2009 Game Reviews
NFL Week 16
by Jody Jamieson
1/1/2010
 
Chargers 42 Titans 17
 
Tennessee had a chance to hold San Diego on 3rd down inside the 10 yard line, but Cortland Finnegan pushed over Kris Wilson to give the Chargers a new set of downs. LaDanian Tomlinson rushed in three plays later to make it 7-3. In the second quarter, Rivers escaped pressure and threw to a wide open Antonio Gates for a 36 yard touchdown. Vince Young then fumbled at midfield and the Chargers looked to have scored a touchdown on the next play when Rivers threw a bomb to Malcolm Floyd, but it was negated by a holding penalty, but the Titans were feeling festive enough on Christmas Day to take a roughing the passer on the next play and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty during the stoppage. Rivers turned the short field into points when he hit Darren Sproles for the touchdown. Young did lead an excellent drive and finished it with a 3 yard rushing touchdown of his own, as San Diego led 21-10 at half time.
 
After Tennessee took many stupid penalties in the first half, it was ironic that Chargers wideout Kasim Osgood got it going to start the second half by taking a needless personal foul penalty on the opening kickoff. Fortunately though the Chargers dominated the second half on the way to a comfortable victory.
 
Tomlinson made it 28-10 with a 1 yard run on the Chargers first possession of the second half, and on their next drive, Darren Sproles then scored twice on the ground to make it 42-10 and end the Titans chances to get back into the playoff race after starting 0-6. Christ Johnson added a late rushing touchdown but the Titans were well beaten by a better team. Johnson rushed for 142 yards and now has 1,872 rushing yards on the season. He has 2,355 yards from scrimmage, needing just 75 yards to pass Marshall Faulk’s 1999 record, which he will surely achieve. He sits 233 yards behind Eric Dickerson for the single season rushing record, so will need an amazing performance in Week 17 @ Seattle to beat that.
 
Bills 3 Falcons 31
 
Brian Brohm disappointed in his first NFL start as the Falcons ran out comfortable winners. Brohm was 17/29 for 146 yards and two picks. Matt Ryan himself was a rather unimpressive 18/35, but passed for 250 yards and 3 touchdowns. Roddy White couldn’t be contained, catching 8 balls for 139 yards and two touchdowns. Ryan’s other TD pass went to Marty Booker. Rookie defensive end Lawrence Sidbury added an 11 yard fumble return touchdown to complete an easy win to put the Falcons at 8-7 and if they can knock off Tampa Bay on Sunday at Raymond James Stadium, they will record back to back winning seasons for the first time in their existence.
 
Chiefs 10 Bengals 17
 
If you’re ever looking for something to help pass the time between the late afternoon games and the Sunday Night Football showdown, and don’t know quite what to do, I have an amusing solution. Stick on Sky Sports News and simply wait for their brief NFL highlights. Whoever ends up reading out the prepared lines is always hilarious. They regularly pronounce names wrong, but the game winning touchdown in this game was scored by Chad “Ockonocko.” The reporter also raised his voice excitedly when he announced that Matt Moore passed for “ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY ONE YARDS!” for Carolina against the Giants. I didn’t think I lived in a world where 171 passing yards was worth getting excited about, but I guess I was wrong. If Moore averages that per game he’ll pass for 2736 yards on the season. MVP!
 
Back to the game, it was 3-3 going into the third quarter when Laveraneus Coles caught a 10 yarder from Carson Palmer. The Chiefs replied when a 20 yarder from Matt Cassel to Tim Castille to make it 10-10, but “Ockonocko” had the last laugh, hauling in a 6 yarder to wrap up the AFC North title.
 
Raiders 9 Browns 23
 
Cleveland have put together an inexplicable 3 game winning streak and Eric Mangini seems to have found a winning formula. Derek Anderson threw 17 passed, while Jerome Harrison had a life shortening 39 carries. It also helps to be playing the Raiders with Charlie Frye under centre. Frye was a respectable 26/45 for 333 yards, but threw 3 terrible interceptions.
 
Cleveland led 17-9 at half time after a rushing touchdown by Harrison and a receiving TD for Mohammed Massaquoi. There were 6 personal foul penalties in the final three minutes of the first half, and Oakland defensive back Stanford Routt was ejected for a flagrant head butt. Sebastian Janikowski kicked a 61 yard field goal as time expired on the first half. Cleveland kicked 2 second half field goals to make it a two score game, and the Raiders never threatened to get close.
 
Ravens 20 Steelers 23
 
If Baltimore miss the playoffs, then they’ll look back on this game as the one that really cost them. They had two late touchdowns called back for penalties, and Derrick Mason dropped an easy one in the endzone. Ben Roethlisberger dropped back to throw to try and ice the game and it was intercepted by Tom Zbikowski. The Ravens would have taken over at midfield, but the pick was nullified by an illegal contact penalty and the Steelers took knees to end the game.
 
Pittsburgh took a 13-3 lead when Rashard Mendenhall rushed in from 4 yards in the second quarter, but the Ravens replied instantly when Joe Flacco hit Todd Heap for a 30 yard touchdown. Roethlisberger to Santonio Holmes for 24 yards made it 20-10 at half time.
 
Todd Heap caught his second TD pass of the day in the 3rd quarter, and a Billy Cundiff 35 yarder tied the scores. Jeff Reed from 38 yards turned out to be the eventual game winner after Baltimore’s numerous mistakes. Pittsburgh still need favours to make the playoffs, but after sitting 5-7, they’ve done a great job turning it around and making it possible.
 
Buccaneers 20 Saints 17 (OT)
 
How did this happen? New Orleans were 17-0 up at home to the terrible Bucs, but not only did they fail to score in the second half, but they allowed Tampa to win the game in overtime. New Orleans led 14-0 in the first quarter when an 8 yard Pierre Thomas TD rush was followed by a 30 yard receiving touchdown by Robert Meachem. Garrett Hartley made it 17-0 with a field goal, before Connor Barth kicked a 34 yarder to make it 17-3 at half time.
 
Tampa Bay seemed to be going nowhere in the second half until suddenly putting together a 98 yard drive that ended with a 23 yard TD run by Cadillac Williams. New Orleans then punted on 4th and inches from their own 40 yard line with a chance to gain a foot and run out the clock. It would have been a risky play, but I’m surprised Sean Payton didn’t go for it. He instantly regretted his conservative decision when Michael Spurlock took the punt back 77 yards for a touchdown to set up the extra period. Tampa held the ball for almost 7 minutes after winning the toss and before New Orleans touched the ball, Barth nailed a 47 yarder to win the game. The Saints did clinch the #1 seed with Minnesota’s Monday Night Football loss, but are looking extremely vulnerable on both sides of the ball going into January.
 
Jaguars 7 Patriots 35
 
Most will assume Tom Brady is back to 100%, but I have a far more interesting theory. The biggest problem he’s had recently is his offensive line, who have been blocking no-one. Thankfully this week they got the Jaguars, who cannot get pressure on anyone. Brady was afforded all the time he wanted and proceeded to torch the Jags at will, going 23/26 for 267 yards and 4 touchdowns. I’ll wait to see if his line can hold up against someone with a good defense before I assume he’s back to his best, despite a marvellous performance on Sunday. Randy Moss only had 4 catches for 45 yards, but three of the receptions went for touchdowns. Chris Baker had the other TD catch, while Sammy Morris added a rushing touchdown in a complete destruction.
 
Jacksonville didn’t help themselves by doing some stupid things. Jack Del Rio decided to go for it on 4th and 1 from his own 35 in the first quarter (it was 0-0 at the time) and turned the ball over on downs. It could have been slightly forgiven if it was 4th and an inch, but they had about a yard and a half to go and the decision was ludicrous. Also when Maurice Jones-Drew was gashing the Patriots on the ground, David Garrard promptly ended an impressive drive by horribly over throwing his receiver and picking out Pats safety Brandon Merriweather. Jacksonville eventually scored when Garrard rushed in from 2 yards, but it was far too little, far too late.
 
Panthers 41 Giants 9
 
What the hell happened to the Giants? After a really positive performance against Washington, this was their chance to start a run against the lowly Panthers and kick on if results went their way. Results still could have went their way if they’d beaten Carolina, but they wound up getting hammered and playing themselves out of the playoff picture. When New York finally got into the endzone in the 4th quarter, they were down 34-3 at the time. Manning had thrown a touchdown pass to Steve Smith when the game was tied, but it was called back as Madison Hedgecock was blatantly holding Na’il Diggs. Manning completed a 3rd and 14 pass to Mario Manningham on the same drive, but Manningham fumbled and the Giants never got the momentum back. Carolina led 24-0 at half time after touchdowns from Jonathan Stewart (who finished with 206 rushing yards), Mushin Muhammad and Jeff King as the Panthers simply blew the Giants away in their final game at the Meadowlands.
 
Steve Smith made it 31-0 in the 3rd after hauling in Matt Moore’s third TD pass of the day. The other Steve Smith scored the Giants lone touchdown of the day on a 2 yard reception before Brad Hoover’s one yard run completed the mauling.
 
Texans 27 Dolphins 20
 
For the second time in three weeks, the Texans absolutely destroyed someone in the first half. First it was the beleaguered Seahawks, so it was understandable. This time it was on the road against a Miami side who were still fighting for a playoff spot. Despite what the final score says, this game was never in doubt. Matt Schaub was 14/18 for 247 yards and 2 touchdowns at half time as the Texans led 27-3 at half time. Schaub’s TD passes went to Andre Johnson and Jacoby Jones. Arian Foster’s 17 yard TD run and two Kris Brown field goals made it 27-0 before Dan Carpenter kicked a field goal to get the Dolphins on the board before the half.
 
Lex Hilliard (3 carries for 12 yards and 9 catches for 74 yards) scored on the ground and through the air to make it 27-17 and Dan Carpenter made it a one score game with a 38 yard kick, but that was as close as it got as they failed to recover the onside kick. Houston host New England on Sunday looking for their first winning season in franchise history, and can still make the playoffs assuming results go their way.
 
Seahawks 10 Packers 48
 
I feel sorry for Matt Hasselbeck. He’s constantly running away from pressure as his offensive line continues to play horrifically. Hasselbeck looks to be getting “David Carred” even at this late stage of his career. If you need any evidence just check out the first pick of the day. After a play action fake he was getting chased down and carelessly tossed the ball straight into the arms of AJ Hawk with no Seahawk in the vicinity.
 
The Packers scored 5 times on the ground in this easy win. Ryan Grant and Brandon Jackson each had a pair and Ahman Green added a 4th quarter score. Aaron Rodgers lone TD pass went to Brandon Jackson as the Packers are surely going to go into the playoffs as the most dangerous Wildcard team. They have finally figured out their offensive line woes for the time being, and the defense has been outstanding for the most part. John Carlson caught a TD pass from Hasselbeck in garbage time when no-one cared.
 
Rams 10 Cardinals 31
 
This was an easy win for the Cardinals. They outgained the Rams 407-238 and had the game wrapped up at half time. Second quarter touchdown receptions from Larry Fitzgerald and Early Doucet gave them a 14-0 lead, and a Mike Nugent extra point sized field goal gave them an insurmountable lead at half time. Brandon Gibson hauled in Keith Null’s only TD pass of the day (he had 3 picks) but Tin Hightower and Chris Wells each scored on the ground on route to Arizona’s 10th win of the year.
 
Lions 6 49ers 20
 
Detroit were responsible for six turnovers in this one, which pretty much tells you everything you need to know. Drew Stanton threw 3 picks and fumbled once, while Calvin Johnson fumbled twice in a miserable day for the Lions. A Frank Gore fumble was the lone blemish on the 49ers stat sheet as they ran out fairly comfortable winners. It was 6-3 at half time as the Niners were rather wasteful, but in the third quarter Alex Smith finally got the offense going as he threw a 2 yard TD pass to Vernon Davis. Frank Gore scored on a one yard run to put the game out of reach. Detroit put Daunte Culpepper in the game but predictably it made no difference as all he could do was lead a drive that ended in a 38 yard field goal for Jason Hanson.
 
Broncos 27 Eagles 30
 
This was a brilliant game. Philadelphia looked like they were going to run away with it when they were up 27-10, but their defense stepped up in a big way, giving the offense time to get back into it. The Broncos tied the game up at 27 and looked like they would go on to win, but the Eagles did enough to squeak over the finish line for their 6th straight win.
 
DeSean Jackson caught a 4 yard pass from Donovan McNabb for the game’s opening score. Brandon Stokely was then blatantly held by Will Witherspoon on a third down play but no flag was thrown. Stokely made contact with an official during his complaints and was ejected from the game. Akers made it 10-0, but the Broncos replied when Orton hit Jabar Gaffney for a 6 yard score. A Brent Celek 47 yard TD reception and another Akers field goal gave the Eagles a 20-7 half time lead.
 
Jason Avant made it 27-10 after a Matt Prater field goal, but the Broncos took over and tied the scores. Orton tossed TD passes to Gaffney again and Knowshon Moreno, and Matt Prater’s fourth quarter field goal tied it up and set up a nervy finish. Late on McNabb hit Jeremy Maclin down the sideline to set up a 28 yard field goal, and Akers made no mistake to give the Eagles the advantage for a first round bye and leave the Broncos needing snookers to make the playoffs.
 
One play late in the fourth quarter got the Eagles going and ultimately contributed to the win. The drive ultimately led to no points, but seeing Donovan McNabb run for 27 yards on 3rd and 25 got the crowd into it, changed field position and when the Broncos went three and out on their next possession, it gave Philly the chance to set up the game winner. This isn’t the 1999 McNabb out there, but if he can still make plays with his legs when required, it’s going to be huge for the Eagles going forward.
 
Jets 29 Colts 15
 
Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it. The Colts have shown many times in the past that resting players too early is a recipe for disaster, so if they want to make the same mistakes again, then that’s their prerogative. Losing their undefeated record isn’t the issue here as the Patriots proved finishing 16-0 guarantees nothing, but their starters will go 4 weeks without playing a full game. How can they be expected to turn it on in a playoff game? I’m not predicting the Colts will lose their first playoff game, but I would wager they’ll be behind at half time and probably after 3 quarters too. They just can’t go so long without competitive football and then be the well oiled machine they were in going 14-0.
 
Joseph Addai rushed in for a touchdown, but the Jets took a 10-9 lead in the 3rd quarter on a 106 yard kickoff return by Brad Smith. Manning and co left the game up 15-10 after Donald Brown score on the ground, but Curtis Painter couldn’t lead Indianapolis to any points. He also lost a costly fumble to give the Jets the lead when Marques Douglas scooped the ball up on the goalline and scored an easy touchdown. Jay Feely added a field goal before Thomas Jones ran in from a yard out to put the Jets up by 14 and on their way to an important win. Painter was desperately trying to rally his team, but threw a pick to Dwight Lowery and the game was over.
 
Cowboys 17 Redskins 0
 
Many thought Washington would rebound from a dreadful Monday Night performance against the Giants and run the hated Cowboys close, but they did nothing of the sort and fell to another a disappointing defeat. Dallas barely got out of first gear all night, but did more than enough to pick up the win and set up a winner takes all showdown with the Eagles for the NFC East crown. Washington had 10 total possessions in the game. Eight ended with punts, one with a pick and one on downs as they didn’t run a single play inside the Cowboys 25.
 
Dallas led 14-0 at half time thanks to Tony Romo’s touchdown pass to Roy Williams and a 3 yard run by Marion Barber. Ex-Redskins kicked Shaun Suisham kicked a 23 yarder in the 4th quarter to make sure of a win that was never in doubt.
 
Washington were awful offensively and their defense couldn’t get off the field on third down. Tony Romo was 25/38 for 296 yards with a score and a pick while Campbell was 24/39 for 199 yards and an interception.
 
Vikings 30 Bears 36 (OT)
 
Where did it go wrong for Minnesota on Monday Night? The offensive line couldn’t protect Brett Favre and didn’t open up running lanes for Adrian Peterson. The defense hasn’t stopped anyone since EJ Henderson went down for the year. Their kickoff coverage was all over the place, and the Bears had numerous big returns. So to sum up other than the offense, defense and special teams being all over the place, they’re in good shape.
 
Chicago led 3-0 when the Vikings drove deep into Bears territory, but Brett Favre lost a fumble and the Bears drove for another field goal. Jay Cutler then led a 7 play, 66 yard drive that ended when he hit Greg Olson for a 7 yard TD and a 13-0 lead. It was 16-0 when Gould nailed another field goal as time expired on the first half.
 
Minnesota finally got on the scoreboard when Adrian Peterson ran in from a yard in the 3rd quarter, but Israel Idonije blocked the extra point. A great kick return from Daniel Manning and a long pass interference call set up an easy Cutler to Desmond Clark touchdown pass to make it 23-6. Favre threw a touchdown pass to Visanthe Shiancoe to make it a 10 point game before Cutler gave the Vikes all the momentum when on 3rd and 16, he tried to force one into double coverage and was picked off at midfield. Ryan Longwell made it a one score game when he kicked a 47 yarder, and they tied it up on another one yard TD run by Peterson. Cutler to Earl Bennett made it 30-23, but on 4th and goal with 20 seconds remaining, Favre found Sidney Rice to take the game to overtime.
 
Check out these Vikings snaps in the overtime period. Incomplete pass, sack, sack, punt, run for no gain, Adrian Peterson fumble. The fumble set the Bears up on the edge of field goal range, but on the first play Cutler went deep, and Devin Aromashodu hauled in a 39 yarder for the win as the Vikings not only missed out on a chance for a #1 seed, but now don’t even control their own destiny for the #2 seed. A Philadelphia victory over Dallas on Sunday ensures that the Vikings will play on Wildcard Weekend, but first the Vikings have to get past the stuttering Giants at home.