Oakland returns to its rightful place: The hallmark of a truly bad team is when you can easily recall its "Super Bowl." You know, the one week where it rose up and beat a heavy favorite, only to immediately become ridiculously noncompetitive right away.
No team embodies that more than the 2014 Oakland Raiders. How about going from a shocking upset of the Chiefs at home on a Thursday night, winning for the first time in more than a calendar year, to getting destroyed 52-0 at St. Louis? That's regression, holmes. They aren't alone in this, of course. They, being the Raiders, simply managed to take it to a new extreme.
Want other examples? The Skins beating Dallas on a Monday night. The Jags beating what was then a surging Browns team for their first win. The Jets beating the Steelers at home. The Bucs winning at Pittsburgh. Carolina's tie at Cincinnati. For some it came, oh, quite a while ago -- Atlanta topping New Orleans in Week 1, Tennessee shocking Kansas City in Week 1, Chicago winning at San Francisco in Week 2. When you can easily recall a team's only noteworthy win without much time required, you know they stink.
More observations from Week 13
Colts still have concerns: The Colts' defense continues to leave me thinking there is no way they are going to string together two more wins in January. Colt McCoy was absolutely shredding them, and if DeSean Jackson doesn't get hurt, the Redskins may have hung 40 points at Indy on Sunday. The secondary has major issues, the pass rush is sapped and I don't see how they compete with the elite offenses in the AFC in the postseason.
On the bright side, Dan Herron showed signs of fitting in their offense and giving them something of note at running back after Ahmad Bradshaw went down. Thankfully, no one is pretending Trent Richardson can play (eight carries for 12 yards, giving way Herron, who ran eight times for 88 yards including a key 49-yard touchdown dash). I still believe Ray Rice could be a significant boost to this team and help in several ways, but we'll see if Herron can be a regular contributor before I bang the drum any harder than I already am.
Manziel musings: Johnny Manziel's debut in an extended role, in garbage time, will get no shortage of press, I'm sure, and I liked how he was slinging it around on his first drive. But keep in mind it quickly got not so sharp from him and that sputtering Browns offense. The Bills were playing to keep away the big play by the point he entered the game, and this kid is going to take his lumps just like every other running quarterback invariably does (OK, except for perhaps Russell Wilson, but this kid ain't Russell Wilson; not close).
Bolts surging: Huge props to the Chargers for hanging in there and winning a game that not only perhaps saved their season, but just might propel them to greater things. And the timing couldn't be better as it was a week after getting a gift from the Rams in their win over the Broncos. Rivers looked better than he has in weeks.
Concern for Big Ben? The Saints may have put this game away even quicker had Patrick Robinson been able to hold on to an easy pick-six and another Ben Roethlisberger potential interception in the end zone. Can't help but wonder about Big Ben's throwing hand, which was giving him all kinds of problems early in this defeat.