$.01-- Minnesota fell at New England in a game that will likely forever be remembered as Brett Favre?s last hurrah. Playing on a broken ankle, Favre didn?t throw a touchdown against one interception, didn?t get sacked despite being hit nine times. He got knocked out of the game when Myron Pryor inadvertently smacked Favre?s chin with his helmet while nailing the defenseless QB. It?s that groggy, woozy, limping Favre that I will hold firm in my mind for a long time. It reminds me of my lasting, final impression of one of my childhood favorites: Franco Harris limping off the field dejectedly, wearing a Seahawks uniform and a small fraction of the Hall of Fame talent he once was. I saw it with Dave Winfield during his regrettable Indians tenure at the very end of his career, unable to catch up to 85 MPH fastballs and completely devoid of the grace and presence that made him another childhood favorite and Hall of Famer. Don?t even get me started on Patrick Ewing with Orlando. No doubt Favre will come back and keep his ridiculous streak alive, further tainting his legacy with each passing week and each Vikings loss. I frequently criticize Favre and have for years, but I do not blame #4 for this. Part of what made Favre so magical in his heyday was his supreme confidence and testicular fortitude, his willingness to throw caution, and his body, to the wind. It?s that confidence and determined attitude that has kept him as an above-average QB when most signal callers are on the celebrity golf circuit or coaching guys half their ages. But having an iron will and unwavering belief in his own abilities makes Favre blind to the fact that he?s just not helping anyone in his current state. Getting clocked by a fairly anonymous lineman because he can?t move laterally anymore is what Favre is these days. The turnovers that ran him out of Green Bay and tarnished his brief New York tenure (remember that?!) are back in full force. The plain and simple truth is that the Vikings are not going to win with Brett Favre as their quarterback. Coach Brad Childress needs to come to his senses and come clean with his quarterback: the time has come for a change. They might not win with Tarvaris Jackson either, but there?s no way Favre in this condition can lead them to victory anymore. It?s incumbent upon Childress to save Favre from himself and try to save his own hide as well. If Favre is starting under center next week against Arizona, you will know that Childress has no control over his team and no confidence in asserting himself. $.02-- What an impressive display by the Green Bay Packers, heading into New York and blanking the Jets 9-0. What makes it more impressive is that they did so coming off a short week (playing last Sunday night), while the Jets were returning from their bye week. Aaron Rodgers handled the tricky winds just well enough to produce three field goals, while the Packers defense nicely controlled an inefficient Jets attack. This game highlights two deep-seated beliefs I hold about the NFL. First, bye weeks are killers for teams that rely on momentum and were playing well before the break. That is true both during the regular season and the playoffs. The Jets came out relatively flat and lacking the sharpness that had punctuated their early-season play. Second, teams that have a plethora of injuries often circle the proverbial wagons a lot better than anticipated. That was certainly true of the Packers, down many key starters and losing WR Donald Driver early on. It?s the mark of a good team when they can come together and rally around one another in the face of adversity, and the Packers proved they are indeed a good team with this shutout win. $.03-- The Detroit Lions were the best 1-5 team in the league, and now they are the best 2-5 team in the league. If you like defensive line play, you really need to watch the Lions and their front-four, which is the best in the league and getting better every single week. Rushing 3 or 4 almost exclusively all day, the Lions bagged 6 sacks, 19 QB hits, forced 3 fumbles and one INT. It got so bad that Skins coach Mike Shanahan sent in Rex Grossman for a clearly shell-shocked Donovan McNabb. Grossman responded by dropping back 9 times, in which he got hit 8 times and got called for intentional grounding on the other. His first snap resulted in a fumble that Ndamukong Suh showboated back for the game-clinching touchdown. All day long the Lions brought relentless pressure and thoroughly dominated the line of scrimmage. It covered up what was a shaky return for QB Matt Stafford despite the four TD throws. Looking very much like he hadn?t played in 6 weeks, Stafford was erratic and out of synch with his receivers most of the day. To his credit he made a couple of beautiful throws to Calvin Johnson, who played perhaps his best overall game as a pro. Stafford will get better, and that should scare the rest of the NFC. With that defensive front playing the way they are and the barrage of weaponry on offense, the Lions are finally a playoff-caliber team. They won?t make it this year, but this team bears zero resemblance to anything that stunk up Ford Field in the Millen Era. $.04-- Oakland and Jacksonville both cruised to easy, dominating, very impressive victories on Sunday. Yes, you read that right. The Raiders levied a whooping on the Seahawks, while the Jaguars drove more nails into the Cowboys coffin. These wins leave both teams at 4-4 and in the thick of a crowded AFC playoff picture. Yes, you read that right. So which team is more dangerous? I?ll take the Raiders because of their defensive swagger and Darren McFadden, who is running away with the mythical ?Most Improved Player? award. Jacksonville has done a good job feasting on bottom-feeders, but their only real impressive win was handling the Colts on a last-second 59-yard field goal. Oakland could very easily be 6-2 but for a missed Janikowski 31-yard field goal and a couple of inopportune bounces in the Houston game. In the last two weeks, the Raiders have hung 59 on Denver and routed the NFC West-leading Seahawks 33-3, showing an aggressive, attacking defense with increased discipline and much better overall cohesion. They?re very quietly getting solid, mistake-free play from QB Jason Campbell, who has turned in a QB rating over 120 two weeks in a row. Oakland is looking a lot more like the vintage Al Davis Raiders, and I bet the man in the silver jumpsuit is mighty proud. We?ll see how legit they really are next week when they host AFC knWest-leading Kansas City in one of the NFL?s best rivalry games. If the Raiders that have shown up the last two weeks turn up in the Black Hole, then Oakland will cut the lead to half a game and a win in hand against every division rival. $.05-- Normally, I pay little attention to the CBS pregame show, but the feature they did with the always entertaining Shannon Sharpe and the trick-or-treaters was excellent. Kudos to the producers for being willing to skewer so many prominent NFL figures, but a special thumbs up to the kids for showing some real talent. I?m still chuckling at the performance of the kid playing Jay Cutler running into everything and falling over indiscriminately, then cowering in fear at James Harrison by pulling his potato sack over his head. Brilliant! It?s this kind of creativity and chutzpah that just might lure back some viewers. Note to the producers: more Sharpe and Boomer, less Cowher and Marino please. I also want to give credit to Andrew Siciliano, host of DirecTV?s awesome Red Zone channel. He?s quite clearly winging it as the action in front of him switches quickly from game to game, and he seldom disappoints with his coy one-liners and cheeky references. His task on that channel is akin to juggling flaming swords while talking on two cell phones simultaneously, and Siciliano brings it all together in an entertaining way. He does fumble from time to time, but he almost always recovers with self-acknowledgement and aplomb. $.06-- In a highly entertaining tilt that could very well be a playoff preview between division winners, Arizona and Tampa Bay waged a shootout that featured a little bit of everything from head-scratching QB decisions to some spectacular individual efforts to some bone-rattling hits. The Bucs ultimately held on thanks to their defense picking off Arizona QBs four times and a long, highlight-reel run by LeGarrette Blount with two minutes to go. This game highlights the importance of having a trustworthy quarterback. Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt yanked Max Hall, who was very good on the opening drive before reminding everyone why he went undrafted last April. In came Derek Anderson, who did his best Derek Anderson impression: inspiring toughness and some pinpoint bullets that put Arizona in position to win, with a terrible red zone interception that cost them a great chance to secure the victory and a bumbling fumble (it wasn?t his fault Levi Brown forgot to block, but at least Brown recovered it) that ate up the final gasp. Vintage DA; so much tantalizing greatness drowned out by such egregiously awful plays. On the flip side, Tampa Bay is in first place (okay, technically they are tied with Atlanta) largely because of their young QB. Josh Freeman completed several long passes, often set up by Freeman buying time with his legs. The Bucs brought a balanced offense and a hard-hitting defense that created opportunities, but it?s Freeman that stirs the drink. A picture-perfect bomb to rookie Arrelious Benn set up yet another 4th quarter comeback win for Freeman and the Bucs. This team has supreme confidence in Freeman?s ability to lead them from behind, and he seldom fails to deliver. I still scratch my head a little believing Tampa is 5-2 and sure looks like a playoff team, but I?m a believer in Freeman. $.07-- Here are some ugly stats from Sunday?s games: Washington went 1-13 on 3rd down, and through their 11th attempt the average yardage needed was 17.5 yards. They had seven offensive penalties on 1st down. Green Bay went just 2-14 on 3rd down, including 1-6 on 3rd and 3 or less. Denver went 1-9 on 3rd down, their one conversion came via penalty, and they actually lost yardage on third down for the game. Cincinnati went 4-4 on 3rd down on their opening drive, and then didn?t convert another one until there were just 4 minutes remaining after missing 9 in a row. Seattle was 0-9 on 3rd down through the middle of the 3rd quarter, twice missing the conversion despite pass plays longer than 12 yards. They wound up 1-for-15 with their conversion coming on a bogus illegal contact penalty. Of those dubious performers, only the Packers won on Sunday--mainly because the Jets went 0-3 on 4th down and Green Bay won the starting field position battle by over 15 yards. It?s no secret; if you want to win NFL games, you need to win the 3rd down battle. Keeping drives alive and getting the defense some precious rest is a decided advantage, but there is more to it than that. Third down is from where momentum and confidence spring on both sides of the ball. It?s where coaches show their creativity and get to use their queens on the chessboard. That is a lot more difficult when she?s trapped behind pawns and facing certain doom because the other pieces are so badly out of position. $.08-- 5 NFL quickies: 1. Nice win by the Saints defense, especially considering their dearth of cornerbacks. They needed a gut check by the defense and they got it. Something is still not right with the New Orleans offense, but if they can continue to rely on the defense to win games, they have some time to figure it out. 2. He?s taken a lot of grief in his young career, but Rams DE Chris Long has turned the proverbial corner. The stats aren?t reflective of just how well Long plays against both the pass and run; he is the kind of player that makes everyone around him on defense a lot better, like Ben Wallace in his Pistons prime. 3. Worst announcing team has to be Gus Johnson and Steve Tasker. If you are subjected to their call, watch the game on mute and find the radio call. You almost need a spit guard to listen to Johnson?s hyper-excited delivery, while Tasker is chronically one play behind in his color analysis. The Bills/Chiefs game was eminently exciting and dramatic on its own, and Johnson?s over-the-top histrionics detracted from it. 4. Playing in London apparently got to Broncos kicker Matt Prater. He bent a perfect corner at Wembley Stadium, except it was on an extra point. Punter Britton Colquitt also struggled badly in his namesake country too. Maybe this will inspire some young English kids to start kicking a pigskin instead of a soccer ball...they can?t do any worse. 5. I trust my new neighbor on this one. A lifelong Cowboys fan old enough to remember Roger Staubach, he blandly told me tonight that the worst thing that can happen to Jerry Jones and the Cowboys is irrelevance. Guess who is tied for last place in the NFC and has faded far down the pecking order of highlight prominence... $.09--College/Draft quickies: 1. How much better does TCU look now that Baylor is the team to beat in the Big 12 South? After thumping Texas in Austin, the Bears control their own destiny in what is one of the two toughest BCS divisions (the other being the SEC West). Back in early September the Horned Frogs annihilated Baylor 45-10 in a game that really wasn?t that close. For my money they are the best non-BCS conference school and should be ahead of Boise State. However, I still have a hard time buying they belong in the BCS title game over undefeated Auburn or Oregon, if things remain status quo. 2. RichRod is now 4-16 in the Big Ten and his defense ranks 117th out of 120 teams in D-I football. This is year three, so any excuses about Lloyd Carr?s crappy recruiting are long gone. You can?t win if you can?t stop anybody, and Michigan is in very real peril of starting 5-0 and still missing a bowl. There is no way Rodriguez should be able to survive that ignominy. 3. One player I?ve liked all year finally got a breakout game that will no doubt elevate his prominence with more draftniks. Texas A&M wideout Jeff Fuller exploded for 11 receptions and 171 yards following the Aggies change at QB, benching erratic Jerrod Johnson for the more accurate, more poised Ryan Tannehill. Fuller has had little trouble getting open all season long--no player changes speeds more effectively, and now that TAMU appears to have a QB that can get him the ball, watch the 6?4? Fuller?s stock brim a lot higher. 4. Congrats to Virginia and new coach Mike Richmond for knocking off Miami and bagging the Hoos first ACC win this year. It helped that Canes QB Jacory Harris got KO?ed early, but Richmond?s patience with QB Mark Verica is what impresses me. Verica got yanked a week earlier and is highly inconsistent, but Richmond correctly sensed that his young team needed stability and confidence. They did so playing without standout CB Ras-I Dowling, who has often looked like Gene Simmons playing with Mini KISS. 5. Michigan State and Missouri took humiliating tumbles from the unbeaten ranks, both being exposed as fraudulent national title contenders. Give credit to Oregon for surviving at USC after being threatened well into the 3rd quarter. Those losses also mean that neither the Big 12 nor Big 10 have any shot at the BCS Title game or any at-large berths for BCS bowls with the possible exception of Ohio State running the table. $.10-- I want to take you all back to last draft season. You probably remember it as the Season of Tebow. Nearly every draft pundit slammed Tim Tebow for being inaccurate, unable to progress through reads, being too jumpy and willing to just tuck and run, and having a slow, ugly delivery. They would begrudgingly acknowledge his incredible leadership, his unprecedented charisma, his knack for winning, and his physical and mental toughness. But there was no way in their minds that Tebow could ever overcome all those negatives with all those positives. This year we have a new Tebow, but the shoe is clearly on the other foot. Washington QB Jake Locker is almost universally lauded for his incredible leadership, his great physical and mental toughness, and his knack for coming through in crunch time. It?s almost incidental to the McShays and Rangs and Kipers of the world that he is an inferior QB to Tim Tebow in almost every way. Accuracy? Tebow completed 66% of his throws, Locker is currently at 54.8% for his career in almost the exact same number of attempts. Pocket awareness? Tebow got sacked 57 times, Locker is at 70 and counting. Ability to throw downfield? Tebow?s yards per attempt was 9.3 for his career, Locker is at 6.6. Protecting the football? Tebow threw 16 INTs, Locker is at 32. I?ll concede that Locker plays with a lesser supporting cast. I?ll also concede that Locker has a much more natural, aesthetically pleasing delivery than Tebow. But when I see Todd McShay go on national TV and gush about Locker?s intangibles (i.e. leadership, toughness) trumping any possible detractions as a signal caller, I can?t help but scream ?hypocrite?. Let me get this straight, Mr. McShay--off-the-chart intangibles meant nothing for Tebow in your eyes, but they can make you ignore some clear deficiencies and lack of NFL skills for Jake Locker? Just because a guy can throw the ball nicely in 7-on-7s and can scramble around valiantly does not make him a first-round NFL QB. Every single statistical metric favors Tim Tebow, most by a pretty wide margin, yet you constantly dogged Tebow and virtually fellate Locker every time someone sticks a camera in your face? Get real. For the record, here was my pre-draft assessment of Tim Tebow: NFL Comparison: As a thrower, Derek Anderson with an awkward delivery. Can be brilliant and has incredible arm strength, but the accuracy is a battle and field vision is inconsistent. Plays QB similarly to Ben Roethlisberger, but not near as polished. Forecast: As a person and leader, Tebow is a 1st round pick. As a QB, he?s a major project that needs at least two years of work as a middle-round pick. I doubt he falls out of the top 50. I haven?t formed a final opinion on Locker yet, but I suspect it will read much the same. I had Tebow as my 4th-rated QB last year, and right now Locker would rank 4th for this class. I suspect most draftniks think I?m crazy for being so negative about Locker, but I?m merely being consistent and honest with my eyes. Shame on those that aren?t. Jeff.Risdon@RealGM.com