Here’s a few quick thoughts from today’s 1PM games while the Bills wonder what they have to do to win a game.
1. Donovan McNabb was benched at the end of the game because of his command of the two minute offense. Is that a bigger indictment on McNabb or the coaching staff? Or is it just a bogus excuse when Mike Shanahan was desperate for sometime positive from his quarterback?
McNabb has struggled badly for the last month, but Washington’s special teams and defensive turnovers have covered it up. The Redskins are a fascinatingly weird team to watch, but ultimately they don’t excel at anything. It would be a big surprise to me if they made the playoffs.
2. Jamaal Charles continues to be one of the best weapons in football. He entered the game leading the league in yards-per-carry. He wound up with 22 carries for 177 yards on the ground. He was also the team’s leading receiver with 61 yards on four catches.
The Chiefs should have blown away the Bills early, but they couldn’t capitalize on their running game, which has now gone over 200 yards four straight weeks.
3. Todd Haley’s fourth down decisions almost caught up to him. The Chiefs passed on three points early in the game when they had a short field goal. They failed on a fourth-and-two. I like Haley’s aggressiveness, but Matt Cassel is dropping back to pass in too many short-yardage situations.
4. The Dolphins were simply tougher than the Bengals Sunday. They mauled Cincinnati on both sides of the ball in the second half. The Dolphins looked like a team that knew they couldn’t afford a loss. The Bengals offense looked like the same erratic unit they have been all year. After a great opening drive, they wound up with five three and outs on offense, including four in a row in the second half.
Miami’s 6-play, 96-yard touchdown drive to open the fourth quarter was a defining moment this season for both teams. The Bengals just don’t look like a team that could fight out of a 2-5 hole. There are too many good teams ahead of them in the AFC. Good night.
5. Losing 59-14 in Denver to the Raiders was not the lowest moment for Josh McDaniels’ Broncos this season. Giving up 21 fourth quarter points to Troy Smith and the 49ers Sunday in London was worse.
Denver had two long scores called back by penalty, but that’s no excuse. Kudos to Mike Singletary’s crew. It’s going to be a long two weeks in Denver at 2-6.
6. You push the Cowboys a little bit and they fall over. Faced with a little adversity, they crumble. This isn’t about Tony Romo. It’s about receivers dropping passes that lead to interceptions. It’s about a veteran defense that was supposed to lead the way this year. Instead, they look like one of the league’s worst teams against the pass.
The Cowboys defense play like they know the season over. What a miserable two months the Cowboys are facing. Go Rangers!
7. Packers fans shouldn’t complain one bit about style points. Shutting out the Jets in the Meadowlands is among the most impressive defensive performances by any team all season. Beating the Vikings and Jets in successive weeks is a big achievement with all of Green Bay’s injuries, and they can improve their mostly healthy offense as they go.
The NFC North is Green Bay’s for the taking.
