Week Seventeen in Review

Sunday Games:

The Five Major Story Lines

The answer is in. The Chargers will be the mediocre team to fill the AFC sixth seed. When they lined up to play today, the Chargers knew all they needed to do was to win, and they were in. They almost did not even do that. The Chiefs started backups at almost every spot on the field, and the Chargers barely escaped in overtime. San Diego has an exciting offense, and the best quarterback of all the teams fighting for that final playoff spot. However, the way they performed against a B-team today was quite disconcerting. It is really hard to envision this squad going into Cincinnati and winning next weekend.
The Panthers managed to hold on to their lead in the NFC South, and will get a much needed playoff bye. Nothing seems to come easy with this year’s Panthers team. The Falcons played them tough, and the offense looked pretty lethargic most of the game. However, nine sacks, including four by the soon to be very rich Kraken, were enough to push Carolina over the Falcons by one point. Good thing they managed to pull it out to, because the Saints trounced the Bucs 42-17. Carolina will get an extra week to rest Steve Smith, while the Saints will have to play on the road in the playoffs. Last time the Panthers were in the playoffs, they received a bye, and were bounced in their first game at home. It remains to be seen if this team can take a different path.
There were far too many late season collapses this season, with the Ravens, Lions, and Dolphins leading the charge. The Ravens fell apart under a hobbled Joe Flacco’s leadership. He was far too easy to defend after a knee injury, but his overall poor play this year was inexcusable. The Lions are in need of a culture change. Jim Schwartz’s firing should go a long way, but they need someone to come in and hold Matthew Stafford accountable. The current Lions regime let Stafford’s mechanics deteriorate and failed to acknowledge the problem. The Dolphins are a hard team to figure out. When you look at their roster, they really had no business being in the playoffs. However, the fact they got so close and lost to inferior teams virtually guarantees major changes will be coming.
Peyton Manning now holds basically every single season quarterback record. It really is an amazing accomplishment at age 37. You can say he has great talent around him, and he does, but there is no doubt he has made most of these young players, outside of Wes Welker. Manning’s 2013 season will cement his legacy as the greatest of all time for some. For others, it will take at least a Super Bowl title.
It could not have ended any other way. In typical fashion, the Cowboys had to break their fan’s hearts in week seventeen once again. Kyle Orton threw a very Romo-like fourth quarter interception and the Eagles ran away the NFC East champions. Unless Dallas makes the necessary changes in the coming weeks, expect this to happen yet again next season. As for Philadelphia, they have the ability to go one a playoff run. However, the only team I’d feel comfortable picking them to win against would be the Saints. Coincidently, that is the very team they will host next week.

The Three Young Pass Catchers to Watch from my Roto Rants column
1) Jerrel Jernigan

Jernigan was once again very good. In fact, you could argue he was downright dynamic. He scored two touchdowns, one on the ground and one through the air. He did it all on Sunday. Jernigan made people missed and once again caught balls in traffic. The former third-round disappointment is here to stay, and should figure prominently in the Giants plans next season.

2) Stedman Bailey

Stedman Bailey had a meager stat line of four catches for thirty-three yards. It was a solid, but unspectacular effort from the rookie wide receiver. There really is no shame in this type of performance. Bailey had to do battle with the Seahawks great secondary, and his team was overmatched from the beginning. Expect Bailey to become a much more dynamic player when his situation improves in 2014.

3) Joesph Fauria

Sadly, Joesph Fauria failed to run away with his opportunity. It was a very non-descript outing for the undrafted tight end, and the flaws observed in the Roto Rants piece were on full display. At this point, Fauria would really need to impress the next Lions coaching staff in the offseason for them to feel comfortable with him as their top tight end in 2014.

Parting Shots

It looks like Mike Shanahan was doing Dan Snyder no favors by playing Kirk Cousins in the final three weeks. He will not be giving the Redskins a first round pick as a parting gift. In fact, the Redskins would be lucky to get an original round (fourth) pick in return for their backup quarterback.
I have no idea who I will be picking in the Chargers at Bengals playoff game. The Chargers issues have been documented above, and Andy Dalton was dreadful once again on Sunday. The Bengals were lucky to win convincingly with their quarterback tossing four painful interceptions.
Rob Chudsinski was the first coach to fall, now that firing season has begun. His firing was a strange one. Chud was only around for one year, which leads you to believe he must have been really awful behind the scenes, and a few reports seemed to confirm that. If so, the move is totally justifiable. There is absolutely no need to sit on a mistake just for the sake of continuity. However, if this was done because the Browns were a losing football team, then all the “same old Browns” jokes are justified.
The Texans did things the right way; they lost and they lost big. Houston wrapped up the first overall pick in the draft on Sunday with their fourteenth consecutive loss. The Texans will now be afforded the opportunity to rebuild around the quarterback of their choice. The team is not loaded with talent as some would lead you to believe, but no doubt there are several nice building blocks here. Teddy Bridgewater, or who ever they feel is the best quarterback in the 2014 draft, should be walking into a pretty nice situation. Whoever the new head coach is would be wise to not come in and totally muck up the offense Gary Kubiak spent years tailoring to his system. Keep things the same there, and focus on that very disappointing defense. It is a little unfair that some teams have spent years toiling in mediocrity searching for a quarterback, and solid organization like the Colts and Texans keep cutting them in line to get one.
Expect the Falcons to come back strong next season, if they play their cards right. They wave goodbye to Tony Gonzalez, but will be welcoming back Julio Jones. The team must focus its full attention to remaking their defensive line. Their inability to get pressure is more disturbing than the gross amount they give up. With Sam Baker returning as well, there is enough youth and upside on the offensive line to think they could get by for another year with just one solid addition.

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