The Shenoa Report Championship Weekend

The Shenoa Report

January 22, 2011

Post Season

Championship

Last weekend proved to be another weekend where “on any given day any given football team can win any given game.” The playoffs are always great to watch because they are supposed to be the best playing the best. They are the games where both teams are “supposed to win” The stakes are high. The winner advances to the next round and the loser just goes home. It was an exciting weekend indeed. When asked this Tuesday if I had caught a cold this weekend because my voice was so hoarse I had to tell my friend no I was just screaming at the games a lot this weekend. I am proud to be a football fan.

All right lets recap the divisional weekend.

 Baltimore @ Pittsburgh 24-31

Going into the half I was sure that Baltimore could win it easily if they could just keep up their momentum. I was so excited for them and then the Steelers showed up in the second half and the Ravens bent over. It was horrible to watch if you were a Baltimore fan or if you were not a fan of Pittsburgh. So lets talk about the first half. The Ravens were amazing. My favorite play had to be the Big Ben incomplete pass which was actually a fumble picked up by defensive end Cory Redding and run in for a touch down. Baltimore was up by two touchdowns going into half time and just BLEW IT in the second half. Blah blah blah Roethlisberger came to the rescue blah blah blah. I am really having a problem with all the praise this guy is getting. Sure he’s a good QB on the field BUT his life off the field the past couple of years makes me ill and, in my opinion, is overshadowing his “on the field” status… why he isn’t in jail right now totally miffs me. And I know, I know, I am supposed to keep my opinions separate from the player on the field and off the field, but let me ask you this… would you let your child pick a “man” that has been accused of rape MORE THAN ONCE to be their hero or role model?

Anyway Baltimore lost a close game and Pittsburgh moves on to the Championship game.

Green Bay @ Atlanta 48-21

This game was ridiculous… ridiculously awesome if you are a Packers fan! Aaron Rodgers is still on fire and I hope he blazes a trail all the way to the Super Bowl. Rodgers had three TD passes and a rushing TD in the win over Atlanta on Saturday night. I’m not going to lie I went to bed at the end of the 3^rd quarter thinking there is no way Atlanta is going to come back … and they didn’t.  I’ve said it already but I’ll say it again; man, oh man, Green Bay made the right decision in letting Brett go. Rogers put up more yards this game than Favre ever did in any playoff game. Hey Rodgers, I hope you break all of Favre’s records that he holds for Green Bay. Just don’t get too crazy and start beating Peyton’s records.  Atlanta’s run came to an abrupt ending when the team couldn’t get it together. It was a great run Atlanta, I think Panthers fans might be making a Southern shift to back up the Falcons next year. I think Carolina fans have forgotten what it feels like to have a winning season or even winning more than two games… 

Seattle @ Chicago 24-35

Matt Hasselbeck threw three TD passes in the fourth quarter.  But, it was a little too late being that Jay Cutler threw two TD passes and ran for two TDs and Chester Taylor had another rushing TD throughout the game for Chicago. The Bears dominated the Seahawks but I must point out that Chicago was up against an 8-9 team headed into the game. When you lose more games than you win there is a mentality that goes along with those statistics. Are the Bears really that good or were the Seahawks really that bad? Only time will tell when the Bears host Green Bay for the Championship game on Sunday. An interesting fact comes from this Seattle loss though. The Seahawks are the only NFL team in history to have an 8-10 season. So you trivia minded people lock that interesting tidbit away. You’re welcome.

New York Jets @ New England 28-21

5 sacks, 1 interception, lots of scrambling and dare I say some hideous incomplete passes. They used to call him Tom Terrific. I’m changing his nickname to Tom Not-so-terrific. Another interesting tidbit, the Patriots have not won a post-season game since their “perfect season” ended PERFECTLY with their Super Bowl loss to the NEW YORK FOOTBALL GIANTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Yes I have a big smirking grin on my face right now) As for the New York Jets, they played a GREAT game. They didn’t look at the Patriots like some mythical beast that couldn’t be beat. Instead they looked and saw them for what they were, defeateable.  Yes, on any given day, any given team can win any given game.  I do have to applaud Bill Beilichick for not putting up with the trash talk and benching Welker for the first series.  Rex Ryan didn’t follow suit and didn’t punish any of his players, or himself, for all the trash talk. The Jets not only talked the talk but also walked the walk on the field. Their offense was great and their defense was phenomenal. I really didn’t think that the Jets would be able to knock off the Patriots but I’m sure glad they did!

Side story: So as you may know I work with kids. Some little kids, mostly babies, have binkies (pacifiers).  I have come up with a new award. I call it the Binkie Award. This award goes to … well you can probably guess… the biggest baby each week. I award the Binkie Award to Deion Branch for whining after the game about the “classless Jets” in regards to Braylon Edwards’ celebratory backflip! Honestly if I could do a backflip I would have too to celebrate the Patriots loss. Congratulations Deion, now put the binkie in your mouth and stop whining.  Oh and if you want to you can practice your backflip this off season (which started at the end of said game) and have it ready for when you win your next game (which won’t be until at least September)

CHAMPIONSHIP WEEKEND

We are down to two games Sunday! Now you know that they have changed the OT rules for playoff games. There hasn’t been any OT in the playoffs yet… Maybe this Sunday? It would make an interesting Sunday even more interesting for sure!

Green Bay @ Chicago

Who’s going to be the best team in the NFC Sunday? I’m going with the Packers and here’s why. Rodgers is hot right now. Every game that the Packers have won in the past month has gained momentum and they are slingshotting into the Championship game. The Bears have also done well but haven’t played up to the same caliber as Green Bay. Aaron Rodgers is a clutch player and in the past Jay Cutler crumbles under extreme pressure pretty easily. Sure the Bears defensive line has some big names like Urlacher, Peppers, and Briggs but I don’t think they will be able to contain Rodgers. On the other hand even the TV show Glee has made reference to Cutler and his offensive line when the character Finn says “Karofsky plays right guard. If he gets pissed at me, I’m gonna get sacked more times than Jay Cutler.”

I just see Cutler getting sacked a lot and the Packers getting stronger and going all the way to the Super Bowl. This is me trying to be objective being that I like both teams. I have nothing against the Bears or the Packers. Regardless, it should be a great game.

New York Jets @ Pittsburgh

I’m not even going to try to be objective. I want the Jets to win this game. I want all the Roethlisberger praise to end and I want Sanchez and the rest of the Jets team to continue to knock off “the unbeatable teams”.  I love the confidence the Jets exude. I’m not a big fan of Rex Ryan but if he gets the job done on Sunday in Pittsburgh I may just become one. Sure this all would be totally different if the Steelers had a different QB. I enjoy watching Medenhall and Hines Ward and I love watching Polamalu. BUT I simply won’t cheer for Big Ben, unless the cheering is because he’s behind bars.

Bias’ and opinions aside this will be a good game to watch. The Jets are the underdogs but Pittsburgh is only favored by 3. Who will be the best team in the AFC?  I hope it’s the Jets.

I’ll be wearing a lot of green this Sunday! GO GREEN BAY AND J-E-T-S JETS!! JETS!! JETS!!!!!!!!!!!

Enjoy!

Thanks Mom for editing this for me!

The Shenoa Report Divisional Weekend

The Shenoa Report

January 15, 2011

Post Season

Divisional

Wow wild card weekend was definitely wild indeed. On Saturday both super bowl teams of last season were eliminated from the playoffs.  Now that both my teams are not super bowl bound maybe I’ll be a little bit more objective in my writing. It’s not likely, but maybe.  Lets start with the recap of wild card weekend.

New Orleans @ Seattle 36-41

Wow. Just wow. I never in a million years would have foreseen this outcome.  I thought for sure that the Saints would have had their way with the Seahawks. But you’ve got to hand it to the Seahawks they showed up. They lived up to the saying, “Go big or Go home.”  They definitely went big and now the Saints are going home. Hasselbeck was on fire with four touchdown passes and if you didn’t see the Marshawn Lynch TD run please put it on your “to do” list. It was absolutely amazing. The super bowl champs were out played. And the Seahawks still with a losing record on the season move forward in the playoffs.

New York Jets @ Indianapolis 17-16

Ok I’m going to try to be objective… The Jets played a hell of a game by keeping Peyton Manning off the field, why? Because we all know the Colts don’t score much when he’s not playing.  I still can’t believe they lost. If you believe in jinxing a team let me tell you I did everything I possibly could to help the Colts win, down to changing my underwear from green to blue Saturday. Everything was going great Saturday night I had friends over and I pulled out all my Colts gear and handed out hats, shirts, and even my Colts bathrobe for people to wear. In my house you must  root for the Colts when they are on TV. There were no Jets fans allowed. My friends ordered pizza, when I asked where they ordered it from they didn’t remember the name… well when it came there was a big label on it “ JETS PIZZA” AHHHHHHHHH. I took a knife and tore the name off the box. Then my other friend came with champagne “for the colts win” and opened it at half-time… I said this isn’t for the colts win this is to celebrate friends… but the words had already been spoken.

I don’t believe in jinxing a team, but, boy if I did, my football night Saturday night might have been the reason they lost on their last play. It couldn’t have been that the Jets just out played the Colts and wanted the win more - even though Garcon had a stellar game. It was a tough loss and now I’ll have to get behind the Jets next week…

Baltimore @ Kansas City 30-7

Finally the Chiefs are going home. The first quarter was pretty fantastic but then after half time both teams showed their true colors. Baltimore’s D stepped up and KC fell apart under pressure. The Ravens defense forced five turnovers and Flacco had two touchdown passes while McGahee had one rushing TD. And let me just say Ray Lewis is a beast!

Green Bay @ Philadelphia 21-16

This was a GREAT game to watch. After watching my Colts lose the night before and my Giants not making it to the playoffs I could only hope that the Eagles would be knocked out early.  The Eagles put up a fight but Aaron Rodgers and the Packers fought harder and will now advance further into the playoffs while the Eagles will just go home.  It must have been devastating for those Eagles’ fans watching late in the fourth quarter when Vick threw that interception in the end zone. For me it was the icing on the cake. GAME OVER. Green Bay, I told you last week if you beat the Eagles I would forgive you for beating the Giants. You are forgiven thanks for taking out Philly, the playoffs are now a little more sweeter.

DIVISIONAL

Baltimore @ Pittsburgh

This game is pretty evenly matched up. Both teams have great defenses and great offenses. I personally would like to see Baltimore win. I feel like they have a classier team and I don’t like Ben Roethlisberger.  So Ravens step up your D and knock down Big Ben repeatedly. Beat the opponent soundly!

Green Bay @ Atlanta

I honestly have nothing against Atlanta, I like Matt Ryan and the Falcons. I think its pretty amazing that with the season the Falcons have had, that they didn’t get as much press as they should have. It’s like they flew under the radar the entire season. I guess that’s what happens when there are “more exciting stories” like who Brett Favre is texting… Well Atlanta, win or lose this weekend, I hope you get some good press and hopefully next year you’ll make some good headlines and wont have to compete with that old guy and his walker. Hey Green Bay you made the right decision all those years ago letting Favre go; I’d actually like to see you go all the way and get that super bowl ring. Just make sure you let Favre admire it.

Seattle @ Chicago

I will no longer say negative things about Seattle. I hope they have another AMAZING run this week and shock the heck out of the Bears. I am going to jump on the underdog bandwagon. It’s going to be a tough game for Seattle but last week was also a tough game and they rolled over the Saints. I have nothing against the Bears and wouldn’t be disappointed if the won either; sometimes it’s just nice to root for the underdogs.

New York Jets @ New England

Allright. I never speak praises about the Patriots. I hate the team, the head coach, and the quarterback, BUT after listening to all the BS and trash talk that went on this past week I have to commend the team. Especially Bill and Tom for NOT stooping to the level of some of the Jets players and their head coach. Last I knew, the game is played on the field, and last I knew, it doesn’t matter what is said in the mean time. Rex Ryan needs desperately to learn how to just shut his mouth. Until you are the team that the Patriots have become, and you have the rings that Tom Brady has - just SHUT UP! Let your players play the game and then IF you win you can pass on that huge serving of humble pie that has already been baked for you.

That being said, I still want the Jets to win (only because I still don’t like the Patriots).  I want Sanchez to lead his team to victory and I want Tom Brady to cry… and get a hair cut. As for Antonio Cromartie I agree with what he said about Brady (unprintable expletives) but ,if you want to get to Brady, you don’t do it with words you do it on the field.  So Cromartie, catch about 10 of Brady’s passes and THEN say “hey Brady nice pass.”

And that’s my take on the games this weekend! Enjoy! And GO BALTIMORE, GREEN BAY, SEATTLE, AANNNNNND J-E-T-S JETS! JETS! JETS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Shenoa Report Wild Card Week

The Shenoa Report

January 8, 2011

Post Season

Wild Card

So we are now into the post season and I am back in Charlotte North Carolina. Last week was tough. Why couldn’t the Bears have won?!?! Oh well… lets recap week 17…

Carolina @ Atlanta 10-31

Well at least it wasn’t a shut out…  but really did you honestly think that the Panthers would get more than 2 wins this season. I mean even Mr. Andrew Luck himself has decided to stay another year at Stanford to dodge the Panther’s first round draft pick.

Cincinnati @ Baltimore 7-13

With this win Baltimore will enter the playoffs with a four-game winning streak and Cincinnati will just go home. Is anyone surprised by this outcome?… I didn’t think so.

Pittsburgh @ Cleveland 41-9

Well Cleveland couldn’t upset the Steelers but the Steelers sure did upset the Browns. Ouch.

Minnesota @ Detroit 13-20

YAY FOR THIS BEING FAVRE’S LAST GAME EVER!!!!!!! Brett, please, please, please make like Barry Sanders and just disappear from our lives. Thanks. And for all you other big time NFL players I hope you don’t follow in his footsteps but rather when its time to leave just leave. Let this be a lesson in learning what the wrong thing is to do. Don’t retire then come back, then retire, then come back to your rival team of 15 plus seasons, then retire again only to come back and have your name and legacy dragged through the mud. To put it in perspective it would be like Tom Brady going to play for the Colts or Giants. Or like Derek Jeter going to play for the Red Socks, or like Michael Jordon going to play for the Lakers. It makes you sick to your stomach doesn’t it? Detroit, you played well this season far better than in season’s past. I predict that you’ll win more than 6 next season. High five to you for not being the joke of the NFL anymore.

Oakland @ Kansas City 31-10

The Raiders went 6-0 sweeping their division this season and didn’t make the playoffs. They finished 8-8, which is a better record than one team that has made the playoffs. Is it safe to say Oakland is on the up and up? I still think KC’s winning season is a fluke sorry KC fans.

Miami @ New England 7-38

So the Patriots win… Shocker! At least we don’t have to watch them play this weekend…

Tampa Bay @ New Orleans 23-13

The thing with the playoffs is it’s pretty crappy when you don’t control your own destiny. Tampa Bay won their game but it wasn’t enough to make the playoffs because they needed Green Bay, the Giants, and Atlanta to lose and all 3 teams won. But the Bucs did upset the Saints at home and now New Orleans won’t have home field advantage throughout the playoffs. Way to finish strong Tampa Bay.

Buffalo @ New York Jets 7-38

Buffalo proved to be the last place team that they are in their division last Sunday and the Jets showed no mercy. I really hope Buffalo has a better season next year for the sake of all those Buffalo fans out there. And mad props go out to Mark Sanchez for what he has done off the field in regards to befriending Aiden Binkley, a boy 11 years old who recently passed away after a long fight with cancer. If you are going to make the headlines let it be for the good things you do in life; there are far too many idiots in the NFL making headlines for the wrong reasons.

San Diego @ Denver 33-28

This season will be one in which Denver will want to soon forget. It’s their worst season in franchise history. If not for Tebow there wouldn’t be much good to write about at all this season. I’m not going to lie though I’m glad that the Chargers didn’t make the playoffs even though they weren’t great this season they always seem to crush the Colts hopes in the post season. So thanks San Diego you stay classy.

Chicago @ Green Bay 3-10

Here’s the story. I’m driving back from Delaware to my home in North Carolina last Sunday and I’ve got this game, the Giants game, and the Colts game on the radio and I’m switching back and forth. It was an exhausting tough week for me personally so when I heard that Cutler threw that last interception to end the game my eyes welled up with tears and the crying started again. My Giants had missed the playoffs.

But you’ve got to hand it to Chicago, they had nothing to play for really and they still held the Packers to just two scores. It was an intense game especially for Giants fans.

Jacksonville @ Houston 17-34

While listening to the Colts game I heard that Houston beat Jacksonville so even if the Colts lost they had still made the playoffs. Thanks Houston for helping out the Colts. I was pretty surprised that Jacksonville had lost the game but happy all the same.

Tennessee @ Indianapolis 20-23

Adam Vinatieri is one clutch player making a 43-yard field goal as time expired to win the game. This win coupled with the KC loss puts the Colts into the number 3 seed. Way to go Colts I’m glad that at least one of my teams has made it to the post season. But seriously boys you need to step up your defense before heading into the game next week if you want to go forward in the playoffs. I mean you were tied most of the game with Tennessee who has lost eight of their last nine games. Don’t worry I still love you.

Dallas @ Philadelphia 14-13

It’s always nice to see the Eagles loose… Thanks Dallas for the small victory even though it really means nothing.

Arizona @ San Francisco 7-38

Congratulations Arizona for finishing very last in your division. Crazy to think that just two years ago you were heading to the superbowl. San Francisco has a lot to be happy about with getting Stanford’s head coach Jim Harbaugh to be their new head coach. Harbaugh may have just what the 49ers need to get back on their feet, but who is going to help the Cardinals get back on theirs?

New York Giants @ Washington 17-14

The Giants played a fantastic game and finished their season on a strong note. My dad called me after the Manning Manningham touch down pass to see if I was still on the road. I told him it was pretty exciting and I had driven through the TD with out causing an accident. Anyone on the road must have known I was listening to the game with the huge ny sticker on the back of my Jimmy. I even got a couple of thumbs up (I’m assuming from said sticker) on the drive home. After hearing of the Packers win I started yelling at the radio “FINISH STRONG GMEN! YOU FINISH STRONG!” as tears ran down my cheeks. And that’s just what they did. Osi had a remarkable game along with the rest of the defense. Next year will be even better for our boys. I am very happy that Coughlin is still our coach and more importantly that John Fox isn’t. The Giants finished their season tied with the Eagles at 10-6. I’m proud of you guys and I can’t wait till next season… I’m still waiting for my Manningbowl. PS it was pretty fun driving through the DC area with all the Redskins flags flying knowing they didn’t have a chance with the New York Football Giants in town.

Saint Louis @ Seattle 6-16

Seattle is going to the playoffs with a losing record of 7-9… that’s just not right. How do we fix this? Not only do the Seahawks make it to the playoffs with this record they also get the title of the NFC West Champions. Once again I must say that this division is a joke. It makes me a little sick that the Giants and the Bucs miss the playoffs with double digit wins while Seattle makes it.  Both the Giants and Bucs killed the Seahawks in the regular season. Arg.

And that’s the last recap of the regular season. Now we move ahead to the wild card weekend. We’ve got two games on Saturday and two games on Sunday. PS I already miss Monday night football...

WILD CARD WEEKEND

New Orleans @ Seattle

Alright, if New Orleans can’t beat Seattle I will have lost all faith in the Saints… (pun intended) Seriously, I don’t think Seattle belongs here anyway… but I’m a little sour still because the Giants didn’t make the playoffs with a WAY BETTER RECORD.

New York Jets @ Indianapolis

I’ve got to take the Colts. Don’t let me down boys! We seem to have the advantage with clutch players like Manning, Wayne, Freeney, and Vinatieri. Let Rex Ryan run his mouth it did him a lot of good after the loss to the Patriots…

Baltimore @ Kansas City

I’m going with Baltimore this game. Why? Why not?! I still don’t think KC is that great and I know Baltimore is. The Ravens have a great defense in comparison to KC and I think they are just a better team.

Green Bay @ Philadelphia

The Eagles have lost their last two and hopefully that severely slows down their momentum heading into this game. Green Bay, on the other hand, has been crazy good in their last two games winning both. Green Bay has driving momentum and hopefully has what it takes to knock off the Eagles early. If you win this week I will forgive you for your win last Sunday. Have I mentioned before that I hate the Eagles?

And there you have it. Wild card weekend is upon us. Enjoy! GOOOOOOOOOO COLTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Shenoa Report Week 17

The Shenoa Report

January 1, 2011

Regular Season Week 17

Happy New Year my football fan friends!!! Today I write to you from Dover Delaware. Although I am enjoying my vacation the travel is becoming a little tedious and it’s been hard being in the northeast these past two weeks being a Giants fan (and even more nauseating being in Philly country now). The one and only Sunday this season that I got to watch football in NY with my dad all 3 of the New York teams lost…. I’ve learned my lesson. I will not watch football in NY ever again for the sake of the Giants, Jets, and Bills. Sorry guys.

Now here we are coming into the last week of the regular season. Sunday will be the last game for many of the teams in the NFL. Is your team one of the “lucky” ones, or will you be hanging up your jerseys until next season? (I’m not ready to hang up my jerseys yet) This past week was a special week having games on Thursday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday.  Another head coach was also fired and even though Brett Favre didn’t suit up he still managed to make headlines.

Here’s the recap of last week’s games…

Carolina @ Pittsburgh 3-27

This isn’t a surprise. I think everyone thought that the Steelers would win… and they did.   

Dallas @ Arizona 26-27

Merry Christmas Cardinal fans! It was a Christmas Miracle. I’m going to be honest I didn’t think Arizona would win but I am oh so glad they did.  Feely is a beast!

New England @ Buffalo 34-3

By some crazy random happenstance my dad and I were able to get 3 1pm games. (Buffalo, Jets, and Saint Louis) For the first quarter we watched mostly the Buffalo game after that we switched between the Jets and the Rams…. The Buffalo game wasn’t worth watching. Hey, at least Buffalo is used to losing.

New York Jets @ Chicago 34-38

I really thought the Jets would have won this game. When did the Bears get so good? The better question would be when did the Jets start quitting before the game end?

Baltimore @ Cleveland 20-10

Not much to say about this game. McCoy threw 3 interceptions and Baltimore took advantage of that.

Washington @ Jacksonville 20-17

I was very surprised that Washington won this game but very happy. This Jacksonville loss put the Colts safely in first place of the AFC South.

Tennessee @ Kansas City 14-34

KC clinched their division with this win over Tennessee but I’m pretty sure that Tennessee forgot to show up for the game so it wasn’t a difficult win.

Detroit @ Miami 34-27

This was just another game with no playoff implications in the mix. It was nice to see Detroit win another one though.

San Francisco @ Saint Louis 17-25

Mike Singletary, the head coach of the 49ers, was fired shortly after their loss to Saint Louis on Sunday. I don’t really understand why you would fire a coach with one game left in the season but then again there are a lot of things I don’t understand in life…  This was a great game to watch and I am glad that Sam Bradford and the rest of the Rams team won the game.

San Diego @ Cincinnati 20-34

The 3-11 Bengals became the 4-11 Bengals after their win over the Chargers. The Bengals had nothing to play for accept crushing all hope of the Chargers making the playoffs this season. I really didn’t think that the Chargers would lose. Way to prove me wrong once again.

Houston @ Denver 23-24

Tebow may get player of the week after this game as he lead his team to victory over the Texans. Great game Timmy! My brother asked me if I was a Denver fan now… I said “No. Just a Tebow fan.”

Indianapolis @ Oakland31-26

Thank God Indy won this game. They now sit safely at the top of the AFC South and that makes me smile.

New York Giants @ Green Bay 17-45

I have nothing to say about this game….

Seattle @ Tampa Bay 15-38

Seattle is horrible and still may get into the playoffs. Tampa Bay is decent but even with this win will most likely not get into the playoffs…

New Orleans @ Atlanta 17-14

Although it would have been in the Giants best interest if the Saints had lost that wasn’t the case. This was a good game and the Saints handed the Falcons their 3^rd loss of the season.

Minnesota @ Philadelphia 24-14

Due to the snow in Philly this game was postponed to Tuesday. The last time there was a football game on a Tuesday night was 1946.  The Eagles thought that it would be to their advantage to not play in the snow but the Vikings showed otherwise. With Favre on the sideline and Joe Webb in as starting QB the Vikings showed the Eagles that they weren’t the superpower everyone thought they were. I just wished the Eagles would have played this badly last week…. Great win for the Vikings regardless….

WEEK 17

Carolina @ Atlanta

This will be Carolina’s last game of the season and if you’re a Panthers fan you are probably pretty thankful that you don’t have to endure another loss this season. Well, except for maybe this Sunday. Atlanta will most definitely be in the playoffs with a record of 12-3. Carolina is absolutely getting the first pick of the draft… hopefully it will do them some good. That and I’m pretty sure this will be John Fox’s last game as well.  They are going into this game 2-13. Ouch.

Cincinnati @ Baltimore

The Bengals are 4-11 going into this game. They have already beat Baltimore once this season and now that Ochocinco and T.O. are not playing, Cincinnati has won 2 in a row. Hmmmmm. If Baltimore can beat the Bengals and the Steelers lose to the Browns (which is pretty unlikely though it would be awesome) Baltimore will claim the AFC North title. I am taking Baltimore on Sunday. The Ravens are 11-4 going into this game.

Pittsburgh @ Cleveland

Cleveland won’t make the playoffs this year with a losing record of 5-10 but they could upset the Steelers hope of capturing the AFC North title if the Browns win this game. I’m not putting any money on Cleveland but I sure do hope they win.  Pittsburgh is 11-4 going into their final game of the regular season.

Minnesota @ Detroit

This will be the final game for both teams this season. Most importantly it will be the final game for the old man with the walker. He is listed as doubtful but maybe He’ll suit up so he can take a snap and then Ndamukong Suh can make him wish he had just stayed on the sidelines. It’s hard to pick a winner for this game because both teams are pretty evenly matched but I’m going to take Detroit for the win.  Minnesota is going into this game 6-9 and Detroit is 5-10

Oakland @ Kansas City

This will be the Raiders final game of the season and I still can’t believe that KC has made it to the playoffs with a record of 10-5. Even though this game doesn’t have any playoff implications Oakland has already beat KC once this year. I’m taking Oakland and if they win they will finish the season at 8-8

Miami @ New England

This game also has no playoff implications. The Patriots are safely at the top of the NFL with their disgustingly good football team.  They seem to be able to do pretty much everything flawlessly … it makes me sick. I guess the big question is will Bill rest his starters or play them resulting in a massacre of the Dolphins. Save the Dolphins Bill and rest your boys. Miami comes into this game a record of 7-8 and the Patriots 13-2

In other news I do have a bone to pick with Brady… if you are going to endorse Uggs, would you be a dear and talk to them about better traction in the snow…. I love my boots and love that you endorse them so lets get the ball rolling with Uggs so they can be pretty AND practical.

Tampa Bay @ New Orleans

Tampa Bay could make the playoff if they win AND Green Bay loses AND the Giants lose. (I’m not gonna lie I don’t see all this coming together for Tampa Bay) The Saints are proving to be a tough team to beat once again. The Saints could get home field advantage throughout the playoffs if they beat Tampa Bay AND the Panthers beat Atlanta (but this is even more unlikely than Tampa Bay’s playoff hopes scenario) I’m picking the Saints to win this game.

Buffalo @ New York Jets

The Jets are looking to win their final game of the season to give them motivation to win more games in the playoffs as they have lost three out of the last four games played. They should be able to do it against the Bills who are last place in their division for what seams to be the case year after year after year. Poor Buffalo. The Jets are 10-5 going into this game and the Bills are 4-11. I’m picking the Jets to win this one.

San Diego @ Denver

This will be the final game for both teams. This is the first year since 2005 that the Chargers haven’t made the playoffs and if the Broncos lose on Sunday this season will go on the record books as their worst season in franchise history. Tim Tebow has the spotlight once again as the starting QB for the Broncos even thought Orton is well enough to play. I’m pulling for Tebow’s Broncos this week. I just love Tim’s enthusiasm for the game. San Diego is 8-7 going into this game and the Broncos are 4-11

Chicago @ Green Bay

The Bears are safely in the playoffs, Green Bay not so much. There are a couple of different scenarios for the Packers. If they win they’re in. If they lose they have to rely on a Giants loss and a Tampa Bay loss. If you are a Giants fan like me you just want the Bears to win and the Giants to win. This game has a lot of different implications riding on it. Man I hope the Bears win. If the Bears win they will have a first round bye and home field advantage throughout the playoffs. Green Bay comes into this game at 9-6 and Chicago 11-4

Jacksonville @ Houston

The only chance that Jacksonville has at making the playoffs is a win in Houston and an Indy loss in Tennessee. So chances are slim. Personally I’d like to see Houston win and the Colts win but that’s just me. Jacksonville enters this game at 8-7 Houston at 5-10

Tennessee @ Indianapolis

This is a must win for the Colts to make it into the playoffs this season. So WIN COLTS WIN! Tennessee has no hope for making the playoffs this year. If the Colts win and KC loses they can move up to the number 3 seed. The Colts come into this game at 9-6 and Tennessee at 6-9

Dallas @ Philadelphia

This game really has no playoff implications. The Eagles have already made it there with a record of 10-5 going into this game and the Cowboys have no hope with the record of 5-10 where they sit at the very bottom of the NFC East. Vick will most likely not play this game and the Cowboys will probably start Kitna if he is healthy enough. I’d like to see Dallas win just because I really, really, really don’t like Philly. 

Arizona @ San Francisco

Both teams are 5-10 and at the bottom of the NFC West and are probably thankful that it’s their last game of the season. Maybe the game will end in a tie so no one will have to claim that bottom spot alone.

New York Giants @ Washington

The Giants need to win this game and have Green Bay lose to the Bears if they want to make it to the playoffs. Washington doesn’t have anything to play for except being a spoiler to the Giants. I hope that the Giants can pull it together in this last game of the regular season. I am not ready to hang up my Giants jersey yet.  The Giants are 9-6 coming into this game while Washington is 6-9

Saint Louis @ Seattle

The winner of this game will decide the champion of the NFC West. It’s pretty sad because both teams have losing records this season. If the Rams win Sunday night they will be 8-8 for the season. The Seahawks are coming into this game at 6-9. I think its safe to say that the NFC West is pretty pathetic. I’d like to see the Rams win this game we’ll just have to wait and see.

And there you have it the last Shenoa Report of the regular season. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this as much as I’ve enjoyed writing. Until next week…. GO GIANTS GO COLTS AND GO BEARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!