Another week of football is in the books, and it is one for the ages. This Sunday, there was some wild weather all across the country which made the games even more entertaining! Some teams clinched a playoff spot and others are seeing their playoff dreams slip away.
- One team who kept their playoff hopes alive was the San Francisco 49ers after a win over their bitter rivals, the Seattle Seahawks. It was in part thanks to a 51 yard run by Frank Gore which set up the game winning field goal. Seattle was handed their second loss of the season, but it is unlikely to affect home field advantage in the playoffs for them. After a big win against the Saints, the Seahawks struggled to score on the road, but only gave up 19 points and held them to only one touchdown. With Seattle getting home field advantage, they can breathe easy about their struggles on the road.
- The Patriots had a miracle come from behind win over the Cleveland Browns. Sometimes it pays to have Tom Brady as your quarterback and this was definitely one of them. Unfortunately, the win came with a big loss. Tight end Rob Gronkowski was hit directly in the knee by TJ Ward and an MRI revealed that he tore his ACL and MCL and will need surgery. Gronkowski will miss the rest of the season and more importantly the postseason. Brady had success early in the season when Gronk sat out after having back and forearm surgery before the season started. If anyone can make noise in the playoffs with inexperienced receivers, it is Tom Brady.
- Josh McCown made a case for him to keep the starting job in Chicago when he threw for five touchdowns on Monday night against the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys defense is atrocious and does not deserve to see the postseason. The Bears were able to come away with points on every possession except for the kneel down they took at the end of the game. While it is customary to see Tony Romo implode this time of year, it is the defense that is troubling and will keep them out of the postseason. The Bears have one of the best offenses in the league, but they also have one of the worst defenses in the league. DeMarco Murray rushed for over 100 yards in the first year, but they did a nice job keeping him contained in the second half.
- Their NFC North competitor, the Detroit Lions, had an awful game in Philadelphia. The two teams had the craziest weather conditions of the day with eight inches of snow falling on the field during the game. The Lions struck first on the scoreboard jumping out to 14-0 lead in the first half, even forcing Nick Foles to throw his first interception of the season. However, it was not enough in the second half when the Lions came out flat, except for Jeremy Ross. Ross ran two returns all the way in for touchdowns, something the Eagles special teams will have to work on in order to go far in the playoffs. The NFC North is still up for grabs, but with the Cowboys loss, the Eagles have gained sole possession of first place in the NFC East.
- Everyone has criticized Peyton Manning for his inability to play in below freezing temperatures. However, when he was a free agent he chose to play in Denver, a frigid city in the winter with an open stadium. This weekend, the temperature dropped to the teens at game time. Many expected to see Manning struggle, everyone except Manning of course who does not understand where the criticism came from. Against the Titans, he threw for 400 yards and four touchdowns with zero turnovers. It does come against the Titans, but it was still a statement win for Manning personally that he can perform in any conditions.
