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.
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
1.46
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.
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.
B+
3.09
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.
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.
F
1.98
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.
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.
C
3.08
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.
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.
A
3.00
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.
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
2.38
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.
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.
B-
2.76
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?
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.
D
1.88
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.
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
3.41
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.
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.
B+
1.80
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.
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.
B
2.57
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.
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.
A
3.17
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?
Steelers: The defense came up with a huge play early with Tyrone Carter's interception return for a touchdown, but it was the offense that won it in the second half. Ben Roethlisberger lit it up on third down and Rashad Mendenhall ran it well. That was impressive.
B-
3.09
C-
Broncos: At some point, the offense is going to have to make plays down the field. They have to take more chances. They didn't here and it cost them. Kyle Orton wasn't good. The defense wilted in the second half with little help from the offense. It did get the Broncos only touchdown.
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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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 - 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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"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.
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 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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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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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 ?
Okay Brett Favre, be upset with the Packer organization; but you have some unfinsished business with the Packer fans. You need to apologize to them for what you put them through for 4 years. You said that you went to the church prayed before the game in Minnesota? Well, you'd better stay there all weekend in Green Bay, because there is no place else to hide from the people tha
I got to see 4 games this weekend, including the Bears Eagles, which was pretty good for the most part. Donovan McNabb did play pretty well, and the Bears defense gave up some big 3rd downs and a big score to DeSean Jackson. The Bears did not do well in the red zone with only 4 FGs...but it was exciting.
The Cowboys Redskins game was a joke, and I'm a Boys fan. The skins dominated
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Forgive me if I can't quite connect the dots, but I can't quite connect the dots. When I was in school, your GPA was an indicator of your overall body of work, not the by product of one particular test or class. So can someone please help me to understand any of the following:
1. The YTD (year-to-date) GPA for the Indianapolis Colts is 3.08 while the GPA for the Patr
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The Jets are a playoff team but if Sanchez is at the helm for one more week, we will not be. I said it from the beginning that Sanchez didn't prove anything in college, did not prove it in preseason and did not prove it in any of the wins, except maybe one. The defense carried the team through the wins and he single handedly lost 3 games for us. We held the Saints, THE FREAKIN SAINTS to 10 points,
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Final score, SD 32 Den 3. How did the Broncos earn a D??? The defense played like crap, and the offense was terrible. Chris Simms is a joke, and Kyle Orton did nothing in relief. Knowshon Moreno had the fumble at the goal line. This was a game of 6-3 teams, winner takes first place. Denver didnt show up. Denver should be thanking Prisco for this grade...should have been an F, they did nothing, and
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What is with the infatuation with the 4-5 NY Jets? They are in a down hill spiral that will continue for awhile and people are still making excuses as to why they SHOULD HAVE won their "last" game. They are a mid level team with a Rookie QB and they have a very tough schedule so they are not the next Super Bowl Champion by any stretch of the imagination. They will be go
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