1. Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers continue to grab all the attention (and justifiably so) for piling up eye-popping passing numbers, but Ben Roethlisberger is quietly putting himself back in the equation. While it’s hard to believe a two-time Super Bowl winner with such a notorious off-field reputation could fly under the radar, Roethlisberger has been overshadowed for much of this season by his gaudier counterparts. It appears much of the reason for that was his miserable three-interception opener in the 35-7 loss to Baltimore, a shockingly lopsided display that had the league questioning pretty much everything about the Steelers. But Roethlisberger has been mostly terrific since then, throwing just three interceptions combined in Pittsburgh’s six subsequent games, and has a 9-to-1 ratio of TD passes to interceptions over the past three contests – all wins. Roethlisberger has an even better chance to put himself back in the elite-quarterback conversation this weekend when the Steelers play host to Brady’s Patriots in a must-see matchup.
2. We’re still not at the season’s halfway point, of course, but the Kevin Kolb-for-Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie trade is looking like a rare lose-lose for both the Cardinals and the Eagles. A change of scenery can often be good for players, but it’s so far been disastrous for both involved in this deal. Kolb has done nothing to justify his high pricetag, completing just 58 percent of his passes with seven TDs and seven interceptions, and he appears on the verge of getting benched amid Arizona’s hugely disappointing 1-5 start. The Cardinals look even more foolish now for surrendering a Pro Bowl corner, a second-round pick and $63 million (including $20 million guaranteed) for such a pedestrian passer. Rodgers-Cromartie, meanwhile, looks nothing like the first-round pick that went to the Pro Bowl just two years ago. Bumped down to the nickel spot by Nnamdi Asmougha’s celebrated arrival, Rodgers-Cromartie has practically disappeared in Philly, recording just four pass breakups and eight tackles in six games combined. It’s a case of egg on everyone’s face, at least so far.
3. What in the world has happened to Josh Freeman? Philip Rivers’ regression has been surprising this season, but Rivers has nothing on his Tampa Bay counterpart when it comes to suddenly falling apart this season. Freeman has had his moments this season, most notably in a win over the Saints two weeks ago, but overall he has been terrible – particularly so of late. He threw four interceptions in London last week, sealing a 24-18 loss to Chicago, and was equally inept in a 48-3 rout at San Francisco three weeks ago. Freeman now leads the NFL with 10 interceptions, which is already four more picks than he threw all last season, and has scouts around the league scratching their heads at his furious backtracking.
4. The Chiefs’ abrupt turnaround has been nothing short of remarkable, considering they looked like one of the worst teams in NFL history in while losing their first two games by a combined 89-10 and starting 0-3 overall. Kansas City has relied on an opportunistic defense (six interceptions in the 28-0 rout of Oakland last week), a running game led by unknown Jackie Battle (195 rushing yards over the past two games) that didn’t fall apart after Jamaal Charles’ season-ending injury and a suddenly competent Matt Cassel to pull back to 3-3 and take coach Todd Haley off the hot seat. Perhaps Haley’s strategy of a pillow-soft training camp that sounded like Club Med wasn’t so dumb, after all. GM Scott Pioli’s critics have gotten much quieter, too. Despite the dismal start that seemingly had the Chiefs headed to 0-16, Kansas City can’t be counted out in a weak AFC West.
Matt Forte, RB, Bears: It’s time for Chicago to reward this man. Forte romped for 145 yards and a touchdown in the Bears’ 24-18 London win over the Bucs and has now rushed for 466 yards combined in Chicago’s past three victories (a 155-yard average). Chris Johnson is showing why big contracts are dangerous for running backs, but Forte is a workhorse, a consistent producer and deserves better than the monetary stiff-arm Bears management continues to give him.
Joe Flacco, QB, Ravens: His final line in the 12-7 loss to the Jaguars (21-for-38, 137 yards, one TD and one interception) is ugly but actually deceptive, because Flacco was horrid the final minutes and pretty much the reason Baltimore somehow lost to a 1-5 Jacksonville team despite the NFL’s most superb defense. Flacco is looking like the second coming of Kyle Boller, and you have to wonder how far the Ravens can go with him.
Patriots at Steelers, Sunday: New England has owned this series of late, winning three of the past four meetings including a convincing victory at Heinz Field last season. But the Patriots’ woeful pass defense will have its hands full with the resurgent Roethlisberger and his new favorite big-play weapon, speedy wideout Mike Wallace, and Brady will be tested by a Pittsburgh pass defense that’s allowing the fewest yards in the league (171.9 per game).
Cowboys at Eagles, Sunday: The teams are just 5-7 combined, but this is still a game with big NFC East implications. At 2-4, another loss this early – especially in the division – could do a hefty amount of damage to Philly’s playoff hopes. The 3-3 Cowboys, who also can seemingly ill-afford another loss, will be looking to see what rookie DeMarco Murray (253 rushing yards last week against the Rams) has in store for an encore.
Chargers at Chiefs, Monday: San Diego’s 4-1 start came with ugly wins against even uglier competition, so it wasn’t exactly a surprise to see them flop last Sunday on the road to the Jets. The skeptics have a chance to come out in force this week, considering San Diego is just 2-8 in its past 10 visits to Kansas City.
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