1. Uh-oh, another loss makes it gloom and doom in Philadelphia. Only it's not. It's just another midseason meltdown which, lately, is the rule with the Eagles. Dating back to 2005, Philadelphia is 7-11-1 in November, and that's not good. But this just in: With its remaining games this month against Chicago and Washington maybe, just maybe, Andy Reid and Donovan McNabb bashers take a time out.
2. When Maurice Jones-Drew slid to a knee at the New York Jets' 1 late in Sunday's win, coach Jack Del Rio called it "the smart thing." But that's easy to say when you kick the game-winning field goal. Jones-Drew passed up a touchdown with the Jags trailing. Yeah, it was smart, but it was also a risk not to take the points. Del Rio's move tells me what he thinks of his defense.
3. Sorry, but New England's defense didn't blow that game to Indianapolis. Bill Belichick did. When you have a six-point lead ... when you have the ball at your own 28 ... when there are just over two minutes left ... why does it make sense to go for a first down? Answer: It doesn't. I know someone who has a lot of explaining to do.
4. Finally, it looks as if the Arizona Cardinals have a running back they can trust. Beanie Wells, please step forward.
5. Tom Cable may be stubborn, but he's not stupid. He benched JaMarcus Russell for the second time this season and later conceded it might be for good. All I can say is: It's about time.
6. So it's nit-picking, but that's the third straight week New Orleans allowed an opposing back to rush for 130 or more yards. That will be an issue when/if the Saints meet Minnesota.
7. Look for Arizona to start building momentum down the stretch and through the playoffs. Of the Cards' seven remaining opponents only two have winning records.
8. Sherm Lewis deserves the curtain call, but let's hear it for the beleaguered head coach, too. The most decisive call in Washington's win was the fake field goal, and guess who made it? Jim Zorn, come on down. He had the play installed in practice last week. "When I played," he said, "those plays made a difference." They still do.
9. I don't know where Larry Johnson ends up, but I endorse a suggestion one GM made last week: Sign him to the minimum, with no incentives, for this season. If you're going to throw in incentives, do it for next year. Make the guy prove he wants to play.
10. San Diego can send a thank-you note to former offensive coordinator Cam Cameron, now calling the plays in Baltimore. It was the Ravens who produced the blueprint for solving Denver's defense, and the numbers speak for themselves: In their first six games, the Broncos surrendered 66 points; in their last three, beginning with Baltimore, they hemorrhaged 85.
11. It's first-and-goal at the 1, and Dallas throws the football? You gotta be kidding me. The ball was intercepted, and good. The dumb deserve to suffer.
12. When they said, "Let's go to tape," Sunday, they weren't talking about reruns. They were talking about a spate of ankle injuries that toppled Michael Turner, Albert Haynesworth, Ronnie Brown, Kyle Orton and Jordan Gross. I swear, I can't remember ankles getting this much attention since Misty May-Treanor had to bow out of Dancing With the Stars.
13. T-O-A-S-T! Toast! Toast! Toast!
14. Atlanta is 1-4 on the road, and if you think that's a problem you're warm. The Falcons were 4-4 last year, and it was coach Mike Smith who Sunday said "you have to hold serve on the road if you want to go the playoffs." Couldn't agree more.
15. The more I watch Chris Simms, the more I appreciate Kyle Orton.
Sez them ... or Rapid Reporters' Rewind
From Craig Morgan in Arizona ... The Cardinals need to find a way to keep safety Adrian Wilson out of deep coverage. He's struggled lately, getting torched by Chicago's Greg Olsen for two touchdowns and beaten twice on the same drive by Seattle's T.J. Houshmandzadeh and John Carlson.
More from Morgan ... Ken Whisenhunt likes the roof closed at home because it accentuates the crowd noise. Kurt Warner likes it closed because it eliminates weather as a factor. But Arizona is unbeaten on the road and 2-3 inside. Hmmmm.
From Darren Wolfson in Minnesota ... Here's one reason the Vikings are rolling: They're healthy. Outside of cornerback Antoine Winfield, who should be back next week, they really haven't had a significant injury.
From Ed Sheahin in Washington ... Tackle Levi Jones and guard Derrick Dockery didn't just look as if they were in synch; they dominated the left side of the line, allowing Ladell Betts to run all over Denver.
From Gerrard Diaz in Green Bay ... Emotion gets much of the credit for Green Bay's big win over Dallas, but there is no way the Packers make a playoff run if they allow opponents to keep hammering quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The poor guy was sacked four more times.
From Steve Reed in Carolina ... It looks as if the Carolina coaching staff listened to Muhsin Muhammad when he challenged it to be more aggressive and "throw caution to the wind." The Panthers returned to their 2003 playbook and went to the no-huddle on their second offensive series Sunday. Result: It jumpstarted a sagging passing game, with Jake Delhomme throwing for two touchdowns and a 115.8 passer rating.
More from Reed ... With Jordan Gross out with a broken ankle, the Panthers will turn to Travelle Wharton at left tackle and start Mackenzy Bernadeau at left guard. Gross is the second Pro Bowl-caliber player the club subtracted in the last week. Earlier it lost linebacker Thomas Davis for the season with a torn ACL.
Five things I like
1. Peyton Manning vs. New England in Indianapolis. In the 2006 playoffs the Colts rallied from an 18-point deficit. On Sunday they rallied from a 17-point deficit. Tony Dungy? Jim Caldwell? It doesn't matter so long as the Colts have Manning.
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| The Chiefs have a home away from home in Oakland. (US Presswire) |
3. Greg Camarillo on third downs. Twelve times he's caught third-down passes, and all 12 times they've been good enough for first downs.
4. Jason Avant's one-handed catch on a third-and-18 to keep a second-half scoring drive alive. Torii Hunter, eat your heart out.
5. Todd Haley's guts. He had fourth-and-1 at the Oakland 44 in the first quarter and decided to go for it. Jamaal Charles scored, and the Chiefs never trailed. Of course, Haley also went for a fourth-and-1 at the Oakland 14, too, and that was in the third quarter. Take the points, Todd. Take the points.
Five things I don't
1. Bill Belichick's thinking. I'm sorry, but I can't help but pile on. You don't give Peyton Manning the football at the New England 30 with two minutes left and dare him to score. But Belichick did. He's supposed to be smarter than everyone else in this business, but what he did with two minutes left makes absolutely no sense. By taking the risk, he delivered a loud and clear message to his defense, and it went something like this: I DON'T TRUST YOU! At least, he didn't trust it to stop Peyton Manning. "You have to trust and believe in your players," said former Patriot Rodney Harrison, now with NBC. "This is the worst coaching decision I've ever seen coach Belichick make." That took guts, Rodney. But you're right.
2. Dumb penalties by Philadelphia. Twice on the same drive they had defenders line up offsides, including once when they stopped Darren Sproles on a third-and-2. The Chargers took advantage, scoring a touchdown. It's tough enough to win in San Diego. It's damn near impossible when you try to beat yourself.
3. The Salvation Army band playing It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas outside of Charlotte's Bank of America Stadium on Sunday. It was 73 degrees.
4. Jason Elam's future in Atlanta. So he has a new snapper. That's no excuse for botching a 34-yarder in the fourth quarter, a kick that would've sent Atlanta ahead. Elam has missed five field goals this season, and is so unreliable now he couldn't get an audition with the Rockettes.
5. The play selection on Minnesota's fourth-and-less-than-a-yard at the Detroit 7. The Vikings didn't give the ball to Adrian Peterson, and they didn't give it to Chester Taylor. They called on ...
Just asking but ...
• Peyton Manning or
• Red Sox-Yankees or Patriots-Colts?
• Why didn't Andy Reid go for it on fourth-and-1 on either of the two series inside the San Diego 10?
• Is Brian Westbrook's career in jeopardy?
• Why is it that every time I see Pittsburgh offensive coordinator Bruce Arians I think I'm looking at Bert Cooper on Mad Men?
Significant numbers
• 1 -- Very bad Bill Belichick decision
• 4 -- Consecutive Chris Johnson 100-yard games.
• 6 -- Adrian Peterson fumbles vs. Detroit in his last four games against the Lions
• 6 -- Straight years San Diego has had a four-game winning streak
• 7 -- Andre Carter sacks the past five games
• 12 -- Tennessee 1,000-yard rushers in the last 14 years
• 36 -- Denver second-half yards
• 201 -- Sidney Rice receiving yards
• 418 -- Donovan McNabb passing yards in the last three quarters
• 2-10 -- Seattle's record in its last 12 road games
My top five
1. Indianapolis
2. New Orleans
3. Minnesota
4. Cincinnati
5. New England
My bottom five
32. Cleveland
31. Detroit
30. Tampa Bay
29. St. Louis
28. Oakland
Next weekend's three best games
San Diego at Denver ... Two ships passing in the night.
Indianapolis at Baltimore ... The Colts return, sans Mayflowers.
Atlanta at N.Y. Giants ... Someone has to stop losing.
