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.