The flu shelved me this weekend -- no, it wasn't swine (I didn't feel like having a BLT or pork sandwich) -- preventing me from hitting the road, which meant I had a day on the couch flicking the satellite dish through the NFL Sunday Ticket like a mad man.

Like good teams find a way to win, John Fox's Panthers -- a bad team -- find a way to lose. (Getty Images)

So what did I see?

• I saw that commercial with a guy talking to himself about erectile dysfunction about 100 times. Does he really get advice from himself?

• I saw some really good quarterback play from guys we expect it from, like Tom Brady, Kurt Warner and Peyton Manning.

• I saw the Cincinnati Bengals show once again what I thought all along: They are for real.

• And I saw two undefeated teams remain that way because of one very important reason:

Good teams find ways to win games that average teams don't.

I'll focus on the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints here, the final two undefeated teams through nine weeks, with the Colts and Saints both at 8-0. To get there, they were both pushed to the limits Sunday.

The Saints fell behind 14-0 in the first quarter at home and looked flatter than a discarded, stepped-on beignet you might find on Bourbon Street. The Panthers were running at will and the Saints' explosive offense seemed lifeless.

Somehow, someway, the Saints got it going and they ended up winning 30-20. Why? With their passing offense, they are never out of a game. Ever. Drew Brees got it cranked up and they got a late-game fumble return for a touchdown to ice it.

Earlier in the day, Indianapolis jumped to a 13-0 lead -- a score that should have been far worse -- but then had to hold off Houston in a 20-17 victory. The Texans had a chance to send the game to overtime but Kris Brown's 42-yard field goal with no time left sailed wide left.

That's what happens to good teams. They get breaks like that. They make some of their own, but they also get them. It's weird how that works.

Those two teams didn't get their normal sterling grades here in our CBSSports.com Weekly Grades, but even their coaches would admit they didn't deserve them. But they will look back on this day and smile.

I got to watch most of both games, in between the 5,000 times I saw cavemen bowling in some ad and the 1,500 times I flicked around, and when both games were over I thought the same thing.

Good teams seem to find ways to win, maybe on days they don't have the A game. The two undefeated teams did that Sunday.

Week 9 - Sunday, Nov. 8, 2009
Green Bay Packers 28, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 38
A	Buccaneers: The Bucs defense came up big with six sacks and three interceptions, one returned for a touchdown by Tanard Jackson to ice it. They also blocked a punt and returned a kickoff 83 yards. That's how you pull upsets. Josh Freeman was steady in his first start with three touchdown passes.
F	Packers: This one really stings. They made way too many mistakes. You can't win on the road like that -- even against a team you should beat. The special teams were a disaster. The offensive line was bad again.
Miami Dolphins 17, New England Patriots 27
B	Patriots: Tom Brady had a huge day and Randy Moss was the recipient of most of it. His 71-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown was the big play of the game. The Patriots defense did a better job against the Wildcat this time, although Miami did throw a touchdown pass off it.
C-	Dolphins: They didn't run the ball like they have been, which put more pressure on Chad Henne. He played OK, but not enough big plays. The pass defense struggled, but that might happen some with rookie corners.
Kansas City Chiefs 21, Jacksonville Jaguars 24
B-	Jaguars: They played well until the final six minutes when they almost blew it. That's a mental lapse. They got some big plays on offense from Mike Sims-Walker. They also ran it well. The pass rush, which has been nonexistent, finally showed up with three sacks.
C-	Chiefs: They did little until the final quarter, but they get credit for not quitting. Matt Cassel did play well in the fourth quarter, but it was too late. His offensive line is really bad. The defense got pushed around.
Houston Texans 17, Indianapolis Colts 20
B	Colts: The Colts looked like they would blow the Texans out, but kept kicking field goals instead of scoring touchdowns. Peyton Manning was red hot in the first half, but cooled off in the second. He did lead them on the game-winning drive late.
B-	Texans: The defense had problems early, but slowed down the Colts in the second half. Matt Schaub and the offense took time to get going, but they looked good in the second half. And they did drive to a game-tying field goal attempt that Kris Brown missed. He has to make that.
Baltimore Ravens 7, Cincinnati Bengals 17
A	Bengals: They jumped out to a quick lead and then the defense did the rest. The front had four sacks and shut down the Baltimore running game. They also had two interceptions. Carson Palmer and Cedric Benson carried the offense again. Benson went over 100 for the second time vs. the Ravens this season.
C-	Ravens: They looked flat for the first quarter and never seemed to recover. That defense isn't what it once was. The offense couldn't muster any drives early and fell behind. They never could get it going as their offensive line struggled.
Arizona Cardinals 41, Chicago Bears 21
B+	Cardinals: Kurt Warner threw five touchdown passes and lit up the Chicago secondary. He did what he wanted. Matt Leinart threw the only interception. The defense played well early, but did give up some passing yards to the Bears when they had a big lead. They did let down some late, which is a concern.
F	Bears: What happened to that defense? They couldn't stop the Arizona passing attack. They had no pass rush. Jay Cutler put up some numbers and did throw three touchdown passes, but he can't do it alone. Falling behind 31-7 at the half is inexcusable.
Washington Redskins 17, Atlanta Falcons 31
B	Falcons: Give this one to Michael Turner. He came up huge with 166 yards and two touchdowns. The defense was good in the first half, but struggled in the second when Washington got back in the game. Matt Ryan didn't do much.
D	Redskins: The offense was horrible most of the day, aside from the third quarter. In the first half, they couldn't get anything going. And the run defense was terrible. How much did they pay Albert Haynesworth?
Detroit Lions 20, Seattle Seahawks 32
C	Seahawks: Matt Hasselbeck had a 300-yard passing day and he had to after his team started so slow. Rallying from down 17-0, he had to throw the ball well. The defense had five interceptions, the last one returned by Josh Wilson for a touchdown to seal it.
C-	Lions: They looked good early, jumping to a 14-0 lead. But Matt Stafford had problems throwing the ball and turnovers really hurt. The defense also didn't play well. There will be days like this for rookie passers.
Carolina Panthers 20, New Orleans Saints 30
B	Saints: Drew Brees got the passing game going after a slow start, throwing for 330 yards and a touchdown. The defense, after a bad start, played much better in the second half.
B-	Panthers: Give them credit for coming in and fighting, but they don't throw it well enough to win it. You have to against the Saints. They did run well, with DeAngelo Williams going for 149 yards and two scores. His late fumble was a killer.
Tennessee Titans 34, San Francisco 49ers 27
B	Titans: Chris Johnson was the highlight again, rushing for 135 yards and scoring two touchdowns. Vince Young played well, completing 12 of 19 for 172 yards, no interceptions and he rushed for a score. The defense gave up some passing yards -- what else is new? -- but it also had three interceptions.
C-	49ers: Alex Smith threw three interceptions, the last one to kill any chance of rallying for a victory. He did make some plays, but the picks hurt. Frank Gore averaged 5.5 per rush, but only had 15 carries. The defense, usually a strong suit, didn't play well.
San Diego Chargers 21, NY Giants 20
B+	Chargers: Philip Rivers didn't have his usual stuff, but he found a way late to drive the Chargers to the game-winning score in the final minute. He knows how to do it in the clutch. Vincent Jackson came up big again. The defense was sound, and holding the Giants to a field goal late was key.
C	Giants: Their decision to play safe late in the game after getting the interception up by three will be questioned -- especially with their defense. The defense did play better, but to let Rivers drive it to the winning score was the difference. Eli Manning was solid, but he didn't hit many plays down the field. It was all short stuff.
Dallas Cowboys 20, Philadelphia Eagles 16
A	Cowboys: The Dallas defense did a great job limiting the high-scoring Philly offense and made plays in the end. The offense didn't get much, bothered by the blitz, but made a big one in the end from Tony Romo to Miles Austin.
B	Eagles: The offensive line struggled against the Dallas pressure and the Eagles couldn't get the offense cranked up. The Philly defense played well, but did give up the big play late. Why did Andy Reid kick the late field goal on fourth down?
Week 9 - Monday, Nov. 9, 2009
Pittsburgh Steelers at Denver Broncos
	Broncos:
	Steelers: