$.01-- The most important win of the weekend in my eyes was New England?s lengthy overtime upset of the Ravens. I find this one so important for a multitude of reasons. Foremost, it firmly establishes the AFC as more balanced at the top than expected, and the Patriots ensured they are in that grouping with the Steelers, Ravens, and Jets, with the Colts very close. It proved to the world the Patriots truly don?t need Randy Moss in order to hang with the big boys; think Moss would be as effective on those shorter routes that frequently? It proved the Ravens vaunted defense still struggles with the no-huddle offense, where their age is a factor and the offense is more apt to dictate the action. Both teams have secondaries that can and will be exploited, which means no lead is ever safe enough for them. The Ravens still have a tendency to get too enamored with the pass and ignore their decided advantage when running the ball, particularly on first downs after punts. But above all else, this game eliminates any rational doubt that the AFC features the better overall teams. Both New England and Baltimore would be my favorites to win the NFC, but neither might win a playoff contest in the top-heavy AFC. That makes this win so critical for the Patriots because it keeps them squarely in the picture for hosting more than one playoff game, and I?m not sure they would have won this one had the game been in Baltimore. $.02-- Minnesota beat Dallas in the so-called ?Disappointment Bowl?, raising their record to 2-3 and within realistic striking distance of both Chicago (which bombed defensively in losing at home to Seattle) and Green Bay (unable to overcome all those injuries and a terrible OL in the OT loss to Miami) in the NFC North. The Vikings still have issues, most notably cornerback until enough bodies are healthy enough to nail Lito Sheppard to the bench, but they have legitimate hope. That is probably not the case for Dallas anymore. Sure, they?re only 2.5 games behind the Eagles and Giants, reasonably healthy overall, and they get five of their next eight at home. But this is a raft coursing down a Class V rapid run with no guide paddle. Tony Romo was once again erratic, great at times, but also guilty of some bad throws and missed reads. All the penalties (11 in this one) are the telltale sign of a team that cannot channel its desperation. But I really think the coordination of the team is the problem. It was obvious from the first drive of the game that the Vikings could not cover Dez Bryant, Miles Austin or Roy Williams down the field, yet Romo threw 18 passes to his backs and almost never looked down the field. Granted, he didn?t have a lot of time very often (though he was not sacked), but it appeared the game plan was to hunt and peck the Vikings to death. This Dallas offense is geared to make big plays, not penny and nickel the ball down the field repeatedly. It?s as if OC Jason Garrett wants to prove he can defy wisdom. Defensively, it?s the same story. No 3-4 front team telegraphs its intentions, blitzes, and coverage schemes pre-snap worse than the Cowboys. They appear to buy into the delusion that they?re awesome enough to tell the offense what they?re going to do and get away with it. Muppet News Flash for Wade Phillips: not even the 85 Bears or 00 Ravens were good enough to do that, and you sir do not have one-eighth the talent of those defenses. The players deserve a lot of blame for not executing with sharpness, but the coaches haven?t helped them by devising game plans that play to their strengths either. $.03-- I know Sports Talk America will focus on the Cowboys struggles, but I?m even more baffled by just how badly the Chargers are playing. I don?t want to take away from St. Louis and all the progress the Rams have clearly made, but there?s just something very wrong with San Diego. My quick, from-afar guess as to what that problem is: Philip Rivers. It?s not that the QB isn?t very talented or playing well; he will absolutely deserve his Pro Bowl berth this year. But you get the sense in watching the Chargers that his teammates freaking hate him. Look at how the rest of the offense responded when Rivers got sacked; no linemen came back to quickly pluck him off the carpet, nobody got upset or held their heads for blowing a block. There were several instances where it looked like the receivers weren?t really focusing on Rivers? barking as well. That?s a reflection of a decided lack of leadership on the rest of the team. As much as I applaud them for dumping Shawne Merriman and his worthless-without-steroids body, he gave the defense an edgy identity. Antonio Cromartie played corner that way too, and it worked for the Bolts. That edge is gone. LaDainian Tomlinson was the spiritual leader of the offense, and Kassim Osgood filled that role for the special teams. Both those guys are gone. There is a bitter pall around the team regarding the holdouts of Marcus McNeill and Vincent Jackson, a feeling that hard work and great play won?t be rewarded by a spendthrift owner. Coach Norv Turner is not a motivator but rather a tactician, and the coordinators are fairly low-key individuals as well. I also think there is complacency bred in part by being able to overcome recent slow starts and still run away with the wretched AFC West. It all adds up to a toxic brew that is quickly boiling over in San Diego. With the way the Chiefs and even the Broncos are playing with such heart and cohesion despite lesser talent, I don?t think this Chargers team will find it so easy to turn this season around. $.04-- Congrats to the 49ers for digging deep and notching their first win. I?d like to say they earned it, but other than a handful of very nice plays (Gore?s long run, Crabtree?s great TD reception, Lawson?s spectacular INT) it was largely a contest of which team sucked less. And on Sunday, San Francisco sucked less than their cross-bay rivals. This game made me yearn for the glory and precision of the UFL. Some of the ugliness: Oakland had six first down attempts in a row that resulted in either no gain or a loss; San Francisco had 143 penalty yards even after the Raiders declined three calls; at least four passes were dropped by receivers on good throws where there was no defender within three yards; Jason Campbell threw for just 83 yards and was 1-6 for two yards in the red zone. To his credit, embattled QB Alex Smith avoided the asinine turnovers that made him famous, and the Niners calmed down and played more focused football later in the game. But this should not be seen as a turning point for Mike Singletary & Co., because this game was as much, if not more about the failures and ineptness of the Raiders. Yet don?t discount the Niners going on a bit of a run now, thanks to as much of a cakewalk schedule as any team has had in recent years. Their next 5 weeks? At winless, punchless Carolina, in London for a Denver team that can?t run, a bye, then home dates with St. Louis and Tampa Bay. Even though those last two are off to surprisingly strong starts, expect the Niners to be favored in each of their next four games despite being 1-5. That right there is all you need to know about how crappy the NFC is this year. $.05-- In roughly a 15 minute span of the first halves of the early games, I saw four hits that should result in suspensions. Two of those were by Pittsburgh?s James Harrison, who delivered vicious, intentional head shots on Josh Cribbs and Mohammad Massaquoi. Sam Bradford got nailed near the goal line on a roll-out where Kevin Burnett dove head first into Bradford?s face with the crown of his helmet. The most violent collision was also the only one of the four that drew a penalty, as Atlanta CB Dunta Robinson blew up Philly?s DeSean Jackson in a play that left both motionless on the ground for several minutes. I understand the violence of the game and the double standard of ?jacked up? highlight movies and overzealous protection of offensive players, but a clear message must be sent to these defenders: intentionally going to the head or leading with the crown of the helmet will get you suspended and heavily fined. On the Massaquoi hit, Harrison deliberately went straight for the head when he had ample time to alter his course and attack point. The lack of a penalty on that play is an unacceptable, egregious officiating error, but the hit on Bradford struck me as even more shameful that there was no flag. At least three officials were right on top of the play and it was plainly obvious intentional head-to-head contact. How about suspending the officials who drop the ball on these plays too? $.06-- The Houston Texans eked out a win over the very game Kansas City Chiefs in a thrilling contest that they trailed almost the whole way. Along the way they lost their defensive leader in Demeco Ryans, out for the season with a torn Achilles. It took four consecutive touchdown drives--a first in team history--to overcome another inept all-around defensive performance, but give the Texans credit for not folding up their tent. Andre Johnson played like the star he should be, the offensive line really picked it up, and Matt Schaub controlled the huddle and saw the field well. Obviously, the defensive problems are pervasive and widespread, but the Texans offense rediscovered their confidence in this game, against a pretty solid KC defense to boot. It?s hard to read too much into anything this Houston team does, but if the defense starts to improve at all they?re going to be a tricky playoff out. And it?s hard to imagine the defense playing any worse, even without Ryans. They hit their much-needed bye week in first place in the very strong AFC South. $.07-- 5 NFL quickies: 1. The pass interference call against Kansas City?s Brandon Flowers, which ultimately led to Houston scoring the winning TD, is one of the worst calls you will ever see. Let?s see, Andre Johnson elbows Flowers in the back as Flowers--in perfect position--turns to look for the ball, and the flag goes on Flowers. Another call where the official that blew it and should be suspended. 2. For the love of God, DO NOT PUNT TO DEVIN HESTER! It very nearly cost Seattle the win in a game they should have won by 20. And if you have any clue about who these Seahawks are for the rest of the season, please clue me in because I have absolutely no idea. 3. Here?s hoping Lions LB Zack Follett has no lingering effects from his scary injury. The Pain Train got an inadvertent helmet-to-helmet hit on punt coverage and left the field on a cart. Follett is a great guy, a down-to-earth fella that happens to play in the NFL. 4. Ladies and gentlemen, the New Orleans Saints have entered the building. Finally. That was one impressive butt kicking they laid on the upstart Bucs, one that tells me New Orleans is still the team to beat in the NFC. 5. The best catch of the weekend came on the final play of the Sunday Night game...by Colts safety Aaron Francisco. If he doesn?t time that jump perfectly it?s a touchdown for the Redskins, but his one-handed stab at full extension while falling backwards was a real beauty. Not bad for a guy who couldn?t make the team out of camp. $.08-- On Tuesday, Brett Favre will travel to New York to meet with Commissioner Roger Goodell regarding his sexting and inappropriate advances towards a former Jets hostess. Here?s hoping that the Commish comes down hard on Favre and shows some consistency in his doling out of punishment for violating the personal conduct policy. Fred Smoot and Vikings teammate Bryant McKinnie each got suspended one game for involvement in the ?Love Boat? scandal, which was a private function not involving other Vikings female employees. Favre?s actions are clear sexual harassment and wildly inappropriate conduct between co-workers, and it can be construed that Favre was using his position of power to entice a co-worker lower on the org chart to have sexual relations with him. I f he doesn?t get at least two games for his actions, Commissioner Goodell had better be prepared for waves of criticism from feminists, workplace equality advocates, fans of other teams crying favoritism, and any right-minded person who knows damn well that if this was Ryan Fitzpatrick or Derek Anderson they?d be suspended and their teams would likely acquiesce to pressure to release them. Please don?t be a joke, Mr. Commissioner! $.09-- 5 College/Draft quickies: 1. Oregon assumes the #1 ranking after the prior #1 teams, Alabama and Ohio State, lost in consecutive weeks. I don?t mean to demean the Ducks, but they have to be the weakest team to ever ascend to #1 since the BCS started. If that is the best team in the country, this is a pathetic year for college football. They?re not good enough to beat any team that played in any BCS game a year ago. 2. One of the things scouts look at when evaluating bigger running backs is their forward lean. Lots of taller or thicker backs tend to run either too upright or get too far in front of their toes, causing balance problems and making them much easier to tackle. Wisconsin?s John Clay has had trouble staying back over his toes all season, but he did a nice job of it against Ohio State. I still don?t see a back with much creativity or ability to thrive without strong blocking, but I liked his balance and drive in the upset win, and he?s never lacked power or heart. By contrast, Kansas State bruiser Daniel Thomas once again showed a rigid uprightness in his running even in KSU?s annihilation of vastly inferior Kansas. His pad level is way too high and his acceleration and lateral wiggle both suffer from it, but it doesn?t appear he has much physical ability to modify his running style. Clay?s stock is holding steady in the 3rd-4th round range, while Thomas is dropping every week. 3. In watching Florida drop their third straight game, I was surprised at how little the Gators play as a team. There is a lot of athletic talent on that roster but not a lot of very good football players, and I?m stunned at how little the coaching staff has developed said talent from August to now. Just wondering how much Urban Meyer?s heart is really in this season... 4. Don?t laugh, but Michigan State could wind up playing for the national championship. If they win out, and they?ll be favored in every game except the trip to Iowa, MSU could be the only BCS conference team that is unbeaten. Neither Boise State nor TCU are apt to lose, but there?s no way the BCS admins could ever let two non-BCS conference schools play for the title; I?ll still be surprised if either one gets in the title game even if both are the only unbeatens left standing. Sparty?s road is easier than Oregon and Oklahoma face, and Auburn/LSU/Alabama are likely to cannibalize one another beyond what the computers can fix. That?s all assuming MSU doesn?t blow it, something they?ve got an alarming recent history of doing. 5. The ACL injury to Notre Dame TE Kyle Rudolph further dampens what might be the weakest TE class of this century. Rudolph was the only TE I?ve seen that even merits 2nd round consideration, and now he?s damaged goods. At this point I would be very hard pressed to come up with a top 5 TE prospects, because I?m not sure I?ve seen 5 draft-worthy TEs to this point. It?s still early in the evaluation process though. $.10-- I know a lot of you men out there struggle to balance your football needs with family obligations. You know, the guilt you are supposed to feel while your wife spends Sunday chasing the kids around while you hole up in the man cave with a cooler of beer, coming up for air to pay the pizza man and maybe play a little catch at halftime. This Sunday, I found a great way to put those hands together and help turn football time into family fun time. Rather than shunning my family, I invited my son and daughter to watch DirecTV?s NFL game mix channel, where eight games are on the screen at the same time. We made it into a game of ?Guess where the next touchdown will be? and it held the attention of a 5-year old boy and a 2-year old girl until halftime of the early games. It also helped my son Layne with some geography and with learning more of the game, and it helped me control my intensity while watching. Normally, I watch in an edgy sort of excited vigor, frequently leaping off the couch and yelling at the screen for great plays or great injustices. In trying to be a good example to my kids, I toned it down and found I had more fun watching. At halftime we all had a snack together and my loving wife was clearly grateful for 90 minutes of peaceful zen. That bought me the late games guilt-free and even drew Layne back for several quick visits, during which he eagerly fetched me fresh Throwback Pepsis and Virginia salted peanuts. Once again, football makes my family stronger!