Week 16 Results

New Orleans over Atlanta (17-14) Loss: After Monday night's game it is apparent that both teams are beatable.

• Drew Brees threw for 300 yards, but was intercepted on consecutive drives. Matt Ryan was disappointing, throwing for just 148 yards and only one TD . . . Brees is now the only NFL QB this season besides Eli Manning to throw at least 30 TDs while tossing 20 or more INTs . . .
  
• Atlanta RB Michael Turner, who entered the game with 1,256 yards rushing, was held to only 48 yards by New Orleans' 18th-ranked run Defense. Turner compounded his awful night by fumbling the football at the Saints one-yard line in the third quarter . . .
• Atlanta's defense played well overall, but late in the 4th quarter when the team most-needed the Saints to go three-and-out, the defense faltered by surrendering a 13-play, 90 yard drive that chewed 7:11 off the clock . . .
• Speak of that 90 yd drive, why do teams continue to employ the prevent defense no matter how many times they see other clubs get burned by it? For three-and-a-half quarters Atlanta successfully pressured Drew Brees and held the Saints to just 10 points. Inexplicably, late in the fourth quarter when they most-needed a defensive stand, Atlanta stopped blitzing and dropped-back into coverage, allowing Brees to drive his offense nearly the entire length of the field . . .
• Expect Atlanta to secure the NFC South division crown and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs next week when they face the Carolina Panthers . . .

Minnesota over Philadelphia (24-14) Loss: Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier obviously watched film of last week's Giants-Eagles game and noticed the success NY had in the first half pressuring Michael Vick. Of course, unlike the Giants, the Vikings stayed loyal to that strategy for the full 60 minutes and were rewarded with an upset victory. Vick was bounced off the turf repeatedly by a ferocious Vikings pass rush that sacked him six times and forced him to turn the ball over three times (two fumbles and one INT) . . .

• RB Adrian Peterson and WR Percy Harvin carved-up the Eagles defense. Peterson rushed for 118 yards on only 22 carries (5.4 yards per carry), while Harvin collected 100 yards receiving on just seven catches (14.3 yards per catch) . . .
• Here's an interesting stat that I was unaware of. (Thanks to ESPN.com for pointing this out) In the last six games Vick has thrown six INTs, lost three fumbles, and has been sacked 19 times . . .
• I enjoyed watching Minnesota QB Joe Webb make the Philadelphia defense look silly on several of his bootlegs. Now the Eagles know what it's like trying to deal with Michael Vick in the open field . . .
• For those who want to crucify the NFL for postponing the Eagles-Vikings game because of the snow, be aware that two of the main arteries leading to Philadelphia (the NJ Turnpike and the Garden State Parkway) reported over 100 accidents prior to the NFL's decision to postpone . . .

Following last night's Vikings-Eagles game, my Week 16 picks were an average 9-7. My season's record is now 143 - 97 . . .

Forget Teflon Don. The real teflon man is Norv Turner. Despite San Diego's latest annual failure to measure-up to expectations, team President Dean Spanos has guaranteed Turner's return for the 2011 season . . .

Floyd Mayweather, Jr. appears willing to fight everyone but Manny Pacquiao . . .

Quote of the week: Yesterday a sports fan called WFAN radio in NY and asked what accumulated faster on Sunday: inches of snow on the ground during NY's blizzard or points scored by the Packers against the Giants defense. Ha!! . . .

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