Doing Their Part

The Pats close out their schedule at home today against the Jets. If they win and the Raiders lose to the Colts, they will have home field throughout the playoffs.

They were in a similar situation last year, but couldn't close out the season on a winning note. They still need to travel to Miami next weekend.

As Tom Brady would say, it's no time to take the foot off the gas pedal. They need momentum going into the playoffs.

Michael's Chance

WR Michael Floyd has been a very expensive and controversial signing by the Pats. He is due $1.2 million for three regular season games. He didn't play against the Broncos, but will probably be ready for the Jets.

The Pats are very thin at receiver. They think that Danny Amendola will be back for the playoffs after dealing with his high ankle sprain. Another injury would devastate their playoffs hopes.

Floyd is a free agent after the season ends. He faces a possible jail sentence in Arizona on his aggravated drunk driving charge.

For now, he has a chance to make a big impact on the offense.

The Life of Josh

QB  Josh Johnson of the Giants just got elevated to backup Eli Manning after Ryan Nassib was placed on IR.

The former 5th round pick in 2008 will probably see no action as Eli has never missed a game in his 13 year career.

Johnson has found a role for himself on the bench which has allowed him to last for nine seasons. His last game action was on December 22, 2013 when he played for the Bengals.

He spent his first three years with the Buccaneers before stints with the Browns, Bengals, 49er's, Colts and Bills. He has five career starts with 96/177passes for 1,042 yards and five TD's.

Guys like Johnson can have a long career if things go right.

A Record For Gus

It remains to be seen if former Jaguars coach Gus Bradley ever gets a head job again. He was fired last Sunday after his team's latest loss.

If he never leads a team again, he will hold the dubious record of having the worst winning percentage for coaches with at least 60 NFL games. He went 14-48 (.225) over four seasons.

He is probably hoping that someone breaks his record. He will own it for now and the foreseeable future.

Exciting Games Ahead

College bowl game fans only had the Boca Raton to choose from today. The action really starts to pick up starting Friday with the Bahamas, Armed Forces and Dollar General games.

Wednesday and Thursday only have one each with the Poinsettia and Idaho Potato respectively. No matter what happens, people will be watching and the games make money.

Passing Fine

The NFL wastes too much time trying to crack down on player celebrations on the field, especially after touchdowns. They continue to fine players and look foolish in the process.

They decided to take a pass yesterday on Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliot after he scored and dove into a giant Salvation Army red kettle at the back of the end zone.

The charity reported a 50% increase in online donations in the last 24 hours. Did this have anything to do with Elliot? It probably did as the replay was shown countless times.

It's good to see that the league decided not to create a public relations nightmare by fining Elliot. They will waste time on other trivial matters.

They Are Really Thinking

Whenever a coach says they are not thinking about getting fired, it really means that there is a great concern on their part. They just can't say it publicly.

Todd Bowles of the Jets is seeing his time in New York evaporate after his team lost to the Dolphins last night and fell to 4-10.

Rex Ryan and his Bills beat the winless Browns to even their record at 7-7. Another loss will keep them out of the playoffs for the 17th consecutive season. This was suppose to be their year, but Rex was never able to back it up. It might only be a matter of time for the Rexster.

It's a Celebration

The college bowl season began today with several games that have interesting names. They include Celebration, Las Vegas, Cure, Carmellia and New Orleans.

No games are scheduled tomorrow so as not to go up against the NFL. There is only the Miami Beach Bowl on Monday in the afternoon, but the rest of the way is busy through January 2nd.

There are so many mediocre teams playing. Some have .500 records. Every team is glad to be playing because it means money for them.

These games only exist for financial reasons. Fans watch and enjoy them. Ads get sold. Everyone wins.

Brady's Worst Place

As great as Tom Brady has been in his career, he has met his match when playing the Broncos in Denver. He holds a career record of 2-7 in the Mile High city. To make matters worse, three of his losses came in the 2016 AFC Championship game and the Divisional rounds in 2014 and 2006.

Denver has stood in his way for winning more than the four Super Bowls he has to his credit. Last year was a total debacle as the Denver defensive line was relentless with hitting Brady and knocking him down.

A loss doesn't ruin the season, but won't do anything to instill confidence in their playoffs hopes. They need to win to keep home field advantage in the post-season.

We all know how things can work out in Denver. Their record tells the story.

At Witten's End

It's always a shame to see a streak end, especially if the player is healthy. Such was the case for Cowboys TE Jason Witten in a recent win against the Vikings.

His streak of catching a pass in 130 consecutive games ended. I'm sure he felt bad about it, but didn't want to go on record as being selfish.

His streak began on November 2, 2008 against the Giants. He went into Monday night's game against the Giants with 1,072 catches for 11,768 yards and 62 TD's in his career. He had caught a pass in 213 of his 219 NFL games before it came to an end.

The Long Journey

Pats DE Chris Long was the second overall pick in the 2008 draft when he was selected by the St Louis Rams. He spent his entire career with them before signing with the Pats prior to the 2016 season.

Although he has made a great deal of money, he was never a part of a winning team. This will be his first time in the playoffs.

The league is filled with players who have never seen the post-season. Jets WR Brandon Marshall just passed 12,000 receiving yards, but has never made a trip in 12 years. His time is running out real fast.

Times of Cyrus

The Pats selected CB Cyrus Jones in the 2nd round of the 2016 draft because of his exceptional punt return skills at Alabama. He was seen as the safe alternative to exposing Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola on kick coverage.

Jones has been a total disaster. In nine games, he has five fumbles. The one last night against the Ravens had fans calling for his benching or being cut by the team.

Coach Belichick has taken a different approach publicly by preaching the importance of ball security by all players.

Will Jones get another opportunity in a big situation? He fumbled in college, but made spectacular plays while playing on a national powerhouse.

It's a different world for him now. He can't keep making mistakes. The team has a significant financial investment in him, but it's not worth costing them the season by one bad play on his part.