Safety first
The Rams did something historic in an otherwise-ugly third quarter in Arizona. With their only two scores being safeties, they became the first team to ever score exactly four points in a single quarter. They also became the first team since the 1999 Jaguars to record safeties on consecutive defensive plays. Perhaps not surprisingly, the two quarterbacks in these instances are Kordell Stewart and John Skelton.
Double whammy
It’s not often we get to enjoy a day when both the Patriots and Steelers lose. The last time it happened before Sunday was December 6, 2009. I was in attendance in Miami covering the game for the Herald as the Dolphins rallied from an 11-point deficit to win 22-21. In Pittsburgh, the Raiders scored the winning touchdown with :09 left to pull out a 27-24 victory. Sounds eerily familiar to yesterday. However, the last time both lost at home on the same day was September 24, 2006.
New England is now in danger of losing three straight for the first time since 2002 when they travel to play the Jets next Sunday night. That year was also the last time they lost at home to an NFC opponent, when they were beaten soundly by Green Bay, 28-10.
Scheduling quirks
Wondering why there are no byes next week and four the following week? The NFL had to have a contingency plan in case the lockout forced the cancellation of games, so Week 3 was scheduled so that all the teams playing shared the same bye weeks. This way if one week was lost the schedule could stay in tact at 16 weeks and no teams would have had byes.
Also, it is quite odd that the marquee Ravens-Steelers matchup was played twice before either team played the other two teams in the division, the Browns and Bengals. You would think the NFL would want to keep at least one of those matchups for late November or December. With yesterday’s trip to Arizona, the Rams became the last NFL team to play a division game.
Unbeaten and unscathed
At 8-0, the defending champion Green Bay Packers haven’t missed a beat. They have won 14 straight dating to last year and haven’t lost a game Aaron Rodgers has played from start to finish since last November 28 when they were beaten by Atlanta.
Staying relatively healthy throughout the process (remember this was a team that sent 16 players to IR last season), the Packers are the first defending Super Bowl champ to be the league’s final unbeaten team the following year since the 1998 Broncos. Those Broncos made it to 13-0 before losing to the Giants, which ironically could be the team that also ends this year’s Packers’ run (the teams meet in Week 13 at New York). But Denver defended its crown successfully, and many feel Green Bay could do the same.
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