NFL 2007 Week 13: AFC Edition

AFC EAST: So close, so tense a game, but so disappointing. After being given every opportunity, both by the Ravens and by the officials, the Patriots were able to pull another victory from nowhere. They look more beatable every week, and the Steelers next week will be even tougher. It was funny to see Brady’s indignant look after the game; I guess he can only be happy if the win is by more than thirty points. I would have enjoyed Belichick’s indignant look too, but I can’t distinguish it from his happy face. Buffalo pulled one of their own from the jaws of defeat, but they were handed it too. This is the year of the kicker and Ryan Lindell’s five second half field goals turned the tables on an absolutely abysmal first half. I always love seeing a safety, though. I wonder when the last time a halftime score was 9-2. Whenever it was, I’m glad I didn’t see the game. Last time I checked, the Jets were a worthless team. How does a team like that score forty points? Playing the Dolphins. I’ve always felt like the Dolphins were a better team plagued by bad luck, but that game basically proved this theory wrong for me. One thing I didn’t think I’d write this season was “the Jets took the game over,” but there you have it. They’re still terrible, just not quite so much as Miami.

AFC NORTH: Pittsburgh may not be playing their best football right now, but they’re really luck to play teams like the Bengals, who do everything in their power to have a bad game. The Steelers are the best shot at taking down the Patriots; I just hope they play up to their better opponents the same way they play down to their lesser. The inconsistency of Arizona paid off in their victory over Cleveland. Derek Anderson had another big game (how he’s still pulling these out is beyond me…maybe he goes to the same church as Kitna), but they let too much go early and couldn’t recover. Carson Palmer had such a bad game; there was no way they could win. How you have receivers like that and can’t get into the endzone is beyond me. It’s great that TJ is leading the league in receptions, but that doesn’t mean anything without the touchdowns. Baltimore sure didn’t look like a 4-8 team last night, but that’s what they’ve been reduced to. They played New England as well as anybody has all season, but it wasn’t good enough when your coaching staff is trying to lose the game for you. If I was Rex Ryan, I’d be pretty scared of that defense in the locker room after that game; you could feel the anger through the television.

AFC SOUTH: In what was a fantastic game, Indianapolis basically won the north in their victory over Jacksonville. The Colts have gotten back on track from their little slide a few weeks ago, and were too much for the Jags, but they sure looked strong in defeat. David Garrard has really had a great year; it’s too bad he finally threw an interception, but it had to happen sometime. They’ve turned themselves into a real force in the South and assuming they don’t fall apart which, since they just got their running game going full speed, I don’t see that happening, they are a match for anybody in the playoffs. The Titans have finally stopped looking so much like a joke and, though their playoff hopes are pretty well up in the air right now, they’ve looked strong the last two weeks. Houston has been so much improved this year and are far from the joke team of their previous years. The Titans’ run game wasn’t spectacular, but got the job done against Houston’s front four. Unfortunately, Houston is 0-4 in the division and so, to the South, they still are kind of a joke. They still have plenty of holes, but they’ve made impressive strides and should look forward happily to next season.

AFC WEST: Sadly, San Diego has pulled away in the division and the Broncos’ playoff hopes are looking dim. They did put the Chiefs back in their place at the bottom of the division, but this was also only possible through the breakdown of Denver’s game last week. Their defense isn’t that good, but how did the Raiders score so many points on them? Looking at the West standings, it is making me sick and writing about it makes it way worse.