10 Things That I Learned From Week 10 in the NFL

There was a lot of good football this weekend in the NFL. Most weeks are always filled with lots of close games and lots of drama, and this week was no different. You had some teams stepping up and setting themselves apart from the rest of the pack. And there were other teams that continued to fade into mediocrity.

So here are the top ten things that I learned this week:

1. Bill Belichick has grapefruits

I don’t really think you can put it any other way. Either he’s got grapefruits, or he went temporarily insane for about a minute or so. People can try to defend them all they want, but that call was completely moronic. Hmmm, let’s see. Give Peyton Manning 75 yards to work with, or 30 yards to work with? We’ll take the 30. Yes, all he needed was one play to end the game for the Pats, but you just don’t make that call there. I’m not buying any of the excuses.

2. The Colts’ secondary may have struggled mightily, but they were still clutch

All the talk heading into the game was about the banged up secondary for the Colts. And for the most part, everyone was right. Tom Brady connected to Randy Moss just about anytime he wanted. But when it really mattered, the Colts made the play they had to make. They stopped Kevin Faulk on the 4th and 2, and that made all the difference in the world.

3. Those Bengal tigers are for real

Not just any team goes into Pittsburgh and defeats the defending Super Bowl champions. But that’s exactly what the Bengals did. They went in, and essentially beat the Steelers at their own game. They played hard-nosed defense and made the big plays when they needed to make them. Though they didn’t do particularly well in the redzone, they still managed to squeeze out the biggest win in recent memory for the Bengals. Now, the Bengals have to be taken as a legitimate AFC title contender.

4. The Eagles’ offensive playcalling is horrendous

If there’s one brain I’d like to pick after this week’s game, it’s not Belichick’s. It’s Andy Reid’s. At times, I just wonder what the man is thinking. The Eagles had several opportunities against the Chargers to score points in the redzone. Yet they had to settle for field goals at times, because they simply had stupid playcalling. The defense didn’t help any, but game management by Reid is something that must improve if this team want’s to get to the playoffs.

5. The Jets were a complete fluke

What the hell happened to this team? It seemed like not so long ago, they were going to play in New Orleans against the Saints, in a battle of two of the better teams in the league. Now they’re losing at home to the Jacksonville Jaguars? That defense has went to looking like one of the strongest in the league, to pretty bad. And Mark Sanchez hasn’t looked all that great either.

6. And the Broncos might be too

Broncos’ defenders can say what they want. But good/great teams don’t go to Washington and lose. Especially to this Redskins team. That’s a bad loss. And now the Broncos sit in a tie with the Chargers in the AFC West race. You can blame last year on Mike Shanahan. You can blame it on Jay Cutler. But that 6-0 start means nothing right now, as you’re in the same spot you were last year. A surging Chargers team against a struggling Broncos’ team. It’s deja-vu for Denver fans.

7. The Bears are a mess

From top to bottom, this team is a mess. Cutler is struggling big time. The offensive line is terrible. The running game is terrible. And for once, when the defense isn’t terrible, everything else goes right down the toilet. That was a game that should have been won, and that’s all there is to it. I hate to say it, but Lovie Smith’s job is starting to become in jeopardy. I like Lovie, but he’s gotta turn this thing around. And soon.

8. The Packers obviously understood the importance of the Cowboys game

It was a must-win for the Packers this week, and they answered the challenge with a pretty impressive performance against the Cowboys. They held the Dallas offense down considerably, and probably could have shut them out. Had Green Bay lost that one, their season would have been over. That’s all there is to it. Though they still have a pretty big hill to climb, they still made the road a little bit easier in trying to get to the playoffs.

9. Bud Adams likes birds

Not just any birds though. Adams clearly had a senile moment when he decided to dance around his owners’ box at L.P. Field, and let the birds fly to anyone who could see them. Perhaps he was flipping off the Bills. Perhaps he was flipping off Jeff Fisher in a sort of “I told you so” way for recommending Vince Young start. Or maybe he was too drunk to have any idea what he was doing. I’d say those are all possibilities.

10. The Browns are who we thought they were

There may have been some people out there who thought that the big Monday Night Football stage would bring out the best in the Browns. Well, those people were wrong. The Browns stunk it up again, as they fell to the Ravens. Had the Browns actually been able to put up points in the first half, they might have had a chance. But instead, they settled for the 0-0 tie at the half, and then proceeded to get their doors blown off in the second half. But hey, they only lost by 16, right? That’s progress.

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