Wednesday Morning QB (NFL Week 13)
The NFL playoff race is here and in full swing as teams fight for the six spots in the playoffs in either conference. Just as the race began one team has already almost finished their race as they have clinched a spot. The game between the New Orleans Saints and the Seattle Seahawks would determine the first team to clinch a spot. When the Seahawks came out on top of the game they would earn a playoff spot as they would guarantee at least a wild card spot for the team with the best record in the NFL. The Seahawks are in a unique spot as they are the only team to clinch a playoff spot so far this year and are now looking to move on to the top spot in the AFC. The top spot in the AFC is an important spot for many teams in the league but for the Seattle Seahawks it is much more important. For the Seahawks this top spot would mean home field advantage in the playoffs and for the city known for the 12th man that is a big advantage. Home field advantage is one of the most debated aspects of football with many people on different sides of the coin. For some home field advantage is important as it means that teams can play where they are comfortable. It is a chance for players to sleep at home and have a natural routine before they play. It is also a chance for players to play in front of their home crowd that will not get in their heads. Then there is the other side that say home field advantage means absolutely nothing. These people believe that any true professional team should not be influenced by things like home field advantage. Players have travelled all year and still won games so playing away from home should mean nothing to them. On the field players should be used to the boos and heckles making the crowd obsolete. The debate is a constant one but there is one exception to the rule as there is no debate to the effect that CenturyLink Field has on opposing teams. The Seattle Seahawks are immune from the home field debate because they have a clear advantage when they play at home. The Seahawks currently hold the best record in the NFL and a major part of that is their home field advantage. CenturyLink Field is one of the toughest places to play as the fans are truly a difference maker for the Seahawks. The Seahawks continue to highlight their 12th man advantage with the raising of the 12th man flag before every game and officially retiring the #12 Seahawks jersey. The stadium is built to keep sound in and direct it at the field and the fans make sure they use the design as much as they can. Earlier this year the Seahawks fans would break a sound record with a deafening level of sound. The record would later be broken by the Kansas City Chiefs but the Seahawks fans will try again to prove their legend. The Seahawks have loved playing at home in front of an extremely loud crowd as they have gone 6-0 this year at home. The crowd noise can sometimes be ignored by elite NFL players but it is hard to ignore when it gets to the point of almost bursting eardrums. The Seahawks defence has enjoyed the noise in helping to push opponents offside and forcing delay of game penalties. There is no doubt that if anyone has a true home field advantage it is the Seattle Seahawks and now with a playoff spot in hand they hope to show that advantage throughout the playoffs. The Seahawks are only a few wins away from clinching home field throughout the playoffs and if they do there will be few people who think that the Seahawks cannot make their way to the Super Bowl if they play at home throughout the playoffs. The Seahawks are on their way to the playoffs and if things go right they may very well be headed to the Super Bowl as they look to take the biggest home field advantage all the way to the Super Bowl.
Fifth Quarter:
(Four Quick Thoughts on Week 13)
Another Milestone
Adrian Peterson is clearly the greatest running back of the era but he is now at the point where he is trying to become the best all-time and becoming the third fastest running back to reach 10,000 yards this week has officially started the debate
Playing into a Starter
Chip Kelly seemed to have everything he needed to run his offence in the NFL but nothing was working until he adjusted his offence and Nick Foles took over the Eagles as Foles has been the hottest QB in the league and seems to be the Eagles’ QB for the foreseeable future
Another Spygate?
Bill Belicheck would see a small stain on his reputation when the New England Patriots would be caught spying on the New York Jets and this week allegations would surface again after they launched an improbable comeback leading some Texans players to wonder if they were stealing signals
Playoff Outlook
American Football Conference
Division Leaders:
1. Denver Broncos (.833)
2. New England Patriots (.750)
3. Indianapolis Colts (.667)
4. Cincinnati Bengals (.667)
Wild Card:
5. Kansas City Chiefs (.750)
6. Baltimore Ravens (.500)
In the Hunt:
7. Miami Dolphins (.500)
8. Tennessee Titans (.417)
9. Pittsburgh Steelers (.417)
10. San Diego Chargers (.417)
11. New York Jets (.417)
12. Oakland Raiders (.333)
13. Cleveland Browns (.333)
14. Buffalo Bills (.333)
15. Jacksonville Jaguars (.250)
16. Houston Texans (.167)
National Football Conference
Division Leaders:
1. w-Seattle Seahawks (.917)
2. New Orleans Saints (.750)
3. Detroit Lions (.583)
4. Dallas Cowboys (.583)
Wild Card:
5. Carolina Panthers (.750)
6. San Francisco 49ers (.667)
In the Hunt:
7. Philadelphia Eagles (.583)
8. Arizona Cardinals (.583)
9. Chicago Bears (.500)
10. Green Bay Packers (.458)
11. New York Giants (.417)
12. St. Louis Rams (.417)
13. Minnesota Vikings (.292)
14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (.250)
15. Atlanta Falcons (.250)
16. Washington Redskins (.250)
w-Clinched Wild Card
Key Scores:
Baltimore Ravens 22 – 20 Pittsburgh Steelers
– The Thanksgiving festivities would come to a close in a big way this week when the Steelers and Ravens would renew their rivalry with the Ravens coming out on top in a very close game that would put them in the wild card
Atlanta Falcons 34 – 31 Buffalo Bills
– The Falcons have not had a good season especially when they started the season as favorites to make the Super Bowl but they have struggled and are now looking to just save face with a decent record that would come closer with a win over Buffalo in Toronto
Denver Broncos 35 – 28 Kansas City Chiefs
– The Kansas City Chiefs have been on a bad run since their long winning streak and this game against the Broncos was their chance to get back on track but instead they would fall again to the Broncos and are left with a three game losing streak while they limp into the playoffs
Seattle Seahawks 34 – 7 New Orleans Saints
– The Seahawks and Saints would face off in the most important game of the week as the winner would take the tiebreaker in what could become the race for the conference with the Seahawks taking the win and the first playoff spot
Next Week:
Kansas City Chiefs vs. Washington Redskins (Sunday December 8th; 1:00 pm ET)
– The Chiefs are hoping to fix their downfall as they have lost three games in a row after their great start and are looking to recover before the playoffs as they take on the struggling Redskins
Detroit Lions vs. Philadelphia Eagles (Sunday December 8th; 1:00 pm ET)
– The Eagles have found their QB for the foreseeable future in Nick Foles and he will look to continue his hot streak against the Lions who are hoping to finally pull away from the pack in the NFC North
Seattle Seahawks vs. San Francisco 49ers (Sunday December 8th; 4:25 pm ET)
– The Seahawks are the best team in the NFL right now and they are looking to take their division while the Niners are just hoping to stay in the hunt for the division as both teams are looking for a big win
Carolina Panthers vs. New Orleans Saints (Sunday December 8th; 8:30 pm ET)
– The Panthers are on a roll heading into the playoffs and they will try to take over the lead of the NFC South when they take on the division leading Saints with a win for either team putting either team in good position to win the division
The Sport Addiction 