Numbers Time: Giant Win, Titanic Loss

You have to give credit where credit is due. As much as I’m going to miss being able to use this space to rip on the Giants, I congratulate them on their win. Maybe the NFL should do this every year, purposefully schedule the crappy teams to play each other as sort of a minor league kind of thing. To update last week’s hierarchy of mediocrity Cardinals/Giants > Niners > Raiders.

Before the main event, let’s take a moment of silence for the Patriots worst loss since 2010. It’s karmically fitting that it be the Titans who embarrass the Pats so completely. Let us never forget the worst beating in the super bowl era, the 59-0 utter destruction the Pats laid on the Titans in 2009. Brian Hoyer also finished out that game, but for completely different reasons. The Patriots are, relatively, weak this season, and the Titans are swimming with former Patriots — Malcolm Butler, Dion Lewis, and coach Mike Vrabel — cast aside by Belichick like lame oxen. I cry every time the Patriots lose, and this weekend was particularly hard for me for personal reasons. But this was a very important game for the Titans, and I have to give credit where credit is due.

On the other hand, if you’ve ever seen the Patriots down in the first half of a game, you know no one makes adjustments like Belichick. You think a half time adjustment is something. Just wait to see what happens during a bye week after such an embarrassing loss.

And yes, this is your weekly reminder that being only 4 games behind 6th place with 7 week’s left to go, the 1-8 Oakland Raiders are still, mathematically, in playoff contention.