(SportsNetwork.com) - The quarterback is the epicenter in every NFL city, the first player commented on and evaluated, be it positive or negative. And when that signal caller happens to be Peyton Manning, any blip, no matter how slight, in a career defined by consistency is going to be overblown. To be fair to those currently questioning Manning, he is obviously far closer to the end of his brilliant career than the beginning with a medical record that includes four neck surgeries so its not exactly out of bounds to be on the lookout for what is the inevitable decline for every player. Manning has looked mortal in recent weeks, almost like an actual 38-year-old man with Mondays four-interception implosion in Cincinnati serving as the main course for the haters. Nobodys worried about him, hes fine, wide receiver Demaryius Thomas said of Manning. If he wasnt fine, he wouldnt be playing. Fine is a relative term in the NFL. The 38-27 setback against the Bengals was Mannings first quadruple INT game since 2010 and helped assure that the road to AFC championship would go through Foxbrorough and not the Rocky Mountains, a potential death blow when it comes to the fairytale ending of Manning walking off stage left with the Lombardi Trophy. Manning finished 28-for-44 for 311 yards and two touchdowns against Cincinnati, but his four picks resulted in a terribly poor and unManning-like 61.8 passer rating. We have to find a way to learn from this, a dejected Manning said. All four of Denvers losses have come on the road this season and 11 of Mannings 15 interceptions have come away from Mile High. Meanwhile, six of those 11 picks came at the hands of the Bengals and Patriots, two teams the Broncos may have to beat if they plan on being in Glendale come February. John Elway overhauled his defense following the Super Bowl XLVIII collapse against Seattle last season and bringing in players like DeMarcus Ware, Aquib Talib and T.J. Ward has certainly helped on that side of the ball as evidenced by Denvers current standing as the third-ranked stop unit in all of football. What Elway didnt address, however, was the offensive line, the teams real Achilles heel against both the Seahawks and Cincinnati on Monday night. We gave up two sacks and we lead the whole National Football League in sacks per pass (play), Broncos coach John Fox said when discussing his much- maligned OL on Tuesday. We did not coach well enough and we did not play well enough. They had a better night than we did. The thought in Denver was the return of star left tackle Ryan Clady, who missed most of the 13 campaign with a Lisfranc injury would be enough. The plan was for Chris Clark, who replaced Clady at LT last season, to bump over to the right side with Orlando Franklin moving inside to left guard opposite solid right guard Louis Vasquez. And if the 12 version of Clady, who allowed just one sack the entire season, showed up this time around all of that might have worked but the former All- Pro has been average at best this season despite the reputation-generated Pro Bowl nod he received on Tuesday night. The 14 Clady has been playing at a level nowhere near the AFCs best left tackles -- Clevelands Joe Thomas and the Bengals Andrew Whitworth -- and one high-profile, scouting-based website has him rated as the 45th best tackle in the NFL. Clark, meanwhile, couldnt carry his own water at right tackle before being replaced by Paul Cornick, who also faltered, leaving the Broncos to make wholesale changes, kicking Vasquez outside, moving Manny Ramirez from center to right guard and inserting veteran pivot Will Montgomery. The lack of consistency has hurt but the bigger issue has been the athleticism or lack thereof, as the Denver O-Line has trouble getting to the second level in the running game, and Vasquez struggles mightily against speed on the outside as evidenced by Carlos Dunlaps big game on Monday night. No one covers for a mediocre offense line better than Manning, a signal caller who possesses a lightning-quick release as well as a football IQ that is off the charts. Manning can and does vary his snap count better than just about any other QB who has ever played the game but eventually a defense is going to get its chances against a stationary target and the lack of consistent pass protection has left Manning a battered and bruised mess with the playoffs looming. Perhaps no team ticketed for the postseason needs a first-round bye more than the Broncos and they can lock that up with a Week 17 win as a two-touchdown favorite over 3-12 Oakland or a Bengals loss at Pittsburgh. A rested and relatively healthy Manning is the difference between a deep playoff run and one-and-done. I learned a long time ago it doesnt matter how you start the race its how you finish, said Fox. Well step back from (Monday night), well learn from it, well analyze and decipher went wrong and hopefully get it fixed. WEEK 17 (All Times Eastern) Cleveland (7-8) at Baltimore (9-6) (-9), Sunday, 1 p.m. - An awful Week 16 loss in Houston against a Texans team playing its fourth quarterback this season left the Ravens in desperate straits, needing a win along with a San Diego loss at Kansas City to reach the postseason. The Browns have shut down Johnny Manziel for the season due to a hamstring injury and could also be without Brian Hoyer (shoulder) leaving rookie Connor Shaw and the recently- signed Tyler Thigpen as the options at the QB position. Ravens 23, Browns 10 Jacksonville (3-12) at Houston (8-7) (-10), Sunday, 1 p.m. - The Texans are still alive after upsetting Baltimore last week behind Case Keenum after the Texas native was brought back off the St. Louis Rams practice squad when injuries befell Ryan Fitzpatrick and rookie Tom Savage. Houston needs to beat the Jags and hope the Chargers lose at Kansas City and the Ravens lose at home to Cleveland. Texans 17, Jaguars 13 San Diego (9-6) at Kansas City (8-7) (-2 1/2), Sunday, 1 p.m. - Both the Chargers and Chiefs remain alive for the final playoff berth in the AFC. San Diego controls its own destiny and will advance to the postseason with a win, while Kansas City can qualify for the playoffs with a win along with losses by both Baltimore and Houston. Chiefs 20, Chargers 17 Dallas (11-4) (-6 1/2) at Washington (4-11), Sunday, 1 p.m. - The Cowboys are the NFC East champions and will attempt to earn a first-round bye in Week 17. Dallas will secure the week off with a win combined with losses by both Seattle and Arizona. Cowboys 31, Redskins 17 New York Jets (3-12) at Miami (8-7) (-6), Sunday, 1 p.m. - It was in Sun Life Stadium last December when Woody Johnson surprised most observers by giving Jets coach Rex Ryan a reprieve after a meaningless 20-7 Week 17 win over Miami. Fast forward one year and New York is 3-12 entering Week 17 and Ryan has already filed his change of address form and is deciding between Mayflower and Atlas. The Dolphins, meanwhile, havent played postseason football since the 2008 season and last Sunday, on the day they were officially eliminated for the sixth straight season, Ross decided to bring back lame-duck coach Joe Philbin for another year despite a tenure that defines mediocrity. Dolphins 24, Jets 14 Chicago (5-10) at Minnesota (6-9) (-6 1/2), Sunday, 1 p.m. - The two afterthoughts in the NFC North finish their seasons and a battle to avoid the cellar of the division. The Vikings can at least hang their hat on the development of rookie QB Teddy Bridgewater, who has an impressive 105.7 passer rating over his previous fours starts. The embattled Jay Cutler will be back under center for the Bears after a concussion ended Jimmy Clausens one-game tenure. Despite all his troubles, Cutler always plays well against Minnesota, winning seven of his past eight starts against the Vikings with 20 TD passes in those games. Vikings 20, Bears 17 Buffalo (8-7) at New England (12-3) (-4), Sunday, 1 p.m. - The Pats have already earned the No. 1 spot in the AFC but history says Bill Belichick will still use his starters at times in the regular-season finale. This is the fourth time under Belichick that the Pats seed was set going into Week 17 and he has rested a few starters and taken others out early in the past. Patriots 26, Bills 21 Philadelphia (9-6) at New York Giants (6-9) (-3), Sunday, 1 p.m. - The Eagles December collapse was completed last weekend when a loss at Washington eliminated them from the NFC playoff picture. The Giants continue to enjoy the talents of star rookie wideout Odell Beckham, Jr., who has 79 catches, the most ever by a player in his first 11 NFL games. Despite missing four contests, OBJ leads all rookies with 1,120 receiving yards and is tied for the rookie lead with 11 receiving TDs. Giants 30, Eagles 24 New Orleans (6-9) (-4) at Tampa Bay (2-13), Sunday, 1 p.m. - The biggest and perhaps only storyline here is the Bucs ineptness. One more loss and Tampa Bay will secure the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. Saints 24, Buccaneers 13 Indianapolis (10-5) (-7) at Tennessee (2-13), Sunday, 1 p.m. - The Colts are on the verge of finishing perfect in the AFC South for a second consecutive season and need to recapture a little mojo after a 42-7 drubbing at the hands of Dallas last weekend. Overall Indy has won six straight over the 2-13 Titans and both head coach Chuck Pagano and QB Andrew Luck have never lost to Tennessee. Colts 27, Titans 14 St. Louis (6-9) at Seattle (11-4) (-13), Sunday, 4:25 p.m. - Seattle has the edge in the NFC with one week to play. With a win, the Seahawks will lock up the NFC West and a first-round bye. Meanwhile, as long as the Detroit-Green Bay game does not end in a tie, the Seahawks will secure home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs for the second year in a row. Seahawks 20, Rams 13 Arizona (11-3) at San Francisco (7-8) (-6), Sunday, 4:25 p.m. - Arizona has secured a playoff berth and can still win the NFC West and earn a first-round bye with a win and a Seattle loss. If that scenario comes to fruition and Green Bay also loses, Arizona will be the No. 1 seed in the NFC. 49ers 23, Cardinals 10 Oakland (3-12) at Denver (11-4) (-14 1/2), Sunday, 4:25 p.m. - Denver has already clinched the AFC West and can earn a first-round bye with a win. The Broncos can also secure a first-round bye with a Cincinnati loss. Broncos 30, Raiders 13 Carolina (6-8-1) at Atlanta (6-9) (-4), Sunday, 4:25 p.m. - The NFC South will be decided when the Falcons host the Panthers. The winner advances to the postseason, becoming only the second team to win a division with a record under .500 (Seattle, 2010), while the losers season comes to an end. Carolina is attempting to become the first team to repeat as NFC South champions since the division was established in 2002. We have a game at home and if you win, youre in, said Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan. We are where we are and were excited about our chances. Were prepared for this moment, Carolina quarterback Cam Newton countered, and hopefully well seize it. Falcons 24, Panthers 16 Detroit (11-4) at Green Bay (11-4) (-7 1/2), Sunday, 4:25 p.m. - The Lions and Packers are both in the postseason but the NFC North is still up for grabs. The winner here will claim the division title and also earn a first-round bye. The NFC North champion can also secure the No. 1 seed with some help -- Green Bay would need a Seattle loss, and Detroit would need both Seattle and Arizona to lose. This game will also mark the first time since the 1993 season in which two teams with at least 11 wins will play each other in the regular- season finale to determine a division champion (Dallas at New York Giants, January 2, 1994). I think playing in a playoff-type game is exactly how you want to go into the playoffs, said Packers head coach Mike McCarthy. Its great that were playing for the division title. I think this is exactly how youd want it. I know this is the way Id prefer it. Packers 33, Lions 20 Cincinnat1 (10-4-1) at Pittsburgh (10-5) (-3 1/2), Sunday 8:30 p.m. - The final game of the 2014 regular season will decide the AFC North division. Both the Bengals and Steelers have already clinched a playoff berth but the division crown along with an all-important home playoff game are at stake. They know us and we know them, said Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. Its a big football game. Its going to be a good, classic AFC North football game. How else would you want it? I know our guys are excited. Steelers 27, Bengals 21 Adidas Prophere Schoenen Heren . - Alex Dostie scored two goals and assisted on another to lead the Gatineau Olympiques to a 5-3 victory over the Drummondville Voltigeurs in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action on Sunday. Adidas Prophere Schoenen . -- Detroit shortstop Jose Iglesias says he has stress fractures in both legs and isnt sure when hell be able to play again, leaving the Tigers two weeks to fill his spot for opening day and perhaps a lot longer. http://www.nmdtekoop.com/nmd-r1-sneakers.html. - Chelseas 1-0 win at the Etihad, spoiling Manchester Citys perfect home record continues to be the talking point of the week. Adidas Falcon Goedkoop . The International Ice Hockey Federation says Pavlovs avoided a two-year sanction because he acted "without significant negligence in failing to verify the safety of the supplements he was taking. Adidas NMD R2 Dames . Raonic, the No. 8 seed from Thornhill, Ont., had 18 aces in the match. He needed one hour 39 minutes to complete the victory.Got a question on rule clarification, comments on rule enforcements or some memorable NHL stories? Kerry wants to answer your emails at cmonref@tsn.ca. Hi Ref! Been a long time Sens fan and stuck with them through the ups and downs. Ive always liked the fact that theyve made no excuses for their wins and their losses but their game with the Habs has me a tad irate with the what appears to be inconsistent calls. For example, there were a couple goalie interference calls against the Sens, like it or not, they were called, yet there were at least two non-calls for Robin Lehner being bumped including the game-tying goal at the end of regulation. Im not even going to go on about the non-call on the dive that caused that power play. My question is this: In the replay of the game-winning OT goal, the play moved into Ottawas end, a shot was taken that was stopped by Lehner and the puck was in/on/around his pads. The overhead camera angle showed the puck on the ice, not covered for a few seconds and then it was jammed in. Unless the referee is 35 feet tall and looking straight down at that angle, there is no way he could have even seen the puck free as the goalie had his back to him and there was a scrum of players there. Yet there was no stoppage even with the puck out of his sight for over five seconds (according to the game clock) and he later told Spezza that he didnt blow the whistle because of the noise level in the building. I would like to know if theres any disciplinary action for a referee who blows a call like that and then makes a "its too noisy to hear the whistle" comment as an excuse? Roger Smallman,St. Catharines, ON --- Hello, I just wanted some clarification - I thought when the goalie has the puck covered, the ref has to blow the whistle. Its my understanding that if the goalie has the puck covered, then an opposing player cannot jam at the goalie to knock the puck loose! Is that true or not? Josh Knowles Roger and Josh, Thank you for your questions following a very emotionally charged come-from-behind overtime victory by the Montreal Canadiens over the visiting Ottawa Senators. I want to share a general philosophy and understanding as to when the referee should blow the whistle. There is a misconception by some fans that a puck must be frozen for three seconds before the referee should deem it unplayable and then blow his whistle. This stems from language in Rule 85.2 when a puck falls onto the back of the goal netting and the referee is specifically directed to allow three seconds for it to be played unless the goalkeeper uses his stick or glove to freeze the puck on the back of the net, in which case the whistle is immediate. This three second application is also generally applied to determine a "frozen" puck between opposing players along the boards; although we often see the refs encourage play to continue with a non-whistle and audible command to "play it". The philosophy employed to kill play in and around the goal crease is somewhat consistent with Rule 69 (Interference on the Goalkeeper.) This rule was formerly called "Protection of the Goalkeeper" for good reason by recognizing, in part, the vulnerability of a goalkeeper given his unique position and the obvious impairment to defend his goal that would result through player contact. As such, the referee must first determine that the goalkeeper has control and coverage of the puck prior to his intent to blow the play dead in order to avoid a quick whistle. Of equal importance, is for a ref to be aware that an attacking player(s) does not dislodge or expose a covered puck by contacting the goalkeeper with a stick or any part of the body! Rule 85.3 (puck out of sight) states that should a scramble take place or a player accidentally fall on the puck and the puck be out of sighht of the Referee, he shall immediately blow his whistle to stop the play.dddddddddddd Truth is, there are many times during a scramble that the referee loses sight of the puck but does not blow his whistle immediately while he moves in an attempt to visually locate the puck. Every referee has had the embarrassment of blowing his whistle too quickly, only to have the puck slip through the goalies equipment and into the net causing a legitimate goal to be disallowed. Previous embarrassments such as this are always in the back of the refs mind. To avoid the quick whistle, but also to be aware of the potential for players to dislodge a covered puck, the referee must attack the net quickly from the best angle and react quickly to potential contact of the goalkeeper. Lets apply the above philosophies to the reality of the eventual winning goal scored by Francis Bouillon. Max Pacioretty, who was being checked by Jared Cowen, threw the puck at the Ottawa net from the bottom middle point of the end zone face-off circle to the left of goalie Robin Lehner. The shot was gobbled up in the right pad of Lehner, protected and appeared to be covered by Lehners blocker. The referee began to drive toward the net from his initial position some 30 feet from the right post. The closest Montreal player to the net, David Desharnais, was at the bottom of the end zone face-off T some 20 feet away and positioned on the outside of Sens player Bobby Ryan. Cody Ceci approached the centre of the goal crease from 15 feet out. This distance of other players from the net creates time and space for the goalkeeper to control and cover the puck. With all these parts of the puzzle moving quickly toward Lehner, who remained in a stationary position tight to the post with his blocker and stick down in front of the right goal pad throughout, my radar as a ref would go on high alert! The very last thing I would want to have happen is for the goalkeeper to be contacted and the puck dislodged. From the sight line the referee had at the time (and the multiple camera angles shown), I find it hard to imagine the puck was visible to him or anyone else at this point. Desharnais stepped to the inside of Ryan and jammed at Lehner with his stick and body as his momentum took the Hab forward behind the net. Ceci then made contact with the right side of his goalkeeper causing Lehners blocker to elevate off the ice and rotate. The contact by both players altered the position of Lehner sufficiently to expose the puck in front of Lehners pad. At this point, the puck would be clearly visible to the referee from his position closer to the net and as detected on the overhead camera shot. Pacioretty then came in hard from the side and jammed the puck outside the crease for an easy layup for Bouillon. When players crash the crease and jam at the goalkeeper, bad things usually happen. Typically, the refs will exercise the philosophy I described above and blow the whistle in advance of any deliberate contact exerted by an attacking player. This play was allowed to continue too long without visible evidence of the puck being uncovered prior to the contact exerted by Desharnais and then Ceci. In my judgment Josh, the whistle should have blown prior to that contact. Roger, if Stephen Walkom, Sr. V.P. of Officiating assessed this play as I did, he will review and discuss the play with the referee and make suggestions as to how a similar situation should be ruled upon in the future. There is no disciplinary action in place for officials beyond the ongoing rating and ranking system that every official is subjected to for playoff assignments and ongoing employment. One call or one game does not greatly impact the overall season performance rating of any official. Great calls are made and some are unfortunately missed. Thats the human element of the job. ' ' '