Week 16 Observations

Written by

Published on December 28, 2009

That the Giants could dominate Washington on the road so completely, and get annihilated so thoroughly at home six days later by the Panthers shows just how great the game-to-game variance is in the NFL. Granted, the Giants have been one of the most Jekyll and Hyde teams in recent memory, but I watched a 14-2 team become a 2-14 team with the exact same personnel. That's got to be a coaching issue, and while it's a done deal that Bill Sheridan gets fired, Tom Coughlin needs to reconnect with this group, too. The handling of Osi Umenyiora coming off ACL surgery this year was also poor. I'd hate to see him leave and play at a Pro Bowl level for another team.

The Chargers road blowout of the Titans cements them as the favorite to win the Super Bowl right now. Unlike Indy, who's needed fourth-quarter comebacks against every decent team, the Saints - who just lost at home to Tampa, and the Vikings, who have lost two of three - the Chargers are peaking at the right time. Let's call it Chargers-Packers in the SB, though the Pats will be dangerous to SD if they meet, more so than the Colts.

What happened to Matt Hasselbeck? He seems to be taking the Marc Bulger career path.

The Broncos should have gone for it on 4th and 2 from their own 17 in a tie game with two minutes left Sunday. They had some chance to drive down the field and score, but even more important, they could have sent the game to overtime if they didn't. Unless you have Shane Lechler punting, and the other team has a bad return man and spotty kicker, you're really taking your chances kicking it away. In this case, DeSean Jackson was the return man, and David Akers the kicker. I think the chance to convert on 4th and 2 was better than the chance to stop the Eagles from getting into FG range. Moreover, the punt conceded all possibility of the regulation win, whereas a first down kept it alive.

How does a guy like Jerome Harrison go from "too small to carry the load" to getting 39 carries in a meaningless game? DDD pointed this out on the podcast last week, but how is it possible that Jamal Lewis was wasting carries for this team until he got hurt?

Jonathan Stewart is a top-10 real life back. DeAngelo Williams is top five. I suppose depth at running back is necessary, but this team would be so much better if it had a Stewart or Williams-level receiver opposite Steve Smith instead.

It almost seems like the Colts wanted to prove they could have won Sunday's game before choosing to bench Peyton Manning. I had the Jets with the points, but I was sold on that point. If the Colts go 18-1 or 17-2 and win the SB, people will probably argue that they could have been 19-0 if they had wanted to. I think they're better than the Saints, but still don't deserve GOAT consideration unless they annihilate San Diego in the playoffs - something I doubt will happen if they play each other.

If the Texans get into the playoffs, they could be dangerous. They beat up on Cincinnati on the road, and gave the Colts some trouble, too. The Ravens would also be a tough out. The Jets could win one game, but not two, and the Steelers just don't have it this year. Denver is one and done against any of the playoff teams.

The Redskins defense showed up last night, but the offensive playcalling was beyond terrible, and the game was unwatchable to the point of defenestration. I get that Jason Campbell doesn't have enough time to look downfield, but why not roll him out and buy some? You simply cannot run an offense when the opposing team doesn't have to defend beyond 15 yards. On the other side of the ball, the Redskins safeties were 30 yards down the field, and Dallas just took what it wanted underneath. It's shocking that the Cowboys kept running into the teeth of the line and got stuffed on so many 3rd and 4th downs when they could have run play action and converted on a short pass with such ease.

Dallas will not win more than one playoff game, and might win zero. I realize Romo-Austin-Witten aren't that far from Rivers-Jackson-Gates, both coaches leave much to be desired and the Cowboys probably have the better defense. But I believe in San Diego far more than Dallas for some intangible reason (besides the bye). And the Cowboys win in New Orleans has to be downgraded in light of the Tampa one.

While the Raiders high-profile skill position picks have all been busts of late (JaMarcus Russell, Darren McFadden, Darrius Heyward-Bey), they sure have a hell of a punter and kicker.