Titans pull out a win but fail to go to the post season- As predicted, the Titans, who we said were ‘running out of time’, beat the Texans 23-22. However they will not be playing in the post season. Chris Johnson was part of the reason for the Titans not performing better this year as 2011 did not pan out to be a “Chris Johnson” type of year. A major disappointment to the Titans as well as all of those managers who made CJ their number 1 pick in their drafts. Their defense improved but the team played incinsistently most of the year.
Dolphins win over collapsing Jets- The Fins finished the season strong going 6-3 over their last nine games after losing their first seven. The Jets went in the opposite direction finishing their last eight games 3-5, and as we mentioned last week, only winning 2 games on the road all season. The game vs Miami was marred with a continuance of stupid Jets penalties (5 were False Starts), and Sanchez’s three interceptions. Neither one of these were Brian Schottenheimer’s fault as he seems to be taking the blame for all the Jets’ mishaps. Sanchez has failed to progress to the next level and Rex Ryan has not coached well. He has lost control of his team and will need to be held accountable. Period. Take a look at the caption below regarding the Jets $45 million acquisition over the summer. Pathetic.
WR Santonio Holmes was benched with a "Coach's Call" for infighting with fellow teammates during Dolphin game on Sunday. Photo: Getty Images
Eagles easily over the ‘Skins- The Eagles, our third win of the day, easily manhandled the fading Redskins 34-10, finishing their supposed ‘Dream Team Season’ at 8-8. They went 3-6 over their first 9 but then ended the season with four straight wins scoring 125 points over the 4 games. The finish probably saved Andy Reid’s job and should help them build on next year. The Redskins, suffering an injury ridden season, compiled a 5-11 record and clearly has a lot of work to do if they want to improve next year.
Raiders rocked by the Chargers at home- In a 38-26 loss to the rival San Diego Chargers, our only loss, the Oakland raiders lost their opportunity to play in the post season. They not only lost at the Black Hole, but lost to a Chargers team that they had beaten 3 times in a row dating back to week 5 of last year when they beat S.D. 35-27. The Raiders will need to work on their defense if they hope to improve next year. The loss of McFadden has hurt them to be sure, but they finished the season going 1-5 in their last six and gave up 146 points in the four losses. You can’t give up an average of 36.5 points a game and win many of them. Stopping the run should be their first order of priority. Carson Palmer’s addition, as we stated when the trade went down, wasn’t the answer. The first round picks, etc., were just too much to give up for a team that has too many other holes.
Oakland Raider Linebacker Aaron Curry #51 and Defensive Back Lito Shepard #21 sit dejectedly on the bench during Sunday's loss to the Chargers. Photo: AP
49ers hold off Rams’ late surge 34-27- S.F. almost watched the game slip away as the Rams fought back from a 27-10 deficit to start the fourth quarter. They scored 17 points in the fourth but the 49ers held off the Rams for their thirteenth win. With the win, San Francisco clinched the number 2 seed and has a first round bye in the NFC playoff picture. The Rams, at 2-14 have fired coach Steve Spagnuolo and general manager Billy Devaney today and need to make many roster changes in order to have the Rams return to a team of respectability and competitiveness.
The regular season has come to a close. We went out with a bang last week hitting on 4 of the 5 games that we picked. For the year, exclusive of week one when we did not make any selections, five ‘Best Bets’ were chosen every week over the remaining 16 weeks. We finished with a 52-28 record; a winning percentage of .725, just shy of averaging 3 wins out of every 4 selected. Based on your comments and emails, this has become a popular feature during the NFL season. The Furnace will continue to provide you with our expert analysis and look forward to seeing all of you back here during next year’s regular season. Meantime, we thank you all for reading, subscribing and following fantasyfurnace.com. Happy New Year to all of you!
To all of you from all of us at fantasyfurnace.com. Happy New Year!! Photo: Dreamstime.com
* Last week 4-1
** Season 52-28
FANTASY FURNACE 