New England Patriots 17, Pittsburgh Steelers 25
The Steelers came out of the gate and punched the Patriots in the mouth. The Patriots trailed the whole way, and they were never able to mount a comeback. When they finally cut the lead to six points late in the game, they couldn’t get an immediate stop by their defense, and most of the clock was killed.
The Steelers were able to contain the Patriots’ offense with a staunch effort, in no small part to Troy Polamalu. He was all over the field making big hits, and he gave Bill Belichick strategic problems all game.
The Patriots had a hard time staying on the field in a game most thought they would win. They struggled to run the ball in any way, and Wes Welker was held to just 39 yards receiving. The win gives the Steelers a valuable tie-breaker when it comes time to determine the AFC’s playoff seeding.
Detroit Lions 45, Denver Broncos 10
Last week, Tim Tebow was the biggest story in the NFL. He led one of the most heroic comebacks I have ever seen with some help from the Dolphins’ hands team. This week was a far different story.
Let’s be honest here. Did any of us really expect the Broncos to beat the Lions? I know that many people were rooting for Tebow, but “just winning” doesn’t get it done in the NFL, and the numbers showed as much. Tebow finished the game with 18 completions on 39 attempts. He was able to throw a touchdown in the fourth quarter, long after the game was out of hand. He also threw an interception that was taken back for a Detroit touchdown. Despite those mediocre numbers, that doesn’t tell the whole story.
Tim Tebow is known as a running quarterback, but he didn’t protect the football. He put the ball on the ground 3 times, losing only 1 of those fumbles. As great as he must have felt after last week’s win, it doesn’t make up for such a terrible performance against the Lions.
The Lions, on the other hand, were able to physically dominate one of the weaker teams in the league, and the win gets them right back on track. We had all been wondering how the Lions would respond to a couple of tough losses, and we now have our answer. They came back with a will to win that, frankly, the Broncos had no chance of overcoming.
Washington Redskins 0, Buffalo Bills 23
The Redskins continue to struggle to get back to their early season winning ways as they dropped another ugly game to the Bills. John Beck was given the starting job after Rex Grossman imploded against the Eagles, and he’s failed to become “the man” in Washington.
The Bills turned in their most complete game of the year. They completely shut down the Redskins’ offense while their own offense was busy 262 yards passing and 138 yards on the ground.
This game wasn’t exactly one of the most exciting match-ups of the weekend, but it has big playoff ramifications. First and foremost, the Redskins have clearly lost their grip on NFC East, and it seems likely that their season will end in a similar manner that many of their seasons have ended since Dan Snyder took over ownership of the team. Disappointment.
The Bills, however, move to 5-2 with the win. They’re keeping pace in the AFC, and the win keeps them in control of one of the conference’s coveted wild-card spots. While they are tied with the Patriots atop the AFC East, it’s not likely that they’ll be able to hold out against New England for a home playoff game. Despite my personal opinion, the Bills have already beaten the Patriots once, and if they did so again, they would hold the tie-breaker against the Patriots. The Bills are setting the AFC East up for a remarkable end of season stretch.
