I know he only beat the Browns, but you have to be impressed with Lions rookie quarterback Matthew Stafford, who threw the winning touchdown Sunday despite an injured non-throwing shoulder. The image of him celebrating while in tremendous pain was classic.

There are no guarantees Stafford will turn into a All-Pro quarterback, but he’s sure tough and competitive enough to try. Lions fans better be patient — it’s still going to take a few years for the team to turn things around.

Other musings from last weekend:

– I’m convinced there are only four good teams in the league: The Colts, Saints, Patriots and Vikings. The Bengals were close, then lost to Oakland. The Steelers were the fifth, but have fallen back. The Cowboys suddenly can’t score. The Broncos are disintegrating, and the Chargers and Cardinals aren’t there yet.

That said, Monday night’s Saints-Patriots game should be entertaining.

– The Giants are back on track after defeating the Falcons in overtime. They can take a giant step by winning in Denver on Thursday night, but I’m not sure Eli Manning is up to task. If they win, my guess is they will make the playoffs. If not, they may not have enough momentum to finish above 8-8.

– Finally, Brett Favre threw four touchdowns (to four different receivers), achieved a comfortable lead, and sat the last quarter in the Vikings’ 38-7 victory over Tampa Bay. If Favre is actually fresh in January, the Saints might be in big trouble.