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Pittsburgh Steelers 26, Jacksonville Jaguars 21

• Epic game from Big Ben – particularly in the closing minutes when he made play after play under heavy duress.

• One can’t help but ask, Where is the Jaguar pass-rush? Weren’t Jacksonville’s top two draft picks supposed to infuse some life up front? The only defensive end playing worth a darn right now is Paul Spicer, the man who was scheduled to be a backup at this point.

• The reason Jacksonville stayed in this game was because Pittsburgh did not run the ball often enough in the second and third quarter. Mewelde Moore was extremely impressive when he was able to turn the corner.

• Jacksonville’s interior pass defense should be a major concern. Yes, they were without starting safety Reggie Nelson in this game, but this secondary has been getting killed up the middle all season.

• When I heard Madden talking about David Garrard’s calves, I giggled. Then when I saw the picture of Garrard’s calves, I gasped.

• How far has Max Starks fallen? After being given the franchise tag over the offseason, Starks was unable to recapture the starting right tackle job from Willie Colon. When Kendall Simmons was lost for the year, Pittsburgh chose to start unknown Darnell Stapleton, rather than slide Colon inside and let Starks take over in his place. And when Marvel Smith left this game with cramps, it was Trai Essex who came in ahead of Starks (which was also the case down the stretch last season).

Dallas Cowboys 31, Cincinnati Bengals 22

• Terrell Owens’s 67-yard touchdown may have saved Dallas’s season. For one, it put them ahead by two scores against a team they should have been beating by four scores. For two, it gave Owens just enough of the spotlight to override his afternoon of sulky body language. If T.O. doesn’t catch that pass, he likely finishes the day with one reception for 10 yards, and a series of sound bites for ESPN to over blow afterward. And just think what would have happened if Dallas had lost.

• How is Cincinnati’s image rebuilding project going? Well…Chris Henry was back on the field in this game, and so did newly signed running back Cedric Benson (who actually looked alright).

• Chris Perry has five fumbles in five games. The Bengals probably liked him better when he was getting injured.

• Carson Palmer wasn’t looking for Chad Johnson at all in the first half. I’ve never seen a quarterback get so far away from his star receiver. Johnson was at least able to do some damage in the second half, but his disappearance is terribly strange.

• I’m almost to the point where I dislike T.J. Houshmandzadeh more than Ocho Cinco. Houshmandzadeh is pretty much as big a head case as Johnson – we just don’t notice because he’s not as funny or charismatic.

• Tony Romo needs to improve his leadership. His demeanor isn’t always great, and you rarely see him talking with his offensive teammates on the sideline.

• It’s a safe guess that Pacman Jones leads the league in dropped interceptions. He also leads the league in exciting yet unproductive punt returns. Overall, though, Jones is playing well. And his consistency is improving each week.

• The Marion Barber-Felix Jones duo could be the best in football this year.

Arizona Cardinals 41, Buffalo Bills 17

• A week ago this outcome would have seemed impossible. But a month ago, an undefeated Bills team at this point would have seemed even more impossible.

• Mark this game down for Trent Edwards. Concussions can change players in the short-term. Watching Edwards be carted off the field and into la-la land, I wouldn’t be shocked if that becomes the case here.

• The numbers don’t show it, but Edgerrin James seemed extra spry in this game. Perhaps it’s because rookie Tim Hightower (seven carries, 37 yards, two touchdowns) is proving to be one heck of a running mate.

• Larry Fitzgerald is a stud and Anquan Boldin, when healthy, is a beast. But would you believe that it is Steve Breaston who has 16 catches for 199 yards over the past two weeks? This might allow Boldin to take his time getting back on the field.

• Karlos Dansby was all over the field Sunday.

New England Patriots 30, San Francisco 49ers 21

• Matt Cassel’s one-mile touchdown strike to Randy Moss was extremely impressive. From watching Cassel these first few weeks, he clearly has an adequate arm. His problem is, he needs about 1.5 extra seconds in the pocket to make his reads, and he doesn’t have a great feel for the pass rush. A little max protection and continued game experience can assuage these weaknesses.

• The Patriots defense seems to always bog down when it counts. They held San Francisco to just 1/9 on third downs in this game.

• Those of you who were saying that New England would revert back to its ball control style of play (and I think this was pretty much everyone) were exactly right. The Pats had 43 rushing attempts and held the ball for nearly 40 minutes on Sunday.

• Oh, and those of you who were saying that Mike Martz would go back to his pass-happy ways (and I would hope this was everyone, though I realize fantasy owners tend to take Martz at his word) were also right. Frank Gore had just 12 carries in this game. J.T. O’Sullivan ran six times (most of them on called pass plays) and put it in the air 29 times.

• A shoddy offense can often make for great linebackers. Case in point: Patrick Willis led the league in tackles last season in part because his unit was always on the field. That happened again on Sunday, as Willis recorded 18 stops. Takeo Spikes also had 14 tackles.

Denver Broncos 16, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 13

• This was a matchup of two 3-1 teams featuring arguably the AFC’s best offense and NFC’s best defense. And yet, hardly anyone noticed this game. It wasn’t talked about on the pregame shows, it blended in on the highlight shows and the anticipation throughout the week was close to nil. Why?

• Talk about a huge win for the Broncos defense. Their bang-up performance started with an active front four.

• Jon Gruden, I still don’t get you. Denver’s defense has been diarrheic this season (i.e. can’t stop the run) and yet, Earnest Graham got only 10 carries. It’s not like the holes weren’t there. Graham rushed for 59 yards, and Warrick Dunn racked up 74 yards on his 11 attempts.

• Antonio Bryant has played up to his lofty talent level these past few weeks. It will be interesting to see how he fits in this offense once Joey Galloway returns. My guess is Bryant will be the No. 2, leaving Ike Hilliard in his more fitting slot role and Michael Clayton in his more fitting No. 4 position.

• Gruden thinks this offensive line is the best he’s had in Tampa Bay. I’m still not sold. Donald Penn has slow feet at left tackle and his bookend, Jeremy Trueblood, struggles against elite competition. Davin Joseph is very good, but, like his fellow young guard Aaron Sears, he still has plenty of polishing left to do.