{In an old and speedy Horse racing announcer voice}
“And here they come, down the stretch, Secretariats is in the lead, followed not far behind by Cheatriots. Nevermores are speeding up and slowing down at a very unusual pace, while the favorite Nightmares are slipping back even farther in the pack. Ironically, not even in this race anymore is the one horse named Colt. Los Tramposos started off strong but have been cut off along the inside rail, it doesn’t help he fell down on purpose. Are-You-Lion has stopped to kick a jockey that was down, and now he’s calling for the horse ambulance, unbelievable!!! We’re down to the final 100 yards, who’s got enough left in the tank! {now shouting} We’re four wide with the favorite Watch-My-Packers now a nose ahead! Somehow, Everything’s-Bigger-In-Texans are still in the race after losing their jockey, saddle, and bridle around the quarterpole. The longshot Sixty-Not-Forty-Niner is also coming on strong! It looks like it’s going to be a photo finish folks, and the winner issssssss…..” To be determined.
We’re finally here people, the last 4 games of the regular season. Teams with dreams of winning out and making it to the playoffs are going to give it their all or else they’re going home early. The struggling Lions, Bears, Giants, and Bengals, are trying to hold off the pack, while the surging Falcons, Jets, Raiders, and Titans are hoping to take their place. Teams have fought all year to get to this place, and it’s down to the last quarter of the season to put it all on the line. Some teams are just coming into their own, other teams are limping home with injuries and trying to hold onto their spot. This doesn’t seem like it should be that big of a race, but considering that in the past 12 years alone, 5 Wildcard teams have won the Super Bowl, any one of these teams has a shot!
Lockout Effect:
Once the lockout was lifted and teams were scoring right on pace with previous seasons, many people thought that the lockout actually had a very small effect on teams. But when you dig deeper into it, it has totally shaped the way this season has gone in three categories. The first is injuries. I don’t know if I remember a season where more big names, especially quarterbacks, have been out for the season. I chalk this up to a lack of proper preparation before the season, and the resulting poor conditioning. Unless players took the initiative to work hard this offseason, I feel that the injury bug has bitten them and I would expect a decrease in injuries next year. The second is the passing numbers. An amazing 10 players are on pace for a 4000 yard season, 3 QBs could have 40+ TD seasons, and a good 20+ receivers could have 1000 yd seasons. I chalk this up to the blown coverages that the NFL has experienced, and missed assignments by defensive backs. The final thing has made this season fun and horrible, and that’s the parity in the NFL. It’s awesome to see the 49ers, Lions, Texans, Broncos, Raiders, and Bengals all come from obscurity to great seasons! But at the same time, this is wrecking havoc on the TV lineups. The Colts have already had 4 primetime games, plus were flexed out of last weeks. The Jaguars somehow had 3 primetime games scheduled for them. It seems like the primetime lineup has truly suffered, Week 7 for instance portrayed Saints vs Colts and Ravens vs Jaguars. This is by far the least I’ve ever watched Monday Night Football, and it’s not even because we don’t have cable!
Time to play Find the Cardinals:
Every year, certain teams get swept under the radar if they aren’t in the playoff hunt. A few weeks back I pointed out the Dolphins impressive run, and I’d now like to talk about the Cardinals. With Kevin “Corn on the” Kolb struggling at the beginning of the season and digging an early hole before getting injured, the Cardinals haven’t been on anybody’s radar this year. But surprisingly, they have won 4 of their last 5 games. Before that they were a field goal away from beating the #1 AFC seed Baltimore Ravens. Could be a potential 2010 Lions situation, where they end the season strong and come into next year winning and surprising the league. Except it’s not a surprise anymore now that FMQB told you!
The Only Props you Deserve All Season:
To say the Colts have had a dreadful year is pretty much an understatement. Who would have thought that without Peyton Manning that they couldn’t pull off even one win. On Sunday, they played the Patriots, a game that got flexed out of the SNF slot. But I have to admit, playing against arguably the 2nd best team in the league on the road, the Colts put up a solid effort. Sure it was all in the 4th quarter, but the Colts came within a TD of beating a great team. They also tied their season high in points scored, all with a new QB. Dan Orlovsky had a brillian 30-37 day, 353 yds and 2 TDs. Yes, THAT Dan Orlovsky. Like Bill Buckner, he will only be remembered for a play where he ran out of the back of the endzone by 4 yds for a safety, and thought the play was still alive while the defender chasing him was cheering. But good, solid effort team.
Stat of the Week #1:
Tim Tebow has a 48% completion percentage, but an 85% winning percentage.
Stat of the Week #2:
Cam Newton, a Quarterback, is leading the league in Rushing TD’s
Stat of the Week #3:
DeMarco Murray, who only had 14 carries his first 4 weeks, is now tied with Adrian Peterson with 872 yds rushing.
Stat of the Week #4:
Cedric Benson and LeSean “Shady” McCoy both have over 200 carries this year without a fumble.
Stat of the Week #5:
If Drew Brees, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, and Eli Manning all maintain their yearly averages, we will have 4 QB’s with 5000 yd seasons!
Stat of the Week #6:
Every team in the NFC East is on a losing streak.
Stat of the Week #7:
After the Packers’ 18 game winning streak, the next highest are the Texans with 6, and the Broncos with 5:
Stat of the Week #8:
The Broncos are 2-3 at home, but 5-2 on the road.
Stat of the Week #9:
The entire AFC West has been outscored. The team closest to a positive point differential is the last place team in the division.
Stat of the Week #10:
In the same amount of games, the Packers have scored exactly 3 times as many points as the Rams (420-140).
We knew this by Week 2:
If the playoff race is close, then the Rookie of the Year award is the complete opposite. I think half the country would have nominated Cam Newton for rookie of the year after Week 2, but that was after he had 800+ yds in the air in 2 weeks. But the real reason he will become rookie of the year is because of his legs. In Week 13, Cam Newton broke the rushing TD record for quarterbacks with his 13th score. He is also leading the league in rushing TD’s. Sure this fills my quota, but props to Cam Newton on an amazing rookie season. Setting this record has proved many critics wrong.
Games of the Week:
Houston at Cincinnati- Yes, only in 2011 would this be a highly touted game! Cincinnati will look to cling onto any hope of their season, while a battered Texans team is looking for their 7th win in a row.
Giants at Cowboys- All out battle for the NFC East, it’s down to these 2 teams, and they play one more time after this! Two December games, bad news for Tony Romo.
FMQB 