The Washington Redskins-Baltimore Ravens was the week’s best game. Robert Griffin III’s knee bent a little bit like Willis McGahee’s did against Ohio State 10 years ago. The Kirk Cousins era may begin a lot sooner than Mike Shanahan hoped.
The Chicago Bears dropped a game to the Minnesota Vikings. Jay Cutler suffered another concussion. The Bears have a defense capable of a deep post season run. The Bears finally have a legitimate wide receiver threat, Brandon Marshall. Without Cutler the Bears will struggle if they make the playoffs. Many more concussions and Cutler should start to think about his long term health.
Adrian Peterson is Superman. Less than a year removed from tearing two knee ligaments, he is on pace to gain 2000 yards from scrimmage. If the Vikings sniff the playoffs, he’s your M.V.P.
The Dallas Cowboys eked out a close win over the Cincinnati Bengals. If Dez Bryant’s finger injury ends his season, the Cowboys will not make the playoffs. Bryant is on the short list of best receivers not named Calvin Johnson.
Cam Newton, welcome to the 2012 season. The Carolina Panthers quarterback finally had a big game in the Panthers 30 to 20 win over the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons are an underwhelming 11 and two team. They may be an underdog number one seed in the divisional round of the playoffs.
The Jets remain in the wild card hunt despite setting offensive football back 30 years. The Jets have six wins playing in the A.F.C. East. If the Jets played in the S.E.C. West, they would have three wins.
The New York Giants are the Bizarro World Jets. The Giants are entertaining and capable on Sundays, boring the rest of the week. The Jets cure insomnia each Sunday, but the circus rolls in every Monday and the fun lasts until game time.
Seattle 58 Cardinals 0: I hope the Arizona Cardinals defense was not suffering delusions of grandeur after bottling up the wide open Jets attack in Week 13. To say that Larry Fitzgerald is in football purgatory would be an understatement.
Andrew Luck and the Colts keep rolling along. The Indianapolis Colts overcame an early deficit and beat the Tennessee Titans. With nine wins they are almost a lock for the playoffs, despite being outscored by 37 points over the course of the year.
Greg Schiano now shows if he can coach in the N.F.L. A last second loss by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to the Philadelphia Eagles crushed the Bucs playoff hopes. If Tampa finishes strong, this can be a year to build upon. If the Bucs players tune him out and their season crumbles, it could be trouble next year.
Ted DiBiase “The Million Dollar Man” would have been proud of the sleeper hold that the Buffalo Bills and the St. Louis Rams put on the paying patrons at Rich Stadium on Sunday.
