Pittsburgh Steelers Win Super Bowl XLIII by Bringing the Steel Curtain Down
New England Patriots, San Diego Chargers, Indianapolis Colts, Dallas Cowboys...
All of these teams were expected to win the Super Bowl at the beginning of the season by so called experts.
The Steelers were likely the fifth or sixth team mentioned. And yet, at the end of the day, they're the ones holding an NFL-record, sixth Lombardi trophy.
How did they do this? How did they overcome all odds to win the Super Bowl?
There's an infinite number of ways to break it down and explain it, but in the end, the only thing that really matters is the fact that they truly wanted it more than 31 other teams in the NFL.
There were so many questions that piled up over the course of the season questions like:
1. Can Willie Parker ever be an effective running back again?
2. Can the Steelers offensive line hold up under pressure?
3. Can Ben Roethlisberger play through an injury once more?
And my personal favorite:
4. "Is Roethlisberger really an elite quarterback in the NFL today?"
The answer to all of these questions is a definitive yes.
While it's very true that Parker struggled many times during the season, when his team needed him the most, he performed well. He went on an absolute tear during the playoffs.
The offensive line was somewhat quiet all year long. Questions were raised on whether or not it was their fault that Roethlisberger was sacked so often, or if it was his for holding onto the ball too long in an attempt to make a play.
Ben Roethlisberger, himself, took the blame for those sacks.
Roethlisberger had any number of injuries this year, none seeming to affect his performance much. As always, he played through the pain as all competitors do.
It's laughable that people to this day claim that Roethlisberger is nothing more than a game manager. He's been in the league for five years. Two of those years he's raised a Lombardi Trophy.
In seventeen games, he's led a come-from-behind drive in the fourth quarter to win it -four of those came this year - not to mention the one to win the Super Bowl on a Santonio Holmes' catch.
Defense was the motto for the year. The Steelers lived and breathed through their hard-nosed defense. Even in games that their offense struggled, the defense remained constant. Players, such as James Harrison, LaMarr Woodley, Ike Taylor, and Troy Polamalu, made plays in every game for the Steelers.
They boast the NFL Defensive Player of the Year for outside linebacker and pass rushing specialist James Harrison - not to mention a player that's developed into arguably the best safety in the league in Polamalu.
That defense was No. 1 across the board in every defensive category except for rush defense in which they barely finished second to the Minnesota Vikings. Simply incredible.
Hats off to the Cardinals for making it an exciting game down to the finish for any football fan. There were some calls that not everyone could come to an agreement on, for both sides.
For instance, 90 percent of the NFL community is outraged that Kurt Warner's fumble to end the game wasn't reviewed, even though it was more than obvious that it was a fumble.
Kurt Warner, himself, has gone so far as to question the Steelers' dynasty and say that his arm was definitely moving forward.
I guess that no one told him that you actually have to have control of the ball for that to matter at all. Sour grapes is all that it is.
On the Steelers' side of things, Cardinals' tackle Mike Gandy was absolutely hugging Harrison on nearly every play to keep him off of Warner and was only flagged for it three times.
You can make the argument that holding occurs on every play, does that make it alright for the Cardinals claims to be justified and the Steelers not? Not at all.
Super Bowl XLIII was a testament to the saying that offense puts people in the seats but defense wins championships.
Copyright (c) 2009 Bleacher Report, Inc
The Storm Polamalu is game-changer
TAMPA, Fla. -- The game face was already sliding over Troy Polamalu's countenance by Wednesday morning.
He spoke precisely and softly, and always politely, but he seemed a little restless, knowing there was a tendency he wasn't studying, a read he wasn't making.
He did brighten, however, when someone mentioned mixed martial arts.
"I love watching MMA," he said. "I never miss it. My favorite is Fedor Emelianenko; he's the best. I also like him because he's an Orthodox Christian, but the humility that he carries himself with, along with his talent, is amazing."
Polamalu's mystical calm has mystified people for 10 years now. There is no more instantly identifiable defensive player in the NFL, with his brushy hair thrusting behind the helmet, and with the joyful noise of his contact.
In Pittsburgh's AFC Championship Game victory over Baltimore, Polamalu vaulted the pile really before it was a pile and collared Joe Flacco to stop a fourth-and-1. Then he followed Flacco's eyes and intercepted a pass and turned it into the essential touchdown.
"He's so explosive," cornerback DeShea Townsend said. "It's always fun to watch Troy run them back, because he really doesn't know where he's going. He just finds a way there."
At USC, Polamalu punished himself for mistakes and overlooked all the times he was perfect. Now?
"The plays you remember are usually the last ones," he said. "We had a great year last year, and all we thought about was that last loss to Jacksonville (in the wild-card round)."
But in the nation's capital of head-rattling defense, Polamalu's sensitivities end where the yard lines begin.
When teammate Ryan Clark laid out Baltimore's Willis McGahee and McGahee's head had to be taped to a stretcher, attached to a cart which wheeled him off, the bad intentions of the AFC title game seemed to have surpassed a frontier.
Then came a study this week that found ex-football players were far more damaged by head trauma than anyone knew.
"It's football," Polamalu said, unmoved. "Ryan has had some of the biggest hits I've ever seen this year. That hit (on McGahee) was about as good as you could do it."
But the long-term dangers?
"If that is what caused those injuries, that's unfortunate," Polamalu said, preferring not to judge the study until he had seen it. "I mean, what about people who smoke a lot of cigarettes, and their long-term effects?
"I'm passionate about being with my wife and family. I'm passionate about football. It's no different. If I were in the ballet, I'd be passionate about that. It's not that football is a brutal game; it's the passion that drives me. And it is a contact sport."
It evolved for Polamalu in 2000 when he met Pete Carroll, who was following Paul Hackett as USC's coach. Hackett had been fired before the football banquet, and Carroll was there. Carroll had been a helmet-banging safety himself, at Pacific. He had heard much about Polamalu.
"We've got big plans for you," Carroll told him, when he pulled him aside.
"And he put me in position to make a lot of plays," Polamalu said. "I could go all over the field and read things and let my instincts take over. Before that? I was just a cover-2 safety."
Polamalu said it with a derisive smile, as if he were saying "interior decorator."
He became a two-time All-American and the Steelers took him 16th, in the first round. He knew nothing of Pittsburgh or the Steel Curtain. Two years later, he was in the Pro Bowl.
"I didn't follow pro football so I didn't understand the tradition of defense, of hitting, in Pittsburgh," he said. "We play football that can be hard to watch. It's a little bit ugly. But it reflects what our city is all about."
So it follows that Polamalu fails to buy the theory that Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt, having coordinated Pittsburgh's offense, will find the holes in the Curtain.
"(Coordinator) Dick LeBeau has coached this defense 13 years here," he said. "We've lost coaches before. We've lost position coaches that became head coaches. It goes on. We stay at the same level."
Or raise it. No Steelers defense since '76 has led the NFL in scoring defense and total defense the way this one did.
"A real good hitter will run right at that wall as hard as he can," Polamalu said. "A good hitter will run up to that wall and then stop and maybe nudge it a little bit."
The wall can hit back.
Three of the players cited in the concussion study were Steelers offensive linemen: Terry Long, Mike Webster and Justin Streleczyk. They all died after fighting depression. Their brains showed signs of traumatic encephalopathy, more like 80-year-olds with dementia.
Polamalu's game face hardens today, over a soul that begs to be unprotected.
kansas.com
Steelers should beat Cardinals, but you never know for sure
There is almost no way the Pittsburgh Steelers should lose, failing to win their record-setting sixth Super Bowl. A loss by the Steelers could happen, but shouldn't.
That was pretty much what the Philadelphia Eagles thought of their prospects for victory against the Arizona Cardinals last Sunday in the NFC title game and the right to meet what proved to be the Steelers in Super Bowl XLIII.
Lest anybody think the Steelers are a walkover, consider this: Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner holds the record for the most passing yards in a Super Bowl. Warner threw for 414 yards for the St. Louis Rams in a 23-16 victory over the Tennessee Titans in Super Bowl XXXIV. Warner completed 24 of 45 passes and had two touchdowns, and was the game's MVP.
For what it's worth, Warner has the record for the second-most yards passing in a Super Bowl, 365 against New England in a 20-17 loss in Super Bowl XXXVI. In that game, he was 28 of 44 with two TDs and one interception.
When Ben Roethlisberger was becoming the youngest quarterback to win a Super Bowl, he positively wilted under the big-game pressure, completing 9 of 21 passes with two interceptions. Hines Ward (who else but?) won the Pete Rozelle Trophy as the game's Most Valuable Player after catching a 43-yard pass from wide receiver Antwaan Randle El for a touchdown to seal the 21-10 victory over the Seattle Seahawks.
While Super Bowl XL was both the homecoming and curtain call for Detroit native Jerome Bettis, Willie Parker electrified the Ford Field crowd with a Super Bowl-record 75-yard touchdown run from scrimmage.
"Fast Willie" is going to have to run the football a whole lot farther next Sunday than he did a week ago against the Baltimore Ravens. Twenty-four carries for 47 yards won't get it done.
No matter what happens, the season that the 37-year-old Warner is having is the best second act in National Football League history.
Warner's rags-to-riches saga - from stocking supermarket shelves to starring in the Arena Football League to winning the Super Bowl in 2000, and now, nine years later, guiding what has been a hopeless loser for more than 60 years - is a Hollywood movie just waiting to be filmed.
I'd feel a lot better about the Steelers' chances if Hines Ward had not injured his knee in the AFC title game.
Frankly, last week's game against the Ravens was among the most brutally hard-hitting football games in the modern era (post NFL-AFL merger) of professional football.
Any serious attempt to move future Super Bowls to Saturdays to allow hard-partying fans to rest (and, presumably, sober up) to get to work on Mondays, should be met with the force of arms if necessary.
All that needs to be done to get folks to work on time, and sober at that, is to move the Sunday kickoff back to 4 p.m. at the latest.
While in a reforming mode, World Series baseball games ought to be played in daylight again to allow the real and sustaining fans of big league baseball - children and us old people - to remain awake in the late innings. Schoolkids need to go to bed by 9 p.m., as do AARP-card-carrying senior citizens.
Another sports reform that should be made is to do away with college football's Bowl Championship Series and replace it with a three-weekend National Championship playoff tournament.
In this same space last week, I forgot to mention that Baltimore's rookie quarterback Joe Flacco was due for a Roethlisberg-type el-foldo game. He folded like a card table.
What? And keep those wonderfully dedicated student-athletes out of the classrooms until late January? Are you serious? They don't go to class as it is. Besides, if a university is going for an honest national championship, you can bet the competing schools will be shut down for the duration.
If you thought the television coverage last week of the inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th president of the United States was excessive, just hold on to your remote control for this week's coverage of Super Bowl XLIII. It'll be wall-to-wall from now until at least two days after the game.
Room for another reform? Limit the television coverage of future Super Bowls to, say, a half-keg of beer per household. That move alone would all but guarantee a sober workforce the following Monday morning.
observer-reporter.com
Cardinals end 60-year run of futility, 32-25
Game over: On their final play, the Eagles tried a series of laterals and had the ball picked off by Arizona's Darnell Dockett. The game is over, and the 60-year wait for a conference title is finally over for the Arizona Cardinals with their 32-25 victory.
Philadelphia's gallant drive to the playoffs and surprisingly show in the playoffs end with coach Andy Reid falling to a 1-4 record in NFC championship games. But the Eagles showed amazing grit, going on a 19-0 second half run to overcome a 24-6 halftime deficit.
Among the big producers:
Larry Fitzgerald tied an NFC championship game record with three touchdowns and 152 yards on nine catches.
Kurt Warner threw for four touchdowns, including the game-winner, and was 21-for-28 for 279 yards.
In unforgiving Philadelphia, McNabb no doubt will be dogged for his game-ending incompletions, but for overall he was 28-for-44 for 375 yards.
:09 left, fourth quarter: Arizona has punted out of bounds. Philadelphia has one shot left.
1:51 left, fourth quarter: Philadelphia may be out of time, as the Eagles just turned the ball over on downs at the Arizona 48-yard line. On fourth-and-10, Donovan McNabb threw incomplete to Kevin Curtis. On Fox, Troy Aikman said pass interference could have been called on Roderick Hood, who made contact and fell on the play.
Mcnabb was 0-for-4 on the last set of downs. He threw behind Hank Baskett once and also appeared to have DeSean Jackson open on another incompletion.
The Eagles are out of timeouts. It is still Cardinals 32, Eagles 25.
Whether you're stuck at work, can't get to a television or just want to review what already has happened, we'll be blogging the NFC and AFC championship games live today. We'll try to post after every change of possession. Once the Eagles and Cardinals get under way in Arizona, you can get the lastest statistics from the NFC game by clicking here. And don't forget, if there is a controversial call or you want to question strategy, get the conversation going in the "comments" section.
FOURTH QUARTER
13:00 left, fourth quarter: Arizona again can't get anything going in the second half and has to punt. Philadelphia, once down 24-6, has clawed its way back into this one, and clearly has the momentum on its side as the fourth quarter begins.
10:45 left, fourth quarter: With a 62-yard home run pass to rookie DeSean Jackson, the Eagles have taken a 25-24 lead while outscoring Arizona 19-0 in the last 8:30.
Jackson beat another rookie sensation, Dominique Rogers-Cromartie, and tipped and juggled the ball several times before hauling it in. Because of the Eagles' earlier missed PAT, they went for a two-point conversion -- for the first time all season -- and failed.
Regarding Jackson, don't forget that early in the game forced a fumble after Donovan McNabb was intercepted, and Philadelphia regained possession. Eagles 25, Cardinals 24.
2:53 left, fourth quarter: Arizona has retaken the lead, 32-25, on an 8-yard touchdown pass to Tim Hightower. Hightower bulled his way into the end zone, taking hits from two defenders. The Cardinals went for the 2-point conversion and completed it with a pass to tight end Ben Patrick.
The key to the drive was going for it on fourth-and-inches at the Philadelphia 49-yard line. Hightower provided the first down with a sweep right, for six vital yards. Larry Fitzgerald also had two more big catches, one for 18 yards with the Eagles blitzing, and another on a leaping catch for seven yards. Cardinals 32, Eagles 25.
(c) Copyright 2009 USA TODAY
RIP: Here Lies the NFL Career of Pacman Jones
Oh, where to begin, where to begin.
With Adam "Pacman" Jones, that's always the question because nobody really knows where the beginning was. I'm not sure even Pacman knows. You could argue it started with his father's murder when Pacman was only four years old. Or maybe it started during his freshman year at West Virginia, when his grandmother (who helped raise him with his mother) died of cancer.
Perhaps it started with that first fight that landed him on probation at West Virginia.
Or maybe it was that first arrest on July 13, 2005 for assault and felony vandalism stemming from (you guessed it) a nightclub altercation. Those charges were later dismissed.
Or maybe the onset was some incident back in his youth about which only Pacman knows.
The point is that, regardless of where the genesis of Pacman's troubles falls, the end has arrived. This latest firestorm - first reported by our favorite destroyer of professional lives, ESPN - is the death of Jones' professional football life.
One can only hope it is not the same for his literal one.
Despite Pacman's posturing to the contrary, no National Football League team will touch him with a 50-foot pole. He is beyond radioactive at this point. He is beyond cancerous. He is beyond infectious.
He is a radioactive AIDS patient with open arterial wounds and some new form of contagious, airborne leukemia.
The NFL's top health inspector, Roger Goodell, won't let him back in the League for a hundred years.
For a more thorough summary of Pacman Jones' legal trouble, go here. Otherwise, below is a quick recap:
Pre-NFL - fight at West Virginia landed him on probation
July 13, 2005 - aforementioned arrest; charges dismissed
February 6, 2006 - arrested for marijuana possession, throws a punch at a cop during the arrest, booked for felony obstruction of justice plus two misdemeanor counts of obstructing police, drug charge dismissed B/R Ticket Guide Powered by FanSnap.comApril 18, 2006 - witness to a shooting at a gas station, no charges filed as Jones is NOT involved
August 25, 2006 - more misdemeanor charges stemming from another nightclub altercation, a woman claims Pacman spit in her face
October 26, 2006 - another misdemeanor assault charge for spitting in the face of another woman at another nightclub
February 19, 2007 - the Vegas nightclub shooting
June 18, 2007 - the date of the Atlanta incident at the heart of the breaking story
The point is not that Pacman did all those things. Considering the crowd he runs with and seems to be drawn to when the sun goes down, I'm sure some of it is fabricated for attention and/or money. Make no mistake, many of his accusers and "victims" are as credible as Jones himself.
However, you simply cannot avoid overall culpability when you have seven major confrontations with police in less than three years. Impossible. Even if over half the incidents are total and absolute fabrications, that still leave three major confrontations.
Or one per year. Guilty.
Furthermore, this latest episode (pretty damaging on its own) is fatal when placed in context. Not only is this the second shooting episode that pretty obviously involves Pacman and his entourage, it casts severe doubt on Jones' already-shaky defense for the first one.
As ESPN's report points out, Pacman partially explained away the Vegas shooting, which left one many paralyzed from the waist down, by saying two strangers were the triggermen. Jones claimed that he didn't know the men and that they subsequently extorted/threatened him.
Forget all the other circumstantial stuff, all the other conspiratorial whisperings, and confessional allegations by other shady players in the drama. That bit of Jones' story is on the record in a court document.
Game over.
Because one of the these strangers (Edward "Slugga" Morris) is identified by witnesses at the Atlanta altercation. An eye-witness ID made all the more damning by the fact that Morris has a tatoo in the middle of his forehead.
Oh, and he's on the club's tape as part of Pacman's entourage on the night in question. Dear me.
So a guy who Pacman claims paralyzed a man, extorted him, and then threatened his family was with Jones four months later? This is a pro athlete who allegedly flips out when he can't get his car right away or another male even looks at his women.
Seems a little odd that he'd have buried the hatchet so quickly, no?
Of course, Pacman explains away this little brouhaha by saying it was back in the days when he had a drinking problem.
Hmmm.
That might work except why does a drinking problem explain attending strip clubs (that require pat-downs at the door no less) late at night? I've always been told nothing good happens after midnight.
Why does a drinking problem explain constantly solving confrontations with heat? I'm not gonna pretend I've never let my emotions get the best of me, but who goes directly for a gun?
Why does a drinking problem explain associating with, not only gang members, but bangers who founded vicious factions? Slugga Morris apparently helped start the International Robbing Crew, known as one of the most brutal associations in Atlanta's storied gangland history.
Why does a drinking problem explain repeated and egregious failure to learn from his own mistakes?
The answer to all of the above is that it doesn't.
And that's why Pacman's days in the NFL are over.
Nope, I'm not sure we'll ever know what exactly started Pacman Jones' spectacular demise.
But its end has arrived.
Mercifully, his career can rest in peace.
Copyright (c) 2008 Bleacher Report, Inc
Cardinals clipped the Falcons' ground game
Glendale, Ariz. -- Michael Turner was not accusing the Cardinals of dirty tricks, just a good game plan.
"It seemed like they knew what play we were going to run before we ran it," Turner said after the Falcons' 30-24 loss to Arizona in the NFC playoffs Saturday.
And "run it" is the operative phrase.
When Atlanta does not run, it has trouble winning. You can look it up.
The Falcons (11-6) suffered all six of their losses this season in their eight worst rushing games, and this one was the biggest stinker at perhaps the most unexpected time.
Atlanta ran for a season-low 60 yards and Turner tied his season low with 42 yards against a Cardinals defense that was ranked in the middle of the NFL. They gave up 165 yards to Minnesota's Adrian Peterson on Dec. 14 and 110 to Philadelphia's Michael Westbrook two games before that.
"They loaded the box and they did a very good job controlling the line of scrimmage," Falcons coach Mike Smith said.
Turner, who entered with 1,699 yards and a Pro Bowl invitation, had trouble finding holes from the beginning, rushing for 2, 0, 5, minus-3, 3, 2 and 2 yards on his seven first-quarter carries.
When the Falcons dropped into a 14-3 hole shortly thereafter, the game plan skewed away from the running game. He finished with 18 carries.
"They just played great football, period. Their defense was fired up. They were running around all day," Turner said. "It seemed like they had guys everywhere. They had a good game plan."
"Our plan was to fly to the ball and make tackles," Cardinals outside linebacker Karlos Dansby said. "He's a great running back. To hold him to 42 yards is huge."
Jerious Norwood was not a factor, carrying twice for 12 yards. Matt Ryan scrambled four times for six yards. That was the extent of the Falcons' ground game.
"I thought they played physical up front," said Ryan, who completed an NFL rookie playoff-record 26 passes. "Their linebackers scraped (off blocks) and made some plays. Credit them. They played a very good game defensively."
Roddy White had a season-high 11 receptions for 84 yards and a touchdown when the Falcons accentuated the passing game, but said he would have liked to see the offensive mix that had worked all season.
"Yeah, it's tough," he said of the inability to run.
"You want to establish the run and the play-action pass. They scored and made two big plays and it kind of threw us behind the eight ball."
The Cardinals had three sacks and three turnovers, the biggest one coming when defensive tackle Darnell Dockett got into the Falcons' backfield early to force a fumbled exchange between Ryan and Turner that turned into a touchdown.
"That's one of the chips we had on our shoulders all week," Dockett said. "I was watching the TV before the game started: 'Michael Turner will have a big game. He'll run all over the Cardinals defense.' We can't stop the run. We suck against the run. The d-line took it as a challenge.
"Sixty yards in a playoff game. We did a good job of stopping the run."
The Cardinals were 19th in the NFL in rushing defense entering the playoffs.
Copyright(c) 2009 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Lots on the line on NFL season's final day
Week 17 of the National Football League season has arrived and your favourite team may still be in the fight for a playoff spot.
Or, you could be a Detroit Lions fan facing the prospect of becoming the first 0-16 club in league history.
Here's a quick guide to who has to do what on Sunday (no tie scenarios are included because ties almost never happen unless you're the Philadelphia Eagles and your quarterback forgets the overtime rules).
New York Giants at Minnesota Vikings (1 p.m. ET)
The Giants already have home field advantage throughout the playoffs but are expected to come out hard as they did a year ago in a similar spot.
Minnesota must win to take the NFC North and make the post-season dance. If they don't, then Chicago has to lose at Houston for the Vikes to go on.
Chances: The Giants don't like to lose, but they also will likely only use quarterback Eli Manning and other key starters for a half. Look for a second-half surge by the Vikings.
St. Louis Rams at Atlanta Falcons (1 p.m. ET)
How can you not love the resurgent Falcons after everything they endured with the Michael Vick fiasco?
They're already in the playoffs but if Atlanta wins and the Carolina Panthers lose at New Orleans, the Falcons are the NFC South champs.
The Rams blow back and forth between terrible and pathetic on any given Sunday.
Chances: Let's just say the Panthers aren't losing in the Big Easy so the Falcons will settle for a post-season spot.
New England Patriots at Buffalo Bills (1 p.m. ET)
It's going to be a relatively warm day in Buffalo, and that's interesting because at the beginning of this season most would have thought it would be a cold day in heck before the Patriots missed the playoffs.
But that's the case if the Pats lose. Even with a win, if the Miami Dolphins and Baltimore Ravens win, New England is out.
Chances: So many people in the NFL want to set the Pats miss the dance. They're going to be disappointed.
Chicago Bears at Houston Texans (1 p.m. ET)
The Bears have won three in a row with elimination staring them in the face. The Texans have nothing to play for.
Chicago needs to win and have the Giants beat the Vikings (giving them the NFC North), or have both the Dallas Cowboys and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lose (earning a wild card).
Chances: This thing about having to rely on a team like the Giants who have nothing to play for and need to look after themselves is ridiculous. The Bears have nobody to blame but themselves. Vikes get in.
Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints (1 p.m. ET)
The Panthers are in but need this game to win the NFC South and get a first-round bye. Even if they lose they can take the division if the Falcons fall to the Rams. But that second scenario is unlikely.
Chances: The Saints have nothing to play for, but they're at home. And they have Drew Brees at quarterback. Be very careful with this one.
Oakland Raiders at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1 p.m. ET)
The Bucs have lost three straight and need help. They must win and the Philadelphia Eagles must beat the Dallas Cowboys.
Chances: There is no way former Raiders coach Jon Gruden is going to lose to Oakland owner Al Davis. He'd rip everyone's head off in the dressing room afterward. But is Dallas going to lose in Philly? That's a 50-50.
Jacksonville Jaguars at Baltimore Ravens (4:15 p.m. ET)
The Ravens have control of their destiny — win and they take the final AFC wild card spot. Lose and they're out. The Jags have been one of the season's big disappointments and won't make the playoffs.
Chances: A surprising 50-50. The Jags have struggled, but they are a team that won a playoff game just a year ago.
Miami Dolphins at New York Jets (4:15 p.m. ET)
The Dolphins, who won exactly one game last season, are in if they win. The Jets, who have been terrible all month, must win and get a Buffalo victory over New England to pull it off.
Chances: By kickoff, we'll know what happened in Buffalo. If the Bills won, the Jets win. If the Pats won, the Dolphins win.
Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles (4:15 p.m. ET)
The Cowboys are in as a wild card if they win. The Eagles must win and get a Tampa loss earlier in the afternoon to pull off a miracle.
Chances: Who knows? The Bucs are not going to lose to the Raiders. But, if they do, then the Cowboys are in big trouble because Philly has a chance to get all those hometown fans off their backs.
Denver Broncos at San Diego Chargers (8:15 p.m. ET)
Game of the day. The winner is in as AFC West champs, while the loser goes home. The Broncos got into this mess by losing to Buffalo last week. The Chargers have won three straight to make up a huge deficit.
Chances: The Broncos made the classic error of letting their opponents up off the mat. San Diego was the pre-season choice of many to go Super Bowl-ing. You add it up. Just for the record, the tie goes to the Broncos.
The following are games with nothing hanging on the outcome:
Cincinnati Bengals at Kansas City Chiefs (1 p.m. ET)
No playoff implications and no one outside of their immediate families cares.
Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers (1 p.m. ET)
The Browns stink and the Steelers are already set as the AFC's No. 2 seed.
Tennessee Titans at Indianapolis Colts (1 p.m. ET)
Both teams are in the playoffs, there are no implications and if tickets hadn't already been sold and television time booked, they could have called this one off.
Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers (1 p.m. ET)
The Pack cannot make the playoffs but they can make NFL history by beating the Pussy Cats, who would thus become the first team to ever go 0-16.
Seattle Seahawks at Arizona Cardinals (4:15 p.m. ET)
The Cardinals may be one of the worst playoff teams in recent history and they have to play well to build some momentum. Seattle is playing to give retiring coach Mike Holmgren a nice send-off.
Washington Redskins at San Francisco 49ers (4:15 p.m. ET)
The Skins want to finish with a winning record while the Niners will be looking to ensure interim coach Mike Singletary keeps his job.
Copyright (c) CBC 2008
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