NFL Week 16 Observations: Giants Hang On, Eagles Blow It

The Super Bowl Champs aren't dead just yet. In fact, after last night's thrilling 34-28, overtime victory, they're back in the drivers seat to Tampa.

It sure didn't begin pretty, though; the Panthers, and DeAngelo Williams in particular, scored three times on the team's first three possessions to put the Giants into a 21-10 hole, but New York showed its resiliency and pulled out the victory to earn home field throughout in the NFC.

And the Giants did so by sticking with the run. The dynamic duo of Brandon Jacobs and Derrick Ward ran for 300 yards on the night and sent a message to the rest of the league that in order to beat the Giants, you'd better be able to stop the run. Because that's exactly what they're going to do.

The Eagles and Cowboys blew perfect opportunities to solidify their playoff chances. On Saturday Night, after battling back to pull within two of the Baltimore Ravens at 19-17, the Cowboys defense inexplicably allowed Willis McGahee and Le'Ron McClain to score on touchdown runs of 75 yards and more on two consecutive runs. Memo to Wade Phillips; I don't think the defense that doesn't keep the safety in the middle should be in the play book.

On Sunday, with fate in their own hands, the Eagles blew a golden opportunity to put away a slumping Redskins' team, one that lost to the Bengals last week, in a 10-3 loss. This game pretty much personifies Andy Reid and Donovan McNabb's plight of the past few years.

Reid abandoned the run way too early (12 carries for Westbrook), and the Eagles were devoid of any play makers on the outside for McNabb to get the ball too. And second-round rookie DeSean Jackson's not the answer; he had three huge drops in the second half and one that would've been a 50-plus-yard score late in the game. But he was unable to hold on.

So now comes the big game at the Linc on Sunday. If Dallas wins, they're in; if Philly wins, they need some help, but they'd have an outside chance too.

The Falcons keep on rolling. With their win vs. Minnesota on Sunday, Atlanta advanced to the playoffs and now have a shot at a first-round bye if they can beat the Rams and the Panthers fall to the Saints. I still think Bill Belichick deserves a lot of consideration for the coach of the year, but the award has to go to Smith. What he's done in his first season with the franchise and how they've brought quarterback Matt Ryan along, is amazing.

Switching conferences, the Titans wrapped up home field throughout by beating the Steelers 31-14 in Tennessee. And what's more impressive is that they did it without their two defensive stars on the line: defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth and defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch.

I don't think you should write Tennessee into the Super Bowl though. The Steelers have had a brutal stretch these past few months—every game is big (Dallas, Baltimore, etc.), and I think this was more a game where they just failed to match the Titans intensity. And it cost them (home field). But should these teams meet again in January, I wouldn't be surprised if the outcome was different.

Now to the Jets. Is there a team that's been more pathetic of late? After pulling off the big win in Tennessee, their drop off has been bigger than the S & P. And had they not caught a break against the Bills last week, it would've been four straight losses. This week, Pennington comes home, and he and the Dolphins have a chance to stick it to their AFC rivals and solidify their own playoff chances while destroying the Jets. Quite amazing when you realize that the Fins were 1-15 last season.

And lastly, the AFC West/Worst? The Broncos had a golden opportunity to wrap up the AFC West yesterday. And after going up 13-0 on the Bills in the first half, it appeared that that was exactly what they were going to do. But it didn't happen. The Bills came to life midway through the second quarter and rang up 30 points in the 30-23 win.

And that sets up the big showdown in San Diego next weekend. The 4-8 Chargers, left for dead after week 13, put on a stellar performance in Tampa yesterday (41-24 victory) and have earned the right to win the AFC West vs. the Broncos next week. And isn't it only fitting that the Ed Hochuli error in week two didn't decide the season?

I think whichever coach loses next week—Turner or Shanahan, that coach will be on the unemployment line shortly. The Broncos' collapse is stunning while the Chargers, one of the most talented teams in the NFL, should never have been in this position. But a playoff berth would go a long way towards avoiding that pink slip.