We have tumbled into the abyss of the NFL pack, but at least Sundays are fun again, right?
No more Brady-Moss weekly massacres. Every game counts.
That's what we learned from yesterday's 30-21 New England victory at San Francisco.
"They're a good football team. They do a lot of things well," assured coach Bill Belichick of the 49ers.
If only we could trust Belichick on that one.
The Niners, with J.T. O'Sullivan under center, won't strike fear into anyone, not with the former Cal-Davis (Division 2, just like Merrimack College) star running the offense.
As far as quarterbacks go, O'Sullivan has the look of a hearty Matt Cassel, unable to see the field when the least bit of rush stares him down.
With Cassel throwing for a career-best 259 passing yards and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels delivering one of the best game-plans you'll ever see, New England needed game-changing efforts from its big-play veterans Kevin Faulk, Randy Moss, Wes Welker and Rodney Harrison to survive.
All I can ask is, how long can this last?
Faulk, at age 32, is something. Naming the Pats' offensive MVP over the first quarter of the season is easy. It's Faulk. The veteran ran seven times for 32 yards and a pair of TDs then worked his magic in the passing game with four catches for 29 yards.
He ads such a unique dimension, one the bad defensive coordinators in football can't handle.
Obviously, the Niners weren't paying attention two weeks ago when the Dolphins' Paul Pasqualoni provided the blueprint.
Miami pressed the receivers with man coverage underneath and spied Faulk any time he was in the game with a linebacker. Even in blitz packages, the Dolphins stuck with Faulk and Wes Welker.
Miami neutralized those screens to Faulk, which resulted in four first downs yesterday.
San Francisco's cushion coverage took the defense out of the play before a block was thrown. Credit McDaniels, and yes, again, Faulk.
San Francisco defensive coordinator Greg Manusky hardly covered himself in glory.
Back to Faulk. The only question remains how long can it last? His previous fumble problems are well-documented, Faulk might be the best eight-touch running back in the game. Any more than eight, though, and you have to consider the diminishing returns.
Then, there is the durability issue.
Moss and Welker combined for 13 catches for 184 yards. They punched their timecards like true professionals.
Harrison had one interception and a deflection that led to another.
The interception might have been the easiest of his 34 career steals, thanks to O'Sullivan. But it was Harrison's repeated assaults against Frank Gore and the short passing game which helped turn the game around.
Believe it or not, Harrison's season low of two tackles was his first "A" performance this season after a string of "C's."
"It seemed like we had the ball all day," said Belichick.
In essence, New England with 39:52 in time of possession nearly did.
A giant effort by the vets, and the Pats escaped. Not exactly the fast-track to Tampa in February, but it does slash Buffalo's lead in the division.
Hey, that's entertainment.
Hector Longo is an Eagle-Tribune sportswriter. E-mail him at hlongo@eagletribune.com.
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