Sports Then and Now

The final week of the 2012 NFL season was just as good as the first 16 were. With 16 division matchups on the schedule, it had it all: shutouts, blowouts, third-string quarterbacks, elimination games, records being chased and of course another opportunity for Tony Romo to choke. (He did). For the last time in 2012, your storylines from the week that was in pro football.

Eight would have been great: Minnesota running back Adrian Peterson came up eight yards shy of tying the single-season rushing record, but his Vikings are heading to the playoffs.

Adrian Peterson came within eight yards of tying and nine of breaking the NFL single-season rushing record, but with time running out in the game, Blair Walsh kicked a 29-yard field goal to break the tie  and send the Vikings to the playoffs, ending Peterson’s regular season. Minnesota defeated the Packers, 37-34, for their first win against their division rivals since 2009. The loss also ended Green Bay’s 12-game division winning streak. Peterson did become just the seventh running back to ever rush for 2,000 yards in a season as he concluded the regular season with 2,097 yards on the ground. The Packers had won nine straight regular season finales before the loss. Aaron Rodgers threw four touchdowns in a game for the fourth time this year, including two to Greg Jennings. Walsh added to his NFL record with his 10th field goal of 50-plus yards on the season. Peterson finished the season with seven 150-plus rushing games, tying the NFL record. Minnesota has made the playoffs for the first time since 2009. The Packers, who finished the regular season at 11-5 and the Vikings, who finished 10-6, will play each other on Saturday in the Wild Card round.

The good news: the Colts won their regular season finale. The great news: Chuck Pagano was back on the sidelines to coach it. J.J. Watt failed to get any sacks and finished two shy of the NFL single-season record as the Texans lost to the Colts to fall all the way to the third seed in the AFC, missing the bye they had been in position for all season long. Watt finished with 20.5 sacks on the year. Houston has never won at Indianapolis – now 0-11 all-time with the 28-16 loss on Sunday. A career-long 70-yard TD pass from Andrew Luck to T.Y. Hilton on 3rd & 23 all but sealed the win for the Colts. Deji Karim returned a second-half kickoff 101 yards for Indy, their longest return since 1973. Andre Johnson tied the career record of 10-reception games set by Wes Welker last week with the 18th of his career. Reggie Wayne now has at least three catches in 64 straight games, extending his NFL record. The Colts became the seventh team to improve by nine wins in just one year, going from 2-14 in 2011 to 11-5 in 2012. Houston finished 12-4 after losing three of its last four games and will host the Bengals in the Wild Card round, while the Colts will travel to Baltimore.

The Chicago Bears have made a little history of their own as they became just the second team since 1990 to miss the playoffs after starting the season with a 7-1 record despite beating the Lions, 26-24, in Detroit and finishing with a 10-6 record. They have now missed the playoffs in five of the last six seasons. Matt Forte did rush for 1,000 yards for the third time in his career. The Lions finished a disappointing 4-12, but Matthew Stafford shattered the previous record of 691 pass attempts in a season and finished with 727. Calvin Johnson caught five balls for 72 yards and came up 36 yards short of the first ever 2,000-yard receiving season. It broke his streak of eight straight 100-yard receiving games and four straight 10-catch games, which were both NFL records. He finished the season with an NFL record 1,964 receiving yards. Chicago fired head coach Lovie Smith on Monday after a 3-5 end to the year and that has apparently prompted kick returner Devin Hester to consider retirement.

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Even the best team in baseball can make mistakes.

At 83-45 and seven games ahead on the Atlanta Braves, the Phillies are looking to make a long run and win the World Series. Here’s what they can’t afford to do if they plan on winning it all:

1. Being Overconfident: Winning 100 games and annihilating your division doesn’t get you anything. The Phillies need to play like a Wild Card team, and get the job done. It’s still ways to go, and Atlanta is not a terrible team. Here in Philadelphia, fans laugh when the Detroit Tigers or Cleveland Indians come up in baseball arguments or discussions. “Well, if Detroit makes it to the World Series, their going to get destroyed!”. Philly fans have always been too confident in their teams when they are on a roll, and this season is no different. I hope the players are less confident than the fans, or the Phillies’ run to a title may end in a letdown.

2. Not having a consistent bullpen: The Bullpen for the Phillies has been extraordinary this season. But, with Ryan Madson and Michael Stutes struggling, the ‘Pen could be in jeopardy. The Phils’ have enjoyed their young rookies including Bastardo, and Stutes for the time being. The real question is, will they need veteran bullpen pitchers to win a title? As for now, there aren’t alot on the roster…

3. Injury Plagued: This goes to every team, in every sport, but with Polanco, Victorino, Hamels, Ruiz, Ibanez, Contreras and Utley all having recent injuries, it may be a huge block in their path to winning it all. Contreras is out for the year, which goes along with not having veteran relief pitchers, and Hamels is out for at least 15 days. However, the Phillies are one of the deepest teams in the league, so rookie Vance Worley (9-1) can always take Hamels’ place. Read the rest of this entry →