Thoughts From Week 7

Colts 29, Jaguars 7: This game had great upset potential right up until David Garrard went down in the first half. Poor Jaguars fans. Just when they thought they were done watching terrible quarterback play, Garrard goes down and leaves them with Quinn Gray. This would've been a shutout if not for Maurice Jones-Drew's 65 yard kickoff return. The Jaguars are still a very good team, but they're clearly not as good as the Colts or Patriots, not that anyone else is.

Meanwhile, the Colts did a good job of limiting Jacksonville's running game, at least in the early going. The Jaguars actually averaged a very respectable 4.3 yards per carry, but they only ran the ball 27 times because the Colts got ahead early. Basically, the Colts are really good, which we already knew.

What I really want to know is, what was Tony Dungy thinking challenging that Jones-Drew TD? I can understand how he would want to challenge whether Jones-Drew fumbled, but it was pretty clear that the Jaguars came up with the ball after it came loose. There was never a moment when the Colts were even close to having possession. I know Dungy couldn't see that from the sideline, but don't they pay people to look at the replay and tell him whether or not to challenge it?

Broncos 31, Steelers 28: Pretty impressive win for the Broncos, knocking off the Steelers in dramatic fashion, which appears to be the only way they can win games. It's very hard to know what to make of Denver. They beat Pittsburgh, barely, but they beat Buffalo the same way. They're just a strange team. As for the Steelers, I'm still not convinced they're as good as many people seem to think. Sure, they're 4-2, but their only impressive win came at home against the Seahawks, who went on to lose to the Saints a week later. Other than that they've beaten Cleveland, Buffalo, and San Francisco. Plus, they've lost 2 of 3 on the road. Baltimore in Week 9 could be a good test, but other than that they don't face a tough team until Week 14, when they go to New England.

Bears 19, Eagles 16: What exactly compelled the Eagles to throw the ball 34 times and run it only 25 times? They averaged 4.9 yards per carry and Donovan McNabb was having a so-so game and, more importantly, they were leading for all but about five minutes. As an Eagles fan, I've already started planning for next year when Bill Cowher is coaching Kevin Kolb, and Brian Westbrook is splitting carries with Michael Turner. Here's hoping anyway.

As for the Bears, they look like the are on the rise. Brian Griese has been just what the doctor ordered. He's been efficient and hasn't turned the ball over (or at least not at Grossman levels). He's actually carried that offense to a degree, and he's had to, with Cedric Benson struggling. The Bears have a great shot to make the playoffs and maybe even take the division.

Cowboys 24, Vikings 14: This game wasn't as close as the score. The Vikings were lucky to be leading, as they only had one legitimate drive, capped off by (who else) Adrian Peterson running in a TD. The other touchdown came on a fumble recovery. (Two fumbles, if you count the one Griffin made on his own, then recovered.) Dallas may have some defensive deficiencies, but they can stop the run and are a far better team than the Vikings, and they showed it in the second half (as usual).

Titans 38, Texans 36: Rob Bironas for MVP? ...Yeah, I didn't think so either. I'm just in shock that Kerry Collins managed to win a game and only turn the ball over once.

Redskins 21, Cardinals 19: Ken Whisenhunt is my new favorite NFL coach. Even when his schemes don't work, they're always entertaining. Normally losing on a failed two-point conversion would be pretty unremarkable, but when Anquan Boldin is throwing an incomplete pass in the process? That's good TV. Granted, that play only would've worked in college, but I'm giving Whisenhunt points for creativity.

Giants 33, 49ers 15: The Giants have a pretty good defense. There I said it. They're beating bad teams the way they should. That said, I still think they'll get abused when they finally play someone worthwhile. They'll probably be a playoff team, but with nine wins, tops.

Patriots 49, Dolphins 28: I know I wasn't the only one who thought the Patriots would keep demolishing the Dolphins in the second half. I was expecting a 70 point game. Nice work Belichick, that'll teach the NFL to...enforce its rules? Something like that.

I feel really bad for the Dolphins, who have a great shot to go winless. They weren't a good team to begin with, but the Ronnie Brown injury is just unfair. They didn't deserve that. Now the fate of the season (which is already over anyway) depends on Cleo Lemon and Jesse Chatman. Good luck...

Lions 23, Buccaneers 16: Who would've thought when Jon Kitna faced Jeff Garcia, turnovers would be the difference...and Kitna would win? Good thing they were fumbles. Garcia's interception-less streak remains!

Bills 19, Ravens 14: Willis McGahee had a pretty good game against his former team (114 yards on 19 carries), but it wasn't enough. Not with Kyle Boller at the helm. Of course if you take out McGahee's 46 yard touchdown run, his performance was pretty average in terms of yards per carry. The real difference in this game was penalties, which cost the Ravens 91 yards compared to 25 for the Bills. Also notable is that Lee Evans FINALLY had a good game. Still no TDs, but 98 yards on five receptions is definitely a good sign. Look for a breakout game against the Jets next week.