It was a strange week. Teams mostly given up for dead beat stronger opponents. Our final unbeaten team went down in overtime. 5-4 has become the popular record among the NFL. Kudos to Atlanta, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Miami for stellar victories.
***** BREAKING NEWS BULLETIN ********
We interrupt this column for a news update. The NFL has scheduled a special one-man combine for washed-out hyperbolic former QB Colin Kaepernick. No teams are required to send representatives, but the league is encouraging it in order to quiet the NFLPA claims of discrimination.
Let's face it, this should never be. Just because some sympathetic judge in today's "Black Power" environment was suckered into believing Kaepernick's laughable assertion, the league was under no obligation to arrange this. I hope no team is stupid enough to actually hire him. In fact, the funniest and most ironic conclusion would be that every single team sends a representative, watch him play, and nobody offers a starting position. Maybe two or three teams offer him a second or third string slot. Colin's ego would go through the roof, he'd refuse out of spite, sue the league again, and this time lose since it was HIS choice not to accept any offers. Then, he'll go away and we never have to hear from him again.
After all, let's remember why this loser lost his starting job in San Francisco -- HE WOULDN'T PRACTICE! Once this Prima Donna gained the starting job (which he arrogantly believed he deserved from Day One), he stopped attending practices. That meant he lost rhythm with his receivers and linemen, his proficiency went down, and his sacks went up. He is a LAZY, ARROGANT, SELF-CENTERED jerk who will only cause conflict in the locker room. Actually, thinking about it, that description makes him perfect for the Raiders, a bunch of "holier than thou" roughnecks that wear black because villians always wear black. Of course, with Jon Gruden, QB Guru, as Raiders coach, he wouldn't want Kaepernick around, so the only team where he'd fit wouldn't want him.
*** WE NOW RETURN TO OUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED COLUMN, already in progress
Power Rankings [Last week's rank]
1. New England Patriots (8-1) [1]
2. San Francisco 49ers (8-1) [2]
3. Baltimore Ravens (7-2) [3]
4. Minnesota Vikings (7-3) [7]
5. Dallas Cowboys (5-4) [4]
6. Green Bay Packers (8-2) [9]
7. Houston Texans (6-3) [8]
8. Kansas City Chiefs (6-4) [5]
9. Seattle Seahawks (8-2) [11]
10. New Orleans Saints (7-2) [6]
11. Buffalo Bills (6-3) [12]
12. Los Angeles Rams (5-4) [10]
Divisional Rankings [Last week's rank]
1. NFC West [1] : With teams with the two best records in the NFC this division escalates the NFC
2. NFC North [2] : They all won this week (except Detroit, who was playing in division), but still trail the West in their quest to regain the top spot
3. AFC South [3] : Half of the division was on bye, but Tennessee's win over KC boosts their status
4. AFC West [4] : A large gap between the AFC South and this division, losses by the Chiefs and Chargers did not help them
5. AFC North [7]: Baltimore's big win, plus victories by Pittsburgh and Cleveland, boosts this division up
6. AFC East [5] : The worst teams won, the best was on bye, and Buffalo lost, so it was a weird weekend for them
7. NFC South [5] : Carolina fell into negative point differential, leaving the Saints as the only positive team in the division
8. NFC East [7] : The Giants and Cowboys fell. The Eagles and Redskins should be happy they have bye weeks
Thursday night
Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns: The Browns upset over Buffalo was a fluke. Pittsburgh will carve them up. STEELERS, 24-17
Sunday early games
Atlanta Falcons at Carolina Panthers: The Panthers get a chance to swing back to the positive side of things by grounding the floundering Falcons. The Falcons defense showed up against the Saints, but we won't see it again. PANTHERS, 28-23
Buffalo Bills at Miami Dolphins: The Dolphins won their second game of the season. It may be a while until they get their third. BILLS, 23-16
Dallas Cowboys at Detroit Lions: Dallas gets an easier NFC North opponent, and should get a different result. COWBOYS, 27-20
Denver Broncos at Minnesota Vikings: Speaking of Dallas' previous opponent, they come home to face a teetering Broncos offenses. Their defense is good, but they are having trouble moving the ball. Fortunately the Vikings don't suffer from the same problem. VIKINGS, 27-17
Houston Texans at Baltimore Ravens: The Texans offense will get some points scored, but Lamar Jackson and the Ravens will continue to post excellent numbers. RAVENS, 30-23
Jacksonville Jaguars at Indianapolis Colts: This game could go either way. We have two teams whose defenses are suspect and their offenses are inconsistent. Except a low-scoring game that may come down to the final drive. COLTS, 19-17
New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Bucs: The Saints offense was atrocious last week, and it wasn't due to injuries. I suspect it was just a fluke, because this team usually plays very well on offense. We'll see the return of the usual efficient Drew Brees-led offense this week. SAINTS, 30-23
New York Jets at Washington Redskins: The Jets gained their second win last week by beating the Giants. I now expect them to beat the other pathetic NFC East team to score their second consecutive victory this year. JETS, 17-13
Sunday late games
Arizona Cardinals at San Francisco 49ers: The 49ers roared back in the second half last week, so they have the momentum. Expect that to continue. 49ERS, 31-13
Cincinnati Bengals at Oakland Raiders: The Bengals are still searching for that elusive first win. RAIDERS, 26-20
New England Patriots at Philadelphia Eagles: Both teams had byes, so they should be well-prepared for this bout. That bodes better for Bill Belichick and his Patriots. PATRIOTS, 27-13
Sunday night
Chicago Bears at Los Angeles Rams: The Bears hate Monday Night Football, but they play better on Sunday night. Jared Goff crumbled against the Steelers, and the Bears certainly have a better defense. So I'd pick the Bears, right? Although somehow that Bears offense finds a way to lose games they should win. If the offense plays well, they'll win, but I'm not counting on that, especially given the strength of the Rams defense. RAMS, 23-17
Monday Night Football
Kansas City Chiefs at Los Angeles Chargers: Two home games in two consecutive days? The scheduling gods smiled on LA. Both teams need to bounce back from mediocre performances last week, and the Chiefs are better at that. CHIEFS, 24-20
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