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

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

New York Giants 10 at Philadelphia Eagles 28

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

New York Giants

Playing in a game that many Giants called a must-win, the team came out flat and never really showed a spark all game long. While they weren't killed by turnovers, they did fail to execute anything of substance.

QB Kerry Collins had problems, and a lot can be attributed to his lack of weapons. TE Jeremy Shockey is out for at least three weeks, and starting WR Ike Hilliard did not start and was slowed all game long. Collins did not make the huge mistakes, but he also seemed unable to get anything going on his own. There was good pressure from Philly all game long, and it started paying off as Collins was sacked three times in the fourth quarter. He was also picked on his last pass attempt.

RB Tiki Barber managed to hang onto the football, and had a productive day. He gained 111 yards on 19 carries, and added 20 receiving yards on 3 receptions (including a touchdown). Still, all was not great for Barber owners as they saw him come up just short on a touchdown when he was tackled at the 1-foot line. Goal line RB Dorsey Levens came in, and got two carries from the 1-yard line, but couldn't get in on either. Barber returned to the field on the 4th and goal play, running a sweep to the right. But the Eagles snuffed it out and hold New York on what would be the turning point of the game.

Philadelphia Eagles

QB Donovan McNabb looked better than he has all season long. A lot of that can be attributed to the obscene amounts of time he had to throw the ball. McNabb was never even touched all game long. While it doesn't show up in his rushing totals, McNabb also moved around better in the pocket than he has all year. He consistently evaded the few Giants defenders who managed to get through, and showed great elusiveness to avoid the oncoming rush. It's something we haven't seen from McNabb since last year, but he definitely showed it today.

RB Brian Westbrook is again staking a claim as the featured back. While Correll Buckhalter and Duce Staley got several touches each, it was Westbrook who was the catalyst to the Eagles' offense today. He totaled 108 yards and scored all 3 touchdowns, two of them coming on receptions. Westbrook only tallied 9 of the Eagles' 21 rushing plays, but he made the most of them much more so than anyone else. Westbrook had 48 yards rushing on his 9 carries, while the others combined for just 14 yards on the other 12 carries.

The Eagles' defense looks much stronger with safety Brian Dawkins in there. Both announcers commented that there are a lot of differences between the defense when he's out, and the team is able to do much more in the way of blitzing when Dawkins is in. His presence was felt today, as the Eagles defense looked like the Eagles of old in pressuring and harassing Kerry Collins all day long.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

New York Giants

QB: QB Kerry Collins had a rough day, and clearly missed several of his big guns. His final numbers aren't terrible (25-44, 268 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception) and his only turnover came when the game was already out of hand. Still, he never seemed comfortable and was constantly running outside of the pocket, which is his weakness. His favorite target by far was Amani Toomer, who he threw to on 12 of his pass attempts. Collins lost 8 yards passing on a penalty. He should have been picked off earlier in the game by Lito Sheppard, but Sheppard let the ball slip right through his hands.

RB: Tiki Barber did not fumble, which is the most important stat with him. He totaled 111 yards rushing and another 20 receiving, and even added a receiving touchdown on a screen pass. He earlier just missed out on a touchdown when he was tackled down at the 1-foot line. Dorsey Levens came in for the next three plays before Barber returned on fourth down. The Giants went for it on 4th and goal down by 11 points, but Barber's sweep to the right was stuffed.

Dorsey Levens came in on the goal line for New York. He was given a carry on first and goal from the 1-foot line, but ended up losing a yard. After an incomplete pass on second down, Levens got another shot on third down. He was stuffed again. In all, he gained 1 yard on 4 carries.

WR: Amani Toomer was the only real reliable threat for Kerry Collins, and hauled in 6 receptions but for just 57 yards. He wasn't able to get open deep because Collins never had enough time to look that far downfield. In fact, Toomer wasn't even targeted once on a deep ball all afternoon. Toomer lost 8 yards receiving on a penalty.

Ike Hilliard did not start due to injury, and was very quiet. He came in sporadically, and caught 2 passes for 18 yards. He was targeted 5 times.

Tim Carter filled in well for Hilliard early on, catching 4 passes for 48 yards but he left the game with a concussion (his second in as many weeks) and did not return.

David Tyree was used more extensively than he ever has been before, because of all the injuries the Giants had. Tyree caught a huge 48-yard pass from Collins on third and 15 in the first half. Tyree was targeted 5 times, and came up with 5 receptions for 106 yards.

TE: The Giants said that without Shockey, they wouldn't continue to focus on getting the ball to their tight ends. Well, they were telling the truth. Marcellus Rivers was targeted 5 times, and caught 3 passes for 16 yards (all three receptions came on consecutive plays late in the game). Rivers was targeted in the end zone and would have scored, but Collins was late getting the ball to him.

Pass Defense: The Giants never even laid a hand on Donovan McNabb. He had all day to throw, and the receivers were then able to find a lot of separation. McNabb completed passes to 9 different players, and the Giants were baffled as to how to get any type of pressure on him. One factor for this may have been the absence of DE Kenny Holmes. He was replaced in the lineup by Osi Umenyiora, who had just 1 tackle and did not make his presence felt. Thus, since there was no one to take any pressure off of Michael Strahan, he did not do anything either. Strahan also had just 1 tackle in the entire game. Late in the contest, safety Shaun Williams was seen being carried off the field by two players.

Run Defense: The Eagles had so much success throwing the ball, they kind of strayed from the run at times. Still, when they did run the ball, they had success. Twenty-one carries for 62 yards doesn't normally qualify as success, but they scored 2 touchdowns on the ground, and the main RB, Brian Westbrook, averaged over 5 yards per carry, with 48 yards on 9 carries. LB Mike Barrow was injured and on the ground for several moments, but eventually returned to the action.

Special Teams: Matt Bryant connected on a 30-yard field goal, which banged off the upright before settling through. Later in the game, with the team trailing by 11, Jim Fassel passed up a 48-yard field goal attempt to punt the ball away.

Philadelphia Eagles

QB: Donovan McNabb played by far his best game of the season. He really showed his ability to avoid any oncoming pressure (not that there was much of it to begin with). McNabb was given all day to throw, and he completed 24-30 for 314 yards and 2 touchdowns. He never came close to turning the ball over, and he led the Eagles on several long scoring drives throughout the course of the game.

RB: Brian Westbrook had a phenomenal game. He carried the ball just 9 times, but for 48 yards. He added a team-high 60 yards on 5 receptions. In addition, Westbrook showed his uncanny knack for scoring touchdowns, as he found the end zone 3 more times. Westbrook nearly had an earlier touchdown, but was tackled down at the 2-yard line. The ball was thrown a little behind him and if it was out in front, Westbrook could have waltzed into the end zone. Westbrook was targeted on a total of 5 passes, one of which drew a pass interference penalty.

Correll Buckhalter carried only 5 times for just 2 yards, but one of those carries resulted in a touchdown. That score followed the Westbrook near-TD. Buckhalter was the RB on the potential game-clinching drive, though it should be noted that the Eagles were up by 18 already at that point.

Duce Staley carried 3 times for 12 yards and caught 1 pass for 38 yards. It was a nice job by Staley in which he released from his block to move downfield and catch a simple screen from McNabb that he turned into a big gain.

WR: Freddie Mitchell had the most success, catching 4 balls for 60 yards.

James Thrash caught a team-high 6 passes for 48 yards, and helped in moving the ball downfield.

Todd Pinkston caught just 2 passes for 22 yards, though he did get a reception inside the red zone.

TE: Chad Lewis caught 2 balls for 16 yards early on, and then was not heard from the remainder of the game.

L.J. Smith made a nice catch for a 24-yard gain, and totaled 29 yards on 2 receptions.

Pass Defense: The return of Brian Dawkins clearly helped this unit out immensely. Despite giving up 268 yards in the air, the Eagles were constantly in the face of QB Kerry Collins. They sacked him 3 times late, and added an interception, in the fourth quarter.

Run Defense: Tiki Barber constantly evaded Eagles' tacklers all game long, and often times they bit on the first move and allowed him to pick up extra chunks of yards. Still, when push came to shove and the Giants had a first and goal from the 1-foot line, the Eagles came up with 4 humungous stops and prevented the Giants from scoring any points.

Jacksonville Jaguars 3 at Tennessee Titans 10

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Jacksonville Jaguars

RB Fred Taylor appeared to be injured late in the second quarter on a tackle after a run. He was pulled down from behind on the soggy turf and his right leg got stuck behind him while his left leg jammed into the ground. The sideline microphones picked up his yell as he went down. He left the game for a few plays but returned and seemed unaffected. He had only 4 carries in the 3rd quarter and 1 in the fourth. Taylor never appeared to be limping and he never left the coach's side for treatment. He was replaced in the 4th quarter by Fuamatu-Ma'afala and Toefield. Fuamatu-Ma'afala was much more effective than Toefield in both picking up pass protection and rushing. Early reports after the game suggest Taylor injured his left knee but it looked like it was his right that took a tougher hit. Obviously, keep an eye on this.

QB Byron Leftwich continued to show some progress as a rookie starter in the NFL. He was intercepted twice but both were on tipped passes. He fumbled but it was recovered by Kyle Brady. Leftwich's numbers also suffered because of the sloppy weather conditions. There were at least 4 passes that fell incomplete because the receiver slipped coming out of a break.

Newly acquired WR Kevin Johnson did not play in this game.

Tennessee Titans

RB Eddie George flashed a little of what made him famous: hitting the inside hole hard and cutting into open running lanes. The Jaguars did a fair job of containing George eventually, but for most of the 1st half he had plenty of room to run.

QB Steve McNair threw a long interception on the Titans' first play from scrimmage but settled into a conservative track after that. He was very effective rushing the ball, not on called runs but rather on improvised runs to escape pressure. McNair has been hesitant to break the pocket this year but in this game he looked comfortable rushing when his receivers were covered downfield.

Javon Kearse left the game early in the 1st quarter with an apparent ankle injury and did not return.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Jacksonville

QB: Byron Leftwich (15-31 151 2 INT passing, 1-1 rushing) wasn't terrible. He threw 2 interceptions but neither were 100% his fault. The first pass was tipped by a defensive lineman and the second bounced off of Kyle Brady before being intercepted. Brady had slipped running his route. The sloppy conditions cost Leftwich at least 4 more receptions because his receivers all kept slipping into and out of their breaks. There were other times where Leftwich had an open receiver but overthrew him. While not terrible his play certainly could have been better.

RB: Fred Taylor looked strong for most of the first half. He landed awkwardly on a hard tackle late in the second quarter but returned a few plays later and was successful and showed no signs of injury. No mention was made of any injury at the half. In the 3rd quarter he looked a little tentative running into the line and he was subbed a little more liberally with Fuamatu-Ma'afala and Toefield. He only had one carry in the 4th quarter and was not in the game at all as the Jaguars drove to tie the game late in the 4th. There weren't any shots of him getting medical attention on the bench and it didn't look like he left the coach's side during that final drive. Keep an eye on this.

Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala (9-40 rushing) was very effective between the 20's but he struggled to gain any positive yards when the Jaguars had first and goal at the Titan's 3 yard line. It looked like he was the preferred substitute for Taylor but Toefield did see some time in passing situations.

LaBrandon Toefield (6-20 rushing 1-9 receiving) was not very effective rushing the ball or as a receiver. Early in the game the Jaguars used Toefield and Fuamatu-Ma'afala to spell Taylor but Fuamatu-Ma'afala definitely got the bulk of that work.

WR: Troy Edwards (6-67 receiving) used the last Jacksonville drive to gain 33 of his 67 receiving yards and was Leftwich's most reliable target in the game. He seemed to suffer least from the bad weather and was usually where he needed to be in his receiving routes.

Jimmy Smith (1-5 receiving) just disappeared in this game. He had a nice gain taken away on a bad call from the official that wasn't overturned upon review. The Titans' coverage rotated to help on Smith and he was taken out of the game as a result.

TE: Kyle Brady (3-35) had a terrible time keeping his footing in the rain and he cost the Jaguars an interception when he slipped and tipped a ball into the air that was intercepted. Even with that mistake he was a frequent underneath target of Leftwich when the QBs downfield options were covered.

George Wrighster (2-22) is a big tight end with good hands and decent speed. He would benefit greatly if Brady were to go down with an injury but until that happens he is an afterthought in the Jacksonville passing game.

K: Seth Marler missed a 44 yard field goal in the 1st quarter that would have tied the game.

Pass Defense: Steve McNair had plenty of time to throw the ball early but the Jaguars eventually got to him with pressure and forced a fumble on a sack. After that McNair broke out of the pocket and ran whenever he felt pressure. Hugh Douglas had a surprisingly strong outing with 1 ½ sacks and a forced fumble.

Rush Defense: Eddie George had decent numbers on the day but he was also held to short gains on a number of plays. Holcombe and Brown were completely bottled up whenever they attempted to run.

Tennessee Titans

QB: Steve McNair (13-25 166 1TD 1INT passing, 5-21 rushing 1 fumble) ran a lot more in this game than he has all season. He enjoyed good protection early in the game but after getting sacked and fumbling the ball in the second quarter he looked more willing to break out of the pocket and run. He threw an interception on his first attempt when the Titans went for the endzone on a long pass. He settled into more conservative track after that.

RB: Eddie George (20-73 rushing) looked like his old self on one play and then like the 2003 version on the next. Maybe it's a testament to George's skill that he did have some success while the other running backs were completely ineffective. Either way, he is far from the dominant back he was in the past.

Chris Brown (3-2 rushing ) and Robert Holcombe (3- -5 rushing, 2-12 receiving) were just awful when they carried the ball.

WR: Derrick Mason (5-98 receiving) led the team in receptions and yardage and is still the primary target in the passing game

Justin McCareins (3-25 1TD receiving) made a highlight-reel touchdown catch while lying flat on his back in the endzone.

Tyrone Calico (2-22 receiving) looks like the future of the Tennessee passing game. McNair showed tremendous confidence in the big rookie, repeatedly going to him when he appeared to be covered. Calico looks to have the size, speed and hands of a premier wide out in the NFL. He just needs some experience and he could be an impressive weapon in the Tennessee arsenal.

TE: Erron Kinney (1-9) wasn't much of a factor in the passing game today.

Frank Wycheck did play in this game. He was targeted only twice and did not have a catch.

K: Gary Anderson missed a 48-yard field goal late in the 3rd quarter. He did connect from 33 yards.

Pass Defense: Javon Kearse left the game early in the 1st quarter with an ankle injury and did not return. This put a serious crimp in the Titans' pass rush although they did notch a sack and a forced fumble later in the game.

Rush Defense: Fred Taylor looked on his way to gaining 100 yards but an apparent injury sidelined him. Clearly, Fuamatu-Ma'afala and Toefield are not in the class of back as Taylor but their numbers tell a different story. Fuamatu-Ma'afala gained big chunks of yards until he got inside the 10. The Titans' defense stiffened and kept the Jaguars out of the endzone.

Detroit Lions 14 at Seattle Seahawks 35

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Detroit Lions

All of the points scored in the Lions' loss to the Seahawks were scored in the first half of the game. And the Lions extended their losing streak to 21 consecutive road losses.

After going down 14 to Seattle in the first quarter, Joey Harrington responded by connecting with Scotty Anderson for a 72-yard touchdown pass. And late in the second quarter, Harrington led the Lions' downfield and connected with Az-Zahir Hakim for a 15-yard touchdown pass. Harrington finished the game with 26 completions for 48 attempts for 285 yards. But it was his ineffectiveness in the red zone during the second half of the game and the two interceptions that he threw that kept the Lions out of the game.

Shawn Bryson and Olandis Gary once again showed that Lions have a need for an effective rushing game. They combined for a total of 78 yards on 14 carries. And while they each had a long run of 20 or more yards, the Lions were forced to abandon a rushing attack as they got behind early in the game.

Scotty Anderson led the Lions receivers with his 2 receptions for 87 yards and one touchdown. But he was injured in the second quarter after Shawn Bryson ran into him during a rushing play and Anderson did not return to the game. Wide receivers Az-Zahir Hakim and Bill Schroeder can be only described as mediocre, as they combined for half of Harrington's targets but only coming up with 10 receptions for 90 yards. They were also both targets on Harrington's two interceptions.

Seattle Seahawks

The Seattle offense was red hot under the leadership of Matt Hasselbeck in the first half, scoring all of their 35 points before the half. Hasselbeck finished the game with 21 completions on 28 attempts for 207 yards. He scored the first points of the game on a quarterback draw, rushing in from 4 yards out. In the second quarter, what would have been a costly fumble by Hasselbeck at the 3-yard line, was recovered by WR Koren Robinson in the end zone for a touchdown. After gaining good field position on a muffed kick, Hasselbeck connected with a wide-open Bobby Engram for a 34-yard touchdown pass.

Shaun Alexander broke tackles on his first carry of the game and rushed for 55 yards to the 15-yard line, his long run setting up Matt Hasselbeck's rushing touchdown. On the very next drive, Alexander was a large part of the offense, being the focus of 9 of the 14 plays culminating with a 1-yard touchdown run. Shaun Alexander finished the game with 110 total yards rushing and 5 receptions for 27 yards.

Bobby Engram led the trio of Seahawks' receivers with 3 receptions for 59 yards. His longest was a 34-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter. And he followed that by returning a punt 83 yards for a touchdown. Koren Robinson played a small part in the passing game by catching the three targets that came his way for 32 yards. But his greatest contribution was a fumble recovery in the end zone resulting in a touchdown. Darrell Jackson played adequately and finished with 4 catches for 56 yards. And most importantly for Jackson he only dropped one of the passes that came his way.

In the second half of the game, the Seahawks' offense cooled off considerably and was forced to punt on all of their possessions. But it was the Seahawks defense play in the second half that maintained the lead. Harrington was sacked once and intercepted twice. And the defense held the Lions out of the end zone on two key red zone attempts forcing turnovers on downs.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Detroit Lions

QB: Joey Harrington (26-48-285, 2 TD, 2 Int) After the Seahawks' had scored their first two touchdowns, Harrington responded by connecting with Scotty Anderson for a 72-yard touchdown pass, Harrington's longest pass of his NFL career. Late in the second quarter, Harrington led the Lions' downfield and connected with Az-Zahir Hakim for a 15-yard touchdown pass. In the second half of the game, Harrington found himself with plenty of time to make completions but the Seahawks' effectively covered the Lions' receivers forcing Harrington to check down to his third and fourth options or throw the ball away. He did lead the Lions' on two drives to the red zone but was ineffective once they got there and could not connect with his receivers. He also threw two interceptions in the second half. Harrington's family and friends from the West Coast were out in full force and accounted for 2,000 of the tickets at the game.

RB: Shawn Bryson (8-35 rushing, 5-30 receiving on 8 targets) Bryson started at RB for the Lions. He was stopped often at the line of scrimmage and 20 of his rushing yards came on one long run in the second quarter. But as has been in the past, the Lions got behind early in the game forcing them to move away from a rushing game and focus on the passing game. Bryson had a short touchdown run negated by a false start.

Olandis Gary (6-43 rushing, 1-4 receiving on 2 targets) Olandis Gary did not see the field until the middle of the second quarter, but rushed for a pick up of 8 yards on his first carry. 27 of Gary's rushing yards came on a long run in the third quarter.

WR: Scotty Anderson (2-87 receiving on 3 targets, 1 TD) Scotty Anderson opened the game for the Lions by making a 15-yard completion. Late in the first quarter, he was wide-open and made a 72-yard reception for a touchdown. But in the third quarter on a rushing play, Shawn Bryson ran into him and Anderson was injured on the play and did not return to the game.

Az-Zahir Hakim (6-60 receiving on 14 targets, 1 TD) Az-Zahir Hakim's play was hot and cold throughout the game. While he did come up with a 15-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter, he dropped a number of passes throughout the game. In the second half, Hakim was targeted a number of times when the Lions were threatening in the red zone, but he was unable to make the plays.

Bill Schroeder (4-30 receiving on 10 targets) Schroeder's contributions were minimal in the game. He did make a catch in the end zone, but was out of bounds. And he was unable to break away from Shawn Springs and came up short on his route resulting in Springs' interception.

TE: Mikhael Ricks (4-45 receiving on 6 targets) Ricks made three consecutive receptions late in the third quarter, early in the fourth. The first was a great 19-yard catch, followed by a reception for a loss of 2 yards. He followed that with a 28-yard reception on the outside and took the ball to the 5-yard line.

Casey Fitzsimmons (1-7 receiving on 1 target) Fitzsimmons started the game at TE for the Lions, but was overshadowed by the play of Mikhael Ricks.

K: Jason Hanson (2-2 XP) Hanson successfully converted the two extra points that he attempted.

Pass Defense: While the Lions defense held the Seahawks' in the second half of the game by forcing them to punt on all of their possessions, it was too little too late. Linebacker Boss Bailey left the game in the second quarter with a sore shoulder and did not return. Corey Harris had what should have been an interception go right through his hands.

Rush Defense: The Lions were unable to stop Shaun Alexander and the Seahawks' rushing attack in the first half of the game. They finished giving up 159 total yards rushing and 2 rushing touchdowns.

Seattle Seahawks

QB: Matt Hasselbeck (21-28-207, 1 TD passing, 3-15, 1 TD rushing) Matt Hasselbeck was red hot in the first half of the game. He opened the game with a sharp pass over the middle to Koren Robinson. And after Alexander's long run of 55 yards, Hasselbeck on a draw made a 4-yard touchdown run. During the second drive of the game, Hasselbeck was flawless completing all of his 6 passing attempts, setting up Alexander's rushing touchdown. And on the third drive of the game he again led the Seahawks downfield, completing 5 out of 5 passes. And while Hasselbeck fumbled the ball on the 3-yard line attempting to rush for a second touchdown, Koren Robinson recovered the ball in the end zone for the Seahawk's third touchdown. Two drives later, Hasselbeck took advantage of good field position and completed a 34-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Bobby Engram. Hasselbeck displayed great strength throughout the game, breaking free from Lions' defenders in what should have been sacks to amazingly complete passes. And while his second half stats left much to be desired, his leadership and presence of mind during the first half were what led the Seahawks to a win.

RB: Shaun Alexander (20-110, 1 TD rushing, 5-27 receiving on 7 attempts) Like the rest of the Seattle offense, Alexander played his best during the first half of the game, rushing for 96 of his 110 total yards. Alexander broke tackles and rushed for 55 yards on his first carry of the game to the 15-yard line, setting up Matt Hasselbeck's touchdown run. During the second drive of the game, Alexander was a major focus of the offense catching 3 passes for a total of 22 yards, rushing 6 times for 22 yards, culminating with a 1-yard touchdown run.

Maurice Morris (3-17 rushing) Maurice Morris was not a very large factor in the game and came in primarily to spell Alexander.

Mack Strong (3-17 rushing, 2-4 receiving on 2 targets) Mack Strong saw most of his carries in the game in the fourth quarter when the game was well in hand for the Seahawks.

WR: Bobby Engram (3-59 receiving on 5 targets, 1 TD, 83-yard punt return for a TD) While Engram was not Hasselbeck's favorite target, he made the most of the opportunities that came his way and was a major factor in the Seahawks' win. Engram made a key block for Shaun Alexander on his opening 55-yard run. During the second drive of the game, Engram made a 17-yard third down reception that extended the Seahawks' drive. Two drives later, he beat the Lions' defenders and was wide open for a 34-yard touchdown reception. Shortly thereafter, Engram returned a punt 83 yards for a touchdown by outrunning the Lions defenders and staying in bounds.

Koren Robinson (3-32 receiving on 3 targets, 1 fumble recovery for a touchdown) Koren Robinson caught everything that came his way. But his most impressive play of the game was his presence of mind to recover a Matt Hasselbeck fumble resulting in a touchdown.

Darrell Jackson (4-56 receiving on 5 targets) Darrell Jackson showed that he is working on not dropping passes and only dropped one of his 5 targets. He made a 26-yard catch along the sidelines during the first quarter. He made a short catch in the second quarter and gained yards by rolling away from the Lions' defender.

TE: Itula Mili (4-29 receiving on 6 targets) Mili played a small role and contributed by making a couple of first down catches for the Seahawks.

K: Josh Brown (5-5 XP) Brown converted all of the extra point attempts that he made.

Pass Defense: The Seahawks pass defense really played well in spite of the fact that they gave up 285 passing yards and 2 touchdowns to Joey Harrington and the Lions. They really stepped up in the second half of the game, keeping the Lions out of the end zone when the Lions threatened in the red zone twice. Shawn Springs and Reggie Tongue both intercepted Harrington in the fourth quarter.

Rush Defense: The Seahawks rush defense held the rushing duo of Olandis Gary and Shaun Bryson to 78 yards rushing. Chad Brown was able to sack Harrington.

Houston Texans 12 at Buffalo Bills 10

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Houston Texans

QB David Carr started the game, but was replaced by backup Tony Banks after leaving the game with a bruised shoulder on former Texans' teammate Jeff Posey's sack in the Texans' endzone that resulted in a Bills' safety. Banks came into the game to start the second quarter and finished the game, leading the Texans to a 12-10 victory over the Bills. In Carr's one quarter of play, he was 2-for-4 for 12 yards. In final three quarters of play, Tony Banks completed 11 of 16 passes for 207 yards with one touchdown pass and one interception.

RB Domanick Davis continues to be the focal point in the Texans' backfield. Davis had all 26 carries by a Texans' running back, collecting 68 yards. Both reserve running backs Stacey Mack (inactive for the game) and Tony Hollings (used on kickoff returns) did not have a rushing attempt in the game. Davis also had three receptions out of the Texans' backfield for 33 yards.

WR Andre Johnson led the Texans' wideouts with 126 yards receiving on four receptions including a 46-yard run-and-catch touchdown late in the second quarter that was the only touchdown in the game. WR Jabar Gaffney also had three receptions in the game.

PK Kris Brown converted on his two field goal attempts from 41 and 34 yards. The Texans attempted a two-point conversion after their only touchdown of the game.

Buffalo Bills

QB Drew Bledsoe continues to lead a very erratic Bills' offensive attack, as the Bills offense has not scored a touchdown in over 12 quarters. On eleven possessions in the game, the Bills drove inside the Texans' 20-yard line three times, resulting in only six points (two fields goals and a missed field goal). Bledsoe was 15-for-26 for 184 yards in the game. Bledsoe also was sacked four times for 31 yards, and lost one fumble inside the final two minutes of the game on a Jamie Sharper sack at the Texans' 39 yard line as the Bills were driving for a final game-winning touchdown. Bledsoe also nearly lost another fumble earlier in the game, but the play was ruled completed before the fumble occurred. Bledsoe's one lost fumble in the game followed his two lost fumbles in last week's game against the Cowboys.

RB Travis Henry collected 149 yards rushing on 23 attempts in the game, including a career-high 64 yard run on 3rd-and 2 from the Bills' 15-yard line in the second quarter. Henry left the game late in the second quarter with an injury, but returned in the third quarter to complete the game. Reports later stated that Henry played the second half with a cracked fibula in his right leg.

WR Eric Moulds was listed as inactive for the game with a continuation of the groin injury that he had sustained earlier this season. In Moulds' absence, Josh Reed led the Bills' receivers with 6 catches for 59 yards. Bobby Shaw also had five catches for 92 yards. Sam Aiken also collected one catch for 19 yards, but also dropped a touchdown pass late in the second quarter.

PK Rian Lindell's first two field goal attempts in the game went wide left, first from 29 yards and then from 44 yards. Lindell converted his third attempt in the second quarter from 23 yards, and then from 20 yards in the third quarter.

OT Mike Williams was involved in a one-car accident while driving to the game on Sunday morning. Williams' injuries were not deemed serious. Williams was designated inactive for the game.

CB Antoine Winfield's interception was his first interception since November 2001, and was the first Bills' takeaway in four weeks.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Houston Texans

QB: David Carr was injured in the first quarter on a sack in the Texans' endzone that resulted in a Bills' safety. Carr fumbled on his first play from scrimmage, and had 12 yards on 2-for-4 passing. Carr was sacked one time for three yards that resulted in a Bills' safety. Reserve Tony Banks filled in admirably for the final three quarters in the game, leading the Texans to the victory.

RB: Domanick Davis was the only Texans' running back to carry the ball in the game. Davis had 26 carries for 68 yards, along with three receptions for 33 yards. Stacey Mack and Tony Hollings did not carry the ball in the game.

WR: Andre Johnson was the favorite target of the Texans' quarterbacks in the game. Johnson had four receptions in the game for 126 yards, including a 46-yard touchdown reception late in the first half as he wiggled his way out from three Bills' defenders attempting to make the tackle. Johnson also had a 42-yard reception in the fourth quarter as he slipped a Nate Clements' attempted tackle at the line of scrimmage after the reception in one-on-one coverage. Johnson also was credited with -34 yards rushing on one attempt, a result of a conceded safety on fourth down that ended the game. Jabar Gaffney collected three receptions for 40 yards, and was also used to return punts in the game. Gaffney's 9-yard, one-handed reception in the second quarter gave the Texans' their initial first down in the game. Gaffney also dropped a third down open reception in the third quarter.

TE: Jabari Holloway collected one reception for nine yards.

K: Kris Brown was 2 for 2 in field goals for the game, converting from 41 yards and 34 yards in the second half. Brown's 41-yard field goal glanced off the right upright, but fell between the goal post for three points. Brown did not attempt a point after touchdown as the Texans failed on a 2-point run after their only touchdown.

Pass Defense: The Texans yielded a net 153 passing yards, assisted by four sacks of Drew Bledsoe for 31 yards. The Texans' final sack by Jamie Sharper resulted in a fumble by Bledsoe that was recovered by the Texans.

Run Defense: The Texans poor rush defense continued to give up yards as the Bills rushed for 182 yards in the game on 28 carries, including 149 yards by Travis Henry. CB Aaron Glenn nearly picked off a Drew Bledsoe pass in the second quarter.

Buffalo Bills

QB: Drew Bledsoe was 15-for-26 passing in the game for 184 yards. Bledsoe had a key fumble on a sack late in the fourth quarter as the Bills' were driving for a game-winning touchdown. In recent weeks, Bledsoe has shown poor leadership qualities, a lack of mobility to avoid a sack, and the propensity to fumble at inopportune times in the game. Bledsoe ran the ball one time inside the Texans' 10-yard line in the first half on a quarterback draw.

RB: Travis Henry ran the ball 23 times for 149 yards, including a career-high 64 yard run in the first half. Henry left the game late in the second quarter, but returned to play in the third quarter. Reports stated that Henry played the second half with a cracked fibula in his right leg. Henry will be examined in the coming week to determine his injury status. Sammy Morris generally spelled Henry on passing downs. Joe Burns ran the ball one time for five yards immediately after Henry's injury.

WR: Eric Moulds was designated as inactive for the game. Josh Reed collected six receptions for 59 yards. Bobby Shaw had five receptions for 92 yards. Sam Aiken had one reception for 19 yards, but dropped a touchdown pass late in the first half. Josh Reed ran a reverse in the first half for 16 yards. Shaw's 19-yard reception in the first quarter resulted in 11 extra yards due to Shaw fighting through several Texans' tacklers.

TE: Mark Campbell had one reception for six yards.

K: Rian Lindell was two for four in field goal attempts on the day, missing wide left from 29 yards and 44 yards in the first half, but converting from 23 yards in the first half and then from 20 yards in the second half. (Wind was a minimal factor in the game.)

Pass Defense: The Bills gave up 211 yards passing in the game. The Bills collected four sacks, including two by Sam Adams, and another sack by Jeff Posey in the Texans' endzone that resulted in a safety for the Bills and an injury to Texans' quarterback David Carr.
Antoine Winfield intercepted a Tony Banks pass in the third quarter deep in Texans' territory (Houston 20-yard line) that resulted in a Bills' field goal.

Run Defense: The Bills generally bottled up the Texans' rushing game, allowing only 34 yards on 28 carries. Five of the Texans' rushing attempts in the game resulted in negative yardage.

St. Louis Rams 23 at Chicago Bears 21

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

St. Louis Rams

"Streaky" would be the best way to describe Marc Bulger's afternoon in Chicago. In the first half, the Bears' defense confused him, and he had a tough time. But, for the most part in the second half, he was much more crisp, and the emergence of the running game allowed Bulger to find a comfort zone. He finished with 240 yards and two TDs, one to Torry Holt, who continues to be his favorite target. Bulger's two interceptions were horrible decisions where he tried to force the ball through coverage.

Marshall Faulk went over the 100-yard barrier for the first time since November of last season. His numbers are a bit misleading, however. Fifty-two of his 103 rushing yards came on one play. Faulk still looks tentative hitting the hole, leading you to believe he might not be fully recovered from his ankle injury.

Torry Holt proved last week's game against Baltimore was just a hiccup on his Pro Bowl season. He finished with 124 yards receiving and scored a 4-yard TD on a quick slant. Isaac Bruce, who had complained earlier in the week about getting the ball more, hauled in nine passes but for just 54 yards. Both Mike Furrey and Dane Looker made key first-down grabs late in the game to keep scoring drives alive.

Tight end Brandon Manumaleuna had two catches, with one coming for a then go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter - his first TD of the season.

Kicker Jeff Wilkins continues to come up big, nailing every kick the Rams ask of him, including a game-winning 31-yarder that split that upright with 35 seconds remaining.

The Rams allowed some big runs from Anthony Thomas in the first half, but St. Louis clamped down on those gains after halftime, and the A-Train finished under 100 yards. The Rams sacked Chris Chandler just one time but were able to apply pressure on the veteran QB at key times of the game. St. Louis also picked Chandler off two times and nearly missed on two other occasions.

Chicago Bears

With the exception of one drive in the third quarter that culminated in Chris Chandler's lone TD pass, he was horrendous against the Rams. He tried to force his passes most of the afternoon and was off-target with his receivers. Chicago had to shorten the offense after a while, resorting to short, high-percentage passes.

Anthony Thomas did a great job moving the pile in the first half and busted off runs of 20 and 25 yards. He found the end zone once, late in the second quarter, on a 4th-and-goal call. The A-Train fell short of going over 100 yards, as the Rams tightened up their rush defense in the second half.

Early in the game, Chandler seemed to focus on his tight end Desmond Clark. He finished with four catches and eight targets. Marty Booker ended up as the top receiver with five catches for 60 yards. He made some big receptions in the second half. Dez White also made a couple noteworthy catches, including, at the time, a go-ahead 11-yard TD reception. David Terrell and Justin Gage combined for six targets but only one reception - which can be attributed to Chandler's inaccuracy.

Kicker Paul Edinger missed a chip-shot 34-yard field goal that ultimately could have given Chicago a victory.

The Bears made a concerted effort to stop Marshall Faulk, and except for one big run, he was fairly contained. Faulk broke off one 52-yard run on a 4th-and-1 call to account for half of his rushing totals. Chicago disrupted Marc Bulger's rhythm in the first half, forcing an interception; the Bears had two picks on the day. However, he was much more efficient in the second half, picking apart Chicago's secondary and benefiting from Bear penalties.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

St. Louis Rams

QB: Last week, Marc Bulger looked like a deer in headlights against Baltimore. Against the Bears in the first half, his problems were batted passes and missed receivers, which forced the same result: ineffective play. Mike Martz must have lit a fire under Bulger in the second half, because he came out slinging, throwing two TD passes after halftime. Bulger (29 of 46 for 240 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs), as usual, focused on his receiving tandem of Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt. But, per the norm, Holt was the guy Bulger looked to near the end zone. He also floated a nice TD pass to tight end Brandon Manumaleuna to start the fourth. Bulger, who has thrown two interceptions in all but three of his starts this season, made some horrendous throws at time, and was fortunate to not be intercepted more than twice.

RB: Marshall Faulk (20 carries, 103 yards; 3 catches, 21 yards, 4 targets) went over 100 yards for the first time since November of '02. In the first half, he was indecisive and tentative hitting the hole - perhaps still smarting from an ankle injury. But he seemed to get jump-started on a season-best 52-yard gallop on a gutsy 4th-and-1 call. That play got the Rams into the end zone, but Faulk sat on the sidelines the remainder of his drive trying to get his breath. Although he got into a bit of rhythm in the second half, Faulk is still a shadow of the back who the Rams could count on to seal a late win on the road.

Lamar Gordon got two token carries for 10 yards.

WR: Torry Holt (9 catches, 124 yards, TD, 11 targets) responded from a disappointing game against the Ravens with the type of performance fantasy owners are accustomed to from him. Catching nine of 11 passes thrown his way shows Holt continues to catch basically anything near him. His 10th TD reception of the season was a short 4-yard slant in the third quarter. Holt is on pace for 120 catches and 1,800 yards.

Isaac Bruce mentioned in the paper earlier in the week that he's like to get the ball more. Well, Bulger made sure he looked his way more often. Bruce ended with nine catches for 54 yards, plus he was targeted 14 times. A sideline route that would have added another 30 yards to his receiving total was broken up with perfect timing from a Bears cornerback in the first half. Bruce's TD drought extends to seven games.

Dane Looker (3 catches, 27 yards, 4 targets) has turned in to the Rams' current version of Ricky Proehl, making the tough third-down catches.

Mike Furrey (2 catches, 14 yards, 5 targets) is becoming a bigger part of the Rams' offense in four wide receiver sets.

TE: Brandon Manumaleuna (2 catches, 7 yards, TD, 2 targets) did a great job of selling his role as a blocker before finding his way in the back of the end zone for an easy 4-yard TD catch - his first of the season.

K: Jeff Wilkins, one of the most reliable kickers in the NFL, was 3-for-3 on field goals (41,44, 31) and knocked in both extra points. His last kick, a 31-yarder, won the game for St. Louis with 35 seconds remaining.

Rams Rush Defense: Anthony Thomas accumulated big chunks of yardage on the Rams in the first half, including runs of 20 and 25 yards. He finished with 92 rushing yards on the afternoon, but he was limited to 20 yards in the second half.

Rams Pass Defense: The Rams were able to sack Chris Chandler just once, but St. Louis applied pressure at key moments in the game. The Rams got two interceptions, and Aeneas Williams and Robert Thomas missed possible picks.

Chicago Bears

QB: Chris Chandler (16 of 32 for 153 yards, TD, 2 INTs) had one good drive on the day, and it led to his only TD pass to Dez White. On that drive, Chandler picked up nearly half of his total yardage. Other than that, he was out of sync, missing open receivers and making poor decisions. Early in the game, tight end Desmond Clark was his favorite target, but as the game wore on, Chandler looked more to White and Marty Booker. Chandler's picks were horrible decisions on his part, as he threw the ball into double protection both times.

RB: It started out as a very promising day for Anthony Thomas. He found running room and gained over 70 yards in the first half, in addition to running for a 1-yard score. But despite a strong start, he finished with just 92 yards on the ground, and failed to go over 100 yards for the fourth time this season.

Fullback Stanley Pritchett had two short receptions for six yards.

WR: Marty Booker (5 catches, 60 yards, 6 targets) started slow but became more of a factor in the offense as the day went on. Chandler did have Booker open in the end zone in the first half, but the Bears' QB badly overthrew his receiver.

Dez White (4 catches, 39 yards, 6 targets) made a leaping 11-yard TD grab in the fourth quarter, which, at the time, gave Chicago a 21-20 lead over St. Louis. He also made one other key first-down reception in the second half to keep a Bears drive alive.

David Terrell picked up one catch for four yards, and Chandler overthrew him on two other occasions.

TE: Desmond Clark (4 catches, 44 yards, 8 targets) was Chandler's favorite target in the first half, but he looked to his tight end considerably less in the second half.

K: Paul Edinger continues his kicking woes, missing his only field goal attempt of 34 yards, which could've given the Bears a win. Even his two PAT hooked just inside the left upright.

Bears Rush Defense: For the most part, Chicago kept Marshall Faulk in check. If you take away a 52-yard run, and he ends up with just 51 on the day. The Bears' defense also came up with some key third-down running stops in the second half.

Bears Pass Defense: The Bears got over half as many sacks (4) on Marc Bulger as they had all season (7). Three of those four sacks came on successive plays in the second quarter. Chicago followed Baltimore's and San Francisco's formula by blitzing him on third down and getting their hands up to deflect passes at the line of scrimmage. The Bears also picked off Bulger two times.

San Diego Chargers 8 at Denver Broncos 37

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

San Diego Chargers

Maybe it was the altitude, maybe he just forgot his magic wand in San Diego but whatever the reason there would be no Flutie magic in this game. This was one ugly game by the entire San Diego team, exhibit one being QB Doug Flutie's 9-25 passing for a miniscule 70 yards. Add to that 3 lost fumbles and one interception and you have a disaster in the making. The one highlight was a touchdown throw late in the fourth quarter but by that time it really didn't matter. He couldn't keep drives going between turning the ball over and three and outs, and when you consider how far behind they were the fact that he only attempted 25 passes shows how truly inept this offense was.

When your best offensive player only touches the ball 12 times in a game you're probably in trouble and that was the case with RB LaDainian Tomlinson. He ran the ball 8 times for 29 yards and caught 4 passes for 16. He wasn't a factor in the game at all, but that was the case for the entire Charger offense. Amazingly his 4 catches matched the total for all of San Diego's receivers and tight ends.

WR David Boston was another non-factor on a team filled with them. He caught only 2 passes for 14 yards. WR Kassim Osgood came up with the only score for the Chargers, snagging a 19-yard toss from QB Doug Flutie late in the game.

The Chargers defense deserves some of the credit for the outcome of this game as they surrendered over 200 yards on the ground and another 253 in the air, making Bronco QB Jake Plummer look like he hadn't missed a beat despite this being his first game back in several weeks.

Denver Broncos

QB Jake Plummer, making his first start in a month after breaking a bone in his foot, looked sharp completing 23 of 34 passes for 253 yards and 3 touchdowns. He was intercepted once but looked in command once he shook off what little rust there was at the beginning of the game. He not only looked confident delivering the ball to his receivers but he didn't show any hesitancy in scrambling, including one designed run.

TE Shannon Sharpe was a big beneficiary of QB Jake Plummer's return as he pulled in three touchdown passes among his 7 catches for 101 yards. He set the NFL record for touchdown catches by a tight end with his three. Rod Smith also had a good day catching the ball, pulling in 10 passes for 84 yards.

The Denver defense was outstanding, forcing 4 turnovers, limiting QB Doug Flutie to 70 yards passing and the Chargers as a team to 40 yards rushing. They let the Chargers run a mere 40 plays for the entire game.

RB Clinton Portis ran well, gaining 106 yards on his 25 carries. He didn't find the end zone but he kept the chains moving and he definitely benefited from the return of QB Jake Plummer as the Chargers defense couldn't stack the line. He would have had an even better stat line if he weren't taken out of the game at the end of the third quarter as the Broncos had built a substantial lead by that time.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

San Diego Chargers

QB: Doug Flutie (9-25-70 1 TD, 1 INT passing, 5-11 rushing) was horrible in this game. While his receivers dropped a couple of passes it wouldn't have made any difference. He had an average per attempt of only 2.8. He couldn't use his scrambling ability and he couldn't keep drives alive. He lost 3 fumbles, including 2 on the first 2 Charger possessions.

RB: LaDainian Tomlinson (8-29 rushing, 4-16 receiving, 6 targets) was not a factor in this game, but to be fair the entire Charger team was not a factor. This was a career low for rushing yards in a game by Tomlinson. The game was a blowout so both Tomlinson and the Chargers were taken out of the running game early and the total ineptitude of the passing game assured dismal numbers for everyone on the team.

Lorenzo Neal (1-7 receiving, 3 targets) was not a factor in the game.

WR: David Boston (2-14 receiving, 4 targets) was not a factor in the game. Denver did a great job of taking him out of the game.

Kassim Osgood (1-19 1 TD receiving, 1 target) was the lone bright spot for San Diego as he caught his only pass for a touchdown, the only score for the team.

Reche Caldwell (1-14 receiving, 3 targets) was not a factor in the game.

Tim Dwight (1 target) was not a factor in the game.

TE: Stephen Alexander (1 two-point conversion, 5 targets) returned to the lineup for the first time since the season opener and caught a two-point conversion but his only other contribution was to let a pass pop out of his hands and into a defenders for an interception.

Antonio Gates (1 target) was not a factor in the game.

K: Steve Christie had no field goal or extra point attempts.

Pass Defense: There was very little pass defense played by San Diego as Denver had no problem moving the ball through the air. This unit gave up 253 yards and 3 touchdowns. They did have two interceptions but they were irrelevant to the outcome. They had one sack but for the most part didn't put any pressure on QB Jake Plummer.

Rush Defense: Like the pass defense, this unit didn't really show up in the game. They allowed over 200 yards though they did manage to keep Denver from running for a score.

Denver Broncos

QB: Jake Plummer (23-34-253 3 TD, 1 INT passing, 2-14 rushing) didn't look like a quarterback playing for the first time in several weeks. He looked comfortable in the pocket and quickly developed a rhythm with his receivers, especially TE Shannon Sharpe and WR Rod Smith. He did a good job giving his receivers a chance to catch the ball and threw a beautiful long ball to WR Ashley Lelie that went for 48 yards. It was mentioned during the broadcast that Plummer had become more popular in Denver since his injury due to the poor play of his replacements. He did not disappoint those wanting him to get back. And if ever a team needed their starting quarterback to make a return like this it was the Broncos.

Danny Kanell (0-1-0 1 INT passing) relieved Plummer in the fourth quarter and, just to show the Denver fans what could have been, threw an interception shortly after he came into the game. He spent the rest of the time he played handing off to RB Quentin Griffin.

RB: Clinton Portis (25-106 rushing, 2-6 receiving, 2 targets) ran well, in particular on one play that he broke to the outside. He had gotten past the initial defenders on a third and short play and was streaking down the left sideline when he put on the brakes, causing two defenders to overrun him and if he had not slipped when trying to start up again he may have gone all the way for a touchdown. He was taken out of the game late in the third quarter or he would have had an even better stat line.

Quentin Griffin (15-55 rushing, 1- -1 receiving, 1 target) saw extended playing time as RB Clinton Portis was taken out of the game in the third quarter with the Broncos up big.

WR: Rod Smith (10-84 receiving, 11 targets) led the wide receivers with his 11 targets, catching all but one of them. He also had a busy day returning punts, including one for a touchdown. He was on the punt return team since CB Deltha O'Neal, the regular punt returner, was demoted.

Ashley Lelie (2-57 receiving, 2-20 rushing, 4 targets) was very happy to see QB Jake Plummer return. He was able to get behind the defense and Plummer was able to get the ball to him for a 48-yard gain, his longest in quite a while.

Chris Cole (1-6 receiving, 2 targets Plummer, 1 target Kanell) was not a big factor in the game.

Adrian Madise (1-10 rushing) was not a factor in the game.

Ed McCaffrey was inactive.

TE: Shannon Sharpe (7-101 3 TD receiving, 12 targets) was QB Jake Plummer's favorite target and it paid off. Sharpe set the NFL record for touchdown receptions by a tight end, catching 3 in this game. Sharpe had no problem getting separation from the defenders and Plummer had very little problem getting Sharpe the ball. Sharpe was yet another happy Bronco with the return of Plummer.

K: Jason Elam (2-3 FG (made 42,22, missed 29) 4-4 XP) was a question mark going into the game due to a groin injury but he was able to start and made his first two field goal attempts. He missed the third, however, and punter Micah Knorr replaced him for the final attempt.

Micah Knorr (1-1 FG (27 yards)), the punter, replaced K Jason Elam on the last attempted field goal as Elam aggravated a groin injury.

Pass Defense: Exceptional, they only allowed 70 yards passing. They allowed QB Doug Flutie to complete only 9 of 25 passes and only 2 first downs by air. They held the Chargers to 2 of 10 on third down conversions and just dominated all game long. They recorded 2 sacks and pressured Flutie often.

Rush Defense: Also exceptional, they allowed 40 yards for the game. While the Chargers abandoned the running game early they had little success when they did try to run. Overall it was one of the more impressive defensive performances of the year.

Arizona Cardinals 6 at Cleveland Browns 44

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Arizona Cardinals:

Jeff Blake played extremely poorly. Blake's mistakes included throwing errant passes all over the field, not seeing open receivers, throwing balls behind receivers on timing out patterns, throwing balls at the feet of his running back, and using timeouts wildly. This offense is in complete disarray.

Marcel Shipp turned in a disappointing fantasy day with only 51 yards and a fumble. He limped off the field after the fumble and did not return to play the 4th quarter (more likely due to the 44 to 6 score than an injury). Arizona was taken out of this game early and abandoned the running game.

Anquan Boldin continues his quest for NFL Rookie of the year coming up with 92 total yards. If that doesn't sound impressive, consider the fact that his offense managed just 193 total yards on the day. His 51 yard reception accounted for more than 25% of the total offense.

Cleveland Browns:

Kelly Holcomb turned in a fantastic game. He hit his receivers in stride, spread the ball around to many receivers, threw 3 touchdowns without a turnover, and controlled the clock. This was virtually a perfect game for him.

Running back James Jackson accounted for only 53 total yards but scored twice. He sat out the entire 4th quarter or he would surely have had more yards. He ran effectively, was used extensively in the red zone and short yardage situations but he gave way to Jamal White in 3rd down and passing situations.

Andre Davis quickly made Cleveland fans forget Kevin Johnson by coming up with 117 yards and a touchdown. He managed to get wide open on a number of occasions and was the target early and often.

Quincy Morgan also went over 100 yards because of his beautiful 68 yard touchdown reception.

Dennis Northcutt was active and scored a touchdown on a 1 yard shovel pass. He is Kelly Holcomb's "go to" receiver on 3rd down.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Arizona Cardinals:

QB: Jeff Blake (9/21 for 121 yards, 1 interception) is fortunate that Anquan Boldin made a nice catch on a 51 yard pass play otherwise his stats would be even more dreadful than they were. He completed only 3 passes to wide receivers often throwing 4 and 5 yard dump off passes to the tight ends or running backs. He gave way to Josh McCown in the 4th quarter but considering McCown completed only 4 of 11 passes for 31 yards and threw 2 interceptions, Blake's job should be safe.

RB: Marcel Shipp (9 carries for 23 yards, 2 catches 28 yards, 4 targets, 1 drop) actually broke off a few decent runs in this game, however Arizona trailed the entire game and ran only 10 rushing plays. Shipp was not that involved in the passing game and dropped one pass thrown to him and had another thrown at his feet by Blake. His fumble came on the last Arizona drive in the 3rd quarter when the game was out of hand and it looked like a result of a lack of focus by Shipp.

WR: Anquan Boldin (4 catches 86 yards, 6 targets, 1 carry 6 yards) is the Arizona passing game right now. It appears when he is not open Jeff Blake becomes flustered and doesn't know what to do. There is a big effort to get Boldin involved in the red zone with his end around carry coming on the Cleveland 15 yard line.

Bryant Johnson (0 receptions, 0 yards, 2 targets) was invisible most of the game, except when he let the ball go through his hands for an interception.

Brian Gilmore (1 reception 9 yards, 5 targets) his most notable "contribution" was committing a false start penalty which helped stall one of Arizona's ill-fated drives.

TE: Freddie Jones (3 receptions 7 yards, 6 targets) believe it or not, he caught one of his passes for 6 yards. His other two receptions totaled a yard. He is looked to often by Blake but that doesn't mean he is productive.

Steve Bush (1 catch 9 yards, 4 targets) played as the 2nd tight end and was "active" by Arizona standards.

Pass Defense: This unit was absolutely dreadful today.

Rush Defense: Why run the ball against this team when they cannot cover receivers? Worse news was that linebacker Ray Thompson was taken off the field on a stretcher with a neck or back injury.

Cleveland Browns:

QB: Kelly Holcomb (29/35 for 392 yards, 3 touchdowns) pitched virtually a perfect game. When you consider he threw only 6 incompletions with one of them a drop and another an intentional grounding penalty, you begin to fully appreciate his level of dominance today. He threw touchdowns to all three of his wide receivers, he completed 5 passes to his tight end, controlled the clock for over 21:30 minutes in the first half, and had the Cleveland fans booing at the end of the first half with a 20 to 3 lead because Cleveland chose not to throw the ball with 46 seconds left. Like Holcomb's FF owners, they wanted to see even more.

RB: James Jackson (19 carries for 45 yards, 2 catches 8 yards, 3 targets) broke some nice runs but was also stopped for no or negative yardage several times which hurt his yard per carry average. He ran very effectively in the red zone and was given plenty of opportunities to score touchdowns. He scored twice.

Jamal White (4 carries 27 yards, 1 catch 5 yards, 2 targets) entered the game in passing situations and 3rd downs. He ran effectively.

WR: Andre Davis (7 catches 117 yards, 1 touchdown, 8 targets) had the biggest game of his short career and was looked to often by Holcomb. He had a 30 yard reception down to the 4 yard line that resulted in a Jackson touchdown and was targeted in the red zone on another play. His 4 yard touchdown reception he was wide open without a defender in sight.

Quincy Morgan (5 catches 116 yards, 1 touchdown, 7 targets) put a beautiful double move on the cornerback and had 4 steps separation on his 68 yard touchdown reception. He looks to be the deep pass receiver in this offense.

Dennis Northcutt (6 catches 56 yards, 1 touchdown, 7 targets, 1 drop) is Kelley Holcomb's possession receiver. He is working in the slot much of the time and made 3 key 1st down catches one on 3rd and 6 from the 15 yard line which extended the drive that eventually resulted in his touchdown catch.

TE: Keith Heinrich (5 catches 45 yards, 5 targets) was activated for the game and was very active in the passing game. He ran hard after the catch.

Pass Defense: Only accounted for 1 sack when Jeff Blake ran out of bounds for a no yard gain but pressured him often.

Rush Defense: Was not tested today but held Marcel Shipp to a 2.6 yards per carry average on 9 carries.

Dallas Cowboys 0 at New England Patriots 12

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys were shut out by an aggressive Patriots defense. Dallas struggled to run the ball and QB Quincy Carter was pressured into making poor decisions. The Cowboys were without Joey Galloway and Antonio Bryant struggled to replace him. On defense, the Cowboys played very well, but were unable to make a big play to help their offense.

Troy Hambrick was the Cowboys leading ball carrier this week, after having Adrian Murrell have more touches the prior week. He did not perform exceptionally well (only 41 yards on 16 carries and 16 yards on 2 catches) He did run hard, but did not yield results behind a shoddy offensive line and the Patriots' quick defense.

Quincy Carter looked like a maturing quarterback in the first half, making good decisions and dealing with the Patriots pass rush well. But in the second half, he threw 3 interceptions and appeared rattled by constant pressure.

Terry Glenn had a surprisingly quiet night, only catching 1 ball for 8 yards.

The Cowboys offensive line was manhandled by the Patriots' defensive line. The Patriots had good pressure against both the run and the pass and the Cowboys could never form an offensive rhythm.

New England Patriots

The New England Patriots offense was sluggish (only 268 yards) but put up points when they had the opportunity. In fairness, the Patriots were without their two starting receivers, David Patten and Troy Brown. The defense was outstanding, giving the Patriots the win.

Antowain Smith was the Patriots' leading ball carrier with 16 carries for 51 yards and 1 TD (3.2 YPC) compared to Kevin Faulk's 8 carries for 11 yards (1.4 YPC). Neither was able to make a big impact on the game.

Tom Brady was adequate enough tonight to win the game. He struggled against decent Cowboys' pressure, completing 15 of 34 for 212 yards. It was basically a ho-hum performance by the Patriots' signal caller.

Deion Branch was the leading receiver for the Patriots with 2 catches for 69 yards and 9 targets. He had one big drop filling in for the injured Brown.

The Patriots offensive line struggled against the Cowboys front seven, especially in the run game (25 carries for 65 yards, 2.6 YPC). The Patriots were playing with a makeshift offensive line with several injuries on the squad coming into the game.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Dallas Cowboys

QB: Quincy Carter (20 of 36, 210 yards, 0 TD, 3 INTs, 6 carries for 33 yards) was pressured all night and forced to scramble and throw the ball before he wanted to. He showed confidence in the first half avoiding the pass rush (11 of 18, 123 yards). In the second half, he regressed, looking rattled, unable to throw the ball accurately and forcing the ball.

RB: Troy Hambrick (16 carries for 41 yards, 2 catches for 16 yards) ran hard but had difficulty finding holes against the aggressive Patriots defense. He was the primary ball carrier in the first half (12 carries for 40 yards), but in the second half, had only 4 carries for 1 yard.

Adrian Murrell did not play in the first half. In the second half, he had 3 carries for 11 yards and 2 catches for 10 yards. He did nothing of note.

Richie Anderson (2 carries for -3 yards, 8 catches for 85 yards) was the leading receiver for the Cowboys. He was targeted 10 times and very active in the passing game. His long catch of 37 yards was against a deep prevent allowing him room to run.

WR: Terry Glenn (1 catch for 8 yards, 3 targets) was exceptionally quiet in the game. He was not targeted in the first half and had problems finding open areas as the Patriots wanted to limit his impact on the game.

Antonio Bryant (3 catches for 35 yards, 10 targets, 2 red zone) started in place of injured Joey Galloway. He was the target on several downfield attempts, but struggled to convert. He had two blatant drops and didn't appear to endear himself to Coach Parcells.

Joey Galloway did not play with a quadriceps injury.

TE: Jason Whitten (1 catch for 6 yards, 2 targets) was a non-factor. He did show excellent hands on his one catch.

K: Billy Cundiff was not needed. 0 extra point attempts and 0 field goal attempts.

Pass Defense: The Cowboys pass defense only allowed 203 yards on 34 attempts (5.6 YPA). The Cowboys put consistent pressure on Brady (2 sacks) but only by blitzing that allowed the Patriots two big offensive plays on the night.

Rush Defense: The Cowboys run defense was outstanding, limiting the Patriots to 65 yards on 24 carries (2.6 YPC). They filled the holes well and were quick in pursuit.

New England Patriots

QB: Tom Brady (15 of 34, 212 yards, 0 TDs, 0 INTs) was adequate but uneven. When he had time he was fairly accurate, but was hurt by 3 drops by his receivers. He faced solid pressure most of the evening and struggled to find open targets.

RB: Antowain Smith (16 carries for 51 yards, 1 TD, 1 catch for 2 yards) was the Patriots' primary ball carrier. He had problems against the Cowboys defense, often being hit in the backfield and unable to find running lanes. The TD was very nice but the yardage performance was barely more than adequate.

Kevin Faulk (8 carries for 11 yards, 3 catches for 22 yards, 6 targets) did not find any running room against the aggressive Cowboys defense and was quickly swallowed on his pass receptions. He had a 26 yard reception called back on a penalty.

WR: Deion Branch (2 catches for 69 yards, 9 targets, 1 red zone) was Brady's favorite target on the evening with both Troy Brown and David Patten out. Branch played well, making room between himself and his defenders and caught a 46 yard pass in the first quarter to set up the Patriots' first field goal. He had 1 drop.

David Givens (2 catches for 67 yards, 2 targets) had a long catch of 57 yards that set up the 2 yard Antowain Smith touchdown run.

TE: Daniel Graham (1 catch for 5 yards, 6 targets) had an evening to forget. He dropped two very catchable balls. He did not make the most of the opportunities he was given and had less catches than fellow TE Christian Fauria.

Christian Fauria (3 catches for 24 yards, 4 targets) was unspectacular.

K: Adam Vinatieri was 2 of 2 on field goal attempts of 23 and 26 yards. His extra point try in second quarter was blocked.

Pass Defense: The Patriots pass rush was relentless, forcing Carter to get rid of the ball quickly and to scramble. Officially, they will only be rewarded one sack, but had a terrific game. They held the Cowboys to 207 net yards passing on 36 attempts (5.6 yards per attempt) and rattled Carter in the second half (only 9 of 18 for 97 yards). Richard Seymour (4 tackles, 1 assist, 1 sack) had a better game than his final numbers indicate.

Rush Defense: The Patriots run defense also played exceedingly well, limiting Dallas to 28 carries for 84 yards (3 yards per carry). The Cowboys had little luck running on first down against the Patriots.

New York Jets 31 at Indianapolis Colts 38

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

New York Jets

The star of the Jets was little known KR/WR Jonathan Carter, who returned both a 90 yard kickoff for a TD, and caught a 62 yard TD reception. He is lightening fast and shifty, and might be worth keeping an eye on if the Jets start to work him into the rotation.

Santana Moss caught a TD in his 6th straight game. There was a little scare for the Moss owners in the second half as he was shaken up and stayed down on the field, but Moss was able to walk off the field, and continued to play. It was a good shot on him that most likely just knocked the wind out of him. Keep checking the news during the week to see if a bruised rib comes up.

Indianapolis Colts

WR Troy Walters, playing for the injured Marvin Harrison, was on pace for a career day before he injured his hamstring, and did not play in the second half. The severity of the injury was not known at the end of the game.

After complaining about not getting the ball last week, James carried the ball 36 times in the game, the second most carries of his career, including 8 straight carries on the Colt's first possession. With the quick scores of the Jets, like KR/WR Carter's, the Jet's defense couldn't get off the field long enough to catch a breather, and James was able to take advantage of that by grinding them down with carry after carry.

With Marcus Pollard out, TE Dallas Clark totaled 100 yards receiving on 5 receptions and was targeted by Manning 7 times.

The Colts had tons of injuries they had to deal with: 21 players on the injured list, 11 key contributors didn't play.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

New York Jets

QB: Chad Pennington (11/14, 219, 3 TDs, 2/2 rushing) Pennington looked terrible in the first half, not being able to move the ball in the slightest. In the 3rd quarter, Pennington threw for two long TD passes, getting the Jets back into the game.

RB Curtis Martin (13/105, 2/27 receiving, 2 targets) Lost a 3 yard gain on a holding call. Martin ran powerfully with the ball, picking up yards up the middle and on both sides of the line. Today, he looked like the special back you remember.

LaMont Jordan (2/25, 1/0 passing) Jordan got to throw a pass on a trick lateral play. Unfortunately, S Mike Doss broke up the pass downfield. With Martin running so well, Jordan didn't get much of an opportunity in the game. When called upon, Jordan produced.

Jerald Sowell (1/21 receiving, 1 target) Had a nice pass to exploit a seam weakness in the Colt's defense.

WR:. Santana Moss (3/67, TD, 4 targets) Outside of the 48 yard scoring strike, Moss was contained for most of the game. The Colt's loaded up the coverage against him, keeping him from catching a pass in the 1st quarter, and only 3 passes all day. Moss was not open and Pennington couldn't go his way with the ball. He apparently had the wind knocked out of him on a reception in the 4th quarter, and lay on the field. Moss was able to leave under his own power, and returned to the game.

Jonathan Carter (1/62, TD, 1 target) Arguably the Jet's star of the game. Carter not only caught a 62 yard TD, but he also returned a kickoff for a 90 yard score as well. This kid is lightening fast.

Curtis Conway (2/38, TD, 5 targets) Conway couldn't get going today against a tough Colt's defense.

TE: Chris Baker (1/5, 1 target) Baker's single reception came on the Jet's final drive of the game around midfield. He was not used at all in the game, and only caught the ball as a dump off pass with everything covered down field.

Anthony Becht (1/-1, 1 target) On the very next play after TE Baker's catch, Becht's single reception came on the Jet's final drive of the game around midfield. He was not used at all in the game, and only caught the ball as a dump off pass with everything covered down field.

K: Doug Brien (1/1 FG [42], 4/4 XP)

Pass Defense: DE Shaun Ellis (4 tackles/1 assist) sacked Manning. This unit looked like they were beat before they even took the field for the game. The Jets displayed lack of hustle, they didn't swarm the ball, and they allowed the Colt's receivers a ton of additional yards after the catch.

Rush Defense: OLB Marvin Jones (9 tackles/3 assists) led the squad. The Jet's Run defense was outmatched against James, who ran over them with ease.

Indianapolis Colts

QB: Peyton Manning (27/46, 406, TD, 2/-3 rushing) Manning had little trouble exposing the weakness' in the Jets defense. He was confidently in control of this game from the outset, and the Jets could seemingly do nothing to stop him. Manning was aggressive with the ball in the game. In the 4th quarter, when the Colt's just had to run the ball out on the ground for a couple of yards to get into the 'kneel down' position, Manning fired the ball down field for a 35 yard gain to cross the 400 yard mark.

RB: Edgerrin James (36/137, 3 TD, 6/33 receiving, 7 targets) James ran over, through and around Jets defenders most of the day and rushed for three touchdowns for the first time since Dec. 9, 2000. James ran with power and saw a few runs where the first contact was a linebacker flying backwards as James ran him over for a few more yards. On one nice carry, James was moving the pile with 3+ defenders hanging on. James caught most of his passes out in the flat and one on one, continually made the first defender miss with his moves.

Dominic Rhodes (1/0) Rhodes' single carry came deep into the 4th quarter and happened in the middle of the field at about the Jet's 40 yard line.

Ricky Williams got into the game, but posted no stats.

James Mungro got into the game, but posted no stats.

WR: Marvin Harrison was not active for the game with an injury.

Reggie Wayne (9/141, 10 targets) Wayne was solidly double covered for most of the first half, allowing Troy Walters to star. As the second half opened, with James taking all the pressure off the passing game, Wayne got into gear. 7 of Wayne's 10 targets came in the second half. He found ways to get open, working against the defenders, and caught 9 of the 10 balls thrown his way.

Troy Walters (4/88, TD, 6 targets) With Harrison out of the game, Walters was the main focal point of the Colt's passing attack in the first half. He moved with the ball after the catch, gaining extra yards. Walters also moved without the ball, working hard on every play to get open and make the catch. Before his hamstring injury, that kept him out of the second half, Walters was targeted on over 1/3rd of the Colt's entire passing plays in the first half.

Aaron Moorehead (2/30, 3 targets) Normally the #5 or #6 receiver, Moorehead was forced into action with all the injuries. He was targeted 3 times, catching 2 of them. He looked average, and didn't get enough work to really show much. However, Moorehead is a large prototypical receiver at 6'3" and 200 lbs. Should be someone to keep an eye on.

Brad Pyatt is out for the season with a fractured vertebra.

Brandon Stokely did not play, out with a concussion suffered in last week's game.

TE: Marcus Pollard was not active for the game with injury.

Dallas Clark (5/100, 7 targets) Lost a chance for a TD on a pass from Manning at the goal line where defensive interference was called on the defender guarding Clark. Manning looked to Clark a lot in this game with so many regular starters out of commission. Clark was able to work the seams and get open for Manning, keeping the offense moving. His large frame was an easy target for Manning to find.

Joe Dean Davenport (1/9, 2 targets)

K: Mike Vanderjagt (1/1 FG [31], 5/5 XP)

Special Teams: On a Field goal, where the Jet's defense overloaded to the right side, Dungy called for a Fake, that allowed holder P Hunter Smith to run a bootleg to the left side where the Colt's had a 5-2 blocking advantage for a TD.

Pass Defense: DT Josh Williams (4 tackles/1 assist) and DE Dwight Freeney (2 assists) each sacked Pennington, with OLB Marcus Washington and DE Robert Mathis splitting another Pennington Sack. Entirely shut down the Jet's passing attack outside of a few long plays. Came out very aggressive, and played that way all game.

Rush Defense: OLB David Thornton (7 tackles/2 assists) led the squad. The Colt's scheme seemed to be loaded up against the pass, allowing Martin to get his yards but not let the game get out of control.

Green Bay Packers 20 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers 13

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Green Bay Packers

Despite Coach Mike Sherman's denial, Packers QB Brett Favre is clearly affected by the broken right thumb on his throwing hand as he had another statistically dismal game. He did make plays when they were necessary however and brought home his first win in Tampa Bay in 6 years.

Running backs Ahman Green and Najeh Davenport pounded the ball on the ground, combining for 179 yards rushing. Green recorded his 7th 100 yard game of the season and also scored a touchdown to set another Packers team record. Running back Tony Fisher had a receiving touchdown early in the game. Also notable, Ahman Green had no fumbles.

Packer's kicker Ryan Longwell had two critical field goals in this closely fought ground battle.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Quarterback Brad Johnson had his worst game of the season. He simply wasn't able to make things happen against the Green Bay defense.

Running back Thomas Jones had two outstanding long runs from scrimmage today that padded his stats. Otherwise the Buccaneers running game, including starter Michael Pittman was shut down.

Wide receiver Keenan McCardell had a fair day with 5 receptions, including the Buccaneers only touchdown in the game, McCardell's 7th receiving touchdown of the season.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Green Bay Packers

QB: While leaving with his first win in Tampa Bay since 1997, QB Brett Favre (13-28-92, 1 TD passing, 1 INT) is still struggling in his passing game, as this was the third week in a row that he has played with a soft cast on the thumb of his throwing hand. Fortunately, the dry weather of Tampa Bay permitted him to hold onto the ball better than the previous game and he had no fumbles. Favre's accuracy however is clearly off, as he threw several over and under thrown passes. He had one interception in the third quarter as well. Late in the game, his throwing hand hit a teammate after a pass and caused him obvious pain. Favre attempted only three more passes after that, two of which were shovel passes.

RB: The Packers just keep giving RB Ahman Green (21-109, 1 TD rushing, 3-15 receiving, 3 targets) the ball and he just keeps setting records. This is the 7th consecutive game in which Green has scored a touchdown, a new Packers team record. In the fourth quarter, Green was absent for the better part of the Packers 98 yard, 10 minute, go ahead drive, to have an ankle taped. He returned to the field when the Packers reached the 1 yard line, scoring his touchdown on the 1st and goal play. Green had one 17 yard gain in the third quarter erased due to an illegal shift penalty.

RB Najeh Davenport (13-70 rushing, 1-1 receiving, 1 target) received quite a bit more work in relief of Green this game and finished with nice stats for a backup. In the fourth quarter, Davenport clearly helped ice the game with his hard physical style of running, gaining extra yards for 1st downs with his efforts. Additionally, Davenport had one kick return for 56 yards.

Second year RB Tony Fisher (4-11 rushing, 2-12, 1 TD receiving, 3 targets) was also utilized much more in the Packers ground game and came away with a receiving touchdown in the first quarter.

FB William Henderson (0-0 rushing, 0-0 receiving, 2 targets) had two outlet passes thrown his way early in the game but wasn't able to grab either.

WR: The Packers leading receiver in their anemic air attack was Robert Ferguson (4-46 receiving, 7 targets) who had a 23 yard reception on 3rd down from the Packers 3 yard line to get the go ahead scoring drive off to a start.

Both of WR Donald Driver's (2-12 receiving, 7 targets) catches, and 2 of his other targets, were in the red zone. Driver appeared to be QB Favre's go-to-guy as the only other red zone target went to RB Fisher.

Once again, WR Javon Walker (1-6 receiving, 4 targets) was the target on Favre's only deep throw of the game, but otherwise saw little action.

WR Antonio Freeman (0-0 receiving, 1 target) was unable to capitalize on his one target.

TE: Both tight ends, Bubba Franks and Wesley Walls, played, but neither was targeted a single time.

K: Ryan Longwell (2-2 FG, 2-2 XP) hit both of his field goal attempts from 31 and 33 yards and added 2 extra points.

Pass Defense: The Packers pass defense was quite good, collecting 3 sacks, 2 interceptions, and only allowing 149 yards through the air, with no big plays until late in the fourth quarter on Tampa Bay's final, failed drive. The Packers' Darren Sharper capped the game with an interception of Tampa Bay QB Johnson in Packers territory.

Rush Defense: For most of the game, Green Bay was solid in rush defense. But they gave up two huge rushing plays of 61 and 51 yards by Tampa Bay RB Thomas Jones. Tampa Bay had 154 total yards rushing but obviously found a hole in the Packers defense, as both long plays were off the left tackle and looked identical.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

QB: Brad Johnson (17-28-149, 1 TD passing, 2 INT, 1-2 rushing) was statistically, and only slightly, the better quarterback on the field today but delivered his worst performance of the season in the Buccaneers 6th loss of the year. Hampered by offensive line troubles, Johnson was sacked 3 times and threw 2 interceptions. Penalties hurt his stats too as passes of 40 and 11 yards were erased.

RB: If not for his two long runs, RB Thomas Jones (9-134 rushing, 2-11 receiving, 3 targets) would be just another blip in the box scores as ball carriers go. Both runs, of 61 and 51 yards, were on an identical play over the left tackle that caught the Packers defense without coverage. After Jones cleared the line of scrimmage he was off to the races. If not for a diving tackle that tripped Jones up, he would have scored on the play in the third quarter.

Starting RB Michael Pittman (8-18 rushing, 4-22 receiving, 7 targets) saw as much action as Jones but was not able to make headway. Pittman has been getting more looks in the passing game and was one of QB Johnson's favorite targets, including once in the red zone.

FB Jameel Cook (0-0 rushing, 1-4 receiving, 1 target) had one catch as a safety valve receiver.

WR: Keenan McCardell (5-55, 1 TD receiving, 7 targets) got open more than other receivers and was able to catch most passes thrown his direction. McCardell got two red zone targets on the Buccaneers opening drive of the third quarter, and scored from 4 yards out on the second of them to tie the game.

WR Keyshawn Johnson (3-34 receiving, 6 targets) had one catch for 11 yards called back by a penalty in the third quarter and surely isn't happy about his stats. He committed two false start penalties.

Making his first appearance since September 14th, the Buccaneers tried to get WR Joe Jurevicius (1-5 receiving, 5 targets) involved in the game, but for the most part, he was covered very well. He also received 1 target in the red zone.

TE: Ken Dilger (1-18 receiving, 1 target) was thrown to only once during the game.

TE Rickey Dudley (0-0 receiving, 1 target) was also thrown to once and had a catch and run for 40 yards, only to have it called back due to a holding penalty.

K: Martin Gramatica (2-2 FG, 1-1 XP) hit field goals of 24 and 47 yards and added 1 extra point.

Pass Defense: The Buccaneers did not have much to worry about in Green Bay's passing game and were able to hold the Packers to under 100 yards through the air. The Buccaneers also recorded one interception, however, their league record streak of 69 consecutive games with at least one sack ended today.

Rush Defense: Giving up 190 yards on the ground to Green Bay, the Buccaneers rush defense was far off their peak.

Baltimore Ravens 6 at Miami Dolphins 9 (OT)

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Baltimore Ravens

Given that their starting QB Kyle Boller was out with an injury and third-string QB Anthony Wright was named the starter, the Raven philosophy was run first, run second, run third, and play a lot of defense. Wright's job would be to "manage the game" and not to lose it for the Ravens.

Right along with that script, RB Jamal Lewis was the main man for the offense, carrying the ball 26 times and accounting for 88 of the Raven's 118 total rushing yards. Lewis helped Baltimore control the ball and kept Wright out of trouble when he could. Lewis' one mistake, a bad exchange on a handoff in overtime, cost the Ravens dearly. This turnover helped set up the winning score for the Dolphins.

The passing game was not completely abandoned by Baltimore, although the 102 total net yards may imply that they did. QB Wright took to the air 25 times, completing 14 passes. The majority of those went to the safety net of TE Todd Heap, who collected 8 catches. The deep ball was not a part of the offense - none of the completions were for more than 18 yards. Wright did try to go deep to WR Marcus Robinson once, but he was intercepted. This was one of two gaffes by Wright, both interceptions. The second one cost Baltimore the potential for a winning kick late in the fourth quarter.

Defense and special teams were the key for Baltimore. The defense kept the Dolphins from finding the end zone, and K Matt Stover converted a field goal in each half for all of the points (reminiscent of the 2001 Super Bowl year when the Ravens went 5 weeks without a touchdown, yet won 2 of the 5 games). KR / CB Lamont Brightful had the biggest play of the day for Baltimore, returning a kick 73 yards to set up their first score.

Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins seemed to have the same game plan as Baltimore. They amassed similar offensive numbers, gaining just 267 total yards (141 rushing), only 47 more than the Ravens' paltry total.

RB Ricky Williams was finally able to eclipse the 100-yard mark, but it took him 36 carries to gain his 105 rushing yards. Williams had not gained 100 yards in nearly 2 months (Week 3 vs. Buffalo he gained 153 yards), but was kept out of the end zone. Williams accounted for almost half of the Miami offense, adding an additional 24 yards receiving

QB Brian Griese continued at the helm, guiding the Dolphins for the fourth consecutive time. Griese completed only 13 passes on 32 attempts for just 126 yards. Griese nearly cost the Dolphins, as he hit Baltimore's SS Ed Reed square in the numbers in his own territory in the fourth quarter. He was fortunate that the Dolphin defense covered the miscue by forcing another interception to get the ball back just two plays later.

The Dolphins defense and special teams were big contributors in the contest. Miami held RB Jamal Lewis under 100 yards for just the third time this year, extending their streak this season of not allowing a 100-yard rusher (the only NFL team not to allow one this year).

K Olindo Mare scored all the points for Miami, converting on three of his four attempts, one of which went for his season-best long of 52 yards. Mare missed his third attempt of the day, a 48-yard attempt that would have won the game, but avenged that with a game-winner of 43 yards in overtime.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Baltimore Ravens

QB: Anthony Wright (14-25-112, 0 TD, 2 INTs, 2-11 rushing) started for the first time this year after holding the clipboard for Baltimore as their third string quarterback. However, after starter Kyle Boller injured his quadriceps last week and backup Chris Redman's lackluster performance in relief, Wright was quickly elevated to starter status.

Head coach Brian Billick sculpted a game plan that would keep Wright from having to win the game by himself, relying on the reliable contributors of his offense, RB Jamal Lewis and TE Todd Heap. Wright handed the ball off 32 times, 26 of them going to Lewis. When Wright did attempt passes, most of them could be called "possession" passes - short tosses to try to keep the chains moving. Heap was his favorite target, opting to target him 9 times. None of Wright's passes were completed for over 18 yards.

RB: Jamal Lewis (26-88 rushing, 1 fumble, 0-0 receiving, 1 target) was the offensive workhorse once again for the Ravens, carrying the ball 26 times for Baltimore. However, Lewis was unable to gain 100 yards for only the third time all year as Miami limited him to less than 4 yards a carry. Lewis was credited with one fumble, a poor exchange between Jamal and QB Wright in overtime. The fumble proved to be crucial, as the Dolphins' LB Zach Thomas recovered it at the Baltimore 33 and kicked the winning field goal 3 plays later.

Chester Taylor (4-19 rushing, 3-24 receiving, 4 targets) was used as a change-of-pace runner and to spell Jamal Lewis. He would have had an additional 6 yards rushing, but his 11-yard carry in the third quarter was reduced to 5 due to a penalty on the play.

WR: Marcus Robinson (2-13 receiving, 6 targets) was the most targeted wide receiver for the Ravens, but only recorded two official catches. Robinson had a 12-yard reception called back by penalty in the third quarter. Robinson was also the intended receiver on the first interception thrown by QB Wright. Marcus was open deep down the middle of the field, but Wright under threw the receiver and was intercepted on the play.

Travis Taylor (1-11 receiving, 4 targets) had a very quiet day, catching only one pass for 11 yards.

Ron Johnson (0-0 receiving, 1 target) was the intended receiver once in the second quarter, but other than that was not a factor.

TE: Todd Heap (8-64 receiving, 9 targets) was the most targeted receiver for Baltimore in this contest. Heap was the de facto "safety valve" for QB Anthony Wright, collecting 8 balls in short passing zones. Six of Heap's 8 catches went for less than 10 yards, and the others were both under 20. Heap's only target that he did not catch was the second interception thrown by Wright, an unfortunate decision in the fourth quarter where Heap was well-covered by SS Sam Knight.

Terry Jones (0-0, 1 target) had one ball thrown to him but could not haul it in.

K: Matt Stover (2/2 FG, 39 and 45 yards) made both of his two field goal attempts. Stover accounted for all the scoring in the game, making a field goal in both the second and fourth quarters.

Pass Defense: Baltimore kept Griese from getting into any kind of rhythm, allowing just 13 of his 32 passes to be completed. The defense did a fantastic job, keeping the Dolphins out of the end zone all day. Ed Reed collected the lone interception of the afternoon, a Griese pass in the fourth quarter that hit him right between the numbers. The lone blemish on the performance by the Ravens was the lack of any sacks.

Rush Defense: While RB Ricky Williams gained 105 yards, it took him 36 carries to get that far, less than 3 yards a carry. More importantly, they kept the Dolphins from scoring. Travis Minor's long run came on the last play of the first half when Miami had the ball inside their own 5, so the defense was lax on that play. The Ravens were able to contain Williams from breaking the big one all game.

Miami Dolphins

QB: Brian Griese (13-32-141, 0 TD, 1 INT, 1-6 rushing) struggled all day against the Ravens, completing barely 40% of his passes. Griese's biggest mistake was a fourth quarter interception, where he hit SS Ed Reed square in the numbers in Dolphins territory. Fortunately for the Dolphins, the defense came up big and recorded their second interception just two plays later.

Griese had issues completing passes all game. Whether it was his reads on the defense or the progressions, it seemed he was forcing passes into covered receivers, or just missing those that did manage to get open. According to sideline reporter Bonnie Bernstein, Griese was concerned with and had problems throwing due to the wind in the stadium, but there seemed to be more than just wind issues.

RB: Ricky Williams (36-105 rushing, 3-24 receiving, 4 targets) carried the ball 35+ times for the third straight week, but was finally able to exceed 100 yards for the first time since Week 3 against the Bills. However, the stingy Ravens defense still kept Williams out of the end zone, and stopped Williams for a loss on 8 of his carries. Williams averaged less than 3 yards a carry, and only 4 of his rushes went for over 10 yards (2 11-yard runs, 2 16-yard runs).

FB Rob Konrad (0-0 rushing, 3-43 receiving, 3 targets) was not involved in the rushing game, but rather as a receiver out of the backfield. Konrad amassed the most receiving yards for the Dolphins, which should give you some idea of how meager an attack the Miami passing game was able to produce against Baltimore.

Travis Minor (5-30 rushing) collected 30 yards rushing on five carries, the bulk of which came on the last play of the first half. Minor gained 26 yards just before the break, so much of the yardage was uncontested.

WR: Chris Chambers (4-34 receiving, 12 targets) was the most targeted Dolphin in the passing game, but was only able to collect four catches on the day. The longest of the catches was for 16 yards.

Derrius Thompson (1-10 receiving, 6 targets) was targeted often, but only caught one pass in the game for ten yards. Thompson was also the intended receiver on the pass from Griese that was intercepted. Raven SS Ed Reed jumped a post route, and Thompson was unable to defend against the pick.

James McKnight (1-5 receiving, 2 targets) caught just one pass for 5 yards, and was not a factor.

Kendall Newson was targeted twice, but was unable to snag either of them.

TE: Randy McMichael (1-9 receiving, 4 targets) was the target of 4 passes from QB Griese, but was only able to catch one pass for nine yards. It was a very quiet day for the usually productive tight end.

K: Olindo Mare (3/4 FG, 23, 52, 43, missed from 48) made both of his first two field goal attempts, including a season-best 52 yard field goal in the third quarter. Mare missed a potentially game-winning 48-yard field goal with 2:29 left in the fourth quarter, just wide right, but avenged the miss in overtime. Mare connected from 43 yards to win the game in OT.

Pass Defense: Miami collected three sacks and had the newly starting QB Anthony Wright scrambling often. Wright erred twice, throwing interceptions to the Dolphin secondary, and was sacked three times. The Raven passing game only gained a net 102 passing yards and never completed a pass over 18 yards.

Rush Defense: Miami kept its streak in tact of not allowing a 100 yard rusher, a feat that only the Dolphins have accomplished in the NFL this year. Jamal Lewis was restrained to 88 yards, and the Raven running game committed a fatal mistake by fumbling in their territory in the overtime period. LB Zach Thomas pounced on the loose ball, helping to set up the winning field goal attempt.

Kansas City Chiefs 19 at Cincinnati Bengals 24

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Kansas City Chiefs

RB Priest Holmes had his least productive game of the season, falling short of 100 yards from scrimmage for the first time all year, and not scoring a touchdown for this first time in six games.

TE Tony Gonzalez was the fantasy standout on the Kansas City offense, catching 7 passes for 86 yards and a TD. He was the most-targeted Chiefs receiver, thrown to 11 times, 4 of which were in the red zone or on two-point conversions.

QB Trent Green saved a poor fantasy performance by engineering two long scoring drives in the 4th quarter. 168 of Green's 313 passing yards came in the final 9 minutes of the game, as did both of his TD passes.

Cincinnati Bengals

RB Rudi Johnson controlled the game for the Bengals, moving the chains and keeping Kansas City's offense off the field. Johnson consistently got extra yardage after first contact, and wore down the Chiefs defense. He did not score a TD, but he did not fumble. Corey Dillon was active and saw 6 carries, but it was Johnson that the Bengals leaned on.

WR Peter Warrick made two big plays in the 4th quarter - a 68-yard punt return TD to put the Bengals up 17-6, and a 77-yard TD reception that proved to be the game-winning points. Warrick's 114 receiving yards were the highest single-game total of his pro career.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Kansas City Chiefs

QB: Trent Green (28-42-313 passing, 2 TD, 0 INT, 0-0 rushing) had a terrible first half, throwing incompletions under heavy pressure and squandering great field position. Green saved his fantasy numbers in the 4th quarter, completing five consecutive passes for 92 yards and a TD pass, and adding a second TD capping a 71-yard drive late in the game.

RB: Priest Holmes (16-62 rushing 0 TD, 4-36 receiving, 4 targets) was contained by a Bengals defense committed to stopping him. He had little success running inside, rarely gaining more than 2 yards between the tackles. He fared a little better on the edges, breaking off one long gain on a sweep, and gaining 22 yards on a screen pass deep in Kansas City territory. He was the only Chief RB to carry the ball.

WR: Johnnie Morton (7-96 receiving, 11 targets) was ineffective until the fourth quarter. He had just one catch for seven yards at halftime, but was successful catching intermediate passes on the Chiefs' two TD drives. Morton did not appear to be slowed by the injury that limited his practice time during the week.

Eddie Kennison (6-82 receiving, 8 targets, 1-5 rushing) was also effective in the intermediate zone. Five of his six receptions were for double-digit gains and first downs. He was targeted just once in the red zone, but Kansas City did not run many plays inside the 20.

Marc Boerigter (1-(-2) receiving, 3 targets) drew a pass interference penalty on a 4th-down play that kept a drive alive. He did not play much, usually in 4-WR formations.

Dante Hall (1-4 receiving, 5 targets) was effective once again as a kick returner, but did not make an impact as a WR. He dropped

TE: Tony Gonzalez (7-86 receiving, 1 TD, 11 targets) was consistently involved in the offense, targeted at least once on almost every Chiefs drive. Green looked for him often on third down, and threw to Gonzalez three times in the red zone, including a 12-yard TD catch in the middle of the end zone. Gonzalez was also targeted on a 2-point conversion on a pass that fell incomplete, though it appeared that Gonzalez was interfered with on the play.

Jason Dunn (1-3 receiving 1 TD, 1 target) caught a 3-yard TD in the 4th quarter for his only reception and target on the day. It was his first reception in six games.

K: Morten Andersen made two field goals missed a 48-yard attempt which came up short.

Pass Defense: only gave up one deep pass, unfortunately it was Warrick's 77-yard TD that proved to be the winning points. Played Chad Johnson soft, giving up short passes to him all day. The pass rush sacked Jon Kitna twice, but failed to force any turnovers.

Rush Defense: could not bring Rudi Johnson down on first contact. Rudi Johnson was already averaging over 5 yards per carry before his back-breaking 54-yard gain on the final drive.

Cincinnati Bengals

QB: Jon Kitna (19-32-233 passing, 2 TD, 0 INT, 4-3 rushing) managed the game well, throwing no interceptions and rarely putting the ball into coverage. His numbers got a huge boost from a 77-yard TD pass to WR Peter Warrick in the 4th quarter, one of just two pass plays on the day that netted more than 20 yards.

RB: Rudi Johnson (22-165 rushing, 2-12 receiving, 2 targets) was an essential piece in the Bengals' upset victory. After alternating drives with RB Corey Dillon in the first half, Johnson got all of the RB carries in the second half. Johnson's powerful running style didn't fool many defenders, but he showed great balance in traffic, and was rarely brought down by the first hit. The vast majority of his running plays were designed to go between the tackles. He broke free for a 54-yard gain on the final drive, a run that clinched the game.

Corey Dillon (6-21 rushing, 2-15 receiving, 2 targets) alternated drives with Rudi Johnson in the first half, but did not touch the ball in the second half. Only one of his runs gained more than three yards.

Jeremi Johnson (0-0 rushing, 1-13 receiving, 1 target) was used almost exclusively as a blocker, but the FB caught one pass in the flat that he turned into a 13-yard TD. Johnson nearly ran out of space in the race to the corner, but he kicked the pylon for the score.

WR: Peter Warrick (6-114 receiving 1 TD, 1-11 rushing, 10 targets, 1 punt return TD) was involved in the offense from the beginning - Cincinnati's first running play was an 11-yard Warrick reverse. Warrick did most of his damage in the 4th quarter - a spectacular 68-yard punt return TD to give the Bengals a 17-6 lead, followed up with a 77-yard TD reception to immediately answer a Chiefs TD. The TD reception was a deep post pattern in single coverage - Warrick made the catch, broke an attempted tackle by Eric Warfield, and was gone.

Chad Johnson (7-74 receiving, 9 targets) took advantage of soft coverage by the Chiefs CBs for 7 catches and 74 yards. Most of Johnson's catches were quick hitch routes designed to get him the ball right away and run for extra yards. Johnson left the game briefly with cramps, but returned after receiving fluids, and looked fine in the 4th quarter.

TE: Matt Schobel (1-5 receiving, 2 targets) was not used much in the passing game. The Bengals used Tony Stewart often in 1-TE sets, leaving Schobel with just spot duty in 2-TE formations.

K: Shayne Graham made one field goad and missed a 48-yard attempt wide left.

Pass Defense: played great in the first half, allowing just 3 points despite Kansas City getting great field position for most of their drives. Though the pass rush only sacked Trent Green once, a variety of blitzes kept Green from getting comfortable. The pass defense faded in the fourth quarter, giving up two long TD drives, mostly through the air.

Rush Defense: held Priest Holmes to a season-low 62 yards. The Bengals committed extra players to the line of scrimmage to try to stop Holmes before plays developed, and Holmes rarely had running room inside. The rush defense did give up two long runs on sweeps, but overall had a great day.

Washington Redskins 17 at Carolina Panther 20

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Washington Redskins

The Washington Redskins failed to take advantage of turnovers on the Panthers first two drives, which ultimately cost them a chance at a win and a 5-5 record. Despite their failure to convert these two red-zone chances into points, the Redskins actually took a 17-13 lead on a 10-yard touchdown pass from QB Patrick Ramsey to Patrick Johnson with 4:19 left in the game. Washington was unable to hold on, however, as former Redskin Stephen Davis scored the winning touchdown for Carolina with just 1:09 left in the game.

Patrick Ramsey spent the afternoon under constant pressure from the Panthers aggressive defense. He finished the day 16-35 passing for 150 yards and two scores. He threw an interception and was sacked three times. His 4th quarter touchdown passes to Darnerien McCants were not enough to rally the Redskins to victory.

While it is unlikely that either running back made Redskins fans forget about Stephen Davis,
Washington's offense performed much better when RB Rock Cartwright was in the game, as opposed to Trung Canidate. Although he did have a key fumble at the goal line on the Redskins 2nd drive of the game, Cartwright finished the afternoon with 56 yards on 11 touches, and ran much harder than Canidate did. Cartwright made extra yards after hits that seemingly would have sent Canidate to the turf. Canidate had just 18 yards on 10 carries, and continued to show his inability to get past the initial hit.

WR Laveranues Coles caught just four passes for 35 yards. On the first play of the game, he was wide open deep down the right sideline for a potential 65-yard score, but Ramsey overthrew him out of bounds. That was his best chance of the day. In all, wide receivers Coles and Rod Gardner combined for just 6 catches in 18 targets and no scores. Instead, it was the backups, McCants and Patrick Johnson, who were able to get in the end zone for the Redskins.

The Redskins run defense held Stephen Davis in check for most of the game, but the pass defense was poor, allowing Panthers QB Jake Delhomme to throw for 317 yards and leaving WR Muhsin Muhammad wide open for most of the game.

Carolina Panthers

Carolina RB Stephen Davis took revenge against his former team by scoring the game-winning touchdown on a 3-yard run with 1:09 left in the game. The score was controversial, as replays were unclear as to whether he had crossed the plane of the goal before he fumbled. On review, the score was upheld and the Panthers held on for their 8th victory of the season. Davis finished with 92 yards rushing and 40 yards receiving. He also fumbled on the Panthers opening play of the game, but Washington failed to score.

WR Muhsin Muhammad had his best game of the season, as he caught 9 passes for 189 yards. He did fumble once, and dropped a pass that went for an interception, but neither resulted in points for the Redskins. He was the beneficiary of the fact that Washington QB Champ Bailey covered Steve Smith for most of the game. Unlike Smith, who was bottled up and frustrated for most of the game, Muhammad found himself wide open over the middle on several occasions. Smith struggled to get free of Bailey, but caught a huge pass for 30 yards on the Panthers game-winning drive.

QB Jake Delhomme shook off a slow start to finish with 317 yards while completing 20 of 30 passes. He also scored on a bootleg from a yard out on 4th and goal. For the second week in a row, Delhomme was nails when the game came down to the final drive. On that drive, he converted a 4th down play with a 25-yard screen pass to Stephen Davis. He followed that up with the big completion to Steve Smith, before Davis' game-winning score.

The Panthers defense showed remarkable resiliency as they overcame poor field position early in the game. The pressured Patrick Ramsey all day long, and forced three turnovers. DT Kris Jenkins had two sacks in the game.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Washington Redskins

QB: Patrick Ramsey (16-35 for 150 yards, with 2 touchdowns and 1 interception) held up fairly well despite the intense pressure he faced from the Panthers defense. He improved as the game went on, eventually leading the Redskins to two 4th quarter touchdowns. He missed Laveranues Coles, who was wide open, on the first play of the game, and struggled to get in a rhythm with his go-to receiver. He made up for that by connecting with WRs Darnerien McCants and Patrick Johnson for touchdowns in the red zone. His lone interception came when he was hit as he threw the ball. On the Redskins first drive of the second half he narrowly missed a big play to Rod Gardner, as his perfectly thrown deep ball over the middle trickled off Gardner's fingertips. After the Panthers took their 20-17 lead, Ramsey failed on four consecutive pass attempts and the Redskins turned the ball over on downs. On the final drive he was pressured and appeared not to have any open receivers.

RB: Rock Cartwright (9-32 with a fumble, 2 catches for 26 yards on 3 targets) played well after his 1st quarter fumble. The fumble came on 3rd and goal at the Carolina 2-yard line, after two runs by Trung Canidate gained just 3 yards. Brentson Buckner stripped him of the ball just before he crossed the goal line, and Shane Burton recovered in the end zone for a touchback. He was not used again until midway through the 2nd quarter, when he helped lead the Redskins to a field goal that tied the score at 3-3 at the half. Cartwright carried the ball on all but one running play in the second half, and may have supplanted Canidate as the current starter.

Trung Canidate (10-18, 1 catch for 13 yards) was ineffective. His longest run of the game was 6 yards, and he went down with the first hit on nearly every carry.

WR: Laveranues Coles (4-35 on 11 targets, 1 carry for no yards) saw his best chance of the game slip away when Ramsey overthrew him on the opening play of the game. He had beaten Tony Cousin on the play, but the ball was thrown out of bounds. On the next drive, he drew a questionable pass interference penalty that gave the Redskins 1st and goal at the 5-yard line. After that, he struggled to get open. Many of his targets were actually balls that were thrown away or out of bounds by Ramsey. He was targeted once in the end zone, but Ramsey threw the ball too far behind him.

Rod Gardner (2-24 on 7 targets) was open for potential big plays a couple of times, but was not able to convert them. In the 2nd quarter, he dropped a wide-open pass that would have gone for at least 15 yards. On the next drive, he was open in the end zone, but Ramsey overthrew him. In the 3rd quarter, Ramsey threw a perfect deep ball to him. Gardner dove, and the ball bounced off his hands. It would have been a nice catch, but he definitely had a shot at it.

Darnerien McCants and Patrick Johnson were each targeted 5 times. McCants caught 3 passes for 25 yards and a touchdown, while Johnson caught 2 balls for 16 yards and a touchdown. Both touchdown passes went to the back of the end zone, and Johnson's gave the Redskins a short-lived 17-13 lead.

TE: Zeron Flemister and Kevin Ware each caught a pass, for 5 and 6 yards, respectively.

PK: John Hall missed a 46-yard field goal wide-left in the 1st quarter. He later made a 23-yard field goal and both of his extra point attempts.

Run Defense: The Redskins held Stephen Davis down for most of the game. Ifeanyi Ohalete recovered a fumble by Stephen Davis on the Panthers first play from scrimmage, after Jessie Armstead stripped him of the ball. Carolina finished the game with just 110 rushing yards. On the winning touchdown run by Davis, it appeared as if Matt Bowen might have forced a fumble before Davis crossed the goal line.

Pass Defense: The Redskins allowed 317 yards passing and got absolutely no pressure on Delhomme. While CB Champ Bailey did a great job on Steve Smith, the Redskins left Muhsin Muhammad open to rack up 189 yards. They could not stop the Panthers when it mattered. Despite interceptions by Bowen and Fred Smoot, the pass defense played poorly.

Carolina Panthers

QB: Jake Delhomme (20-30-317 with 2 interceptions) played well after a rough beginning. He completed his first two passes, but then Fred Smoot intercepted a pass that Muhsin Muhammad got his hands on but couldn't hold on. He was intercepted again when Steve Smith dropped a nice slant pass in the 2nd quarter. After that, he and Muhsin Muhammad dominated the game. Muhammad got open repeatedly, and Delhomme showed good arm strength as he fired the ball to him. Delhomme also scored on a great play call when he kept the ball on a bootleg to the left on 4th and goal from the 1. The whole building, and all the Redskins, went for his fake to Stephen Davis. That score gave the Panthers a 10-3 lead. On the final drive of the game, he and Steve Smith finally hooked up for a big play. Smith bailed him out on a ball that was thrown up for grabs, when he out-jumped three defenders.

RB: Stephen Davis (28-92 with a touchdown and a fumble, plus 2 catches for 40 yards on 2 targets) exacted revenge on his former employer by scoring the game-winning touchdown. The Redskins limited him pretty well prior to the final scoring drive, however. He fumbled on his first carry, when he was stripped while fighting for extra yardage. He was unable to break any long runs, as the Redskins were committed to stopping the run. This likely led to some of the success Muhammad had. Aside from the touchdown, his biggest play came when he caught a screen pass on 4th and 1 and took it for 25 yards, which set up his eventual winning score. Davis' controversial 3-yard run won the game for Carolina. He was stuffed about a foot short of the goal line, but then twisted left. According to the officials, he was able to reach the ball across the plane of the end zone before it was knocked out of his hands.

With the game close throughout, backup DeShaun Foster received just one carry for two yards.

WR: Muhsin Muhammad (9-189 and a fumble on 11 targets) was the center of the excitement every time the ball went his way. Other than catching 9 of 11 targets, he also tipped one ball that ended up in an interception. He also fumbled after a 22-yard catch. Despite the turnovers, he was the key cog in this win. His ability to repeatedly get open over the middle allowed the Panthers to throw the ball at will.

The Redskins and Champ Bailey bottled up Steve Smith (4-50 on 8 targets, 1 run for -2 yards) for 57 minutes. He responded on the Panthers final drive, however, when Delhomme threw the ball up for grabs between three defenders. The diminutive Smith leaped high into the air to pull down a sensational catch.

Ricky Proehl caught his only attempt, a 22-yard pass in the first half.

TE: The Panthers rarely used their tight ends. Delhomme completed a pass each to Mangum, Seidman and Wiggins - for a total of 13 yards.

PK: John Kasay's string of 22 consecutive field goals came to an end when he came up wide right on a 47-yard attempt at the end of the first half. He later missed a 54-yard try as well. He did convert kicks of 25 and 26 yards, and both PATs.

Run Defense: The Panthers held the Redskins to 54 rushing yards, and forced a fumble at the goal line, which prevented an early Redskins touchdown. Dan Morgan led the team with 7 tackles.

Pass Defense: Carolina pressured Patrick Ramsey relentlessly, resulting in 3 sacks and a number of passes that Ramsey had to throw away. On the Redskins final drive, Carolina's pressure led to 4 straight incompletions, none of which were close to being completed.

Minnesota Vikings 18 at Oakland Raiders 28

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Minnesota Vikings

No team had ever opened the season with six straight victories, followed by four straight losses until the Minnesota Vikings' second straight inept performance in California.

QB Daunte Culpepper threw for a career best 396 yards, but his costly mistakes heavily outweighed his contributions. Culpepper accounted for 5 of the 6 Vikings' turnovers, with 3 of them directly resulting in 21 Oakland Raiders' points.

The Vikings were never able to get the running game going as RB Moe Williams and RB Michael Bennett were only able to amass 52 yards on 15 carries, with only 8 of those yards coming in the second half. The Raiders' outstanding defensive play turned the Vikings' normally balanced offense, into a one-dimensional passing attack.

The big story on the game was the exceptional coverage on WR Randy Moss turned in by Oakland CB Charles Woodson. Moss caught 4 passes for 25 yards in the first half, but was completely shut out the rest of the game.

K Aaron Elling added to the Vikings' miscues by badly missing two field goals in the first half from 39 and 44 yards.

Oakland Raiders

The Oakland Raiders defense single handedly ended the Raiders' five game losing streak. The defense mixed things up, constantly giving the Vikings' offense different looks and thoroughly confusing them. They caused Minnesota QB Daunte Culpepper to play erratic all game long and forced him into five damaging turnovers. The Oakland secondary set the tone of the game, with CB Phillip Buchanon picking off Culpepper's first pass and returning it 64 yards untouched for a touchdown. Two other Culpepper mistakes quickly resulted in 14 more Raiders' points.

With starting QB Rich Gannon and backup QB Marques Tuiasosopo both done for the season, the Raiders started third string QB Rick Mirer for the second straight game. Like the previous week against the New York Jets, the Raiders game plan was to run the ball and control the clock to protect Mirer. The Raiders ended the game with a total of 43 rushes and 13 pass attempts. Mirer, aided by the dominating rushing attack, effectively used play action fakes to torch the Vikings secondary for huge chunks through the air. Mirer routinely found his receivers wide open and averaged a whopping 21.67 yards per completion. He made excellent decisions and did not have a turnover, unlike his counterpart Daunte Culpepper.

With starting RB Charlie Garner out with a bruised tailbone, RB Tyrone Wheatley again carried the load, rushing for 109 yards and a TD on 32 carries. Wheatley has carried the ball 55 times in the past two games. FB Zack Crockett punched in two TDs in goal line situations. The Raiders' running backs accounted for all the offensive touchdowns.

The Oakland wide receivers again played second fiddle to the bruising Raider ground game, only totaling 4 catches for 94 yards. WR Jerry Porter led all Raiders' wide receivers with 2 catches for 49 yards. Rice extended his NFL record streak to 267 consecutive games with a reception on his only catch in the 4th quarter.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Minnesota Vikings

QB: Coming into the game, Daunte Culpepper (27-49-396, 1 TD, 3 INTs; 7-42 rushing, 1TD, 2 lost fumbles) had only thrown 3 INTs on 204 pass attempts, but he doubled his season total making poor decisions and throwing wildly all game long. Even with his miscues, the absence of a running game, and with his favorite target WR Randy Moss blanketed and unable to get open, Culpepper managed to charge the Vikings back. His beautiful 29-yard TD strike to WR Kelly Campbell and subsequent completion to TE Hunter Goodwin for the two-point conversion drew Minnesota to within a field goal midway through the 4th quarter. But Culpepper's last turnover, a poorly thrown pass to WR D'Wayne Bates, was intercepted on an outstanding diving catch by Oakland S Rod Woodson and the ensuing Raider touchdown put the game on ice. On the play before the TD pass to Campbell, Culpepper badly under threw a streaking Campbell that would have resulted in an 89-yard TD play. Campbell made an excellent adjustment to come back for the ball that resulted in a 52-yard completion. Early in the 4th quarter, Culpepper killed another promising scoring drive when he slipped on a called QB draw play and while untouched fumbled the ball away at the Oakland 14.

RB: Moe Williams (10-39 rushing; 6-80 receiving, 9 targets) continues to be the go to guy in the Vikings backfield. Since the return of RB Michael Bennett, the Vikings had planned to give Bennett more and more touches. But the outstanding play of Williams has limited Bennett's production and Williams is a viable receiving threat out of the backfield. This situation should be closely watched in the coming weeks, but it didn't look Sunday like Williams was ready to relinquish the starting job. Stay tuned.

Michael Bennett (5-13 rushing; 2-59 receiving, 2 targets) is having trouble getting opportunities with the stellar play of Williams. Bennett's 40-yard catch out of the backfield set up the Vikings' first touchdown.

WR: Randy Moss (4-25 receiving, 10 targets) had all of his catches in the first half. He was completely taken out of the passing attack by the blanketing coverage of Oakland CB Charles Woodson. With the outcome of the game already decided, Moss was targeted on successive pass plays in the end zone, but both were thrown high and out of bounds.

Kelly Campbell (4-115 receiving, 1 TD, 8 targets) was the benefactor of all the attention shown Moss. Campbell used his lightning speed to beat Oakland CB Phillip Buchanon for several big pass plays. He was solely responsible for the Vikings second touchdown making two huge back-to-back catches of 52 and 29 yards. Culpepper also targeted Campbell in the end zone on a 42-yard pass play, but Buchanon intercepted the ball for the touchback.

On the Vikings' second drive of the game, Nate Burleson (3-32 receiving, 8 targets, 1 fumble lost) ended a scoring opportunity when he fumbled the ball away at the Oakland 24. At the end of the first half, Culpepper targeted Burleson in the end zone, but the pass was overthrown.

D'Wayne Bates (1-18 receiving, 4 targets), once a starter, now looks to be the odd man out in the Vikings' passing attack.

TE: Jim Kleinsasser (7-67 receiving, 10 targets) has become a prominent threat in the Minnesota offense. The coaching staff had promised to get him more involved in the game plan and judging by his numbers, they delivered.

Hunter Goodwin caught a pass from Culpepper for a successful two-point conversion.

K: Aaron Elling only made 1 of 3 field goal attempts in the game. Elling connected on a 35-yard attempt for the Vikings' only scoring in the first half, but missed badly on his other two attempts of 39 and 44 yards. He did not have an attempted field goal in the second half.

Pass Defense: The Minnesota pass defense failed to put any pressure on QB Rick Mirer. They were not tested often with Mirer only attempting 13 passes, but they routinely bit on the play action fake and left Oakland receivers wide open down the field.

Rush Defense: The Minnesota rush defense was run over by RB Tyrone Wheatley and FB Zack Crockett and thoroughly dominated by the Oakland offensive line. Missed tackles continue to be an issue for this group. They allowed an atrocious 191 yards on the ground for the game. The rush defense did recover two fumbles by Raiders' running backs, but the Vikings defense was constantly put in precarious situations by untimely Culpepper turnovers.

Oakland Raiders

QB: Rick Mirer (9-13-195, 0 TD, 0 INT; 2-4 rushing) won his first game since 1999 with the New York Jets. Mirer propelled Oakland to a 14-3 halftime advantage backed by a solid running game and his smart decisions. Unlike the previous week against the Jets, the Raiders made good use of the play action fake and Mirer found his receivers roaming free down the field. The Raiders had a chance to seal the victory late in the 4th quarter on a 4th and 1 from the Minnesota 4, but a wide open WR Tim Brown dropped Mirer's perfect pass in the end zone. Shortly after, Culpepper threw his last interception and the Raiders were in business again. On a 3rd and 6 from the Minnesota 7, Mirer showed his grit by running and trying to leap over Vikings defenders for the first down. He was spun in the air and came down hard at the Minnesota 2-yard line. FB Zack Crockett bulled in from there for his second TD of the game.

RB: Tyrone Wheatley (32-109 rushing, 1 TD; 1-6 receiving, 1 target) punished Vikings' defenders with his hard running up the middle. While Wheatley was the workhorse for the Raiders and gave way to FB Zack Crockett at the goal line, Wheatley was able to cap off the Raiders opening drive of the second half with a 2-yard TD rumble. Crockett was on the sidelines, gassed from a 44-yard sprint two plays earlier.

In the Raiders' opening drive, Justin Fargas (3-24 rushing, 1 fumble lost) had two consecutive quick hitters for nice yardage, but fumbled the ball away at the end of the second run. He only had one carry after the fumble and was not used at all in the second half.

FB Zack Crockett (6-54 rushing, 2 TDs, 1 fumble lost) continues to be the goal line guy for the Raiders. After a Culpepper fumble midway through the 2nd quarter, Crockett bulldozed his way in for a 1-yard TD on a nice second effort. His 44-yard dash set up the Raiders' third TD early in the 3rd quarter. It was Crockett's longest run of his career. Crockett scored his second TD when he plowed in on a 4th and 1 from the Minnesota 2-yard line.

WR: Jerry Rice (1-20 receiving, 2 targets) and the rest of the Raiders' wide receivers took a back seat to the Oakland rushing attack. His only catch came on the first play of the 4th quarter and extended his NFL record with a reception in his 267th straight game.

Tim Brown (1-25 receiving, 2 targets) was the only wide receiver for Oakland to catch a pass in the first half. He dropped a perfectly thrown pass in the end zone late in the game.

Jerry Porter (2-49 receiving, 4 targets) led all Oakland wide receivers in catches and yardage.

TE: O.J. Santiago (2-53 receiving, 3 targets) led all receivers in catches and yardage. He seemed to be the flavor of the game for the Raiders tight ends and the tight end position for the Raiders seems to have lost it fantasy value with the emergence of the running attack.

Doug Jolley (1-25 receiving, 1 target) had his only catch for a big gain and a 3rd down conversion.

Teyo Johnson, named the starter a couple of weeks ago, did not have a pass thrown his way.

K: Sebastian Janikowski missed short with his only field goal attempt from 52 yards early in the 4th quarter.

Pass Defense: The Raiders pass defense gave up 396 yards passing to Culpepper, but they came up with the big plays and forced three interceptions. CB Charles Woodson's blanketing coverage on WR Randy Moss took one of the best receivers in league completely out of the game. Moss did not have a catch in the second half. CB Phillip Buchanon had two interceptions, one returned for a TD and forced a fumble.

Rush Defense: The Oakland rush defense showed outstanding execution. They stymied the Minnesota rushing attack, only allowing the usually potent Vikings offense a total of 94 yards on the ground. Their excellent effort caused Minnesota to go to a one-dimensional passing attack and allowed the Raiders' secondary to force Culpepper into numerous turnovers.

Atlanta Falcons 20 at New Orleans Saints 23

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Atlanta Falcons

He had a couple of smart throws, but by virtually any objective measure QB Kurt Kittner was awful. He completed only 8 of 27 passes for 80 total yards and no touchdowns. Despite conservative play calling and a successful running game, the Falcons had no drives where the passing game played a successful role. Kittner threw two interceptions in the second half and one more throw was dropped by a Saints defender.

RB Warrick Dunn followed last week's success with another tremendous game, getting 162 yards on 23 carries. He continues to show that he can be a primary ball carrier for his team and continue to be effective; he still had the energy for a fantastic 41 yard run in overtime. Dunn did not have a touchdown. He caught 2 passes for 23 yards on top of his rushing numbers.

RB T.J. Duckett had only 4 carries for 7 yards, though he vultured the goal-line rushes in the second quarter and ran in the TD.

WR Peerless Price finished with a meager 18 yards on 2 catches despite being targeted a team-high 7 times. There simply wasn't much action for Price to capitalize on in the passing game.

TE Alge Crumpler's chemistry with Kurt Kittner continues to falter after a one catch, ten yard day. A pass to Crumpler was intercepted in the third quarter, though his responsibility in the turnover was minimal.

K Jay Feely made 27 & 38 field goals during regulation, but he missed a 54 yarder that would have won the game in overtime.

New Orleans Saints

QB Aaron Brooks was very shaky throughout the contest, but managed to pull together a strong final drive leading to a game-tying field goal. He finished 21 for 37 with 228 yards. He had no TDs and 2 interceptions. He was under tremendous pressure all game long, getting sacked 7 times on a field where his receivers were often not open. Brooks was a threat to run when his team got nearer to the end zone, taking off with the ball 8 times for 37 yards.

RB Deuce McAllister was a second-half superstar in the game, finishing with 173 yards rushing on 28 carries and 2 TDs. He was stunted for only 20 yards rushing in the first half, but the lanes opened wide for McAllister in the 2nd and overtime. He ran the ball with power and speed. His Achilles' Heel was late-game fumbling; his 58 yard run was crushed by a Falcon strip into the endzone for a touchback to Atlanta. McAllister was Aaron Brooks' release valve all game, and succeeded there, catching 9 passes for 64 yards.

WR Joe Horn was hampered by a sore knee coming into the game and played little. He caught all 3 passes going his way for 21 yards, including an important 14 yard catch on the winning drive in overtime.

WR Donte Stallworth was a significant disappointment in Horn's limited appearance. He caught only one pass for 5 yards despite having six passes thrown his way. He was looked to twice for long strikes to the end zone but was mostly ignored in the second half.

WR Jerome Pathon had 3 catches for 47 yards and was looked to more than any other Saints receiver in the game.

K John Carney was 3 for 3 on field goals, hitting from 26, 28, and 36 yards. Once on 4th and 5 on the Falcons' 35, the Saints went for it, worrying about Carney's distance on the new Superdome surface. Carney's distance may be limited there.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Atlanta Falcons

QB: On second down and 9 yards to the end zone with 11 seconds left in the first half the Falcons elected to kick a field goal instead of letting Kurt Kittner try a touchdown throw. This extremely cautious decision seems to summarize the team's confidence in the second-year man well, and it seemed surprising that even with the score close the Falcons didn't opt for replacing him with former starter Doug Johnson late in the game. Despite an extremely conservative passing game and the success of RB Warrick Dunn running the ball, Kittner threw high, low, and away from his receivers all game. He tossed two interceptions in the second half. At least seven of his passes couldn't have been considered catchable by any definition.

RB: Warrick Dunn had 162 yards rushing in the game one week after a 178 yard performance. He again was the only successful piece of the Falcons' offense and was all they could rely on to get first downs. Dunn added more evidence that he can carry the ball twenty-plus times a game and still be fresh late in the game. His stiff-arm and burst for a 41 yard run in overtime was preceded in the 4th quarter by a 54 yard draw play that put the Falcons into red zone territory. He was targeted five times in the passing game, though he caught both balls he could have been realistically expected to catch.

RB T.J. Duckett was nothing more than a change-of-pace back and goal-line runner for the Falcons today. He was fed the ball twice within the 5 yard line following a Falcons interception to get his touchdown and spelled Dunn after he had big runs.

WR: Peerless Price was targeted 7 times during the game, the most on the team, but only two passes he didn't catch were in his vicinity. He finished with only 2 catches for 18 yards. Unlike last week, when Price had low numbers due to dropped catchable passes, it's difficult to criticize the performance of the Falcons' main receiving threat when the passing game is so ineffective.

WR Brian Finneran had only one catch for 7 yards in the game, but was targeted two other times. Kittner's 16 yard throw deep into the end zone in the fourth quarter was high, and had it been caught it would have probably been highlight-reel material. It was the kind of play that needed to be made, however - Finneran simply could not get it done.

WR Quentin McCord led (I use "led" loosely) the Falcon receivers with 2 catches for 22 yards. He was targeted 5 total times, all in the first half.

TE: Alge Crumpler is a fun name to say, but the novelty is wearing off with these kinds of numbers. The connection he enjoyed with Doug Johnson is virtually non-existent with Kittner, though he is seen on the field and the Falcons do seem to run plays with him in mind. He was targeted four times in the game, catching one pass for ten yards. Only one of the other passes his way was catchable, a third down pass in the first quarter that was high but simply went threw his hands. Crumpler has to be eagerly awaiting Michael Vick's return to the field.

TE Brian Kozlowski was targeted three times in the game, including a critical pass to the Saints' 5 yard line that was intercepted on the Falcons' last drive in the fourth quarter.

Run Defense: The Falcons was a tale of two defenses: they were fantastic in the first half, limiting Deuce McAllister to 20 yards on 8 carries. Whatever adjustments were made blew the Falcons away in the second half, however, as McAllister ended up ripping the team for 173 yards and two touchdowns. An overtime strip of McAllister during a 58-yard run saved the game for the team temporarily, but the Falcons allowed a key 23 yard scamper after the Saints got the ball back, leading to the winning field goal for New Orleans.

Pass Defense: The Falcons harried Aaron Brooks, racking up 7 sacks and 2 interceptions in a fantastic performance. Several of the sacks occurred when Brooks simply had no one to throw to. When the heels need to be dug in, however, the Falcons failed; they allowed 82 passing yards forward on the drive to tie the game at the end of regulation.

New Orleans Saints

QB: The Saints' QB had a 27.2 quarterback rating in the first half with a 10 for 19 for 90 yard outing and 2 interceptions. He led a game-tying field goal drive at the end of regulation, however, and he finished 21 for 37 with 228 yards. His zero TDs and 2 interceptions relayed poor fantasy performance, but a hobbled Joe Horn and struggling Donte Stallworth left him little to work with. He was under tremendous pressure all game long, getting sacked 7 times. His receivers were covered often, leading to several of those sacks. He showed his ability to grab some yardage with his feet in the red zone, netting 37 rushing yards.

RB: Deuce McAllister was stymied in the first half. He was gigantic in the second. And he almost lost the game for his team in overtime. The roller coaster was nonstop for McAllister, but by the time he got off the ride he had a huge fantasy day with 173 yards rushing and 2 TDs and 9 catches for 64 yards. He waited patiently for openings to be created, pulled away from arms grasping at his feet, and simply pounded defenders over when needed. A fourth quarter fumble was dropped by an Atlanta defender and recovered by the Saints.

FB Terrelle Smith was a non-factor today, catching one ball for 6 yards.

WR: Joe Horn didn't play much with a sore left knee. He caught all 3 passes going his way for 21 yards. On the winning drive in overtime, his 14 yard catch was reviewed and determined to have inconclusive evidence to reverse, though it was fairly evident he was pushed out.

WR Donte Stallworth was especially disappointing given Horn's limited role in the game. He caught only one pass for 5 yards despite having six passes thrown his way. Four of them, including a 30-plus yard TD pass in the second quarter, were at least catchable (a 40 yard bomb in the third quarter was poorly executed by Brooks). He was invisible outside that pass in the second half and reportedly hurt his hamstring.

WR Jerome Pathon was targeted 10 times, tied with McAllister as the most of any Saint, and he finished with 3 catches for 47 yards. A second quarter pass Pathon's way was intercepted, but he had two critical catches that moved the Saints 38 yards in the final drive in the 4th.

WR Michael Lewis made the most of Horn's absence and Stallworth's poor game and had 4 catches for 85 yards. The Saints kick returner showed his great speed and caught easy passes from Brooks. He was targeted 6 times in the game; the only pass to go his way in the first quarter (as the Saints focused unsuccessfully on Stallworth) was intercepted.

TE: Ernie Conwell was targeted twice, though both plays were negated by penalties. He ended his day early with a broken ankle in the first quarter.

TE Boo Williams did not get used substituting for Conwell the rest of the game.

Run Defense: The Saints allowed 28 rushes for 168 yards (6 yards per rush) as Warrick Dunn had an explosive game. It was especially bad given the ineffectiveness of Falcons' QB Kurt Kittner.

Pass Defense: While it is difficult to give the Saints tremendous credit for their passing defense given the terrible play of Kittner, they did limit the Falcons to only 80 yards passing. They did not put Kittner under significant pressure, netting only one sack, though their 2 interceptions were critical.