This is what I imagine took place late Sunday night in the nation's capital: Dan Snyder thumbing through his Rolodex for a handful of coaching numbers, barking to whatever henchman was nearby to make sure he had an updated phone list.
The Lions' Matthew Stafford can enjoy his first victory as an NFL quarterback. (AP)
Mike Shanahan, check.
Bill Cowher, check.
Jon Gruden, check.
OK, so maybe it's a little too early for that. But with Dan the Volatile Man you never know. He owns the Washington Redskins -- can we ever forget? -- and seeing his 'Skins lose to the Detroit Lions, a team that hadn't won a game since 2007 before Sunday, had to sting like someone calling him "Shorty."
The Lions snapped a 19-game losing streak with a 19-14 victory against the Redskins, which will certainly put coach Jim Zorn in the line of fire -- or is it firing? I think it's premature to think about that, but with the Redskins and their owner you can bet that story is percolating.
There have been strong rumors around the league that Shanahan is eyeing this job next season, and Zorn losing to the Lions can only help make that a reality.
How's that $100 million for defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth working out for you, Dan?
The addition of Haynesworth was supposed to make the defense one of the strongest in the league.
They didn't look like it against Lions rookie quarterback Matt Stafford on Sunday. Or when they were trying to tackle Kevin Smith, who rushed for 101 yards.
We'll give the Redskins an F in our CBSSports.com Week 3 Grades and give the Lions an A, just for winning.
Let's face it, the Redskins have played poorly the entire season and their only victory was a lackluster 9-7 decision against the winless St. Louis Rams, and that came at home.
It also doesn't help that they play in a division with three good teams in the New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys.
"It don't matter if Joe Gibbs was here or any All-Star coach, they're still going to point fingers," Haynesworth said of the coaching criticism.
No, if Joe Gibbs were there you wouldn't have lost this one.
The Redskins loss was the lowlight of the day, the Lions winning the highlight. But, of course, there was Brett Favre.
As critical as I've been of Favre's signing, he made the plays in the end to pull out a 27-24 victory for the Minnesota Vikings over the San Francisco 49ers. Favre threw a touchdown pass to Greg Lewis with two seconds left to propel the Vikings to the victory.
Favre threw it up as he was pressured and Lewis pulled it out of the air, toe-tapped his two feet, and the Vikings are 3-0.
Later in the day, we had Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer throwing a game-winning touchdown pass with 14 seconds left to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers.
That helped make for another good Sunday of games. That is, unless your name is Dan Snyder.
Jets: The sign of a good team is coming back after blowing a lead to win a game. That's what the Jets did Sunday. The defense made big stop after big stop in the second half. That pressure bothered Kerry Collins all day. The offense didn't do all that much, but did turn a turnover into a score to make it 14-0 early. Mark Sanchez threw two touchdown passes, but was picked late.
A
3.77
C-
Titans: They rallied from down 14-0 to take the lead, but didn't get the plays in the passing game they needed in the fourth quarter. Kerry Collins struggled in the second half. He missed 13 straight, one being a pick. Their offensive line, usually one of the best, had troubles in this one. Losing two fumbles really hurt.
Giants: The defense was dominant from start to finish. The Bucs didn't get a first down until the third quarter. Ouch. The Giants also ran the ball at will on offense. Once they got up 17-0, it was done. This was a good showing for a second consecutive road game.
B
3.33
F
Buccaneers: This was as bad as it can get. They got handled every way possible. The offense was horrible. The defense was nearly as bad. They couldn't run it or throw it. Ugly is a kind word.
Packers: They kept the Rams around for a while, but Aaron Rodgers made some big plays when they were needed. The defense played better than a week ago, with Charles Woodson getting an important pick. Ryan Grant ran for 99 yards.
C-
2.37
C-
Rams: Kyle Boller played OK in relief of Marc Bulger (bruised shoulder) to help keep the Rams in it. The defense was tough early, holding the Packers to two field goals after two turnovers, but they wilted late. This isn't a good football team right now.
Eagles: Kevin Kolb had another big day, throwing for 327 yards and two scores. He can play. DeSean Jackson had 149 receiving yards and a score, but this was a day for the defense. It dominated a bad Kansas City offense. They forced the Chiefs to go 0 for 11 on third down.
C+
3.43
F
Chiefs: The offense was horrific. Matt Cassel threw for 90 yards, all dink-and-dunk stuff. He was beat up by the Eagles defensive front, which had three sacks and hit him a bunch more. The pass defense was shredded, but did it really matter with the way the offense played?
Patriots: Fred Taylor ran the ball for 105 yards and the defense shut down the Falcons running game, and forced a Michael Turner lost fumble. Tom Brady was good, but still looked a little off. This one goes to the defense, which played well in the second half.
B-
2.80
C
Falcons: You can't win on the road getting run on and scoring just 10 points. Their running game, which they had to have, didn't get it going. Getting a touchdown pass called back in the third quarter that would have given them the lead was a bad break.
Vikings: Brett Favre saved them on a day they were probably outplayed. They did get a 101-yard kickoff return from Percy Harvin. Adrian Peterson had 85 yards rushing to help complement Favre. The defense didn't play up to standards.
B-
3.00
B-
49ers: They lost Frank Gore early, and still should have won. That says something about how they played. Quarterback Shaun Hill had a good game and the defense harassed Favre much of the day. They did get a special-teams score from Nate Clements on a blocked field goal, but gave one up to Harvin.
Jaguars: You have to give this team credit for bouncing back from last week's disaster. The offense came alive. David Garrard played well and Maurice Jones-Drew had a huge game. The defense still has issues, but came up with a huge stop late with an end-zone fumble recovery.
C-
2.13
C-
Texans: The defense, with all those high picks, isn't very good. They give up way too many big plays. The offense was in keep-up mode all day long and couldn't tie it late when Chris Brown fumbled. If they don't tighten up the defense, they'll be lucky to get to .500.
Lions: Matt Stafford is growing up. He played much better in this one, making some big throws when needed. Kevin Smith supplied the rushing yards to complement him and help the Lions control the ball. The defense gave up some yards in the passing game, but 14 points is a nice day.
C
2.33
F
Redskins: The defense, which is the team strength, let them down in this one. They got pushed around at times. Jason Campbell put up some big numbers, but a lot of it came in scramble mode. But he did play well. This one isn't on him. It's on the defense.
Ravens: This was a total butt whipping. Joe Flacco had a big day throwing it, the defense forced four turnovers and the Browns never could get anything going on offense. The running game was solid. The opponent helped in this one.
B
2.87
F
Browns: How low can they go? Brady Quinn was benched at halftime, but did it really matter? They can't score -- on anybody. The Browns are a disaster right now. The defense didn't do much better. Nice going, Eric Mangini.
Bears: Jay Cutler had a second good game in a row. He threw three touchdown passes and completed 21 of 27. Devin Hester made the big play turning a slant into the game-winning touchdown. The defense gave up some yards, but limited the Seahawks to just one touchdown.
B+
2.77
C
Seahawks: They didn't score touchdowns. Seneca Wallace moved the team and played pretty well in place of Matt Hasselbeck, but they only had the one end-zone visit. The pass defense let them down after it was the run defense last week.
Saints: We all know about the Saints offense, but what about the way the defense played in this one? That unit played really well. The Saints didn't pass it as much, but Pierre Thomas ran for 126 yards and two scores. That's an impressive victory.
A
3.77
D
Bills: So much for showing they can play with the big boys. At home, this is a game they should have a chance to win. They played it close for a while, but didn't do enough on offense. The defense wore down and the tackling got bad. There were no catches for Terrell Owens. When's the outburst?
Chargers: This one goes to the defense. They dominated, especially against the pass. They made Chad Pennington and Chad Henne both look bad. Their passing game moved the ball, with Philip Rivers playing well again.
C+
2.53
D
Dolphins: The Dolphins can't pass the ball well enough. It's terrible when your starting quarterback throws for 54 yards. But Henne didn't do much better, getting picked for a score. The pass defense gave up a lot of yards, but stiffened in the red zone. No offense makes it tough to win.
Broncos: You have to give this team credit. They're finding ways to win. And it's with the defense. They dominated here. It's the second consecutive week they've kept the opponent out of the end zone. They ran it for over 200 yards on offense. Impressive.
A
3.43
F
Raiders: Boy was that ugly. JaMarcus Russell still can't throw for any numbers. He took a beating here and didn't have much time, but he has to be better. Darren McFadden fumbled three times. That can't happen. The defense has to play better against the run. It isn't pretty.
Bengals: Carson Palmer's late-game drive won this game. The Bengals were outplayed for most of it but found a way. Johnathan Joseph's pick for a score was the big play to get them back in. The defense didn't play as well as it did last week.
B+
2.77
B-
Steelers: When you keep a team around, you will pay. That's what happened to the Steelers. They owned the first half, but led just 13-3. The defense has had too many fourth-quarter letdowns for a talented unit. They gave up two fourth-down conversions on the last drive. That hurts.
Colts: Peyton Manning lit up the Cardinals secondary, throwing four touchdown passes as the Colts gained over 500 yards. He was in a rhythm all night long. The biggest difference for the Colts here was their pass rush. Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis owned the night coming after Kurt Warner.
C+
3.00
F
Cardinals: They got their butts whipped. The offensive line was horrible. That has to be fixed. Kurt Warner was beaten up. The defense was just as bad, giving up all those yards and the four scores. This team went to the Super Bowl?
Cowboys: It took them time to get going and the fans started booing, but they turned it around in the second half. The running game was again outstanding. But the passing game needs to amp it up. The defense had a dominant second half, especially the secondary.
B-
2.90
C-
Panthers: Where is the offense? They couldn't run and they couldn't throw. The defense, which has been a problem for most of the season, actually played well. They are so limited on offense that it put added strain on that unit last night.
Well, Pete, I think you gave us apretty good report card this time. Why do the Lions play on Thanksgiving day anymore? They have to have their head examined for playing Matthew Stafford...why? Here's your franchise QB, and let's see how he likes being a punching bag for the Packers.
If the Cowboys would stop making mistakes, they could have put 40 on the Raiders. As it w
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Why is it that the Cowboys can play a team like the Eagles and beat them but the media either calls it a weak league and but when we lost earlier in the season to the Giants they were on their way back to the Superbowl. I know the Cowboys are the team people love to hate but my goodness what happened to us being just plain Good. I'm not saying we are Superbowl material yet but we are making some s
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I'm a Packer fan, but to say they deserve an A for this game is more then just a stretch. The Special Teams play was bad once again coughing the ball up on the opening drive, missing a 43 yard field goal, and giving up 2 34 yard returns. The offense had trouble scoring TD's in the red zone and also gave up a Safety. The penalties problem continued, the Atari Bigby block in the ba
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The Ravens at home on a Sunday night playing a divisional game against a team without starting QB Ben Roethlisberger, Guard Chris Keamouteau, safety Troy Polamalu, and DE Aaron Smith...the most 4 important people for the Steelers, and the Ravens playing against Dennis Dixon only win in OT because of the kid's interception in his first start ever. I say the Ravens should be getting a C-.
Let me start by saying, this isn't directed at ALL Steelers fans, just the ignorant ones who can't type a post or have a conversation without mentioning 6 Super Bowl wins, and when I say "Steelers fans" I'm referring to these ignorant ones...
The Steelers don't have more championships than other other franchise. In fact, they're not even in the top 3. The current leaders are t
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This is a plea to Prisco to start grading teams OBJECTIVELY rather than based on expectations. Please explain to me how the Chiefs earn an A while the Steelers earn a D, when the game went into overtime? Just because a team that normally plays poorly manages to win a squeaker against a good team, they get an A? You gotta be kidding me. Did you watch the game??? The Chiefs were dominat
Prisco probably should have said that playoff races are usually a bunch of good teams chasing each other for a few coveted spots, usually while playing a decent level of football. The problem is that even the mediocre 6-4 clubs continually play up and down each week, there are only a few teams that play consistently well almost each week and the rest are basically struggling to put together any ki
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I am so sorry Pete to douse water on your platonic love affair with Peyton ....but no team ever deserves an "A" when they fall behind 17-0 against an opponent they own...and your "special boy" Peyton throws 2 picks(again!!)
Even your "binky buddy" Manning said they did not play a complete game....... they get an "A" for playing a 1/2 gam
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"Steelers: They outplayed the Chiefs and lost, which will make this one sting. They have had trouble covering kicks all season. The interception was the big play, turning things around in a big way."
They got a D and the Chiefs got an A??? They got outplayed and got an A? Strange grades indeed.
(POLL)
I am not a Colts fan, but how can a team that is PERFECT on the season only have a 3.15? Isn't a PERFECT record equivalent to a 4.0? if not, why the heck not? What else is supposed to happen in this league other than win ALL of your games?
Prisco - I usually love your writing despite what everyone else on here has to say about it. However, your argument does not make mathematical sense. For example, you mentioned that the Bengals would have virtually locked up the AFC North if they had beat the Raiders. They would have a two game lead plus tie breaker with 6 games to go.
The problem with that thinking is that it assumes
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How can you say that? Because you read the stats and saw the yardage that McNabb put up? Or did you actually watch the game?
The Chargers offense was scoring at will and the defense held Philly to a field goal on, what?... 3 redzone situations - one being 1st and goal at the 1 yard line. So the Chargers went to playing prevent D most of the game. T
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I have huge respect for Pete Prisco. The amount of dis he suffers on this forum is way over the top. And unwarranted. Nevertheless , for once , I'm disappointed with him this week.
The Sunday night game was a classic. For most of the game New England was terrifyingly awesome. On both sides of the ball. Brady was exceptional. By contrast Indy was not inspiring and I thought Manning had t
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I don't agree with what Prisco is saying. No playoff races in the coming weeks? Sure, there are a divisions with significant leads, but that doesn't mean the end of the season is set up for a number of big wild card races. Still, another other reason I don't agree is that a few weeks ago I remember either Prisco or Judge saying the exact same thing about there being no races, exc
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Packers beat them 17-0, then the Redskins lose 7-6 ? The previous grade out was a "C" ? Right now, I give them an F for the Packers game, a D- for barely beating the Redskins and only a grade above failing because they won the game. I think even Dallas coaches would agree with me ? Jerry Jones would ?
