Five Quick Hits
* Pittsburgh's defense held Jamal Lewis to 26 yards and less than 2 yards per carry.
* Biggest Pro Bowl snub: the Indianapolis offensive line.
* Surprising Pro Bowl selections: Champ Bailey and Larry Allen just made it on name recognition, but the weirdest pick is probably Jeremiah Trotter, who has played less than half of his team's downs. Trotter didn't start until midseason, and he comes out on passing downs.
* Playoffs or no, Mike Martz and Jim Haslett have to go.
* This Monday, Andy Reid successfully challenged an interception by his own defense. Truth is stranger than fiction.
Heading into this week's MNF, I looked for two players to step up: Freddie Mitchell and Marshall Faulk. Mitchell joins Philadelphia's starting lineup while Terrell Owens recovers from injury, and the pressure is on his team's WRs to elevate their games in Owens' absence. Mitchell was money in last year's playoffs, and I look for him to come up with big plays again this time around.
Faulk has big-game experience and a knack for bringing his best play at the right time. In 2000, when it looked like the Rams would miss the postseason, Faulk almost single-handedly carried them into the playoffs. During the last three weeks of the season, Faulk averaged 145 rushing yards and 3.7 TDs. In the last game, which the Rams needed to win to clinch a playoff spot, Faulk rushed for 220 yards and scored all three St. Louis touchdowns in a 26-21 Rams win.
At the end of the first quarter, both players looked good. Faulk carried four times for 27 yards on the Rams' first drive, and Mitchell caught a TD pass. It was all downhill from there, though. Mitchell led the Eagles with two catches and 28 receiving yards. Faulk averaged barely three yards per carry and, for the first time in his career, didn't catch a pass.
Faulk knows how to play the game, but his body can't get it done anymore. Watching him, you can pick out plays that would have turned out differently for him three or four years ago. It's sad to see a player of his talent and stature, one who was once the best in the game, such a shadow of what he once was.
Next Tuesday, I'll unveil my year-end power rankings, along with my All-Pro team and playoff predictions. Now on to the power rankings. As always, brackets indicate previous rank.
1. Pittsburgh Steelers [1] -- Logically, they should be the most popular Super Bowl pick in the league. The team seemingly can't lose, it's remarkably healthy (Ben Roethlisberger will be fine by the next time Pittsburgh plays a game that matters) and the Steelers are beating good teams (the Jets and Ravens in the last three weeks alone). Not many people seem to be picking the Steelers, though. The Patriots and Colts are probably the most popular choices. Since Pitt has homefield advantage throughout the playoffs, and I think it is the best team in the NFL, my Super Bowl choice should be easy. But I really think it's a three-way race. I don't have a favorite right now, but I'll make a prediction next week.
2. New England Patriots [2] -- Bounced back in dramatic fashion. This is the time of year when the Patriots play their best football, and betting against them is not a good idea. Richard Seymour's injury is cause for concern, and the Patriots will have a tough time in the AFC postseason if he's less than 100%. New England has done a fantastic job of fighting through injuries, but that only goes so far.
3. Indianapolis Colts [4] -- How appropriate for Peyton Manning's record-setting pass to come on a TD that set up a game-tying two-point conversion. Manning runs the best two-minute drill since John Elway in his prime, he has the best fundamentals since Johnny Unitas, and he's had arguably the best season in the history of professional football. Manning is the best player in the NFL by a very wide margin.
4. Philadelphia Eagles [3] -- The drop from third to fourth is because the Colts look so good, not because of anything that happened to Philadelphia's backups on the field Monday night. That said, if I were Andy Reid, I would have played all the starters and gone hard for a win to prove to my team that it could win without T.O. Rest everyone in Week 17 instead and send them into the playoffs with a little more confidence.
5. San Diego Chargers [5] -- Took the Colts to overtime on the artificial turf in Indianapolis. Allowing 34 points may not sound impressive -- although that is what the Colts average -- but San Diego defenders sacked Manning four times. Indianapolis had given up only nine sacks all season, an average of 0.6 per game; San Diego topped that by 525%. It's tough to see the Chargers beating any of the AFC's top three seeds on the road, but it isn't out of the question.
6. Buffalo Bills [6] -- Really, they could be at the top of the list. Six wins in a row, with more than 30 points in each. Eight of the last nine, with the loss coming at New England. +116 in points for/against, the same as the Steelers. A whole lot of teams in the AFC are rooting for the Jets and Broncos to win this weekend so that they won't have to face Buffalo in the playoffs.
7. Atlanta Falcons [8] -- Lost to the Saints. These things happen at the end of the season. In the name of pride, though, Atlanta should hustle against Seattle. If the Falcons lose by more than five points, they will have been outscored by their opponents this season.
8. New York Jets [7] -- The NFC West is 22-38. I mention this in the Jets' section because the Jets are 3-0 against opponents from that division. Against real teams, they're a pretty ordinary 7-5. They beat San Diego and Buffalo, but early in the season, before either one had really hit its stride. Since then, the Jets have lost to every good team they've played: Pittsburgh, Baltimore, New England, and the rematch at Buffalo. New York clearly has a good team, but just as clearly, it is not a Super Bowl contender.
9. Carolina Panthers [9] -- For the last several weeks, Carolina has been playing the way it did in last year's playoffs. That team relied primarily on its defense during the regular season, but the offense hit new heights during the postseason, with DeShaun Foster showing his abilities, Steve Smith stepping up as one of league's premier wide receivers, and Jake Delhomme establishing himself as a solid field general. Carolina could be a major factor in the NFC playoffs.
10. Baltimore Ravens [10] -- They've lost two in a row and won't make the playoffs, but the Ravens had a good season. Their .569 strength of schedule is the third-highest in the NFL, and highest among teams with winning records. Baltimore beat Pittsburgh, Buffalo, and the Jets this year. Four of the team's seven losses came on the road against Pittsburgh, New England, Indianapolis, and Philadelphia. Those teams are a combined 29-1 at home. With an easier schedule, Baltimore probably would be in the playoffs.
11. Green Bay Packers [12] -- A win on the road, against a major rival and for the division title, is always a big deal. But really, all the Packers did on Friday was punch a few more holes in the sinking ship that is the Minnesota Vikings. Donald Driver wasn't the only offensive player who had a big game. With Randy Moss running at half-speed, Michael Bennett averaged nearly 5.5 yards per carry and Daunte Culpepper threw for 285 yards, 3 TD, and no INT. If the Packers expect to win a playoff game, they'll have to play defense.
12. Kansas City Chiefs [14] -- Only once in their last nine games have the Chiefs allowed fewer than 20 points. Remarkably, they are 5-4 in that span. Which is why five members of KC's offense are going to Honolulu.
13. Jacksonville Jaguars [11] -- Backs to the wall, everything to play for, and they didn't show up. Houston utterly dominated the Jags in every phase of the game. Injuries were a big problem, but they blew it.
14. Houston Texans [16] -- 5-1 against teams with losing records, 2-7 against teams with winning records. Forget about the Jags and that becomes 5-1, 0-7. Pretty much the definition of a middle-of-the-road team. Houston deserves a lot of credit for playing hard against Jacksonville and coming out with such a convincing win.
15. New Orleans Saints [18] -- Making a late playoff run, and remarkably control their own destiny. It's tough to see the Saints winning at Carolina, but New Orleans is unpredictable and capable of pulling off big upsets. I'm taking the Panthers anyway.
16. Cincinnati Bengals [13] -- Won even though Rudi Johnson only averaged 1.6 yards per carry. Apparently beating the Giants by one counts as a win, though. Cincinnati is now 5-3 at home, its first winning season at home since last year.
17. Tampa Bay Buccaneers [17] -- Stat of the Game: Michael Pittman carried 10 times for Tampa. Nick Goings carried 33 times for Carolina.
18. Denver Broncos [19] -- What a number the defense did on Tennessee's offense. It held Billy Volek about 300 yards below his usual game. Ashley Lelie is slowly but surely becoming a reliable receiver on the other side of the ball. With a nice offseason and some luck with injuries, Denver could be a contender in 2005.
19. Oakland Raiders [20] -- The defense is terrible and a loss is a loss, but the Raiders are still playing hard. Probably harder than they have since the 2002 AFC Championship Game. Norv Turner may not have gotten results in the W column, but he has succeeded in changing his team's attitude, despite a losing season.
20. Washington Redskins [15] -- Last in the NFL in strength of victory. Washington has beaten 5-10 Tampa Bay, 5-10 Chicago, 6-9 Detroit, 5-10 Giants, and 2-13 San Francisco.
21. Seattle Seahawks [23] -- Tied with the 49ers for second-worst in strength of victory. The 8-7 Seahawks have been outscored by their opponents this season and have only one win against a team over .500: Minnesota, who shouldn't even count.
22. Minnesota Vikings [22] -- When you can have the kind of offensive day the Vikings did against Green Bay, but still lose, something is terribly wrong. The 34-31 game in Indianapolis was well-played, hard-fought, and a lot of fun to watch. The Friday game in Minnesota was just sloppy and depressing.
23. Dallas Cowboys [24] -- Three wins in their last five games, but more importantly, they're dominating one of the NFL's most storied rivalries. Dallas has won 14 of its last 15 against Washington, with the lone loss coming in a meaningless Week 17 game when Dallas sat its starters.
24. Miami Dolphins [21] -- Maybe I'm blinded by the recent failures of Steve Spurrier and Butch Davis, but I don't like the choice of Nick Saban, a successful college head coach, to lead the Dolphins next season. Jim Bates has gone 3-3 as Miami's interim coach, and Art Shell was very successful as coach of the Raiders. I don't like the college-to-NFL transition, and I don't think Saban was the best guy available.
25. Detroit Lions [25] -- Snuck by the Bears on the strength of a questionable call in the end zone. Looking ahead to next year, if Detroit can even get stable, Brad Johnson-type QB play, it has the offensive weapons in place to run away with the NFC North.
26. St. Louis Rams [27] -- Picked on Roderick Hood with a great deal of success, but 20 points, at home in the Dome, is hardly earth-shattering. The remarkable thing about this week's MNF was that Philadelphia only scored seven. Even with backups, that's pretty poor.
27. Arizona Cardinals [26] -- It would have been funny for Arizona to win the NFC West, and that didn't happen, but this team is still kind of funny, because it was swept by the 49ers.
28. New York Giants [29] -- Losing streak is four times as long as San Francisco's, but still one game better than Cleveland's. I feel bad for Tiki Barber.
29. Chicago Bears [30] -- That catch looked fine to me. Chicago probably should have won. If there's an upside, the Bears will now get a better draft pick than their division rival Lions. Small consolation, I know.
30. Tennessee Titans [28] -- Haven't held an opponent under 30 in five weeks. Injuries have crushed a team that was considered a Super Bowl contender this preseason.
31. Cleveland Browns [32] -- I watched the whole Sunday night contest between Cleveland and Miami. The NFL owes me a 3½-hour refund on my life.
32. San Francisco 49ers [31] -- Lost by more than 30 for the third time this season.
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