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No Tears, Just Dismal Truth for Jets

Mark SanchezFOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- It was a what-else-can-go-wrong game for the Jets that revealed their warts and showcased the Patriots' muscle. Everything about this 31-14 Patriots victory here on Sunday essentially pointed to one fact: the Jets are frauds.

They talked a big game before the first snap of the season and more smack when they toppled the Patriots 16-9 back in Week 2. They were throwing a rookie quarterback sensation at opponents, combined with a defense designed to growl and intimidate.

They sped to three straight victories -- but have since lost six of seven games. And those six losses have come in a pair of three-game losing skids, including the current one. They are a 4-6 team steamrolling to a 7-9 or 6-10 season.

Loss Is a Troubling Sign for Steelers

David CarrThe Steelers have had a great decade. Two Super Bowl titles, two more AFC Championship appearances and six playoff berths is a record most teams would love to have.

But there have been some bad losses along the way as well, few worse than the loss to the Chiefs on Sunday. Here's a look at the worst five losses of the decade.

Orton's Return Opens NFL's Stretch Run

The NFL season officially hit the homestretch late in the second quarter in Denver on Sunday when Josh McDaniels, his Broncos trailing San Diego 13-3, inserted gimpy starting quarterback Kyle Orton for struggling backup Chris Simms.

Denver lost, 32-3, although the offense did get better with Orton leading it.

But that's not the point. The point is that McDaniels, whose team had lost three in a row coming in, felt Sunday's game was so critical that he needed to insert Orton and risk further injury to the ligaments in the QB's ankle, even with another game coming up in four days. It's like George Allen's old slogan for the Redskins of the 70s: "The future is now.'' Except that Allen's slogan worked a lot better than Orton worked for the Broncos -- he certainly was better than Simms, but it didn't matter much.

More Bad News for Redskins' Backfield

Ladell BettsWith star running back Clinton Portis already sidelined as he deals with the aftereffects of a concussion, the Redskins were hoping backup running back Ladell Betts could shoulder the load. Instead, Betts left in the first quarter Sunday against Dallas with a knee injury. As it turns out, Betts has torn the medial collateral ligament in his knee and will probably miss at least a month. Portis will also reportedly miss next week's game as well, meaning Rock Cartwright will be the featured back for the Redskins against the stingy Eagles' run defense in Week 12.

Sunday, Cartwright filled in admirably for Betts (and Portis). He ran the ball 13 times for 67 yards (5.15 yards per carry), but was also greatly involved in the passing attack. He caught seven passes for 73 yards.

Entire AFC North Fell Apart Sunday

It was a rough day around the AFC North. A day when all four teams lost games they should have won.

Baltimore came into Sunday with more to gain, and more to lose, than anyone in the division -- beat the undefeated Colts, and Baltimore would stay right in the middle of the AFC playoff race. Lose and the Ravens would be in danger of falling out of the mix altogether.

Halfway through the fourth quarter, Baltimore looked ready to give Indianapolis its first loss. But with Baltimore needing only a field goal to take the lead, quarterback Joe Flacco was picked off inside the Colts 20 in the final three minutes of the game. The Ravens had one more chance, but Ed Reed lateraled into a fumble in the final 30 seconds. Now Baltimore sits at 5-5 with two games left against the Steelers and time quickly running out.

Tenacious Raiders Stun Bengals Late

After a physical beatdown of the reigning Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers, the Cincinnati Bengals were riding high. "Just look at their next three opponents," observers proclaimed -- with good reason, as the Bengals were staring at the Raiders, Browns and Lions in succession on their schedule. The three teams had combined for four wins and 23 losses before Week 10, while the Bengals had won seven of eight since their fluky Week 1 loss.

Facing Bruce Gradkowski and the Raiders offense surely shouldn't be a problem for a team that held Ben Roethlisberger in check, right? Well, that's why they play the games.

Steelers' Special Teams Flop Again

Jamaal CharlesIt's fair to blame the Steelers defense for Sunday's shocking loss 27-24 overtime loss to the Chiefs -- Kansas City simply shouldn't be able to drive the length of the field in overtime to beat Pittsburgh. It's also fair to point fingers at a Pittsburgh offense that piled up over 515 yards of offense, but squandered all of it with two interceptions, a fumble and three costly sacks.

But as the Steelers' fans try to figure out what happened in one of the more embarrassing losses in recent Steelers history, the group that once again is most to blame is Pittsburgh's kick coverage unit -- easily one of the worst group of special-teamers in NFL history.

In fact, only one of the Steelers' four losses -- their first loss to the Bengals -- can not be blamed, at least in large part, on poor special teams play.

Despite Win, Giants Are Still in Trouble

Eli Manning and the Giants' offense did everything it could to win the game, even as the defense tried to give it away.EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Man, you really gotta love that NFC East. Up here in the swamps of Jersey on Sunday, the Giants played as little fourth-quarter defense as possible but still pulled out a 34-31 overtime victory over a Falcons team that refused to play any defense all day. Meanwhile, back in Texas, the Cowboys waited until the last possible second to show up and beat the Redskins. Some kind of inspiring day for the teams at the top of a division that was supposed to rank among the NFL's best. And while the Giants' players and coaches said all the right things here (a win is a win, after all, and they hadn't had one in a month and a half), the most insightful thing anybody said came out of the mouth of defensive end Justin Tuck.

"We got the win and that's great," Tuck said. "But I don't like how we finished this game at all."

Cowboys' Late Touchdown All They Need

Patrick CraytonHey, a win is a win. That's all that matters in the end. The Dallas Cowboys get to see a "7" in the win column of the standings after surviving 7-6 over the Washington Redskins Sunday. It wasn't pretty, but the Cowboys gutted out an old school victory.

Coming into the week, the Cowboys had been amassing a large percentage of their yardage via the air attack, behind the arm of Tony Romo. In Week 11, they seem to have decided to transform themselves. Romo attempted 27 passes, while the Cowboys ran the ball 33 times for 153 yards and counted on their defense to win the shortened game for them. It worked.

Stafford Injured in Lions' Incredible Win

When two bad teams get together, sometimes they can produce some great theater. Such was the case Sunday in Detroit, where a pair of 1-8 teams gave fans one of the day's best games.

At the end, a penalty that was called on the game's last play gave the homestanding Lions one untimed down from the Cleveland 1. They made it count, as rookie quarterback Matthew Stafford hit tight end Brandon Pettigrew for six, and a Jason Hanson extra point gave Detroit a 38-37 win.

Packers Face Defensive Disaster: Harris, Kampman Both Injured

With a 30-24 win over San Francisco Sunday at Lambeau Field, the Green Bay Packers thrust themselves into the thick of the NFC playoff race. At 6-4, Green Bay kept pace with the New York Giants, who also won, and jumped ahead of the team the Giants beat (Atlanta).

However, it was a costly win for the Packers.

The defense may have suffered a couple of major blows with potentially serious knee injuries to outside linebacker Aaron Kampman and cornerback Al Harris.



Colts Survive Ravens With Defense

Had you told the Baltimore Ravens they would win the turnover battle against Peyton Manning and the Colts on Sunday, I'm pretty sure they would have assumed the result would be a victory. Of course, getting into the end zone against Indy generally is ...

Eric Wood Injury Too Brutal for TV Replay

Bills rookie offensive lineman Eric Wood suffered an ugly injury in the third quarter of Buffalo's 18-15 loss to Jacksonville. The injury was so bad, in fact, that CBS opted not to show any replays of the play because it was too gruesome. Wood was ...

Dallas Clark's One Hand Is Better Than Both of Yours Combined

Dallas Clark has somehow become the ultimate "hybrid" tight end -- he's really more of a wide receiver than anything else, what with his athleticism and everything. He also has decent hands: Sunday against Baltimore, Clark made a one-handed ...

NFL Week 11 Live Tweet

It's Week 11 of the 2009 NFL season and we've got some big games ahead of us this afternoon: Colts vs. Ravens, Redskins vs. Cowboys, Falcons vs. Giants, Jets vs. Patriots and Chargers vs. Broncos are among the big games of the day. I'll be watching ...

Chris Simms to Start at QB for Broncos

DENVER -- Quarterback Chris Simms, who hasn't started an NFL game in three seasons, will take over for injured Kyle Orton today when the skidding Broncos (6-3) play host to the surging Chargers (6-3) for sole possession of first in the AFC West. ...


Latest Fantasy Football Notes

  • Will Davis (LB) ARZ
    Davis left Sunday's game in the fourth quarter due to a knee injury, the Cardinals' official site reports.
  • Steve Breaston (WR) ARZ
    Breaston (right knee) had a quiet day on Sunday in large part because the Cardinals are using fewer three-receiver sets, the Arizona Republic reports.
  • Matt Leinart (QB) ARZ
    While Leinart's teammate Kurt Warner (head) expects to play in Week 12, Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic isn't so sure.
  • Kurt Warner (QB) ARZ
    While Warner (head) expects to play in Week 12, Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic isn't so sure.
  • Bertrand Berry (LB) ARZ
    Berry started his fourth game of the season on Sunday, but Will Davis seems to have surpassed him for playing time in some key situations, the Cardinals' official site reports.
  • Read More Notes»