The 15-Play Drive

15 thoughts on week-12 in the NFL...

1. Hands Steve Johnson. You know those things at the end of your arms? Use them! A week after he was on the receiving end of 3-touchdown passes, the Bills wideout dropped 5-balls including the game winning TD in overtime against the Steelers. "Why so serious?"

2. Talk about mastering the art of the gut wrenching defeat...Buffalo's last 4-losses have all been by 3-points, with three of them coming in overtime. And believe it or not, those games were all against division leaders...Pittsburgh, Chicago, Kansas City and Baltimore. This from a Bills team that's just 2-9 overall. You can't make it up.

3. If the NFL is going to suspend players for what they deem to be dangerous helmet to helmet hits, then Texans wide-receiver Andre Johnson and Titans cornerback Cortland Finnegan must be suspended for Sunday's boxing match. A fine from the league would be a very weak response to an ugly incident.

4. What are you saving that challenge for Mike McCarthy? It's 4th and 3...Tony Gonzalez just picked up a 1st down on a 6-yard reception that may or may not have been trapped...And you're hanging on to that flag like it's a piece of Wisconsin cheddar. The Falcons would end that drive with a Gonzalez touchdown catch, and take a 10-3 lead into the locker room. Awful job by the Packers head coach there.

5. Congratulations to the Vikings Leslie Frazier on winning his head coaching debut. Don't know if Frazier will get the job after the season, but he clearly has a fan in linebacker E.J. Henderson. I spoke with Henderson after the game, and here's what he had to say about the team's interim head coach, "Leslie Frazier is a leader of men. Any leadership role he's placed in, he'll succeed."

6. There was no bigger turkey on Thanksgiving night than Terrell Owens. If Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis is "average" as T.O. claimed, then Owens is practice squad material. Revis held the Bengals receiver to 3-receptions for 17-yards. Way to back up the talk T.O.

7. The Todd Collins award of the week goes to Titans quarterback Rusty Smith. In his starting debut, the rookie out of Florida Atlantic completed 17 of 31-passes for 138-yards with 0-TD's and 3-INT's. This against a Texans defense that came into Sunday allowing 301-yards passing per game.

8. How bad is the NFC West? The winner of tonight's thrilling match-up between the 3-7 Cardinals and 3-7 49ers will be just a game out of 1st place. 7-9 takes that division this year.

9. Just call him Mistake Delhomme. Even in a win the Browns quarterback showed he's already gotten into the spirit of giving with 2-interceptions, including one that was returned 37-yards for a touchdown by the Panthers Captain Munnerlyn. In his last 14-regular season appearances, Delhomme has thrown for 9-TD's and 24-INT's.

10. Quick question...which two quarterbacks have the best touchdown to interception ratio in the NFL through week-12? Hint: They used to play on the same team. It's no coincidence the Patriots Tom Brady and Chiefs Matt Cassel have nearly identical numbers now. Brady has thrown for 23-TD's and 4-INT's, while Cassel has 22-TD's and 4-INT's. That's what you get when you have Patriots East and Patriots Midwest. What you also get are two teams in 1st place.

11. So much for the silver and black are back talk....The Raiders look like the Raiders again.

12. Big win Sunday for the Bears, and I know they're now 8-3, but someone is going to have to explain to me how that pass heavy offense under Mike Martz is going to work when the Chicago weather turns. "Bear Weather" won't be an advantage for the home team this season.

13. We had our 15th overtime game of the season yesterday, and once again it was not decided on the first possession. That's 14 out of 15-times both teams got their hands on the football. I'm still waiting for NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to wake up and realize the coin toss decides who gets the ball, not who wins the game.

14. Giants first 10-games...30-turnovers. Sunday...none. It makes it easier when you don't give the ball away...doesn't it?

15. If Peyton Manning never sees the Chargers again he'll be a whole lot happier. In 203-career regular season games, Manning has thrown 4-interceptions or more just 3-times. Two of those games were against San Diego.