For upsetting Tim Tebow, Jets' Rex Ryan is knucklehead of the week

• Tim Tebow never seemed to be in a foul mood, until he joined the Jets
• But there were plenty of knuckleheads last week not wearing green and white
• Texas quarterbacks facing big challenges in Week 17

Merry Christmas, knuckleheads!

That's you, Lomas Brown, the former NFL offensive lineman who admitted a few days ago that he once intentionally ole'd a defensive lineman so the pass rusher could get a free hit on a slumping quarterback — and in this instance, struggling Scott Mitchell of the Detroit Lions ended up with a broken arm or broken finger or a lacerated aorta. (OK, we made the last one up, but you get the idea.)

Now, those who remember Brown from his playing days recall that he often whiffed more than A-Rod in big spots, so maybe the former tackle is simply embellishing or going for yuks. But, if it's true, even all these years later, Mitchell should be steaming — and every quarterback who ever played behind Brown should be thinking: "Did Lomas miss that block, or was he trying to take me out?"

And ESPN must explain why Brown, the traitor-turned-ESPN-analyst, is allowed to critique other players. At a time when the NFL is preaching player safety, ESPN is paying a goofball who admits he allowed another player to get injured — on his own team.

Which leads us to our next knucklehead — Oakland Raiders defensive tackle Tommy Kelly, who said Sunday the Raiders were gunning for Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton after the Panthers took out Oakland quarterback Carson Palmer. (At least Kelly was targeting an opposing player, saying: "You take our guy out, we're going to try to take your guy out.")

So what's the most idiotic part of that — actually trying to injure another player or admitting it publicly? Maybe the NFL should tack on a stupidity surcharge when it fines certain players.

But while those are solid candidates, our knucklehead of the week is New York Jets coach Rex Ryan, the first guy to get Tim Tebow really, really mad. Now, we're not saying football's Howdy Doody doesn't get angry, but the last guy to get Tebow this pissed ... probably did it in a previous life.

Tebow, who lives according to the Holy Book, had a message for Ryan on Sunday. We're not sure of the exact Scripture citation, but the Gospel according to Tebow went something like this: "Stick it, Rex." (We're paraphrasing, of course.)

After being passed over for Sunday's start, Tebow told the Jets he wouldn't risk his body for a losing team that didn't want him anyway. And, it turned out, Tebow was pretty smart: New starter Greg McElroy was sacked 11 times by the San Diego Chargers

(Who's the Jets offensive line coach, Lomas Brown?)

Ryan and general manager Mike Tannenbaum have botched the Jets quarterback situation from Day 1, and they now have three basically worthless quarterbacks. Mark Sanchez might have started his last game in the NFL for a while; McElroy is, at best, a backup; and the market on Tebow, never very high, has crashed.

How can you tell Tebow is virtually worthless from a trade perspective? Because the Jacksonville Jaguars are blatantly tampering — and the Jets don't care. More importantly, neither does the commissioner, who is allowing people who work for the league's TV network to be used as tampering mouthpieces.

Meanwhile, Ryan, now guaranteed his first losing season with the Jets, says of the final game: "I'm going to keep competing."

That is, if he can find a quarterback who wants to take the field for him.

Other Week 16 awards

Game balls

Joe Flacco: The last we saw the Baltimore Ravens quarterback, he was face down on the turf with a boo-boo on his chin after throwing an interception that was returned for a TD in the Baltimore Ravens' 34-17 loss to the Denver Broncos in Week 15. It was a signature moment in a season gone bad for a player who had been hoping to get rich off a career year. Well, Sunday, he reclaimed some of his value by throwing for 309 yards and two touchdowns (he ran for another) in a lopsided win over the collapsing New York Giants.

Ryan Grant: His 80 rushing yards didn't move the needle in fantasy leagues, but the Green Bay Packers running back picked an ideal time to return from the land of the lost with a pair of touchdowns in a 55-7 thumping of the Tennessee Titans. "You can definitely build off this,'' Grant said.

Andrew Luck: His passing numbers were a pedestrian 17 of 35 for 205 yards with a touchdown — but it was enough to set the record for passing yards in a season by a rookie (4,183). And the No. 1 overall pick of the Indianapolis Colts posted his seventh fourth-quarter comeback (another rookie record). Sunday's 20-13 win against the Kansas City Chiefs clinched a wild-card playoff berth with leukemia-stricken coach Chuck Pagano expected back on the sideline for Sunday's regular-season finale vs. the Houston Texans

Offensive player of the week

Peyton Manning: The Denver Broncos have won 10 in a row, and that's a reason the four-time league MVP is a candidate to win the award a fifth time. He threw for 339 yards and three touchdowns while torching the Cleveland Browns 34-12. Denver, meanwhile, stayed alive in the race for the AFC's top seed.

Defensive player of the week

Charles Tillman: The Chicago Bears cornerback returned an interception 10 yards against the hapless Arizona Cardinals for Chicago's ninth defensive touchdown this season — and Tillman's third score on an interception return.

Special teams player of the week

Blair Walsh: The Minnesota Vikings rookie kicker set a single-season record with his ninth field goal of 50 yards or more. He kicked three field goals altogether, including a 56-yarder to lift the Vikings past the Houston Texans 23-6, on a day when running back Adrian Peterson wasn't at his best. Walsh has hit 31 of 33 attempts this season.

Unsung hero

Leon Hall: The Pittsburgh Steelers were in the Cincinnati Bengals' heads Sunday — at least until Hall returned his first-quarter interception 17 yards for a 7-0 lead. Cincinnati turned Ben Roethlisberger's two interceptions into 10 points and a 13-10 win that earned the Bengals their second postseason berth in the past two years while sending the Steelers home for the winter.

Major disappointment

For all the well-deserved hoopla honoring Calvin Johnson, who broke Jerry Rice's single-season record of 1,848 yards receiving Saturday night, the celebration camouflaged this stat: The Detroit Lions (4-11) have lost seven straight.

Major funk

Mason Crosby made his two field goals Sunday, though one bounced off an upright. The Packers kicker has been nothing short of a kick-to-kick misadventure (he has missed 12 of 31 field-goal attempts) this season. Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy says he's sticking with Crosby. Then again, does he really have a choice?

They need to step up this week

Tony Romo: The Dallas Cowboys quarterback threw for 416 yards and four touchdowns Sunday, but it wasn't enough in an overtime loss to the New Orleans Saints. Now he'll have to come close to doing that again to ensure the Cowboys (8-7) make the playoffs by winning the NFC East with a victory at Washington on Sunday.

Adrian Peterson: The bionic Vikings running back needs 208 rushing yards Sunday against Green Bay to eclipse Eric Dickerson's single-season record of 2,105. That might seem like a lot of pressure for a mere mortal, but Peterson gained 210 yards in a Week 13 loss to the Packers.

Matt Schaub: If the Houston Texans (12-3) are to lock up AFC home-field advantage, they might need to count more heavily on their passing game after workhorse running back Arian Foster left Sunday's loss to Minnesota with an irregular heartbeat. It's the second time in his career Foster has had the ailment, although he insists it's not serious. Schaub must raise his game against Andrew Luck and the emotionally charged Colts, who will welcome back coach Chuck Pagano after his season-long battle with a leukemia.

Contributing: USA TODAY Sports' Jim Corbett