$.01--Sunday Night Football did not disappoint once again. This time the AFC West got the spotlight, and the Raiders 30-20 win over visiting Denver was one of the more entertaining games of the month.

This game was Oakland’s big night out, a chance to prove they deserve the respect their 6-2 record entering the game said they did. They needed a marquee win, and knocking off the reigning champs provided just that. They honored the impressive gathering of Raiders alumni in the house with a potent, balanced attack that took down Denver.

Much of the nation hadn’t really seen Derek Carr and company. Hopefully they have now, because the Raiders offense is legitimately loaded. And while the mighty Denver defense had some moments, Oakland’s attack was better on this night.

The Oakland offensive line fared quite well against the mighty Denver defensive front. Gabe Jackson at right guard, Kelechi Osemele at left guard and Rodney Hudson at center consistently opened holes in the run game, helping Latavius Murray score three TD plunges and the Raiders rush for over 200 yards.

Denver couldn’t get the run game going, other than a long Kapri Bibbs TD scamper. Right now Trevor Siemian isn’t a capable enough quarterback to put up the kind of passing proficiency to match Derek Carr.

Of course some of the entertainment factor came courtesy of Raiders punter Marquette King. He wasn’t content with some great kicks. He reveled in them, celebrating his strong punts with Von Miller sack dances.

Fortunately he didn’t twerk or thrust his hips objectionably, lest he face the No Fun League fine hammer. 

$.02--The NFC North got a lot more interesting on Sunday. Detroit became the first road team to win in Minnesota’s new stadium, while Green Bay lost at home to the Colts.

As a result, the Vikings still lead the division at 5-3 but are flailing in the cold waters with no life preserver in sight. They’ve lost three in a row and this one really hurts. Minnesota took its first lead with just 23 seconds remaining after a rare impressive offensive drive from Sam Bradford. Tight end Rhett Ellison scored on a jet sweep, the latest in a long and humiliating abuse of Detroit’s defense by tight ends this season.

Even with no timeouts and so little time, Matthew Stafford didn’t flinch. Two quick pass plays drove into Minnesota territory. A beautifully controlled rush to spike the ball set up Matt Prater, who calmly and emphatically nailed the 58-yard game-tying field goal. Stafford kept the hot hand into overtime, leading a touchdown drive capped off with a gorgeous tightrope walk and stiff arm by Golden Tate after the catch.

Stafford had a subpar second half. The Lions had just 36 yards after halftime before the final heroics. Yet for the fifth time this season, No. 9 rallied his Lions to a comeback win. On the flip side, the Vikings terrible OL was exposed once again, Sam Bradford is back to being his old unreliable self and kicker Blair Walsh should be unemployed.

Walsh missed an extra point and would have missed a field goal if it were not blocked, too. That’s the difference in the game. Detroit moves to 5-4 and has all three remaining division games at home, plus a favorable post-bye schedule that makes them a very legit threat to win their first-ever division title.

In Green Bay, the Packers tried to rally back themselves. Indy dominated the scoreboard from the opening kickoff--literally. The Colts lead surged to 31-13 before Aaron Rodgers flashed the magic and closed the gap to just 5. The Packers defense couldn’t get a stop on Andrew Luck late, as Captain Neckbeard mounted a late countercharge to thwart Rodgers’ potential heroics.

The Packers are now 4-4, and if they don’t get things fixed quickly that could very well be their season apex. The next three games are on the road, and the only team left on the schedule that doesn’t have a winning record is the Bears, which is never an easy road rivalry game. 

$.03--Baltimore skunked rival Pittsburgh 21-14 in a game where Ben Roethlisberger never should have played. The Steelers QB tried to play the heroic card once again, returning just three weeks after injuring his knee. He failed, hobbling around and unable to properly transfer his weight on throws. Even with a late rushing TD, he still moved like a horse destined for the glue factory.

Even so, the Steelers still had a chance. Roethlisberger’s TD closed the gap to one score. Pittsburgh lined up for the onside kick, and they have one of the best kickers in the game at this with Chris Boswell. Alas, this happened…

 

I applaud Roethlisberger for wanting to come back. I really do. He knows he gives his team the best chance to win, and his leadership is beyond reproach. But the Steelers coaches needed to realize he wasn’t close to being ready to come back from the knee surgery.

I know, I know; the medical staff cleared him. There’s a difference between being cleared to play and being ready to play, and Roethlisberger wasn’t ready.

Of course it wasn’t Roethlisberger who couldn’t cover Mike Wallace on a quick slant that went for 95 yards to put Baltimore up 7-0. It wasn’t Roethlisberger who had a punt blocked and returned for a touchdown, the play which provided the ultimate winning score. It wasn’t Roethlisberger who couldn’t run at all but rather Le'Veon Bell and his sideways dancing.

And that’s why it’s hard to fault Roethlisberger even though he shouldn’t have played. The Steelers around him dropped the proverbial ball too, from the kicker to the coaching staff. The Ravens will happily take the much-needed victory to pull them even with their hated rivals at 4-4 atop the AFC North. 

$.04--The New York Giants are nothing if not a thrill ride. After surging out to 2-0 with exciting wins over Dallas (the Cowboys’ only loss) and New Orleans, New York plummeted down the roller coaster hill with three straight losses.

Now they’re back on the upswing. The Giants captured their third in a row, besting Philadelphia 28-23. It’s a significant victory as it thrusts the Giants from last in the NFC East into second place, while burying the fading Eagles in the basement at 4-4.

They also made some changes to the passing game, and those dice rolls came up sixes. Rookie Roger Lewis caught his second TD pass of the season and proved he’s a viable downfield weapon with more playing time. Unreliable TE Larry Donnell didn’t see the field, and rookie Jerell Adams responded with three catches and a solid blocking effort. Rookie RB Paul Perkins also caught three passes, while also getting more than double his prior high in carries. New York still can’t run the ball (54 yards on 24 carries), but at least they tried something different.

The willingness to try new things and trust more in the youngsters is perhaps Ben McAdoo’s biggest change from Tom Coughlin at the helm. It’s not just on offense either. Undrafted rookie Andrew Adams unexpectedly started at free safety, and he justified the decision with an INT of Carson Wentz as well as a team-leading 9 solo tackles.

About Wentz, Philadelphia’s prized rookie QB: he’s very much like a young phenom pitcher working his way through the batting order a second time. Defenses have caught onto his style, his cadences, his preferences, and they’ve adjusted. Wentz is struggling to make the corollary adjustments of his own. That’s part of being a rookie. It is incredibly frustrating for Eagles fans to watch the league catch up to the precocious North Dakota State product, but it was inevitable. How he handles the adversity and the increased pressure--both behind the line and from the unforgiving Philly media--will determine if the Eagles climb back out of the division cellar or need a year of lumps with the rookie QB and rookie head coach.

$.05--The Los Angeles Rams and New York Jets both have a serious quarterback problem. Both teams also have a serious coaching problem that plays a big part in the QB issue.

For the Rams, Jeff Fisher is bizarrely attached to Case Keenum as his starter. Keenum has now thrown 8 INTs in the last four games, all Los Angeles losses. Other than piling on against the woeful Detroit defense (a game they lost), most of Keenum’s yardage doesn’t translate into scoreboard production either.

There are worse starters--though not many--than Keenum in the league right now. What makes this befuddling is why Fisher is so loyal to him when the Rams traded all kinds of assets to move up and select Jared Goff No. 1 overall last April.

While I’m an avowed Goff skeptic (he was my No. 5-rated QB in the 2016 draft), it’s hard to imagine the Cal rookie doesn’t offer more promise than a relatively nondescript career backup like Keenum. The fact Goff isn’t beating out Keenum is disturbing. The fact Goff isn’t beating out truly terrible backup Sean Mannion should scare the hell out of Rams fans. And if it is Fisher who is making that decision and it’s incorrect, that should also cue horror movie screams near Hollywood.

One of those QBs who is worse than Keenum is Ryan Fitzpatrick in New York. All I can think of when I see Fitzpatrick throwing yet another pick or missing yet another open receiver…

Ernesto Escobedo in Clear and Present Danger would never tolerate such incompetence in his organization. For some reason, the Jets keep trotting out Fitzpatrick. Sure he’s stealing their money, but that cost is already sunk. Why not at least try second-year QB Bryce Petty? Or second-round pick Christian Hackenberg? Was Geno Smith really that bad?

Todd Bowles and the Jets cannot keep letting Fitzpatrick bring down their whole operation. Fitzpatrick appears to be Joaquim de Almeida’s double-agent mole from Clear and Present Danger, with his own greedy motives, slowly bringing down the Jets cartel from within. None of the other guys might be any better, but not even trying to find that out is grounds for Bowles’ impeachment in New York. 

$.06--Midseason Awards

Now that every team has played at least eight games, it’s time to dole out some recognition. If the Pro Football Writers Association and the Football Writers Association of America (I’m a member of both) had ballots due tomorrow, here’s how mine would look:

MVP--Matt Ryan. The Falcons QB gets the nod over Tom Brady because he’s played the full season and spearheads a balanced, potent Atlanta attack that has his team firmly in command of the NFC South.

Offensive Player of the Year--Tom Brady. Sure he missed four games, but his numbers since his return are absurd:

98-of-134 (73.1%), 1319 yards (9.8 YPA), 12 TDs, 0 INTs

I don’t allow players to win more than one award, so Ryan was out of the running. He’d be my No. 2 choice, with Matthew Stafford a distant third in both races.

Defensive Player of the Year--Cliff Avril. He’s not getting the press he deserves, but the Seahawks defensive end is quietly having a monster season for the most dominant defense in the league. Aside from ranking in the top 3 in sacks, he’s also forced 3 fumbles and batted down three passes with more tackles for loss than Von Miller, who is second. Buffalo’s Lorenzo Alexander, the best player you’ve never heard of and the league leader in sacks entering Week 9, is third.

Offensive Rookie--Ezekiel Elliott. The stellar Dallas running back is in the running for offensive player of the year, not just rookie. His closest competition is his own quarterback, the impressive Dak Prescott. Elliott would still thrive without Prescott, but I’m not sure the inverse it valid.

Defensive Rookie--Yannick Ngakoue. Casual fans might ask “who?” but if you’ve watched Jacksonville you’d know the pass rusher from Maryland is the best thing going for the Jaguars. He leads all rookies in sacks, QB pressures, forced fumbles and has added an INT for good measure. Joey Bosa in San Diego has had a splashy impact, but hasn’t played all season thanks to his asinine holdout. And yes, I’m petty enough to hold that against him.

Head Coach of the Year--Jack Del Rio. This award typically goes to a coach of a team that unexpectedly exceeds projections, and that would be Del Rio’s Raiders. His bravado in going for the win early on showed his team he believes in them, and that has carried Oakland into prime playoff positioning for the first time in a long time. Bill Belichick is second, with a special mention for what Mike Mularkey is doing in maximizing his talent in Tennessee.

Assistant Coach of the Year--Rod Marinelli. The Dallas Defensive Coordinator has the Cowboys sitting pretty despite limited impact talent. I expected the Cowboys offense to light up the sky, but I also expected their defense to be an even bigger firework. That hasn’t happened, not in the least, and Marinelli deserves credit for forging a strong unit that is better than the sum of its parts.

Most Improved Player--Morris Claiborne. The Dallas corner finally looks like the top 10 overall draft pick he was back in 2012. Cowboys fans have waited a long time, though a lot of injuries. He’s a big reason why the Dallas D is a pleasant surprise.

$.07--Now that we have the first CFB playoff rankings, the lobbying from coaches and programs is in full force.

Some of the noise gets sorted out on its own. Texas A&M, a surprise No. 4 in the initial rankings, lost to lowly (by SEC West standards) Mississippi State. Alabama silenced any doubts about being No. 1 by shutting out No. 13 LSU, holding the Tigers to just 125 yards of offense in the Tide’s 10-0 win.

Some of the noise will only amplify, and leading that charge is exactly who you would expect: Louisville coach Bobby Petrino. His Cardinals were ranked No. 7 in the first poll, and that apparently irked Petrino. He opined about how he should have run the score up on Florida State when the Cardinals romped the Seminoles 63-20.

“We should have scored 80”

Petrino also talked about the concept of sportsmanship and why he feels like the rankings are forcing teams to run up the score. That point was emphatically refuted by CFB Playoff committee chair Kirby Hocutt in an interview with ESPN, but Petrino’s perception here is not unique.

I was at the Maryland/Michigan game. The Wolverines were ahead 35-0 at halftime and dominated from the opening kickoff. Yet well into the fourth quarter, Jim Harbaugh still had his starters playing on both sides of the ball. It was 52-3 before most of the backups entered on offense, one drive longer on defense. Without trying to crawl into Harbaugh’s head, what message is he trying to send here?

Michigan is safely in the playoff. I think they’re in even if they lose to Ohio State based on the body of work, thanks in part to the Aggies losing and the fact the fourth-best team in the Big 10 East would run away and hide with the SEC East. The same is true for Clemson and the ACC Atlantic, which is why the Tigers are safe as long as they don’t lose before the ACC Title game.

Really the whole playoff picture at this point is pretty clear. There are four undefeated Power 5 teams: Alabama, Clemson, Michigan and Washington. All control their own destiny. Argue with your mistress’s wall, Mr. Petrino… 

$.08--NFL Quickies

--Dallas beat Cleveland 35-10 to improve to 7-1. The Browns remain winless at 0-9 and this was the most one-sided loss on the year. At least the Cavs are still undefeated, Cleveland…

--Following up on last week’s sixth cent, the NFL Network suspended bounty advocate Brian Baldinger for six months. I highly doubt anyone will miss him.

--Chiefs TE Travis Kelce earned his ejection from Kansas City’s close shave win over Jacksonville, albeit in hilarious fashion:

He was right to be disgusted with the officiating for ignoring what could have been classified as sexual molestation above and beyond pass interference as he tried to catch a pass.

--Atlanta churned out yet another impressive offensive display in the Thursday night win over Tampa Bay. On the flip side, the lack of progression as a passer from Bucs second-year QB Jameis Winston is quite discouraging. Jameis needs to see the field better, soon.

--San Diego rode Melvin Gordon to a 43-35 victory over visiting Tennessee. Gordon posted 196 rushing yards including a game-icing 47-yarder on a late third down. Gordon now has almost 250 more rushing yards and well over a full yard per carry average this year more than Todd Gurley, the RB taken before him in the 2015 NFL draft.

$.09--College/Draft quickies

--Western Michigan stayed unbeaten and on pace for a New Year’s Day bowl (likely the Cotton) in one of the tremendous midweek #MACtion contests. The Broncos have road wins against two Big Ten teams and feature bookend offensive tackles who will start at the next level to go along with arguably the top wideout in this draft class in Corey Davis. Having seen both in person this year, I’m confident when I declare Western would have little trouble beating Notre Dame, the closest geographic big boy school. Whomever they face in a bowl game had better watch out, P.J. Fleck’s crew can definitely row against just about anyone.

--Ohio State 62, No. 9 Nebraska 3. The Buckeyes desperately needed an emphatic answer to the loss to Penn State. They got it. This one was already a blowout when Huskers QB Tommy Armstrong left with a scary injury, one which required staff to cut off his shoulder pads and jersey as well as removing his facemask. Fortunately he is apparently fine. So are the Buckeyes, boldly stating their case to be the top 1-loss team in the college football playoff race.

--From the Texas/Texas Tech game, the craziest play you’ll see all season…

 

--Navy squeaked past Notre Dame 28-27, which drops the Irish to 3-6. They still have games with an improving, ranked Virginia Tech team and at USC, as well as 5-4 Army. Very good chance the Irish will be on the outside looking in come bowl season.

--Another preseason top 10 team who won’t be bowling: Michigan State. The Spartans lost their seventh game in a row, falling to Illinois. Even those who expected a down year for Mark Dantonio’s MSU program never saw this coming. Tough to win with no QB and an even worse offensive line. The program is strong enough to bounce back to B1G East contention in ’17, but for Dantonio’s sake they had better.

--Consider this an addendum to $.07 above:

 

Maybe Petrino isn’t nuts after all… 

$.10--One of the privileges of working out of home as a writer is that I get to participate in my children’s’ school activities. I’m a frequent chaperone for school field trips and afterschool endeavors.

I love doing these things, and my kids enjoy it too. The bonding experience of going to zoos, pumpkin patches, maple syrup farms and all kinds of trips is special, and has led to many fond shared memories. I’ve even done two overnight field trips with my son, the most recent of which involved me being the sole adult male in charge of a group of 13 fifth thru eighth grade boys.

Sometimes I’m the only dad present for these activities. More often, there’s me and one or maybe two other dads. It’s frustrating to see the lack of participation, but it’s even more frustrating for the kids.

I understand many men cannot get time away from work to spend even an hour watching a Halloween parade or being a guest reader in class. I’ve held jobs that would have prevented me from doing those very things. My wife has such a job; it’s nearly impossible for her to make any activity--scholastic or otherwise--before about 6 PM.

But you need to try. It’s invaluable to witness firsthand how your children interact with others, who their school friends are and what they think. As an example, I learned my 11-year-old son is widely regarded as the alpha athlete in his class. My daughter is a high-achieving brown-noser, for better or worse. I know their friends and their roles within those social structures.

I saw the boy who my daughter always says is disrupting class and doesn’t listen. She’s not lying. I saw how strained my son gets when things don’t go as he expects, and what a burden it puts on the teachers.

I also got to share in some truly memorable experiences. My son and I zip-lined over a river. We rode on a horse-drawn carriage on Mackinac Island. We canoed. We survived an Axe body spray barrage. My daughter and I rode a camel. I saw her face light up when she got to turn the lights on in a police car.

The bottom line: if you can possibly wing it, get involved with your kids at school. Take an afternoon off and chaperone a trip, or a school dance, or volunteer as a playground monitor for a half an hour at lunchtime. It’s more important than spending a lunch hour glued to your phone. Your kids will never forget it.