CLEVELAND BROWNS (4-8) at PITTSBURGH STEELERS (9-3)
Thursday, 8:20 P.M. ET, NFL-Network, Sirius (Cle 92, Pit 93), Westwood One Radio

Why Watch
Well, we could spend time bashing the BCS, but this is a pro game and the only one on tonight. The NFL playoff system is why the BCS is held in light regard by football fans. BCS computer-based rankings are as legit as financial derivatives for setting value. Both the BCS and derivatives share the virtues of being risky, subject to manipulation and something of a fraud. The BCS is a cartel of conferences whose aim is to direct all revenue to them. Upstarts need not apply. The NFL is the same, but they give us playoffs as fair exchange.

You just know the Pittsburgh Steelers will be in the playoffs. And, you have a deep abiding suspicion that they will vie for the conference championship. Cleveland figures to be a road bump in their path. The NFL does so many things well, but flexible scheduling is not one of them. Under current policy, the NFL flexes Sunday games only. The league uses Thursday games to entice more cable companies to carry the NFL Network into more markets. They need more compelling games than this mismatch for that to happen. We will watch anyway if only to see how Pittsburgh can lose the division and still make it to the conference title game.

What To Watch
The Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens are the twin terrors of the AFC North, especially on defense. Both have crushing pass rushes and hard-hitting secondaries. Is there any real difference between safeties Ed Reed and Troy Polamalu? The difference is on offense. The Steelers pass where the Ravens run. The Browns lost to the Ravens last Sunday because they could not stop Ray Rice who rushed for 204 yards and a score. Baltimore controlled the clock for 37 minutes.

The Browns are no match for the Steelers in passing. The Steelers' top two wide receivers, Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown, combined for twice the output if the Browns' Greg Little and Josh Cribbs. Browns QB Colt McCoy would do considerably better if he were playing with talent like the Steelers. The one thing the Browns do well is to suppress passing yards. The Steelers are right behind them as the league's second best, after the Browns. There's a chance Cleveland will lose its No. 1 pass defense ranking after this face-off against Ben Roethlisberger and company.

Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers must shudder in his sleep at the prospect of being next year's Madden cover boy. That status does nothing for Peyton Hillis who won the honor after a ballot-stuffing campaign by Browns fans. Hillis rushed for 1,177 yards and 11 touchdowns for Cleveland last season. He is on a pace for 400 yards and three touchdowns this season—another proof point that the Madden Jinx is real. Pittsburgh is favored by 14.

Who Will Win
If Pittsburgh coughs up three turnovers, Cleveland has a 50-50 shot to win. Otherwise, PITTSBURGH.

The Giants are notorious for starting quick and sliding towards the end of the season. 4 weeks ago, the Giants were a stellar 6-2, and they were widely considered one of the best teams in the league. With Eli Manning's elite level play, they were fighting for the 2 seed in the NFC playoff picture with the San Francisco 49ers.

4 weeks and 4 losses later, they're clinging to hopes of a postseason birth. The Giants are currently the 8th ranked team in the NFC, just 1 game back in both the NFC East divisional race and the NFC wild-card race.

The Giants schedule has afforded them some level of luck however. They have still not played the division leading Cowboys this year. At 7-5, the Cowboys own a 1 game lead over the 6-6 Giants, but the tie-breaker between the two teams has not even started being determined. Their first matchup comes on Sunday Night Football this weekend. The winner of the game will be in first place in the NFC East; the loser will likely be on the outside looking in. To say the least, it's a high stakes game.

Even if the Giants can pull out the win against the Cowboys, they're not out of the woods. The two teams round out their season series in a week 17 matchup that could become a winner-take-all game. I've got my fingers crossed for that scenario.

Outside of their two games with the Cowboys, the Giants do have what most would call relatively easy games. The Giants host a terrible Redskins group that can't seem to ever get their feat under them, and then they "visit" their own stadium against the Jets. The key for them to be the Jets is simply to ring up the score, and that's something the Giants are certainly capable of doing.

The scenario for the Giants to get into the playoffs is actually quite simple. That being said, the team has to pull themselves together after 4 straight losses in order to pull it off. As with most teams that struggle late in the season, it's all about cleaning up the small, fundamental aspects of their game. Stupid penalties need to be eliminated, form tackling needs to be a priority on defense, and the offense and special teams units can't put the defense into short-field situations.

That all starts and ends with Eli Manning. In the Giants' 6 wins, Manning has thrown a total of 2 interceptions. In their 6 losses, Manning has thrown a total of 9 interceptions. That all goes back to the fundamental strategy of not giving away points, something the Giants have become very proficient at doing in their losing efforts.

The Giants may be the most fortunate 6-6 team in the league right now. They still control their own destiny with 4 games to play, despite only being a .500 team. They'll get 2 shots at the Cowboys as the 2011 season comes to a close. Winning both of those games would nearly ensure an NFC East title for the Giants and another playoff birth. The only question for the Giants is whether or not they're equal to the challenge at hand.

Follow @smaclemons on Twitter

Like TGS on Facebook

Follow TGS on Twitter

Sometimes, ESPN makes it far too easy for us to poke fun at them, and this is one of those cases. During virtually every Monday Night Football broadcast, ESPN shows overhead shots of the host city and some of its landmarks. I've always assumed that these were live shots from the Goodyear blimp, and I've never had a reason to believe otherwise, that is, until now.

According to ESPN AFC South blogger, Paul Kuharsky, viewers of the game came to ESPN's AFC South blog to complain about outdated shots of the city, and even one shot of the skyline of Charlotte, North Carolina. Here's what an ESPN spokesperson told Kuharsky about the gaffes:

"The Charlotte aerial was an inadvertent mistake. It should not have aired. We apologize that it was part of the telecast.

“The scenics of Jacksonville that were used during 'Monday Night Countdown' were shot the night of the previous MNF game there in late October. We did not have a crew shooting scenics Monday. There were no graphic or audio mentions indicating the shot was live, though we understand viewers may have been under this assumption."

To say the least, the missteps by ESPN tend to be comical, but this one just appears to be cheap. As the spokesperson said, the outdated shots of Jacksonville were filmed earlier in the season when Jacksonville hosted the Baltimore Ravens on Monday Night Football.

Somehow I believe that this won't be happening again. It's embarrassing, to say the least, for ESPN, the biggest all sports network in the world, to be recycling images and showing clips of a city 3 states away. While a bit perplexing, ESPN isn't exactly known for their geography prowess.

Follow @smaclemons on Twitter

Like TGS on Facebook

Follow TGS on Twitter

Here's how the playoff picture stacks up after week 13:

y=Division Champion

AFC:

Last week, I pointed out that the AFC was one giant mess of teams within a couple games of each other. Nothing has changed in that regard, but there is separation between the teams that are likely to be in the playoffs and those that are on the bubble (everyone else).

At this point, it seems very likely that the Patriots, Texans, Ravens, and the Steelers have all but secured playoff births. They're all 2 games in front of the next closest pack of teams in the AFC, and there's only 4 games left to play. Seeding is a completely different tale. At this point, the Steelers still have a very real chance of claiming the top seed in the conference. They own the head-to-head tie-breaker with the Patriots, the Texans are down to T.J. Yates at quarterback, and the Ravens are prone to dropping games against teams they should be beating handily.

The wild-card race in the AFC is even more interesting. As it stands, the Broncos are a division leader at 7-5, and the Bengals are the 6 seed, also at 7-5. I include the Broncos in the wild-card picture because it is very possible that they could lose out on their division but still claim the 6 seed. The Titans may be the hottest team out of the playoffs right now, and their schedule lends itself to making a run towards the playoffs. Don't be surprised if the Bengals fall out and the Titans sneak in at 7-5. And for the record, I don't see the Raiders beating out the Broncos for the AFC West. I do believe that it's time for Timmy Tebow to make it into the post-season.

NFC:

The NFC playoff picture remains much more clear than the AFC picture. The Packers are the 1 seed, the 49ers will be the 2 seed, and the Saints will be the 3 seed. Beyond that, it gets much less clear.

The Cowboys hold a 1 game lead over the Giants as it stands. Unfortunately, they also have Tony Romo as their starting quarterback. The Giants have Eli Manning. Advantage Giants. That being said, the Giants need to snap back to life. Granted, they gave the Packers a great run last weekend, but that loss will do little to help them achieve their post-season aspirations.

The wild-card race is a 5 horse race. Aside from the Giants and Cowboys, the Bears, Falcons, and Lions are all jockeying for those last 2 spots in the NFC playoff picture. The Falcons are lucky to be in their current position after losing tough games to the Saints and Texans in recent weeks. The Bears are the weak team of the group. Their quarterback situation is nothing short of desperate, and the Lions should be looking to steal that last playoff position. All that considered, I think that the Giants are the best team of the lot. If they aren't able to win the NFC East, I wouldn't be surprised to see them take the Bears' playoff spot. The Lions haven't inspired any confidence in me lately, and I'd be surprised if they turn their season back around in time to make a run.

Follow @smaclemons on Twitter

Like TGS on Facebook

Follow TGS on Twitter

Many of us have been putting off the topic of Peyton Manning for much of the year. Frankly, it's not a pressing matter in a year that has been about as loopy as any of us can remember. That being said, a recent tweet by @EvanSilva brought the issue back to the forefront of my mind:

The tweet pretty much sums up everything that anyone needs to know. The Colts would owe Manning a huge bonus if they decide to keep him. Because of the structure of the contract, the Colts could simply cut ties with Manning and move on without owing him anything substantial.

With the possibility of Manning actually being cut by the Colts, we have to wonder which teams could pick him up. There's a select few that jump out at me.

Washington Redskins
This is a no-brainer from my perspective. The Redskins have 2 quarterbacks that have started, not due to injuries. That may work in college football, but it doesn't fly in the NFL. Teams need to have guys they trust under center, and there's no quarterback that demands more respect around the league than Peyton Manning. For my money, he may be the best player in the history of the NFL at his position. The Redskins have been floundering about since Dan Snyder bought the team, and this sort of "jolt" might be exactly what that team, coaching staff, and fanbase really need right now.

Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars traded up in the 2011 draft to pick Blaine Gabbert with the 10th overall pick. Since then, Gabbert has shown that he can make all the throws when given plenty of time and room in the pocket. Unfortunately, quarterbacks in the NFL seldom have either of those luxuries on any given play. Nobody is denying that Gabbert has all the tools to be successful, but he's certainly had difficulty implementing those tools in game situations.

Those factors are exactly why bringing in Manning would be a great idea for the Jaguars. The expectation was for Gabbert to be able to sit for a year behind David Garrard, but that didn't pan out. Luke McCown started the first two games of the season for the Jaguars, but he was yanked after their blowout loss to the Jets. Manning would give the Jags' offense the stability that they really haven't had since Mark Brunell was their quarterback. No young quarterback in the league needs time to develop as much as Blaine Gabbert does, and that's what Manning would provide.

Cleveland Browns
If Manning were to arrive in Cleveland as a member of the Browns, it would do a couple of things. First, the Browns would be able to build around an elite quarterback instead of focusing on acquiring players that directly help their passer. For instance, they may be more willing to upgrade their defensive front and running back positions knowing that their quarterback will make plays regardless of who is around him. It's still unclear whether Colt McCoy is the quarterback of the future in Cleveland, and it couldn't hurt him to sit behind Manning for a year or two.

The other thing this acquisition would do is make the Browns instantly competitive, if not downright good. They would be making a run at the AFC North title from the get go, especially with the defense they already have in place.

Follow @smaclemons on Twitter

Like TGS on Facebook

Follow TGS on Twitter

Is Matt Ryan a disappointing QB? Or a good QB on a disappointing team? The answer, maddeningly enough, is both. And the reality is that the Atlanta Falcons will either succeed or fail based on which quarterback plays on Sunday. Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan is coming up on a crossroads early in his career.

When Matt Ryan is good, he is very, very good.

Ryan tossed a career-high 28 touchdown passes last season. With 14 touchdown passes in nine games, he's on pace to throw for 26 in 2011. However, he threw just nine interceptions last year and has 10 already this season.

Ryan has thrown at least one touchdown pass in a career-best 15 straight games, and has found a receiver in the end zone in 23 of his last 24 games.  And in this season's week 2 win over the Eagles, Ryan set a career-high with four touchdown passes. It was also the seventh time he has thrown for at least three scores.

The Falcons are 21-5 since 2008 when Ryan throws multiple touchdown passes, and are 37-12 when he finds a man in the end zone at least once. His 85 touchdowns since 2008 rank fourth in the NFC and ninth overall.

Then there is the Elway factor.

Ryan has led the Falcons on 15 game-winning drives in the fourth quarter or overtime during his first four seasons. He had a chance to post his 16th such drive last week against the Saints, but the potential game-winning drive stalled at the 29-yard line after head coach Mike Smith elected to go for it on a fourth-and-inches and the Falcons were stuffed.

After guiding the Falcons to the playoffs in two of his first three years, the team was considered a Super Bowl contender in his fourth season.  But the Falcons are 7-5 and will have to close out the season with a winning flurry to return to the playoffs and defend their NFC South title.

If the Falcons are going to make a surge, they'll need Ryan to revert to his 2010 form.

Sometimes the NFL's landscape changes faster than we can adjust for those changes. This is one of those cases. Five weeks ago, the Buffalo Bills were 5-2 and in the chase for an AFC East crown. Five weeks and five losses later, their season is all but over. With their latest loss, coming at the hands of the Tennessee Titans, any hopes of a post-season run do seem to be lost.

Now is the time to begin to ask where it all went wrong. The Bills had the look of a team that was beginning to hit its stride five weeks ago. They had lost games to the Giants and the Bengals by 3 points each, and that was their only losses. They locked down Ryan Fitzpatrick earlier in the year, supposedly locking their franchise quarterback down for years to come. Fred Jackson was running all over every defense he faced.

It turns out that their problems had been there all along.

The Bills' defense currently ranks 22nd in the NFL. It's a unit that has a bad habit of giving up points very early in games, and that puts added pressure on the Bills' offense. At the beginning of the season, their offensive unit was equal to the challenge, coming back from big deficits early and often, including a huge win over the Patriots. The offense hasn't been able to keep pace with their defensive woes however. The offense has cooled to just 14th in the league, not nearly good enough to continue to buoy the team.

Now that the Bills are effectively out of the playoff race in 2011, they can begin to look towards 2012. Where are their woes? Certainly the offense has given the ball away far too often, but that may be a result of trying too hard to score points every time they touch the ball. I'd suggest that the Bills do not blow up what they have going for them. Continue to groom the offense, keep your coaches, and continue to build on defense.

Perhaps the Bills are pyrite, but there's also the possibility that they're simply scuffed gold. This is a team that experienced success early, but they weren't able to continue that success late into the season. Ryan Fitzpatrick has proven that he can sling the ball all over the yard, and Fred Jackson has shown that he should be considered one of the better running backs in the league. These guys need time.

It's really this simple. The Bills have been a very mediocre team for a long time. Now, they have a lot of the right pieces in place on the offensive side of the ball and in their coaching staff. Chan Gailey has done a good job in his first 2 seasons as the Bills head coach, but losing games isn't a good way to secure your job for the future in the NFL. The Bills are getting closer, but they have to resist the knee-jerk reaction of blowing it all up once again. That decision of what to do at the end of the year may determine if the Bills are unpolished gold or just a big heap of pyrite.

Follow @smaclemons on Twitter

Like TGS on Facebook

Follow TGS on Twitter

For the first time in a long time, we had something like a normal week of action in the AFC. All the scrappy underdog teams got sent back to the kennel, and all the expected powerhouses were operating at full power, churning black smoke of fury into the skies.

It was a weekend to make an AFC traditionalist awful satisfied. With one major exception, that is...  

The Andrew Luck Power Ranking: There Can Be Only One

This is pretty much a done deal as Andrew Luck has said he will declare for the draft this year, all that’s left to be done is for Andrew to put his Colts hat on.

1) Indianapolis Colts (0-12)

What this team does well:

• Everything!
• Colts seem to have more issues then a third world country.
• Have the two worst QB’s in the league.

What this team hasn’t does well:

• Nothing, in this department they are perfect.

The Bad For Barkley / Whiff For Griff Power Rankings

Now, let the debate begin.

Not only is there plenty of uncertainty on how teams will finish at the end of the season, but there is also a debate as to whether Matt Barkley or RG3 will be the second QB off the board.  http://bloguin.com/crystalballrun/2011-articles/november/bloguin-heisman-poll-week-thirteen.html" target="_blank">RG3 has a very strong chance at taking home the Heisman trophy, and that could do wonders for his draft position. Cam Newton’s NFL success also will probably be in the minds of GM’s at the draft next year.

That being said let’s not forget Barkley did have 6 touchdowns, over 400 yards and 0 INTs in his last game of the season. Not a bad way to make your case.

What I Liked:

The Chargers looked like the playoff team we remember from years past. Philip Rivers was able to sit in the pocket and find open receivers. The Chargers were also able to run the ball very effectively. Their line opened up gaping holes in the middle of the Jaguars' defense as well as on the outside. Really, the Chargers' offense looked about as sharp as their offense has all season long.

What I Hated:

There was nothing good about the way the Jaguars got beat. Their defense was terrible, largely as a result of lacking any cornerbacks that have much experience. Blaine Gabbert had another rough outing after getting hot for a brief period in the 2nd quarter. Many of Gabbert's passes never had a chance of being caught by his receivers. The only bright spot of the night for the Jaguars was Maurice Jones-Drew, who is now the NFL's leading rusher.

Where They're Going:

The Jaguars had no playoff hopes coming into the game, so there's no change on that front. The Jaguars will continue to evaluate Blaine Gabbert, interim head coach Mel Tucker, and many of the fringe players on the Jaguars' roster.

The Chargers' rather small playoff chances were preserved for at least another week. Suddenly, it appears that the Broncos may be the team to beat in the AFC West, but if the Chargers can get some help from other teams, they certainly have the talent required to make a late season playoff run. Just don't count on it actually happening.

Follow @smaclemons on Twitter

Like TGS on Facebook

Follow TGS on Twitter