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

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

Joe

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Joe Bryant
Owner - www.Footballguys.com

Week 14 GAME RECAPS

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

Edited by Joe Bryant

Houston Texans 0 at Jacksonville Jaguars 27

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Houston Texans

Rookie QB Dave Ragone saw his first NFL action, starting in place of David Carr. Ragone showed good poise in the pocket and ran for 51 yards, all on scrambles, on five carries, but was generally ineffective passing in the game. Ragone was 11 for 23 passing for 71 yards. Ragone also threw one interception (late in the fourth quarter), and lost one fumble. Mike Quinn was the backup to Ragone for the game. David Carr was designated as the third quarterback, with continuing shoulder problems and the stomach flu before the game. Tony Banks was placed on injured reserve during the past week.

Rookie Tony Hollings received his first NFL start, substituting for rookie Domanick Davis, who was inactive for the game with a deep thigh bruise. As the Texans' passing game was generally ineffective, this led to little available running room for Hollings, as he rushed for 19 yards on 18 carries. Fifty-one of the Texans' 70 yards rushing was credited to QB Dave Ragone, including a 14 yard scramble that was the Texans' longest play from scrimmage in the game. Stacey Mack is on injured reserve.

TE Billy Miller (4 for 29) and WR Derick Armstrong (2 for 13) were the only Texans' receivers to catch more than one pass in the game. WR Corey Bradford's 12-yard reception late in the third quarter was the Texans' longest pass reception on the day. Ragone helped his completion percentage by catching one of his own passes for a five-yard loss after his pass was blocked at the line of scrimmage.

PK Kris Brown did not have a scoring attempt in the game.

Both the Texans' offensive and defensive lines were ineffective during the game. The Texans' offense gained only 124 net on offense and yielded 390 net on defense. The Texans' offense furthest penetration in the game was to the Jaguars' 34-yard line on a lost fumble by Tony Hollings on their opening drive which started at the Texans' 47-yard line. Of the 13 Texans' offensive possessions, ten ended in punts and eight ended with three plays or less in the drive.

Jacksonville Jaguars

QB Byron Leftwich led a solid, if unspectacular Jaguars passing offense. Leftwich was 18-for-29 in the game for 194 yards, including a 32-yard touchdown reception to WR Jimmy Smith to start the game's scoring. Leftwich did not lose a fumble, nor did he throw an interception.

RB Fred Taylor was the focus for the Jaguars', rushing for 163 yards on 24 carries. Taylor had one touchdown and a 62-yard rush early in the fourth quarter that ended up being his last rush in the game. Rookie LaBrandon Toefield rushed for 54 yards, most after he replaced Taylor in the fourth quarter. Toefield also rushed for his first NFL touchdown in the fourth quarter.

WR Cortez Hankton led Jaguars' receivers with four receptions. Jimmy Smith led Jaguars' receivers with 58 yards receiving, including a 32-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter.

PK Seth Marler was 3-for-3 on extra point attempts and 2-for-3 in field goal attempts (successful from 35 and 28 yards, and unsuccessful from 41 yards).

The Jaguars' defense stymied the Texans' offense throughout the game, yielding 124 net yards in the game. The Jaguars collected three sacks and one interception, and forced two lost fumbles. The Texans most successful plays in the game were QB Dave Ragone scrambling for positive yardage from a passing formation.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Houston Texans

QB: Dave Ragone's first NFL start was not very successful as Ragone threw for only 70 yards with one interception and one lost fumble. Ragone was successful in scrambling for 51 yards rushing. David Carr was the #3 QB for the game. Tony Banks is on injured reserve.

RB: Tony Hollings' first NFL start was equally as unsuccessful as Ragone's. Hollings had 25 total yards (19 rushing) in the game, including one lost fumble. Domanick Davis was inactive for the game. Stacey Mack is on injured reserve.

WR: Derick Armstrong was the only receiver with more than one reception in the game (2 receptions for 13 yards). Corey Bradford, Andre Johnson, and Jabar Gaffney each collected one reception.

TE: Billy Miller was the leading Texans' receiver with four receptions for 29 yards.

K: Kris Brown did not have a scoring attempt in the game.

Pass Defense: The Texans yielded 182 net passing yards in the game with one sack and no interceptions. CB Aaron Glenn started the game, but left in the second half due to the recurrence of his groin injury. Glenn was burned by the Jaguars' Jimmy Smith for a 32-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter, and was penalized for defensive holding late in the second quarter that helped lead to a Jaguars' touchdown and a 17-0 Jaguars' half time lead. On the same drive, Demarcus Faggins also was called for a defensive pass interference that extended the Jaguars' drive.

Run Defense: The Texans allowed 208 net rushing yards, including a 5.2 yards per rush average.

Jacksonville Jaguars

QB: Byron Leftwich went 18-for-29 with 194 passing yards. Leftwich did not throw an interception, nor did he lose a fumble. Leftwich has thrown for a touchdown pass in nine of the 12 games that he has played.

RB: Fred Taylor collected 154 rushing yards in the game, with rookie backup LaBrandon Toefield also collecting 54 rushing yards. Taylor was very effective in the game, leaving in the fourth quarter after his 62-yard rush early in the fourth quarter. Taylor also was tackled awkwardly on a fourth quarter rush that resulted in a fumble that rolled out-of-bounds. Taylor's 2-yard rushing touchdown in the second quarter was his first since November 9 against Indianapolis. Toefield's rushing touchdown in relief of Taylor in the fourth quarter was his first NFL touchdown. Toefield also was used in place of Taylor on 4-and-1 at the Texans' 22-yard line in the second quarter.

WR: Jimmy Smith led Jaguars' receivers with 58 reception yards and one touchdown. Cortez Hankton collected four receptions in the game, including receptions of 22 and 14 yards that started their touchdown drive late in the second quarter. Recent acquisition Kevin Johnson had three receptions for 29 yards.

TE: Kyle Brady had one reception for four yards. Brady was called for offensive pass interference on consecutive plays on the Jaguars' first drive of the third quarter.

K: Seth Marler was 2-for-3 in field goal attempts in the game, converting from 28 and 35 yards, and missing from 41 yards. Marler was 3-for-3 in points after touchdown.

Pass Defense: The Jaguars held the Texans' passing game to 54 net passing yards. The Jaguars continually harassed Texans' QB to Dave Ragone, sacking him three times in the game, intercepting one of his passes, and causing him to scramble for rushing yardage five times. DL Tony Brackens had two sacks in the game.

Run Defense: The Jaguars stuffed the Texans' running game, yielding only 70 yards, with 51 of those rushing yards resulting from Dave Ragone scrambles.

New York Jets 6 at Buffalo Bills 17

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

New York Jets

There was no comeback victory from QB Chad Pennington on this day. He was harassed and hurried all game long and was sacked 5 times, en route to his worst game of the season.

RB Curtis Martin actually had a productive day against one of the league's best defenses. Martin went over 100 total yards for the game and despite his early-season struggles he finds himself 47 rushing yards shy of 1,000 for the season.

The Jets' run defense continues to get trampled. Once again, shoddy tackling led to an opponent dominating their rush defense. Travis Henry and company totaled over 200 yards on the ground against this helpless unit for the Jets.

Buffalo Bills

Travis Henry was the fantasy and actual star of the game for either side. He went over 1,000 yards for the season. Henry was at his most impressive when he was met by a defender because it gave him a prime opportunity time and time again to run over them. Henry finished 169 yards on the ground.

Drew Bledsoe had a poor statistical day, and it was obvious from the outset that the Bills were going to live or die on the legs of Travis Henry. Bledsoe attempted just 15 passes and totaled just 72 yards through the air. He appeared very tentative all day long and held onto the ball way too long on several occasions.

The Bills' defense came through big-time for them today. They allowed fewer than 100 yards on the ground, and most importantly, didn't allow QB Chad Pennington ample time to do his thing either. Each time they needed a big defensive stop, they came through.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

New York Jets

QB: For the first time all year, Chad Pennington struggled for most of the game. There were several drops that hurt his numbers, but he really had no chance in this one anyway. After starting out 5 of 6, Pennington went on to complete just 10 of his next 23 passes. He totaled 155 yards without a touchdown, and threw 1 interception. He didn't get a lot of help from his team though. Oftentimes, there was no one open downfield for New York, but there were just as many times where Pennington wasn't given ample time to even pick up his head before Bills' defenders were on him.

RB: Curtis Martin had a good statistical day, though he got nowhere near the end zone. Martin carried 25 times for 84 yards and added another 20 yards on 3 receptions (3 targets). He appeared to be running well and showed his customary good moves, but the Jets kind of got away from the running game when they fell behind.

LaMont Jordan again failed to register a single carry. Considering Jordan has had fumbling problems during his career, Herman Edwards may not want to risk it now that Jordan is currently playing with a cast on his broken hand. Jordan did, however, catch one ball for 3 yards.

Jerald Sowell did not have a carry, and caught just 1 ball for 2 yards, but he was targeted on a deep ball of at least 40 yards but the ball was held up in the wind and fell short of Sowell.

WR: Santana Moss caught 5 balls for 61 yards on 10 targets. The Bills did a fine job of not allowing Moss to beat them deep and most of his receptions came on crossing routes and slants over the middle of the field. Moss showed tremendous hands on a near-catch on the sidelines, but the ball popped loose once he hit the ground. Moss was targeted on one deep ball but the pass was broken up.

Curtis Conway followed up his stellar game last week with a less-than-inspiring effort today. Conway caught 3 balls for 51 yards, but he dropped 2 passes and then failed to complete his route on the Pennington interception, which basically ended the game.

TE: Anthony Becht caught 1 pass for 14 yards on 3 targets. His biggest play of the game was on a drop over the middle of the field. He turned his head just as Izell Reese was about to drill him, and the ball bounced off his chest. The play would have gone for a first down and big yardage.

Pass Defense: New York put decent pressure on Drew Bledsoe, but it didn't really matter much. The Bills' focus was clearly on getting the ball into the very capable hands on RB Travis Henry and not asking Bledsoe to do too much. Bledsoe has suffered two concussions the past 2 weeks, and so it appeared they didn't want to subject him to much punishment. The Jets managed to sack him twice and intercept him once (on a badly under thrown ball), and generally got good pressure on him.

Run Defense: It seems wrong to even put 'run defense' in the heading here. Reason being, there was no run defense to speak of for New York. Right from the outset, Travis Henry had his way with New York. He ran over people, he ran around people, he basically ran wherever he wanted. New York was powerless to stop him. On his touchdown run (much like his run last week against the Giants), Henry was completely untouched. The Jets have had serious problems stopping the run all season long, and today was definitely no exception.

Special Teams: Just before the end of the first half, the Jets were struck with some bad luck. Doug Brien lined up for a 45-yard field goal, which was just barely good. However, there was a false start penalty on New York that backed them up 5 yards and made it a 50-yard attempt. This time, Brien's kick fell short by about one yard. Later in the game, the Jets got much worse news when KR Jonathan Carter injured his knee and had to be carried off the field with the help of two others. He put no pressure on the leg, and the angle his knee bent at suggested a serious injury.

Buffalo Bills

QB: Drew Bledsoe wasn't asked to do much in this one. He did just enough to keep the pressure off of Travis Henry, and his strong arm still forces defenses to respect him, even when he's less than 100%. Bledsoe finished up 9-15 for 72 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception. He seems to still be having a problem with holding onto the ball far too long, as evidenced by the number of times he was knocked down. Bledsoe's numbers were hurt somewhat by at least 4 dropped balls, but the interception was his fault alone. He had a man downfield wide open, but badly under threw the ball right into the leaping hands of CB Ray Mickens.

RB: For the second week in a row, I ask you: Travis Henry has a broken leg? Henry doesn't seem to notice. In fact, the announcers reported that Henry told them his torn rib cartilage still hurts ten times more than the broken leg was, even now. Despite the injuries, Henry seemingly had zero problems cutting, jumping, diving, etc. He finished the game with 32 carries for 169 yards and a touchdown, adding another 6 yards on his only reception and went over 1,000 yards rushing for the season. About the only blemish on his day was a fumble late in the game when the Bills were trying to run out the clock. After the Henry fumble, Joe Burns got the remainder of the carries. It could have been due to the fumble, it could have been due to the Bills being up by 11, or it could have just been that Henry had 32 carries and with a broken leg, you want to save your star back. Regardless of the reason, the fumble did nothing to take away from an outstanding performance, albeit against one of the league's worst run defenses.

Joe Burns got the remainder of the carries after Travis Henry fumbled the ball away, but Burns himself also fumbled while trying to run out the clock. The Bills recovered.

WR: Eric Moulds is a shell of his former self at this point of the season. It is obviously due to the groin injury, and if the Bills didn't have the slimmest of hopes to make the playoffs, one could seriously question why Moulds is on the field at all. He caught just 2 passes for 11 yards, but even more telling is that he was targeted just 4 times (once in the second half). That means Moulds isn't even getting open enough to try and throw the ball his way.

With Moulds' injury, Josh Reed looks like the number one option for a Buffalo receiver at this point, though that still doesn't necessarily make him a good option. He did catch a touchdown, but finished with only 30 yards receiving on 4 catches. He was targeted 4 times.

Bobby Shaw had twice as many drops (2) as receptions (1). That tells you all you really need to know about his game.

TE: Unless you count Mark Campbell's zero catches for zero yards on 1 target, no Bills' TE did anything to speak of.

Pass Defense: They did a terrific job of holding Chad Pennington and Santana Moss in check. Pennington was unable to find the end zone, and had his worst game of the season. The Bills were able to sack him 5 times, including a forced fumble by last week's Defensive Player of the Week, Aaron Schobel. Pennington was also intercepted by Terrence McGee while trying to bring the Jets back into the game late in the fourth quarter. This defense did such a terrific job that one got the feeling while watching that the Jets wouldn't have been able to score even if the game had the game gone 8 quarters.

Run Defense: Curtis Martin enjoyed some early success against them, and totaled 84 yards on 25 carries. But the Jets couldn't sustain drives and let Martin wear down the Bills today, and were often set up in third and long situations due to all of the sacks. The Jets running game wasn't even a factor by the fourth quarter

San Diego Chargers 14 at Detroit Lions 7

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Detroit Lions

The Lions' inability to get into the end zone on two scoring opportunities cost them the game. The first opportunity came at the end of the first half. Jeff Gooch recovered a Doug Flutie fumble with about a minute left. Harrington led the Lions downfield completing 6 straight passes. The sixth pass was a 25-yard pass to Bill Schroeder to the San Diego 5-yard line. But there was only 12 seconds left in the half at the start of the play and the Chargers held Schroeder up after the catch and the Lions were unable to call a timeout before time in the half ran out. Then late in the fourth quarter, with less than 2 minutes to go, Harrington led the Lions to the San Diego 33-yard line but threw 3 straight incompletions turning the ball over on downs and bringing the game to an end.

Joey Harrington and the Lions were forced to punt on all of their possessions until the fourth quarter. Harrington finished the game with 26 completions on 46 attempts for 208 yards. In the middle of the fourth quarter, he led the Lions on their only impressive drive of the game completing 8 passes culminating with a short pass to TE Corey Fitzsimmons for a touchdown.

Once again, the Lions running back duo of Shawn Bryson and Olandis Gary was completely ineffective. They combined for 48 total rushing yards on 15 attempts. Though as has been throughout the season and could be said in any Lions' game recap, the Lions got behind and abandoned the rushing attack. The duo was far more effective as receivers as Bryson caught 8 passes for 42 yards while Gary caught 3 for 20 yards. Bryson fumbled the ball in the first quarter and it was recovered by the Chargers but the fumble and recovery were negated by a face mask penalty.

San Diego Chargers

The San Diego Chargers decisively won their game over the Lions. But penalties overturned two touchdowns that would have put the game completely in their hands. In the first quarter, Detroit running back Shawn Bryson fumbled the ball and it was recovered by Zeke Moreno for a touchdown but the touchdown and fumble recovery were overturned on a face mask penalty. Then in the second quarter, a touchdown pass from Doug Flutie to Reche Caldwell was brought back on a penalty.

This game was all about LaDainian Tomlinson. Tomlinson led the Chargers expectedly in rushing with 25 carries for 88 yards, but he also led the Chargers' receivers with 9 receptions for 148 yards and 2 touchdowns. Tomlinson showed his great speed in the second quarter by making a short catch and turning it into a 73-yard touchdown reception by outrunning the Lions' defenders.

Doug Flutie started out hot connecting with LaDainian Tomlinson for two touchdowns in the first half, but he significantly cooled down in the second half and only completed 4 passes for 21 yards. Flutie turned the ball over 3 times, throwing 2 interceptions and losing a fumble. But luckily for him the turnovers weren't costly, as the Lions were unable to capitalize on them.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Detroit Lions

QB: Joey Harrington (26-46-208, 1 TD, 3-20 rushing) Joey Harrington's play throughout the game can only be described as mediocre. His leadership was ineffective as the Lions were forced to punt on all of their possessions until the fourth quarter. Harrington did lead the Lions on an impressive scoring drive in the fourth quarter, connecting with receivers on 8 passes culminating with the short 4-yard pass to TE Corey Fitzsimmons. Then with less than 2 minutes left in the game, Harrington strove to tie the game leading the Lions down to the San Diego 33-yard line. But Harrington threw 3 incompletions in a row and the Lions turned the ball over on downs bringing the game to an end.

RB: Shawn Bryson (10-28 rushing, 8-42 receiving on 8 targets) Shawn Bryson was the leading rusher for the Lions with 28 rushing yards. His longest rush was only for 6 yards. Bryson fumbled the football in the first quarter, but the fumble recovery for San Diego was negated by a face mask penalty. Bryson did catch all of the balls that were thrown his way.

Olandis Gary (5-20 rushing, 3-20 receiving on 3 targets) Gary contributed minimally to the game with 5 rushes for 20 yards.

WR: Reggie Swinton (5-54 receiving on 8 targets) Swinton led the Lions' receivers with his 5 receptions for 54 yards. During the Lions' touchdown scoring drive, Swinton made a great catch for 25 yards and ran right out of one of his shoes.

Bill Schroeder (3-38 receiving on 6 targets) Schroeder made a great 25-yard catch to the San Diego 5-yard line with seconds left in the first half when the Lions were trying to get in field goal position to put some points on the board. But the Chargers' defenders held him up and time ran off of the clock before the Lions could call time out. Schroeder also attempted a pass to David Kircus after Harrington gave him the ball on an end around. The pass was great and Kircus caught the ball, but he was out of bounds.

Az-Zahir Hakim (0-0 on 3 targets) Az-Zahir Hakim was reported to be inactive for the game by ESPN's Chris Mortensen (which Footballguys passed along to their readers. Ouch) However, he did see the field. But his lack of practice was evident as he had pass go right through his hands during the Lions' first drive of the game forcing them to punt. In the second quarter, he could not hold on to the ball, his second drop of the game.

David Kircus (1-16 receiving on 6 targets) Rookie WR David Kircus had a deep pass go right off his fingertips in the third quarter. But later he made his first NFL reception, a sharp 16-yard catch over the middle right between 3 Chargers defenders.

TE: Corey Fitzsimmons (3-9, 1 TD receiving on 4 targets) Corey Fitzsimmons made his first NFL touchdown with his 4-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter.

Mikhael Ricks (2-25 receiving on 4 targets) TE Ricks made a great catch over the middle late in the fourth quarter when the Lions were attempting to tie the game.

K: Jason Hanson (1-XP) Hanson's sole contribution to the game was his extra point conversion in the fourth quarter.

Pass Defense: The Lions gave up 244 passing yards and 2 passing touchdowns to Doug Flutie and the Chargers. Terrence Holt, rookie defensive back and brother of St. Louis wide receiver Torry Holt, intercepted a Doug Flutie pass. He then proceeded to fumble the ball, but Dre Bly came up with the recovery and the Lions maintained possession of the turnover. The Lions defense tightened up in the second half keeping them in the game.

Rush Defense: The Lions gave LaDainian Tomlinson 88 yards rushing, and the San Diego Chargers a total of 131 rushing yards. Given Tomlinson's recent history, this is pretty solid.

San Diego Chargers

QB: Doug Flutie (17-25-244, 2 TD, 1 Int, 1 fumble lost) Doug Flutie started the game out hot, connecting with LaDainian Tomlinson for two touchdowns in the first half. During the first quarter, Flutie made a great play, rolling out on a bootleg to his right and finding no receivers open, turned back to the left, saw Tomlinson wide open and made the 16-yard pass for the touchdown. Flutie had a 72-yard touchdown pass to Reche Caldwell brought back on a penalty. And then in the second quarter, Flutie pitched the ball to Tomlinson who in turn pitched it back. Then Flutie threw the ball to David Boston who made the 33-yard catch. But the trick play that really worked well for the Chargers was brought back on a false start penalty. Flutie really cooled down in the second half of the game only completing 4 passes for 21 yards.

RB: LaDainian Tomlinson (25-88 rushing, 9-148 receiving, 2 TD on 10 targets) Tomlinson dominated the game even though he was held to 88 yards rushing. He finished with 148 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns. He made a short catch in the second quarter and turned it into a career long 73-yard touchdown reception by simply out running all of the Lions.

WR: David Boston (4-66 receiving on 7 targets) David Boston had a great 33-yard reception brought back with a false start penalty. He turned a short catch into a 12-yard reception by darting past Dre Bly who missed the tackle.

Reche Caldwell (0-0 receiving on 4 targets, 1-5 rushing) Caldwell had a 72-yard touchdown reception nullified because he stepped out of bounds before making the reception. He was then called for taunting as he ran into the end zone.

TE: Antonio Gates (2-18 receiving on 3 targets) Gates made an impressive catch in the first quarter for a third down conversion. The pass was low and he was able to reach down to make the grab.

Josh Norman (1-4 receiving on 1 target) TE Josh Norman made a short catch in the first quarter, but was a non-factor for the rest of the game.

K: Steve Christie (2 XP) Steve Christie converted both of his extra point attempts.

Pass Defense: The Chargers defense held well against the Lions offense. They were able to block passes a number of passes nearly intercepting Harrington. And most significant, they kept the Lions out of the end zone when they were threatening at the end of both halves.

Rush Defense: The Chargers held the Lions' rushing attack to a total of 68 yards, 20 of those yards came from QB Joey Harrington. They had a fumble recovery return for a touchdown negated with a face mask penalty.

Chicago Bears 21 at Green Bay Packers 34

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Chicago Bears:

Kordell Stewart played better than his stats indicate. He threw 1 interception that he deserved for telegraphing the pass on the flat that was returned 90 yards for a touchdown. One interception was at the end of the half and another came on a catchable ball that was tipped in the air. The Bears offense was not as effective as the final score might indicate. They scored a defensive and a special teams touchdown.

Anthony Thomas and the rest of the Bears rushing attack could not produce anything versus the Packers today. Thomas was used sparingly apparently because he still is recovering from the flu. He accounted for only 5 carries for 5 yards in the second half.

Marty Booker scored on a beautiful deep touchdown catch and run. He simply ran by cornerback Mike McKenzie and was wide open for Stewart to hit him in stride.

Green Bay Packers

Brett Favre started his 188th consecutive game but for the 2nd consecutive week, he did not play to what is expected of him. He put his team in a 14 point hole by literally tossing a ball up in the air to avoid a sack and the Bears returned it for a score. He recovered and played just well enough to beat the Bears.

Ahman Green needed 92 yards to pass Jim Taylor as the Packers all time leading rusher but for the second consecutive week, the running game looked anemic. Many of Green's 80 rushing yards and his touchdown came late in the fourth quarter as the team tried to allow him to break the record at home. The offensive line is simply not blowing teams off the ball and opening holes as it did earlier in the year. Defenses have clearly adjusted and are forcing Favre to have to beat them.

Javon Walker scored a touchdown on a beautiful reception. He is becoming Favre's go to receiver when he looks to throw the long pass.

Robert Ferguson lead the Packers in catches and receiving yards. He made a few key third down receptions.

Donald Driver isn't quite a forgotten man in the Packer offense. He was targeted 7 times, but he isn't connecting with Favre. He caught only one pass for 4 yards, if it makes you feel any better, he did have a 4 yard reception nullified on a penalty.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Chicago Bears

QB: Kordell Stewart (17/40 for 256 yards, 1 touchdown, 3 interceptions, 3 carries for 22 yards) did the best that he could considering the Bears had zero rushing attack. He moved the Bears offense but could only get them in the end zone once. His 61 yard touchdown pass to Booker hit Booker in stride.

RB: Anthony Thomas (9 carries 22 yards) ran once for 9 yards, once for 6 yards and only averaged a yard per carry his other 7 times taking the pigskin. No other Bear had success rushing the football. Thomas may have been feeling some of the effects of having pneumonia last week.

Brock Forsey (3 carries -4 yards). When your longest carry of the day is for -1 yard, it's not a good day.

WR: Marty Booker (5 catches 115 yards, 1 touchdown, 13 targets, 1 carry -4 yards) caught one long touchdown pass and was targeted on another one, but he was double covered. The Packers keyed on him and shut him down in the second half when he caught only 2 passes for 23 yards.

Dez White (2 catches 27 yards, 3 targets) was missing in action. He was not even targeted for a pass until the 4th quarter. He did have a 21 yard leaping reception and was targeted in the red zone on the pass that was intercepted and run back for a touchdown by Mike McKenzie.

David Terrell (5 receptions 48 yards, 9 targets) was extremely active. He had two key first down receptions on 3rd down and long. Stewart appears comfortable throwing to him when he comes in and plays the slot on 3rd down passing situations.

Justin Gage (1 catch 28 yards, 6 targets) had a 26 yard catch negated by a mysterious offensive pass interference penalty called on him on the play. The replay showed no blatant reason for a penalty. He had a key drop on a long pass pattern before the half that could have kept the momentum in the Bears offense.

TE: Desmond Clark (3 reception 33 yards, 4 targets) caught Stewart's first pass for a 19 yard reception, but then was not looked to often by Stewart.

Bear Pass Defense: Did not sack Favre but pressured him into throwing an interception which they returned for a touchdown.

Bear Rush Defense: This unit clearly keyed on Green and the running game, holding them in check only surrendering 97 rushing yards even after the offense turned the ball over 5 times.

Green Bay Packers

QB: Brett Favre (22 for 33 for 210 yards, 1 touchdown 1 interception, 4 carries 1 yard) played well enough to beat the Bears but is struggling to put up big numbers even when defenses are selling out to stop the run and daring them to beat him. His thumb does not appear to be an issue because his passes are crisp, but he is making mental errors. He threw a ball up for grabs with no Packer in the area that gave the Bears their second touchdown.

RB: Ahman Green (30 carries 80 yards, 1 touchdown, 2 catches 17 yards 2 targets) did not become the all time Packer rushing leader today but it was not because of a lack of attempts. The Packers seemed determined to run the ball but the rushing attack that has lead the NFL most of the season is a shadow of its former self, accounting for only 97 yards on the ground. Green got two attempts to score a touchdown in the 4th quarter when the Bears turned the ball over on downs at the 1 yard line.

Najeh Davenport (4 carries 16 yards) was not a factor. He had one run of 13 yards and was held in check the rest of the time.

WR: Robert Ferguson (7 catches 79 yards, 8 targets) clicked well with Favre catching all but one ball aimed in his direction. He made a key 17 yard catch on 3rd and 20 to put them back into field goal range after they had lost yards on penalties.

Donald Driver (1 catch 4 yards, 7 targets) took some major hits and stayed in the game. He's being targeted but did not get any separation from the defenders and the passes were batted away, or Favre was just throwing in his direction to avoid a penalty. He was not a factor today at all.

Javon Walker (4 catches 50 yards, 1 touchdown 5 targets) ran a beautiful route on his 22 yard touchdown reception. He is getting separation from the defenders and appears to be running better routes.

TE: Bubba Franks (1 catch 6 yards, 1 2 point conversion, 1 target) spent the day primarily being used as a blocker.

Wesley Walls (2 catches 13 yards, 4 targets) both catches that he didn't make were red zone passes that were catchable balls. One went off his shoulder pad and the other would have been a fantastic catch.

Packer Pass Defense: Held Stewart in check in both passing and on the ground containing him in the pocket. They pressured and sacked him 3 times and forced 5 turnovers.

Packer Rush Defense: Did the job surrendering just 44 rushing yards to the Bears.

Cincinnati Bengals 13 at Baltimore Ravens 31

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals were given golden opportunities early on against the Ravens, who gave up good field position to Cincinnati on their opening 2 drives, but only came away with 3 points. A poor punt gave Cincinnati the ball at about the 50, but after 3 plays, they were forced to punt themselves. On Baltimore's next possession, RB Jamal Lewis had the ball jettisoned from his grasp, giving Cincinnati the ball at the Raven's 37-yard line. Two incomplete passes to WR Peter Warrick late in the drive led to a 28-yard Shayne Graham field goal.

This season, when QB Jon Kitna has played well, the Bengals have won. When he makes mistakes, they lose. Against the Ravens, Kitna was intercepted twice, and he fumbled 3 times (lost 2). He did throw 1 touchdown, but it was the Bengals only non-kicking score the entire game.

RBs Corey Dillon and Rudi Johnson combined for a total of 55 yards on 15 carries, with 0 TDs. Brandon Bennett was the most productive back for the Bengals, totaling 76 yards.

WR Peter Warrick led all receivers with 90 yards and 1 TD. Chad Johnson was completely shut down with just 2 catches for 15 yards.

Offensive left tackle, Levi Jones, left the game in the 3rd quarter with a sprained right knee. His replacement, Scott Rehberg was awful. He had a false start penalty, and missed a block that led to one of Kitna's fumbles.

Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens did not need a passing game, as RB Jamal Lewis used his potent blend of power and speed to single handily punish the Bengal's defense. Lewis, the NFL's leading rusher going into the game, finished with day with 180 yards rushing and 3 TDs.

For the third straight week, WR Marcus Robinson and QB Anthony Wright connected for a score. Other than that touchdown, Baltimore's passing game didn't contribute much of anything in the win. Wright threw 19 passes the entire game, completing only 8.

Robinson was one of four players to catch a pass for the Ravens. He had 4 receptions for 44 yards. Two other players each caught only 1 pass.

After allowing 5 TDs to Matt Hasselbeck two weeks ago, the Raven's defense came up big against the Bengals. The unit sacked Kitna 6 times, and intercepted him twice. They also caused 3 fumbles, recovering 2 of them. The punting unit chipped in another fumble recovery (not forced), as their timely arrival on a Warrick bobble led to 1 of 5 Bengal turnovers.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Cincinnati Bengals

QB: Jon Kitna was harassed throughout the entire game. He had defenders in his face every time he dropped back to pass and repeatedly had the ball knocked from his hand just as he was beginning his throwing motion. Kitna finished the day 23 of 31 for 214 yards, 1 TD, and 2 INTs. He also had 3 fumbles, two of which were lost.

RB: Corey Dillon barely managed one decent run throughout the course of the game. He often ran into a wall at the line of scrimmage. He carried the ball 11 times for 45 yards, and was not targeted in the passing game.

Rudi Johnson was barely utilized. He finished the day with 4 carries for 10 yards and 0 TDs. His role has rapidly been declining since Dillon's return a few weeks ago.

Brandon Bennett averaged almost 9 yards per carry. He finished with 5 carries for 43 yards, and had 5 catches for 33 yards. He appears to be making the most of his playing time. Bennett was slated to be the backup behind Dillon before the season began, but the emergence of Rudi Johnson has left him playing primarily on special teams only.

WR: Chad Johnson caught 2 passes for 15 yards. The Ravens had him blanketed the entire game. Triple coverage was a common theme.

Peter Warrick led all Bengal receivers with 11 catches for 90 yards and 1 TD. He also mishandled a punt, which Baltimore later capitalized on.

Kelley Washington caught only 1 pass, but it was for a huge gain (34 yards).

TE: Tight ends were not a factor in the game for the Bengals-Matt Schobel was the only one with a catch (2 for 22 yards).

K: Shayne Graham made both his field goal attempts (25 & 38). His also made his only extra point attempt.

Pass Defense: Shutting down the Raven's pass offense isn't exactly a monumental task, but Cincinnati has to be given some credit. The unit contained Wright when he passed, and when he took off to run. They also helped prevent two Baltimore TDs with solid end zone coverage.

Rush Defense: Cincinnati's defense recorded 2 sacks, 2 interceptions, and forced 1 fumble, which they recovered. They had no answer for Jamal Lewis, who repeatedly powered his way for big gains.

Baltimore Ravens

QB: Anthony Wright completed 8 of 19 passes for 145 yards, with 1 TD and 2 INTs. Those numbers would have most likely resulted in a loss for any other QB in the league, but when you've got Jamal Lewis and the red-hot Raven defense on your side, there's plenty of room for error. Wright also had 7 rushes for 3 yards.

RB: Jamal Lewis was unstoppable. Many of his runs were right up the gut for huge gains. He finished the game with 30 carries for 180 yards and 3 TDs. Lewis sprained his left wrist late in the first half and briefly left the field but returned and seemed fine.

WR: Travis Taylor made the most of his 2 receptions, gaining 77 yards. He also ran the ball 1 time for 8 yards.

Marcus Robinson had 4 catches for 44 yards and 1 TD. He was also targeted 2 other times in the end zone, but was out of bounds in both cases.

TE: Todd Heap had a poor game, catching only 1 pass for 14 yards. The targets were there, but the catches weren't.

K: Matt Stover made good on his only field goal attempt (22 yards) of the game. He was also perfect on PATs, going 4 for 4.

Pass Defense: Jon Kitna never had time to throw. His pass protection constantly broke down, leaving him running for his life.

Rush Defense: The Raven's defense had Cincinnati's number all day. In addition to stopping the pass, the Ravens only gave up 100 total yards rushing to the Bengals.

Seattle Seahawks 7 at Minnesota Vikings 34

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Seattle Seahawks

QB Matt Hasselbeck and his corps of WRs were completely out of sync today. Several of his perfect passes were dropped, and on other occasions, wide-open WRs were missed with terribly thrown passes.

RB Shaun Alexander went into this game licking his chops with memories of his 5 TD performance last season against the Vikings, but didn't have much a chance to get going. Penalties and turnovers kept the Seattle offense in passing situations all game long. Alexander had all but two of the carries on Seattle running plays today.

The Seattle target distribution for the WRs was Robinson 10: Jackson 8: Engram 4. The yardage distribution was reversed... Engram 93: Jackson 76: Robinson 32. Also, WR Bobby Engram left the game with a reported concussion in the 3rd quarter.

Minnesota Vikings

QB Daunte Culpepper torched Seattle with three 40+ yard TD passes. Culpepper had lots of time and was able to stand tall in the pocket waiting for his WRs to come open deep down the field. The long passes were the story, but the Vikings controlled the clock with their running game and mostly short passes. Minnesota possessed the ball for more than 21 minutes in the first half.

Two of Culpepper's bombs went to WR Randy Moss. Moss worked short patterns for the bulk of the game, and struck deep twice. Six of his eight receptions were caught within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage. Moss was alone on a third deep route, but Culpepper overthrew the pass.

RB Michael Bennett left the game with a sprained ankle. Stay tuned for details this week. Before leaving, he was the focus of the Minnesota running game. He kept the Seattle defense honest and allowed the Viking passing game to stretch the field deep with long passes after play-action. RBs Onterrio Smith and Moe Williams received 4 carries each late in 4th quarter garbage time. Bennett carried the ball on 25 of the Vikings first 29 running plays before leaving with the ankle injury. The four other carries all went to Williams.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Seattle Seahawks

QB: Matt Hasselbeck: (17-34-218 yards passing 2 INT) Hasselbeck had his worst game of the season (by a long margin). He threw lots of perfect passes in the game, but also was way off target on others. During the 2nd quarter Hasselbeck appeared to be locked into WR Koren Robinson. 6 of his 7 passes in the 2nd went towards Robinson, the last one being intercepted. Hasselbeck began to lean more on WR Darrel Jackson in the second half with a bit more success (4 completed out of 6 targets for 57 yards), however, Hasselbeck didn't have the touch that he's consistently shown this season. His second INT was a poorly thrown ball and he nearly got TE Itula Mili knocked out when he hung him out to dry overthrowing a pass over the middle.

RB: Shaun Alexander: (14-56 yards rushing 1 TD, 1-8 yards receiving on 3 targets) This game was a different story compared to Alexander's monster game against Minnesota a year ago. Last year Alexander went off for 5 TDs leading to the inconsistent label being tattooed on him after a rocky start. This year Alexander didn't get a chance to do much in the rematch. The Viking ball control offense kept him on the sideline and Seahawk miscues (including his own fumble) put Seattle behind. Playing from a deficit, the Seahawks mostly stuck to an aerial attack limiting Alexander's touches.

Mack Strong: (1-1 yards rushing, 2-6 yards receiving on 2 targets) Strong saw a decline in his touches as Seattle fell behind. Strong becomes more active when the stars are being successful. When the wheels are off the wagon Strong become an afterthought.

Maurice Morris: Morris did not see the field on any offense sets, but did have a 56 yard kickoff return at the outset of the second half leading to Seattle's only TD in the game.

WR: Koren Robinson: (4-32 yards receiving on 10 targets, 1- -1 yards rushing) This was a game of frustration between QB Matt Hasselbeck and Robinson. Either Robinson was dropping a perfect pass or Hasselbeck was missing a wide-open Robinson. The two couldn't seem to be on the same page. Robinson's long gain on the day was only 13 yards. Seattle tried to get Robinson more involved with a reverse, but the Vikings read it well and the play went for -1 yards.

Darrell Jackson: (5-76 yards receiving on 8 targets) Jackson caught one pass in the first half for 19 yards, but didn't catch another ball until more than half the game had rolled by. Jackson pumped his numbers up with two garbage time receptions of 20+ yards each. On a positive note, Jackson didn't have any obvious drops and was the only receiver targeted on a deep pass down the sideline.

Bobby Engram: (4-93 yards receiving on 4 targets) Engram left the game with a concussion. His 29-yard catch to the Viking 2-yard line on Seattle's first possession in the third quarter set up the TD by RB Shaun Alexander.

TE: Itula Mili: (1-3 yards receiving on 3 targets) Mili took a huge hit from safety after QB Matt Hasselbeck hung him up high in the air. Mili returned to the game to make his only reception in the 4th quarter.

Jerramy Stevens: (0-0 yards receiving on 1 target) Stevens saw his only target in the third quarter. After Engram left the game, Stevens and 4th WR Alex Bannister split time as the 4th receiving option. Bannister was not targeted in the game.

K: Josh Brown: (0-2 FG, 1-1 XP) Brown missed a 52 yard attempt in the first half short and was wide right on a 49 yard attempt in the second half. This was the second time this season Brown has kicked a long FG attempt right down the middle, but came up short.

Pass Defense: For the second time in three weeks the Seattle safeties allowed WRs to get behind them several times allowing big plays. They gave up TD passes of 43, 45, and 47 yards today. Aside from one early sack by DE Chike Okeafor, Seattle was not able to pressure QB Daunte Culpepper at all.

Rush Defense: Seattle was unable to stuff RB Michael Bennett. Bennett was able to grind out between 3 to 9 yards on virtually every carry. They only allowed Bennett to gain more than 10 yards on a carry once in the game, but couldn't force Minnesota into obvious passing situations. When the Vikings had a short yardage situation, Seattle had no answer for QB Daunte Culpepper's sneaks. The success of these plays was almost a foregone conclusion.

Minnesota Vikings

QB: Daunte Culpepper (21-33-274 yards passing 3 TD, 5-7 yards rushing) Culpepper orchestrated a very efficient short passing game that was aided by three long quick-strike bombs. Culpepper piled up half of his passing yardage on his three long passes. Other than these three completions, virtually every pass he completed in the game was shorter than 10 yards in length. Culpepper did a good job of avoiding the turnovers. None of his passes was close to being intercepted, but he did fumble once on a 3rd and short carry that was recovered by RB Moe Williams. Culpepper could have had a fourth long TD pass in the game, but missed WR Randy Moss who was alone behind the DBs.

RB: Michael Bennett: (25-103 yards rushing, 2-12 yards receiving on 2 targets) Bennett didn't score a TD in the game, but his consistent running kept the high powered Seahawk offense on the sideline and set up the opportunities for the Minnesota passing game to go vertical for big plays. Bennett sat out the end of the 4th quarter after reportedly spraining an ankle. It was unclear as to the severity of the injury at the conclusion of the game.

WR: Randy Moss: (8-133 yards receiving 2 TD on 11 targets) Moss did a great job of helping the offense move the sticks. DBs were playing so far off of Moss in the game that he couldn't help but take a step and be open for a modest gain. When the DBs moved up to press coverage he blew by them and was open down field. Moss was wide open for what could have been a third TD, but Culpepper overthrew the pass.

Dewayne Bates: (3-22 yards receiving on 4 targets) Bates started opposite WR Randy Moss, but didn't appear to be anymore important to the Minnesota passing game than WR Kelly Campbell. Bates made two short catches of 5 and 8 yards in the first quarter. He pulled in a 9-yard reception in the third. Bates was not targeted down field at all.

Kelly : (3-60 yards receiving 1 TD on 5 targets) Campbell hauled in QB Daunte Culpepper's third TB bomb. Campbell got behind the CB who thought he would have safety help, but the safety was worried about WR Randy Moss streaking down the middle of the field. Campbell was left to run free. Campbell showed great explosion and speed running underneath the long pass that looked like it was going to be overthrown.

Nate Burleson: (0-0 yards receiving on 2 targets) Burleson saw his targets in the first and third quarters. The Vikings formations only allowed Burleson to see the field on a very limited basis.

TE: Hunter Goodwin: (1-12 yards receiving on 1 target) & Jimmy Kleinsasser: (1-6 yards receiving on 1 target) The Vikings started in a double TE set, so Goodwin and Kleinsasser were both listed as starters. Each player only saw one target and neither was a major factor in the Minnesota passing attack.

K: Aaron Elling: (2-3 FG, 4-4 XP) Elling missed from 40 yards wide right and hit from 36 and 35 yards. In a more bizarre note about the kicking game, P Eddie Johnson muffed the snap on an attempted punt, the ball bounced right back into his hands and he ran straight up the field 24 yards for a first down.

Pass Defense: The pass rush put mild pressure on QB Matt Hasselbeck. He was sacked 3 times in the game and had a hard time setting up in the pocket for any length of time. The safeties put some ferocious hits on receivers coming across the middle and did a good job jumping two routes for interceptions.

Rush Defense: Seattle got bad news late in the week that LB Anthony Simmons was inactive because of an injured neck. Word was that it tightened up. The injury appears to be muscular in nature. LB D.D. Lewis started in his place and had 4 tackles and 4 assists. Seattle kept RB Michael Bennett from long runs, but couldn't keep the Viking offense off the field.

Dallas Cowboys 10 at Philadelphia Eagles 36

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Dallas Cowboys

This game was supposed to be a battle for the NFC East Division lead but the battle didn't last long. The Cowboys couldn't do anything right on offense or defense. The only thing that could have saved the Cowboys would have been the blizzard closing all the area airports, preventing them from landing and the game being canceled. While the weather wasn't perfect, especially the way the wind was blowing, it certainly couldn't account for the abysmal performance of QB Quincy Carter. He threw for 93 yards in the game and was intercepted twice. He did connect on one touchdown pass.

The running game was as close to a bright spot as the Cowboys had. RB Troy Hambrick had 75 yards, RB Erik Bickerstaff had 41 yards and RB Richie Anderson added 32. They started out running the ball very effectively but Dallas had to abandon the running game sooner than they wanted to as the score got out of hand.

The Dallas wide receivers were nowhere to be found in this game. They had only one catch in the entire game, and that was by Zuriel Smith. Yes, Zuriel Smith. The three tight ends had at least one catch each, with backup TE Jeff Robinson scoring a touchdown. WRs Terry Glenn, Joey Galloway and Antonio Bryant were targeted a total of 6 times for the game, a game when they had to throw.

The defense didn't do what they were supposed to as they allowed Philadelphia to score four touchdowns. They didn't come up with any turnovers, something that has become the norm this year for the Dallas defense.

Philadelphia Eagles

QB Donovan McNabb threw three passes for touchdowns as he led the Eagles to a big win over Dallas. Where QB Quincy Carter couldn't keep his team moving McNabb was able to do exactly that, coming up with plays when he needed to have them. He finished the game with 248 yards and did not turn the ball over.

Each of the Philadelphia running backs scored a touchdown in this game, Brian Westbrook and Duce Staley on receptions and Correll Buckhalter on a run. Buckhalter finished the game with 115 yards on the ground, including a 64-yarder for the touchdown. They were all in on goal line situations.

TE L.J. Smith caught the 3rd touchdown pass from QB Donovan McNabb.

The Philadelphia defense did an exceptional job, especially in pass defense. They held Dallas wide receivers to one catch for the game, one less reception than interceptions.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Dallas Cowboys

QB: Quincy Carter (15-24-93 1 TD, 2 INT passing, 1-0 rushing) was horrible and that may be kind. He couldn't complete anything to his wide receivers and almost all of his completions came on short passes to the backs and tight ends. He completed more passes to defenders than his wide receivers. He threw two interceptions on passes that should never have been thrown as the defenders were in far better position than the receivers were. He was pressured and made bad decisions. The Cowboys didn't seem to want to put the game in Carter's hands while the Eagles did. In what would have to be considered the biggest game of the year so far Carter certainly didn't play like it.

RB: Troy Hambrick (17-75 rushing, 2-6 receiving, 2 targets) ran effectively to start the game. He carried the ball on the first seven plays of the game, all on the first series. Then he had another 3 carries on the second series. He actually showed an ability to run through some tackles and didn't fall over at the first touch of a defender.

Richie Anderson (6-32 rushing, 7-40 receiving, 8 targets) was the leading receiver for the Cowboys with his seven catches. He was also the most targeted with 8.

Erik Bickerstaff (9-41 rushing) was active for this game as RB Aveion Cason was out. He gave RB Troy Hambrick a rest on one series early in the game and played the last series as well.

WR: Zuriel Smith (1-8 receiving, 1 target) was the only wide receiver with a reception for Dallas.

Terry Glenn (4 targets) was not a factor in the game as he was held without a catch.

Joey Galloway (1-2 rushing, 1 target) wasn't even targeted until late in the 4th quarter.

Antonio Bryant (1 target) had one pass thrown his way in the end zone but it was too long and like the rest of the Dallas wide receivers was not a factor in the game..

Randal Williams (1 target) was not a factor in the game.

TE: Jason Witten (3-35 receiving, 4 targets) was the second leading receiver on the team with his three catches.

Jeff Robinson (1-3 1 TD receiving, 1 target) had the lone Cowboy's touchdown.

Dan Campbell (1-1 receiving, 1 target) was not a factor in the game.

K: Billy Cundiff (1-1 FG (29 yards) 1-1 XP) made his one field goal attempt.

Pass Defense: This unit gave up 3 touchdowns and 248 yards. They did manage 2 sacks, but they had trouble keeping pressure on QB Donovan McNabb. They didn't intercept any balls. They did a particularly bad job of tackling on the touchdown catch by RB Brian Westbrook. This was one of the top defenses in the league coming into this game but they certainly didn't play like it.

Rush Defense: The Cowboys gave up a touchdown and 167 yards on only 22 carries, over 7.5 yards per carry.

Philadelphia Eagles

QB: Donovan McNabb (19-35-248 3 TD passing, 1-21 rushing) is perhaps best described as having been effective. He didn't have a great completion percentage but did what was needed to move the team and put points on the board. He didn't throw any interceptions and was usually given ample time to throw. The wind didn't have too much of an affect on his passes and, as he usually does, he spread the ball around to eight different receivers. As usual, although he spread the ball around the touchdowns went to his running backs and tight end. He would have had better numbers except for a couple of drops by his receivers. He only ran once, coming close to taking the ball in for a touchdown from 25 yards out.

RB: Correll Buckhalter (13-115 1 TD rushing, 2-29 receiving, 3 targets) had good final numbers, helped by his 64-yard touchdown run late in the 4th quarter. He broke through the line on the left side and outran the pursuit to the end zone. He was the primary running back for the Eagles in this game. He was also targeted in the end zone but the pass went over his head.

Brian Westbrook (6-23 rushing, 4-48 1 TD receiving, 4 targets) scored on a nice run after a catch, breaking several tackles on his way to the end zone.

Duce Staley (2-8 rushing, 3-22 1 TD receiving, 4 targets) also tallied a score, stretching out at the goal line to get the ball over after a short pass from QB Donovan McNabb.

WR: Freddie Mitchell (3-58 receiving, 6 targets) was tied for the team lead in targets with 6. He also led the team with his 58 receiving yards.

James Thrash (4-34 receiving, 5 targets) had 4 catches on his 5 targets.

Todd Pinkston (1-23 receiving, 6 targets) had a pass go right through his hands down the middle of the field. He was only able to come up with one of the six passes thrown his way although it looked like a couple were affected by the wind.

TE: L.J. Smith (1-6 1 TD receiving, 4 targets) had a touchdown catch and he also dropped a couple of passes that were right in his hands.

Chad Lewis (1-28 receiving, 2 targets) made a nice catch for his only grab of the game.

K: David Akers (2-2 FG (22, 21 yards) 4-4 XP) was perfect on the day, connecting on both field goal attempts and the four extra point tries.

Pass Defense: The pass defense was stellar, holding Dallas QB Quincy Carter to 93 yards. They shut down the Dallas wide receivers, allowing them to catch only one ball. They did allow one touchdown but they also came up with two interceptions. In addition they sacked Carter 3 times and hurried him all game.

Rush Defense: The unit struggled early in the game as the Cowboys planned to run it right at them. It may be a good thing that the score started getting out of hand because it got the Cowboys out of the running game once they were forced to throw. They gave up 150 yards on 34 carries.

Washington Redskins 20 at New York Giants 7

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Washington Redskins

With a fourth-quarter take down of Giants backup QB Jesse Palmer, Redskins DE Bruce Smith became the NFL's all-time sack leader with 199, one more than former leader Reggie White.

In addition, Smith forced Giants QB Kerry Collins from the game late in the third quarter with a left ankle sprain. Although X-rays on Collins' ankle were negative, he did not return.

In just his second career start filling in for the injured Patrick Ramsey, Redskins QB Tim Hasselbeck (13-19-0-154, two touchdowns passing, 2-minus-2 rushing) directed an efficient offensive attack through the air when he had to; but he relied heavily on a clock-eating running game that used three primary ball carriers to gain 144 yards on 44 carries (a 3.3 YPC average).

RBs Trung Canidate (19-69), Chad Morton (13-56) and Rock Cartwright (12-19) did most of the dirty work on the ground against the Giants, enabling the Redskins to finish the game with an almost 15-minute advantage in time of possession.

Canidate left the game early in the second half with an ankle injury and did not return, although X-rays were negative. Morton and Cartwright split the workload for the remainder of the game with modest results, the highlight being a 23-yard jaunt by Morton.

The Redskins enjoyed a field day with Jesse Palmer in the game, sacking him five times on his three series.

New York Giants

An insipid offensive performance cost the Giants dearly against Washington in a game the Giants led early, 7-3. In dropping their fourth consecutive game, the Giants mustered just 220 total net yards, and just 100 through the air.

RB Tiki Barber (16-99 rushing, 3-47 receiving) was again plagued by turnover problems, this time fumbling on his second carry of the game to help Washington to an early 3-0 lead. Barber responded with 52 yards on his next three carries. Although he finished with 99 yards rushing for the game, he had just 17 after halftime.

QB Kerry Collins (5-14-1-62) was utterly ineffective before leaving the game late in third quarter with an ankle injury. His longest completions were 16- and 19-yard hookups with WR Tim Carter (3-42), who also dropped four passes, including one he tipped that led to an interception.

RB Dorsey Levens (7-21, one touchdown) spelled Barber briefly and was impressive on a 5-yard TD run during which he carried two would-be tacklers for three yards into the end zone.

WR Ike Hilliard (2-15) suffered a sprained knee in the second half and did not return.

DE Michael Strahan stood out in the loss, registering two sacks and eight tackles.

The Giants' two fumbles against the Redskins added to their league-leading 30 for the season.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Washington Redskins

QB: Tim Hasselbeck played error-free football in just the second start of his NFL career, completing 68 percent of his passes for 154 yards and two touchdowns. As mentioned earlier, he was perfect during the Redskins' two touchdown drives (5-of-5 for 78 yards and two scores) and enjoyed two stretches during the game of five- and six-straight completions. After a slow start to the game (1-of-3 for minus-1 yard and a sack), Hasselbeck settled in nicely, completing four of his next five attempts during the next two series for 70 yards and his first touchdown to WR Darnerien McCants. For McCants (2-28), it was his sixth TD in just 22 catches this season.

Hasselbeck had Washington in position to score again on the very next series (by completing back-to-back 15- and 30-yard strikes to WR Laveranues Coles and WR Rod Gardner, respectively), but K John Hall missed a 34-yard field goal. Hasselbeck started the second half by completing six straight passes to four different receivers covering three series. The third of those consecutive completions was a seven-yard touchdown dart to Gardner (4-44, one touchdown) on third-and-5 to put Washington up, 17-7.

RB: Trung Canidate (19-69 rushing, 1-minus-1 receiving) ran hot and cold for most of the game. He covered 11 yards on this first three carries, six on his next five and then 52 on his next 11 before leaving the game just two plays into the second half with an ankle injury. Canidate's longest run of the day was a 17-yarder on the first play of the second half. Although X-rays on the ankle were negative, Canidate did not return to the game

Smallish speedster Chad Morton (13-56) received his most extensive backfield work of the season in place of the injured Canidate and tallied every one of his carries in the second half. Morton covered two or fewer yards on five of his carries but padded his stats by ripping off a 23-yard run on the Redskins' final possession to help run out the clock.

FB Bryan Johnson made a great catch on the first play of Washington's first touchdown drive, a diving 19-yard grab that gave the Redskins a first down at New York's 15-yard line.

Rock Cartwright (12-19) was a big disappointment against the Giants. He was tackled for no gain or a loss a whopping seven times, including on back-to-back plays from the 1-yard line during Washington's first possession and once on third-and-1 from the Giants' 45-yard line late in the first half.

Ladell Betts (1-3) was essentially a non-factor against the Giants, rushing once on Washington's third possession.

WR: Laveranues Coles (4-55 receiving, 1-5 rushing) led all receivers in yards, but was limited to one 15-yard catch in the first half. He made a nice 24-yard reception against double coverage during the Redskins' first drive of the second half (taking the ball to the Giants' 12-yard line) and a 12-yard grab one series later on third-and-eight. On the day, Coles was targeted seven times.

Although Rod Gardner (4-44, one touchdown), dropped one ball and was flagged for pass interference on the same drive, he caught a seven-yard bullet from Hasselbeck to put Washington up 17-7 early in third quarter. He also adjusted well on a purposefully under thrown ball from Hasselbeck for a 30-yard reception early in the first half. Gardner was targeted five times.

Despite just one reception, Patrick Johnson (1-9) set up Washington's game-opening field goal by drawing a pass interference penalty in the end zone on Washington's first pass attempt of the game. He also set up the Redskins' first touchdown with a 50-yard kickoff return down to the Giants' 34-yard line. Johnson was targeted three times during the game.

Darnerien McCants (2-28, one touchdown) scored Washington's first touchdown on a six-yard pass from Hasselbeck in the back of the end zone over Ryan Clark. He was targeted just one other time, catching a 22-yard pass from Hasselbeck on third-and-seven during Washington's second touchdown drive. On the season, McCants has scored six touchdowns with 23 receptions, or one touchdown for every 3.8 receptions.

TE: Tight ends were non-existent for the Redskins on Sunday; in fact, none were even targeted.

K: The notorious Giants Stadium wind wreaked havoc on John Hall, who made two field goals (28 and 41), but he also missed a 34-yarder, his first miss from under 40 yards all season. He actually had two cracks at the miss, too. He pushed a 39-yard attempt wide left but New York was flagged for an offsides penalty. He then carbon copied the second attempt from 34 yards missing wide left..

Pass Defense: The Redskins' pass defense was downright spectacular against New York, registering six sacks for minus-45 yards, including two apiece from LB Jessie Armstead and LB LaVar Arrington and the record-breaker by Bruce Smith. Washington also recorded one interception (by Champ Bailey on a pass that deflected off WR Tim Carter).

The Redskins did an excellent job of containing the often-explosive Amani Toomer, who managed just two catches for the 30 yards. Washington did give up five pass plays of 15 yards or more, including a 36-yard screen pass to Tiki Barber late in the game.

Rush Defense: Washington gave up 82 yards rushing to Tiki Barber in the first half alone (including three straight runs of 19, 18 and 15 yards), but surrendered just 17 yards rushing in the second half.

New York Giants

QB: Kerry Collins (5-14-1-62 yards) was every bit as miserable as his statistical line indicates he was, capping off a dreary afternoon with an ankle injury suffered when he was taken down by Bruce Smith on a play when the Giants were flagged for a delay of game. When Collins wasn't firing incomplete (at one point early in the first half he misfired five times in six attempts), he seemed to be building some nice chemistry with second-year WR Tim Carter. Collins connected with Carter twice for 35 yards in the first half. But Carter also dropped two Collins passes, the second resulting in an interception.

On those rare occasions when Collins was on his game Sunday (like hitting Carter for a 16-yard gain on third-and-15 on the Giants' second possession), the team couldn't capitalize. Five plays after Carter's catch, K Matt Bryant missed a field goal.

Things certainly didn't improve when Collins' injury forced Jesse Palmer into the game. Palmer (7-11-0-83) was sacked a total of five times in a span of 17 plays, fumbling once to set up Washington's final touchdown. To his credit, Palmer completed almost 64 percent of his passes to four different receivers, including two to RB Tiki Barber for 45 yards.

RB: Tiki Barber (16-99 rushing, 3-47 receiving) committed his eighth fumble of the season (the sixth he's lost) on New York's second play from scrimmage but tried to make amends with 52 yards rushing on his next three carries - runs of 19, 18 and 15 yards. The 19-yarder secured Barber's third career 1,000-yard season and his second consecutive.

Clearly, Barber was most productive in the first half, rushing 12 times for 82 yards. His 36-yard reception on a screen pass in the fourth quarter was the game's longest play from scrimmage. Barber left the game briefly in the first half with a hand injury.

The venerable Dorsey Levens (7-21) piggy-backed two Redskins defenders into the end zone on a hard-fought five-yard touchdown run in the first quarter to give New York its only lead of the game, 7-3. Levens' TD culminated four straight carries during which he picked up 12 yards while briefly spelling Barber.

Levens' TD was New York's first first-quarter touchdown in the last five games.

WR: Although Tim Carter (3-42) led all Giants WRs with three catches, he also suffered four drops, including one that deflected off of him and into the hands of Washington's Champ Bailey for an interception. Carter accounted for 16- and 19-yard receptions in the first half and was targeted a total of eight times on the day.

The Redskins did a tremendous job of effectively eliminating Amani Toomer (2-30), who caught a 14-yarder on New York's third possession and wasn't heard from again until the Giants' final drive of the game. He was targeted just one other time in the game, again on the Giants' last drive.

Ike Hilliard (2-15) was targeted just three times Sunday and left the game in the fourth quarter with a sprained knee.

David Tyree (2-11) caught passes on consecutive completions from Palmer during New York's final drive of the game.

TE: Jeremy Shockey was inactive for the fourth straight week and in his absence, Giants TEs were an absolute non-factor. Visanthe Shiancoe received the lone TE target during the Giants' last drive of the game.

K: Matt Bryant missed his only field-goal try of the game, pushing a 26-yard attempt wide left in the first quarter that could have tied the game, 3-3.

Pass Defense: The Giants sacked Tim Hasselbeck twice (both by Michael Strahan) but otherwise were ineffective in applying pressure, which enabled Hasselbeck to complete 68 percent of his passes. And despite giving up just 138 net yards passing, the Giants failed to record an interception. Most of Washington's passing yards came on five completions totaling 110 yards (19, 15, 30, 22 and 24 yards).

Rush Defense: Although the Giants didn't surrender a rushing touchdown, they allowed a patchwork Redskins backfield to rush for 150 yards on 48 carries (an average of just 3.1 YPC).

Carolina Panthers 14 at Atlanta Falcons 20 (OT)

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Carolina Panthers

The Carolina Panthers proved to be the crash test dummies for Michael Vick's return. The Panthers defense had no answer for Vick, and the offense struggled against a Falcons defense that had easily its best performance of the season.

Stephen Davis put up solid numbers, but did not flash the usual power and leg drive that has been a trademark of his game this season. He had 81 yards and 1 TD on 24 carries, but was shut down for long stretches of the contest.

Steve Smith continues to be Jake Delhomme's favorite target, notching 13 more Sunday night. He had 7 catches for 66 yards, but 4 catches were on WR screen passes. He did not get downfield as often as he had in previous weeks.

Jake Delhomme had a horrible night, completing 13 of 25 for 153 and 1 TD, but had 3 costly turnovers, including an interception in OT that was returned for a TD. He was constantly pressured and never got into the flow of the game.

The offensive line had a horrible night in both pass protection and run blocking. The Falcons front four got consistent pressure and the LBs limited Stephen Davis' chances in the run game.

Atlanta Falcons

The return of Michael Vick prompted the Falcons' best showing of their lost season. The lamentations of what might have been could be heard from fantasy owners everywhere. Despite the extensive media hype, Vick sometimes lives up to his billing, last night being one of those nights.

Vick's passing numbers are poor, completing only 16 of 33 for 179 yards with 1 INT. He had an infuriatingly erratic night throwing the ball, making several brilliant throws and many terrible throws. But, he was successful passing when the Panthers didn't blitz, and when they did, he scrambled 9 times for 90 yards. On 5 called run plays, he had 51 yards and 1 TD.

T.J. Duckett, starting for the injured Warrick Dunn, gained the tough yards for the Falcons. He had a solid evening, rushing 17 times for 59 yards and 1 TD. Duckett also lost a fumble.

Peerless Price had 4 catches for 57 yards, including a nice catch along the sidelines. Alge Crumpler had 5 catches for 57 yards and will clearly benefit from Vick's return.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Carolina Panthers

QB: Jake Delhomme (13 of 25, 153 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT, 1 Fumble Lost) had a poor showing. Three turnovers killed his team, including an interception in overtime that was returned for a TD. The Falcons defense got a consistent pass rush and Delhomme never looked particularly comfortable.

RB: Stephen Davis (24 carries for 81 yards, 1 TD) played below his usual level as his line struggled to run block. He had very little success between the tackles, with 2 of his runs to the edges resulting in 22 of his total yards. He struggled especially in the second half, gaining 42 yards on 15 carries (2.8 YPC). He seems to be showing signs of wear and tear after toting the ball almost 300 times for the season.

DeShaun Foster (3 carries for 6 yards, 1 catch for 3 yards) was a non-factor.

WR: Steve Smith (7 catches for 66 yards, 13 targets, 1 drop) caught most of his balls on underneath routes. Smith was unexceptional, but highly involved in the passing game.

Muhsin Muhammad (3 catches for 53 yards, 5 targets) was quiet for most of the evening.

TE: Starting TE Kris Magnum had zero catches and zero targets. Second TE Jermaine Wiggins (1 catch for 16 yards, 1 TD, 3 targets) caught the only TD pass.

K: John Kasay had no field goal attempts and was 2 of 2 on extra points.

Pass Defense: The Panthers pass defense was solid from a yardage standpoint and applied constant pressure, but struggled to contain Michael Vick on scrambles. The Panthers were in the backfield all night, finishing with two sacks and only allowed 156 net passing yards on 34 attempts. If they were playing anyone except Vick, they would have had a great night.

Rush Defense: The Panthers run defense struggled as the Falcons averaged 6.1 yards per carry (224 yards on 37 rushes) 141 yards came from the QB Michael Vick.

Atlanta Falcons

QB: Michael Vick (16 of 33 for 179, 0 TD, 1 INT, 14 carries for 141 yards, 1 TD) made fantasy owners dream about what could have been. He had a phenomenal night running, and an erratic night passing. First, here's the positive news. Vick had 14 carries for 141 yards. He had 5 called runs for 51 yards (1 TD) and 9 scrambles for 90 yards. He gave the Panthers defense fits and made his offensive line look a lot better than it is. On to the bad news. He only completed 48% of his passes and was extremely erratic. He made several exceptional throws and a lot of bad ones. He looked nervous in the pocket, even when there was no pass rush. Granted, this should improve with each outing, but is a point of concern. Also, he was seen holding his ankle during the night, so it is advisable to pay attention to any news coming out of Atlanta the next few days.

RB: T.J. Duckett (17 carries for 59 yards, 1 TD, 1 catch for 7 yards, 1 fumble lost) played well enough, picking up the tough yards when given the opportunity. He did not get as many touches as one would hope being the featured back though.

Justin Griffith (6 carries for 24 yards, 3 catches for 11 yards) backed up Duckett in the running game and was more involved in the passing game.

WR: Peerless Price (5 catches for 57 yards, 9 targets, 1 drop) was busy in the first half, garnering 4 catches for 57 yards, but quiet in the second half, as were the rest of the Falcons WRs. He should improve as Vick becomes more comfortable and was tied as the most targeted player for the Falcons.

Brian Finneran (3 catches for 47 yards, 6 targets) started off well, with 5 targets on the first two drives for the Falcons. But he wasn't much of a factor after that.

TE: Alge Crumpler (5 catches for 57 yards, 9 targets) seems to be the biggest beneficiary of Vick's return. He looked for Crumpler on all downs and distances. Again, his numbers will improve as Vick gets settled in.

K: Jay Feely had a horrible night, missing two field goals of 36 and 34 yards.

Pass Defense: The Falcons pass defense had a good night, allowing only 153 yards on 25 attempts. The Falcons got consistent pressure, forcing Delhomme to move around more than he was comfortable. They only had one sack, but had two interceptions and had a good night in coverage.

Rush Defense: The rejuvenated Falcons successfully limited the Panthers running game, only allowing 90 yards on 33 carries (2.7 YPC). The Panthers found no consistent success with the run, especially on first down, forcing the offense into many second and third and longs.

Arizona Cardinals 14 at San Francisco 49ers 50

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Arizona Cardinals

It's difficult to find many bright spots for the Cardinals. Jeff Blake started the game, and he didn't complete a pass until his eighth attempt. His passes were all over the field, and appeared to have no clue where he was throwing. Blake was yanked in favor of Josh McCown, who didn't fare much better, although he did throw for 120 yards and two late TD passes - the first of his NFL career -- with San Francisco well ahead.

Marcel Shipp never had the opportunity to get going because the Cardinals already were down by 34 points at halftime. He amassed just 30 yards rushing on 13 carries. Emmitt Smith saw limited action, gaining just 15 yards on the ground.

Rookie sensation Anquan Boldin remains the reason for optimism in Arizona. He certainly didn't disappoint his fantasy owners, racking up nine catches (including a couple of acrobatic one-handed receptions) for 123 yards and a TD - not to mention withstanding some major physical punishment from the Niners' secondary. The young star showed he could take a hit. Arizona QBs also looked to the other rookie Bryant Johnson a lot, but he pulled down just three catches for minimal yardage.

Arizona's run and pass defense was non-existent. The Niners moved the ball at will on the ground and through the air.

San Francisco 49ers

Facing the Cardinals was the perfect medicine for Jeff Garcia. He looked like a Pro Bowl quarterback for the first time all season. He scrambled, showed incredible accuracy and great judgment. He had one of the best days of any fantasy QB this season, passing for 250 yards and four TDs and running for two more scores. The Niners were ahead by so much that he got pulled for Tim Rattay in the final minute of the third quarter.

Kevan Barlow got in on the fun at the Cardinals' expense, rushing for a career-high 154 yards, including a 46-yard score in the second half. He took advantage of some gaping holes created by his offensive line and poor tackling from Arizona. Even back-up Jamal Robertson picked up 46 yards on just eight carries during mop-up duty.

Terrell Owens, who has been an inconsistent fantasy performer all year, came up big with 92 receiving yards and two scores, one of which found him wide open in the left flat on a 1-yard TD. Cedric Wilson's 27-yard TD reception was a nice run after the catch. Tai Streets also made the most of his only reception, scoring from 18 yards out. Overall, five receivers caught at least one pass on the day.

Tight end Jed Weaver caught two big passes for 47 yards on San Francisco's first scoring drive, and ended up with four receptions for a career-best 76 yards.

The Niners' defense plays much better at home, and they showed it against Arizona, suffocating Blake and McCown all afternoon. The fact that San Francisco was up so big so soon allowed the 49ers to disregard the running game and tee off on the Cardinals' QBs to the tune of three sacks, one interception and a forced fumble.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Arizona Cardinals

QB: Jeff Blake's (8 of 20 for 59 yards, INT) day should've never started. He was 0-for-7 before finally completing his first pass in the second quarter. He overthrew targets, left several receivers vulnerable for pulverizing hits, and generally had no field presence. He was rightly pulled at the end of the first half with the Cardinals down 34-0.

Josh McCown (11 of 20 for 120 yards, 2 TDs) played ok in the second half, getting two TD passes to go along with 120 yards throwing. He, too, however, locked in on receivers and nearly got rookies Anquan Boldin and Bryant Johnson killed on a few occasions. McCown also made an unexplainable move giving the Niners two points on a safety when, as he was getting pulled down by a Niners defender, turned around and drilled the ball backward into his own offensive lineman's helmet. He was lucky San Francisco didn't recover it for a touchdown. If nothing else, it offered comic relief during a blowout.

RB: Marcel Shipp (13 carries, 30 yards; 2 catches, 4 yards) picked up 19 yards on his first two carries, but he wasn't given enough opportunities because of Arizona's early deficit. He's still yet to score a touchdown on the season.

Emmitt Smith (4 carries, 15) and Damien Anderson (2 carries, 4 yards) didn't play enough to make a difference.

Fullback James Hodgins showed some nice hands on a 3-yard TD reception in the third quarter.

WR: It's hard to believe that any player deserves praise on a team that got smoked 50-14 -- but Anquan Boldin certainly does. His nine catches for 123 yards and a TD only tell part of the story. He showed incredible toughness and resiliency, absorbing several big hits, and despite the lopsided score, played hard on every down. Arizona QBs also looked to him 15 times on the day. The rookie of the year frontrunner now has 79 catches for 1,115 yards and seven scores on the year, and is on pace for 97 receptions and over 1,400 yards. His only blemish on the day was a fumble in the second quarter.

Rookie Bryant Johnson (3 catches, 16 yards) didn't post significant numbers, but he was targeted nine times, mostly getting overthrown by Blake and McCown.

Nate Poole had just one catch for 19 yards.

TE: Freddie Jones (3 catches, 14 yards, 4 targets) wasn't a factor.

K: Neil Rackers made his only two PATs.

Rush Defense: What run defense? Kevan Barlow racked up 154 yards, and there were gaping holes everywhere in Arizona's secondary.

Pass Defense: Arizona got almost no pressure on Jeff Garcia, and even when the Cardinals did, he was able to escape for big plays. The Niners moved down the field with ease.

San Francisco 49ers

QB: Jeff Garcia finally looked like the Pro Bowl quarterback his fantasy owners were expecting. He finished with 250 yards passing and six TDs (4 pass, 2 run). He showed amazing accuracy, patience and elusiveness. He accumulated half of his season total for touchdowns with Sunday's performance. Garcia also spread the ball around to eight different players, including seven to Terrell Owens. Perhaps these two will put aside their off-field differences and be more productive together down the stretch.

Tim Rattay came in with the Niners well ahead to basically hand the ball off. He did complete one pass for 15 yards.

RB: Kevin Barlow's career day meant 154 yards, including a 46-yard TD scamper. Arizona gave him plenty of room all afternoon and he certainly took advantage of the Cardinals' generosity. He also caught three balls out of the backfield for 23 yards. The only mark on his day was a fumble in the third quarter. The Niners scored three times from within Arizona's 5, so Barlow certainly could've had more scoring opportunities.

Jamal Robertson came in late and looked good rushing eight times for 46 yards.

Fullback Fred Beasley had two carries for two yards, in addition to one catch for seven yards.

WR: Terrell Owens (7 catches, 92 yards, 2 TDs, 8 targets) looked great. Both touchdown receptions came from within five yards, including the second one where the Cardinals' defense had a mental lapse and left T.O. wide open in the left side for an easy 1-yard score. Owens has picked up his TD production recently, scoring five times in the last five games.

Cedric Wilson (2 catches, 38 yards, TD) caught a short pass from Garcia over the middle in stride and turned it into a 27-yard score.

Tai Streets (1 catch, 18 yards, TD, 5 targets) made the most of his one catch, an 18-yard strike in the second quarter to put San Francisco up by three touchdowns.

Brandon Lloyd had one catch for six yards.

TE: On the opening drive, Jed Weaver had two critical receptions for 47 yards. He wound up with four catches for a career-best 76 yards, although he escaped from the offense for two quarters of the game.

Backup tight end Aaron Walker picked up seven yards on his only catch.

K: Todd Peterson had an easy day, making good on all six PATs.

Rush Defense: After getting down 21-0 early in the second quarter and 34-0 at halftime, Arizona didn't attempt too many runs, so the Niners' rush defense didn't get much work.

Pass Defense: Jeff Blake was horrible enough without the Niners making life even more miserable on him. San Francisco forced him out of the pocket and hit him whenever possible. Josh McCown, for the most part, didn't fare much better. On the day, the 49ers sacked Arizona QBs three times, had one interception of Blake and forced a fumble on Boldin.

Oakland Raiders 7 at Pittsburgh Steelers 27

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Oakland Raiders

The Oakland Raiders jumped out to a 7-0 1st quarter lead on a 22-yard touchdown rumble by RB Tyrone Wheatley. The score culminated a seven-play drive, all running plays. Wheatley finished with 65 yards on 13 carries.

The game spiraled out of control when the Raiders allowed QB Rick Mirer to attempt to throw the ball, as the Pittsburgh Steelers scored the final 27 points of the game. Mirer played miserably, completing just 10 of 25 passes for 68 yards and two interceptions. In all, the Raiders managed just 39 net yards through the air.

WR Jerry Rice led the anemic passing attack with 27 yards on two catches, as he extended his record string to 269 games in a row with a reception.

Trailing 17-7 at the start of the second half, the Raiders defense forced turnovers in Steelers territory on consecutive drives. The Raiders failed to take advantage of either turnover, and the defense seemed to lose interest shortly thereafter.

The "dumbest team in America" committed just 5 penalties for 50 yards.

Pittsburgh Steelers

RB Jerome Bettis rushed 27 times for 106 yards and an 11-yard touchdown. His pounding wore down the Raiders defense in the second half. He missed another opportunity for a touchdown in the final minutes when he was stopped two yards short of the end zone. The Steelers kneeled twice to run out the clock.

QB Tommy Maddox managed the game well. He completed 19 of 28 passes for 266 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He was efficient on 3rd downs, especially compared to his counterpart, Mirer.

WR Antwaan Randle El racked up 225 all-purpose yards, which included a couple of nifty punt returns. He finished with 48 yards on 3 receptions and ran twice for 11 yards.

WR Plaxico Burress caught 3 passes for 39 yards, including a 14-yard score on a fade route to the end zone. Hines Ward was the top receiver, yardage-wise, with 4 catches for 67 yards.

The Steelers, and in particular DE Kimo von Oelhoffen, pressured the Raiders Mirer hard on 3rd downs. Von Oelhoffen collected three of the Steelers four sacks.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Oakland Raiders

QB: Rick Mirer (10-25-68-0-2 and a fumble) played horribly. One need only look at the following list of his first nine 3rd down pass attempts to see the problem: incomplete, incomplete, sack, incomplete, interception, incomplete, incomplete, incomplete and incomplete. Few of his incompletions were anywhere near his intended receiver. The Raiders played well during an 11-play stretch without attempting a pass. They may have been better off staying with that plan. After the Raiders forced two turnovers to start the second half, Mirer threw two incompletions to stop the first drive, then was sacked and fumbled on the opening play of the second drive.

RB: Tyrone Wheatley (13-65-1) ran hard and ran well early in the game. He had four carries for 39 yards on the Raiders scoring drive. His 22-yard touchdown run was nice; he rumbled off right tackle, broke a tackle and got a key block from Tim Brown at the 5-yard line for the score.

Charlie Garner (9-57) ran well early on, also. He was not a factor at all in the passing game, however.

WR: Jerry Rice (2-27 on 6 targets) was the leading receiver, which says a lot. Tim Brown 3-19 on 6 targets) and Jerry Porter (2-12 on 5 targets) were even less effective. None of the receivers were able to get separation from their defenders.

TE: Teyo Johnson caught a one-yard pass on three targets. He dropped an easy 3rd down conversion attempt, and dropped his other target as well, although it would have been a more difficult catch.

PK: Sebastian Janikowski made his only kick, an extra point.

Run Defense: The Raiders held the Steelers to 3.3 yards/carry, but wore down late under the bruising running of Jerome Bettis. LBs Eric Barton and Tim Johnson led the team with 9 tackles each.

Pass Defense: Derrick Gibson had the Raiders lone interception, but the Raiders failed to cash it in. The Raiders were unable to stop the Steelers passing game, particularly on 3rd down.

Pittsburgh Steelers

QB: Tommy Maddox (19-28-266-1-1) played well, as he stayed within the game plan and made some key 3rd down conversions. He threw a nice fade pass to Plaxico Burress for his only touchdown pass. His interception was intended for Hines Ward in double coverage, but was thrown behind him.

RB: Jerome Bettis (27-106-1, 3-19 on 3 targets) took over the game for the Steelers late in the second quarter. Is 11-yard run was vintage Bettis, and gave the Steelers their first lead at 10-7. He later carried to the Raiders one-yard line before FB Dan Kreider's run gave the Steelers a 24-7 lead. On the final drive, Bettis got down to the two-yard line before the Steelers downed it. Bettis did fumble at the start of the second half, but the Steelers got it back on Mirer's fumble on the next play.

Amos Zereoue (5-7, 3-21 on 4 targets) was not effective when he spelled Bettis, mainly on 3rd downs.

WR: Plaxico Burress (3 catches for 39 yards on 5 targets) made a nice catch on his 14-yard score. Other than that, he was not the main target, as CB Charles Woodson played him tough. Burress' touchdown came when Maddox spotted CB Terrance Shaw defending him and executed a fairly easy toss for the score.

Hines Ward (4-67 on 7 targets) had a 38-yard catch-and-run late in the 4th quarter. He caught the ball near the right sideline and then almost came to a full stop before reversing to the middle of the field for an additional 20 yards.

Antwaan Randle El (3-48 on 4 targets, 2 carries for 11 yards) made his biggest contribution on special teams, breaking two punts for big plays and having another one called back on a penalty.

TE: Jay Riemersma caught a 24-yard pass in two targets.

PK: Jeff Reed connected from 40 and 44 yards out, but missed from 47 and 48 yards out. He was short on both misses.

Run Defense: The Raiders averaged 5.3 yards/carry. The Steelers run defense was fortunate that the Raiders were forced to pass all of the second half.

Pass Defense: The Steelers pass defense, on the other hand, was spectacular - even considering the competition. Kimo von Oelhoffen was a force with three sacks. Aaron Smith had a sack and forced a fumble on the play. Brent Alexander and Dewayne Washington both made interceptions.

Miami Dolphins 0 at New England Patriots 12

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Miami Dolphins

A storm hit the Foxboro area and dumped at least 28 inches of snow from late Friday night until it ended midway through the 2nd quarter. With the inclement weather and winds gusting between 20-25 mph, the passing and kicking games of both teams were dictated by the bad conditions. The Dolphins offense was horrible, going "3 and out" in 5 out of 6 of their first half drives and only amassing 53 yards with 2 first downs. Miami did not fare much better in the second and finished the game with a lousy 134 total net yards.

Due to the conditions, Miami looked to their RB Ricky Williams to lead the charge. However, Williams was consistently bottled up by a hard charging Patriots defense and he struggled the whole game. Williams finished with 68 yards on 25 carries.

QB Jay Fiedler was clearly affected by the nasty conditions and his numerous miscues led directly to 9 New England points. Fielder was under constant pressure from a blitzing Patriots' defense and never was able to find his comfort zone in the passing attack. He looked awful throwing the ball and was consistently off target.

The Miami defense played valiantly and kept the Dolphins in the game, only allowing 3 points to the Patriots offense.

New England Patriots

In a game of field position, the Patriots defense dominated as New England won their 9th consecutive game and clinched the AFC East title. The New England defense routinely changed their defensive schemes, confusing Fiedler and the Dolphins' offense. They brought heavy pressure and effectively used the blitz to record 5 sacks, forcing two Fiedler fumbles and a safety at the end of the game. Midway through the 4th quarter with the Patriots ahead 3-0, the biggest play of the game was turned in by LB Tedy Bruschi. He leapt high in the air to intercept a Fiedler pass and returned it 5 yards for the TD, essentially sealing the Patriots victory.

QB Tom Brady was efficient, using a short passing attack. He effectively dumped the ball off to his tight ends and hit his wide receivers on short, quick routes. Brady was given solid protection from his offensive line and he played smart, staying away from any costly turnovers. Brady had several catchable balls dropped by his receivers.

Inactive for last week's game, RB Antowain Smith started the game and his hard-nosed, bulldozing style of running was better suited for these game conditions. Smith was most effective running up the middle, but was only able to gain 60 yards on 27 carries due to a staunch Miami run defense.

Without the services of WR Troy Brown, WR Deion Branch was the favorite target of Brady. Branch led all receivers with 6 catches for 93 yards.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Miami Dolphins

QB: Jay Fiedler (13-31-111 passing, 2 INTs, 1 fumble lost) had a miserable day. In the first half, he was unable to move the offense and a smothering Patriots' defense caused him to get rid of the ball early and produced numerous errant throws. Fiedler finished the first half 4-10 for 15 yards and failed to take advantage of the wind when it was in his favor. Trailing 3-0 late in the 3rd quarter, Miami had its best scoring chance of the game. On 3rd-and-3 from the Patriots 10, SS Rodney Harrison came untouched sacking Fiedler, knocking the ball loose and New England recovered at the Patriots 30. Fiedler threw one of his two INTs midway through the 4th quarter, with Miami backed up to their goal line. LB Tedy Bruschi returned the INT for a TD and the Dolphins never threatened again. Fiedler threw two INTs in the game, but it could have been much worse because the Patriots' secondary dropped four other easy interception chances.

RB: Ricky Williams (25-68 rushing; 1-5 receiving, 2 targets) was never able to get on track against a Patriots' defense that continually crowded the line of scrimmage. Williams had few holes to run through and was shut down by the Patriots' gang tackling run defense.

Travis Minor and FB Rob Konrad combined for 3 catches for 5 yards out of the backfield.

WR: Chris Chambers (4-32 receiving, 13 targets) led all Dolphins' receivers with 4 catches, but his production was severely hurt by Fiedler's inaccurate throws. Fiedler targeted Chambers in the end zone from the Patriots 27, but the pass was thrown off target.

Oronde Gadsden (2-34 receiving, 2 targets) led Miami receivers with 34 yards receiving and both catches were good for 3rd down conversions. Gadsden had only one catch on the season coming into the game.

Derrius Thompson (2-31 receiving, 3 targets) and James McKnight (1-4 receiving, 3 targets) were not factors in the game.

TE: Randy McMichael's (5 targets) numbers were also hurt by Fiedler's poor performance.

K: Olindo Mare did not have a field goal attempt in the game.

Pass Defense: The Dolphins' pass defense had trouble getting pressure on Brady early, but did a much better job in the second half and recorded three sacks for the game. The secondary did a nice job covering Patriots' receivers and FS Brock Marion's punishing hit on RB Kevin Faulk caused the Patriots only turnover. The Miami pass defense only allowed a respectable 163 yards through the air.

Rush Defense: The Miami run defense was impressive only surrendering 78 yards to the Patriots running game. They were quick to the point of attack and made a couple of key stops of 3rd-and short plays. The Miami defense gave up only 3 offensive points and was not the reason for the defeat.

New England Patriots

QB: Tom Brady (16-31-163 passing; 2-(-2) rushing) played an intelligent game and took what the Miami defense gave him. While some of his passes went incomplete because of the gusting winds, Brady took advantage when the wind was in his favor to hit WR Deion Branch downfield. Brady did an excellent job managing the game and allowed his defense to win the battle of field position. Brady put the nail in the coffin on 4th-and-10 from the Miami 37 when he pooched a punt that was downed at the Miami 1 yard line.

RB: Antowain Smith (27-60 rushing) used his bruising, straight-ahead style to pick up tough yards against an imposing Dolphins' run defense. With hard fought runs, Smith converted on both a 3rd-and 1 and a 4th-and-inches to keep alive the only scoring drive by the New England offense in the first quarter.

Kevin Faulk (5-20 rushing; 1-15 receiving, 4 targets, 1 fumble lost) provided a nice chance of pace in the Patriots ground attack. Although he did lose a fumble on his only catch of the game, it was Faulk's heads up fumble recovery (at the Patriots 30) on the botched punt return by CB Tyrone Poole that saved New England.

WR: Troy Brown was inactive for the game due to injury.

Deion Branch (6-93 receiving, 8 targets) has excelled during the absence of Troy Brown to become Brady's favorite target. When Brown gets back on the field, it will give the Patriots a nice 1-2 punch, but could hurt Branch's fantasy production. Four of Branch's six catches came on 3rd down plays with three of them resulting in first downs.

Brady targeted David Givens (2-17 receiving, 5 targets) in the end zone on 3rd and goal from the Miami 11, but the pass was thrown too high.

Dedric Ward (1-14 receiving, 1 target) and Bethel Johnson (1 target) were non-factors in the game.

TE: Daniel Graham (6-24 receiving, 8 targets) saw the majority of his action in the first half, hauling in 5 catches for 29 yards. Graham only had one opportunity in the second half, catching a pass for a 5-yard loss.

Christian Fauria (2 targets) has clearly become the number two tight end for New England and was not a factor in the game.

K: Adam Vinatieri converted on 1 of 2 field goals from 29 yards and accounted for the Patriots only offensive scoring. His 54-yard field goal attempt at the end of the first half was long enough, but just missed right. Vinatieri's only extra point attempt bounced off both uprights before sneaking across.

Pass Defense: The Patriots pass rush was dominating and hounded Fiedler all game long. They blitzed at will and only allowed Fielder 15 yards passing in the first half. Their non-stop pressure caused Fiedler fits and forced him into many bad decisions. LB Mike Vrabel was constantly in Fiedler's face and recorded a sack and forced a fumble. LB Tedy Bruschi's acrobatic INT returned for a TD was his 4th consecutive INT returned for a TD. It was New England's 5th turnover returned for a TD and that leads the NFL. DE Jarvis Green recorded a safety on his sack of Fielder in the end zone at the end of the game and gave New England 9 defensive points for the game.

Rush Defense: The New England rush defense fared just as well, suffocating Ricky Williams and taking a big part of the Miami offense away from them. Unafraid of Fiedler's passing ability, the Patriots often put "8 men in the box" and gave Williams no where to run. With the Patriots' offense struggling in the second half, the defense took over the game with their outstanding 4th quarter display and secured the win.

Kansas City Chiefs 27 at Denver Broncos 45

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs didn't live up to all the talking Eddie Kennison was doing this week. By losing this game, they have fallen from the top spot in the AFC. If the playoffs started today, they would be seeded second, behind New England.

The Chiefs started out like they were attempting to set some new fantasy records. They scored touchdowns on their first three possessions and ran out of time before the half trying to make it their first four. They lost the game in the third quarter where the managed 11 plays in 3 possessions all ending in punts while they allowed the Broncos to put the game away allowing touchdowns on all three Denver drives in the third quarter.

Trent Green threw for his second most yards this season (he went for 400 against Green Bay), but he only managed one TD in the air. Getting behind forced KC to the air and away from Priest Holmes who had his lowest rushing total of the season.

The lone bright note for KC was Dante Hall being used extensively in the passing game. Those of you in deep leagues who start Hall because of his special teams play were rewarded with 11 receptions and 124 yards receiving.

Denver Broncos

Clinton Portis played a game fantasy owners dream about on Saturday night: 218 yards and 5 touchdowns. His last TD came on a play where the Broncos had already put the game away and just needed to eat up some clock midway through the fourth quarter. Portis screwed that up by busting free for 53 yards on the first play of the drive. He also had another spectacular 59 yard touchdown run at the end of the 3rd quarter that put the Broncos up by 10.

Jake Plummer played well given that the Chiefs were having problems stopping the run. Plummer played mistake free football and completed 68% of his passes on the day. Rod Smith rebounded from his one catch effort last week by catching 7 balls and Shannon Sharpe extended his NFL record for receptions by a TE becoming the first ever TE to pass 800 career receptions. His 6 on the day moved him to 805 on his career.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Kansas City Chiefs

QB: Trent Green (34-47/397/1TD/0Int 1yd Rush TD) threw for a lot of yards but only one score through the air. Penalties put him in 3rd and long for much of the second half. As the Broncos moved further and further ahead, the prevent defense allowed Green to rack up yardage in chunks, but nothing deep.

RB: Priest Holmes (12-44/2TD rushing, 7-33 receiving) had his worst yardage rushing day on the season. He did manage 2 touchdowns on the ground which gives him his seventh multi-TD game this season. His 12 carries were also a season low as the Chiefs were forced to the air in the second half.

WR: Dante Hall (11-124 rec. 157 KRet) had his best game of the season on offense and also had some of his usual exciting kick returns. The Chiefs used Hall as a focal point on underneath routes designed to get him the ball and let him make something happen.

Eddie Kennison did try to back up all his trash talk by catching a 42 yard TD pass on a deep post in the last 2 minutes of the first half and also catching a 30 yard strike from Green in the 4th quarter with the game out of hand.

Johnnie Morton also threw in 4 catches for 38 yards.

TE: Tony Gonzalez (6-73) had his usual effective game with the exception that he didn't score this week. The Broncos spent a lot of time double covering Gonzalez which is part of the reason that Dante Hall was so open all day. He was the target on the 2 point conversion at the end of the game, but the ball was knocked away by the Broncos defender.

K: Morten Anderson made all three extra point attempts. He did not attempt a field goal.

Pass Defense: Not really much to say about the pass defense except that it was a lot better than the run defense. No sacks on the day because Denver rarely was in the obvious passing situations.

Rush Defense: This area is definitely a worry now. The stats will look bad because of the long TD runs, but 15 of his 22 runs were for 5 yards or less. That doesn't matter when you give up scores of 28, 59 and 53 yards. Give a lot of credit to Denver's offensive line because on all three long TD runs, Portis basically wasn't touched at all.

Denver Broncos

QB: Jake Plummer (20-29/238/1TD/0Int, 3/10 rushing) is starting to look more comfortable in Mike Shanahan's offense. Of course when you are handing the ball off to a RB the caliber of Portis, it takes a lot of the pressure off of a QB. Plummer wasn't asked to do all that much as his longest pass was 20 yards not counting a 30 yard screen pass to Portis.

RB: Clinton Portis (22-218/5TD rushing, 2-36 rec) what more can be said. He came to play. His two longest runs were the product of great blocking combined with Portis putting moves on the Chiefs safeties that will bring applause during film sessions on Tuesday (in Denver that is). Quentin Griffin did come in late to spell Portis, but will likely move back to the 3rd back once Mike Anderson finishes his suspension next week. Rueben Droughns did score on a great play fake by Plummer and a short 3 yard TD pass.

WR: Rod Smith (7-85) led the Broncos in receiving and he also had 2 reverses that went for 9 and 23 yards.

Ashley Lelie continued his bid for all under performing team with 1 catch for 7 yards and that was on the first drive of the game. He was slightly overthrown on a couple of balls in the second half and had another drop in the fourth quarter.

Ed McCaffrey also made 1 catch on 3 targets.

TE: Shannon Sharpe (6-73) had another solid effort but did not score. He continues to be one of the most reliable all time TE's.

K: Jason Elam made 6 extra points. He also hit from 47 yards on his only field goal attempt.

Pass Defense: Misleading because of the dreaded "prevent" the Broncos played most of the second half. Although they allowed close to 400 yards passing, most of it was underneath in the second half. They did allow the long pass to Kennison in the second quarter but for most of the day were not beaten on any other long pass plays.

Rush Defense: Credit the run defense for getting KC into their predicament. Not only did they hold Priest Holmes to 44 yards, but his longest carry of the day went for 7 yards. They held strong in the 3rd quarter forcing 3 straight drives ending in punts after less than 5 plays.

Indianapolis Colts 29 at Tennessee Titans 27

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Indianapolis Colts

You can scratch off one of the critics' knocks on the Colts' quarterback, the part about his inability to win a big game. In perhaps the biggest regular-season game of his NFL career, Manning completed 22 of 34 passes with no interceptions to spark Indianapolis past the Titans.

James ran successfully to the outside against the Titans who are so strong in the middle of their defensive line. Manning kept making his usual passing adjustments at the line of scrimmage and kept the Titans defense off balance.

The Colts still have problems with the Red Zone offense. Five drives against the Titans were stopped between the 3 and the 18, including three inside the 10.

Tennessee Titans

McNair took a big hit in the second quarter, where he looked to tweak his right ankle and also seemed to aggravate his already sore left calf. He stayed in the game, throwing 2 TDs and running for a 2 point conversion in the 4th quarter. He was limping in the 4th quarter. After the game, he downplayed things commented that he was able to finish the game and that meant he was healthy enough to start for week 15.

The Titans Defense couldn't get off the field. Titan's defensive linemen were being helped to the sidelines on almost every play. LDT Robaire Smith was helped off at least twice. DT Albert Haynesworth was helped off twice, and DE Jevon Kearse was banged up.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Indianapolis Colts

QB: Peyton Manning (22/34, 228, 4/20 rushing) Manning had a good day in the air, although he really concentrated on Harrison, shutting the other WRs out. Going into the game, Manning had 18 carries for -1 yards. In this game, Manning had four carries for 20 yards, twice tucking the ball under his right arm and converting third downs to keep drives alive.

RB: Edgerrin James (27/95, 2 TDs, 2/13 receiving, 2 targets) Dragged several Titans into the end zone with him on the first TD run. With James really getting nothing up the center against a tough middle run defense, the Colts starting using James to the outside almost exclusively in the second quarter. This worked well, and James and the Colts took over control of time of possession for the rest of the game.

Dominic Rhodes (1/2, 1/14 receiving, 1 target)

WR: Marvin Harrison (10/124, 14 targets) Completed the greatest one handed circus catch you are ever going to see. Harrison was Manning's primary target on the day. Typical Harrison day, double covered, bumped at the line of scrimmage, found ways to get open.

Reggie Wayne (2/19, 4 targets) Not much of a day statistically, with James running well, and Harrison getting open, Manning stayed with his stars. 3 of the 4 targets came in the 1st half.

Troy Walters (2/20, 2 targets) Played in spite of his broken nose. Both receptions came late in the game.

Brandon Stokely (2/10, 6 targets) Missed a TD, as Manning led him too much on a possible catch in the end zone. Targeted 4 times in the 1st half, with only one catch to show for it.

TE: Marcus Pollard (2/30, 4 targets) Nice 24 yard reception. The other two catches were just dump offs.

K: Mike Vanderjagt (5/5 FG [21, 35, 36, 23, 26], 2/2 XP)

Pass Defense: RDE Dwight Freeney (2 tackles) sacked McNair. Late in the game, with the Titans trying to tie the game on a two point conversion, Dwight Freeney leaped and deflected a pass by McNair intended for Mason in the end zone.

Rush Defense: ROLB David Thornton (8 tackles/2 assists) led the squad.

Tennessee Titans

QB: Steve McNair (2/38, 235, 3 TDs [2 passing, 1 rushing], 3/20 rushing) With special teams turning the ball over at almost every opportunity, McNair couldn't get onto the field. McNair rallied the Titans from a 29-13 deficit with a pair of fourth-quarter touchdown passes and ran for a two-point conversion.

RB: Eddie George (11/51, 1/5 receiving, 3 targets) Was stuffed at the 2 yard line in a scoring opportunity. George had a fine game with what little opportunity there was to get going. Averaged over 5 yards a carry, but couldn't get the ball enough to get rolling.

Chris Brown (4/23) Couple of nice runs, but again, it was about opportunity for the Titan's rushing attack.

Robert Holcombe (1/-1, 1/1 receiving, TD, 1 target) Scored on a short pass play.

WR: Derrick Mason (6/64, TD, 10 targets) Team leader in receptions and yards. Totally ignored in the 1st half as McNair worked with his TEs. 9 of his 10 targets came in the second half with the Titans trying to catch up.

Justin McCareins (4/76, fumble, 5 targets) McCareins looked great as a receiver, and moved well with the ball in traffic. The fumble was on special teams. He missed a chance to score on a pass interference call in the end zone. Not looked for in the 1st half.

TE: Frank Wycheck (3/20, 5 targets) All the Titan TEs got into the game. McNair went to all three TEs to open the game, before throwing to any WRs.

Erron Kinney (4/41, 4 targets) Caught ever ball thrown his way.

Shad Meier (3/28, fumble, 5 targets) The fumble was a strip of the ball by David Macklin, after a 17 yard gain.

K: Gary Anderson (2/2 FG [40, 40], 1/1 XP)

Pass Defense: Manning was sacked 3 times. Once each from FS Lance Schulters (6 tackles/4 assists), RDE Carlos Hall (5 tackles/2 assists), and LDT Robaire Smith (3 tackles/1 assist). The Titan defense had no chance to do anything today, they were put in a position time and time again in the 2nd quarter with their backs to the wall to begin with, they held tough and held the Colts for the most part.

Rush Defense: ROLB Keith Bulluck (9 tackles/2 assists) lead the squad. Tennessee's defense held strong, holding the Colts to field goals on each of their four trips inside the red zone in the first half.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 14 at New Orleans Saints 7

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

New Orleans Saints

Aaron Brooks' stat lines looked solid, but he made some ugly mistakes with four fumbles, three lost, as the Saints' QB missed repeated opportunities to win this ballgame.

Deuce McAllister was stopped by a suddenly stout Bucs' run defense, limiting him below 100 yards rushing and breaking his streak.

The bright spot was WR Joe Horn who was in-sync with Brooks in fantastic fashion, grabbing his 2nd 100-yard game of the season.

Boo Williams continued his rise as a top performing fantasy tight end, catching the Saints' lone TD.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

QB Brad Johnson had a steady performance, buoyed by the Bucs' defense creating turnovers (leading to both of Johnson's TDs). Good catches and runs by Keenan McCardell, Ken Dilger, and Charles Lee masked some floaters by the Bucs' QB.

RB Thomas Jones was given the job as the Bucs' primary ball carrier, and he provided a solid performance in his 20 carries. He gained good yardage on most of his carries and provided a punch that had mostly been lacking in the Bucs' running game.

Keenan McCardell redeemed his zero first half catches with a big second half as the consummate possession receiver.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

New Orleans Saints:

QB: Aaron Brooks (20-30 passing, 238 yards, 1 TD, 1 rush for 4 yards) threw the ball well, netting a 101.8 quarterback rating. But he sabotaged this game for the Saints in stunning fashion, fumbling four times (losing three) that were all instrumental in New Orleans losing a game they had multiple chances to win. On the play after Joe Horn dropped a perfect touchdown pass, Brooks, untouched, ridiculously let the ball slip out his hands trying to throw, which led shortly after to a Bucs TD. Brooks was sacked and fumbled on a 3rd and 9 play just over a minute later, leading to a Bucs' TD. His 3rd quarter scramble finished with a drive-ending fumble. The crowning buzz kill was Brooks' fumble on another sack, this one in the 4th quarter on the Bucs' 6-yard-line, ending the Saints' best chance to tie the game. Besides losing the game for his team, Brooks put up decent numbers for someone sacked mercilessly, especially in the first half. He found Joe Horn early and often and finished 13 for 17 after two quarters, hooking up with Boo Williams on an 18-yard throw Williams ran 13 more for the first touchdown of the game.

RB: Deuce McAllister (22 carries 69 yards, 3 receptions for 19 yards on 5 targets) lost his helmet near the line of scrimmage on a run late in the first quarter. He stayed up, stiff-arming his way forward as he ran diagonally, battling to get to the sidelines and showing great determination. He gained zero yards on the play. It was like that all day for McAllister as his 9 game streak of 100-yards or more rushing was broken with a 69 yard effort. The Bucs line keyed in and stopped the Saints' run at every turn. McAllister gained 11 garbage yards on the last play of the 2nd quarter, and had a nice 22-yard scamper on the inside late in 3rd quarter. That's only 36 yards left for his other 20 carries - the Bucs simply let nothing else happen. McAllister caught all 3 passes to him that were catchable, though he was 2 yards short on the 4th and 6 screen pass that ended the Saints' chances.

Lamar Smith (1 carry for 17 yards) burst ahead for a nice run in the first half.

FB Terrell Smith (1 catch for 3 yards) caught the only ball going his way in the 4th quarter.

WR: Joe Horn (9 catches, 118 yards, 11 targets, 1 drop) was heavily involved today, like last week, but today he delivered with big time numbers. He was a monster in the first half, catching the first 7 balls that went his way for 92 yards. His performance was marred by a complete drop on a precise 25-plus yard pass that was an easy touchdown had his hands just stayed on the ball. He was blanked in the 3rd quarter and caught two balls for 26 yards in the 4th. The play before Brooks' fumble at the Bucs' 6 was a immediate toss into the endzone for Horn, but the pass was high and out of sync from some jamming at the line.

Jerome Pathon (1 catches, 8 yards, 3 targets) was overthrown twice in the third quarter and had an 8 yard reception on the 2nd-to-last play for the Saints in the game. He was not targeted in the first half.

Donte' Stallworth was inactive again due to injury.

TE: Boo Williams (4 catches, 59 yards, 1 TD, 7 targets, 1 'tough' drop) kept his very solid contributions coming with a big week as the Saints' effective #2 receiving target. He ran 13 yards into the endzone in the first quarter on Brook's pass, and connected on an 18-yarder in the 2nd. A ball thrown high went through Williams's hands early in the 4th.

Walter Rasby (2 catches for 31 yards) caught 17 and 14 yard passes in the second quarter, but did not see targets besides those two plays.

K: John Carney missed his only field goal attempt, a 49 yarder that was wide right.

Pass Defense: The Saints let up an efficient performance by Brad Johnson, but both touchdown passes were with tremendous field position caused by a fumble recovery and blocked punt. Johnson did burn New Orleans for 160 yards passing in the 2nd half (85 from Keenan McCardell), but New Orleans kept the Bucs out of the endzone and only in field goal position.

Rush Defense: New Orleans allowed only 107 yards rushing, limiting Michael Pittman to only 13 yards on his 6 carries (including stopping a 4th and 1 inside). But Thomas Jones was productive as Tamps Bay's feature back, netting 89 yards on 20 carries, and doing most of the work chewing up nearly 6 minutes of the mid-to-late 4th quarter.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

QB: Brad Johnson (20-34-213 yards passing, 2 TD 1 INT) was efficient, patient, and accurate, producing solid-but-not-spectacular numbers in the Bucs' win. Solid familiar? Johnson threw for only 53 yards passing in the first half but had 2 touchdowns in the last two minutes of the half. He threw Ken Dilger a 3 yard pass that the tight end ran for 11 more for a TD and slipped Warren Sapp a throw into the endzone.

RB: Thomas Jones (20-89 yards rushing, 2-14 receiving, 3 targets), Coming into the game with less than a third of the carries Pittman has had (53 to 172), Jones was given an audition as the Bucs' feature back and had a productive game. He hit good yardage on most of his runs in the first half and ended the first 30 minutes with a 6.0 yards-per-carry on 8 attempts. He continued to move forward in the 2nd half, including burning time on 8 carries on a late game drive. He gained 17 yards through the middle on a shovel pass in the 4th quarter.

Michael Pittman (6-13 rushing, 3-29 receiving, 7 targets, 1 drop) was mixed in sparingly in the running game after being mostly contained last week. He lost 2 yards on a 4th and 1 early in the 4th quarter, handing the ball over to the Saints. Despite his lack of involvement in the running game, he continued to be looked to in the passing game. He caught passes for 10 and 13 yards in the 3rd quarter.

Jameel Cook dropped a pass in the 3rd quarter.

WR: Keenan McCardell (6-85 yards receiving, 8 targets) was blanked in the 1st half, receiving only one errant throw on the Bucs' first drive. He was absolute money in the 2nd half, though, hooking up with Johnson for 4 catches on 4 targets in the 3rd quarter. He made a very nice catch on a 35-yard wobbly heave in double coverage that moved the Bucs into New Orleans's territory in the 4th as well. McCardell did not have many yards after the catch.

Charles Lee (5-52 yards receiving, 8 targets) saw an expanded role, seeing the ball thrown his way more than any Buccaneer (8 targets and 1 pass called back by penalty). A 10 yard catch in the 2nd quarter was negated by is own pass interference call (he had another pulling back a catch by Shepard). He was well-covered on 2 passes he didn't catch in the 4th quarter.

Karl Williams (1 target) was thrown an uncatchable ball in the 3rd quarter.

Shepard had a 28 yard catch called back on offensive pass interference, called on Charles Lee for a pick on Shepard's man several yards after the line of scrimmage.

Joe Jurevicius is on injured reserve.

TE: Ken Dilger (2-26 yards receiving) caught the Bucs' first touchdown, a 3-yard toss he ran 11 more yards for the touchdown. His only target he caught and took a big hit on, a 12 yard reception in the 4th quarter.

Ricky Dudley (1-6 yards receiving, 3 targets) couldn't haul in a lofty jump ball on a Johnson throw in the 3rd quarter, and saw a pass thrown his way tipped by coverage and intercepted in the 4th.

DT Warren Sapp (1 catch for a 1 yard TD) served a fantasy spoiler role for the 2nd time this year as he hauled in a TD in the 2nd quarter while being left completely uncovered.

K: Martin Gramatica continued his major struggles, missing both his attempts (from 44 and 35 yards out). A low trajectory led to his 35-yarder getting blocked.

Pass Defense: Tampa wreaked havoc on Aaron Brooks, hounding him for 6 sacks and forcing 3 fumbles, recovering two of them (plus another that slipped from Brooks' hand untouched). The Saints ended with a solid completion percentage and passing yards, but the Bucs had total control over this game defensively.

Rush Defense: Tampa Bay's line contained Deuce McAllister to his first game under 100 yards in 9 weeks. The Saints were unable to get any needed rhythm to their running game.