NFL Week 8

Ten (Not So) Quick Hits:

1/ Oakland is suddenly the league's hottest team. They've won their last two games by a combined margin of 75 points and both their offense and defense continue to purr. I caught the last few minutes of their beatdown of Seahawks, when the game was already long gone, and all I can say is, that looked like one confident sideline.

2/ Why, oh, why did you allow yourself to be talked back into this league, Brett Favre? Your body can't take hits like this anymore.

3/ The Saints offense is clicking again and, just like year, it's impressive. Their short passing game took the sting out of the Steelers pass-rush (probably the best part of Pittsburgh's D) and took very calculated shots down-the-field. When you're making Steelers safety Troy Polamalu look bad in pass coverage – and New Orleans did that repeatedly – you know you're playing well.

4/ If Sunday showed us one thing, it's that having Matthew Stafford back healthy is going to make Detroit a lot better. I expect a big second half out of them.

5/ Is it weird that Chris Johnson is second in the league in rushing but, because of his lofty preseason goals and his 2000+ yards of last season, people seem to be considering his season so far a failure?

6/ The Jets offense certainly didn't play well (more on this later), but Green Bay's banged-up D more than played its part in shutting New York out.

7/ San Francisco has been crying out for a spark-plug all season, and though he is by no means the finished article, quarterback Troy Smith, with his mobility and the winner's mentality he acquired in college, may be just that.

8/ Every week, Dallas seems to hit rock bottom. And then they lose the next week too. They have a brutal last nine games, and the way they're playing right now, I could honestly see them finishing the year with three total wins or less. They haven't that bad since the late 1980s.

9/ I thought you were hurt, Antonio Gates...

10/ That was some press conference, Mr. Moss.

-Here's some of the studs of the week:

a. Jaguars quarterback David Garrard: Played as well as he ever has for Jacksonville, picking on a Cowboys defense that is giving up over 30 points a game on average the last four weeks. He was almost perfect, completing 17 of 21 passes for 4 touchdowns and 260 yards. Now if he can only do this, or something like it, consistently.

b. Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles: Averaged 8 yards a carry on a big day where he collected 177 yards on the ground. Didn't get into the endzone, but consistently broke big runs against the Bills.

c. Lions defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch: Picked on Redskins rookie left tackle Trent Williams all day, collecting two sacks – forcing a game-sealing fumble with one of them – and four other quarterback hits. That's exactly Jim Schwartz paid big free-agent bucks for him this offseason.

d. Raiders receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey: Caught five balls for 105 yards and a touchdown, showing his deep-threat ability. He took his knocks after being a major disappointment as a rookie last year, but he's beginning to show why Oakland liked him so high in that draft.

e. Rams middle linebacker James Laurinaitus: Did everything you could possibly want out of a middle linebacker. He was all over the field: he made 7 tackles, got a sack, intercepted a pass, and defended another. The second year man is a big part of the Rams defensive improvement.

-Here's some of the goats of the week:

a. Jets offense: I usually put individuals, not entire units, here. That should give you an idea how bad the Jets offense was. Three turnovers inside Green Bay territory; numerous dropped passes; and a quarterback completing 42 percent of his passes and throwing two picks all added up to zero points on the board in four quarters of football. A missed 37-yard field goal by Nick Folk was as close as they got to troubling the scorers.

b. Cardinals quarterback Max Hall: Was benched before the end of the first half after throwing 2 interceptions and completing 8 of 16 passes for 71 yards. This has to be the week that Ken Whisenhunt figures out Hall isn't ready to be an NFL starting quarterback yet.

c. Seahawks offensive line: Completely overpowered by the Raiders front seven. They gave up eight sacks of Matt Hasselbeck (by five different players), allowed countless other pressure, and couldn't run block either: the Seahawks ended with 47 yards of net rushing on 19 attempts.

d. Panthers quarterback Matt Moore: Was back to his disappointing early season self against St. Louis. A paltry 51.0 quarterback rating and three interceptions thrown.

e. Steelers tight end Heath Miller: Made this list for just one play: this boneheaded one. Completely took the wind of Pittsburgh's sails.

-Rookie of the week: A committee: After scrounging around for potential candidates for my last few columns, there were suddenly too many good rookie performances to choose from on Sunday. There was Rams quarterback Sam Bradford leading his team back to .500, Tampa Bay running back LeGarette Blount vaulting his way to an excellent day and Ndamukong Suh sacking away and scoring his first NFL touchdown. Take your pick.

-Play of the Week: That's how you get low, Derek Cox.

-Ridiculous Play of the Week: If T.O. ever makes it to Canton, I bet this won't make it to his highlight reel.