Week 8 gave us one resounding upset, and a litany of teams that were trying to re-establish themselves as legit postseason contenders rather than just another team in the vast sea of mediocrity that has defined the NFL in 2011.

So, let’s get started with…

…the resounding upset. The Rams’ startling demolition of the Saints soundly proves one of the oldest football concepts.  If you have a choice of whether you’d prefer your team to be consistently successful running or passing, you’d be better off selecting running.  The difference?  A solid passing attack backs up the defense, but always allows them to keep the play in front of them.  Conversely, a solid ground game sucks in the defense, and allows you to have big-hitting plays down the field that may get behind the defense.  Stephen Jackson pounded New Orleans for 159 yards on 25 carries, setting up Jay Feely for some success behind center. Surprising? Yes. But everything unfolded just the way that Steve Spagnuolo was hoping it would. For at least one weekend, the World Series Champion Cardinals weren’t the only winners in town.

What a tough loss for the Dolphins. It appeared that they were going to get off the schneid after their gutsy 4th down call early in the second quarter. Miami converted a 4th and goal at the 1-yard line when they were already ahead 7-3 (the score put gave the Dolphins a 14-3 advantage). They had the momentum and Tony Sporano clearly had his team motivated to get in the win column. But, after two impressive opening drives, the Fins managed little else offensively. Eli Manning, however, did enough to bring the Giants back to edge out Miami.

Has Baltimore had a tough week or what? They played ugly against Jacksonville, and started out in similar fashion at home versus Arizona. They managed to emerge victorious, but their gameplan did a complete 180. Their passing plays nearly doubled their running plays (51-26), and that became a necessity after the Cardinals built a 21-point lead with two minutes remaining in the second quarter. It’s somewhat encouraging to witness the Ravens get a sense of urgency, but against better teams they won’t get away with picking up their play at halftime.

Staying in the AFC North, Pittsburgh’s rebirth has now come full circle, completed with their 25-17 decision over New England. They played the Patriots straight, and took what the visiting defense gave them. But the game ball easily goes to the Pittsburgh secondary, which held Tom Brady and the New England passing attack to a net of 4.5 yards per (passing) play.

8 rushes, 14 yards. That’s Ryan Torrain, the leading rusher for the Washington Redskins in their pitiful display Sunday afternoon. The Skins only gained 2.2 yards per rushing attempt this afternoon in Toronto (against Buffalo), but they only rushed 12 times – hardly enough to get any halfback into a rhythm. They put the ball up in the air roughly three times as much, with little success from John Beck as well. So, yes, we can expect the rumor mill to churn this week as the impatient fan base force Mike Shanahan to consider going back to the original starters (Tim Hightower and Rex Grossman, respectively) at both positions.

These days, could a wide receiver ever be seriously considered for the MVP? Not as long as Aaron Rodgers and the Pack remain unbeatable, but Calvin Johnson is simply carrying the Lions. He doesn’t lead the NFL in receptions or receiving yardage, however, Johnson’s 10 TD’s is tops in the league. He anchors the Detroit offense because he is an instant mismatch every game and, unlike his name sake Andre Johnson, he has remained healthy so far this campaign. I’m going to go out on a limb and say that another receiver hasn’t dominated his opponents in the same manner since Jerry Rice in the late 80′s and early 90′s.

Many things have gone right for Cincy, including the drafting of A.J. Green.

How ’bout those Bengals? At 5-2, they are clearly one of the stunning success stories in the NFL. But beyond that, they are a great example of a team that was not afraid to let go of its identity – mainly in the images of Carson Palmer and Chad Ochocinco – with the understanding that it had to be done for any sustainable glory in the future. The icing on the cake has been the accelerated learning of Andy Dalton and A.J. Green, two rookies who have Cincinnati tied with the Steelers and the Ravens with two losses apiece in the AFC North. Although they may not stay there this year, this is still a good sign for the potential of the franchise…and is indeed something that they can expand upon.

I heard a rather meaningless stat yesterday…about Indianapolis punter Pat McAfee’s streak of 130-something consecutive punts without being blocked. Of course, I heard that because he had a punt blocked by the Titans’ Patrick Bailey in Tennessee’s 27-10 rout of the Colts. It just made me think of how the loss of a team icon and leader can cause a team to lose its confidence and deteriorate in all aspects of its game.

Everyone is asking themselves…”Can Philadelphia make the playoffs?” They’re 3-4 after last night’s bashing of the Cowboys, and as usual, the bye week was just what Andy Reid needed to redirect the sinking ship that his team seemed to be on. If you figure that a 10-6 record will probably manage, at the very least, a wild-card berth, the Eagles would only be allowed two slip-ups the rest of the way. Their remaining schedule is not overly tough, with only one grade-A opponent left (at home versus New England). They have the Bears up next and the Jets later down the road, but both of those tests are at home as well. A game on the road against the division-leading Giants certainly looms the largest at this point. Even being down by two games, count me as one of the few would believe that Philly has more than enough heart and resilience to make the postseason again this year.

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