Week 12 in Review

Weekend Top Ten

1. Saints. I have not been a doubter, but I admit I was surprised by this practically perfect performance. Every throw from Brees was in the perfect location. The defense smothered Welker and Moss. This team is going 16-0.

2. Titans. Vince Young led one of the greatest drives in regular season history, with an 18 play, 99 yard drive that included three 4th down conversions including 4th and 10 with :00 on the clock to beat the first place Cardinals. Like I said earlier, Vince Young is a winner. He has "it". And this week he did it with his arm. Titans are one game out of a playoff spot.

2a. Chris Johnson propelled himself into the MVP debate as he topped 150 yards again, including an 85 yard scamper for a touchdown. His nearly 1700 yards of offense are 300 more than the next guy.

3. Patriots. Brady made some of his worse throws ever. The defense was terrible. Despite great throws from Brees, the tackling was horrendous and the coverage was eye-popping bad. I don't know how Henderson was that open. 0-4 on the road (in North America), not a mark of a great team.

4. Texans. Peyton is great and all, but the Texans completely imploded. They could have been up 21-0 but Andre Johnson dropped a ball in the endzone. The offense never came out after halftime. Schaub made some bad throws following dropped passes, Schaub got stripped, the Colts scored 28 straight points. This is as frustrating a loss as you can have.

5. The Colts have frustrated a lot of teams this year (every team).

6. Panthers. Following the playoff disaster last year, the Panthers gave Jake Delhomme a new contract with $20 mil guaranteed, one of the most bone-headed moves we've seen in a while. The 4 INT game debacle to the Jets should be the final nail in his career coffin.

7. Browns. What will happen to the league's #31 ranked defense when they lose their best player (Shaun Rogers)? Couple that with another sub-200 yard offensive effort and you have one pathetic football team.

8. Jags. So let's say that somehow Jacksonville makes the playoffs as a Wild Card. It is likely they would face a game in San Diego. So far on the West Coast, they have been outscored 61-3. Don't worry, they won't get the chance.

9. Vikings. Brett now has 24 TD to 3 INT. The Vikings are the most complete team in the league with no fewer playmakers than the Saints. My biggest concern is Adrian Peterson holding onto the ball (15 fumbles the last two seasons).

10. Chargers. 6 wins in a row with a trip to the circus in Cleveland coming up. There is no running game (averaged less than 3 yards per carry even after being up 21points at halftime), but looking at the first-place Colts, Pats, and Cards, does that matter?

Power Rankings Top 5
1. Saints. No possible argument here.
2. Vikings. Finally a couple good matchups coming up.
3. Colts. I'm still picking the Titans next week.
4. Patriots. Good news: only team with a winning record on the schedule is the Jags.
5. Bengals. Kudos for sweeping the division.