NFL Reactor: Detroit Dukes It Out With Green Bay

Detroit Lions 41, Green Bay Packers 45

Have you heard of Matt Flynn? You’re about to. Flynn, filling in for Aaron Rodgers at quarterback for the Packers, set a franchise record with 6 touchdown throws to top the Detroit Lions at Lambeau Field. Oh yeah, he also threw for 480 yards on 31 completions. Flynn, who is scheduled to be a free agent in 2012, will likely now be a hot commodity for teams that may need a QB but aren’t in position to draft a good one this season *cough* *Jets* *cough.*

This game didn’t really have much significance. The Lions won’t be hosting a playoff game, and the Packers had no reason to win outside of pride against a hated rival. Keep an eye on both of these teams. There’s a good chance they’ll see each other again in the post-season, and you can bet it’ll be another shootout if they do.

Tennessee Titans 23, Houston Texans 22

If you were fortunate enough to see the final 2 minutes of this game, you had to be shaking your head by its finish. The roller coaster started with a fumble when the Titans were just trying to kill the clock, followed by a Texans touchdown to potentially tie the game with just 14 seconds left. Instead of playing for overtime, the Texans decided to try to knock the Titans out of the playoffs with a 2 point attempt. Following an false start penalty, the snap flew over Jake Delhomme’s head, ending the Texans’ hopes of winning their regular season finale.

Delhomme showed everyone why he still deserves to be a starting quarterback in the NFL. While he didn’t post staggering numbers, he kept his team in the game, and he was able to manage the game. He was aided by the Texans’ ground attack which spread most of its 152 yards between Ben Tate and Derrick Ward.

The Titans are still alive in their bid for a playoff birth, but they need help from the Ravens in their late game against the Cincinnati Bengals. When teams are put in the position of needing help to make it into the playoffs, they often fall flat on their faces, apparently due to a lack of focus, but the Titans had no such problems today.

New York Jets 17, Miami Dolphins 19

Let the firestorm begin in New York. Mark Sanchez turned in another poor performance, throwing 3 interceptions. Now that we know the Jets are officially eliminated from the playoffs, I have to wonder if Rex Ryan’s job could be in question. The Jets’ defense isn’t as great as it once was, and Sanchez has continued to regress as a quarterback. It was widely believed that Sanchez would develop from season to season and grow out of his questionable decision making, but that simply hasn’t happened, and you can bet that the New York media and fans will be demanding answers on Monday immediately.

The Dolphins can now look forward to a time of transition. They end the season on a positive note with a win against a quality, divisional rival. The process of finding a new head coach will begin immediately, and they’ll likely be looking to hire a high-profile candidate that’s been there, done that.

Other Games:

Indianapolis Colts 13, Jacksonville Jaguars 19
Chicago Bears 17, Minnesota Vikings 13
Buffalo Bills 21, New England Patriots 49
Carolina Panthers 17, New Orleans Saints 45
Washington Redskins 10, Philadelphia Eagles 34
San Francisco 49ers 34, St. Louis Rams 27

Follow @smaclemons on Twitter

About Shane Clemons

Shane Clemons came from humble beginnings creating his own Jaguars blog before moving on to SBNation as a featured writer for the Jaguars. He then moved to Bloguin where he briefly covered the AFC South before taking over Bloguin's Jaguars blog. Since the inception of This Given Sunday, Shane has served as an editor for the site, doing his best not to mess up a good thing.

Quantcast