Early season upstarts falling on hard times

Think back to some of the events of Week One in the NFL. The Buffalo Bills had just polished off the New England Patriots 31-0 in one of the most complete games you will ever see a team play. The Minnesota Vikings, meanwhile, were in Green Bay, birthing their own dominance with a 30-25 beating of the Packers at Lambeau.

The Vikings would go on to win five consecutive games after, while the Bills would dominate the Jacksonville Jaguars 38-17 the next week to stake their claim as the most impressive team in the league.

Now, fast forward to the standings as they sit now. Buffalo is 4-6 and hasn't scored a touchdown -- offensive, defensive or otherwise -- since Oct. 19, a span of three games. The Vikings, while not in as dire straights considering they still lead the division, are still reeling at 6-4 after four consecutive losses. What's worse for Minnesota is that none of the teams it has lost to has a winning record.

Sunday's 28-18 loss to the now 3-7 Oakland Raiders was an absolute dagger, especially considering journeyman and former number two pick Rick Mirer was behind center for the downtrodden (and apparently juiced up) Silver and Black. It was a combination of his mistake free play and Charles Woodson's lockdown of Randy Moss (four catches, 25 yards) that spelled doom. With the 3-7 Detroit Lions coming to the Metrodome next Sunday, the Vikings are out of excuses.

As for the Bills, their problems don't get any easier as they host Indianapolis this week. A 12-10 home loss at the hands of a David Carr-less Houston Texans squad cannot be blamed on the revamped defense, obviously. Neither can their 10-6 loss to the Dallas Cowboys last week.

No, rather, the onus falls on offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride's stagnant unit. Travis Henry had only 68 yards on Sunday and is averaging four yards per carry at the moment, which is nothing to write home about. Drew Bledsoe has been his immobile self of late, and this has only been glaring due to the ineptitude of this once mighty offensive line. Something has to give for these guys.

Elsewhere in the league, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers deactivated Keyshawn Johnson yesterday after being beaten by the Packers for the first time at Raymond James Stadium, 20-13. Now at 4-6, anything short of perfection the rest of the way could mean the defending champs fall short of a playoff berth. It was about time for "Meshawn," whose 45 catches thus far cannot justify the amount of garbage that comes out of his mouth.

The league's two best proponents for winning ugly (if there is such a thing in this league) kept chugging along on Sunday, and with new uniforms no less. Clad in black jerseys, the 7-3 Philadelphia Eagles put on a show in a 28-10 win over the division rival New York Giants. Donovan McNabb quieted haters for yet another week as he was 24 for 30 for 314 yards and two TD's.

The Eagles are now tied with the Cowboys for the NFC East lead after Bill the pupil (Belichick) took out Bill the prot?©g?© (Parcells) 12-0 at Gillette Stadium. In new silver jerseys which some said "looked like a batch of bad laundry," the New England Patriots were relentless on defense and serviceable/mistake free on offense. This formula has become all the rage in this league with the success of not only the Pats but teams like the Carolina Panthers as well.

Speaking of the Panthers, their 20-17 home defeat of the Washington Redskins was just what the doctor ordered for Stephen Davis, who had revenge on his mind. The Skins -- more specifically football illiterate owner Dan Snyder -- cut Davis in the off-season. While Davis didn't enjoy his best day of the year (98 yards), a win is certainly something he can hang his helmet on.

One More Thing: The 1972 Miami Dolphins are still bathing in champagne as they still hold the crown of last undefeated team. The Kansas City Chiefs were brought to 9-1 by the Cincinnati Bengals, 24-19. The way people were talking about this game last week, though, one would have thought the Bengals were favored.

Either way, though, the win was enough to give Bengals fans hope, and more highlights than these fans have been accustomed to. Peter Warrick enjoyed an absolute coming out party with a punt return TD and a receiving TD. And Chad Johnson did not have to eat his words, much to his relief.