THE NFL STORY: WEEK #16
So the NFL tiebreakers are so complicated, that colleges should start
offering a course in NFL tiebreakers. Make it a graduate-level course.
THE SCORE:
Houston (10-5) 16
INDIANAPOLIS (2-13) 19
THE STATS: Indianapolis WR Reggie Wayne 8-106-1 TD.
THE STORY: Colts 2nd win in a row, Houston's 2 loss in a row. Good thing Houston had the division already won, because they are going in the wrong direction, just in time for the playoffs.
THE SCORE:
Cleveland (4-11) 14
BALTIMORE (11-4) 20
THE STATS: Baltimore linebacker Ray Lewis team-leading 9 tackles for the 2nd week in a row.
THE STORY: Best AFC North division race in history is sullied only by not having Baltimore and Pittsburgh (both 11-4) match up in the season's final weekend.
THE SCORE:
Denver (8-7) 14
BUFFALO (6-9) 40
THE STATS: Denver QB Tim Tebow 4 interceptions.
THE STORY: This was Buffalo's 1st win since their 7 game losing streak started. Think about it. We've celebrated Christmas, Thanksgiving, AND Halloween since the Bills had last won a game.
THE SCORE:
Tampa Bay (4-11) 16
CAROLINA (6-9) 48
THE STATS: Carolina QB Cam Newton 12-17-171-0-3 TD, 142.4 rating; 6-65-1 TD rushing (10.8 average).
THE STORY: Strangest stat line comparison of the week: Cam Newton throws for 3 TDs, runs for 1 TD, while New England QB Tom Brady throws for just one TD, but runs for 2 TDs.
THE SCORE:
Arizona (7-8) 16
CINCINNATI (9-6) 23
THE STATS: Cincinnati 165 yards rushing to just 136 passing.
THE STORY: The only 9-6 team and currently in the 2nd wild card spot for the AFC, but the Bengals still have some "clinches a playoff spot with...." work ahead of them.
THE SCORE:
OAKLAND (8-7) 16
Kansas City (6-9) 13
THE STATS: Oakland kicker Sebastian Janikowski 3 FGs, 1 XP, 10 points, including overtime 36-yard game winner.
THE STORY: Someone say it: "Future Hall of Famer Sebastian Janikowski".
THE SCORE:
Miami (5-10) 24
NEW ENGLAND (12-3) 27
THE STATS: New England 4 touchdowns rushing, just 1 TD receiving.
THE STORY: Patriots are the only team in the AFC who controls their own playoff destiny -- win and earn the home field advantage. No "Loss OR tie", no Loss by a team plus a loss by a team plus a loss by a team plus a loss OR tie". Just win.
THE SCORE:
NY GIANTS (8-7) 29
NY Jets (8-7) 14
THE STATS: Giants win with just 11 first downs, 9-27 passing, 23:54 of possession.
THE STORY: Funny road game at home for the Giants. At least one of the teams played like they were at home; it just wasn't the Jets.
THE SCORE:
St. Louis (2-13) 0
PITTSBURGH (11-4) 27
THE STATS: 2nd shutout of the season for Pittsburgh.
THE STORY: Great 3-way race between Pittsburgh, Baltimore, and New England, any of which could take home field advantage.
THE SCORE:
Jacksonville (4-11) 17
TENNESSEE (8-7) 23
THE STATS: Tennessee tight end Jared Cook 8-169-1 TD.
THE STORY: Perhaps the screwiest playoff tiebreaker ever has the Titans rooting for the Jets to win on Sunday, unless Oakland and Denver win, in which case the Titans want the Jets to lose; and they want Oakland to win, unless New York wins, in which case the Titans want Oakland to lose.
THE SCORE:
MINNESOTA (3-12) 33
Washington (5-10) 26
THE STATS: Minnesota linebacker E.J. Henderson 11 tackles.
THE STORY: One of only two meaningless games all weekend which did not feature a team playing for the playoffs or playoff seedings (Tampa Bay at Carolina).
THE SCORE:
San Diego (7-8) 10
DETROIT (10-5) 38
THE STATS: Detroit QB Matthew Stafford outplays San Diego QB Philip Rivers, 137.6 rating to 60.2.
THE STORY: Detroit has the advantage of playing Green Bay to end the season. Green Bay, by my calculation, is the only playoff or playoff-possible team which has nothing left for which to play.
THE SCORE:
PHILADELPHIA (7-8) 20
Dallas (8-7) 7
THE STATS: Eagles outscore Dallas 54-14 in two games this season.
THE STORY: Philadelphia's so-called "Dream Team" falls short in the easiest division to win this season.
THE SCORE:
SAN FRANCISCO(12-3) 19
Seattle (7-8) 17
THE STATS: David Akers 4-5 FG, NFL record 42 field goals on the season.
THE STORY: San Francisco may have benefited from a weak NFC West (4-1 against the West with 1 game left), but they also defeated Cincinnati, Philadelphia, Tampa Bay, Detroit, Cleveland, Washington, NY Giants, Pittsburgh outside the division.
THE SCORE:
Chicago (7-8) 21
GREEN BAY (14-1) 35
THE STATS: Green Bay QB Aaron Rodgers 21-29-283-0-5 TD, 142.7 rating.
THE STORY: Never mind the Packers; can I buy stock in Aaron Rodgers?
THE SCORE:
Atlanta (9-6) 16
NEW ORLEANS (12-3) 45
THE STATS: New Orleans WR Marques Colston 7-81-1 TD.
THE STORY: Who's peaking in December? New Orleans wins their 7th in a row.
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Friday, December 30, 2011
Friday, December 23, 2011
THE NFL STORY: WEEK #15
So the Denver Broncos are the team everyone wants to watch. Well, in the 4th quarter, anyway.
THE SCORE:
Jacksonville (4-10) 14
ATLANTA (9-5) 41
THE STATS: Atlanta WR Roddy White 10-135-2 TD.
THE STORY: Sometimes, you're happy that you can't watch a game because it is carried on the premium channel NFL Network. This was one of those weeks.
THE SCORE:
DALLAS (8-6) 31
Tampa Bay (4-10) 15
THE STATS: Dallas 399 total yards to 190; 28 first downs to 7; time of possession 37:59 to 22:01.
THE STORY: Dallas' win puts them in position to clinch the division this weekend -- or sets them up for another epic choke.
THE SCORE:
CINCINNATI (8-6) 20
St. Louis (2-12) 13
THE STATS: Cincinnati returner Brandon Tate 4-101 (25.3 avg) kick returns; 2-71 (35.5) punt returns.
THE STORY: St. Louis offense has scored just 14 TDs in 14 games.
THE SCORE:
MIAMI (5-9) 30
Buffalo (5-9) 23
THE STATS: Teams combined for 6 turnovers, 16 penalties, 14 punts.
THE STORY: Miami started the season 0-7; Buffalo has now lost 7 straight, including every game since the Miami streak ended. Gotta love the symmetry.
THE SCORE:
WASHINGTON (5-9) 23
NY Giants (7-7) 10
THE STATS: Washington just 2 penalties (to 8 for Giants).
THE STORY: Giants now face a critical showdown this weekend, on the world's shortest road trip -- to their own stadium to play the Jets.
THE SCORE:
Tennessee (7-7) 13
INDIANAPOLIS (1-13) 27
THE STATS: Colts win with just 10 first downs, 3-12 on 3rd down conversions.
THE STORY: With their 1st win, Colts have not clinched, still have some work to do earn the 1st pick in the draft.
THE SCORE:
SEATTLE (7-7) 38
Chicago (7-7) 14
THE STATS: Seattle outscores Chicago 31-0 in the 2nd half.
THE STORY: Chicago's 4th loss in a row; they can't clinch next week, but they can be eliminated.
THE SCORE:
Green Bay (13-1) 14
KANSAS CITY (6-8) 19
THE STATS: Kansas City defense holds Aaron Rodgers to 48.6%, 5.5 yards per pass play, sacked 4 times.
THE STORY: Children in Nigeria now wearing green "19-0" shirts.
THE SCORE:
CAROLINA (5-9) 28
Houston (10-4) 13
THE STATS: Carolina punting: 5 punts-50.4 yard average to just 2-29.5 average for Houston (3 turnovers).
THE STORY: Nevermind the Green Bay loss and the Indianapolis win; this game might have been the biggest upset of the weekend.
THE SCORE:
NEW ORLEANS (11-3) 42
Minnesota (2-12) 20
THE STATS: New Orleans RB Darren Sproles 33 yards rushing, 79 yards receiving (TD), 75 yards kick returns, 45 yards punt returns.
THE STORY: Vikings want a new stadium, or they might move. Coincidentally, many of the fans now like the latter idea.
THE SCORE:
DETROIT (9-5) 28
Oakland (7-7) 27
THE STATS: Detroit WR Calvin Johnson 9-214-2 TD.
THE STORY: Let me see if I have this straight. Detroit clinches a wild card spot with a win or tie, OR a Chicago loss or tie and an Arizona loss or tie, and a Seattle loss or tie, and a Dallas loss or tie OR a Chicago loss or tie, and an Arizona loss or tie and a Seattle loss or tie and a New York loss or tie, OR a Chicago loss or tie and an Arizona loss or tie and a Seattle loss or tie and an Atlanta win or tie. Simple.
THE SCORE:
Cleveland (4-10) 17
ARIZONA (7-7) 20
THE STATS: Last 5 Cleveland possessions of the game: Punt, Fumble, Punt, Punt, Punt.
THE STORY: Overtime win by Arizona after starting the 4th quarter down by 10 points; may have been the best game of the week. Meaningless, but the best game.
THE SCORE:
NY Jets (8-6) 19
PHILADELPHIA (6-8) 45
THE STATS: Philadelphia RB LeSean McCoy, 18-102-3 TDs, team record 20 TDs on the season.
THE STORY: Eagles are still alive? Next you're going to tell me that the Colts won a game.
THE SCORE:
NEW ENGLAND (11-3) 41
Denver (8-6) 23
THE STATS: Tebow: 80.5 rating; Brady: 117.3 rating.
THE STORY: Tebow magic falls short to a superior team.
THE SCORE:
Baltimore (10-4) 14
SAN DIEGO (7-7) 34
THE STATS: Chargers 3rd win in a row.
THE STORY: The Chargers' usual late-season run came a little late this year. But too late too little?
THE SCORE:
Pittsburgh (10-4) 3
SAN FRANCISCO(11-3) 20
THE STATS: 2 power outages for 35 minutes.
THE STORY: Conspiracy theories abound about the lights going out in San Francisco, as a ploy to get a new stadium. Yeah, I'll believe that when an earthquake hits the Bay area during the World Series.
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THE SCORE:
Jacksonville (4-10) 14
ATLANTA (9-5) 41
THE STATS: Atlanta WR Roddy White 10-135-2 TD.
THE STORY: Sometimes, you're happy that you can't watch a game because it is carried on the premium channel NFL Network. This was one of those weeks.
THE SCORE:
DALLAS (8-6) 31
Tampa Bay (4-10) 15
THE STATS: Dallas 399 total yards to 190; 28 first downs to 7; time of possession 37:59 to 22:01.
THE STORY: Dallas' win puts them in position to clinch the division this weekend -- or sets them up for another epic choke.
THE SCORE:
CINCINNATI (8-6) 20
St. Louis (2-12) 13
THE STATS: Cincinnati returner Brandon Tate 4-101 (25.3 avg) kick returns; 2-71 (35.5) punt returns.
THE STORY: St. Louis offense has scored just 14 TDs in 14 games.
THE SCORE:
MIAMI (5-9) 30
Buffalo (5-9) 23
THE STATS: Teams combined for 6 turnovers, 16 penalties, 14 punts.
THE STORY: Miami started the season 0-7; Buffalo has now lost 7 straight, including every game since the Miami streak ended. Gotta love the symmetry.
THE SCORE:
WASHINGTON (5-9) 23
NY Giants (7-7) 10
THE STATS: Washington just 2 penalties (to 8 for Giants).
THE STORY: Giants now face a critical showdown this weekend, on the world's shortest road trip -- to their own stadium to play the Jets.
THE SCORE:
Tennessee (7-7) 13
INDIANAPOLIS (1-13) 27
THE STATS: Colts win with just 10 first downs, 3-12 on 3rd down conversions.
THE STORY: With their 1st win, Colts have not clinched, still have some work to do earn the 1st pick in the draft.
THE SCORE:
SEATTLE (7-7) 38
Chicago (7-7) 14
THE STATS: Seattle outscores Chicago 31-0 in the 2nd half.
THE STORY: Chicago's 4th loss in a row; they can't clinch next week, but they can be eliminated.
THE SCORE:
Green Bay (13-1) 14
KANSAS CITY (6-8) 19
THE STATS: Kansas City defense holds Aaron Rodgers to 48.6%, 5.5 yards per pass play, sacked 4 times.
THE STORY: Children in Nigeria now wearing green "19-0" shirts.
THE SCORE:
CAROLINA (5-9) 28
Houston (10-4) 13
THE STATS: Carolina punting: 5 punts-50.4 yard average to just 2-29.5 average for Houston (3 turnovers).
THE STORY: Nevermind the Green Bay loss and the Indianapolis win; this game might have been the biggest upset of the weekend.
THE SCORE:
NEW ORLEANS (11-3) 42
Minnesota (2-12) 20
THE STATS: New Orleans RB Darren Sproles 33 yards rushing, 79 yards receiving (TD), 75 yards kick returns, 45 yards punt returns.
THE STORY: Vikings want a new stadium, or they might move. Coincidentally, many of the fans now like the latter idea.
THE SCORE:
DETROIT (9-5) 28
Oakland (7-7) 27
THE STATS: Detroit WR Calvin Johnson 9-214-2 TD.
THE STORY: Let me see if I have this straight. Detroit clinches a wild card spot with a win or tie, OR a Chicago loss or tie and an Arizona loss or tie, and a Seattle loss or tie, and a Dallas loss or tie OR a Chicago loss or tie, and an Arizona loss or tie and a Seattle loss or tie and a New York loss or tie, OR a Chicago loss or tie and an Arizona loss or tie and a Seattle loss or tie and an Atlanta win or tie. Simple.
THE SCORE:
Cleveland (4-10) 17
ARIZONA (7-7) 20
THE STATS: Last 5 Cleveland possessions of the game: Punt, Fumble, Punt, Punt, Punt.
THE STORY: Overtime win by Arizona after starting the 4th quarter down by 10 points; may have been the best game of the week. Meaningless, but the best game.
THE SCORE:
NY Jets (8-6) 19
PHILADELPHIA (6-8) 45
THE STATS: Philadelphia RB LeSean McCoy, 18-102-3 TDs, team record 20 TDs on the season.
THE STORY: Eagles are still alive? Next you're going to tell me that the Colts won a game.
THE SCORE:
NEW ENGLAND (11-3) 41
Denver (8-6) 23
THE STATS: Tebow: 80.5 rating; Brady: 117.3 rating.
THE STORY: Tebow magic falls short to a superior team.
THE SCORE:
Baltimore (10-4) 14
SAN DIEGO (7-7) 34
THE STATS: Chargers 3rd win in a row.
THE STORY: The Chargers' usual late-season run came a little late this year. But too late too little?
THE SCORE:
Pittsburgh (10-4) 3
SAN FRANCISCO(11-3) 20
THE STATS: 2 power outages for 35 minutes.
THE STORY: Conspiracy theories abound about the lights going out in San Francisco, as a ploy to get a new stadium. Yeah, I'll believe that when an earthquake hits the Bay area during the World Series.
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Friday, December 2, 2011
THE NFL STORY: WEEK #12
So Tim Tebow is running the ball and winning, but gets criticized. Why doesn't he get the same break that Michael Vick has gotten all these years for being the same type of quarterback?
THE SCORE:
GREEN BAY (11-0) 27
Detroit (7-4) 15
THE STATS: Detroit 11 penalties, -3 on turnovers.
THE STORY: Still undefeated Packers get Lions again for the final game of the season. The division race won't be at stake the next time, but history probably will be.
THE SCORE:
Miami (3-8) 19
DALLAS (7-4) 20
THE STATS: Dallas WR Laurent Robinson 7-79-2 TD.
THE STORY: Best game of the weekend. There were 6 lead changes in the game, along with a lot of cold turkeys and angry wives across America.
THE SCORE:
San Francisco(9-2) 6
BALTIMORE (8-3) 16
THE STATS: Baltimore defense: allows 170 total yards, just 96 yards passing.
THE STORY: The sparkling wine from the Napa Valley is on hold for another week in the San Francisco locker room.
THE SCORE:
ARIZONA (4-7) 23
St. Louis (2-9) 20
THE STATS: Arizona RB Beanie Wells 27-228-1 TD.
THE STORY: The winning quarterback, John Skelton, had no touchdowns, 2 interceptions, and a passer rating of 30.0. Sounds like a Tim Tebow stat line.
THE SCORE:
Buffalo (5-6) 24
NY JETS (6-5) 28
THE STATS: NY Jets TE Dustin Keller 4-61-2 TD.
THE STORY: Bills have lost to the Jets twice during their current 4 game losing streak.
THE SCORE:
Cleveland (4-7) 20
CINCINNATI (7-4) 23
THE STATS: Mike Nugent two 4th quarter FGs to tie and win (:38 remaining).
THE STORY: Early coach of the year candidate: Marvin Lewis. Last year: 4 wins. This year: 7 and counting and current playoff spot.
THE SCORE:
HOUSTON (8-3) 20
Jacksonville (3-8) 13
THE STATS: Houston defense: 7 sacks.
THE STORY: Impressive 5 game win streak for Houston, but only one against a team with a winning record (Tennessee).
THE SCORE:
CAROLINA (3-8) 27
Indianapolis (0-11) 19
THE STATS: Indianapolis 1-9 on 3rd down conversions.
THE STORY: It wasn't only that the Colts converted just one single 3rd down conversion; but they only had 9 such conversion attempts the entire game, on 11 possessions.
THE SCORE:
Tampa Bay (4-7) 17
TENNESSEE (6-5) 23
THE STATS: Tennessee RB Chris Johnson 23-190-0 TD.
THE STORY: Nice win to run Titans' record to 6-5, but still just good enough to stay in that "Also in contention" column.
THE SCORE:
Minnesota (2-9) 14
ATLANTA (7-4) 24
THE STATS: Atlanta QB Matt Ryan 27-34-262-0-3 TD, 128.2 rating.
THE STORY: Atlanta stays in the wild card and division race, setting up a great Monday Night Finale against New Orleans the night after Christmas.
THE SCORE:
Chicago (7-4) 20
OAKLAND (7-4) 25
THE STATS: Oakland K Sebastian Janikowski 1-1 XP, 6-6 FG, 19 points.
THE STORY: Janikowski had 229 yards in kicking field goals.
THE SCORE:
WASHINGTON (4-7) 23
Seattle (4-7) 17
THE STATS: Washington RB Roy Helu 23-108-1 TD, 7-54 rushing.
THE STORY: Redskins interrupt their 6 game losing streak with a win.
THE SCORE:
NEW ENGLAND (8-3) 38
Philadelphia (4-7) 20
THE STATS: New England WR Wes Welker 8-115-2 TD.
THE STORY: Eagles, who set records for blowing 4th quarter leads this season, didn't wait so long against the Patriots. The Eagles' 10 point 1st quarter lead at 8:19 was gone just 1:48 into the 2nd quarter.
THE SCORE:
DENVER (6-5) 16
San Diego (4-7) 13
THE STATS: Denver QB Tim Tebow 9-18-143-0-1 TD, 95.4 rating, 22-67 yards rushing.
THE STORY: The great debate continues: are the Broncos winning because of Tim Tebow, or in spite of him?
THE SCORE:
PITTSBURGH (8-3) 13
Kansas City (4-7) 9
THE STATS: Pittsburgh defense gets 4 turnovers.
THE STORY: Steelers now 8-1 against teams not from Baltimore.
THE SCORE:
NY Giants (6-5) 24
NEW ORLEANS (8-3) 49
THE STATS: New Orleans QB Drew Brees 24-38-363-0-4 TD, 129.6 rating.
THE STORY: Good season the Saints are putting together, but they don't yet appear on the "Could clinch with..." list, so they still have work to do.
- 30 -
So Tim Tebow is running the ball and winning, but gets criticized. Why doesn't he get the same break that Michael Vick has gotten all these years for being the same type of quarterback?
THE SCORE:
GREEN BAY (11-0) 27
Detroit (7-4) 15
THE STATS: Detroit 11 penalties, -3 on turnovers.
THE STORY: Still undefeated Packers get Lions again for the final game of the season. The division race won't be at stake the next time, but history probably will be.
THE SCORE:
Miami (3-8) 19
DALLAS (7-4) 20
THE STATS: Dallas WR Laurent Robinson 7-79-2 TD.
THE STORY: Best game of the weekend. There were 6 lead changes in the game, along with a lot of cold turkeys and angry wives across America.
THE SCORE:
San Francisco(9-2) 6
BALTIMORE (8-3) 16
THE STATS: Baltimore defense: allows 170 total yards, just 96 yards passing.
THE STORY: The sparkling wine from the Napa Valley is on hold for another week in the San Francisco locker room.
THE SCORE:
ARIZONA (4-7) 23
St. Louis (2-9) 20
THE STATS: Arizona RB Beanie Wells 27-228-1 TD.
THE STORY: The winning quarterback, John Skelton, had no touchdowns, 2 interceptions, and a passer rating of 30.0. Sounds like a Tim Tebow stat line.
THE SCORE:
Buffalo (5-6) 24
NY JETS (6-5) 28
THE STATS: NY Jets TE Dustin Keller 4-61-2 TD.
THE STORY: Bills have lost to the Jets twice during their current 4 game losing streak.
THE SCORE:
Cleveland (4-7) 20
CINCINNATI (7-4) 23
THE STATS: Mike Nugent two 4th quarter FGs to tie and win (:38 remaining).
THE STORY: Early coach of the year candidate: Marvin Lewis. Last year: 4 wins. This year: 7 and counting and current playoff spot.
THE SCORE:
HOUSTON (8-3) 20
Jacksonville (3-8) 13
THE STATS: Houston defense: 7 sacks.
THE STORY: Impressive 5 game win streak for Houston, but only one against a team with a winning record (Tennessee).
THE SCORE:
CAROLINA (3-8) 27
Indianapolis (0-11) 19
THE STATS: Indianapolis 1-9 on 3rd down conversions.
THE STORY: It wasn't only that the Colts converted just one single 3rd down conversion; but they only had 9 such conversion attempts the entire game, on 11 possessions.
THE SCORE:
Tampa Bay (4-7) 17
TENNESSEE (6-5) 23
THE STATS: Tennessee RB Chris Johnson 23-190-0 TD.
THE STORY: Nice win to run Titans' record to 6-5, but still just good enough to stay in that "Also in contention" column.
THE SCORE:
Minnesota (2-9) 14
ATLANTA (7-4) 24
THE STATS: Atlanta QB Matt Ryan 27-34-262-0-3 TD, 128.2 rating.
THE STORY: Atlanta stays in the wild card and division race, setting up a great Monday Night Finale against New Orleans the night after Christmas.
THE SCORE:
Chicago (7-4) 20
OAKLAND (7-4) 25
THE STATS: Oakland K Sebastian Janikowski 1-1 XP, 6-6 FG, 19 points.
THE STORY: Janikowski had 229 yards in kicking field goals.
THE SCORE:
WASHINGTON (4-7) 23
Seattle (4-7) 17
THE STATS: Washington RB Roy Helu 23-108-1 TD, 7-54 rushing.
THE STORY: Redskins interrupt their 6 game losing streak with a win.
THE SCORE:
NEW ENGLAND (8-3) 38
Philadelphia (4-7) 20
THE STATS: New England WR Wes Welker 8-115-2 TD.
THE STORY: Eagles, who set records for blowing 4th quarter leads this season, didn't wait so long against the Patriots. The Eagles' 10 point 1st quarter lead at 8:19 was gone just 1:48 into the 2nd quarter.
THE SCORE:
DENVER (6-5) 16
San Diego (4-7) 13
THE STATS: Denver QB Tim Tebow 9-18-143-0-1 TD, 95.4 rating, 22-67 yards rushing.
THE STORY: The great debate continues: are the Broncos winning because of Tim Tebow, or in spite of him?
THE SCORE:
PITTSBURGH (8-3) 13
Kansas City (4-7) 9
THE STATS: Pittsburgh defense gets 4 turnovers.
THE STORY: Steelers now 8-1 against teams not from Baltimore.
THE SCORE:
NY Giants (6-5) 24
NEW ORLEANS (8-3) 49
THE STATS: New Orleans QB Drew Brees 24-38-363-0-4 TD, 129.6 rating.
THE STORY: Good season the Saints are putting together, but they don't yet appear on the "Could clinch with..." list, so they still have work to do.
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