EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – There weren't enough New York Jets fans left by game's end to call it a Tim Tebow chant. Murmur is about the best the small crowd of diehards could manage at the end of a 34-0 thrashing by the San Francisco 49ers at MetLife Stadium on Sunday. Worse, while much of the talk will center around Tebow and starter Mark Sanchez this week even though coach Rex Ryan said he's sticking with Sanchez, the issues ran much deeper than quarterback play.

Jets QB Mark Sanchez is sacked by Aldon Smith. (US Presswire) By the time this game was over, the 49ers hadn't just taken the win, they walked away with the Jets' manhood, grinding New York's once-vaunted defense with 245 yards rushing.

"I apologize for my language because I was going to say we got our butts kicked, but we got our asses kicked," Ryan said. "I've never given up so many rushing yards in my life."

After four weeks, the 2-2 Jets find themselves in the exact spot they were hoping to avoid: A quarterback controversy in the offing. Again, that's about the

Read More »from Despite calls for Tim Tebow, Jets coach Rex Ryan not ready to bench Mark Sanchez

So here are a couple of fascinating questions for the New York Jets to consider: If the season goes awry because of the loss of Pro Bowl cornerback Darrelle Revis, does owner Woody Johnson cut general manager Mike Tannenbaum and/or coach Rex Ryan a break?

And if Tannenbaum and Ryan get said mulligan, what does that mean for Revis' contract situation this coming offseason? In essence, Johnson would be saying that Revis is so important to the team that he saved the GM and the coach.

The answers to those questions are obviously going to play out over the coming months as both the Jets' season and Revis' recovery from a torn ACL unfold. But Jets fans should understand this about Revis, who will be entering the final year of his contract in 2013 and can't be franchised by the Jets: If he doesn't have a contract by the beginning of the 2013 season, I'm all but guaranteeing that will be his final season as a Jet.

As much as Jets fans may think that Revis owes New York

Read More »from Direct Snap: CB Darrelle Revis' injury could impact future of Jets GM and head coach

Someday, perhaps, NFL players, coaches and fans will be able to thank the 2012 replacement refs for one thing: The lingering effects of the replacements' final call may forever keep NFL owners from messing with the real officials again.

Packers defenders look on as officials signal TD at the end of Monday night's game. (REUTERS)Whether the "Fail Mary" call at the end of the Seattle Seahawks' controversial win over the Green Bay Packers on Monday goes down as the worst officiating error in NFL history is an interesting discussion. More important, it was the moment when NFL owners finally came to their senses and realized that public confidence in their product was on the line by using substandard officials.

By Wednesday night, the league and the officials worked out an eight-year deal. The league gave in on a couple of key issues, including the extension of pension benefits for another five years, and significantly raised the amount of money it was offering for officials.

All of that, however, is minutia to the players, coaches and fans. Instead, what they

Read More »from Top 10 worst miscues by NFL replacement refs

So you hate the idea of replacement refs ruining your precious games and the "greedy billionaire" owners who have forced you to watch a bastardized version of it?

Here's my reaction to your whining: Until you decide to stop watching the games, zip it.

Official Lance Easley (26) gestures on the field following the Seahawks' controversial win Monday night. (AP)Now, there is some relief in sight after progress was made Tuesday night and early Wednesday. One NFL owner told Yahoo! Sports that he could see a settlement with the NFL Referees Association to end the lockout by the end of this week or next. NFL Network reported that the league and the referees' association bridged the gap on the addition of "developmental" refs. It's basically 21 additional refs to be brought in to be available as other refs decline in performance.

That leaves the pension issue as the last major stumbling block. In short, what's actually happening on the field has little to do with the progress of the talks. This fight is about money, plain and simple. That's the bottom line in the aftermath of the

Read More »from Complaining NFL fans need to show unhappiness over officiating by tuning out games

One NFL owner said Wednesday that he hopes a deal to get veteran game officials in place for the weekend is possible, but stopped well short of calling it probable.

Referees wait to make the call at the end of Monday's controversial Packers-Seahawks game. (REUTERS)"I would call things 'positive-but-precarious,' " the owner told Yahoo! Sports. "There are still a lot of hard feelings on both sides, a lot of people still drawing lines in the sand, at least verbally. I could see something being done by [Thursday] or it could take another week."

According to reports from both NFL Network and ESPN, the NFL and the NFL Referees Association made considerable progress toward a new deal in Tuesday meetings that lasted until early Wednesday morning. While that came in the aftermath of the controversial ending to Monday night's Green Bay-Seattle game, the owner said that had little to do with it.

"I think it's just time," the owner said. "The officials know what they're losing and I think they understand our stance."

[More: Michael Silver: The worst call in NFL history? | Photos]

Read More »from NFL owner: Talks progressing but settlement with regular officials 'could take another week'

On Sunday's Week 3 slate of games, three contests went to overtime, one ended in regulation on a game-winning field goal, one came down to an 80-yard touchdown in the final minute and two came down to desperation plays. Yet the most impressive victory of the day came without late-game theatrics.

[Related: Three NFL teams forced into overtime in order to pull out wins]

The Atlanta Falcons, armed with a new offensive philosophy that reflects the modern morays of the game, put a thorough beat down on the Chargers, 27-3, in San Diego. The Falcons improved to 3-0 after winning on the road for the second time this season (which is also true of the undefeated Texans) and, more impressively, they did it coming off a short week while traveling across the country. The Falcons showed no letdown after their dramatic home victory over the Denver Broncos on Monday night.

Matt Ryan calls an audible. (Getty Images)The win against San Diego was a grind-it-out domination, the antithesis of the 2010 Falcons, the team that went

Read More »from Week 3 winners/losers: Falcons look like NFC's best team after blowout of Chargers

It only took a couple of minutes of discussing Peyton Manning and Houston Texans linebacker Brian Cushing was sounding as if Sunday in Denver couldn't come fast enough.

The elixir of excitement and angst is built on the great progress the Texans have made on defense in the past year, along with a decidedly bleak history the team has when it comes to Manning. To say that Manning, a division rival of the Texans while he was with the Colts, has owned Houston over the course of his career is an understatement.

The Texans have sacked Peyton Manning just 23 times in 18 games. (Getty)Up until last season, when Manning was out with a neck injury, he treated the Texans the way an auto engineer uses a crash test dummy. In 18 career games (16-2), Manning has posted a quarterback rating of 110.6, including a 70.4 completion percentage, 42 touchdown passes, eight interceptions and 5,122 yards.

Houston isn't Manning's second home, it's his tool shed in the backyard. The only teams Manning has a better quarterback rating against are teams he has

Read More »from Direct Snap: Improved Texans D figures to be a stiffer challenge for nemesis Peyton Manning

For the past two years, the word around Los Angeles was that with billionaire Phil Anschutz involved, the NFL was sure to return in no time flat.

On Wednesday, the word around L.A. was that with Anschutz, viewed as a roadblock by some, planning to sell Anschutz Entertainment Group, the chances of the NFL returning immediately improved.

Roger Goodell (L), Antonio Villaraigosa (C) and Robert Kraft at the Patriots-Broncos game on Dec. 18. (Getty)Fact is, with the L.A. City Council set to approve an environmental impact report later this month on a downtown stadium that AEG was supposed to build, this bit of news clouds the situation once again.

The NFL badly wanted Anschutz to be part of the deal, whether he just built the downtown stadium or bought the team. The reason is simple: Anschutz is worth an estimated $7 billion, although some people in the NFL think that estimate is drastically low.

How badly did the league want Anschutz? In December, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa met with Anschutz

Read More »from Potential sale of AEG further clouds NFL's possible return to Los Angeles