Week 8 presented few surprises and didn’t decide any divisional races.  However, it did provide more insight on what to expect from many teams from here on out.  Which teams made significant strides and which teams are on life support?

New York Giants 21, Pittsburgh Steelers 14

In a battle of AFC and NFC juggernauts, the Giants win in ugly fashion.  The Steelers led for much of the game, well into the 4^th quarter, but ultimately could not hold on. 

The blame for this game is squarely on the shoulders of Ben Roethlisberger with 4 INTs and 1 fumble, and only completing 13/29 passes.  Ben is a good quarterback, but one thing he has proven time and time again is that he is not going to go out there and win games with his arm like elite quarterbacks in the league. 

Santonio Holmes missed the game because he couldn’t smoke weed in peace in his dark SUV with out-of-state plates on the highway.  Go figure.  You would think Holmes would know by now that there is a “unwritten” constitutional amendment allowing officers to stop dark SUVs with tinted windows and out-of-state plates for no reason at all.  Blame the Notorious B.I.G. and his boy “Arizona” Ron from Tucson, with the black Yukon.

Philadelphia Eagles 27, Atlanta Falcons 14

Finally the Eagles managed to win a game they were supposed to win against the Falcons.  Outside of the complete inability to stop Atlanta’s star wideout Roddy White, the defense put up a solid effort in getting over .500. 

This week marked the return of Westbrook and Kevin Curtis who played in his first game following sport hernia surgery.  I could give you the standard company line and tell you that now that the Eagles are healthy, we’re going to give teams problems.  That would not be the truth.  Fact is we’re staring 9-7 right in the face and that won’t get it done in the NFC East this year.

The Eagles have the Seahawks next week in what should be a “gimme” game.  However, with an Andy Reid coached Eagles team, don’t take anything for granted; he could trade Brian Westbrook and Donovan McNabb for two backup offensive linemen and first rounders in 2011 and 2012 in the blink of an eye.

Dallas Cowboys 13, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9

The Cowboys only managed 172 yard total offense but somehow they managed to pull out a victory against the Bucs with an inspired defensive performance and some good old fashion stupidity.  The Cowboys lone touchdown followed Bucs penalties for a horse collar tackle, pass interference, illegal contact and an unsportsmanlike conduct.  It’s almost like the Bucs were assigned to administer midterms to the officiating crew this week, by committing stupid penalties and grading the refs on whether they called them correctly.

One thing is for sure, the refs will know the rule book inside and out when you’re playing the Cowboys, just ask the Cardinals.

I would say the Cowboys can’t be happy with this win; however, any win they get without Romo is a good win.  As a Cowboys fan you take this win and keep it moving.

Carolina Panthers 27, Arizona Cardinals 23

It was only a matter of time before the Cards came back down to earth following to huge back to back wins.  They were up 17-3 and couldn’t hold on against a Panthers’ team that has been offensively challenged all season. 

What will really be determinative is how the Cardinals respond in the next three weeks.  They have three straight divisional games in the worst division in the NFL against the Rams, 49ers, and Seahawks.  (Find me another team with a 4-3 record and a two game lead in their division) Anything less than 3-0 will be extremely disappointing for a team trying to get over the hump.

I must concede that I didn’t mind local coverage this week, since this game was one of the best games of the week.  But how often is a Panthers game worth watching?

New Orleans Saints 37, San Diego Chargers 32

You had to know that Brees would be motivated to put up solid numbers against his old team, especially considering how events transpired.  In case you don’t remember, the Chargers let Brees go primarily because Chargers’ QB Phillip Rivers was his high paid backup, but also because they didn’t believe he would recover fully from a shoulder injury. 

Brees went on to show why he is considered one of the most accurate QBs in the game, leading the Saints to the NFC championship game and Phillip Rivers struggled to find consistency with the Chargers.  Although Rivers has been more than serviceable, Brees has been stellar and the Chargers have to wonder if they missed out on a ring by cutting ties with Brees prematurely.

This game not only showcased Brees, but also showcased how terrible the Chargers defense is playing this year.  The Bolts are sitting at 3-5 and have given up a ton a points especially to teams that are willing to spread them out and pass the ball.  They’re down 1 ½ games to the Broncos and are really going to have to show some consistency to win their weak division. 

New England Patriots 23, St. Louis Rams 16

How great would it have been for the lowly Rams to pull off yet another upset by beating the Patriots?  One can wish.

For some reason I’m still in denial about this Patriots team.  I’d like to believe that because of injuries to Brady, Harrison, and Maroney, this team is mediocre and doesn’t stand a chance.  Yet the truth is, they are winning the games they’re supposed to win and seem well on their way to a 10-6 record at worse.

My hat’s off to Bill Belicheck and Co. for holding it together.  I don’t have to like it one bit though.

Miami Dolphins 25, Buffalo Bills 16

The Dolphins could lose every game for the remainder of this season and it wouldn’t take away the improbable success they’ve had this season.  They played every game tough and managed to beat the Bills and Patriots, both likely playoff teams.  If they can get some consistent play from their defense, they have an outside chance at the playoffs. 

What is most impressive about this Dolphins start?  The fact that Chad Pennington has been better than advertised since being acquired from the Jets as part of the Favre fiasco?  What about Joey Porter’s 10 ½ sacks through 7 games or Ronnie Brown’s quick recovery from a torn ACL?

One thing is for certain, a team that was 1-15 a year ago is providing a model for the league on how to rebuild a loser.  Parcells needs to write “Rebuilding a Franchise for Dummies” and the Lions and Bengals need to pre-order it.

 Baltimore Ravens 29, Oakland Raiders 10

The Raiders are bad.  Their coaches are bad, their front office is bad, their quarterback is bad, and their receivers are bad.  If you give up 29 points to the Ravens, you’ve got issues.  But if you give up a 43 yard catch to Joe Flacco, you are terrible. 

Yes, Flacco is a big target and you really don’t expect a team to actually throw it to their QB when he is split out wide.  But this is about attitude more than anything else.  Do you really want to imagine what the result of that play would have been if Russell lined up at wideout against the Ravens D?   Injury, possibly career ending, with the nice new bonus “bounty” structure just put in place by the Ravens.  (Flacco is a hell of an athlete by the way)

Houston Texans 35, Cincinnati Bengals 6

Two bottom feeders headed in two completely different directions.  Looking at the Texans, they’ve managed to win 3 straight for the first time in franchise history.  If their backup QB was anyone in the world other than Sage Rosenfels late in the game against the Colts, they could easily have won 4 in a row.  

Unfortunately despite their recent run, the Texans may have the toughest schedule from here on out.  In their last 9 games, they face the Vikings, Ravens, Colts, Browns, Jags, Titans, Packers, and Bears.   (I left the Raiders out of purpose)  If the Texans can pull a playoff birth out of that schedule, they’re my favorites to come out of the AFC.

The Bengals meanwhile are charging full speed ahead towards 0-16.  With the number one pick almost sewn up, what do you look for in the upcoming draft?  The Bengals need a whole new defense, a quality running back and a whole new defensive line.  Sounds like they need to be negotiating a trade down as we speak. 

Can you recall a team this talented on offense that can’t win a game?

Cleveland Browns 23, Jacksonville Jaguars 17

With their back against the wall, the Browns have stepped up.  They handed the Giants their only loss of the season and this week they hand on to beat the Jags who some picked to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl.

I’ve been saying all year the Jags look like a .500 team.  Hell, if you cut and paste my week 4 summary of the Jags/Texans game here, it fits seamlessly.  No matter who the Jags play it comes down to the last minute, Garrard led the Jags in rushing, they weren’t able to get their ground game on track, and “powder boy” Matt Jones had a huge game.  I swear sometimes I actually know what I’m talking about.

Washington Redskins 25, Detroit Lions 17

What would the line be on a Lions/Bengals game?  If these two masters of futility played each other 10 times, I’m inclined to believe we’d have 10 ties, because I’m not willing to give either of these teams enough credit to think they can beat anyone.  Although if you held a gun to my head, I’d put my money on the Lions.

How great has Clinton Portis, Santana Moss and the resurgence of the Redskins been for fantasy football owners?  Portis and Moss both had down years last year and both have returned with a vengeance this year.  Portis went over 120 yards for the 5^th straight game and Moss had 140 yards receiving and an 80 yard punt return for a score. 

Seattle Seahawks 34, San Francisco 49ers 13

The game really means nothing in the grand scheme of things.  What’s more important is the fact that we’ve got another extremely animated coach to watch for reactions every week.  The Mike Singletary era has begun and at the very least, we’ll have a ton to write about following his interviews.

What did Singletary accomplish in his pro debut?  He sent highly touted tight end Vernon Davis to the showers early for slapping a Seahawks’ player’s helmet, benched J.T. Sullivan after his 11^th turnover on the year, and blew his gasket after the game.  Whether Singletary’s fiery attitude is just what the doctor order remains to be seen.

My apologies to Seneca Wallace who I wasn’t too kind to last week.  Wallace’s solid performance led the Hawks attack as they weren’t able to muster anything on the ground.  (28 carries for 39 yards as a team. OUCH)  Way to play well in a meaningless game between two teams fighting for second to last place in the worst division in football.