Television viewers who were stuck with the Cleveland Browns-Detroit Lions game probably

found something else to do or sat at home wishing they had the NFL Sunday Ticket.

Well, guess what? Two of the league's worst teams delivered the best game of the day, and

possibly the game of the year.

The Lions' 38-37 come-from-behind win will be remembered for the coming of age of rookie QB

Matthew Stafford, who threw for 422 yards and five touchdown passes.

The game will also be remembered for a questionable decision by Browns coach Eric Mangini,

who called two timeouts after a 31-yard pass interference penalty was assessed against

cornerback Hank Poteat on Stafford's Hail Mary pass with eight seconds left. The second

timeout gave an injured Stafford (hurt his left shoulder on the throw) a chance to come back

in the game and deliver the winning TD pass with no time on the clock.

Mangini would have been better served taking his chances against Lions backup QB Daunte

Culpepper. Looks like Bill Belichick's disciples make critical late-game mistakes, too.

Here are some other observations from Week 11:

Tough day for AFC North: Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Cleveland all lost on

Sunday. The two biggest surprises were the Bengals and Steelers losing on the road to Oakland

and Kansas City, respectively. So the two best teams in the AFC North were beaten by the two

worst teams in the AFC West. Amazing.

Streaking towards history: Indianapolis just keep racking up the "W's." The Colts

moved to 10-0 with a 17-15 victory over the Baltimore Ravens. The Colts have won 19

consecutive regular-season games, two shy of the NFL record held by the New England Patriots.

The (Evil) Empire Strikes Back: So much for last week's failed fourth down attempt

in Indianapolis having a long-term effect on the Patriots, who romped over the Jets, 31-14, in

Foxborough. The tough-talking Jets boasted about beating New England at home earlier this

season. But Patriots QB Tom Brady was still adjusting from his comeback from major knee

surgery. The Jets also didn't have to face WR Wes Welker, who was hurt. He's healthy now and

was a royal pain to the Jets' defense on Sunday with a career-high 15 catches and 192 yards.

On a collision course: With blowout wins on Sunday, it is clear that New Orleans

(10-0) and Minnesota (9-1) are the best teams in the NFC by a considerable margin. It is also

becoming apparent that, barring an unforeseen collapse, the Saints and Vikings are headed

toward a meeting for the conference championship. The only question is who will host it.

Sweet revenge: Green Bay QB Aaron Rodgers, who grew up dreaming of playing for San

Francisco, made the 49ers pay for choosing QB Alex Smith over him with the top pick in the

2005 draft by throwing for 344 yards and two touchdowns in a 30-24 Packers win. Colts K Matt

Stover kicked the game-winning 25-yard field goal against the Ravens, who have gone through

two kickers since refusing to re-sign him despite 13 years of quality service.

Imploding in Denver: Broncos WR Brandon Marshall got into the face of rookie RB

Knowshon Moreno after Moreno's fumble at the goal line cost the team points near the end of

the first half. The two were seen shouting and exchanged shoves before being separated.

Marshall said of the incident: "I don't regret anything. This is a playoff game. This is

probably the most frustrating game I've ever played in. I approached it like it was a playoff

game. I'm frustrated that we lost. I think everybody needs to look at themselves first. Those

are plays that kill drives." This is what happens when a team loses four in a row after a 6-0

start.

No longer feeling blue: The once-reeling New York Giants came off a much-needed bye

week and ended a four-game losing streak with an overtime win over Atlanta. Amazingly, the

losses didn't hurt the Giants that badly. They're only a game out of first place in the NFC

East.

Best offensive performance: Stafford. His 422 yards set an NFL rookie record and his

five TDs tied the league mark for a rookie.

Best defensive performance: Patriots CB Leigh Bodden. The Pats' best offseason free

agent acquisition had three interceptions, returning one 53 yards for a touchdown.