Tom Brady has apparently returned to form with a 432-yard, 4-touchdown game against the Steelers. (Keith Allison/Wikimedia Commons)

Dolphins 22, Bengals 20

The Dolphins are a decent team, but probably aren’t playoff-caliber yet. Their secondary along with Ryan Tannehill need to be more consistent. But they beat a very good team in the Bengals, so give them credit. 

On the Bengals side, Andy Dalton threw a pick-six in addition to two more interceptions and a fumble (plus the game-losing safety), yet the Bengals still only lost by two points. Losing the best defensive tackle in the NFL in Geno Atkins hurts a lot, but the Bengals have a lot of depth on the defensive line to compensate. When Dalton plays well without turning it over, the Bengals are an elite team.

-Sunday-

Chiefs 23, Bills 13

The vaunted Chiefs defense let up 470 yards of offense to the Jeff Tuel-led Bills, yet they scored two defensive touchdowns and managed to pull off the double-digit win. I don’t know how far the Chiefs will make it in the playoffs with Alex Smith at the helm, but they keep finding ways to win. I believe in Andy Reid.

Buffalo’s defense is actually pretty good. They allowed nine points and the Mario Williams/Kyle Williams/Marcell Dareus combo is elite. But the success of the team will hinge on EJ Manuel.

Panthers 34, Falcons 10

If Cam Newton gets hot, I wouldn’t be shocked to see the Panthers make a deep playoff run.

The Falcons might be the worst team in the NFL not from Florida.

Cowboys 27, Vikings 23

See, guys?! Tony Romo is a good quarterback! Seriously, if Romo didn’t have the reputation of blowing big games at the end that the Cowboys are only competitive in in the first place because of him, he would likely be considered a Top 10 quarterback. And if they get DeMarco Murray and DeMarcus Ware back healthy, they can be a dangerous team.

I like the isolation plays to Jerome Simpson, who is a crazy athlete. It’s a shame he can’t take better advantage of his physical skill set though.

Jets 26, Saints 20

If not for JJ Watt, Muhammad Wilkerson would be as deserving as any for the Defensive Player of the Year award. The Jets’ front seven is elite, and Wilkerson is its most important player.

Drew Brees missed Darren Sproles, who exited mid-game with a concussion. But despite the loss, the Saints are still a top NFC threat.

Titans 28, Rams 21

This was Chris Johnson’s game. Jake Locker had possibly his worst game of the season with no touchdowns and two interceptions, but Johnson salvaged it with a two touchdown game of his own. And former Trojan Jurrell Casey is a stud.

This was a huge weekend for backup quarterbacks, and there is no better example than Kellen Clemens. He is playing some good football, and in large part thanks to a strong rushing attack by rookie Zac Stacy. I'm still surprised that Jeff Fisher doesn't have the rest of the team playing well, though.

Redskins 30, Chargers 24

Pierre Garçon had his best game of the season on Sunday. He can fly. Also, nice job of getting the run game going by Washington.

Danny Woodhead is the best thing that has happened to Philip Rivers since Darren Sproles.

Eagles 49, Raiders 20

Welp. Nick Foles just bought himself a few more weeks of starting. And per Neon Tommy’s own sports editor Jacob Freeman, Foles may have turned himself into the next Matt Flynn with last Sunday’s seven-touchdown performance.

Joe Flacco has been inconsistent this season, to say the least. (Stimpson/Wikimedia Commons)

The Seahawks won’t get far in the playoffs with their offensive and defensive lines playing like they are. Russell Wilson is getting hit on almost every play. But Seattle keeps finding ways of winning the second half (this week it was after falling behind 21-0), and hence they remain atop the NFC.

Rookie running back Mike James looked really good for the Bucs, repeatedly gashing Seattle’s defense right up the middle with quickness and yards-after-contact ability. Rookie quarterback Mike Glennon demonstrated some nice mobility and arm strength, too. And second-year safety Mark Barron had maybe the best game of his pro career, going for double-digit tackles and an interception. The Bucs are too talented to be winless, right?

Browns 24, Ravens 18

With 63 yards-after-catch and no drops, Greg Little enjoyed what is certainly one of his best games catching the ball to date.

Joe Flacco has been a huge disappointment thus far relative to his paycheck, but I can’t say I’m surprised. He’s on pace to have about as many touchdowns this year (20 projected) and more yards (about 4,300 projected) in relation to his numbers last year (22 touchdowns and about 3,800 yards). The real difference is in his interceptions, which he is on pace to throw 18 of this year after turning it over 9 times last season. He’s got to play better or the Ravens are in trouble.

Patriots 55, Steelers 31

Besides the whole Tom-Brady-is-a-good-quarterback thing, a big plus for the Patriots is the great play they’re getting out of Chandler Jones. With Jerod Mayo and Vince Wilfork out for the season, Jones needs to step up.

One of the few bright spots for the Steelers was Cam Heyward, who should have been seeing more playing time awhile ago. Otherwise, a pretty horrendous defensive performance for Pittsburgh.

-Sunday Night-

Josh McCown was fun to watch on Monday Night in the Bears' win over the Packers. (Jeffrey Beall/Wikimedia Commons)

Colts 27, Texans 24

Man, is TY Hilton fun to watch. He is only in his second year, so I’m not sure if his route running and chemistry with Andrew Luck is good enough to consistently rely on him to carry the passing offense— plus his small stature will likely make it hard for him to take the beating of a normal top receiver while staying healthy— but the talent is certainly there.

A rough night for Johnathan Joseph, who was repeatedly matched up with and burned by Hilton. But I’m all in on Case Keenum. The dude throws a mean deep ball, plus he can get yards with his legs. Matt Schaub may not play another down for Houston.

-Monday Night-

Bears 27, Packers 20

This feels weird to say, but Josh McCown was an absolute blast to watch. He was on-point all night. It’s fair to think: if Marc Trestman can get McCown to play like that, is it really worth a boatload of money to keep Jay Cutler around when Chicago could just draft and develop a rookie quarterback in Trestman’s system?

The Packers are really struggling to create any type of pass rush right now. Tramon Williams had a pretty miserable night against the Bears’ big receivers, too. If Aaron Rodgers is forced to miss any time, I don’t know if the rest of the Packers’ roster is good enough to win many games.

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