Eagles 13, Bengals 13

We’ve gone on about this before, but the result of the Philly-Cincy game gives us another chance to rant. The NFL should not have ties. Period. You’re already playing an extra quarter; who does it hurt to keep playing into a second quarter? It would only happen once or twice a year, if at all, so why force the whole country (aside from fans of the two teams playing the game) to just hope for anyone to score to avoid throwing a glaring wrench into the uniformity of the standings?

Even the NHL -- a league that is so poorly run it’s become a laughing stock in most parts of the United States -- understood that nobody likes ties and made necessary changes. The problem isn’t as drastic in the NFL, since we only have to discuss this once in a blue moon. Regardless, North America’s most popular professional sports league should get its act together and abolish this ancient rule.

Rules that made sense at one point don’t always stick as the world changes. In Illinois, for example, you must contact the police before entering a city in an automobile. Safe to say that law hasn’t been used to make any arrests in the last 90 or so years.

Okay, we’ve gone way off track. The point is: ties suck, and the NFL should get rid of them.

Giants 30, Ravens 10

Did the Giants seriously just rack up 207 rushing yards against the best run defence in football? If there was any doubt whether this is the best team in football, it should be gone. We may have to make a major change atop this week’s version of The Ten.

Titans 24, Jaguars 14

Last week we said punter Craig Hentrich was Tennessee’s most valuable player in its win in Chicago. This week special-teamer Chris Carr gets the nod. Carr was forced to play most of the game at corner, picked off a pass in the fourth quarter, was great in the return game and covered punts and kicks. He was everywhere for the Titans, coming up big when injuries forced the team to lean on him.

Steelers 11, Chargers 10

It’s amazing how many tough breaks the Chargers have had this year. Sure, they were outplayed in Pittsburgh, but to lose thanks mainly to a safety? That’s rough.

Packers 37, Bears 3

We don’t mean this to be homage (or some sort of counter-homage) to Dennis Green, but we’re starting to think the Bears aren’t who we thought they were. Getting beat by 34 points against a divisional rival? It’s hard to recover from that …

Broncos 24, Falcons 20

The Falcons have quickly become the Tampa Bay Rays of this football season. Everyone’s pulling for the underdog. But they were favourites against Denver, and lost their first home game of the year. That one hurt.

Colts 33, Texans 27

The Colts’ offensive line shut down Mario Williams and allowed Peyton Manning time to work. He rewarded them (and himself) with a nearly flawless, pick-less performance.

Buccaneers 19, Vikings 13

Kind of what was expected. Adrian Peterson was only so-so against a great defence, but the Vikes avoided embarrassment. This loss doesn’t hurt Minnesota that much. There’s a long way to go in the NFC North, and it doesn’t look like anyone’s winning 10 games.

Panthers 31, Lions 22

If you’re John Fox, you have to be pretty worried right about now. Sure, the Panthers have won two in a row, but they let the Raiders and Lions hang around for far too long. At home, there’s really no excuse this time. They won’t get away with sluggish play like that in Atlanta next week, or in Green Bay the following week, or against Tampa Bay the week after that.

Saints 30, Chiefs 20

You have to wonder if the return of Larry Johnson messed with Kansas City’s mojo. His presence certainly didn’t help. After losing three straight by one score or less, the Chiefs lost once again -- there sixth straight loss overall.

Cardinals 26, Seahawks 20

Enjoy the division title, Arizona. Now you can turn your focus to getting a first-round bye.

Dolphins 17, Raiders 15

Miami didn’t learn from the Panthers, letting Oakland stick around throughout. The Raiders offence is easily the worst in football, but JaMarcus Russell still didn’t fare that badly. Still, this is a team that has scored 33 first-half points all season.

49ers 35, Rams 16

The 49ers are bad, so how bad must the Rams be to lose to San Francisco by 19 points? The Raiders might have the worst offence in football. The Lions might have the worst record in football. But the Rams are the worst team in football.