The 2011 season might not have been.  Thankfully we were able to see some amazing moments and record breaking quarterback play. For the final weekly review in the NFL, I’m going to look back at the previous weeks of the season.  You can say it’s a mixture of the good, the bad and the ugly moments of the 2011 season.

Carolina Panthers rookie QB Cam Newton arrived with a 400 yard passing performance in his first NFL game.  The New Orleans Saints and the Green Bay Packers opened the season with what many believed to be a preview of this years NFC Championship game.  The Dallas Cowboys showed us right from the start that they were destined to miss the playoffs.

It was starting to look like the Buffalo Bills were destined for a magical season.  I was wrong about that one.  Philadelphia Eagles QB Michael Vick showed that he is the highest risk quarterback in the NFL suffering a concussion in Atlanta.  Dallas Cowboys QB Tony Romo breaks a rib and plays his best game of his career.

The Buffalo Bills are riding high.  Once again, I was wrong.  The Oakland Raiders looked like a dangerous team.  That’s when RB Darren McFadden was healthy though.  Just like the Bills, the Detroit Lions were also on a winning streak to start the season.

Cowboys defensive coordinator Rob Ryan opens his big mouth and actually said Lions WR Calvin Johnson wasn’t good enough to be the 3rd receiver in Dallas.  Try telling that to Tony Romo.  Besides the Bills, the Washington Redskins were also 3-1 at this point in the season.  Shocking I know.  We begin to wonder who will be the first head coach to be fired.  Quite a few of them were.

Raiders owner Al Davis passed away.  His team lived up to his motto.  Tim Tebow was given an opportunity and almost lead the Broncos to victory.  Looking back it was too early to panic for Eagles and Jets fans.  

Instead of the actual game everyone was talking about the little spat between Lions head coach Jim Schwartz and 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh.  Saints head coach Sean Payton was taken out on the sidelines.  Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett in one of his many peculiar decision making moments late in a game.

Perhaps the worst football weekend ever.  Sorry to remind you. Tim Tebow made his triumphant return to Florida in a victory in Miami.  The fight to get Stanford QB Andrew Luck begins.

At this point the elite teams were beginning to run away from the pack.  Aside from the Buffalo Bills all the good teams went on to make the playoffs.  Most of the other teams did not elevate themselves from their bad or ugly status.

An almost exact replica of Super Bowl XLII between the New York Giants and the New England Patriots took place.  The Packers and Chargers had a shootout at Qualcomm Stadium.  The Ravens and Steelers had a good old fashion football game that went down to the last second.

It was time to consider the San Francisco 49ers and Houston Texans as legitimate contenders going into the stretch run.  The Lions and Bills began to cool off after such great starts to the season.

I participated in the ‘Tebowing’ craze.  ‘Da Bears’ were on a roll until QB Jay Cutler broke his thumb.  I was having trouble figuring out the NFC East.  I still am.

Saints QB Drew Brees began to put his name into the MVP conversation with Packers QB Aaron Rodgers.  Lions DT Ndamukong Suh crosses the line.  Jacksonville makes a change as they fired their head coach Jack Del Rio

The playoff picture starts to take shape as the 49ers and Packers clinch playoff spots.  The Lions as a whole couldn’t shake the ‘dirty’ label.  Trouble was brewing in Chicago.  

The Texans and Saints clinch playoff spots.  It was more impressive for the Texans as they lost their top 2 quarterbacks to injury and were led by a rookie to the playoffs.  I finally figured out why the Cowboys struggle so much.  The Broncos success was not all because of Tim Tebow.  

The AFC was up for grabs this late in the season.  The Green Bay Packers lost their first game.  I still think it was a good thing for them.  Calvin Johnson takes the top spot among the best wide receivers in the NFL.

A front flip into the endzone for a touchdown.  What a surprise. The NFC East will be decided during the last game of the season. Move over Dan Marino.  Drew Brees is new record holder.