NFL GridIron Gab Daily Digest

Disappointment.

No other word is better suited to sum up the Seahawks' 17-13 season-ending loss at home to the Tennessee Titans as well as the season as a whole.

For the first time since 1992, Seattle finished its season off by dropping each of the last four games to its opponents.

In the season finale, Titans running back Chris Johnson etched his name in the history books three times. The second-year back out of East Carolina dethroned Earl Campbell as the rusher with the most yards for a single season in the Titans' franchise history. He also knocked Marshall Faulk off the top of the list of players in the National Football League with most single-season yards from scrimmage. The final accomplishment occurred when Johnson dashed over the 2000-yard mark, becoming the sixth running back in the history of the N.F.L. to rush for at least that many yards in one season.

Tennessee's (8-8) two touchdowns both came from Johnson. The first, a six-yard scamper with 7:56 left in the first quarter. The second came when Johnson lowered his head and plowed across the goal line for one yard with 4:33 left in the game.

Prior to Johnson's second score, Seattle (5-11) was nursing a 13-10 lead. That lead came from a 20-yard field goal by Olindo Mare just minutes into the fourth quarter that capped a nine-play drive that started at the Titans' 31-yard line thanks to a Johnson fumble.

With 4:33 to go in the game, the ball on the Seattle 20 and the team down by four, quarterback Matt Hasselbeck took the field looking to pull out a late come-from-behind victory.

Hasselbeck found wide receiver TJ Houshmandzadeh for a 25-yard gain and then a run by Justin Forsett, a completion to wide out Ben Obomanu, a sneak up the middle by Hasselbeck and a run by Julius Jones brought the Seahawks to the two-minute warning with the ball on the Tennessee 28-yard line.

That is when things fell apart for the Seahawks.

Two incomplete passes followed a short one-yard pass-and-catch from Hasselbeck to fullback Justin Griffith, forcing the Seahawks into a fourth-and-nine situation from the 27 with 1:19 on the clock.

With the game on the line, Hasselbeck dropped back into a crumbling pocket, avoided pressure and tried to get the ball to his running back, Forsett, along the right sideline around the Tennessee 10-yard line. Instead, a leaping Gerald McRath snatched the pass out of the air, fell to the turf and sealed the Titans' victory.

The interception was Hasselbeck's ninth in three games and his tenth in the past four. He finished the day completing 15 of 30 attempts for 175 yards, a first-quarter touchdown to tight end John Carlson and the interception that ended Seattle's last possession of the game.

In the season finale on Sunday, the Raiders fought hard, but in the end were not able to overcome their own mistakes, falling to the playoff bound Baltimore Ravens 21-13. The team also could not stop Ravens running back Willis McGahee, who rushed for a career-high 167 yards and three touchdowns.

The Raiders end the season at 5-11, and did hang in with the Ravens, but JaMarcus Russell made too many mistakes to be able to pull off what would have been an upset over the Birds. Dannell Ellerbe intercepted a pass from Russell late in the third quarter to set up McGahee's third touchdown that made it 21-13. Ellerbe then recovered a fumble by Russell at the Ravens 23 with 9:42 to go to end a possible scoring threat by Oakland.

The setback means the Raiders now have seven straight seasons with at least 11 defeats, the worst run in NFL history. It also could mark the end of coach Tom Cable's stint in Oakland as his job status will likely be decided in the next few days.

Cable made some progress in his 28 games as Raiders coach but his inability to develop Russell into a legitimate NFL starter may ultimately doom him. He said he's confident he'll be back next season but has received no reassurances from owner Al Davis.

"I'm disappointed because we didn't win," Cable said. "I thought we were going to. And yet I feel excited about what's coming back. But there's got to be some things added and tweaked and fixed."

The Raiders need a couple things – first off, a QB that can make plays, not kill drives like what Russell did way too many times this season. They also need some playmakers at the wide out spot, more of what Louis Murphy did against the Steelers a few weeks back.

Now the question will be is Davis happy enough with the progress of Cable’s crew to keep him around.

If there was any doubt if the Jets were going to find a way to the 2009 NFL playoffs, that question has clearly been answered. Sunday night at home against the Cincinnati Bengals, the Jets flew high, putting forth an impressive effort, dominating the Bengals to the tune of 37-0. All the win does is give the Jets a rematch with the same Bengals, this time in the AFC Playoffs next Saturday at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati.

The Jets dominated from start to finish, putting up 320 yards of offense, and holding the Bengals to 72 yards, 1-for-11 on third downs, 5 first downs, and zero net yards passing. Cincy threw just 19 times, completing just four passes, three for backup J.T. O’Sullivan and one for Carson Palmer. They also had little impact running the ball, and held onto the ball for just 18:46 to 41:14 for the Jets.

Needless to say, the game next Saturday in Cincy will have a much different feel, as the Bengals had nothing really to play for, and if a team ever could simply lay down, then the Bengals would have done it Sunday night in the final ever game at Giants Stadium.

On a cold and windy night, the Jets run game was on fire. They ran for 257 yards, 4.5 yards per carry. They allowed Mark Sanchez to put the ball up just 16 times, hitting on 8 of those passes for 63 yards with no picks or TD’s for that matter. The Jets put the game away scoring a TD in the first quarter on a Thomas Jones one-yard run, then scored 20 second quarter points to make sure to end this contest before halftime.

The team scored four rushing TD’s, two for Jones, one for Brad Smith from 32 yards, and a 6-yard run by Jerricho Cotchery. Jay Feely hit on three field goals to wrap up the scoring at 37-0. Smith led the way rushing with 92 yards on 4 carries, and Jones had 78 yards on 27 carries.

As most of the highly seeded teams in both conferences have been doing, the San Diego Chargers gave their starters limited action on the football field, giving way to the reserves. During Sunday’s game between the Chargers and Washington Redskins, some rarely used players saw some appreciable playing time, including Chargers quarterback Billy Volek, running back Michael Bennett and wide receiver Craig Davis.

Even with their reserves playing the bulk of the minutes, the Chargers managed to rally late in the fourth quarter on a Volek TD pass to Mike Tolbert, leading San Diego to a 23-20 win over Washington at Qualcomm Stadium.

The Redskins looked inept early, including choosing to punt from the Chargers’ 34 late in the first quarter. Meanwhile, the Chargers jumped ahead on Nate Kaeding’s 47-yard field goal and Rivers’ 12-yard scoring pass to Pro Bowl tight end Antonio Gates. San Diego took a 10-0 lead after its first two possessions and Rivers would make way for Volek to take over. Kaeding’s 24-yard field goal early in the second quarter gave San Diego a 13-0 lead.

The Redskins scored on consecutive drives in the second quarter to take a 14-13 lead. Jason Campbell threw a 2-yard TD pass to Todd Yoder midway through the quarter. On the first play of the Skins’ next drive, he threw an 84-yard pass to Malcolm Kelly to the Chargers’ 4. Three plays later, Campbell found Mike Sellers wide open in the back of the end zone.

Graham Gano kicked field goals of 22 and 26 yards for the Redskins in the second half, and Kaeding kicked a 45-yarder. Billy Volek threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to fullback Mike Tolbert with 35 seconds left to rally the playoff-bound Chargers to the victory.

Rivers, in limited action, went 9-of-15 for 99 yards and a touchdown while Volek went 19-of-30 for 216 yards with a TD and an interception; Campbell went 28-of-42 for 281 yards with a pair of TD’s. Bennett led the Chargers’ rushers with 28 yards on 11 carries with 4 catches for 62 yards while the Redskins were led by Quinton Ganther who rushed 12 times for 27 yards. Malcom Floyd led the Chargers receivers with 9 receptions for 140 yards while Davis pitched in with 6 catches for 52 yards. Kelly led the Redskins with 5 receptions for 109 yards while Santana Moss caught six for 55 yards.

San Diego finishes their regular season 13-3 and will rest for two weeks awaiting the wild-card playoff results while Washington ends their season and the Jim Zorn regime 4-12.

Two playoff teams. Both with their playoff fates determined. Interestingly enough, the Green Bay Packers, in their game Sunday agaisnt the Arizona Cardinals, opted to use most of their regulars while the Cards used their reserve players for the most part. The strategy on the Packers’ behalf worked very well as Aaron Rodgers played three efficient quarters, throwing and rushing for a touchdown as Green Bay embarrassed Arizona 33-7 at University of Phoenix Stadium.

As previously mentioned, the Cardinals regulars saw limited action as Arizona sat quarterback Kurt Warner after one quarter and most of their first-team defense played only one possession, which showed throughout the game’s 60 minutes. Also, Packers coach Mike McCarthy didn’t change much in their offensive gameplan as the team torched the Cardinals for 345 total yards of offense.

A 28-yard pass interference penalty against Michael Adams moved the ball to the Cardinals 1, where Ryan Grant scored for Green Bay. The next time the Packers had the ball, Adams was the defender on a 51-yard pass to Jordy Nelson, again to the 1. Rodgers sneaked over from there to make it 14-0 with 2:41 still left to play in the first quarter.

After Steve Breaston unadvisedly fielded a punt at the Cardinals 2, guard Reggie Wells was called for holding in the end zone for a safety. The play negated another interception thrown by Matt Leinart, who had just entered the game. The Packers went 94 yards in 14 plays for their third touchdown, Rodgers throwing five yards to Finley for the score. The Cardinals finally got on the scoreboard and avoided a home shutout when Brian St. Pierre, the third Cards quarterback used in the game, tossed a 3-yard TD pass to Larry Fitzgerald; the game was well out of reach prior to the Cards’ TD.

Rodgers had a decent game, going 21-of-26 for 235 yards and a TD while rushing for a touchdown. Warner saw brief action, going 4-of-6 for 31 yards while Leinart went 13-of-21 for 96 yards with 2 interceptions; St. Pierre mopped up, going 2-of-4 for 12 yards with a TD and an INT. Grant led all Packers rushers with 51 yards on 11 carries and a score while Tim Hightower and Beanie Wells each had 6 rushes – Hightower for 24 yards while Wells had 19.

Donald Driver led the Packers receivers with 6 receptions for 65 yards while Nelson caught a pass for 51 yards; Anquan Boldin led the Cards with 3 catches for 38 yards while Early Doucet caught 4 passes for 28 yards.

Because of Minnesota’s win over the New York Giants, Arizona (10-6) got the #4 seed and will host Green Bay (the #5 seed) next weekend.

While the San Francisco 49ers had their playoff hopes dashed, that didn’t necessarily mean that they didn’t have anything to play for. Meanwhile, their opponent, the St. Louis Rams, depending on your point of view, may have been “positioning” themselves for an early draft pick in next year’s draft.

Nonetheless, both teams got together Sunday at the Edward Jones Dome in a game that was pretty much a snoozer until the 49ers scored 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter, helping San Francisco reach the .500 mark as they slammed St. Louis 28-6. To illustrate how “offensive” the Rams were, they racked up an underwhelming 167 yards in total offense.

The second quarter was oddly the only time that the Rams would hold the lead as Josh Brown connected on a 54-yard field goal with 4 minutes left until halftime. The only scoring in the third quarter was a 1-yard TD plunge by Moran Norris, giving the 49ers a 7-3 lead but St. Louis would close to within 7-6 at the 9:11 mark of the fourth quarter on a Brown 29-yard FG. San Francisco would put the game away as they scored three times in a 5-minute span – a 73-yard TD pass from Alex Smith to Vernon Davis and two Frank Gore rushing scores.

Smith had an effective outing, going 17-of-28 for 222 yards and a TD. Keith Null went 7-of-17 for 57 yards while Kyle Boller went 4-of-11 for 23 yards. Gore led the 49ers rushing attack with 107 yards on 23 carries and two TD’s while Steven Jackson carried the ball 20 tines for 63 yards. Davis led all 49ers receivers with 6 receptions for 89 yards and a TD while Michael Crabtree caught 3 for 58 yards. Donnie Avery led the Rams with 2 receptions for 23 yards while Brandon Gibson and Danny Amendola each caught 2 passes for 18 yards.

San Francisco ends their season on a high note as they went 8-8 while St. Louis probably secured the #1 overall pick in next year’s draft as they limp home 1-15.

The Jim Zorn Era with the Redskins is all but over, as The Associated Press is reporting that the coach will be fired Monday by owner Daniel Snyder. The official spoke to the AP on Sunday on condition of anonymity because no formal announcement has been made.

The move is not a shock at all, as the team has been talking to former Broncos two-time Super Bowl winning coach Mike Shanahan, and also the team interviewed assistant coach Jerry Gray for the job, according to the Fritz Pollard Alliance, which monitors minority hiring in the NFL.

Zorn's replacement will be Washington's seventh coach since Snyder bought the team in 1999. Playing a substantial part in the decision will be Bruce Allen, who was hired as the general manager last month.

The Falcons did reach a milestone on Sunday in their 20-10 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. For the first time in team history they have back to back winning seasons. Despite that, they failed to make the playoffs despite a three-game win streak to end the year.

"We want to be a relevant football team year in and year out, and that's what we talk about," coach Mike Smith said. "When you're relevant, you've got to have a winning record, and then you'll have an opportunity to be in the discussion for the playoffs. We weren't in the playoffs this year, but we have a season that gave us nine wins. That's something that we're very proud of."

Matt Ryan threw for 223 yards and two touchdowns to help the Falcons reach a 9-7 record and grab the 10-point win over their division rivals. The Falcons did it without leading rusher Michael Turner, who was replaced by Jason Snelling, who ran for 147 yards on 25 carries.

"I definitely felt like I was in a rhythm, in a zone," Snelling said. "The coach kept feeding me the ball, I was able to make plays and the guys kept blocking for me."

Much of the damage came while Atlanta was putting the game away after intercepting Bucs rookie Josh Freeman twice in the fourth quarter. Ryan threw TD passes of 2 yards to Justin Peelle and 12 yards to Roddy White, the latter snapping a 10-10 tie midway through the fourth quarter. He finished 23 of 35 with two interceptions.

"It was a huge win for us to finish the season off with three wins in a row," said Ryan, who led Atlanta to 11 wins and a playoff berth as a rookie last season. "It said a lot about the guys that we have in the locker room."

Here's what you need to know about this game: No effort ,no defense, and no interest. The Vikings won 44-7. I think Michael Strahan put it best when he said:

You're watching a team that licked a stamp and slapped it on an envelope a few weeks ago.

That, my friends, is dead on. The Giants did not come to play this week. The Vikings looked unstoppable today. I don't want to beat this point too much. But, the Giants have lost interest. And the Vikings took advantage of it.

There will be changes, that's for sure. Bill Sheridan should be fired tomorrow. Lots of players won't be coming back. The Giants were supposed to be contenders. They ended up being frauds.