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The Ravens lost the AFC North division lead for three days.
Now, they're back in the saddle, and first place, yet again.
I would guess that not many Ravens fans are too fond of Tom Brady (just taking a wild shot at that one), but you should all send thank you cards to the Patriots quarterback today for the beatdown that he and his teammates put on the Steelers last night.
Brady threw for an even 350 yards and three touchdowns, and the Pats put up a whopping 39 points on a Pittsburgh defense which entered the weekend allowing the fewest points per game in the NFL.
New England got the job done offensively by spreading the Steelers out wide, protecting the quarterback, and taking advantage of matchup issues in the Pittsburgh secondary.
The Pats had nearly a 2-to-1 ratio of passing plays to running plays, and Brady spread the ball around, hitting eight different receivers. New England knew they wouldn't get the job done by challenging Pittsburgh to a running oriented, smash-mouth type of game, so they didn't try. Instead, they found ways to move the ball through the air.
That, the Ravens have the personnel to do. The Patriots did something defensively, however, that Baltimore might not have the personnel to do - get consistent pressure on Ben Roethlisberger. New England sacked Big Ben five times and had bodies in his face all night.
With the Steelers' loss, they join Baltimore at 6-3 on the season, and because the Ravens own the head-to-head tiebreaker, they sit atop the division for another week.
Meanwhile, can someone please explain the NFL to me?
The Patriots get crushed by the Browns one week, then destroy the Steelers at Heinz Field the next week.
Troy Smith throws for 356 yards and is 2-0 as a starter this year.
The Broncos put up a total of 50 points in their last three games - all of which were losses - and then they drop 49 in a win over a Kansas City team which had been leading the AFC West.
No division leader has more than a one-game lead, and there are three divisions in which the last place team is only two games behind the squad atop the division.
This is a funky year in a funky league. And boy, is it fun to watch.
