian Peterson's record.        

12 (15) Cincinnati Bengals (9-6) - The Bengals picked up a great win in Pittsburgh to seal their place in the playoffs.  The Bengals have a lot of young talent on their roster and although I can't see them making much of an impression in this year's playoffs, they are definitely a team to look out for in the years to come.  The divisional winners have all been confirmed so the Bengals will have to go on the road in the playoffs and as things stand, they would be playing the New England Patriots.  Playoff games don't get much harder than that but I'm sure Cincinnati would rather be going there than studying film of potential draft picks.  The game was as tight as expected and it was the defenses who came out on top but in the end, Josh Brown kicked the game winning field goal in the dying seconds.  Andy Dalton threw for 278 yards and 2 interceptions.  AJ Green led the receivers as usual with 10 catches for 116 yards.  

13 (14) Chicago Bears (9-6) - The Chicago Bears kept their playoff hopes alive with a comfortable win over the Cardinals in Arizona.  The Bears need to win and hope the Vikings slip up against the Packers to secure a wildcard shot.  The Bears won't get it easy though as they have to go to Detroit to face a Lions side with a point to prove.  On their day, the Lions can beat anyone and the Bears offense will have to show up if they are to outscore a Lions offense that will be throwing everything to Calvin Johnson.  Jay Cutler threw for 146 yards and a touchdown.  Brandon Marshall was the leading receiver, catching 6 passes for 68 yards and a touchdown.  Matt Forte was very good on the ground, running for 88 yards and a touchdown from 12 carries. 

14 (17) New Orleans Saints (7-8) - The New Orleans Saints picked up a good win in Dallas over the playoff chasing Cowboys to improve to 7-8 for the season.  Unfortunately for the Saints they results didn't go their way and they are officially eliminated from the playoff race.  The Saints looked to have the game won when they led by fourteen with less than four minutes to play but the Cowboys scored two quick touchdowns to send the game to overtime.  Credit to the Saints, their defense held firm in overtime and they were able to drive into Cowboy territory.  They had a stroke of luck when Marques Colston fumbled the ball.  The loose ball rolled down the field toward the end zone and Jimmy Graham recovered it at the 2 to set up the game winning field goal.  Drew Brees threw for 446 yards and 3 touchdowns.  Colston and Darren Sproles both had 100 yard receiving games.  Colston caught 10 passes for 153 yards and Sproles caught 7 passes for 104 yards.    

15 (13) Dallas Cowboys (8-7) - The Cowboys lost to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday but their destiny is still in their own hands.  If the Cowboys beat the Washington Redskins they will win the NFC East and enter the playoffs.  After a 3-5 start, the Cowboys have won five of their last seven games to give themselves a chance of reaching the post season.  Dez Bryant has been outstanding in those seven games and has ten touchdowns.  He is also averaging 115 receiving yards per game in that seven game stretch.  Bryant had his best game in the run on Sunday, catching 9 passes for 224 yards and 2 touchdowns.  Tony Romo also played very well, throwing for 416 yards and 4 touchdowns but it wasn't enough as the Saints sealed the win in overtime. 

16 (10) New York Giants (8-7) - The New York Giants have had a nightmare in recent weeks, losing five of their last seven games.   The Giants looked to have the NFC East in the bag at 6-2 but they now require a minor miracle to get a playoff place.  The Giants would need four results to go their way and such an outcome is a very long shot.  The game always looked like the Ravens were going to win if and the Giants can have no excuses, they were simply outplayed.  The Giants offense was restricted to just 186 yards and the Ravens managed 533 yards of offense, so the scoreline was a fair reflection on the game. Eli Manning threw for 150 yards and a touchdown.  Ahmed Bradshaw led the rushers with just 39 yards.  The Giants done well on the ground, picking up 4.8 yards per carry but they had to put the ball in Eli Manning's hands as they fell behind early.

17 (18) St Louis Rams (7-7-1) - The Rams picked up a good win in Tampa Bay to reach 7-7-1 for the season but other results did not go their way and they are now officially eliminated from the playoffs.  The Rams have improved a lot from last season's 2-14 finish and if they continue to improve, they will find themselves back in the playoffs within the next year or two.  The Rams started the year well and have finished well, winning four of their last five.  They weren't a million miles from being in the playoffs this year but a mid season run of five games without a win killed off their chances.  Sam Bradford threw for 196 yards, 2 touchdowns and an interception.  Lance Kendricks caught 4 passes for 119 yards and a touchdown.  Steven Jackson ran for 81 yards and a touchdown.

18 (16) Pittsburgh Steelers (7-8) - The Steelers lost their do or die clash against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday and they have been eliminated from playoff contention.  The Steelers were looking good after four successive wins that took them to 6-3 for the season.  In the next game, Ben Roethlisberger got injured and the Steelers have only won once in their six games since.  The Steelers host the Cleveland Browns next week so they have a good chance of getting back to .500 for the season.  In Sunday's game, Roethlisberger threw for 220 yards, a touchdown and 2 interceptions.  Antonio Brown led the receivers with 5 catches for 97 yards and a touchdown.  The Steelers coaching staff got the running game wrong.  They kept giving the ball to Jonathan Dwyer who ran for 39 yards from 14 carries.  Rashard Mendenhall was the hot rusher and picked up 50 yards from 11 carries.  In such a tight game, these things can be the difference between winning and losing.     

19 (20) Miami Dolphins (7-8) - The Miami Dolphins picked up their seventh win of the season at home to the Buffalo Bills.  At 7-8 the Dolphins are out of the playoffs but they can take a lot of positives from this season and they aren't too far away from being a playoff team.  They travel to Foxboro next week to take on the New England Patriots so it will be very difficult to finish with a .500 record.  The Dolphins won't be too worried though and will be looking at how they can take that next step to make the playoffs.  Ryan Tannehill threw for 130 yards and 2 touchdowns.  Reggie Bush was the best player for the Dolphins, picking up 107 yards from scrimmage and 3 touchdowns.

20 (23) San Diego Chargers (6-9) - The Chargers beat the Jets in New York to get to 6-9 for the season.  If the Chargers had performed as well at home as they did on the road,  then they might have made made the playoffs.  They have gone 4-4 on the road and as things stand they are 2-5 at home.  San Diego used to be a hard place to go but it certainly hasn't been this year.  Philip Rivers threw for 165 yards and 2 touchdowns.  Danario Alexander caught 3 passes for 69 yards and a touchdown.  The running game was restricted to just 2.9 yards per carry.   

21 (22) Carolina Panthers (6-9) - The Panthers won again on Sunday to take their strong finish to the season to three wins in a row and four wins in their last five.  Carolina have found their form too late in the season and they have already been eliminated from the playoffs.  It's nice to finish the season well but the off season is too long in the NFL to carry momentum into next season.  The Panthers do have some very talented players on their roster though and if they can add a few more players for next year, they could be a playoff contender.  Cam Newton threw for 170 yards, a touchdown and an interception.  Newton also led the rushers, running for 60 yards and a touchdown.  Greg Olsen led the receivers with 6 catches for 53 yards. 

22 (19) New York Jets (6-9) - The New York Jets lost on Sunday to drop to 6-9 for the year.  The Jets matched the Chargers in every area but once again their quarterback cost them the game.  Greg McElroy threw an interception and also fumbled for another turnover.  He was also sacked eleven times which the offensive line has to accept some responsibility for but the quarterback has to get rid of the ball quicker too.  I've made my feelings clear about this Jets team.  They have three quarterbacks at the franchise and the best one they have has been overlooked all year.  McElroy threw for 185 yards an an interception.  Clyde Gates led the receivers with 3 catches for 65 yards. 

23 (21) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-9) - Tampa Bay lost at home to the St Louis Rams on Sunday to drop to 6-9 for the season.  It has been a strange year for the Bucs.  They got off to a poor start and were 2-4 but won four games in a row to reach 6-4 and at that stage they looked like genuine playoff contenders.  Unfortunately for Tampa Bay they had another dramatic turnaround and they have now lost five in a row to leave themselves way out of the playoff picture.  Josh Freeman had a mixed game.  He threw for 372 yards and a touchdown but he also threw 4 interceptions which played a big part in the defeat.  Mike Williams and Vincent Jackson both had 100 yard receiving days.  Jackson caught 7 passes for 108 yards and Williams caught 7 passes for 132 yards and a touchdown.  The Rams done a good job on Doug Martin, restricting him to 62 yards at 3.4 yards per carry.     

24 (24) Cleveland Browns (5-10) - The Browns became the latest team in the NFL to be overcome by the juggernaut, better known as the Denver Broncos.  The Broncos have now won ten in a row so the Browns shouldn't beat themselves up too much.  Cleveland are 5-10 for the season and their playoff hopes have long since gone.  I have spoke in recent weeks about the direction this Browns team are going in and I still believe that within a few seasons and with another strong draft, there is enough talent to be a playoff team.  I am a big fan of Trent Richardson and believe he will be a very good running-back in this league in the next few seasons.  On Sunday, he ran for 53 yards from 9 carries. 

25 (25) Detroit Lions (4-11) - Calvin Johnson broke the record for receiving yards in a season with a huge game on Saturday against the Atlanta Falcons.  Johnson caught eleven passes for 225 yards to set a new mark.  He still has another game to play so by this time next week, the record will have been well and truly smashed.  Unfortunately for Johnson and the Lions, the record is the only positive in what has been a very disappointing season for them.  They have lost seven in a row and in my opinion the franchise needs to figure out what has gone wrong and address it quickly.  They have the best receiver in the NFL and he is being wasted in a team who haven't even been close to the playoffs.  Quarterback, Matthew Stafford, threw for 443 yards and an interception.  The running game was restricted to 3.6 yards per carry but was led by Mikel Leshoure who ran for 46 yards and a touchdown.  

26 (27) Buffalo Bills (5-10) - The Buffalo Bills picked up another loss to drop to 5-10 for the year.  This time it was the Miami Dolphins who beat them and it was the Bills seventh loss in their last nine games.  The Bills matched the Dolphins in most key areas but they turned the ball over four times and also gave away eleven penalties which cost them 93 yards.  The turnovers were costly and led to two Miami touchdowns and a field goal.  I'm sick of saying it and people are sick of hearing it, but if you do that in the NFL, your going to be adding to your loss column.  Ryan Fitzpatrick threw for 240 yards, a touchdown and an interception.  CJ Spiller had another good game for the Bills, rushing for 138 yards. 

27 (28) Arizona Cardinals (5-10) - The Cardinals lost their tenth game in their last eleven games to fall to 5-10 for the season.  After their 4-0 start they looked playoff bound but they never recovered after Kevin Kolb's injury.  Arizona have fallen a long way in recent years and they have never really replaced Kurt Warner at quarterback.  The franchise have an elite receiver in Larry Fitzgerald so it shows just how bad their quarterback situation is.  Fitzgerald is having one of the worst seasons of his career and his numbers are the worst they have been since his rookie year.  Fitzgerald is 29 now and he is wasting his career at a franchise who are unable to get the best out of him.  Arizona need to either sort their quarterback situation or I can see Fitzgerald making a push for a trade to a team who can help him push for a Superbowl ring.  Fitzgerald had one of his best performances of the season on Sunday, catching 8 passes for 111 yards. 

28 (26) Tennessee Titans (5-10) - The Titans were beat up on Sunday by a rampant Green Bay Packers.  The Titans are 5-10 for the season and they have looked poor.  There's a lot of room for improvement.  Chris Johnson has had another decent year but he is a long way from the running-back who ran for over 2000 yards back in 2009.  We have had a better chance to look at Jake Locker this season and to be honest, I don't think he's the answer.  In his ten games, he has throw ten touchdown passes and eleven interceptions.  His completion percentage for the season is 56.2%, which isn't good enough.  I expect the Titans to have a good look at themselves in the off season and there is definitely a lot they could change.  On Sunday, Locker threw for 140 yards, a touchdown and 2 interceptions.  The Packers done a good job of shutting down Chris Johnson and restricted him to just 28 yards from 11 carries.

29 (29) Oakland Raiders (4-11) - The Raiders dropped to 4-11 for the season with a defeat to the Panthers in Carolina.  The Raiders have a lot of work to do in the off season if they want to end their long absence from the playoffs.  I've mentioned it before but I think the Raiders would be wise to trade down in the draft as they have a lot of issues that they need to address.  On Sunday, they had three quarterbacks who made at least one pass.  Matt Leinart got the majority of the snaps but he was poor, throwing for just 115 yards and an interception.  The running game wasn't much better and the Panthers defense restricted the Raiders rushers to just 2.1 yards per carry.
 
30 (30) Philadelphia Eagles (4-11) - The Eagles lost again on Sunday, this time to the Washington Redskins.  The Eagles are 4-11 for the year and will finish their season with a trip to New York to face the Giants.  The Eagles are playing for nothing more than pride now but they do have a good record against the Giants and will hopefully go there and make the Giants work hard for the win.  The Giants still have a small chance of reaching the playoffs and it looks like Michael Vick will start at quarterback for the Eagles as Nick Foles has a hand injury and Vick will want to show Andy Reid that he made a mistake by sticking with Foles when Vick returned from injury.  Vick has been poor in the last two seasons but he usually saves his best displays for the Giants.  On Sunday, Foles threw for 345 yards, a touchdown and an interception.  Jeremy Maclin led the receivers with 8 catches for 116 yards and a touchdown.  LeSean McCoy came back from injury and played well, picking up 122 yards from scrimmage. 

31 (31) Jacksonville Jaguars (2-13) - The Jaguars lost on Sunday to go to 2-13 for the season.  They deserve a lot of credit as it would have been easy for them to give up on the season and take one of the top two picks in the 2013 draft but they done their best against one of the best teams in the NFL and fell just short.  The results on Sunday mean that the only way the Jags can get the first pick is if the Chiefs win their last game.  The Chiefs finish with a trip to Denver so it's unlikely that they will win as the Broncos need to win to secure a bye in the first round of the playoffs.  Chad Henne threw for 348 yards, a touchdown and 3 interceptions.  Justin Blackmon was the best receiver, catching 7 passes for 79 yards and a touchdown.   

32 (32) Kansas City Chiefs (2-13) - The Chiefs put in a very good display and lost narrowly to the playoff bound, Indianapolis Colts.  It was the same old story for the Chiefs.  They played very well but once again it was turnovers that cost them.  They turned the ball over three times and two in particular were costly.  The Chiefs were in the red zone and turned the ball over twice.  Mistakes like that are more often than not, the difference between winning and losing in this league.  Brady Quinn threw for 162 yards and 2 interceptions.  Jamaal Charles and Peyton Hillis both had big days on the ground.  Hillis ran for 101 yards but Charles was the star of the show, rushing for 226 yards and a touchdown.