Questions and Answers

Throughout the NFL in Week 10, a lot of questions were answered. But in Nashville, all we've got are more questions. First on the Titans, then on a few other NFL things I learned on Sunday.

The Titans came into Miami averaging 28 points per game, best in the league. They also came in with a new weapon, Randy Moss. How did our offense regress with Moss in the lineup? Wouldn't you think any team should benefit from having a Randy Moss who is willing to play team ball? The 17 points we scored was the second-lowest output of the season for Fisher & Co., and I can't quite figure out why.

Was it because Kerry Collins started? He clearly has no touch on downfield passes, overthrowing several open receivers for not apparent reason. He also couldn't throw the short passes; I noticed at least two plays where Collins hit a Dolphins defender in the helmet attempting a screen pass. Yikes. I know he had a great 4th quarter against the Eagles a few weeks ago, but I didn't see anything in Miami that warranted his $5 million salary.

Did Vince struggle because he came in cold in the second half? Maybe. On his third play, three Dolphins went basically unblocked, leading to a fumble. But he came back the next possession and drove us 73 yards in 11 plays for a TD. But once again, our second half defense was horrendous. We couldn't get off the field and Miami kept the ball for a 2:1 advantage in time of possession, giving Vince only 4 drives to work with. Could VY have been a little better? Of course. But he didn't exactly get a lot of in-game experience with his new toy, so let's not overreact. If Vince plays the entire game, I think Moss finishes with more than 28 yards on 1 catch.

Did Moss open up room for Chris Johnson? It sure looked like it. CJ averaged almost 7 yards per carry on his way to 117 yards against a defense that had allowed only one century-mark rusher this season (Adrian Peterson back in Week 2). This was the one positive I took away from the game. It was also nice to hear Mike Heimerdinger say that he spoke with Moss about the fact that he was being double-covered and Moss said he didn't care and was content to let the defense's coverage dictate the passing game. Sounds like a team player, right?

Is our defense any good? It certainly looks like we have a serious weakness against the pass. Our front four don't seem to be getting enough pressure, and our secondary doesn't seem to be guarding anyone. Even Tyler Thigpen was able to engineer a scoring drive. I seem to remember some blitzing from our defense early in the year. Where did it go?

I think we will look significantly better on offense against Washington next week. Vince and Heimerdinger will have more time to gel with Moss, and hopefully Cecil can fix the defense a little. Although maybe we'll get lucky -- If things don't go well for the 'Skins tonight against Philly, maybe Shanahan will bench McNabb and go with Rex Grossman.

Okay, now on to the rest of the NFL...

1) Did the Patriots expose that Steelers D? According to Cris Collinsworth, the Steelers were having trouble with the Patriots two-tight end sets. And it sure looked like it -- Brady threw for 350 yards and three TDs. I didn't see the Patriots have any trouble marching up and down the field. They even ran it for over 100 yards and more than 4 yards per carry. It looks like someone finally cracked the code.

2) The Jets get lucky again. There are two ways to interpret a team winning close games when they're not playing well. One is that they are a good team that can win even when they aren't playing well. The other is that they are just lucky. For the Jets, I'm taking the latter. This win over Cleveland relied on an overtime fumble by Cleveland receiver Chansi Stuckey at the Jets' 32-yard line. Their win over the Lions involved a missed extra point, a Jim Schwartz coaching mistake, and a crucial person foul call. A week before their bye, the Jets were a 46-yard pass interference call from a loss in Denver. This team is 7-2, but could very reasonably by 4-5.

3) The Giants lost to the Cowboys. I can't really say "I told you so" because I didn't exactly pick the Cowboys to win, but if you read the last blog post, you know that I was basically calling the Giants frauds at 6-2. They've got a tough remaining schedule, including @GB and two games against Philly and Washington. Don't be surprised if they miss the playoffs.

4) Buffalo wins! They've got a tough closing schedule, but I think they'll get to 2 or 3 wins and lose out to the Panthers for the #1 pick in April. And if you haven't heard Inside the NFL's sideline audio on Jay Cutler during the Bears-Bills game in Toronto, go find it. It's great.

5) The Seahawks are the roller coaster team. First, they go up and down up and down to start 2-2. Then they get 2 solid wins, and follow it with 2 blowout losses. Now another blowout win. I don't know what to expect from this team... except perhaps a playoff berth.

6) I still don't buy Tampa Bay. Let's talk in mid-December, after their @BAL, v. ATL, @ WAS stretch.

7) Atlanta impressed me with their Thursday night win over Baltimore, whose defense is starting to look ordinary.

8) I'm ready to officially make a Lock It Up pick for a division winner: San Diego wins the AFC West.