BTSC Weekly NFL Musings - Week 15 Edition

by Michael Bean (Blitz) on Dec 22, 2009 4:36 PM EST Comment 28 comments

14 games in the books; two to go. In both conferences - but in the AFC in particular - there are far more teams clinging to playoff aspirations than there are not. Let's take a look at the current standings in each conference before we begin. For a comprehensive breakdown of the AFC Wild Card picture, including what precisely needs to happen for the Steelers to sneak in to the playoffs as either the #5 or #6 seed, read here.

AFC

Indianapolis Colts (14-0)
San Diego Chargers (11-3)
New England (9-5)
Cincinnati (9-5)
Baltimore (8-6)
Denver (8-6)

Still Alive (all 7-7) :

Jacksonville Jaguars

Miami Dolphins

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

Tennessee Titans

Houston Texans

NFC

Still Alive:

New York Giants (8-6)

On to some thoughts about this past weeks action as well as what awaits in Weeks 16 and 17.

* How HUGE is this Sunday's game between the Steelers and Ravens? I'll save my thoughts on the matchup for a bit later in the week, but I will say this - this is going to be one hell of a tough game for Pittsburgh to win. Baltimore's heating up at just the right time. They've won their past two in impressive fashion - 48-3 over Detroit and 31-7 over Chicago. Sure those teams are no good, but you can only beat up on who's on your schedule and Baltimore's done just that this past two weeks. They've played clean on both sides of the ball, and Joe Flacco is showing signs of emerging from his sophomore slump just in time for the stretch run to the playoffs and beyond. I'm obviously concerned about this matchup considering how beat up the Steelers are and how poorly the defense has played recently. I'm not looking forward to seeing what Ray Rice can do over the middle of the football field again. That said, nothing, and I mean, nothing would surprise me at this point, including the Steelers playing one of their best games of the year on both sides of the ball and dusting the Ravens at Heinz Field.

* I suppose we as Steelers fans can't say much considering our team did the same thing several weeks ago, but my oh my, you've got to be beside yourself if you are a Denver Broncos fan. Denver lost 20-19 at home on Sunday despite not turning over the football. There were several keys to the game - one was certainly Denver's inability to capitalize in the redzone. In fact, after Brandon Stokeey was caught from behind and horse-collared at the 4 at the end of a 63 yard catch and run, Denver was unable to punch it in from the 2 yard line and had to settle for 3. The score was then 19-13 and the door was left open for JaMarcus Russell and the Raiders. Hey, we made Bruce Gradkowski look like Joe Montana, but that's still not as depressing as watching Russell engineer a 10 play 62 yard drive to seriously cripple your team's playoff chances.

* Oh, Houston Texans. Each year hanging around .500, giving fans and pundits reason to think that next year is the year they'll finally break through, put it all together and maximize all that talent on both sides of the ball. The Texans remain alive with an uninspiring 16-13 victory over the St. Louis Rams. Next up is a de facto elimination game for both Houston and their opponent, the Miami Dolphins, who lost a heart-breaker in Tennessee in overtime after mounting a furious comeback to tie the game late in the 4th quarter. Vince Young lit up a usually solid Miami secondary for 3 TDs, including a beautiful 32 yard score to Nate Washington. The TD was Washington's 6th this season. Anyway, that Houston/Miami game will be a good one. In an ideal world, I think we'd like Houston to upset Miami at their place then lose the following weekend at home to New England.

* It's pretty foolish to make too many statements about the Arizona Cardinals. There's just no way to project how they are trending from week to week. Arizona got back on track with a win at Detroit, but they looked pretty darn sloppy in the process. The good news is Kurt Warner (kinda) shook off that abysmal, turnover-laden performance against San Francisco and threw for two touchdowns. (He did throw a pick and lost another fumble). Arizona improves to 9-5 with the win and head backs home for their final two games. Keep an eye on their Week 17 tilt with Green Bay. The Packers might be playing for their playoff life and that game could be a good benchmark of just how dangerous Arizona may be in the playoffs.

* Sticking in the NFC - I'm not surprised we're seeing Minnesota slide a bit down the stretch. They're a very talented and capable team. But they're not head and shoulders above the pack like their record suggested a few weeks ago. Minnesota has lost two of three and better get things on track next weekend at Chicago. I'm sure you've read about the blah blah blah regarding Brett Favre not wanting to come out of the game after continuing to take a beating from the Panthers defense. Whatever. Nothing there. For now, at least. We'll see if Favre gets a case of 'Superman Syndrome' these upcoming weeks or if he sticks to what's made him so successful this year - patiently taking what's given to him and taking timely well-calculated chances down the field.

* Very emotional week for the Cincinnati Bengals. Hats off to them for even playing just days after losing a teammate and friend. And another salute for playing so well on the road against a very good Chargers team. In fact, I'm even more impressed by the Chargers after this latest win after thinking about how the Bengals must have emotionally rallied around one another after Chris Henry's very sad death last week.

* I started my football viewing day with the conclusion of that Falcons/Jets game. When the Falcons scored their first touchdown of the game with less than two minutes remaining in the 4th quarter, I had this quick thought - 'this may just turn out to be one hell of a day." Jacksonville already lost on Thursday, despite playing extremely well against the undefeated Colts. Then we got the necessary Jets loss; then Denver lost at home to Oakland! And the Steelers stage a miraculous comeback!

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Offical Playoff Scenarios

Direct from he NFL click here for my story on the possibilities:

aka 'Rexx'

by Bruce Raffel on Dec 22, 2009 4:39 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Would rather see Houston lose this week

That eliminates them right away and we won’t have to worry if the Pats wrap things up this week and decide to rest people against Houston. I can just see Belipuke throwing a game to stick it to the Steelers. Well, maybe not.

Then, provided a couple other things happen this week as well, the Steelers will control their own destiny when they head to Miami.

The only managing Ben does is he manages to WIN games

by chewiesteeler on Dec 22, 2009 4:54 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Correct

No reason not to root for the Dolphins that I can see (unless you just hate them or something). If the Steelers can go 9-7, Miami is taken care of by definition. Houston isn’t, and they need eliminated ASAP.

Yeesh. Maybe I’ll just follow the advice I’d give the team – focus on the Steelers games, and let the rest of the playoff picture be what it is.

by TheSpatulaMessiah on Dec 22, 2009 5:07 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Mike Wallace is currently in an NFL.com poll for Rookie of the Week.
Go vote for him!
http://www.nfl.com/partner?partnerType=rookies

by neverender on Dec 22, 2009 4:59 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Good tip, thanks!

"We just have to play better as a whole team." James Harrison

by LongTimeSteelersFan on Dec 22, 2009 10:40 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Voted like 10 times for him!

Optimism. Positivity. Win.

by Johnny_S on Dec 23, 2009 8:39 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

What's the world come to?

We’re counting on Houston to lose a game so we can make the playoffs. Didn’t think I’d live to see that.

by theatrain on Dec 22, 2009 5:21 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Seriously.

Pulling off the “Trifecta of Suck” by losing to the Chefs, Raiders, and Browns is a good way to put the season in doubt.

by gostevego on Dec 22, 2009 5:40 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

LMAO @ "Trifecta of Suck"!!!!

The very existence of flamethrowers proves that some time, somewhere, someone said to themselves, "You know, I want to set those people over there on fire, but I'm just not close enough to get the job done."
-George Carlin

by Cdsumm on Dec 22, 2009 6:52 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Better than rooting for Indy or NE to lose

odds are better that Houston will find a way to hose it up!!

The only managing Ben does is he manages to WIN games

by chewiesteeler on Dec 22, 2009 10:39 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Oh im not complaing about that

i’m just sayin it’s a little strange to be hoping for a Houston loss so we can get in. I agree if we were counting on NE or INDY losing, we’d be up the creek.

by theatrain on Dec 23, 2009 1:05 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Trifeca? How about a Quadfecta...

The Bears are a seriously BAD team…I can’t believe we lost to them too.

by Dave in Cbus on Dec 23, 2009 12:09 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Couple things

That picture is AWESOME Michael. Definitely saving that to my hard drive

Anyway, I am not going to get my hopes up just yet. However, I do realize all that we can do is win. I don’t want to get my heart invested in not only the Steelers games but also all of the WC games. That is too much for me. However, I do think our biggest obstacle is the Broncos and if they are going to lose, it is this weekend. So I will keep half my eye on that game.

On Favre and the Vikings, I still have them as my NFC favorite with Dallas right behind them. New Orleans is the classic “we will try to outscore you team” that has a sloppy defense. The defense did look good at the first half of the season, but has looked uninspired these last few weeks. Unless, the loss to the Cowboys wakes them up, I will not be surprised if a team with a good defense (Vikings & Cowboys) knock them outta the playoffs early.

Watching the whole Bengals game was gut-wrenching. I have never been a huge fan of OchoCinco, but that TD and the post events were hard to watch. You could really feel the pain in his heart and the team’s. Sad, sad, sad story right there.

Go Steelers!

Optimism. Positivity. Win.

by Johnny_S on Dec 23, 2009 8:47 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

I was listening to Rome

and people was actually questioning 85’s sincerity. I couldn’t believe how cynical people could be. The dude’s teammate just died. Just like on CBSsports there were people saying that they don’t feel sorry for Chris Henry. Anytime someone loses their life young its sad. Just because someone had some issues with the law earlier in their life doesn’t mean they deserve to die or that you are better than them for it. Its crazy how some people think. I wish they could say these things to these peoples faces and see their reaction.

Steelers football is 60 mins.

by tannofsteel84 on Dec 23, 2009 9:42 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Sometimes,

People are just real jerks. I listen to people talking about Ben like he were convicted of a horrible crime, changing his last name to reflect the “accusation” and it really bugs me. So… I started calling them out on it. How anyone can rejoice in anyone else’s misery or misfortune is beyond me.

These players are human beings first. They have families, problems, tremendous highs and devastating lows just like everyone. No one is perfect..

When the tailgate drops, the BS stops. Shut up and play!

by 1BlkGldFan on Dec 24, 2009 7:20 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I am afraid...

The GB game was a tease and that we are still not playoff caliber. I would love to see us sneak into the playoffs, but I don’t see it. I think we lose one of the next two.

Hope I’m wrong.

by DwightWhite's Missing Tooth on Dec 23, 2009 9:14 AM EST via mobile reply actions 0 recs

I still think Minny is going to the Super Bowl this year. While I’d agree they can’t count on Favre to be Superman at this point, with their defense and running game I don’t think they have to.

And I’ll agree with a few other people here: I’ve seen too much uninspired football out of the Steelers over the past 2 months to get my hopes up about the playoffs. Though I might be mixing up a batch of the Kool-Aid if they beat Bal’mer this weekend.

P is for Latrobe.

by holiday park on Dec 23, 2009 9:41 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Me either

if troy doesn’t come back its kinda pointless to me. Imagine what Peyton would do to this defense without Troy. Do you hope that they can learn to play without him – yea but they have now shown any indication of that so far. So I don’t expect it.

Steelers football is 60 mins.

by tannofsteel84 on Dec 23, 2009 9:44 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

We'll certainly find out if they are inspired...

… ‘cause B-more will piledrive the Steelers given the chance. I can’t say I’m OK with them losing but playing with passion and some smarts would be a welcome change. If they can beat Baltimore, anything is possible.

Unfortunately, they could beat the Ravens and lay an egg in Miami or afterwards if they get into the playoffs. I think the Steelers are the most unpredictable team in the NFL.

"Franz" in NoCal

by franz on Dec 23, 2009 10:50 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

They played with plenty of passion

last week, smarts can be debated. But I think they played smart. Except for the secondary and offensive line.

Steelers football is 60 mins.

by tannofsteel84 on Dec 23, 2009 11:10 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

If they can manage to close to those uni-brows as frequently as they were getting to Rodgers, we have a chance

Rodgers was getting hit quite often.

"We are only going to score 17 points?"

by Han on Dec 23, 2009 11:39 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

*manage to get close to the uni-brow

"We are only going to score 17 points?"

by Han on Dec 23, 2009 11:40 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

yea

I’d just wish those hits was when he still had the ball in his hands…..

Steelers football is 60 mins.

by tannofsteel84 on Dec 23, 2009 2:10 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

impressive showing by rodgers

There’s a lot of qbs who would get affected by those early hits. He played really well against the pressure. Ty carter was still a chump, but at least the qb deserved it unlike bradkowski who was gifted a win.

by Chicago Steeler on Dec 23, 2009 6:34 PM EST via mobile up reply actions 0 recs

Perspective folks!

After everything that’s happened this year, i feel blessed to be so excited this late in the season.

I’m gonna be honest with you guys, and i am ashamed to admit it, I didn’t even watch the Green Bay game as i thought the season was over. To me, before the games started, there was no way we’d have a shot at the playoffs.

I am ashamed of it, lesson learned for sure. It’s been hard to enjoy Steelers games this year, but as a true Steeler fan, you gotta stick it through thick and thin. Like i said, lesson learned.

Now, here we are, and other than the actual playoffs, you can’t ask for a more exciting time to be a Steeler fan because, not only will i be glued to the baltimore game, but i will also be glued to other games as well and will be cheering for teams almost as strongly as my Steelers. Can’t ask for more from this league as a fan. So here is my watch list for the week-end in order of priority:

1. Baltimore @ Pittsburgh 1pm (Anything else is moot)

2. Denver @ Philly 4pm(State of Pennsylvania full force!!)

3.NYJets @ Indy 4pm (Please care about 16-0 Peyton!)

4.Jax @ NE 1pm (I’ll be completely shocked if Pats lose)

5.Hou @ Miami 1pm (We’re cheering for Miami here)

6.SD @ Tenn Friday night.

by Freddyd on Dec 23, 2009 2:49 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I felt the same way

I was feeling pretty desperate about out season, but decided that I’d have to watch even if we were struggling or I wouldn’t be able to consider myself a “true” fan.

Glad I did, but it is hard when things go poorly.

by tobiathan on Dec 23, 2009 6:32 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

...*our season...

by tobiathan on Dec 23, 2009 6:33 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

yeah trust me i know how that goes
that team has my heart and when i face disappointment from them its killer each and everytime so it is hard to watch week after week and i’ll be honest when the seasons that bad i don’t always tune in because it hurts so bad to watch them and know there potential and when there nowhere near it

"That’s been our story all year. We’ve got a team that doesn’t blink in the face of adversity. It’s never going to be pretty or perfect, if you will, but they’ve got a great deal of belief in one another. They’ve got a great deal of resolve, and it was put on display. Our defense gets a lot of recognition for what they’re capable of, and rightfully so, but what you saw from our quarterback and our offense at the end of that football game is what they’ve provided for us all year. When we’ve needed it the most, they’ve done it and done it big. That’s a rerun for us."
Mike Tomlin, before superbowl 43

by steelcity7612 on Dec 25, 2009 2:33 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs