NFL Round-up: Week 12...

Who Rocked
Every so often, a team destined for greatness but consistently underperforming, does something so overdue, you’re almost loathed to applaud. But applaud I did when the San Diego Chargers spanked Peyton Manning and his Indianapolis Colts – shutting them out in the second half for good measure. Both Manning and Rivers (San Diego’s QB) are on course to fall just short of 5,000 passing yards. They are joined in the race for top NFL Passer by Drew Brees (Saints) and (!) Kyle Orton of the Broncos. The numbers for Orton are particularly inflated due to the awfulness of his team and thus the necessity to throw deep in the 4th quarter. Quite remarkably, all or any of the four could break Dan Marino’s yardage record, but whether that materialises remains to be seen. As do the Chargers’ dreams of winning a Superbowl! Something only achievable by making the playoffs, something made all the more likely by this week’s win. They now share Indi’s record (6-5) and, like Indi, fall into Wild Card consideration. At the moment, neither would make it thanks to the Steelers (8-3) and the Pats (9-2). But should they win-out and their rivals slide, San Diego now holds the edge on head-to-head tiebreakers. This likely won’t matter, though, as the Chargers should overtake the Chiefs atop the West over the next fortnight. Reporter, out!

The Bears MUST be the real deal. I dismissed them early in the season as a fluke – the last surviving undefeated team at 4-0. I thought they would fade into obscurirty. And, for a while, at least, I looked to have been right. I was not right; I was absolutely wrong. They just keep beating great teams – teams I picked for a deep playoff run. Why? Well, they must be a good football team. Can they win it with Cutler being guided by Martz? Of course they can! Watch out Packers – you may not even make the playoffs if the Bears keep this up.

The Chiefs are clinging to their lead in the AFC West by one game, but in a week that could have seen them slide into the Wild card struggle and thus the bringer of considerable pressure, the Chiefs excelled. Dwayne Bowe is looking like the next big thing at WR, and the calls for Cassel’s head have died down now the QB is winning games. Can they hold off the Chargers? I doubt it. Can they get a Wild Card? Thanks to the parity of the AFC South, they just might sneak it over Pittsburgh…but don’t bet on it.

The up-down team of the year wowed us again. The Houston Texans put division rivals, the Tennessee Titans, to bed without any supper. A 20-0 shutout in an intra-divisional game is a statement indeed – especially when all four teams are within a game of each other. Still, their schedule looks fearsome and I’m sure the Texans will be on the outside looking in once more. I only hope coach Kubiak gets to keep his job (again).


Whose Chances were Knocked?

Well, let me be the first to say sayonara to the Cowboys’ hopes of hosting the Super Bowl as the NFC rep. Okay, maybe not the first, but it is surely official now that the Boys cannot make it to the postseason. With 8 losses on the card already, the Cowboys would need every 9+ win team to win out and their closest rivals to lose to the right people to make an 8-8 good enough for the playoffs. Which it won’t be. Bad luck, guys, you have all the pieces…maybe next year…again!

For the first time in these weekly round-ups we find a winning team in the doldrums. The Pittsburgh Steelers looked shoddy against an improving Bills team. I’ve said before, the Bills are better than their record, but the Steelers have not justified theirs of late. With a must-win clash coming-up against the surging Ravens, the Steelers need to find their form. The re-aggravation of Roethlisberger’s persistent injury won’t help, and with the Jets/Patriots sure to take at least one Wild Card and the Chiefs/Chargers in hot pursuit of the other, Pittsburgh need to focus.

The 7-4 Buccaneers have been one of the surprise packages of this year. Losing to genuine mettle in the Ravens was telling, though. They were not humiliated – far from it – but those 7 wins all of a sudden looked a bit bizarre when they were made to look decidedly average against top-class opposition. The NFC is more open than it has been in my lifetime. Any one of 8 teams look capable of winning it, but 2 will miss out on the playoffs. If the Bucs can’t take a few decent scalps down the stretch, they will be the ones to go in place of the Saints, Giants or Packers – their current Wild Card contenders.


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