We had some real losers this week as the NFL regular season winds down with just two weeks left. Wait, we have a ton of games set for Christmas Eve and two on Christmas Day! Sucks for the players but great for us fans.
Just make sure your Grandma upgrades that tube TV before next Saturday.
NFL Grown Man of the Week: I’ve got to give this week’s highest honor to Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin. This man was fired up at the end of the Cincinnati win. Tomlin made sure everyone on the sideline knew it too. His Steelers came roaring back in somewhat ugly fashion to get a much-needed win over the self-destructive Bengals.
Loser: Once again the Bengals of Cincinnati just cannot get out of their own way. Penalty after penalty allowed the Steelers to stay in the game and score 18 unanswered points. The Bengals had 8 flags for 86 easy yards handed to the Steelers. The most penalty yards for Cinci all year.
Winner: Ezekiel Elliott helped squash the noise in Dallas after last week’s tough loss. He racked 159 yards on just 23 carries and tacked on a score as the Cowboys got back on track with a nice win over the hot Tampa Bay Bucs.
Loser: All the talk about Jameis Winston and his letter to his team was nice. Right up until he threw a terrible pick that basically sealed the deal for Dallas on SNF.
Winner: Drew Brees made fantasy owners very happy after he had a few down games. It was a wild shootout between his Saints and the Cardinals that saw 89 total points scored. Brees racked up 389 passing yards and four touchdowns to show he is still a top 5 fantasy choice each week.
Loser: Adrian Peterson didn’t have a triumphant return to the field after missing most of the year with a knee injury. He should have taken another week off. I doubt the Vikes would have missed his tiny production as they were destroyed by the Colts 34 – 6.
Winner: How are the Giants 10 – 4? Seemingly they were mediocre all year. Yet here they are with a chance to do damage in the playoffs if they stay hot. The defense has been the difference this year. The past two weeks they have given up just 13 total points to two powerful offenses.
Loser: The Chiefs suffered a big-time loss at home to the Titans as Ryan Succop kicked the winning FG as the clock ran out on a windy day in Arrowhead. The Chiefs slipped from the driver’s seat in the AFC to Wildcard status with the loss.
Winner: It’s a shame that Shady McCoy will not likely be showing off his mad skills in the playoffs with his Bills at 7-7. The guy is fun to watch. Of course, the opponent being Cleveland made it even easier for McCoy this week.
Loser: Yes, the Browns made the loser list again. 0 – 14 is not easy to do. I guess? Let’s see if they can finish the drill and end up winless for the year. My money’s on them doing just that.
Winner: The Packers didn’t handle the Bears very easily and needed a late bomb to Jordy Nelson to set up the winning field goal. The winner for the Pack was Ty Montgomery though as he rolled up 162 yards on the ground with a mere 16 carries.
Loser: Brock Osweiler has been benched and I doubt the super-rich let-down for the Texans will see the field anymore this year. He’s just been terrible, and I don’t see how Bill O’Brien can go back to him. Tom Savage has a chance to make a name for himself at QB with Houston still in the playoff hunt. Maybe he can trick a team into handing him a big contract next year like Osweiler.
Winner: DeVonta Freeman wrecked the woeful San Francisco defense for three touchdowns on Sunday. A little payback for the upset win that the Niners got last year at Atlanta’s expense. Freeman was a man possessed as he rushed for 139 yards. Amazingly, his fumble was the first for an Atlanta back all season.
Loser: Chip Kelly could be on his way out of Frisco after just two years there. He inherited a team on the decline and even though he has tweaked his system a bit, that hasn’t helped. If not for the Browns, his 49ers would be the worst team in the NFL.
Loser: I couldn’t leave off Bryce Petty from the loser list. He’s lucky he didn’t lose his upper body to medical science after he was turned into a Jets sandwich by Ndamukong Suh and Cameron Wake.