Joe's Final Drive: Week 8

So an ugly slate of games turned into ugly action on Sunday, but there was still plenty of drama to be found. Minnesota is still on their downward spiral towards football irrelevancy along with the Cowboys. In the AFC, two supposed powerhouses found themselves on the wrong side of the final score. Here's the week eight edition of the Final Drive!

(4-3) Miami Dolphins 22
(2-5) Cincinnati Bengals 14

The Dolphins finally found a few big plays on Sunday to help their surprisingly anemic offense. You'd think adding Brandon Marshall would mean you score more more than four field goals and one TD. Miami is following their typical formula for victory, but to beat the best in the AFC they'll need to continue airing it out. I'm keeping an eye on Cincy this week to see if they pick up Randy Moss off waivers. That would be an epically egotistical group of wide-outs. I would watch EVERY Bengal game. (Maybe.)

(4-4) Jacksonville Jaguars 35
(1-6) Dallas Cowboys 17

Leave it to the craptacular Dallas Cowboy defense to make David Garrard look like Tom Brady. The Jaguars are horribly inconsistent with tremendous highs and terrible lows, but they're not going to secure Jack Del Rio's job when the season ends. In Dallas, Jerry Jones is paying a team full of quitters. There isn't any other way to describe them at this point. Enjoy Jon Kitna Cowboy fans!

Um... I love the Cowboys. / Getty Images

(2-5) Detroit Lions 37
(4-4) Washington Redskins 25

So... lost amidst a rare and exciting Detroit win behind Matthew Stafford is the complete shock that was Mike Shanahan's benching of Donovan McNabb for... Rex Grossman? Really? With my supposed wealth of football knowledge, I can't understand this move at all. Claims of McNabb's "cardiovascular endurance" or insufficient knowledge of the two-minute drill sound weak at best. Having seen Grossman for years as a Bears fan (and still owning his jersey), he is not the answer in a two-minute drill. Ever.

(5-3) Green Bay Packers 9
(5-2) New York Jets 0

Who saw a shut-out coming in this game? Okay, now who saw the shut-out being delivered by the Packer defense? Yeah, just like I thought. It was a costly loss for a Jets team that fell behind the Patriots in the division and who saw their offense fail to produce after featuring receiver Santonio Holmes. Rex Ryan should be nailing punter Steve Weatherford to the wall after he ran a fake punt at the line. They just looked off. The Packers almost struggled equally, but they converted enough red zone opportunities to take first place in the NFC North.

The Star-Ledger

(4-4) Oakland Raiders 33
(4-3) Seattle Seahawks 3

Oakland Raiders: offensive juggernaut? It certainly looks that way over the past two weeks after racking up 59 on the Broncos and shutting down the Seahawks. Darrius Heyward-Bey finally showed up to play with 105 yards and a TD. About time I say. Jason Campbell may be earning back the starting job with these impressive back-to-back outings.

(6-1) New England Patriots 28
(2-5) Minnesota Vikings 18

Looking past the loss we all saw coming, the Vikings are embroiled in chaos. Brett Favre can't avoid getting jacked up (dude looked like he had a concussion), Randy Moss can't avoid being Randy Moss (and therefore got cut today), and the defense can't get any pressure on the quarterback. Sidney Rice may be on the way back, but the Vikings are on the way down. Don't look now, bu the Patriots are 6-1 and have returned to the style of play that won them three titles. If the defense can keep improving week to week, the Pats will be difficult to slow down.

Getty Images

(5-3) New Orleans Saints 20
(5-2) Pittsburgh Steelers 10

It took eight weeks, but we finally saw the ball-hawking Saint defense to which we've become so accustomed. The Steelers were drained after a tough win over the Dolphins last week on the road, so a let-down could have been anticipated. (Not that I saw it coming AT ALL.) Despite their troubles, the Saints are in good standing in the NFC and are right behind the Falcons and Buccaneers in their division.

(5-2) Indianapolis Colts 30
(4-3) Houston Texans 17

Peyton Manning. Crusher o f Dreams. Destroyer of Worlds. After faltering in week one against the Texans, the Colts came out and made a statement on Monday night, jumping out to an early lead. When you give Peyton Manning a lead, he's unbeatable. Houston's not out of the playoff mix yet, but this loss puts them behind Indy and Tennessee in the division. Not the best of situations.

Until next week everyone!