Around the NFL: Ravens can’t handle Success

Ravens stumble in Seattle: Just a week after giving their coach a Gatorade bath and celebrating like they were headed to the Super Bowl, the Ravens today once again showed they can’t handle success. Baltimore (6-3) stumbled in Seattle (3-6), losing 22-17, against a 2-6 team at the time with no offensive attack. Joe Flacco threw 52 times, posting a 67.4 QB rating and averaged just 4.9 yards per pass. A week after torching the Steelers on third downs, Baltimore was 5 of 12 on third downs.

The Ravens are now 6-3 in an AFC North division and there is still a ton of football left. Baltimore falls a game behind 7-3 Pittsburgh and host the 6-3 Bengals next week. Cleveland fell to 3-6 on the season and won’t be a factor in the AFC North.

Texans the best team in the AFC?: The Houston Texans (7-3) suddenly have a defense and they might be the most dangerous team in the AFC. Arian Foster is the best running back in the game who can beat a defense with his running and receiving ability and the Texans are getting it done without Andre Johnson. Matt Schaub threw the ball just 15 times in the Texans 37-9 win over Tampa Bay.

Tebow throws just 8 times in win: The situation in Denver today was amazing as Tim Tebow threw just 8 times in the Broncos 17-10 win over Kansas City (4-5). Tebow had a 102.1 QB rating, going 2 of 8 for 69 yards, connecting with Eric Decker on a 56 yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter. Denver in the victory had 55 rushing attempts and just 8 passing attempts. Tebow is showing nothing as a passer but the guy continues to win, now 3-1 as a starter and the 4-5 Broncos are right in the mix in a wide open AFC West.

49ers are FOR Real: The San Francisco 49ers (8-1) won their seventh straight, defeating the New York Giants (6-3) 27-20. Alex Smith connected with Vernon Davis for the go-ahead touchdown and  Justin Smith batted down Eli Manning’s pass in the waning seconds of the Giants comeback try as the 49ers have had a tremendous turnaround under new head coach Jim Harbaugh.

Colts securing Luck Sweepstakes: Jacksonville (3-6) knocked off Indianapolis (0-10), 17-3, as the Colts demise continues. At 0-10, the Colts are the NFL’s only winless team — every other team has at least two wins. It’s hard to imagine the Colts winning a game this season as they seem locked in to earn the No. 1 pick.

Eagles continue free fall: An embarrassing season continued for Philadelphia today and it started before kickoff as DeSean Jackson skipped a team meeting and was benched. Things from there went downhill as John Skelton threw a 5-yard TD pass to Early Doucet with 1:53 left and the Cardinals rallied for a 21-17 victory over the Eagles on Sunday. The Eagles blew a fourth quarter lead for the fifth time this season and are now 3-6 on the season. Skelton threw for 315 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Bears finding their rhythm: Charles Tillman and Major Wright returned interceptions for touchdowns early in the third quarter, and the Chicago Bears picked off Matthew Stafford four times to beat the Detroit Lions (6-3) 37-13 in a heated game on Sunday. The Bears (6-3) had locked up their fourth straight win thanks to a dominant defensive effort and another punt return for a touchdown by Devin Hester, who ran one back 82 yards. That extended his NFL record to 12.

Redskins losing streak at 5: Reggie Bush scored two TDs and the Dolphins twice intercepted Rex Grossman to earn their first home victory in nearly a year by beating the Washington Redskins 20-9 Sunday. The Dolphins (2-7) ended a franchise-record streak of seven consecutive losses in Miami since last Nov. 14. They won for the second week in a row after starting 0-7. After a hot start, Washington (3-6) is in free fall, dropping their fifth straight.

Gutsy call in overtimes leads to loss for Falcons: New Orleans (7-3) took control of the NFC South race on Sunday, defeating Atlanta 26-23 in overtime, snapping Atlanta’s three-game winning streak. Atlanta (5-4) rallied from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter, tying it on Matt Bryant’s 27-yard field goal on the final play of regulation. The Falcons though went for it on 4th and inches at their own 29 yard line and were stopped….Game Over as John Kasay kicked a 26 yard field goal minutes later.

Surging Cowboys? Dallas (5-4) rolled to a 44-7 win over Buffalo (5-4) and the Cowboys are starting to find their stride as Tony Romo has a running back behind him in DeMarco Murray who rushed for 135 yards. Dallas (5-4) won its second straight and could be starting a big surge. They’re entering a soft patch in their schedule as the Cowboys next three foes went into this weekend a combined 6-18.