Dec 16 2012; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco (5) looks to pass in the fourth quarter of the game against the Denver Broncos at M

Some time this season, when discussing fantasy football on Twitter, Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco was described to me as ‘meh’. And I thought this was the perfect description. For those unfamiliar with the term, here’s what the ever- reliable urban dictionary has to say:

An interjection used to imply indifference towards a subject; “a verbal shrug”

And that, to me is what Joe Flacco usually is. You can take him or leave him. He can play really good one minute, and then have an awful game the next. He’s not someone that sets the NFL alight, and without being to harsh on the guy, he does a decent enough job.

But fast forward to this year’s playoffs, and Joe Flacco has been anything but average. Right now, he is the definition of a player ‘getting hot’ at exactly the right time. Let’s take a look at his post season statistics so far.

In the Ravens’ three playoff games this year, Flacco has thrown eight touchdown passes. That’s more than any other post season quarterback. Matt Ryan is second on the list with six. The Ravens QB is also yet to throw an interception, which puts him level with Andrew Luck. But remember that Luck has only played one playoff game, compared to Flacco’s three.

He also leads all quarterbacks with 853 passing yards. That’s nearly 200 more than Tom Brady, which is unexpected, even with Brady playing one less game. He has attempted just one less pass than Brady, completing 51 out 93, leaving him with a pretty average 54.8 completion percentage. But it’s worth pointing out again that he has not thrown any interceptions, which is of great importance, especially now we have reached the playoffs. Turnovers can really cripple a team’s chances of winning, and Flacco has been flawless in that department.

Flacco’s playoff passer rating currently sits at 114.7, which is more than the Ravens could have hoped for. He truly is playing well when it matters.

All of this begins to come into perspective when we examine Flacco’s regular season numbers. He was 12th amongst QBs with an 87.7 passer rating, completing 59.7% of his passes, and throwing 22 touchdowns. All this, you have to admit is pretty ‘meh’.

Apart from Denver, Flacco and the Ravens have yet to face a really tough defense. How he performs against the 49ers and their dominant defense remains to be seen. They will be looking to get more pressure on Flacco, perhaps forcing him into mistakes that, so far he hasn’t made.

Ravens wide receivers Anquan Boldin and Torrey Smith will have to play well, and so will tight end Dennis Pitta. Running back, Ray Rice will have to continue the good form he has shown this post season, but perhaps most importantly, Joe Flacco has to play one more great game. That’s all he needs to do, and the Super Bowl could be headed back to Baltimore, when all is said and done.

Nov 18 2012; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning (18) looks back to the crowd as he leaves the field following the win over the San Diego Chargers at Sports Authority Field.The Broncos defeated the Chargers 30-23. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-US PRESSWIRE

With the end of the season fast approaching, it’s time to start looking at the playoff implications for the league’s top contenders. There’s some juicy matchups on the slate this week so here’s the lie of the land.

Projected Division Winners

AFC East – New England Patriots – 8-3 with a three game lead

AFC West – Denver Broncos – 8-3 with a four game lead

AFC North – Baltimore Ravens – 9-2 with a three game lead

AFC South – Houston Texans – 10-1 with a three game lead

Wildcard Contenders

Indianapolis Colts – 7-4

Pittsburgh Steelers – 6-5

Cincinnati Bengals – 6-5

Miami Dolphins – 5-6

Outside Chance

New York Jets – 4-7

Buffalo Bills 4-7

San Diego Chargers – 4-7

Tennessee Titans – 4-7

Summary

The AFC playoff race has been rather tough to watch this year as every division champion is seemingly decided a month out with no team under three games back of the leader. While this may be the perception, it’s not entirely accurate. For example there is the AFC South where despite the Texans outstanding record two of their last five games are against the challenging Indianapolis Colts who have the potential to upset Houston. There is a similar situation in the AFC East with the Patriots and Dolphins also still to face each other twice. In the AFC north, there’s plenty to play for as the Ravens schedule to finish the season is brutal – they face the Steelers, Redskins, Broncos, Giants and Bengals. The only division that looks sewn up really is the AFC West as the Broncos are still to face three teams with records under .500 and Peyton Manning is putting together an MVP caliber season that will likely win him Comeback Player of the Year.

The main point of interest here is the wildcard race with four teams – the Steelers, Colts, Bengals and Dolphins – vying for two spots. Indianapolis has the edge at this point but with only a one game lead and two matchups against the 10-1 Texans they have a bumpy road ahead despite favorable matchups against the Titans and Chiefs. The Steelers have a slightly easier schedule than Indy coming up but with Ben Roethlisberger likely to have problems with his rib injury they are by no means certain to make the postseason. I like the Bengals chances of sneaking in the back door as Andy Dalton has quietly had another very good season and the crucial time to watch will be the final two games against Pittsburgh and Baltimore. The dark horse is definitely Miami who have a very good schedule to end the season with the Jaguars and Bills to come and a potentially vulnerable New England Patriots who are without Rob Gronkowski.

Key Matchups – Week 13

New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins

Indianapolis Colts at Detroit Lions

Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens

Cincinnati Bengals at San Diego Chargers

Jan 1, 2012; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals and the Baltimore Ravens line up during the first half at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Frank Victores-US PRESSWIRE

Since the NFL released the 2012 schedule Tuesday evening, we here at NFL Spin Zone have been going through it with a fine-toothed comb.

One of the more interesting dynamics falls on Week 17. The NFL does not schedule a game for Sunday Night Football during Week 17, opting to wait and see which games have playoff implications and selecting a game accordingly. For similar reasons, every Week 17 games is a divisional game.

Below are some of the most intriguing Week 17 match-ups that may determine whether your team is in the playoffs or watching it from their couch.

New York Jets at Buffalo Bills: The Jets are not a team devoid of drama. After an underwhelming 8-8 season, the team will look to bounce back with their third playoff appearance in four years under head coach Rex Ryan. The Bills were a team who started off surprisingly hot in 2011, with a 5-2 record and a stunning upset over the Super Bowl runner-up New England Patriots. They ended up losing eight of their next nine, but with the acquisition of Mario Williams, could they be sleepers? This game certainly has a number of possible storylines: will Tim Tebow be the starting quarterback? Is Rex Ryan on the hot seat? Is the recently injury-prone Mario Williams still playing?

Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals: The Ravens were a dropped pass and a missed field goal away from the Super Bowl. The Bengals, under the leadership of rookie quarterback Andy Dalton and a scrappy defense, surprised everyone by earning a Wild Card berth. The Bengals will be looking to make the playoffs in consecutive seasons for the first time in 25 years. The Ravens have their eyes set on a Lombardi trophy. Will the Bengals will be able to buck their historically bad trend? Will the Ravens finally get Ed Reed a ring and Ray Lewis his second?

Jacksonville Jaguars at Tennessee Titans: Despite having a new head coach, two new coordinators, a new quarterback, a shortened offseason, lackluster production from star running back Chris Johnson and elite wide receiver Kenny Britt on the sidelines, Mike Munchak’s squad mustered up nine wins in 2011. The Jaguars finished with only five wins on the season, but hope to see a significant step forward from quarterback Blaine Gabbert. Although it’s unlikely that the Jaguars make the playoffs, this could certainly be a win-and-in situation for the Titans.

Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants: Every year, it seems like the NFC East comes down to the final weeks. This should be no exception. The Eagles will be looking to bounce back from a highly disappointing 8-8 season while the Giants will be hoping to repeat last year’s Super Bowl win. Neither of these teams are known for cruising into the playoffs, so expect the winner of this one to make it and the loser to watch it on TV.

Dallas Cowboys at Washington Redskins: Can Robert Griffin III lead his team to the playoffs in his rookie season? The Cowboys may have something to say about that. The Cowboys, growing ever more restless, will hope to finally make a run at the Super Bowl with quarterback Tony Romo. This may be an unpopular opinion, but if Romo can’t deliver at least a Conference Game appearance, his seat may begin to get warm. Like the Eagles and Giants, expect only one of these teams to earn a playoff berth and for this game to go a long way in deciding which.

Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints: This one is a bit of a crapshoot. Nobody knows how the Saints will respond to losing their head coach for the season. However, this could be a defining game for Cam Newton and the Panthers. After winning four more games in 2011 than in 2010, I expect the Panthers to shore up their defense and win another four games. The only question is whether 10 games is enough to make the playoffs in the NFC. It’s unlikely that the Panthers, Saints and Falcons all make it. Despite their postseason struggles, Atlanta is virtually a lock to return. This game could very well decide whether Carolina or New Orleans is playing into January.

Of course, it is too early to definitively say any of these games will matter. Players get hurt, teams surprise us and the unpredictability of the NFL rears its (wonderfully) awful head. However, from an April perspective, these are all Week 17 games that you should keep an eye on.

Here is the week 17 schedule:

The schedule of Week 17 in the NFL.

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The New York Giants are 30 minutes away from meeting the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI. The Giants take a 10-7 lead over the San Francisco 49ers into the half.

As expected, it has been a defensive battle in San Francisco. The 49ers only score came on a dynamic 73-yard catch and run by tight end Vernon Davis. The game stayed tied until the Giants knocked a field goal through the uprights just before the half.

A lot is on stake for the final 30 minutes. Who will come out on top? Tune in to FOX and see who will meet the Patriots in Indianapolis.

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Two quarters of play are complete at Foxboro, and the New England Patriots head into the half with a three-point lead over the Baltimore Ravens.

Both offenses have had their points where they appeared to be on a roll, before stalling out and keeping the game close. The Ravens only touchdown of the game came on a pass from Joe Flacco to Dennis Pitta, while the Patriots touchdown was a run from “The Law Firm” BenJarvus Green-Ellis.

This has the feeling of a game that can go either way and it will definitely go down to the wire, minus an unpredictable offensive explosion. What is in store for the second half? Tune into CBS and watch with your own eyes.

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The Ravens, champions of the AFC North, have not reached the big game since 2001 and have come up short in recent years on the big stage. They last reached the AFC Championship in 2009, falling to the eventual champion Pittsburgh Steelers.

New England had not won a playoff game since the 2008 AFC Championship before last week’s 45-10 trouncing of the Denver Broncos. The Patriots’ offense is as explosive as ever, scoring 32.1 points per game in the regular season, ranking third in the NFL. Rob Gronkowski, Wes Welker and Aaron Hernandez make life very easy for Brady by getting open on virtually every snap.

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A few years with a good solid coach, stability in the coordinator positions, and a quarterback whose stock has grown over the last few seasons are reasons that Baltimore Ravens can succeed against New England. However, a key piece to this team is the veteran leadership that Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Terrell Suggs, and Haloti Ngata bring to the locker room.

These key players are a force to be reckoned with alone, together they are nearly unstoppable.

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(Rob Carr/Getty images)

As the season winds down and the teams dwindle, thoughts go to the Super Bowl and who may be there.

These thoughts have taken over most of my free time and I have finally come to a conclusion, there will be no “Clash of the Titans,” but there could be a clash of the Harbaugh’s.

These two men have changed the way grown men feel in the locker room.

The tears running down Vernon Davis’s face and the desire to please his coach are evident during this season and the playoffs. Ray Lewis has nothing but respect for his coach who has had some devastating losses, but has pulled the boys up by their boot straps and here they are today.

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[blackbirdpie url="https://twitter.com/#!/MarkBermanFox26/status/158771579139006464"]

This year’s Pro Bowl takes place on January 29th at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii. The all-star game — and I use that term lightly in this situation — will be aired on NBC and feature some of the top talent in the NFL, as voted on by the fans. Due to the Pro Bowl being a week before Super Bowl XLVI, the top players from the top teams will not be present.

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The divisional round of the NFL Playoffs is now in the books and next Sunday’s AFC and NFC Championship Games have been set. Both games will take place on Sunday the 22nd. The AFC Championship game will be hosted at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, while the NFC title game will be hosted at Candlestick park in San Francisco.

The early game next Sunday will be the AFC matchup between the Baltimore Ravens and New England Patriots. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:00 pm ET. The NFC clash between the New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers will begin at 6:30 pm ET.

Tickets for the games hold a steep price, so make sure you have a comfortable chair ready to go for next weekend. If you’re curious how much money you would have to shell out to see the game in person, average ticket prices for each championship game are available after the jump.

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