Defense was the problem in Week 8 of the NFL schedule for Chicago and Indianapolis. Offense was the issue for the New York Jets, who benched Geno Smith after the second-year quarterback threw three interceptions in eight pass attempts. Speaking of picks, Ole Miss tossed a costly one when it could have attempted a potential game-tying field goal against LSU. Chalk up another one gone from the ranks of the undefeated.

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Geno Smith . You know you're bad when you get benched for someone who completes only 18-of-36 passes with one interception and no touchdowns while losing two fumbles and that replacement still blows your numbers out of the water. That was the case for Smith, whose four first-quarter drives in the Jets' 43-23 home loss to Buffalo were as follows: three-and-out, interception, interception, interception. Michael Vick wasn't much better, but Smith may have been bad enough to make this latest QB switch permanent. New York is a +10 road underdog against Kansas City in Week 9.

Chicago and Indy . Defense was optional in a handful of cases throughout the NFL in Week 8. The Jets and Packers both gave up more than 40 points, but the Bears and Colts made those two efforts look no worse than pedestrian. Chicago watched New England exceed the century mark in a 51-24 blowout, and Indianapolis did the same in a 51-34 loss to Pittsburgh. The Bears allowed 31 points in the second quarter alone (one of the Patriots' touchdowns, at least, was of the defensive variety). The Colts surrendered 639 yards of a total offense-to a team that was not a likely candidate to rack up 639 yards of total offense. Indy is a +700 third choice to win the AFC Championship.

Hugh Freeze . Last Saturday night's showdown between Ole Miss and LSU was a classic case of a player making a coach look really, really bad. With the Rebels trailing 10-7 and having been knocked back to the 30-yard line by a delay of game penalty, Freeze decided to run one more play with nine seconds left in an attempt to get more yards prior to a possible game-tying field goal. Why? Well, a 47-yarder would have been the kicker's career long. Moreover, nine seconds should be more than enough to throw either a pass for a first down, a quick strike to the sideline, or launch one way out of bounds if under duress. That's surely what quarterback Bo Wallace-a senior who should have been able to execute one of those tasks-was instructed to do. Instead, he threw an interception and Ole Miss suffered its first loss of 2014 in borderline inexplicable fashion. The Rebels are +850 to win the National Championship; Alabama is a +600 favorite.

Kansas City Royals . The Royals had won two straight games (and 10 of 11 overall in the playoffs), led the World Series 2-1 over San Francisco, and were up 4-1 in Game 4 last Saturday evening. Barely more than 24 hours later, they found themselves trailing 3-2 and needing to win two consecutive contests in Kansas City in order to lift the trophy. Ned Yost's club gave up 10 unanswered runs on Saturday before being befuddled by Madison Bumgarner-again-on Sunday. In 16 innings against Bumgarner during this Fall Classic, the Royals have seven hits and one run while being mowed down 13 times. The Giants are -260 to win the series.

Steve Nash . The Lakers' injury woes went from bad to worse last Thursday when Nash was ruled out for the season due to recurring nerve damage in his back. That likely means the end of an incredible career for the 40-year-old, although nothing is official at this point. By all accounts, including those of teammate Kobe Bryant and Mavericks' star Dirk Nowitzki, Nash had been a man on a mission this summer to get healthy and ready for the 2014 campaign. Alas, it was not to be. If this really is the finish line for the Canadian, he will go down as an eight-time all-star and two-time NBA MVP. L.A.'s "over/under" win total for the upcoming season is 30.5.

FC Barcelona . Barcelona is undefeated in La Liga no more. The Blues certainly got off to a strong enough start last Saturday in the latest installment of El Clasico, but they did not come close to hanging on. After Neymar's tally in the fourth minute, Real Madrid treated its home fans to three unanswered goals-including a successful penalty kick by Cristiano Ronaldo. Barca is now tied atop the table with Sevilla FC with 22 points, a mere one point ahead of Real through nine games. Barcelona is a -120 favorite to win the league title; Real Madrid is +110.

Kevin Harvick . Dale Earnhardt Jr. winning-which is exactly what happened in Martinsville-is good for NASCAR. So are the occasional driver feuds. Sunday's race had a little bit of everything, with Harvick getting wrecked by Matt Kenseth before Earnhart Jr. snagged the checkered flag. After that collision around the midway point, Harvick returned to the track 40 laps down and finished 33^rd. "Yeah, he won't win this championship," he said of Kenseth. "If we don't, he won't." It sounds like some retaliation could be in store! Harvick likely has to win one of the next two races in order to stay in the Chase for the Sprint Cup heading into the finale at Homestead. Jeff Gordon is a +200 favorite to win the championship.

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