Ho Ho Ho, I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas. Here in Pennsylvania our governor, known among the Commonwealth as the "idiot", gave as an "order" to stay home for Christmas. What an asshole. I doubt many people did. What were the cops going to do, go door to door checking who was in each home? Even if they did you could just tell them to go to hell and come back with a warrant.

Anyway I went to my brother's house where my family gathered for our usual Christmas get together. It was fun, plenty of good food and I spent most of the afternoon playing monster trucks with my grand-nephew. I think I was having more fun than he was. Remember you have to get old, you can be immature forever.

Once the holiday celebration was over, I prepared myself for an entire weekend of NFL action. Luckily most of the games I watched were at least entertaining if not actually that good. And I didn't realize it at first but Santa had an extra-special gift more me: a total blowout victory by my Cowboys over the Eagles! To make it even better the win knocked Philly out of the playoff race. Yay! To be fair I deserved it, I was extra good this year ;)

Just remember I am a Dallas Cowboys fan and I'm extremely biased. My opinions might be even more odd this week since I have been riding a sugar-high from a massive intake of Christmas cookies. Feel free to agree or disagree about anything mentioned here. All comments are welcome.

Season's Beatings!

_{Michael Gallup ran past the Eagles all day
Source}

The Dallas Cowboys broke out a different sort of game plan this week against the Philadelphia Eagles: the false sense of security. It worked to perfection! After falling behind 14-3 in the 1st quarter, the Cowboys roared back to smash the Eagles 37-17.

If you’re a Cowboys fan like myself you have to love the Eagles coaching staff because they can screw up even the most obvious things. Dallas has a terrible run defense, ranked last in the NFL. You want to run the ball against Dallas. And the Eagles did, initially. They ran the ball right down the Cowboys throats in their first possession to take a 7-0 lead. The Cowboys answered with a FG. In their second possession the Eagles QB Jalen Hurts took advantage of broken coverage to hit WR Desean Jackson with an 81-yard TD bomb to extend the lead to 14-3.

That air strike was the worst thing that could have happened to the Eagles. All of a sudden head coach Doug Pederson abandoned the run to focus on passing the ball. Thanks Doug! The Eagles only scored three points in the final three quarters.

Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz wasn’t any smarter. With a banged up secondary, the Eagles started undrafted CB Michael Jacquet. He was in way over his head, yet Schwartz left him on an island as several Cowboys receivers burned him for big play after big play. Schwartz finally changed his scheme in the 3rd quarter, but by that time it was too late as the Cowboys held a big lead. Thanks Jim!

The Eagles showed no respect toward Cowboys QB Andy Dalton and dared him to beat them. Dalton (22/30, 377 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT) responded by torching the Philly secondary to cinders. Three different Cowboys receivers made plays of 50+ yards. WR Michael Gallup (6 receptions, 121 yards, 2 TDs) and WR Amari Cooper (4 receptions, 121 yards) were the top targets. On the ground RB Zeke Elliott (19 carries, 105 yards) had his best game in ages. Elliott ran with fire, something he has lacked all season long. It was refreshing to see.

The Cowboys defense forced three turnovers and shut the Eagles down after the 1st quarter. It was by far the most complete game Dallas had played all season. With the win Dallas improved to 6-9 and can win the NFC East with a little help next week. I sure as hell didn’t see this coming.

The Eagles fell to 4-10-1 and were officially eliminated from the playoffs. This was an embarrassing loss for Philly. The Cowboys aren’t good and they handed the Eagles their ass. Despite having early success on offense by running the ball, Pederson went back to the same old passing game that hasn’t worked all year. Rookie QB Jalen Hurts (21/39, 342 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs, 1 fumble) looked lost aside from his one bomb to Jackson. His three turnovers killed any chances Philly had at making a comeback.

Dallas exploited the Eagles defense early, yet Schwartz didn’t make any adjustments until late in the second half. By that time the game was over. I’m hoping the Eagles front office brings this coaching staff back, but I don’t know how they could. Finishing in last place in the worst division in football demands that changes must be made.

It was a rough day for the other two teams in the NFC East. The New York Giants fell to the Baltimore Ravens 27-13 at home. On offense the Giants couldn’t protect QB Daniel Jones (24/41, 252 yards, 1 TD), who was sacked six times. On defense they had no answer for QB Lamar Jackson, who punished them in the air and on the ground. The Giants fell to 5-10.

The Washington No-Names had a chance to win the NFC East, but blew it with a 20-13 loss to the Carolina Panthers. Four 1st half turnovers let the Panthers take a 20-0 lead and they held on for the win. Washington QB Dwayne Haskins (14/28, 154 yards, 2 INTs, 1 fumble) had another dismal performance and was cut by the No-Names on Monday. Wow. Do you know how bad of an impression a first round draft pick has to make to be cut in his second season?

Washington fell to 6-9 with the loss and set up a three way race for the NFC East division crown next week. If Washington beats the Eagles they will win the division. If QB Alex Smith can play the No-Names will be the favorites to win. If he can’t it’ll be a coin flip, depending on how the Eagles can come back from this past week’s disgrace. If Washington loses, the winner of the Cowboys/Giants game will take the division.

No matter which team comes out on top it will make NFL history. Dallas, New York and Washington all started the season 2-7. No team that started the year 2-7 has ever made the playoffs before.

NFC South

_{Alvin Kamara spent Christmas looking back at the Vikings and laughing his way into the endzone
Source}

NFL action in Week 16 kicked off on Christmas day as the New Orleans Saints steamrolled the Minnesota Vikings 52-33. Saints RB Alvin Kamara must have been extra good this year as Santa left him six (6!) TDs under the tree to tie a 91-year old NFL record.

Normally when you think of the Saints, QB Drew Brees and the potent air attack first comes to mind. On Christmas Day the Saints went with a run-heavy game plan and the Vikings never figured out how to stop it. Alvin Kamara (22 carries, 155 yards, 6 TDs) destroyed Minnesota. His six rushing TDs tied an NFL record set in 1929. Damn. Kamara hogged all the TDs, but RB Latavius Murray (12 carries, 72 yards) found some other holes in the Vikings swiss cheese defense.

When he wasn’t handing the ball off, Drew Brees still managed to throw for 311 yards. It was an explosion of offense for the Saints, as you would expect when a team manages to hang half a hundred points on the board. The Saints improved to 11-4 and clinched the NFC South. With help they still have a shot at the #1 seed in the NFC.

In a complete joke of a game, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers crushed the Detroit Lions 47-7. Once again the NFL put money before quality football.

Because of covid contact tracing, nearly the entire Lions coaching staff was forced to miss this game. How the hell does the league force a team to play without its coaching staff? To make matters worse this problem was easily fixable. It was a Saturday game and all of the coaches for Detroit would have been eligible to return on Sunday. All the league had to do was move the game back one day to Sunday. Problem solved.

Except this game was a NFL Network exclusive and the league wasn’t going to let fair play stand before dollars. The NFL not only spit in the face of the Lions, it spit in the face of every football fan who wants to see the best game possible. Fuck you NFL.

Being disrespected the Lions made little effort to compete and I don’t blame them one bit. They should have just walked off the field after the opening kickoff. The league bends over backwards trying to accommodate some teams and has no qualms about leaving others in the lurch. Disgraceful.

The Buccaneers improved to 10-5 and clinched a wild card spot.

NFC North

_{It doesn't get much better than a snowy game at Lambeau Field
Source}

On a snow filled Sunday night in Wisconsin, the Green Bay Packers defeated the Tennessee Titans 40-14. You have to love football games played in the snow. Takes me back to when I was a kid and I would get together with my friends to play a backyard game. Man we beat the hell out of each other.

I thought the snow would swing the advantage in favor of the Titans since they have the best rusher in the league in Derrick Henry. The Packers reminded us they can run the ball too when they want to. Green Bay RBs A.J. Dillon (21 carries, 124 yards, 2 TDs) and Aaron Jones (10 carries, 94 yards) pounded the Tennessee defense. It didn’t get better for Tennessee in the air either as QB Aaron Rodgers (21/25, 231 yards, 4 TDs, 1 INT) found WR Davante Adams (11 receptions, 142 yards, 3 TDs) all night.

The Packers improved to 12-3 with the win. They had already clinched the NFC North, but they still have a reason to play next week. With a win over the Bears they will clinch the #1 seed in the NFC.

The Chicago Bears kept their playoff hopes alive by dominating the Jacksonville Jaguars 41-17. Who thought Chicago would still be in contention after their six game losing streak? Nobody outside of Illinois I’m sure.

With the caveat that it was against a poor Jacksonville defense, the Bears looked like a complete team on offense. QB Mitch Trubisky (24/35, 265 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT, 1 rushing TD) played well targeting WR Allen Robinson (10 receptions, 103 yards) and TE Jimmy Graham (4 receptions, 69 yards, 2 TDs). RB David Montgomery (23 carries, 95 yards, 1 TD) led the ground assault. The Bears topped 30 points for the 4th week in a row, something they hadn't accomplished since 1965. How long ago was that? Mike Ditka was still playing for Chicago!

The Bears improved to 8-7 and control their own fate. All they have to do next week is beat the Packers to make the playoffs. Uh oh. They can still make it with a loss if the Arizona Cardinals also lose.

You have to hand it to the Jacksonville Jaguars, this is a team that understands tanking. After the Jets surprising win last week Jacksonville wasn’t taking any chances. They benched starting QB Gardner Minshew and held out RB James Robinson due to injury concerns. The blowout loss dropped them to 1-14 and clinched the #1 pick in next year’s draft.

NFC West

_{Who wants to win the NFC West? I do!
Source}

In Seattle the Seahawks got a big 20-9 win over the Los Angeles Rams. The Seahawks defense is peaking at the right time while the Rams offense is fading at the wrong time.

The Seahawks defense has been reborn hardcore after a brutal first half of the season. The Rams couldn’t even score one TD and kicking FGs is no way to beat Seattle. The Rams have a strong defense, but QB Russell Wilson (20/32, 225 yards, 1 TD, 1 rushing TD) managed to lead two TD drives.

The win moved Seattle’s record to 11-4 and clinched the NFC West. The Seahawks can still claim the #1 seed in the NFC, but would need to win and get help from the other contenders.

After being humiliated by losing to the Jets last week, the Rams didn’t show fire in this game either. QB Jared Goff (24/43, 234 yards, 1 INT) is playing awful, pure and simple. The Rams defense is good enough to keep them in any game, but if Goff doesn’t play better it is all for naught. The Rams fell to 9-6 yet can make the playoffs with a win over Arizona next week. If they lose they’ll need help to advance.

The Arizona Cardinals had a golden opportunity to secure a playoff spot with a win over a San Francisco 49ers team starting a third string quarterback. In true Cardinals fashion they choked, falling 20-12 to the Niners.

Damn Arizona, what the hell happened? The Niners are ravaged by injuries and have nothing to play for. Yet if you watched the game San Francisco looked like the team playing for their future. RB Jeff Wilson (22 carries, 183 yards) made a mockery of the Cardinals defense. QB C.J. Beathard (13/22, 182 yards, 3 TDs) made the most of his red zone opportunities.

Despite an overall poor performance, Arizona had multiple chances to get back in this game but blew it with questionable play calling and turnovers. QB Kyler Murray (31/50, 247 yards, 1 INT) had very little to show for 50 pass attempts. This games was a disaster for Arizona on both sides of the ball. A disaster for head coach Kliff Kingsbury as well with his odd play calls. The Cardinals fell to 8-7 and lost control of their playoff destiny, they need to win and get help to advance.

AFC East

_{Do you believe in Fitzmagic? He completed this pass for 34 yards!
Source}

Do you believe in Fitzmagic? Look at that fricking picture! Despite nearly having his head torn off, Miami QB Ryan Fitzpatrick completed that pass for 34 yards. Add the 15 yards for the facemask penalty and Miami was in a position to make a GW 44-yard FG to defeat the Las Vegas Raiders 26-25.

The Dolphins started QB Tua Tagovailoa (17/22, 94 yards, 1 TD) and he played like crap. Enter Ryan Fitzpatrick (9/13, 182 yards, 1 TD), who led the Dolphins to 13 4th quarter points and the comeback victory. To be fair he got some help from the Raiders.

The Dolphins held a slim 23-22 lead late in the 4th quarter when the Raiders drove down to the Miami one-yard line. With Miami out of timeouts, the Raiders opted to take a knee to bleed the clock and settle for a FG instead of trying for a TD. Very conservative, they should have taken one crack at the endzone but head coach Jon Gruden didn’t want to worry about a turnover.

Despite the conservative call, the Raiders were still in prime position to win with a 25-23 lead, 19 seconds left on the clock and Miami with the ball on their own 25-yard line with no timeouts. Then Fitzmagic happened. Fitzpatrick completed a 34-yard no look pass while a Raider was yanking his facemask. The pass plus the penalty set up the game-winning FG as time expired.

Crazy win for Miami who got a big game from RB Myles Gaskin on the ground (14 carries, 87 yards) and in the air (5 receptions, 82 yards, 2 TDs). The Dolphins improved to 10-5 and they now control their playoff destiny. A win over Buffalo and they are in. Even if they lose, if one of three other contenders lose they can still advance.

The Buffalo Bills let everyone know there is a new boss in the AFC East by shellacking the New England Patriots 38-9.

The Bills had already clinched the division, but they are still playing for seeding. QB Josh Allen (27/36, 320 yards, 4 TDs) did whatever he wanted with the ball in his hands, including rushing the rock four times for 35 yards. WR Stefon Diggs (9 receptions, 145 yards, 3 TDs) had a huge game and leads the NFL in receptions and receiving yards. The Bills improved to 12-3 and are streaking into the playoffs on a high note.

Oh how far the New England Patriots have fallen. This was the worst ass-whipping at home in the Bill Belichick era since 2002. QB Cam Newton (5/10, 34 yards) still struggles to run the offense, he was benched for Jarrett Stidham (4/11, 44 yards) who stunk too. Time for a serious rebuild. The Patriots fell to 6-9, clinching their first losing record since 2000.

AFC South

_{Rough afternoon for Philip Rivers and the Colts
Source}

It was a brutal Week 16 for the AFC South as all four teams were defeated, including the two playoff contenders. I mean we expect that from the Texans and Jaguars, but the other two? C’mon guys, step up!

As previously mentioned the Tennessee Titans were beaten by the Green Bay Packers 40-14. It’s tough to win in Green Bay with snowy weather, but the Titans should have been more competitive with their ability to run the ball. The problem was the passing game and the defense.

RB Derrick Henry (23 carries, 98 yards) was alright and QB Ryan Tannehill (3 carries, 55 yards, 1 TD) broke off a big run for a TD. Yet Tannehill (11/24, 121 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs) struggled to throw the ball with consistency in the bad weather. The defense was run over, surrendering 234 yards on the ground.

The loss dropped the Titans to 10-5. The good news for them is they control their own destiny. If they defeat Houston on the road they win the division. If they lose, well they can still win the division if the Colts also lose. However if they lose and the Colts win they could possibly miss the playoffs altogether. Ouch.

In Pittsburgh the Indianapolis Colts came out strong and took a 24-7 lead over the Steelers early in the 3rd quarter. Then suddenly the Steelers transformed into the team that started the season 11-0 and they came back to defeat the Colts 28-24.

The Colts controlled the first 2/3 of the game with defense and rushing the ball. After that the defense began to falter when the Steelers were able to connect on some big passing plays. Indy compounded the problem by getting away from running the ball and dropping back for more passes. The Steelers pounded QB Philip Rivers (22/35, 270 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 1 fumble) with sacks and forced him into two turnovers. The first one led to an easy Steelers TD, the second killed the Colts last chance to come back.

The Colts second half collapse could have dire consequences. Not only did Indy lose a chance to take the lead in the AFC South, they lost control of their own destiny. At 10-5, the Colts are still tied with Tennessee but the Titans hold the tie-breaker. If the Titans lose and they win, the Colts will win the division. If the Titans win, the Colts could miss the playoffs even if they defeat Jacksonville.

AFC North

_{Big Ben righted the ship in Pittsburgh
Source}

Hey did you hear the Steelers beat the Colts 28-24? Oh yea, I just mentioned it. Anyway it’s time to look at it from the Steelers perspective.

This game was nearly a disaster for Pittsburgh. The offense only mustered 95 yards in the first half and the Colts scored a FG in their first second half possession to take a 24-7 lead. The Steelers looked like the floundering team that dropped their three previous games. Still not having clinched the division, the Steelers seemed to be in trouble.

However staring right in the face of a potential calamity woke the Steelers up. They abandoned their pitiful running game (13 carries, 22 yards, 1 TD) and asked Ben Roethlisberger to air the ball out. It worked. Big Ben (34/49, 342 yards, 3 TDs) started hitting big pass plays and he rattled the Colts secondary into committing four costly penalties in the second half.

The Colts panicked and tried to match Pittsburgh’s aerial attack. Big mistake. The Steelers defense teed off on Philip Rivers, sacking him five times. Three unanswered TDs by Pittsburgh resulted in a win that moved the Steelers record to 12-3. The Steelers clinched the AFC North and will most likely hold the #3 seed in the AFC.

Remember a few weeks ago when the Baltimore Ravens looked to be in danger of missing the playoffs? A month later things have changed drastically. Baltimore defeated the Giants 27-13 for their fourth consecutive victory.

As QB Lamar Jackson rolls, so do the Ravens. He was in fine form in this game. Jackson moved the ball easily in the air (17/26, 183 yards, 2 TDs) and on the ground (13 carries, 80 yards). The RB duo of Gus Edwards (15 carries, 85 yards) and J.K. Dobbins (11 carries, 77 yards, 1 TD) also provided plenty of ground support. The defense battered New York with six sacks and held the Giants to under 300 yards of offense. When the defense is on and the running game is working the Ravens are tough to beat.

The win improved the Ravens record to 10-5. Even better for Baltimore is they control their own destiny. A win next week over the Bengals and they are in the playoffs. They even have a chance to advance if they lose.

This will not be a Christmas weekend to remember for Browns fans. They entered the weekend with a chance to win the division. They left being in danger of missing the playoffs. Losing to the Jets can do that to you. Ask the Rams. In a surprise the New York Jets beat the Cleveland Browns 23-16.

The Browns had to play without several top receivers due to Covid. Still this is a team supposed to be built on running and defense. And they were playing the Jets for crying out loud. No matter, the Browns looked lost most of the game and a second half comeback came up short.

Not surprisingly QB Baker Mayfield (28/53, 285 yards) struggled without his top targets. The ground attack not only failed to pick up the slack, it flat out stunk. RB Nick Chubb (11 carries, 28 yards, 1 TD) and RB Kareem Hunt (4 carries, 11 yards, 1 TD) were shut down.

The defense never got a handle on the Jets, allowing them to score in all four quarters. Just a brutal display from top to bottom by Cleveland. The Browns fell to 10-5. Yet all hope is not lost. If the Browns beat the Steelers next week they are in the playoffs and the Steelers have already announced they are going to rest many starters. If the Browns lose they can still qualify but they will need a lot of help.

AFC West

_{Why would you dial up a WR pass when Patrick Mahomes is your QB? Hey Reid, leave that crap to the Jets
Source}

I’m starting to think the Kansas City Chiefs are playing mind games with the NFL. For the last several weeks they are just playing hard enough to eke out a win. They have been tempting fate, but they keep winning. This past week the Chiefs beat the Atlanta Falcons 17-14.

Both teams came out flat, the Falcons broke through first with a late second quarter TD. The Chiefs decided to start playing and drove 78 yards in two minutes to tie the game 7-7 at the half.

Neither team scored in the 3rd quarter. The Chiefs kicked a FG early in the 4th quarter to take a 10-7 lead. The Falcons fumbled the ball on their next possession, but the Chiefs couldn’t do anything with the gift and punted the ball back. The Falcons made their move and scored a with a Matt Ryan TD pass to take the lead 14-10.

The Chiefs responded with a 75-yard TD drive of their own to retake the lead 17-14. The Falcons had one last shot, but they missed a 39-yard FG as time wound down. The Chiefs held on for the win.

At 14-1, the Chiefs have claimed the #1 seed in the AFC and are clearly the best team in football. Then why am I concerned they won’t even make the Super Bowl? Andy Reid has already said he will rest starters in Week 17 and I think that is a mistake. The Chiefs already have a first round bye, giving the starters two weeks off can lead to rusty football when they return. And this team isn’t firing on all cylinders right now. Remember what happened to the Baltimore Ravens last year, who were clearly the best team in the regular season then eased into the post-season with extra rest. They came out flat and were one and done. Same thing could happen to KC.

The rest of the AFC West is just a mess. The Raiders were eliminated from the playoff race with their last second meltdown against the Dolphins.

The Los Angeles Chargers beat the Broncos 19-16 in one of only two games in Week 16 that featured two teams already knocked out of playoff contention. The Bengals/Texans game was the other one.

That wraps up Week 16 in the NFL. There will be numerous big games next week with two division titles up for grabs and many teams competing for the final few playoff spots. Should be a lot of fun.

As always thanks for reading and feel free to leave any comments below. But before I finish I want to mention one non-football related matter.

Last week guitar legend Leslie West died at the age of 75. I'm sure 99.9% of the people that read this have no clue who he was. Well for several years in the late 60's into the early 70's he fronted a band known as Mountain and although they didn't last long , they made a huge imprint in the world of hard rock and heavy metal. If you are a rock and roll fan this was a huge loss.

Mountain had a number of great songs, but by far they are best remembered for their hit Mississippi Queen. Monster tune that West sang as well as played all the guitars. Do me a favor (and favor for yourself as well) and click on the video below. Make sure to crank your speakers up to 100% so your neighbors can enjoy too. Mine have been listening to Mountain all week, whether they wanted to or not ;)

Rock in Peace Leslie West.