Week 13 Observations

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Published on December 6, 2010

If the playoffs started today, seven of last year's 12 qualifiers, the Packers, Chargers, Colts, Cowboys, Vikings, Bengals and Cardinals, would be out.

Peyton Manning now has 11 picks in his last three games and four pick sixes in his last two.

After the worst game of his career in Week 12, Reggie Wayne bounced back huge with 14 catches for 200 yards, but dropped a key would-be first down in overtime that might have been the difference.

The Raiders don't give a s|STAR||STAR||STAR| about the Chargers net YPA. San Diego will likely be the greatest net-YPA team ever to miss the playoffs.

The Falcons won a big game on the road, but needed a late kick return touchdown to get back in it and a bad interception call to seal it, At least Josh Freeman absolutely drilled cornerback Brent Grimes out of bounds on the return. Can you think of another QB who could deliver that hit?

Ronde Barber's the only player in NFL history with 40 picks and 25 sacks. Tiki Barber averaged 318 carries and 60 catches over a five-year period, missed only two games from 1998 through his retirement in 2006 and is 12th all-time in yards from scrimmage.Training and luck no doubt play a part, but durability has a major genetic component.

The Rams and the Colts have the same record.

The Titans really miss Vince Young, or is it Kenny Britt? Before Britt went down, they were 5-3 and coming off a blowout win over the Eagles at home (granted it was the Kevin-Kolb-led Eagles). Since then, they're 0-4. I still don't know why they won't throw to Randy Moss, but that mystery is no longer important enough to solve.

I was sick this weekend, so I had occasion to watch the entire first season of "Breaking Bad". Have to say it was fantastic. One of the opening scenes is a guy in his underwear, wearing a gas mask, while driving an RV at high speed on an unpaved road in the desert. This ends up making perfect sense, by the way.

Based on the first-quarter plus of the Jets-Pats game, and that Philip Rivers will likely be watching the playoffs on TV, Tom Brady is now the big favorite for the league's MVP award.

I know I took the Bills plus six this week, but I assumed Brett Favre would be playing. Tarvaris Jackson did throw three picks, but was 15-of-22 for 187 yards (8.5 YPA) with two touchdowns to Sidney Rice. He also ran for 22 yards. As a Giants fan, I'd hate to see Favre's streak end next week.

I had the Cowboys plus five in Indy this week, and when the game went to overtime, I couldn't decide whether I wanted Dallas or Indy to get the ball. Only an Indy TD could beat me, but I wasn't sure whether a long offensive TD or a defensive one was more likely, considering the average expected field possession would be somewhere around the 25-yard line and also that offenses usually play for the FG.

The Giants are running the ball well despite missing starting LT Dave Diehl and starting C Shaun O'Hara, and Eli Manning hasn't been sacked in his last five games.