For the third and fourth time in the last five years, Indy and New Orleans enter December as unbeatens. Both teams maintained the course on their quest for perfection, Indy with a routine win over the feisty Titans (sorry Gotty™) and New Orleans with anything but against the Washington Redskins.

Down to the Skins, the Saints got a key touchdown after wide receiver Robert Meachem forced and recovered an improbable fumble after a (terrible) Brees interception. That’s a once or twice a year in the NFL play.

Redskins kicker Shaun Sushiam missed a 23 yard bunny that would have put the Skins up 10 with less than two to play. Hey sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good because nearly losing to the Redskins certainly isn’t good.

Chicago’s bullshit combo of wind and snow reminds me December’s here. Personally this means I’m in for four to five months of my eyelashes freezing closed, getting hypothermia while waiting for CTA busses and coping with seasonal depression through self-medication. But for NFL fans, it means put up or shut up time. As long as you’re not amongst the NFL’s special ed group — Tampa, Cleveland, St. Louis etc. — if you can play your best football moving forward, you can find yourself in the Big Game playing for the Lombardi.

Fortunes are looking up for…

– The Broncos, after running all over the Chiefs (200 plus yards for two headed monster Corshown Morhalter). Only their tough schedule can keep them out of the playoffs.

-The Eagles, after a down and dirty spanking of the banged up Falcons. Making his return to the Georgia Dome, Mike Vick accounted for two scores – one running, the other a TD pass – as the Eagles won 34-7.

-The Bengals, after rounding out the NFL’s early Christmas present of a Raiders-Browns-Lions schedule with a win over their fellow felines.

Other News and Notes

– My beloved Pats: Hey it was a good decade.

– The Steelers: The Steel Curtain gave up three 4th quarter TDs to the Raiders. At home. What the hell happened to them?

tom-brady

– Actually hold on a minute. Let me go back to the Pats. I’ve been getting riled up at certain Boston media elements turning on the Patriots, Brady and Belichick. These men are legends. They’ve helped turn what was a joke of a franchise into the class of the league. And while maybe most fans hate them, that just proves how good we’ve been.

But yesterday’s game was a fucking shitshow. The Pats handed the Dolphins the win on a silver platter. Belichick continued to make shaky coaching decisions including another missed 4th down conversion (KICK the DAMN FIELD GOAL.) Meanwhile Brady threw two killer picks including one in the end zone when a TD would have sealed the game. Thus far, ’09 has been Brady and Belichick’s Blueprint 3.

– The Cowboys: Don’t blame Tony Romo for this one as he’s the only reason the game was close. Their defense and special games gave up way too many big plays.

– The Texans, 49ers, Titans and Falcons: Don’t worry guys, 2010 training camp is just around the corner.