First things first. We will get into playoff breakdowns a little later. Here are some of the best and worst performances from the final week in the National Football League season.
Best:
Pittsburgh Steelers
The formula was simple in the steel city. Win and hope the Jets lose. That was it. Pittsburgh had their playoff hopes hanging in the air after getting beat by the Ravens in week sixteen, which opened the door for the Jets to grab the last playoff spot. They got the help they needed with the Jets chocking against the Bills, while Pittsburgh did what they had to do and put a beating on the Cleveland Browns, beating up on Cleveland 28-12. Big Ben and Antonio Brown were the two big reasons the Steelers slapped around the Browns (surprise, surprise right). Roethlisberger threw for 349 yards and three touchdowns to seal the win. Brown caught 13 of those passes for 187 yards and a TD. The only thing that might have even put a damper on the day was the injury to DeAngelo Williams. The running back got hurt with an ankle sprain in the 2nd half of the win over the Browns. Pittsburgh is hoping it's not serious and he can be ready to go in their playoff matchup with the Bengals on Saturday.
Worst:
New York Jets
I never knew it was possible for this Jets team to find new ways to tear the hearts out of their fanbase and stomp on them, but guess what? They found a way to do it. It couldn't have been an easier gameplan. Win and your in the playoffs. You were going up against a Buffalo Bills team that had nothing to play for after this game. But they couldn't even find a way to do that. They were outplayed from start to finish, losing 22-17 to Buffalo (ironically enough the same score the Bills won by when they met at MetLife Stadium in early November). The Jets lost hope in this game. Fitzpatrick lost some of his magic that he had in the weeks prior, throwing three picks late in the game that sealed the win for the Bills. The Jets did finish 10-6, which is still a fantastic record, but missing the playoffs is not what they wanted. To make matters worse, they finished dead last in the NFL draft order among non-playoff teams. They'll pick No. 20 this April. Wow.
Best:
Peyton Manning, Quarterback Denver Broncos
Welcome back Peyton Manning! He had been sitting as the backup QB the last few weeks, while Brock Osweiler had taken over while Peyton was hurt and struggling. With Brock at QB, the Denver offense had turned the ball over five times, falling behind early to the San Diego Chargers. Then Peyton comes back in, leading the Broncos on scoring drives in four of five possessions. That helped lead the Broncos to not only a 27-20 win over the Chargers, but it helped Denver lock up the #1 seed in the AFC for the playoffs. He didn't put up the best numbers, going only 5 of 9 for 69 yards, but just having him on the field was emotional enough to help lead the team to where they wanted to go.
Worst:
Tom Brady, Quarterback New England Patriots
New England, much like Denver, was looking to lock up the top seed in the AFC. That didn't go as planned, as the Patriots got knocked off by Miami 20-10. Rather than trying to make a comeback, which the Patriots are pretty darn good at, head coach Bill Belichick opted to gamble with home-field advantage and surrender with a white flag. Brady was uncharacteristically off-kilter, and he failed to throw a touchdown for the first time all season. He was also dinged up after taking several hits, and in attempt to stay preserved, the quarterback attempted a season-low 21 passes. Brady’s five first-half passes were the least he has ever attempted during any first half in his career. I know you want to save your guys for the playoffs, but at the same time, wouldn't it make more sense to make sure your players are ready to roll and playing their very best at playoff time?
Best:
Philadelphia Eagles Offense
Maybe Chip Kelly leaving Philly was the best thing that could have happened. It wasn't a big secret that there was a riff between the coach and his players. On his first touch after Chip Kelly was fired, Murray ran 54 yards for a touchdown. You can’t even make this stuff up. The growing sentiment the past few weeks was that Kelly was holding Murray back somehow, even though Murray hadn’t played well all season. That run helps his case, for sure. His next 11 runs got 15 yards, but whatever, right? The entire Eagles offense seemed to be just fine without Kelly on Sunday. Sam Bradford was 30 of 38 for 320 yards, a great audition for him before he hits free agency. The Eagles scored 35 points in a win over the Giants. One has to wonder what Kelly was thinking when he saw it all.
Worst:
New York Giants
It was almost a given that Coach Tom Coughlin was heading out the door. He did finally step down as Giants Head Coach on Monday, this being sealed by the teams dismal performance on Sunday, falling to the previously mentioned Eagles, 35-30. The Giants have unfortunately had the untimely knack for blowing games in the last seconds of of the game this year. This has happened six times this season, including one overtime matchup. Sunday’s game classically followed suit when the Giants were looking to extend a 27-21 lead in the third quarter. Eli Manning took a sack by Connor Barwin and fumbled and the ball, which was recovered by Walter Thurmond who returned it for an 83-yard touchdown. I just feel bad for the coach that did so much for the Giants and to see him go out the way he did is a little upsetting. Now I have to wonder something out loud. Why does Jerry Reese still have the job as Giants General Manager?
Best:
Blaine Gabbert, Quarterback San Francisco 49ers
It's been strange. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have never really had it figured out how to pick Quarterbacks. They've tried everything in Tampa, from Josh Freeman, to Trent Dilfer, to Brad Johnson, the list goes on and on. Tampa Bay quarterbacks went on to greatness once they left that wretched franchise. They were either established with other teams before coming to Tampa or they made a name for themselves once they leave Tampa. The success is never found in Tampa really. You can add Blaine Gabbert to that list. Gabbert, who bombed out with the Bucs, is now the San Francisco 49ers quarterback. On Sunday, he threw for 354 yards and a touchdown in the 49ers 19-16 win over the Rams. Gabbert has his critics, and they have valid reasons for their criticism, but hey, I'm just saying: Look at history.
Worst:
Sean Lee, Linebacker Dallas Cowboys
This one is purely money related. I'll give him credit, he did try and gut it out and play on Sunday during the Dallas 34-23 loss to Washington. Lee was declared inactive with a hamstring injury. Had he played he would have had a $2 million clause in his contract kick in. Ouch
Best:
Kirk Cousins, Quarterback Washington Redskins
Believe it or not, Cousins is finishing off the regular season as one of the hottest quarterbacks on the planet. In a near flawless first-half performance, Cousins completed 12-of-15 passes for 176 yards and three touchdowns against the Dallas Cowboys. And this all happened with eight minutes still left on the clock in the second quarter. As a result, Washington led the Cowboys 24-0, and Cousins found himself out of the game, benched due to his excellent performance. Cousins exiting the game early was all about keeping Washington’s star signal-caller healthy for the postseason. I can't blame the coaches for pulling him out. Kirk did what he had to do to get the Redskins in a better position and he has the flow going at the right time into the playoffs. You got the game locked up why risk getting the guy hurt.
Worst:
Kenbrell Thompkins Wide Receiver New York Jets
I know we brought this up before but right now it has to be brought up again. The play that Jets fans will replay over and over and over and over this offseason came with less than 30 seconds left at Buffalo. The Jets needed a miracle to win and make the playoffs, and almost got it. Thompkins got open down the right sideline. Bills defensive back Mario Butler got turned around. Ryan Fitzpatrick delivered a nice pass that Thompkins caught in stride. It would have gone down in Jets history. Then Butler recovered and got his shoulder on the ball, popping it loose for an incompletion. Fitzpatrick was picked off on the next play. It went from a possible 73-yard miracle touchdown and a Jets playoff berth to an incompletion and the Steelers getting in the playoffs instead. Just like that. Even for the Jets, one of the NFL’s tortured franchises, that was too cruel. And we haven’t even mentioned it came against Rex Ryan.
Now that the regular season has come to a close, here's what the final playoff seeding looks like in the NFL:
AFC:
1. *- Denver Broncos (AFC West) 12-4
2. z- New England Patriots (AFC East) 12-4
3. z- Cincinnati Bengals (AFC North) 12-4
4. z- Houston Texans (AFC Sout) 9-7
5. y- Kansas City Chiefs (South WC) 11-5
6. y- Pittsburgh Steelers (North WC) 10-6
NFC:
1. *- Carolina Panthers (NFC South) 15-1
2. z- Arizona Cardinals (NFC West) 13- 3
3. z- Minnesota Vikings (NFC North) 11-5
4. z- Washington Redskins (NFC East) 9-7
5. y- Green Bay Packers (North WC) 10-6
6. y- Seattle Seahawks (West WC) 10-6
That's the end of the regular season. We'll see ya in the playoffs!
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