After watching Matt Flynn get 10.9 YPA with six touchdown passes, it's apparent Aaron Rodgers was holding this offense back all season. Coach Mike McCarthy has quite a dilemma on his hands entering the postseason…In all seriousness, if Sunday proved anything, it's that Jordy Nelson is legit. Sure, the system is obviously terrific, and Flynn could easily be a starter somewhere in the league next year, but Nelson is such a playmaker. His 13.3 yards-per-target mark in 2011 is off the charts and historically good. And think, that number would be even better had he not had to stop once reaching the end zone 15 times…Pretty insane the Packers finished 15-1 while actually allowing more yards than they gained this year…Titus Young and the Lions were robbed of a touchdown on a bad call, which was extra frustrating since the team was out of challenges…It wouldn't be a stretch to call Calvin Johnson one of the three most physically gifted wide receivers ever (although Rodney Harrison actually said this about him Sunday night: "He's not overly fast."), and he just had one of the best games ever at the position, but Matthew Stafford is really coming into his own lately. The numbers obviously speak for themselves (5,000 passing yards, 41 TDs), but he's developed into a true superstar and is just 23 years old. If starting a franchise, whom would you take first, Johnson or Stafford?
This year in unnecessary censorship.
What a remarkable season by Maurice Jones-Drew, who won the rushing title and finished just 20 yards shy of reaching 2,000 total yards while scoring 11 touchdowns, all while playing for the NFL's worst offense, at least when looking at yards-per-game…It should be really interesting to see what now happens regarding Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck.
Steve Slaton badly outplayed Daniel Thomas, which isn't a great sign for the rookie moving forward…It's truly hilarious the Jaguars asked for permission to interview Brian Schottenheimer for their head coaching job, since you know, he should be fired from his current offensive coordinator position…As for Rex Ryan, he's definitely made some mistakes, but coming off back-to-back AFC Championship appearances (during his first two years ever as head coach), there's no way he should be on the hot seat (unless he refuses to can Schottenheimer).
Man high on meth in underwear (get it, like "Breaking Bad") crashes stolen police SUV after streaking through highway traffic. Seriously, watch how insane this guy drives.
It really is too bad Jonathan Stewart's prime years are getting essentially wasted in what amounts to a three-back committee. His 142 rushing attempts ranked 32nd among running backs this season. His 32 missed tackles ranked ninth – just one fewer than Adrian Peterson…Marques Colston has racked up 29 catches for 422 receiving yards and five touchdowns over his past four games. He's my top ranked wide receiver in fantasy football playoff leagues…Drew Brees finished the regular season producing 30 touchdowns over eight home games.
Look at this dog. Would you just look at it!
Just when it looked like Minnesota might have two legit quarterback options, Christian Ponder continues to battle the injury-prone label, and Joe Webb gets exposed. But it's the Vikings' secondary that is by far more concerning, as they just ended the 2011 campaign allowing an incredible 34:8 TD:INT ratio. And that was with the team leading the NFL with 50 sacks!...It's unbelievable the difference between Percy Harvin's production with and without Adrian Peterson in the lineup…I would be pretty shocked if Mike Martz returned to Chicago in 2012.
Another blooper from a local news team.
After ending the first quarter down 21-0, my "best bet" (the Patriots) didn't look so great, considering I was down 32.5 points. A 49-0 ensuing run meant I ultimately covered by 16.5 points, however, which was pretty crazy…I, for one, appreciated Stevie Johnson personally wishing me a happy new year…I would happily take an Aaron Hernandez vs. Antonio Gates bet for who has more fantasy points next year if someone was so willing…Pretty funny to see Bill Belichick bring back in Rob Gronkowski to make sure he finished with more yards than Jimmy Graham to set the NFL record for yards by a tight end when the game could have ended with kneel downs.
Crazy footage of a car/motorcycle accident. Of course, Big Ben would call this kids play since a helmet was involved.
I can't believe how surprisingly competent Jake Delhomme was in relief Sunday. Even so, I'd be hoping T.J. Yates starts this week if I were a Houston fan…Ben Tate is fantastic and would easily be a top-five fantasy back should Arian Foster go down next season (which in a way, makes Foster a safer pick)…Not that we should be thrilled with the No. 3 vs. No. 6 matchup in the AFC, but it would have been tough to stomach that Titans team making the playoffs…It's one thing to go for two at the end of the game locked in as the No. 3 seed and wanting it to end, but doing so after committing a false start had to upset a lot of Raiders fans. Coming from Denver, maybe Gary Kubiak wanted to stick it to his old division rivals one more time.
Horrific story: Man hires a prostitute, and his daughter shows up.
Don't sleep on what Brent Celek did down the stretch. He could easily be a top-five fantasy tight end next season…Rex Grossman ended the year throwing an interception in 12 straight games…The Eagles actually ended up finishing ahead of the Cowboys in the NFC East, whose champion had fewer than 10 wins for the first time in the history of the division.
The 45 most powerful images of 2011.
Frank Gore looks like a flat tire. I'd say there's about a 50 percent chance Kendall Hunter has more fantasy points next year. So take the latter since he'll be much cheaper…Want to hear something crazy? The 49ers haven't committed a turnover over their past 22 quarters…Over the last three years, coach Steve Spagnuolo's Rams beat just one team that finished the year with a winning record. That team was the Saints this season…Andy Lee is ridiculous and more valuable than most realize. He netted 56.8 yards on five punts Sunday…Sticking with special teams, what a great fake field goal that resulted in an easy touchdown. Who knew David Akers had such an arm…With a 34-13 lead with less than five minutes left against the NFL's worst offense, it was absolutely terrifying to watch my 49ers nearly blow the game Sunday (and in turn the No. 2 seed). Got to give the Rams credit for not giving up (call them the anti-Bucs).
This dog goes down stairs in style.
Speaking of Tampa Bay, what a pathetic performance. Down 42-0 with seven minutes left in the second quarter, really?...I'm not sure how high I'll be willing to take Julio Jones in fantasy leagues next year, but I know it will be higher than Roddy White…Over his previous three games combined, Michael Turner had run for 176 yards. He had 172 rushing yards at halftime Sunday.
Man named Omar Little arrested in Baltimore.
What a ridiculous catch by Larry Fitzgerald at the end of Sunday's game…Marshawn Lynch's 11-game scoring streak came to an end in Week 17, and he'll be one of the more interesting players to rank in fantasy leagues next year…Not only did Arizona end the season on a 7-2 stretch, but a whopping four of those wins came in overtime.
Danilo Gallinari misses wide-open layup in final seconds down two points.
He's a big health risk, but if Vincent Jackson left via free agency, Malcom Floyd could easily be a top-12 fantasy wide receiver next year…With their season on the line, Oakland forced the Chargers to punt zero times Sunday…Michael Bush really wore down as his huge workloads caught up to him down the stretch…With the Raiders well within Sebastian Janikowki's range (56 yards), it was perplexing to see the team complete a six-yard pass over the middle of the field with no timeouts remaining, effectively ending the half. Then again, this is the team that just broke the NFL record for most penalties in a season. Of the eight most penalized teams in the history of the league, the Raiders appear six times on the list…Vincent Jackson finished with nine touchdowns this year. Sunday's was his only against a divisional opponent…San Diego was just inches away from becoming the second team of the day to suffer a safety on a kick return (Green Bay being the other)…Oakland lost the division based on the third tiebreaker (record against common opponents), which can't be easy to stomach…Can't believe Norv Turner may actually keep his job yet again…I'm only going to say this once, because I want him on a bunch of my teams, but Carson Palmer is going to have an absolutely monster fantasy season next year.
This beard must be seen to be believed.
The Broncos backed into the playoffs with a .500 record, having been outscored by 81 points on the year and losers of three straight. In fact, they would have been shut out at home Sunday if not for a muffed punt on a fair catch by Javier Arenas, leading to the team's lone three points. After Sunday's loss, this Huffington Post headline killed me…The Chiefs' defense was quietly strong down the stretch, holding their opponents to 16 points or fewer in five of their final six contests, with three of them coming against playoff teams.
When it comes to flops, Drayton Florence just took it next level.
It's crazy to think the loss of Rashard Mendenhall moves the needle at all when it comes to Pittsburgh's playoff hopes. I doubt it moved this week's Vegas line a hundredth of a point…After recording 43 catches for 800 yards and five touchdowns over the first half of the season, Mike Wallace totaled just 29 receptions for 393 yards and three touchdowns over the second half. He reached 70 yards just once over that span, as he's been a big disappointment after such a hot start…With two minutes left in the third quarter, the Steelers declined a holding penalty on third down, which allowed the Browns to attempt (and make) a 49-yard field goal. It was a curious decision, albeit not a no-brainer either way.
Helmet-to-helmet hits are especially painful if you're not wearing a helmet.
Andy Dalton has thrown just six touchdowns over the past seven games, although it's worth noting he has just one interception over the past six. There's little question Cam Newton is the NFL's Rookie of the Year…I don't consider the Ravens one of the best teams in the league, but they could be looking at a home game against a depleted Texans team in the Divisional Round, and it's not implausible they face a Steelers team they have already beat twice this season at home the following week. They could easily make the Super Bowl with that path (however, I don't like their chances at all if they have to go to New England for the Championship Game).
I can't say I'm surprised Alistair Overeem dominated Brock Lesnar, but wow what a disappointing way to end a career. Really, a kick to the midsection? Of course, I'd probably be hospitalized for six months if that happened to me, but come on man.
Hardly anything should surprise us at this point when it comes to the Cowboys and Giants, but I didn't expect one team to be up 21-0 midway through the third quarter Sunday night. Eli Manning received far better pass protection, but both quarterbacks played well…Victor Cruz had five touchdowns from 68-plus yards this season…I'm sure it means nothing, but Dallas was 0-4 during Sunday Night Football this year…How do the Cowboys punt down 10 points with fewer than five minutes left? Jason Garrett and Rob Ryan are both terrible…The Cowboys have won one playoff game over the past 15 seasons.