Even All-Stars Fade Away ~ A Madden NFL 15 Franchise

[patriotway]

NFL Mentions
LaVar Arrington - @LArringtonEA: The Browns make news by releasing Lorenzo Alexander.
Skip Bayless - @SkipBaylessEA: Is D. Revis REALLy worth this kind of money? If he's healthy, sure, but can he STAY healthy? Not so sure.

[patriotway]

Chicago Bears
E. Ferguson (DT) - Broken Thumb - 4 Weeks


Buffalo Bills
E. Wood (C) - Pectoral Tear - Placed On Injured Reserve


Cleveland Browns
D. Childers (LT) - Upper Arm Fracture - Placed On Injured Reserve


Tampa Bay Buccaneers
F. Kearse (DT) - Dislocated Knee - 3 Weeks


San Diego Chargers
T. Bynes (DT) - Upper Arm Fracture - 3 Weeks


Indianapolis Colts
K. Dunlap (LT) - Fractured Elbow - 8 Weeks


Philadelphia Eagles
P. Taylor (DT) - Hip Fracture - Placed On Injured Reserve


New York Giants
M. Claiborne (CB) - Pulled Groin - 4 Weeks


Detroit Lions
C. Grayson (LT) - Pulled Groin - 4 Weeks


Green Bay Packers
M. Daniels (RE) - Pectoral Tear - Placed On Injured Reserve
E. Mayes (RT) - Dislocated Elbow - 4 Weeks


Carolina Panthers
L. Kuechly (MLB) - Shoulder Tear - 3 Weeks


New England Patriots
R. Gronkowski (TE) - Dislocated Ankle - 3 Weeks


Oakland Raiders
R. Hudson (C) - Broken Femur - Placed On Injured Reserve


Washington Redskins
D. Stephenson (RT) - Dislocated Hip - 6 Weeks


New Orleans Saints
C. Nicks (LG) - Dislocated Elbow - 2 Weeks


Pittsburgh Steelers
Z. Miller (TE) - Broken Thumb - 2 Weeks
B. Wagner (MLB) - Broken Thumb - 1 Week


Pittsburgh Steelers
C. Heyward (LE) - Partial MCL Tear - 7 Weeks
K. Osemele (LG) - Dislocated Ankle - 6 Weeks


Tennessee Titans
B. Sankey (HB) - Pulled Groin - 4 Weeks


Minnesota Vikings
J. Jenkins (CB) - Upper Arm Fracture - 6 Weeks
C. Ware (LT) - Broken Ribs - 4 Weeks

NFL Mentions
Adam Schefter - @AdamSchefterEA: Buffalo center Eric Wood placed on IR.
Mark Sch;ereth - @MarkSchlerethEA: Don't see a way for Green Bay to recover from star Mike Daniels going out. He was just placed on IR.
Chris Mortensen - @mortreportEA: Not a lot of enthusiasm in the #Raiders locker room after C Rodney Hudon was placed on IR.
Adam Schefter - @AdamSchefterEA: Philadelphia defensive tackle Phil Taylor placed on IR.

[patriotway]

Matchup Preview *|* December 25, 2016
	@
Arizona Cardinals (5-9, 2-4 Away)		New England Patriots (8-6, 5-1 Home)
Offensive Stats Comparison 5278 (6th) Total Offensive Yards 4849 (17th) 4036 (5th) Passing Yards 3650 (18th) 1242 (16th) Rushing Yards 1199 (17th) 22.7 (T - 20th) Points Per Game 26.1 (8th) 22 (T - 11th) Passing TD 27 (3rd) 16 (13th) Rushing TD 7 (T - 30th) 248 (12th) First Downs 276 (3rd) 51 (T - 15th) Red Zone Attempts 50 (T - 18th) 28-9 Red Zone TD-FG 29-13 72% (T - 21st) Red Zone Percentage 84% (4th) Defensive Stats Comparison 5293 (30th) Total Yards Allowed 5228 (28th) 3837 (27th) Passing Yards Allowed 3251 (4th) 1456 (23rd) Rushing Yards Allowed 1977 (32nd) 28.5 (25th) Points Per Game 23.1 (16th) 17 (T - 16th) Sacks 54 (1st) 4 (T - 20th) Fumble Recoveries 19 (1st) 10 (T - 27th) Interceptions 18 (T - 8th) 51 (T - 14th) Red Zone Attempts 53 (T - 17th) 25-15 Red Zone TD-FG 21-26 78% (T - 20th) Red Zone Percentage 88% (T - 30th) Injury Report NONE R. Gronkowski/Dislocated Ankle (3 Weeks) Game Notes 1:00 PM @ Gillette Stadium, NE STREAK: Arizona Cardinals W5 New England Patriots W1 LAST FIVE: Arizona Cardinals (5-0) New England Patriots (4-1) LAST GAME: Miami Dolphins 14 - Arizona Cardinals 20 New York Jets 19 - New England Patriots 36 LAST MEETING: (Week 2, 2012) Arizona Cardinals 20 - New England Patriots 18

NFL Mentions
Chris Mortensen - @mortreportEA: Word from Pats practice is that Azur has become quite a leader in organized drills. Coaches are pleasantly surprised.
Mark Schlereth - @MarkSchlerethEA: Being told Layne Swanson really stood out in practice this week. The Pats have a special young big hefty on their hands.
Chris Mortensen - @mortreportEA: Sources tell me the Pats coaching staff believes that Ryan is the future at CB.

[patriotway]

Arizona Cardinals at New England Patriots
Dec 25, 2016	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Arizona Cardinals (6-9)	7	7	17	0	31
New England Patriots (8-7)	7	7	3	7	24

Team Stats Comparison
	ARI	NWE
Total Offense	396	404
Rushing Yards	55	98
Passing Yards	341	306
First Downs	16	21
Punt Return Yards	30	18
Kick Return Yards	50	59
Total Yards	476	481
Turnovers	1 (0)	1 (0)
3rd Down Converstion	8-14 (57%)	8-17 (47%)
4th Down Conversion	0-0 (0%)	1-2 (50%)
2-Point Conversion	0-0 (0%)	0-0 (0%)
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	2/1	3/1
Penalties	7-113	5-36
Posession Time	27:07	32:53

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		ARI	NWE
10:44	(ARI) B. Brown, 1 Yd run (C. Catanzaro kick)	7	0
2:38	(NWE) S. Ridley, 2 Yd run (A. Estes kick)	7	7
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		ARI	NWE
10:30	(ARI) L. Fitzgerald 6 Yd pass from L. Quinn (C. Catanzaro kick)	14	7
0:36	(NWE) A. Dobson 19 yd pass from T. Brady (A. Estes kick)	14	14
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		ARI	NWE
9:06	(ARI) C. Catanzaro, 30 Yd FG	17	14
4:53	(ARI) T. Niklas 25 yd pass from L. Quinn (C. Catanzaro kick)	24	14
2:06	(NWE) A. Estes, 30 Yd FG	24	17
1:56	(ARI) J. Brown 80 Yd pass from L. Quinn (C. Catanzaro kick)	31	17
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		ARI	NWE
12:16	(NWE) D. Jefferson 10 Yd pass from T. Brady (A. Estes kick)	31	24

Arizona Cardinals PASSING C/A YDS TD INT L. Quinn (RAT: 118.9) 26/40 (65%) 362 3 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD B. Brown (2x Fum) 20 45 2.2 1 L. Quinn 1 8 8.0 0 L. Blount 1 2 2.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD M. Floyd 9 97 10.7 0 T. Niklas 5 89 17.8 1 J. Brown 5 130 26.0 1 L. Fitzgerald 3 35 11.6 1 M. Jacobs 2 13 6.5 0 B. Brown 2 -2 -1.0 0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK E. Britton 0 1 J. Sweezy 0 1 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD T. Mathieu 11-1 0 0 0 K. Minter 6-0 0 0 0 T. Jefferson 6-0 0 0 0 D. Washington 6-0 0 0 0 E. Russell 5-0 0 1 0 P. Peterson 5-0 0 0 0 B. Carter 5-0 0 0 0 G. Hardy 3-0 1 0 0 C. Campbell 3-0 0 0 0 C. McDonald 1-0 0 0 0 C. McClam 1-0 0 0 0 J. Wynn 1-0 0 0 0 T. Johnson 1-0 0 0 0 D. Bucannon 1-0 0 0 0 E. Henderson 0-1 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG C. Catanzaro 1/1 4/4 7 31 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 B. Wing 5 252 50.4 1 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD J. Brown 2 34 17.0 0 A. Grimes 1 16 16.0 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD P. Peterson 3 30 10.0 0

New England Patriots PASSING C/A YDS TD INT T. Brady (RAT: 78.6) 30/53 (56%) 313 2 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD S. Ridley 17 64 3.7 1 B. Bolden 9 34 3.7 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD J. Edelman 10 93 9.3 0 G. Barnidge 6 44 7.3 0 A. Dobson 4 51 12.7 1 C. Harrison 3 59 19.6 0 S.Ridley 2 12 6.0 0 D. Jefferson 2 20 10.0 1 B. Bolden 2 28 14.0 0 R. Haynes 1 6 6.0 0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK N. Solder 1 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD J. Mayo (FF) 11-0 0 0 0 C. Jones 5-1 1 0 0 R. McClain 5-0 0 0 0 J. Collins 4-0 0 0 0 D. McCourty (FF) 4-2 0 0 0 M. Brockers 3-0 0 0 0 J. Brock 3-0 0 0 0 R. Ninkovich 3-0 2 0 0 D. Hightower (FR) 3-0 0 0 0 P. Chung 3-1 0 0 0 K. Henry (FF) 2-0 0 0 0 J. Miles 1-0 0 0 0 J. Gandy 1-0 0 0 0 L. Ryan 1-1 0 0 0 B. Boykin 0-1 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG A. Estes 1/1 3/3 6 31 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 T. Way 6 256 42.6 0 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD A. Sanders 2 59 29.5 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD A. Sanders 2 18 9.0 0

On the outside looking in at the playoff standings the New England Patriots had a lot more at stake in this game than their opponent the Arizona Cardinals. At this point, the red hot Cardinals are just playing for "pride" as they lost their first nine games of the season. What makes the Cardinals a hot team is the fact that they have won five in a row. Like previous games this season, the Patriots would have to worry about stopping the run and hope that their pass defense will perform as it has been recently.

Although halfback Bryce Brown was able to find the endzone, his rushing totals weren't impressive. Brown averaged 2.2 yards per carry on 20 attempts.

As it turns out, things went differently for the Patriots defense. The Patriots completely shut down the Cardinals ground attack. For the game, the Cardinals starting halfback Bryce Brown had 45 yards on 20 carries and a touchdown. That kind of game against the run is what the Patriots were hoping for coming into the 2016 season. The only positive rush for the Cardinals was a 23 yard run in the third quarter. Besides that run most carries went for either no gain or a loss. The Patriots were able to get a little more out of their halfback Stevan Ridley who also ran for a touchdown. That slight advantage didn't help the Patriots on the scoreboard as both teams were tied at 14 at halftime.

Both the Cardinals and the Patriots found the endzone through the air in the second quarter. Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald just gets over the threshold on a 6 yard pass while Patriots receiver Aaron Dobson brings in a 19 yard pass.

Just because the Cardinals couldn't find any rhythm on the ground doesn't mean their offense wasn't able to produce at all. The Cardinals found success against the Patriots in a way many teams were not able to over the past several weeks, through the air. Wide receivers Michael Floyd and John Brown along with tight end Troy Niklas combined for 19 receptions, 316 yards and 3 touchdowns. Second year quarterback Logan Quinn was a great conductor of Arizona's passing offense. The sophomore quarterback found open receivers with ease even though the Patriots got decent pressure on him. Despite a second half where Quinn became inaccurate, the Cardinals outscored the Patriots 17-3.

The Cardinals second year quarterback played tremendously well throwing for 362 yards to go along with 3 touchdowns. One of them was an 80 yard play to receiver John Brown.

A 31-17 fourth quarter lead for the Cardinals looked in doubt as their offense began to sputter. The Patriots scored on a 10 yard pass from tom Brady to backup tight end D.C. Jefferson. Jefferson had been in the game because Gary Barnidge had struggled to hold onto the ball. Barnidge's three drops had come at the most inopportune times. The Patriots offense would also grind to a halt in the final quarter as Jefferson's score was as close as the game would get. The Cardinals ended up winning the game 31-24.

Rookie cornerback Ellis Russell made a game changing interception in the fourth quarter as the Patriots were driving down the field in an attempt to tie the game.

The loss to the San Francisco 49ers was described as devastating, but this loss may appear to be even more so. Earlier losses to AFC opponents have already put them behind in terms of positioning for playoff spots and this loss just makes them fall farther behind. While the playoff window has by no means shut, it is getting smaller in a hurry. The Patriots will need a huge assist next week if they have any hopes at making the playoffs.

NFL Mentions
Chris Mortensen - @mortreportEA: #Cardinals came into New England and pulled it out against the #Patriots.

[patriotway]

Week 16 Scoreboard
Thursday's Games	Hi Passing	Hi Rushing	Hi Receiving
Jacksonville 26 - Detroit 3	(JAC) B. Bortles - 218	(JAC) A. Bradshaw - 78	(JAC) M. Jones - 63
Sunday's Games	Hi Passing	Hi Rushing	Hi Receiving
Cincinnati 27 - Washington 33	(CIN) A. Dalton - 265	(CIN) J. Hill - 57	(CIN) J. Jones - 94
Atlanta 14 - Carolina 35	(CAR) K. Hopkins - 297	(ATL) D. Freeman - 48	(CAR) K. Benjamin - 67
Tampa Bay 7 - New Orleans 24	(NOR) D. Brees - 271	(NOR) C. Hicks - 52	(NOR) K. Stills - 113
Arizona 31 - New England 24	(ARI) L. Quinn - 362	(NWE) S. Ridley - 64	(ARI) J. Brown - 130
St. Louis 10 - Dallas 27	(DAL) T. Romo - 266	(STL) R. Mathews - 70	(DAL) J. Witten - 90
Buffalo 17 - Baltimore 45	(BUF) E. Manuel - 259	(BAL) S. Vereen - 90	(BAL) S. Smith Sr. - 94
San Francisco 33 - Miami 10	(SFO) C. Kaepernick - 256	(SFO) C. Spiller - 81	(SFO) R. Meacham - 69
Tennessee 48 - Minnesota 31	(MIN) T. Bridgewater - 275	(TEN) D. McCluster - 103	(TEN) H. Nicks - 90
Indianapolis 27 - Denver 10	(IND) A. Luck - 223	(IND) A. Morris - 132	(IND) W. Welker - 128
Kansas City 27 - Oakland 3	(KAN) A. Smith - 137	(KAN) J. Charles - 100	(KAN) T. Kelce - 58
N.Y. Jets 24 - Seattle 38	(NYJ) C. Newton - 331	(SEA) C. Michael - 84	(NYJ) M. Crabtree - 122
Houston 17 - San Diego 20	(HOU) T. Cross - 173	(SDG) K. Moreno - 62	(SDG) J. Kearse - 70
Cleveland 19 - N.Y. Giants - 16	(NYG) S. Bradford - 235	(CLE) T. West - 65	(CLE) J. Gordon - 101
Pittsburgh 31 - Philadelphia 23	(PHI) N. Foles - 418	(PIT) D. Archer - 148	(PHI) R. Streater - 135
Monday's Games	Hi Passing	Hi Rushing	Hi Receiving
Green Bay 35 - Chicago 27	(CHI) S. King - 374	(GNB) E. Lacy - 78	(CHI) A. Jeffery - 111
BYE WEEKS: NONE

[patriotway]

[patriotway]

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

[patriotway]

AFC Playoff Standings: Week 16, 2016
AFC DIVISION LEADERS	W	L	T	DIVISION
(X) Pittsburgh Steelers	12	3	0	North
Indianapolis Colts	11	4	0	South
Denver Broncos	10	5	0	West
Buffalo Bills	9	6	0	East
AFC WILD CARD RACE	W	L	T	DIVISION
Baltimore Ravens	11	4	0	North
Jacksonville Jaguars	11	4	0	South

IN THE HUNT: Cincinnati Bengals (10-5), Kansas City Chiefs (9-6), New England Patriots (8-7)
ELIMINATED: Cleveland Browns (8-7), New York Jets (7-8), San Diego Chargers (6-9), Houston Texans (5-10), Tennessee Titans (4-11), Miami Dolphins (4-11), Oakland Raiders (1-14)

NFC Playoff Standings: Week 16, 2016
NFC DIVISION LEADERS	W	L	T	DIVISION
(X, Y, Z, *) Green Bay Packers	14	1	0	North
(X) Seattle Seahawks	11	4	0	West
Philadelphia Eagles	9	6	0	East
Carolina Panthers	9	6	0	South
NFC WILD CARD RACE	W	L	T	DIVISION
(X) San Francisco 49ers	10	5	0	West
New Orleans Saints	8	7	0	South

IN THE HUNT: Washington Redskins (8-7), Detroit Lions (7-7-1), Atlanta Falcons (7-8)
ELIMINATED: Arizona Cardinals (6-9), Dallas Cowboys (6-9), Minnesota Vikings (5-10), St. Louis Rams (4-11), Chicago Bears (3-11-1), New York Giants (3-12), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-12)

LEGEND: ( X ) -clinched playoff berth | ( Y ) -denotes division winner | ( Z ) -denotes first-round bye | ( * ) -clinched home-field advantage