Studs:
Tom Brady and Wes Welker: Brady completed 23 of 26 passes for 267 yards and four touchdowns to lead New England Patriots to a 35-7 victory over the Jaguars. Once again, Brady’s main target was Welker, who caught 13 passes for 138 yards. Welker has now caught at least 10 passes in seven games this season and has emerged as Brady’s top target.

Jonathan Stewart: Stewart, who has a career game, rushed for 206 yards and one TD on 28 carries as the Panthers dashed the New York Giants playoff hopes with a resounding 41-9 victory.

Jerome Harrison: One week after rushing for 287 yards, Harrisoin continued his torrid pace while rushing for 148 yards and a TD in the Browns’ 23-9 victory over Oakland Raiders.

This was the Browns third straight victory,
Roddy White: White, with an assist from QB Matt Ryan, set the tone for the Falcons in a convincing victory over Buffalo. White caught eight passes for 139 yards and two TDs, including a 42-yarder on the first play from scrimmage, as the Falcons won 31-3.

Duds:

Matt Hasselbeck: Hasselbeck, who committed five turnovers in Week 15 (four interceptions and one fumble), was picked off four more times in Seattle’s 48-10 loss to Green Bay. The Seahawks have scored a total of 24 points in three straight losses. This latest performance could bring the Hasselbeck error in Seattle to an end.

Curtis Painter: Painter’s NFL debut was short and forgettable. Relieving Peyton Manning as the Colts pulled several starters in the second half against the Jets, Painter lost a fumble that resulted in a New York touchdown and also threw an interception in the 29-15 loss. Painter finished 4-of-11 for 44 yards.

The Giants: The Giants’ farewell to Giants Stadium turned into one of the ugliest moments in franchise history. Knowing they still had a shot at a fifth straight playoff berth, the Giants came out flat and lost 41-9 against a Panthers team with nothing at stake. New York allowed six scores on Carolina’s first seven possessions.

The Ravens: The Baltimore Ravens were repeatedly hurt by their own mistakes in a 23-20 loss at Pittsburgh. The Ravens had two third-quarter TDs negated because of penalties. (They committed 11 penalties for 113 yards overall.) Then, a wide-open Derrick Mason, the Ravens’ most reliable receiver, dropped a certain touchdown pass in the end zone on the first play of the fourth quarter when the ball clanked off his face mask. The score would’ve put the Ravens up 27-20.

Bruce Gradkowski: Gradkowski completed 17 of 34 passes for 183 yards and two touchdowns on Sunday. Most importantly, Gradkowski lead the Oakland Raiders to a fourth-quarter comeback victory filling in for the benched JaMarcus Russell.

Eli Manning: Manning, who has been hobbled by injuries this season, had throwing for a career-high 384 yards and three touchdowns. Most importantly, the New York Giants 6-4) snap a four-game skid with a 34-31 overtime victory over Atlanta. Manning’s strong play compensated for a defense that squandered a 31-17 lead and a running game that lost Brandon Jacobs (right leg injury) in the third quarter.

Tom Brady: Tom Brady had an average day, completing 28 of 41 passes for 310 yards and one touchdown. I’m confused, should he be on the Duds page?

Wes Welker: Welker set career highs in catches 15) and yards (192) as New England pummeled one of the inter-division rivals on Sunday. Welker, who did not play in the first matchup, was a huge on moving the chains.

Matthew Stafford: Stafford enjoyed the best game of his rookie season in Week 11, throwing for 422 yards and five touchdowns, including an epic game-winning strike to Brandon Pettigrew with no time left on the clock to lead Detroit to a 38-37 victory over the Browns. Stafford also became the youngest quarterback in NFL history to toss five touchdown passes in a single game.

Leigh Bodden: Bodden had a huge game as a starter in the Patriots victory on Sunday, picking off B Mark Sanchez three times as New England Patriots defense stifled the rookie quarterback.

Brett Favre: The ageless one continues to be an unexpected model of consistency and efficiency in Minnesota Vikings. Favre completed a career-high 88 percent of his passes for 213 yards and four touchdowns as the Vikings rolled to a 35-9 victory over the Seahawks. Favre completed 22 of his 25 throws for the 9-1 Vikings.

Terrell Owens: T.O. exploded on Sunday, catching nine passes for 97 yards, including a team-record 98-yarder for a score, in Buffalo’s 18-15 loss to the Jaguars. It was Owens’ first 100-yard receiving game as a Bill. The 197 yards represent the third-highest single-game total of his career.

Wesley Carter “Wes” Welker is one of only two players in NFL history to convert a field goal and an extra point, record a tackle, field a punt and kickoff return all in the same game. Welker, who stands 5’8 ¾’’ and weights 185 lbs. soaking wet, shouldn’t be known for his diversity on the field, but instead for having the heart and desire to succeed in sport dominated by giants and Olympic quality athletes.

The man nicknamed “The Natural” by his high school teammates found early life in the NFL to be difficult. In 2004, Welker ran a turtle-like 4.65 forty-yard dash at the Texas Tech pro day and subsequently went undrafted. Although he made the San Diego Chargers final roster, Welker was cut after week one and eventually signed with the Miami Dolphins.

After signing with the Dolphins, Welker found his niche in the NFL. During the 2005 season, Welker was promoted to the third wide receiver spot and finished the season with 29 receptions, for 434 yards and not touchdowns. Most importantly, Welker and the Dolphins organization learned that he could have success catching short, underneath passes while the faster wide receivers stretched the field with longer routes. In 2006, Welker built on his success and netted a team-best 67 receptions for 687 yards and one score. He also continued to build his reputation as a solid return man and finished the season with 48 kickoffs for 1,048 yards (22.2 average) and 41 punts for 378 yards (9.2 average).

After being offered a second-round tender that would have paid him $1.35 million, the New England Patriots decided to trade their 2007 second and seventh-round draft picks for Welker. The trade immediately paid dividends as Welker broker the Patriots single season reception record with 112 and finished the season with 1,175 receiving yards. Welker continued his stellar play in 2008, finishing the year with 111 receptions for 1165 yards and three touchdowns. Welker was selected to attend the 2009 Pro Bowl as a reserve and received his second consecutive AP All-Pro Second Team designation.

It’s safe to say the injury to Tom Brady in the first game of the 2008 NFL season makes this season for the New England Patriots a lost season. High expectation again were with the Patriots, maybe not to repeat 16-0 but be Super Bowl contenders once again. With Matt Cassel as the starting quarterback the Patriots fall back down to earth with the rest of the teams in the AFC, which also opens the door for new AFC Champion contenders. Patriots fans must agree that with the lose of the best QB in the league they wouldn’t expect much from the Patriots in 2008. In 2001, Drew Bledsoe became hurt and then unknown quarterback Tom Brady took his place and excelled so maybe history will repeat itself.The Patriots would seem to have fallen in the underdog role since Brady’s injury. How fast can the favorites in the NFL become the underdogs?….it happened in one game. The Patriots still have their potent offense with wide receivers Randy Moss, Wes Welker, and Jabar Gaffney with coach Bill Belichick running the team. The receivers can be only as good as their quarterback, Brady raised everyone’s level of play in 2007 and with his lose Cassel must find a way to distribute the ball effectively and efficiently without creating turnovers.

Cassel doesn’t have to win the game for the Patriots, just not lose it for them. Many quarterbacks in the NFL have a great team around them and they are average at best, case in point the 2007 with Rex Grossman. Grossman was a sub-par QB and the Chicago Bears made it to the Super Bowl in spite of him with a good running game and stellar defense. All Grossman had to do was not make stupid mistakes by taking wild chances and it gave the Bears a chance to win every game. Cassel shouldn’t pretend he is anyone else and work within the offense and not try to be the “hero” so to speak. Being what the AFC is playoffs spots will be at a premium so falling back in the lose column will cause problems for the Patriots if they can’t pick up wins against the Raiders, Rams, and Cardinals.

Matt Cassel is in a very difficult position filling in the shoes of a future Hall of Fame player, but on the bright side nobody expects him to be Tom Brady, so with the expectation lowered some of the pressure will be off Cassel and he will perform better. Football is a very unpredictable game so maybe Cassel will take the opportunity he has been given and succeed, only time will tell. He is on a one season term because Tom Brady will be back next season, Cassel should make the most of his starting job while he can. Great quarterbacks in the NFL are few and far between and Cassel, while he isn’t a great QB yet this might be the chance he can prove that one day he will be.