-Thursday Night-

Browns 37, Bills 24

Just when the Browns start winning some games behind a talented young quarterback, said quarterback blows out his knee trying to make a play. An unfortunate occurrence, but one that will likely make management’s decision to draft a quarterback high next year an easy one.

Kiko Alonso reminds me a little bit of Sean Lee, and not just because they share a same jersey number and skin tone. Alonso flies around, shoots gaps, makes plays, and looks like the next exciting young linebacker. Buffalo would be wise to pay Jairus Byrd and solidify a talented, young defensive core for years to come.

-Sunday-

Saints 26, Bears 18

The Saints have Cam Jordan and Junior Galette, which makes for a dominant interior pass rush. But their lack of edge rushers means they have to blitz from the second and third levels more often, which could pose major issues in the future should they face a team with a quarterback who gets rid of the ball quickly.

A nice showing from Good Jay Cutler this week, but unfortunately Chicago’s defense was not up to the task of covering Jimmy Graham and Pierre Thomas.

Bengals 13, Patriots 6

Although it wasn’t a stellar offensive performance, Andy Dalton came through when it mattered most with a 14-play, 97-yard drive in the fourth quarter that culminated in a BenJarvus Green-Ellis touchdown. The Bengals defense, however, was fantastic all game, and their pass rushing talent along the defensive line will likely be key to any potential playoff run.

The Patriots struggled to replace Vince Wilfork on their defensive line. And is Tom Brady really ‘clutch’? The game-sealing interception he threw to Adam “Pacman” Jones was ugly. He’s obviously a future Hall of Fame quarterback, but his record in the playoffs hasn’t spoken to that in almost a decade. I understand that his current receivers are questionable, to say the least, but Peyton Manning in 2009 made it work with players like Pierre Garçon, Austin Collie, and Jacob Tamme (the only reason you know who those players are now, by the way, is because of Manning). Just saying.

Packers 22, Lions 9

It was good to see the Packers get something out of former Trojan pass rusher Nick Perry, who had two sacks. They will need him even more now that another former Trojan, Clay Matthews, was diagnosed with a fractured thumb and will likely be out for at least a month.

We saw poor game from Ndamukong Suh and the Lions’ run defense in general. When their best player in Calvin Johnson isn’t playing, the other stars on the team need to step up. And that they didn’t.

Colts 34, Seahawks 28

Andrew Luck was the best player on the field on Sunday. He is already among the elite quarterbacks in the NFL. On the downside for the Colts, I’m really beginning to doubt whether Trent Richardson is more than a slightly above-average NFL running back at best.

For the Seahawks, it was all about third downs. They went two for 12 on keeping drives alive and were forced into settling for field goals four times. When they get this fixed though, look out. 

Ravens 26, Dolphins 23

Another unspectacular game from Joe Flacco. But he did manage to get the ball to the offense’s most dynamic playmaker in Torrey Smith. Baltimore better hope Flacco can revert to his form of the 2013 playoffs in this year’s postseason, if his mediocre play doesn’t keep them from getting there in the first place.

A heck of a game from Ryan Tannehill, especially considering the amount of pressure he was under for the duration of it. He doesn’t get the recognition he deserves among fans, but he’s clearly one of the better quarterbacks in the league and is quickly rising up the ranks.

Eagles 36, Giants 21

The Eagles got some very quality play out of Nick Foles--I wouldn’t be surprised if Michael Vick is held out due to injury for a few more weeks because of this.

The Giants are truly horrible. At some point, the blame needs to be placed on Eli Manning. He made throws on Sunday that just shouldn’t be attempted in the NFL, and he paid dearly with another multiple-interception game.

Rams 34, Jaguars 20

Really, Rams? You let the Jaguars actually make somewhat of a game out of this? St. Louis has talent, but they just can’t seem to put it all together.

Gus Bradley, meanwhile, is probably regretting taking that head coaching gig in Jacksonville. Going 0-16 would not surprise me one bit.

Chiefs 26, Titans 17

Dontari Poe is a beast. And looking at the remaining Chiefs’ schedule, it would be an upset if they didn’t go at least 12-4 on the season. And that’s worst-case scenario.

The Titans are a very well-coached team. But they still need Jake Locker to get healthy ASAP.

Cardinals 22, Panthers 6

The Cardinals’ defense took control of this game, with seven sacks and three interceptions of Cam Newton. Fantastic effort.

Cam Newton—really? Road game or not, he has to make at least something happen against the Arizona Cardinals.

Broncos 51, Cowboys 48

Note to both teams: In spite of what the Giants’ secondary makes it seem like, you are, in fact, allowed to cover the opposing team’s receivers.

By the way, the fact that Peyton Manning dropped back to pass 42 times and avoided getting sacked even once against that talented Cowboys front four is something to be admired.

-Sunday Night-

49ers 34, Texans 3

There’s the Niners team we’re used to! Not a great game from Kaepernick, but it didn’t matter. The running game and defense is looking good.

The pressure of the media is clearly getting to Matt Schaub. If he keeps up his current level of play, he will probably find himself playing for a different team next year. And watching Ed Reed get absolutely smoked by Vernon Davis makes me feel old.

Raiders 27, Chargers 17

How ‘bout them Raiders? Despite a roster that is below-average in terms of talent level, head coach Dennis Allen has them playing extremely well, with the defensive line play in particular is impressive. And they might have something in Terrelle Pryor.

The Chargers had some good moments, but inconsistency from Philip Rivers throughout the game proved to be their downfall. And seriously, Chargers, do you ever feel good when Ronnie Brown touches the ball? Meh.

-Monday Night-

Jets 30, Falcons 28

Huge props to Geno Smith for going on the road, in the Georgia Dome no less, and completing 80 percent of his passes while throwing for three touchdowns. And the combo of Muhammad Wilkerson and Sheldon Richardson, players Rex Ryan moves all over the defensive front, has the potential to be one of the best in the league.

This is a Falcon team that is not very deep and has a limited number of playmakers. It's hard to believe that this team is 1-4, but the reality is that Atlanta won't make the playoffs unless they get contributions from more of their roster.

Reach Staff Writer Andrew McKagan here or follow him here.