...and this was the week of the return man.

Yes ladies and gentlemen, some of the most highlight-worthy plays of the week, in games that will decide playoff seeds, involved returning a kicked football. Sometimes special teams players get their day in the sun, too.

The one that everyone on the Acela corridor will be talking about today was DeSean Jackson's walk-off punt return in the Philadelphia/NY Giants game (unofficially the NFC East championship game). With 14 seconds to go, game tied at 31, the Giants' rookie punter, Matt Dodge was told to kick the ball out of bounds, probably somewhere around the Eagles' 35 or 40 yard line – there'd be no chance of a return, and the game would go to overtime unless Philly could go 60+ yards in 14 seconds without a timeout... a longshot, even against a tired defense. This is the kind of kick that a professional punter should be able to hit over and over again, because they're only called upon to kick it when the game is on the line.

Inexplicably, Dodge booted the ball almost directly to DeSean Jackson, who might be the best kick returner in the game (at least, that's what he believes). The kick defense wasn't really expecting there to be a return at all, so even though Jackson initially muffed the punt, he had enough time to pick it back up. He dodged a tackle, got a couple of blocks, and then found daylight... running 65 yards for a touchdown as time ran out, and a 37-31 Philly win in a game that the Giants once led 31-10 in the fourth quarter.

The win pretty much guarantees the Eagles a playoff berth (and may give Matt Dodge his walking papers). Philly's 10-4 record puts them in sole possession of the NFC East, and would be competitive for a wild card, if it comes to that. The loss knocks the Giants (9-5) into a crowded NFC wild-card chase...

NFC Wild Card: New Orleans (10-4), NY Giants (9-5), Green Bay (8-6), Tampa Bay (8-6). Two of these teams will get in. When you add Philadelphia (10-4) and Chicago (9-4, playing tonight) to the mix (neither has clinched its division, and could lose their way into the wild card), it's quite crowded.

With two games to go, it looks very much like the top NFC wild card will go to an 11 or 12 win team, with seed #6 going to an 11 or 10 win team. This means that an 11, or possibly 12 win team (most likely the Saints) will be playing the first week of the playoffs, on the home field of the winner of the NFC West... a team that will finish, at best, 8-8. This will inevitably lead to discussions about playoff seeding and home field advantage, but no changes in the NFL's divisional playoff system.

NFC West (one will get in): St. Louis (6-8), Seattle (6-8), San Francisco (5-9). All three lost this week, which is what guaranteed that the #4 NFL seed will be no better than 8-8. SF got crushed by the Chargers on Thursday, Seattle lost to Atlanta (which clinched a berth for the Falcons). St. Louis lost to an ailing Matt Cassel and the Chiefs.

Dec 26th: San Francisco at St. Louis. Seattle at Tampa Bay.
Jan 2nd: St. Louis at Seattle. Arizona at San Francisco.

Here's the funny thing: San Francisco has some tiebreakers on its side. If SF wins both remaining games, finishing 7-9 (and knocking St. Louis to 7-9 or worse), and Seattle loses either of its final two games (also finishing 7-9 or worse), then the 49ers would actually win the division and host the Saints during wild card weekend.

The AFC West is looking just a little better: Kansas City (9-5), San Diego (8-6), Oakland (7-7).

Kansas City held on to win 27-13 over St. Louis this week, mostly on the running game. QB Matt Cassel, 10 days after an appendectomy, looked about 75% out there, but still managed to throw 15 of 29 for 184 yards, 1 TD and only one interception. He probably won't be 100% again this season, but with a one game lead, and upcoming games against Tennessee and Oakland (both at home), they might hang on. They are in control of their own destiny – if they win both remaining games, they're in. If they don't win both games, the Chargers might sneak in the back door.

The Jets stunned the Steelers this week 22-17, in the snow in Pittsburgh. The Jets returned the opening kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown (the first TD that they've scored since November), and set the tone for the game. For much of the game, the Jets were in the lead, followed by the Steelers coming back to tie (and yes, the Steelers briefly held the lead in the third). The game was tied 10-10 at the half and 17-17 after three. Then the fourth quarter was all defense. The Jets offense managed just a field goal, but then their defense came through with a critically-timed safety. Still, Pittsburgh almost pulled out a victory... they were within 10 yards and two incomplete passes away from the end zone and the victory.

Despite the loss, based on one of the more complicated tiebreakers (strength-of-victory), the Steelers have earned at least a wild card berth in the AFC playoffs. They will win the AFC North if they win both of their upcoming games (against 2-12 Carolina, and at 5-9 Cleveland) or if Baltimore loses either of its upcoming games (at Cleveland, vs. 3-11 Cincinnati) . It seems like bad teams from cities that start with C will determine this division (the Panthers play in Charlotte, so they're even a two-fer).

The win for the Jets ends a two game losing streak, and keeps them squarely in the hunt for a wild card. They will get the berth if they win both of their upcoming games (at Chicago, vs Buffalo). There are a also number of ways they can get in if they lose one of those games.

At the South end of the Acela corridor, all the talk is about Rex Grossman and rebuilding. This week, Washington sat Donovan McNabb on the bench, where he will remain for the rest of the season. For two draft picks (a fourth and fifth round), the Redskins got 13 mediocre games out of McNabb. At the end of the season, they'll be trying to trade him, but whatever team picks him up will have to pay him a $10M bonus after the first game he plays. If nobody bites, he'll be unceremoniously released. Andy Reid and Mike Shanahan are both offense-heavy QB-focused coaches. They've both decided that McNabb has no future.

So, how'd the game go? Well, the Redskins lost 33-30 to the Cowboys, in a game that Dallas should've won by a lot more. They were up 13-0 before the Redskins ever made it to the 50 yard line, took a 20-7 lead into halftime, and a 30-14 lead into the fourth quarter. The idea that Rex Grossman could lead the Redskins in a comeback was unthinkable... but that's exactly what he did. Two drives, two touchdowns, and two two point conversions later, the game was tied 30-30, halfway through the fourth quarter. In the end, the defense couldn't hold, and the Cowboys kicked a 39 yard field goal late in the game to win... but Grossman put up better numbers (24/35 for 322, 4TD, 2Int and a fumble) than McNabb has in more than two years.

The Playoff Summary:

In: New England, Pittsburgh, Atlanta
Essentially In: Baltimore, NY Jets, Philadelphia, New Orleans
Fighting to stay in: Kansas City, NY Giants, St. Louis, Chicago
Fighting to get in: San Diego, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Seattle, Green Bay, Tampa Bay
Could get lucky: San Francisco
Fooling themselves: Oakland, Tennessee

9 slots remaining. Two games to go.
14 teams have a reasonable chance (plus SF).

At least 15 other teams are starting to think about next year, and giving young players some time on the field. Some of these inexperienced players will be playing against teams that are fighting for a playoff berth. The season is still interesting.

Which brings us to tonight's game...

 

The Game
=== ====

Tonight, the 9-4 Chicago Bears go to Minnesota to take on the 5-8 Vikings, on the outdoor FieldTurf in the University of Minnesota's TCF Bank Stadium (the Metrodome's roof isn't fixed, and this is the last Vikings home game). This is the first outdoor game to be played in Minnesota in almost 30 years.

This stadium was built with an NCAA season in mind, and it's not usually in use in December. Unlike most cold-weather installations, the FieldTurf is not heated here, and the ground under it is frozen solid. At least one player referred to it as “unplayable... hard as concrete” (and then said that his boss asked him to stop commenting about the field). Perhaps the impending snowstorm will cushion it a bit. Brr.

Curiously, this will be the only NFL game of the season where 1) all seats are general admission, 2) alcohol won't be sold inside and 3) There are more tickets than seats. Tailgates will start early as fans fuel up, and race for good seats, so instead of the crowd getting progressively more loaded, they'll slowly sober up as the night goes on (except for those prepared individuals who bring a flask). It's probably going to be pretty sloppy out there at kickoff. The snowballs will fly. Some fool painted purple will show up on camera with no shirt on.

Starting QB for the Vikings tonight? Joe Webb, recent draftee from Alabama-Birmingham, who put up huge numbers as an NCAA quarterback, but was hired by the Vikings as a wide receiver. Nobody has any game-day tape on this guy. He's clearly got an arm and he's extremely fast. It'll be interesting to see what he does against a strong Chicago defense.

Meanwhile, the Bears are one win away from a playoff berth. They're a team that's good at playing outdoors in cold, snowy weather. This may be a Vikings' home game, but the weather is going to make the Bears feel right at home.

It should be an interesting one.

The Line
=== ====

Chicago is favored by seven. The Over/under is 33.5.

Last week, the smart money went 2-1, taking it to a more respectable 12-9 so far this season, representing a ROI of 9.1%. The S&P 500 is up 13.4% over the same time.

This week, the smart money takes Minnesota. The line moved quite a bit as the venue and starting QB questions were answered. Chicago will probably win this game, but it's likely to be closer than seven.

 

The Bar
=== ===

This is the last MNF of the season for me, because I'll be in Mexico next week (and thats the last MNF of the year). To celebrate, how about a crispy taco? You probably haven't had one since week 4.

Underdogs Taco Shop – The only sports taqueria in town.
1824 Irving , between 18th and 19th Ave.
Within a block of the N, 16x, 29, 71, 71L, 28 and 28L

Kickoff is at 5:30
See you there?