The door is there but they just can’t seem to find the knob. The Arizona Cardinals (now 7-5) are firmly leading the pitiful NFC West Division, but for the second week in a row failed to clinch their playoff spot. The Philadelphia Eagles, led by a determined Donovan McNabb and immovable Brian Westbrook, simply proved too much for the Cardinals’ defense. Tack on the tepid performance of the usually high-powered Cardinals offense and you’ve got yourself a loss. Although it is only a matter of time before the Cardinals eliminate the hopes of second place and 3-8 San Francisco 49ers and clinch their playoff berth, sooner is always better than later. Go to the Cardinals home page to learn more about their team.

And then there was none… After yesterday’s convincing 34-13 Jets victory, the Tennessee Titans are no longer the standard-bearer for perfection in the league. The balanced attack of the New York Jets (featuring remarkable performances by Brett Favre through the air and Thomas Jones on the ground) was simply too much for the Titans, now 10-1.  This was a a huge game for the Jets, who have not only knocked off the league’s “best” team but also solidified their place as a potential favorite in the playoff picture. Go to NFL.com to get more information about either team.

The Pittsburgh Steelers and the San Diego Chargers played to 11-10, Pittsburgh winning, last Sunday, the first time that that score has ever happened in the NFL. It happens much more often in college football games. The reason for such an odd score is because the Chargers gave up a safety in the second quarter and the Steelers didn’t score a touchdown for the whole game. Just a safety and 3 field goals. It is strange to see such a score in the game, but such things happen sometimes. It’s the NFL. Anyway, any game that has a safety is pretty exciting in this game, and the game on Sunday was no different. It wasn’t the best teams, but it was worth checking out. Read about it here.

Last night (Thursday), Brett Favre once again showed the guts and determination that have made him a soon-to-be hall of famer. After rallying the Jets in overtime to overtake the New England Patriots 34-31, Brett Favre and his teammates can celebrate a 7-3 overall record that has them as sole divisional leaders. Favre looked like the young gun slinger of his early twenties yesterday and simply dismantled the Patriots defense. Learn more at NFL.com.

The 49ers are in freefall this season. They are now 2-7, having lost 6 of their last 6, for a total of .000.  Last night, they played against the Arizona Cardinals and almost took the game.  They led the game all the way until the last 5 minutes of the game, when Arizona got a sudden touchdown.  After the 2 minute warning, the 49ers got a big chance when they were 1st and 1 on the 1 yard line.  But they were unable to capitalize and lost the game 29-24.  Oh so close.  But they didn’t make it. The team is disappointed, but they shouldn’t be too upset. They are in real rebuilding and they have an interim coach only right now. So almost beating the best team in their division isn’t all that bad.

This Sunday the Chicago Bears (5-3) will have their chance to put a dent in the last unbeaten team in the league. When the Tennessee Titans (8-0) come to Soldier Field, you can expect quite a lot of intensity and tenacity coming from all the Bears players. But recently injured Kyle Orton may be unable to join them, possibly handing the reins over to former starter Rex Grossman. Sure, Grossman led the Bears to an incredible performance during their 2006 season, but he’s definitely not the same quarterback he used to be. Most Bears fans would choose a hobbled Orton over a diminutive quarterback whose chances of getting the snap right are 50%, chances of overthrowing his receivers are 20%,  chances of  whipping the ball right into the opposing defensive linemen are another 20%, chances of injuring his leg while running are 50%, and actual chances of completing the ball are 10%. On the positive, his chances of being a stoic pretty boy stand at a very solid 98%.

Kansas City hasn’t had a great team in several years now.  This year is somewhat lower than usual.  In the last year (no, not season, calendar year) they have had just one win in the whole time.  Yesterday, it looked like they were going to double that total since they had a 24-3 lead with just under 2 minutes left in the first half.  But then the Bucs went to work. Some lucky calls and some good forced turnovers made it possible for Tampa Bay to take down the Chiefs in the end, 30-27, yesterday. This brings Tampa Bay to 6-3 on the season and Kansas City to 1-7.  KC tried hard to take this one, but it just wasn’t to be, I suppose.  The players are upset and the team is going to have to do some serious retooling in the next offseason.