But that's 'cause you've earned a lot of credibility with me over 20 years. Not many fans get that sort of cred with me.

I mean, sure. In an extreme case, a win loses some luster if the opposition is wrecked with injuries. The conditions surely call for adjusted assessment afterwards.

But then wounded teams do rise up and bite the unwary. I've seen a lot of Ram teams fall to a depleted opponent. It is the NFL and you still have to do the business.

And in the end, what matters is the W. Al Davis proved that long, long ago. Only fans of losing teams remember: Hey! Stud X was out. We woulda won ...

Right now, we need Ws in our race with AZ, DAL, TB, and GB. I'll happily take a chance to face TEN without their best weapon against our weakness.