Tagged As: Cowboys, Giants, NFL, Playoffs, Sports, Super Bowl, Steelers

I think the theme for this past weekend in the NFL was momentum. Teams with playoffs on their minds had a lot to gain and to lose this weekend. Some teams cemented their place at the top and others went along playing their way out of the playoffs. In these final weeks I have continued to be surprised by which teams have ended up as the Super Bowl favorites.

I know that plotting the course of the NFL season is difficult and I am disappointed most seasons when the final two weeks come around and it seems like the top teams never play each other. Well, this week whoever scheduled Week 16 looks like a freaking Greek oracle.

They schedule not just one, but two games that decided who would be the number one teams in their conference. The New York Football Giants and the Carolina Panthers had a runoff, with a combined seven rushing touchdowns, including the Brandon Jacobs game-winning two yard run in overtime. The Giants outran the Panthers 301 to 158 and pounded away at the front four for the number one spot throughout the NFC playoffs.

Over in the AFC, the Tennessee Titans and the Pittsburgh Steelers came into Week 16 as the top two teams. The Pittsburgh Steelers limped off decimated by the Titans 31-14. Big Ben was the big loser with four inexcusable turnovers. I know he is one of those big risk players, but sometimes I think fans want a guy who will get rid of the ball earlier and not try bombs downfield. He had four turnovers as he tried to make every play count for big points instead of just playing for the first down.

I know his role used to be to make the big plays to keep the defense honest, but he is now the focus of the offense and can no longer try and make every throw and every scramble a touchdown. I actually have to fault my favorite quarterback here for trying too hard.

The AFC Wild Card teams look set thanks to the Indianapolis Colts 31-24 victory over the Jaguars on Thursday and the Baltimore Ravens 33-24 win over the Cowboys on Saturday. That is two more important games with playoff implications on two feature nights. The Chicago Bears are playing the Packers on Monday Night and now that game has playoff potential thanks to the Vikings 17-24 loss to the Atlanta Falcons.

The Vikings were just one of a couple teams that put themselves at odds with postseason. The Denver Broncos continued to suffer losses without a healthy running back after losing to the Bills, the only team that has been a bigger disappointment than them. Meanwhile, the San Diego Chargers killed the Bucs 41-24, putting their name in the playoff picture again. Three weeks ago it was just a matter of time until the Broncos clinched the sorry AFC West, now it is coming down to Week 17.

Also, the Bucs loss means that they are going to have problems with the Dallas Cowboys and the wild card spot. Even if Tampa Bay wins next week they could fail to provide playoff tickets for their fans.

It is weeks like these that I wish I had an NFL deal, but oh well, at least I can catch all the NFL playoff games on my stations.