Fantasy Super Bowl week, for many, so it was a time to fret over decisions, overanalyze matchups, and then potentially injure your thumb hitting refresh on the live scoring as you fret over each and every point. I was planted on the couch for all of it, and will try to zip through the highlights and lowlights that won, or lost, you a championship.
Dolphins at Bills: I sort of thought the Bills would win this game. Picked up the Buffalo defense everywhere and ranked them very favorably, and it worked out. Somebody needs to look into how teams fare when going on the road one week after pulling a major upset, like Miami's win over New England last week. (I'm sure somebody has.) Anyway, Miami's got some offensive flaws, on the line and at running back, and I don't think it was a huge surprise that they'd go on the road against a pretty good defense and struggle. ... Nice game for Fred Jackson, or as he could be called, the C.J. Spiller killer. Maybe next year he'll finally decide he's getting too old for this stuff.
Saints at Panthers: Wow. Something about that Cam Newton. Struggled for about 58 minutes but led a pretty remarkable drive late. You could see it in his eyes, his focus, the perfect throws to Greg Olsen and Domenik Hixon (dusted off after Steve Smith went down with a knee or hamstring injury on a non-contact play). Pretty impressive game-winning and probably division-winning drive. ... At times, rain so heavy in this game that you could barely see the field. ... Panthers Defense was all over Drew Brees. Four sacks in first half. But he came up with what nearly was the game-winning touchdown to Jimmy Graham anyway. Looked like it would give them the No. 2 seed until the final minute. ... Breakaway touchdown run by DeAngelo Williams. Maybe one of the few times in the last five years I've endorsed Williams with a favorable matchup and he's actually come through.
Vikings at Bengals: Yeah, so I think Leslie Frazier will coach one more game and then that will be it for him as head coach (unless he's fired today, I guess). The team has fallen apart and is just a disaster on defense, and that was kind of supposed to be his strong suit. Bengals did whatever they wanted in this game. ... Sweet Matt Cassel to Jarius Wright touchdown (albeit an otherwise lousy day), and an awesome Cordarrelle Patterson touchdown run. A couple of years from now, it's not far-fetched to think Patterson (definitely) and Wright (maybe) will be the main wideouts on this team. Patterson, who also chipped in a couple of long kick returns, looks like a star already. Imagine if Seattle had drafted him instead of trading that pick for Harvin. ... Speaking of future stars, there was a great Giovani Bernard catch and run, setting up a short Marvin Jones touchdown. Bernard should have been tackled short but simply juked his way around three defenders before picking up 35 yards down near the goal line. Could have used the touchdown, though. ... Two easy TDs for A.J. Green. Hopeless Minnesota secondary.
Broncos at Texans: And there's the touchdown record, and the AFC West and first-round bye. Hard to believe, but there were times in this game where Peyton Manning actually looked a little shaky. Game was close for about a half. But he pretty much passed the Broncos up and down the field, finishing with 300 yards and 4 TDs that could easily have been more. Demaryius Thomas, in particular, had a big game that could have been much bigger, with his hand on another possible touchdown, and getting held on another should have been score. Anyway, big game for Denver, which clearly had those various passing records in mind since Manning attempted 50-plus passes. ... For Houston, not much to see here Andre Johnson end-zone target, overthrown. Later, drops a touchdown. Keshawn Martin catches one next play. Pretty good statistical year for Johnson of course, but disappointing with Houston losing 13 straight and all. Not feeling as bad about cutting Dennis Johnson in dynasty, either.
Titans at Jaguars: Lots of disappointment here. First off, neither Maurice Jones-Drew, who started, nor Jordan Todman, who barely played, did anything. Tennessee, in contrast, had a huge game running the ball, but since it was divided between Chris Johnson and Shonn Greene, the latter of whom no one actually started, it didn't really benefit anyone. Tennessee passing game, which people did start, didn't do very much, aside from Nate Washington (probably the fourth-most likely Tennessee receiver to use). Just a disappointment. Hey, but Marcedes Lewis keeps scoring. Let's move on.
Colts at Kansas City: Was Kansas City aware they had something to play for here? Didn't really seem like it, especially on defense. Jamaal Charles had an early TD run, but the offense did almost nothing after that. Defense dropped a couple of should have been interceptions. ... Trent Richardson running backwards early. That's kind of his thing right now. At times he looks like he's running hard and about to bust a big run or something, but it doesn't happen. Meanwhile Donald Brown scores two TDs, one rushing and one receiving, the latter just a little checkdown, but nobody out there covering him, who went 36 yards for a score, looking the whole time like he was expecting to be tackled. Kind of get the feeling we're looking at a Richardson-Brown committee again next season.
Browns at Jets: Picked up Edwin Baker in dynasty last week. Hey, after carrying Fozzy Whittaker half the season, I deserved something out of the Browns running game. The guy ran hard, got almost all the carries, scored a touchdown against a really good run defense. That's something. ... Nothing to say about the Jets. Geno Smith wasn't a hopeless disaster yesterday. David Nelson, who nobody started, scored 2 TDs.
Bucs at Rams: Bobby Rainey scored a touchdown in this game, got around the edge and in. Otherwise he did nothing, with an ugly 20 for 37 stat line. Didn't kill you if you started him, though. Later lost a fumble while fighting for extra yards, setting up an end-around touchdown by Stedman Bailey. Another dynasty guy I kind of like. ... Zac Stacy did fine in this game, rushing for 100 yards and a touchdown. No other Rams of note, as the Kellen Clemens era winds down.
Cowboys at Washington: Can we love the Cowboys just because their games are all so dramatic? This was a back and forth thriller, where it looked like Washington had won more than once. But the Cowboys came back. Big game for DeMarco Murray, with a rushing touchdown, an awful loss at the goal line in the final minute, followed by getting free to catch the game-winning touchdown. On fourth down. Clutch performance late by Tony Romo. Seriously! Got banged up, too, so we'll see what the story is with him this week. ... Huge games for Alfred Morris and Pierre Garcon. Garcon actually had a second touchdown erased by a penalty. Showcasing their talents for the next coaching staff and all.
Giants at Lions: Hard to believe the Lions blew this game. Whenever I checked it out they were dropping passes; this receiving corps needs an overhaul. That happens when high picks a couple of years in a row, Titus Young and Ryan Broyles, haven't worked out so well. Not that Stafford played well, either. Can't believe I'm saying this, but maybe they actually missed Brandon Pettigrew out there! ... Giants didn't look good, but they looked a little bit less awful than the Lions. Dud game for Reggie Bush, who lost a costly fumble. Yeah, they're all costly in an overtime loss.
Cardinals at Seahawks: In the long run maybe this loss will be kind of a good thing for Seattle. Yeah, they no longer seem invulnerable at home, but at least they won't think they're invulnerable at home, and won't get overly cocky. ... Hope you didn't start anyone in this game, because nobody did anything. Zach Miller and Michael Floyd caught TDs, and no other passes. ... Bizarre interception to end the game. Looked like it hit the ground, but I don't care enough to keep rewinding it. Doesn't matter now.
Patriots at Ravens: Boom. Somebody needs to do a study on how the Patriots fare after heartbreaking losses. Ravens, on a short week after a dramatic win, weren't competitive. They're not that good, especially on offense, and evidently their defense can't handle an offense that's a little bit less mistake-prone than New England's. ... LeGarrette Blount was started against me in a championship game and scored 2 TDs. That's kind of annoying. Even more so if I lose tonight.
Steelers at Packers: Awesome game, and played in snow throughout. Pretty cool. Gotta talk about one bizarre call that gave Eddie Lacy his second touchdown. Green Bay's offense was stopped, they tried a short field goal, it was blocked, but the Steelers were penalized for batting the ball forward after a lateral, giving the ball back to Green Bay. I kind of thought the Steelers had gained possession pre-lateral, but I guess not. Weird. ... Great games for both Lacy and LeVeon Bell. Them and Montee Ball and Giovani Bernard, pretty good crop of second-round picks, as it turns out. Or currently appears. Lacy missed the end of the game due to injury, for those with Week 17 games.
Raiders at Chargers: Watched just enough of this one to confirm that San Diego did just enough to win and keep those faint playoff hopes alive. And who knows? Baltimore certainly could lose to Cincinnati next week. Miami losing to the Jets is less likely. Be interesting to see San Diego or Pittsburgh in the postseason. My apologies, Dolphins and Ravens fans. ... Ryan Mathews has had a nice season. San Diego's not very good on defense, but that offense has some good stuff going for it. Be interesting next year to see where Mathews, Keenan Allen, and Philip Rivers go in drafts, and then there's this Ladarius Green guy.
Bears at Eagles: So, Chicago could have clinched the NFC North by winning this game, while the Eagles had to win in Dallas to make the playoffs regardless. So naturally, only Philadelphia came to play and simply blew the Bears off the field. Seldom will you see a team with a playoff spot on the line bring as little to the table as the Bears and Lions did this week. If you started any Eagles, you made out well, while if you started any Bears, you got burned. Not much to be said beyond, ouch. Bad game. Will it be overly surprising if Philadelphia goes into Dallas next week and slices and dices them, too? Not to me.
Monday, Monday: Seattle's loss to Arizona gives this game added importance, but I can't see any way San Francisco doesn't win this game easily anyway. Frank Gore, maybe Kendall Hunter too, those guys should be good. I need some points out of Kaepernick in a Super Bowl, and he should provide them -- hopefully to receivers other than Michael Crabtree. For Atlanta, well, I have some faith that Matt Ryan and his receivers will come to play, but expectations should be managed. They should get blown out. Good game to have on in the background while wrapping presents. San Francisco 30, Atlanta 17.