The NFL Regular Season has come to its end and man...what a ride.  We saw many an incredible game this season and we were also witness to some incredible drama and some incredible stories as the season unfolded. Now we look to new stories as the Playoffs prepare to arrive, but before they begin it's time to take a look at the top stories from Week 17.  

1. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were the worst team in the NFL.  Sure they won a game or two, but they have been given the bittersweet present that serves as the "Participant" prize in the NFL...the first overall draft pick now belongs to them.  Considering how awful Tampa Bay was on offense this year, expect them to snag a QB first thing in the draft since Mike Glennon has not developed as they had hoped and Josh McCown ended up being a free agent bust.

2. At least some of the coaches who were unemployed on Monday, went out on top.  Yes, Rex Ryan and Jim Harbaugh, gone from their teams come Monday morning won their final games with their respective former franchises.  It may not mean much, but it's always nice to know that the last game was a win and those two men left it all on the field, showing everyone why they were chosen in the first place, despite the fact that things went horribly wrong. 

3. Kyle Orton says goodbye to the NFL...again.  Yes, shortly after helping guide the Buffalo Bills to a 9-7 season, Orton has announced his retirement once again, and much like Rex and Jim, went out on top.  Orton's career has always been a storied one, where he was never quite trusted to be the starting quarterback until the final year in his career.  In fact Orton always seemed to be a band-aid quarterback wise, having been started and benched several times in Chicago, then traded to Denver where he remained the starter until Tim Tebow arrived. Then it was off to Kansas City where he was replaced in the offseason by Alex Smith, then off to Dallas where he was the second stringer until his first retirement.  Whether or not he was ever a quality starting QB doesn't matter, what matters is he was finally the guy in Buffalo and he led them to their first winning season in ages. Clearly this was vindication enough to walk away. 

4. Aaron Rodgers is one tough QB. Rodgers has always been known as a quality quarterback, heck the man has a Super Bowl ring. But he's had his share of injuries that have kept him from playing and while there's nothing wrong with that...there comes a moment when the league learns that you will do anything to win and Sunday brought that moment.  In fact Green Bay fans had quite the scare when he was carted to the locker room with a calf injury...only to come back and play some amazing football, leading the team to its fourth NFC North title.  Now some folks are undoubtedly rolling their eyes, thinking that a calf injury is no big deal, but a quarterback depends on both his legs and well, just about every part of his body to throw the ball right, so this kind of injury is a big deal and undoubtedly painful to play through. Kudos to Rodgers for showing some grit, hopefully he heals up in time for the playoffs. 

5. Detroit has a serious problem with some of its players.  So, first Center Dominic Raiola gets suspended for stomping on a player, and then Ndamukong Suh gets fined $70,000 for doing the same thing to Aaron Rodgers on Sunday.  This is a disturbing trend and quite frankly, some dirty and unsportsmanlike play that needs to end. I won't go on a rant about how the players need to class it up, because they already know they are supposed to.  What needs to happen, beyond these suspensions, is a little more care, or yelling if necessary, from the coaches to put an end to this. Seeing it happen twice in two weeks falls on the coaches to keep their players in line, so hopefully that's exactly what happens because seriously, this is about as classless as it gets. The Detroit Lions and its players are better than this, hopefully these two idiots figure that out.  

The time has arrived at last. After a grueling training camp/preseason, seventeen tough weeks of play, the chance at glory arrives at last for twelve teams, since the NFL Playoffs are here at last.  I've always enjoyed the NFL's style of playoffs for one particular reason...it's about perfection.  Play your game just right and you get another shot at the Super Bowl, but one mistake, and you're sent home wondering what if.  

With that in mind, we thought we would help everyone out with this quick guide to the playoffs, that looks at what teams are in from their respective conference and just who will be battling it out come Saturday for Wild Card Weekend! 

Saturday, January 3, 2015
NFC Wild Card Matchup
Arizona Cardinals at Carolina Panthers - 4:35 p.m. EST on ESPN
AFC Wild Card Matchup
Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers - 8:15 p.m. EST on NBC

Sunday, January 4, 2015
AFC Wild Card Matchup
Cincinnati Bengals at Indianapolis Colts - 1:05 p.m. EST on CBS
NFC Wild Card Matchup
Detroit Lions at Dallas Cowboys - 4:40 p.m. EST on FOX

The NFL Regular Season has come to a close, and as 12 teams prepare for the 2014 NFL Playoffs, the dark side of the business comes to pass today as Black Monday in the league has gone into full effect, with head coaches and general managers finding themselves unemployed. It's an ugly day, but a necessary evil for the league as these teams look for new leadership to turn their fortunes around. So who has been let go so far? Here's a look at the current football minds that have either parted ways, or been let go. 


1. San Francisco 49ers Head Coach Jim Harbaugh.  Jim and the executive brass of the 49ers clearly were headed for a breakup. We may never know all the exact reasons as to why, but what matters is that the team went from NFC Darling and NFC Champions to middle of the pack in too quick a timeframe.  That kind of performance falls on the Head Coach and what makes this separation interesting is that Harbaugh and San Francisco cited this as a "mutual agreement" so clearly both sides realized it wasn't working out.  That kind of realization is actually quite rare when it comes to these situations and of all of the coaches leaving NFL jobs today, Harbaugh will likely be unemployed for the shortest amount of time, since as of press time he appears to be headed back to college football to coach the University of Michigan.

2. Atlanta Falcons Head Coach Mike Smith.  This is another rise and fall story when it comes to coaching. In his seven years with the team Coach Smith ignited the Falcons franchise early on and during his tenure even took the squad to the NFC Championship game.  But, a Super Bowl appearance never came to fruition and two ugly years and a last minute and failed shot at the NFC South Division Title was too much for owner Arthur Blank to bear as he terminated Mike Smith's contract this morning.  

3. New York Jets Head Coach Rex Ryan and General Manager John Idzik. It was a complete and utter housecleaning at the Jets facility this morning as owner Woody Johnson said goodbye to his two top men and with good reason.  Despite the fact that Rex took the Jets to two AFC Championship games, the many years of decline and getting the least out of his players was the last straw.  Throw Idzik's poor choice of Geno Smith in the draft, the lack of quality free agents and the weird Percy Harvin trade into the mix and a housecleaning makes total sense.  

4. Chicago Bears Head Coach Marc Trestman and General Manager Phil Emery. A franchise that did everything wrong this year, finally made some solid changes for the future. Trestman clearly lost the team this year, with his squad at times looking completely unprepared on the field and of course the lack of development of quarterback Jay Cutler finally did Trestman in. Speaking of Cutler, it was his poor performance and the wild and crazy contract that Emery gave the QB that ended up being the nail in his coffin as the Bears also decided to do a little housecleaning.  

Sadly, this is just the beginning as often times in the NFL Black Monday is the first wave of firings.  Today marks the day when the obvious choices are let go, some of the tougher and surprise decisions still await us and we'll be keeping our eyes peeled to ESPN for more coaching changes as they develop.  

Tomorrow, as Week 17 gets underway, we will watch a few Head Coaches take the field one last time for the franchise that hired them to lead their team to the promised land of a Super Bowl victory.  Yes, Black Monday looms large over the NFL and those coaches who were unable to bring together a winning squad will find themselves without a job. It's a tough day to say the least since these men had high hopes of doing something special, but sometimes it simply does not work out. We took a look last week at some of the football minds that may be looking for work come Monday and here are a few more coaches that are sitting on the hot seat, and could be working for new teams come next year. 

1. San Francisco 49ers Head Coach Jim Harbaugh. There's been talk for a long time about Coach Harbaugh not quite getting along with the top brass in San Francisco and it would seem the two are ready to part ways. On the field the 49ers have been in decline for some time. QB Colin Kaepernick seems to be moving in the wrong direction development wise and they have lost some key games under Harbaugh's watch.  In fact, the tension has built to the point where there has been talk of the franchise trading their Head Coach to another squad and the University of Michigan has even put a pretty lucrative offer on the table for Harbaugh to coach their squad. Lucrative enough that Harbaugh is reportedly meeting with the school this weekend. I'd say of all the coaches on the hot seat, it seems like a forgone conclusion that Jim is done in San Francisco. 

2. Atlanta Falcons Head Coach Mike Smith. Under Smith's watch the Falcons have flirted with excellence, but they cannot quite seem to get over the playoff hump and make it into the Super Bowl.  They have a franchise quarterback in place. They have given him weapons to play with on the field and the defense can be stout from time to time, yet the result is still the same, no Lombardi Trophy or early exits in the playoffs. It's left Owner Arthur Blank unhappy, because if a solid quarterback has a cast around him and they still can't win...the man that will be held responsible, is the head coach.  If Atlanta fails to make the playoffs this year, or makes another early exit if they do, there's a good chance a change will come in Atlanta. 

3. Miami Dolphins Head Coach Joe Philbin.  Under Philbin's watch, the Dolphins have been a source of scandal with the bullying incident last year that grabbed many a headline.  Not to mention, during his tenure the Dolphins have simply been a mediocre team. Sure they've shown flashes of brilliance but all too often they have lost games they should have won. Ryan Tannehill has yet to develop into the franchise quarterback they had hoped for and all of those things fall on the head coach's shoulders. While Philbin has received a "vote of confidence" from ownership, that means nothing really. That's often talk to quiet the discussions of terminating their contract. This one could go either way, but don't be surprised to see a change here. 

4. Dallas Cowboys Head Coach Jason Garrett. When it comes to this season, the Cowboys are enjoying their best year under Garrett's tutelage. Tony Romo is playing the best ball of his career, the defense is playing lights out and the Cowboys are headed to the post season. Yet we cannot forget the years of 8-8 finishes this squad pulled out under his watch and that may or may not explain why Garrett does not have a contract extension in place.  Yes, once the post season ends, Jason is a head coaching free agent and well, I'm not quite sure what will happen here.  Jerry Jones is a wildcard to say the least. He could sign Jason to a big extension just like that, or choose to move on.  Either way, there should be concern over the lack of extending Garrett sooner.  

5. Buffalo Bills Head Coach Doug Marrone. New ownership for the Buffalo Bills means safety for no one, including the head coach who injected a little fight into the team by making a change at quarterback only to get mixed results.  It's that mixed result that may cost Marrone his job. While the Bills have been thrilling to watch at times, they have also been the losing team of yesteryear.  While a current record of 8-7 is big improvement, the new owners may choose to make a splash in free agency and bring in some big players and potentially a big name coaching wise.  Or, they could keep Marrone as well, but seeing as how the trend in the NFL when you bring in new owners or general managers is to have your guy on the field, the future looks extremely uncertain for Doug Marrone.  

With the playoffs on the line, the very season on the line for some in fact, we saw some incredible football this weekend. A couple of upset specials came to pass and teams with no hope at all for their season made a point to end their year on a high note, playing their hearts out.  It made for some incredible stories on the field this week as much of the off the field drama finally quieted down, so let's take a few moments and look at what we learned about several teams in the NFL in Week 16. 

1. The Denver Broncos offense is still a mess after all.  Not only did that offensive line re shuffle collapse, but the team could not execute on plays and the play calling was just awful. What's worse, is that the Cincinnati defense was able to fool Peyton Manning left and right because of how predictable the play calling was and the Bengals were able to get to Peyton Manning way too often, forcing ugly throws and interceptions galore.  It proves one thing, Denver has been able to mask and finesse its glaring issues and the Bengals fully exposed them to the entire league on national television.  The worst part about all of this? The Broncos have essentially a week or two to fix as many issues as they can or it will be an early exit from the playoffs for Denver. 

2. The Colts may not be ready for the playoffs either. Dallas simply dominated the Colts in every aspect of the game this week. Romo was able to throw the ball at will, and carved up the defense as though it were a Christmas Ham. The Dallas defense played lights out football as well, keeping the Colts from even seeing a single first down rushing wise.  It was a happy day for Cowboys fans as they locked up the NFC East title, but Colts fans need to be concerned, they did not play like a team that reflects their respectable record. That horrific play on defense and Andrew Luck not being able to get anything going on offense is a little scary. They should not be having these kinds of issues this late in the season and with the playoffs right around the corner, they need to be concerned about an early exit as well. 

3. Turns out the Raiders still have a little fight in them. Despite the fact that their season is completely lost to the point where they have nothing to play for, the Oakland Raiders still made a game of it on Sunday afternoon, toppling the Buffalo Bills 26-24, effectively sending Buffalo out of the playoff race completely.  Granted it was no guarantee for the Bills, but a win would have kept their hopes alive.  It's a positive thing for Raiders players, since the entire squad will be evaluated in the coming weeks to see whether they play for Oakland next year or not, and they had to enjoy the irony of playing the spoiler for Buffalo when the Bills have been doing that to other teams all year long. 

4. Turns out the Arizona Cardinals REALLY missed Drew Stanton.  The injury to Stanton ended up being far more costly than Arizona initially thought because the Ryan Lindley show was a disaster. He looked lost and terrified playing against the Seattle defense. He had trouble with his reads, with his throws, the list goes on and on.  The constant three and outs on offense wore the vaunted Cardinal defense down and Seattle took full advantage of it.  Logan Thomas will start in the regular season finale for the Cardinals and while the game may not matter since the Cardinals are in the playoffs...they really need Stanton healthy for when the postseason begins. 

5. Different Quarterback, same results in Chicago.  The hope had been that benching Jay Cutler and starting Jimmy Clausen would spark Chicago's offense and finally shake off the losing mantra surrounding the Bears.  Yeah.  Not so much.  Sure there were less interceptions thrown by Clausen and the Bears only lost the game by six, but no one cares about that in Chicago. The fans want wins, not incremental progress.  It was another loss that left fans hanging their head and oddly enough, the starting QB carousel will rotate once again as Jay Cutler takes the field for the regular season finale since it turns out Clausen suffered a concussion in this game.  But while Chicago is preparing for a game, it's obvious now that fans are just looking forward to sweeping offseason changes at Soldier Field after this disappointing season.  

With only two weeks left in the regular season, most people are talking about who will be in the playoffs before too long. But while there is plenty of glory to go around for the teams competing for the Lombardi trophy, there are teams preparing to change their destiny for the next year by firing their head coach and others as they deem necessary.  Yes, the day known as Black Monday draws near and today we are taking a look at which coaches and other football minds are on the hot seat and are likely coaching to either audition for their next team, or doing their best to show their current employers they are still worth every penny.  So without further ado, here is who is on the hot seat.  

1. Chicago Bears Head Coach Marc Trestman.  Coach Trestman was brought aboard as a quarterbacking guru, the guy who was going to change the course of the enigmatic Jay Cutler. But the team has not prospered under Trestman at all, and it has come to the point where Cutler has been benched in favor of Jimmy Clausen for the final two games of the season. At times this year the Bears have looked completely lost on the field and that falls on the head coach for not having this team ready to play. There has been a lot of buzz coming out of Chicago that the Bears are ready to move on.  But if the Bears are suddenly competitive with Cutler out of the lineup, he may keep his job, but right now it simply looks like a case of too little, too late.

2. New York Jets Head Coach Rex Ryan. There have been glory days for Rex and the Jets.  Early on in his career there he led the Jets to an AFC Championship game. The defense was competitive and at times downright scary.  Those days are gone. The Jets no longer find themselves in the playoffs, the defense looks lost and confused on every play.  Granted, the talent that John Idzik has put on the field isn't exactly the finest the league has to offer, but it's Rex's job to get the best out of his players and he simply has not and it would not shock me to see Ryan be let go in the next couple of weeks. 

3. Washington Redskins Head Coach Jay Gruden. Jay Gruden and Robert Griffin III do not get along. Jay is often quite critical of RG3 and it was Jay's idea to bench his inconsistent quarterback.  However, whether he be right or wrong, RG3 is owner Daniel Snyder's golden boy and the last coach to tell Mister Snyder that RG3 is not an NFL quarterback, was fired just over a year ago.  Yes, Mike Shanahan, a two time Super Bowl Champion was let go for defying ownership and pointing out that RG3 has issues, so I would not be surprised to see Gruden get his walking papers over doing the same thing. 

4. Cleveland Browns Head Coach Mike Pettine. Pettine's job may or may not be tied to the decision to bench Brian Hoyer for Johnny Manziel.  As crazy as that may sound, let's not forget that the Browns are a franchise that is about as dysfunctional as it gets. They burn through two things in this town, Quarterbacks and Coaches.  So it would not shock me in the least if they missed the playoffs and put Pettine in the unemployment line.  Of all the coaches out there, Pettine likely has a better chance of staying, but you simply never know when it comes to Cleveland. 

5. New York Jets General Manager John Idzik. He drafted Geno Smith, who has been a disaster at quarterback. But his list of mistakes simply don't end there. He traded for Percy Harvin, which while that move looked great on paper, it means nothing when you have a quarterback who cannot throw the ball to a receiver. The defense is mediocre talent wise at best, I'd say there is a fair chance he is sent packing with Rex in a couple of weeks.  

6. Chicago Bears General Manager Phil Emery. This is the man taking some serious heat right now for two reasons. One, his choices on defense have been abysmal. A team once known for scary defense no longer has that edge and he also gave Jay Cutler a super contract that made him one of the highest paid players in the league and $54 million guaranteed.  There is a chance he could stay, but I get a feeling he may be on the outs in Chicago as well. 

It was another week in the NFL that left my jaw firmly planted on the floor when it came to dysfunction pouring out of one of the major franchises.  It was another week in the NFL that I was allowed to celebrate the awesomeness of my Denver Broncos.  As always, it was simply another amazing week in the NFL, one loaded with incredible storylines as the season's end draws near and here are some the top things we learned from around the league in Week 15.

1. Johnny Football apparently forgot how to football.  I get that the Cleveland Browns needed a spark. I get that the decision the Browns made to start QB Johnny Manziel was a lose/lose situation either way.  If Johnny did well, everyone would wonder why they didn't start him sooner and if Johnny did bad, everyone would wonder why the hell they started him.  Can you guess which one happened on Sunday?  For those who missed out, the latter of those outcomes came to life as Manziel took the field in embarrassing fashion. He was simply awful, unable to get any kind of read on the defense, he found himself holding onto the ball too long and when he did get rid of it, his throws were errant at best.  It was simply an ugly debut for Johnny Football, who looked like he was playing the game for the first time this week.  While he is currently the anointed starter, don't be surprised to see Cleveland give him the hook and put Hoyer back at the helm if a legitimate shot at the playoffs presents itself.

2. Turns out the Chicago Bears are as dysfunctional as the Washington Redskins.  Recently we learned that the Bears are suffering from a little buyer's remorse over QB Jay Cutler's epic contract and well, there's solid reasons to have such remorse. What we didn't expect was to find out that one of the people who leaked the fact that the franchise is facepalming over Cutler's play...happened to be one of the coaches.  Yes, Offensive Coordinator Aaron Kromer was one of the sources of the original report and how did this come to light? Kromer apparently had a guilty conscience and during a team meeting, confessed his football sins to the team before apologizing to everyone. How crazy is that? I mean, you have to be kidding me. This is the National Football League, and this kind of petty high school crap is going on at Halas Hall.  I'm not sure what's worse, the fact that he told the team what he did, shattering their confidence in him, or the fact that Kromer didn't have the stones to flat out tell Cutler to his face, behind closed doors that his play was garbage.  This is just...stunning and sad.  I'll leave it at that.

3. The Playoff Picture begins to take shape.  Sunday saw three AFC teams win their divisions, Denver, Indianapolis and New England and saw one NFC team, Arizona clinch a playoff berth.  But what makes these achievements interesting is that...neither conference has a solid idea of who else will be in the playoffs and what the seeding will look like. If the Pats lose one game and Denver wins out, Denver has a shot at the number one seed.  If Arizona loses out, Detroit, Green Bay, Seattle or Dallas could snag the number one seed depending on how wins and losses go over the next couple of weeks. It's an exciting time to say the least and although we really have no clue who will earn Homefield Advantage in either conference yet, it's nice to see that some teams have accomplished step one...they're in the playoffs. 

4. Speaking of the playoffs, will Drew Stanton's injury effect Arizona's chances in the postseason? Sadly it's hard to say, but it's something everyone out in Arizona needs to be concerned with. After all, Carson Palmer and Drew Stanton have been fantastic game managers for this franchise and now the untested Ryan Lindley will helm this team until Stanton returns. Thankfully the Cardinals have a fantastic defense that has helped shape the course of quite a few games this year, but big mistakes on offense can unravel a team.  This should be an interesting story to watch over the next few weeks. 

5. Buffalo still likes to surprise.  They headed into a game with Green Bay that let's be honest, everyone expected them to lose. The Packers have been on fire as of late and QB Aaron Rodgers has been torching defenses, so a win for Green Bay made sense.  Buffalo thought otherwise.  Their defense had the Packers off of their rhythm all day and the end result was an incredible upset win for the Bills. It's worth mentioning because whether or not Buffalo makes the playoffs, they may end up shaping the playoff picture regardless if they manage to pull off what they did on Sunday once again.  No team should take them for granted over the next couple of weeks, and if they're thinking about writing them off, give the folks in Green Bay a call, they'll have plenty to say.  

As we close in on the end of the regular season, it seems that some of the juiciest stories in the league are coming to light and quite frankly many of the ones that keep rolling around in my mind have left me shaking my head. I say that because well, one of the stories that came out this week...was baffling on a level I never knew, so let's get right down to discussing what we learned in Week 14.

1. The Washington Redskins are still a mess.  This is the story that left me stunned. After all, a week ago, the RG3 controversy was apparently put to bed, then reports snuck out from FedEx Field that GM Bruce Allen and Daniel Snyder may fire Jay Gruden in an effort to save face and stand behind the disappointment that is Robert Griffin III, and heck there's even talk RG3 may start again. Now granted, none of this is set in stone or solid, but the fact that this is even being discussed speaks to how dysfunctional this franchise is. Clearly no one is on the same page in Washington and sadly the only people that suffer from this kind of gross miscommunication and hints of ego are the fans. It's a shame really and baffling that such dysfunction would even be evident behind the scenes of a team sport.  Heck, I'm shaking my head as I write this over how ridiculous things have become in Washington. 

2. Where does Chicago go from here? Another game, another dismal outing from the entire team.  Cutler's play was so so yet again and Bears fans are rightfully growing restless. In fact I was having a discussion with a good friend of mine about Jay Cutler and he was quick to point out that clearly the money has clearly gone to the quarterback's head since all of the fight and fire has gone out of him. I mention that, because now there is buzz that GM Phil Emery is on the hot seat and buyer's remorse has settled in on Cutler's new contract that just happens to pay him $54 million over the next three years, guaranteed. With that much money committed, trading or releasing Cutler will be difficult, so what do they do in the offseason? Do they try and renegotiate his contract a year in? Do they detonate the roster yet again? It should prove to be an interesting offseason in Chicago. 

3. 49ers fans need to look on the bright side...they get the reset button next year. Colin Kaepernick no longer looks like an elite quarterback, and well...you lost to the freaking Oakland Raiders, so it doesn't get much worse than that.  I'm not sure what quite happened behind the scenes with Jim Harbaugh and the team's top brass, but clearly this is Harbaugh's last year with the team and it's for the better, it's been an ugly fall from grace since the loss in Super Bowl XLVII and a new head coach may be able to inject some life into a talented roster. 

4. It's showtime for Johnny Football.  Yes, after a rough outing from Brian Hoyer the powers that be in Cleveland decided why not roll the dice and give Johnny Manziel a shot. Yes, Johnny Football time has come to Ohio and it's quite the gamble to say the least, but the decision makes sense. If Manziel proves to be the hero and leads the team to the playoffs, the decision is a stroke of genius. If he falters, it gives the team an idea of where to work with him in the offseason. This story will be one to keep watching over the next few weeks.

5. The Broncos continue to surprise as they suddenly become a run heavy team.  C.J. Anderson has been the shot in the arm the Denver Broncos anemic run game has needed over the last few weeks as they continue to pound the rock.  It has of course brought scrutiny on Peyton Manning and the pass game, but this is exactly what Denver needed. Teams have been using the same formula the Seattle Seahawks used against the Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII to beat Manning and the vaunted pass game so to see Denver wearing down defenses and running the ball at will is wonderfully refreshing and it was also the formula that got the franchise its first two Super Bowl wins. 

As the regular season begins to come to a close in the NFL, the stories that come out every single week have a certain strength to them.  After all, glory is now on the line for some teams and players begin to give their all to provide their team with the best chance to get to the playoffs, while on the other end of the spectrum...jobs are now on the line for both coaches and players as a dismal season comes to an end.  With that in mind, some of those stories are beginning to come to life, and here the top ones from Week 13 in the NFL.

1. A moment of hope for the Raiders, disappeared with another nightmare.  Yes, the factory of sadness that is the Oakland Raiders went and did it again.  After showing signs of life against the Chiefs in Week 12, the Raiders found themselves on the business end of a 52 point blow out against the Rams.  While their head coach is already fired, another housecleaning on the roster is likely in order, and it is possible to see GM Reggie McKenzie go away as well, and it makes sense, since they are the worst team in the league.  

2. At this point, you have to feel bad for the Jets. Speaking of dysfunctional franchises, the New York Jets are clearly about to begin rebuilding mode. Neither Geno Smith or Michael Vick are the answer. The Defense is a mess, the rest of the offense is a mess, it's going to be a long offseason for Jets fans but all the big changes coming are necessary. I'll be shocked if both GM John Idzik and Rex Ryan aren't fired after the season ends and they need to be.  Idzik for his awful choices in building the roster and Ryan because clearly he isn't the right man for the job there. Hopefully the next regime can finally get the Jets to win some games.  

3. Go Pack, Go.  The Packers played an incredible game against the powerhouse Patriots.  Sure it was a close one but that's what great teams do, hang in there until the right opportunity presents itself and it sure did in that final moment when Brady took a big time sack from the Packers defense.  This is a team getting hot at the right time and that could mean bad news for other teams in the NFC as the playoffs begin, and I say that because...

4. The NFC's Elite have been exposed as of late.  The Arizona Cardinals looked simply pedestrian against the Atlanta Falcons and of course, saw a big time loss and the Dallas Cowboys were worked like a second job by the Philadelphia Eagles at home. These teams went from being unstoppable to losing just like that and it should give them pause to correct their mistakes now because if they are exposed again, the NFC Title Game will be held at Lambeau Field and no one outside of the Packers wants to play in that kind of weather.  Hopefully these teams see these losses as a good wake up call.  

5. Is a quarterback controversy brewing in Cleveland, right before the playoffs? More inconsistent play saw Brian Hoyer take the bench last week in favor of Johnny Football, who actually had a pretty decent run at the helm during the team's loss to Buffalo. While Hoyer was named the starter for Week 14 as of press time, the threat of Manziel is now hanging over his shoulder and with the team at 7-5 and in the playoff hunt, one has to question if now is really the time to allow something like that to happen.  I get the idea of motivating Hoyer, but stirring the pot when you are THIS close to possibly being in the playoffs...could possibly lead to your team, not being in the playoffs. This will be an interesting story to keep an eye on this week.