NFL season again filled with surprises, disappointments

The Carolina Panthers rolled right along after star receiver Kelvin Benjamin tore an ACL in training camp, and the Carr-Cooper-Crabtree trio provided hope for long-suffering Raiders fans who might lose their team to L.A. again.

[...] getting older through free agency has never been a good recipe for a championship and the Colts took a dive this season when Andrew Luck learned one big hit too late that it's always a good idea to slide when scrambling.

The Colts are in danger of missing the playoffs like the Dallas Cowboys, who also had championship aspirations but couldn't overcome injuries to Dez Bryant and Tony Romo.

Oddly, the Broncos have a shot at the No. 1 seed in the playoffs heading into Week 17 but could also slip to the fifth seed, necessitating a road game in the wild-card round.

Throw in 27-year-old tight end Julius Thomas, rookie running back T.J. Yeldon and shifty receivers Marqise Lee and Rashad Greene, and the Jaguars have amassed one of the best collections of young offensive talent in the league.

The Broncos' middle linebacker by the same name returned from offseason foot surgery and had another great season.

Washington's QB led the Redskins to the NFC East title, validating coach Jay Gruden's bold move of choosing him over Robert Griffin III in the summer.

Gruden joined Mike Zimmer of the Vikings as former Bengals assistants in the postseason party as Marvin Lewis' coaching tree is starting to bear fruit.

—Miami's latest loss prompted the wife of cornerback Brent Grimes to blast quarterback Ryan Tannehill on Twitter, further souring a disappointing season.