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Yeah, the NFL kinda stinks these days.

The NFL this week is all about games with 12-6, 9-3 or 13-9 final scores; journeyman quarterbacks executing vanilla offenses that go nowhere; rookie kickers missing field goals; turnovers, penalties, blowouts and $100 parking spots. It's a mess.

Watching this weekend's action reminded me of the old joke about the optimist locked in a room full of manure. Undaunted by his stinky surroundings, he began digging and burrowing through the stuff. His reasoning? "With all this crap, there has to be a pony!”

Enjoying the NFL these days is all about finding that pony. Rainbow Dash and her friends are buried in the action somewhere. You just have to keep looking.

With that in mind, let's stop griping about having to watch Mike Glennon and take a moment to enjoy these five bright spots from Sunday's action:

Great Defenses: Low-scoring games can be slogs, and some teams are so terrible that they can make an average defense look like the 1985 Bears. But the Ravens and Panthers defenses look dominant after two games, while the Chiefs and Broncos can win with defense while also occasionally scoring points. And though Seahawks games are increasingly like tax audits, at least the team is staying on brand.

Beast Mode Redux: Marshawn Lynch was just a supporting character in the Raiders' 45-point explosion against the Jets, rushing for 45 yards and his first Raiders touchdown. But Lynch provided some Beast Mode memories on a few runs, caught the Jets off guard as the pitch man on a flea-flicker (granted, it's hard to catch the Jets on guard) and danced Raiders fans into a frenzy after Michael Crabtree's third touchdown catch. More than ever, the NFL needs its most compelling running back/cheerleader/iconoclast/folk hero.

Kareem Hunt: The Chiefs rookie running back followed up on his sensational debut with 81 yards and two rugged touchdowns against the Eagles. He's the cure for the early-season NFL blahs: a small-school Cinderella who is easy to root for and can light up the highlight reel with power, speed, moves, runs and receptions.

Patriots precision: Tom Brady scrambled up the middle with 16 seconds left in the first half and no timeouts to get the Patriots in chip-shot range. Brady leapt to his feet and hustled off the field. The offensive line waltzed to the new line of scrimmage in formation, the rest of the kicking unit looked like an aerial stunt team positioning itself with zero margin for error and Stephen Gostkowski nailed the kick as time expired. At least someone is still sweating the small stuff.

Parity: That said, the Patriots look more vulnerable than usual, even after blowing out the Saints. The Cowboys took it on the chin against the Broncos. The Steelers look flat. The NFL is up for grabs at the moment, so while your home team may look terrible, it is not necessarily out of the running (unless it is part of the Tank Brigade. Are you still having fun, Jets fans?)

End-Zone Celebrations: Falcons lineman Andy Levitre can make a basketball hoop out of his arms so Devonta Freeman can shoot a free throw after a touchdown without a 15-yard penalty or the breakdown of society. Just think what the Bengals might dream up by the time they finally score a touchdown!

Shorter Games: NASCAR-style commercial breaks and other measures to quicken the pace of games have had a clear effect. Most noticeably, bad games now usually clock in under three hours (Buccaneers-Bears came in at a crisp 2:55, for instance) instead of lingering because of endless punts and long breaks after meaningless late touchdowns.

Of course, complimenting bad games for being short is like praising a restaurant for serving bad food in smaller portions, or being happy that you were locked into a small room full of manure. But until the NFL figures out how to keep things lively again, at least it can keep things moving.