A really funny thing happened in this game. It was close for a while, and there are surely some people who were convinced that Tyler Palko was an NFL caliber quarterback in the first half. There was a point where he was playing better than Tom Brady, and the Chiefs actually had a 3-0 lead.

But before too many people could brag to their friends that they picked the Chiefs to keep the game close, and that the Patriots were never going to cover that huge spread anyways, reality set in and the Earth continued spinning on its axis.

There was really no reason that this game was picked as the Monday nighter in the first place. Even when fully healthy, the Chiefs are not exactly a primetime team. I suppose if Jamaal Charles was running all over the place this year, and Dwayne Bowe was catching everything thrown his direction like he did last year, then maybe. But these are the Chiefs we are talking about. Matt Cassell was not going to take them anywhere near the promise land, and their affinity for taking defensive linemen too high in the draft was simply too much to ignore.

As bad as Cassell is, it is actually too bad that he got hurt. Because Tyler Palko is painful to watch. He is one of those southpaw pivots that short arms everything and lacks anything resembling the arm strength necessary to get the ball down the field. He is a little more accurate than Tebow, but he cannot do all of those other things that Tebow does. You know, all those good things that he does for 55 minutes of every game.

But back to this game. Rob Gronkowski reminded everyone why he is one of the most dangerous players in the league. The entire league. You read that right. Jimmy Graham burst onto the scene as a potent pass catching threat for the Saints this season, but the things that Gronk can do all over the field are absurd. Maybe he is channelling the power of Bibi Jones, but whatever he is doing, it is working. He has 10 scores on the season, and is going to eclipse the 1000 mark in the next few weeks. All of this for a second year tight end out of the University of Arizona.

How about that Palko character? Still terrible. He obviously had not taken a snap all season until this week, but he is quite is not up to par to play in the league. There are a handful of free agents that they could bring in who would be significantly better than Palko, no matter how much they knew of the Chiefs offense. Trent Edwards would be better. Hell, call up Favre and see if he wants to play. Let him play in Levi's, because rest assured he will be significantly better than Mr. Palko.

Sometimes I feel bad for teams that seemingly have no idea how to draft, no matter how many high picks they get. Glenn Dorsey was taken fifth overall, then the very next year, the Chiefs took Tyson Jackson third. BJ Raji was available instead of Jackson, but the LSU product was seen to have a higher ceiling than Raji. Sedrick Ellis or Jerod Mayo could have been had ahead of Dorsey, but it was determined that Dorsey was the safe pick. Both picks have been disasters for the Chiefs, and they are paying them exorbitant salaries thanks to the old rookie wage explosion.

It is 11 weeks into the NFL season and there is little doubt that the Most Valuable Player in the league is Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. But perhaps just as valuable to his team is, or rather was, Jay Cutler of the 7-3 Chicago Bears. Cutler was having a remarkable campaign, but now his season is in jeopardy because of a broken thumb suffered during Sunday's win over the Chargers. Ironically, this injury could prove how valuable Cutler really is to the Bears.

Sunday against his AFC foe, Chargers quarterback Phillip Rivers, Cutler showed everyone that he is the jam in Chicago jelly doughnut.  Matt Forte is terrific and deserves to be paid after all that the running back has done, but Cutler has raised his level of play which, in turn, increased the Bears' chances of competing with the best teams, most notably the Packers. While Forte is valuable to the Bears, Cutler is the most valuable.

"Show me the money!"

It’s corny and it’s over done but it’s always so true! NFL players always want to be shown the money. There comes a time in a players career when then contracts are soon expired and they start thinking about cashing in on a new contract. Historically players in contract years have shown just a little more effort to ensure they make a few extra dollars when their pay days come around. Players often have taken caution to make sure to avoid injury in a contract year.

That being said I wanted to take a look at which players have improved and hurt their stock in their contract years.

Players who will be rolling in the cash next year:

Drew Brees: While contract negotiations probably haven’t gone as well as the two sides have hoped, there is not much at this point that can stop Drew Brees from becoming paid with the top 5 QB in the NFL.

Matt Forte: Matt Forte, or maybe better known as PAY THE MAN, is basically 99.9 % of the Bears offense. He is the car, the keys and the ignition that gets this team going. Forte chose a good time to have his best year as next year surely Matt Forte’s wallet will be much fatter.   

Arian Foster: While Foster has been the best back statistically in the NFL the past 2 years, this situation is a little bit tricky because the Texans also have Ben Tate. While I think Foster will get paid big I wouldn’t be shocked if Forte cashes in a little more at the bank.

Mike Wallace: One of the fastest players in the NFL will waste no time to cash his huge pay check that he will be receiving from the Steelers. The past 2 season Wallace has transformed from a speed demon to an elite receiver. The quick deep strike has become the Steelers speciality and they will pay their top guy accordingly.

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (4-5)
AT NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (6-3)
Monday, 8:20 P.M. ET, ESPN, Sirius (KC 92, NE 93), Westwood One Radio

Why Watch

When the Kansas City Chiefs grow up, they want to be like the New England Patriots. That's why former Patriots GM Scott Pioli fills the same role in Kansas City where he hired ex-Patriots defensive coordinator Romeo Crenel as Kansas City's defensive chief. Former Pats back-up quarterback Matt Cassel is the Chiefs starter. Two problems here. None of those names is "Bill Belichick" and Matt Cassel (hand) is OUT.

ESPN supposedly has the juice to realign BCS conferences. You would think they could cajole the NFL to flex to a game featuring a healthier opponent than Kansas City, like Carolina-Detroit or Cincinnati-Baltimore. No disrespect to the Chiefs or their fans, but where's the glamour in Tom Brady vs. Tyler Palko?

What To Watch

The sixteen-game NFL season is a test of a team's resilience. It's football. Players get hurt and miss games. Contending teams have the reserves to step in for three games or so with minimal fall-off in performance. The 2010 Packers did that in their Super Bowl run last season. The Eagles lost Michael Vick and Jeremy Maclin for the night and beat the Giants anyway.

The Chiefs are one of the resilient teams. They lost ace running back RB Jamaal Charles early this season and back-filled with Jackie Battle and Dexter McCluster . Both average 4.6 yards per carry. Both have run for 17 first downs. The Chiefs are in the thick of the division race, one and a-half games behind the Oakland Raiders. But, does untested Tyler Palko the measure of resilience the Chiefs need to withstand the Patriots?

Palko spent time on five football teams, counting two CFL teams, as a reserve or practice squad member. The New England is a rough spot to make your first start. Palko is a complete mystery.

New England is no mystery at all. The league's No. 2 offense averages 28 points per game. Tom Brady has thrown for 3,032 yards and 23 touchdowns. they lead their division by one and a-half games against fading rivals.

Defense is New England's Achilles heel. To exploit it, Palko must be expert in exploiting the Patriots' pass defense where they are weakest. The Chiefs are more likely to run than to pass. The Patriots are 13th best run defense.  The match-ups are not in the Chiefs favor. The Patriots are favored by 17.

Who Will Win

Seventeen points seems excessive, but this game has all the earmarks of a blowout. Patriots.

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Philadelphia 17 New York Giants 10 – Dream Weaver by Gary Wright

It was Vince Young who was the famous author who coined the phrase the “Dream Team” for the Eagles and it was VY who kept the Eagles season alive with a late drive down the field to help the Eagles get a much needed W.

Despite a shaky start from VY at the end of the day he did what is becoming a famous phrase around the league and that is “JUST WIN BABY! “ In the 4th quarter when the Eagles needed him he marched them down the field for the score that eventually would win the game.

Jason Babin another player brought in this season sealed the W after getting a sack fumble on Eli Manning. The NFC East would appear to be wide open again as Dallas had a great weekend not only winning their game but also finding out later that the Giants loss.

It will be interesting to see what happens down the stretch to the Giants who have a very tough schedule and are in desperate need of Ahmad Bradshaw to come back from injury.

Chicago 31 San Diego 20 – Wrong Way by Sublime

The Chargers continue to be going the wrong way !

The demise of Norv Turner and Philip Rivers continues, I think its time to say goodbye to Norv in San Diego. While the Chargers have now lost 5 straight the Bears have won 5 straight. Jay Cutler has certainly elevated his game and it would appear that this Bears team is for real.

While I don’t think they have much of a shot in the division because of Green Bay this team sure does look like a playoff team.

San Diego has some serious issues but in a weak division cant be counted out just yet.

Detroit 49 Carolina 35 – Detroit Rock City By Kiss

In a pretty fun game to watch with loads of offense the name that popped out on television screens around the nation was Kevin Smith. A couple of weeks ago he was sitting on the couch eating some pizza and this week he had over 200 yards and 3 touchdowns. America certainly is the land of opportunity.

The game started with 2 Matt Stafford interception but quickly changed when Stafford started getting his grove on. Stafford had 5 td strikes and the Lions offense got back on track. It seemed at one point the Lions were going to drop another one but something kick started this team and you can throw their name right back in the playoff race in the NFC.

Miami 35 – Buffalo 8 – Miami by Will Smith

Okay I am kind of cheating again because this song is not a rock and roll classic to say the least but who doesn't love this song.

3 weeks ago 0-16 and Andrew Luck seemed very possible for these Miami Dolphins however now that seems like a long time ago. The Dolphins are playing some dam good football now winning 3 straight games in convincing fashion.

Matt Moore has been a stud probably upgrading them at QB since Henne has gone down. The Dolphins defense has finally woke up and it would appear they are finally starting to resemble an NFL team. I am not going to overboard about my Phins but right now they are not a team you would look forward to playing. If the Dolphins keep this up they can say goodbye to their top 5 pick next year.

On the other hand the Bill stink, welcome back to reality, and boy does that Fitzpatrick contract look ugly right about now.

Baltimore 31- Cincinnati 24 – Mystery by Live

Going into this game we had no idea what to expect from either team. Baltimore has been a mystery this year winning the big games and losing the ones they should be dominating. With no Ray Lewis this week we knew this would be a close one and it sure was.

Perhaps when these two meet again it will be a little different when Aj Green and Lewis are back in the lineup. While Cincy has been impressive and shown they can keep up with the big boys of the division they still appear to be one step back.

Baltimore has now gained some control over the division for now, we think!

Green Bay 35 Tampa Bay 26 – Undefeated by Def Leopard

Not much to say here, another week and another dominating performance from Aaron Rodgers. The Packers offense remains unstoppable and Jordy Nelson might be the most under rated receiver in the NFL.

The 72 Dolphins better start to get nervous because this Packer team is the real deal. The Bucs seem to have really regressed from last year and have be

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Philadelphia Eagles 17, New York Giants 10

The Giants fell to 6-4 as they dropped their second straight game, this time to the woeful Philadelphia Eagles. The loss can be attributed primarily to Eli Manning's performance. He was barely over 50% passing with 18 completions on 35 attempts. Ultimately, the Giants had a chance to tie the game with under 2:00 left in the game, but the Eagles stripped Eli as he scrambled out of the pocket, icing the game.

The Eagles, on the other hand, were able to move to 4-6, keeping their season alive in the loosest definition of the word. While they won't be playing in the post-season, the Eagles have to be encouraged by how well their defense played against the formidable Giants' offense. They limited the Giants to 264 yards passing and just 29 rushing yards.

The Giants, who just a couple of weeks ago had a firm grip on the NFC East lead, now find themselves in a tie with the Dallas Cowboys for the divisional crown and 1 game back in the wild-card race. To say the least, this isn't the direction Tom Coughlin wants his team heading for as they turn towards home and the end of the season.

The "dream team," now led by Vince Young himself, would basically need to win out to have any hope at all of making the playoffs. That being the case, they can still hope to build some momentum as they start looking forward to the 2012 season. Andy Reid would sleep better at night if they can fight back to an 8-8 record by season's end. Although very few believe the Eagles' ownership would actually fire Reid, any rumors of discontent from the top has to be somewhat unnerving for Reid, who has had a death grip on his job security for over a decade.

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San Diego Chargers 20, Chicago Bears 31

Are the Raiders going to run away with the AFC West title? Most logically minded people believed that the Chargers would be the team to beat in the division, but they've fallen flat on their faces, and it suddenly appears that the Chargers will likely miss the playoffs once again in 2011.

The Bears may be the second hottest team in the NFL right now, behind only the Green Bay Packers. Jay Cutler was solid, but not perfect, in their win despite the Bears' inability to establish the running game. The Bears now sit at 7-3, firmly in control of their post season lives. The down side is that they'll be relegated to the 5th seed at best as the Packers continue to look nearly invincible atop the NFC North.

Tennessee Titans 17, Atlanta Falcons 23

The Falcons were able to pull out a physical game in which both teams desparately needed the win. The Falcons, with the win, keep themselves within striking distance of the Detroit Lions, who struggled to beat the Carolina Panthers earlier in the day. The good news for the Falcons is that the Lions play the Packers on Thanksgiving; so, there's a great chance they'll have a chance to make up a game next week.

The Titans missed a great chance to get close to the Houston Texans, who are now working without their quarterback Matt Schuab. The Texans' quarterback situation isn't the only QB story coming out of the AFCS. Matt Hasselbeck was taken out of this game due to an injury, and Jake Locker came in and actually performed relatively efficiently. Still, it wasn't enough for the Titans to get that ever so important win in Atlanta.

Other Games:

Seattle Seahawks 24, St. Louis Rams 7
Arizona Cardinals 7, San Francisco 49ers 23

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(photo via @willbrinson)

Live-blogging the early action, which featured two absolutely amazing games. Unfortunately, my connection was lousy on the Detroit-Carolina matchup, but we'll devote more time to that during the week. Notes and comments on every game of the early action:

CIN-BAL:

• My pick of the Bengals looking good early. Bengals defense holding Baltimore, Andy Dalton looking smooth despite not having his best receiver. Jerome Simpson makes a circus catch, but Andre Caldwell is just awful. Cincy scores opening TD despite his stone hands. 
• Joe Flacco's footwork is a mess, but he makes a pair of nice throws after Caldwell submarines a Cincy drive to tie the game.
• Baltimore unnerving the Cincinnati WRs by laying hat on every throw attempt. Not hard to introduce the shakes to these wideouts. 
• Cincinnati offense looking out of sorts once they got past the scripted first 15 plays of the first quarter. Also came out with a good drive to open the third, but can they make plays in real time?
• The answer to that appears to be "No." Andy Dalton throws back to back picks, which are turned into 14 quick points by Baltimore. Oh, and Lardarius Webb is a much better pass catcher than Andre Caldwell. It isn't even close.
• Late in a gutty comeback attempt, Jermaine Gresham gets robbed of a touchdown by the idiotic "Calvin Johnson rule." 31-24 Baltimore, trying to close the game out. 
• Cincinnati bringing a lot of heart, getting inside the ten with under a minute to play. But Baltimore is eating up the Bengals' front line with well-disguised pass rushes. Ravens rush three on three consecutive throws, and get an intentional grounding, a desperation heave out of bounds, and a sack. Game over. Tremendous game.

Every week the injury lists grow longer and longer, the names on them more significant and dismaying. This is the annual war of attrition that strips the gloss and color and pageantry from the NFL, and lays bare its brutal foundations: This is a game of violence. Of cracked ribs and torn ligaments and battered brains. The fields are now made of tougher stuff than the men who play on them, and the pragmatic answer for winning -- as it always has been -- is to have more guys that can play than the other team.

By this point in the season, stars rarely get to match up against stars. Instead, teams pit depth against depth and hope for the best. This week's matchups are no different.

It's at this time of the year that we normally begin to watch some of those pleasant surprise teams begin to fade, leaving one or two classic Cinderella stories by season's end. Most of the time, we see these late season let downs coming from miles off, but there are always a few cases that still shock and surprise us years later. That's what this list is all about. We're looking for the all-time greatest late season let downs in NFL history. Shall we begin?

5: 1998 Pittsburgh Steelers

Best Record: 7-4 | Finished: 7-9

The Steelers went into Detroit in the midst of a tight AFC Central battle. That game went into overtime where Jerome Bettis called "tails" for the overtime coin toss, but the referee heard "heads." That was the call the official went with, and the Steelers went on to lose that game, finishing the season on a 5 game skid.

4: 2008 New York Jets

Best Record: 8-3 | Finished: 9-7

Ahh, Brett Favre's career will forever be a tale of triumph, trial, and finally, failure. While Favre's stint with the Jets lasted only 1 season, it was his late season play that gets him and his team placed on this infamous list. After starting 8-3, which included a few late game heroics by Favre himself, this late season collapse pretty much sums up the end of Favre's career. "Go, GO , GO!,...NOOOO!"

3: 2008 Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Best Record: 9-3 | Finished: 9-7

The tie-breaker between this team and the Jets was their best record. It's extremely difficult for a team in the NFL to start 9-3, and that's why 9-3 teams always make the playoffs. Well, almost always. At 9-3, the Bucs were neck and neck with the Panthers for the division lead, and then they just, well, bombed in spectacular fashion, losing their last 4 games to miss the post-season.

2: 1993 Miami Dolphins

Best Record: 9-2 | Finished 9-7

Despite losing Dan Marino for the season, the Dolphins built an impressive 9-2 record, with a little help from Leon Lett, but their euphoria didn't last. They had been winning all of their close games to get to 9-2, but the law of averages brought them back to Earth. They lost a pair of late-season overtime games, and just missed the playoffs at 9-7.

1: 1987 San Diego Chargers

Best Record: 8-1 | Finished 8-7

Oh the San Diego Chargers. Of all the teams in the league that don't have a Super Bowl victory, the Chargers are probably most deserving. In the strike-shortened season of 1987, it seemed like the Chargers were well on their way to making that elusive Super Bowl run. The fact that they lost 6 games to end the season is painful enough for any team, but that was also the final year that Kellen Winslow and Dan Fouts played in the league. Way to go out with a bang... I guess.

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