The 15-Play Drive

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

1. I'm not sure which one was worse...Bills wide receiver Stevie Johnson's idiotic TD celebration that cost his team 15-yards, or his drop on Buffalo's final drive that could've potentially gone for a touchdown.

2. That was a heck of a 4th quarter grab Plaxico Burress, and you probably saved the Jets season in the process. The 6'5 Burress needed every inch to haul in a one handed 18-yard reception on 3rd and 11 at the Bills 36-yard line. Had he not been able to make the catch, the Jets, who were trailing 24-21 at the time, would have been forced to attempt a 54-yard field goal.

3. I've defended Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh before as being a physical, aggressive player, but what he did Thanksgiving Day absolutely crossed the line. Suh's classless stomp on the arm of Packers offensive lineman Evan Dietrich-Smith warrants more than a 2-game suspension.

4. Like him or not, you have to feel for Matt Leinart. In what was probably his last opportunity to prove he can succeed in the NFL, Leinart couldn't even make it through 2-quarters before suffering a season ending shoulder injury. So it's onto plan C for the Texans, meaning rookie QB T.J. Yates. Houston defensive coordinator Wade Phillips joined me and Steve Torre on the Sunday Drive, and when asked how the quarterback situation changed things, he responded with this: "Gary Kubiak told me I'm going to run today on 3rd down and long, so we've got to keep playing good defense." The addition of Phillips has been one of best off season moves made by any team, and his defense certainly delivered against Jacksonville with 7-sacks.

5. DeSean Jackson is a talented wide receiver, and I'm sure somebody will pay him when he hits free agency, but he's also developing a reputation as a selfish player. The latest example came Sunday against the Patriots. With his team trailing 21-10 late in the 2nd quarter, and facing 3rd and goal at the 4-yard line, Jackson shied away from contact on a ball he should've caught for a touchdown. He later dropped another TD pass, and was benched by head coach Andy Reid in the 4th quarter.

6. Tim Tebow hasn't totally converted me yet, but the Broncos defense certainly has. During Denver's 4-game winning streak, they're allowing an average of just 15-points per game, and have sacked opposing quarterbacks 12-times.

7. Chargers head coach Norv Turner is a dead man walking, which is why it's hard to explain his conservative play calling in overtime Sunday. With a 1st down on the Broncos 35-yard line, Turner acted as if his team was in chip shot field goal range. Following a pair of running plays that totaled 4-yards, San Diego ran it again. But when Mike Tolbert was stopped for a 4-yard loss, kicker Nick Novak was forced into a 53-yard field goal attempt, which sailed wide right. Turner's lack of aggressiveness cost his team, as Denver took advantage of outstanding field position to score on the ensuing possession.

8. Did the Rams learn nothing from their overtime loss to the Cardinals in week-9? Arizona rookie Patrick Peterson ended that game with a 99-yard punt return for a score. Yet instead of keeping the ball away from Peterson, or just kicking out of bounds Sunday, St. Louis gave him a chance to burn them again, and of course he did. Peterson returned a 3rd quarter punt 80-yards for a TD in the Cardinals 23-20 victory.

9. If you don't pressure Drew Brees, he will kill you. Monday night, Brees could have taken a seat and downed a bowl of gumbo during most of his attempts, because the Giants pass rush was missing in action for the second week in a row. Brees threw for 363-yards with 4-TD's and also ran for a score. In their last 2-games, the Giants have exactly 1-sack. And with Aaron Rodgers coming to town next week, things won't get any easier.

10. Maybe it's just me, but I'm guessing John Harbaugh's Thanksgiving turkey tasted just a little bit better than younger brother Jim's.

11. The Todd Collins award of the week goes to Blaine Gabbert. Jacksonville's rookie QB completed just 13 of 29-passes for 136-yards with 0-TD's and 1-INT against Houston before being benched in favor of Luke McCown.

12. Jaguars tight end Marcedes Lewis didn't do Gabbert or his team any favors Sunday. With the game tied at 7 in the 2nd quarter, Lewis dropped an easy touchdown on 2nd and goal at the Texans 3-yard line. Jacksonville had to eventually settle for a field goal and a slim 10-7 lead.

13. Watching Tarvaris Jackson can drive you crazy. The Seahawks quarterback seemed to have no sense of down or distance late in the 4th quarter against the Redskins. Trailing 20 to 17 with over 2-minutes to go, Jackson completed a 2-yard pass on 3rd and 7 at his own 21-yard line. Then on 4th and 5, he didn't read blitz, held the ball too long, and was sacked. Jackson shows you flashes of ability from time to time, but the bottom line is Seattle still needs a starting QB.

14. It may not have looked like it, but Matt Hasselbeck's go ahead TD pass on 4th and goal against Tampa Bay was Tennessee's version of "the catch." Hasselbeck told me and Steve Torre on the Sunday Drive: "That was the Montana to Dwight Clark play." Down 17-13 in the 4th quarter, the Titans went for it on 4th down at the Buccaneers 2-yard line. Hasselbeck rolled right, and when he couldn't find anybody open, shuffled back to his left where he spotted receiver Damian Williams in the back of the end zone.

15. At what point do Bengals fans put aside their hatred for owner Mike Brown, and support their team? Cincinnati is too good of a story with too many exciting young players for there to be as many empty seats as there were Sunday.

The 15-Play Drive

15 thoughts on week-10 in the NFL...

1. Reports of the Patriots demise were greatly exaggerated, and I'll take some of the blame for that. They're not the dominant team they were 6 or 7-years ago, but as New England showed against the Jets, they're still the class of the AFC East.

2.It wasn't "the stupidest thing in football history" as Jets head coach Rex Ryan claimed, but quarterback Mark Sanchez showed a major lack of situational awareness Sunday night. With 1:24 to go in the 1st half, and the Jets facing 3rd and goal from the Patriots 2-yard line, Sanchez called for a timeout. Only one problem...He left 17-seconds on the play clock instead of letting it run down to give Tom Brady less time to work with. When Sanchez scored on the next play, there was still 1:20 left until halftime. Brady promptly marched the Pats down the field, throwing an 18-yard TD pass to Rob Gronkowski with 9-seconds remaining.

3. Don't underestimate the impact of head coach Sean Payton's return to the sideline for the Saints. Tight end Jimmy Graham told me and Steve Torre on the Sunday Drive: "It definitely made a difference. There were times we made some mistakes. To have him back, screaming in my face...To have him right there telling me what I did wrong, what I need to do...I definitely think it helped us."

4. What Atlanta head coach Mike Smith showed everyone Sunday in their loss to New Orleans is he has no real faith in his defense. Trailing 23-20 with over 4-minutes to go in the 4th quarter, Smith elected to onside kick rather than trust his defense to make a stop. Then in overtime, Smith had his offense go for it on 4th and inches from their own 29-yard line instead of punting the ball back to the Saints. Michael Turner was stopped for no gain, and for all intents and purposes, the game was over.

5. Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton has put together a terrific rookie season, but even the "Red Rifle" couldn't get the better of Dick LeBeau Sunday. In their 24-17 loss to the Steelers, Dalton was just 15 of 30-passing for 170-yards with 2-touchdowns and 2-interceptions. Since LeBeau returned as Pittsburgh's defensive coordinator in 2004, rookie QB's are 1-13 against the Steelers.

6. Is there a quarterback controversy in Arizona? With Kevin Kolb sidelined, 2nd year QB John Skelton has led the Cardinals to back to back victories, and threw for 315-yards with 3-TD's in their surprising 21-17 upset of the Eagles Sunday. Following the win, I asked head coach Ken Whisenhunt if Kolb is still the starting QB when he returns, and he responded with this: "Well Kevin is not playing because he's injured, and we've always had the policy that he'll go back to that role." That may be the policy, but with 2 of Arizona's 3-wins coming with Skelton under center, it won't be easy for Whisenhunt to sell the team on Kolb automatically regaining his starting job.

7. The Eagles bandwagon is officially empty. At 3-6, the "Dream Team" has no realistic shot at making the playoffs, and two of Philly's big ticket additions must share the blame. Nnamdi Asomugha has 3-interceptions this season, but he's been far from the shutdown cornerback they thought they were getting when they signed him to a 5-year 60-million dollar deal. Meanwhile, it's been over a month since defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins registered his last sack. Jenkins has shown flashes this season, but far too often he's been missing in action...And that's exactly where the Eagles will be come this post season...M-I-A.

8. If you took a bathroom break, or got up from the couch to open a new bag of chips, you missed the Giants 1-point 4th quarter lead in San Francisco turn into a 2-touchdown deficit. In exactly 1-minute and 1-second, the 49ers went from trailing 13-12 to leading 27 to 13. Follow along...

2nd and 4 at NYG 31: Alex Smith 31-yard TD pass to Vernon Davis. Smith would also hook up with Michael Crabree for the 2-point conversion.

David Akers kickoff: Da'Rel Scott return to the 11-yard line.

1st and 10: Brandon Jacobs 3-yard run.

2nd and 7: Eli Manning intercepted by Carlos Rogers.

1st and 10 at NYG 17: Kendall Hunter 17-yard TD run. Akers added the extra point.

Just like that the 49ers took control of the game, and gained the inside track to the number-2 seed in the NFC.

9. Detroit apparently wasn't paying attention when I made this point a few weeks ago, so for the Lions benefit I'll spell it out again...THERE IS NO REASON TO KICK THE BALL TO DEVIN HESTER...EVER!!! Hester's 82-yard punt return for a score Sunday was the 12th of his career. Giving him a chance to impact the game is the height of stupidity.

10. The Todd Collins award of the week goes to Lions QB Matt Stafford. In their 37-13 loss to the Bears, Stafford completed 33 of 63-passes for 329-yards with a TD and 4-INT's, 2 of which were returned for touchdowns. And don't give me the fractured finger on his hand excuse. If anything, Stafford needs his eyesight checked after that performance.

11. It doesn't happen often Ray Lewis, but you and Jarrett Johnson came up very small in a big moment. Trailing 22-17 with under 3-minutes to go, Baltimore had a chance to get the ball back as Seattle lined up for a 3rd and 5 play at the Ravens 46-yard line. Tarvaris Jackson completed a short pass to Marshawn Lynch, who was a couple of yards short of the first down. However, Lynch eluded both Lewis and Johnson, turning it into an 8-yard gain. The Seahawks never faced a 3rd down again, and were able to run out the clock.

12. I'm not sure Tony Romo can play any better than he did against the Bills Sunday. Romo threw just 3-incompletions in 26-pass attempts. He finished the game with 270-yards, 3-TD's and 0-INT's. After the blowout win, I caught up with Cowboys wide receiver Laurent Robinson who said of Romo's performance: "That's like video game numbers there."

13. They have the same first name, but that's the only thing Matt Schaub and Matt Leinart have in common. If Schaub is truly out for the season, the Texans are in trouble. I realize Houston has overcome key injuries to Mario Williams and Andre Johnson, but losing Schaub would kill any chance they've got of reaching the Super Bowl. Leinart hasn't attempted a pass since 2009, when he threw 0-touchdowns and 3-interceptions for the Cardinals. In other words, the Texans just went from Picasso to an elementary school finger painter at the most important position.

14. In a league where passing numbers are off the charts this season, the Broncos offense is something out of the early 1940's. In their 17-10 win over the Chiefs, quarterback Tim Tebow completed just 2 of 8-passes for 69-yards and a touchdown. It was the first time a team won a game in which its QB attempted and completed so few passes since 1982 when the Patriots Steve Grogan went 2 of 5 for 13-yards in a 3-0 win against the Dolphins.

15. On the flip side of Tebow is Aaron Rodgers who's putting together a season for the ages. With 4-more TD passes Monday night, Rodgers is on pace to tie Tom Brady's single season record of 50. He leads all quarterbacks in rating, completion percentage, yards per attempt, touchdowns, and among starters is tied with Alex Smith for the fewest interceptions. If they want to get an early start, I think it's safe to engrave Rodgers' name on the MVP trophy.

The 15-Play Drive

15 thoughts on week-9 in the NFL...

1. If Tom Brady never sees the Giants again it won't be soon enough. Brady was as outwardly frustrated as I can remember seeing him during Sunday's 24-20 loss. He was pressured, beat up, and looked confused at times. The blueprint is out on how to beat the Pats, who are as vulnerable as they've ever been with a healthy Brady under center.

2. Let me end the argument right now...Eli Manning, who I've always considered a top-10 QB, is playing like an elite quarterback this season. Case closed.

3. Maybe he was thrown off by setting the clocks back, but Steelers safety Ryan Clark was about an hour late, and took a terrible angle on that game winning TD pass from Joe Flacco to Torrey Smith Sunday night.

4. In their first 3-home games this season, the Bills scored 38, 34 and 31. Sunday, the Jets held Buffalo to just 11-points. Jets all pro cornerback Darrelle Revis told me and Steve Torre on The Sunday Drive: "We just tried to disguise some things to get Ryan Fitzpatrick confused, and you could see that." I should say so...Fitzpatrick was just 15 of 31-passing for 191-yards with a garbage time touchdown and 2-interceptions.

5. Somebody tell Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers to take off the Ryan Leaf mask, because Halloween is over. Rivers has now thrown more interceptions this season than he did all of last year. He was picked off 3-times by the Packers, who returned 2 of them for touchdowns. I'm not sure if he's injured or just trying to do too much, but 14-INT's through 8-games is pitiful.

6. It took until his third start, but the Broncos finally figured out how put together a game plan for Tim Tebow. They used a heavy dose of read option against the Raiders, and Tebow was far more effective than he had been up until Sunday. He threw for 124-yards with 2-TD's, and ran for 118-yards in Denver's 38-24 win at Oakland.

7. Where's your brain Aaron Curry? The Raiders linebacker shoved a scrambling Tim Tebow when he was already out of bounds Sunday to pick up an unnecessary roughness penalty early in the 4th quarter. What made the boneheaded play even worse...it was on 3rd and 20!

8. And then there was one...The Dolphins victory over the Chiefs Sunday left the Colts as the only winless team in football. Unlike Miami though, Indianapolis seems to be getting further away from claiming its first win of the season. The Colts have lost their last 3-games by an average of 32-points. I know they're not intentionally trying to "suck for Luck", but Indy hasn't shown a pulse since week-6.

9. I realize it's only early November, but the NFC West race is over. Not only are the 7-1 49ers going to win the division, there's a good chance they'll end up with a first round bye in the playoffs. So what's led to their stunning turnaround under first year head coach Jim Harbaugh?

Defense: San Francisco is allowing a league low 14.8-points per game and NFL best 70.8-yards rushing.

Frank Gore: He's the first running back in Niners history to rush for as least 100-yards in 5-consecutive games.

Alex Smith: Considered an absolute bust coming into the season, Smith has avoided mistakes with 10-touchdowns and just 2-interceptions while completing 64.1% of his passes.

10. He hasn't gotten the attention of fellow rookies Cam Newton or Andy Dalton, but Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson is having a major impact in his first NFL season. Peterson's 99-yard punt return for a touchdown to beat the Rams in overtime made him the first player in league history have 3-punt returns for touchdowns in his first 8-games.

11. Every time Bears running back Matt Forte touches the ball, the price goes up. Forte is averaging nearly 5.5-yards per carry, and over 10-yards per reception. He's now rushed for more than 100-yards in 4 of 5-games, including Monday night's 133-yard performance against the Eagles. Yet with a base salary of $555,000, Forte makes less than the likes of fellow running backs Donald Brown, Danny Ware, and Derrick Ward. If Chicago doesn't pay him, I can think of a number of other teams that will. Think he might look good in a Patriots or Lions uniform?

12. A little precision goes a long way Michael Vick. With the Eagles trailing the Bears 30-24 and under 2-minutes to go in the 4th quarter Monday night, Vick's 4th and 10 pass to a wide open Jeremy Maclin was too high. Maclin made a terrific leaping catch, but fell to the ground afterwards causing him come up 1-yard short of a first down. Game over.

13. The Todd Collins award of the week goes to Colts QB Curtis Painter. In Sunday's 31-7 loss to the Falcons, Painter completed just 13 of 27-passes for 98-yards with 0-TD's and 1-INT before being replaced by Dan Orlovsky.

14. Is Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan still willing to stake his reputation on John Beck and Rex Grossman? Through 8-games, the two have combined for 8-touchdowns, 13-interceptions and a completion percentage of 57.9. This is a quarterbacks league, and it's obvious to everyone except for Shanahan that the Redskins don't have one.

15. Any team that doesn't take the Bengals seriously at this point does so at its own peril. To me, Cincinnatti is San Francisco North. Like the Niners, the Bengals defense has been the key to their turnaround. Cincy is ranked 2nd in total-D, 2nd in rush defense, and they're allowing just 17.5-points per game. However, unlike the 49ers, the Bengals play in a quality division, and they'll be severely tested the next 2-weeks when they host the Steelers and visit the Ravens.