Google search “Tony Romo” and it’s apparent the Dallas Cowboys quarterback is know for more than the spirals he throws. The number two Google News result? “Tony Romo Looking for Love?,” an article about wagering on which celeb he’ll date next, and People Magazine’s scoop on his split with Jessica Simpson is a top ten result.

It’s a tad bit annoying to say the least.

Fortunately, this article has nothing to do with Romo’s love life or his golf game (which is, by the way, quite impressive.) It’s about the top ten facts you need to know about the quarterback and what he does on the field.

(1) Romo currently has a career 94.7 passer rating, which is higher than Drew Brees, Tom Brady, Philip Rivers, Kurt Warner, and Aaron Rodgers. It’s also tied with Peyton Manning. Those six quarterbacks are currently being drafted before Romo in fantasy leagues.

(2) Romo has thrown 62 touchdown passes in the past 29 games, averaging more than two touchdowns per game the past two seasons. He has gone touchdown-less in just three games since 2007, but he has thrown at least three in 12 games. Check out the graph:

(3) Romo’s 2.1 touchdown per game average is also second in the NFL the past two seasons behing only Tom Brady. New England’s golden boy has the obvious advantage of having set the single season touchdown record in 2007 before missing 2008. So among players who started more than one game in 2008, Romo leads the pack.

(4) To continue driving the point, consider that Romo was third in the NFL in average passing touchdowns last season, behind only Philip Rivers and Drew Brees who finished with 34. Had Romo played the entire season he was on pace to finish with 32 touchdown passes.

(5) Fantasy owners might also be interested to know that Romo was fifth in the league in average passing yards last season, tossing the pigskin for about 265 yards per week. And dating back to 2007 his numbers only look better relative to the rest of the league. He’s ranked fourth among all quarterbacks, averaging about 264 yards per week. Only Brees, Brady, and Warner have averaged more.

(6) How important is Romo to the Cowboys’ offense? Put it this way: in his 13 starts last season the ‘Boys averaged 24.7 points per game; when he wasn’t the quarterback, Dallas averaged 13.7 points per game, or a full 11 points fewer per week.

(7) Unfortunately, Romo does throw a lot of interceptions. Perhaps following in the footsteps of his idol, Brett Favre, Romo has thrown 33 interceptions the past two seasons, averaging 1.138 per week. Favre averaged 1.136 per week over the course of his career.

(8) Romo’s average yards per attempt has dipped lower and lower each of the past three seasons, peaking at 8.6 in 2006. Fortunately, his 7.7 yard average last season was still high enough for him to finish tied for 6th in the NFL. His career average of 8.1 yards per attempt is, in a word, astounding.

(9) Romo was on pace last season to attempt more passes than in 2007, when he threw 520. In fact, he was also on pace to pass for more yards (4,244), fewer interceptions (17), and nearly as many touchdowns (32) as he did in 2007. For the record, Romo was the second best fantasy quarterback in the league in 2007 (according to standard scoring rules).

(10) Care for a few more Romo-Favre comparisons? Since their first starts, Favre and Romo have had somewhat different paths. Between 1992-1994, the Packers’ legendary quarterback averaged 3,471 yards, 23 touchdowns, 17 interceptions, 205 rushing yards, and 1.7 rushing touchdowns per season. Since 2006, Romo has averaged 3,521, 27 touchdowns, 15 interceptions, 91 rushing yards, and 0.7 rushing touchdowns per season. Romo has started 39 games in that time; Favre started 45 games.

The Oakland Raiders season has the makings of a rollercoaster ride: in week one the team was blown out by the Broncos, only to bounce back a week later with a win over the Chiefs. Since then, however, two losses spelled doom for former head coach Lane Kiffen, who was fired (evidently without pay). What’s gone right and wrong this season? Check it out.

1. The Raiders last two losses were decided by margins of one and ten points and in both games the Raiders had fourth quarter leads. Oakland scored 23, 23, and 18 points in their last three games; last season the team averaged 17.7 per game and the season before that it averaged 10.5 points.

2. JaMarcus Russell has an 84.9 quarterback rating. If he can finish the season with a similar rating, it will mark the first time since 2002 that a starting quarterback finishes a season with a passer rating of at least 80. Incidentally, the Raiders won the AFC Championship that season, as well.

3. The Raiders running game is ranked 3rd in the NFL, as the offense has averaged 155 yards per game this season. Darren McFadden has led the charge with 272 yards in four starts, pacing himself for a season of 1,088 yards. If he can up his pace a bit, he’ll be the first Raider in over a decade to break 1,100 rushing yards.

4. McFadden’s game-by-game is a bit disappointing this season. He blew fans away week two when he rushed for 164 yards and a touchdown. Unfortunately, in his other three starts this season he’s accumulated just 108 rushing yards and no touchdowns. Also, his yard per carry average in those three games is just 3.6.

5. It bears mentioning that the coaches have fed running back Michael Bush the ball on a more consistent basis this season, relative to McFadden. Bush has handled 16, 14, and 14 carries in the past three games. He has 193 rushing yards this season and is averaging 64.3 yards per game he plays. McFadden is averaging 68 yards per game. Bush also has as many touchdowns as McFadden.

6. Just to throw it out there, as well: Justin Fargus was injured week two, but before that he was averaging 70 yards per game and 5.2 yards per carry. Both numbers are comparable to McFadden’s averages this season.

7. JaMarcus Russell is on pace for 2,672 yards passing, 16 touchdowns, 4 interceptions, 4 rushing touchdowns this season. Vince Young put together 2,199 yards passing, 12 touchdowns, 13 interceptions, and 7 rushing touchdowns when he won rookie of the year in 2006.

8. The Raiders, who are tied for fewest wins in the AFC West this season, have the division’s best scoring defense, averaging a bit more than 25 points per game. Not surprisingly, however, Oakland’s offense is ranked 3rd in the division in scoring offense this season and third in points differential.

9. No Raiders wide receiver has more than five catches this season, though three running backs have at least six catches this year. Tight End Zach Miller leads the team with 11 catches for 153 yards and 1 touchdown, confirming the notion that young quarterbacks tend to target tight ends.

10. Here’s a telling stat: the Raiders rank 31st in third down conversion rate, getting a first down just 14.5 percent of the time. They are also tied for most fumbles/game lost this season, giving opponents the ball via fumble an average of 1.25 times per game.

The San Diego Chargers are, without a doubt, one of the league’s greatest disappointments this season. It is perhaps not because this team is struggling, but instead because it continues to excel on offense, only to lose my small margins. In any case, here are 10 things you ought to know about the San Diego Chargers this season.

1. The Chargers have not lost this season by a margin of more than seven points, and two of the team’s losses were within two points. Carolina won week one, thanks to a late-game drive by Jake Delhomme that put the Panthers up by two. Denver won the next week in a similar scenario, though the Broncos took the lead after a two point conversion put them up by one.

2. San Diego has scored one less point and allowed one less point than Denver this season. The Broncos, however, have a two game lead on the Chargers and double the winning percentage. Had the Chargers defeated the Broncos week two, they would be technically ahead of the Broncos in the division.

3. Still, don’t feel sorry for the Chargers; their defense has let them down this season. Without Shawn Merriman, San Diego has the 24th ranked scoring defense and their pass defense is ranked dead last in the NFL, allowing 265.6 yards per game.

4. Philip Rivers began the season with three consecutive three touchdown performances. He has since thrown one touchdown in each of the Chargers past two games, despite no significant drop in pass attempts. His completion percentage, however, has dipped below 60 for the past two weeks, as he has completed just 27-of-53.

5. I’m sorry if you drafted LaDainian Tomlinson first overall in your fantasy draft this season. LT, who has not rushed for fewer than 1,200 yards in any season of his career, has 331 rushing yards this season, putting him on pace for 1,059 yards this season.

6. Tomlinson does, however, have four rushing touchdowns. Unfortunately, he has scored in just two games. At least he’s on pace to gain over 1,300 yards from scrimmage - it would be the first time since his rookie season that he netted fewer than 1,800 yards in a season.

7. Inconsistency has been his greatest barrier: LT rushed for more than 90 yards in two games this season … but in two others he rushed for less than 40. His yard per carry average exceeded 4.5 in two games … but in the others it’s been below 3.0.

8. Antonio Gates is not the Chargers best fantasy receiver this season. At least not at this point. Gates has 16 catches for 217 yards and 3 touchdowns, but teammate Chris Chambers has turned his 11 catches into 226 yards and 5 scores. In other words, Chambers averages over 20 yards per catch and he scores every other time he hangs onto the football.

9. The Chargers have a +4 turnover ratio, putting them behind only the Tennessee Titans and Washington Redskins. What do the Chargers not have in common with those teams? Winning. The combined record of Tennessee and Washington is 9-1.

10. San Diego has been outgained in three key measurables: rushing yards (567-493), passing yards (1,328-1,133), and first downs (113-84). It is surprising, then, that the Chargers have outscored opponents, 148-129.

The Denver Broncos are 4-1 and two games ahead of the San Diego Chargers in the AFC West - but there’s still reason to be nervous. Read on for the ten reasons to be hopeful (and doubtful) for the Broncos this season.

1. The Broncos have scored 35 points in their past two games, which really isn’t that great. But it does give an idea of how hot they started the season: the Broncos remain the third-highest scoring team in the NFL, averaging 29.8 points per game. Denver averaged 38 points per game in their first three games.

2. You want to talk about a bad defense? The Broncos kept the Buccaneers out of the endzone, for the most part, in their victory Sunday, and snapped a three game streak in which opponents scored at least 30 points per game.

3. But to be fair to the defense, which ranks 25th in rushing yards per game, let me point out that it has allowed just one 100-yard rusher this season. Larry Johnson rushed for 198 yards week four, Denver’s only loss of the season.

4. The Broncos have, however, had a little bit more trouble stopping the pass. Denver’s defense ranks 30th in the NFL in pass defense, due primarily to two particular games. Against the Chargers and Saints - two oft-passing offenses - the Broncos allowed 377 and 421 passing yards. In their three other games - against Oakland, Kansas City, and Tampa Bay, three run-first offenses - the Broncos allowed an average of less than 150 passing yards per game.

5. Let me further elaborate what number four (above) means: whatever opponents do well on offense (run or pass), they usually do it best against the Broncos. As noted, New Orleans and San Diego (which rank 1st and 9th in passing yards per game, respectively) exceeded season averages by 30 and 67 percent, respectively. Kansas City, meanwhile, exceeded its season average for rushing yards per game by 81 percent. Both Oakland and Tampa Bay met or were within five percent of their season averages.

6. Pass-happy Denver? The Broncos rushing offense ranks 14th in the NFL this season in rushing yards, averaging a little less than 120 per game. The passing game, meanwhile, has thrived all season long and the Broncos rank 2nd in the NFL. Cutler has three 300 yard games and 10 passing touchdowns.

7. Featured back? Fuggedaboutit. Selvin Young has handled a little more than a third of the team’s total rush attempts this season, despite being the leading rusher. He averages less than 10 carries per game, though his yard per carry average - 5.7 per attempt - continues to impress.

8. Young isn’t the goal line back, though. That’s Michael Pittman, who has scored four of Denver’s five rushing touchdowns this season. He’s also the team’s “leading” receiver at running back, with five catches.

9. Denver is the only team in the NFL to have two wide receivers with at least 30 catches: Brandon Marshall (34) and Eddie Royal (30). Perhaps more impressive is the fact that Marshall missed week one with suspension, which means he is on pace for more than 125 catches if he continues to play at his current rate for the next 11 weeks. Royal is on pace for 96 receptions.

10. This should illustrate how much different this division’s picture could look right now: the Broncos have scored 149 points and allowed 130, making them the third highest scoring team in the NFL. But, look at this: San Diego has scored 148 points and allowed 129 points. One fewer point scored and one fewer point allowed. And yet the Chargers have two fewer wins and two more losses.

In the NFL for the past half decade, fewer things have been more certain than the Colts winning the AFC South. But this season things have changed. The level of competitive advantage is swinging in favor of the Tennessee Titans, while the Jaguars cling to second place. Can the Colts affect a change here? Take a look at ten things you ought to know about Peyton Manning and Co.

1. For the first time in a long time the Colts aren’t undefeated at this point in the season. In the previous three seasons, Indianapolis opened the season with a minimum of seven consecutive victories, but this year it took them just one week to get that first loss. At 1-2, the Colts might find it an uphill battle to win 12 or more games, something the team has done every year since 2003.

2. It’s also the first time the team has fielded a poor offense. The Colts are averaging 17.3 points per game (27th in NFL), which is a big drop from last season’s average of 28.1 per game. In fact, the Colts scored 20 points or fewer just twice last season.

3. Everyone is arguing that the Colts have a bad offense so far and to some degree that’s true. But have you looked at this schedule? Chicago, Minnesota, and Jacksonville are three tough, physical defenses to play against. Perhaps the Colts are struggling as much as they are because they’re facing some pretty tough defenses.

4. Peyton Manning is averaging 40 passing attempts per game, which is second in the NFL. But with his sub-60 completion percentage, he’s ranked just 21st in the league in average yards per attempt (6.5). His 73.1 passer rating is also very mediocre and very un-Peyton-like.

5. The reason Manning is struggling? He missed preseason, which is one reason the offense’s timing is thrown off. He’s doing a lot of things right, but it’s going to take him time to work his way back into the offense and get things going. This is a team that will be hot by midseason, and their week four bye came at just the right time.

6. It also doesn’t help that Joseph Addai is struggling. He has 43 carries this season, but he’s rushed for only 142 yards with a 3.3 yard per carry average. He has, however, carried for three touchdowns on the ground. Still, because he’s the focal point of the running game (no one else has more than six carries), and his struggles affect the entire offense.

7. How ’bout those wide receivers? Reggie Wayne and Anthony Gonzalez are the two key receivers, but Marvin Harrison is looking pretty good, too. Wayne and Gonzalez are pretty neck-and-neck at this point, discounting touchdowns. Dallas Clark, unfortunately, hasn’t been getting it done for fantasy owners. He has 5 catches for 55 yards but no scores.

8. The defense is doing its job, to some extent. They’re keeping opponents off the board and are allowing just 22.3 points per game (8th), which in any other season would be enough for this offense to win games. Unfortunately, the Colts are still getting outscored by about five per matchup.

9. Here’s the big problem with the defense: they can’t stop the run. At all. This especially hurts because opponents are able to keep the clock ticking, wearing down Indy’s speedy defense. The absence of Bob Sanders is the biggest problem. His return in a few weeks will be huge for this defense’s rebound.

10. This is a team that will turn around. They aren’t kicking off the season with the same intensity as they often do, but they’ll be rolling soon enough. The question is, when? The Titans are 4-0 right now and building a solid lead on the division. But this is a division that could still be won by a number of teams. Check back at midseason: we’ll probably have a much different snapshot of the division.

The Texans looked promising at points last season, and 2008 is a test of Matt Schaub and Gary Kubiak. So far it’s been mixed results. Still, the AFC South looks weak this season and the Texans aren’t too far behind the rest of the pack. Here are ten things I noted from the season so far.

1. Let’s start with the good: Matt Schaub was brilliant against the Jaguars last week. He completed over seventy percent of his passes and threw three touchdowns. Unfortunately, the NFL still has sudden death OT, so the Jaguars won the coin toss in overtime and elected to win. Still it was an impressive week. Most impressive? Him leading the Texans 53 yards in under two minutes to set up kicker Kris Brown with a game-tying field goal, which he made.

2. Alright, now for the bad news. The Texans were destroyed in weeks one and two by an average margin of twenty points per game. That’s not good. The offense looked poor in those games, averaging just 14.5 points per game while Schaub posted one touchdown and five interceptions.

3. The Texans are a running team, though, so it’s unfortunate that the team is falling behind early. They’ve had to pass the ball more than 60 percent of the time because the offense is always playing catchup; the defense allowed 21 first half points in both losses.

4. The running game has been effective, though. Second-year back Chris Taylor hasn’t been particularly impressive (he’s averaging just 2.6 yards per carry), but lead back Steve Slaton has looked solid. Though he’s carried the ball just 41 times this season, the rookie has a 4.7 yard per carry average, and he’s the only running back with a rushing score.

5. Let’s talk about receivers. Four players - count ‘em, 4 - have either 14 or 15 catches this season. Tight end Owen Daniels leads the group in yards with 191, though wide receiver Kevin Walter has been Schaub’s favorite touchdown target. He has three this season - spread between two games - and his other numbers are respectable: 15 catches for 132 yards.

6. What about Andre Johnson? Well, his season stats look pretty good - 15 catches and 179 yards - but he still hasn’t found the endzone and 10 of those catches came in one game. Not particularly good for someone projected to be an elite fantasy wide receiver.

7. Watch this guy contend for rookie of the year: Steve Slaton is not only leading the Texans in rushing, but he’s also got 15 catches for 97 yards and a touchdown. Altogether, he has 56 touches for 289 yards and 2 touchdowns.

8. Houston’s defense hasn’t been particularly good this season. Not that it’s been bad, but let’s look at some figures concerning the pass defense: one interception (not enough), four touchdowns (too many), 65.3 completion percentage (too high), and three sacks (too few). Also, the entire defense was nowhere to be found against Pittsburgh, when Ben Roethlisberger completed 13-of-14 for two touchdowns and Willie Parker 138 yards and 3 touchdowns.

9. Speaking of which, how has the rush defense been this season? Well … not very good. The Texans have allowed 160 yards per game so far and no one - not even teams that have played more games - has allowed more scores on the ground. Quite simply, this defense has a lot of trouble stopping opposing backs.

10. Five of Houston’s next six games are at home, which is probably a good thing: Houston hasn’t played at home yet this season, and they’re 0-3 on the road. They’re the only team in the NFL to have played all their games on the road this season, and one of only two games to have played three road games already.

A preseason playoff pick (unintended alliteration), the Jacksonville Jaguars haven’t kept fans confident this season. After a shaky start, the Jags sit at 2-2 after an overtime victory over the 0-3 Texans. What’s working? What’s not? Check out the following ten observations through the first four weeks of the season.

1. The Jaguars haven’t been in a game decided by more than seven points. In fact, three of the four games were decided by four or fewer points. On the same token, Jacksonville hasn’t won a game by more than three points. Unconvincing wins are not how you want to start a season.

2. Through the first four games of the season, quarterback David Garrard has four interceptions. In twelve games last year he threw just three. He also has just two touchdowns this season, compared to the 18 he threw 12. Summarized: he’s throwing picks four times as often and touchdowns three times less often.

3. Garrard is also on pace to be sacked 40 times this season; that’s how many times he was sacked in his previous 33 games, 32 of which he started. On the plus side, his completion percentage has never been higher. On the minus, his passer rating has never been lower (in seasons with at least 100 pass attempts).

4. Noted for their powerful running game last season, the Jaguars are stumbling a bit this season. David Garrard has the best yard per carry average among those with more than one carry, averaging 4.6 yards per scramble. Fred Taylor, who leads the team with 59 carries, is lagging behind with a 3.6 yard per carry average, while Maurice Jones-Drew has a respectable 4.4 with two touchdowns.

5. The team as a whole is averaging 126.5 yards per game and 4.3 yards per carry, which pales in comparison with last year’s marks of 149.5 and 4.6. Also, if you take away Montell Owens 41 yard scamper, the team is averaging just over 116 yards per game and 4.0 yards per carry.

6. Though David Garrard hasn’t been great this season, his top receiver, Matt Jones, has been just fine. He has 21 catches for 244 yards and a touchdown through four games; not bad numbers for someone who had 24 catches for 317 yards and four touchdowns last season. Better than that, though, has been his consistency: he’s hasn’t caught fewer than 5 or more than 6 receptions in any game this season. Assuming he doesn’t get injured, he could have close to 80 catches by the end of the season.

7. Maurice Jones-Drew remains the offense’s playmaker. He’s second on the team in receptions and and yards, and he has 307 yards on 51 touches with two scores. No one player has scored as often, nor is anyone responsible for as many yards from scimmage.

8. Here’s a surprise: the Jags’ renowned defense has struggled this season. It’s middle-of-the-pack in most measurables, and, bet you didn’t see this coming, the line has struggled to pressure opposing quarterbacks. After bringing down the quarterback 37 times last season, the Jags have just 5 sacks this season (rank: 27th).

9. Opposing quarterbacks have been pretty lucky against the Jaguars this season. Opponents have a collective 93.5 rating against Jacksonville through the first four games, though that might be a bit inflated because Matt Schaub shredded the defense in this past week’s matchup, throwing three touchdowns and no interceptions, posting a 119.5 rating.

10. Then again, one could argue that Jacksonville’s interception total (4) is skewed because the team faced a weak-looking Vince Young week one. Young completed two passes to the wrong jerseys and put up a 46.5 passer rating. All things considered, this defense has been on one week and off the next.

In a division that has looked surprisingly weak this season, no one has looked stronger than the Tennessee Titans. With a veteran arm at quarterback, the Titans are rolling right now. They’re one of just three teams in the NFL to remain unbeaten and one of just two to be 4-0. What’s so special about Jeff Fisher’s crew? Read on and find out.

1. They’ve allowed 46 points this season; no team that has played at least four games has allowed fewer or even close to that number, for that matter. Pittsburgh has allowed 58 this season, which is still pretty remarkable, but it’s not as good as Tennessee.

2. The Titans have also looked very good defending the pass and rush, ranking 8th in both categories. Worth noting, however, is that Tennessee has allowed just 5.7 yards per passing attempt; only the Ravens have been better this season and only the Colts, who have played one fewer game, have allowed fewer passing touchdowns than the Titans, who have given up one this season.

3. No defense has created as many turnovers via fumbles as the Titans, who have recovered 5 this season. For that matter, no team has forced as many interceptions this season, either. The Titans have 8, leading the NFL in turnovers forced with 13.

4. I guess it comes as no surprise then that the Titans also have the league’s best turnover differential, though they are tied for the lead. That means one thing: Tennessee has turned the ball over seven times, which is a bit surprising, considering their standing right now. Then again, force 3 turnovers a game and you’ll probably win ballgames. So far that’s been Tennessee’s mantra.

5. How much better is Kerry Collins than Vince Young when it comes to passing the football? It’s hard to say, since Young has passed the ball just 22 times, or about 1/4 the number as Collins. But here’s what I can tell you: Collins has a passer rating that is more than 35 points better than Young’s, he’s thrown twice as many touchdowns and half as many interceptions. In fact, his interception percentage (1.2) is 1/7 that of Young’s (9.1).

6. Heck, he’s even rushed for more yards than Young. With ten carries, Collins has 32 yards this season. Young ran just once in his only start of the season, picking up four yards. Collins also had a 17-yard pickup, which accounted for more than half his total yards.

7. The running game has been the backbone of the offense, though. LenDale White has been a brilliant goal line back, and he has five rushing touchdowns already. He hasn’t been the lead back, however, with rookie change-of-pace back Chris Johnson rushing for 337 yards on 67 carries and a pair of touchdowns of his own.

8. While I’m on the subject, don’t be shocked if Johnson winds up the rookie of the year this year; he’s on pace for almost 1,350 yards and 8 rushing scores this season, plus he’s the team’s number three receiver with 10 catches for 65 yards and a touchdown. That ups his pace to about 1,600 yards from scrimmage and 12 scores.

9. As far as receivers go, keep an eye on Bo Scaife if Vince Young ever returns to the starting lineup. In the one game Young played, Scaife caught 6 passes for 105 yards. Since then, he’s put together a total of 7 catches for 49 yards and a touchdown.

10. Justin Gage has been Collins’ favorite target. In the two games both he and Collins started, Gage had 10 receptions for 151 yards and a touchdown. He’s been the team’s leading receiver since week two, despite missing a game in between.

It doesn’t get much worse than the Bengals. In fact, this franchise is probably the second worst in the NFL, behind only the laughable Rams in the NFC West. Still, when it comes to failing at football, the Bengals can hold their own. With Marvin Lewis on the hotseat, check out ten things the Bengals have done right and, more often, wrong.

1. Let’s just go ahead and point out right now that Cleveland lost to the Cleveland Browns. No offense was scoring less than the Browns before the two matched up; essentially, Cleveland, who entered the week averaging a tad under nine points per game and not yet having scored more than 10 in a single game, dropped 23 on the Bengals.

2. I think Carson Palmer is a good quarterback, but you can only blame the supporting cast so long before the finger pointing returns to the former USC star. Palmer has looked dreadful in the games he’s played this season, and he remains the only quarterback to have three times as many interceptions as touchdowns this year. Actually, I take that back. His backup, Ryan Fitzpatrick, has the same ratio after one start.

3. Palmer’s quarterback rating week one was the worst of any game in his career. Facing the daunting Baltimore defense, Palmer put together a game good enough to earn him a 32.3 passer rating. And though he nearly doubled his number of completions (he had just 16), Palmer still finished with more interceptions than he had the week before. And, in all truth, he was probably worse that second week, though his completion percentage jumped from 37.5 to 59.3. No quarterback should ever need to jump more than 20 points to reach a 60 percent completion rate.

4. So I suppose all those fantasy footballers out there are curious how the receivers are doing while Palmer and his injury replacement, Ryan Fitzpatrick, struggle. Surprisingly well, actually. Well, if you count T.J. Houshmandzadeh and no one else, that is. Hoosh has 24 catches for 266 yards and a touchdown this season, which basically puts him on pace for just under 100 catches and just over 1,000 yards. Chad Ocho Cinco? He has 11 catches for 116 yards and a touchdown. They remain the only two players on the team with a touchdown grab.

5. I imagine a running game would be a good thing for a team to have, especially when that team can’t count on its passing game. Unfortunately, that’s not something the Bengals have. Cincy ranks 26th in yards per carry average and 27th in carries per game. Put those two together and you get a running game that ranks 30th in rushing yards per game.

6. Anyone in particular struggling? Only the starter, Chris Perry, who replaced Rudi Johnson this season. Perry who has handed 72 of Cincinnati’s 95 rush attempts this season (Carson Palmer and Ryan Fitzpatrick have rushed 10 times, too) is averaging about 2.9 yards per attempt. He does have two touchdowns. Unfortunately, being the only runner to score means the offense is tied for second-worst in the NFL.

7. Teams that lose also tend to turn the ball over. Cincinnati is tied for 31st in the league with a turnover differential of -4 already. Interestingly, the Dallas Cowboys have the same differential. Of course, the Cowboys have still found a way to find three of their four games. Cincy’s still looking for the magic that that will get them their first.

8. But here’s the good news, Bengals fans: Marv Lewis is working his magic on defense and the defense ranks 4th in passing yards per game this season, a facet of the defense that has historically struggled. Of course, I should also mention that the team ranks 28th in rushing yards per game (they allow nearly 170 per game) and 17th in points per game allowed.

9. It’s just such a pity the defense has forced just one interception this season. That ties them with nine other teams in the NFL to rank 22nd. Perhaps the team’s greatest strength against the pass has been its ability to keep opponents from big plays. Only five times have other offenses completed gains for more than 20 yards and never has an offense thrown for more than 31 yards.

10. Sadly, the run defense can’t quite claim that. Twice already this season has a running back scampered downfield for more than 40 yards, tying them for last in the NFL. And five times opponents have pounded their way on the ground for six, ranking the team 22nd in that category. Also, no team has been run against more than the Bengals; opponents have carried 152 times in the past four games (38.0 per game - T2nd).

The Browns proved Sunday that they aren’t the worst franchise in the NFL, but they aren’t far from it. Here’s what’s gone right and, more often, what’s gone wrong this season.

1. The Browns have been outscored by 32 points this season, and they outscored the hapless Bengals by 8 points Sunday. That means they’re losing games by an average margin of 13 points per game. Worse, they average less than ten points per game in losses; they haven’t even scored more than 10 points in a single loss. Dreadful.

2. A lot of fans are calling for Brady Quinn after Derek Anderson’s slow start, but how bad is it, really? Well, for starters he has a sub-50 quarterback rating and his touchdown-interception ratio right now is 1-2. Oh, and he’s completed just two passes for more than 20 yards. Even Tarvaris Jackson, who was benched and threw about half as many passes as Anderson has, completed six for more than 20 yards.

3. Who saw this coming? Me! Okay, so I didn’t think Anderson would be this bad, but I knew expectations were too high for him this season. Because, let’s face it, he’s Derek Anderson. He hasn’t even managed to complete half his passes this season, and he’s averaging less than 136 passing yards per game, fewer than anyone with more than 60 pass attempts this season.

4. Jamal Lewis last season appeared to revive his career. This season, no so much. His yard per carry average has slipped once again to less than 3.5 yards per rush, and he’s found the endzone just once. His total number of 80+ yard games? Zero. Sub-65 yard games? Three. Ouch.

5. Naturally, if Derek Anderson is struggling, so are his receivers. But at least one of them, tight end Kellen Winslow Jr., is making the best of the situation. He has 19 receptions for 170 yards and a touchdown. Those aren’t great numbers by any stretch of the imagination, but he is on pace for close to 80 grabs this season, which would be great for PPR league owners who took him as the number two fantasy tight end - you’ve got to find the silver lining.

6. Paging Braylon Edwards. Braylon Edwards, please. Paging Braylon Edwards? No one can seem to find him, least of all his quarterback. Edwards still doesn’t have 100 receiving yards this season and his nine catches just aren’t cutting it. Look at it this way: 95 receivers, tight ends, and running backs have more catches than him. And he was probably a top five receiver in your fantasy draft, right?

7. At least the defense can claim to be “not terrible.” Though it has allowed 28 points on two occasions this season, the defense has also held the Steelers stagnant (though, laughably, 10 points was enough to beat the Browns week two) and it kept the Bengals from looking like an NFL franchise. Then again, every team has kept Carson’s Crew from looking like a legitimate NFL franchise this season.

8. Look at the number of passing yards the Browns have allowed per game and you might be surprised. A more telling stat, however, is yards per attempt. The Browns, who allow 7.4 yards per pass attempt, are tied for 21st in that category. Having said that, I should also point out that the offense has been very good at turning the ball over and keeping opponents from thowing touchdowns (6 INTs this season to just 3 TDs).

9. So if teams aren’t passing the ball a lot against the Browns, they must be running. So how have the Browns been at stopping that? Pretty mediocre, except when it comes to keep opposing runners out of the endzone. Then they’re terrible, allowing 6 rushing touchdowns this season and being tied for 25th.

10. This definitely affects field position, so allow me to point out that Cleveland has the league’s worst kick return specialists. The team averages just over 17 yards per return, with only six of the 14 they’ve returned being taken further than 20 yards. Just one more thing the Browns have been poor at this season.