NFL Week 11 In Review

A wild weekend in the NFL…..

The 1972 Miami Dolphins are breaking out the champagne and celebrating, as there will be no undefeated team in the NFL, for the 35th year in a row. The Indianapolis Colts lost to Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys, 21-14. I found myself rooting for both teams, as Peyton Manning is quarterback for my fantasy team. He threw two touchdown passes, but also threw two interceptions and lost a fumble. Marion Barber scored two touchdowns for the Cowboys, whose season has been resuscitated by the emergence of the Rib Man. My fantasy team wound up winning anyway, and the Cowboys got a big win, making me very happy.

The Colts need to be afraid, very afraid, because of what lurks out on the West Coast. San Diego is the real deal. The Chargers got a huge win last night in Denver, 35-27. San Diego trailed 24-7 in the third quarter, before making their comeback. The great LaDainian Tomlinson scored four touchdowns for the Bolts. Denver was exposed as a team without a quarterback. The Broncos need for Jay Cutler to be ready now, as Jake Plummer is not the answer in Denver. The Broncos appear to be headed for wild-card purgatory, while the Chargers are really, really good. I think they can beat the Colts in either Sandy Eggo or in Naptown.

Another team to be reckoned with in the AFC is the Baltimore Ravens. B-More won their 8th game yesterday by handling the Atlanta Falcons, 24-10. Jamal Lewis scored three rushing touchdowns for the Ravens. The Ravens also got 212 return yards from B.J. Sams. The Ravens are the third team in this three-team race in the AFC.

In the NFC, all roads lead through Chicago. Da Bears went 2-for-2 in New York, blanking the Jets, 10-0. This was a great game if you like lots of defense. The Bears did not score until kicking a field goal in the third quarter. The Bears are now 9-1, and are looking like a lock for the playoffs, if not more. Some team is going to have to freeze themselves in Chicago in January in order to make the Super Bowl.

The New Orleans Saints had an awful game on Sunday. Other teams would call it a disaster, but the Saints endured a real-life disaster last year. The Saints were drilled by the Bengals, 31-16. Rookie of the First Half of the Year Marques Colston was injured in the first half, taking his previous seven touchdown catches with him. The Saints missed him, and hope that he will be able to return. Carson Palmer and Chad Ocho Cinco Johnson connected on three touchdown passes for Cincinnati. Is it too late for the ‘Nati to make a run?

Elsewhere in the AFC North, the Pittsburgh Steelers won their second consecutive game, holding off their hated rival Cleveland Browns, 24-20. Ben Roethlisberger threw a 4-yard shovel pass to Willie Parker for the game-winning touchdown with 32 seconds left. The Steelers inch back up to 4-6.

For the second year in a row, the Philadelphia Eagles will have to finish the season with another quarterback. Donovan McNabb suffered a torn ACL in the second quarter of Sunday’s 31-13 loss to the Titans. The Eagles are in a heap of trouble. The Titans are an interesting team, and are much more competitive with Vince Young at quarterback.

It was homecoming on Sunday in Houston, as the Texans invited all ex-Oilers as well as other Houston area NFL alumni for events surrounding their game with the Buffalo Bills. Buffalo once again created a nightmare for Houston football fans. Lee Evans was the man for Buffalo on Sunday, as he caught two long touchdown passes, and compiled 265 yards on 11 catches, to set a team record. The Bills beat the Texans, 24-21, on a last-minute touchdown pass from J.P. Losman to Peerless Price. The Texans are now 3-7.

Break up the Dolphins! Nick Saban’s team won their third game in a row, defeating the reeling Vikings, 24-20. The Dolphins move to 4-6, as they begin to live up to preseason expectations.

Their division rival bounced back in a big way, as the New England Patriots beat Green Bay like a rented mule, 35-0. Brett Favre suffered an arm injury in the second quarter. The ageless Vinny Testaverde finished the game for the Pats in mopup duty.

The Kansas City Chiefs, as expected, defeated archrival Oakland, 17-13. The game marked the returns of Trent Green as quarterback of the Chiefs, and Aaron Brooks as quarterback of the Raiders. The Chiefs are in the mix for a wild card berth in the AFC.

The St. Louis Rams were once the Greatest Show on Turf. That is far from the case now, as the Rams were shut out by Carolina, 15-0. The Panthers were helped even more by losses by the Saints and the Falcons, and now have a very good chance in the NFC South division.

Elsewhere in the South, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won their rematch of last week’s playoff game with the Redskins, 20-17. The Redskins started rookie quarterback Jason Campbell for the first time, and played their first game without injured RB Clinton Portis. It’s going to be a long end of the season for the Redskins.

In the 3:00 specials, San Francisco moved to an improbable 5-5, with a 20-14 win over the Seattle Seabags. The 49ers no longer suck. The Seahawks need Matt Hasselbeck back in the worst way. Seattle is still in first place in the NFC West, but have the Niners breathing down their backs.

In the other 3:00 special, the sorry Arizona Cardinals defeated the putrid Detroit Lions, 17-10. Matt Leinart got his first win as starting quarterback in Arizona. The Lions moved in front of the Cardinals in the race for the #1 pick in next year’s draft. This game definitely qualified as a Suck Bowl.