Philadelphia, PA -- (Sports Network) - Rejoice, all ye fans of the Super Bowl and haters of horrible music.

It was reported earlier this week that The Who will be the halftime entertainment at Super Bowl XLIV in Miami on February 7th, hopefully putting to rest those nasty rumors that Bon Jovi - aka the worst thing to happen to music in the past 25 years - would be descending upon South Florida and threatening to make me lose my NFL-bought lunch.

Perhaps the league wised up and realized they would be ending their streak of first-rate halftime entertainment at five years (McCartney, the Stones, Prince, Petty, Springsteen), or perhaps Bon Jovi was already committed to play somewhere else in the world for one of those groups of faded Stepford wives that make up their fan base. Sorry Jon, the next Arena Bowl has your name written all over it.

The guess here is that "Baba O'Riley," "Won't Get Fooled Again," and "Who Are You," will be in The Who's setlist for the CBS-broadcast Super Bowl. Probably worth mentioning that you can also hear those songs, used as opening themes, on CBS' ubiquitous "CSI" series.

I WAS SURPRISED THAT...

...the Bengals got it done. Sorry for hating on you, Cincinnati, but it remains somewhat difficult to believe in an organization that has been as historically mismanaged as the Bengals. Inasmuch, this looked to many like the week that the Bengals would get their comeuppance, but Marvin Lewis' team rolled into Heinz Field and emerged with an 18-12 victory, holding the Steelers to 226 yards and four field goals, playing efficient enough on offense to get into position for four Shayne Graham field goals, and scoring the game's only touchdown on a 96-yard Bernard Scott kickoff return in the fourth quarter. The Bengals (7-2), who are back alone atop the AFC North, completed their first sweep of the Steelers since 1998, and Carson Palmer became the first Bengals QB to beat Pittsburgh twice in a year since Boomer Esiason in 1990.

...the Redskins scored more than 17 points, and also showed up to play. The Redskins hadn't scored more than 17 in a game all year, and with Clinton Portis (concussion) scratched against his former team, the Broncos, it didn't look like things were going to get much better for Jim Zorn's team. But backup running back Ladell Betts rambled for 114 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries in Portis' place, as the Redskins racked up 388 yards of total offense in a 27-17 victory. Washington scored one of its touchdowns on a nicely-thrown trick-play throw from punter Hunter Smith to fullback Mike Sellers in the second quarter, and later benefited from an ankle injury that knocked Kyle Orton (11-of-18, 193 yards, 2 TD) out of the game later in the frame. Chris Simms, playing his first meaningful football since 2006, was an awful 3-of-13 for 13 yards and an interception in Orton's place.

...the struggles of Matt Ryan and the Falcons continued. This looked like a perfect opportunity for Atlanta to show that it was the best team in the NFC South not called the Saints, but the Falcons were chasing it almost from the outset in what would become a 28-19 loss. Mike Smith's club was dealt an early blow when Michael Turner, who was having a huge game with 111 yards on his first nine carries, left in the second quarter with an ankle sprain. That put the pressure on Ryan (22-of-41, 224 yards), who threw multiple picks for the fourth time in his last five starts and sunk Atlanta with an INT in the Carolina end with less than four minutes left and the Falcons down, 21-19. Instead of a setting his team up for a game-winning field goal, Ryan gave the ball back to the Panthers, who sealed the contest with a 45-yard Jonathan Stewart touchdown run three plays later.

...the Rams and Bucs - two double-digit underdogs - nearly blew up survivor pools from coast to coast. Neither the Saints nor the Dolphins were supposed to be challenged very much by their respective opponents, St. Louis and Tampa Bay, and both found themselves in dogfights late in the fourth quarter. The Rams came alive with 434 yards of total offense in a 28-23 loss, including 298 through the air for Marc Bulger (26-of-40, 298 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT) and 131 on the ground for Steven Jackson, but a late attempt at a game-winning drive fizzled out in the final minute when a Bulger pass attempt fell incomplete to Danny Amendola in the end zone. Meanwhile in Miami, the Bucs were celebrating what would have been their second straight win when Cadillac Williams' 1-yard touchdown run put them ahead, 23-22, with 1:14 to play. But Chad Henne atoned for a costly fourth-quarter interception and led a five-play, 77-yard drive that put the Dolphins (4-5) in position for Dan Carpenter's game-winning 25- yard field goal, which sealed a 25-23 Miami triumph.

...the Eagles failed to rebound. Philadelphia looked listless in its 20-16 home loss to Dallas a week ago, but the Eagles have not made a habit of stacking bad performances during the Andy Reid/Donovan McNabb era. And, though Philly worked hard to get back from a 28-9 deficit in their Week 10 tilt at San Diego, the comeback effort proved too little, too late, in the Chargers' 31-23 victory. The Birds did not consistently stop Philip Rivers (20-of-35, 231 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT), LaDainian Tomlinson (24 carries, 96 yards, 2 TD), or Antonio Gates (7 receptions, 78 yards), and the return of Brian Westbrook (8 total touches, 54 yards) was short-lived before Philly's former Pro Bowl back exited with another concussion. Donovan McNabb completed 35-of-55 passes for 450 yards and a couple of touchdowns in the loss, but with no touchdown drives led until the fourth quarter, those amount to empty numbers.

I WAS NOT SURPRISED THAT...

...the last team that had the ball (for all intents and purposes) won the Colts/Patriots game. Had New England, leading 34-28, converted a highly risky and highly debatable 4th-and-2 from its own 28-yard line with just over two minutes to play, that winner would have been the Patriots, who led for most of the night. Instead, Indianapolis tackled running back-turned-receiver Kevin Faulk just short of the line to gain, handing the ball back to Peyton Manning with two minutes to play. True to form, the Colts scored four plays later, as Manning hit Reggie Wayne on a 1-yard slant with just 13 ticks to play to give the Colts a 35-34 win and close out an instant classic. Manning finished 28- of-44 for 327 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions. Tom Brady was as good if not better, completing 29-of-42 for 375 yards, three touchdowns and one pick. At 9-0, the Colts are unlikely to be caught in the race for the AFC's top seed. At 6-3, the Patriots still have lots of work to do.

...Chris Johnson and the Titans kept rolling. I had predicted earlier in the week that Johnson would challenge the NFL single-game rushing record against the Bills' 32nd-ranked rushing defense, and while that didn't quite happen, Johnson still had himself a day in Tennessee's 41-17 rout of Buffalo. Johnson carried 26 times for 132 yards and two touchdowns in the win, also catching nine balls for 100 yards out of the backfield as the Titans won their third straight after an 0-6 start. Johnson, who went over 1,000 yards for the season, also became the first player in franchise history to hit triple-digits both on the ground and through the air since Billy Cannon on Dec. 10, 1961. Johnson's second TD of the day broke a 17-17 tie early in the fourth quarter, and pick-six touchdowns by Rod Hood and Vincent Fuller in the final three minutes led to the huge final margin.

...the Vikings came out of the bye and took care of business. On a day in which the heavily-favored likes of the Saints and Dolphins struggled against lesser opponents, Minnesota kept Detroit at arm's length throughout the day in an eventual 27-10 victory. Brett Favre (20-of-29, 344 yards, 1 TD), Sidney Rice (7 receptions, 201 yards) and Adrian Peterson (18 rushes, 133 yards, 2 TD) all had huge days for the Vikings, who out-gained the Lions, 492-297, and inched closer to the NFC North title in the process. Detroit is now 0-12 in Minnesota since last winning there in 1997, has lost 15 of its last 16 overall to the Vikings, 16 straight on the road since a win at Chicago on Oct. 28, 2007, and 17 straight in November road games since winning at the Giants in 2000. Ouch.

...the Seahawks played inspired football, albeit in a losing effort, in Arizona. Though Seattle was a 27-3 home loser to the Cardinals in Week 6, and though the Seahawks had lost in their last three trips to Arizona, it stood to reason that Jim Mora's team would play hard in what represented perhaps their final chance to save their season. Seattle jumped on the Cardinals early, taking leads of 14-0 and 17-7, but their defense didn't answer the bell in the second half of what would become a 31-20 loss. Kurt Warner led second-half touchdown drives of 82, 80, and 85 yards, with Beanie Wells scoring on runs of 10 and 13 yards in a Cardinals victory that moved them to 6-3 and kept them two games clear of second-place San Francisco (4-5) in the NFC West.

...the Packers rebounded, and the Cowboys regressed. NFL logic dictated that Green Bay, which was humiliated by the last-place Buccaneers and left for dead last week, would beat Dallas, which had moved into first-place with what was viewed as a landmark victory in Philadelphia. And that's exactly what happened, as the Packers handled the Cowboys, 17-7, to end their two-game losing streak. The Green Bay defense made life miserable for Tony Romo (24- of-39, 251 yards, 1 TD, 2 turnovers) and the Dallas offense, which was held off the scoreboard for 59-plus minutes before a garbage-time touchdown. Packers cornerback Charles Woodson had a gigantic game with nine tackles, a sack, an interception, and two forced fumbles as Green Bay (5-4) gave itself the right to continue thinking playoffs.

FIVE GOOD PLAYERS ON BAD TEAMS

5. Jairus Byrd, FS, Bills. Has anyone else noticed what this kid has been doing? Byrd took over the NFL lead in interceptions from the injured Darren Sharper on Sunday, notching his eighth interception of the year, all of which have come in his past five games. The second-round rookie out of Oregon, and son of former Chargers Pro Bowl cornerback Gill Byrd, last week became the first NFL player since the 49ers' Dave Baker in 1960 to pick off two passes in three consecutive games. Despite having that streak snapped against the Titans, Byrd is on pace to break the single-season NFL record for interceptions and rookie interceptions, which has stood since 1952 when the Rams' Dick (Night Train) Lane picked off 14 passes as a rookie.

4. Nnamdi Asomugha, CB, Raiders. Asomugha's skills are a secret to no one at this stage, as opposing quarterbacks have continued to go nowhere near the seventh-year pro's direction this season. In fact, Asomugha's most revealing stat is that he has no stats, with just two interceptions since 2007 thanks to the terror that he causes opposing QB's and coordinators. Maybe one day we'll have a chance to see Asomugha play in a meaningful game...if it ever happens, chances are he won't be playing as a Raider.

3. Joshua Cribbs, WR/KR, Browns. When the Baltimore Ravens peer over their scouting reports in advance of their matchup with the Browns on Monday night, you can believe that Cribbs' name will be highlighted, circled, and in bold- face type. Cribbs leads the NFL in punt return average (16.4) and kickoff return yards (860), has touchdowns on both avenues, and has also played a role as a rusher (19 carries, 130 yards), receiver (11 receptions), and Wildcat- style quarterback. Yet for some reason, the Browns don't want to renegotiate the six-year, $6.77 million contract that Cribbs signed in 2006, and has clearly out-performed. What a great organization.

2. Calvin Johnson, WR, Lions. Although it might be tempting to question whether Johnson has lived up to his No. 2 overall status in the 2007 Draft given his team's record, don't let the long-standing weakness of the Lions lead you to believe that Johnson is anything less than a top-three receiver in the NFL. Despite playing on poor teams with a revolving door of quarterbacks, Johnson continues to pose as offensive threat number one for opposing coordinators to stop. The Georgia Tech product had eight catches for 85 yards against the Vikings on Sunday, and if he ever gets on the same page with the developing Matthew Stafford, he'll begin to put up the Andre Johnson-type numbers that his talent suggests he should.

1. Steven Jackson, RB, Rams. Jackson is a marvel, putting up numbers week after week despite the fact that a) he's playing with arguably the weakest supporting cast in the league, which includes a poor offensive line and b) continuing to run hard and get his yards despite being on a team that encounters double-digit deficits nearly every week. Jackson posted his fifth 100-yard day of the year, and third straight, against the Saints on Sunday, and needs just 85 yards to reach 1,000 for the fifth straight season. If Jackson keeps running this way, he ought to be in the Pro Bowl, no questions asked.

BEGGING THE QUESTIONS

Here's a fun and challenging one, where you have to name the NFL's passing yards leader for every letter except X. If you get the man who represents the letter "I", let's just say you're a fan of the game. I picked up 20 out of 25, and Mr. I was not one of my 20. Enjoy.

http://www.sporcle.com/games/the99/pass_yard_a_z