NFL Quick Hits

The Quick Hits are a little slower getting off the ground, this week, but they are here nonetheless:

- Normally I wouldn't talk about the Rams-Lions game, as it pretty much lived up to its pregame Toilet Bowl designation, but 2 things caught my eye:

We've all heard of the pick-6, well the Rams went ahead and came up with the pick-minus-2. Rams DB James Butler intercepted a tipped pass from Matthew Stafford in his own end zone, got up, started to run with the ball out of the end zone, in the course of his run looped back into the end zone and was tackled there. Now, had he caught it in the end zone and stayed there, the Rams would have gotten the ball on their own 20 yard line. Because he left and came back into the end zone, the Lions got 2 points and the Rams had to kick off to the Lions. Of course, it being the Lions, they didn't score again until the 4th quarter.

3 touchdowns were scored in this game. 1 of those TDs was the result of a fake-FG pass from Rams kicker Josh Brown. Normally, an avid fantasy football player like myself would consider this a slap in the face, but this being the Rams, more people are likely to have Josh Brown on their team than Rams QB Marc Bulger.

One more note: my favorite comment I heard regarding this game: "Scouts came away from this game convinced Rams RB Steven Jackson can make it at the next (read: NFL) level."

- The Seahawks, excuse me...(retching noises)...there, that's better.

- The Colts actually had a game on their hands Sunday from the 49ers. I know, I'm as shocked as you guys. Given Arizona's implosion at the hands of Carolina, the 49ers just might have the defense to win the NFC West, even with their offense in the hands of former-failed-1st-overall-pick Alex Smith.

- Maybe this isn't true in general, but on Sunday, coaches were idiots about going for 2 points. This will be covered more in a follow-up post, but met me start with Dolphins coach Tony Sparano. You're up 11 and you go for 2...why? To be up 13 instead of 12? With the rate that kickers are hitting extra points these days, the penalty for missing (Jets needed a TD, 2pt, and a FG to tie instead of 2 TDs) is much greater than the reward for making it (if you can block/use voodoo to cause a miss of 1/2 the XPs, you won't fall behind). Indefensable decision.

- Remember that Eli? I remember that Eli. Giants fans remember that Eli, and not fondly either.

- The Broncos finally lost a game. Having not seen it, I can't be sure of the reasons for that, but this stat seems to mean something:

Kyle Orton: 23-37, 153 yds, 0 TD, 0 INT

You want to know why people refused to take the Broncos seriously? It's because of Orton? Why not take Orton seriously? Lines like that*. 6.7 yards per completion? 4.1 yards per attempt? That's awful, I don't care what defense you're playing against.

*Well, and the neckbeard

- The Jaguars, with the exception of Maurice Jones-Drew, have given up. Tennessee used this to win their first game of the season. It had nothing to do with Vince Young starting, and everything to do with the Jags not tackling Chris Johnson.

- Brett Favre throws 4 TD passes and rips the hearts out of Green Bay fans in Lambeau. And now he has a groin injury. I'd make a tasteless joke about Fox, but I think all that's been played out.

- The Cardinals are officially the NFL's Jekyll and Hyde team. They had just won 3 straight road games, beat the Giants in the 3rd of those 3 games (which looked a lot more impressive last week) and were coming home to Carolina this week. Carolina, of course, having Jake Delhomme at quarterback, the same guy who, the last time he saw the Cardinals, turned the ball over 6 times. So naturally the Cardinals allow 270 yards rushing, Delhomme only has to throw the ball 14 times, and the Panthers win 34-21. Of course.

- Are we really ready for a Colts-Saints Super Bowl? Neither of these offenses can be stopped for 60 minutes, even when they're only allowed to be on the field for 15 minutes (see Colts v Dolphins back in week 2). If both are able to secure home field, watch out.