This week's Sunday Takeaway has an eye on Vince Young's second comeback win against Matt Leinart, LT's twilight years in San Diego, the Bengals sweeping the AFC North and more.

Rose Bowl Redux

Bobby Bowden once famously remarked that his tombstone would read, “But he had to play Miami”, referring to Florida State’s many close, costly losses to the Hurricanes. Matt Leinart’s tombstone may read, “But he had to play Vince Young.”

Young gave Leinart yet another reason to wake up many years hence in a cold sweat with visions of No. 10 dancing, running, passing and celebrating in his head. Nearly four years after Young’s epic Rose Bowl performance gave Texas a 41–38 win and denied Leinart’s USC Trojans their seemingly inevitable national title, Young robbed Leinart of a long-awaited signature win as an NFL starter with another legend-making performance. With his team trailing 17–13, Young led the Titans on an epic 18-play, 99-yard odyssey that began with 2:37 remaining and included three fourth-down conversions, the last one a 10-yard touchdown pass to Kenny Britt with the LP Field clock reading 0:00. The Titans’ 20–17 win over the Cardinals was their fifth in a row following an 0–6 start and, as improbable as it may seem, has Tennessee back in the playoff picture at 5–6.

“I thought Vince played great,” Leinart said. “He made plays in that last series, so hats off to him. I thought our defense played phenomenally, he just made some plays.”

Young dispelled about 83 different flawed perceptions of him in a single afternoon. Can’t throw? He threw for 387 yards on 9.0 yards per attempt. Gets happy feet and takes off prematurely? He ran all of four times, for eight yards. Can’t read a defense? That last drive was a clinic in taking what the defense gave him. Locks in on one receiver? His check-downs allowed him to find eight different targets on the afternoon. Careless with the football? It was his fourth interception-free game in his five starts.

Lost in the wake of Young’s heroics was another remarkable performance from Chris Johnson, who had an 85-yard TD scamper in becoming the third back in league history to post 125 yards rushing or more in six straight games. Suddenly, Young and Johnson are the stuff of NFL nightmares. Just ask Matt Leinart.

So long, Gary Kubiak

The Houston Texans are perpetually on the verge of something special. But an obstacle always seems to appear at an inopportune moment to rob the Texans of that franchise-changing moment. It’s becoming apparent that that obstacle’s name is Gary Kubiak.

In blowing a 17–0 lead and falling to the Colts 35–27, the Texans played tighter than Tiger Woods’ publicist, squandering a last chance at a playoff spot and seeing their record against the Colts fall to a mind-numbing 1–15. During Indy’s 28–0 run that turned a 20–7 halftime deficit into a 35–20 lead, the Texans’ offense accomplished the following on its five possessions: interception, three-and-out, four-and-out, pick-six, fumble.

Bottom line: Facing a must-win situation, Kubiak proved that as closers go, he ain’t exactly Mariano Rivera. He’s 27–32 as the team’s head man and has yet to guide the Texans to a winning season. It’s likely that he’ll also be looking for a new job come January.

Tale of two quarterbacks

The big offseason saga in the NFC North was the arrival of quarterbacks Brett Favre and Jay Cutler, to much fanfare. Suffice it to say that the two are on divergent trajectories this season.

If anything, Favre has enhanced his legend in leading the Vikings to a 10–1 record. Quite simply, he’s having the best season of his career at age 40. Favre is on pace to throw 35 touchdowns to only four interceptions, and his passer rating of 112.1 is easily the best of his 18 seasons as a starting quarterback.

Meanwhile, Cutler has morphed into an even less charming version Jeff George. After whining his way out of Denver, he’s back-footed 20 heaves into enemy hands, and he’s been petulant while doing so. Instead of being the final piece of Chicago’s championship puzzle, he’s presided over Da Bears’ transformation into Da Cubs.

These two polar opposites were on full display yesterday during Minnesota’s 36–10 rout of Chicago. Favre threw for 392 yards and three touchdowns as the Vikes amassed 537 yards of offense. Cutler threw two more interceptions as the Bears could muster only 169 total yards — two in the second half (yes, two) — and held the ball for only 19:05. “With as good a football team that I think we have in here, to go out week after week and not live up to our own expectations, that’s the tough part,” said Cutler. But you look at the Bears’ roster — Cutler included — and wonder why those expectations were there to begin with.

LT’s twilight years

Just a pause to celebrate another future Hall of Famer in his golden years. LaDainian Tomlinson emerged yesterday from Witness Protection to pass Marcus Allen and Edgerrin James for 10th place on the NFL’s all-time rushing list with 12,257 yards. LT rushed for only 39 yards on 13 carries in San Diego’s 43–14 win over the Chiefs, but he did score two rushing touchdowns, proving his ongoing worth once the goal line is in sight. According to ESPN, Tomlinson leads the NFL this season with 26 goal-line touches, and he rewarded the Chargers’ continuing red zone faith with TD runs of 1 and 3 yards. “It was a special day,” he said, once again proving that LT stands for Less Talking. Or, if you prefer, Lots of Touchdowns.

Bengals broom the North

Here’s one of the more unlikely sentences that’s ever been written: Yesterday, Larry Johnson led Cincinnati to a victory that gives the Bengals a season sweep of their AFC North foes. I’ll let that sink in for a moment before I continue.

It’s true. Plucked from NFL ignominy after an ugly end to his tenure in Kansas City, Johnson had his first 100-yard game of 2009, carrying the ball 22 times for 107 clock-consuming yards in the Bengals’ methodical 16–7 win over Cleveland that gives Cincinnati a perfect 6–0 mark against the AFC North. The Bengals withstood a 110-yard passing day from Carson Palmer, the fourth-lowest yardage total of his career, by riding the sturdy legs of Johnson and Bernard Scott, who tag-teamed a 194-yard rushing performance in Cedric Benson’s absence (sore hip).

Nostradamus couldn’t have predicted how this season would unfold in the Queen City. There’s Benson’s wholly implausible career revival. That 6–0 whitewash of the AFC’s version of the Black and Blue. Five victories by seven points or fewer. Throw in a pack of Chad Ochocinco condoms — according to his Twitter account, they’re coming to a drug store near you — and this season in Cincy has been one entertaining ride.

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