2009 Game Reviews
NFL Week 17
by Jody Jamieson
7/1/2010
 
49ers 28 Rams 6
 
Both quarterbacks combined for 80 passing yards in a terrible first half dominated by sacks and miscues. St Louis led 3-0 at the half. San Francisco ended up winning comfortably, but this wasn’t the blowout the score suggested. It was 7-6 Niners in the 4th quarter before Alex Smith tossed a 73 yard TD to Vernon Davis. Frank Gore then scored twice on the ground after a punt set up the Niners at midfield, and a turnover on downs gave them the ball on the Rams 27 yard line. Justin Smith had 3.5 sacks as the Niners dropped Keith Null and Kyle Boller a combined 8 times.
 
Colts 7 Bills 30
 
Snow game! This game is simple to analyse. It was close when the Colts had the starters in, and it became a blow out when the backups came in. Peyton Manning was 14/18 for 95 yards and a pick and left with the score tied at 7. Curtis Painter was a laughable 4/17 for 39 yards and a pick. Heavy snow always makes the passing game difficult, but there’s no excuse for numbers like that.
 
Manning left after TD runs from Fred Jackson for Buffalo and Mike Hart for Indianapolis. Lee Evans and Terrell Owens had receiving touchdowns from Ryan Fitzpatrick and three Ryan Lindell field goals put the game beyond any reasonable doubt.
 
Bears 37 Lions 23
 
In 2006 the Green Bay Packers were 4-8 before a strong finish got them back to 8-8 and in 2007 they finished 13-3 and made the NFC Championship Game. In 2007 the Arizona Cardinals were 5-6 before winning three of the last 5 (with the losses coming against a good Seahawks team and a tough Saints side) and in 2008 they were less than a minute away from winning the Super Bowl. In 2008 the Cincinnati Bengals were 1-11-1 before winning their final three games, and in 2009 they won the AFC North. In 2009 the Chicago Bears were 4-7 before winning 3 of their last 5 (including a close loss to the red hot Packers). Will they be the team who finishes strongly and carrying it over to the next season?
 
Jay Cutler was 22/36 for 276 yards and 4 touchdowns as the Bears offense was bang on form. Even Matt Forte who overall had a disappointing season ran for 101 yards on just 16 carries. Cutler threw two TD’s to Devin Aromashodu and one each to Greg Olson and Desmond Clark. Daunte Culpepper was a respectable 23/34 for 262 yards with two TD’s and a pick. His TD’s went to Calvin Johnson and Bryant Johnson.
 
Patriots 27 Texans 34
 
The Goddellfather wants to review resting starters in the week that the Patriots played theirs for extended periods when there was no reason to, and lost Wes Welker for the playoffs. Anyone see a slight problem with this? I always have a problem with teams resting starters who have a first round bye and are resting weeks in advance, but that’s more to do with struggles when the playoffs start rather than it impacting other people. Goddell should let teams do what they want and stay away from this one. Welker was injured on the Pats first possession, so even if Belichick had decided to put them in for a series or two and pull them Welker would have still been injured.
 
The Texans looked like they were going to choke away another great opportunity when they trailed 27-13 in the fourth quarter, but they deserve great credit for coming back and winning. Schaub tossed an 8 yarder to Jacoby Jones before two Arian Foster TD runs gave Houston the win and would have given them a playoff spot if the Bengals had beaten the Jets. The Texans did post their first winning season in franchise history and despite the fact that Gary Kubiak tends to make some baffling decisions, he’s done a good job progressing the franchise every year. Kris Brown however will likely be on the bubble in Training Camp. He shanked an extra point and a 37 yard field goal and looks lost after a dreadful second half of the season.
 
Falcons 20 Buccaneers 10
 
Atlanta recorded back to back winning seasons for the first time in franchise history, ending on a 3 game winning streak, and what I wrote about the Bears in their report may ring true with the 2010 Falcons also. Atlanta outgained Tampa Bay 397-206, but committed three turnovers in key situations that almost ruined them in this game. Atlanta led 10-3 at half time after Matt Ryan’s TD pass to Justin Peele, but the Buccaneers tied it up in the fourth when Freeman hit Antonio Bryant. Matt Ryan threw a 12 yard TD to Roddy White, and Matt Bryant iced the game with a late field goal.
 
Saints 10 Panthers 23
 
Carolina were another 2009 disappointment who had a strong finish to the season. Jake Delhomme was a disaster in 2009, but Matt Moore did a nice job replacing him and stabilizing the offense after their turnover laden start. New Orleans didn’t take this game seriously, but the Panthers still had to go out and win and they did just that. Jonathan Stewart’s 67 yard touchdown run gave Carolina the early impetus. Matt Moore to Dwayne Jarrett for 30 yards gave Carolina a 17-3 lead at half time.
 
Carolina added two second half field goals before Lynell Hamilton scored the lone Saints TD of the day with a one yard run.
 
Steelers 30 Dolphins 24
 
Roethlisberger found Santionio Holmes for an 8 yard touchdown after a long 7 minute drive to open the game, but Miami replied on their first possession when Chad Henne hit Lex Hilliard for a 10 yard score. Big Ben threw a bomb to Mike Wallace to make it 14-7 and had 115 passing yards on their first two possessions. DeShea Townsend intercepted Henne with the score 17-10, but the Steelers handed the ball back on the next play when Santonio Holmes took the lateral and launched a pick downfield to Yeremiah Bell.
 
Pat White started for the Dolphins in the second half after a Henne injury, and White too a scary knock of his own. White took a head shot running down the sideline and was obviously unconscious before he hit the ground. He was carted off and Tyler Thigpen came in.
 
Pittsburgh took a 27-10 lead when Heath Miller caught a 3 yarder, but the Dolphins came storming back when Brian Hartline scored on an end around and Thigpen tossed a 34 yarder to Davone Bess. Jeff Reed kicked a field goal to make it a 6 point game, and in their desperation to get back into it, Thigpen threw a costly pick. Credit Pittsburgh for coming back from 5-7 to win their last 4 games, but it ultimately wasn’t enough to get them into the post season. Losses to Oakland, Kansas City and Cleveland are killers, and if they’d just won one of those contests they’d have picked up a Wildcard, and on the back of a 4 game winning streak (or 5 if it was Cleveland they beat) they’d be a dangerous team. Look for a big bounce back from the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2010.
 
Jaguars 17 Browns 23
 
Jack Del Rio needs to be fired. I commented when the Jags were 7-5 that they were the worst team I’ve ever seen with a winning record that late in a season, and they lost their final 4 games to finish with the losing record they deserved. Del Rio continues to think he has an offense built for passing, while failing to understand he has an excellent running back and a mediocre quarterback. Yet again Maurice Jones-Drew had less than 20 carries while David Garrard had more than 35 pass attempts. They were losing 20-3 at one point so it’s slightly more understandable this week, but this is a horrible trend that he doesn’t seem to be able to buck.
 
Jerome Harrison and Joshua Cribbs both scored on the ground before two Zack Miller TD receptions made it a one score game, but the Jags couldn’t get any closer. I have probably never ever given Eric Mangini any credit for anything, but how did he get 5 wins out of this team? Pretty impressive.
 
Giants 7 Vikings 44
 
Nice of the Giants to show up. For the second Favre was 19/23 for 271 yards and three touchdowns at halftime. It helps to be playing the Giants, who have given up defensively, but there’s no denying the Vikings are a different team on the road from the side that plays in the Metrodome. Minnesota led 31-0 at half time after Favre threw TD to Visanthe Shiancoe before Sidney Rice caught two Favre scoring passes. Adrian Peterson added a 1 yard run and Ryan Longwell kicked a 36 yarder as the Giants didn’t even bother to compete.
 
Naufahu Tahi caught a 1 yarder from Favre and 2 more Longwell field goals made it 44-0. Danny Ware scored from a yard out in garbage time to avoid the shutout but it was a minor blemish on a ridiculously easy win for the Vikes.
 
Redskins 20 Chargers 23
 
Washington almost took out San Diego’s backups at Qualcomm Stadium, but Billy Volek led a late touchdown drive to give San Diego a 13-3 record and keep the winning streak going. San Diego led 13-0 after two field goals and a Rivers TD pass to Antonio Gates, but the backups came in and the Skins came roaring back. Washington led by a point at half time after Jason Campbell tossed TD passes to Todd Yoder and Mike Sellers.
 
Washington led 20-16 late on when Volek led a 12 play drive and finished it off with a 2 yarder to Mike Tolbert to win the game.
 
Chiefs 44 Broncos 24
 
Everyone knew that Denver weren’t a good team, but they managed to hide it after inexplicably starting 6-0. They finished 2-8 to miss the playoffs, becoming amazingly the third team in NFL history to start 6-0 and fail to make the postseason. Josh McDaniels benched Brandon Marshall (“for a number of reasons”) and Tony Scheffler (“because of his attitude”) before a must win game that they ended up losing by 20 points. McDaniels is a volatile character who is likely the cause of most of these little skirmishes behind the scenes, and the Broncos hierarchy must be wondering what they’ve gotten themselves into going forward.
 
It was 10-10 at half time Mike Cox and Knowshon Moreno had 1 yard rushing touchdowns for their respective teams. Jamaal Charles scored on a 5 yard rush, but Moreno tied it up with another 1 yard TD run. Ryan Succop kicked a field goal to put KC up 20-17 before the Kyle Orton madness began. He did throw a touchdown pass to Brandon Stokely, but it was sandwiched between 2 pick-sixes that were both thrown to linebacker Derrick Johnson. Jamaal Charles finished it off with a 56 yard TD run. Orton threw his third pick off the day into the endzone to Brandon Flowers to end their slim chances. Interestingly despite it being a touchback, nfl.com’s Game Center still has the play down as a safety.
 
I’d doubt McDaniels is a candidate to be fired right now, but he really needs to have a look at himself. You see him on the sideline going completely mental at his team despite the fact that they’re playing ok rather than awful. He seems to have a real affinity to conflict on Sundays and hasn’t come close to building the reputation to get away with treating his players like school kids. Trading Jay Cutler was a mistake despite his miserable season in Chicago (I still think he’ll come good) and he’s got a lot of work to do to get his team back on his side.
 
Eagles 0 Cowboys 24
 
The Cowboys completely dominated this game, but the Eagles did have their chances. Donovan McNabb missed a wide open DeSean Jackson for a guaranteed touchdown and then missed Jeremy Maclin on a crossing route on third down for a potential big play. McNabb also lost a fumble in the redzone and then blamed the youth on the team for their problems. McNabb was the key reason the Eagles lost out on a potential 17 points. Philadelphia will be coming back to Dallas next week for their Wildcard Weekend showdown, and they’ll have to play better on both sides of the ball if they’re going to have any chance.
 
Dallas held a 17-0 lead after touchdown receptions by Jason Witten and Patrick Crayton and a Shaun Suisham field goal as the Cowboys offense marched down the field at will. Felix Jones scored on a 49 yard rush to complete an easy victory for the Cowboys and give them the NFC East crown and the #3 seed.
 
I wasn’t convinced by Dallas when they beat the Saints in Week 15 due to the fact that they did that last year and still fell apart. I wasn’t convinced by them in Week 16 against the Redskins as Washington were completely awful, but Week 17 has shown this isn’t your typical choking Cowboys. If they get past the Eagles on Saturday night they will go to the Metrodome to face Minnesota, and you wouldn’t bet your mortgage on the Vikings.
 
Ravens 21 Raiders 13
 
The Ravens looked like they were going to win this game easily, but they were made to work by a surprisingly hungry Oakland Raiders team. Willis McGahee ended up the difference, scoring three rushing touchdowns and amassing 167 rushing yards to help clinch a playoff place for Baltimore. McGahee’s second TD run was a 77 yard scamper to make it 14-3 which featured a brilliant stiff arm on Hiram Eugene around midfield. McGahee flattened Eugene before trotting to the endzone. Zac Miller caught a 12 yard TD pass from Charlie Frye in the second quarter, and Sebastian Janikowski tied it up with a field goal. In the 4th quarter McGahee scored the all important game winner from 2 yards out.
 
Titans 17 Seahawks 13
 
The big story here was Chris Johnson finishing his second pro season with an astonishing 2,006 rushing yards, good for 5th all time in rushing yards in a season. He would have been higher up the rankings if a stupid holding call (the penalty was committed after CJ had broken it) hadn’t wiped out a 62 yard TD run. He did break Marshall Faulk’s NFL record for most scrimmage yards in a season, totalling 2,509 yards from scrimmage. Johnson scored from 6 yards out to make it 7-0 Titans, but John Carlson caught a 6 yarder from Matt Hasselbeck to tie the scores. It was 10-10 at half time after Olindo Mare and Rob Bironas traded 2nd quarter field goals.
 
Mare was good from 20 yards to put Seattle in front in the 4th, but CJ scored his second TD of the day from a yard out to give the Titans a .500 season. Ironically Denver started 6-0 and Tennessee started 0-6, yet both ended with an 8-8 record. It shows how fickle the NFL can be and how any season can turn on the most minute of things.
 
Packers 33 Cardinals 7
 
Arizona put in very little effort in this one, while Green Bay went all out for the win. I doubt this game will have any bearing on the rematch this weekend, but it’ll be interesting to see how comfortable the Cardinals are having seen the Packers at full strength up close. Green Bay will have no idea what is in store after facing the backups for the most part, but the Cards may have a feel for this playoff game. They’ll have to do a better job containing Aaron Rodgers however, who was an almost flawless 21/26 for 235 yards and a touchdown.
 
Arizona scored their lone touchdown in the 4th quarter after being down 33-0 when Brian St Pierre threw a 3 yarder to Larry Fitzgerald. Before that the Packers scored on the ground through Ryan Grant and Aaron Rodgers, through the air when Rodgers hit Jermichael Finley, and on a pick six by Charles Woodson. They also added a field goal and a safety.
 
Bengals 0 Jets 37
 
Cincinnati played their starters in the first half, but shouldn’t have bothered. No-one put in any effort and they ran a bunch of silly plays so as not to give the Jets a look at what to expect next week when these teams meet in the first round of the play-offs. Carson Palmer was 1/11 for 0 yards and 1 pick, but he was victimised by an astonishing 5 drops. The Bengals put up an absolutely pitiful 72 yards of offense and had 5 first downs in the game and the only time they moved the chains in the first half way via penalty.
 
One thing you can be sure of is that the Bengals will be preparing for Brad Smith out of the Wildcat. They faced Joshua Cribbs twice this season so they should be prepared, but they allowed Smith to rush for 92 yards and a touchdown on a just 4 carries. Mark Sanchez was just 8/16 for 63 yards, but his offense rushed for 257 yards to take the pressure off him completely. Thomas Jones scored twice on the ground and Jericho Cotcherry added a 6 yard run of his own as the Jets completely destroyed the disinterested Bengals.