NFL Highway, Week 8

For the 500th post to this blog...

The NFL highway is really long this week. With a game in London, it actually involves crossing an ocean by boat or by plane. This was one of the most uneventful weekends in recent memory. There were six teams out on bye weeks and a slew of awful games.

The Miami Dolphins played a home game against the New York Giants at Wembley Stadium in London on Sunday. The NFL did a good job dressing up the stadium in the Dolphins’ colors, and the Dolphins did their part by bringing a ton of rain with them from Miami. The pitch at Wembley turned muddy and ugly very quickly. The game was as ugly as the weather and the field. The Giants came away with a 13-10 win.

Meanwhile, back in the States, the Indianapolis Colts visited Charlotte and thumped the Carolina Panthers, 31-7. The Colts are now 7-0, and host undefeated New England next Sunday.

Print up those playoff tickets in Detroit. The Lions are now 5-2. They completed a sweep of the Chicago Bears with a 16-7 win in Chicago. The Bears have serious quarterback problems, as Brian Griese threw four interceptions.

The Pittsburgh Steelers continued to have their way with the Cincinnati Bengals, with a 24-13 win Sunday in the Queen City. The Steelers are 5-2, while the Bengals are now 2-5. Bengals coach Marvin Lewis is in serious trouble. The Bengals ought to be better than they are right now.

The Philadelphia Eagles went into Minnesota and held star running back Adrian Peterson to 70 yards on 20 carries, while defeating the Vikings, 23-16. The Vikings need a quarterback in the worst way. Some guy named Visanthe Shiamcoe caught a touchdown pass for the Vikings in the loss.

Break up the Browns! Cleveland is 4-3 headed into their bye week, after defeating the hapless St. Louis Rams 27-20. The Rams welcomed Marc Bulger and Steven Jackson back from injury, but it still wasn’t enough. Derek Anderson is making the Browns think they wasted a first-round draft pick on Brady Quinn. He threw for 248 yards and three touchdowns for Cleveland.

Vince Young threw for 42 yards today for the Tennessee Titans. The Titans lost, right? Wrong. The Titans rode defense to a 13-9 win over the Oakland Raiders. The Titans moved their record to 5-2. They aren’t getting much love residing in the same division as the mighty Colts.

The late games provided one of the worst set of contests in the history of the NFL. Only one game turned out to be worth watching, as the Jacksonville Jaguars went down to Tampa and beat the Buccaneers, 24-23. Quinn Gray got his first win as a starter in the NFL. The Jags are now 5-2. The AFC South is looking really stout.

Bringing up the rear in the AFC South are the Houston Texans. The Texans went out to California and were drilled, 35-10, by the San Diego Chargers. The Chargers’ Antonio Cromartie recovered a fumble for a touchdown, and returned an interception 70 yards for another score. The Chargers are beginning to flex their muscle.

In New York, the Bills and Jets threatened to play a game without a touchdown. The Bills scored a late TD to seal a 13-3 win for Buffalo. This game was as ugly as it sounds.

The New Orleans Saints are making their run after an awful start. The Saints went to San Francisco and pummeled the 49ers, 31-10. The 49ers are struggling after showing signs of life last season.

Last, but definitely not least, the New England Patriots continued to pound the competition. The Washington Redskins are the latest victims. The Patriots hung half a hundred on Sunday, thumping the ‘Skins, 52-7. The Redskins scored late to avert the shutout. Can we cancel the season and just let the Pats and the Colts play in the AFC championship game?

The Monday Night extravaganza features the Green Bay Packers and the Denver Broncos. Can the Pack continue their good start? Can the Broncos build on last week's win?