21-gun Salute To The End Of The Regular Season
Not Another Predictions Column! Week Seventeen
Saturday Night Football Tricast: New England 15-0 @ New York Giants 10-5
Everyone and their brother is talking about this game. Even the NFL has begrudgingly allowed NBC and CBS to simulcast this game with the NFL Network, an historic first. Randy Moss needs only two touchdown receptions to set the new benchmark for wide receivers, thus breaking Jerry Rice’s record. Meanwhile, Tom Brady only needs two touchdown passes to break Peyton Manning’s mark for quarterbacks in a single season. At one point this season Brady was on pace for roughly 62 passing touchdowns, but then the Patriots decided to demonstrate that they are capable of running the ball, showing that that supposed chink in their armor is actually not there. Interestingly, the Patriots are playing the Giants to set the stage for an unbeaten season. The two teams have not played each other since 2003, and the Giants are known for their late-season collapses. However, the Giants did manage a comeback victory against the Bills last week, thus ensuring that Eli Manning is in a playoff game yet again. A scenario playing out in my mind the past few weeks has been a Green Bay-New England Super Bowl with Green Bay knocking off New England, thus rendering New England’s perfect season an utter failure, OR New England defeating Green Bay, thus achieving some level of revenge for Brett Favre’s only Super Bowl victory back in 1996 when he and the Packers defeated the Patriots. This game has naturally had more than its fair share of media hype this week, just as the Battle of the Unbeatens, or Super Bowl XLI ½, with the Indianapolis Colts. Frankly, I fully support the Patriots this year and believe that Spygate is not a big enough deal to blemish their dynasty, which is rapidly approaching legend. What about coaches and fudging injury report lists? That, to me, has more of an effect on a game then videotaping signals does. I have ridden the New England gravy train all year long in this column, and I see no reason to not continue that. New England wins and takes the 1972 Dolphins (the last unbeaten team) off of their pedestal.
Seattle Seahawks 10-5 @ Atlanta Falcons 3-12
Well, the Seahawks are once again the underappreciated team in the media. Being that they are out in Seattle, far away from the rest of the known world, Seattle does not get talked about much. Another reason is perhaps that they get six games a year against such powerhouses as Arizona, St. Louis, and San Francisco. Nevertheless, the Seahawks have won enough games to win another division title and another playoff berth. Conversely, Atlanta has not. Atlanta almost managed their fourth win last week but lost in overtime to the aforementioned Arizona Cardinals. This could be a prime upset game choice, considering the Falcons are playing at home and played better last week than they have in a long time, but Seattle will want to end the season on a high note. Seattle defeats the Falcons.
Weekly Upset Game: New Orleans 7-8 @ Chicago 6-9
The Saints are still clinging to slim playoff hopes, but those will be dashed this week. To seriously have a chance they needed to defeat the Eagles, and they could not do that. Donovan McNabb passed, ran, and fumbled his way towards an Eagles victory last week. IKEA apparently released him. The Bears, rather downheartingly, unleashed a demolition derby on the Packers last week, defeating them 35-7. Special teams were a key factor, as the Bears blocked two punts. Brian Urlacher also contributed an 85-yard interception return for touchdown. Despite the impressive performance, the Bears have been unable to stop the run as of late, and frankly, I continue to find that fact curious. Ron Rivera meant more to that defense then it appeared. Well, Chicago will go out by playing spoiler this week, as they defeat the Saints.
Cincinnati 6-9 @ Miami 1-14
Much to my chagrin Cincy managed to pull out their upset of Cleveland last week, possibly causing Cleveland’s playoff hopes to go down the drain. Cincinnati cannot do much to play spoiler this week, though, as Miami is locked into the #1 overall draft pick and is clearly out of the playoff race. Miami, naturally, has no desire to finish the season with only one win, and their fourth-ranked pass defense will give the Bengals a bit of trouble. Conversely, the Bengals defense hauled in four interceptions from Cleveland’s Derek Anderson last week, so perhaps they are starting to gel. They decided to bite the bullet awhile back by drafting two young corners and immediately giving them a great deal of playing time in the hopes that they would mature into two solid shut-down cornerbacks. Eventually, that will probably pay off, and until then they will have to go throw growing pains, which is what much of this past season has been for the Bengals. Expect Cincinnati to be active in finding linebackers this offseason, though. The Dolphins lose to finish 1-15.
Detroit 7-8 @ Green Bay 12-3
I would like to thank my grandmother for the Christmas present she gave me. She gave me a Brett Favre jersey, which I will wear this Sunday. So, Grandma, thank you very much! Packers’ running back Ryan Grant is only 101 yards away from rushing for 1000 on the season. Detroit is not known for their stifling run defense, so it is entirely possible and perhaps even likely that Grant gets that mark. Hopefully he does. These two teams last met on Thanksgiving, when the Packers won behind an impressive performance from Brett Favre. Detroit snapped their losing streak last week, as I expected, but it was too little, too late. There is no ten-win season, there is no magical playoff berth, there is nothing but the stark realization that once again the Lions fell apart and accomplished nothing for another year. That old adage, “there’s always next year” is on the tongues of every Lions fan left, all six of them. Greg Jennings needs 80 receiving yards to hit 1000 – he gets them en route to a Packers victory.
Jacksonville 11-4 @ Houston 7-8
Jacksonville is one of the only teams in the league that I can think of that is currently winning because they have a strong defense and amazing rushing attack. An efficient quarterback who rarely makes mistakes is also a major factor to their success, but a round of applause to Jacksonville coach Jack Del Rio for continuing to succeed with what is appearing to be a method of play slowly phased out of the modern NFL. Houston is a team that struggles to find consistency, and seems to be unstable at the quarterback position. Frankly, that team just needs a major overhaul at all but a few positions. Houston should get run all over this week as the Jaguars roll into the playoffs, the team that no one wants to play. Jags win it, to finish 12-4, a record that should win most divisions but does not win this one when the Indianapolis Colts also play in it.
CAROLINA 6-9 @ TAMPA BAY 9-6
Well, here it is, ladies and gentlemen. The final Panthers game of the season will be played in Raymond James Stadium against one of the Panthers’ archrivals. I want a 21-gun salute at the end of this game, because it signifies the end of another Panthers’ season. Next year promises to be brighter, with the return of Jake Delhomme, the maturation of Jon Beason at midde linebacker, the addition of Chris Harris to the secondary, and the hope of offseason adjustments to bolster the squad. In the interim, however, it is time for Matt Moore to get his second career win. Steve Smith is 46 yards away from 1000 receiving yards on the year, and the goal is to get him that on the first offensive play of scrimmage against Tampa Bay. Contrary to popular belief, this IS Matt Moore’s third start in the NFL, not second. Panthers running back DeShaun Foster looks to finish another season short of 1000 yards rushing, needing 170 yards in this last game to reach that mark. Former first round pick DeAngelo Williams has been outshining Foster lately and looks to continue that this week. Tampa Bay is expected to rest most of their starters for the playoffs. Carolina will take advantage of that and pull out the win.
Buffalo 7-8 @ Philadelphia 7-8
Stunningly, I have actually been rooting for the Eagles for the last two weeks. I was pulling for them against Dallas and also against New Orleans. Both of these teams have been eliminated from postseason contention but they still have shots at .500 seasons. Donovan McNabb had an awesome run against New Orleans where he fumbled and the ball was pushed into the endzone and his receiver recovered it for a touchdown. Plays like that are always pretty sweet. Brian Westbrook has been on fire this year, with nearly 1300 rushing yards and over 700 receiving. Westbrook should be considered one of the elite backs in the NFL if he is not already, and he has now stayed relatively healthy for two successive seasons. Buffalo seems to have found their new quarterback in Trent Edwards out of Stanford. Whether or not this means J.P. Losman will be shown the door is unknown. Here is a little-known story for you: Everyone knows the Bills drafted Paul Posluszny, and everyone knows he was playing well at middle linebacker before he broke his arm. What everyone does not know is that his replacement was John DiGiorgio, an undrafted rookie out of Saginaw Valley State. DiGiorgio has 109 tackles, 1 sack, 1 interception, and six passes deflected in relief of the injured Posluszny. Those are extremely good numbers for any linebacker, but particularly for a linebacker who was not the starter for the entire season. DiGiorgio is perhaps the biggest success story for the Bills this year, bigger than rookie running back Marshawn Lynch or rookie quarterback Trent Edwards. Buffalo could pull this one out, but it being a home game for Philadelphia, I will go with the Eagles.
San Francisco 5-10 @ Cleveland 9-6
San Fran is on a two-game winning streak due in large part to the stellar play of their new quarterback, Shaun Hill. Despite all that has been said about Frank Gore’s ‘disappearance’ this season, he still has 1008 yards rushing with five touchdowns. Cleveland lost a game they could ill-afford to lose last week against the Bengals, and now questions surround whether or not Derek Anderson can win the big game. People, please remember this is his first season as a starting quarterback – everything cannot be expected right away. Cleveland has but one hope remaining to make the playoffs. Every Browns fan in the world just became an Indianapolis Colts fan. The Colts need to beat the Titans on Sunday Night Football, and the Browns are in. If the Colts lose to the Titans, there is no way for the Browns to make the playoffs this season, and all their efforts will have been for naught. Everyone knows I have supported the Browns this season, and I will continue to do so. Cleveland wins.
Pittsburgh 10-5 @ Baltimore 4-11
Someone needs to explain to me how a team that has a quarterback with a franchise-record 32 touchdown passes and only 11 interceptions has a passing game ranked 25th in the NFL out of 32 teams. I am talking about the Steelers here – Ben Roethlisberger has been having pretty much the best statistical season of his career. Despite its ranking, it will need to be leaned on more in the playoffs without star rusher Willie Parker carrying the team due to his broken leg. Najeh Davenport, the former Packer, is picking up the slack in Parker’s absence. The Ravens have been on a colossal losing streak this year. No matter whom they have played, no matter what they were favored by, they have lost. There may be some with a forlorn hope that Baltimore can win this week, but not me. Steelers take the victory on the road.
San Diego 10-5 @ Oakland 4-11
The Chargers have won eight straight games against the Raiders. They will be looking to push that to nine straight on the road to the Super Bowl. LaDainian Tomlinson is one carry away from 300 carries on the season, has 1400+ yards rushing, and 15 rushing touchdowns. Not exactly a down year, but not quite what he accomplished last season. JaMarcus Russell is expected to make his first career NFL start this week, against the NFL’s leading defense in terms of interceptions. The Chargers have picked off 29 passes this season, 10 of those by Antonio Cromartie. As such, they should be relishing the chance to pressure Russell all day long, and this will lead to a San Diego victory to close out Oakland’s season.
Weekly Upset Game #2: Dallas 13-2 @ Washington 8-7
I will go with a second upset this week, as Cowboys’ coach Wade Phillips is expected to rest many of his starters in this game. The Redskins are red-hot now that Todd Collins has started to play at quarterback, winners of three straight and masters of their own destiny. I would like to officially go on the record and say that I believe that many years down the line we will find that someone has been paying off the referrees in many Dallas Cowboy football games. I do not mean to blame the umpires, or complain about them, but when Chris Collinsworth holds a moment of silence at how obvious a call should have been, you know it is going too far. This is no isolated incident, either. Nevertheless, poor officiating can be overcome, and nearly was by Carolina last week. Washington will overcome it this week if they need to, because Washington will win and become a playoff team, making three teams from the NFC East in the playoffs.
St. Louis 3-12 @ Arizona 7-8
The Rams’ star running back Steven Jackson is only 53 yards away from 1000 yards rushing on the season. His has been a season marked by injury, plagued by loss, and this has equated into underwhelming statistics compared to his heroic numbers of last year. Speaking of heroic statistics, Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner has rejuvenated himself with 24 passing touchdowns this season and over 3000 yards passing. However, Arizona cannot consider him a quarterback of the future, so they will have a quandary on their hands with Warner and Matt Leinart next year. Arizona closes out the season 8-8 under new coach Ken Whisenhunt.
Minnesota 8-7 @ Denver 6-9
Rookie sensation Adrian Peterson has not had much opportunity to do anything recently as Minnesota has been throwing the ball and opponents have been loading the box forcing Travaris Jackson to beat them with his arm. He is basically out of the NFL’s rushing crown this year, as LaDainian Tomlinson leads him by a little over 100 yards. However, when Adrian Peterson has topped 200 rushing yards twice already this season, you can never completely count the possibility out. Denver has been a major disappointment this year, getting blown out by scores unheard of in the Mike Shanahan era. The Broncos were nearly shut out last week before finally managing a field goal. Minnesota needs to win and they need Washington to lose to make the playoffs, after having been in the driver’s seat of the sixth seed for several weeks. That is unlikely to happen, but the Vikings finishing with a winning record is likely. Minnesota wins.
Kansas City 4-11 @ New York Jets 3-12
Rookie receiver Dwayne Bowe is 18 yards away from starting off his career with a 1000-yard season. Wonder if their fans are happy they finally got a receiver? Damon Huard nearly led the Chiefs to a comeback win over the Lions last week, but I do not believe he read my column. I said the Chiefs would lose, and they lost. This is not exactly Moses parting the Red Sea, considering the Chiefs losing is not an uncommon event this season, but it is still always nice to be right. Thomas Jones has quietly rushed for 1000 yards for the Jets this season, which shows even further how pitiful it is that the Panthers have not managed a 1000-yard rusher since 2003. Speaking of 1000-yard rushers, the Chiefs do not have that this year either. They will not have a win this week on top of that, as the Jets get a home victory to close out the season.
Sunday Night Football: Tennessee Titans 9-6 @ Indianapolis Colts 13-2
Lost in the media hype over the Patriots are the Colts, who have only lost two games themselves. Peyton Manning and the crew have been winning, as is their custom. The Titans are in control of their own future: if they pull off the upset, they will be in the playoffs. If they lose, the Browns are in. This game WILL be televised in Tennessee, by the way (inside joke). The Colts defeated the Titans in a close 22-20 scrum back in Week Two, which feels like it was nearly four months ago. Oh wait. Never mind. Okay, it feels like it was 15 weeks ago. Oh wait. Never mind. I do not like the Titans, and I want them to lose so Cleveland can make it in the playoffs. I learned an interesting fact in my reading this week. All 22 of the Colts’ starters last week have spent their entire careers with Indianapolis. The Titans have a strong rushing attack, but their passing game is anemic, and when you play Indianapolis, you need a passing game. This is the last regular season Sunday Night Football game of the season, and the Colts will send it out in style with a victory over the Titans.
I would like to offer a special thank you to my loyal readers for reading NAPC! all season long. Herewith we have come to the end of the third regular season of NAPC!’s existence. Next week we will enter the NAPC! Playoff Edition phase of the column.
Last week I went 12-4 and am 155-88 overall.
By Robert “RingLeader” Gilbert
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