The Brady bunch continued to look good but Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers stole the show.
Monday night, the Saints served notice that they have every intention of defending their Super Bowl title with their 17-14 win over the Falcons. After watching these two NFC South rivals go at it in an entertaining Monday night game, I really hope they end up meeting each other again in the playoffs. Drew Brees threw two interceptions, including a costly pick six, and the Saints still found a way to win on the road. I don't think it is a coincidence that Drew Brees handed the ball off to a healthy Pierre Thomas when the Saints needed to pick up a crucial first down late in the fourth quarter.
Star of the week -.There were many superb performances in Week 16, but one player had the kind of game truly deserving of Star of the Week honours, Aaron Rodgers. After missing last week's game with a concussion, the Packers quarterback had his way with the Giants defence, completing 25 of 37 passes for 404 yards and four touchdowns. Where Eli Manning threw four backbreaking interceptions, Rodgers played a mistake-free game and ended up with a quarterback rating of 139.9 as the Packers rolled up 515 yards of total offence.
Who will be MVP?
We continue with our look at the top candidates for the MVP award.
Patriots quarterback Tom Brady: Think about this for a moment, Tom Brady has thrown 319 straight passes without an interception. After crushing the Bills, the Patriots have now won seven straight games and scored a mind-boggling 261 points in that time. No matter what any other player does the rest of the season, including Michael Vick, Brady has to be the MVP of the NFL for 2010.
Eagles quarterback Michael Vick: With other top candidates stumbling late in the season, Vick is the only other player that has a chance to win the MVP award over Brady. Throwing 20 touchdowns in 11 games is a career-high for Vick while his five interceptions are also a career-low.
Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan: Matt Ryan is a great, young quarterback, but he missed too many throws Monday night and it cost the Falcons offence when they needed to put together a scoring drive.
Saints quarterback Drew Brees: Drew Brees had an up-and-down performance in the Saints win over the Falcons. Brees tossed two interceptions, including the pick six, as he was being harassed by the Falcons pass rush all night long. But Brees overcame those two mistakes as he led the Saints on a 13 play, 92 yard scoring drive late in the fourth quarter. As good as Brees has been, he also has thrown 21 interceptions this year.
Stiff of the week
David Buehler received a lot of votes when the Cowboys kicker missed an extra point. That shank of what should be an automatic play for a kicker allowed the Cardinals to come back and then their kicker, Jay Feely, nailed the game-winning 48-yard field goal. The ultimate stiff of the week is the now former head coach of the 49ers, Mike Singletary. I hate to see anyone lose their job, but it was painfully obvious that the idea of Singletary as the head coach of the 49ers just wasn't working anymore. In the third quarter of their loss to the Rams, Troy Smith made a bad throw that was picked off by Windsor, Ont.'s very own OJ Atogwe. Singletary and Smith proceeded to get into a nasty screaming match on the sidelines. Now this isn't the sole reason that Singletary lost his job, but it was a good snapshot into the failed relationship he had with his team and more importantly, with his various starting quarterbacks.
Team on the rise
I don't feel Todd Haley and Scott Pioli are getting enough credit for the remarkable rebuilding job they pulled off in Kansas City. Between 2007 and 2009 the Chiefs won a total of 10 games. After beating the Titans, not only did the Chiefs win their 10th game in 2010, they also clinched the AFC West title. The Chiefs are 5-1 in their last six games and Jamaal Charles is a big part of that. In his last six games, Charles has run for 620 yards, averaging seven yards a carry in that time. Helping lead the way for the Chiefs running game is former Colts guard Ryan Lilja, whom Pioli signed as a free agent this past off season. As good as the Chiefs have been this year, Pioli and Haley have assembled a good young core of players to work with for years to come.
What were they thinking?
I would really love to know what was going through Eli Manning's head as he tossed four interceptions in the Giants loss to the Packers. Manning now leads the NFL with 24 interceptions, 13 of those in the last seven games. Because of Eli Manning's 24 interceptions, the Giants lead the NFL with 41 turnovers.
The race for No. 1
The Carolina Panthers have done it. No matter what happens in Week 17, the Panthers will end the season with the worst record of any team in 2010. Now put yourself in Andrew Luck's shoes. The Panthers are the worst team in the NFL. They will have a new head coach in the offseason. There's a very good chance you will be hammered by a crushing rookie salary cap when you sign your first contract. So do you enter the draft early and take your chances in Carolina? Or do you return to Stanford for your senior year and see what happens in 2011?
The Ronnie Lott Award
One of the reasons the emerging Detroit Lions were able to beat the Dolphins for their third straight win was this hit on special teams from linebacker Ashlee Palmer.
Palmer came in and lit up Davone Bess on punt coverage, knocking him backwards and forcing a fumble.
The unsung hero
This award goes out to Bengals wide receiver Jerome Simpson. With both Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco out with injury, Simpson was pressed into the starting line-up. Now in his third year in the NFL, Simpson went to the game with three career receptions. Simpson ended up with six catches for 124 yards and two touchdowns as the Bengals beat the Chargers for their fourth win over the year.
Big injury of the week
As the Chargers playoffs hopes crumbled before their eyes, it was sad to see running back Mike Tolbert leave the game on a stretcher with a scary neck injury. Tolbert was on the receiving end of a crushing hit from Dhani Jones and Reggie Nelson. Fortunately the San Diego Union-Tribune is reporting that Tolbert only suffered a sprained neck.
Rex Ryan watch
Rex Ryan was a little rattled after watching Jay Cutler and the Bears put up so many points in Chicago's 38-34 win over the Jets. In the midst of addressing the media and explaining what happened, the news came out that Jaguars had lost, meaning the Jets made the playoffs. "By the way, I think were in the playoffs. Hey it ain't the way I wanted it, but I'll take it." Playoffs or no playoffs, Ryan can't be very pleased with the fact Cutler completed six of seven passes for 117 yards and three touchdowns in the third quarter against his cherished defence. There was an upside to the 38 points that Cutler and the Bears scored against the Jets -- no reporters were asking Rex Ryan about his wife's feet.
Hot Cheerleaders award
The only thing hotter than Tim Tebow in the Broncos win over the Texans were Denver's first-class cheerleaders.
What to watch for next week
As a result of an enormous snowstorm that buried the Northeastern portion of the United States, Sunday's Eagles-Vikings game was moved to Tuesday night. This is the third straight week the Vikings have had a game altered because of weather. I blame Brett Favre.
On Sunday, the Titans take on the Colts in Indianapolis and at the same time the Jaguars will hook up with the Texans in Houston. If the Colts win and the Jags lose, they win the AFC South.
And last, but not least, the Rams host the Seahawks in the ultimate showdown for the NFC West. After all, someone has to win the NFC West, don't they?
