Okay, I'll admit it -- Chad Henne is no fluke. I don't know what he's been doing during since Miami let him go, but he has really sharpened his game. He didn't post the same type of numbers as he did last week, but at one point late in the second quarter NO pass of his had missed being caught by a player. He had one interception, and the other eight of his first nine passes were caught by teammates. THAT is an amazing achievement. The Jaguars are no longer the worst offense in the league; that honor now goes to Kansas City. Even if Blaine Gabbert regains his health before the end of the season, I'd keep Henne under center.
A strange result happened on Thanksgiving Day. Both losing quarterbacks (Detroit's Matt Stafford and Dallas' Tony Romo) threw for more yards than the winning quarterbacks. Ironically, both passed for EXACTLY the same number of yards (441) and both offenses scored the same number of points in their losing efforts (31). How's THAT for parity?
We have reached the point in the season when I start looking at the divisional and playoff races. I add that section after the divisional rankings.
Top half of the league [Last week's position]
1. Houston Texans (10-1) [1] : They should have lost the game against Detroit, but they once again engineered a fourth quarter comeback. They also survived their second overtime game in five days. That's stamina!
2. San Francisco 49ers (8-2-1) [2] : Colin Kaepernick engineered another stellar offensive performance, further fueling the brewing quarterback controversy. For now the controversy hasn't erupted, but if Alex Smith is cleared to play this week and doesn't, it'll be interesting to see how it affects the team.
3. New England Patriots (8-3) [4] : This team has scored over 140 points in the past three weeks. There may be no defense in the AFC (except Houston) capable of stopping them.
4. Chicago Bears (8-3) [5] : Jay Cutler returns under center, and the offense clicks again. Even when Matt Forte went down hurt, this team still delivered. I'll admit that I still don't think Cutler is a great quarterback, but he is the emotional and motivational heart of this offense. Add in the defense responsible for more turnovers than any other in the league, and this team could go deep into the playoffs.
5. Atlanta Falcons (10-1) [3] : They nearly lost this week. This team continues to barely squeeze out victories. They have to get better before the playoffs, or that home field advantage may not help them.
6. Denver Broncos (8-3) [6] : Not a stellar performance from Peyton, but they picked an excellent opponent to have a down week against
7. Baltimore Ravens (9-2) [7] : They needed overtime to beat San Diego, and their offense skipped a few beats this week. They may be on their way down, but I've said that before. With Pittsburgh also stumbling, the Ravens are still likely to win the division.
8. New York Giants (7-4) [10] : I guess that bye week really paid off! The Pack may have some injuries, but it doesn't excuse this performance. The Giants came back with a purpose, and they played their most dominant game since they beat San Francisco in Week 6.
9. Tampa Bay Bucs (6-5) [9] : They nearly handed Atlanta their second loss of the season. Josh Freeman looked impressive, and David Martin keeps piling up the yards.
10. Seattle Seahawks (6-5) [11] : Their defense slipped a bit this week, but they are still a threat
11. Green Bay Packers (7-4) [8] : Man, they got their clock cleaned against the Giants this week!
12. Cincinnati Bengals (6-5) [15] : They slaughtered Oakland, and with a reeling Pittsburgh out of their way, they have Baltimore in their sights
13. Washington Redskins (5-6) [18] : Their manhandling of Dallas ended decades of futility on Thanksgiving Day
14. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-6) [13] : If they don't get their act together, this may be their last week in the top half of the league
15. San Diego Chargers (4-7) [16] : They gave Baltimore everything they could handle
16. New Orleans Saints (5-6) [14] : Their offense is still okay, but the defense needs to improve if they want to stay in the top half. Indy is fast on their heels.
Divisional Power Rankings [Last week's position]
1. NFC North [1] : They remain on top, but the Lions and Vikings can't consistently win
2 (tie). NFC South [2] : Now the only division with three teams in the top half of the league, and an impressive Monday night win for division cellar Carolina, means that no team in this division can be ignored
2 (tie). AFC North [3] : Cincy is moving up, but Pitt is moving down
4. NFC West [4] : St Louis is moving up and Seattle is still a threat, so this division has strength
5. NFC East [6] : This division didn't so much move up as the AFC East is collapsing, but the rise of Washington and the restoration of the Giants this week certainly helped
6. AFC East [5] : Only the Patriots look any good
7. AFC South [7] : The Colts keep winning, but they need to win bigger to overcome their negative point differential, which is contributing to keeping them out of the upper half of the league in power
8. AFC West [8] : As you will see below, this might be the first division title crowned
Divisional races
All of the AFC divisions are led by at least three games. With five games remaining, that may be too large a gap for any team to bridge. The Colts might have a chance if it wasn't Houston they were chasing.
AFC East: New England leads this division by three games and still have two division games to play. Their offense is too powerful for any divisional opponent to stop, and only Miami has any chance to TRY to keep up with them. They face Miami this week, and a win there clinches the division. They'd have at least a four game lead over everyone else, and a better divisional record than anyone else could get.
PLAYOFF CONTENDERS: only New England, and they may get the second seed, at least the third
AFC North: Baltimore leads this division by three, but they have shown some weaknesses. Cincy has supplanted Pitt for the runner-up spot, and they face San Diego, Pitt, Dallas, and the Eagles before hosting Baltimore to close the regular season. That final game might determine the season if Baltimore falters, as the Ravens face Washington, Denver, and the Giants before the Bengals.
PLAYOFF CONTENDERS: Baltimore currently would have the second seed, but I think they'll fall to third (at best). Cincy looks primed for a wildcard spot if Baltimore doesn't lose their last four games
AFC South: Houston leads by three. Despite Indy's wining streak, I think they'll win the division, but games against New England and Indy (twice!) could make it an interesting race.
PLAYOFF CONTENDERS: Houston for the top seed and Indy with the fifth seed
AFC West: Denver leads by four. They win the division with one more win, which could come this week against Tampa Bay.
PLAYOFF CONTENDERS: Denver only with third or fourth seed
NFC East: The Giants hold a two-game lead, but Dallas is no longer the team behind them. The surging Redskins are charging up, so New York can't slow down. The two face off this week in Washington, and a Redskins win puts them only one game back. With games against New Orleans, Baltimore, and Atlanta remaining for the Giants, they might not win the division if they lose on Sunday.
PLAYOFF CONTENDER: Only the division winner, with the fourth seed
NFC North: At one time this division seemed a sure bet to provide both wildcard teams. Now that's in question, but Green Bay and Chicago should both get in. The Bears lead the division, and have a slightly better schedule than Green Bay. The Bears also get to host the Pack for the rematch, and they are done with prime time games. Minnesota is only two games back from the Bears (one back from Green Bay), so they still have a playoff shot. They have three divisional games remaining, though, all three against the teams ahead of them (they've already played Detroit twice), so the Vikes' chances look slim.
PLAYOFF CONTENDERS: Division winner with second or third seed and runner-up with fifth seed
NFC South: Atlanta leads by four and wins this division with a victory over the Saints this week. Even if they falter, they should beat Carolina to capture the title.
PLAYOFF CONTENDERS: Atlanta with the top seed and perhaps Tampa Bay with the sixth
NFC West: San Fran leads by two and a half. Seattle needs to win three more games than San Fran, as their divisional record sucks. That option doesn't seem likely, but it's still a mathematical possibility.
PLAYOFF CONTENDERS: San Fran with the second or third seed
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