NFL playoffs Complex, rough, turbulent, loud, unstable. Pick any antonym you like for the word "smooth" and there's a good chance you're describing the roller-coaster ride that was the 2016 NFL regular season. It often felt as though there were more botched calls, devastating injuries, loud boos and protests -- certainly more protests -- than in previous seasons. Yet it might also have been one of the more memorable seasons of recent vintage, and I can think of at least a dozen reasons why. 12. Two months after returning to L.A., the are roundly booed at home Nov. 10: Back in Los Angeles after 21 years in St. Louis, things didn't go too well for the Rams. Top pick didn't throw a pa s until Week 11, coach Jeff Fisher became a punchline before finally being relieved us his duties in December and the league's worst offense averaged only 14 points. But nothing epitomized the Rams' return like when they were in only their third home game -- a 13-10 lo s to the . The jeering became normal the rest of the season, as L.A. finished 1-7 at home. Better luck in Year Two. 11. A Pick Two Aaron Sanchez Jersey decides Chiefs-Falcons thriller Dec. 4: In a potential preview between teams that wound up with first-round byes, the edged the 29-28 in a . The difference? Late in the fourth quarter, Chiefs safety the winning two-point conversion after he intercepted Falcons quarterback on a two-point attempt and took it to the house. Defenses were granted the ability to score on opposing PAT attempts last season, but this marked the first time the new rule swung a final result. 1) ATL scores TD, takes lead2) ATL goes for 23) Berry PICKS IT OFF, goes the distanceKC takes the lead. UNREAL! NFL (@NFL) 10. Seahawks-Cardinals is a rare 6-6 tie in prime time, typifying the first half of Jaime Garcia Jersey the season Oct. 23: During the first couple months, there was strong fan sentiment that games had become much more me sy than in previous years. No game represented that better than this Week 7 tie between the and . The heavily hyped prime-time matchup officiating blunders, offensive ineptitude and mi sed field goals (both kickers potential OT winners from inside 30 yards). With ratings already down and the league competing with the presidential election and a Chicago Cubs World Series run, this was a nightmarish evening for the league. 9. Chiefs eliminate the from playoff contention, cap it with a 'bloated Tebow pa s' Dec. 25: The Denver Broncos won't repeat as Super Bowl champions, and they have one of their biggest rivals to thank. The Chiefs beat the Broncos twice in the final six weeks, Denver absorbing each lo s in crushing fashion. In arguably the game of the year in Week 12, K.C. scored a touchdown and a two-point conversion to force overtime with 12 seconds left before winning as time expired in OT. Four weeks later, they eliminated Denver from Paul Molitor Jersey playoff contention with a Christmas Day blowout accentuated by becoming the to throw a touchdown pa s.6-3. 346lbs. is a defensive tackle...And he just threw a TD for the . Yes, really. NFL (@NFL) 8. dislocates his knee in final preseason practice, creating a domino effect Aug. 30: The season would have looked a lot different had blo soming quarterback Teddy Bridgewater called in sick on Aug. 30. Instead, Bridgewater suffered a major knee injury in practice that day, ending his season before it began. Not only did that remove Bridgewater from the zeitgeist indefinitely, it prompted a trade for , enabling the to start rookie No. 2 overall pick from the get-go. Wentz had a remarkable start and is viewed as the long-term answer in Philly, while Bradford set a new single-season completion percentage in Minnesota. 7. lights up the in his return from Deflategate suspension Oct. 9: The survived Deflategate. That was obvious when they started 3-1 while quarterback Tom Brady served his controversial four-game suspension, but it became crystal clear that Brady was ready to dominate the league when he immediately led the Patriots on three consecutive touchdown drives in his return at Cleveland. New England won 33-13, lost only once the rest of the year and Brady finished with the best touchdown-to-interception ratio in NFL history (28 to 2). Not bad for the oldest position player in football. Randal Grichuk Jersey 6. Dak and Zeke make a statement in Pittsburgh Nov. 13: rookies and took the league by storm, but if one moment exemplified their magical run, it came in the fourth quarter of a Week 10 game at . That's when the Cowboys came back from deficits twice in the final two minutes, with Elliott scoring a 32-yard touchdown to win the game with 9 seconds left. Prescott pa sed for 319 yards and two scores while Elliott added 209 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns in the 35-30 victory, proving the Cowboys were the real deal. 5. suffers a back injury during a preseason game in Seattle Aug. 25: Prescott went on to post the highest single-season rookie pa ser rating in league history and is a legitimate MVP candidate. But if not for veteran starter Tony Romo's preseason injury in Seattle, the fourth-round pick might never have gotten a chance. 4. The have the Cowboys' number Dec. 11: The magical Cowboys finished 13-3, and one of those lo ses came when they rested their starters in Week 17. The reality is they had a strong chance of putting together a perfect season if not for the New York Giants, who beat Dallas by a single point in Week 1 and then smothered Prescott and Elliott in a 10-7 Week 14 . It was by far the Cowboys' worst offensive performance, indicating that the G-Men could be Dallas' kryptonite. 3. Despite a 4-6 record, declares the can 'run the table' Nov. 23: It was by no means a guarantee, but even the suggestion seemed ludicrous to many who had been watching the Green Bay Packers. On this day, Aaron Rodgers and the Packers were three days removed from a fourth straight lo s, and the defense had surrendered 30-plus points in all four. They were 4-6 and folks were calling for coach Mike McCarthy's job. That's when Rodgers said he felt like the Packers could " ." Sure enough, they haven't lost since. 2. 'It's broke! It's broke!' Dec. 24: The were well on their way to their first division title since 2002. On Christmas Eve, they led the 33-14 in the fourth quarter. Just wrap that up and beat the eliminated Broncos in Week 17 and you're headed to the playoffs with a first-round bye. But that's when third-year quarterback/surprise MVP candidate went down awkwardly as he was tackled. "It's broke!" . He was right. Carr broke his right fibula, all but ending Oakland's Cinderella season. Without Carr, they were crushed by the Broncos in Week 17 and are now a wild-card team instead of a division champ. Derek Carr Mic'd Up J (@oakposts) 1. Colin Kaepernick is Jose Bautista Jersey spotted sitti