Let’s be completely honest here, the quality of play in the NFL this year has been nothing short of disappointing and incredibly mediocre all over. Yes, football is still king in American sports, with TV ratings through the roof on a consistent basis, but the 2015 campaign marks the first time in 25 years with this few number of teams with a winning record. The playing field is very unbalanced, containing six teams with two losses or less, as well as a whopping total of 25 teams that still have a legit shot at capturing one of the 12 playoff spots. This alarming decline on the gridiron can be partly attributed to the never ending epidemic of the injury bug that seems to strike star players seemingly every week. Nonetheless, this is no excuse for the type of inferior play we have to endure all day every Sunday. Well, now that I’m done ranting, let’s get to the action from week ten of the season and beyond…

News and Notes:

• Denver Broncos quarterback and future hall of famer Peyton had a very noteworthy afternoon this past Sunday for a few different reasons. With a four yard completion in the first quarter, “The Sheriff” passed Brett Favre for the most passing yards in NFL history. On the flip side, Manning played one of the more horrific halves of his illustrious career, throwing four more interceptions to add to his league leading total of 17, and finishing with a passer rating of zero. He was benched in the third quarter, but it later came out that he had been suffering from a partially torn plantar fascia.
• The Green Bay Packers and QB Aaron Rodgers continued to their alarming drop off of the last three weeks, losing to the lowly Detroit Lions, who came in with only one victory on the year. The main issue has been the Green Bay offense and their lack of production from the skill positions around Rodgers, with running back Eddie Lacy and wide receiver Randall Cobb proving largely ineffective as of late. Rodgers is the best quarterback in the league, along with Tom Brady, but he can only do so much with the lack of weapons he’s working with.
• The Oakland Raiders lost their second consecutive game on Sunday, falling to the 7-2 Vikings in a game in which they looked very flat and surprisingly dormant on offense. The Silver and Black have now put themselves in a very tough spot in the wild card race, as they trail the Jets, Bills, and Chiefs for the #6 seed. The Raiders can take advantage of a quite mediocre schedule in their final seven games, as they face five teams below .500 and matchups against the struggling Broncos and Packers. If Oakland really wants any shot at making the playoffs for the first time in over a decade, they should absolutely win at least five of those games and then hope that their counterparts in the AFC East will fall on harder times.
• San Francisco 49ers quarterback Blaine Gabbert is ready to make his second start of the year under center, as the 49ers travel to Seattle to take on the division rival Seahawks. The defending conference champions have all but played their way out of the playoff race, to the tune of a 4-5 record and third place in the NFC West. Recent history does not bode well for San Francisco, as they’ve only managed to score a single touchdown or less in their last eight contest against the Seahawks. In addition, Seattle running back and Oakland native Marshawn “Beast Mode” Lynch has rushed for over 100 yards in six career games against the 49ers. The two sides met up in Santa Clara back in week seven when Seattle absolutely dominated in all facets of the game, en route to a 20-3 victory. San Francisco looks to capture their first road win of the year in front of the 12th man at CenturyLink Field.
• Game of the Week: The Cardinals welcome the Bengals on Sunday Night Football, in a battle of division leaders. Cincinnati is coming off of a disheartening first loss of the year against the Texans on Monday night, when they failed to reach the endzone in a game for the first time this season. Meanwhile, the Cardinals edged the Seahawks on the road last Sunday night in a wild fourth quarter comeback. Both teams are poised to capture their division titles.