After two straight weeks on the road, it was good to settle in and watch Week 8 action from the comfort of my own couch.
Leave it to the NFL to deliver another epic mid-season battle between two of the league's top teams, the Giants and Steelers. A possible Super Bowl preview? It’s certainly not out of the realm of possibility, but as it turned out, that will be completely contingent on Pittsburgh's ability to find a replacement for their long snapper.
After Greg Warren went down in the second half with a torn ACL (how does that happen?) Steelers' linebacker James Harrison found himself pressed into the role as emergency snapper late in the fourth quarter.
Despite his apparent ability to snap off a perfect spiral, which must have initially wooed his coaches into believing he should be the guy should anything happen to Warren, Harrison clearly lacks in the department of depth perception.
When his snap sailed way over the head of a helpless Mitch Berger and out of the endzone for the game-tying safety with 6:48 to go, the momentum completely shifted, and the inevitability of the Giants improving to 6-1 was a mere formality from that point onward.
The NFL sure picked the right two teams to send to London. The Chargers and Saints gave the Wembley crowd their Euros worth, with an aerial display worthy of a performance by the Royal Air Force.
An especially good show was put on by Drew Brees, who finished the day 30-of-41 for 339 yards and 3 TDs against his old mates, leading the Saints to a 37-32 victory. That's the sixth time this year that Brees has thrown for over 320 yards in a game, putting him on pace to eclipse the 5,000-yard passing mark by season's end.
Then there's that fab 101.6 QB rating of his.
Welcome back Brian Westbrook. Coming back off a rib injury that sidelined him for two weeks, Westbrook picked an ideal time to have his first 100+ yard rushing game this season, showing off his Pro Bowl form of a year ago with a dominating performance (22-167 yards, two TD). Don't look now, but the Eagles are back in the NFC playoff race.
Who's the best wide receiver in the NFL right now, Terrell Owens or Larry Fitzgerald? Neither.
Plaxico Burress? Definitely not.
It's Houston's Andre Johnson. With 11 receptions for 143 yards vs. the Bengals Sunday, Johnson has now recorded 10+ receptions in three straight games, all of them wins for the Texans. He also happens to lead the league with 56 receptions for 772 yards.
The Dolphins Joey Porter is proving this year that he's still a very bad man. In Miami's 25-16 upset victory over the Bills Sunday, Porter dominated on defense to the tune of two sacks, a forced fumble, and a safety. He now leads the NFL with a whopping 10.5 sacks (through just seven games), already tying his career high set back in 2005 with the Steelers.
He's no fine wine, but Brett Favre is getting tougher with age. After taking multiple shots and peeling himself off the turf time after time vs. KC, Favre overcame three more interceptions (he's thrown a league-leading 11 this season) to rally his Jets to a come-from-behind 28-24 win over the Chiefs. Will the day ever come when Favre doesn't get up from one of those huge hits in the pocket? I doubt it.
You would think a guy named Lawyer would know the difference between a legal hit and a pure cheap shot. I expect a major fine, or even a one-game suspension, to be levied by Roger Goodell against the Falcons' Lawyer Milloy after he blew up an unsuspecting L.J. Smith following an incompletion over the middle.
Move ahead to the fourth quarter, when the refs would give the game to the Eagles after blindly ruling a fumble on Atlanta's punt return with just over 2 minutes left, down by six.
Justice is served.
Hats off to new coaches Jim Haslett in St. Louis and Mike Singletary in San Francisco. Haslett has completely rejuvenated the reeling Rams, nearly pulling off a third straight victory since taking over the club. Meanwhile, Singletary made a statement Sunday in his debut vs. Seattle, sending former first round pick Vernon Davis to the showers after an undisciplined personal foul during the third quarter of SF's 34-13 loss.
Way to show 'em who's boss.
Notes:
The Cardinals wide receiver Anquan Boldin didn't miss a beat Sunday, catching two TD passes in his return from the gruesome injury suffered in Week 4 vs. the Jets...Jets' running back/kick returner Leon Washington averaged an astounding 21.1 yards per touch Sunday, totalling 274 yards and two TDs on 13 touches (three carries, three receptions, four kick returns, three punt returns)... Cowboys' linebacker DeMarcus Ware had his streak snapped of 10 consecutive games with a sack... The Baltimore Ravens and Eagles' head coach Andy Reid each notched their 100th career win on Sunday.
What stood out for you in Week 8?
Have you ever been a long snapper?
Have your say now!