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1. Tampa Bay didn't win that game. New Orleans lost it. I'm sorry, but trying a trick play with a three-point lead and three minutes left? Stupid. "This starts with me," coach Sean Payton said afterward. You bet it does.
2. Gutsiest call of the day: Tampa Bay's Jon Gruden going for it on fourth-and-1 at the New Orleans 28 when a field goal would have tied the game.
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| Reggie Bush made a bad pitch, but he shouldn't have been asked to do it in the first place. (AP) |
4. A good day to be named McCown or Manning. The McCowns completed 43 of 58 passes for 454 yards and five TDs; the Mannings completed 36 of 56 for 483 yards and five TDs. Better yet, each family produced two victories.
5. If you watched Arizona's game-clinching series, you know how Ken Whisenhunt has changed the culture around that club. The Cards ran Edgerrin James on all but two plays of a 79-yard drive that closed out the Browns. A year ago, that couldn't have happened.
6. Look, I feel as bad as the next guy for the Washington Redskins, but Joe Gibbs does not get a pass because of grief caused by Sean Taylor's death. He should know the rules that forbid back-to-back timeouts, and he blew the call. Simple as that.
7. Say this about Norv Turner: He learned his lesson. When he lost to Kansas City earlier this year, he fed LaDainian Tomlinson six times in the second half for 16 yards. Result: The Chargers were outscored 24-0. In the rematch Sunday, he gave L.T. the ball 10 times in the second half, and he responded with 117 yards. Result: San Diego outscored the Chiefs 14-0 and picked up its third victory in four weeks.
8. NBC's Cris Collinsworth is right. The Browns were jobbed on that last call. Kellen Winslow was forced out. If you can't call the play right -- and I admit it's tough -- then junk the rule.
9. Sorry, Eli Manning critics, but you can take the week off. And that includes you, Jerry Reese.
10. Brian Westbrook is not among the leaders in the fans' Pro Bowl voting for running backs? That's not only ridiculous; it's a dead-flat injustice. I don't know of a more complete back in the game, and he demonstrated it again Sunday with 203 yards in offense and returns.
11. Imagine what would happen if Minnesota's Adrian Peterson didn't have to wear a knee brace.
12. If only Houston could get Andre Johnson on the field. In four of the five games he has played, he had over 100 yards in catches.
13. The Detroit Lions (6-6) might not win another game. Honest. Three of their four remaining opponents are division leaders, and the fourth is Kansas City. The Lions have given up 31 or more points in three of their past four starts -- all of them losses.
