There was a lot of good this week, but there was also a full slate of 16 games and two 50+ point performances and two more in the 40s. Honorable mention goes to the Giants and Steelers. They were both pretty good in their wins, but the competition this week is pretty tough and their victories and the manner they were achieved were not unforeseen. Still, both are worthy of mention here.

The Good
Atlanta – The Falcons started and finished in flurries to run away with a home divisional win against Carolina. They scored 17 points before the Panthers had a first down or even a net offensive yard. The defense managed to hold the Panthers to a first half FG after facing a first and goal on the 1. With the game still in question in the fourth quarter, the Falcons ran off 28 points to salt it away. A big win and a slot on the Good is their reward.

Baltimore – The Ravens piled on 24 fourth quarter points on their way to punching the Eagles in the mouth. While not putting on an offensive clinic themselves, they did hold the Eagles to 206 total yards and four interceptions, one returned 108 yards for a TD and another setting the Ravens up on the Eagle 6. Add a safety plus the fact that the Eagles only points came on one of many kickoff returns. Even discounting setting the offense up in the red zone, the Ravens defense outscored the Eagle offense 9-0. A Good defensive performance keeps the Ravens in the middle of the playoff hunt.

Buffalo – 54 points, over 35:30 time of possession and 40 points in the middle two quarters on the road after a Monday night game will earn a team a slot in the Good.

Chicago – Sure, it was the Rams but the Bears still piled up 201 yards on the ground at a 6-plus yard per carry average while holding the Rams to 14 yards in 19 carries. Add four interceptions and you get the picture. This game was over by halftime.

Indianapolis – The Colts weren’t good all game, but they were when it counted. Four minutes into the third quarter of a tie game and the Chargers in the red zone, the Colts defense forced a turnover on a sack changing the momentum for the next 15 minutes. The Colts took advantage of a questionable timeout before the tying field goal, making good use of the extra 30 seconds to drive down the field for the win on the road. They are rewarded for the effort with a slot here.

New England – 530 yards of offense including 408 in the air made for a Good win for the Pats on the road against Miami. After falling behind 21-17 3:30 into the third New England went on a 31-7 tear to break open what had been a back and forth game.

New Orleans – Every time the Saints have a chance to die they seem to spring to life. On Monday that rang up 416 yards, 51 points and gathered in three interceptions to pound the Packers. They Saints remain in contention for a playoff spot with a Good home win against a qualtiy conference opponent.

New York Jets – Any time a team can get a road win against a 10-0 team it is good. It becomes noteworthy when they deliver a butt-whipping to get said win. The Jets rolled up over 400 yards of offense with 192 on the ground against one of the league’s better defenses, holding the ball for over 40 minutes. On defense, they made a lot of Titans look as if they had hangovers. The end result is to maintain the NFCE, get an important conference win and a slot on the Good.

Oakland – I had to do this. The Raiders played a solid game on the road to notch a divisional win against the Broncos. They turned the solid game into a rout by not being distracted by the Broncos piling out of the Volkswagen (see Ugly) and capitalizing on the second half ineptitude. While the Broncs served up the chances, it was a Good performance by the Raiders that capitalized on them.

The Bad
Carolina – Losing to the Falcons in Atlanta is not enough to make the Bad, because the Falcons are often Good. But the Panthers didn’t show a pulse until they were down 17-0 in the second quarter (0 first downs and 0 net yards in the opening 15 minutes). Couple that with lapses on defense and special teams and you wind up getting kicked to the curb in an important divisional game.

Cleveland – The Browns squandered their one-game winning streak by laying an egg at home against the Texans. It is not just that they lost, but the fact they turned the ball over five times, managed only about 240 yards of offense while giving up over 380. A Bad day for the Browns, who have problems, punctuated by the QB savior being pulled.

Green Bay – Not a good way to treat your playoff hopes. The Packers defense was a minor impediment to the Saints in New Orleans. The Pack gave up points by the ton, including a 70-yard TD pass less than 7 minutes into the game. Special teams gave the Saints possession in the Packer half of the field three times, one being on a failed fourth quarter onside kick. The offense contributed by setting them up inside the Packer 30 twice, including once on the 3. All that buffoonery resulted in 23 of the 51 points, with the remaining 28 belonging to the defense. A Bad overall performance that did their playoff chances no good.

Kansas City – How does a team rack up 462 yards of offense and lose a game by 23 points? Turning the ball over five times helps that cause a lot, especially when one of the interceptions is returned for a TD. Giving up 10 points in the final 96 seconds of the first half also helps the effort. Nine penalties doesn’t hurt. Only running the ball 13 times even though you average over 12 yards a carry is also a good plan. Let’s face it, the Chiefs are constantly inventing ways to push the Bad envelope.

Tennessee – It was inevitable that the Titans would eventually lose, which by itself is not Bad. The relative ease at which they lost puts them here. The defense couldn’t get off the field and the offense could not stay on. When this team gives up over 400 yards of offense and loses the time of possession battle by more than 20 minutes, it leads to Bad results. I guess there motto is if we are going to lose, it might as well be Bad.

The Ugly
Denver – A critical fumble, missed field goals, punts returned for a touchdown and clowns pouring out of a Volkswagen, all in front of the home crowd. The Broncos are a strange case. When they are Good, they can run with anybody. When they are Bad, they look like a second or third-tier team. And when the are Ugly, they can not run with the worst of them.

Detroit – After trying something new and jumping out to a 17-0 first quarter lead, our heroes returned to earth being outscored 35-3 over the next two quarters and 38-3 overall. In the process, they gave up 14 points off turnovers (7 on the return of said turnover) and 7 more on a punt return. Good teams find ways to win, Ugly ones, well, they do this.

Jacksonville – This is another one of those “on paper” things. Ignoring the scoreboard and looking at the stats, the Jags could have well won this game 30-12. Instead, five turnovers waste a pretty good defensive effort. How Ugly, well, two turnovers in the opening 20 seconds of the game led to a 14-0 deficit. Add another 7 of a subsequent turnover, two missed field goals, shake and you have an Ugly performance.

Philadelphia – The defense held up its end of the bargain in what was a defensive struggle for a bit over three quarters. Unfortunately, the offense could not score in a house of ill repute on pay day. The lone touchdown was scored on one of many kickoff returns. Otherwise, the offensive highlight was a curious mix of twice as many pass plays as runs, four interceptions and two quarterbacks. The Ugliness was punctuated by 24 fourth-quarter Raven points in what had been a close game on the scoreboard.