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What a week of football. The best we’ve had all season. No doubt about it.
Following the conclusion of tonight’s game we will officially be 3/4 of the way through the season. The playoff picture is starting to crystallize, but don’t get too carried away yet. If we look at the standing after the halfway point we’d see the Steelers, Broncos, and Patriots near the top and now only one of those team may make it. We’d also see the Packers sitting at 4-4 coming off a loss to the previously win less Tampa Bay and now they haven’t lost since and are in line to make the playoffs. It should be a thrilling stretch run to say the least and I didn’t even mention we have two teams making a run at perfection.
Now to my recap of Week 13 in the NFL:
Super Bowl Hangover
After Sunday’s loss to Oakland its fair to say the Steelers won be unleashing hell in December. Now on the heels of the their fourth straight loss the Steelers may be watching the playoffs at home this season.
They now sit at 6-6 and are in a logjam in the AFC Wild Card picture. They are one game behind sixth place Jacksonville, behind Baltimore, and tied with the Dolphins, Jets. In all likelihood the Steelers will need to win out if they want to make the playoffs.
They start out with a gimme this week against the Browns on Thursday Night. After that they’ll have to step up their game. The Packers and Ravens come into town and then they finish the season at Miami, in what could be a win and your in scenario.
The return of Troy Polamalu would certainly increase their chances. Without Polamalu the Steelers defense isn’t the same. They have no play makers other than him and their weaknesses are exposed.
They also have to worry about their red zone woes. On their first three tips there on Sunday they resulted in: interception, field goal, and failed fourth down conversion. Perhaps it’s just a down year for the Steelers. After their last Super Bowl they finished 8-8 the next year and with that schedule coming up it looks like they might fall to the same fate. When Bruce Gradkowski is ripping apart your secondary it doesn’t bode well for your future chances.
End of an Era?
Another loss in Sunday for the Patriots and now paranoia is tangible. Every New England fan will tell you this isn’t the same team that won three Super Bowls back in the day. They know it’s not their year and that this is a quasi-rebuilding year for them.
With their third loss in the last four games the Pats now only have a one game lead over both the Dolphins and the Jets. The mystique that they once had is now all but gone. The connection between Randy Moss and Tom Brady seems a little off. Since the passing game isn’t as great as it once was the running game is now being exposed. The Patriots have got away for years with a bunch of decent, no name running backs, but now the true lack of a 20 carry a game guy is hurting the Pats.
However, the main concern with this team is their defense, mainly their secondary. They simply can’t stop anyone through the air. Mixing journeyman and young players seems to finally caught up with the Pats. The combination of Leigh Bodden, Darius Butler, and Jonathan Whitile is getting embarrassed by opposing offenses. Davone Bess did his best Wes Welker impression against them on Sunday, coming up with key catch after key catch.
Perhaps Belichick saw this coming when he shipped Richard Seymour right before the season started. Knowing they couldn’t win it all, he wanted to get something for him while he could and build for the future. For now the Pats will still likely make the playoffs and they always can make a run, but they won’t go anywhere playing the way they are now.
Game Balls
Bruce Gradkowski
Davone Bess
Robert Meachem
Lame Ducks
Shaun Suisham
Adrian Peterson
Stat of the Week:
The Colts have now won 21 consecutive regular-season games, tying the 2006-08 New England Patriots for the longest streak in NFL history.
Stat of the Week 2:
Bruce Gradkowski’s three fourth-quarter TD passes in Pitt were one more than Jamarcus Russell threw this year.
Stat of the Week 3:
With today’s win over Detroit, the Bengals are now assured of a winning record for only the second time in the past 19 years.
Stat of the Week 4:
The game against Miami was the third this year in which New England has lost after holding a 10-point lead. The Pats had one of those in the previous seven years.
Picture of the Week:
Video of the Week:
Video of the Week 2:
Vide0 of the Week 3:
