$.01--Two undefeated teams entered Invesco Field in Denver Sunday night. And on a beautiful fall evening where the host Broncos honored and welcomed back many legends, the home team rose to the occasion and soundly thumped the visiting Packers 29-10.

The overriding takeaway is that Denver’s defense is good enough to win a Super Bowl. They muffled Aaron Rodgers, holding Green Bay’s electric offense to just 14 first downs and 46 snaps. They accrued just 140 total yards. Rodgers faced continual harassment on just about every dropback. Even when he bought time, and nobody does it better, he didn’t have anyone open to target. There was a play early in the game where Rodgers danced and darted for a good five seconds, manipulating the pocket and keeping his eyes scanning down the field. But nobody ever sprung free, and Rodgers dejectedly chucked the ball in the general vicinity of someone’s feet.

Peyton Manning wasn’t great, but he was better than before the bye week. He took some deep shots and the arm looked decent. The question now is, was this just a product of a week of rest and an unseasonably warm November night? It’s too early to tell, but Broncos fans are definitely feeling better about their aging pitchman, err, quarterback. Just as positive of a development was the return of the big play in the running game, including a rare C.J. Anderson sighting.

It’s important to not read too much into one loss for the Packers, but this game really highlighted the distinct lack of quality weapons in the receiving game. They sorely miss Jordy Nelson and a playmaking tight end, while James Jones and Davante Adams just couldn’t beat good coverage. However, the following nugget is a little disturbing on the long-term front…

 

Obviously that is more reflective of the team than Rodgers, but it’s something to consider as the Packers venture towards the postseason. 

$.02--It’s only the beginning of November, but you can go ahead and give the AFC North crown to the Cincinnati Bengals. After a stirring comeback win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, the undefeated Bengals now hold a 3.5 game divisional lead.

This was the game all the doubters were waiting for. The Bengals came out of the bye week and weren’t sharp, while the Steelers welcomed Big Ben Roethlisberger back to the field to rally the sputtering offense back to life. Andy Dalton had his “off” game, throwing a terrible INT and failing to convert several shortened fields into points. The Steelers defensive front destroyed the very good Cincy O-line, notably right tackle Andre Smith. The Steelers were desperate and at home. Pittsburgh even blocked a field goal. It sure looked like a recipe for disaster.

Except the Bengals prevailed. Reggie Nelson and Shawn Williams picked off Roethlisberger a total of three times, with Williams’ lone pick late in the game the turning point. Dalton regrouped and engineered two late scoring drives, the first taking the lead and the second pushing it out to the 6-point final margin.

This was the kind of win critics wanted to see from Cincinnati. The Bengals did not play well, but they won a road game over a quality opponent anyway. This is not something Dalton and his mates have accomplished. Some will still point out the holes, but for my money these Bengals proved once again they’re eminently legitimate.

Pittsburgh lost more than the game. Star RB LeVeon Bell went down with a knee injury. Preliminary reports indicate a torn MCL and other damage, and arguably the NFL’s most consistent producer is out for the year. The Steelers do have DeAngelo Williams as a reasonable replacement, but the depth chart beyond the hirsute veteran is scant. At 4-4, the division title dreams are all but done, but the Steelers do remain very much in the thick of the AFC Wild Card race, a contest where the winner could very well have just 8 wins.

$.03--News broke Sunday morning that the Cleveland Browns may or may not be shopping Alex Mack, Joe Thomas, Johnny Manziel, Bernie Kosar, Hanford Dixon or pretty much anything not nailed down at team offices in Berea. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com struck first, and others ran with it like piranhas to a bloody tapir.

When news breaks, it must be fixed. Allow me to spackle together the organizational cracks…

If you offer us, say, two first round picks and maybe a wideout over six feet tall, we’ll listen to your request for Joe Thomas. Since we’ve already drafted Alex Mack’s replacement in Cam Erving and everyone knows Mack is leaving at the end of the year, we’ll happily accept a third round pick and some monogrammed golf shirts. We’ll throw in some gas cards at Flying J from our owner just to thank you for your interest.

Are the Browns really trying to auction off any of their 20 or so players who other teams might actually want? Perhaps. I don’t believe Rapoport or his Breaking News cohorts/competitors make stuff up. I do believe they are willing tools of agents, however.

Then again, NFL teams do operate in these sort of publicly covert manners. My first time I attended Senior Bowl week in Mobile in 2008, I sat two rows behind Bill Belichick in the bleachers. Another head coach, one The Hoodie is often rumored to hate, cozied up next to him and led off the conversation with the following,

“So, what can I offer you for Tom Brady?”

The other coach was not serious but he wasn’t exactly kidding either. Had I reported “Patriots listening to offers for Tom Brady”, I technically would not have been lying. It would be akin to Bill Clinton’s fuzzy “what is is” defense, but it would have been factually accurate.

A Washington scout was seated next to me and heard it too, and he tipped me off to how much this sort of thing happens. One of the responses to people with less personal integrity or sense of shame running with things like this is that media are no longer able to sit in the same bleachers as NFL personnel during Senior Bowl week, and access during the Combine--the mothership of all personnel rumors--has been severely curtailed too.

So take the hints, allegations and things left unsaid for what they are: fishing expeditions. Sometimes it’s a media member fishing, other times it’s a team trolling thru the media. This one sure seems like the latter…

 

$.04--The Miami Dolphins headed into the Thursday night game at the New England Patriots brimming with confidence. Two commanding wins under interim Head Coach Dan Campbell bred loads of optimism that the Dolphins, thought by many over the summer to be a team on the rise, were finally achieving their potential.

Bill Belichick, Tom Brady and the Patriots thought otherwise.

New England erased any doubt they are the best team in the AFC by bombarding the upstart Dolphins 36-7. Brady was fantastic, the master of puppets puling all the right strings to the tune of 356 yards and four TDs. But it was the Patriot defense which stole the show.

After scoring 82 points in two weeks under Campbell, the Dolphins struggled to get even 82 yards. They managed just 47 in the first half and were outscored by the Patriots D 2-0 thanks to a surprise snap that Ryan Tannehill swallowed in the end zone for a safety. Everything Miami tried, New England expected.

If you didn’t see this coming, shame on you. Bill Belichick versus an interim coach on a short prep week? That’s as big of a mismatch as the NFL allows. Given the motivation behind these Patriots in trying to rub the NFL’s nose in the DeflateGate fiasco, it was easy to foresee this national humiliation.

Don’t read too much into the loss for Miami. They were lambs led to the slaughter. I still appreciate Campbell’s revival of a moribund team, and he’ll learn from this Belichick schooling. I’m not sold he’s a long-term answer, but he can go a long way towards proving himself by regrouping, getting back to running the ball and keeping the Dolphins in the crowded AFC Wild Card picture.

$.05--Just before taking off for London on Monday, Detroit Lions coach Jim Caldwell fired incompetent offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi and two offensive line assistants. The hope was to inspire the grossly underachieving 1-6 team to start a nice run to finish the season.

There was an ulterior motive by Caldwell at play here too. The fired assistants, Jeremiah Washburn and Terry Heffernan, were legacies to the Jim Schwartz era thrust upon Caldwell by GM Martin Mayhew. While it’s impossible to argue they didn’t deserve their fate, Caldwell was drawing a clear delineation between himself and Mayhew.

The power play did not work for Caldwell. His Lions came out flat, unprepared and overmatched once again. Kansas City embarrassed Detroit 45-10, a score that is not indicative of just how lopsided this game really played out. After the Lions opened with a decent field goal drive, the Chiefs annihilated them the rest of the way. Alex Smith ran for 78 yards. He’s the Chiefs QB. Four different Chiefs scored rushing touchdowns, and Smith even threw a TD pass to wideout Jeremy Maclin. That’s just the fourth passing TD to a wideout in their last 24 games.

There aren’t enough synonyms for “awful” in the thesaurus to describe the Lions right now. The offensive line is a disaster. Matthew Stafford is the football equivalent of a fastball pitcher who is only good for 5 2/3 innings before the other team starts blasting extra base hits with alarming regularity. The linebackers are about as athletic as the guys I play lunch basketball with at the gym.

Earlier this week I opined on SideLion Report that Mayhew needed to be fired. Teaser: my next piece for that site will involve the same premise for Jim Caldwell. Team President Tom Lewand should be shown the door too, arguably more culpable for some of the mess than Mayhew (he’s the ignored scapegoat for Suh leaving, signing Calvin Johnson to a heftily above-market extension, etc.). This is as disappointing of a season by any professional team as I can recall.

The Chiefs needed an uplifting experience, and they got it. They hit the bye at 3-5 but having won two in a row. Their offensive line, notably Eric Fisher, is playing better. So is the secondary, where the communication gaffes are largely dead memories. It’s going to be very difficult to climb out of their deep early hole, but at least they’re trending in the right direction. Detroit, on the other hand… 

$.06--For a marquee late afternoon matchup between two of the biggest names in the league, the Seattle/Dallas game showcased a whole lot of really bad offensive football. The Seahawks squeaked past the host Cowboys 13-12 to even their slate at 4-4 and claw back into the NFC Wild Card race, while the Cowboys sink to 2-5 and are only in play because the NFC East is full of mediocrity.

If you like offense, this game probably offended you. Dallas threw for under 100 yards despite Dez Bryant’s return, as Matt Cassel lacked poise, accuracy and command. Darren McFadden found the sledding tough (64 yards on 20 early carries) before departing with an injury. Bryant was erased from the field by Richard Sherman, who tracked him like an underfed cheetah stalking a wounded gazelle. Cassel failed to complete a single pass which travelled at least 10 yards down the field

Seattle’s offense wasn’t much better. Russell Wilson’s ability to buy time with his legs and a smart schematic adjustment to roll the pocket away from Greg Hardy attacking inexperienced backup left tackle Allen Bailey was about the only positive. Marshawn Lynch had far more misses than hits with his runs, and the Seattle receivers proved zero threat down the field. The biggest plays were a slip seam pass to Luke Willson and a couple of Wilson scampers. Hardy provided Dallas with its best play, artfully dodging an awful cut block and picking off a screen pass. Other than that, this game was as uninteresting as you could possibly imagine. There was some questionable officiating, but that’s nothing new for Dallas or Seattle.

After the game, Bryant was freed from his coverage and expressed his discontent. After dissing Sherman’s blanket coverage, the self-loving Bryant went on a profanity-laden tirade at assembled reporters. This produced a rather strange reaction; Cowboys fans largely cheered his “leadership” while the rest of the football nation shook its head dismissively at the NFL’s most notorious diva.

The game took a turn for the scary when Seahawks wideout Ricardo Lockette was knocked unconscious on the punt cover team by Jeff Heath. Lockette lay motionless for several minutes as players from both teams huddled around anxiously while he was tended to. Later reports indicated he suffered a concussion but will be fine, which is fantastic news given the rather grim initial appearance.

$.07--The college game is not immune to wretched officiating. Witness the Duke/Miami game Saturday night.

Miami pulled off the miracle upset over Duke thanks to divine intervention from the officials making one of the most egregious make-up calls, or rather non-calls, of all time. The fact Miami is upsetting Duke is another story in and of itself, but the focus here is on the zebras.

Here’s a link to a video (property of ESPN) of the finale, a spectacular kickoff return replete with eight laterals and even more controversy.

The first issue arises at the 00:21 mark. No. 1 dodges to his left and laterals the ball backwards, but his knee sure appears to be down. It appears to be down because it is. Note in the screen above him an official looking right at it. He either doesn’t see it or decides he just wants to see more chaos.

Then there are the illegal blocks. The first occurs at the 35 second mark right in the middle of the screen. You can’t possibly miss it, but the guys in charge of looking for such things apparently did. At 38 seconds there’s another potential one, though that one looks legal from the reverse angle. Another goes down at 47 seconds though it’s probably inconsequential to the play.

Then there’s the Miami player sprinting onto the field without a helmet just after that while the play is still unfolding. That’s just not legal, and once again it happens in obvious view of an official who appears to be staring right at him.

Why is this a make-up call(s)? Check the penalty disparity throughout the game. Miami had 23, Duke had 5. I watched exactly one drive during the game (trick or treating time) so I can’t comment on the validity of the fouls, but a 23-5 ratio certainly raises an eyebrow.

 

The loss likely costs Duke a chance at the ACC Championship game and almost certainly relegates the Blue Devils to a lesser bowl game and the corollary lesser payout. Those are very real consequences for officiating ineptitude.

Late update:

 

Good for the ACC, albeit too little, too late for Duke.

$.08--NFL quickies

--I didn’t see any of this game other than the highlights as my affiliate was saddled with the Vikings/Bears yawner, but the Saints/Giants shootout sure was full of those. Eli Manning threw six TDs, but Brees one-upped him with a record-tying seven. The teams combined for over 1,000 yards of offense and punted just six times. This game is atop my watch list for NFL Game Pass. New Orleans prevailed 51-48 on a last-second 50-yard FG, putting both teams at 4-4.

--Impressive comeback win for the Vikings to improve to 5-2. The Bears were a game opponent once again, but the Vikings showed poise and superior talent.

--I’m typically not a Rob Riggle fan, but the comedian landed a knockout with his spot on the Fox pregame show. A costume party with someone dressed as a prisoner in shackles to represent Greg Hardy and a guy with a giant foam hand with the finger broken as Jason Pierre-Paul made me nearly spit-take my pumpkin spiced coffee.

--Steve Smith Sr.’s career came to an end in Baltimore’s 29-26 win over San Diego when he tore his right Achilles. Smith announced earlier that this would be his last season. He’s one of the most spirited competitors in NFL history, and one of the most prolific receivers too. Do not miss his Hall of Fame induction speech in about 2023.

--Reggie Bush tore his ACL thanks to gross negligence by the St. Louis Rams, who have a concrete perimeter ringing their field of play. Bush lost his footing and fell awkwardly, as cleats work on concrete about as well as a giraffe on a skateboard. Two weeks earlier Browns QB Josh McCown suffered a concussion while sliding on the same surface. If this is the Rams' way to foster support for a move back to Los Angeles, find a better way than endangering the players’ well-being.

--RIP Senator Fred Thompson. Not football related but his passing deserves attention. Die Hard 2 is one of my favorite movies of all time, and he was fantastic in it as the airport director. He was also notable for being the GOP counsel to the Watergate hearings, and in 2008 he ran for President. Great American who will be missed at just 73 years old. 

$.09--College/Draft quickies

I wrote a separate $.10 on the draft last Friday, so most of my thoughts are there.

--Virginia Tech legend Frank Beamer announced he will retire at the end of the season, capping almost three decades in Blacksburg. He built the Hokies into a perennial power, even playing for a national title. Beamer was a master recruiter, selling kids from the Hampton Roads area on going to the backwoods of southwestern VA. His legacy will be fantastic special teams units and a secondary which consistently produced turnovers. The program has fallen off lately, and it was time. To Beamer’s credit, he recognized it before it was too late.

--Ohio State QB J.T. Barrett faces suspension for a driving while impaired charge over Friday night. The Buckeyes were on a bye. It’s a dumb mistake by the team leader, and it will cost him at least one game. Interestingly, he called Cardale Jones to pick him up. Jones will start in his absence, and it will be interesting to see what happens to the team, which was much better and more efficient with Barrett at the helm.

--Minnesota coach Jerry Kill retired in light of ongoing health issues. His presence was sorely missed in the waning seconds against Michigan, where the Golden Gophers squandered precious clock and came up empty with two shots from inside the 2. Michigan won 29-26 when the replacement Minnesota staff opted to try for the win instead of the sure tying FG.

--Big, convincing win for Florida over Georgia. It’s time for the Bulldogs to seriously consider moving on from coach Mark Richt.

$.10--This week’s tenth cent is left empty in honor of Pat Tillman. Kudos to Arizona State, Tillman’s alma mater, for honoring the true American hero by placing his name on the back of every jersey:

(Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images)

Tillman is one of my heroes. I strongly encourage you to watch “The Tillman Story”. RIP.