Whatever Happened to the Patriot Way - A Madden NFL 25 New England Patriots CFM

[patriotway]

The postseason has barely begun and it's already the end of the line for some head coaches in the NFL. The Houston Texans and Detroit Lions have fired their head coaches on the heels of sub .500 seasons. Along with Kubiak and Schwartz, the New York Jets have fired head coach Rex Ryan. The Lions, Texans and Jets finished the season with a 7-9, 8-8 and 4-12 record respectively.


The Denver Broncos have not had much luck with injuries this season as Sylvester Williams' injury will prevent him from playing in the playoffs. With good enough depth at the position, Denver instead decides to a an extra body to their linebacker core with Brandon Marshall.


Just as the Kansas City Chiefs were getting some key players back, they lose starting defensive ends Mike DeVito and Tyson Jackson. Kansas City is hoping that veterans Marcus Spears and Marcus Dixon will be enough to help the team fill the void left by DeVito and Jackson.

Media Reaction
Mark Schlereth @ MarkSchlerethEA: Texans firing of Gary Kubiak is a bit of a head scratcher. Not the best coach but certainly not the worst.
Chris Mortensen @mortreportEA: Jim Schwartz was never an elite coach. Nice guy but not going to turn a team around.

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AFC Award Winners
Award	Player	Pos	Team
Offensive Player of the Year	Jamaal Charles	RB	Kansas City Chiefs
Defensive Player of the Year	Jerod Mayo	LB	New England Patriots
Offensive Rookie of the Year	Geno Smith	QB	New York Jets
Defensive Rookie of the Year	Vontaze Burfict	LB	Cincinnati Bengals
Best Quarterback	Peyton Manning	QB	Denver Broncos
Best Running Back	Jamaal Charles	RB	Kansas City Chiefs
Best Wide Receiver	Andre Johnson	WR	Houston Texans
Best Offensive Lineman	Logan Mankins	G	New England Patriots
Best Defensive Lineman	Rob Ninkovich	DE	New England Patriots
Best Defensive Back	Aqib Talib	CB	New England Patriots
Best Kicker	Shaun Suisham	K	Pittsburgh Steelers

NFC Award Winners
Award	Player	Pos	Team
Offensive Player of the Year	Adrian Peterson	HB	Minnesota Vikings
Defensive Player of the Year	Sean Lee	LB	Dallas Cowboys
Offensive Rookie of the Year	Zac Stacy	RB	St. Louis Rams
Defensive Rookie of the Year	T. McDonald	S	St. Louis Rams
Best Quarterback	Aaron Rodgers	QB	Green Bay Packers
Best Running Back	Adrian Peterson	RB	Minnesota Vikings
Best Wide Receiver	Randall Cobb	WR	Green Bay Packers
Best Offensive Lineman	Ben Grubbs	G	New Orleans Saints
Best Defensive Lineman	DeMarcus Ware	DE	Dallas Cowboys
Best Defensive Back	Asante Samuel	CB	Atlanta Flacons
Best Kicker	Graham Gano	K	Carolina Panthers

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Wild Card Summary
Saturday's Games	Hi Passing	Hi Rushing	Hi Receiving
Denver 27, Kansas City 19	P. Manning 308	K. Moreno 132	W. Welker 103
Green Bay 37, Carolina 9	A. Rodgers 237	E. Lacy 82	R. Cobb 74
Sunday's Games	Hi Passing	Hi Rushing	Hi Receiving
Indianapolis 27, Cincinnati 20	A. Dalton 206	T. Richardson 93	R. Wayne 78
Dallas 34, Minnesota 29	T. Romo 253	A. Peterson 210	D. Bryant 99
BYE WEEKS: Seahawks, Steelers, Saints, Patriots

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Cincinnati Bengals
R. Maualuga (LB) - Hip Fracture - 15 Weeks


Denver Broncos
R. Moore (S) - Broken Jaw - 1 Week


Kansas City Chiefs
J. Allen (G) - Pulled Groin - 3 Weeks


Dallas Cowboys
K. Bosworth (LB) - Torn Bicep - 7 Weeks


Green Bay Packers
M. Hyde (CB) - Pulled Groin - 4 Weeks


Carolina Panthers
G. Hardy (DE) - Abdominal Tear - 4 Weeks
C. Cole (DT) - Shoulder Tear - 4 Weeks


Minnesota Vikings
M. Kalil (T) - Abdominal Tear - 3 Weeks

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[patriotway]

The divisional round of the playoffs is set and ready to get underway. Having emerged victorious from the wild card round, the Denver Broncos, Indianapolis Colts, Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers all go on the road for the next leg of the playoffs. With every team able to tighten it's focus on the upcoming opponent, their won't be an opportunity to sneak by. Every team will have to give one hundred percent of their effort if they hope to advance to the championship games.

On paper, the game between the Denver Broncos and the Pittsburgh Steelers looks like it could be an even match. Games aren't simply won with numbers though. With a chance at playing in the AFC Championship game at stake, it's unlikely either team will rest on statistics from the regular season to determine the game.

The Pittsburgh Steelers defense 2nd ranked defense will try to put a stop to the Denver Broncos playoff run.

The Dallas Cowboys travel to Century Link Field to face the Seattle Seahawks for the divisional round of the playoffs. While Dallas has a talented receivers on their offense, Seattle has a tough duo of cornerbacks in Richard Sherman and Brandon Browner. Dallas also has a formidable defender in defensive end Demarcus Ware. Despite the talented names on defense, Dallas holds the upper hand on offense with it's dominant rushing attack. That doesn't mean Marshawn Lynch should be counted out for Seattle either. With all the talent that each team's roster has, the game could come down to an unsung hero.

The Dallas Cowboys most productive offensive players Demarco Murray and Dez Bryant will be relied upon to help the team win against the Seattle Seahawks in Saturday night's game.

Divisional Round Schedule

Saturday's Games

Denver Broncos (9-6-1) @ Pittsburgh Steelers (11-5) l 4:30 PM

Dallas Cowboys (11-5) @ Seattle Seahawks (13-3) l 8:00 PM

Sunday's Games

Indianapolis Colts (10-6) @ New England Patriots (11-5) l 1:00 PM

Green Bay Packers (11-5) @ New Orleans Saints (12-4) l 4:30 PM

BYE WEEKS: None

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Injuries to starters Ziggy Hood and Cameron Heyward have left the Pittsburgh Steelers in a tough spot. Fortunately, they were able to sign defensive end Lawrence Guy to their roster this week. Guy was signed to the team in week 12, then released in week 16.

[patriotway]

Matchup Preview *|* January 12, 2014
	@
Indianapolis Colts (10-6, 4-4 Away)		New England Patriots (11-5, 6-2 Home)
Offensive Stats Comparison 6030 (6th) Total Offensive Yards 6683 (1st) 3775 (10th) Passing Yards 4044 (6th) 2255 (8th) Rushing Yards 2639 (4th) 22.6 (14th) Points Per Game 30.3 (1st) 16 (Tied - 18th) Passing TD 30 (2nd) 19 (Tied - 3rd) Rushing TD 19 (Tied - 3rd) 294 (5th) First Downs 337 (1st 53 (Tied - 8th) Red Zone Attempts 66 (1st) 25-9 Red Zone TD-FG 38-22 64% (31st) Red Zone Percentage 90% (1st) Defensive Stats Comparison 4858 (3rd) Total Yards Allowed 5606 (27th) 3083 (3rd) Passing Yards Allowed 4428 (32nd) 1775 (11th) Rushing Yards Allowed 1178 (1st) 19.7 (11th) Points Per Game 20.5 (16th) 34 (9th) Sacks 48 (Tied - 4th) 6 (Tied - 22nd) Fumble Recoveries 9 (10th) 5 (31st) Interceptions 31 (1st) 38 (Tied - 7th) Red Zone Attempts 41 (Tied - 12th) 23-6 Red Zone TD-FG 22-13 76% (18th) Red Zone Percentage 85% (Tied - 29th) Injury Report J. Reitz/ Broken Thumb (Out 3 Weeks) Game Notes A game between the New England Patriots and the Indianapolis Colts used to bring a lot of fanfare. Now that Andrew Luck is at the helm for Indianapolis, the game has a different meaning. The game is more about past rivalries though. Both teams are coming into this game the healthiest they've been all season. With all hands on deck, the game will be decided by whoever can create the most momentum or turn a key play to their advantage.