Energizer Bunnies:
Vince Young
He may not be the best QB in the NFL, but he played well in his first start since Week 1 of last year. He went 15/18 for 125 yards and a TD, but it's his scrambling ability that got the win here. The fact that defenses have to respect his speed and his arm opens up the field for the backs, and Chris Johnson took full advantage, rushing for 228 yards and 2 TDs. Kerry Collins couldn't get it done, so Vince Young gives Tennessee their first win of the season.
Miles Austin
Remember when the Cowboys were bad? Well, that was before Roy Williams got hurt, and Miles Austin blew up. In the last three games, he has 482 receiving yards and 5 TDs, all in wins. He didn't even start in the first four games, and he's leading the team in receiving yards. Roy Williams has never lived up to his potential, both in Detroit and Dallas. Even with him back healthy, it would be a mistake to limit Austin just to give Williams playing time.
Not the Energizer Bunny:
Matt Hasselbeck
In Week 1, Hasselbeck led the Seahawks to a 28-0 win over the St Louis Rams. The following week, he left a 23-10 loss to the 49ers with a rib injury. The Seahawks would go 0-2 in the two weeks he was gone. In his return in Week 5, he again led the team to a shutout win, beating Jacksonville 41-0. So in his first two full games, Seattle outscored opponents 69-0. Since then, they've lost both of their games and have been outscored 65-20, with Hasselbeck going 10/29, 112 yards against a terrible Cardinals pass defense in Week 6. The Seahawks looked like the preseason favorite to win their division. Now they just look like last years team, only healthier.
Matthew Stafford
In his first year, Stafford hasn't really brought the winning atmosphere Detroit fans were hoping for. Don't get me wrong, hes played well, led the Lions to their first win in almost two years, and it is way too early in his career to even suggest he's a bust. But its not too early to say he hasn't been the spark the Lions need. As a rookie, theres going to be growing pains, and they'll be magnified as he plays for a team that was winless last year. Lions fans, however, might already be wondering if Stafford was the right pick.
Rookie Roundup: Using a complex scoring system to rank two major rookies for the season
Mark Sanchez: 20/35, 265 yards, 2 TDs, 2 sacks, 6 rush yards, 1 rush TD, 1 fumble
Points: 25.85, 56.15 overall
Matthew Stafford: 14/33, 168 yards, 2 Tds, 2 sacks, 4 rush yards, 1 rush TD
Points: 1.8, 38.5 overall
Week 8 Winner: Sanchez
What Have We Learned?: Three things we can take away from this weekend
1. You can go home again
Maybe you missed it, what with the World Series, NYC Marathon, and the Lions-Rams game this week, but Brett Favre played his first game in Lambeau Field as a visitor. And with the hated Vikings no less! Favre may have been booed loudly, but it didn't seem to rattle him at all. He had 244 yards and 4 TDs to lead the Vikes to a 38-26 victory. In case you also missed it, the Vikings just swept the Packers.
2. Double digit favorites don't always cover
Las Vegas has apparently been hit hard by this NFL season, as the good teams keep winning big and the bad teams keep losing big. With four spreads in double digits this Sunday, it looked like another week of blowout games. Well, the gambling gods smiled on the bookies, as only Chicago covered, beating the Browns by 24. In the other three: San Diego and Oakland forgot how to score in the second half, making only three field goals in the final thirty minutes for an 8 point win, Indianapolis almost lost before Joseph Addai found Reggie Wayne in the end zone for a 4 point win, and Arizona must be dressing the Sun Devil instead of the regular Cardinals some weeks, as they lost to 10 point dog Carolina by 13.
3. Winless teams can, in fact, win!
Of the three winless teams going into this weekend, two won and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had off. Lucky for St Louis they played the equally bad Lions, and managed to pull out an ugly 7 point win. Tennessee, on the other hand, played a lot like the Titans of last year, winning 30-13. This was the first game in NFL history to have four rushing TDs of 50 yards or more, as Maurice Jones-Drew and Chris Johnson broke off two each.
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