Defending champs lack passion, says Brown

Reality may be setting in for the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots. It may have arrived in a 40-21 drubbing at the hands of the Indianapolis Colts last week. It was a loss that left a sour aftertaste.

“This is a game you’re supposed to play with passion, man,” said wide receiver Troy Brown. “We’re not playing like that right now. There’s no passion. Across the board. You have to love what you do when you’re out there. I’m not singling out anybody. We have to put more passion and effort into what we do.”

The Patriots play in Miami against the division rival Dolphins today. Quarterback Tom Brady is just 1-3 against the Dolphins with eight interceptions. Worse, perhaps, coach Bill Belichick has to face longtime friend Nick Saban, now with the Dolphins.

“Bill isn’t looking forward to this, I know,” Belichick’s father, Steve, said. “We just wish Nick went to the NFC West or something. I watch Nick on TV and I see Bill. They’re very similar in their demeanor and their priorities.”

Call it Thunder Dome

When the Green Bay Packers go into the Georgia Dome to play the Atlanta Falcons today, they can expect a lot of noise and several false-start penalties. In Jim Mora’s 12 games as head coach, the Falcons report their opponents have been flagged for 31 false starts.

Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre is just 17-25 in his career in domes.

No wonder the Packers’ 91/2-point spread as underdogs is the biggest since they were 11-point dogs to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 4 of 1993.

Jags have easiest path

The Jacksonville Jaguars have the easiest second-half schedule of any contending team starting with today’s game against the Baltimore Ravens. They have just one winning team (Colts) left on their schedule and their opponents are a combined 22-44 (.333).

The St. Louis Rams have the softest second-half schedule among NFC contenders (.438). Toughest second-half schedules among playoff contenders belong to the Dallas Cowboys (.609) and San Diego Chargers (.589).

Cards on the clock

The Cleveland Browns punched in their first rushing touchdown (Jason Wright, 6 yards) in 13 games last week, which left the Arizona Cardinals as the only team without a rushing touchdown this season.