It's still early, but Tony Romo's absence in Week 9 could end up impacting home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. With the conference's best record at stake in a showdown between 6-1 Arizona and 6-2 Dallas, Romo missed the game due to a back injury, and the Cowboys lost for the second time in as many weeks. The Chargers lost in far more embarrassing fashion despite having their quarterback on the field. They, too, are suddenly mired in a losing streak after a hot start.

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Tony Romo . Romo returned late in Dallas' Week 8 loss to Washington despite literally breaking his back. He suffered two minor fractures (if there is such a thing as "minor" involving a fractured back) and was unable to go on Sunday against the Cardinals. Enter Brandon Weeden, who started in Romo's place and completed only 18 of 33 passes for 183 yards and one touchdown while being picked off twice in the Cowboys' 28-17 setback. Dallas is off in Week 11 after its upcoming game at Jacksonville, so it would make sense for Romo to sit out one more contest. After Sunday's performance, however, owner Jerry Jones may not allow it regardless of his quarterback's condition. The 'Boys are +180 to win the NFC East.

Philip Rivers . What happened to the Chargers? They had won five in a row to post a 5-1 record through six games and put Rivers in the MVP discussion. Now they have the lost three games in succession and would not be in the playoffs if the season ended today. Things went from bad to worse (much, much worse) on Sunday, when San Diego got blown out 37-0 at Miami. Rivers was a shockingly horrendous 12-of-23 for 138 yards, no touchdowns, and three interceptions. He also lost a fumble. From Week 2 through Week 6, the veteran QB had 14 touchdowns compared to just one interception. In the past three weeks, he has had five TDs and six INTs. Rivers is +5000 to win NFL MVP.

Ole Miss . Losing when you're in tying field-goal range and your quarterback throws an ill-advised, game-ending interception is one thing. How the Rebels lost last weekend is another thing altogether. In a virtual must-win situation for both Ole Miss and Auburn, the Rebels fumbled inside their opponent's 10-yard twice in the last five minutes while trailing 35-31. The second came when Laquon Treadwell had apparently gone in for a go-ahead touchdown. Instead, he not only fumbled just before reaching the goal-line but also suffered a nasty broken leg. Auburn recovered the ball, and it was all but over. Can Ole Miss recover from a loss so devastating? We'll see…. It is +1200 to win the SEC Championship.

L.A. Lakers . The Lakers are the worst team in the NBA. That is probably an opinion shared by many basketball fans; it is also a fact-at least for the time being. Take a gander at the overall league standings and you will find L.A. at the very bottom, without company from even one other team. Kobe Bryant and friends are 0-4 and giving up a ridiculous 118 points per game (no other team is allowing more than 106 per contest). They have lost games by 18, 20, and 23 points in addition to a seven-point setback against the in-city rival Clippers. The Lakers also lost Julius Randle for the season to a broken leg, which he sustained on opening night.

Kansas City Royals . The Royals should be getting over their World Series loss by now and realizing how much they accomplished throughout the season, but to come so close to finishing off a remarkable playoff run has to have some lasting pain. Kansas City won its first eight playoff games then forced a Game 7 against San Francisco with a 10-0 win last Tuesday. The home team almost forced extra innings in the decider, but Madison Bumgarner (who else?) stranded the Royals' potential tying run on third base in the bottom of the ninth. K.C. is +1800 to win the 2015 World Series; the Dodgers and Nationals are +700 co-favorites.

Manchester United . Man United is used to losing these days, but losses to rival Manchester City always hurt regardless of the circumstances. For the first time in 44 years, City has won the Manchester Derby on four straight occasions after battling past the Red Devils 1-0 on Sunday. Man U had to play with 10 men most of the way because Chris Smalling was sent off for two yellow cards in the first half, and the Sky Blues eventually capitalized in the form of Sergio Aguero's goal in the 63^rd minute. United is now tied for ninth on the Premier League table with 13 points, a mere half the total of league-leading Chelsea. Man City is a -270 favorite over Queens Park Rangers this week.

Jeff Gordon . This new Chase of the Sprint Cup format sure is igniting tempers. What is great for fans wasn't good for Gordon and Brad Keselowski on Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway. With five laps remaining in the AAA Texas 500, Keselowski attempted a pass on Gordon, and the two cars collided. The Rainbow Warrior got by far the worst of it, finishing 29^th, while Keselowski went mostly unscathed and came in third. An all-out melee complete with fisticuffs and blood ensued on pit road after the race. Both men are in danger of being eliminated from title contention prior to the finale in Homestead. Gordon is still a +350 favorite to win the Sprint Cup.

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