Week 16 Recap and My 2014 Playoff Matchup Wish List

Yikes!  I just realized it's been nearly a month since my last recap (and non-game picks post).  My bad.  It'd be hard not to write about the NFL week we just had, and with mere hours until the holiday good times begin, here are my thoughts after a luxurious sleep-in and cup of Christmas Eve coffee.  Also, with so many playoff stops still remarkably up for grabs, I give you my 2014 Playoff Matchup Wish List.  But first, the good stuff:

Week 16: The Good Stuff

An Epitaph for Romo - It's surprising how melancholy I feel about Tony Romo's season-ending back injury this week.  On the schadenfreude end of things, Week 17 just won't feel right without an epic Romo collapse and another early end for the Cowboys' season.  But on the much more well-intentioned end, No. 9 had a career year in 2013 and was pretty much the only guy keeping Dallas in contention to this point given an abysmal defensive situation.  At least he ended things on a high note that Cowboys fans can be proud of.  After going back and forth with the Redskins in a shootout and down by 6, Romo converted this insane 4th down goal-to-go pass to DeMarco Murray with just a minute left.  It may be just one sliver of evidence in the eye-rolling debate about whether or not he's clutch, but you gotta hand it to the guy, that was a spectacular play.

Like a Cardinal From the Ashes - Many people including myself wrote the Arizona Cardinals off before the 2013 season ever began, but here they are with a shot to make the playoffs and get to 11 wins going into Week 17.  I'm starting to think this Bruce Arians guy knows what he's doing after making Carson Palmer look like a viable starter this year, but as Sunday's stunning upset in Seattle reminded us, the bread and butter of this team is Todd Bowles' punishing defense.  Despite Palmer coughing up four picks in the toughest stadium for a visiting team, the Cardinals made Russell Wilson look like a kitten with just 100 yards of passing on the day with one interception and four sacks.  In fact, Seattle had more punts than Wilson had completions (8) until the 4th quarter.  That's a heckuva performance considering that the Seahawks came into the game with a two-year winning streak at home.

That Peyton Guy - Given how pitiful Eli Manning's year has been, you gotta wonder how Archie is feeling these days.  One son leads the league in interceptions while the other just reclaimed the title for most TD passes in a single season.  Should make for a very interesting Christmas dinner conversation.  In case you missed it, here's Peyton tossing # 51 to Julius Thomas on Sunday - makes you wonder if multiple neck surgeries will become the Tommy John procedure of choice for quarterbacks.

Nailed It!  My Best Week 16 Prediction - I missed it by about 20 minutes, but I'd call this a pretty good prediction:

• "If you listen closely, you can hear Peyton Manning shattering just about every major passing record in the NFL on Sunday right around 2:38pm in Houston."

Week 16: The Bad Stuff

Detroit Suck City - The Lions could not have found themselves in better circumstances a month ago.  Aaron Rodgers and Jay Cutler would miss significant playing time during the crucial final months of the season and Detroit's offensive portfolio was prosperous with versatile play from Reggie Bush, Joique Bell, Joseph Fauria and Calvin Johnson.  All they had to do was break even over the next month of the season and they were a shoe-in for the playoffs with a slate of home games against the struggling Steelers, Ravens and Giants.  But look no further than this past Sunday against the Giants if you want to know what a Detroit Lions finish looks like.  These guys suffered their fifth loss in six games in an epic fashion, and now it's time for the Detroit faithful to get back to much more enjoyable pastimes like hockey and crumbling economies.

Miami Heat Chills - Speaking of anti-clutch misery, don't think Miami fans will skip a beat in diverting all of their attention back to LeBron James after an awful Dolphins outing on Sunday.  Not to discredit the Buffalo Bills' flawless defensive effort, but the Dolphins couldn't do anything right to salvage their place in the AFC playoffs race.  Not only were they shut out, Miami had just 14 yards of rushing and 100 net yards of offense on the day despite having everything to play for.  Sadly for the many deserving teams in the NFC, the Dolphins still have a shot at claiming that final AFC spot next week though they've picked up right where the Eagles left off in failed free agency overhauls.

Shanked It!  My Worst Week 16 Prediction: Turns out this was a pretty big assumption:

• "Nothing would surprise me in this one after several close ones over the years, but the Ravens are a different animal when they're at home.  Assuming Joe Flacco's knee holds up, Baltimore will close out the home record at 7 - 1."

Week 16 Feature: My 2014 Playoff Matchup Wish List

Going into Week 17, there's still a surprising number of playoff scenarios to resolve.  We'll have at least four win-and-you're-in situations including two divisional sudden death matches between the Bears-Packers and Eagles-Cowboys.  And then we'll have a ton of intriguing possibilities for how this thing all goes down in January/February, especially since even the Seahawks and Broncos have revealed some vulnerabilities of late that might make for a magical upset or two.  With all of that in mind, here's my 2014 Playoff Matchup Wish List for Santa to take into consideration this year:

Manning-v-Brady Bowl XV - This one requires little introduction, but the way these two QBs are playing, we might get to matchup #20 before either one hangs up his cleats.  Although I jinxed it by saying the same thing last year, it feels like we are destined for a Broncos-Patriots AFC Championship this season, and given the rest of the, ahem, competition in the conference, this is the only one we really want to see.  Adding to the intrigue this time around, Manning just broke Brady's single-season TD record and both teams have suffered major injuries on defense... I smell a shootout for the ages.

West Coast Beatdown Bowl III - Three weeks ago there was no question that the Seahawks would beat anyone who stood in their way at CenturyLink Field with the #1 seed in the NFC.  Now with the division and homefield advantage suddenly up for grabs after a loss to the 49ers, this excellent young rivalry may well be renewed in January once again.  Colin Kaepernick is starting to look pretty good with Michael Crabtree back in the lineup, but the Seahawks secondary hasn't skipped a beat all season.  Expect a wild one and lots of popping neck veins if Jim Harbaugh gets to face off against the hated Pete Carroll for the third time this season.  Nevertheless, the win may not be worth all of the broken bones in the trenches.

Gridlock Bowl II - I gotta say, even though both of these teams have broken this Saints fan's heart this year I'd love to see a Seahawks-Panthers showdown in 2014, especially after seeing the way Seattle struggled against the similarly-skilled Cardinals this past week.  In their previous two matchups, the margin of victory has been 4.5 points and no team has scored more than 16 points, but don't let the low score fool you.  It's worth it to see the two best defenses in the league make big plays in an era that so heavily favors passing offenses.

Feast and Famine Bowl - In terms of Super Bowl matchups, I stand by my own desire to see the Packers and Patriots duke it out in the blizzard conditions they love so well.  But with Aaron Rodgers still down for the count, it just doesn't seem possible at this point.  Instead, who wouldn't want to see the best defense in a decade face off against one of the best offenses of all time if the Seahawks and Broncos meet in the Meadowlands?  Seattle has allowed just one opponent to break 30 points in a game while Denver is averaging a staggering 38 points per game.  Peyton Manning versus Richard Sherman is on par with a Rocky film that hasn't been made yet.