Following up in the NFL

A couple days ago I wrote a spot addressing the five most important players to keep an eye on this Sunday: Peterson, Romo, Roethlisberger, the Giants d-line, and Russell Wilson. Here's how it all played out.

Adrian Peterson may not have set the rushing record, but he did do a lot of damage and took all the defensive attention, allowing Christian Ponder to have his first effective game since November 11 as the Vikings went into Houston and destroyed the 12-2 Texans. All Day had three 20+ yard carries in the game, putting the Vikings on the brink of a surprising playoff berth. One more game to go and Peterson should still be the favorite to win MVP. Grade = A-

Tony Romo’s numbers were impressive, 416 yards, four touchdowns, no interceptions. He threw a game-tying touchdown pass on fourth down with fifteen seconds left to send the game into overtime. Romo had a great game. But the defense did not, yielding 562 yards and 11 third down conversions. DeMarco Murray fumbled at the Cowboys five yard line. One way that Romo could have helped his team out more was on third down. After halftime Romo was 1 for 7 passing on third down with a sack. For the whole game the team was 2-10. But still, he did his job to help his team win but everyone else let him down. Grade = A-

Ben Roethlisberger’s first interception was returned for the Bengals’ only touchdown, and for the second game in a row, Big Ben got picked off late which set up the game-winning kick. Steelers only scored ten points in a must-win game. Maybe he should have sat out a few more games; the Steelers lost three in a row since he came back. Grade = F

Giants defensive line: Justin Tuck didn’t even dress, Chris Canty spent the second half on the sideline, Jason Pierre-Paul and Osi Umenyiora were non-factors, and Mathias Kiwanuka’s team-leading one sack happened in the fourth quarter of a 30-7 game. The Ravens offensive line dominated the game, giving Joe Flacco his best game in seven weeks and getting practically no pressure. The Ravens also rushed for 173 yards and at one point had outgained the Giants 531-121. This area that is supposed to be the G-Men’s strongest point is exposing the entire defense. Grade = F

Russell Wilson, what can you say? Wilson tore up one of the league’s best defenses. Just look at the numbers: 15 of 21 passing for 171 yards, four touchdowns, six effective carries, and 42 points. He converted 11 of 12 third down opportunities against the best third down defense. That is a mind-boggling number. And like Foxborough for Colin Kaepernick last week, it was pouring rain in Seattle. This was one of the most impressive performances of the year, and if I had a vote for Offensive Rookie of the Year, it would go to Wilson. Grade = A+