Johnny Manziel's starting debut was the featured early game on Fox in Los Angeles - producers love that kind of thing. It was like Satan's Tebow. Unfortunately - for all of us who dumped on Mike Pettine for not even considering a switch at halftime of the Colts games - maybe he did know something, and wanted to avoid using him until Hoyer forced his hand. I wanted to root for the Browns to win (the spread was a pick 'em), but usually you fade the story, and I'm glad I had the wisdom to do that after my moronic pick on Thursday night.
• The Seahawks won by 10, a push against the spread, but it was in large part due to a terrible roughing the passer call against Russell Wilson that extended a drive and got Seattle a touchdown. When it goes my way (I laid the wood), I'm not going to complain too much, but the 49ers getting 10 were easily the right side.
• It's amazing the Lions could only score one touchdown at home, despite two Teddy Bridgewater picks in the Vikings end. Calvin Johnson, Golden Tate and Reggie Bush apparently aren't enough weapons for Matthew Stafford against the Vikings in ideal conditions.
• The Jets 16-11 win over the Titans was apparently the only game in NFL history to have that score.
• What a no-show from Peyton Manning in the fantasy playoffs. In fact, the only Broncos player who pulled his weight Sunday was Demaryius Thomas. In Manning's defense, he looked like he was playing hurt in the second half, and the Broncos won anyway, but unlike last year Manning won't be on a lot of title winners.
• I have nothing to say about the Colts-Texans which I barely watched except I had the Texans +6.5 and knew the Colts would weasel their way to a cover like they always do. I also tried but could not settle on phrasing for a Tom Savage tweet - something along the lines of his play being barbaric.
• It's crazy how the Jaguars were driving in the final minute down eight in Baltimore, i.e., they had a chance to tie, but then again the Ravens (with a pick-six) had a chance to cover the 13.5 point spread.
• The Bucs, down nine with a few minutes left, had a third and goal from the 16. Usually in those situations the team runs some dumb, conservative play and opts for the easy FG because it needs two scores anyway. But not Josh McCown who made a heroic 16-yard run to cover the three-point spread.
• What a dominant showing by the Bills defense against Aaron Rodgers. You almost never see Rodgers look that lost. (I realize Jordy Nelson dropped a would-be 90-yard TD, but even so.) It's a good reminder not to judge quarterbacks based on their worst performances.
• How strange for the Browns to dominate the Bengals in Cincinnati so completely the first time around and then get so destroyed at home a couple months later.
• I suppose Josh Gordon wasn't worth the wait. I'll still be taking him in the second round next year though.
• I didn't watch much of Pittsburgh-Atlanta. Once Julio Jones was scratched, so was 90 percent of my interest in that contest.
• The Dolphins-Pats was another strange game. The Dolphins were down only 14-13 at halftime despite having a FG blocked for a TD, an interception returned for 50-plus yards and a perfectly thrown, 35-yard would-be TD pass dropped, resulting in a long FG. Then the wheels came off in the second half.
• Mike Wallace's sliding one-handed TD catch at the end of the first half wasn't quite Odell Beckham great, but it was close.
• Speaking of which, I know it was the Redskins, but Beckham looked unguardable. Not only did he have three TDs, but he made a great catch on a fourth, a deep ball on which he was turned around, but it was called back for a hold. Beckham plays bigger than he is due to his athleticism and huge hands, so he can catch the end-zone fade, but he also goes over the middle, runs slants and can sprint by almost anyone. The Giants also have him returning punts and even gave him an ill-advised hand-off on 4th-and-1.
• Robert Griffin actually looked good when he came in for an injured Colt McCoy, and he was as mobile and fast as ever. But after fumbling away a TD at the end of the first half - I actually missed seeing the replay that showed he fumbled because I assumed it was a TD and switched channels - he regressed back to the guy who stands around too long and gets drilled, taking a whopping seven sacks on 27 pass attempts. (McCoy didn't take a sack on seven drop backs.)
• I caught a lot of the Raiders-Chiefs game because I had Kansas City in Survivor. Besides Alex Smith pushing 300 yards despite no individual receiver getting more than 70, and the one who got 70 being a backup RB who did it on one play, the most noteworthy thing about this game was Dustin Colquitt's fake fake punt when he pinned the Raiders back at the six-yard line. I'm not sure whether he thought it might get blocked or it was pre-planned, but Colquitt caught the snap, pump faked a pass to freeze the defense, then stepped up in the pocket, so to speak, and punted it anyway. It was actually pretty bad-ass.
• Of all the odd-ball games, the Sunday night one was probably the most bizarre. The Eagles turned the ball over on the opening kickoff, went three and out twice and were down 21 - 0 before getting a first down. Then they came back and scored the next 24 points to take the lead, before being outscored 17-3 after that. And for whatever reason Philly elected to give Chris Polk two short TDs and Darren Sproles one, trolling the last couple surviving LeSean McCoy owners as they exited the playoffs.
• As a complainer about bad beats, I have to give Derek VanRiper some acknowledgement as I was up 17 in our Vegas League playoff semifinal with Mark Ingram going Monday night. He had McCoy and Jeremy Maclin. DVR had to endure not only the three non-McCoy rushing TDs, but a play where McCoy made it around the corner and was shoved out of bounds inside the one, and a Jeremy Maclin bomb where he was tackled inside the one before Chip Kelly let Polk finish it off. As a result, I think it's over (barring a stat correction) before Ingram even takes the field.