Week 16: Newton and Carolina offense win some championship games:

Panthers 48, Bucs 16: Cam Newton has culminated his rookie season with spectacular and historic numbers as he performed on a high level again with a win on Sunday against Tampa, throwing for three touchdowns and rushing for one.  The superstar rookie threw for 171 yards and rushed for 65 as he contributed to the Panthers’ 270 rushing yards.  One of the big plays that blew this game wide open was a 91 yard bomb to Brandon LaFell.  While Newton was a story, the running game of Jonathan Stewart and D’Angelo Williams put a huge dent into Tampa’s rushing defense as they combined for 156 yards and two scores.  Newton and the Panthers look to put more points on the board next week against the Saints but with this finish down the stretch you have to like them as a sleeper team for 2012.

The Bucs’ nine game losing streak actually might get Raheem Morris fired and nobody saw it coming as Tampa was one of the quickest rising teams in the league but fell on Sunday as their defense couldn’t stop Carolina and Freeman and the boys couldn’t keep up.  Josh Freeman threw for a pedestrian 274 yards and a score and no skill player was able to put up more than 65 yards.  This season has been a major disappointment for guys like LeGarrette Blount, Mike Williams and Kellen Winslow.  I don’t expect much from Tampa next week against Atlanta but look for them to revamp this offense from everyone but Josh Freeman.

Vikings 33, Redskins 26: As if the season couldn’t get any worse for Minnesota, one of their all-time franchise stars might’ve put his career in jeopardy.  Adrian Peterson went down with a torn ACL and MCL and this is already raising questions about his availability for next year.  With a running back change in the game, the Vikings also went with a signal caller change as they inserted Joe Webb in place of Christian Ponder.  Webb held on to win the game but this raises doubt for Ponder’s value for 2012. 

Rex Grossman fell short but threw for 284 yards and two touchdowns.  Despite Grossman’s effectiveness at times, it’s assumed that the Redskins will go in a different direction next year for a quarterback.  Roy Helu was unavailable for this game so Evan Royster filled in and chalked up 132 yards.  Jabar Gaffney also finished with a good second half catching six balls for 77 yards and a touchdown.  The Skins will fall to another losing season and still have a lot of questions on offense for 2012.

Saints 45, Falcons 16:  It just took 15 games but with 2:51 left in the fourth quarter Drew Brees found Darren Sproles in the end zone for a 9 yard touchdown that not only moved the Saints lead to 45-16 but gave Brees another milestone, which was the all-time single season passing leader.  Brees was great again as he threw for 307 yards and four touchdowns as the Saints kept themselves alive for a first round bye.  Marques Colston was the leading receiver with 81 yards and a touchdown and Darren Sproles totaled 89 yards.  The Saints’ offense has been scorching hot down the stretch and there’s no lie that they’re ready for a postseason run.

The Atlanta Falcons looked amazing against some of the lesser teams in weeks but they’ve been having trouble hanging with the best teams as Matt Ryan had to throw 52 times in this ballgame.  Ryan threw for 373 yards as both Julio Jones and Roddy White both had 100 yard games.  One player to watch this postseason is Julio Jones has he was hampered by injuries throughout the year but the Falcons’ long term investment has been on fire the last month.  Look for Jones to light it up as Ryan’s favorite target whether they play at New Orleans, Dallas or New York for their first game.

Colts 19, Texans 16:Dan Orlovsky and the Colts shocked the first place Texans with a late touchdown pass to Reggie Wayne.  Wayne who has struggled to get yards and touchdowns all season led the Colts with 108 yards as Orlovsky beat his former team with 241 passing yards.  The Colts have an easy matchup with the beat up Jaguars next week but their offense will be much better in 2012 whether Peyton Manning is their quarterback or they land a rookie one in the draft.

Arian Foster led the Texans with 158 rushing yards and a touchdown but it wasn’t enough as rookie quarterback TJ Yates could not hold off the Colts.  The Texans are stumbling into the playoffs with injuries but they do get a healthy Andre Johnson back in a few weeks.

Bengals 23, Cardinals 16: The Bengals survived a late scare by the Arizona Cardinals and continued their winning ways but fantasy owners didn’t receive much help from the Bengals’ players on Sunday.  Andy Dalton found Jermaine Gresham and Jerome Simpson for touchdowns but only threw for 154 yards.  With a sore shoulder, AJ Green seemed limited as he burned owners with only 25 receiving yards on the day.  Some fumbling problems also plagued Cedric Benson as he only had 57 yards on the ground.  Despite the close win, the Bengals’ fate next week will determine if they make the playoffs.  If they fail to slide into the sixth seed, they should be optimistic about a nice fantasy offensive core they have in place with Andy Dalton throwing to AJ Green.

Despite a valiant effort from John Skelton, the Cardinals’ season is over but Skelton didn’t go down without a fight as he led a late charge with 297 passing yards and two scores.  Larry Fitzgerald once again had a 100 yard game with a touchdown and rewarded owners after a slow start to the season.  After a few great weeks from Beanie Wells, he finally slowed down in this game with only 53 rushing yards.  The Cardinals have a lot of questions going into the offseason on their pass protection and Kevin Kolb but they have to be looking forward to rookie Ryan Williams getting healthy to join Beanie Wells in next years’ rushing attack.

Giants 29, Jets 16: There were some ugly offensive displays on offense throughout this game but the Giants were able to pull away with a victory.  Eli Manning got the win but had his second straight down week disappointing owners who used him in the playoffs.  He only threw for 225 yards with one score and an interception but a lot of those yards came on a missed tackle 99 yard touchdown to Victor Cruz in the second quarter.  Cruz put a stamp on one of the most impressive breakout seasons from a receiver as he propelled some owners to the playoffs. Ahmad Bradshaw also was able to put the game away with two late touchdowns but between him and Jacobs, they only combined for 96 yards.  The Giants need to win next week to make the playoffs but with the emergence of Cruz, you have to like their passing attack under Eli Manning next year.

Mark Sanchez and the Jets were flat on offense on Sunday as Sanchez only threw for 258 yards and a touchdown but he was sacked five times and intercepted twice.  The Jets have a must win game in Miami and need help by other teams to make the playoffs.  If the Jets miss the playoffs, they’ll move onto next year with a ton of questions surrounding Mark Sanchez and his slow development in this offense.

Patriots 27, Dolphins 24: Tom Brady led the Patriots from a 17-0 deficit to beat the Dolphins on Sunday as Brady had three second half touchdowns.  The Patriots have been helping owners around all season and there was enough to go around as Wes Welker had 138 yards, Deion Branch had a touchdown and Rob Gronkowski had 78 receiving yards.  Unless you own the Patriots defense, there is little to worry about anything with the Patriots fantasy wise heading into 2012.

Matt Moore continued his second half of the season surge with three touchdowns and 294 yards.  Brandon Marshall had a tremendous performance in the loss with 156 yards and a score and Reggie Bush ran well again with 113 yards.  With some life in Miami, the future may be bright with Marshall, Bush, Moore and an early draft pick heading into 2012.

Ravens 20, Browns 14:  With Baltimore’s win on Sunday, the Ravens are much closer to clinching their division.  Ray Rice led the Ravens with 135 total yards and a touchdown, despite Joe Flacco’s off day with 132 passing yards.  With Anquan Boldin out, Torrey Smith disappointed owners with only 38 yards.  Like the Jets, the Ravens have some questions surrounding their quarterback heading into 2012.

With another loss on Sunday, the Browns have a ton of questions with the team including quarterback.  Greg Little and Peyton Hillis seem like the only sure things these days but Hillis will be a sought out free agent this summer.  This April’s draft is very important to the Browns who need to land a few core building blocks to revamp the offense.

Raiders 16, Chiefs 13: The Raiders stayed alive on Sunday with a win against the Chiefs with Carson Palmer holding off a late Chiefs comeback.  Palmer wasn’t at his best but threw for 237 yards and a score to Denarius Moore who is finally back healthy.  Darrius Heyward-Bey and Michael Bush also contributed nice games yardage wise as the Raiders look ahead to next Sunday against the Chargers.  The Raiders will need to keep building around Carson Palmer towards 2012 as they’ve invested a lot in the former Bengal.  If they don’t make the playoffs you have to like the gigantic step at receiver taken this year with the emergences of Denarius Moore and Darrius Heyward-Bey.

Kyle Orton threw for 300 yards but the Chiefs fell short to the Raiders and their season is over.  Kansas City has a huge decision to make at quarterback as Matt Cassel, Kyle Orton and Tyler Palko look like lost solutions.  If they can get a franchise signal caller and get Jamaal Charles back healthy, the Chiefs have some potential to develop an explosive offense with some good fantasy options.

Bills 40, Broncos 14: The Bills finally snapped a losing streak against a Tim Tebow-led Denver team as the Bills took advantage of some horrible Tebow mistakes intercepting him twice for turnovers.  CJ Spiller was great again as he ran for 111 yards and a touchdown.  Despite Spiller’s late season emergence, it’s assumed that Fred Jackson will enter next year as the team’s starting back.  Among other questions all the sudden is Ryan Fitzpatrick.  After a hot start to the season and a contract extension, Fitzpatrick has really struggled down the stretch and it’s raised questions if he can be the signal caller for the future.

The last two weeks have raised doubts on whether Tim Tebow and the Broncos can hang on and win the AFC West.  Tebow has provided owners value with rushing yards and touchdowns but was a dismal 13-30 with only one touchdown and four interceptions.  He had 185 yards and 76 were to Demaryius Thomas who keeps emerging.  The Broncos may win next week and slide into the playoffs but next year’s fantasy implications will depend on how far Tim Tebow’s passing game can evolve in the offseason.

Lions 38, Chargers 10: Matthew Stafford is on a tear right now and won again on Sunday as he threw for an impressive 373 yards and three touchdowns.  Stafford and the Lions’ receiving game has been rewarding fantasy owners the last few weeks as Calvin Johnson had another great performance with 102 yards and a touchdown.  It took some time for pieces to fall into place but Stafford, Johnson, Brandon Pettigrew and Titus Young are evolving into one of the youngest deadliest passing attacks in the NFL.

Phil Rivers and the Chargers gave it another good late season run but could not keep up with the Lions.  Injuries have really ruined San Diego’ s season and it appears that new leadership could be in store for next year.  With new head coaching could evolve a different offensive philosophy for Phil Rivers and the crew.

Eagles 20, Cowboys 7: It wasn’t until midway in the first quarter that the Eagles learned they were officially eliminated but still played hard and ruined a potentially clinching victory by the Cowboys.  Michael Vick had his second straight solid performance as he threw for 292 yard and two scores.  He found Jeremy Maclin and Brent Celek for scores and also threw 90 of those yards to DeSean Jackson.  The Eagles suffered injuries on and off in 2011 so they have nowhere to move but up in 2012.

The Cowboys could’ve suffered a devastating blow as Tony Romo was injured early and had to leave the game for backup Stephen McGee who didn’t fare well throwing for 182 yards and a garbage time touchdown.  The Romo move happened to be precautionary as it was later declared that he’d be able to start the division championship game next week against the Giants.  The Cowboys aren’t done in 2011 but looking ahead it’s not hard to dislike some of the breakout weapons they have at their disposal for next year such as Dez Bryant and DeMarco Murray.

Niners 19, Seahawks 17: The Niners are closing in on a first round bye as they got by Seattle on Sunday.  The performance wasn’t clean but Frank Gore’s 96 yards and a touchdown led the Niners to victory.  Despite the win, this is another subpar performance for Alex Smith who struggled against a suspect Seattle secondary.  The Niners will be led in the playoffs by Frank Gore and their defense but Smith is looking forward to the offseason as much as anyone as he’ll get more work to develop in this passing offense with Michael Crabtree and Vernon Davis.

It was a great run for the Seattle Seahawks who were written off but Marshawn Lynch and an opportunistic defense has carried the team in recent weeks but it’s now time to look towards 2012.  Lynch capped off a great stretch for fantasy owners as he totaled 131 yards and a score.  The Seahawks need to use this offseason and focus on finding a franchise quarterback because Tavaris Jackson isn’t the answer.

Packers 35, Bears 21: Aaron Rodgers geared up one last time for an encore performance before he makes a second run towards the Super Bowl trophy as he scored all over the Bears.  Rodgers erased all the questions leading up to this game about his availability by throwing five touchdown passes.  With Greg Jennings still out, Jordy Nelson and James Jones did most of the work combining for four touchdown passes and 165 yards receiving.  Despite the Greg Jennings injury, the Pack appear to be well rested and primed for another playoff run.

The Bears’ lost season continues as they’ve now dropped five straight and it’s quickly becoming clear how important Jay Cutler is to this team.  Josh McCown was next in line but only threw for 242 yards and a touchdown and two interceptions and he’ll probably get the nod in Week 17.  One bright spot for Chicago and fantasy owners though is backup running back Kahil Bell as he totaled 159 yards against the Packers.  Chicago will look better in the offseason with Cutler healthy but they need to find him some weapons to throw to.

Titans 23, Jaguars 17: Matt Hasselbeck and the Titans are still alive for a playoff spot after a 350 yard performance that led to a win on Sunday.  A lot of these yards went to breakout tight end Jared Cook as he turned in his best performance with 169 yards including a 55 yard touchdown.  While Hasselbeck and Cook achieved results in the passing game, Chris Johnson frustrated owners once again with a very subpar game running for only 56 yards.  With the Titans still alive heading into Houston next week, it’s only a matter of time before Hasselbeck hands over the reins to rookie Jake Locker to take over this team.

The Jaguars and Blaine Gabbert turned in another miserable performance on Sunday as Gabbert only threw for 198 yards and an interception.  The only bright spot for owners was Maurice Jones Drew running for 103 yards and a score but the Jaguars have immense work that needs to be done on offense as they’ll need to use the draft and free agency to provide much more weapons, maybe even a new quarterback.

Steelers 27, Rams 0: The Steelers made a smart choice on Sunday and started Charlie Batch at quarterback which was vital to Ben Roethlisberger’s health.  Roethlisberger has been playing on a banged up ankle for almost two weeks now and it’s been decreasing his chances of having a good playoff performance.  However Batch started and led the Steelers to a victory but more of the win was Rashard Mendenhall taking advantage of a soft Ram’s run defense as he had a total of 141 yards.  Mendenhall helped many owners down the stretch but Roethlisberger’s injury has hurt the Steelers’ receivers, especially Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown who weren’t able to produce the last few games.

Kellen Clemens started once again for an injured Sam Bradford but only threw for 91 yards against Pittsburgh.  Besides Stephen Jackson and Brandon Lloyd, the Rams have a number of questions heading into the offseason about their offense including the oft-injured Bradford.