bubba9497 Posted December 30, 2004 Share Posted December 30, 2004 Fast Forward: NFL Week 17 breakdown http://warroom.sportingnews.com/nfl/articles/20041229/589622.html Throughout the NFL on Sunday players, coaches and fans will be pivoting their attention from the game on the field to the out-of-town scores. No fewer than eight games have potential playoff impact. Game of the Week 1 Jets (10-5) at Rams (7-8) Two things about this game are hard to believe: the Jets might miss the playoffs and the Rams might make it. If the Jets lose and the Bills and Broncos win, the J-E-T-S are O-U-T. The Rams, meanwhile, will be closely monitoring the Redskins-Vikings score. If the Vikes lose, the Rams are in with a win. If the Vikes win, St. Louis will be reduced to needing a win and hoping the Falcons second string can beat the Seahawks in Seattle to deliver the Rams the NFC West title. The Jets and Rams couldn't be coming off more different games. The Jets were pounded by the defending champion Patriots in the boo-filled Meadowlands while the Rams received the NFL equivalent of a bye at home against the Eagles scrubs. Expect the Jets to demonstrate how much better a team on the AFC bubble is than one on the NFC bubble. Game of the Week 2 Saints (7-8) at Panthers (7-8) Okay, let me get this straight: they play in the same division, both teams are 7-8 and Jim Haslett is on the hot seat and John Fox is a genius. Have I got that right? The winner of this game looks likely to make the playoffs at 8-8. If the Panthers win, they need only: A) a Rams loss to the Jets a Seahawks win over Atlanta or C) a Vikings loss. It's a little tougher for the Saints, but still quite probable. New Orleans needs a win and a Rams loss or a win, a Seahawks win and a Vikings win. Don't forget, the Panthers are defending NFC champs and playing as well as anyone in the conference. Dog of the Week Cowboys (6-9) at Giants (5-10) I couldn't pass up one last chance to make fun of another ESPN Sunday night atrocity. I'm sure this looked like a winner in August. But the Giants now seem intent on outdoing their collapse of last year. The G-men lost their last eight in 2003 and are now poised to drop their last nine this year. With the emergence of Julius Jones the Cowboys are now at least one-dimensional, an upgrade from the no-dimensional attack they featured for much of the season. Coaching Battle of the Week Mike Tice vs. Joe Gibbs It's simple for Tice and the Vikings: win and you're in. Only nothing is simple for this team or their embattled coach. It's funny how magnified every coaching decision is when you have a terrible defense. Just when everybody was ready to rule Gibbs's comeback an unmitigated disaster, the Redskins started smacking people in the mouth. Sure, they've still been losing, but the Washington defense has been outstanding. They may not be playing for a playoff spot, but they are determined to finish first in the NFL in overall defense. Not exactly the unit you want to go up against when you are contending for a postseason slot. Minnesota can still back into the playoffs with a loss, and the way the 'Skins have been playing D lately, they just might have to. Individual Matchups of the Week Kyle Turley v. Mike Martz First we are denied the Bill O'Reilly phone sex tapes and now we may never know what was said between the lunatic offensive tackle and the world's most mentally challenged genius. I only hope if Martz questioned Turley's commitment to rehab, the big fella was able to work in a comment about clock management between threats on the coach's well-being. Sage Rosenfels v. Terrell Suggs Sage advice: duck. The Miami third-stringer gets to make his first NFL start against a Ravens team that needs a win (and lots of help) to make the playoffs. Suggs added Big Ben Roethlisberger to his long and distinguished hit list last week. Bertrand Berry v. Simeon Rice There might be much at stake for the Bucs and Cards in the desert on Sunday, but Berry and Rice come in to the finale tied for the conference lead in sacks at 12.5 apiece. With Patrick Kerney, who is half a sack back with 12, unlikely to see much action in the Falcons meaningless game at Seattle, Berry and Rice will have 60 minutes to decide the NFC sack champ. Joke of the Week The Tennessee Titans defense. With so many outright sieves masquerading as defenses in the NFL — the Chiefs, Vikings and Raiders immediately come to mind — it's hard to believe that the once-proud Titans have surpassed them all as the worst defense in the NFL. Despite the solid play of stars Keith Bulluck and Kevin Carter, Tennessee has allowed a staggering 208 points in its last five games, all losses, an average of 41.6 points per game. Karmic Justice of the Week When the Chiefs drafted defensive end Jared Allen in the fourth round out of Idaho State, the scouts weighed in with "must get stronger," "technically raw" and "doesn't have elite speed." So here's hoping Allen gets his 10th sack this Sunday at San Diego to tie Derrick Thomas's club record for rookies. Plea of the Week To: the Rams and Colts From: the Bills Plea: Hook a brother up It seems unlikely the locked-in No. 3 seed Colts will go into Denver and beat the Broncos, so the Bills playoff hopes may come down to the wildly inconsistent Rams beating the Jets. If the Bills get no help and close out their season with a win over the Steelers as expected, they may go down in NFL history as the hottest team ever to miss the playoffs. They have won six straight by an average of 23.2 points a game. Lock of the Week Bills —9 v. Steelers Any time you get a team that is playing for something against a team that is trying not to get anyone hurt you really can't put the line high enough. Look for the Bills to take care of their part of the equation and hope for either a Jets or Broncos loss. Last week's lock: Depite their impressive rally, the Colts failed to cover against the Chargers, breaking my four-game winning streak. Seascon record: 9-7 This Week's Reason to Love the NFL Come Sunday at around 7:15 p.m. EST, the playoffs will be here. And we will be one step closer to the AFC champion's utter and total annihilation of the NFC champ in the Super Bowl. Not only would any of the AFC playoff contenders be favored to win the NFC, you have to figure the Chiefs would be too. The AFC still has a long way to go to make up for the 13-year spanking it endured from 1985 to 1997, but with victories in five of the last seven Super Bowls and another win likely on Feb. 6, the payback continues. This Week's Reason to Hate the NFL There is nothing that can be done about, but it's a real drag that the fate of some playoff hopefuls will be in the hands of teams that are just going through the motions and hoping to be healthy for the playoffs. I guess this a good argument for clinching a spot before Week 17. Kevin Hench is supervising producer of The Sports List on Fox Sports Net. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheDiplomat Posted December 31, 2004 Share Posted December 31, 2004 much respect. Our Offense has to put up atleast 21 though. Just my personal though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wildbill Posted December 31, 2004 Share Posted December 31, 2004 I don't think our defense will be able to hold them this weekend. The injuries at this point are just too much. Our only shot at winning is an offensive explosion. Vikes-31 Skins-17 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afparent Posted December 31, 2004 Share Posted December 31, 2004 i want to see Effort....no rushing to get to your cars to get out of twon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.