New England 33, Cleveland 13

Tom Brady’s officially back and everything is back to normal.  With Brady and Gronk back and healthy, the Patriots once again look like the best team in the AFC, if not the NFL….The Browns lost yet another quarterback, actually two when Cody Kessler, then Charlie Whitehurst went down. The bad luck that Cleveland has had is almost incomprehensible.

Detroit 24, Philadelphia 23

The Eagles looked like the better team, but they turned the ball over too much and found a way to lose.  It could be a costly loss as they were knocked out of first place….The Lions might have saved the season, but there are still too many holes on the roster for them to contend.

Indianapolis 29, Chicago 23

This is who the Colts are: They can beat the awful teams in the league (except the Jaguars) and they’ll lose to the mediocre ones.  Sadly, that could be enough to win the AFC South….The Bears may have found their quarterback of the present as Brian Hoyer has significantly outplayed Jay Cutler.  Neither is the answer.

Tennessee 30, Miami 17

The Titans offensive line was dominant in this game and the defense was solid.  This was their perfect game plan for success….Losing to the Titans at home, is that rock bottom?  It certainly seems like it.

Washington 16, Baltimore 10

Washington looks like a contender in the now wide open NFC East.  Nice bounce back after the first two weeks…..The Ravens don’t have many weapons on offense so they fired offensive coordinator Marc Trestman.  It won’t make much of a long-term difference.

Minnesota 31, Houston 13

The Vikings are a legitimately very good team with Sam Bradford healthy.  It’s tough to find anyone in the NFC that’s better…..Houston made a big mistake, not only by signing Brock Osweiler, but by passing on all the quarterbacks in the 2014 Draft.  This is why they have a pretty low ceiling.

Pittsburgh 31, N.Y. Jets 13

The Steelers offense is productive against anyone and everyone (except the Eagles).  That offense is making the defense better, just like what Dallas is doing….What happened to the Jets defense?  Getting lit up by Pittsburgh is nothing to be ashamed of, but they have been terrible all year long.

Atlanta 23, Denver 16

The Falcons offense wasn’t great, but they did just enough to get a great road win.  Let’s see if they can keep that up and not go in the tank like last year….Paxton Lynch wasn’t ready and the offensive line played poorly.  There are better days ahead.   

Dallas 28, Cincinnati 14

Dak Prescott needs to have the starting job when Tony Romo comes back.  He’s been a tremendous leader and extremely accurate, making everything else easier…..Andy Dalton had better weapons and a better defense and he was thoroughly outplayed by a fourth-round rookie.  Reminded me of a playoff game.

Buffalo 30, Los Angeles 19

The Bills finding themselves at 3-2 after their 0-2 start is utterly improbable.  Tyrod Taylor is looking very good and Shady McCoy is back to Pro Bowl form….The Rams will always be extremely limited with Case Keenum, who doesn’t have the arm strength to make certain throws.

Oakland 34, San Diego 31

Oakland is winning football games but are they any good?  They haven’t beaten anyone legitimate….The Chargers play hard, but they’re hopeless with all of the injuries.

Green Bay 23, N.Y. Giants 16

Aaron Rodgers didn’t play great, but he was good enough to beat a pretty mediocre Giants team….The Giants need a rebuild.  They’re front office game plan of having a mediocre roster with the hopes of getting lucky in January simply is no longer working.  

Tampa Bay 17, Carolina 14

The Bucs didn’t play particularly well, and the game plan to run Jacquizz Rodgers 30 times when they had major size mismatches on the outside was a little questionable.  They feel good after the win, but this doesn’t mean that they are anything close to a good team….The Panthers have a lousy roster outside of Cam Newton and Luke Kuechly.  Ron Rivera is getting outcoached by the likes of Dirk Koetter and that is not a good thing.