NFL: Week 17 & Regular Season Recap

The Chiefs made the playoffs. How did that happen?

Of the ten AFC playoff teams that were still alive heading into week 17, the Chiefs were ranked last. Not only did they have to win their own game against higher ranked Jacksonville, but they also needed three other games to break their way, two of which would have been upsets. Chiefs fans must have given themselves like a 10% chance heading into the weekend. And then the games began. And the scores were close. And the playoff picture started developing. They won their game, and the two 1:00 games broke their way. But the 4:15 game - the 49ers would have to upset the Broncos in Denver - was always the least likely to break in the Chiefs favor. The other three games maybe, but the Broncos couldn't possibly lose at home to an inferior NFC team with the season on the line. But they did lose. In overtime. And the Chiefs are in the playoffs.

And why is this more significant than anyone realizes?

Because the Chiefs will be playing in the AFC Championship game.

Thoughts on the Chiefs? How about the Giants in at 8-8? How about how the Pats shape up heading into the playoffs? How about anything about the week and season that was?


The Chiefs making the playoffs has to be the worst thing to happen to the Colts since Peyton Manning decided to put this "Ask Peyton" page on his website. Every question is about how to be a professional football player and "work hard" or "hard work" is always Peyton's answer. A message to any 15 year old aspiring quarterbacks out there: Being a professional quarterback requires you 1) be 6'5" and 2) have a father who was a professional football player. Why do athletes lie to children like this?

Anyway, of the six possible teams the Colts could be playing next week, the Chiefs are, by far, the one they would have least wanted to see. They have a monster of a tailback in Larry Johnson and a competent veteran quarterback. Meanwhile the functionally-challenged Colts defense has not only allowed the most rushing yards per game and rushing yards per carry but, more alarmingly, the Colts defense has seen the second MOST rushing attempts (to Oakland) and the second LEAST passing attempts (again, to Oakland). For a team that ended the season 12-4 and scored the second most points in the league, those are telling numbers. Traditionally a football team will throw when they're behind and run when they're ahead, hence Oakland's figures (which, by the way, misrepresents how bad/good their rushing/passing defenses actually were). What those numbers from the Colts tell us is that teams were still running the ball on Indianapolis WHEN THE COLTS HAD THE LEAD. The Indianapolis defense let Ron Dayne run for 150 yards. Ron Dayne! He's on the Texans!! Translation: The Colts should have intentionally lost to Miami, ceding the three seed and the pleasure of hosting Kansas City to the Patriots. At least then they'd last one round in the playoffs before a runningback ran for 300 yards on them (SEE ALSO: LaDanian Tomlinson).

Speaking of Mannings, at least Eli's season will last one more day that Peyton's, the Colts playing in the early game Saturday and the Giants in Philadelpia for the late game on Sunday. Eli Manning looked pretty bad against the Redskins this past weekend- when the only good thing you can say about a quarterback is that he threw no interceptions, that's not an especially good day. And Tom Coughlin should buy Tiki Barber a really nice dinner for saving his head coaching job. If Tiki didn't pull a Tomlinson on the Redskins, the Packers are in the playoffs and Coughlin is unemployed. As for playoff chances, what else can I say about the Giants except that they have the talent to play with anyone but they have a quarterback who loves to throw into double-coverage off his back foot, a starting tight end that can't run block, a backup tight end that can't catch, a number one wide receiver who quits on plays (in fairness, many teams have one of these), and a coach who, for a "discinplinarian," runs his team like an alcoholic foster parent. Believe it or not, this was the best 8-8 team in the NFC. And you still wonder why I wanted Green Bay in the playoffs.


If I had to rank the 12 teams in seeds, the Giants would definitely be last. Bare in mind, however, that I said the same thing about the Tigers in the American League and Cardinals in the entire MLB playoffs. So sometimes the combination of the "chip on the shoulder," "us against them," and "no respect" factors can be quite motivational.

I think the Patriots 9 point spread this week is WAY too much. I think taking the Jets is the easy money of the weekend. This will be a one possession game, with the winner thanking their lucky stars that they got out of Foxboro alive.

I don't want us to peak on the playoffs too early. We'll break down the games on Friday.