The 15-Play Drive

15 thoughts on week-7 in the NFL...

1. No need to call him "Captain Cool", but the last QB opposing defenses want to see with the ball in his hands when the game's on the line is Eli Manning. Sunday marked the 22nd time in his career that Manning's led a game winning drive in the 4th quarter or overtime. Although I'm still having trouble grasping how Redskins' safety Madieu Williams and cornerback Josh Wilson allowed Victor Cruz to get behind them for a 77-yard TD reception with 1:13 to go.

2. Speaking of Cruz, he had a unique way of determining how much distance he'd put between himself and the Redskins' secondary on what proved to be the game winning TD. Following the victory, Cruz told me and Steve Torre on The Sunday Drive, he took a peek at the video board: "I caught it, looked up at the jumbo-tron, saw nobody behind me, and I did the rest."

3. Texans' quarterback Matt Schaub found it odd to be facing a Ravens' defense without Ray Lewis Sunday. Schaub joined The Sunday Drive after Houston's blowout win against Baltimore, and said: "It was weird not seeing him (Lewis)."

4. While Lewis and cornerback Lardarius Webb are gone, it was a triumphant return for Ravens' linebacker Terrell Suggs. The reigning defensive player of the year looked no worse for the wear in registering 4-tackles, a sack, and a deflected pass in his season debut.

5. On the subject of pass deflections, Texans' defensive end J.J. Watt is clearly the master. Watt tipped two more footballs Sunday, with one resulting in an interception. That's the 4th time this season Houston has picked off an opposing QB after Watt deflected a ball into the air. At this point, I'm waiting for Watt to start going Dikembe Mutombo and begin wagging his finger every time he gets his hand on a pass attempt.

6. How conservative was Tony Sparano's play calling late in the 4th quarter of Sunday's game against the Patriots....he made Mitt Romney look like a liberal. Tied at 23, and with the ball at the New England 18-yard line with 2:01 remaining, Sparano called back to back runs before allowing Mark Sanchez to actually attempt a pass on 3rd and 7. Sanchez was sacked, leading to a Nick Folk field goal. The entire drive took just 24-seconds off the clock, and left Tom Brady plenty of time to lead the Patriots on a game tying drive that forced overtime. On a day when Sanchez was feasting on the Patriots' secondary, it didn't make sense to pull the reins in when the Jets had the chance to go for the kill.

7. First the snow plow, then the tuck rule, now this...No guarantee it would have changed the outcome, but the Patriots absolutely got an extra second or two on Devin McCourty's fumbled kick return late in the 4th quarter. The clock started late, and stopped quickly. Instead of reaching the 2-minute warning, the Jets took possession with 2:01 to go, and the Patriots essentially got an extra timeout.

8. Not exactly a productive week-7 for two of the league's elite receivers, and no coincidence that neither of their teams scored more than 14-points. Arizona's Larry Fitzgerald was limited to 4-receptions for 29-yards by the Vikings, while the Bears held the Lions' Calvin Johnson to just 3-catches for 34-yards.

9. How can anyone tell if the Chargers' receivers are using Stickum when Philip Rivers is throwing the ball to the other team as much as his own?

10. In a game New Orleans won by just a touchdown, don't undervalue the play made by Malcolm Jenkins in the 3rd quarter against Tampa Bay. The Saints' safety ran down Buccaneers receiver Vincent Jackson at the 1-yard line after a 95-yard reception. New Orleans then stopped Tampa's offense on the next 4-plays to maintain a 28-21 lead.

11. The Todd Collins award of the week goes to Vikings' QB Christian Ponder. While Minnesota beat Arizona, Ponder took a step back in completing just 8 of 17-passes for 58-yards with a touchdown and 2-interceptions.

12. No need to air dirty laundry, but you're right Cam Newton...The Panthers have totally abandoned their running game. DeAngelo Williams has 50-carries in 6-games, or to put it another way, just 4-more rushing attempts than Newton. In a season where their second year QB is struggling, it would make sense for Carolina to lean on their rushing attack a little more. Instead, the Panthers are 25th in rushing attempts.

13. Leave it to the Bills underachieving defense to get Chris Johnson on track. Prior to Sunday's game in Buffalo, the Titans' running back had rushed for over 100-yards only once this season, and he'd been held under 25-yards 2-times. However, against the Bills, Johnson met little resistance on his way to 195-yards and 2-TD's on 19-carries. Not only was it his best game of the season, it was the most yards Johnson had run for in a single game since 2009.

14. This isn't how you get into the new owner's good graces. Browns' receiver Josh Gordon dropped what would've been an easy go ahead touchdown in the 4th quarter against the Colts Sunday, much to the dismay of Jimmy Haslam, who made no attempt to hide his displeasure.

15. Not sure he ever really lost it, but Aaron Rodgers definitely has his mojo back. The Packers' QB has thrown for 9-TD's and 0-INT's in Green Bay's last 2-games, both wins. In their first 5-games, Rodgers had 10-touchdown passes to go along with 4-interceptions, as part of a 2-3 start for the Packers.

The 15-Play Drive

15 thoughts on week-5 in the NFL...

1. Never underestimate the power of emotion. Case in point...the Indianapolis Colts. No team pulled off a bigger upset Sunday. With head coach Chuck Pagano hospitalized after being diagnosed with a form of Leukemia, the Colts overcame a 21-3 halftime deficit to stun the Packers 30-27. Afterwards, veteran linebacker Dwight Freeney told me and Steve Torre on the The Sunday Drive, Pagano's medical condition had become a rallying point for the team: "Absolutely. That's some of the things he preaches. Stay together...Stay tight...Do what Chuck would want us to do."

2. Reggie Wayne was hauling in passes from future hall of famer Peyton Manning for 10-years, but it took rookie quarterback Andrew Luck for Wayne to post his career high in receiving yards. Wearing orange gloves in support of Pagano, Wayne finished with 13-receptions for 212-yards and a TD against Green Bay. What's more impressive is he played his best when it mattered most. On what proved to be the game winning drive, Wayne had 5-catches for 64-yards and the go ahead touchdown.

3. I don't think 70, 000 or even 7, 000 Chiefs' fans were cheering the injury to QB Matt Cassel. However, for those who were, it's time to get some life perspective. Right tackle Eric Winston hit the nail on the head when he called the reaction: "100 percent sickening."

4. How impressive was Chiefs' running back Jamaal Charles against the Ravens? To put his 125-yard first half in perspective, Charles had more yards on the ground in two quarters than all but three running backs finished with for the entire game in week-5.

5. Kansas City has too many issues to count, but if you're looking to pin-point why they've started the season a disappointing 1-4, look no further than turnovers. The Chiefs have given the ball away 19-times. That's the most turnovers through 5-games since the Saints had 21 in 1997.

6. Games like Sunday are why I still don't buy Joe Flacco as a big time quarterback. 13 of 27-passing for 187-yards with an interception against the Chiefs doesn't cut it. Only the Bills Ryan Fitzpatrick had thrown for fewer yards versus Kansas City this season, but that game was over in the 3rd quarter, and Fitzpatrick only had 19-attempts.

7. Speaking of QB's: The Todd Collins award of the week goes to Blaine Gabbert. The Jaguars' quarterback has reverted back to his rookie form of late. Gabbert completed just 17 of 33-passes against the Bears for 142-yards with 0-TD's and 2-INT's. Do I hear Chad Henne warming up?

8. Cam Newton's awful performance Sunday certainly had him in the running for the Todd Collins award. However, if Carolina's coaching staff used a little common sense, Newton and the Panthers may have beaten the Seahawks anyway. Trailing 16-10 with just under 4-minutes remaining, Carolina faced 4th and goal at the Seattle 1-yard line. Maybe I'm taking crazy pills, but with a guy who's listed at 6'5 245 lbs, a QB sneak would seem to make sense. Instead, Newton rolled out right and totally missed an open Ben Hartsock in the end-zone. Use a little logic next time Ron Rivera...You're out-thinking yourself.

9. Location, location, location. It's not just that the Eagles have a turnover problem this season, it's where they're giving it away. Philadelphia's 4 red zone turnovers are the most in the NFL. The latest came midway through the 1st quarter Sunday, when Michael Vick lost a fumble on 1st and goal at the Pittsburgh 3-yard line. In a game they lost by just 2-points, Vick's latest case of butter fingers loomed large.

10. The Redskins weren't able to knock off the Falcons, but that didn't diminish the outstanding play made by Washington linebacker Ryan Kerrigan. In the 2nd quarter of a scoreless game. Kerrigan leaped into the air to pick off a Matt Ryan attempted screen pass, then returned it 26-yards for a touchdown. Kerrigan's a combination of good instincts, and pure athleticism.

11. Does anyone think Tony Gonzalez is over the hill? The Falcons' veteran tight end had a monster game in the nation's capital with 13-catches for 123-yards and a touchdown. Gonzalez actually finished with only one fewer reception than Roddy White and Julio Jones combined. When I told him on The Sunday Drive he's supposed to be an old man, Gonzalez responded with this: "I am an old man...there's not doubt about that. But I try to keep it like a wine, and get better with age."

12. J.J. Watt is a game wrecker. The Texans' defensive end had a sack, and three more deflected passes Monday night versus the Jets, two of which came in critical situations. With the Jets driving for a potential game tying touchdown late in the 1st half, Watt tipped a pass that Brice McCain intercepted at the 5-yard line. McCain's 86-yard return set up a Houston field goal to make it 17-7. Then early in the 4th quarter, Watt got his hands on another Mark Sanchez pass on 2nd and goal at the Texans 3. New York eventually had to settle for a field goal to make it 23-17, which was the final score. Now that we're past the quarter pole of this season, it's safe to say Watt is the absolute leader for defensive player of the year.

13. I'm not sure who to blame more...the Chargers coaching staff, or Jared Gaither. San Diego's left tackle was clearly hurt, and unable to really move on the final drive Sunday night in New Orleans. He was beaten cleanly by Martez Wilson on back to back plays, the second of which resulted in a Philip Rivers' fumble that essentially ended the game. Gaither should have known he was hurting the team, but wasn't there anyone on the Chargers' sideline who saw what was going on?

14. There's only one division in which all four teams are over .500 through 5-weeks, and believe it or not it's the NFC West. Gone are the days when this was a finesse division. San Francisco, Arizona, St. Louis and Seattle are all tough defensively, and capable of playing physical nasty football.

15. Just in case they didn't have their hands full already, the Patriots' offense has given the opposition yet another thing to worry about...its rushing attack. Stevan Ridley has agone over the 100-yard mark three times this year, and Brandon Bolden has done it once. New England had just one 100-yard rushing day all of last season. Just what Tom Brady needs...more help.