Hottest assistant coach: Rob Ryan Too bad there isn't a clone of Rex Ryan. Wait a minute. There is. His name is Rob Ryan, Browns defensive coordinator and the identical twin of the Jets' successful head coach. Believe it or not, Rob's tongue is considered the saltier of Buddy's twin boys. That could make the next round of head coaching hires entertaining, because Rob's résumé is getting fatter than the family tree. In consecutive routs of the Saints and Patriots, the Browns have confused Drew Brees and Tom Brady while holding them to a combined 31 points.
Hottest team (this week): Giants Last week, it was New England. This week, it's the New York Giants who are the league's hottest team. They have a league-best five-game winning steak after crushing Seattle 41-7. The streak should extend to six with what is virtually a bye against the visiting and lifeless Cowboys. The Packers and Raiders are the next hottest teams. They take three-game winning streaks into their byes. Nov. 21: Green Bay at Vikings; Oakland at Pittsburgh.
Can Indy finish 7-1? The Colts (5-3) have to finish 7-1 to extend their NFL record of seasons with 12 or more victories to eight. They have five home games but must travel to New England, Tennessee and suddenly dangerous Oakland.
Does Detroit need another QB? No one can argue that Matthew Stafford isn't good for the Lions. When he's actually healthy enough to play, that is. The problem is Stafford has missed almost as many games (11) because of knee and shoulder injuries as he has played (13) since getting $72 million as last year's No. 1 overall draft pick. He left Sunday's game against the Jets after re-injuring his throwing shoulder on what appeared to be a routine tackle. The Lions led 20-10 with 6:06 left. They never got another first down while losing 23-20 in overtime. How long can the Lions go on with a franchise QB who's this fragile?
