It Comes Down To This

This is the end. For some.

Carolina 34, Atlanta 20 – The Panthers are starting to believe the NFC is wide open this year and that they’re as good as anyone else. They finally got past New Orleans with a clutch performance from their franchise quarterback. Super Bowl, baby. It’s a moment. It could happen. The Falcons just want 2013 to be over and who can blame them. Would winning their last game of the year in front of the home fans make a difference? Well, I’m sure it would feel better than losing their last game of the year in front of the home fans. So, let’s go with marginal difference. Not that it will matter when the fleets of alien space craft appear as if from nowhere, establishing geosynchronous orbit and dropping battalions of ninja cyborgs on every major metropolitan area on the planet. Or even if that doesn’t happen. Hey, it’s just a game!

Baltimore 13, Cincinnati 42 – I’m expecting a fight and a couple of ejections in this game, late 3^rd quarter, early 4^th. It cannot be easy for the Ravens to go out like this and you can bet the Bengals will be over-enjoying themselves as their lead widens. Remember LeGarrette Blount doing the Ray-Ray last Sunday? How about the entire Bengals kick-off team doing the Squirrel Dance? I think that takes it to the next level. I think that gets Terrell Suggs’ attention.

Houston 16, Tennessee 24 – Could this game actually save Mike Munchak’s job? It seems like too little too late, doesn’t it? Both of these teams will be blowing things up in the off-season. In fact, the Texans have already started. They’ve spoken to Lovie Smith and they’ve got Bill O’Brien on speed dial. There are worse places to start than J.J. Watt, the Texans’ defense and shot at a franchise QB in the draft. Like Tennessee. Tennessee will be a worse place to start. I think their best player is an offensive guard which may be based on anecdotal evidence but . Chris Johnson, the overpaid and/or underperforming RB formerly known as CJ2K, has said he won’t renegotiate his grotesque contract. Hey, whatever. Fair is funny business and contract law is a soulless bitch. Anyway, the Titans will no doubt cut Johnson, in what looks like a win-win. The Titans get out from under a cap-unfriendly contract and Johnson can try to hook on with a team that has playoff potential. Do the Miami Dolphins have any cap space?

Jacksonville 17, Indianapolis 30 – The Colts have a chance at the #2 seed. Weren’t they an unimpressive 7-4-0 just a few weeks ago? The “big win” over the potentially fraudulent Chiefs may have been overplayed but the big wins over San Francisco, Seattle and Denver in Weeks 1-8. It just feels like the Colts have momentum. They’ve been here before and know the risks in playing in the Wild Card round. Indy should be highly motivated. Jacksonville has a plane to catch.

NY Jets 20, Miami 21 – Given another week to reconsider their position, Jets’ players decide a fresh start might be better for everyone involved.

Detroit 30, Minnesota 27 – I would’ve given Jim Schwartz an outside chance to keep his job until his infamous “wouldn’t call [this season] a failure” presser when referencing the Lions lack of success in 2013. Okay, I can understand how painful it can be for a competitor to acknowledge failure (synonyms in my Word thesaurus include catastrophe, fiasco and disaster, all of which seem to apply to Detroit’s 2013 season). The correct answer was, “Anything short of winning the Super Bowl should be considered failure in this league.” It’s just sad when you realize how easy this really is. Of course this season has been a failure for the Lions! Contrary to the narrative that the Lions didn’t take advantage of their divisional foes misfortunes at QB, with a win this coming Sunday they would finish with a 5-1-0 record in the NFC North. It’s all the rest of their games where they sucked! Well, down that stretch run, anyway, is when they really sucked. The Lions were 6-3-0 and looking like the cool kids after school before the disastrous 1-5-0 finishing stretch (the one win against the Packers sans Rodgers) cost them a playoff spot, not to mention the NFC North. They couldn’t beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at home! If you were head coach of that team wouldn’t you expect to be fired? Anyway, consensus among pigskin pundits and bobbleheads has Leslie Frazier filing for unemployment next week, too. I’d feel a lot better about the Vikings firing Frazier if I knew how much he did or didn’t have to do with drafting Christian Ponder.

Washington 10, NY Giants 24 – There have been a few stories about the future of these two head coaches as well. The Shanahan soap opera in Washington is well documented. If you’re a Washington Football Club fan, do you feel good about any of your options? Shanahan and Kirk Cousins in Mike Shanahan and John Elway 2: The Faint Copy? How about an entitled and unrepentant RG3 calling the shots after the Shanahans exit, stage left, with several millions of Dan Snyder’s money? The stories about Giants’ head coach Tom Coughlin have far less castle intrigue. It’s a more traditional storyline of losing revolve around the two Super Bowl wins and how much good will that buys him. My question is why does Tom Coughlin want to keep doing this? Eli Manning has been just brutal but I see why he gets a pass; those aforementioned Super Bowl wins. Still, one can’t help but wonder if Eli’s 2012 season is just a one off or the new normal for Eli. Or maybe it’s the old normal. Okay, his current 4.9 INT% and his 26 INT would be career worsts and don’t get me wrong, this has been a really bad year for Eli but when you look at his curriculum vitae, you’ll see that he’s always thrown a lot of interceptions. The only year he threw for thirty or more TD passes – 31 in 2010 – he threw 25 INT. Eli Manning’s career makes you believe in luck (good and bad), gypsy curses and the Devil.

Cleveland 24, Pittsburgh 30 – The Steelers still have a mathematical chance to make the playoffs but I believe everyone else in the NFL has to lose for them to get in. I’m not sure how that’s even possible so I’m guessing longest of long shots. Still, we’re saying there’s a chance, which is more than the Browns have going for them. Finishing 8-8-0 isn’t much consolation for the Steelers but losing at home to the Browns and falling to 7-9-0 is difficult to conceive. Shouldn’t we be talking more about Mike Tomlin when considering coaches who could be looking for work next Tuesday?

Green Bay 37, Chicago 41 – Jay Cutler is completely unpredictable. The least predictable outcome I can think of is that Cutler would thoroughly outplay Aaron Rodgers so that’s what I’m going with.

Denver 38, Oakland 23 – Does the botched call on TD #50 taint Manning’s record? Not after he throws four more in this one.

Buffalo 3, New England 17 – The Patriots secure the #2 seed with a spectacularly unimpressive win causing Patriot Haters to spontaneously combust from outrage at this latest pigskin injustice involving New England. Buffalo’s defense will come to play but so will New England’s, despite all the injuries. Also, Tom Brady.

Tampa Bay 20, New Orleans 31 – The Saints may know if Carolina won by kick-off but there’s playoff position and pride on the line for the Saints. Also, if they lose and Arizona wins they’re out of the playoffs. It’s complicated.

San Francisco 34, Arizona 20 – The big deal here is that Arizona could finish 11-5-0 with a win over San Francisco and still miss the playoffs! The last team I remember missing the playoffs with an 11-5-0 record is the New England Patriots in 2008, the year a sniper, a single shooter, shot Tom Brady in the knee so please save your tears if you’re talking to me, Arizona Cardinals’ fans. The 49ers still have an outside shot at the NFC West and seem to be hitting their stride at the best possible time. Five-game winning streaks will have that effect.

Kansas City 16, San Diego 34 – The Chiefs are locked into the #5 seed no matter what happens this Sunday. I wouldn’t let Jamaal Charles step on the field if I’m Andy Reid. I’m resting Tamba Hali, too. They’re both inactive if it’s me taking over Andy Reid’s body (yick!), and I’d rest any starter who has been playing through an injury. If you’re the Chiefs you’ve got to turn this into a bye week if you can. I’m just thinking that may influence the outcome.

St. Louis 10, Seattle 51 – Bad timing for the Rams.

Philadelphia 35, Dallas 10 – Bad timing for Romo.