NFL Week 16 Rankings

-But first some Monday night thoughts:

+I'll get to the Vikings and all their problems in a minute, but before that the Chicago Bears deserve a few kind words....Lord knows they haven't had many this year.

In the first half, the Bears looked probably as good as they have all year. Their defense smothered Adrian Peterson, and hurried Brett Favre: the Vikings' first four dries went punt, fumble, punt, punt.

Even more surprisingly the Chicago offensive line, much maligned all year, was able to give Jay Cutler great time in the pocket. One key match up was left tackle Chris Williams against Jared Allen, and the 14^th overall pick of the 2008 draft did a great job dealing with perhaps the league premier's pass rusher. Sweet redemption for Williams, who was moved to right tackle this summer to make room for veteran Orlando Pace at the start of the season. With the extra time in the pocket, Cutler was able to settle down, show off his cannon arm and have one of his better nights as a Bear.

Things turned around a little on both sides of the ball in the second half as the Vikings, led by number 4, got back into it. But even though Favre was able to find Sidney Rice from 6 yards out with 22 ticks left to tie the game, the Bears were the better team in overtime and would have won on their first possession had Robbie Gould not missed a 45 yarder. As it was, they capitalized on an Adrian Peterson fumble: Jay Cutler threw a 39 yard bomb down the sideline which Devin Aromashodu hauled in.

By the way, quick word on Aromashodu. Never heard of the 25 year-old out of Auburn? Well, he had less than 200 receiving yards coming into the game, despite having already played for four NFL teams. He almost doubled it on Monday when he tore up the Vikings secondary for 150 yards. Looked sharp doing it too. And Cutler sure looked happy to have receiver who was neither undersized (Johnny Knox) nor a converted kick returner (Devin Hester) to throw to.

+My, oh, my, another NFC early season powerhouse is in trouble. I talked about the potential dream matchup in the NFC title game between the Saints and Vikings a few months back. Doesn't look too likely now, does it?

Even had the Vikings come away with a win in overtime, it wouldn't had hid the truth about this team to anyone who actually watched the game. The NFL is all about a team's momentum going into the playoffs, not their early season record (think about those 2007 Giants, or 2008 Cardinals), and right now, the Vikings, just like the Saints, have none.

Its run defense isn't as intimidating anymore, and its secondary looks vulnerable (on the winning touchdown pass, Aromashodu basically just ran past Antoine Winfield). They miss E.J. Henderson at middle linebacker, where rookie Jasper Brinkley is a good run-stuffer but his pass coverage will be picked on in every playoff game Minnesota plays. Even Jared Allen has quieted down, only one sack in his last four games.

On offense, the Vikings still have Favre, who played well against Chicago, but the offensive line is having more and more trouble protecting him. He was hurried all game by the Panthers last week, and against the Bears, Anthony Herrera, Phil Loadholt and Bryant McKinnie all made mistakes.

Adrian Peterson looked focused, and ran like a man on a mission all day, only to crucially fumble in overtime. You just know the Vikings coaching staff have spent countless hours trying to work on AP's fumbling woes, and to see him continue to put the ball on the turf is very worrying. Just wrap the ball up, young man, you're too good for this to continue to happen to you.

Finally, the Vikings didn't look comfortable in the cold conditions in Chicago last night. Which is more bad news because by losing last night, they made it all the more likely they'll have to travel away from the Superdome during the course of the playoffs.

Now, don't quote me as saying the Saints or Vikings won't make a splash in the playoffs -they both have far too much talent to be completely ruled out- but if I'm Brad Childress, I'm putting a lot of effort into getting the guys pumped up to beat the snot out of the Giants next Sunday: Minnesota needs to pick up a head of steam.

The Fab Five:

1. Colts (14-1): Get ready to see some fresh new faces, if you insist on watching Indy face the Bills on Sunday. The trendy pick at this spot would be the Chargers, but I'm not about to completely disregard the Colts middle of the season run (where they beat the Patriots, the Ravens, the resurgent Titans and the Texans twice in five successive weeks) just yet.

2. Chargers (12-3): Looking for momentum Vikings and Saints? Check out the game tape of the Chargers destroying the Titans on Thursday. Now that's how you stay hot.

3. Eagles (11-4): The team that might be the biggest beneficiary of Minnesota's and New Orleans' woes. Almost put Dallas here, because they beat Philly earlier this year (and might well do so again Sunday for the NFC East crown), but two wins don't make me forget their December woes.

4. Cowboys (10-5): What I like about the Cowboys is that they have one of the best pass rush defenses in the NFL. When you go up against the best quarterbacks in the playoffs, you need that pass-rush. DeMarcus Ware is a stud, Anthony Spencer and Jay Ratliff are playing out of their skin. If Tony Romo can continue to play mistake-free (and that's a big if), the Cowboys might be in very good shape.

5. Patriots (10-5): That's right Saints fans. Enough has gone wrong with your team that you're now behind the team you walloped a month ago. Hey, a month is a long time in the NFL.

The Fat Five:

32. Rams (1-14): Watching Kurt Warner torch their defense for over 300 yards on Sunday, Rams fans must have felt far more than a decade removed from the days of the “Greatest Show on Turf”.

31. Lions (2-13): Please come back Matthew Stafford, I can't take much more of Drew Stanton and Daunte Culpepper.

30. Chiefs (3-11): At some point, Todd Haley and Scott Pioli's master rebuilding is going to have start showing results. 2 and 3 win seasons are not going to be accepted in Kansas City.

29. Redskins (4-11): Get destroyed by division rivals two weeks in a row? Check. Piss off your $100 million defensive tackle? Check. Make no effort to hide the fact that Jim Zorn won't be your head coach next season? Check. Good times in Washington, good times.

28. Bills (5-10): Cleveland flew out of the bottom five with three straight wins. Tampa Bay did just enough to crawl out by beating New Orleans. Welcome to the party Buffalo! Who knew that signing a 35-year old prima donna receiver with declining skills and declining production wouldn't be the solution to all your problems?

NFL Week 16

-The Colts made the right call pulling Peyton Manning. I know a lot of Colts fans and neutrals would have loved for Manning to play the whole game against the Jets. I suspect Manning himself may have been leaning that way.

But up 15-10, with a little over 5 minutes to go in the fourth quarter, Jim Caldwell made the call everyone had been anticipating all day. He pulled his star quarterback and, as it turned out, the plug on his perfect season.

The Jets scored 19 unanswered points as Manning's replacement, Curtis Painter, went 4 of 11 with an interception and a fumble, much to the frustration of the home fans.

But here's the truth of the matter. Even if the chances of Manning (who has never missed a professional start because of injury) getting injured in those final twenty minutes were very slim, it was not a chance Caldwell needed to take. 16-0 would have been a great achievement and very special. But according to how we measure football greatness, Superbowl victories, also entirely irrelevant.

The very fact that Painter looked so inept running the Indy offense should convince Colts fans that Caldwell made the right call. The drop-off at quarterback, should Manning get hurt, is just too big for them to risk it, whether Jim Sorgi or Painter steps in. Without Manning, I don't know if they'd even be a playoff team.

Now the hope of 16-0 is gone, don't expect Manning to take more than a few token snaps in Week 17.

-Way to back your way into the playoffs Saints. In their week 12 win over the Patriots, the Saints could nothing wrong. Drew Brees threw every pass with pinpoint accuracy, and shredded the New England defense for 371 yards and 5 TDs. People were starting to compare the explosiveness of their offense to that of the 2007 Patriots.

Four weeks later, and we have a very different picture of the Saints in our minds. They needed to overtime to overcome the Redskins, then squeaked by the Falcons. Last week, the Cowboys silenced the Superdome by handing New Orleans their first loss. Now the Saints give up a 17 point lead and lose in overtime to the 3-12 Buccaneers!?

You can't ignore their 13-0 start, but this team has weaknesses. You can run on them, as Carnell Williams did for 129 yards Sunday, and you can move the ball through the air (their secondary has given 583 passing yards the last two weeks). DeMarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer of the Cowboys proved that a good pass rush can get to Drew Brees (You hear that Jared Allen, Trent Cole, and Clay Matthews?).

Sean Payton has got some tweaking to do if the Saints are to sizzle in the playoffs as they did earlier this season.

-After his explosive performances in the last few weeks, Eagles fans must have thought no one could stop DeSean Jackson....Champ Bailey proved them wrong. Make no mistake, this is exactly the kind of matchup the wily old cornerback looks forward to: left on a island, one on one, with a cocky young gun with a ton of speed and a ton of yards to his name this season.

The past two games Jackson had been on fire. 6 receptions for 178 yards and a TD against the Giants, 6 more for 140 yards and a TD against the Niners.

Ten minutes into the first quarter, it looked like business as usual. Jackson had caught three passes for 24 yards and a touchdown. Then the “Champ Clamp” went to work. DeSean's stats for the rest of the game: 1 catch for 9 yards.

Bailey picked off a pass intended for Jackson in the third quarter, and then in the fourth came his best play of the game.

On 3^rd and 8, Jackson ran a crossing pattern from right to left across the middle of the field. Donovan McNabb locked on to him and delivered the perfect pass, leading Jackson and seemingly just out of Bailey's reach. But the veteran hurled himself in front of Jackson and with his fingertips tapped the ball away, leaving both McNabb and Jackson shaking their heads in disbelief.

Donovan didn't look Jackson's way again for the rest of the game, picking on Andre Goodman's coverage of Jeremy Maclin instead to get the Eagles in range for the game-winning field goal.

Bailey sometimes doesn't get the recognition he deserves as one of the league's premier cover corners, but if Elvis Dumervil and the rest of the Broncos pass rush was able to get to McNabb in the second half, it was because of the coverage Bailey was providing down the field.

-The Oakland Raiders are the most undisciplined team in the NFL. 13 penalties, which cost Oakland 126 yards. Four of those were 15-yarders for unsportsmanlike conduct (twice), unnecessary roughness and taunting. Two Raiders, CB Stanford Routt TE Tony Stewart, were tossed from the game.

Got to do something about that Mr. Cable, got to.

-One more thing I know about the Raiders: Charlie Frye is not the answer at quarterback. Don't be fooled by the 333 yards passing. Three interceptions, and it would have been four had Eric Wright not come down with one foot out of bounds in the end-zone. Trust me on this, Frye is just as much as of project as JaMarcus Russell.

-Five Things I Liked on Sunday:

+The AFC Wild Card race staying murky till the very end.

+The 49ers giving more of the ball to Frank Gore in the second half and riding him to victory.

+The Texans showing some guts, and finally winning a big game this season.

+Matt Moore, in for Jake Delhomme, clocking his third straight good performance at QB for Carolina.

+Asante Samuel getting up high to pick Kyle Orton.

-Five Things I Didn't Like:

+All the NFC playoff teams being determined with a week still to play.

+The Giants, Jaguars, Seahawks and Bills pretty much not showing up for their Sunday games.

+The Chiefs losing their fifth straight after their potential season-changing win against Pittsburgh.

+Matt Hasselbeck throwing four interceptions for the second week in a row.

+Alex Smith, 6'4”, getting pass after pass batted down at the line of scrimmage. At least five by my count.

Picking NFL Week 16

-But first some Christmas night thoughts:

+On a cold night in Nashville, the Chargers produced an impressive display to top the Titans 42-17 and seize the number 2 seed in the AFC for the playoffs.

Philip Rivers threw for 264 yards and two touchdowns (watch his awesome athleticism on his first touchdown toss) , while LaDanian Tomlinson and Darren Sproles added two more touchdowns apiece on the ground.

Sure, the Titans were missing two of their starting linebackers, Keith Bulluck and David Thornton, but you couldn't help but be impressed with the way the Chargers gashed Tennessee's defense and moved the ball: they scored touchdowns on every one of their trips to the redzone, putting the game out of reach in the third quarter.

On the defensive side of the ball, although they struggled to contain Chris Johnson (they aren't the first and certainly won't be the last to fail in that department), they forced three key turnovers, picking off Vince Young twice and recovering his fumble.

+You look at the Chargers this season, who have now won ten games in a row, and you really wonder if they might be the best team in the NFL right now.

For much of the season, they have been behind the Colts, the Saints and the Vikings in most people's pecking order. Well, in the last three weeks, the Vikings have shown their frailties in losses to the Cardinals and Panthers while the Saints battled to close wins over the Redskins and Falcons before losing to the Cowboys last week.

The Colts haven't lost yet, so they can't be bumped from the top spot by the Chargers, but if the two teams played tomorrow, I'm not sure Indianapolis would be a shoo-in by any means....We could be in for one heck of an AFC championship game come January.

+The fairytale storyline of the year in the NFL is over: the Titans won't be the first team to rebound from a 0-6 start to make the playoffs.

They came close, thanks to Vince Young leading them on a winning touchdown drive in the dying seconds against the Cardinals and Rob Bironas' winning field goal in overtime against the Dolphins last week. But their loss to the Colts in Week 13 that dropped them to 5-7 was really the moment that broke the back of their challenge.

After watching Vince Young's return completely transform the Titans after those first 6 losses and it still not be enough to make the playoffs, I can't imagine it'll be anytime soon that we'll see a team undergo enough of a transformation to break that record.

-How I did last week: 6-10

The craziness of week 15, with the continual lead changes deep in the fourth quarter (that all seemed to go against me by the way) definitely took a few years off my life. No excuses for some of my horrible picks last week however, i.e. Saints and Redskins....

-Record on the Season: 60-44

Buccaneers at Saints: The Saints list of walking wounded is the longest in the NFL (apart from the Colts perhaps), and with the dream of the undefeated season gone, we should see a lot of backups getting playing time against the Bucs. The problem is: their backups are probably still better than the Bucs. Saints.

Broncos at Eagles: Brian Westbrook will return after two concussions against the Broncos. How scary might the Eagles offense be if Westbrook plays like he did when he carried the Eagles in the playoffs last year? One fun thing these two teams have in common: embarrassing losses to the Raiders this season. Eagles.

Bills at Falcons: Not a game that matters much or will be remembered for any length of time. No one can even be sure who will start at quarterback....for either team. Falcons, just cos they're at home.

Texans at Dolphins: The Dolphins and the Texans are two of the host of 7-7 teams in the AFC. Both have a slim shot at the playoffs, both know that one loss and they're done. Another toss-up matchup, but the Dolphins have played better in big games this year. Dolphins.

Panthers at Giants: Where did Matt Moore (60% completion rate, 4 TDs and 1 interception in his three starts since taking over from Jake Delhomme) come from? Where has the Julius Peppers who terrorized Brad Childress into trying to yank Brett Favre been this year? If those two play well again, the Panthers will definitely have a chance, but in the grand scheme of things, the Giants have more to play for. Giants.

Chiefs at Bengals: This is the kind of game the Bengals have played their worst football in all season. However Cincinnati will still want to win one for Chris Henry, and they also have to make sure they stay ahead of the Ravens in the AFC North. Bengals.

Seahawks at Packers: Green Bay lost a heart-breaker in Pittsburgh last week, where their defense, a strength all year, went AWOL. They shouldn't be too worried about Matt Hasselbeck passing for 500 yards (as Roethlisberger did) though. Packers.

Raiders at Browns: Any chance Jerome Harrison rushes for 286 yards in a game ever again in his career? What Harrison and Joshua Cribbs' two returns for touchdown hid was Brady Quinn's pedestrian performance: 10 of 17 for 66 yards and 2 interceptions. The Raiders will try to take away the run and make Quinn beat them through the air, and they'll fancy their chances. Raiders.

Jaguars at Patriots: The Patriots are (probably) going to get to the playoffs by the back door; not what was expected in the year of Tom Brady's return. The Jaguars are a quarterback away from being a very good team. Could be a close one, but again playing at Foxborough gives New England the edge. Patriots.

Ravens at Steelers: Wow, didn't the Steelers winning drive against the Packers last week feel like a Superbowl flashback? Only this time Pittsburgh was fighting to stay alive for the playoffs, not win the whole thing. This one will be close, as it always is when these teams face off. However, in my mind, two things swing the balance in Pittsburgh's favor: the Ravens needed overtime to beat the Steelers at home without Big Ben less than a month ago. With Roethlisberger back and the Heinz field faithful at full voice, Pittsburgh should have too much for Baltimore. Steelers.

Rams at Cardinals: Inconsistency, the Cardinals speak thy name. Thankfully the Rams have been consistent in their awfulness, so Arizona should be fine, no matter which team shows up. Cardinals.

Lions at 49ers: The Niners were outclassed by the Eagles last week, and now they'll get their own chance to outclass someone. The Lions, especially without Matthew Stafford, are terrible. Expect the 49ers defense to take over. 49ers.

Jets at Colts: Chasing history ain't easy at the best of times, but with the number of injuries the Colts have right now...The Jets, another 7-7 team, will want this one bad. But I just can't pick against the steely look on Peyton Manning's face a week ago in Jacksonville. He wants that undefeated season bad, and I know better than to pick against MVP Manning. Colts.

Cowboys at Redskins: The Cowboys scored a huge psychological victory by beating the Saints on Saturday, putting in great performances in all three phases of the game. Two days later, the Redskins laid an egg against the Giants. Last week the two teams look miles apart, and I can't believe one week will be enough for the Redskins to bridge that gap. Cowboys.

Vikings at Bears: The worst time to show weakness in football is December, and Minnesota have lost two of three so far in the business month this season. I wouldn't bet against Brett Favre wanting to play the whole game to right that wrong. Will Brad Childress try to stand up to him again? Vikings.

Picking NFL Week 15

-But first, some Thursday night thoughts:

+Watching the Jaguars O-line blow open huge holes in the Colts defense for Maurice Jones-Drew and Rashad Jennings to run through in the first half, I couldn't help but feel that on this particular night, with the Colts having locked up home field advantage through the playoffs, the Jacksonville wanted it more than Indy....I was wrong.

Make no mistake, this was a statement game for Peyton Manning who stayed in for all of it. He doesn't want to be rested, and he is going to do everything he can to lead the Colts to a perfect season.

Perfect, that's what Manning was in the first half, completing all 13 of his passes. He wasn't much worse in the second, finishing with four touchdown passes, including a 65-yard beauty to Reggie Wayne for the winning touchdown, and 308 yards passing.

Whether Jim Caldwell and the Colts coaching staff allow Manning and the rest of first-teamers to chase the perfect season by letting them play is still up in the air, but if Thursday's game was any indication, Caldwell seems ready to break with the Tony Dungy school of thought of resting his starters for the playoffs.

+Jacksonville still have shot at the post-season, but their losses to the Dolphins and now the Colts have been real heartbreakers. If they don't make it in, their biggest question this off-season will be about the quarterback position and if the incumbent, David Garrard, is their future.

The thing about Garrard is that he is tantalizingly close to being the real deal. Backed by an excellent running game, he managed the Jaguars offense well through the whole game, and threw three touchdowns of his own.

But with the game on the line, with under two minutes left, he wobbled. He overthrew a pass, and missed a wide open Mike Sims-Walker. He then put too much air under a pass for Mike Thomas which Jacob Lacey intercepted to effectively end the game.

Garrard is now 31 and has 8 years of NFL experience under his belt. Yet, for the past two years, his quarterback rating has hovered in the 80s, begging the question: will he ever be able to lead the Jaguars to victories over elite teams?

That's a question the power people within the Jaguars franchise are going to think about long and hard this offseason.

-How I did last week: 12-3

The big week I needed. Could have been even better had I gone with my gut, and not my fear of the “Bengals Jinx” (not a proper jinx, just my inability to pick a Bengals game right all year.)

-Record on the season: 54-34

Cowboys at Saints: What's been lost in all the “Cowboys in December” talk, is that Dallas actually played well last week, barely losing to the Chargers, possibly the hottest team in football right now. Unfortunately for the Cowboys, you don't get style points in the NFL; just ask the Saints, who have clung on by the skin of the teeth to their unbeaten record the last two weeks. For the 'Boys, this is not just another extremely tough match up: this December thing has got in their heads. Saints.

Dolphins at Titans: This could turn out to be one of the best match-ups of the weekend, with both teams battling for their playoff lives. Both teams are hot too, the Dolphins having won 5 of 7 and the Titans 6 of 7. Vince Young is questionable for this one and whether he plays or not could be the difference. Dolphins in a nail-biter.

Falcons at Jets: The Jets have had a mini revival of late, winning three after losing six out of seven. Rookie QB Mark Sanchez will return, but the Jets won't look to him to win the game for them. The last three weeks they have relied on their running game and defense and don't expect that to change Sunday. With Matt Ryan and Michael Turner doubtful for the Falcons, the Jets brand of “December football” will rule the day. Jets.

Browns at Chiefs: My only thought about this game: apart from Brady Quinn's parents, who's going to be watching? Chiefs.

49ers at Eagles: It's easy to say the Cardinals gave the 49ers a win last week by turning the ball over 7 times, but you can't entirely ignore the defensive effort San Francisco put in, from the violent ball-seeking hits of safety Dashon Goldson to the great coverage in the secondary of Tarell Brown and co. Can they shut down another extremely explosive offense in Philly? Well, maybe to some degree, but not enough to win the game, the Eagles just have too many weapons. Eagles.

Packers at Steelers: Things can't get much worse for the defending champs. Five losses in a row, including losses to the Chiefs, the Raiders and last week, the Browns!?! Well, the impressive Packers won't provide any respite for them this week, as they will need to win just as badly as the Steelers to keep pace in the NFC wild card race. Packers.

Patriots at Bills: Will the Patriots finally win a game on the road this season? Despite their defensive frailties and all the fuss surrounding Randy Moss and his supposed lack of effort against the Panthers, the Patriots still lead the AFC East (which, by the way, has probably been the closest of all the divisions the last two seasons) by one game. The Bills will make it difficult for them, just as they did earlier this year, but New England just can't afford to lose ground in the division race. I expect their star players (Moss included) to carry them through. Patriots.

Texans at Rams: The Texans haven't had much difficulty dealing with struggling teams this year, as their shellacking of the Seahawks last weekend proved. The Rams shouldn't be a problem, it's AFC South teams Houston can't beat (they're 1-5 in division games this year, 5-2 against everyone else). Texans.

Cardinals at Lions: The Cardinals have been inconsistent all year, as the last two weeks have perfectly illustrated (first, they thrash the Vikings, then they don't show up against the Niners). I don't think they'll have two horrible performances in a row though, and that's what would need to happen for the Lions to prevail here. Cardinals.

Bears at Ravens: The Bears have nothing left to play for, while the Ravens very much do. Add on the fact that Chicago has a porous O-line and a struggling quarterback. In front of its fans, Baltimore's D will be at its intimidating best. Ravens.

Bengals at Chargers: The tragedy of Chris Henry's passing will be on every Bengal mind on Sunday when they take the field. They'll want to win this one for him really badly, but the Chargers are just too good with their 'basketball player' receivers, gunslinger quarterback Philip Rivers, and underrated defense. The Bengals have the best cornerback tandem in the league, Leon Hall and Jonathan Joseph, which gives them a chance, but their offense will struggle to keep up with the Chargers. Chargers.

Raiders at Broncos: JaMarcus Russell's stock is so bad right now that, despite Bruce Gradowski's injury, Charlie Frye will start against the Broncos. Don't know who that is? No need to apologize, Frye is hardly a household name, despite already playing for three NFL teams in his young career. Moreover if Frye gets injured, I wouldn't be surprised if Tom Cable turns to J.P. Losman, signed this week from the UFL, ahead of Russell. If the embarrassment of his current position in the QB pecking order doesn't drive to Russell to work harder and learn his playbook, nothing ever will. Broncos.

Buccaneers at Seahawks: Neither team has anything left to play for, so this one will simply come down to who wants it more, and maybe the fact that Seattle is just a little bit better. Seahawks.

Vikings at Panthers: The Vikings bounced back strong against the Bengals last week. Because the Packers are still on their heels, they also have something to play for. Minnesota's run D should stop DeAngelo Williams, meaning this might be another torrid, mistake-filled day for Carolina beleaguered QB Jake Delhomme. The Vikings ball-hawks will be circling...Vikings.

Giants at Redskins: Upset of the Week: Call me naïve, but I truly believe that the Redskins have been far better than their 4-9 season this year, particularly in the last few weeks. Washington knows that with a victory they could effectively end the Giants playoff hopes, and they would love to take some of their season's frustrations out on New York. Redskins.

NFL Week 14

-Both the Colts and the Saints keep their quest for an undefeated season alive. As the dust settles from Sunday's action, the NFL has two teams at 13-0. The question becomes: could both go the distance? Almost more importantly, does it really matter?

While only two teams in the history of the NFL have gone undefeated, is that distinction worth harming your team's playoffs chances, even remotely? Everyone remembers the 18-1 2007 Patriots...

History suggests that the Colts, who locked up home field advantage throughout the playoffs by beating the Broncos, will start resting key personnel (read Peyton Manning, in particular) in their final three games at the Jaguars and Bills, and at home to the Jets.

For the Saints, who are not used to this type of league dominance, it is an entirely different proposition. Not only would an undefeated season probably mean a lot more to them, they also could still be caught by the Vikings who are two games behind them in the race for home-field advantage. The Saints won't be relishing a tough possible NFC title game against Minnesota regardless, but having to travel up north, to play in the dome, with the Vikings' rabid support; forget about it. Trust me, that is Sean Payton's number 1 priority right now, not resting players. And if it's not, it should be.

So even though the Colts have extended their win streak far more comfortably than the Saints the last few weeks, I think New Orleans is far more likely to end the year without a big fat zero in its loss column.

-Speaking of the Saints, can we please give some props to someone who doesn't play offense for New Orleans ? Jonathan Vilma, the former NFL rookie of the year, was traded from the Jets when the brilliant coaching mind of Eric Mangini decided he wouldn't fit his scheme.

Two years on and Vilma is the leader of a Saints defensive unit that has transformed from a weakness to a strength for New Orleans.

On Sunday, Vilma made two fantastic defensive plays to keep the Saints undefeated. First dropping back in coverage to pick off a Chris Redman pass, and then bailing out the offense again after they went for it and didn't convert on fourth down.

With just over a minute left, and the Falcons driving for the tying field goal, on fourth-and-two, Vilma sniffed out the underneath pass to Jason Snelling, came up and laid the perfect hit on him, stopping him short of a first down and effectively ending the game. An undisputed victory for all fans everywhere who hate the prevent defenses NFL teams too often employ at the end of games.

-At what point does a losing streak start to weigh on the minds of sports' team? How about right now if you're the Dallas Cowboys? All week the Cowboys have been handling questions about their terrible record in December (Following Sunday's loss to the Chargers, they are 18-33 after December 1 since 1996, and 5-10 with Tony Romo under center).

Sunday, they had the perfect opportunity to prove to everyone that they can win in the NFL's crunch month by beating the red-hot Chargers at home in new Cowboys Stadium, where they had won all but one of their games this season.

The thing is they didn't play badly. They didn't turn the ball over, established the run, and Romo passed for 239 yards. However there were two sequences killed the Cowboys chances. First, they failed to convert a 1st-and-goal from the Chargers' 4 at the end of the second quarter. Marion Barber was stuffed four times by the Chargers front seven and Dallas turned it over on downs. Second, the Cowboys couldn't get the Chargers offense off the field in the fourth quarter, as Philip Rivers and co. produced a fabulous 15-play, 73-yard drive that ate up over 7 minutes of clock. The drive ended with a Nate Kaeding field goal that put San Diego up 20-10, an insurmountable lead with under two minutes left.

As if to put an exclamation point on a miserable afternoon for the Cowboys, their best defensive player and pass rusher, DeMarcus Ware, was carted off the field with what looked like a serious head injury in the second half.

None of Dallas' final three games (away to the Saints and Redskins and at home to the Eagles) look easy, meaning that they're going to have to break out of this losing streak the hard way. They certainly have the personnel and talent to do it, but if they let all the talk of the streak get to them mentally, they could be in for another torrid December...

-It was strength against strength as the Bengals running game took on the Minnesota run defense; and the Vikings won. Sure, Benson got 97 yards of rushing on Sunday, but that production was inflated by the 42 yards that came on one rush. Apart from that run, the Vikings held one of the best backs in the league (who would have thought anyone would ever say that about Benson after his 2008 troubles) to 3.6 yards a carry.

Unable to really establish the ground game, the Bengals were forced into a number of long passing situations where they were clearly uncomfortable. Palmer threw for only 94 yards on 15 completions, and didn't get a chance to throw the deep ball all day as he was under constant pressure from the Vikings defensive line.

Unless the Bengals can pass the ball better when the playoffs roll around (and clean up all those penalties, by the way), I don't see them being a major force to be reckoned with in January.

-Sure, Chad Ochocinco gets a lot of attention and publicity for his boisterous and talkative personality, but it also earns him to some huge hits, like the one he took from corner Antoine Winfield on Sunday. Afterward, he was clearly in a lot of pain on the sideline, with a swollen nose, and didn't catch another ball for the rest of the game.

Credit to Chad though, the man is true to himself. No matter how many hits he's taken to it over the years, he isn't about to shut that mouth of his. As he would say, “Child, please!”

-All three of the rookie first-round quarterbacks have had their moments this year, but ultimately they have furnished more proof as to how difficult it is to transition from the college to the pro game for quarterbacks. Mark Sanchez looked like a stud for the first three games of the season, Matthew Stafford had that last-second fourth quarter comeback against the Browns, and Josh Freeman led the Buccaneers to their first win in his first NFL start.

But with both Sanchez and Stafford out nursing injuries on Sunday, it was Freeman's turn to have his first really bad game: he completed only 43% of his passes for 93 yards and threw three interceptions against the Jets.

Last year Matt Ryan, and Joe Flacco surprised everyone by performing so well right out of the gate after being drafted 3rd and 18th overall respectively. But even those two haven't been immune from the dreaded sophomore slump this season.

Sitting your young QB and giving him time to learn the system and get to grips with NFL-quality defenses is looking like a better and better strategy (see Aaron Rodgers, Tony Romo, Vince Young, Chad Henne, and even Kevin Kolb).

Of course to do that, you need the luxury of time, which most teams drafting a QB high in the first round don't.

-Eagles top Giants in a nail-biting shootout. At one point in the third quarter, after Eli Manning and Donovan McNabb had traded 60-yard touchdown passes on back-to-back plays, you had to wonder if either team had any interest in playing defense.

The purists would tut and shake their heads at the Eagles secondary's atrocious open-field tackling, or the Giants numerous blown coverages, but at some point, in games like this, you just have to sit back and enjoy the show.

Philly wide receiver DeSean Jackson, who missed last week's game with a concussion by the way, might just be the most explosive playmaker in the NFL, and he made a strong case again, scoring on a 72 yard punt return and a 60-yard reception.

The Giants hit back with a couple of long touchdowns of their own with both Hakeem Nicks and Domenik Hixon evading tacklers for TD receptions of 68 yards and 61 yards respectively.

Not the style of game you would traditionally associate with a NFC East divisional match-up, but the Eagles won't mind. With their third consecutive win, they leapfrog Dallas to first place in the division and have gotten hot at exactly the right time.

Picking NFL Week 14

-How I did last week: 7-8

My first losing week, and utterly deserved. My crystal ball was particularly cracked with regards to the Sunday and Monday night games where the Vikings and the Ravens got completely outplayed by the Cards and Packers respectively.

-Record on the season: 42-31

Really in desperate need of a couple big weeks.

-Saints at Falcons: Looks like Matt Ryan is going to be missing another one, and after watching the Chris Redman-led Falcons get trounced in Philly, I can't pick against the Saints in this one. Even with some of the miracle plays they needed to beat the Redskins last week. Saints.

-Broncos at Colts: The Colts would set an NFL record for most consecutive wins (22) with a victory against the Broncos. Denver has been good the last two weeks, but there were no signs of Indy taking their foot off the gas against the Titans. Don't let him fool you, Peyton will have his eye on the history books Sunday. Colts.

-Seahawks at Texans: Both teams have disappointed this year, particularly the Texans who've lost their last five. Seattle has actually won its last two, against divisional opponents, but I think Houston will bounce back in this one...a couple weeks too late. Texans.

-Bills at Chiefs: Last time these teams locked horns, the Bills put up 54 on the hapless Chiefs who turned the ball over 5 times. Moreover the Chiefs win at Arrowhead against the Steelers has turned out to be far less of a momentum shifter than a lot of people (including this writer...of course) thought, as they got killed in their next two games, not to mention the fact that the Steelers have been terrible themselves. Bills.

-Dolphins at Jaguars: Hands down the Jaguars have been the quietest 7-5 team in the league. With the Colts having already clinched the AFC South, their only route to the playoffs is through the wild card race. Beat Miami, and they will put themselves in a great position, two games ahead of one of their closest rivals in that race with three weeks left. However, the Dolphins, at 6-6, have had a much tougher schedule to this point, and beat New England last Sunday. I also think Chad Henne is the real deal for them at quarterback. Expect a hard fought game. Dolphins.

-Panthers at Patriots: The problems for New England have been on the road (they are still winless), not a Foxboro. Questions still surround Tom Brady's fitness for the game, but I think he'll play, simply because the Pats can't allow their poor form to continue with Miami only one game back in the AFC East. Patriots.

-Bengals at Vikings: Boy, did we see a different Vikings team Sunday night...They couldn't run or throw the ball, and they couldn't slow down Kurt Warner and the Cardinals offense. Meanwhile the Bengals, despite dragging their feet through wins against the Lions and Browns and slipping up to the Raiders, have beaten all the really good teams they've faced this season (that fluke against Denver notwithstanding). I'll let injuries rule the day in this one. With Bengals running back Cedric Benson in, and linebacker E.J. Henderson, the leader of the Vikings D, out: Bengals.

-Lions at Ravens: Don't expect a shootout here, folks, with both offenses equally toothless. Rookie Lions QB Matthew Stafford will miss this one, meaning veteran Daunte Culpepper will have to face Ray Lewis et al. On the other side, Ravens QB Joe Flacco continues to suffer from the lack of receiving options he has. Derrick Mason seems to be the only receiver he really likes to throw to, but while Mason is a solid possession receiver, he isn't enough of a threat to base an entire NFL-level passing game on. Thankfully for Baltimore, the Lions have the 2^nd worst defense in the league, and won't be able to exploit the lack of offensive weapons the Ravens have. Ravens.

-Packers at Bears: It's hard not be impressed with Green Bay after their fourth win in a row. The offensive line seems to have pulled it together, and is giving quarterback Aaron Rodgers the time he needs. The team is also stacked with a ton of talented young defensive players from linebackers A.J. Hawk, rookies Clay Matthews and Brad Jones, to cornerback Tramon Williams and defensive tackle B.J. Raji. Even in the absence of two of their best defensive players, Aaron Kampman and Al Harris, you get the feeling that, in the third year since Favre's departure, this “post-number 4” Green Bay team is beginning to shape up. Packers.

-Rams at Titans: Both Vince Young and Chris Johnson are doubts for the game, and yet I still can't pick the Rams. That should tell you a little bit about how far the Rams have to go, starting with drafting a quarterback of the future in April's draft, if only so we don't have to keep watching Kyle Boller struggle back there. Titans.

-Jets at Bucs: With rookie QB Mark Sanchez out, Kellen Clemens is going to get a great chance to prove to America that the Jets and Rex Ryan made the wrong choice in rushing Sanchez into a starting role ahead of him in August. At 26, he must know that this could be the last chance he has at be a starting quarterback in the NFL, either with in New York or somewhere else. I say he'll seize the moment. Jets.

-Redskins at Raiders: It's hard to believe that the Raiders have beaten the Eagles, the Bengals and the Steelers this year. Two of those wins have come with Bruce Gradowski at QB, after Cable finally yanked JaMarcus Russell, who is well on the way to being one of the worst draft picks of all time. The Redskins also really elevated their game against the Saints (and the Eagles and Cowboys in the two previous weeks as well). Consider this, Washington lost those games against three playoff-hunting teams by a combined 7 points. The football gods owe them a W....so I think they'll lose. Raiders.

-Chargers at Cowboys: I don't know if their history of December woes played a part in the Cowboys losing to the Giants last week, but the longer the streak goes, the more it will get to the players' heads. The good news: they're at home, in their new stadium where they've only lost once in six games. The bad news: they play the Chargers who are as hot as anyone in the league having won 7 in a row. If the Cowboys can put up points early, they'll be fine, if not....Chargers.

-Eagles at Giants: The Eagles have owned the Giants in recent games, beating them earlier this season, and knocking them off of the playoffs last year. One win against Dallas doesn't convince me that the Giants woes are over. Eagles.

-Cardinals at 49ers: The Cards looked awfully scary last week against Minnesota, with the offense playing the same way as it did last winter in the playoffs when it just couldn't be stopped. The Niners actually beat the Cards earlier in the year, but that was before Arizona got all warmed up. Cardinals.

NFL Week 13

-The last year of this decade is turning out to be a bad one for the two teams that dominated football in the 2000s. Both the Patriots and the Steelers, who have won the Superbowl five times between since 2000, lost on Sunday. New England slipped to 7-5, while the Steelers fell to 6-6.

Things have just been tough for the two titans of the game this season. New England hasn't won a game on the road all season, and Pittsburgh has lost four in a row now, including games to the Chiefs and Raiders.

Injuries have played a part in their slides, (I'm thinking particularly of Troy Polamalu here, who makes the Steelers defense an entirely different unit) but neither team has really wowed anyone all year. Whereas you watch the Saints, the Vikings and the Colts, and they just look so explosive on both sides of the ball.

The season is not over yet, and both the Patriots and Steelers still have a decent shot at the playoffs, but the more I watch them this year, the more it seems to me that they aren't in the top tier of NFL teams anymore.

-Trust the NFC East to keep the waters muddy till the very end. Dallas had won 6 of its last 7, New York had lost 5 of its last 6 and sat two games behind the Cowboys in the divisional race. So of course the Giants go and beat Dallas, thanks to some big plays from Brandon Jacobs (who, of course, has had a horrible year up to this point) and a fantastic punt return touchdown from Domenik Hixon.

Add the Eagles (8-4), who've won three in a row, to the mix, and you've got a very messy division on your hands. The Eagles play the Giants next week, the Giants play the resurgent Redskins the week after that, while the Cowboys will play against Washington and Philadelphia in its final two games.

I'm not sure any of these teams is particularly special this year, but that's irrelevant really, this one is going to go down to the wire, and hopefully give us some entertaining football.

-Has there been a worse field goal miss this season than Sean Suisham sliced chip-shot against the Saints? Sure, the series of misses that cost Steve Hauschka his job in Baltimore were bad, but Suisham missed a kick from only 23 yards out that would have given the Redskins a ten point lead over the Saints with less than two minutes left.

The Redskins had produced a valiant defensive display up to that point, and QB Jason Campbell had played out of his skin all afternoon to put Washington in a winning position. But with the kick that would iced it missed, the Saints drove down the field before Drew Brees found Robert Meachem over the middle for a 53 TD pass.

You can't place all the blame on Suisham (who has been one of the more reliable place kickers in the NFL this year) because he wasn't responsible for the interception Campbell threw right at the end of the fourth quarter, or the Mike Sellers' fumble in OT (still not sure about that one). But still. 23-yards at this level for an improbable win against arguably the best team in the NFL. You gotta hit those.

-It was fun while it lasted, but the Titans run came to an end Sunday. After winning five games in row (after a six game losing streak of course), Tennessee came up against a team that had a little too much for them in Indianapolis, who look entirely incapable of having an off day.

The Colts bottled up Chris Johnson who, even though he picked up over 100 yards on the ground, couldn't break any big plays (his largest run was 11 yards). Vince Young threw for 241, but didn't get it done in the redzone, turning it over twice on downs inside the Colts 15 in the second half.

So is the fairytale season comeback over for the Titans? Well, at 5-7, mathematically it's not. But they'll need to win out to have any chance at the playoffs, and that includes games against the red hot Chargers and the solid Dolphins.

-Michael Vick produces his first big plays of the year in his return to Atlanta. It had to be that way, didn't it? He hadn't been involved in a touchdown since he went to jail. He hadn't thrown a pass of more than 5 yards all season. But Vick changed all that in the Georgia Dome to chants of “We want Vick” from the crowd.

He ran for one touchdown, passed for another, and completed a 43 yard pass to Reggie Brown: everything Vick could have wanted (and that we might have expected) from his return.

-Expect a lot of teams to study the gameplan the Cardinals used in their upset of the Vikings. The Vikings had looked phenomenal the last few games, but Arizona completely shut them down. In fact, they took away all the things that Minnesota has excelled at during their winning stretch.

a) The deep ball. Clips of Brett Favre slinging it deep to open receivers have been all over highlight reels all season long. But the Cardinals didn't let that happen. Favre's longest completion until fourth quarter garbage time was 21 yards pass in the 2nd quarter. They made him throw short stuff, and picked off two of those throws.

b) Running the ball. Adrian Peterson: 19 yards on 13 carries (I assure you, there are no typos there.) Not much more to be said really.

c) The pass rush. Jared Allen and the ability of the lime to pressure the passer is what makes the Vikings defense special. They didn't get a single sack of Kurt Warner, who coolly completed 68% of his passes.

Suddenly the Vikings don't look so invulnerable...and everyone in the NFC knows it.

Picking NFL Week 13

-How I did last week: 8-8

Batting .500 at Thanksgiving. Not great. It could have been much worse, I suppose, had the Eagles and Falcons not had late fourth quarter comebacks in their games. So much for the Pats providing the upset of the week

-Record on the season: 35-23

Rams at Bears: I feel that Jay Cutler and the Bears are due a bounce-back game after four straight losses that have effectively ended their playoff hopes. The Bears D will try and put all their efforts into stopping Steven Jackson, and, although I've only seen glimpses of his play, Kyle Boller doesn't appear to have enough to lead the offense to victory. Bears.

Buccaneers at Panthers: The Panthers are so unpredictable this year, with Jake Delhomme fluctuating between decent and horrendous. Although the Bucs have potential, especially in the form of rookie QB Josh Freeman, their defense is 26^th in the league this year. I don't see Delhomme struggling as mightily as he did against the Jets above secondary, especially if DeAngelo Williams can establish the running game. Panthers.

Texans at Jaguars: The Texans will struggle to believe that they have a worse record at this stage of the season than Jacksonville's quiet 6-5. The Jags actually beat the Texans earlier in the year, probably their most impressive victory to date. However, having watched the Texans last week against the Colts, it's easy to see that they are a team who are very close to being pretty good. They have four winnable games in a row coming up, and I still think they will make a playoff push. Texans.

Broncos at Chiefs: The Broncos did a great job of putting an end to their four-game slide by emphatically beating the Giants on Thanksgiving. They once again looked like the team that surprised us all earlier in the season. The Chiefs had a good win against the Steelers two weeks ago, but were brought back to earth after being outclassed by the Chargers. I fear the same fate is in store for them Sunday. Broncos.

Eagles at Falcons: Matt Ryan being injured for this one makes it a much easier pick for me. I'm not convinced by the Eagles this season by any means, but I don't think their defense will be too fearful of Chris Redman, even if he did lead the Falcons to victory over the Bucs last week. Falcons might surprise me in this one, but I'll stick with the bigger birds. Eagles.

Titans at Colts: Upset of the Week: When is this gosh darn Titans run going to come to an end? Every week they seem to face a more formidable opponent, only to come out with yet another victory. Beat the Colts on Sunday, and they're back to .500, and with all their momentum, could be headed to the playoffs after an 0-6 start. What a story that would be. In their way this week stands the undefeated Colts, who already beat them 31-9 earlier this season. But that was a different Titans team, and with the Colts perhaps taking the foot off the gas this week after a run of brutal games, I'm betting on the strak to continue. Titans.

Saints at Redskins: Wow, was that a statement game by the Saints against the Patriots on Monday night or what? Their offensive display was awesome, and some of the throws Drew Brees made were simply ridiculous. If they can play like that come playoff time, I don't know if there is a defense in the NFL I could see stopping them. The Redskins actually happen to have a top ten defense, but I can't see it mattering much in this one. Saints.

Bengals at Lions: The Bengals sure haven't set the world alight the last two weeks against two of the weakest teams in the league, first losing to the Raiders, then squeaking past the Browns!! Still they shouldn't have to play their best to beat the Lions. Bengals.

Raiders at Steelers: Boy, the Steelers must be mad. Three consecutive losses to the Bengals, Chiefs and Ravens in overtime, receiver Hines Ward calling out his quarterback for being soft (then retracting it of course), and Troy Polamalu still out injured. The Raiders might fancy their chances to hand them a fourth loss on the bounce, but I think the Steelers will have other ideas. One thing's for sure, I wouldn't want to swap lives with Raiders QB Bruce Gradkowski on Sunday. Steelers.

Patriots at Dolphins: When these teams played less than a month ago, the Patriots just had too much for the Dolphins. I see this one being another close, especially considering how vulnerable the Pats D looked against New Orleans. The Dolphins pose a different type of challenge, however, one that the Patriots will not be so fearful of. Patriots.

Chargers at Browns: This game is the most unbalanced match-up of the weekend. If they played it a hundred times, I don't know that the Browns would win more than once or twice. Chargers.

49ers at Seahawks: More was expected from both of these teams this season. While they are both technically still alive in the playoff race, they also have an eye on next season. Seattle's GM Tim Ruskell stepped down Thursday perhaps paving the way for Mike Holmgren's return, while the 49ers have to decide in the next weeks whether Alex Smith can be their guy for the future at QB (I feel that's not the first time someone has said that sentence...) I'll go for the 49ers in this one, simply because mathematically they have a better chance at still making the playoffs. 49ers.

Cowboys at Giants: This is a can't-lose game for the Giants, but I think they will. They looked like a team out of ideas and low on confidence against the Broncos, and their secondary is bound to struggle against Tony Romo and his receivers, especially if their pass-rush is completely absent once again. Cowboys.

Vikings at Cardinals: In my mind the Vikings are every bit on the same level as the two undefeated teams in the league. They may have lost to the Steelers but they've also blown out a lot of teams this year. The Cardinals are the best team they've faced in a while, so it should be a good game, but I think the Vikings will have too much. Vikings.

Packers at Ravens: As we speak, the Packers lead the NFC wild card race (along with the Eagles), but this game is going to be a real test for them. Sure they've beaten the Cowboys this year, but four of their six other wins have come against the Lions (twice), Browns and Rams. I'm not convinced by them yet, and I think their offense will struggle against Ravens physical defense, especially in Baltimore. Ravens.

Civil War: Thoughts from the Student Section

-The better team won on Thursday. Oregon State produced a great performance, and are a really solid team, but from the get-go it seemed as if this was Oregon's game to lose. Despite two turnovers in the first half that put the Beavers in the redzone, and their defense struggling to come to grips with the Rodgers brothers, they still went in at the half only down 23-21.

In the second half, a couple of big stops from the defense allowed Oregon to regain the lead, before the “Le's” -LaMichael James, and LeGarrette Blount- took over, each coming up with a touchdown run. In the final minutes, Chip Kelly decided to go for it on a couple of big fourth downs, which the Ducks converted, essentially breaking the back of the Beavers challenge.

The Ducks deservedly win the Pac-10 and move on to the Rose Bowl.

-If you're looking for a turning point in this one, look no further than Kenny Rowe's second half pressure on Sean Canfield. In the first half, the Ducks couldn't get any pressure on the Beavers QB. Canfield, one of the most efficient passers in the Pac-10, had no trouble dissecting the Ducks inexperienced secondary with no pressure in his face.

That all changed a little over 2 minutes left in the third quarter, when, for seemingly the first time all game, a defender, DE Kenny Rowe, pressured and hit Canfield from the backside just as he was about to find the wide-open James Rodgers. On the next play, it was junior end Zac Clark turn to pressure Canfield, causing an inaccurate throw, and thereby holding Oregon State to a field goal.

On the Beavers next two possessions, the Ducks got all kinds of pressure on Canfield. Rowe sacked him twice and the Ducks first forced a huge 3 and out and then a turnover on downs.

Those stands by the Ducks D were crucial, and put Oregon back in the game's driving seat.

-We already knew Chip Kelly isn't scared to go for it on fourth down, but he just gave us another reminder Thursday. Three times he left his offense on the field on fourth down, and three times they came up roses. No doubt that the offense has responded to the confidence Kelly has shown in them all year, as exemplified by Masoli running over safety Lance Mitchell to just get past the sticks on one of the second of those fourth down plays.

-LeGarrette Blount had been waiting a while to get back on the field and on Thursday, he finally got it. It was hard to miss Blount being back in the huddle, after seeing the similarly sized Masoli and James standing next to each other out of the shotgun all season, suddenly Masoli seemed dwarfed by his backfield companion.

Blount had two big runs out of his 9 carries. First he had a 12 yarder for a touchdown, and then 30 yarder up the gut. After his touchdown run, not only his joy but that of all his teammates was clearly apparent. Everyone knows it's been a tough year for the big guy.

Hats off once again to Chip Kelly who I believe has handled the Blount situation perfectly this year. Despite pressure to do so, he didn't rush him back in either the Arizona State, or Arizona game, but still managed to get him meaningful carries in a crucial game towards the end of his Ducks career.

I'll bet we'll see him get quite a few carries in the Rose Bowl, as Chip Kelly will need his physicality to wear down Ohio State's big defense.

-Jeff Maehl has come a long way this year. I remember earlier this year against USC, even in a huge win, some Duck fans wouldn't get off receiver Maehl's back after he drew a number of yellow flags, for false start and holding penalties.

Well, boy, he's turned things around the last few games. Five of his six touchdowns for the year have come in the last four games, and he's been monstrous in the two Pac-10 deciding games. He followed up his 12 reception, 114 yard and 2 TD day against Arizona, with 6 receptions and 138 yards against the Beavers, including a 73 yard TD reception and a crucial, tough catch on 4th and 6 in the third quarter.

With Ed Dickson having played his last game at Autzen, expect Maehl to be Masoli's number 1 target next year.