Tuesday, December 01, 2009

I'm The Rabbi, video editor of On The Sportslines. This will be a very shortened version of the 10 things that happened in the NFL this week, with a new and full list to come next Monday:

10 Things To Happen Thanksgiving Day Weekend

10. The NFL's Thanksgiving Day games being the biggest bore we have seen in a long while. All 3 games were un-competitive, and the one that should have been the closest game, the Giants and the Broncos, was actually the biggest blowout. The G-Pups 26-6 loss in Denver puts them on life support going into week 13, and the Dallas Cowboys can not only go to 9-3 on the season with a win in NY, but pull the plug on the Giants as well.

9. Whether it's the fact that Jason Campbell is still a good QB (ha) or something else, you can never count the Redskins out. For the second straight week they lose by a field goal or less on the road, this time against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles keep pace with the Dallas Cowboys, and barring any hitches, the two will meet on the final week of the season in Dallas with the NFC East probably on the line.

8. Despite almost 200 yards for Larry Johnson and Bernard Scott, the Cincinnati Bengals prove themselves to be the worst when it comes to facing the worst. The Bengals only beat their in state rivals by 12 points in their two meeting this season, and their three losses make you collectively shake your head. Home to Denver in Week 1 (Denver may not win another road game rest of the year), the loss at Home to Houston Week 6, and the Oakland loss 9 days ago. Detroit's next...watch out!

7. Jacksonville: Bad team that seems good. The Jaguars have been outscored 92-20 in their 3 losses versus the NFC West (ARI at home and the two road games at SEA and SF), and beat a one win Rams team by 3...at home...in overtime. They beat the Titans by 20 at home...and then lose to them by 17 4 weeks later on the road. Their winning record may be a product of a bad schedule.

6. Miami: Good team that seems bad. Sunday was their worst loss of the season, losing by 17 on the road in Buffalo. But A) they never win there and B) the score was tied in the 4th. The Dolphins, despite playing the AFC's Big 3 (NE, IND, SD), have been in almost every game. However, as is in a lot of cases, the year after a team has unexpected success, it gets balanced out with unexpected disappointment.

5. Young-Leinart II ends with Vince Young on top again. The now regular Titans QB took on the backup Cardinal QB in a great one. Leinart wasn't too bad with 220 yards and a steady game that kept his team in till the final gun. Yes, the final gun, when Vince Young would make the last play of the game finding a leaping Kenny Britt (From: Uh, Rutgers), for the game winning TD. VY had a career day, throwing for 389 yards, engineering a 99 yard drive in 2:30 minutes for the win, and oh yeah, winning his 9th straight start. The move that owner Bud Adams demanded earlier should have been done a while ago. At least the Titans, and maybe the Cards too, have solved their QB situation for beyond.

4. Houston sees their season tumble in just three weeks. In three straight divisional games, they have had the lead going into the 4th quarter, and ended up the 4th without the lead and without the W. This one hurts even more than the two games that they lost with Kris Bron FGs cause the Texans had the colts dead to rights in the first half. Up by 17 at one point in the half, up by 13 at halves end. Didn't matter. The Colts continue their winning streak with a 28 point second half, and now the streak is at 20 regular season games, and can tie the streak for longest regular season winning streak this Sunday versus Tennessee, winners of 5 straight.

3. No Ben, no problem! The Steelers and Ravens play another classic thanks to the mastery of one Steeler QB Dennis Dixon, owner of one NFL pass before the game, and Ray Rice, who has taken over the Darren Sproles memorial "Fastest Little Man in the NFL" role with a monster game of 150 All Purpose yards. Yet it was one bad play off of Dixon's hands that cost them the game. Paul Kruger of the Ravens caught that errand Dixon pass, and immediately put his team in FG range. The Ravens finally got one over Pittsburgh, made sure the Steelers didn't get a win without Big Ben, and now the Ravens and Steelers are in 6-5 mediocrity misery together.

2. Who is this team? The Patriots went to 1-4 on the road Monday, with a combination of Drew Brees lighting the secondary up like we're in Rockefeller Center, and the New England Patriots offensive game, becoming offensive in the 2nd half. Only letting Randy Moss get 3 catches, forcing Brady into 2 INT's and making the Patriots try to win the game on the ground? For a banged up Saints secondary, that's the answer to 11-0. Now the Patriots try to regain that late season magic, or their playoff appearance this year might me as meaningless as they thought this game was.

1. Speaking of the Saints, here's a way to keep pressure on an undefeated team: make them have to play for something till the end. The Saints are 11-0, the Vikings are 10-1. They may not lose again this season. For all the talk all the time on should teams put the pedal to the medal for the immortality of pulling a 72 Dolphins, look at it this way: the Saints have to. Just one loss by the Saints, and they will not be controlling their destiny anymore when it comes to home field advantage. What do they want for a possible NFC Title Game on Jan 24th? The friendly confines of the Superdome, or the even louder confines that are not so friendly of the team being helmed by Brett Favre? Thought so. See you next week.

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