Considering that through the second week Ravens running back Jamal Lewis had 295 yards rushing, it's no surprise that with three games left he leads the NFL with 1,622, 378 away from 2,000.
But as talented as Lewis is, the 235-pound bruiser with breakaway speed knows those yards don't come without the effort of his mammoth offensive line, one of the biggest in the NFL.
"Every time we block and Jamal gets out there and gets 8-, 10-, 12-yard gains, our demeanor sparks up a little bit," guard Edwin Mulitalo told the Baltimore Sun. "We go out there licking our chops because we know if we stay on our blocks, Jamal is going to break a big one. That's the way our mentality is. ... You see a little blood and you want to get after it."
Sunday's 180-yard effort proved how much in reach the milestone is. Lewis had 69 yards in the first quarter, 15 in the second, 53 in the third and 43 in the fourth.
"If we have a team's scheme figured out and know what to expect, then it's really tough because we're big and physical," offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden said. "If we get a hat on a hat, it's tough for people to get around us and through us. When we're in a groove, it's tough to slow us down."
SHUT YOUR MOUTH!: Got to tell ya, this trash-talking thing before a game is getting dangerous. In the days leading up to Sunday's game between the Chiefs and the Broncos, Chiefs receiver Eddie Kennison mouthed off about what he had in store for the Broncos.
Behind it? Some bad blood between Kennison and his former team.
Well, after a 45-27 beating of the Chiefs, some of Kennison's former teammates couldn't wait to respond.
"What'd I tell you?" Broncos receiver Rod Smith told reporters. "Don't ever say you're going to put something on our (expletive)."
At the center of the turmoil was Kennison's disdain for Broncos coach Mike Shanahan, who the receiver said forced him out during the 2001 season. The Broncos were quiet about it before the game but opened the floodgates Sunday in defense of their coach.
"Coach Shanahan didn't run him off, he quit," Smith said of the circumstances surrounding Kennison's departure during the 2001 season. "He quit the night before a game. We were 4-4 and we needed him. I had to go out there and I had two rookies and a third-year guy playing receiver, and I'd rather go out there with some guys who wanted to play with their hearts."
Kennison, who had three catches for 83 yards, was defended by Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil.
"Eddie Kennison is a fine young man," Vermeil said. "There were some things they said here in Denver that maybe they ought to be embarrassed about, but Eddie, no."
PANTHERS VICKTIMIZED, AGAIN: Last season, the Falcons outscored the Panthers 71-0 with Michael Vick in the lineup. He did it to them again Sunday night, rushing for 141 yards on 14 carries and passing for 179.
The happiest person in Falcons camp? That would be coach Dan Reeves, who might survive the ax if Atlanta wins two of its last three.
"There's a lot of excitement in the locker room," Reeves told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I thought, for the first time Mike started in a long time, it's unbelievable what he can do. He just gives you a dimension that makes it hard for other teams to stop. He has a long way to go as far as passing."
IN, ONE WAY OR THE OTHER: In case you didn't notice, the once 0-2 Eagles were the first NFC team to clinch a playoff spot, although they could actually not win their division.
The Eagles are 10-3, two games ahead of the Cowboys in the NFC East. If they lose their final three and the Cowboys win theirs, the Cowboys finish 11-5, one ahead of the Eagles.
So how is it that the Eagles are in and the Cowboys aren't? Because the Eagles hold tiebreakers over the Panthers, Packers and Seahawks, the wild-card contenders who can reach 10 wins. The Cowboys don't hold those tiebreakers and could be eliminated if they don't win the division.
"Being the defending NFC East champions, (the road to this year's title) would have to come through Philadelphia in order for it to happen for Dallas," quarterback Donovan McNabb told the Philadelphia Inquirer.
THE BUS IS BACK: Their season isn't going anywhere, but at least the Steelers got back some of their identity, the running game. Jerome Bettis gained 106 yards to give the Steelers their first 100-yard game this season.
Bettis leads the Steelers with 576 yards and is ninth on the NFL's career list with 12,116.
"We got back to running the ball," Bettis told the Post-Gazette. "I really think we got back to Steelers football with the defense complementing the offense, and the special teams coming in and adding."
Bettis is 5 yards from passing Steelers Hall of Famer Franco Harris (12,120) and moving into eighth place on that list.
WEATHERING THE STORM: In the aftermath of a 50-14 waxing at the hands of the 49ers, Cardinals safety Dexter Jackson, who was the Super Bowl MVP for the Bucs 11 months ago, responded to the dismal effort like a leader.
"You can't start pointing fingers at people," Jackson told the Arizona Republic. "They scored 50 and we scored, what, 14? It wasn't one or two plays, it was the whole game. ... Me, coming from Florida, I'm used to hurricanes."
- Information from other news organizations was used in the report.
