$.01-- The Detroit Lions made my Christmas a very merry one with a 38-10 blowout win of San Diego to clinch their first playoff berth since 1999. It was exactly the kind of win my fellow Lions fans have been longing for all season, a crisp domination from start to finish. Matt Stafford was excellent all day long, while the defense efficiently bottled up Philip Rivers. Stafford is unquestionably the MVP of the AFC West. The Lions played all four teams, sweeping the division thanks largely to Stafford. His numbers: 65% completions, 8.4 yards per attempt, over 1300 yards, 14 touchdowns, one interception and a QB rating over 118. His QB rating in the 4th quarters of those games was an astonishing 133.4. The Lions won three of the four by at least four touchdowns, which makes me wish for immediate realignment. But it also reaffirms the decision to take Stafford with the top overall pick and live through his injuries and growing pains. As it is, the Lions are making the playoffs and should be happy with the accomplishment. Knocking off Green Bay in the finale would be another huge stepping stone, even if the Packers are playing simply to stay healthy. This Lions team is not yet ready to knock off New Orleans in the playoffs, but if they can play the way they did against San Diego, they’re going to scare any team they see in January. That’s more than I expected from this season, and I will happily take it. $.02-- New York beat New York in the Battle of New Jersey, a game so ridiculously overhyped that a halftime show featuring the resurrection of Elvis could not have drawn more media attention. The Giants humbled the Jets, as much as any team led by Rex Ryan could ever show humility. The humiliation is particularly intense because of the way the game went down. The Giants initially took the lead from the Jets just before halftime with a 99-yard pass from Eli Manning to Victor Cruz, who torched the talented Jets secondary for a surprisingly easy trip to the end zone off a relatively short pass. Mark Sanchez and the Jets offense did nothing after their first drive, punting on eight of nine possessions before the next two ended in turnovers. The one where they didn’t punt resulted in a blocked field goal. It was the Jets defense that was supposed to be so mighty and tough, but the Giants threw it back in their face. The Jets had no answer for Jason Pierre-Paul, the man who blocked the field goal. He also recorded two sacks and was in The Sanchize’s face all afternoon. To be fair to the Jets own defense, they played a pretty strong game themselves. Take away the 99-yard gaffe and Eli Manning completed just 8-of-26 for 126 yards and a very ugly interception that set up the Jets only other successful drive. But the Jets offense was putrid and wildly ineffective, asking their defense to do too much. In the last two weeks the Jets have had one of their units completely overwhelmed; in Philly it was the defense giving up 45 to the Eagles, and in this one it was the offense looking like a D-III team playing Alabama. Now the Jets are in need of divine intervention and then some more to make the playoffs. It’s a fitting end to yet another season of incessant yapping, false bravado and hype from Rex Ryan and others. If Ryan spent half as much time teaching his players how to rush the passer, or developing a safety that can cover anyone, he wouldn’t find himself on the outside looking in. Here’s hoping that the shock of missing the playoffs in such humiliating fashion awakens Ryan to become a better coach, because he is not without his talents and he does keep things interesting. I have to think that if they fail to improve next year, he might not get much more rope to hang himself. $.03-- The Cincinnati Bengals control the final AFC Wild Card spot after beating the Cardinals to improve to 9-6. If they can beat the Ravens--who have powerful incentive to bring it--the Bengals will be the third team from the AFC North to make the playoffs. This game will be remembered for two things. Foremost, the Jerome Simpson touchdown vault that is almost unquestionably the highlight of the year. It’s one of the most impressive displays of athleticism during a football game that I’ve ever seen. To execute a complete front flip over a defender while running at full speed is incredible enough, but sticking the landing is freaking awesome. Arizona fans are going to remember this one as the one that could have been. It was a close game all afternoon, and the Cardinals had a couple of very good chances to pull off the win. John Skelton threw a beautiful, easily catchable pass to a wide open Early Doucet, except Doucet tripped over his own feet and the ball fell harmlessly to toe Paul Brown Stadium turf. That came with just over a minute left and the team trailing by a touchdown. Amazingly, they got the ball back with enough time to threaten, but Beanie Wells dawdled on a short pass over the middle. That burned at least ten seconds off the clock and left the Cardinals with a long way to go and a short time to get there. The clock expired just as Andre Roberts was tackled deep in Cincy territory. Had Wells tried to get to of bounds or just gone down quickly, the Cardinals might have had enough time to eke out one more play. This was a real important win for the Bengals beyond the playoff ramifications. They showed toughness and unity in beating a pretty good team, something that had been openly questioned about Andy Dalton & Co. by many, including some not-so-quiet whispers from those that cover the team for a living. Arizona isn’t the sexiest pelt on the wall, but the Cardinals had won six of seven and still harbored playoff hope before this loss. With the way the Ravens have sleepwalked through the vast majority of their last two games, the Bengals have a real strong chance to win their way into the dance. Although I don’t see them beating anyone on the road in January, the experience would be invaluable for the rookie QB, the star rookie WR, and a young defense that is only going to get better. $.04-- Minnesota beat Washington in a meaningless game. Meaningless for this season, but this game could have long-lasting impact on the Vikings as not much more could have gone wrong for them. The win takes them out of contention for the No. 1 or No. 2 picks in the draft. The No. 1 pick is going to be Andrew Luck and the No. 2 pick is likely to be Robert Griffin, and both will command a huge return should the teams holding the picks desire to trade those slots. Of course the Vikings might have serious interest in either quarterback themselves, as Christian Ponder once again looked overwhelmed before leaving the game with a concussion. It was the play before Ponder’s concussion that could be the most devastating, however. That was the play where Adrian Peterson tore his ACL on a nasty looking hit, leaving the future of the most talented running back in the league in serious doubt for 2012. It’s not that Peterson cannot recover; many guys have come back from the same injury. But what helped make Peterson special was his combination of speed, power, and strength. If he loses even 5% of that as a result of this injury, AD goes from being elite to merely great. That might seem like picky semantics, but ask any defender and they’ll wax poetic about the difference. The general rule of thumb is that it takes one full calendar year for an ACL injury to fully recover. There have been a handful of exceptions to that, but this injury came on Christmas Eve. Training camp is a little over seven months away, and the season starts in nine months. Even an ahead-of-schedule recovery will leave the early part of the 2012 season in doubt. Given their QB and other offensive issues, no Peterson for a full season is akin to an airtight conviction that sentences the Vikings to another last-place finish in the challenging NFC North. Ponder has had some moments but has largely looked like a long-lost McCown brother. Joe Webb is as good a runner as Vick or Newton, but his passing skills remain quite rudimentary, which is to be expected of a guy drafted two years ago to play wide receiver. Their tackles are average on their best days, which are few and far between. With so many defensive needs as well, the Vikings have to seriously consider trading down and acquiring whatever they can for whatever assets they can sell off. Winning this game in such Phyrric manner makes their draft pick less marketable and perhaps leaves them without their best player going forward. And you wonder why teams rest starters… $.05-- Green Bay polished off Chicago in impressive fashion, proving they can in fact bounce back from a down game. It also severed the slim playoff lifeline of the Bears, a disappointing end to a disappointing second half of the year. Aaron Rodgers pretty much sewed up the MVP award with another stellar performance. He makes it look so damn easy, even against a zone defense that is designed to inhibit the big play. He got surprisingly good protection from the replacements up front, but that should not take away from how adeptly and seemingly effortlessly he picks apart the defense. This week Rodgers did it without Greg Jennings, a feat that is more impressive considering how awful the Packers receiving corps was in Kansas City. Make no mistake, the Packers are that good at throwing the ball. Stopping the throw is a different story, however, and it makes them vulnerable to a bunch of NFC playoff brethren that can put up points in bunches too. The last handful of seasons the playoffs have been more about scoring more than the opponent than holding them to fewer points. No doubt Green Bay won’t blink in a shootout, but for teams like New Orleans, Detroit, and New York or Dallas, they aren’t going to flinch either. We saw how badly the Packers fell apart when the O-line has a bad day and Rodgers is not Godlike for an afternoon. Green Bay needs guys like Tramon Williams and Sam Shields to step up and perform the way they did in the Super Bowl run a year ago, a tall task after watching Williams struggle in all phases against the injury-ravaged Bears. Green Bay should absolutely be the favorite to win the Super Bowl, but they are not as far out in front of the pack as some might have you believe. $.06-- It was a relatively meaningless game, yet I found the Carolina/Tampa Bay matchup quite a compelling watch on Saturday. What I saw was two teams heading in distinctly opposite directions, both now and in the future. The rise of the Panthers is pretty easy. Cam Newton is going to be the Offensive Rookie of the Year, setting the rookie passing yardage mark and showing dynamic playmaking ability and positive leadership to a team that has sorely lacked both at the QB position in recent years. His presence revitalized Steve Smith and brought out the best in guys like Jeremy Shockey and Legedu Naanne. DeAngelo Williams remembered he’s a fast running back that can attack a crease, and the offensive line filled some holes pretty nicely. Even though the defense has struggled through various injuries, guys like James Anderson and Captain Munnerlyn have not quit. At 6-9, Carolina has already tripled its win total from a year ago, and once they get more reinforcements via healthy returnees and the draft, there is little reason to believe this team cannot contend for a playoff berth next year. That was supposed to be the story for Tampa Bay this year. But a funny thing happened on the way to the podium. Their dynamic leader QB, Josh Freeman, badly regressed in his third season. No player has been responsible for more turnovers this season, a year after Freeman was excellent at ball security. Their running game, so capably sparked by Legarrette Blount a year ago, has sputtered and slugged along much of the season. They sorely miss Barrett Ruud in the middle of the defense, not so much for his tackling totals but rather everything else he did--lining everyone up, reading the plays, motivating and encouraging those around him. It doesn’t help that the risky draft strategy of spending 1st and 2nd round picks in consecutive years on defensive linemen has not paid off. Far from it, in fact; it’s still arguably a position of major need. All the ruffian characters that united so harmoniously a year ago--Kellen Winslow, Mike Williams, Blount, Aqib Talib, Brian Price, Jeremy Trueblood--have been more stratified and self-involved this year. Coach Raheem Morris has clearly lost the ability to generate positive results from this group, and their finale next week is almost certainly his finale with the team as well. But as the Panthers have proven, things can turn around quickly. I still believe Freeman can get back to being a very good starting QB and there are some pieces in place on both sides of the ball. That is what makes 2011 so bloody frustrating, because no team has underachieved more than the Buccaneers. $.07--5 NFL Quickies: 1. The Ravens offense is missing in action. A week after getting their doors blown off by San Diego, the Ravens barely held on against a punchless Cleveland team. Other than one beautiful wheel route to Ray Rice, Joe Flacco was ineffective. Again. I want to see a big game in the finale at Cincinnati or else I don’t see the Ravens finishing their playoff run as late as they desire. 2. Pat Shurmur is apparently daring Mike Holmgren to make a coaching change in Cleveland after just one year. The clock mismanagement at the end of the first half is inexcusable even with a backup QB. It’s reckless to hold Shurmur directly responsible for that fiasco and the game-killing offsides penalty on Phil Taylor that had the Ravens laughing on the field, it does show a direct and clear lack of authoritarian presence. Young teams need that, and the Browns don’t have it with Shurmur. That is not the sort of thing coaches develop over time, either. 3. Impressive victory by the Niners in Seattle, a game they didn’t really need for the standings but did for their confidence. Nice job, Jim Harbaugh! Navorro Bowman gets my vote for most improved player, and Justin Smith will make my All-NFL team as one of the defensive ends. Building a team in the image of the 2000 Ravens takes some serious cojones, but Trent Baalke and the front office have done a pretty reasonable facsimile. 4. Tony Romo’s hand injury killed many a fantasy championship, judging by the reaction from the internet. Reason No. 28 why you should never play traditional fantasy football and rely on luck and draft positioning. Next year make a vow to play salary cap leagues with weekly changes, or auction drafts if you must get your head to head juice on. 5. Very happy for the Colts on their last-second triumph over the Texans. Dan Orlovsky got sweet payback on his former team, which jettisoned him in favor of TJ Yates on draft day. It was nice to see the outpouring of support from the Texans players for their old teammate. These Texans are one of the classiest, most community-minded teams I’ve ever encountered. They’ll need all that goodwill, and then some, to not be one and done in the playoffs, but it still is a very successful season in Houston. $.08--College/Draft quickies: -- For most people the lesser bowls are the first opportunity to see draft talent on non-marquee programs. The players on those teams are acutely aware of this, and it’s a good way to see how players respond to that sort of pressure. Give a passing grade to Louisiana-Lafayette TE Ladarius Smith, who put on an impressive display of athleticism, hands, and growth potential in their victory over San Diego State. This was the third Rajun Cajun game I’ve seen this year and Smith was consistently open working out of the slot in all three games. He has a lot of Jermichael Finley to his game. I also came away impressed again with QB Blaine Gauthier, a junior with definite late-round sleeper potential in the 2013 draft. -- Akron made an inspired coaching hire with Terry Bowden. The Zips are one of the toughest sells in I-A football, an urban commuter campus in a smallish city with poor weather and no football tradition. Bowden is used to competing with the big boys for elite southern and coastal talents. I wonder how this will work, but I applaud Akron for trying something dramatic. -- In the contest between the two Big 12 teams that are going to be SEC teams, the transition looks to be easier for Missouri than Texas A&M. The Tigers easily handled North Carolina in the Independence Bowl, and they bring back QB James Franklin. The quarterback is a poor man’s Robert Griffin, and he has some talent around him especially if star RB Henry Josey returns to form from a bad knee injury. Coaching stability and a definite style of play will help as well. The Aggies will have a new coach and must replace all their offensive skill position players, plus two members of their secondary that are NFL-bound. -- Matt Barkley decided to return to USC, which shakes up the QB Big Board as well as the top 10 in the draft. This elevates Robert Griffin to surefire top 5 pick and probably raises the stock of second-tier QBs Ryan Tannehill and Landry Jones. [email protected]