NFL GridIron Gab Daily Digest

Despite a perfect record in the division and an 8-8 season, it appears that Tom Cable has not done enough to keep his job as the head coach of the Raiders. Sources including Adam Schefter of ESPN state that Cable is unlikely to return as the Raiders head coach in 2011.

“Hopefully I get another chance,” Cable said after Sunday’s win in Kansas City.

Raiders players seemed to be well aware of the possibility of Cable moving on, as it sounds like they felt that it was very possible that Cable would not be back. “This is a business decision,” Campbell replied when asked if players want Cable back. “You never get caught up in all of it. I’ve been through a lot before. I’m just glad we finished the season off strong, and we’ll see what happens.”

It was their first unblemished mark in the division since 1976, but Cable has fluctuated between starting quarterbacks and Oakland has lost four of six since a three-game winning streak put them on the cusp of the playoff picture in Week 10. The Raiders are the first team since the 1970 merger to go unbeaten in the division and not make the playoffs.

So there you have it. The 2010 Raiders season is in the bag, and a mixed bag it certainly was. For the first time since the AFL merger in 1970, a team went undefeated in their own division, yet didn't make the playoffs. After Sunday's 31-10 thrashing of the Chiefs in Kansas City, that's what the Raiders accomplished.

And while one may consider that nothing to hang your hat on, consider this. The Chiefs made the playoffs, and one week from now, will be sitting at home just like the Raiders are after the Ravens go into KC and beat them. Meanwhile, the Raiders can sit back, and enjoy the fact that they were the dominant team within the AFC West.

In the six games within the division the Raiders went undefeated, and at times in the most convincing of ways. They stole a home win vs the Chargers in Week 5 when Tyvon Branch returned a Phillip Rivers fumble 64 yards with 58 ticks left on the clock to seal a 35-28 win.

In the rematch, the Raiders thoroughly dominated the Chargers in San Diego. Oakland ran for 251 yards in the 28-13 victory to sweep the season series from the Bolts for the first time since 2001.

Against the Broncos, Oakland turned their season around, racking up an NFL season high 59 points in winning at Denver by 45 points. Darren McFadden scored four touchdowns and served notice that he had finally arrived in the NFL. As a team, the Raiders had also made it clear that they were no longer going to be the league's doormat anymore.

The 2nd time these two teams met, Tim Tebow got his first NFL start for Denver. At times he looked good, but it didn't matter. These are teams going in different directions. Oakland throttled them again, 39-23, and outscored Denver 98-37 in their two meetings.

As for the Chiefs, the first meeting was a classic. KC led 10-0 at the half, but Jacoby Ford took the 2nd half kick back for a score, and then made numerous plays to help set up a game tying field goal in regulation, and a game winning one in overtime. 23-20 Raiders.

Today, they met for a 2nd time, and it wasn't close. And while many will point to the fact that the Chiefs already had the division wrapped up, Oakland can go into 2011 knowing that they not only went undefeated against their divisional foes, but kicked their collective butts all at least one time. It has to be a huge confidence builder for this team.

So go ahead and enjoy your 2011 postseason without the Raiders. It's the last time that's gonna happen for a while.

Senior writer jclombardi highlights Packers big win over Bears.

Packers’ backups step up big on defense in victory: LB Erik Walden was unleashed on the unsuspecting Chicago Bears on Sunday. With a playoff berth on the line for the Packers, Walden might have been the best player on the field. He led the Packers with 11 tackles, sacked Bears quarterback Cutler twice and helped limit tight end Olsen to 29 receiving yards in Green Bay’s 10-3 victory at Lambeau Field. “He did a fantastic job,” said linebacker Matthews. “He played a magnificent game. It’s hard for a guy to come in halfway through the season, pick up the defense and make an impact. That’s what he’s doing.” Decimated by injuries and challenged by a revolving door at several positions, the defense somehow got better as the season progressed. Green Bay (10-6) now travels to Philadelphia (10-6) for an NFC wild-card game scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Sunday. “It’s a combination of the guys upstairs bringing in good players and just being a team,” said linebacker Bishop who also got his chance because of injuries to players ahead of him. “Whoever gets plugged in there, they wear the same ‘G’ on their helmets as the rest of us. We approach the game as one.” CB Woodson added, “That has had to happen with the amount of injuries we’ve had. Backups and practice squad guys who have been called up, they’ve had to play and play well in order for us to get into the playoffs.” The Packers finished the regular season with the No. 2 scoring defense in the NFL, behind only Pittsburgh. The Steelers allowed 232 points for a 14.5 per-game average; the Packers allowed 240 points for a 15.0 average. “We always feel like it’s on us,” Bishop said. “Even if the offense scores a lot of points, the only way to win is to stop them from scoring. That’s our job, and we take a lot of pride in it.”

Packers’ special teams turn tables on Bears: The Green Bay Packers have been dominated many times by the Chicago Bears’ special teams. On Sunday, the Packers did the dominating. “We know we got him this time,” Jarrett Bush, the Packers’ senior-most core player on special teams, said after the 10-3 victory at Lambeau Field. “We executed and played disciplined.” It had to be a tremendous moment for Shawn Slocum, the second-year coordinator of special teams whose units had been regarded as the Packers’ weakest link. In fact, the steely Slocum acknowledged it probably was his finest hour in Green Bay. “Because of what this game meant and the way we played,” Slocum said. “I thought we played a solid game. With that, it feels good to be in the playoffs.” The game turned in the third quarter on a punt return of 41 yards was by Tramon Williams, the Packers’ dynamic cornerback who unselfishly has handled the punt returns all season. It set up the tying field goal. Hester wasn’t really a factor was due to exceptional punting by Tim Masthay and the inspired coverage. “Absolutely, he’s our punter,” said Slocum. “He’s a good player.” Masthay was more than that Sunday. Of his eight punts, four finished inside the 20, and Hester was able to return just two. “Lambeau Field. January. Against the Chicago Bears,” said Masthay. “The best punt returner probably in the history of the game. That was a lot of fun. I’ll remember this forever.”

Packers 10 Bears 3–Nothing comes easy: It wasn't easy, but then again, nothing has been for the Green Bay Packers this season. From their up-and-down play to an avalanche of injuries to some plain ol' bad luck, in the end, the Packers (10-6) overcame it all and earned the sixth and final spot in the NFC playoffs, setting up next Sunday's matchup against the NFC East-champion Philadelphia Eagles (10-6) at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. Instead, they're headed to Philadelphia, and they'll do so with a defense that saved the day while the offense managed just enough plays to win. From wide receiver Donald Driver's first-quarter fumble, to right tackle Bryan Bulaga's second-quarter holding penalty to wipe out a 32-yard gain, to wide receiver Greg Jennings' drop of a potential 50-yard touchdown pass just before halftime, to quarterback Aaron Rodgers' third-quarter interception, the same offense that put up a season-high 515 yards last week couldn't get going Sunday. "I don't know, maybe guys pressed a little bit or were a little uptight. I'm not sure. But we certainly didn't execute very well," offensive coordinator Joe Philbin said. "We didn't have great rhythm, we didn't have great tempo, we didn't make a lot of plays. I don't want to say we were dysfunctional, but we need to play better if we're going to help this team. It was a little bit of a disjointed kind of day. We never really got in a good feel that we were executing up to our capabilities." But punter Tim Masthay (eight punts, 43.5-yard gross average, 36.6-yard net average, four punts inside the 20-yard line against dangerous Devin Hester) and the aggressive, blitz-heavy defense kept the Packers in the game throughout.

The stingy Seahawks defense combined with a mistake-free offense led by backup QB Charlie Whitehurst was enough on Sunday night to make history. For the first time in NFL history, a team with an under .500 record has won their division, as the Seahawks won the NFC West with a 16-6 victory over the St.Louis Rams.

The Hawks wrap up the season at 7-9, the same mark as the Rams, but they win the tiebreaker, and therefore will host the former Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints Saturday afternoon at home.

Whitehurst, playing for the injured Matt Hasselbeck, threw a 4-yard touchdown on Seattle's first drive, and wrapped up the evening 22-for-36 for 192 yards with a TD and no picks. He had a QB rating of 84.5, enough to take home the win and the West.

Olindo Mare kicked second-half field goals of 31, 38 and 34 yards. The win of the division was the first for Seattle since 2007.

The Rams (7-9) led the Seahawks by a game entering Sunday’s contest and could have spared the NFL a sub-.500 team in the playoffs. But because Seattle holds the better division mark, the Seahawks became the first team in league history with a losing record to reach the postseason.

St. Louis was kept out of the end zone for the second time this season. Sam Bradford ends his excellent rookie season with a not-so excellent outing. He was just 19-for-36 for 155 yards with a pick and a QB rating of 52.4. The Rams offense was held to just 184 yards and 9 first downs, while the Hawks had 333 yards and 18 first downs.

Leading 7-6, the Hawks went on a drive, and Mare’s 31-yard kick stretched the margin to 10-6 late in the third quarter. After the Rams kicked a field goal to close the gap to 7-6, the Seahawks took the ensuing kickoff and drove 62 yards in 12 plays.

Mare’s leg then put the lead to 7 with a 38-yarder with 10:58 to play in the game. The Seahawks needed to move only 29 yards in seven plays following a St. Louis punt that Leon Washington returned 13 yards to the Rams 48.

The nail in the Rams coffin came with 1:41 left, a 39-yard boot from Mare. The Seahawks had used a lot of clock, moving 47 yards in 13 plays after Will Herring intercepted a pass by Bradford, who telegraphed the pass the moment he took the snap.

Whitehurst did enough to move the Seattle offense, he was 15 for 20 for 145 yards in the first half. Bradford completed 10 of 16 for 93 yards. Seattle had the edge in total yardage, 167-121 as they led 7-3 at the break.

A season that couldn’t end fast enough finally and mercifully came to an end for the Cards on Sunday afternoon, as they were crushed by the 49ers 38-7 to end the year 5-11.

The Cardinals, first in the NFC West the past two years, finished this season in last. After a 3-2 start, they lost nine of their last 12, including seven in a row at one point.

“I think people are happy for it to be over,” safety Kerry Rhodes said. “It didn’t go the way we wanted it to. This season, we tried to play it off as we just weren’t getting it done every week, which is true. But you know changes have to be made, and that’s probably what’s going to happen this off-season, and you’ll see a different team out there.”

Alex Smith passed for 276 yards and two touchdowns, Brian Westbrook scored twice on the ground and the San Francisco 49ers ended their up and down season 6-10.

Named starter by interim head coach Jim Tomsula, Smith completed 15 of his 29 passes without an interception and connected on long touchdown throws to Ted Ginn Jr. and Vernon Davis while leading the 49ers to their second win in five games.

Westbrook rushed 13 times for 79 yards and scored on a pair of six-yard runs during San Francisco’s 21-point third quarter to put the game away.

Rookie John Skelton started the game and passed for 92 yards with a touchdown and an interception for Arizona. Richard Bartel took over at the end of the third quarter and threw for 92 yards with an interception that was returned 62 yards for a touchdown by Tarell Brown.

Arizona finished last in a wide-open NFC West it had won the two previous seasons, while the 49ers won to stay out of the division basement.

Indeed, Sunday’s game was almost a one-game playoff to prove which team had the least disappointing season.

San Francisco, a preseason favorite to win the division, played for the first (and probably only) time under Tomsula, who took over when Mike Singletary was fired last Sunday following a 25-17 loss at St. Louis that ended the team’s playoff hopes.

Tomsula’s first act as interim coach was picking Alex Smith over Troy Smith as the team’s starting quarterback. Singletary juggled the quarterbacks all season and was in a heated exchange on the sideline with Troy Smith last week.

Alex Smith played his final game under contract, and the former No. 1 pick did a lot of things right.

He hit Ginn with a 37-yard touchdown throw in the first quarter even as Ginn was blanketed by two defenders, finding his receiver with a perfect touch pass in the right side of the end zone.

The 49ers extended their lead to 10-0 on Jeff Reed’s 39-yard field goal, but Larry Fitzgerald scored on a 10-yard pass from Skelton, also besting a pair of defenders in the end zone.

San Francisco scored three quick touchdowns in the third quarter to put the game away, beginning with Davis’ 59-yard reception on the first series after halftime.

Westbrook, thrust into a bigger role only after Frank Gore was lost for the season, scored twice on six-yard runs to make it 31-7. The second one was set up by Ahmad Brooks’ rumbling 32-yard interception return down the right sideline.

Brown capped the scoring in the fourth quarter, taking his pick untouched down the left sideline for an easy touchdown.

Now former Panthers coach John Fox said it best Sunday following the teams 31-10 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. It really was one heck of a run.

It was the final game for Fox, as the team will go in a different direction with a new voice in 2011. Several players stated that the coach shed tears during a goodbye speech in the locker room following the season-ending loss

The season for the Panthers finished 2-14, by far their worst record since Fox joined the team in 2002. "Those guys understand how I feel about them, win or lose," Fox said. "I appreciate and respect their efforts."

Fox finished his career with a 73-71 record in the regular season and a 5-3 mark in the postseason. He led the Panthers to two NFC Championship games and their only Super Bowl appearance in 2003 only to lose by a field goal to the Patriots.

With Fox out of the picture, the team can start the search for a new coach, and also they will have the #1 pick in April’s NFL Draft.

“It’s been a heck of a run,” Fox said. “I could use another word but chances are this might be on camera. It’s been a great run, great memories, I know I didn’t finish like anybody wanted but if you had told me in 2002 it would have been a nine-year run I would have taken it and run. I’ve always taken it one day at a time in this business. You’re never promised tomorrow.”

A disappointing season for the Chargers came to a close Sunday on a high note, as the team prevailed over Denver, 33-28, at Invesco Field. Rookie back Ryan Mathews ran for a career-best 120 yards on 26 carries with three touchdowns in the win.

“I finished strong and that’s what I wanted to do,” Mathews said. “I wanted to get 20-plus carries and, of course, Norv (Turner) gave me the rock today. I couldn’t have done it without the lineman today…I’m just really thankful to have those big guys out there.”

Philip Rivers threw for 313 yards on 21-of-37 efficiency for the Chargers (9-7), who are coming off a tough loss, 34-20 to Cincinnati last week which eliminated them from the playoffs for the first time since 2005.

"It's a letdown," center Nick Hardwick said as he left the locker room. "You get in here, that's when you can let down your guard. It hurt."

Tim Tebow threw for 205 yards for two touchdowns and ran for a score, but he was also picked off twice as Denver (4-12) finished the season losing six of its final seven games.

Pro-Bowler Brandon Lloyd caught five pass for 73 yards and a touchdown, while Eric Decker grabbed the other touchdown pass. Tebow had a rough start of the game by throwing an interception to Eric Weddle during Denver’s second possession of the game.

The turnover was squandered by the Chargers when Rivers threw a pick of his own to Renaldo Hill, who ran for 31 yards into enemy territory. The rookie QB bounced back from his earlier turnover by capping off a short 40-yard drive with a 14-yard toss to a wide open Lloyd that posted the first score of the game with 2:57 left to play in the opening quarter.

The game was tied on the next touch after Mathews’ cutback led to a 27-yard touchdown scamper just three plays into the second stanza.

San Diego then took the lead on their next possession thanks to a Nate Kaeding 42-yard field goal with 10 minutes left. He added a 45-yarder more than six minutes later and a 47-yarder with nine seconds remaining in the half for a 16-7 margin heading into the break.

Tebow heaved his second pick of the game three plays into the second half to Quentin Jammer, who returned it five yards to his own 29.

The Chargers found the end zone this time when Mathews ran up the middle, cut it outside and dove into the end zone for a 12-yard run just under five minutes into the third.

The Broncos were forced to punt on their next touch, which was returned by Antoine Cason for 62 yards to the 19. Four plays later, Kaeding booted his fourth field goal of the game, making it 26-7.

Decker caught a six-yard pass in the back of the end zone from Tebow to end Denver’s next drive and make it a 26-14 contest with 3:15 left in the third stanza. Tebow highlighted the march with a a 30-yard scramble and then back- to-back runs totaling 19 yards.

Mathews tallied his third touchdown on the third drive of the fourth quarter. He took a pitch on a 4th-and-1 play where he outran the defense around the edge and raced 31 yards to paydirt.

The Broncos negated the score on the ensuing kick off when Cassius Vaughn rumbled 97 yards to make the score 33-21. Tebow added a six-yard TD run with 26 ticks left to play to make it a one-score game.

Despite Denver’s recovery of the ensuing onside kick, the Chargers knocked down two Hail Mary jump balls to end the game.

“I was just trying to keep fighting to make plays,” Tebow said. “We got a lot of fight in us and we kept fighting until the end. You never know what’s going to happen. Last week we were able to come back and today we were one throw away.”

The Giants beat the Redskins 17-14, but the Packers beat the Bears 10-3, so no playoffs for the Giants.

The Giants started the scoring on a 20 yard field goal by Lawrence Tynes in the first quarter. In the second quarter, the Giants started off with a 2 yard Brandon Jacobs run. The Redskins started to come back, late in the second, scoring on a 1 yard Fred Davis touchdown reception, to make it 20-7 going into the half.

The Giants started the scoring in the 3rd quarter, as Eli Manning connected with Mario Manningham for a 92 yard bomb to make it 17-7. In the fourth, Rex Grossman hit Anthony Armstrong for a 64 yard pass to make it 17-14.

The offense started off slow, but got going in the second quarter, moving the ball well through the air. Run game wasn't great, but Derek Hagan and Mario Manningham played well and helped the Giants get a win. With all the turnovers by the defense, the offense had so many chances, but never really capitalized on them. No consistency. They had a few big plays, but no real consistent movement. Other than a few plays, the offense did not really show up

The defense was up and down, as per usual. Some big plays, gave up some big plays. Did enough to hold the Skins down, but we didn't see a consistent pass rush. Some good coverage, but Rex Grossman, at times, looked like a Pro Bowler, which he's not. The big plays were there, particularly by Osi Umenyiora, and it worked out for them, but not a dominating performance against a bad offensive team. All the turnovers kept them in it, but it doesn't excuse the fact that Redskins could really move the ball, especially in the air.

It didn't end up mattering, because the Packers beat the Bears, so the Giants are out of the playoffs. Still, a disappointing performance for a desperate team. Let the Redskins come back into the game. Just not the way you want to end the season. A win is nice, but it means nothing. A bad end to a rough season.

Jason Campbell got hurt and was out of the game.  Zach Miller had a leg nearly buckle off and thought was it was even worse than it looked.  With no playoffs on the line, was there anything that these 2 were playing for that needed them back on the field?

In a complete show of what affect Tom Cable has installed into this team, both Campbell and Miller did return and helped the Raiders dominate the KC Chiefs 31-10 on Sunday in Arrowhead Stadium.  With the victory, the Raiders become the first team to sweep their division (6-0) and not make the playoffs.

Let's review how they did it:

The 2011 NFL Draft order is just about set. The Rams and Seahawks will decide tonight which team will be picking in the twenties and which will pick in the teens. Playoff teams will pick from No. 21 on. Here’s the list for now of where teams will pick where.

1. Carolina Panthers (2-14)
2. Denver Broncos (4-12)
3. Buffalo Bills (4-12)
4. Cincinnati Bengals (4-12)
5. Arizona Cardinals (5-11)
6. Cleveland Browns (5-11)
7. San Francisco 49ers (6-10)
8. Seattle Seahawks (With loss to Rams) (6-9)
9. Tennessee Titans (6-10)
10. Dallas Cowboys (6-10)
11. Washington Redskins (6-10)
12. Houston Texans (6-10)
13. Minnesota Vikings (6-10)
14. Detroit Lions (6-10)
15. Miami Dolphins (7-9)
16. Jacksonville Jaguars (8-8)
17. Oakland Raiders (NWE) (8-8)
18. San Diego Chargers (9-7)
19. New York Giants (10-6)
20. Tampa Bay Bucs (10-6)
21. St. Louis Rams (With win over Seahawks) (7-8)*
22. Indianapolis Colts (10-6)*
23. Green Bay Packers (10-6)*
24. Kansas City Chiefs (10-6)*
25. Philadelphia Eagles (10-6)*
26. New York Jets (11-5)*
27. New Orleans Saints (11-5)*
28. Chicago Bears (11-5)*
29. Baltimore Ravens (12-4)*
30. Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4)*
31. Atlanta Falcons (13-3)*
32. New England Patriots (14-2)*