As we do each Monday, here are our exclusive Game Recaps where we sit a couple of our guys down in front of every NFL game to pull out the important items you need to know from a Fantasy Football standpoint.

We try to go way beyond what the box score or standard game recaps will offer and bring you what you really Need to Know and what you Ought to Know. Let's jump to it.

Joe

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Joe Bryant
Owner - www.Footballguys.com

WEEK 10 GAME RECAPS

Footballguys Game Recap Writers: Mike Anderson, Bill Brown, Michael Brown, Jeff Caldwell, Stan Dorsey, Cathy Fazio, Rich Fix, Mike Flynn, Bradley Gabbard, Cory Gilbert, Clayton Gray, Tracy Hackler, A. Jalen, Alex Knapik, Mike Krucek Jeff Lewis, Scott Martin, Allen Matirossian, Dave Oleyar, Jeff Pasquino, Greg Porzucek, Steve Prosapio, Steve Schone, David Shick, Jeff Siedsma, Mark Strickland, Dave Teller, Michael Tudor, Kerry Walls, Mark Westmyer, Todd Young

Edited by Joe Bryant

Atlanta Falcons 27 at New York Giants 7

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Atlanta Falcons

RB Warrick Dunn broke a 45-yard touchdown run on Atlanta's first possession, and he never looked back. Dunn showed his trademark patience, often dancing around behind the line before busting through a hole for a big gain. Dunn also showed a power element to his game, breaking several tackles during his touchdown run and also throughout the afternoon. Dunn totaled 25 carries for 178 yards and a touchdown and WAS the Atlanta offense.

QB Kurt Kittner wasn't asked to do too much, and he responded by not doing too much. While Dunn was chewing up the Giants' run defense, Kittner basically took what the defense gave him. He finished with a pedestrian 9-23 for a meager 65 yards and a touchdown. He nearly had another touchdown on a scramble up the middle, but was tackled at the 2-yard line.

RB T.J. Duckett did not start, but he made his presence felt with two big touchdown runs. He came in on goal line situations and plunged in for his first score from a yard out. On his second touchdown, he rumbled outside and took it through a gaping hole for a 12-yard score, going untouched on the play.

WR Peerless Price continues to disappoint fantasy owners. He had just 3 receptions for 37 yards and dropped several very catchable balls, including several deep passes.

Dan Reeves recorded the 200th win of his NFL coaching career, becoming just the 7th man to do so.

New York Giants

Turnovers plagued the Giants in a big way. Four times, the Giants gave the ball away, and it could have been even worse. Kerry Collins was intercepted twice, including once in the end zone. RB Tiki Barber fumbled twice, including once at the Atlanta 5-yard line late in the game.

It's not often that a player can have a terrible game on the day he becomes his team's all-time leading receiver, goes over 10,000 all-purpose yards for his career, and gains 158 yards from scrimmage. But that's just what Tiki Barber did today. Milestones aside, it was his two costly fumbles that really killed the Giants. His runs chewed up yardage all day, including a season-long 27-yard scamper. He also added 10 receptions for good measure. But it was his fumbling---again---that doomed New York.

TE Jeremy Shockey was fairly quiet, catching just 3 balls for 46 yards. More importantly for New York and fantasy owners was that Shockey apparently sprained his knee and limped off the field late in the contest. He even left the playing area to go into the locker room and did not return.

WHAT OUT OUGHT TO KNOW

Atlanta Falcons

QB: Kurt Kittner didn't make any big mistakes, and that's about the best thing you can say about his performance. He was just 9-23 for 65 yards and a touchdown pass. More importantly for Atlanta was the fact that he did not turn the ball over once. It should be noted that early on, there were three separate occasions on which Kittner could have been picked, but Giants defensive players couldn't make the play. Kittner's numbers could have been much better had it not been for a number of dropped deep balls by Peerless Price. Kittner also nearly managed a rushing touchdown when he took off up the middle from the 5-yard line but was tackled down at the 2. Kittner lost 18 yards passing on a tripping penalty.

RB: Warrick Dunn was the story for Atlanta. He rolled right from the outset, taking a run up the right side all the way to the end zone for a 45-yard score. On the run, he broke several tackles and fought off a tackle at the goal line to muscle his way in. Dunn's other carries weren't too shabby, either, as he totaled 178 yards on 25 carries for the game. He lost about 10 total yards due to holding penalties. Dunn added one reception for negative two yards. He came out of the game on goal line and close red zone situations for…

RB T.J. Duckett, who chipped in with 2 touchdowns of his own. Duckett carried 7 times for 33 yards and those 2 scores, with his second touchdown officially putting the game away at 27-7.

FB Justin Griffith caught a 4-yard touchdown pass from Kittner. It was a situation where the Falcons seemingly decided to go to the one guy New York would never think would get the ball in that situation, and he sat wide open in the middle of the field.

WR: Peerless Price had another disappointing day. He caught just 3 balls for 37 yards, and dropped nearly as many passes as he caught. On two separate occasions, Price could have picked up significant yardage only to have the ball go through his hands (and, on one pass, hit him in the facemask). Price received by far the most looks (9), but did not do much with them. He lost 18 receiving yards on a tripping penalty.

Brian Finneran was the definition of a non-factor, with one catch for 5 yards.

TE: Alge Crumpler has seen his role decrease more and more as the weeks have gone on, and today was no exception. He caught just 2 passes for a mere 21 yards, and was not thrown to in the entire second half.

Pass Defense: The Falcons employed an interesting strategy, choosing to rush just three linemen all game while dropping 7 or 8 players into pass coverage. When questioned about it, defensive coordinator Wade Phillips said simply, "We have to". There was no other way Atlanta could have contained all of the weapons the Giants have, and the strategy worked to perfection. Despite looking tired late in the game, the 3-man rush did a fine job in applying pressure on Collins. One play in particular was a fantastic call by the coaches. They blitzed Collins earlier in the game to get a read on what he might do in the event of a blitz. Keeping this in mind, they blitzed late in the contest and rotated the defense to where they thought Collins might check down. Atlanta pinpointed the exact location, and Tod McBride jumped the route, intercepting the pass.

Run Defense: They couldn't really do much about Tiki Barber running all over the place, and the Giants totaled 124 yards on 19 carries for the contest. Luckily for the Falcons, they got out to a lead in the second half so Barber's carries were few and far between as the Giants tried to catch up. LB Keith Brooking came up slowly after several plays, which is understandable since he is playing with broken vertebrae in his back.

Special Teams: Kicker Jay Feely had an extra point blocked, and then kicked the ensuing kickoff out of bounds.

New York Giants

QB: For all the good being said about Kerry Collins lately, this was not one of his better days. Collins finished up 25-40 for 202 yards, 0 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. He made terrible reads all day long, and was lucky to have only been picked off twice. Just before halftime, the Giants were driving downfield and were already in field goal range when Collins tried forcing a pass to the back of the end zone to Tim Carter. Result: interception. There were two other occasions besides this play where Collins nearly was picked off, but Atlanta couldn't hold onto the ball. Collins also fumbled once but it was recovered by New York. Then, in the fourth quarter with the Giants driving to make it a one-possession game, Collins was intercepted for what would have been the third time. However, he was bailed out when the refs called a "ticky-tack" illegal contact penalty on the Falcons. On the Giants last-gasp drive, Collins nearly threw another interception on a 4th and 5 play that, for all intents and purposes, ended the game. Collins earlier lost 12 yards passing on a penalty. Finally, though it might not directly impact his fantasy numbers, Collins still appears to frequently throw off of his back foot, a problem that has surfaced this season and causes many passes to be underthrown.

RB: Tiki Barber gained 120 yards on 16 carries, and added another 38 yards on a whopping 10 receptions. He went over 10,000 all-purpose yards for his career. He also became the Giants all-time leading receiver. Yet Tiki Barber had an awful day, especially from a fantasy perspective. For one, he did not register a touchdown, as Dorsey Levens came in at the goal line and hawked his second short-yardage touchdown in as many weeks. In addition, Barber had two costly fumbles, one of which came at the 5-yard line as the Giants were trying to make it a one-possession game. His earlier fumble can be excused because he was basically down but happened to be lying on top of an Atlanta defender when the ball popped loose. Following that fumble, Barber stayed in the game and got nearly all of the carries for New York, so Fassel did not lose faith in him. Barber lost a good 20-25 total yards on plays being called back due to penalties.

Dorsey Levens came in on the goal line situation for New York, and for the second consecutive week, produced a touchdown.

WR: Amani Toomer was quiet, with just 4 receptions for 33 yards. He did, however, become the first New York Giant to go over 6,000 yards for his career.

Ike Hilliard split time with Tim Carter for much of the afternoon. Hilliard had just 18 yards on 2 receptions, and came up limping after one play in particular, but stayed in the game. Hilliard could have had a big gain on a play down the seam, but he dropped the pass.

Tim Carter caught 4 balls for a game-high 56 yards, including a remarkable 21-yard reception on 3rd and 17 early in the contest. Carter was targeted throughout the contest, including once in the end zone (Collins interception). Carter was also the target on Collins' other interception.

TE: Jeremy Shockey started off slowly (what else is new?), and wasn't even thrown a pass until 4 minutes into the second quarter, but started emerging after that. Later on that drive, he took a pass down to the 2-yard line, where he was dragged down from behind. That led to the Levens TD. Shockey appeared to bruise his elbow, but was fine and returned to the game. In the fourth quarter, Shockey made a fantastic fingertip catch over the middle and limped off the field immediately afterwards. He returned to the game, only to leave again for good three plays later. He was seen leaving the field and heading off to the locker room midway through the fourth quarter, and did not return.

Pass Defense: They weren't really tested too often in this phase of the game, but when they were, they handled the challenge. About the only negative one can say is that they had just one sack, and it was a fairly meaningless one by Michael Strahan. Strahan had earlier been poked in the eye, but returned to action and was fine for the rest of the game. CB Ralph Brown was hurt late in the game, and no update was given on his condition. Earlier, DB Ryan Clark landed on his head following a tackle and remained on the ground for several moments, but was moving.

Run Defense: This is where the Giants were absolutely shredded. Warrick Dunn had a field day with New York, as he and partner T.J. Duckett combined for over 200 yards and 3 touchdowns. William Joseph was a particular culprit on several of Dunn's bigger runs, but he was by no means alone in his futility.

Chicago Bears 10 at Detroit Lions 12

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears' loss to the Detroit Lions was a virtual punt fest, as both teams combined to punt 13 times. The Bears defense was strong holding the Lions to only 17 yards rushing and keeping them out of the end zone. But it just wasn't enough for the win as the Bears offense came up short.

Uncharacteristically, Paul Edinger missed two field goals. And it was those misses that ultimately cost the Bears their loss to the Lions. The Lions blocked Edinger's first attempt. His second attempt for 41 yards went wide left.

Chris Chandler finished the game with 16 completions on 28 attempts for a total of 149 yards. His passing was inaccurate throughout the game and he overthrew his receivers a number of times. During the third quarter, Chandler connected right over the middle with TE Desmond Clark for a 12-yard touchdown pass, which ended up being the only touchdown scored by either team.

Marty Booker led a fairly pathetic receiving corps for the Bears with 4 receptions for 36 yards. The Bears' receivers of Booker, Dez White, David Terrell, and Justin Gage combined for 84 of Chandler's 149 total passing yards.

Anthony Thomas was really not a focus of the game plan during the first half, and though he played a larger role in the second half, he finished with only 61 yards rushing.

Detroit Lions

Jason Hanson scored the only points for the Lions in their ugly win over the Chicago Bears. Hanson made 4 field goals, the longest for 48 yards.

Joey Harrington grew more confident as the game progressed and completed 24 of his 38 attempts for 238 yards, though the Bears' defense kept the Lions out of the end zone. Late in the fourth quarter with the game on the line, Harrington orchestrated a drive culminating with the game winning field goal by completing 5 out of 6 passes, starting with a deep 18-yard pass to Az-Zahir Hakim.

The Lions' rushing game was completely awful. Reggie Swinton, a WR was the leading rusher as he rushed for 9 yards on an end around. Shawn Bryson rushed for 8 yards on 10 attempts. Rookie RB Avon Cobourne contributed 4 yards on 6 attempts. And Olandis Gary was inexplicably missing from the game after he rushed for a negative 2 yards on 1 attempt during the first quarter. There was no indication that he had been injured, he simply did not play the rest of the game.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Chicago Bears

QB: Chris Chandler (16-28-149, 1 TD, 1 Int, 1-2 rushing) Chandler was ineffective throughout the game, consistently overthrowing his wide receivers. He spread the ball throughout the Bears' offense not honing in on a primary target. In the third quarter, he led the Bears downfield completing his longest pass of the day for 23 yards to Marty Booker. Then with protection from the Bears' offensive line, Chandler took his time and threw a sharp pass over the middle to TE Desmond Clark for a touchdown. With 32 seconds left in the game, Chandler dashed any Bears' hopes for a comeback by throwing an interception, the pass thrown too high for Justin Gage, his intended receiver.

RB: Anthony Thomas (21-61 rushing) The Bears did not make giving Thomas the ball a priority in the first half, giving him the ball 6 times on which he rushed for 14 total yards. During the second half, Thomas was a bigger part of the game plan and he responded fairly well, but only finished the game with 61 yards total rushing. Thomas was the most effective in his rushing when he would carry the ball straight up the middle.

WR: Marty Booker (4-36 receiving on 6 targets) Marty Booker returned from injury to play for the Bears this week. He made a key 23-yard reception right over the middle during the Bears' lone touchdown drive. The rest of his receptions were on short screen passes from Chandler.

Dez White (2-18 receiving on 6 targets) Dez White was only able to come up with 2 completions though he was targeted 6 times. He had one of his targets broken up by Boss Bailey. White made a short 5-yard catch in the second quarter. But on a later target that was thrown incomplete, White was called for offensive pass interference.

Justin Gage (1-16 on 3 targets) After having a pass broken up by Boss Bailey, rookie Justin Gage was able get wide open and make his lone reception of 16-yards to gain a first down for the Bears. Gage was the target for Chandler's interception in the last seconds of the game.

David Terrell (2-14 on 3 targets) Terrell's contributions were minimal as he came up with only 14 yards on his 2 completions.

TE: Desmond Clark (4-39, 1 TD receiving on 7 targets) Desmond Clark led the Bears' receivers with his 39 yards though he wasn't even targeted until the second quarter. Clark made a sharp 12-yard catch over the middle during the third quarter and scored the only touchdown of the game.

Dustin Lyman (1-8 receiving on 2 targets) Lyman saw his two targets early in the game as Desmond Clark was worked back into the game plan.

K: Paul Edinger (1-3 FG, 44-yard, 1-1 XP) Paul Edinger converted his field goal attempt of 44 yards, but had a second 48-yard attempt blocked by the Lions. Later in the fourth quarter, he attempted a 48-yard field goal but the ball went wide left. Both misses proved extremely costly as the Bears lost by only 2 points.

Pass Defense: The Bears gave up 238 yards passing to Joey Harrington but they kept the Lions out of the end zone. They were able to get adequate pressure on Harrington and batted down a couple of his passes. Alex Brown forced a fumble on Harrington, but the Lions recovered the ball.

Rush Defense: The Bears' rush defense was strong and held to Lions to a measly 17 yards total rushing. Shawn Bryson was completely stuffed and the longest rush from a Lions' running back was only 6 yards.

Detroit Lions

QB: Joey Harrington (24-38-238) During the Lions' opening drive, Harrington overthrew Shawn Jefferson. And then he had to take a time out because he wasn't set before the play clock was about to run out. But Harrington grew more confident as the game wore on. Harrington's offensive line gave him time to make reads and the Lions receivers helped him out by only dropping 4 passes this week as compared to many others in previous games. He completed an 18-yard pass to Az-Zahir Hakim late in the fourth quarter, and then completed 4 short passes in a row to set up the game winning field goal.

RB: Shawn Bryson (10-8 rushing, 5-33 receiving on 7 targets) While Bryson was a vital part of the Lions' passing game and caught 5 passes for 33 yards, his rushing attempts left a great deal to be desired. He only rushed for 8 yards on his 10 attempts. He was either hit at the line of scrimmage or tackled for a loss time after time throughout the game.

Avon Cobourne (6-4 rushing, 0-0 receiving on 2 targets) Rookie RB Cobourne saw more time in this game than he has in previous weeks, but was ineffective in all aspects of his game. He dropped a short screen pass that should have been an easy catch.

Olandis Gary (1 for -2 rushing) Gary was stopped in the backfield on his first and only carry of the game. Inexplicably he did not play the rest of the day, and there was no mention if he had been injured.

WR: Scotty Anderson (5-77 receiving on 8 targets) Finally, a Lions' wide receiver decided to fill the void left by Charles Rogers and his broken collarbone. Anderson led the Lions' receivers with 5 receptions for 77 yards. His first catch was a short 6-yard reception over the middle. Harrington targeted him deep, but the pass went incomplete. In the third quarter, he turned a short catch into a 19-yard gain by breaking tackles. In the fourth quarter, Anderson was able to make a completion off of a tipped pass.

Az-Zahir Hakim (2-26 receiving on 4 targets) Az-Zahir Hakim made an 18-yard catch during the fourth quarter, helping to set up Jason Hanson's game winning field goal.

Bill Schroeder (1-18 receiving on 2 targets) Schroeder dropped a pass in the second quarter of the game. This has been a problem for all of the Lions receivers as they lead the NFL with dropped passes. Schroeder made his one and only catch during the fourth quarter to gain a first down for the Lions.

Shawn Jefferson (1-7 receiving on 2 targets) After making a 7-yard reception during the Lions' first drive of the game, Shawn Jefferson left the game with a knee injury and did not return.

TE: Casey Fitzsimmons (5-33 receiving on 8 targets) Fitzsimmons once again got the start over the inconsistent Mikhael Ricks. He made a short 4-yard catch for the Lions during their opening drive. In the second quarter, he made a 17-yard catch down the middle setting up a Jason Hanson field goal.

K: Jason Hanson (4-4 FG, 24 yd, 25 yd, 30 yd, 48 yd) Hanson scored the only points of the game for the Lions, successfully making all of the field goals he attempted.

Pass Defense: The Lions defense held Chris Chandler to only 149 yards passing. Boss Bailey played impressively as a rookie, breaking up passes intended for Dez White, Justin Gage, Marty Booker and Desmond Clark. Corey Harris intercepted Chris Chandler late in the fourth quarter, bringing the game to an end. They were also able to sack Chris Chandler twice, forcing the Bears to punt.

Rush Defense: Anthony Thomas was held to only 61 yards rushing by the Lions defense. Considering how effective Thomas had been in recent weeks, this was a great performance.

Buffalo Bills 6 at Dallas Cowboys 10

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Buffalo Bills

The Bills offense continues to go nowhere when they play road games. They managed a total of 204 yards total offense against a strong Dallas defense. The only bright spot was Travis Henry somehow finding 80 yards on 21 carries. Other than that, no player had any sort of decent statistical game.

Quarterback Drew Bledsoe struggled again against a former coach. He wasn't intercepted, but only threw for 104 yards and lost two fumbles.

The semi bright spot for Buffalo was running back Travis Henry as he ran hard and managed 80 yards on 21 carries. He did lose carries to Sammy Morris though.

Dallas Cowboys

The big news was the surprising effectiveness of recent Dallas pick-up Adrian Murrell. Not only did he lead the Cowboys with 76 yards on the ground, but he also got the ball 16 times to Troy Hambrick's 13. If Murrell is available in your league, he may be worth a shot.

As bad as Buffalo's offense was, the Cowboys offense did their best to match Bill's futility. Dallas ended up out-gaining Buffalo 236-185. Yes, those are total net offensive yard numbers…

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Buffalo Bills

QB: Drew Bledsoe (17-34/104/0/0) played poorly. 104 yards on 34 attempts is hard to figure and is a big reason Buffalo punted the ball 9 times on the day. His longest pass play went for 18 yards on a 3rd down screen pass to RB Sammy Morris. Other than that screen, no pass play went for more than 11 yards. This is a game to forget for Bledsoe owners. He also hurt his team by fumbling twice.

RB: Travis Henry (21-80) was the lone bright spot for the Bills. He broke off several 7-10 yard runs when it looked like there was no daylight to be had. The only down side to Henry is that he came out on most 3rd down plays giving way to Sammy Morris who snuck in 3 carries for 12 yards and 2 catches for 14 more yards.

WR: Eric Moulds led the team with 5 catches for 32 yards. Josh Reed pitched in 4 more receptions for 30 yards. That's 9 catches 62 yards for Buffalo's starting receivers. Bobby Shaw pitched in 2 catches for 8 yards

TE: The most significant contribution came when Travis Henry fumbled on his own 20 yard line and Mark Campbell alertly fell on the ball. Campbell did have 1 catch for 9 yards and Dave Moore caught 2 balls for 13 yards.

K: Rian Lindell hit both his attempts of 41 and 29 yards.

Pass Defense: In a pathetic offensive game, it's necessary to sing the praises of the defenses. Dallas does have three good fast WRs and combined they mustered 6 catches for a speedy 70 yards. Buffalo did a good job of pressuring Quincy Carter and most of the day he was throwing from outside the pocket either because of the rush or by design to avoid it. Because of this, the Bills ended up with only 1 sack.

Rush Defense: Not too good, not too bad. They held starting RB Troy Hambrick to 2 yards per carry, but Adrian Murrell finished with almost 5 yards per carry. They did keep Quincy from any long scrambles.

Dallas Cowboys

QB: Quincy Carter (15-32/116/1TD/0) is coming back down to earth. This is his fifth straight game to throw for less than 200 yards. 116 yards on 32 attempts is just as awful as his more heralded opposing QB, but he'll be the happier player since he didn't turn the ball over and his team won the game.

RB: The story of the game is Adrian Murrell. Out of football for two years when Bill Parcells called him and asked him to come to training camp two weeks before the season. He didn't make the team due to salary cap reasons, but with Troy Hambrick having trouble hanging on to the football, the Cowboys brought him back in last week. Against the Bills, he looked like he never left the game carrying 16 times for 76 yards including a game clinching 17 yard run on 3-8 with 1:09 left in the game allowing the Cowboys to run out the clock and win the game. Troy Hambrick (who questioned why the Cowboys needed to bring in Murrell) was unimpressive gaining 33 yards on 13 carries. Richie Anderson did come back after missing the last game due to injury and caught 3 passes for 15 yards.

WR: The new "Triplets" were held in check by Buffalo. Joey Galloway led the WRs in yards with 30 on 2 catches and Antonio Bryant led the WR's in receptions with 3 (two for 1st downs) and 21 yards. Bryant did barely miss out on a 40 yard catch on the Cowboys first possession, but it was just out of his reach and went off his fingertips. Terry Glenn who has been on fire of late only had 1 catch for 19 yards.

TE: With Buffalo paying a lot of attention to the Cowboys' receivers, quietly the TEs had a good game. Dan Campbell had 3 catches for only 7 yards, but 1 went for a 2 yard TD on a nice play action fake by Carter. Jason Witten also had 3 catches for 24 yards two of which went for 3rd down conversions.

K: Billy Cundiff hit his only official attempt of 51 yards. He also lined up for another 52 yard try in the 4th quarter, but rather than risk losing field position, the Cowboys direct snapped the ball to Cundiff who quick kicked it into the end zone.

Pass Defense: The Cowboys weren't afraid of either the Buffalo WR's or the OL because they blitzed on about 75% of passing situations. It proved successful as Bledsoe never beat them deep. It also led to 3 sacks and 2 Bledsoe Fumbles. The Cowboys showed why the have the NFL's top rated pass defense.

Rush Defense: Not great, but they did keep Travis Henry out of the end zone which is a feat for this season. Henry finished with 80 yards, but half of those came on 4 long runs of 10-12 yards. Take those away and Henry had 16 carries for 37 yards.

Seattle Seahawks 20 at Washington Redskins 27

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Seattle Seahawks

Darrel Jackson's dropped passes are becoming more than just an annoyance. It cost Seattle a chance to tie the game late. A perfectly thrown pass from QB Matt Hasselbeck hit Jackson in the chest on the sideline, but popped out and resulted in an INT ending the game.

QB Matt Hasselbeck continues to play well in spite of his inconsistent WR corps. He made good decisions and was accurate all game long.

RB Shaun Alexander looked quick and nearly hit the century mark (94 yards rushing). He had a decent day, but didn't do anything special. No broken tackles or shifty moves in the open field to speak of.

The Seattle pass rush was non-existent. They didn't come close to knocking down Ramsey all game long. The worst part for Seattle fans is hearing that the Redskins were currently leading the NFL in sacks given up (29).

Washington Redskins

With 6:13 left in the game all knotted up at 20 each, the ol' ball coach (HC Steve Spurrier) opted to go for it on 4th and 1 from the Redskin's own 25-yard line. RB Rock Cartwright gained 1.5 yards to barely pick up the first down. The announcers called it a gutsy move, but had they not made it the Fed-Ex faithful would have been calling for Spurrier's head all week long.

The Washington offensive line afforded QB Patrick Ramsey tons of time in the pocket. He had ample time to survey the field and unload several deep passes for WR Laveranues Coles while WR Rod Gardner mostly worked the underneath patterns.

RB Trung Canidate started and was mostly ineffective. Half of his carries went for 1 yard or less. RB Rock Cartwright saw the extra carries this week and filled in admirably for the injured Ladell Betts. With Cartwright's effectiveness, new running back John Simon never had a chance to get going and he only saw two carries.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Seattle Seahawks

QB: Matt Hasselbeck: (19-29-241 1 TD 1 INT, 1-1 yards rushing) Hasselbeck played well enough to win, but didn't get the help he needed from his offensive line and WRs. He was on target throughout the game. Hasselbeck showed particular poise on Seattle's last possession when LB Lavar Arrington batted the ball out of his hand, but Hasselbeck calmly picked the ball up and still completed a pass. If there was anything he might have improved on, it was holding onto the ball too long. All three Washington sacks came on plays where Hasselbeck had time to the get the ball out, but was enveloped by the rush.

RB: Shaun Alexander: (22-94 yards rushing 1 TD, 0-0 yards receiving on 1 target) Alexander had a typical game for his running style. He broke a few longer runs and had several short runs looking for a hole instead of driving into the pile. Alexander fumbled once in the game, but fell on it quickly. His only passing target came at the end of the game when a screen pass went off his back shoulder. He would have had open field in front of him if the pass were completed along with two lead blockers. Sometimes its better not to know...

Maurice Morris: (3-28 yards rushing, 0-0 yards receiving on 0 targets) Morris was given carries in the first Seattle possession for the second week in a row. He's making great use of his few carries running hard, over, and around tacklers. He looks like he could easily be a starting RB in the NFL. On a negative note, Morris muffed the opening kickoff to set up an easy FG for Washington.

Mack Strong: (2-4 yards rushing, 2-28 yards receiving on 2 targets) Strong saw his normal amount of work with a couple of carries and targets in the passing game. He did set up the Alexander 1-yard TD with a nice run on a screen play.

WR: Koren Robinson: (5-88 yards receiving on 8 targets) QB Matt Hasselbeck targeted Robinson deep twice in the game. This is a change from earlier in the season as Jackson has been the primary deep WR to this point. Robinson made a nice leaping grab to set up the first Seattle score.

Darrell Jackson: (4-41 yards receiving on 8 targets) Jackson dropped his first and last target of the game. The later was intercepted closing the door on a late Seahawk comeback. Jackson was also targeted in the endzone during the second quarter, but was blanketed in coverage. His drops are becoming a serious concern.

Bobby Engram: (6-65 yards receiving 1 TD on 6 targets) Engram scored his TD due to an embarrassing blown coverage by Washington. He was alone in the endzone with no defenders on his side of the field. Engram saw more of the field today because they opted to go with 3 WR sets more often.

TE: Itula Mili: (2-19 yards receiving on 2 targets) Mili's targets both came in the first half. He was used more in blocking schemes than he was in the passing game.

Jeremy Stevens: (0-0 yards receiving on 1 target) Steven's only target came in the first quarter. Seattle went more with 3 WR sets, which puts Stevens on the sideline.

K: Josh Brown: (2-3 FGs: 27 and 48, 2-2 XPs) Brown's missed FG was from 49 yards. It was perfectly straight, but came up about a yard short. He 48-yarder was also right down the middle, but barely cleared the crossbar.

Pass Defense: QB Patrick Ramsey was knocked down once by John Randle late in the game, but went virtually untouched through the rest of the game. Shawn Springs was beat on a slant by WR Rod Gardner on Ramsey's second passing TD. Safeties Hamlin and Tongue were beat deep by WR Laveranues Coles twice, but amazingly Hamlin caught Coles from behind. Seattle did try to blitz more in the game late sending a CB and a LB from the same side, but it was too little too late.

Rush Defense: Seattle did a great job of stringing out the sweeps from Trung Canidate to the sidelines. Their team speed filled the holes quickly yielding no room. However, when Washington pounded RB Rock Cartwright up the middle he gained yardage in big chucks. Six of his carries in the game up the middle went for at least 8 yards.

Washington Redskins

QB: Patrick Ramsey: (17-32-232 yards passing 2 TD 2 INT) Ramsey stood tall and looked poised in the pocket. He showed off his cannon arm on several occasions. His decision-making looks as if it still needs some work as he nearly threw 4 interceptions. For the most part, Ramsey has two reads on every play, Coles and Gardner. He rarely checks down to a third player.

RB: Trung Canidate: (15-34 yards rushing, 1-10 yards receiving 1 TD on 1 target) Canidate got the start. The Redskins started their first series in both halves with a Canidate carry. Eight of his fifteen carries went for 1 yard or less. He didn't hit the holes quickly and was ineffective running east-west. His receiving TD came on a double pass trick play from WR Rod Gardner. The play was set up nicely earlier in the game with multiple WR screens to Gardner.

Rock Cartwright: (13-81 yards rushing, 2-15 yards receiving on 2 targets) Cartwright ran hard and broke tackles piling up yards on his career best day. He may have had a monster day if the Redskins didn't feel obligated to forcing carries on Canidate.

John Simon: (2-9 yards rushing, 0-0 yards receiving on 0 targets) Simon had both of his carries early in the second quarter, but didn't see the field again after the Redskins realized they were doing just fine with Cartwright.

WR: Laveranues Coles: (5-125 yards receiving 1 TD on 13 targets) Coles did a great job of gaining separation from the Seattle DBs deep. He nearly had a 2-TD game but was caught from behind by safety Ken Hamlin. Coles made a highlight reel catch in the back of the endzone barely keeping his toes in. On another note, both of QB Patrick Ramsey's interceptions came on targets to Coles.

Rod Gardner: (8-81 yards receiving 1 TD on 12 targets, 1-1-10 yards passing 1 TD) Gardner was targeted at the same rate as Coles in the game, but Coles was running his routes on short patterns and Coles was mostly sprinting down field. Gardner made his TD reception on a slant in the endzone in front of Shawn Springs and did a nice job of fighting for the ball. Gardner also did a great job of selling the WR screen that turned in a double pass for the game winning TD to RB Trung Canidate.

Darnerien McCants: (0-0 yards receiving on 2 targets) McCants did catch his first target, but the play was called back due to a penalty. He dropped his other target late in the fourth quarter.

TE: Zeron Flemister: (1-8 yards receiving on 2 targets) Flemister saw both his targets in the first half. The TE looks to be a complete afterthought in the Washington offensive scheme. Also, Flemister lost an endzone target to rookie TE Kevin Ware.

K: John Hall: (2-2 FGs: 20 and 34, 3-3 XPs) The ball was put in front of Hall, and he kicked it through the uprights. There was nothing special to report with regard to the Washington kicking game.

Pass Defense: The Washington front seven was able to put heat on QB Matt Hasselbeck. They dropped him 3 times in the game, but almost had 5 sacks. After DE Bruce Smith dropped Hasselbeck to bring him within .5 sacks of Reggie White's all time sack record, Smith blew by Hasselbeck just missing the record. Also, LB Lavar Arrington got a hand on Hasselbeck causing a fumble late in the game, but the ball ricocheted right back up to Hasselbeck.

Rush Defense: Washington was able to keep RB Shaun Alexander under control even though he almost put a hundred yards on them. The longest run they gave up was an 18-yarder to backup RB Maurice Morris. They also kept QB Matt Hasselbeck from breaking containment and scrambling for yards.

Minnesota Vikings 28 at San Diego Chargers 42

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Minnesota Vikings

QB Daunte Culpepper was a fantasy juggernaut. He threw for 375 yards, 4 touchdowns and added another 45 yards rushing. He didn't fumble but he did throw an interception in the endzone. Outside of the poorly thrown interception, he played a smart, controlled game. He also didn't take any big hits so that back injury of his got a light week's work.

Something looked wrong with WR Randy Moss. It didn't look like his usual 'dogging it' routine he does when the Vikings are getting whipped (and they got whipped by the Chargers). He just looked 'off' in this game. Any time he caught the ball near the sideline he stepped out of bounds rather than make a move in to the field. When he had a chance to recover Michael Bennett's fumble he pulled up at the last second instead of diving for the ball. He was nowhere near the injury report going in and he didn't take any big hits during the game so I'm not sure what the problem was. Although he still got his numbers (11-120, 1TD), he didn't look 100%.

RB Moe Williams was the feature back despite last week's strong performance from RB Michael Bennett. Bennett did play a lot but Williams was on the field for the vast majority of the plays. While Williams is #1 in the backfield for now, the plan in Minnesota is to ease Bennett into the starting role. Williams is playing well enough that the coaches don't feel pressured to force Bennett into the game. If Williams struggles, however, don't expect Tice to hesitate to replace him pretty quickly with Michael Bennett.

San Diego Chargers

QB Doug Flutie needs to bottle and sell whatever it is that keeps him playing so young. The 41-year-old wonder was the catalyst for a San Diego offensive explosion. He led the Chargers to touchdowns on their first 5 possessions, even running for 2 touchdowns himself, showing moves that must have picked up from Tomlinson at practice this week.. He certainly bought himself another start next week if not for the rest of the year.

RB LaDainian Tomlinson had a career-long 73 yard touchdown run on his 2nd carry from scrimmage. He also added a 55-yard non-scoring run later in the game. He had 2 touchdowns in the game and added another 45 receiving yards.

WR David Boston's vote for next week's starter will likely go to Flutie. Boston was the target of the first 4 passes Flutie threw, the last of which was a 3-yard score. Boston finished with more than twice as many catches as any other Charger wide out and looked excited to be involved in the offense.

QB Drew Brees seemed to handle his demotion well, cheering along with the rest of his teammates as the Chargers rolled to a big win.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Minnesota Vikings

QB: Daunte Culpepper's gaudy numbers (32-44 370, 4TD 1 INT passing, 6-42 rushing) were a result of the Vikings playing from behind the whole game. He looked sharp in the pocket and only made one really poor decision with the ball, which was on the interception. He tried to force a pass into coverage in the end zone while there was still plenty of time left on the clock. Otherwise, he played a nearly perfect game from a fantasy perspective. He enjoyed solid protection for most of the game and while he was sacked three times but they were all in the 4th quarter when the Vikings had gone to 4 and 5 receiver sets leaving him with minimal protection.

RB: Moe Williams (12-45 rushing, 11-126 2TD receiving) was clearly the #1 option in the Minnesota rushing game. He played the bulk of the game on both passing and running downs and was especially effective in the passing game. The Vikings were forced to pass almost exclusively since they got so far behind so quickly in the game. His 31-yard scoring catch was typical Williams in 2003 : break 4 tackles, make 2 guys miss, and stroll into endzone. His 2 yard score came on a terrific pass from Culpepper. While Williams is #1 in the backfield for now, the plan in Minnesota is to ease Bennett into the starter's role. As long as Williams puts up numbers like he did against San Diego that change shouldn't come too quickly but if he struggles look for Tice to replace him pretty quickly with Michael Bennett.

Michael Bennett (5-23 rushing, 2-22 receiving, 1fumble) is being slowly eased into the role of featured back. He had a drive killing fumble in the red zone on a big hit from FS Jerry Wilson. His role was reduced this week from last but that might have been the result of Tice not wanting to expose Bennett to injury in a game that was pretty far out of reach.

Onterrio Smith did not have a carry in the game.

WR: Randy Moss (11-120 1 TD receiving) looked out of sorts for most of this game. He looked less than 100% in this game despite putting up decent numbers. He's clearly the #1 option on every passing down, you can see Culpepper looking at him first almost every time he drops back. Moss was the target of the first Viking offensive play but had the 26-yard completion called back on a holding penalty. At the goal line Moss gets the call over Moe Williams. He scored on a 4-yard pass play where he was the only Viking wideout on the field. Williams' 2-yard scoring catch was set up by a pass interference call that Moss drew and came after an incomplete pass to Moss. The guy is getting tons of looks.

Nate Burleson (1-19 1TD receiving) was the beneficiary of what appeared to be a bad call by the officials. He appeared to come down out of bounds on the side of the end zone but was ruled in bounds by the official on the field. Even though the play was reviewed, the officials didn't overturn it.

TE: Jimmy Kleinsasser (5-61 receiving) does a lot of double-duty as both a tight end and at fullback in goal line and short yardage sets. He was effective as a check down receiver allowing Culpepper an outlet when the downfield routes were covered.

K: Aaron Elling made all 4 of his Pat attempts.

Pass Defense: Doug Flutie beat the Vikings running and passing so it's tough to hand out any praise here. The Vikings did an okay job of adjusting defensively at halftime but by then most of the Chargers' damage had been done.

Rush Defense: The 162 yards they gave up to Tomlinson don't look too bad when you see that 128 of them came on two runs. In fact Tomlinson's rushes were for :2, 73, 0, 0, 3, 2, 2 and 55 yards at one point in the game.

San Diego Chargers

QB: Doug Flutie (21-29 248 2TD passing 6-18 2 TD rushing) bought himself another start with an exciting, and fantasy-wise productive performance. The 41-year-old veteran smartly got his best receiving weapon, David Boston, involved early by throwing to him on his first 4 attempts, the last of which was a 3-yard score. After riding his team's best offensive player, LaDainian Tomlinson, to a 14-0 lead Flutie got in on the act himself with a 3-yard scoring run showing the moves of a man half his age. Flutie had a 13-yard touchdown run on a broken play in the 4th quarter to seal the victory for the Chargers.

RB: LaDainian Tomlinson (16-162 2 TD rushing, 6-45 receiving) showed again that he is threat to go all the way every time he touches the football. He had a career-longest scoring run of 73 yards on his second carry of the game and later added a non-scoring run of 55-yards. He showcased his natural stop-start ability, making defenders miss and gaining extra yards after contact. Tomlinson was very active in the passing game and had one fewer catch than team-leader David Boston. He also scored a 1-yard touchdown.

WR: David Boston (7-82 1 TD receiving) has a friend in Doug Flutie. The big wide out was the target of Flutie's first 4 passes, the last of which was a 3-yard score. After that, Boston was frequently looked to downfield and led the team in receptions and receiving yards.

Tim Dwight (2-26 rushing, 3-48 receiving) was used early on reverses and then later in the game as a decoy on fake reverses.

Reche Caldwell (1-12 receiving) wasn't much of a factor in this game.

TE: Rookie Antonio Gates (3-55 1TD) scored his first career touchdown and looked like he might become another large, sure-handed receiver for the Chargers as the season progresses.

K: Steve Christie made all 6 of his PAT attempts.

Pass Defense: The Chargers didn't get any sort of pass rush going until late in the 4th quarter when they totaled 3 sacks. They intercepted Culpepper in the end zone effectively ending the game.

Rush Defense: With such a big lead the Chargers didn't have to face too much of a rushing attack. The Vikings went almost exclusively to the pass early in the 2nd half.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24 at Carolina Panthers 27

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Buccaneers didn't score on offense until the fourth quarter when WR Keyshawn Johnson and WR Keenan McCardell each caught touchdown passes from QB Brad Johnson. It turned out to be too little as Carolina was able to score last in a game that was a defensive struggle for most of 3 quarters. McCardell finished the game with 9 catches for 118 yards and Johnson had 80 yards on 5 targets.

The Tampa defense once again failed to shut down a team when they had to, allowing Carolina to go 78 yards on 6 plays in just 1:35 to score the game-winning touchdown. While the defense scored the only touchdown for the first 3 quarters they have not played like the elite unit they claim to be, especially when the game is on the line.

Buccaneer QB Brad Johnson was hit and hurried all game long, unable to sustain any drives until he put it together in the fourth quarter. He threw for 2 touchdowns and K Martin Gramatica added a field goal. Johnson finished with 275 yards on 24 of 43 attempts. He also was intercepted once which was returned for a touchdown.

These teams don't like each other and it showed with some extra pushing and shoving after the whistle on numerous occasions. Offensive lineman Kenyatta Walker was called 3 times for personal foul face mask penalties while blocking, continually hurting his team.

Carolina Panthers

The Carolina game plan is to hand the ball off to RB Stephen Davis and play good defense. On the ESPN pre-game show analyst Tom Jackson noted that the Panthers were built by head coach John Fox to beat the Buccaneers. I don't think what he had in mind was QB Jake Delhomme leading a game-winning drive by throwing 6 consecutive times, completing 5 for 78 yards including a touchdown pass. All with Stephen Davis inactive and very little help from his running game. Delhomme finished a rather impressive outing with 277 yards and two touchdowns on 20 of 32 attempts. He wasn't perfect though, as he was intercepted twice, with one of the picks returned for a touchdown.

While WR Steve Smith is the number one receiver in Carolina, Ricky Proehl was the receiving star of this game. Proehl finished with only 3 catches but they accounted for 133 yards and a touchdown. Smith also had a touchdown catch among his 9 grabs for 72 yards.

RB DeShaun Foster got his first NFL start, replacing the injured Stephen Davis. His starting debut was nothing special as he was held to 56 yards on 22 carries. He ran hard but was not able to break anything.

This was a very quiet game for almost four quarters. Defenses ruled and did most of the scoring. It wasn't until the latter part of the third quarter that the offenses started moving, but when they did things started to happen.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

QB: Brad Johnson (24-43-275 2 TD, 1 INT passing, 2-14 rushing) didn't do much for the first 3 quarters except get hit by Panther linemen. He was harassed most of the game by the Panther front four with the occasional linebacker blitzing. Many of his passes were thrown in the dirt. Sometimes it appeared he was throwing off his back foot but mostly it seemed he was just throwing the ball at his receivers' feet. There was a fairly strong wind in Johnson's face in the first quarter so while that may have caused problems it wouldn't explain the errant passes in the second quarter. He actually had more touchdown passes to Carolina defenders than Buccaneer receivers in the first three quarters as he had an interception returned for a touchdown early in the game. He finally got going in the fourth quarter when he led the Buccaneers on two touchdown drives and one other that resulted in a field goal. He got some help by WR Keenan McCardell on one touchdown pass that was put in the middle of three defenders yet McCardell was able to corral it with one hand.

RB: Michael Pittman (12-50 rushing, 5-47 receiving, 8 targets) didn't run badly when given the opportunity but he was limited to 12 carries. He also added 47 receiving yards. If it can be said that someone who had 97 total yards had a quiet day then Pittman had a quiet day.

Aaron Stecker (2-13 rushing) saw limited action in this game.

Thomas Jones (3-12 rushing, 1-0 receiving, 4 targets) also returned kicks. He was not a factor in the game.

Jameel Cook (3-12 receiving, 3 targets) caught all 3 of the passes thrown his way.

WR: Keenan McCardell (9-118 1 TD receiving, 15 targets) made a great catch for a touchdown on a pass that was under thrown. He slowed down, letting the defender ease past him and with one arm grabbed the ball and pulled it into his body. He was easily the busiest receiver for the Buccaneers with his 15 targets. He had a ball knocked out of his hands on the last gasp drive by Tampa on 4th and 6 that ended the attempted comeback.

Keyshawn Johnson (5-80 1 TD receiving, 8 targets) scored once, pulling in 5 of his 8 targets. He stretched out nicely to get the ball into the end zone. He almost had another catch for good yardage on a play down the middle. It was called incomplete and Tampa challenged the call but it was upheld.

Karl Williams (2 targets) was not a factor in the game.

TE: The regular Tampa tight ends were conspicuous by their absence.

Warren Sapp (1-18 receiving, 1 target) came in on 4th and one and made a nice catch on a pass that was under thrown for a first down. He was able to get his hands under it and hang on while falling backwards. It could have been the play of the game as it kept the drive alive that led to the touchdown that put Tampa ahead 21-20.

K: Martin Gramatica (1-1 FG (39 yd) 3-3 XP) was perfect on all of his kicks.

Pass Defense: This pass defense is not what it used to be. They gave up 277 yards including 78 yard on the final drive, all in the air. They allowed QB Jake Delhomme to gain 8.66 yards per attempt. They allowed WR Ricky Proehl to get behind them on a couple of plays, one a 66-yard touchdown. They gave up 2 touchdowns and did not get much pressure on Delhomme for most of the game. They ended up with 2 sacks and 2 interceptions, one that was returned for a touchdown, but when it mattered most they could not stop the Panthers from scoring.

Rush Defense: They were stout in this phase of the game, allowing 78 yards on 31 carries. Part of their success might be attributed to RB Stephen Davis being inactive, but they did a good job shutting down what had been the strength of the Panthers offense.

Carolina Panthers

QB: Jake Delhomme (20-32-277 2 TD, 2 INT passing, 5-5 rushing) made his last drive of the game count, overcoming early errors and inconsistency to lead the Panthers to a victory. He had been hot and cold leading up to the final drive, hitting WR Ricky Proehl for a 66-yard touchdown on a beautiful throw. He also overthrew WR Muhsin Muhammad resulting in an interception returned for a touchdown. On another pass attempt he was intercepted while trying to throw the ball away when it didn't make it anywhere near out of bounds. All of that was forgotten, however, when he led the Panthers down the field for the game-winning drive. He was 5 of 6 on the drive, including completions of 29 yards and 22 yards, the 22-yarder a pass that he probably shouldn't have thrown up but WR Muhsin Muhammad came down with it. The announcers pointed out before the drive started that young quarterbacks had opportunities to show what they were made of when they had to bring their team back. This seemed like one of those opportunities and Delhomme made the most of it.

RB: Stephen Davis was inactive.

DeShaun Foster (22-56 rushing, 1- -2 receiving, 2 targets) started for the first time in a NFL game and it was less than ordinary. He found the running tough as the Tampa defense did not allow him much. His longest run of the day was 13 yards, so he had another 12 carries for 43 yards. He had a 9-yard gain called back by penalty on his first carry of the game.

Nick Goings (1-2 rushing) was not a factor in the game.

Rod Smart (1-1 rushing) was not a factor in the game, though he did have a 94-yard kickoff return for a touchdown nullified by a holding penalty.

Brad Hoover (1 target) was not a factor in the game.

WR: Steve Smith (9-72 1 TD receiving, 1-14 rushing, 11 targets) caught the game-winning touchdown pass from 5 yards out as he continued producing for Carolina. The touchdown was a ball that he bobbled but managed to get control of before the defenders had a chance to knock it out.

Ricky Proehl (3-133 1 TD receiving, 5 targets) turned in a stellar performance this week with a couple of big catches, including a 66-yard touchdown reception where he got behind the entire Tampa secondary and went untouched into the end zone. He also had a big 29-yard catch on the game-winning drive.

Muhsin Muhammad (4-46 receiving, 1-0 rushing, 7 targets) had a big catch on the last drive as he came down with a ball that QB Jake Delhomme had tossed up down the middle while under a heavy rush. It was probably an ill-advised throw but it worked out as Muhammad was able to come up with it.

Karl Hankton (1-12 receiving, 1 target) only had one catch, but it was a big one as it came on the last drive, leading to the winning touchdown.

TE: Kris Mangum (1-10 receiving, 1 target) had just one catch, but it was on the game-winning drive.

Mike Seidman (1-6 receiving, 1 target) had the one catch but was not a factor in the game.

Jermaine Wiggins (2 targets) was not a factor in the game.

K: John Kasay (2-2 FG (47, 45 yds) 3-3 XP) was perfect on the day.

Pass Defense: For three quarters the Carolina defense held Tampa in check. They were constantly in QB Brad Johnson's face. They allowed two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, however, almost costing them the game. They were able to sack Johnson 3 times but hit him many times. The unit also returned an interception for a touchdown. They ended up allowing 275 yards and were able to stiffen on the last Tampa attempt to drive down the field.

Rush Defense: The rush defense was adequate, but it really wasn't put to the test. RB Michael Pittman had 50 yards on only 12 carries. For the game the Panthers only gave up 89 yards and they did not allow a rushing touchdown.

Baltimore Ravens 22 at Saint Louis Rams 33

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens defense was outstanding, limiting the Rams offense to 121 total yards on 51 plays (2.4 yards per play). The Ravens special teams recovered two fumbles on punt returns. And Jamal Lewis ran for 111 yards and a score. Jon Ogden caught a TD pass. Baltimore won time of possession 37 minutes to 23. The Ravens still managed to lose the game on a perplexing 7-turnover night. 4 lost fumbles and 3 interceptions led to 20 Rams points. The Ravens also struggled to put the ball in the end zone, getting inside the Rams 30 yard line 7 times and coming away with 2 TDs and 3 FGs.

Jamal Lewis had another excellent fantasy game going for 111 yards on 27 carries with 1 TD. He displayed his excellent vision and power, breaking tackles and finishing runs. But he lost 2 key fumbles and struggled in the second half (9 carries for 21 yards).

Kyle Boller had an uneven performance (10 for 21 for 112, 1 TD, 1 INT and 1 Fumble Lost). More importantly, he collided knees with an offensive lineman and was unable to go in the second half. His status is unknown at this time for next week.

The Ravens offensive line struggled in pass protection all evening, allowing 7 sacks and constant pressure on the quarterback. The run blocking was very good in the first half, but struggled in the second half without the Rams facing the hapless Chris Redman.

Saint Louis Rams

Give the Rams credit, they found a way to win. The Rams had 4 turnovers (2 INTs and 2 special teams fumbles) and struggled to move the ball all evening. They went 3 and out 6 times and were perplexed by an aggressive Ravens defense. The Ravens bottled up Marshall Faulk and Torry Holt and the Rams had to rely on opportunistic plays to pull out the victory.

Marshall Faulk returned from injury and played quite well. Unsure how long he would play after missing 6 games, Faulk had 20 carries for 48 yards and 2 TDs and 3 catches for 6 yards. He was hit in the backfield on several carries, but had several nice runs, cut well and should be ready for the remainder of the season.

Torry Holt looked human for the first time in quite awhile, being limited to 38 yards on 3 catches. Chris McAllister did an outstanding job covering him.

The Rams line struggled all night, most notably in the first half. Faulk continually got hit in the backfield and Bulger was sacked 4 times and constantly hit. In the second half, the line created some holes to run through and protected Bulger slightly better.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Baltimore Ravens

QB: Kyle Boller (10 of 21, 112 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 1 Fumble Lost) was uneven. He made several big throws and a couple of errors. He was also hurt by 4 drops by Ravens receivers. Boller made two big mistakes: an interception on the opening drive and a fumble that was returned for a touchdown. He sprained his knee near the end of the first half and did not return (status for next week unknown).

Chris Redman (7 of 12, 58 yards, 2 INTs, 2 Fumbles, 1 Lost) came on in relief for the injured Boller and was terrible. His two interceptions were on horribly under thrown balls and he was sacked 6 times. If Boller is out for an extended period of time the Ravens are in trouble.

RB: Jamal Lewis (27 carries for 111 yards for 1 TD, 2 catches for 22 yards, 2 Fumbles Lost) ran very well in the first half (18 for 91, 1 TD) but had trouble in the second half as the Rams defense clamped down without a passing threat. He lost two fumbles on the day, the first in the redzone and the second late in the game as the Ravens were trying to comeback.

Chester Taylor (4 carries for 8 yards, 3 catches for 10 yards) was a non-factor throughout the game.

WR: Travis Taylor (2 catches for 65 yards, 9 targets, 2 drops) had two big plays and two big drops. He dropped a pass inside the Rams five-yard line and the other dropped pass turned into an INT. Taylor was Boller's favorite target.

Marcus Robinson (1 catch for 8 yards, 3 targets) was quiet. He was the target on the 2-point conversion attempt in the first half.

Frank Sanders (1 catch for 10 yards, 1 target) did nothing.

TE: Todd Heap (6 catches for 49 yards, 12 targets, 2 drops) played well and was the only impact receiver the Ravens had (as usual).

K: Matt Stover was 3 of 3 on field goal attempts (41, 25 and 41 yards) and will continue to put up decent field goal numbers until the Ravens find a way to score touchdowns when in opponent's territory (7 drives inside the 30 and only 2 TDs to show for it).

Pass Defense: The Ravens pass defense was stellar. They limited the Rams to 74 net passing yards, sacked Bulger 4 times, allowed no TD passes, several deflections and passes defended and had 2 interceptions. Three of the sacks were coverage sacks and bottled up Torry Holt (3 catches for 38 yards). The Ravens only allowed 2.5 yards per pass attempt.

Rush Defense: The run defense was also excellent. The Ravens held the Rams to 47 rushing yards on 21 carries (a miniscule 2.2 yards per attempt). In the first half, the Rams only had 9 carries for 7 total yards.

Saint Louis Rams

QB: Marc Bulger (13 of 26, 110 yards, 0 TDs, 2 INTs) had a terrible game. He was sacked four times and never got into a groove on offense. The Ravens had a tremendous pass rush and forced Bulger into several bad throws. The Ravens defense deserves almost all the credit for his terrible performance.

RB: Marshall Faulk (20 carries for 48 yards, 2 TDs, 3 catches for 6 yards) did not put up strong numbers in his first game back from injury. More credit should go the Ravens defense though, as opposed to his performance. The Rams run blocking was poor, with Faulk getting hit in the backfield on most plays. He touched the ball more than expected and did not appear to wear down. He flashed several nice runs and looks like he should be strong for the remainder of the season.

Arlen Harris did not have a carry or a catch.

WR: Torry Holt (3 catches for 38 yards, 0 TD, 9 targets, 1 redzone) was bottled up by the Ravens secondary. Chris McAllister covered Holt most of the evening and Holt struggled to get open.

Isaac Bruce (2 catches for 13 yards, 6 targets) was also held in check. Once again, more of a testament to the Ravens defense than a knock on the Rams offense.

Dane Looker (3 catches for 38 yards, 5 targets) had the biggest play for the Rams receivers with a 24-yard catch in the 4th quarter to keep a drive alive. He also made a great play on the punt return.

TE: Brandon Manumaleuna (2 catches for 15 yards, 2 targets) was unexceptional.

K: Jeff Wilkins (4 for 4 on field goals, 3 of 3 on extra points) hit field goals of 49, 46, 48 and 27 yards. All of his field goals came in the 4th quarter to secure the Rams victory.

Pass Defense: The Rams pass defense played very well, limiting the Ravens to 122 net yards passing on 33 attempts (3.0 yards per attempt). The Rams had a consistent pass rush, getting pressure with 4 down lineman and sacked Ravens' quaterbacks 7 times. The defense was also opportunistic with 3 interceptions and forcing 2 lost fumbles, including a 45-yard fumble return for Adam Archuleta.

Rush Defense: The Rams run defense was porous in the first half (22 carries for 104 yards, 4.7 YPC) but tightened up in the second half (16 carries for 41 yards, 2.6 YPC). Jamal Lewis was bottled up in the second half, as the Ravens had no passing threat with Redman at quarterback. The Rams stripped Jamal Lewis twice, including what would have been a key fourth down conversion deep in Rams territory.

Indianapolis Colts 23 at Jacksonville Jaguars 28

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Indianapolis Colts

The Colts played the final three quarters without WR Marvin Harrison, who strained his hamstring. His status for next week isn't known at this time.

The Colts seemed to limit how they used Edgerrin James. First of all, the Colt's game calling had James running to the outside almost exclusively, seemingly not wanting to test the Jaguars between the tackles. The Colt's also employed a lot of screen pass work, keeping James out of the heavy pounding in the center. And lastly, RB Ricky Williams took a large chunk of the load from James. James had this to say about the perceived lack of faith in him, and the play calling for the game: "Maybe I'm not good enough, but I don't make those decisions…I don't know why we had so many screens called. That's not my call. I just do my job."

With Harrison out of the game, Manning leaned on Pollard in the first half, looking for him as his primary read out of the gate. After half time, and game planning to deal with Harrison's departure (spread the ball), Pollard was only looked to twice more in the game.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Earlier this week, RB Fred Taylor had this to say about Colt's SS Mike Doss: "I'm going to punish him. If he hits me, fine, but if I catch him, believe me, I'm going to get the better shot." After guaranteeing a huge game, Fred Taylor put his feet where his mouth was with a monster 158 yard, 2 rushing TD performance. His day was highlighted by Taylor's game-winning, 32-yard touchdown run with 1:08 left which included Taylor stuffing Doss and looking back over his shoulder at him on the ground.

After committing 15 turnovers in his last 5 games, QB Byron Leftwich played error free for the first time in his young career. However, error free doesn't automatically mean "good". He overthrew open receivers, was unable to move the ball, and made bad decisions. Fred Taylor picked up this team and carried them. Leftwich would not have won the game without him.

QB Leftwich looks for Troy Edwards almost exclusively as soon as the ball is snapped. Edwards had a team high 9 targets for the Jaguars. With Edwards not producing at all, Leftwich was successful to Jimmy Smith, but he didn't start throwing to Smith until the game was almost over.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Indianapolis Colts

QB: Peyton Manning (28/45, 347, 2 TD, 2 INT) Manning's second interception was a desperation pass while behind with no time left in the game. Manning had a 4 yard TD to Walters nullified on a penalty. Manning carried the team as James was never given a chance to shine. With Harrison leaving early in the game, Manning looked for his old running mate Pollard almost exclusively in the first half as his first read, although he found Wayne more often. After half-time, Manning spread the ball around.

RB: Edgerrin James (15/44, 6/26 receiving, 7 targets) With the Jaguars defensive front in the Colt's backfield all day, James showed nice ability in reading blocks and allowing plays to set up. James didn't see much action straight against the Jaguars defensive middle. James was used to the outside and on screen passes. RB Ricky Williams also shouldered much more of the load than normal.

Dominic Rhodes was available, but did not get into the game.

James Mungro was officially inactive for the game.

Ricky Williams (6/3, 5/37 receiving, 6 targets) Williams received a large amount of the rushing load as the Colt's seemed to "take it easy" on James. With just 3 yards on 6 rushes though, Williams was obviously not very effective.

WR: Marvin Harrison (1/30, TD, 3 targets) Manning's first pass to Harrison was picked off for an interception. The second pass to Harrison went for a TD. Harrison wouldn't really get another opportunity in the game, as he left with a hamstring injury, never to return. The severity of the injury was not known as the game ended.

Reggie Wayne (6/46, 13 targets) Tipped up an easy reception for a 1st down that was luckily not intercepted by the Jaguars. In the final drive to keep the Colt's alive, Manning went to Wayne for the last two Colts plays of the game. With Harrison out, Manning went to Wayne a number of times in the 1st half, but Wayne couldn't shake enough of the coverage to make many catches as he caught 3 of the 7 balls that came his way in the 1st half.

Troy Walters (5/73, 8 targets) Before the Harrison injury, that forced Walters into the starting role, he was used mainly in 3 WR sets. Manning went to Wayne unsuccessfully after Harrison's injury. By game end, Manning was working well with Walters. He lost an 11 yard gain on an offensive holding call. Walters had a 4 yard TD nullified on a penalty.

TE: Marcus Pollard (3/92, TD, 9 targets) Picked up 70 yards on a single pass play where Pollard caught a short ball, and advanced it in the open field for the huge gain. With Harrison out of the game early, Manning leaned heavily on Pollard in the first half, looking to him as his first read in the passing game. As the Colt's came out of the half, Manning was spreading the ball around, and only tried to go to Pollard twice more in the game. Before the Colt's could game plan at half time, and Manning needed a "go to" receiver, that receiver was Pollard.

Dallas Clark (2/43, 4 targets) At the start of the game, and certainly right after Harrison went down, Manning was looking for and leaning on Pollard. As the game wore on, it was Clark that was on the field, and getting his number called.

K: Mike Vanderjagt (3/3 FG [27, 26, 27], 2/2 XP) Vanderjagt almost lost his perfect streak as he hit the upright on a simple extra point, but the ball bounced through for the score.

Pass Defense: OLB David Thornton intercepted Leftwich. Although Jacksonville got the win, Leftwich had a bad game. The Jaguars took the ball out of Leftwich's hands, and gave it to Taylor. You could argue that the Colt's defense was able to stop Leftwich, but the reality was that Leftwich stopped himself.

Rush Defense: SS Mike Doss (7 tackles/1 assist) led the unit. The Colt's gave up 174 yards, but that has been par for the course lately, as the Colt's have given up 130 yards a game in 6 of the last 7 outings. The unit couldn't stop Taylor, but they have been unable to stop anyone this season.

Jacksonville Jaguars

QB: Mark Brunell did not play

Byron Leftwich (12/22, 179, TD, 3/6 Rushing, TD) Leftwich didn't look good in this game, missing receiver after receiver. He had a nice play every few touches, but was not in control of the offense. The play calling relied heavily on the running game.

RB: Fred Taylor (28/158, 2 TDs, 2 targets) Taylor picked up his second 100 yard game of the season, the other one also coming against the Colts. Taylor was the star of this game. He was able to run freely against the Colts defense.

Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala (4/11) Stepped in to give Taylor a few short breaks. He bowls forward with the ball, slamming into the line, with the hopes that a hole is available. Straight forward power runner.

LaBrandon Toefield (3/5, 0/1 passing) Toefield added nothing on the day except to spell Taylor for a few carries.

Marc Edwards (1/5 receiving, 2 targets) Targeted once in each half, both times were dump off passes with no other receivers open downfield.

WR: Matt Hatchette was officially inactive for the game.

Jimmy Smith (4/87, TD, 5 targets) Smith was the only receiver to make the most out of his chances, catching 4 of the 5 balls thrown his way. Unbelievably, Leftwich continued to look for Troy Edwards all day as Smith was actually producing, and Edwards couldn't get going.

JJ Stokes was officially inactive for the game.

Troy Edwards (3/18, fumble, 9 targets) Edwards was targeted 9 times and caught 3 passes. There is certainly enough blame on both of their parts to go around, but Leftwich missed Edwards on a number of easy passes. As the day wore on, Leftwich continued to look for Edwards, but either he dropped the ball, or Leftwich threw a poor pass.

Jimmy Redmond got onto the field, but was not targeted in the passing game.

Cortez Hankton (1/16, 3 targets) Lost a 9 yard gain on an illegal contact penalty.

TE: Kyle Brady (2/25, 2 targets) Caught both balls thrown his way, but Brady was not looked to once in the first half, and the two targets in the second half were not critical plays. Not a factor.

George Wrighster (1/28, 2 targets) Wrighster's single reception was one of those wacky plays that will most likely end up in a 'bloopers' highlight reel. The ball bounced off of 4 Colt's defenders before somehow finding it's way into his hands for the catch.

Chris Luzar got onto the field, but was not targeted in the passing game.

K: Seth Marler (4/4 XP) Lost a FG opportunity as holder P Mark Royals couldn't get the ball placed in time, picked it up, and threw a desperation pass for an interception.

Pass Defense: SS Donovan Darius and FS Deke Cooper each picked up an interception. When Harrison went out, Manning started forcing the ball to Wayne and Pollard. Although Pollard was able to produce, the Jaguars loaded up against Wayne, effectively isolating him in the first half.

Rush Defense: LB Akin Ayodele (10 tackles/2 assists) led the team. Great penetration by the Jaguar front, getting into the backfield with ease on the day. The Colt's play calling showed either respect for the Jaguar's front 7 or very little respect for RB James ability to run up the middle. The Colt's and James didn't test the run between the tackles.

Arizona Cardinals 15 at Pittsburgh Steelers 28

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Arizona Cardinals

Arizona's most impressive stat on Sunday isn't quantifiable. Despite the loss, they played with a ton of heart, never giving up at any point in the game. The Cardinal's didn't have much of a chance against the desperate Steelers at Heinz Field, but nobody bothered to tell QB Jeff Blake, who rolled up 307 yards passing (most coming in the 2nd half) to go along with 2 TDs and 0 INTs.

RB Marcel Shipp didn't break the 100-yard rushing mark for the first time since becoming a starter 3 weeks ago, but he did gain 101 total yards. He never got into the end zone, but then again, neither team scored on a run. Due to Arizona's lack of quality depth at wide receiver, Shipp was the second leading receiver with 6 catches (40 yards).

WR Anquan Boldin continued his impressive campaign for Rookie of the Year, catching 8 passes for 118 yards, and 1 TD. WR Bryant Johnson had only 3 catches, but one of them went for a 54-yard TD. Boldin and Johnson were the only 2 wide receivers to catch a pass for Arizona.

The Cardinal's poorest effort in the game came from their special teams. They gave up a punt return for a TD, and kicker Tim Duncan missed an extra point.

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers weren't very productive in the 1st half, with the exception of WR Chris Doering catching a 9-yard TD pass from QB Tommy Maddox late in the 2nd quarter. However, the 2nd half, the 3rd quarter in particular, was a different story. Maddox threw 2 TD passes to WR Hines Ward, and WR Antwaan Randle El scored a TD on a punt return in the decisive period.

WR Plaxico Burress' only notable contribution in the game was having a sure-TD bounce off his chest on the Steelers' 2nd possession of the game. After that incompletion, Pittsburgh missed a 24-yard field goal.

The running back combo of Jerome Bettis and Amos Zereoue was ineffective throughout the game. Bettis was called on for a majority of the run plays (18), but overall, the two backs combined for only 76 yards on 23 carries.

In addition to putting constant pressure on Jeff Blake, the Steelers defense recorded 5 sacks, 1 forced fumble recovery, and a touchdown. Outside linebacker Jason Gildon became the Steelers' all-time sack leader on Sunday. That's pretty impressive considering that L.C. Greenwood and "Mean" Joe Green were #1 & #2, respectively, all-time.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Arizona Cardinals

QB: Jeff Blake completed 23 passes on 43 attempts (53%). Arizona's pass protection broke down on numerous occasions, but there were several plays where Blake just wasn't finding open receivers. He spent most of the game scrambling around, trying to make something happen. Blake's passing statistics indicate a strong performance, but he also had 2 fumbles, losing 1, and he had more than his share of bad passes that were close to being interceptions. He also had 6 carries for 32 yards. On the upside, he played with a lot of heart and battled all day.

RB: Marcel Shipp was relatively quiet running the ball, gaining 61 yards on 21 carries (2.9 yards per carry). Arizona's mammoth offensive line gave him tons of running room on occasion, but he was also stuffed at the line of scrimmage several times. Shipp caught 6 passes for 40 yards. He was targeted 8 times.

WR: Anquan Boldin once again led all Arizona receivers in catches and yards receiving. His most impressive play of the game came when, after catching a pass, he broke several tackles for a huge gain. Boldin also returned punts, but wasn't very successful because Pittsburgh's coverage was in his face as soon as he started to run. He finished with 15 targets.

Bryant Johnson had 3 catches (9 targets) for 76 yards, and 1 TD. The Cardinal's challenged what they thought should have been a TD for Bryant, but the instant replay backfired, revealing that the receiver actually stepped out of bounds and came back in just before catching the pass. NFL rules indicate that he cannot be the first player to touch the ball after going out of bounds. The play resulted in an Arizona penalty, and 4th down. The Cardinal's decided to go for it considering their field position inside the Pittsburgh 10-yard line, but Jeff Blake was sacked, causing a turnover on downs.

TE: Freddie Jones was once again a big part of Arizona's passing game, catching 4 passes for 66 yards, but was held scoreless. Total targets: 9.

K: Tim Duncan made his only field goal attempt (20 yards). He also missed an extra point try.

Pass Defense: Arizona's defense did an admirable job holding the Steelers to only 159 total yards passing, but their 3rd quarter collapse proved to be the major difference in the game.

Rush Defense: The unit was very effective in holding the Steelers to only 87 total rushing yards. They also didn't allow Pittsburgh a rushing TD.

Pittsburgh Steelers

QB: Tommy Maddox completed only 50% of his passes (12 of 24) for 159 yards, but his 3 TDs and 0 interceptions more than made up for those less-than mediocre stats.

RB: Jerome Bettis finished the game with 54 yards on 18 carries. His speed on the outside corner was surprisingly impressive. As usual, he was in prime form when it came to breaking arm tackles. He was clearly the go-to back the entire game. Bettis also had 1 catch for 8 yards-he was targeted 3 times.

Amos Zereoue had only 5 carries for 22 yards. He did not have any receptions, but did average 4.4 yards per carry. Zereoue ran the ball well, but just didn't get the touches. He was not targeted for a pass the entire game.

WR: Hines Ward was most impressive, catching 6 passes for 64 yards, and 2 TDs (5 yds and 22 yds). His speed and toughness could not be contained. Total targets: 11.

Chris Doering was the only other receiver to catch more than 1 pass for Pittsburgh. He caught both passes thrown to him for 62 yards, including a 9-yard TD reception.

Plaxico Burress was a non-factor in the game, catching 1 pass for 6 yards. He would have had another reception for 15 yards but was called for offensive interference. He was targeted 6 times.

Antwaan Randle El caught one pass the entire game, and it didn't count due to a holding penalty. However, his punt return for a TD capped off a huge Pittsburgh 3rd quarter. He also had 1 carry for -3 yards, and was targeted one time in the passing game.

TE: Jay Riemersma played through a knee injury after being listed as "questionable" on the injury report. He was not a factor, catching only 1 pass for 7 yards. Total targets: 2.

K: Jeff Reed missed his only field goal attempt, a 23-yarder. However, he was perfect on extra points, converting on 4 of 4.

Pass Defense: It seemed like every time Jeff Blake dropped back to pass, he instantly had Joey Porter, or Jason Gildon running him down. Blake rarely had time to throw, often tossing passes into the ground, and out of bounds-Pittsburgh's sack total could have easily been more than five. CB Deshea Townsend started in place of Dewayne Washington, who was demoted earlier in the week, and it paid off big. He recorded a sack and forced a fumble, which Pittsburgh capitalized on by scoring a TD.

Rush Defense: Pittsburgh's run defense continues to dominate opposing running backs. The unit has allowed only one RB (Priest Holmes) to gain over 100 yards rushing in a game. Arizona finished with 96 total yards on the ground, 61 coming from Marcel Shipp.

Houston Texans 27 at Cincinnati Bengals 34

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Houston Texans:

David Carr was up and down. He came out rusty in the first quarter, looked fantastic at times, and couldn't complete a pass in the fourth quarter. Carr missed open receivers frequently. Twice missing Corey Bradford on deep passes when Bradford clearly had the defenders beat. His only interception was not his fault, as the pass was tipped at the line and again tipped by the intended receiver right to the defender.

Domanick Davis was not as effective as his numbers indicate. He gained nearly half of his rushing yards on one run of 51 yards. He started out extremely slowly rushing for only 7 yards his first 5 carries. However, Tony Hollings carried only once and Stacy Mack did not carry the ball at all.

Andre Johnson had 2 receptions negated by penalties and had one drop otherwise his numbers would have looked much more like they have much of the year.

Cincinnati Bengals:

John Kitna played more impressively than his numbers indicate. He relied on his running game to dominate, threw crucial passes for first downs and even scrambled for important yards. The interception was not his fault. Peter Warrick ran the wrong route on an out pattern and was not where he was supposed to be when Kitna threw it to that spot.

Rudi Johnson rumbled for 182 yards and two TDs. He definitely gets the game ball for the Bengals in this one. His 43 carries broke Corey Dillon's (remember him?) team record. He picked up yardage in small to moderate sized chunks all day long and allowed Cincinnati to dominate the clock in the 4th quarter an unbelievable 13:28 seconds to 1:32 seconds.

Chad Johnson was very active in the game today. Kitna clearly looks to Johnson first, and the Bengals make sure to keep him involved in the game often throwing him the ball in the flat. He had a TD reversed on a replay with virtually no time left on the clock when the ball was spotted down at the 1 foot line.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Houston Texans:

QB: David Carr (11/25 146 yards, 2 TDs, 1 interception, 2 carries 21 yards) threw two beautiful touchdown passes and his interception was not his fault, but still did not look very crisp. He twice missed Corey Bradford on long passes when Bradford clearly had the defenders beat. Bradford was matched up most of the day on strong safety Kevin Kaesviharn who moved up to play cornerback and Carr was unable to capitalize on what should have been a crucial mismatch.

RB: Domanick Davis (15 carries 104 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 catch 11 yards, targeted 2 times, 1 drop) did not have as dominating a day as one would have thought versus a weak Cincinnati front. He did score on a 2 yard run, as the Texans elected not to bring Stacey Mack into the game. He got only 1 carry for 1 yard in the 4th quarter.

WR: Andre Johnson (3 catches 30 yards, 1 carry 11 yards, 7 targets, 1 drop) had his first reception (a 11 yard gain on 3rd and 8) negated on a questionable offensive pass interference call on Billy Miller. Later he had a 13 yard reception negated on an offensive holding call. His best play of the game was a crushing block on safety Kevin Kaesviharn during Corey Bradford's 73 yard touchdown reception.

Corey Bradford (1 catch 73 yards, 1 TD, targeted 7 times) was targeted a sufficient amount of passes but was often overthrown by David Carr. Two of those overthrows would have resulted in huge gains and possibly even touchdown receptions. His touchdown run after the catch was a thing of beauty as he caught the ball on a crossing route and split through 5 defenders, then outran them to the end zone.

Jabar Gaffney (2 catches 8 yards, 1 TD, targeted 5 times) made a nice catch on his touchdown pass but otherwise wasn't very active in the offensive plan today.

TE: Billy Miller (1 catch 11 yards, targeted 4 times) was the victim of errant David Carr passes. He could have made a great catch on the ball tipped in the air that ended up being intercepted, but in his defense he was trying to get enough of a piece of the ball to knock it away from defenders.

Pass Defense: Not only did they not sack Kitna, they rarely put much pressure on him at all. During one 2nd down play in the red zone, Kitna had over 6 seconds to scan the field. The only reason they gave up only 182 passing yards was because excluding Kitna's scrambles, Cincinnati rushed the ball 52 times.

Rush Defense: Did not exist today as Rudi Johnson carved them up for huge gains. Cincinnati gained 240 yards on the ground.

Cincinnati Bengals

QB: Jon Kitna (18/26 182 yards, 1 TD, 1 interception, 5 carries 23 yards) seemed inspired by coming out in the no huddle to start the game. He went 7/8 on that drive that culminated in a 6 yard TD pass to Brandon Bennett. It was the first time Cincinnati scored first in a game all season. They didn't operate out of the no huddle again.

RB: Rudi Johnson (43 carries for 182 yards, 2 TDs, 2 catches for 18 yards targets) is clearly the fans' choice as the starting tailback for Cincinnati. He gave them plenty of opportunities to shout "Ruuuuuuudi." He ran extremely effectively all day, especially in the red zone and especially in the 4th quarter where he used two arms on the football to ensure that he didn't turn the ball over. He ran the ball 16 times in the 4th quarter. He did have a 1 yard TD vultured by Jeremy Johnson but he still managed 2 TDs of his own, one of them being a 1 yard run. The play earlier Jeremy Johnson had come in for 1 play and had gotten them to the 1 foot line but they went back to Rudi Johnson the next play.

WR: Chad Johnson (9 catches 89 yards, 10 targets) is involved often in the game catching the ball in the flat and taking the opportunity to break a big play. One of these nearly resulted in a 13 yard touchdown reception but the play was reviewed and he was ruled down at the 1 foot line.

Peter Warrick (2 catches, 39 yards, targeted 3 times, 2 carries 23 yards) may have cost his team a 10 point swing in the first half when he committed an illegal motion penalty on a first down play as Cincinnati crossed into Houston territory. The next play he clearly ran the wrong route and Houston intercepted it which lead to a touchdown. He did come up with 2 catches in the second half.

TE: Matt Schobel (3 catches 27 yards) caught all three balls intended to him but is not looked to very often by Kitna.

Pass Defense: Sacked Carr twice and kept steady pressure on him but did nothing to impress.

Rush Defense: This unit gave up 140 rushing yards but 51 of that was on one run by Domanick Davis. Their best player may have been Rudi Johnson who kept them off the field the entire 4th quarter.

Miami Dolphins 7 at Tennessee Titans 31

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Miami Dolphins

This battle of AFC heavyweights was a mismatch right from the beginning. QB Brian Griese played miserably, throwing for just 131 yards with three interceptions and two fumbles before journeyman QB Sage Rosenfels replaced him in the 4th quarter. Griese's second fumble came late in the 2nd quarter on a sack by the Titans' Robaire Smith, which led to a Titans touchdown and put the Dolphins in a 21-0 hole at the half.

RB Ricky Williams was unable to find running room against the Titans top-rated run defense. Williams finished with just 37 yards on 13 carries, with 15 of his yards coming on a draw play when the Dolphins were in the hurry-up offense. Without an effective running game, the Dolphins were unable to take advantage of their play-action passing game. The result was a 15-minute deficit in time of possession.

WR Chris Chambers did not catch a ball until 4:22 remained in the 3rd quarter, and was not even targeted until then, with the exception of a jump ball thrown by Griese on the final play of the first half. He finished with just 2 catches for 30 yards. Rookie Kendall Newson caught the first two passes of his NFL career for 55 yards and looked like a viable deep threat.

TE Randy McMichael was Griese's main target with 7 passes thrown his way. He caught just three for 17 yards.

The Miami defense played without injured starters Zach Thomas and Patrick Surtain. The result was a dominant performance by the Titan offense, as Miami recorded no sacks and forced no turnovers. The Dolphins defense allowed Tennessee to control the ball for the majority of the first half. By the time the half ended, so had the Dolphins chance for victory.

Tennessee Titans

For the second day in a row, Tennessee beat Miami in a highly publicized football game. While it was not as surprising as the University of Tennessee's victory over the Miami Hurricanes on Saturday, the shocker was that this game was not as close as the score would indicate.

QB Steve McNair was coolly efficient as he led the Tennessee Titans to 14 points in the 1st quarter on two drives that consumed most of the quarter. His work was mostly done by halftime, with the Titans ahead 21-0. He would go on to throw just two more passes the remainder of the game, before he was lifted in the 4th with the Titans leading 28-0. Tennessee's dominance prevented what could have been a huge game for McNair, as he still finished 17-23 for 201 yards and two touchdowns. He was in complete control of the game right from the beginning as he showed his entire repertoire of passes and spread the ball among his top three receivers.

RBs Eddie George and Robert Holcomb each played quite a bit before the game got out of hand, with Holcomb getting some shots on 1st and 2nd downs as well as his usual 3rd down role. George was by far the more effective back, gaining 43 yards on 15 carries and a touchdown. Holcomb carried 7 times for just 9 yards, and failed to convert either of his 3rd down receptions into first downs.

Late in the 3rd quarter, rookie RB Chris Brown made an appearance and managed to double his carries for the season. He finished with 46 yards on 12 garbage-time carries. Brown was impressive as he showed a quick burst of speed and the ability to drag defenders with him.

The Titans have now outscored their opponents 55-0 in the 1st quarter of their last four games.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Miami Dolphins

QB: Brian Griese (15-27-131, 0 touchdowns, 3 interceptions and 2 fumbles) played about as poorly as that line suggests. Miami seemed to sense that they wouldn't be able to run the ball, as they came out with 6 passes in 8 plays on their first two drives of the game. Griese completed just two of the six for 15 yards, and the Dolphins trailed 14-0 after a quarter. Things only got worse from there. In the 2nd quarter, Griese fumbled twice, resulting in a Miami score. Starting in the 3rd quarter, Griese threw three interceptions in four drives, with Andre Dyson returning one for a score. Not all the blame can be laid on Griese, however, as the Titans put intense pressure on him every time he dropped back to pass. Griese was sacked four times, fumbling on two of them.

Sage Rosenfels entered midway through the 4th quarter and engineered the lone scoring drive of the game for Miami when he hit TE Donald Lee on a 21-yard scoring strike with 20 seconds left in the game.

RB: Ricky Williams (13-37, 6 catches for 22 yards on 6 targets) came into the game searching for his game-breaking ability, but was unable to find it against the stout Titans defensive line. He showed a nice burst of speed to the left on his first carry of the game, which went for 7 yards. After that play, he was unable to find it again, as he routinely found nowhere to go. 4 of his 13 carries went for negative yardage. He was moderately effective in the passing game, catching all six balls that were thrown his way. However, he gained just 22 yards on those six receptions.

Travis Minor replaced Williams late in the 3rd and managed 22 yards on 3 carries. He also caught a 5-yard pass.

WR: Chris Chambers (2 catches for 30 yards on 4 targets) was nowhere to be found for most of this game. He was the listed target on the final play of the first half, a "Hail Mary" attempt, although the pass was nowhere near him. His first actual opportunity came on an 11-yard catch with 4:22 left in the 3rd quarter. Most surprising was that it appeared as if Rookie Kendall Newson was Griese's target for deep passes.

Newson (2 catches for 55 yards on 4 targets) showed some ability to get open downfield. He hauled in a nice 37-yard reception when he stretched his body out on beautiful reception, the first of his career. He almost made a great catch on a deep ball earlier as well, but was called for pass interference on the play. He later converted a 3rd down for the Dolphins 1st conversion in their previous 15 tries going back to last week.

Derrius Thompson caught 2 passes for 17 yards on 5 targets.

TE: Randy McMichael caught 3 passes for 17 yards on 7 targets. He was not open on three of these attempts, as Griese was just trying to get rid of the ball.

Backup Donald Lee caught a 21-yard touchdown pass with 20 seconds to go but was not a factor in the game until the starters left the game.

PK: Olindo Mare made his only kick, an extra point.

Run Defense: Miami's run defense was fairly solid. They allowed 101 yards on 38 carries, although Eddie George scored standing up from two yards out in the first quarter. LB Tommy Hendricks recorded a game-high 14 tackles.

Pass Defense: Without Zach Thomas and Patrick Surtain, Miami's pass defense was a sieve. They were unable to pressure McNair and forced no turnovers. Brock Marion did get both hands on McNair's first pass of his second drive, but was unable to catch it. The drive ended up lasting most of the 1st quarter and ended in a 14-0 Titans lead.

Tennessee Titans

QB: Steve McNair (17-23-201 with 2 touchdowns) played brilliantly. Other than his running ability, which wasn't needed, McNair showed the whole package early in the game. On 3rd and 9, during the Titans opening drive, McNair hit Derrick Mason for 46 yards deep down the middle. The ball was thrown perfectly despite double coverage. He ended the drive with a 12-yard pass and run to Tyrone Calico.

On the second drive, he hit Mason on a rope to the left sideline for 17 yards and later converted a 3rd down pass to Calico down to the 2-yard line. McNair was hit as he threw the ball, but still managed to get it there. Later, after Griese's 2nd fumble set up a 1st and 10 from the Miami 24, McNair hit Justin McCareins in the right flat and McCareins strolled into the end zone for a 21-0 halftime lead. The only thing that prevented McNair from a huge game was Miami's lack of competitiveness, as McNair threw just 2 more passes before being lifted in the 4th quarter.

RB: Eddie George (15-43 and a touchdown, 1 catch for 3 yards) had an excellent 2nd drive of the game for Tennessee. He started the nearly nine-minute drive with back-to-back 8-yard runs, and finished it standing up on a 2-yard score. He missed out on some carries as well, due to the big lead, when the Titans replaced him with Chris Brown late in the 3rd quarter.

Robert Holcomb (7-9, 2 catches for 12 yards) was ineffective. His 2 receptions, each for 6 yards, came on failed 3rd down conversions.

When Chris Brown (12-46 with 1 catch for 4 yards) entered the game in the 3rd quarter, the Dolphins starting defense was still in the game. His first three carries went for 9, 8 and 7 yards. He showed explosive quickness, and dragged six defenders for an additional 3 yards on one of the runs.

WR: Derrick Mason (6-98 on 8 targets) was the top 3rd down receiver, as he converted 2 of 3. The one he failed to convert still went for 10 yards on 3rd and 11. Mason made a big play on the 46-yard pass on the Titans opening drive, and was constantly open when McNair needed a conversion.

Tyrone Calico (3-26-1 on 5 targets) was a force in the 1st quarter, when he received all 5 of his targets. He scored from 12 yards out on a crossing pattern to the 5-yard line when he turned upfield and leaped into the end zone past two defenders. On the second drive he absolutely abused CB Sam Madison who tried to bump him at the line, and just missed a second touchdown when he was unable to get his right foot down in the end zone. He later converted a 3rd and 3 completion to the Miami 2-yard line.

Justin McCareins (3-53-1 on 3 targets) made the most of his chances. He scored on a 24-yard pass play, where he caught the ball all alone a the Miami 15-yard line and ran unmolested into the end zone.

TE: Frank Wycheck caught 2 passes for 16 yards and Erron Kinney caught 1 pass for 11 yards. Together, they converted just 1 of 3 attempts on 3rd down.

PK: Gary Anderson made a 35-yard field goal and four PATs.

Run Defense: Outstanding. The Titans gave Ricky Williams no running room, as their front four dominated this game. The Dolphins managed just 59 yards rushing.

Pass Defense: Carlos Hall, Robaire Smith and Jevon Kearse took turns harassing Griese most of the game. They finished with 4 sacks, two for Hall and 1 each for Kearse and Smith. Kearse and Smith forced fumbles on their sacks. Andre Dyson scored an 11-yard touchdown on a nice play where he read Brian Griese's eyes and pounced on a slant pass intended for Derrius Thompson.

Cleveland Browns 20 at Kansas City Chiefs 41

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Cleveland Browns

RB James Jackson (17-66 rushing, 1 TD) had a couple of exciting moments, but overall had just an average game. Jackson was the RB of choice inside the 20, getting six carries in the red zone, including a 1-yard TD run up the middle. Jackson did not see much action in the passing game (just 1 reception on his only target), and lost a fumble in the first quarter that led to a Chiefs TD.

QB Kelly Holcomb faced a fierce pas rush most of the afternoon, and had to settle for short passes most of the day. No pass play netted more than 20 yards. The Chiefs were able to get to Holcomb without having to blitz very much, and could concentrate on defending the pass when they jumped out to a big lead.

WR Andre Davis started ahead of WR Kevin Johnson. Davis led the Browns in receiving yards, but the production was unimpressive, just 35 yards. Davis did draw two pass interference penalties, including a 42-yard gain that set up Cleveland's first touchdown.

Kansas City Chiefs

RB Priest Holmes looked fresh after the Chiefs' bye week, getting the majority of the touches early, and getting involved in the passing game often. He ran for two TDs in the first quarter to boost Kansas City to an early lead, and caught several screen passes for solid gains. He was lifted in the fourth quarter after the outcome was no longer in doubt.

TE Tony Gonzalez had one of his more impressive outings of the season, with seven receptions, a TD catch, and nine targets, tied for second for the team on the day. Gonzalez was equally effective along the sideline or across the middle, and was targeted often on third down and/or in the red zone.

WR Eddie Kennison led the Chiefs in receiving yards, targets, and tied for the team lead in catches. When Green had an extra second to look for a receiver, he usually found Kennison. Six of his seven catches were for at least 10-yard gains, and half his 12 targets were either on third down of in the red zone.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Cleveland Browns

QB: Kelly Holcomb (19-27-149 passing, 1 TD, 1 INT, 1-2 rushing) faced heavy pressure most of the day, and rarely had receivers open downfield. He did succeed at spreading the ball among many different receivers, but the only long gains in the passing game were off of short passes with running room, or plays that drew pass interference penalties.

RB: James Jackson (17-66 rushing, 1-18 receiving, 1 target) broke a few double-digit gains on the ground, but lost a costly fumble early in the game, and got stuffed on short yardage a couple times. The Browns did stick with him in the red zone (6 carries inside the KC 20), and his TD was a 1-yard run up the middle. He was not used much in the passing game, as Cleveland often needed extra pass blockers.

Jamel White (2-6 rushing,4-19 receiving, 5 targets) saw spot duty in the first half, but got most of his limited production in garbage time.

R.J. Bowers (0-0 rushing, 1-2 receiving, 1 TD, 2 targets) was used at fullback. He did not carry the ball, but had two passes thrown his way - one swing pass that he dropped while wide open, and a 2-yard TD catch on a play-action pass in a goal-line set.

WR: Andre Davis (3-35 receiving, 6 targets) did not put up big numbers in his first start of the season, but his meager total led the Browns in receiving yards. He also drew two pass interference penalties, one of which yielded a 42-yard gain on a flea-flicker.

Quincy Morgan (2-25 receiving, 4 targets) had a reception on Cleveland's first play from scrimmage, then caught just one more ball the rest of the game.

Dennis Northcutt (4-24 receiving, 1-6 rushing, 6 targets) was the #3 WR. Holcomb would target him a couple plays in a row, then ignore him for a while. His catches were on underneath routes or in the flat. He was targeted twice in the red zone, and also had a 6-yard rush on a reverse.

Kevin Johnson (1-3 receiving, 1 targets) did not start, benched in favor of Andre Davis. He did not play much, and only had the ball thrown to him once.

TE: Darnell Sanders (3-23 receiving, 3 targets) worked the middle of the field when he was not used in pass protection, and caught all three balls thrown his way. Though he did not gain much yardage after the catch, he used his size well to protect the ball on his receptions.

K: Phil Dawson made all of his kicks, including a 50-yard field goal.

Pass Defense: Got three sacks, but after generating a lot of pressure on Green early, the Chiefs adjusted to shorter route and screen passes to limit the pass rush. The secondary left receivers open all day, and had no chance to make plays if the pass protection was solid.

Rush Defense: Held Priest Holmes to under 100 yards, but had trouble stopping sweeps, and gave up two rushing TDs early to spot the Chiefs a big lead.

Kansas City Chiefs

QB: Trent Green (29-42-368 passing, 3 TD, 0 INT, 0-0 rushing) started slow, but gained confidence after hitting a few short passes early. Once Holmes and the offensive line hit their groove, Green had plenty of time to throw, and often found open receivers to throw to. He took a few chances downfield, and connected - 2 of his TD passes were on 27- and 28-yard plays.

RB: Priest Holmes (19-92 rushing 2 TD, 7-66 receiving, 9 targets) was his usual workhorse self, getting 7 touches in 8 plays on one first quarter drive that finished with a Holmes TD run. Holmes has most of his success running outside on sweeps, or catching screen passes.

Tony Richardson (2-3 rushing, 1-14 receiving, 1 target) broke his hand during the game.

Larry Johnson (2-2 rushing, 0 targets) was officially listed as the #2 RB for the Chiefs, but only got two garbage-time carries.

WR: Eddie Kennison (7-115 receiving, 1 TD, 12 targets) was the busiest Chiefs receiver. When Green had extra time to throw, he looked for Kennison. Kennison did most of his damage on crossing routes where he could catch the ball and turn upfield. His TD came late in the game on a 4th-and-3 play, catching a long pass for a 27-yard score.

Johnnie Morton (3-49 receiving, 1 TD, 5 targets) mostly worked underneath. His TD was the result of a great double move, starting across the field then turning up towards the corner, beating his man and catching the pass in the end zone for a 28-yard score.

Marc Boerigter (2-45 receiving, 3 targets) caught two passes downfield, but had very limited playing time. He only took the field in 4-WR sets or to spell a tired starter.

Dante Hall (2-9 receiving, 2 targets, 2-(-8) rushing) was not a factor from scrimmage. He lost a fumble on a run that appeared to be a play designer for him to pass. Hall did break yet another long kickoff return, stopped by a shoestring tackle inside the Cleveland 20.

TE: Tony Gonzalez (7-70 receiving, 1 TD, 9 targets) turned in one of his best receiving performances of the season. The Chiefs tried to get him the ball with some running room, and even threw him a couple of screen passes. Gonzalez was targeted twice in the red zone, and three times on third down. His TD catch was a 14-yarder early in the second quarter

K: Morten Andersen made all of his kicks. Both of his field goals were less than 30 yards long.

Pass Defense: Took away the deep ball in coverage, and was able to put pressure on Holcomb without having to blitz often. Finished with three sacks and an interception. Cleveland had to grind out drives with short passes, completing no passes longer than 20 yards in the game.

Rush Defense: Came up with big plays early in the game in short yardage, and forced and recovered a fumble in the first quarter. Gave up just 80 yards rushing, but Cleveland had to go to the air after falling behind early.

New York Jets 27 at Oakland Raiders 24 (Overtime)

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

New York Jets

QB Chad Pennington and the Jets rallied from an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter and beat the Oakland Raiders in overtime. While it was the Pennington to WR Santana Moss show for much of the game, it was backup RB LaMont Jordan and FB Jerald Sowell who made the key plays late to ignite the Jets' engines.

Pennington, making his second start since returning from his broken wrist in preseason, looked sharp and made the big plays when the game was on the line. The wrist may still be bothering Pennington as he fumbled three center snaps, but luckily the Jets were able to recover all of them. Pennington's perfectly thrown touch pass to FB Sowell down the sidelines for 44 yards was a huge factor in setting up the game tying touchdown pass, a 3-yard TD strike to Sowell off an outstanding play fake.

RB Curtis Martin was held in check for most of the game, only mustering 61 yards total on the ground. Backup RB LaMont Jordan did not have a carry until late in the third quarter, but was the Jets leading rusher with 69 yards on 7 carries and a TD. FB Jerald Sowell did his damage catching the ball out of the backfield late in the game and in overtime. His 4 catches for 52 yards and a TD were all compiled in New York's final two drives of the game.

WR Santana Moss continues to flourish with the return of Pennington. He was game's leading receiver with 6 catches for 146 yards and a TD. In the off season, Moss bulked up by hitting the weights and it's showing. He turned a short catch into a 65-yard TD by escaping a tackler and waltzing into the end zone. Moss continually found holes in the Raiders' zone defense and showed his maturity by catching the ball with his hands and not his body.

K Doug Brien redeemed himself for the botched field goal attempt in overtime last week against the New York Giants by booting a 38-yard field goal straight down the middle for the overtime win against Oakland.

The much-maligned Jets rush defense came into the game the worst in the NFL against the run. They did little to improve their ranking as the Raiders manhandled them for 170 yards on the ground, most of it without Oakland starting RB Charlie Garner. However, the Jets' defense stiffened in the second half, only allowing a Raider field goal and keeping New York within striking distance.

Oakland Raiders

Without the services of QB Rich Gannon or backup QB Marques Tuiasosopo, the Raiders turned to third string QB Rick Mirer. Coming into the game, Oakland had the least amount of rushing attempts in the NFL. The Raiders game plan was to run the ball and control the clock to protect Mirer and that they did, opening the game with 21 consecutive running plays. The Raiders ended the game with a total of 52 rushes and 25 pass attempts.

QB Rick Mirer, bolstered by the massive rushing attack, did a commendable job filling in for the injured quarterbacks. He was quite effective in throwing short to mid range passes for completions and staying away from any costly turnovers. However, the Raiders failed to open up the offense and throw down the field, with Mirer's longest completion to a wide receiver being just 17 yards. Mirer's attempt to engineer a game winning score fell short when the clock expired with the Raiders at the Oakland 49. Oakland's offense never touched the ball in overtime.

RB Charlie Garner was injured on the Raiders' first play from scrimmage and did not return. The injury was diagnosed as a strained lower back. RB Tyrone Wheatley carried the load, rushing for 75 yards on 23 carries. Wheatley's 23 rushing attempts were the most by a Raiders back this year. RB Justin Fargas contributed nicely with 16 carries for 62 yards. FB Zack Crockett got all the touches at the goal line.

The Oakland wide receivers were left out by the effectiveness of the Raider ground game, only totaling 10 catches for 101 yards. WR Jerry Rice led all Raiders' receivers with 4 catches for 41 yards. Rice extended his NFL record streak to 266 consecutive games with a catch.

The Raiders' rush defense was flawless in the first half, only allowing RB Curtis Martin 8 carries for 12 yards. But the second half was a different story, as New York ran for 143 yards after halftime.

CB Phillip Buchanon broke a couple tackles and returned a punt 78 yards for a TD to open the Raiders scoring. It was the Raiders' first score off a kickoff or punt return this season.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

New York Jets

QB: Chad Pennington (18-27-269, 2 TDs, 0 INT; 3-0 rushing) has made a successful return from his wrist injury to lead the Jets to an overtime win. Pennington opened the Jets scoring by hitting WR Santana Moss on a short pass that Moss muscled into a 65-yard TD play. Although he played a strong game, Pennington did miss out on a couple of possible touchdown chances in the second quarter. The first, with Pennington rolling right, he hit Moss for a big gainer down the sidelines for an important third down conversion. However, Moss had clearly beaten CB Phillip Buchanon and had to come back to the ball to make the leaping grab. On the very next series, Pennington had TE Anthony Becht all alone down the field and failed to see him. While Pennington struggled a bit in the middle of the game with off target passes and missed opportunities, he stay focused and rallied the troops late for a come from behind victory.

RB: Curtis Martin (19-61 rushing; 1-0 receiving, 1 target) was totally stymied in the first half by the Raiders only mustering 12 yards on 8 carries. Martin rebounded with 49 second half yards, aided by the Raiders dropping the safety into a two-deep zone to account for the dangerous Santana Moss.

LaMont Jordan (7-69 rushing, 1 TD; 1-3 receiving, 1 target) sparked the Jets comeback with an explosive 39 yard gallop on 3rd and 1. He finished off the drive, bursting through the Raiders' line for a 2-yard TD lunge to bring the Jets within 5 points trailing 21-16. On the game tying drive, Jordan made a nifty cutback to find room and take the ball down to the Raider 3. In overtime, Jordan powered his way to a first down on 3rd and short to sustain the game winning drive. While he was the more effective back, Jordan was used primarily in short yardage and goal line situations. Even after his major contributions, the Jets still used Curtis Martin late in the game and in overtime.

FB Jerald Sowell (4-52 receiving, 1 TD, 4 targets) was the Jets' secret weapon late in the game. Sowell was instrumental in the game tying drive, taking a soft, touch pass that Pennington floated over the defender, 44 yards down the sidelines. He finished off the drive, hauling in a 3-yard TD catch. Sowell added two short catches on the game winning drive in overtime.

WR: Santana Moss (6-146 receiving, 1 TD, 7 targets; 1-25 rushing) is making Jets' fans forget that Laveranues Coles guy who left and went to Washington. Moss showed his improved strength by breaking free of a tackle and turning a harmless 10-yard reception into a huge 65-yard TD. He had another big play, when he came back for an under thrown pass and leapt over the defender to grab the ball for a 43-yard reception on 3rd down. On the play, Moss was 3 yards past the defender and a well-thrown ball could have resulted in a long touchdown. Moss was targeted for a 2-point conversion pass, but slipped in the end zone and could not recover for the catch. He also added 25 yards on a double reverse in overtime. Moss has now scored at least one touchdown in five consecutive games.

Wayne Chrebet did not play due to the lingering affects of a concussion sustained last week against the New York Giants.

Curtis Conway (4-54 receiving, 9 targets) has clearly taken a backseat to Moss. Although he had 4 catches in the game, Conway only had one catch in the second half.

TE: Anthony Becht's (1-6 receiving, 2 targets) only catch was for a first down on the game tying drive. Becht's reception of the ensuing two-point conversion, tied the game and allowed the Jets to get into overtime.

K: Doug Brien converted on both his field goal attempts of 48 and 38 yards, the latter being the game winner in overtime.

Pass Defense: The New York pass defense was not tested much, due to the inability of the run defense to stop the Raiders' rushers. They allowed short completions, but did not give up the big play to the Raider offense.

Rush Defense: The New York rush defense continued to be hideous looking like Swiss cheese - lots of holes in it. The Raiders offense took their opening drive, 80 yards for a TD on 19 consecutive rushing plays. The sad thing was, the Jets were playing the run, knew the run was coming, but could do nothing to stop it. They surrendered 117 yards on the ground in the first half. In the second half, the defense improved allowing 53 yards on the ground and recovering a fumble by RB Tyrone Wheatley in the red zone.

Oakland Raiders

QB: Rick Mirer (18-25-186, 1 TD, 0 INT; 1-2 rushing) made his first start in four years. He performed well and threw several pinpoint passes into double coverage. Mirer propelled Oakland to a 21-10 halftime advantage backed by a solid running game and his smart decisions. The Raiders' coaching staff continued to run the ball in the second half and failed to take advantage of the Jets defense with play action fakes. With the scored tied late in the game, Mirer's valiant attempt to get the Raiders' offense into field goal position failed as TE Teyo Johnson failed to get out of bounds on consecutive plays and the clock expired.

RB: Charlie Garner (1-9 rushing) left the game after his first and only rushing attempt with a strained lower back. He did not return to action.

Tyrone Wheatley (23-75 rushing; 3-39 receiving, 5 targets) filled in admirably for Garner. He ran hard up the middle and pounded the Jets tacklers. Wheatley had 7 rushes for 37 yards on the Raiders' opening scoring drive, before giving way to FB Zack Crockett inside the red-zone. Wheatley's lost fumble midway through the 3rd quarter inside the red-zone, seem to take the wind out of his sails and he only had 2 carries for 0 yards after the turnover.

Justin Fargas' (16-62 rushing) quick and elusive running was a solid compliment to the bruising styles of Wheatley and FB Zack Crockett. Fargas had an explosive run for a 3rd down conversion inside the red-zone, but fumbled the ball into the end zone and the Jets recovered. Oakland challenged and the call was reversed with Fargas being ruled down. He received the majority of the rushing plays in the fourth quarter.

Zack Crockett (10-15 rushing, 1 TD; 1-16 receiving, 1 target) was the goal line guy for the Raiders. On the Raiders' opening drive for a touchdown, he pounded the ball up the middle four times in a row before finally plowing into the end zone on 4th and 1.

WR: Jerry Rice (4-41 receiving, 5 targets) felt he was underutilized in the game. After the game, Rice was frustrated and told reporters he hasn't had the opportunities this year and is having a hard time dealing with it. Rice caught the first pass thrown by Mirer for a 3rd down conversion, early in the second quarter.

Tim Brown (3-33 receiving, 4 targets) only had one catch for 7 yards in the first half and is showing his age as it is harder and harder for him to get open.

Jerry Porter (4-27 receiving, 1 TD, 5 targets) caught his first TD of the season on a 2-yard fade pattern right before halftime. It was the first red-zone score by an Oakland receiver this year.

TE: Teyo Johnson (3-30 receiving, 5 targets) caught all his passes in the second half. Johnson made a couple of rookie mistakes in the Raiders' final drive, when he failed to get out of bounds on successive plays and the clock expired with Raiders at midfield.

Doug Jolley did not have a pass thrown his way.

K: Sebastian Janikowski made his only field goal attempt of 22 yards, midway through the 4th quarter.

Pass Defense: The Raiders pass defense could not stop WR Santana Moss. Moss consistently beat CB Phillip Buchanon and the secondary was susceptible to the big plays. A botched tackle by DE DeLawrence Grant assisted Moss to his 65-yard TD. They put little pressure on QB Chad Pennington and did not record a sack. Oakland also failed to capitalize on three fumbled exchanges from center by the Jets.

Rush Defense: The Oakland rush defense was exceptional in the first half, only allowing 12 rushing yards on 9 carries. But they went back to their old ways, allowing the Jets offense back into the game, surrendering 143 rushing yards in the second half.