$.01--The Baltimore Ravens stunned the visiting Rams 16-13, but it is the agony of victory for the home team. After already losing top RB Justin Forsett to a broken arm, the Ravens watched in horror as quarterback Joe Flacco tore his ACL when left tackle James Hurst got thrown into his legs on the final, game-winning drive.

It’s a brutal blow for the 3-7 Ravens. Their talented triplets of Flacco, Forsett and Steve Smith are all lost for the year. Smith has already announced his retirement. Forsett is on the wrong side of 30. And Flacco’s injury might have long-term impact too…

Flacco says he likely has a torn ACL and MCL. We could be looking at a injury that cuts into next season before he can return.

— Gerry Sandusky (@GerrySandusky) November 22, 2015

It’s amazing the Ravens actually won, even more so that Flacco stayed in the game for two plays to help set up Justin Tucker’s game-winner. Mock his “elite” nature all you want, but Flacco has never had a losing record in his seven full seasons and has never missed a start from Day One.

Now the Ravens turn to Matt Schaub. He’s been downright awful since his Lisfranc injury several years ago. With the primary rushing and receiving weapons both gone, it’s almost impossible to think Schaub will guide this 3-7 team to anything more than a 4-12 finish.

The Rams continue to play to my preseason narrative of being fantastic versus their NFC West foes but ugly dogs against everyone else. They’re 3-0 within their division and have only beaten Cleveland, currently the worst team in the league, outside it. They managed just 218 offensive yards and lost four fumbles while showing about as much potency as a eunuch at a brothel. The QB switch from Nick Foles to Case Keenum failed, and it might be short-lived.

Keenum suffered a concussion but somehow managed to stay in the game. Here’s the graphic evidence:

This is atrocious... Everyone can see this! pic.twitter.com/DvKQbm131e

— The Concussion Blog (@concussionblog) November 22, 2015

Methinks the NFL ought to have something to say to Jeff Fisher and the Rams about this blatant ignorance of the concussion protocol. 

$.02--Denver took to Soldier Field with a new field general in charge of the offense. With Peyton Manning sidelined, Brock Osweiler took to the controls and marshalled the Broncos to a hard-fought 17-15 win over the Bears.

Osweiler was a mixed bag. His heavy-footed gait led to comparisons with plodding former NBA big man Greg Ostertag, getting sacked five times. The ball placement was shaky at times, though generally close enough for his receiver to have a play. In his first career start, he wound up completing 20-for-27 for 250 yards and 2 TDs with no picks. Not a bad day at the office, and just good enough to outduel Jay Cutler (18-for-35, 265 yards, 0 TDs/1 INT).

Jimmie Johnson opined on Fox’s pregame show that we have seen the last of Manning. I agree. Osweiler gave the Broncos the threat of the deeper throw, something sorely missing with the decrepit Manning. He did not look in over his head, not even with unblocked rushers coming hard at him. Osweiler wasn’t perfect but he didn’t need to be, instead just avoiding mistakes and keeping the offense largely on schedule. Winning on the road against a decent, game foe is a great start.

Chicago made an interesting decision late in the game. Down eight and driving deep into the red zone, John Fox opted to go for it on 4th and goal. It failed, and instead of being down five, the margin remained eight. Chicago went on to score a touchdown two drives later and had to go for two to force the tie. It failed (badly) and what could have been a 20-17 win wound up a two-point loss.

I understood Fox’s decision in the context of the action. The game was a defensive struggle and it seemed unlikely the Bears would penetrate so deeply again. Most of the Bears fans in the bar I was watching agreed at the moment. It looks a lot worse in retrospect, but hindsight seldom comes with foresight.

$.03--Just when you thought it was safe to bury the Green Bay Packers in the NFC North, they rise up and smoke the Vikings in Minnesota to seize back control of the division. The Packers rolled 30-13 to snap a three-game losing streak while ending Minnesota’s winning run at five games.

An underwhelming early snoozer broke open late in the first half when Aaron Rodgers found Randall Cobb for a TD just before halftime. That broke the proverbial seal, and the Packers flooded over the Vikings the rest of the game. The defensive front dominated Minnesota’s weak O-line, getting to Teddy Bridgewater for six sacks and hurrying him more often than not. Adrian Peterson lost yet another fumble--his sixth of the year--while the Packers own run game finally perked up a bit. Eddie Lacy returned from his one-game benching to run for exactly 100 yards. James Jones bounced back from being blanked by Detroit to catching six passes for 109 yards and a TD.

Bridgewater’s performance did not inspire confidence. He continually held the ball too long. Also, he failed to protect himself from some huge hits when he scrambled. All the hits and pressure appeared to rattle him. Not rattled in the sense of Brandon Weeden screaming for him mommy, but rather throwing off his flow and confidence. He’s always been fairly risk-averse as a passer, so when he’s forced to run for his life it really destroys the Minnesota offense.

Even with the win, all is still not well for the Packers. Aaron Rodgers and his receivers were reading different pages on several plays, and their own offensive line was ineffective (at best) in pass protection. 16-of-34 is just not what is expected of Rodgers even with a diminished receiving corps. Several drives went nowhere fast. Exceptional special teams featuring five Mason Crosby field goals and a timely pass rush won the game, not any offensive brilliance. It’s a critical win to pull Green Bay back into a first-place tie at 7-3 heading into Thursday’s visit from Chicago. Win that one and the Packers are back in control of their domain. 

$.04--Brace yourselves, America. Your anointed team, the Dallas Cowboys, reentered the win column for the first time since before the autumnal equinox. Thanks to Tony Romo back at the controls, Dallas improved to 3-7 with a 24-14 win over the wilting Dolphins in Miami.

That 3-7 record somehow leaves Dallas in the thick of the NFC East race, where the Giants currently sit at the top at 5-5. Division foes Washington and Philadelphia lost by a combined 89-33 margin to put them both at 4-6.

Dallas wasn’t particularly impressive in victory. Romo had some rust in his first game back from his collarbone injury, throwing two INTs with his two TDs. His first completion was actually a left-handed shotput out of his own end zone. He was helped by a too-easy pick six from Rolando McClain, hindered some by a blustery rainstorm which gave way to sunny skies late.

There were too may penalties by both teams, including a celebration penalty on Dez Bryant which led to a Miami TD. The Dolphins managed just one third-down conversion all afternoon, netting only 210 total yards. Ryan Tannehill was off target and lacked the leadership presence Romo brought to Dallas. Even when No. 9 in royal blue wasn’t playing well, he was in firm command and had the team responding to him. That just didn’t happen for Tannehill. Again.

Is it realistic for the Cowboys to actually win their lousy division? Why not. If they can beat the Panthers--who hung 44 on Washington to remain undefeated--on Thanksgiving, you almost have to consider the Cowboys the front-runners. Then again it’s just as easy to see them implode around the ongoing Greg Hardy fiasco and finish 5-11. 

$.05--In a battle of teams which held the No. 2 seeds in their respective conferences entering the night, the host Arizona Cardinals sneaked past the Cincinnati Bengals in one of the more entertaining games of the season. Arizona won 34-31 when Chandler Catanzaro nailed a short field goal with two second left, capping off a clutch two-minute drill drive by Carson Palmer to improve to 8-2. It was a back-and-forth affair with a little bit of everything.

Arizona’s first two drives both ended with ugly Palmer INTs. The second one he overthrew JJ Nelson by at least 10 yards. But Palmer would get back on track. He threw three TDs in the third quarter including a perfectly placed bomb on a crossing route to a wide open Nelson. The Cardinals dominated the third quarter, starting off with a quick 3-and-out on defense before Palmer went crazy. The Bengals did not pick up a single first down in that fateful quarter.

Andy Dalton and the Bengals did not quit. An impressive TD drive to start the fourth quarter brought Cincinnati back. And then the narrative reverted back to the disturbing reality for the Bengals. Andy Dalton lost the ball as he got popped from behind by Markus Golden, who beat tackle Andre Smith like he wasn’t even there. Deone Bucannon caught it and the Cardinals quickly converted the takeaway into three much-needed points.

According to the graphic on NBC, the Bengals are now 1-15 in their last 16 primetime games. That’s amazing considering only three teams have more wins this decade than Cincinnati. This one was close, and they played well enough to win on the road against a very good opponent. Those who watched will understand this and ease off the harsh scorn towards Dalton, Marvin Lewis and the Bengals. And they’ve largely earned that from the years of repeated flops. Pay close attention to the national media reaction. Those piling on Dalton and the Bengals probably had those takes written before this game was even played. Does it bother me they can’t seem to ever win a big game under the lights? Yes, very much so. But this loss doesn’t fit with the choking dog narrative. Shame on those who peddle it. 

$.06--If you’re like me and do NFL mock drafts in your free time, it’s time to put the San Diego Chargers in pencil at No. 1 overall. While the Browns and Titans are even with the Chargers at 2-8, no team has less hope to improve this season than San Diego. And right now the Chargers hold the tie-breaker to be the worst team.

Sunday’s 33-3 loss to Kansas City was flat-out embarrassing. John Gennaro at Bolts From the Blue summed it up nicely,

This could potentially be one of the last home games the team ever plays in San Diego, and what fans were served up for entertainment was 3.5 yards per play by the Chargers offense and two hilariously bad turnovers. Not to mention, a defense that couldn't stop the second-string RB, third-string RB, or a defensive tackle who decided to take a shot at playing some RB.

Instead of showing some fight against the Chiefs, the Chargers fought with each other. With the best player in franchise history looking on, waiting for his time to go into the Hall of Fame, his future Hall of Fame former teammates (Philip Rivers and Antonio Gates) got into a spat on the sidelines that included the phrase "I'm going to beat your ass."

Then there’s this tidbit courtesy of Andrew Brandt, who is most assuredly not a purveyor of baseless speculation.

The first pick in the 2016 NFL Draft could belong to the Chargers, who could be leaving San Diego. #CarsonCalling

— Andrew Brandt (@AndrewBrandt) November 23, 2015

So who will the Los Angeles Chargers take No. 1 overall? Given the massive extension they just gave to Philip Rivers, a quarterback seems out of the question (right or wrong). Their offensive line is disastrous, so Laremy Tunsil from Ole Miss seems logical. So does Ohio State defensive end Joey Bosa, though he’s not the best schematic fit if Mike McCoy continues on as head coach. Tunsil’s Rebel teammate Robert Nkemdiche would fit that defensive front and he’s got to be in the mix as well.

$.07--One of my great privileges as a member of for Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) is that I’m a voter for all sorts of college football awards. It also means I have a vote in the All-American selections.

The FWAA divides up the voting into two sections. The first included linemen and defensive backs, and I made those votes about two weeks ago. The offensive skill positions players came up this week. Here’s my ballot:

I chose Roger Lewis over Josh Doctson with a little bit of MAC bias but also the fact Doctson missed one full game and almost all of another. Availability matters to me. The toughest choice was quarterback. I opted for Mayfield over Marquise Williams and Brandon Doughty.

We also got to nominate up to three coaches for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year award. My threesome was Mark Dantonio of Michigan State, Tom Herman of Houston and Dabo Swinney from top-ranked Clemson.

I was torn on Jim Harbaugh in place of Swinney as he’s done a fantastic job of getting Michigan back to national relevance way ahead of schedule. Swinney got the nod for keeping his Tigers undefeated and making “Clemsoning” an obsolete joke. So far…

$.08--NFL quickies

--Rob Ryan was fired Monday from being the worst defensive coach in NFL history in New Orleans. He quickly resurfaced on the NFL Network as part of the league’s official pre-game show. Ryan proved quite affable but opted to make a Hurricane Katrina joke. Sigh.

--Thomas Rawls ran for 209 yards in Seattle’s 29-13 beatdown of visiting San Francisco. Rawls now has games of 104, 169 and this 209-yard effort. Marshawn Lynch, Seattle’s nominal feature back, has topped 73 yards just once this year. Bench mode time?

--Blaine Gabbert got the QB nod for the Niners once again and wasn’t terrible. That’s unexpected. With Colin Kaepernick now on IR and essentially done in San Francisco, Gabbert is auditioning to be part of the future. At this point he’s proven a competent backup who could maybe bridge a rebuild season as the team grooms a rookie like Paxton Lynch or Carson Wentz.

--Carolina steamrolled Washington to remain perfect behind Cam Newton’s 5 TD passes. For a guy playing with wideouts who wouldn’t be game-day actives on 20 different rosters, that’s pretty impressive. If Newton isn’t in your top 3 MVP candidates, you’re doing something wrong.

--My Lions moved up to 3-7 by knocking off the Raiders 18-13, Detroit’s second win in a row. They became the first team to ever score 18 points in consecutive games. Cornerback Darius Slay was a big part, holding standout rookie Amari Cooper to one catch for four yards. Last week Slay pitched a shutout on James Jones in Green Bay.

--Houston, Indianapolis and Jacksonville all won this week, the first week at least three AFC South teams all won this season. Houston and Indy are both 5-5, the Jaguars breathing down their necks at 4-6. As improbable as it might seem, two of those teams could wind up in the playoffs in the AFC. If New England beats Buffalo Monday night, only Pittsburgh will have a winning record among non-leaders in the divisions.

$.09--College/Draft Quickies

--Michigan State stunned Ohio State in the Horseshoe 17-14 to wrest control of the B1G East. The Spartans deserve an incredible amount of credit for winning on the road with star QB Connor Cook on the sidelines with a shoulder injury. They also got a lot of help from an ultra-conservative Ohio State game plan that makes Jim Tressel’s close-to-the-sweater-vest style look as liberal as Bernie Sanders.

After the game emotional RB Ezekiel Elliott--who teared up during the national anthem--spouted off, declaring for the draft and blistering Urban Meyer for not using him more. Elliott had just 12 carries for 33 yards as Michigan State’s defense suffocated the middle of the field.

--Three weeks ago LSU was undefeated and ranked No. 2 in the nation. Since then the Tigers have lost three in a row and watched Leonard Fournette go from Heisman lock to averaging barely four yards per carry and scoring just twice. He broke 100 yards against Ole Miss but wasn’t much of a threat as the Rebels destroyed Les Miles’ lifeless team 38-17.

--LSU isn’t the only SEC team struggling. Florida, the SEC East champ, needed overtime to beat lowly 2-9 Florida Atlantic. South Carolina lost at home to The Citadel, which hadn’t beaten an FBS team since 1992. Georgia struggled at home to hold off Georgia Southern by 6 points. Auburn gave up 34 to Sun Belt basement dweller Idaho. But tell me again how awesome the SEC is, Paul Finebaum…

--The next CFP rankings should look like this:

1. Clemson

2. Alabama

3. Iowa

4. Notre Dame

5. Oklahoma

But keep an eye on the next grouping and a couple of interlopers. Navy is 9-1 and the loss was a moderately close one to Notre Dame. If they beat Houston, which just lost for the first time, next week and beat Army, they’re going to a New Year’s Six bowl. And North Carolina also has just one loss after squeaking past Virginia Tech in Frank Beamer’s emotional last game in Blacksburg. They could beat Clemson, but even if they lose and it’s close the Tar Heels could sneak into a Bew Year’s Six bowl too. And nobody will want to play them, either.

$.10--The Houston Rockets, my son’s favorite professional sports team, fired Kevin McHale this week after a brutally disappointing 4-7 start. A Western Conference finalist just six short months ago, a combination of terrible defense and notable lack of on-court coordination doomed McHale’s team.

I could go on about the Rockets and their struggles. They are a fascinating group for a variety of reasons, they really are. But this will focus on the deposed.

Kevin McHale is the athlete I hated more than any other as a child. My formative basketball knowledge came in the early 1980s and the Boston Celtics of Larry Bird, Danny Ainge and McHale were the Evil Empire to me. Nobody embodied the negative more than McHale.

I loathed his cheap-shot elbows. I couldn’t stand his whining to the officials every time anyone so much as breathed on him. He loafed back on defense even as the antique Robert Parish hustled back on opposing fast breaks.

But most of all I despised how bloody effective he was. McHale is one of the greatest low-post offensive players in basketball history. When he got the ball on the blocks, you might as well put two points on the board. With Bird’s shooting brilliance carving him extra space, the gargantuan McHale could easily best even the best defenders one-on-one.

As a relative big man myself, I tried so hard to master his drop step. McHale had such perfect offensive fundamentals. He kept the ball over his head, using his freakishly long arms even more to his advantage. His footwork was crisp, much as I hated to admit. He could finish with either hand and from either side of the basket, better and with more variety and efficiency than Dwight Howard on his Rockets. He boxed out, often with exaggerated form and devastating effectiveness.

McHale was what every basketball coach wanted his big man to be. And because I couldn’t do anything remotely close to as well as him, my coaches tended to look down on me. I was a stretch four some three decades before that became en vogue.

It was odd rooting for my childhood nemesis. While I am a Cavaliers fan above all other sports fandom, I took up the Rockets while living in Houston and going to about 10 games at the Toyota Center. They’re my Western Conference allegiance. I cheered for McHale and how he crafted a winning lineup despite injuries and a very peculiar mix between James Harden and Howard, two guys who are essentially detriments on the court without the ball in their hands. For a brief time it worked spectacularly, and McHale deserves the credit for that.

There is a lesson here. While it’s fun and often cathartic to let the hate flow through you, in sports the guy you hate today might be the same one leading your team tomorrow.