The Weird, the Wild, and the Wacky: 50 Useless Facts about the 2008 NFL Season

31) Tom Brady is truly the most indispensable player in the NFL. I think we all learned that when we watched Matt Cassel try to imitate the future Hall of Fame quarterback. The Patriots might make the playoffs this season. They might even win the division. But they will not advance far into the playoffs. Not with Matt Cassel at quarterback.

32) Big-name running backs are silent this season.

Brian Westbrook has been suffering from a sprained ankle and two broken ribs, and, although he still has six touchdowns, he has only played about three and a quarter games. LT, the human scoring machine, has scored only four touchdowns, on a career-low 3.6 yards per carry. Willie Parker, the most important person in the Steelers' offense, has played in only three games and has just three touchdowns (all in game one).

33) Big-name quarterbacks are also silent this season.

Tom Brady has been out for the year since week one with a torn ACL. Peyton Manning and Donovan McNabb are struggling to keep their teams at .500 this season. And Carson Palmer's Bengals are 0-7.

34) The Patriots can still play winning football. Despite losing Tom Brady and starting a below-average backup quarterback, the Pats stand at 4-2, currently second in the AFC East.

Injuries to Rodney Harrison and Laurence Maroney have decimated the Pats, and two games against the division-leading Buffalo Bills loom ahead.

35) Trick plays really do work. Just ask the Miami Dolphins. In a historic week three win versus the New England Patriots—the first regular-season loss by the Patriots since 2006—the Miami Dolphins scored four touchdowns on direct snaps to running back Ronnie Brown. Brown also threw a touchdown on a direct snap.

36) Miami Dolphins 38, New England Patriots 13. Many don't realize just how historic of a win this really was. The Dolphins won for the second time in 22 games. Meanwhile, the Patriots lost for the first time in 22 regular-season games, dating back to 2006. The Dolphins won their first road game since 2006. The Patriots lost their first home game since November 2006.

And it was the biggest margin of victory by an opposing team in Gillette Stadium ever.

37) Super Bowl rematch from two years ago. Chicago gets small portion of revenge on Indianapolis, wins 29-13.

38) DeSean Jackson. A punt return touchdown? We haven't seen this in Philly since the two Brians (Mitchell and then Westbrook). He has also made Philly almost forget about Kevin Curtis and Reggie Brown...almost.

39) The NFC East: who wants it? Preseason predictions called for Dallas in the Super Bowl. Philly insisted that they were just as good. The Giants set out to defend their Super Bowl title, despite not even winning the division last year. Nobody gave the Redskins much of a chance.

Now Dallas is quickly falling apart and might need to win against Tampa Bay on Sunday to save their season. Philly just saved their season with a win in San Francisco and is right back in the hunt with a healthy Brian Westbrook. The Giants are 5-1 and still not receiving the credit they probably deserve, although they haven't played Dallas or Philly yet. Washington is 5-2 and can prove a lot with an upcoming Monday Night game against Pittsburgh.

40) Two-game streaks. Dallas went from the cream of the crop in the NFC to big playoff question mark. The Rams went from total jokes to sort of, almost, kinda back in the playoff hunt. The Broncos went from almost-certain favorites in the weak AFC West to playoff questionable, following back-to-back losses. And say what you want about them, but the Houston Texans are in the wild card hunt, following two straight wins.

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