A look at the final weekend of the NFL regular season.
And then there were 12. After 16 games over 17 weeks, there are a dozen teams left standing to fight it out for the right to play in Super Bowl XLV in Dallas. Before we get too deep into previewing the post-season, it is time to look back at what happened in the final week of the regular season.
Star of the week
Aaron Rodgers received many votes for a crucial fourth-quarter scoring drive he put together in the Packers hard-fought win over the Bears that put Green Bay in the post-season. In the span of three plays Rodgers hit Donald Driver for 21 yards, Greg Jennings for 46 yards and then tight end Donald Lee for a one-yard touchdown. Cue the Lambeau leap because the Packers are in the playoffs. Even with Michael Vick at the helm, I am not sure many Eagles fans are crazy about facing Rodgers and the Packers in the playoffs.
Despite Rodgers performance, the star of Week 17 has to be Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Josh Freeman. In the Bucs win over the Saints at the Superdome in New Orleans, the amazing Freeman threw for 255 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. In only his second year in the league, Freeman only threw one interception in the Bucs final eight games. You are going to be hearing a lot more about Josh Freeman in the years to come.
Who will be MVP?
It is time to conclude our look at the top candidates for the MVP award.
Patriots quarterback Tom Brady: How good was Brady this year? At the pace he set in 2010, it would take Brady over six seasons to equal the 25 interceptions thrown by Eli Manning. Brady led the Patriots to a 14-2 record and ended up with 34 touchdowns and a mere four interceptions.
Eagles quarterback Michael Vick: Great year, but Vick is not in the same stratosphere of Brady.
Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan: He won't win, but Ryan threw 28 touchdowns and led the Falcons to a 13-3 record and home field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs.
Saints quarterback Drew Brees: I love Drew Brees, but the dude threw a pick in each of his last 12 games and ended up with a total of 22 interceptions.
Stiff of the week
I realize the Raiders are a much-improved team with a solid defence but how do you explain Matt Cassel's putrid numbers on Sunday? One week before the start of the playoffs, Cassel went 11 of 33 for 115 yards and two interceptions. His quarterback rating was 19.1.
That was bad, but what the Dolphins did against the Patriots was even worse. If the Dolphins were playing to get coach Tony Sparano fired, they did a fabulous job. A Dolphins fan could live with the fact that Tom Brady picked apart their defence but for the Fish to allow Brady's back-up Brian Hoyer to go seven of 13 for 122 yards and a touchdown is beyond the pale.
Team on the rise
In 2011, (assuming there is a season,) no one will want anything to do with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The youngest team in the NFL ended the season by beating the Saints on the road, giving them a very respectable 10-6 record. I find it hard to believe there is anyone more deserving of the Coach of the Year award than Raheem Morris. Even if he doesn't win, the 34-year-old Morris has an amazing nucleus of young talent to work with for years to come.
What were they thinking?
For a team playing for a division title and a home playoff game, the Rams came up with a brutal effort against the Seahawks. Sam Bradford and the Rams offence were a ghastly two of 14 on third-down conversions and only gained a total of 184 yards. The Rams were let down by the Rams receivers who dropped way too many passes. This brutal effort allowed the Seahawks to steal the NFC West with a 7-9 record and now Seattle will end up hosting the New Orleans Saints on Wild Card weekend.
The race for No. 1
Based on their record in the regular season, the first five teams in the 2011 draft look like this:
1 - Carolina
2 - Denver
3 - Buffalo
4 - Cincinnati
5 - Arizona
Even with their dubious track record, not even the Bills could screw up with the third- overall pick.
The Ronnie Lott Award
Ndamukong Suh wins the award this week for his fourth-quarter sack of Joe Webb. The hands down winner of the Defensive Rookie of the Year, Suh was a major reason the Lions ended the season with their first four-game winning streak since 1999. Suh's 10 sacks are the most by a rookie defensive tackle since Dana Stubblefield had 10.5 with the 49ers back in 1993.
The unsung hero
Only because of where he came from, this award goes out to Texans running back Arian Foster. An undrafted free agent, Foster ran for 180 yards in the Texans win over the Jaguars and ends the season with 1,616 yards, good for the NFL's rushing title. No undrafted player in NFL history has ever run for more yards in a single season than Foster.
After the game Foster was anything but bitter when asked about being passed over by so many teams and going undrafted by saying, "In this lifetime, sometimes things don't go your way and you can take two roads. You can fold and quit or you can follow your heart and do what you know how to do. That's what I did."
Big injury(s) of the week
The Saints had three players suffer injuries in their loss to the Bucs. Rookie tight end Jimmy Graham hurt his ankle, running back Chris Ivory hurt his foot and cornerback Malcolm Jenkins injured his knee. The most troubling injury was suffered by Graham. The rookie out of Miami caught his fourth touchdown in his last three games before heading to the locker room.
Rex Ryan watch
After the Jets wrapped up the regular season with a win over the Bills, Rex was back to his good old bombastic self. When asked about the Jets chances of winning the Super Bowl, Rex didn't hold back, "I thought we'd win last year, I think we're going to win it this year. We want to win the Super Bowl. We're not happy just getting to the playoffs." The first step in the Jets Super Bowl odyssey will take place Saturday night in Indianapolis when they take on Peyton Manning and the Colts.
Goodbye Brett Favre
As the seconds ticked down at the end of the Vikings and Lions game, it was a bit odd to see Brett Favre just standing there on the sidelines in his street clothes. After a 20-year career filled with accolades, awards, up and downs and more than his fair share of controversy, Favre has officially announced the end to his career.
"It's been a wonderful ride for me. One game, one season does not define me. There will be people out there saying, 'it's a shame he went out that way and did this and that,' but I am truly grateful for the opportunity."
For his sake, I really hope Fare means it this time when he says he is retired.
What to watch for next week
The playoffs begin this weekend with the Wild Card games. Saturday the Seahawks host the Saints followed by the Colts and the Jets in Indy. On Sunday, the Chiefs host the Ravens followed by the Packers and the Eagles in Philadelphia.
