5 NFL Storylines We Wish Were Getting More Publicity

The NFL produces a new "shocking," "grueling," "heroic," or "heartwarming" story nearly every week, which makes it easy for some real headlines to fall through the cracks.

It's not really anyone's fault. Tim Tebow is a huge star, probably even without football at this point, so it makes some sense that he'd be mentioned more than anyone else when the Broncos are praised for moving to the top of the AFC West.

And the Ravens have beaten the Steelers twice, while also knocking off some marquee foes in primetime, so their success has its place above Pittsburgh's—for now.

But since it doesn't look like anyone else is going to give these tales their due, we'll take a shot at highlighting five of the NFL's most overlooked occurrences.  

Denver's Defense Is Awesome...More Specifically, Von Miller Is Awesome

For six weeks of Tim Tebow's seven-week starting stint, his naysayers have been able to point to Denver's defense and redistribute the praise accordingly. 

Not against Minnesota. The Vikings, the NFL's 23rd-ranked offense coming into today's game, slashed the Broncos for 489 yards and 32 points—with a rookie quarterback.

Without Adrian Peterson.

Of course, Denver was missing the one player who may be enjoying the quietest unbelievable season in the league's history. Von Miller, whose 10.5 sacks were the third-most in the NFL heading into Week 12, was sidelined with a thumb injury, and the Broncos felt the effects.

Christian Ponder set a Vikings rookie record with 381 passing yards, and Toby Gerhart rumbled his way for 91 on the ground. Absolutely no one covered Percy Harvin.

With the offense's newfound ability to come through in the clutch, fans have pointed to Tebow with both hands, and rightly so. But after watching the Vikings tear through Denver's tacklers with uncanny ease, it's clear that the credit for the defense's resurgence belongs to Miller.

The Pittsburgh Steelers Are Playing Excellent Football

Quick, name a few two- or three-loss teams with the best chance to win the Super Bowl...

Did you think of the New Orleans Saints or the Baltimore Ravens? How about the New England Patriots? Maybe even the San Francisco 49ers. 

And, sure, some of you probably mentioned the Pittsburgh Steelers, but not all of you. And, I'd be willing to bet, a lot or more of you went with the Ravens, Saints or 49ers.

Why is that? It's a strange thing to forget about a team that has appeared in half of the past six Super Bowls, winning two of them. Part of it is probably the pair of losses to divisional foe Baltimore. Part of it is the erratic, unimpressive way Pittsburgh has beaten Kansas City, Jacksonville and Indianapolis.

And part of it is the fact that the defense has a few aging stars who happen to have been pretty instrumental in those Super Bowl runs.

But the Steelers are now 9-3, with losses to only the Ravens and Texans, heading down a stretch that offers Cleveland twice and the Rams once. There's a game at San Francisco thrown in there, but surely the Steelers can compete in that one. Even a loss seems likely to end in a 12-4 record, at worst. 

Remember, Ben Roethlisberger's first ring came as a wildcard team in 2006.

Matt Hasselbeck Has Been Carrying the Tennessee Titans

Sure, his last few games have been a testament against this slide, but Hasselbeck has not received nearly enough praise for his piloting of this team.

The Titans, after dispatching the Buffalo Bills, moved to 7-5 and into a strong position for a possible AFC wildcard slot on Sunday, and although Hasselbeck wasn't perfect, he was once again good enough.

Chris Johnson's sudden rebirth will steal all the headlines, and he deserves a few for the way he's run lately, but early in the season, when Johnson was flirting with Javon Ringer's spot on the bench, this offense turned to Hasselbeck.

The schedule didn't grant Hasselbeck the luxury of mourning Kenny Britt's season-ending injury or Nate Washington's inconsistency. And it certainly didn't feel sorry for the Titans' lack of a running back.

Hasselbeck's been far from perfect over the past three weeks, but his 83.1 QB rating his best by at least eight points since 2007, and he has Tennessee vying for a playoff spot. Now that Johnson's reanimation procedure is complete, things should only get easier for the veteran passer. 

Dallas Hasn't Beaten Anyone, but Tony Romo Is Playing Well

Heading into Sunday's tilt with the Arizona Cardinals, the Cowboys were in the midst of a four-game win streak that included wins over...no one.

Dallas' recent move to the top of the NFC East is nothing to scoff at, and wins are wins no matter what, but they've overcome a pretty soft slate. Wins over the Miami Dolphins, Washington Redskins, Buffalo Bills and Seattle Seahawks still count, but for how long?

Still, there's a silver-lining to a four-game sweep, believe it or not, and in this case, it's been the play of Tony Romo. Romo's thrown 10 touchdowns against only two picks during the streak, earning a 112.9 rating.

His current rating of 97.5 would be the second-best of his career, but it'll have to carry over as the season wains, where games against the Giants are sandwiched around a trip to Tampa Bay and a visit from the Eagles. Outside of an early win over the 49ers, the Cowboys haven't beaten a single team with a record above .500.

The New Orleans Saints Are the NFC's Second Best Team

There have been some close first-halves, and not every win has been a blowout, but no one's come as close to beating the Green Bay Packers as the Saints did in the season's opening game. 

At least, no one other than the Giants. Considering how well Green Bay is currently playing, it's conceivable to believe that New York's performance is more impressive than New Orleans' (at the time of this writing, the Giants are down four in the third-quarter), but either way, it's a win for the Saints.

New Orleans is coming off of a 49-24 shellacking of these very Giants, and they've moved to 9-3, well ahead of the competition in the NFC South. In fact, the Saints have beaten four teams with a winning record, with W's over the Bears, Texans and Falcons, owning a resume as impressive as anyone's in the NFC outside of Green Bay.

San Francisco is garnering plenty of attention as the most-likely threat to Green Bay's return to the Super Bowl, but their most impressive victories this season have come over the somewhat-swooning Lions and Bengals, and their division is certainly softer than the NFC South.

With Drew Brees playing at a career level and the defense allowing only 20 points per game over the past four weeks, this is the team to watch out for in the playoffs.