Things I Noticed: Week 10

Several contending teams lost their starting QB to injury this week, which could drastically alter the landscape the playoff hunt down the stretch if any of them misses extended time.  Last season it appeared Houston would be a top contender to win the AFC, until injuries forced them to use a 3rd string QB, which led to an early playoff exit.  Could the same fate impact a contender this year?
Bye Weeks: Cleveland, Green Bay, Arizona, Washington

Here are some things I noticed this week:

• Andrew Luck struggled early in his rookie season with accuracy, putting him near the bottom of the league in completion percentage (57.5%), but he has vastly improved in recent weeks.  His 18-26 (69.2%) effort this week was his most accurate game of the season thus far.  That mark is high enough to put him in the top 3 in the league if he could perform like that over the course of the entire season, but unfortunately he doesn't get to face the Jaguars every week.
• Luck also added two rushing TDs, giving him 5 for the season.  RGIII gets all the hype for his skills as a running QB, but Luck is right on his tail when it comes to running it in for a score.

• Luck's second rushing TD was a short yardage dive from the 1 yard line.  Replays made it difficult to determine if he had actually crossed the line and he may have even briefly lost control of the ball.  Scoring plays can't be challenged by the opposing team because they are supposed to automatically be reviewed.  Jaguars coach Mike Murlarky was furious that the officials didn't even bother to consult the video on what appeared to be a close play.  There probably wasn't enough evidence to overturn the call anyway, but the fact that the officials basically refused to even look at it again is a bunch of malarkey.
• Blaine Gabbert injured his shoulder again and was sidelined the rest of the game.  He was initially ruled as probable to return, but given that Chad Henne outplayed him, there was no reason to rush Gabbert back into the game.  In fact, there's no reason to rush Gabbert back... ever.
• Another injured Jaguar that the team can't wait to get back is Maurice Jones-Drew.  Rashad Jennings continues to be mediocre as his replacement, which  makes us all wonder why he was hyped as a big time sleeper in fantasy football leagues before the season when MJD was holding out with a contract dispute (yup, I was on that bandwagon).  The lesson: never pay too much attention to pre-season performance.
• Tom Brady has never lost a home game to the Bills.  Devin McCourty wasn't about to let this game be the first.  Trailing by six in the games final minute, the Bills marched their way deep into New England territory.  It was starting to look like yet another game where the much maligned Patriots defense failed to preserve a late lead.  McCourty has gotten as much criticism for the team's defensive breakdowns as anyone, but this week he came through with a game ending INT in the end zone to clinch the victory.
• The Patriots gave up a franchise record 35 first downs and 481 total yards in the game, but made up for it with key turnovers.  In addition to McCourty's game sealing INT, the Pats also forced two fumbles, one of which Fred Jackson lost at the Patriots one yard line.
• It still amazes me how under utilized CJ Spiller is in the Bills offense.  He leads the league in yards per attempt (7.3) but rarely gets double digit carries.  Earlier this season when Fred Jackson was injured, Spiller dominated, looking like a candidate to lead the league in rushing.  Once Jackson returned, the pair fell into a platoon that limits both their chances.  Spiller gained 70 yards on the ground on only 9 carries this week.  Jackson has been great as well (80  yards on 16 carries, 2 TDs), but they need to get the ball into Spiller's hands more because he is the team's most explosive weapon.  
• Fred Jackson may have suffered a concussion in the game, so with the Bills next game coming up on Thursday Night, they may have no choice but to feed Spiller the ball.
• The Giants appear to have hit another one of their mid-season swoons after a road loss to the Bengals handed them their second straight defeat.  Eli Manning's struggles continued with two more turnovers and he hasn't thrown a TD pass in his last three games.  For the season, he has a troubling ratio of 12 TDs to 11 INTs.
• Not that any of this will worry the Giants.  I think they actually lose these mid-season games on purpose because they don't to peak too early.  They'd rather build momentum as the playoffs are approaching and use an underdog mentality to motivate them.  Their postseason spot seems pretty secure, considering the struggles of everyone else in the NFC East, so don't sleep on the Giants as being a contender based on their recent struggles.  That's just what they want you to do.
• Andy Dalton has a spectacular game with 4 TD passes, one of which was a 56 yard bomb to AJ Green.  Even more impressive is the fact that he didn't turn the ball over and wasn't sacked against a Giants defense that is 2nd in the league in takeaways and 9th in sacks.
• Miami has been one of the toughest teams in the league to run against (ranked 5th with 94.2 yards allowed per game), but don't tell Chris Johnson that.  He dashed his way to 126 yards and a TD in the Titans route over the Dolphins.  
• Johnson became the first to rush for over 100 yards against Miami in the past 23 games, snapping the league's longest streak.
• Jake Locker threw 2 TD passes in his return, after missing 5 games with a dislocated shoulder, but it was the defense that really won the game for Tennessee.  The Titans defense entered the game on pace to set a record for most points allowed in a season, but they held the Dolphins to only 3 points thanks in part to 4 turnovers.  
• The 37-3 shellacking is the 2nd worst home loss for Miami in franchise history, trailing only a 48-3 beat down at the hands of the Chiefs way back in 1968.
• The Vikings had to be concerned about how they would be able to move the ball on offense with Percy Harvin sidelined with an ankle injury.  After all, Harvin had entered the week leading the league in receptions and Christian Ponder had been struggling lately to throw the ball even with his play making receiver on the field.  As it turned out, the Vikings offense did just fine in a win over the Lions, with Adrian Peterson carrying the load (171 yards, 1 TD) and Ponder spreading the ball around to 9 different receivers.
• Peterson's big day launched him to the top of the league in rushing yards (1128) for the season.  The man just had surgery less than a year ago to repair a torn ACL/MCL and has returned to be just as dominant as ever.  That's just crazy!
• The victory snaps a two game losing streak for the Vikings.  The rest of their schedule following next week's bye is brutal, but with 6 wins already it at least gives them a shot at finishing 8-8, which is an impressive turnaround from last season.

• The Lions may have lost, but not from a lack of production from Calvin Johnson.  He hasn't dominated the league like last year, but he was dominant this week with 207 yards and catching his first TD pass of the season from Matthew Stafford (his other TD catch this season came from the back-up QB, Hill).
• Calvin now leads the league in receiving yards and is doing his best to make up for his slow start and put to rest any concerns about a Madden Curse.
• The league's last undefeated team has fallen, as the Saints upset the Falcons in New Orleans.  For all that has gone wrong for the Saints this season, snapping the streak of their division rivals had to have felt good, even if it doesn't mean they have any hopes of catching them in the division.  
• Chris Ivory was inactive for most of the games early this season, but has been utilized the past couple weeks with Darren Sproles out with a broken hand.  Ivory isn't the most skilled talent, but he always seems to produce when given a chance.  His 56 yard TD run helped turn the momentum for the Saints after they had fallen behind early.  He may not have the pedigree of former first round pick Mark Ingram, but he has been outproducing him.
• It was a big game for tight ends, as Jimmy Graham and Tony Gonzalez both hauled in over 100 yards and a pair of TDs.  Those scores gave Gonzalez 101 career TDs, which is the 6th most all-time.
• The Falcons loss was in part due to an inability to convert in short yardage situations late in the game.  On each of their last two drives, Matt Ryan connected with Harry Douglas for 9 yards, setting up 2nd and short, but each time they failed to pick up that extra yard.  
• The Bucs are typically known for their stingy defense and lackluster offense, but things are starting to change down in Tampa.  The Bucs are third in the league in scoring (28.9 points per game) with an explosive attack that can beat you on the ground or through the air.  After a slow start to the season, the Bucs have now won three of their last four games following their bye week.
• It took an all around effort from the Bucs to beat the Chargers, as a blocked punt and INT that were both returned for scores helped pile on after the offense did it's damage.
• Tampa gives up the most passing yards per game (321.3), but only because nobody can run against them (league best 80.1 rushing yards per game allowed).  Philip Rivers (337 yards, 3 TDs) had some success throwing against them, but also turned the ball over twice, including a fourth quarter pick-six that cost the Chargers the game.  They were in FG range to at least tie the game at that point, but the turnover led to a 10 point swing that was the difference in the game.
• John Fox would want us to believe this was just like any other game, but it had to feel good to go back to Carolina and beat his old team.  Peyton Manning made sure of that with another vintage performance (301 yards, 1 TD).  
• The win gave Manning the 147th of his career, tying him with Dan Marino for 3rd all-time for QB wins (and only 1 win behind Elway for 2nd place).  His TD pass also tied Marino on another list with 420 career TD passes, which is 2nd all time.  
• Brett Farve leads both of those lists, which is a given considering he refused to retire until well into his 40s.  Once Manning starts to close in on his records, don't count out the old gunslinger to make another unnecessary comeback attempt to pad his resume (I'm kidding... I think... well, at least I hope).
• The Broncos were fortunate to get away with a bonehead decision by Trindon Holliday that should have cost them a TD.  Holliday returned a punt for a score, but replays showed he started his end zone celebration a bit prematurely by flipping the ball before actually crossing the goal line.  The play should have been called a fumble and a touchback instead of a touchdown, but instead wasn't even reviewed by officials.
• It was an ugly game for Cam Newton, who was sacked 7 times, once for a safety, and threw 2 INTs, one of which was returned for a score.
• The Ravens scored a franchise record 55 points, which also tied a record for the most points the Raiders have given up in a game in their history.  Joe Flacco (341 yards, 3 TDs) easily picked apart the Oakland defense and found Torrey Smith twice on deep scoring throws.
• The lone bright spot for the Raiders defense is that they at least got their run defense back in order.  After being trampled by Doug Martin last week, they held Ray Rice (the man Martin is most often compared to) to only 35 yards on 13 carries.

• The Seahawks beat the Jets to remain undefeated at home.  Seattle fans - affectionately known as the 12th man - give the Seahawks one of the league's best home field advantages, but the other key to their success is how well rookie QB Russell Wilson has played at home.  He has thrown 11 TDs without an INT in 5 home games, compared to only 4 TDs and 8 INTs on the road.
• Wilson wasn't the only one throwing TD passes for the Seattle.  The Seahawks used a bit of trickery that resulted in receiver Golden Tate throwing a 23 yard TD pass to Sidney Rice to punctuate a dominant second half.
• The Jets (3-6) are off to their worst start in the Rex Ryan era, which has to make you wonder if the loud mouth coach is on the hot seat.  Ryan was recently voted by a players poll as the most overrated coach in the league.  At least he's kept his trademark sense of humor about it.  "I finally beat Belichick at something," was his response to the poll.
• Many people have been clamoring for weeks for the Eagles to bench the struggling Michael Vick and those people finally got their wish.  Only the change came about due to an unfortunate head injury.  Also unfortunate is the fact that Nick Foles proved himself to be no less turnover prone than Vick, after he coughed up a fumble and a pick in less than a full game of action.
• Is this the end of Vick in Philly?  The 32 year old QB doesn't have the same burst that he had in his prime, which was what made him so special.  He's never been a good decision maker or the most accurate passer, but he had the athleticism to make up for it.  If he doesn't have that anymore then what good is he?  This may be the beginning of what we saw with former Eagles QB Donovan McNabb, who went from playing at a Pro-Bowl caliber level, to having his skills quickly fall off a cliff, which led to him being out of the league soon after.  If Foles rebounds with a solid performance in place of Vick next week then perhaps the Eagles may find Vick's latest injury as a convenient excuse to make the change permanent.
• Tony Romo kept the Cowboys in the game through the first half with his 2 TD passes, but it was the defense and special teams that put the game away in the second half.  The Cowboys scored on a punt return, INT return and fumble return.
• November has historically been the best month of Tony Romo's career, with a 20-3 record.  A couple more wins before the month is over could help the Cowboys catch the struggling Giants, although it should also be noted that December and January have been Romo's worst months (10-17 record).
• We had our first tie of the season in the game between St. Louis and San Francisco after a wild OT period where both teams had chances to win.  On the first play of the extra period, Danny Amendola took an 80 yard pass from Sam Bradford down to the 49ers 2 yard line, but the play was negated by a late flag for an illegal formation penalty.  Both kickers would later miss FG attempts that could have ended the game.  The game would end with the Rams unable to even get the ball passed mid-field before time ran out.
• The Rams came closest to victory when they kicked what would have been the game winning FG, only to have the play negated by a delay of game penalty.  Taking the penalty in that situation, especially when they still had a time out left, is unacceptable.  The penalty pushed them back, making the attempt from 58 yards, which predictably sailed wide right. 
• Controversy stewed over the loss of over a minute of game action when the refs brought out the chains for a measurement while the clock continued to run.  The line judge is responsible for keeping track of the clock, but the league, while admitting the mistake, threw the clock operator under the bus in doing so.  Since the issue occurred in the first half it likely didn't impact the fact that the game ended up going to OT.
• As if the outcome of a tie wasn't bad enough, the Niners also lost Alex Smith to a concussion in the first half of the game.  Colin Kaepernick filled in admirably under the circumstances, but has been used primarily in wild cat sets and isn't ready to carry a team considered one of the league's best.  The running game and defense will need to carry the team more than ever if Smith misses any more time and the NFC West may now be even more wide open.
• The Bears became yet another contending team to lose their QB when Jay Cutler exited with a concussion in a game they would go on to lose to the Texans.
• Neither offense was able to get much going on a soggy night that made for a sloppy game.  Chicago entered the game with an NFL best +16 turnover differential, but lost the turnover battle 4-2 to the Texans.  New England has now surpassed them in that department, as they improved to +16 while the Bears dropped to +14.
• In a game without much offense, Arian Foster still managed to crack the 100 yard rushing mark against the Bears 4th ranked run defense and add a receiving score that amounted the only TD of the game.
• The Chiefs had their first lead of the season!  It didn't last long and they would go on to lose the game to the Steelers, but they get a morale victory for at least getting off to a 10-0 start.  A 12 yard TD run from Jamaal Charles in the first quarter gave the Chiefs the lead for the first time in regulation this season.  Prior to that, their only win came in OT during a game they never led until the end.
• When the Chiefs hand the ball off to Charles, good things happen.  Who knew?
• The Chiefs had a chance to win their 2nd OT game of the season until Matt Cassell threw it away with a costly INT that set up the game winning FG for the Steelers.
• When the Cheifs let Matt Cassel throw the ball in critical situations, bad things happen. Who knew?
• Ben Roethlisberger was knocked out early with a shoulder injury, clouding the future of yet another playoff contender.  The severity of the injury is unknown at this time, but the fact that he left the stadium for the hospital during the game isn't a good sign.  With a date with the Ravens awaiting next weekend, it would be a huge blow to their chances of catching up in the division race if Roethlisberger is sidelined.
• Chicago still leads the league in point differential (+109), but thanks to their loss to Houston, the Texans are breathing down their necks (+107).