Ten Things We Learned On The NFL’s Tenth Sunday

Added on Nov 15, 2010 by Scott in

NFL

What a bizarre Sunday in the NFL. There were convincing blowouts, surprising upsets and fantastic finishes. Denver crushed Kansas City. The Cowboys stunned the Giants. And Jacksonville executed a Hail Mary pass to perfection. Eleven quarterbacks tossed for over 300 yards, four players threw a pass for Miami and the Jets won their second straight overtime game. Amidst all the wild and crazy wackiness, there was much to learn on the tenth Sunday of the NFL season. Ten things to be exact.

10. The Bills still remembered how to win – It took them ten weeks, but the Buffalo Bills finally lifted themselves from the ranks of the winless. Okay, it came versus the cowardly Lions, however, Western New York’s finest have been playing respectable football for the last month, so they deserved a reward for not throwing in the towel weeks ago. The 2-7 Bengals are next. Can you say two wins in a row?

9. The Vikings are finished, again – Old man Favre came crashing down to Earth after last week’s miracle comeback. Adrian Peterson was shut down. The defense allowed Jay Cutler to carve them up. Nobody besides Percy Harvin displayed the necessary skill to catch a ball. Oh, and #4 hurt his shoulder… allegedly. Fire Chilly. Fire Favre. Fire everybody.

8. Nothing comes easy for the Jets – With eight ticks to go in the extra session, Mark Sanchez hit Santonio Holmes for six to seal the deal for the guys in green. The Jets are winning, but eventually all these nail-biters are going to bite them in the behind. On the bright side, Sanchez has looked good in leading his charges from behind as of late.

7. The Texans secondary is cursed – David Garrard to Mike Thomas will live in infamy in the minds of all Texans’ defenders for years to come. It’s bad enough to be a secondary that yields over 300 yards per game, but to lose on a Hail Mary pass is bad… ridiculously bad.

6. Randy Moss is still Randy Moss – One catch, 26 yards. Welcome to Nashville, Mr. Moss. Is it possible for a guy to suck on three different teams in one season? Yes. Randy is nothing more than an expensive decoy at this point. Despite a favorable upcoming schedule, it seems highly unlikely he’ll make a significant impact. Any team that gives him a huge contract in the offseason is stupid with a capital S.

5. The Chiefs are fading – A week after falling to the Raiders in overtime, the Chiefs get throttled by the Broncos. It was a massacre before halftime. Head coach Todd Haley seemed perturbed with Denver’s Josh McDaniels after the game. Evidently Haley felt 49 points was a little harsh. Perhaps if he better prepared his team, he wouldn’t have to worry about being embarrassed.

4. The NFC West is up for grabs – Every team in the division has been outscored by their opponents. All four teams have combined for a 3-15 road record. Seattle looks like the frontrunner, but they are hardly a sure thing. 8-8 will probably be enough to take it. Beware the 49ers, who have won two straight.

3. The Cowboys have a pulse – You could see this one coming. On the road with a new head coach against the division leading Giants. For the first time in 2010, the ‘Boys played inspired and reasonably intelligent football. Jon Kitna was sharp. Felix Jones ran hard. Dez Bryant looked like the offensive rookie of the year. The defense was aggressive. Methinks Dallas will give the rest of the NFC East fits for the next two months.

2. The Steelers have issues – The mighty Steelers are suddenly looking very mortal. Injuries along the offensive and defensive lines are becoming a problem. Their passing attack is inconsistent and the secondary keeps giving up big plays. With the AFC playoff picture becoming more and more crowded, they need to get healthy in a hurry.

1. There are no truly dominant teams – Atlanta and the Jets own the best records at 7-2. Neither team has been crushing opponents. Neither team has been consistent. Neither team is overly intimidating. Parity is once again in full effect. Right now, predicting who will win the Super Bowl seems a foolish endeavor.