While I wonder what would have happened if Michael Griffin had caught up with Vince Young during their postgame chase, here are your early Week 11 quick slants.
1. 16 teams will lose this week. None will lose harder than the Titans. A home game against the Redskins is a game they have to win considering the team’s difficult schedule.
The result is almost secondary to what happened after. Vince Young’s post-game meltdown will reverberate for weeks and possibly years to come. Coach Jeff Fisher seems tired of Young, who makes too much money for stuff like this.
The Titans may have to rely on Rusty Smith to keep them in playoff contention. You just can’t survive Young imploding. Tennessee has a playoff-caliber roster and was in position to make a run. But Young’s difficulties have torpedoed the team and it will be tough to recover.
2. The Jaguars continue to find a way to stay right in the AFC playoff mix. Until the final meaningful play Sunday, they were losing the turnover battle 6-0. But Jacksonville led in the only stat that matters -- 24-20. Terrible Browns tackling on a pass to Maurice Jones-Drew led to a wild 75-yard reception with under three minutes left that was the difference in the game.
We give Jack Del Rio and his staff a lot of credit for getting this group to 6-4. They’ve passed the Titans and could be tied for the AFC South lead by the end of the day.
3. Vikings-Packers was a relative afterthought in the NFL landscape heading into Sunday. Green Bay’s 31-3 win showed why. The Vikings have been a dead team walking for weeks, with only the most optimistic Vikings fans thinking they could suddenly transform from a sub-mediocre team to a championship contender again.
The Vikings actually came out strong, dominating the action for the first quarter. But it didn’t show up on the scoreboard, and the shaky Vikings secondary fell apart once they were pushed a little.
4. This is how it ends for Brett Favre. 17-for-38 for 208 yards, with a number of wild passes. Maybe he’ll start a few more games, maybe not. They won’t ultimately matter. Tarvaris Jackson should get get ready. So should coaches that want the Vikings head coaching job next season.
5. The Raiders couldn’t handle success. With a few weeks to enjoy their 5-4 record, they got waxed 35-3 in Pittsburgh. The Raiders will be true contenders when they win a game on the road against a respectable opponent.
6. Kansas City’s 31-13 win over Arizona was expected, but badly needed for Kansas City. The Chiefs are still in a position to make the playoffs if they can win the games they should -- especially at home. They are 5-0 at Arrowhead this year. They head to Seattle next week.
7. It doesn’t matter that much if the Jets are lucky or good. They do need to improve overall, but it’s not a bad thing to be both.
8. We still have a real long way to go, but the Jets, Patriots, Steelers, and Ravens are all in great spots. Second place in the AFC East and AFC North has to be considered the most likely location for the two wild card teams.
9. It will get lost in the shuffle of games that matter, but Cincinnati’s hemorrhaged 28-7 lead against Buffalo will go down as the low moment of the Marvin Lewis era.
