Joe's Final Drive: Week 11

We saw drama in Tennessee, a slaughter in Minnesota and a near-comeback in New England. Oh NFL week eleven, how I heart you. It's Final Drive time mutha-trucka!

(2-8) Buffalo Bills 49
(2-8) Cincinnati Bengals 31

At one point this game was a blow-out… for Cincinnati. It was 31-7 in the second quarter before the Bills went on a tear and rolled off 49 straight points. It was a great win from Buffalo as Chan Gailey’s boys showed tremendous heart, but this was a meltdown of epic proportions. I’m not sure Marvin Lewis survives a season like this.

(5-5) Washington Redskins 19
(5-5) Tennessee Titans 16

More significant than the result is the status of Titan QB Vince Young, who showed his petulance yet again on Sunday, verbally sparring with Jeff Fisher after the loss. Young had torn a ligament in his thumb, after which Fisher benched him, much to the chagrin of Young, who reportedly tossed his shoulder pads/jersey in the stands. Whether his thumb needs surgery or not, I can’t see Young with the Titans after this season.

Getty Images/ Best thing about this game. Period.

(7-3) Green Bay Packers 31
(3-7) Minnesota Vikings 3

Speaking of QB’s who won’t be back next year, how great was it to watch Brett Favre slip into crapitude? Seeing the performance some of the players were giving on the field and the ensuing arguments on the sidelines was more than enough of a sign that things were about to change in Minnesota. Brett Favre’s awful play this year got Brad Childress fired. It’s that simple. If anyone was going to plunge the Vikings’ season into despair, it should have been the Packers. Thanks Aaron Rodgers. Next week? I want to see Favre tears.

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(8-2) New York Jets 30
(4-6) Houston Texans 27

Okay, how lucky/good are these Jets? I can’t help but think they wouldn’t have been in the position for a game-winning drive if their talkative defense actually slowed down an opponent every once in a while. I said it. Their defense? Not so stellar. Their complete lack of an outside pass rusher has forced them to blitz, putting more pressure on their corners. (Who are pretty good.) Still, 8-2 in that division means quite a bit.

(7-3) Pittsburgh Steelers 35
(5-5) Oakland Raiders 3

Only hit worth talking about in this game is the one Richard Seymour put on Ben Roethlisberger. You rock Richard. You’re my new favorite player. That $25,000 fine was SO worth it. Raiders still suck.

(7-3) Tampa Bay Buccaneers 21
(3-7) San Francisco 49ers 0

Instead of discussing how obviously bad the Niners are (and they are), instead I’ll mention that at 7-3 these Bucs are semi-legitimate. I still don’t think their schedule has been all that tough, but their losses have been close ones. Staying competitive week to week is one of the hardest things to do in today’s NFL, and Raheem Morris has been getting the most out of this squad.

(8-2) New England Patriots 31
(6-4) Indianapolis Colts 28

Okay Peyton, this loss is on you… but so was the wickedly awesome point barrage the Colts put up after it looked like Belichick’s Patriots were going to run away with it. Every now and again the machine is going to malfunction. It happens. I’d be awfully afraid of the Patriots if they end up with home field advantage in the playoffs. Tom Brady is a killer at Gilette Stadium.

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(7-3) Philadelphia Eagles 27
(6-4) New York Giants 17

Not exactly dropping a 59-er, but I’m sure Andy Reid will take the win. The Eagles won a game the hard way without a lot of big plays from the offense. (Aside from 40 and 50 yard runs from LeSean McCoy.) Mike Vick wasn’t electric, but he took advantage of the opportunities the defense presented him. On the other side, Eli Manning can’t stop himself from turning the ball over. Now that he’s without Hakeem Nicks for the next three weeks, they’ll have to rely on that running game. Can’t afford to turn it over now, Eli.

That’s it for this week! (I care not about discussing Broncos-Chargers.) I’ll be back with a preview of the Thanksgiving day games! (Spoiler: Snooze, Snooze, Bore.)