by Tony Bosma
It didn’t suck having the NFL week start on Thursday instead of Sunday. Even though the three-game slate left much to be desired, the NFL is always a great appetizer, snack and dessert on Thanksgiving. Just be happy the Lions and Raiders had nothing to do with a day we’re supposed to be sharing what we’re thankful for… I mean… man, scheduling those teams was a worse idea than going back for a third serving of Thanksgiving treats.
But, I digress. Even the Raiders and Lions can’t ruin early helpings of football, especially when so many games were so damn good.
1-win teams: 3
Undefeated teams: 2
I find it hard to believe, with all of the garbage teams in the league this year, there are more undefeated teams than 1-win or 0-win teams. Normally, I’d take the time to rip the Cleveland Browns organization after such a comment, but let’s get to those Blindsides instead…
GB 34, DET 12 – Matthew Stafford’s heroics ended with Detroit’s win over the Browns. Nothing can be taken away from this game that’s meaningful since it’s impossible to gauge the Packers due to the Lions being their opponent. What, NFL, you couldn’t at least give us DET/CLE on Thanksgiving?
DAL 24, OAK 7 – Had the Cowboys not handily taken care of the Raiders in this game, the questions alone about if the Cowboys were any good would have made ESPN explode. Or course, December is upon us now, so ESPN might just explode talking about Tony Romo and the Cowboys failure to perform in this month. Don’t worry, GCS will, too.
DEN 26, NY 6 - Put a fork in the Giants and breathe a little life back into the Broncos. Denver’s win saved their chances of competing for a Wild Card spot and also saved the city of Denver from Josh McDaniels turning into Chucky or the Leprechaun and dismantling the entire city.
ATL 20, TB 17 - NO Matt Ryna, no problem for the Falcons… against the Buccaneers, anyway. Chris Redman did a great job willing the Falcons to this victory, but they shouldn’t be playing down to the level of the Bucs in the first place.
BUF 31, MIA 14 - Goodbye, Miami, see you next year. Apparently there is no defensive equivalent of the Wild Cat offense for the Dolphins defense. Either way, the Dolphins are toast and their tricky little ways aren’t going to get them into the playoffs this year. I bet T.O. is feeling awfully good about himself after Buffalo’s last two games, as well.
PHI 27, WAS 24 - It seems like all Washington has done this entire season is find a way to lose. Even in a division rivalry game, the end game was still the same for the Redskins… roll over and die. I wonder if Donovan McNabb had a heart-to-heart conversation with Jason Campbell after the game like he did with Jay Cutler. The bigger question, does McNabb do this after losses too?
SEA 27, STL 17 – Maybe the Seahawks only chance of winning this season is to play teams that are much worse than them. Of course, that would mean they wouldn’t even sniff the .500 mark anyway.
NYJ 17, CAR 6 - This has nothing to do with the outcome of this game, but I read on ESPN that NY Yankees manager Joe Girardi is teaching Mark Sanchez how to slide. Who doesn’t know how to slide? Can you really be that much of an athlete if you can’t slide? I say no.
CIN 16, CLE 7 – Looks like the Bengals decided to take a week off. Meanwhile, Brady Quinn fell back down to earth, the Browns receivers still can’t catch a pass (which technically means they have no receivers), and their best defensive player was carted off with an injury. CLEVELAND ROCKS!!! CLEVELAND ROCKS!!!!
IND 35, HOU 27 – There you go again, Houston. There you go again. Seems to me like Gary Kubiak needs to be on the hot seat because the only thing the Texans CAN’T do is win an important game. Annnnd Indy continues their quest for perfection.
SF 20, JAX 3 – I’ll never believe in the Jaguars again. Nor will I believe in the 49ers again. If you can’t tell, I didn’t watch this game, or see highlights of it. In fact, I’m better off for it.
MIN 36, CHI 10 – Jay Cutler, 20 interceptions. Chicago’s season, over.
TEN 20, ARI 17 – Did you know Vince Young and Matt Leinhart played in a really memorable Rose Bowl for the BCS National Championship? Me either.
BAL 20, PIT 17 – The most important thing about this game was Hines Ward did something afterwards other than smile. He called out his quarterback.. ouch. I mean, it’s not like Roethlisberger hasn’t survived a near-death motorcycle accident to prove he’s pretty tough or anything.
NO 38, NE 17 – Bill Belichek was interrogated after the game to say something nice about the Saints. It was almost as fun to watch as the first three quarters of this game. Even after saying a few nice things, the media prodded him for more, to which he didn’t oblige. What is more scary… the Saints offense, or Bill Belichek bowing at the feet of his opponent after a loss?
