The chase is on

Kubiak: Under pressure

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That seismic shift you may have felt on Monday night was the whole of the NFL re-aligning itself behind the league's new super-power. There were also numerous 'thuds' to be heard, which were actually a succession of jaws hitting the floor as New England were systematically and dramatically ripped apart by New Orleans.

Welcome to the latest incarnation of a league that has already turned in more surprises than a whole series of '24' and 'Heroes' put together, where two teams remain unbeaten for the first time in history going into Week 13 and the bookies are hastily revising their odds on the Saints (and the Patriots).

The simple fact is no-one is surprised to see Indianapolis with that '0' against the loss column in their record at this stage. After all, they have made a habit of double-digit winning seasons almost for as long as we can remember (which, actually, isn't all that far given the amount of turkey we consumed last week during the Thanksgiving Day festivities), and they have a certain P Manning in total cruise control right now.

The whole of America just expects Manning the Elder to reel off the wins no matter how many members of the Colts are left on Injured Reserve. It is no surprise when he turns a 17-0 deficit into a 35-27 win - as he did against Houston last Sunday - and the inevitable addition to the 'W' column feels as automatic as the arrival of snow in the Mid-West (where I just happen to be this week after a blissful few days in Florida, busily, er, 'researching' the venue for Super Bowl XLIV in February - and if you believe that, you'll believe anything!).

But when it comes to the Saints, and the game against New England, few outside the Louisiana Superdome are anything other than astonished at the latest turn of events (and even those in the New Orleans locker room seemed slightly taken aback by the totality of their domination of the three-time champs).

We had all given Sean Payton's men their due respect in battling to a 10-0 record. We had all acknowledged Drew Brees as a quarterback of Hall of Fame calibre-in-the-making. We had all offered our deference to the new-found defensive grit of the team under new coordinator Gregg Williams.

And we all firmly expected the game against the Patriots to expose the weaknesses in the Saints' system, to see Brees at maximum exposure and the defence at full stretch.

Attacking

Instead, we saw a team playing with consummate ease completely dismantle one of the most respected outfits of the past 10 years with the kind of blitzkrieg, go-for-the-throat tactics that wouldn't have been out of place in a squadron of Panzers.

Put simply, this was all-round attacking football on both offence AND defence from a different gridiron planet. New England weren't just beaten, they were systematically undressed on one of the biggest TV stages of the season. I mean, Tom Brady scored just FIVE points in most Fantasy Leagues, for heaven's sake!

And the pundits are still re-evaluating exactly HOW good Payton's team might now be, with 11 wins and a full head of steam behind them.

With the Colts also at full sail and Minnesota equally looking like a lean, mean points-scoring machine (with the 'D' to match), that means it is time to look at who else is still hoping to reach that exalted status. Or, at least, scramble their way into the play-offs and hope they are this year's Arizona Cardinals.

Step forward Houston, Jacksonville, Dallas and the New York Giants, who all face off this Sunday with a sense of blind urgency (might that be panic in the case of the Texans and Giants?) and the sure knowledge that the next 'L' will probably spell the Last Rites for their playoff hopes.

First up, Houston and the Jaguars (live on SS2 from 5.30pm) remain firmly in the slipstream of the high-flying Colts. The Jacksonville men currently have their foot on the last rung of the playoff ladder but, with Pittsburgh and Baltimore right on their 6-5 heels, and another FOUR teams just one game behind, it won't take much to dislodge them.

Many pundits over here have been calling for the head of Texans head coach Gary Kubiak in the wake of their disastrous collapse at home to Indy, but the simple fact is the division's bottom team are still very much alive in the post-season gallop, and they have four highly winnable games in their final five.

At one stage just a few short weeks ago, an 11-5 record looked like being the minimum requirement for a Wild Card on the road to Miami, but now - with some of the leading contenders falling faster than autumn leaves in a gale - it is perfectly possible 9-7 could be the magic number for someone.

Roller-coaster

So, while the Jaguars continue to baffle and amaze in equal measure (just when you think they have grasped that elusive quality 'consistency' they go into retreat faster than the Footsie Index at the hint of a recession, outscored 61-3 in two trips to the West Coast now), the real spotlight is on Kubiak and whether he can re-inspire his cohorts to battle back from the brink.

Equally, the Giants are rocking back on their heels as they face a Cowboys team about which absolutely nothing can be predicted, other than they will, definitely, turn up in New York on Sunday (live on SS2 from 9pm).

While there was actually very little that was indigestible from last week's Thanksgiving Day spread, the games involving the Giants and Cowboys provided very little appetising fare and plenty to give both coaches continued cause for concern at a roller-coaster season which continues to be one game away from a fatal plummet.

Tom Coughlin's men were never in sync against the wobbly Broncos of Denver, and the fact they have now lost five of their last six plays heavily on the sports pages and preview shows. Many are focusing on the injury worries that seem to have Eli Manning playing more like Eli Wallach (for all fans of classic Spaghetti Westerns) at times, and whether it is a 'phantom foot' or not. But there is a general malaise throughout Giantville that is not merely a quarterback concern, and it will need an effort from all 48 against the Cowboys to repeat their Week Two win and get them back in the playoff picture.

Equally, Dallas and their two-game win streak cannot afford to be complacent, having struggled mightily to see off an Oakland team that made you wonder if the NFL has suddenly disappeared off their radar, to be replaced by the Keystone Cops. No, scratch that; the Keystone Cops would have been better organised than the Raiders last week, yet Tony Romo and Co didn't put them away until well into the fourth quarter.

So, again, there is very little evidence on which to offer much firm opinion for Sunday's match-up. Other than the loser will be left in a five-way Wild Card scrap with Philadelphia, San Francisco, Green Bay and Atlanta that will take a LOT of escaping.

Finally, for those who like the more esoteric elements of an NFL season, spare a thought for the NY Jets and Buffalo (live on SS2 at 1am on Friday). The fact both these two managed to scrape into the win column last weekend is probably a thing of amazement in many NFL locker-rooms, and it remains highly unlikely either one will be doing anything more strenuous than pushing the TV remote button come January 9/10.

But there remains a singular fascination in trying to work out if they are, really, as awful as they can appear most weeks or if, by some Jekyll and Hyde transmutation, there is a good side that can still battle to the surface.