After watching a trio of games on Thanksgiving that quickly turned into routs, I had hopes that yesterday’s set would bring a few nail biters to the front, and I wasn’t disappointed.

Week 12 of the season was chock full of frantic finishes, with Indianapolis, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Tennessee all going down to the wire to get a win. We also were privy to some of the worst football played this season, with the Chiefs and the Bears both finding new ways to give away a game on the road to a division opponent.

So with that in mind, I bring back the old question… does parity still exist in the NFL?

For my money, the answer is a resounding yes. For every final score of 40-14 we have a 20-17. Amazing rebound teams like the Titans would never happen in a league without parity, and while there are certainly several franchises that seem to be stuck in a perpetual state of disaster (that would be you Cleveland), they’re outnumbered by the teams that have successfully gone from rags to riches in just a few seasons.

Several other thoughts from yesterday’s action…

• Good quarterbacks are made and broken on the backs of their offensive line. Time to take note of that Kansas City.

• Someone should make an effort to find all of Vince Young’s critics from last year and see what they have to say now.

• Throwing the ball deep when you have a huge lead in the fourth quarter is ridiculous. What ever happened to sportsmanship?

Last night’s match in Baltimore definitely didn’t disappoint, but was I the only one who found the game to be less nasty than expected? Usually we get an all-out brawl when the Steelers and Ravens go to war, but that didn’t seem to be the case. Both teams were cautious of each other, even respectful, which is definitely not something we’ve grown accustomed to seeing. Maybe I’m just grasping at straws here…

Speaking of the Steelers, they have to be proud of how well Dennis Dixon played last night. Aside from the late interception, he was in command all night long. His touchdown run to give Pittsburgh the lead late in the game was a thing of beauty. Hopefully, they’ll find ways to use him more often, even with Big Ben back in the lineup next week.

If there was one team the Colts wouldn’t want to play right now, I’d have to say it would be the Titans, now owners of a five game winning streak. Oops… that’s who they’ve got on the docket for next week. The NFL must employ psychics to help in the schedule building process.

This picture sums up how a lot of Bears fans are feeling towards Jay Cutler right now. Half his team might feel the same way too after the beatdown they took yesterday in Minnesota. Time to get your resume ready Lovie.

One final thought… is there any team that’s been more disappointing than the Texans? Seriously, every week I think they’re going to turn the corner and start winning consistently, and every week I get let down. Up 17-0 on the Colts and they find a way to blow it… does it get any worse than that? Gary Kubiak might be joining Lovie Smith on the unemployment line at season’s end.

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