NFL Week 14

Ten (Not So) Quick Hits:

1/ It's official. In creaming the NFC North leading Bears in the snow in Chicago, the Patriots removed any shadow of doubt that they are the best team in the NFL right now. Not only do they have the league's best record but they have beaten the Steelers, the Colts, the Jets and now the Bears (four teams with a combined record of 35-17) over the last five week. Combined scores of those games: 151-64 in the Patriots' advantage. It's going to take a very special defense to stop that offense in the playoffs (deja vu anyone?).

2/ On a day of moderately entertaining games, the Jaguars-Raiders matchup really stood out. It was marathon of a game, full of big plays, and capped off by an impressive second-half comeback by Jacksonville. I could watch Maurice Jones-Drew and Darren McFadden run the ball all day every day.

3/ Can't say as much for the Lions-Packers or Jet-Dolphins games (Man, are the Packers a non-factor without Aaron Rodgers).

4/ Speaking of the Jets, they had two unbelievably bad final possessions as they tried to come from behind in the fourth quarter. They went three-and-out on the first after three straight Mark Sanchez incompletions (bad throws and a drop). On the second, they did manage to squeak two first downs, moving the ball to mid-field. But a spike, an incomplete pass, and two sacks later and the game was done.

5/ Worst day for the Chiefs since they were blown out by Denver in mid-November. Without the threat of Matt Cassel throwing deep, the Chargers defense focused on completely shutting down the Kansas City running game. And they did. San Diego moves to within one game of Kansas City in the AFC West. On the flip side, the Chiefs have three winnable games – at St. Louis, against Titans and Raiders – left to clinch the division.

6/ Neither the Falcons nor the Saints are letting up and it feels like the race for the NFC South is going down to the wire. New Orleans have won six straight, while the Falcons have won seven. Get your popcorn ready now for their week 16 Monday night clash.

7/ No Wade Philips/ Brad Childress effect in Denver. If anything, Josh McDaniels getting the boot translated into the Broncos playing worse against the Cardinals.

8/ Here goes T.O. again. If anyone truly believed that he had turned over a new leaf (and I doubt there were many), never forget that a Bengal doesn't change his stripes.

9/ Amazing footage from inside the Metrodome as the inflatable roof ripped open. It was like something out of “The Day the Earth Stood Still.”

10/ Really, Jets, this is what you're up to? To call this a bush league move would be an insult to the hundreds of highly-professional minor league baseball teams out there.

Studs of the Week:

a. Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson: Tore up the Cowboys with big play after big play. Had a career high 210 receiving yards on only 4 catches. His celebration after his 91 yard touchdown was pretty sweet too. Unless you're a Cowboys fan, of course.

b. Niners quarterback Alex Smith: An impressive 130.9 quarterback rating in his return to the starting line-up. Threw for three touchdowns, 255 yards and didn't turn the ball over. Should hold on to the quarterback job for at least another week.

c. Steelers linebacker LaMarr Woodley: How about this day for a linebacker? A pick-six, a defended pass, two sacks, two other quarterback hits, and five total tackles. The third-year man out of Michigan has become a huge part of Pittsburgh's dominant D.

Duds of the Week:

a. Broncos quarterback Kyle Orton: Had four turnovers, three interceptions and a fumble, on a rough day against Arizona. Completed 19 of 41 passes for 166 yards and a passer rating of 27.1.

b. Jets running backs Shonn Greene and Ladanian Tomlinson: Gained a combined 66 yards on 27 carries against Miami. That's a paltry 2.8 yard per carry average. I thought the Jets prided themselves on running the ball.

c. Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck: Made bad decisions and bad throws repeatedly, even throwing into double coverage once or twice. Had four passes picked off and lost a fumble on a Travis LaBoy hit. Inflated his numbers a little with some garbage time offense, but was poor when it mattered.

Rookie of Week: Cardinals quarterback John Skelton: Didn't post great numbers (15 of 37 passing for 146 yards with no touchdowns or picks) but a winning quarterback is a good quarterback. Particularly in Arizona this season. The key was that he avoided costly mistakes. Indeed, it was the first time this season that the Cardinals have had a quarterback not throw an interception nor take a sack in a game all season.

Play of the Week: Two weeks in a row for Mr. Polamalu.

Ridiculous Play of the Week: The snapper or the holder to blame on this one? Probably a little of both...