One Wild and Wacky Week 17 Produces NFL Winners and Losers

The Top Five Winners and Losers of NFL, following Week 17

Obviously, when picking out the biggest loser of the 2008 National Football season, the Detroit Lions come to mind, seeing how they set a record by not winning a single, solitary game all season.

They are not the top loser, however, because they were not expected to win a lot of games, but surprisingly did not one, single game.

Nope, my biggest loser this season could be either the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who finished with four straight loses to miss the playoffs, or the Dallas Cowboys, with a 9-7 season that would be a success for most teams.

Here are my picks.

Winners:

1. Hands down, the Miami Dolphins, who had a 1-15 season last year and turned around to finish 11-5, topping the New York Jets 24-17 in the season finale. Any team that has Bill Parcells in its organization must be doing something right.

A year after going 1-15, the Dolphins completed a remarkable turnaround under first-year coach Tony Sparano, joining the 1999 Indianapolis Colts as the only teams in NFL history to make 10-game improvements. Miami, which has won five straight and nine of 10, made the playoffs for the first time in seven seasons. It's also the Dolphins' first AFC East title since 2000.

2. The Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons won their last three games to take the first wildcard spot in the NFL playoffs. Under Head Coach Mike Smith, the Falcons turned a 4-12 season into an 11-5 season and a playoff game. The charge was lead by rookie quarterback Matt Ryan and running back Michael Turner.

3. The Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles were on life support two times this season, following a 13-13 tie to Cincinnati Bengals and a loss to the Baltimore Ravens, when Quarterback Donovan McNabb was benched in the second half of the game. The other "death sentence" last week, losing to the Redskins, 10-3.

One Philadelphia sport writer suggested a “conspiracy” of sorts, scheduling the Eagles-Cowboys Week 17 game at 4:15 p.m. EST, saying that the Eagles would be let down by other teams who played at 1 p.m. knocking them out and the Cowboys winning to start their championship run.

Wrong! The Raiders beat Tampa Bay and the Texans beat the Bears, giving Philadelphia life and making the Eagles home game against the Cowboys a win-and-in game. The Eagles, behind a strong defense and quarterback Donovan McNabb drummed the Cowboys, 44-6. Eagles in, Cowboys out.

4. The Minnesota Vikings. Kicker Ryan Longwell’s 50-yard field goal with time expiring, gave Minnesota its first division title since 2000, with a 20-19 win over the New York Giants. Running back Adrian Peterson was nothing short of spectacular all season long. They were an impressive 6-2 at home this season under Head Coach Brad Childress.

5. The Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals, led by Quarterback Kurt Warner, finished the regular season with a winning record for the first time in a decade and only the second time since 1984. Their 9-7 record was good enough to win a weak NFC West.

The losers:

1. The New England Patriots. How many teams finished 11-5 and did not make the playoffs? This year it was the New England Patriots. A year after near perfection, early this season, star quarterback Tom Brady was lost for the season. Back up Matt Cassel did incredibly well, given the circumstances, but when has one player made a difference to a whole team?

Apparently the Patriots, who finished with a fine record, were playoff worthy, but beaten out by the Dolphins, and sit just ahead of the New York Jets in the AFC East. Dolphins in, Patriots and Jets out.

2. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They lost their last four games, including the season finale to the lowly Oakland Raiders, 31-24. A playoff team a year ago, their loss was Atlanta’s gain. Tampa Bay (9-7) was tied for first place in the NFC South heading into December but was outscored 62-19 in the fourth quarter and suffered overtime of losses to Carolina, Atlanta, San Diego and Oakland down the stretch.

3. The Dallas Cowboys. A preseason pick for the playoffs and even the Super Bowl, the Cowboys got hammered 44-6 by the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 17. After going 13-3 last season, they lost in the second round (first week bye) to the eventual champions, the New York Giants. The Cowboys have not won a playoff game since 1996, and last year’s loss to the Giants extended the Cowboys’ drought of playoff wins to 11 years and tied the NFL record of six straight playoff games lost. How ‘bout those Cowboys?

4. Da Bears. The Chicago Bears, who looked mid season to be the favorite of the NFC Central Division. The Bears lost to the Texans, 31-24, in Week 17. The Bears entered the game still in playoff contention after two straight overtime wins. But on Sunday, they saw their 10-0 lead evaporate with 21 straight points by the Texans and never led again. A single-game meltdown, as opposed to the Buccaneers.

5. The Detroit Lions. The poor, poor Lions. A friend of mine said, ironically that the Lions won all their pre-season games. The Lions lost to the Green Bay Packers 31-21 on Sunday, making them the first team to go winless through a 16-game season. The 1976 expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-14) were the last NFL team to complete a season without a victory.

How bad is it in Detroit? Head Coach Rod Marinelli’s defensive coordinator is also his son-in-law. Does incest breed contempt? Nope, but it produces one, bad, horrible, losing season. And they thought 21-percent unemployment was bad in the Motor City. Nope.

I wrote this story previous to the Broncos-Chargers Sunday night game. Obviously, one was the winner, the other the loser. One in, one out. One AFC West Division Champion, one goes home. Neither team is that bad or good. The division winner will finish with either a 9-7 record or 8-8.