The final week of the NFL regular season is upon us, and the playoff picture is anything but settled. The Texans are pegged into the No. 3 seed – and in the AFC, that’s the only peg lodged.

Through 16 weeks of the season, you have certainly heard commentators throw around some strange-sounding terms.

Heading into their second matchup with the Saints this season, the Falcons will look to duplicate their last performance – minus one fourth-down failure.

While a 17th ranked run defense has taken the luster off the Jets’ aura this year, the deterioration of one facet of New York’s defense has prompted fans to ask another question: Is it really that hard to escape from “Revis Island?”

In a game featuring two top-notch defenses, the fate of the Steelers and 49ers might rest upon the two signal callers who have to stare back at them.

Cowboy fans had huge expectations coming into this year. A second year with Dez Bryant and Miles Austin at wide receiver, another year with DeMarcus Ware rushing the passer, and their first go-round with renowned defensive coordinator Rob Ryan. But after two consecutive, heartbreaking losses, first to the Cardinals and last week to the Giants, the mood in Dallas is shifting. Fans are wondering: What’s wrong with the Cowboys?

While Alex Smith owns one of the league’s top quarterback ratings versus the blitz (behind only Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady with a 114.1), the Cardinals found a way to pressure the 49ers quarterback in their 21-19 win on Sunday.

Watching tape in preparation for the Giants this weekend, Rob Ryan has to be licking his lips or plucking his gray beard; however excitement manifests with the Cowboys defensive coordinator, he must have shown plenty of it after seeing New York’s situation at offensive tackle.

When Cam Newton was taken No. 1 overall in April, all eyes were focused on him. Analysts wanted to know whether he was just a one-year wonder at Auburn, a product of a spread system, an athlete with only a slight grasp of the passing game. Throughout the 2011 season, with every “Superman” celebration, after 26 touchdowns, he has proven those questions to be mute.

While watching film with Joe Theismann this week, he wondered what Aaron Rodgers’ completion percentage would be if you took dropped passes out the equation. Drops, throwaways, and spikes are all incompletions that a QB is usually not responsible for. What would happen if we took these out of the equation? The result was what we call a “True QBR” rating.

After watching the coaching tape, it becomes evident that “JPP” and fellow edge rusher Justin Tuck were as much responsible for the Giants hanging in with the undefeated Packers as anyone else.

Everyone knows the Lions will be without Ndamukong Suh against the Saints this weekend. That’s a huge blow to their defense. But the real story heading into Sunday’s contest will be the absence of wide receiver Calvin Johnson, who has been taken away by opposing defenses in the last three weeks.

Peyton Manning, league MVP. Those words sound great pinned together. But could he be the NFL MVP … in 2011 … without playing a single snap?

With the strength of the AFC residing in the North this season, it’s no surprise our Pro Bowl picks come predominantly from that division.

We took a closer look at the coaching tape to catalog the events leading up to Ndamukong Suh’s infamous stomp.