The Thursday night game between the Patriots and Jets was a quarterback-friendly, overtime shootout. The kind of game fantasy owners dream of, unless of course they were part of the faction that watched New England quarterback Matt Cassel’s 400 yards and three touchdowns waste away on their bench. Brett Favre, meanwhile, had the far better game in reality, efficiently completing 26-of-33 passes for 258 yards and two touchdowns in a 34-31 overtime win.

For football fans and Bill Belichick bashers, there was more joy in reality than in fantasy Thursday night. For fantasy owners with enough reason to put Cassel in their starting lineups, there was plenty of joy in a breakout performance that went into the NFL record books. In addition to monster passing numbers, Cassel rushed for 62 yards and became the first quarterback in league history to accumulate 400 passing yards and 60 rushing yards in a game.

Cassel’s skills and limitations were on full display in the OT loss. As New England fell behind, the burden was on him to lead the Patriots back, and he did. Cassel threw touchdown passes to three different receivers, highlighted by a game-tying, bullseye throw to Randy Moss with one second left in regulation.

What we also saw was Cassel’s inability to throw the deep ball. And that’s OK, as far as his fantasy value is concerned, but it’s what has prevented Moss from being an elite wide receiver in 2008.

Where Tom Brady could get the ball downfield at will, Cassel has been forced to move the chains more gradually and focus on Wes Welker, Jabar Gaffney and Benjamin Watson. Those were his three top targets on Thursday, while Moss caught just three passes for 26 yards.

We’ll have to see if there is a formula here for more monster performances by Cassel. The Jets can stuff the run, which forced the Patriots to attempt twice as many passes (50) as runs (25). A new team and a new gameplan could just as easily put the ball in the hands of Sammy Morris, Kevin Faulk and BenJarvus Green-Ellis.

Depending on league scoring systems, Cassel’s Thursday night performance stacks up favorably against any other quarterback so far in 2008. Here are the top five, according to our calculations.

1.) Brett Favre, New York Jets - 289 yards and 6 TDs vs. Arizona
No quarterback has come close to matching the huge touchdown number this season. Only Denver’s Jay Cutler has a 4-TD game under his belt, making Favre’s 6-TD effort by far the most impressive of the year. And by the way, it came against a playoff caliber Cardinals team.

2.) Matt Cassel, New England Patriots - 400 yards and 3 TDs, 62 rushing yards vs. NY Jets
Rushing yards put him over the top, making Cassel’s big effort the most valuable in fantasy football since Favre in Week 4. It’s worth mentioning here that two of our top three quarterback performances have come in the first two weeks of Thursday Night Football on NFL Network.

3.) Jay Cutler, Denver Broncos - 447 yards and 3 TDs at Cleveland
Entering the fourth quarter of this one, Cutler had 242 passing yards and no scores, but dramatically changed his team’s fortunes by torching the Browns in a comeback win. His 447 yards are a single-game season-high so far in ‘08.

4.) Jay Cutler, Denver Broncos - 350 yards and 4 TDs vs. San Diego
Both sides of this shootout make the list, but Cutler got the better end of it after a botched call set up his fourth touchdown pass. The Broncos won 39-38 in the final seconds after referee Ed Hochuli missed a Cutler fumble, then Denver gambled, went for two, and walked away with a controversial road win.

5.) Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers - 377 yards and 3 TDs at Denver
Rivers and the Chargers faced 21-3 and 31-17 deficits in the second quarter, but they came back to take their first lead with 4:22 remaining in the game. All three of Rivers’ scores came in the final 33 minutes, and he threw for 377 yards on just 33 attempts.

On the flip side, there have been some brutal performances thus far. Here’s a look at the worst of the worst.

1.) Jake Delhomme, Carolina Panthers - 7/27, 72 yards, 1 TD, 4 INTs at Oakland
This was an absolutely miserable performance in Oakland, but the funny thing is, Carolina still won! Consider that an indictment of the Raiders’ franchise and a testament to Carolina and head coach John Fox.

2.) Carson Palmer, Cincinnati Bengals - 16/27, 134 yards, 0 TDs, 2 INTs vs. Tennessee
There have technically been worse fantasy performances than this one, and I suppose Palmer gets a pass because he faced the Titans’ dominant defense. But, at this point in the year, Palmer was expected to be a frontline fantasy starter. This one sealed his fate as a bust, even before he was struck by an elbow injury.

3.) JaMarcus Russell, Oakland Raiders - 6/19, 31 yards, 0 TDs, 1 INT vs. Atlanta
While he had just one turnover, Russell was completely inept passing against the NFL’s 21st-ranked pass defense. He was 2-for-7 for just nine yards and took three sacks in the first half, before “exploding” for 28 yards in the second. Russell completed just one pass to a wide receiver, a 7-yard strike to Javon Walker in garbage time.

4.) Brad Johnson, Dallas Cowboys - 5/11, 72 yards, 0 TDs, 2 INTs at NY Giants
The line speaks for itself, but Johnson actually had Cowboys fans clamoring for third stringer Brooks Bollinger. They got their wish as Johnson exited early having accumlated (-2) fantasy points.

5.) Marc Bulger, St. Louis Rams - 6/13, 65 yards, 0 TDs, 1 INT at NY Jets
Against the same Jets defense that allowed 400 yards passing to Matt Cassel Thursday, Bulger could not muster any offense and was benched in favor of Trent Green. He threw one pick and fumbled once, and the Rams were steamrolled 47-3.

Some housekeeping …

Two star running backs are expected to sit this week in Washington’s Clinton Portis and St. Louis’ Steven Jackson. While Jackson shouldn’t come as a surprise - he has missed two of the last three games with a thigh injury - Portis does with a sprained knee that failed to improve during Washington’s bye week. Look for Antonio Pittman and Ladell Betts to fill in for Jackson and Portis, respectively. Only Betts would be a recommended start, but he comes with a risk as Washington plays in the Sunday night game. …

Javon Walker is expected to undergo season-ending ankle surgery, according to the Oakland Tribune. According to our calculations, owner Al Davis got a grand total of 15 catches and countless defensive lapses from free agent signees Walker and DeAngelo Hall this season. …

Can we please cool off these Kerry Collins for MVP talks? Yes, the Titans are undefeated and towering above the AFC, but the man has five touchdown passes this season. One rule of thumb for MVP voting: if a candidate has fewer touchdowns in a season than another player has in a single game (Brett Favre, 6), he should be ruled out. If it’s any consolation, Collins would win our Most Valuable Game Manager (MVGM) award. …

Detroit Lions coach Rod Marinelli is getting desperate for a first win. He brings in Daunte Culpepper, starts him on about eight minutes of practice time, uses backup Drew Stanton in a gimmicky goal-line role, then reverses course and declares Kevin Smith his No. 1 running back again. All these changes, and the one most needed - his being fired - has yet to be made. …

Earnest Graham is dinged up, Warrick Dunn is old and fragile, and Carnell “Cadillac” Williams is set to play for the first time in a year. The most interesting days are still ahead for Tampa Bay’s backfield. …

Tom Brady’s season-ending knee surgery drew the most headlines, but the Patriots have suffered a plethora of devastating injuries this season. Adalius Thomas, Rodney Harrison, Tank Williams, Barrett Ruud and Laurence Maroney are done for the year; LaMont Jordan and Sammy Morris have missed multiple games; and Ty Warren just missed Thursday night’s loss to the Jets. Those types of injuries would have crippled most teams, but the Pats keep marching on.