NFL Brief- Week 14

Its a good thing I wait until the football week is fully over to write this column. and yes that means staying up till near midnight to watch the Monday nighter. I still don't fully understand why if all primetime TV is driven by the east coast, why must the games start so late. Is it so the east coast can watch the first half but fall asleep before its over, or so that the west coast can get home from work for the second half, and miss how it all started. Games are stories, and we should have the ability to get the setup, the climax and the end of every one. Now I do, but I as others sacrifice sleep which leads to bags under the eyes and other flaws in appearance. I guess that's another argument altogether, but it is apparent that it bothers me. Regardless, this Monday nighter was great. The Carolina RB tandem of Deangelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart teamed up for 299 yards en route to a 38-23 dismantling of the Bucs. Get prepared now, sportscasters will start overusing the saying that is overused every year during December, "Carolina can now control their own destiny." I'm not sure if I like that one as much as "Seal their own fate" but you don't even need to keep your ears remotely open to hear these phrases used in the next three weeks. Ron Jaworski of ESPN said it 10 times in the 4th quarter last night, other's will use their "Jaws" in coming weeks to beat this to a bloody pulp. The fact is, the Panthers (10-3) play the GGGG-Men (11-2) in week 16. They win that game and win out.. they secure home field and a bye throughout the playoffs. There IS still a lot to play for in the remaining 3 weeks. Look at the AFC east if you don't believe me. Three teams at 8-5, divisional matchups still on the table, and with the wildcard most likely to come from another AFC division, winning the east is paramount for the Jets, Patriots, and Dolphins to make the playoffs. Should interesting and equally entertaining!

This weeks power of 5--

1. Giants- Loss to Eagles, but still the best team in the NFL
2. Titans- Decisive victory over the lowly Browns, big tests with Steelers and Colts in weeks 16 and 17
3. Panthers- ~~300 yards on the ground, solid D, big test week 16 vs. GGGGG-Men
4. Steelers- Roethlisberger is an uninspiring/ plain QB who finds a way to win almost every week
5. Colts- its hard not to like a Peyton led team down the stretch

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