Well, things are looking about normal for an NFL cynic: Dallas is looking lame while the Jets are stalling. This past Sunday (as of October 2nd) Dallas suffered a devastating loss–not to the rising star of the season, nor to a bulky team like New England Patriots – but to the Detroit Lions. Tony Romo deserves just as much praise as he does criticism; he helped Dallas to a 24-point lead, and the team controlled the game until halftime. However, three interceptions later, the momentum shifted.

Down to the last two minutes of the game, the Dallas Cowboys were looking competitive. Then, Dallas blew it by the third interception, losing 34-30. Actually, some Dallas fans went around town saying that Dallas had won, as they hadn’t seen the final moments of the game! Every second counted in this one. Tony Romo later said, “It hurts. We were obviously in a position to win this game. … It doesn’t feel good right now.” These sentiments joined by those of Sean Lee, who called the lost “devastating.”

Hey, don’t be too hard on Dallas. Despite the fact that this was an “upset” roster wise, Detroit is actually looking stellar this season. They have built up a 4-0 loss, their best lead since 1980! If only the Lions had beat the Cowboys in a normal, competitive game. It does hurt a bit though, since this is Dallas’ worst “blown lead” in the last 50 years of game play.

Meanwhile another heavily hyped NFL team is running out of fuel, and it’s Jet-fuel. The New York Jets crashed in their game against the Baltimore Ravens, with 34-17. Like the Lions, the Ravens are actually building some momentum of their own (their third victory in four games). It just hurts that New York was primed and ready for their comeback. Now, the Jets are 2-2 and looking less than amazing. Even if they go on to win this year, it’s not going to be an 18-0 type of situation.

Fans noticed some major problems in the Jets’ offense; in fact, only three points were claimed in regular play. The other 14 came from an interception return and a kickoff. The Ravens defense won the game, and it’s hard to deny that their offense was just more aggressive than New York’s.

For someone who doesn’t believe in amazing recovery seasons and sentimental wins, things are as they should be. Dallas and New York are squashed while we wait for someone to “rise out of the ashes” and take this season!

Michael Vick was the talk of the NFL last weekend, as his return to the Atlanta Falcons–a game that should have been triumphant for this great athlete and scandalous sports icon–proved to be disappointing.  In fact, Vick was almost embarrassed after suffering a concussion during the game’s third quarter.  Vick required medical attention and was actually seen spitting blood, though reporters later stated that the blood was from accidentally biting down on his tongue.

The good news is that Vick did not require major medical attention and was cleared for travel with the team.  However, he will require further testing before being allowed to play.  Despite Vick’s humbling, the Falcons still pulled off a victory against the Eagles, 35-31.  In fact, Atlanta fans called the game a great moment that the Falcons deserved after a troubling couple of seasons with Vick.  It was also good news for quarterback Matt Ryan who shined tremendously with Vick out of the picture.

Even while Vick’s reputation seemed shaky over the weekend, the New York Jets’ rap was resurrected to greatness.  The New York Jets defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 2, just one week after defeating the monstrously defensive Dallas Cowboys.  In fact, the New York Jets demolished the Jaguars 32-3, proving that last week was (probably) not a fluke.  Okay, okay.  We’re still waiting for a couple of games before we proclaim New York the team to beat this year.  Will New York ride its sentimental and patriotic momentum to glory like the New Orleans Saints did in 2009?

The team is far from perfect this season, as they did actually struggle in the first quarter, suffering interceptions and desperately going for field goals.  However, New York’s conservative approach to scoring is paying off.  Of course, New York haters are still suggesting that clobbering Jacksonville isn’t much to boast about–considering that the team lost David Garrard.

The real test for New York will be in the next three games.  First it’s the Oakland Raiders, then the Baltimore Ravens, and then the championship magnet New England Patriots.  It’s time to stop bragging about last minute wins and handicap matches (er, sorry Jacksonville) and start thinking Super Bowl caliber plays!

What do you think?  Is New York’s momentum building strong?

The stalemate between running back Chris Johnson and his team, the Tennessee Titans, has been going on for some time; and we’ve all watched as Johnson demanded more and the Titans refused to give it to him. Even a meeting last week did little to speed things along and get anything down in ink. But now, hope may be on the horizon and some say, Johnson could be back playing for the Titans as early as this weekend.

The weekend may actually be a bit early. The Titans’ NFL season opener is still eleven days away after all, and most experts and analysts agree that it will at least take a few games into the regular season to sort it out. But talk has begun with a meeting held between Johnson, his agent Joel Segal, and Titans execs being held yesterday. The Titans now have a firm offer of what they’re willing to give Johnson, but the problem seems to be on Johnson’s end. He needs to realize that he’s a running back and that as far as that position goes, the offer on the table is the best any RB has ever been offered.

The Titans have said that they’ll make Johnson the highest-paid RB in the league, and that they’re willing to give him $10 to $11 million with $1.065 million being offered this year. The remainder would then be paid out next year after which, he’d be free to leave the team and play for anyone he cares for. Of course the question remains whether or not, with the short career span of football players, Johnson will still be playing, or still worth that money, at that time.

So nothing is firmed up just yet and yes, hoping to see Johnston playing for the Titans this weekend is probably a bit optimistic. Still, talks do seem to be bringing things closer and it looks as though it might just be a matter of weeks before we see the Titans’ best player return to the field.