What We Learned From Week 16
Added on Dec 24, 2012 by Scott in
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‘Tis the season to hand out playoff berths. Ten of the 12 spots have been decided, including all six in the AFC. The NFC picture is still somewhat muddled, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing as Week 17 will now be extremely meaningful. Blowouts were the theme once again with 11 of 16 games resulting in double-digit margins. The Packers and Broncos stayed hot, while the Texans and Giants remained cool. Here’s what we learned during the all important Week 16.
The kids are all right – Half of the twelve would-be playoff teams are lead by either rookie or second-year quarterbacks. Andy Dalton, Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, Russell Wilson, Colin Kaepernick and Christian Ponder have displayed maturity beyond their years. Wilson, in particular, continues to impress with his patience, athleticism and timely playmaking. It will be interesting to see how the youth holds up in the postseason.
Eastern promises – The Eagles, Giants and Cowboys have all looked anywhere from awful to average in 2012. Meanwhile, the upstart Redskins have overcome a green roster and a myriad of injuries to leapfrog all three of their supposed more experienced rivals. They are playing with an abundance of confidence and control. The very things lacking with the Eagles, Giants and Cowboys. Mike Shanahan can be an overbearing ass, but he deserves credit for the job he’s done.
Iron man – Ray Rice had 30 touches for 158 yards and a touchdown on Sunday. Guess what happened? The Ravens won convincingly. With the running game clicking, Joe Flacco also delivered one of his better performances of the season. New offensive coordinator Jim Caldwell needs to keep it simple. Get the ball to his stud back early and often and allow his quarterback to settle into a groove. Obviously good teams will look to take away Rice, but that doesn’t mean he shouldn’t be involved as much as possible. He’s too talented to ignore.
The king is alive – Don’t look now, but the Broncos have won ten straight. The defense is one of the league’s best. Knowshon Moreno has resurrected his career. John Fox is coaching better than ever. And Peyton Manning is making another serious bid to seize the MVP. Contrary to some reports, his arm isn’t dead. Contrary to some reports, it wasn’t all about the supporting cast in Indy. No, the eldest Manning is doing what he always does. Making a very difficult job look easy.
Same time, next year – The Rams won’t be in the playoffs. However, that shouldn’t take away from their subtle turnaround under Jeff Fisher. Winners of four of their last five, they are poised to end the season on a relative high note. A trip to Seattle next week won’t be pleasant, but the team has bought into Fisher’s conservative, defense first approach. If they continue to do so, the Rams might find themselves sitting pretty this time in 2013.
The Avengers – Green Bay is still smarting over what they deemed a premature exit from last year’s postseason. The 55-point hurting they laid on the Titans will serve as a reminder of what they are capable of when properly motivated. And was that old man Ryan Grant rumbling for 80 yards and two touchdowns on Sunday? Yes, it was. Needless to say, overlooking the Pack would be unwise.
