A Tom Brady red zone gaffe, an ensuing argument on the sidelines and then a deflected interception for the defense made the last seven minutes of this game exciting. But when it was all said and done, the Patriots came away with a win vs. the Redskins. And for a team like the Patriots, that is all that really matters.

It wasn't the typical blueprint for a Saints' victory, but good teams find a variety of ways to win games in the NFL. On Sunday vs. the Titans, it was the defense that bottled up CJ2K and then finally in the fourth quarter, Drew Brees found his stride. The Saints will once again need to rely on its defense in the playoffs, and this was a good litmus test as to where it stands.

The Texans needed the entire 60 minutes to beat the Bengals on Sunday, and that is exactly what they did. T.J. Yates is mature beyond his experience, but they will need to play a better all-around game to compete in the playoffs. I am not convinced they will earn a first-round bye or home-field advantage, but making the playoffs for the first time in franchise history is something to be excited about.

I won't attempt to try and break this game down, but rather sit back and enjoy something special. Tim Tebow didn't do it all, but the quarterback always get all the credit and all the blame. So even with Matt Prater nailing a 59-yarder to force OT and then a 51-yarder to win the game, Tebow is going to be praised.

Trailing by 16 at halftime, it looked like the Falcons would continue their up-and-down season. But instead, they kept the Panthers off the scoreboard in the second half, and put up 24 points of their own. QB Matt Ryan found some chemistry with rookie WR Julio Jones in the fourth quarter, and those are the types of explosive plays the Falcons will need in the postseason.

The Giants showed the mental toughness I thought they would need to outlast the Cowboys on Sunday night. They still have to face the 'Boys in another head-to-head matchup in the final week of the season, but they appear to be getting healthy at the right time. QB Eli Manning is carrying this team on offense, and he deserves to be named amongst the NFL elite.

The Bengals have a tough, young team, but they are a year or two away from being a perennial playoff contender. With the foundation that the Bengals have put together this year, they will be in line for many years of future success, but I just think they will fall a couple wins short with their tough second-half schedule this season.

The Cardinals are one of the hottest teams in the NFL right now. Head coach Ken Whisenhunt has kept this team on the right path, and of the Cardinals' seven losses, they have been in the game down to the wire in five of them. The Cardinals' remaining schedule is hosting the Browns, visiting the Bengals and hosting the Seahawks. There is a good chance to Cardinals finish the season at .500, and remember, that would have been more than enough to win this division last year.

There is no one on the planet that feels worse about the Bears' loss than RB Marion Barber, but I am not sure why they were attempting to run outside the tackles to begin with. In all honesty, it was a better performance than I anticipated with third-string QB Caleb Hanie under center and star RB Matt Forte on the sidelines.

Believe it or not, the Chargers still have a realistic shot at making the playoffs. With the Broncos playing their toughest opponent since Tim Tebow took over as starting QB, and the Raiders' continuous downward spiral, don't count out the Chargers. It will be a long shot, but it's not uncommon for the Chargers to find a way to pull this type of scenario off.

The Redskins were unexpectedly playing without their starting left tackle, and that can be as important as any position in the NFL. Still, QB Rex Grossman found ways to move the ball down the field, but in typical fashion, threw a critical interception at the end of the game. It may not have been his fault, but it's just what we have come to expect from him.

The Vikings received a nice offensive boost when backup QB Joe Webb entered the game, but don't get down on rookie Christian Ponder just yet. Jared Allen added three more sacks to his league-leading 17 1/2 total, and now must average 1.6 per game to tie Michael Strahan's NFL record of 22 1/2 in a single season.