This Week in the NFL

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Over the weekend, the Philadelphia Eagles ended their gridiron battle against the woeful Bengals with a tie.  After the game, quarterback Donovan McNabb stated that he was unaware that games in the regular season could end that way.

I love McNabb.  He has been a very good quarterback over the years, and he has unfortunately felt the brunt of unjustified attacks from both his teammates and the media.

With that said, you have to know the rules of the game if you are a true leader on the field.  It really makes one wonder if McNabb, and the Eagles offense as a result, lacked a sense of urgency once “sudden death” began. 

It’s not just McNabb’s burden to bear, however.  This all goes back to coaching.  Be it the head coach or even the offensive coordinator, one would believe that, at some point during overtime, the importance of scoring points would be delivered to the players.

With that said, not knowing the overtime rules didn’t potentially cost the Eagles a playoff birth.  Awful play calling, turnovers, and the inability to convert on short yardage hurt the Eagles.

Being ignorant about overtime is bad.  Being incompetent on the field for the first four quarters is worse.

NFL Power Rankings

 Here’s how the NFL teams stack up, as I see it.

 Titans-10-0-This is a team that is flying too far under the radar for being undefeated.

1. Giants-9-1-This team looks better than the one who won the Super Bowl last year.
2. Steelers-7-3-Pittsburgh is tough as nails, and their defense stifled San Diego’s passing attack.
3. Panthers-8-2-Carolina has a better record than Pittsburgh, but a Super Bowl contender should never struggle against Oakland.
4. Buccaneers-7-3-Earnest Graham may be out the rest of the season, but Tampa Bay still has one of the best defenses in the league.
5. Jets-7-3-A big overtime victory over the Patriots has this team in the driver’s seat for the division title.
6. Cardinals-7-3-The only person not ecstatic about this team in Arizona is Matt Leinart.
7. Colts-6-4-Is there anyone foolish enough to really have counted out the Peyton Manning-led Colts?
8. Patriots-6-4-They lost to the Jets on Thursday Night Football, but they are still in the hunt for the division despite their devastating injuries.
9. Cowboys-6-4-With Tony Romo back, the Cowboys are poised to right the ship.
10. Redskins-6-4-A tough loss to  bitter division rival Dallas will either fuel them or break them.
11. Ravens-6-4-They still have a stifling defense, despite the loss to the Giants, and a rookie quarterback playing good football.
12.  Dolphins-6-4-It’s hard to believe that this franchise almost went winless just a season ago, isn’t it?
13. Falcons-6-4-Despite their loss, Matt Ryan is making Michael Vick look like ancient history.
14. Broncos-6-4-A good win on Sunday, but one has to wonder when this poor defense will ultimately break their back.
15. Packers-5-5-This team is much better than their average record indicates. 
16. Bills-5-5-A team that started out 5-1 has now lost four straight and just might be watching the playoffs from their couch.
17. Eagles-5-4-1-Memo to Andy Reid:  Invest in a big, bruising running back in the mold of LenDale White or Jonathan Stewart.
18. Saints-5-5-A ten point win over the Chiefs aside, this team is wasting a good year from Drew Brees.
19. Bears-5-5-They got destroyed by Green Bay, which effectively killed any momentum Chicago may have had.
20. Vikings-5-5-A team that was thought by many to win the Super Bowl looks so utterly average ten games into the season.
21. Jaguars-4-6-Had an opportunity to beat the best team in the league and couldn’t pull it out.
22. Chargers-4-6-Is there any team in the league more disappointing than San Diego?
23. Browns-4-6-Oh, right.  Cleveland.  Sorry, Dawg Pound.
24. 49ers-3-7-Mike Singletary now won’t have anything to yell about at a press conference for one week.
25. Texans-3-7-Seven years in the league, and Houston barely has anything to show for it.
26. Seahawks-2-8-You just know that Mike Holmgren wishes he retired last year.
27. Bengals-1-8-1-First they beat the Jaguars, then they tie the Eagles.  Not bad for an inept football squad.
28. Rams-2-8-For a couple games, it seemed Jim Haslett was coaching this team up.  Not so much, now. 
29. Raiders-2-8-The silver lining?  Well…they only lost by two points.
30. Chiefs-1-9-Tony Gonzalez will never forgive GM Carl Peterson for not trading him away from this wretched team.
31. Lions-0-10-Say what you will about the football team, Lions fans do not deserve this putrid on-field product.

This story is filed under: Football Weekly