The regular season is over in the NFL and that means it is playoff time SON! But with that excitement comes the sadness of knowing there are just a few games left in the NFL this year. We have basically a month of football left, then it will be nothing but the draft, the combine, and off the field issues to keep us NFL degenerates busy. Here’s what happened on the last day of the regular season. No Monday night game this week.
I want to get this one out of the way quickly. My Falcons crashed and burned at home against the Panthers 34-3. They were perfect in their own horrible division all year then can’t score more than three points when it matters most. This game is just another in a long line of disappointments for this Atlanta franchise and fans like myself. Mike Smith will be fired by this afternoon. That is my guess and I think Thomas Dimitroff should go as well, since he was the architect behind this woeful defense and weak offensive line. Matt Ryan was terrible in this game, but he endured six sacks and was harassed on almost every single play.
The Seahawks won their division with a win over the Rams 20-6. Their defensive effort was the lone bright spot for my FanDuel lineup this week. Marshawn Lynch added to his league leading TD total for non quarterbacks in this game and ended the year with 17. Seattle now has home field advantage in the playoffs and will be the favorite to go to the Super Bowl no matter who the two opponents end up being after the bye week.
The Ravens got the victory over Cleveland 20-10 to end their year at 10-6. That mark was good enough to push them to a playoff spot after missing the post season last year. The Browns started rookie Connor Shaw in this game due to Manziel and Hoyer being hurt. Baltimore had enough offense to win the game, but are not striking fear in anyone at this moment. Steve Smith was the leading receiver with only 90 yards, while Justin Forsett had another nice game with 119 on the ground.
The Giants lost to Philadelphia 34-26 in a game that had little on the line as both teams are out of the mix for the post season. It was another game for rookie sensation Odell Beckham to shine though. The kid had 12 catches for 185 yards and is now a full fledged fantasy go to guy.
Believe it or not Geno Smith finished a game with a perfect QB rating. The guy had three touchdowns throws and 358 yards passing. He might want to get heated up a little sooner next year as the last game of the year is a little late for heroics. The Dolphins let Eric Decker get off for 221 yards on the receiving end. I guess Miami was feeling so good about the owner’s vote of confidence in the coaching staff that they forgot to prepare for this week.
The Chargers only needed to beat the Chiefs to get in the playoffs and you know how this team rolls when the chips are down. That’s right, they choke. Philip Rivers, this allegedly elite QB, could not push his team past the Chase Daniel led Kansas City crew. Time to blow up the Chargers’ roster. They have yet to live up to their potential. Chargers go down in flames 7-19.
I would have loved to have seen the Texans in the playoffs, but they were eliminated when the Ravens won their game versus Cleveland. Houston did all they could in their final game of the year, beating the Jaguars 23-17. J.J. Watt recorded three sacks and a safety. I’m pretty sure he went home and had relations with a hot female or two also. J.J. Watt for MVP.
The 49ers clipped the Cardinals 20-17 as Arizona struggled to score the points needed with a third string QB. Arizona remains the fifth seed in the playoffs and has to travel to Carolina for round one next week. This turned out to be Jim Harbaugh’s final game at the helm for Frisco. The 49ers ownership is making a huge mistake letting this guy go. In five years this team will be nowhere near the NFC Title game and they had a guy that got them to three in a row. Harbaugh reportedly is headed to Michigan but I wish Arthur Blank could throw enough Home Depot money at him to bring him to Atlanta.
The Redskins were eviscerated by the red hot Cowboys 44-17. Dallas ends the year perfect on the road. That is a mark of a dominant team. Records were set in this one by Dez Bryant and DeMarco Murray. The wideout got the record for single season TD receptions for Dallas, while Murray is now the franchise single season rushing record holder. Dallas will host Detroit in round one next week. Robert Griffin ended the year for the Skins with two picks to keep the team consistent in the turnover department.
Denver got big runs from C.J. Anderson again this week to beat up on Oakland 47-14. The back had three touchdowns on the way to Denver’s 12th win of the year. The Broncos will host a second round playoff game after getting a first round bye with the second seed. It is shaping up to be a Denver versus New England showdown in the AFC Title game.
Speaking of the Patriots, they lost a meaningless game to the Bills 17-9. Brady wisely sat out the second half. No point in getting the Golden Boy hurt before the second season starts.
The Colts beat up on Tennessee 27-10 in a game that required little effort from either team. The Colts will host the Bengals in round one next week.
Pittsburgh came out on top of Cincinnati 27-17 to be crowned AFC North champs. The win was costly after Le’Veon Bell left the game with a knee injury after a low hit by Reggie Nelson. The play was considered dirty, but where can you hit a guy like that? He is a beast and going low is the best option. The Steelerswill host Baltimore for their first playoff game.
I had the pleasure of seeing most of the Packers Lions game as it unfolded instead of recording it for later. After becoming disgusted with the Falcons game, I swapped over to this game that actually had two participants. The Packers looked to be in trouble when Aaron Rodgers went out with a calf injury. The game was close at that point. But #12 returned in the second half to put a dagger in the heart of Detroit. Ndamukong Suh tried to send Rodgers back to the locker room with a mini stomp on his leg. Suh is a pretty good actor and a very dirty player, but NFL cameramen don’t miss much. If Suh is suspended for next week’s game, that would be great karma, but I doubt that happening. Packers 30-20 over the now 6th seeded Lions.
In a pair of lackluster games, the Saints won over the Bucs 23-20. That ensured Tampa will get the number one pick in the 2015 draft. The Bears lost to the Vikings 13-9 after reports came out that the Chicago coaching staff expects to be fired.
The playoff picture is set with Denver and New England receiving byes in the AFC. Seattle and Green Bay sit out the first round in the NFC. The Ravens travel to Pittsburgh and the Colts host Cincy in the AFC Wildcard games. On the NFC Wildcard side, Carolina welcomes Arizona, and Dallas awaits Detroit in Texas Stadium.