Five weeks ago, a snowball had a better chance to survive at the equator than the Eagles did in the NFC playoff race.
But like a 7-6 Fantasy playoff team might do, Philly got hot when it mattered and flew into the postseason.
The Eagles capped off an improbable season, finishing 9-6-1, with a dominating win over the Cowboys in Week 17. Interestingly enough, the majority of the Eagles' Fantasy stars were the ones you wouldn't expect to step up as two backups came up big. Correll Buckhalter scored on a 4-yard pass from Donovan McNabb on a drive after setting up the Eagles' first touchdown with a 59-yard catch-and-run. Brent Celek came up with a touchdown as well and the Eagles defense returned two fumbles for scores. Stalwarts like Brian Westbrook and DeSean Jackson were limited and ultimately benched as the Eagles opted to rest some of their starters once they built a huge lead.
Of course, one beacon remained shining among the Eagles' faithful: McNabb, who threw the two touchdowns and dove for another from a yard out. McNabb totaled 10 touchdowns over the Eagles last five games and is a big reason why they're playing at the Vikings in the wild-card round. Something tells us he'll be around The City of Brotherly Love in 2009.
As for Dallas, they clearly ran into a buzz saw and couldn't get going soon enough. Tony Romo's three turnovers, including the two fumbles that were returned for touchdowns, obviously put the Cowboys in a huge hole. So did going three-and-out in three of their first four drives. If you want some perspective of the Cowboys' most successful play, it came on a 42-yard catch by Terrell Owens from Jason Witten.
Just as the Eagles are brimming with optimism, there are a ton of questions surrounding the Cowboys. Is the coaching staff truly "in place" like owner Jerry Jones says? Was the team correct in giving long-term contracts to Tony Romo, Marion Barber and Roy Williams? Will Owens keep from saying anything or doing anything ridiculous that gets him moved out of Dallas this offseason? The Cowboys say they love drama -- they've got more than enough as they finish 9-7 and out of the playoffs. There is a chance that this offense gets a makeover in the next several months.
First down
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Drew Brees fell just short of Dan Marino's passing mark, but still had a fabulous Week 17.
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Drew Brees came close to etching his name in the annals of NFL history.
Kurt Warner proved once more that he's an elite gunslinger.
Both threw four touchdowns in Week 17.
Knowing that the postseason wasn't in the cards for him for the second consecutive year, Brees and the Saints took a pass-first approach, particularly after falling behind the Panthers on Sunday. Attempting 49 passes, Brees managed to dart for 386 yards, a mere 17 yards shy of Dan Marino's single-season passing record. Still, as the second quarterback ever to throw for 5,000 yards, Brees has firmly put his footprint on 2009 Fantasy drafts as the No. 1 quarterback we'll be drafting next summer.
Warner might not be No. 1 overall -- heck, he might not be a Cardinal next year as he's scheduled to be a free agent -- but he ended the regular season with lots of momentum after throwing for 263 yards and his four scores with only one interception. Warner's 4,583 yards this regular season were a career-high and his 30 touchdowns were third-best. Assuming Warner stays with the Cardinals, he's very likable as a No. 1 Fantasy quarterback, albeit not first overall like Brees.
Second down
With many Fantasy stars resting because their teams were playoff-bound in Week 17, a lot of surprising performances were turned in.
Matt Schaub had his fourth 300-yard game of the season and also threw two touchdowns. Aaron Rodgers one-upped him with three touchdowns and 308 yards passing, ending a spectacular season for the first-year starter.
Also tossing two scores were Seneca Wallace, Dan Orlovsky, Chad Pennington, JaMarcus Russell and Kyle Orton, who ran for another score. Interestingly enough, all of these passers played on the road.
No one was surprised to see Michael Turner and DeAngelo Williams as the top two rushers for Week 17, but Raiders running back Michael Bush exploded for 177 yards (and two touchdowns) to finish third. Bills backup running back Fred Jackson was fifth with 136 yards on the ground. Willie Parker ended the regular season strong with 116 yards on 23 carries vs. the Browns, and Bengals RB Cedric Benson was five yards behind him. Each of them scored a touchdown, as did Packers backup DeShawn Wynn, who rushed for 106 yards -- the exact same total as the guy he's behind on the depth chart, Ryan Grant. Even Edgerrin James got into the act with an even 100 yards on the ground.
Mark Clayton (128 yards) wasn't bad, nor were Lance Moore and Deion Branch, both of whom rebounded from some poor performances to total 91 and 90 yards, respectively, with two touchdowns each.
Of course, as surprising as these performances were the hideous totals from guys people might have been counting on. Matt Cassel, fresh off his snow day performance a week earlier, couldn't solve the painful Buffalo wind and finished with 78 yards, a total lower than Jim Sorgi, David Carr, Matt Leinart and Byron Leftwich turned in. Randy Moss and Wes Welker felt the pain of that one. Tim Hightower only had three carries for 3 yards for the Cardinals, Tyler Thigpen was stymied by the Bengals, and of course anyone with orange paint or a blue star on their helmet didn't exactly blow you away (though T.O. did top 100 yards).
And LaDainian Tomlinson -- you just had to wait 16 games to give your best performance of the season, didn't you?!
Week 17 might be unique because not every team uses its starters for the whole game, but it has its fair share of surprises and disappointments.
Third down
Let the offseason begin!
Following the Browns, 31-0 loss against the Steelers, reports began surfacing that head coach Romeo Crennel and GM Phil Savage were fired.
Alternatively, the 49ers announced after the game that Mike Singletary will be their head coach in 2009, as in he's no longer the interim head coach. However, there could be a shift in their offense as coordinator Mike Martz isn't a lock to return to the team.
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Larry Johnson figures that his time in Kansas City is up.
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One of the keys to winning in Fantasy Football is knowing as much as possible about each NFL club, with the philosophies of the head coach and offensive coordinator playing big roles. Several teams are expected to find new coaches this offseason, and that in turn could lead to players being shuffled in and out of town. The 49ers are a great example -- when Martz became their new offensive coordinator last year, players like
Isaac Bruce and
J.T. O'Sullivan joined the team, along with
DeShaun Foster and
Bryant Johnson, who didn't have experience in Martz's system but adjusted accordingly.
Players will also be on the move. Speculation on Brett Favre's future has begun, and Larry Johnson immediately started making waves after the Chiefs' season-ending loss that he needs to move on. Anquan Boldin, Brandon Jacobs, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Chad Johnson, Antonio Bryant, Cedric Benson, Torry Holt, Matt Cassel and perhaps even Terrell Owens could be on the move.
The coaching season is in January while the free-agent season starts up in March. By April, we'll be talking NFL draft, with the annual selection process happening late in the month. By then, we'll be just a couple of months away from training camp starting up.
Naturally, I would be remiss not to mention that we here at CBSSports.com follow the football seasons year-round and will always have the latest news and analysis on all happenings around the NFL. In the coming weeks you'll see complete rank lists for 2009 drafts along with projections later on down the line, and they'll be changing all the time.
Who said the Fantasy season has to end?
Fourth down
Just some statements for you to soak in. Just imagine reading these statements back in August before the season started.
The Ravens will play at the Dolphins in the playoffs.
The Falcons will play at the Cardinals in the playoffs.
The Colts will make the playoffs, but as a wild-card team.
The playoffs will not include the Patriots, Cowboys, Jaguars, Seahawks or Brett Favre.
Adrian Peterson won the rushing title with 1,760 yards. Michael Turner finished second with 1,699 rush yards. DeAngelo Williams was third with 1,515 yards. LaDainian Tomlinson: Nowhere close.
Joseph Addai: 544 rushing yards. Cedric Benson: 747 rushing yards.
Andre Johnson won the receiving title with 1,575 receiving yards. Roddy White finished third with 1,382 yards. Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh totaled 1,344 yards.
Drew Brees threw for 5,069 yards. Tom Brady threw for 76 yards.
And you thought you had a wild 2008 season!
