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Tuesday morning QB around the NFL

Submitted by SHNS on Tue, 11/11/2008 - 13:57

Playing Tuesday morning quarterback around the NFL.THREE BEST PERFORMANCES-- QB Kerry Collins, Titans: The Bears stuffed nine defenders in the box, cut off the run and flat-out dared the Titans veteran quarterback to beat them. So he did. Tennessee rushed for only 20 yards, but Collins passed for a season-high 289 and two touchdowns to keep the Titans undefeated. What Collins is doing has become a great story.-- RB Adrian Peterson, Vikings: Teams facing Minnesota know Peterson is going to get the ball and still can't stop him. On Sunday, the former Oklahoma star lugged the ball 30 times for 192 yards, including a 29-yard winning touchdown with just more than two minutes left against the Packers.-- QB Matt Ryan, Falcons: Rookie quarterbacks are not supposed to be this calm, cool, collected and good. But each week, the Falcons rookie looks like a 10-year pro. In a key NFC South win over New Orleans, Ryan was 16-of-23 for 248 yards with two TDs and, most important, no interceptions. Just think how good this guy is going to be later on.THREE WORST PERFORMANCES-- QB Jake Delhomme, Panthers: Delhomme completed almost as many of his 27 pass attempts to the Raiders defense as he did his own team. Delhomme completed seven passes to teammates and threw four interceptions. He threw for only 72 yards. Fortunately for Carolina, it was playing the Raiders, so they escaped with a win to remain in first in the NFC South.-- Steelers coach Mike Tomlin: Score tied midway through the fourth quarter and the Steelers had first and goal at the Indianapolis 5. Then they ran three straight times, had to settle for a field goal and ultimately lost, 24-20. You're down to like your 18th running back and you have one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL in Ben Roethlisberger. Don't you take at least try one pass?-- QB Aaron Rodgers, Packers: Rodgers took two safeties because he couldn't throw the ball away. Considering the Packers lost a key division game to the Vikings, 28-27, if he had taken only one safety, the Packers might have won. Wouldn't it be something if the Packers ended up missing the playoffs because of a safety?THREE TEAMS ON THE RISE-- Baltimore Ravens: The Steelers had better be nervous because the Ravens have won four straight and are tied with Pittsburgh for first place in the AFC North. Rookie QB Joe Flacco is in a groove (the Ravens have scored at least 27 in four consecutive games), and the defense has given up two touchdowns or less six times.-- Indianapolis Colts: Don't you get the feeling that the NFL had a chance to knock out the Colts this season and let them off the mat? After gutsy back-to-back victories over the Patriots and Steelers, the Colts are finally above .500 at 5-4. It's too late to win the division, but it feels as if the sleeping giant has awakened, and the rest of the league, especially the AFC, needs to be afraid.-- New York Jets: It's November, so it's getting to be Brett Favre weather. The colder it gets, the better Favre plays. He has quietly led the Jets to three consecutive victories and a tie for first in the AFC East, completing 61 of 87 passes for 658 yards in the last three games. More important, the Jets have outscored opponents 101-44.THREE TEAMS ON THE DECLINE-- Buffalo Bills: The Bills were a nice little surprising story with a 5-1 start. But now they have lost three in a row and four out of five, and they seem like a bit of a fraud. This tells the whole story: Buffalo is 5-0 against teams that now have a losing record. It is 0-4 against teams that now have a winning record.-- Pittsburgh Steelers: We still think the Steelers are going to make the playoffs and probably even win the AFC North. They're playing a brutal schedule, but what disturbs us is they have lost two big home games in the past three weeks. QB Eli Manning led the Giants to victory at Heinz Field two weeks ago, then brother Peyton led the Colts past the Steelers on Sunday. No shame in losing to the Giants and Colts, but don't true contenders have to find a way to win these games at home?-- Green Bay Packers: The Pack might look back at Sunday's loss in Minnesota as the game that cost them a playoff spot. The good news is the NFC North is mediocre, but the Packers need to get their act together. They have lost two in a row and have won only twice in their past seven games.QUOTE OF THE WEEK"It's either one of two things. We either don't want to do it. Or we're not good enough to do it."-- Rams coach Jim Haslett after his team was mauled 47-3 by the Jets on Sunday.(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service www.scrippsnews.com)