NFL, Week 9

As much as I do love the NFL, it's hard keeping track of what's going on with a baby in the house. Rather than carve out a half or a full day for watching various football games, I'm instead paying half attention to one game a day (usually the Pats game), keeping tabs on the Seahawks game (until they fall apart and the game gets out of hand), and watching the first half of the Sunday/Monday night game before going to bed so I can be ready if the little guy wakes up at 5:00 AM the next morning. Is it a jarring difference from past years? Absolutely. Would I go back? Heck no. So I'm still going to give NFL commentary, but I simply won't get to cover nearly as many games as in the past.

Buffalo has to be hoping the clock hasn't struck midnight on their Ivy League quarterback sensation, especially since they just handed him a fat extension. The fact of the matter is Fitzpatrick is limited, and great defenses (which the Jets can be) are going to give him trouble. But if he puts up his numbers against the mediocre defenses, that might be good enough to get the Bills a playoff spot. And that would be enormous progress in Buffalo/Toronto.

You watch the Saints when they're on, and you wonder how the heck they aren't right up there record-wise with the Packers. Then you remember they lost to these Bucs a few weeks back, and lost to the Rams (!) last week.

Oops, Miami. That win is going to cost you. Indy isn't even putting up a fight anymore. Hope for your sake Barkley comes out too. If I'm Kansas City, I'm not showing my face until next weekend's game after that disaster.

Carson Palmer, you have been Tebowed. When the Raiders traded for him, do you think anyone bothered to watch any film from the past 2-3 seasons? Was this trade mandated in Al Davis' will? Because it's right in his wheelhouse from the past decade, and not in the wheelhouse of anything approaching a savvy front office executive.

Eli Manning is being hailed as an elite quarterback. Not to take away from his SBXLIII-like 4th quarter, but he's still the quarterback that was shut out by the Pats' defense in the first half. The Pats defense couldn't shut out Boston College for a half right now.

Aaron Rodgers is amazing, but Phillip Rivers looks off somehow out there. In recent years, you knew San Diego would let you down in the end, but Rivers would always, ALWAYS put up his numbers. Even when he was without Jackson, Gates, Floyd, whoever, it didn't matter. Rivers produced. This year? He's holding them back.

The Ravens may be ready for a seat at the big boys table. They have always found a way to lose when confronted with the possibility of true success. This year, Joe Flacco and mates stepped up when Pittsburgh made its run, and the result is a season sweep of their hated rivals. They still have plenty of work to do to finally get a home playoff game in the Harbaugh era, and I'd worry that they consider their work done too soon. There's half a season left, and they only have a 1.5 game lead over Pittsburgh, and are tied with Cincinnati.

And finally, the Rams got 2 safeties in a quarter against the Cardinals, but scored no touchdowns and lost on a 99-yard punt return in overtime. That game simpy defies rational explanation, and any reason to have watched it.