It’s the holiday season and therefore I am going a) refrain from swearing and b) attempt to be positive and not a sarcastic bitter football lover. A happy football lover would have a positive list of the best of’s of Week 16. Right? This was way more difficult than I thought it would be. So many jobs in the hot seat and major injuries.
Alas, here’s the top 5 happy things that happened in Week 16 in the NFL.
1. Peyton Manning Broke a Record
Peyton Manning broke the record for the most touchdown passes in a season yesterday. He passed Tom Brady’s record of 50 with a total of 51 touchdown passes in the season. Peyton has had an amazing season. Big numbers, solid wins, and a receiving corps that made the whole thing look easy. Whether these number will be the foundation of his Super Bowl winning performance is hard to say. The numbers won’t mean as much if he doesn’t bring home the big one.
2. Luke Kuechly Went “Madden”
The Panthers linebacker has to win defensive player of the year. He has to.
I know there has been talk of Quinn being a contender; but when you set a record like Kuechly, you deserve to win. Kuechly went “madden” as his teammate Mike Mitchell said. He had 24 tackles, which is tied for the most tackles in a game. David Harris set the record in 2007. Kuechly also had an interception. That was the first time since 2001 that a player has had over 20 tackles and an interception in a single game.
I know there has been talk of Quinn being a contender; but when you set a record like Kuechly, you deserve to win. Kuechly went “madden” as his teammate Mike Mitchell said. He had 24 tackles, which is tied for the most tackles in a game. David Harris set the record in 2007. Kuechly also had an interception. That was the first time since 2001 that a player has had over 20 tackles and an interception in a single game.
3. The Colts were Alive Again
Partially because the ball was in the air a lot more than it was in Richardson’s hands. Luck threw for 241 yards and a touchdown. Donald Brown, who is quickly proving that he is the best running back on the team, ran for 51 yards and a touchdown. The Chiefs looked like they were from Jacksonsville and had a total of 4 turnovers and a quarterback who once again seemed to forget he could throw the ball deep. If the Colts are the 4th seed and the Chiefs end up the 5th these two will meet at Lucas Oil again in 2 weeks.
4. Tony Romo and Cam Newton Proved they Could Close
Both quarterbacks have faced a lot of criticism this week. This past week they shut down any negative talk. Cam Newton pulled it through in the end and beat the Saints. Romo took things into his own hands 10 yards from the endzone on 4th and goal. He darted around in the pocket, pump faked and threw an honest to God touchdown and NOT an interception. Congrats Tony, the #notsoromo handle never took off Sunday.
5. Tom Brady was Really Happy
The Patriots torched the Ravens. It wasn’t pretty.
Tom Brady was feeling pretty good about the Pats performance and went for a high five with his teammates. Except, they didn’t want to high five.. again. Once again Tom Brady was left hanging on the sideline with a big goofy grin on his face. Maybe this wasn’t the happiest post.. but look how happy he is!
