Around the NFL: Quick Hits

For the remainder of the season, PatriotsLife will be posting a weekly quick hits column, going over hot-button issues throughout the NFL. Lets take a look at what happened last week, what's brewing for Week 11, and some longer-term stories that could be quietly brewing behind the scenes.

• Patriots/Colts still a mismatch 

Unsurprisingly, there's already plenty of hype building already for the Pats Sunday Night showdown against Andrew Luck's Colts. It's not surprising, as the matchup pits two of the hottest teams and best quarterbacks in the league against each other. The Pats have won five straight since their rocky 2-2 start, and have looked like world-beaters for much of that stretch, but the Colts come in having won 6 of their last 7 games after an 0-2 start.

However, I don't see this game as a fair fight. Both teams are where they are in the standings thanks largely to their dynamic passing attacks, but the Patriots secondary is far better equipped to take away Luck's weapons. Much like Aqib Talib in Pats seasons past, Vontae Davis is the X factor whose man-coverage ability makes the Colts defense much tougher to attack, but he can only cover one guy. With Rob Gronkowski, Brandon LeFell, Julian Edelman, Shane Vereen and Tim Wright all healthy and playing well, the allegedly weaponless Pats offense should be able to overwhelm a Colts D that let Pittsburgh drop 51 on them three weeks ago. Meanwhile, the Pats defense is coming off of an impressive performance, holding Denver's prolific offense to merely 21 points, and features a versatile array of coverage players to throw at Indy. Anything can happen on any given Sunday, but it's certainly a matchup that favors New England on paper.

• AFC East improving, but still unable to challenge Pats

The Patriots had their bye last week, which gave the surprisingly tough Dolphins and Bills a golden opportunity to gain some ground in the standings. Facing the Lions and Chiefs, two teams with realistic playoff aspirations themselves, also gave the Fins and Bills a chance to get a statement win and build momentum heading into the all-important second half of the season.

The loss of Albert could be a major blow to Miami's offensive line

Both teams were competitive, showing signs of the organizational improvements they've made recently, but in the end both came up short. The Dolphins fell on the road to the impressive Lions 20-16, thanks largely to the triumphant return of Calvin Johnson, while the Bills lost a 17-13 slugfest with the Chiefs at home. The Dolphins also suffered a major loss on the injury front, losing left tackle Branden Albert for the year to a knee injury.

Neither team played particularly poorly, but they can take little solace in that when it comes to the standings. A win would've pushed either team to 6-3 and only a game back of idle New England. Instead, both teams dropped to 5-4, behind the likes of Kansas City and Cincinnati in the Wild Card race. With these two division rivals facing each other tomorrow night, the winner will likely stay in the thick of the race, while the loser will see their chances take a serious hit.

• Mallett earns his shot

Former Patriots draft pick Ryan Mallett is about to get the chance he never got in New England, as the Arkansas product is set to make his first career start for the Texans on Sunday against the Browns. According to the NFL Network's Bert Breer, Mallett has impressed Texans coaches with his work ethic and has earned the chance to start.

Being the first to show up to the facility and the last to leave everyday can only help, but Mallett's future will ultimately be determined by how he performs on the field. He was uneven at best in New England, flashing the arm strength that had him considered a first round talent back in 2011, but also showing inconsistent footwork and accuracy that often submarined his effectiveness. He won't be lacking for weapons, as the Texans still have the ageless Andre Johnson, 2013 first round pick DeAndre Hopkins and a quietly productive Arian Foster in the fold.

With Mallett's rookie contract set to expire at the season's end, the next eight games will be an audition not just for his future with the Texans, but also in the league. A strong finish to the season could be enough to land him a starting job and a nice contract next year, be it with the Texans or another quarterback needy team (St. Louis? Arizona? The JETS?). However, poor play will likely relegate him to backup status for the remainder of his pro career. No pressure, Ryan.

• Year of the rookie receiver

It's often said that receiver is the toughest position for a rookie to make an impact in the NFL. The level of competition is simply that much higher in the pros compared to college, and many rookies come into the league without much experience in beating the physical, press-coverage that has become a staple of many of the league's toughest defenses.

Beckham Jr. has been a playmaker. Chang W. Lee/New York Times

However, it was also said that this spring's draft was the deepest class of receivers in quite some time, and those predictions look downright prophetic now. Rookie receivers are making an impact all of the league, with many of them playing roles for teams in the thick of the playoff mix.

Most impressively, it hasn't just been the big names that have impressed from this rookie class, although the likes of Sammy Watkins, Mike Evans and Odell Beckham Jr. have all flashed dominant play in recent weeks. Take a look at the impact John Brown, a third round pick, has had for the magical Cardinals season. Or how about Pittsburgh's Martavis Bryant, Watkins' college teammate and a fourth round pick whose big play ability was a big part of the Steelers recent offensive explosion. Jacksonville may be out of the playoff picture, but they were getting a solid year out of second rounder Allen Robinson before his recent injury. And lets not forget Jordan Matthews, whose integration into Chip Kelly's spread offense has helped the Eagles overcome the loss of Desean Jackson without skipping a beat.

The Pats drafted two receivers out of necessity in 2013, and thus chose to address other needs in the draft this past spring. However, the production from this rookie class highlights the importance of building a well-rounded roster, giving the GM flexibility to draft for talent rather than need. It's obviously too early to make a full judgement on Aaron Dobson, let alone this year's rookies, but early reviews suggest the Pats might have drafted their receivers one year too early.

• Chaos in Chicago 

It's certainly shaping up to be a very interesting offseason around the NFL, and some of the biggest dominos to fall could come in Chicago. There was excitement for the Bears this year after a promising first year under Marc Trestman, but the season has unraveled in the past few weeks. Rumors have swirled about a poor locker room culture, "franchise quarterback" Jay Cutler has had his leadership questioned by teammates past and present, and the team showed no fight in an embarrassing, nationally televised beatdown at the hands of the rival Packers.

Major changes will come if da Bears don't turn it around, and said changes could have a major impact around the league. If those changes include Trestman losing his job, the Bears vacancy could attract attention from major names like Mike Shanahan and Jim Harbaugh (who could be on the hot seat himself if his 5-4 Niners don't turn things around quickly. If those changes include cutting ties with Cutler, it will throw a major wild card into what could be a surprisingly deep free agent market of veteran QBs (joining the likes of Brian Hoyer, Mallett and a suddenly fantasy-viable Mark Sanchez). Their play on the field has been avert-your-eyes bad recently, but keep an eye on what happens in Chicago in the next few weeks.