It was “Statement Sunday,” which meant a slate full of fantastic games between playoff contenders. Or so we thought. Three of the six games turned out to be duds. Instead, it was just another week in the NFL where another unsuspecting man got hit in the face with a football. Let’s get to the unexpected (and expected) for week 15.

Ike Taylor dismisses the idea that age is affecting the Steelers’ defense

The Steelers may not have created the template to stop the Patriots, but they clearly saw in their film study an effective strategy already in place and executed it to perfection.

One of biggest fines handed down from the league office for Week 1 went to Giants S Antrel Rolle, who has been fined $20,000 for unnecessary roughness.

Bears running back Matt Forte‘s contract talks are not the only ones that have been put on hold, according to league sources.

NFL players crowned their No. 1 on NFL Network’s “The Top 100 Players of 2011″ on Sunday night, completing a 10-week voyage that generated as much controversy as it did consensus before coming down to yet another battle between Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. This time, it was Brady’s hour.

In nine NFL seasons, Ed Reed has amassed 54 interceptions in 128 career games, trailing only Darren Sharper all time among safeties.

When it comes to the greatest players in St. Louis Cardinals history, the list isn’t terribly long. So it came as somewhat of a surprise to us that two of the best players ever to don a St. Louis Cardinals uniform celebrate birthdays one day apart.

Antonio Gates is already one of the best offensive tight ends in the history of the league, but did the players get it wrong by ranking him ahead of the man responsible for getting him the ball?

Who should be rated higher among the two players widely considered the best safeties in the NFL?

Dolphins LB Cameron Wake dropped by the NFL Network studios Monday and took a few minutes to share who he believes is the NFL’s best player, his take on criticism of QB Chad Henne and why he doesn’t engage in trash talk with Jets coach Rex Ryan.

The next leg of what can only be described as the Tim Tebow machine landed in New York City this weekend as the in contention Broncos QB obligingly dressed matchy, matchy to his Jockey billboards to view a fashion show in front of Macy’s.

Fantasy owners — get out there and vote Patriots RB Danny Woodhead as the new Madden cover boy!

Congratulations to Vernon Gholston who officially became one of the game’s biggest draft busts after being released by the Jets on Wednesday.

Here are a few of my initial observations on the Packers and Steelers after getting a second look at the game during some initial film work on Monday.