Just a thought Seattle 21 Green Bay 14........ Go Seahawks!

the niners are getting 1.5 points to the texans! AT HOME!!!! With reggie bush on the line. What is this nonsense.

Interesting read on my name. I'm pretty shocked by that one, to be honest.

I'm listening to the Chargers-Broncos, and looks like the announcer is sleeping.

watching the broncos-chargers game in the UK. No way that Bell is getting 1000 yards for the season - I'd be impressed if he manages 50 yards today the way its going.

4th and 13, Marty go for it.
Broncos have the ball.

Go Chargers. Win and the Steelers are in!

Wow. Big hit right there. Putzier still down.

So starting TE is out, and Plummer has been sacked twice...when are they done? next series?

Battle of the 50+ yard punters.

And is LT going to get 40+ carries? Would be cool to see him break a couple big ones and flirt w/ 300.

Come on Chargers.

2nd down pass for a 1st anyone??

Got em in 5 diff flavors!

Gates just made 3 Broncos defenders look silly. Nice moves.

This is why the Chargers aren't going to the playoffs.

I don't even know what that means actually.

Drew Brees really messed up his throwing arm if the replay is any indication.

a phillip rivers cameo~

Nasty shoulder injury on Brees. And the SD offseason just got agonizingly more interesting.

Wow, just a horrible pass to start by Rivers. Great play by Gates to hustle over and break it up.

And a delay penalty. I know Rivers hasn't played much in two years, but come on.

I suppose there are worse alternatives to scrambling than tossing it to Tomlinson, though. I guess that's a heads-up play.

Gates made a nice defensive stop on Rivers first throw. Too bad Gates is offense.

When they talked about the Brees injury, at first I thought he sustained it on the hit from Lynch who went for the throwing arm. Brees looked a little tentative with his arm after that but still went after the loose ball. But then Brees' arm got caught on the ground and ...ouch. His arm can't be feeling all that good right now. With this game not meaning anything to the team, definitely needs to rest it till summer camp. Who's SD's third stringer?

Announcers just noted that SD was using an unbalanced line (though they didn't call it that, they mentioned they had two tackles to one side, with Antonio Gates on the other, with Gates still eligible).

1. Somebody should tell Jim Nantz that nobody besides Eric Parker cares if Eric Parker gets an extra $500,000.

2. Phillip Rivers is off to a rocky start.

3. It's 3rd and 1 with LT in your backfield and you try to pass it across the field with a QB who's struggled ever since he came in the game.

4. Thank you Marty for changing your mind and actually running it on a short yardage situation.

Yikes. That was most definitely that.

There's a rule that every Denver QB has to have a bad mustache, I suppose.

Somebody on San Diego might want to tackle Bradlee Van Pelt.

Just a thought.

I still don't know what I think about this game having playoff implications for two teams other than the two teams playing. Come to think of it, it's kind of BCS-ish.

Van Pelt runs every play. This is awesome!

What? Who is he, Jay Feely all of a sudden?

Why is Sauerbrun kicking FGs?

Oops, didn't realise it wasn't Elam.

Actually, it makes sense. Since it seems to be raining pretty hard, I guess Denver didn't want to risk Elam slipping and falling and injuring himself.

Actually, it was Elam.

Actually, it was Elam.

Silly of me to trust Gamecenter over my own perception.

Now Sauerbrun has -1 extra point attempts.

By playing Rivers and showcasing his skills (or complete lack thereof, so far this game), San Diego is ruining their chances of getting something decent in trade if they wanted to get rid of him in the offseason.

Shoulda put in that 3rd stringer!

T.

Why the hell did they punt it?

I wouldn't call 12-22-115-0-1 in a game where it's raining cats and dogs that bad.

I think this is good. Pitt has to win an easy game to get in now, unless KC loses to Cincy.

Would have liked Bell to get his 1,000 for the season. He's gonna have to get 90 more yards - doubtful.

Bronco fan.

I'm not a big Rivers fan but I would be surprised if tonight's game hurt his trade potential very much. He hadn't thrown a pass all season. They said he only took a few snaps all week. He's playing against a pretty good pass defense. The field is wet. I think most GMs will still figure he has a lot of "upside" which I think is a codeword for "Please God let him be better than Aaron Brooks." He's not really doing any worse than McMahon or Orton or Bouman.

Wow.

Tiki Barber rules.

Tiki Barber ought to be MVP. Getting his number behind one of the most-penalized line sin the NFL....yeah. MVP.

Sad for Bell, got 3 TD but still ended up 79 yd short of his 1000. Then again, when you're in a position where you can get 3 TD and be disappointed, ya got it pretty good...

RE: 2

I like the 49ers to win.

That Barber run set a new Giants record. The Oakland D is pathetic.

RE: 5

Well, he got the 50 yards...and 3 TDs to boot. ;)

RE: 3

Yeah, it's very surprising. PFT mentioned something about this a few days ago. Collins, a Lerner guy, didn't like Savage.
Amazingly stupid move for the Browns, but that's why they're the Browns.
Personally, I would've fired Collins and kept Savage.

The Giants pass D sucks too. As usual.

Re: 41.

I doubt that Bell is disappointed, but I would have liked to see him get the thousand.

You'd think that the Giants should be ruling this game, Oakland is a push over team and the Giants need the win for their division title.

Washington is most likely not going to lose to Philly, so if the Giants don't start showing some plays, they're going to end up as a wild card team. If the Giants can't win this game, they don't even need to think about their chances in the playoffs.

Dayne looked pretty dang good today, too.

Nice toss there, Elisha.

Oops, I guess nobody will remember that Cade McNown-ish turf ball now.

Finally, two big plays by the Giants and they are now ruling their playoff destiny.

Re: 48.

You are right, Ron Dayne looked mighty good today. Seems like the Denver O line can make most backs look good!

The Oakland defense is atrocious. Big play after big play against them.

BTW, I couldn't figure out why Brees was starting. They got to see Rivers anyway, but this was the perfect situation to start Rivers and see what he's got.

Wow, the Raiders are still a dangerous team to face, but it looks like the Giants are up to the task, so far.

Williams dropped it. Anderson would've had that one.

The Raider's, and most AFC West teams aren't likely to make it very easy to get a win over them. Their best competition is against teams in their own division and not teams outside of it. The AFC West rules!

If I'm facing 4th and 10 deep in my own territory, there's no punter I'd rather have than Shane Lechler. He's awesome.

Seems like the breaks are going to the Giants at this point! I still think that the Raiders will get it much closer, even if they lose.

Yep. Raiders will cover the spread, IMO.

RE: Raiders

What people are missing is that the Raiders are many times better as a home team than as a road team, and the Giants are similar. If this game were in New Jersey, it'd be a blowout.
The Raiders are usually tough to beat at home.

Re: 61

Not this year, Raiders are 2 - 5 at home this year.

Yes this year. They've been a much better home team than road team. Check out the games if you don't believe me.

Anyway, the Raiders should have covered here but the O-line stinks.

You'd think four chances would be enough to get one yard.

Tonight we saw the real MVP of the league at work - Tiki Barber. 1860 yards rushing, 530 yards receiving for the season. #10 all-time season in rushing yards, #2 all-time season in yards from scrimmmage with just 39 yards behind Marshall Faulk in 1999, with the mark compiled against some of the toughest run defenses this year. Accounting for 40% of his teams total yardage. And just one fumble in 411 touches.

That win by New York guarantees Tampa Bay a playoff spot (as opposed to the 99.1% odds of making the playoffs that I had them at before).

Kerry Collins did get in the endzone too.

The ball could be clearly seen crossing the plane in the sideline view.

Oakland this year:
- At NE (first game of season): lost by 10 but had 350 yards of offense and 19 first downs. Held Dillon to 60 yards (but 2 TDs).
- At Philly (third week): lost by 3. Held TO under 100 yards.
- At TEN. Won by 9, helped by a penalty that overturned a return TD.
- At KC. Lost thanks to Johnson's TD with 5 seconds on the clock. Had more first downs than KC.
- At WAS. Won by 3.
- At SD. Crushed by the Chargers.
- At DEN. Crushed by the Broncos.

Only in two of those games were they seriously outplayed by the opposition. In the other six they were relatively close.

Meanwhile at home they lost to Cleveland (Collins was worth 3.4 yards per pass play that day), lost to Miami (4.2 yards per pass play, Collins was sacked 7 times and had 2 picks), self destructed against the Broncos (5 turnovers, 4 times sacked, 7 penalties), and played okay against KC, DAL, SD, and BUF.

I'm not a Raiders fan and only saw a few of these games but looking over the box scores I'm not seeing a huge disparity between home and away play for the Raiders this year. On the road they played tough teams (NE, PHI, KC) close. At home they lost to bad teams (MIA, CLE). DVOA says that the Raiders are the most consistent defense in the NFL this year and are one of the most consistent (#23) offenses, which seems to argue against big fluctuations based on home/away.

Maybe Aaron can chime in with week-by-week DVOA for the Raiders or something ;)

Re: 63.

Whatever, 2 and 6 at home is not good. If that is the definition of a good home team advantage, then that team is doomed, no matter how much their fan's worship them. It's too bad you think that is a good thing! Oakland stinks and if their fans don't like it, that's just too bad!

RE: 68

You're conveniently ignoring the games where they played surprisingly well at home.
The Raiders home/road split was not as great as it usually is, but Oakland was still a better home team than road team this season.
Same for the Giants.

RE: 69

Oakland was not a very good team overall this season. I didn't say they were.

Also, 2 of 6 losses on the road is not good, either. In any case, 4 wins and 12 losses are pretty much self explained. It's like your out of here Raiders and the Broncos are in. Don't even think that Seattle is a contender, as much as Californians would like it to be so. Denver's got this superbowl win!

I didn't leave out anything intentionally. I just didn't see any games in the box scores that looked like "surprisingly good games at home". Losses to KC, SD, DEN, MIA, CLE, NYG. Did they play surprisingly good in any of those? The only ones that seem like candidates are the KC and NYG games. Wins against DAL and BUF. Neither of those looked like they were substantially better games than what they put together on the road to me.

I could very well be wrong. That's just how it looked to me from the box scores. I'm willing to be convinced -- although their low DVOA variance seems a fairly tough hurdle -- you just haven't provided me with any arguments I can sink my teeth into yet. Can you elaborate on which home games you felt they played better in?

Brees has a dislocated shoulder... and yep, it's his throwing arm.

If I remember correctly, PFP2005 named that as one of the five worst injuries in football.

Better hang onto Philip Rivers a little while longer, San Diego.

Re: 68

Maybe you left it out because Tuiasosopo started, but you forgot to list the Raiders' 26-10 away loss to the 3-12 Jets, starring Brooks Bollinger and Cedric Houston.

TOUCHDOWN ANTWAAN RANDLE EL

Great return. And it looks like we've officially confirmed he has learned how to run forward.

ARE gets things started for the Steelers- returns a punt for a TD...

Re:#76

Oh, I'm sure he'll lose 10 yards or so on the next one while he's dancing around...

Happy New Year to all at FO!

Carolina @ Atlanta and Washington @ Philly tonighr in the UK.

78: For once, I doubt it.
He's only had one of those dancing returns in the last three games.

Wow, that was a piss-poor defensive drive by the Steelers, and an easy TD for Detroit...

Oh goddammit, defense, at least TRY.

Manning is sitting after one series. Bring on the Jim Sorgi allstars.

Go Lions!

Ugh, bad call. Morgan had it, was down, then the defender pulled his arm away. That's a completion!

Oh, bloody hell. I didn't realize when I took this job that I was moving into a secondary market for the Ravens. I think my brain's going to melt by the end of this game.

James (79) - Here in Israel, Middle East TV has CIN-KC and CHI-MIN.

Ye Gods!

The defense looks putrid today...

Could someone please tell the Steelers to wake up? This game is kinda important.

Who kidnapped Joey Harrington and put a real quarterback in his uniform?

WTF is happening in Pittsburgh?

What's happening is that the Steelers apparently have forgotten that they kind of need to win this game...

Colclough ran the kickoff back to the DET 33. Strange day inded.

OOPS! 2nd & 1, Ronnie Heard reads Delhomme, jumps a route and drops what was a certain pick six.
3rd & 1 DeShaun Foster makes a cut in the backfield, and Antuan Edwards, the other Falcons safety, misses the tackle. Foster goes 70 yds untouched for the TD. Not a good series for the Atlanta secondary

Okay, all even again.

Time to show up, defense...

I'm not sure who the announcing crew doing DET@PIT is, but they're pointing out important blocks on almost every play and explaining various defensive stunts. It's actually interesting to hear what they have to say.

So, it's the end of the first quarter in Cleveland, and the QBs are a combined 2 for 10, with one of those resulting in a two-yard gain.

I repeat my earlier statement about brain-melting.

Once again, the defense is looking horrible...

When did Harrington become competent?

Neil Rackers update:

Just tied the single season field goal record. Needs one more for the record (40).

I like Ricky Williams, so what sue me.

Re: 87. In Osaka Japan, we got Cincy/KC, but listening to a few games on live radio at the same time.

Staying up late for football is fun.

Re:#100

Good for Rackers that the Cards like kicking field goals at the 1 yard line...

The DET@PIT announcing crew is the best I've heard all year. Why hasn't FOX been using these guys?

This is making me really jealous that I don't get Fox.

Gah! DROPPED PASSES!

Holy shit. The FOX crew just made a Keep Choppin' Wood reference.

Um... guys....? You are allowed to catch the football...

To add to the Fox debate, Sam Rosen & Bill Maas are calling the CAR @ ATL game.

This is the second time this year I've heard them call the game and they are both really good on line play. You get told who's blocking who, who has responsibilty for which gap, and why a play suceeded or failed. Why can't they all be like this?

Watching GB-SEA (the only game on for me), Noah Herrion looks IMO better than Samkon Gado did. Yet more proof of the fungibility of RBs.

Oh, and since I'm the only one watching it apparently, Shaun Alexander got a TD (giving him the record). He's still in the game right now. Apparently they're trying to get him to 2000 yards.

Zac - I think they are leaving him until he passes Tiki for the rushing title, especially after him coming up 1 yard short last year.

New England didn't wait for the lead -- Maybe they figured that, since Brady was 3 of 8 with a pick, Cassell could do about the same. :-/

Does he already have the rushing record?

You know what I hate?

Miller Lite commercials.

They suck.

They could probably just show a bottle for a minute or so, and it would be 1,000 times better.

Okay, who switched Ben Roethlisberger with Joey Harrington?

Who was that too, Ben?

Terrible pass...

Its funny that the Bengals and Patriots are resting players, no one wants to be the #3 seed?

Wow, Starks gotten abused on the play...

Hah! Fumble on the punt!

Well it looks like the Steelers' special teams are going to bail them out today.

How often do you see that happen in Pittsburgh?

If it weren't for the ST, the Steelers would be getting plastered.

Considering it's the Lions, that's really not that encouraging...

You're correct, Jeffo. He's something like 7 yards short of the rushing title right now.

Tiki ended last night 53 yards ahead of Alexander. He'll probably sit as soon as he gets yard #54.

And to prove the FO point on DeShaun Foster, he cost Carolina 4 points, by getting stuffed 3 times from inside the 2.

On 1st down, he doesn't get low, and so doesn't cross the goal line If he lowers his shoulder he scores. On 2nd down he gets stood up going over the line, and on 3rd down on a toss play he doesn't switch hands and so he gets run out at the 1 rather than breaking the plane with the ball.

Re:#121

Well, it's sort of fitting. The Steelers can never get all 3 facets to play well in the same game, so since the offense and defense forgot to show up, the ST decided to, for once.

TD, Bettis!

Larry Johnson is tearing the Bengals apart.

How will we manage if Jerome actually retires? There is no one quite like him.

Touchdown Bus!

And Bettis gets mobbed by Steelers in the end zone... and Dre Bly.
Everybody loves Bettis.

Update: According to Gamecenter, Alexander now has 61 yds, which would give him the rushing title.

#125
James,

He does not even have to cross the plane with the ball, it is enough if any part of his body moves over the pilon (if I understand well how you described the situation).

It took Cleveland until ten minutes into the second quarter to record a first down. Just pointing it out.

#132 - I love this site. A guy in Hungary is clarifying the rules for a guy in London.

Another fumble!

It's a FUM-BLE!

Steelers have it in Detroit territory AGAIN!

Funble recovery by Polamalu. do we get three at the buzzer?

"Larry Johnson is tearing the Bengals apart. "

Does he have a shot at the rushing title? :-)

Jake Delhomme must not normally throw to Steve Smith much -- Atlanta keeps being surprised by it happening.

Damn!

Int...

Ben high and picked.

What is up with this game?

Israel,

And the guy from Hungary got acquainted with the sport while living in Korea.

It is no longer an American sport :-)

Since Larry Johnson is shredding Holmes's team rushing yards record right now, I just thought I would bring this up:

If Priest is forced to retire this year, does he enter the Terrell Davis discussion on whether he did enough over a period of time to get into the HOF?

Forget that three.

Levente,

He has 137 yards after the first half. He had 1,545 before the game. Assuming a comparable second half, he'd end the year with 1,819 yards (and the second best single-game performance ever), so, sadly, no.

It would have been an incredible story, though.

FO could use a frappr.com account.

Steelers have dropped at least five passes in the first half.

Ben's passer rating for the half is 9.3. Harrington is 120.2.

#132,

I should have been clearer. Foster was stood up diving over his own Offensive line. The ball was spotted at the half-yard line. Of course if he'd hit the hole instead of the O-line, he'd have scored.

Ben's been a little off today but he ain't getting any help. Ward dropped a TD that hit him right in the face. The INT at the end of the first half hit Randle-El right in the hands. Quincy Morgans dropped 2 balls that were right in his hands (what else is new Q?).

How about a little help here boys?

Aaron/Outsiders,

If I recall correctly, when Cedric Wilson dropped a pass, the announcers suggested that "he heard some wood chopping." I don't think it was meant as an FO reference.

ZasZ,

Sorry, that tried to be a joke. I know his stats (but thanks).
But just think of it, he started 9 games only!

147: Not directly a Scramble reference, but definitely the same concept.

Speaking of commercials...

In that commercial with the ballerina playing football, shouldn't the TD NOT be a TD? She swings on the goalpost before catching the pass- but aren't goalposts out of bounds? I didn't think a player could go out of bounds, come back in, and be the first person to touch the football?

I realize I'm nitpicking a commercial, but they should still strive for accuracy...

James,

Thanks for the clarification. I will only see the game tomorrow from tape.

Calig23 you're drunk.

Levente,
I knew it was a joke. However, I realized the incredible part is that it's not such a far-fetched possibility.

NFL halftime stats mention Carson Palmer. Wasn't Kitna playing today? Did he get hurt?

RE #155

I say the exact same thing every time that commercial comes on. Illegal touching!

Re:#157

Yeah, maybe, Steel.

Hey, what are you going to do about that cell phone? You really should pretend to be that "Jeremy" guy.

That would be fun...

"If Priest is forced to retire this year, does he enter the Terrell Davis discussion on whether he did enough over a period of time to get into the HOF?"

i don't think Priest will qualify for that, just because he was never the sarter for a SB winner (I can't remember, was he on the Baltimore team that won the Superbowl?). T Davis wouldn't even be in the discussion if Denver didn't win two in a row.

Frappr.com is a website where you can create a "group map", so, every user that has an account could log on, and place a marker on their city.

That way, we would have a world "FO reader" map.

Re:#160

That, and I imagine that when she uses one of the defenders for leverage, that could be considered "pushing off." It's with her feet, not her hands, but still...

Re:#162

Holmes was on the team, but he wasn't the starter. He ran for 8 yards on 4 carries, and caught a pass for 4 yards.

Er, regarding my post, those stats are from the Super Bowl.

#159
Israel,

The stat always shows the player with the higher yardage. Kitna only had 17 so far.

Another big Johnson run. Third touchdown, all three on big runs. He's at 170 yards right now, averaging 10 a carry.

Hah!

I love you, Hines!

Number three for The Bus!

RE #162:

See, I have thought about that, and I'm not sure that Priest wouldn't qualify. He would qualify for FO's FFHoF in a landslide, however :)

Also, about TD and Denver's SB wins. Is there a more underwhelming SB champ then '97-'98 Broncos? You hardly hear anything about them. It's like they didn't exist or something.

If you compare #s, Priest should get in with over 10000 total yards, almost 100 total TDs and he has held NFL single season records (and still is tied for the Rushing TD record, since one of Alexander's TDs was a reception TD)

167 - Levente, I realize that. I thought Palmer wasn't playing at all.

That's a classic steelers drive. 4 willie parker runs, 40 yard pass to hines ward. Touchdown by bettis. Does it get any more classic than that??

We have a Roethlisberger sighting. Finally.

TOUCHDOWN JEROME BETTIS! AGAIN!
He now has four rushes: Two yards on first-and-5 (successful play), one-yard touchdown on 4th-and-goal, five-yard touchdown on 2nd-and-3, four-yard touchdown on 1st-and-goal.

I wonder what his DPAR will be.

OMG, they are actually switching a game in the St. Louis area. I think this is the first time this year it has happened. Going from CAR/ATL to TB/NO

Jerome Rules.

I'm one of those fans that doesn't really get into the "favorite player" thing. I just cheer for whoevers on the team. The name on the front means more than the name on the back...you know? One of those things. Jerome Bettis is one of the few exceptions. Truely one of my all time favorite Pittsburgh athletes and it's breaking my heart that i'm not there to see this today.

3 TD's (so far) in whats probably his final home game in Pittsburgh.

You rule Jerome. You freakin' rule.

Ben's passer rating is up to 29.5.

I think Palmer, like Brady and Manning, has some kind of consecutive-starts run going.

So all three put in a cameo at start, then get nailed down to the bench.

ZasZ,

I was wrong, Johnson is going for the rushing TD record :-)

RUSHER MCFUMBLES!!!!!

Remember the New England defense from the beginning of the season? The one that neglected to stop the run, gave up long passes galore, and couldn't get off the field on third down?

They're playing today. If Gus Frerotte were a genuine NFL starter, then this game would be much uglier. This is going to be a problem for the Patriots in the playoffs -- they're about one and a half injuries from seeing far too much of these guys.

Nice play by Haggans to break up what could have been a TD...

God forbid the Steelers defense make a stand here and try and put the Lions away. The longer this team hangs around the more nervous I get.

PIT defense isn't getting any better. And it would be worse if the receivers weren't dropping balls.

Does not bode well for next week.

Well, the Steelers 3rd down problems remain alive and well. Detroit has had little difficulty in converting today.

What is up with Steelers opponents and making backwards suicide rushes for positive yards?

Starshatterer,

The Pats are actually resting a lot of guys today. The defense concerned me until I saw they used Bam Childress as a defensive end. He was on the practice squad last week. As a receiver.

That must be about 8th or 9th string defense.

You go Matt Cassell, set up the run for the Jags to the AFC championship. Cin, Indy ......cakewalk.

The biggest jags homer EVER

Sigh.... Another Det TD...

What the hell is up with Harrington? His passes have been perfect.

Joey Harrington throws a TD to Roy Williams, then runs up to celebrate, only to be ignored by his teammates.

Ouch.

Aaron, does the bit about good first and second downs and bad thirds predicting improvement next year, work on defense as well?

They're chanting "one more year" in Green Bay. Oh, and there was a funny bit with a guy dressed up in pajama pants and a #4 jersey hitting golf balls during halftime. All this, and Seneca Wallace.

Whoa! Quincy Morgan pulled a Bad ARE on that return...

I think Holmes also gets some slight benefit of the doubt boost for sitting on the bench for a couple years in Baltimore. He had 2102 yards on 459 carries in Baltimore for a respectable 4.6 y/a. Only one year was he the starter and that was only worth 233 carries. Then he saw limited work behind Errict Rhett and then Jamal Lewis after Billick took over the job. If he had started those other two years it seems likely he would have put up decent numbers and done away with a lot of questions about his HoF status. But Brian Billick came in, sat Holmes, and then eventually traded him away. How do you decide when a good player is being "punished" by a coach's (arguably) bad decisions? And how do you take that into account when determining things like HoF?

As good as the Fox announcers are, they've repeatedly messed up names...

192: If it does, the Steelers are going to be SCARY next year.

Nice pass to Miller!

Welcome back, Ben Roethlisberger. We missed you.

They switched to NO-TB here in Dallas as well. Now if only CBS would switch to PIT-DET.

And with a 2-yard run on 1st-and-9, Bettis registers his first unsuccessful running play of the day.

Willie Parker has 88 yards on 16 carries for an average of 5.5, but they are mostly four-five yards runs. Not much of this losses and long gains we usually see.

Ben runs for the TD!

#190 - this is a trick by Harrington to convince Millen he can keep him for next year.

Ben scores a TD... no one made him pay...

The CBS affiliate in Pittsburgh is showing snowboarding. What the hell?

Welcome to the game Steelers offense.

Care to bring the defense along for the 4th quarter?

In all seriousness though.......I'm really hoping we play Cincy on Sunday.

Also, i'm thinking #43's got a TD in him today.........

on second thought maybe that late tag (didn't look like much) did do something.

201--He had a 2-yard gain on 1st-and-goal from the 5 just before his first TD--still 4 out of 6 ain't bad, at least I don't think.

Ben's passer rating is 54.2.

So close, Foote...

Wow, they just switched to the MIA/NE game here in St. Louis, and it was just in time to show Matt Cassell giving up a safety.

Looking at the replay of the Roethlisberger TD, he had Ward open in front of him. He probably should have thrown to him to avoid risking injury.

Vash--

Check Fox. IIRC, it's the road team that determines which network has the game.

Fins 18-13... did Miami get a safety?

Am I the only Pats fan hoping the Pats get 4th seed?

They'd face the Jags instead of the Steelers/Chiefs (most probably, Steelers.) Assuming the next game is PIT @ CIN, a CIN win is far from guaranteed.

Then, I trust the Pats can beat the Broncos, though that wouldn't be easy either. Meanwhile PIT @ IND is most likely an IND loss, but if a few things go PIT's way, they can win it. Then it's PIT @ NE for the AFCCG.

The Pats match up much better against the Steelers than the Colts, and but the Steelers match up better against the Colts than the Pats do.

On the other hand, if the Pats get the #3 seed, they then face PIT right off. Assuming they win, they then have to face the Broncos, then the Colts. Not exactly an easy path to the Superbowl.

I admit there are a lot of ifs in that scenario, but I'd much rather have the 4th seed than the 3rd.

Roethlisberger now has two injured thumbs. How bizarre.

And a little Parker explosion...

#129 - for some reason I thought you were talking about Southeast Jerome...

Neil O'Donnel is a bad announcer. He has an awful voice and doesn't contribute anything meaningful. I can't even count how many times he's said that Arizona was bad this year because they couldn't run and if they could just run they would be doing great.

What happened to Ben? I'm not able to watch today's game (stupid FOX affiliate).

208: A 2-yard gain on 1st-and-5 is 40% of yards needed, which counts as a successful play.

Vash: This week must be the week that Fox gets the doubleheader. So CBS affiliates (that aren't in a team's market) can choose to show a game either in the early or late timeslot. In Green Bay, they're waiting until the late game to show Titans vs Jaguars on CBS.

That's weird. CBS here switched to MIA-NE instead. Though Pittsburgh just scored, so maybe CBS just has the gift of prophecy, and they knew the PITT-DET game was about to be over.

GO DOLPHINS

Here's to getting Cincinnati in the first round of the playoffs.

I wish we could switch games in the UK. Atlanta fixed the stamp and put this game in the mail when Vick was picked on the 1st possession of the 2nd half.

I haven't seen it mentioned, but if Alexander could get two more TDs today he would surpass Paul Horning's record of 176 points (which he did scoring as a RB and kicking).

Looks like the real Joey Harrington is back, too.

BTW, apparently the Colts haven't had a single defensive pass interference called against them this year. How crazy is that?

Neil Rackers, for the FG record...
IT'S GOOD!

222: Thanks Vash--I think I got mixed up with second-down success.

The Washington, DC affilitate just switched from CAR/ATL to TB/NO. Unfortunately, CAR/ATL is still blacked out on Sunday Ticket :p

Ugh, I screw up the comment preview about once a week: I hit "Say It" and walk away from my computer, forgetting that you have to do it twice. Of course by the time I get back to my computer, people have already posted about twenty explanations on why CBS can't show PIT-DET. Sigh.

And so is the real Willie Parker. About time we got back to the indecisive one.

232 - I hate it when they do that. They usually get it sorted out in about half an hour, (probably after getting complaints)...

Zasz--

You're right, New England is playing backups of backups -- Did Bam Childress just make a tackle on a Ricky Williams run?

Even so, backups of backups are one bad injury away from starting in the New England secondary, and they don't look good.

And now McQuarters gives Bettis a little fist-pound after the 12-yard run.
Everybody loves Bettis.

Worst premeditated celebration ever... booker catches TD then tries to do a basketball lob pass to Chris Chambers for a slam over the crossbar... but he misses it, hitting the bar. And the ref gives them 15 yards on the kickoff.

C'mon, Cedrick. If you have hold a one-handed guy, that's pretty sad...

Another pick for Ben...

Larry Johnson has 193 yards. The Bengals have 143. Only another ~120 yards for the rushing title, right? There're 9 minutes left....

So much for Kyle Boller suddenly getting it... this is the QB who ended Minnesota's playoff hopes? 9 of 24 with an INT?

#241 - if he gets close, Alexander's going to get up off the bench...

Randy Cross keeps getting Bill Bellicheck and Bill Cohwer confused. I don't know if it's funny or disturbing.

Saban was sending his second team defense in (against the patriots backup offense), but the starters talked him into letting them stay out there. Result:

first play - offsides defense
second play - pass down to the Miami 18 yard line...
third play - 8 yard run...

good thing those were starters...

#244- Well, they look so much alike...

DROP KICK!!!!!

Points for FLUTIE!!!

Drop kick?! By Flutie?!

Something's weird.

Vinateri then kicks off out of bounds... he must be jealous.... Flutie just took points away from him...

1-9-MIA9 (6:15) M.Cassel pass to T.Dwight for 9 yards, TOUCHDOWN. NE 16-Cassel's 1st NFL TD pass.

NE 2-Flutie now at QB. D.Flutie extra point is GOOD, Center-L.Paxton.

When was the last time a drop kick was attempted?

Aaron, is the impact of drop kicks properly reflected in the special teams DVOA?

Bettis with three more successful plays. That's now 10 rushes, 9 successes, three for touchdowns.
What a way to end your career.

If new england comes back to win, then no team that makes a drop kick will have ever lost a game in the last 50 years.... if they lose, then the opposite will be true. The fate of the drop kick is in their hands...

Why exactly did NE do the drop kick? What was the point of it?

Commentator: When was the last time you saw a Miami team go undefeated in December? ever? Its hasn't happened...

(roll eyes)...

Whoever's writing the play-by-play for MIA@NE is awesome.

(1:28) M.Cassel sacked at NE -5 for -6 yards (R.Howard). FUMBLES (R.Howard), ball out of bounds in End Zone, SAFETY. ball went through back of end zone 49th sack of year for Miami, tying team record (1983). 3rd safety of season for Miami, new team record.

(9:13) (Shotgun) G.Frerotte pass to M.Booker for 15 yards, TOUCHDOWN. PENALTY on MIA-M.Booker, Unsportsmanlike Conduct, 15 yards, enforced between downs. MIA-11 Frerotte's 18th TD pass of season, new career high.

(6:15) M.Cassel pass to T.Dwight for 9 yards, TOUCHDOWN. NE 16-Cassel's 1st NFL TD pass.

#256 - Because they were having fun, and Flutie probably had been itching to do one all his career... and Bellichek is a football historian, and it probably amused the heck out of him.

Cassel just completed a 21 yard pass to a WR lined up at DE earlier in the game....?

Wow.

Side note: Roethlisberger's season passer rating drops to 98.6.

First made drop kick since 1941 (they just confirmed it)...

New england holding penalty which stops the clock... but they didn't run off 10 seconds... thought that was by rule... penalty on offense...

BIG MAN TOUCHDOWN IN TAMPA BAY!

#261- Not bad for a mere "game manager".

sigh. apparently Bill Cowher just called a timeout in the New England/Miami game...

Ok, will someone tell the numbnutz that are announcing the MIA/NE game that Bill Cowher does not coach the [recanted] Patriots!!!

Thank You Jerome Bettis. You've been a rock. Heres to seeing you play atleast 4 more victories.

It's looking like Cincy at 1:00 on Sunday.

I like. I like.

RE #266:

They have said Bill Cowher twice so far.

two observations:

1. Bill Cowher apparantly coaches the NE patriots.

2. NFL Gameday can't handle the power of WR/TE/DB/DE/CB/SS Bam Childress.

Why is CBS giving me the Tennessee-Jacksonville game? Is this the best game they've got?

Atleast the 4:00 game on Fox for me (Eagles-Redskins) has some playoff meaning.......

heh, Tim Dwight just ran into the goal post...

ARI goes up on IND with 13 seconds left. Play under review.

re269

I've counted 6 times so far, not 2.

I love bellichek's face on the TD at the end. Hes like "damn it, we're trying to lose here"

Overturned. IND wins.

I see it now, Peter King names Doug Flutie special teams player of the week...

Did anyone expect Miami to do as well as 9-7? To me, that's almost more surprising than the Bears season.

272 for Post of the Year.

CONVERSION FAILS, MIAMI WINS, AND IT'S PITTSBURGH-CINCY NEXT SUNDAY!

Looking at games in Jacksonville reminds me of Pirate games in Three Rivers Stadium with half of the upper deck covered by tarps.

What is it about Florida and pro sports teams? I mean......geez. Do people know they exist?

"Did anyone expect Miami to do as well as 9-7? To me, that’s almost more surprising than the Bears season. "

How about the Bucs going 11-5?

How can I ignore a player who plays with such passion and heart? I can't. It's as simple as that. My special teams player for the week has to be Doug Flutie. I know he only played one down but what a down it was. A flawlessly executed drop kick for an incredible extra point that lifted the spirits of everyone in New England and those of us over 40 across the globe. Thanks for the memories Doug, I hope you never quit.

Congratulations, Jerome Bettis. What a great career. Now just take us through four more games.

Hey Adam, think you could calculate Bus's DPAR for the game now?

San Fran comes out firing in the pseudo "Bush Bowl" with a false start, a sack, and then an 18 yard punt giving the Texans the ball at the SF 21.

Now does New Orleans take Leinart with the first pick?

Can anyone tell me how that beatdown by Carolina happened? I figured Carolina would actually be able to run but jeez 44 to 11?

#282

*Scratches head*

You talking to me? Or did you mean to type "aaron" instead of "adam?"

Me no function math formula hard.

re:274

Yeah, he did look like he didn't want to win it.

The Flutie dropkick was pretty neat, having never seen one happen in football before, and Cassel looked positively replacement level when he was out on the field today

Re:277 I don't know if I would have expected 9-7, but it isn't like the defense was ever bad, and the offense was somewhat functional this year, particularly when the RB tandem got going, so at that point, I don't think it was inconceivable that they'd win some games. Also, note their schedule strength, which was very, very weak.

286 - "Very very weak" in retrospect. at the beginning of the eyar, no one thought that the Jets and Bills would collapse like that.

285: Whoops. Yay for mixing up the Outsiders.

Bears not using starters, but fake a punt on their first series from midfield...

So what happened on New Englands 2 point conversion attempt? Did they really try to score or did they just make an "attempt?"

Also.......Cincy's gotta be atleast a little fragile heading into this. Losing at home to Buffalo last week and then getting absolutely trounced by the Chefs today.........

280 - Aaron agonized so publically how Tampa Bay did worse than DVOA predicted that it made it less surprising they finally did well.

I don't know why I thought the Eagles were going to make a game of this. They're going to get killed.

BRAVES ON THE WARPATH!

#284 - Atlanta played okay for most of the first half, although things started looking bad when they gave up a 70 yard TD run to Foster. Down 14-3 at the CAR 30 TJ Duckett continued his suck-fest: 3-1 he lost a yard, 4-2 he was stuffed...turn over on downs. Things started going downhill from there. A Falcons 3-and-out was followed immediately by a 42 yard Steve Smith TD. First play after the kickoff and Crumpler fumbled it away...Carolina FG. Down 27-3 at the half, the Falcons just seemed to give up.

Two early scores by the Panthers -- and some very long drives -- and the Falcons had no chance to use their running game. From Duckett's failed 4th down conversion 3 minutes into the second quarter, the Falcons didn't run the ball against for over 20 minutes...not until 7:25 left in the third quarter.

After that Duckett conversion the Falcons went 3-and-out, 1-and-out (fumble), 4-and-out (INT), 3-and-out (Vick sacked on 3rd down), 3-and-out (Vick sacked on 3rd down again)...and then Schaub and Weinke went it. Coming back from big deficits isn't a strength for the Falcons. It makes Vick throw a lot to receivers no one outside of Atlanta knows the names of.

The analysts on CBS have turned on Michael Vick in a big way. I think the Vick-hype-era is over.

As an Eagles fan, something you don't want to see is McMahon rolling out on 3rd and 1. If you're not going to run it, just punt.

It's official: Mike McMahon is the worst QB in the NFL. He is [redacted] dreadful.

So did Cassel play well enough that FO will finally retire that unfunny nickname? I'd take Cassel over Orton or Alex Smith any day.

Okay, I take it all back. I'm naming my first-born son McMahon.

McMahon comes from my high school.

Well the road to detroit for Jacksonvile begins with the undefeated Tom Brady at home.

Well Del Rio, if we are going to pull of the Ravens like run to the superbowl thats as good a place as any.