Footballguys Game Recap Writers: Mike Anderson, Bill Brown, Michael Brown, Jeff Caldwell, Stan Dorsey, Cathy Fazio, Rich Fix, Mike Flynn, Bradley Gabbard, Cory Gilbert, 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

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Miami Dolphins

The Giants were intent on stopping RB Ricky Williams at all costs, and by all accounts, they did. The Dolphins running back was bottled up from the very beginning, and finished with just 22 carries for 39 yards. He did manage to get into the end zone late in the contest. Williams' yardage totals by quarter went: 0, 2, 6, and 31. This perhaps serves as evidence that despite the fact that Miami had trouble running the ball, it was their commitment to the running game that wore down the Giants.

QB Jay Fiedler luckily escaped relatively unscathed in the turnover department. There were two separate occasions where balls he threw should have been picked up, including once in the end zone by Ralph Brown. Brown had the ball in his hands with no one around him, but he dropped it and on the next play, Olindo Mare kicked a field goal.

The Miami defensive backs have some of the best hands in the league. The first interception, by Brock Marion, came as the ball was rolling around on the chest of Amani Toomer, who was on the ground. Marion dove over the top of Toomer to snag the ball out of the air. On the second pick, the ball was batted up in the air and into the hands of Patrick Surtain. Surtain also intercepted a pass late in the game in the end zone in which he turned around and the ball was right on him, but he managed to get his hands up in time. These players have reputations for having great hands, and a lot of times it can mean the difference between a productive fantasy day or a terrible fantasy day for your quarterback, or a win versus a loss for the Dolphins.

New York Giants

TE Jeremy Shockey had a very big game. He had a decent first half, but really came on strong and exploded in the second half. If Shockey seemed to catch everything thrown his way, it's because he did. He was targeted 11 times and caught every one. He finished the contest with 11 receptions for 110 yards. What's more, he didn't do many of his usual antics after his receptions. He was whistled for taunting, but even that one was more a misunderstanding than anything. His arm was being pinned back and when it finally broke free, it came flying forward and appeared he was throwing the football at Sam Madison.

It should be noted that the first two interceptions thrown by QB Kerry Collins were not entirely his fault. Of course, he did throw the ball in traffic, but more often than not, you expect WR Amani Toomer to come up with the tough ones. Each ball was deflected initially before being picked off.

RB Tiki Barber managed to find the end zone for the first time all year. He was in on every red zone situation, and got the carries when the Giants got close to the end zone. One note on Barber, however. Just prior to the last play of the game, Barber appeared to get up limping around the field.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Miami Dolphins

QB: Jay Fiedler was lucky to escape without a pick, as there were two separate occasions in which he should have been. Other than those throws, Fiedler played an okay game. He didn't focus too much on one guy in particular, instead opting to throw it around to a bunch of different ones. Randy McMichael was his favorite target, receiving 7 targets but only catching two balls. Despite the Giants intention to sell out on the run at all costs, Fiedler wasn't really able to take advantage much with anything downfield.

RB: Ricky Williams had a tough day at the office. Despite running for 31 yards in the final quarter, he still only finished up with 39 rushing yards for the game. He added another 20 receiving as well as a touchdown to salvage an otherwise forgettable day. He just had nowhere to run, as the Giants followed through on their promise to make Jay Fiedler beat them.

WR: Chris Chambers had an extremely quiet day, with just 3 receptions for 19 yards. He was never able to get any sort of separation downfield, and his long reception for the day was just 9 yards. He was targeted 7 times.

Derrius Thompson was targeted 3 times, and caught 2 balls for 22 yards. As with most of the Dolphins wide receivers, the impact he made on the game was minimal.

James McKnight was a non-factor in the passing game, with just 2 receptions for 17 yards. But it was his highlight-reel 68-yard touchdown run on a reverse that put the Dolphins' first touchdown on the board. He did a great job in faking out the first would-be tackler, and then did a terrific job of reading his downfield blocks all the way to the end zone. It should also be noted that those downfield blocks were outstanding, and the only reason McKnight was able to make it as far as he did.

TE: Randy McMichael came out with a big 33-yard reception on the Dolphins' first pass of the day, but then sort of disappeared for awhile. He did record a nice 24-yard catch and run later in the game, and looked a lot like the opposing tight end during the play, as he ran over and around several defenders downfield.

Pass Defense: While they did allow Kerry Collins to throw for 276 yards, many of that came late in the game when the Giants were playing catch-up. Yet even when they were back in more of a softer coverage, they were still able to come up with an interception on in the end zone, courtesy of Patrick Surtain. The Dolphins defensive backs made a number of nice plays during the game, including 3 huge interceptions. The turnovers were basically the difference in the game, as they led directly to not only points for Miami, but critical stops of the Giants offense. They got some pressure on Collins, but only sacked him once and he had time to make most of his throws during the course of the day.

Run Defense: Tiki Barber didn't necessarily have a bad game, running 20 times for 71 yards and a touchdown. And several times, he busted through for a decent gain when it appeared there was nothing there. But for the most part, the Giants running game didn't seem to make much of an impact in the action on the field. Linebacker Junior Seau appeared to injure his hamstring late in the fourth quarter and appeared to be in a great deal of pain while on the ground. However, he walked off the field without a noticeable limp.

New York Giants

QB: Kerry Collins was a victim of some bad luck and some sticky fingers on the hands of Miami's defensive backs. Collins' passing numbers (31-43, 276 yards) look ok until you factor in that he was intercepted three times. On each of the first two, he threw passes intended for WR Amani Toomer, only to see the ball go in the air for interceptions. Still, outside of Tiki Barber's touchdown run, the Giants were unable to put the ball into the end zone, a problem that has plagued this team going back prior to this season.

RB: Tiki Barber finished with 20 carries for a game-high 71 yards, and included a nice touchdown run. It was from just 2 yards out, but he displayed good patience and vision in waiting for the hole to develop outside before picking the precise spot to cut it back inside for the score. Barber, who is supposedly going to see more breathers every now and then, carries the ball 20 times. His backup, Delvin Joyce, carried just 3 times. Barber was the recipient of all the red zone carries. Ron Dayne was inactive for the game and Dorsey Levens never got in. One possibly important note is that on the final play of the game, Barber appeared to be limping around the field, but the announcers made no mention of it.

WR: Amani Toomer was targeted just 7 times in this one. He was the victim of constant double-teaming and had a very quiet game overall, with just 3 receptions for 38 total yards. He was the target on Collins' first two interceptions, and it was awhile before Collins went back to him on a regular basis.

Ike Hilliard was the beneficiary of the double-teaming on Toomer, as he was targeted 11 times in the game and responded with 8 receptions for 73 yards.

TE: Jeremy Shockey had a very big game, although it started off somewhat slowly. He and Amani Toomer were being constantly double-teamed, but eventually the Dolphins attempted to cover Shockey one-on-one. Junior Seau and company just couldn't hang with him, as Shockey lit them up for 110 yards on 11 receptions. In typical Shockey fashion, he sought out defensive backs after the catch to try and run over them, and in most cases, he did. Perhaps most importantly, there wasn't any of the usual showboating or dancing around after a reception. He just did his job and let his play on the field do the talking.

Pass Defense: This unit may have been able to make the difference in the game if it could have held on to just two passes. Omar Stoutmire had a ball bounce off him for what would have been an interception. Later on, Ralph Brown had a ball in his hands that was such a surefire pick that Greg Gumbel actually proclaimed it an interception before the ball was even caught. Of course, he retracted it after the ball hit the ground. The pass defense unit as a whole, though, did a fine job in covering Miami receivers. This much-maligned unit of New York surrendered just 167 yards through the air, a far cry from what they've done to this point.

Run Defense: Absolutely slammed the door shut on Ricky Williams for 3 quarters. They did allow Williams to rumble for 31 yards in the fourth quarter, perhaps the fact that Miami stayed committed to the running game played a part in that. Also, Williams is a supremely conditioned athlete, and one cannot expect to hold him down all game long. The one big hiccup, however, was on the James McKnight reverse, which turned into a 68-yard touchdown scamper. He could have been stopped for about a 10-yard run, but a missed tackle by Will Allen, followed by numerous downfield blocks, turned it into a touchdown. It is conceivable that because of the Giants' focus on stopping Williams, they had no idea he'd turn and hand the ball off to McKnight, who was heading the other way, on the play.

Special Teams: Starting kicker Matt Bryant injured his hamstring late in the first half on a successful 43-yard field goal. He was carted off the field, and punter Jeff Feagles became the replacement kicker. Feagles, who had never before attempted a field goal or extra point in the NFL, misfired on a 29-yard attempt.

Cincinnati Bengals 16 at Buffalo Bills 22 (OT)

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Cincinnati Bengals

Corey Dillon did not play with a groin injury and was replaced by Rudi Johnson who finished with 20 carries for 69 yards and a touchdown. Expected to split carries with Brandon Bennett, Johnson was moderately effective running between the tackles, relegating Bennett (6 carries, -1 yards) to sideline duty. Peter Warrick continued his surprising season, leading the Bengals with 7 catches and 3 redzone targets.

The Bengals could not pull off the road upset, losing in overtime. The defense was again effective, finding a pass rush for the first time this season. The Bengals muffled Bledsoe and the Bills offense until the final 5 minutes and overtime. Missing CB Jeff Burris, Bledsoe shredded the Bengals to tie the game (final drive, 6 of 8 for 64 yards) and was 2 for 2 in overtime for 48 yards.

The Bengals offensive line continues to struggle to run block. Rudi Johnson had few holes to run through as the revamped Bills defensive line pushed the Bengals line backwards at the point of attack. Conversely, the pass protection was very good in the first half and adequate in the second half. Jon Kitna was sacked once and was hit on his one interception. Overall, Kitna had enough time to get through his progressions.

Both teams were effected by the weather. Pregame temperatures were in the mid 40s with heavy winds (15-24 mph). Both teams were ineffective driving into the wind. The Bengals spent most of the day on the plus side of the field position battle, but were hurt by two turnovers (Kitna's interception at the Bengals' 35 led to a go ahead TD).

Buffalo Bills

The Bills continued to be mired in their offensive funk, looking lifeless for the majority of the afternoon. On a cold and windy day, Drew Bledsoe could find no consistency to sustain drives. Bills receivers added to the problems, dropping several catchable balls. Bledsoe's final numbers do no justice to how pedestrian the Bills offense continues to be.

Travis Henry returned from a rib cage injury, apparently suffering no side effects. He ran hard for 85 yards and one TD. He also chipped in 2 catches for 14 yards and an additional score. Henry continued to show his penchant for coughing up the ball, being charged with one fumble (recovered by Moulds) and dropped a Bledsoe pitch he should have caught.

The Bills run defense showed up, limiting the Dillon-less Bengals to 69 yards on 28 carries. The pass defense limited the Bengals big play ability, allowing the Bengals to complete passes underneath and outstanding tackling to limit yards after catch.

The Bills line was good in run blocking, terrible in pass blocking. Henry found several nice holes and was hit in the backfield infrequently. The pass defense struggled, with the right side of the line being victimized for all 4 sacks.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Buffalo Bills

QB: Drew Bledsoe played poorly, even though his final numbers were respectable, finishing 19 of 35 for 211 yards with 1 TD. Before the final 5 minutes of the game and overtime, Bledsoe was a lowly 11 of 25 for 99 yards and 1 TD. His early numbers were effected by at least 4 dropped passes by Buffalo receivers (including a 20 yard pass to Eric Moulds). He finished 8 of 10 for 112 yards on the game tying drive and in overtime. Bledsoe was clearly flustered by drops and the Bengals pass rush (sacked 4 times), forcing balls and overthrowing receivers. A lack of a consistent running game also forced the Bills into numerous third and longs. Bledsoe also fumbled a shotgun snap (the fumble was charged to the center).

RB: Travis Henry had a good day, with an asterisk. His final numbers were 25 carries for 85 yards (3.4 yards per carry) and 1 TD. He added 2 catches for 14 yards and an additional score (1 drop, 2 redzone targets). He ran hard, showing no ill effects from his rib injury. Another 15 yard carry was reversed on a penalty. But, Henry continued to demonstrate his penchant for fumbling, being charged with 1 fumble (recovered by Moulds) and also fumbled a pitch that should have been caught (the fumble was charged to Bledsoe). Backup Joe Burns had 1 carry for -5 yards.

WR: Eric Moulds was the Bills' leading receiver with 9 catches for 99 yards (1 redzone target). His production mirrored Bledsoe's, garnering 4 catches for 61 yards on the game tying drive and in overtime. He had one clear drop of a 20 yard pass in the first half. Moulds had a key 4th down catch in regulation and out wrestled Tory James for a jump ball in overtime.

Bobby Shaw had 3 catches for 26 yards (1 redzone target) and was not a big factor.

Josh Reed continued his struggles, finishing with 1 catch for 20 yards with 2 drops (2 redzone targets).

TE: Mark Campbell had 1 catch for 20 yards in overtime. He also had 1 redzone target.

K: Rian Lindell was 3 of 3 on field goal attempts. He was successful on attempts of 27, 38 and 29 yards.

Pass Defense: The Bills managed very little pass rush in the first half, allowing Kitna time to stay in the pocket and complete passes. Late in the first half and throughout the second half, Buffalo challenged the Bengals by bringing multiple blitz packages, forcing Kitna into quicker decisions and into hurried throws. The secondary coverage was adequate, keeping plays in front of them (long pass of 20 yards), making the Bengals beat them underneath.

Rush Defense: The Bills run defense was smothering, limiting the Bengals to 69 yards on 28 carries (2.5 yards per carry). In the first half, the Bengals had a meager 16 yards on 14 carries. Outside of a Rudi Johnson 16 yard TD scamper in the third quarter, the Bengals found very little on the ground. DT Pat Williams in particular had a spectacular day in run support.

Cincinnati Bengals

QB: Jon Kitna (26 of 44 for 225 yards with one interception) was unspectacular but solid. The Bengals offensive game plan was more conservative than expected, taking underneath routes, instead of going for the big play. Kitna missed several open receivers, rushing his throws once the Bills started blitzing aggressively. On Kitna's one interception, he was hit by London Fletcher as he threw.

RB: With Corey Dillon out with an injury, Rudi Johnson was the primary ball carrier. Expected to split carries with Brandon Bennett, Rudi Johnson carried the ball 20 times for 69 yards and 1 TD (3.5 yards per carry). Johnson ran hard between the tackles but with little success. He showed off his speed on a 16 yard sweep for a TD. At the half, Johnson had 9 carries and Bennett had 6. Bennett had no carries in the second half, finishing with 6 carries for -1 yards (long of 8 yards).

WR: Peter Warrick was the Bengals' leading receiver with 7 catches for 78 yards. Warrick showed his open field ability on a nifty 20 yard catch and on a 30 yard punt return. Warrick was the target on 3 redzone passes from Kitna. On the downside, Warrick fumbled a punt and dropped a possible touchdown catch at the 5 yard line.

Chad Johnson had 6 catches for 59 yards, but was the target on several long attempts and had 2 redzone targets as well. Johnson continues to mature as a receiver, running several nice routes, highlighted by a 3rd down catch along the sidelines, dragging his toes to keep a Bengals drive going.

Rookie Kelley Washington had 2 catches for 18 yards.

TE: Tony Stewart led the tight ends in receptions with 5 catches for 35 yards. Reggie Kelly had only one catch for 8 yards but was targeted on a red zone attempt.

K: Shayne Graham was 3 of 4 on field goal attempts. He had successful kicks of 39, 37 and 30 yards. He missed a 54 yard field goal attempt at the end of the first half.

Pass Defense: The Bengals' pass coverage was very good for most of the game. They frustrated Bledsoe with excellent coverage and an effective pass rush (4 sacks). DE Duane Clemons had 3 sacks. CB Jeff Burris got hurt in the second half and missed him late in the contest as the Bills came back for the win.

Rush Defense: The Bengals' run defense was solid in the first half (limiting the Bills to 13 carries for 42 yards), especially in short yardage, but struggled in the second half as Henry was able to convert third and shorts with ease.

Seattle Seahawks 13 at Green Bay Packers 35

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Seattle Seahawks

The Seattle defense showed they are not as good as advertised. They allowed Green Bay to march down the field for TDs on five consecutive drives of 49, 66, 68, 53, and 56 yards while putting no pressure on Favre or showing any signs of being able to stop the run.

The Seattle offense looked much more potent than the score might lead you to believe. The Seahawks only scored 13 points, but P Tom Rouen only had one punt in the game. Seattle ended drives on two occasions with turnovers and finished their last two drives on downs after getting down by a large margin. Penalties also were a thorn in the side of the offense today.

RB Shaun Alexander looked like he was headed for a huge day ripping off long runs early. However, after Seattle got down big they had to abandon the run looking for yardage in big chunks.

Green Bay Packers

The combination of QB Brett Favre and RB Ahman Green was too much for Seattle. P Josh Bidwell punted once after the first Green Bay possession, then took almost took the rest of the afternoon off (had to punt one away in the 4th quarter with a 22-point lead).

Donald Driver is fully recovered from his neck injury and still Brett Favre's go to WR. Driver scored over rookie CB Marcus Trufant early on a deep ball and made 7 receptions on only 8 targets.

The Green Bay defense has serious issues trying to stop the run. Making matters worse, defensive linemen Johnson, Brown, and Nwokorie were all injured during the game. They allowed Shaun Alexander better than 5 yards per carry and looked very soft up the middle.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Seattle Seahawks

QB: Matt Hasselbeck: (22-39-225 0 TD 1 INT passing, 1-7 rushing) Matt Hasselbeck had plenty of time and continued to make good decisions in the pocket expect for his one interception that was thrown very far behind WR Darrell Jackson. Hasselbeck also looked agile in the pocket avoiding the rush. The return of RT Chris Terry next week will be a huge help to the Seattle passing game. Seattle has had to compensate with max-protect blocking schemes. The only knock on Hasselbeck was that he didn't read and adjust to the blitz well. Seattle was unable to turn those opportunities into big plays.

RB: Shaun Alexander: (20-105 1 TD rushing, 3-13 receiving on 6 targets) Shaun Alexander got off to an impressive start with 50 rushing yards in the first quarter, but the Seattle defense couldn't keep Favre and company off the field which led to playing catch up all afternoon. Alexander owners missed out on a chance for a monstrous game, but can take solace in the fact that Alexander is still the focus of this potentially high-powered offense. Alexander is the first and last option in all short yardage and goal line situations for Seattle.

Maurice Morris: (1-17 rushing, 0-0 receiving on 0 targets) Maurice Morris was given one carry early in the game to give Alexander a breather. There's nothing to worry about here for Alexander owners.

WR: Koren Robinson: (8-76 receiving on 12 targets) Koren Robinson is firmly established as the go to WR in Seattle. The possibility of WR Darrell Jackson out producing Robinson seems to grow slimmer and slimmer each week. Robinson was targeted deep twice in the game. One was a ball that was in Robinson's hands, but he was unable to come up with the potential TD. The Seattle offense moved the ball best in the game during the 2nd quarter when Robinson made 6 of his 8 receptions.

Darrell Jackson: (4-58 receiving on 10 targets) Darrell Jackson couldn't get into rhythm today with QB Matt Hasselbeck. He was targeted 3 times in the endzone and couldn't come up with the big play. Each was a ball that could have been caught, but they all would have required Jackson to make a tough catch. He had only 1 drop in the game, but it wouldn't have mattered due to a penalty on Robinson during the play.

Bobby Engram: (3-45 receiving on 4 targets) Bobby Engram filled his typical role for Seattle. He came up with two first down grabs on third down plays and continues to give Hasselbeck a third option. Also of note, Engram started the game along with Jackson and Robinson as Seattle began in a 3-WR set.

TE: Itula Mili: (4-31 receiving on 4 targets) Itula Mili is holding on to his starting TE job by making plays. However, he isn't displaying the speed to stretch the field down the middle. Nor is he getting open in the back of the endzone while in the redzone. Also of note, Seattle started in a 3 WR set leaving Mili on the sideline.

Jeremy Stevens: (1-2 receiving on 1 target) Stevens didn't see the field much as his one target and one reception would indicate.

K: Josh Brown: (1-1 XP, 2-2 FG, 27, 58 YDS) Josh Brown hit a 58-yard field goal at the end of the first half.

Pass Defense: The Seattle pass rush was virtually non-existent today. DT John Randle dropped QB Brett Favre once late in the game, but it was too little too late. Donald Driver burned rookie CB Marcus Trufant deep for a TD, but Trufant recovered well and made several nice plays to break up passes. Seattle's other starting rookie, S Ken Hamelin, put a big hit on Brett Favre. This only seemed to make Favre mad leading to another quick Green Bay TD.

Rush Defense: Ahman Green kept Seattle from getting the Green Bay offense off the field. Green Bay was consistently facing 2nd or 3rd and short which because Seattle couldn't stop the run.

Green Bay Packers

QB: Brett Favre: (19-25-185 2 TD 0 INT passing, 3-1 rushing) Brett Favre was masterful while having to do a minimum amount of work today. He was accurate and strong rifling passes all over the field. He even avoided Chad Brown in the open field before completing another pass when flushed out of the pocket. Favre did take a big hit from S Ken Hamelin, and promptly got in Hamelin's face in a small shoving match and war of words. It was "classic" Brett Favre.

RB: Ahman Green: (27-118 2 TD rushing, 1-7 receiving on 1 target) Ahman Green hit the holes quickly and appeared on the verge of breaking a long run all day. The offensive line opened up great holes for him as he ran north/south. He also did a great job of getting his shoulders low and gaining extra yardage after first contact. On one of his short TDs he appeared stuffed by three Seattle defenders, but kept his feet grinding and powered in for the score.

Tony Fisher: (3-33 rushing 1 TD, 0-0 receiving on 0 targets) Najeh Davenport: (1-2 rushing, 0-0 receiving on 0 targets) Even with the TD for Fisher, it was unclear who would be the backup if Green were to go down with injury in the future. Davenport is just returning from injury and may not be 100% yet. If it were today, the nod would have been Fisher. This could change when Davenport is completely healthy. It also should be noted that the score was only 21-13 when Fisher scored his TD. The game was not yet out of reach.

William Henderson: (0-0 rushing, 3-28 1 TD receiving on 3 targets) William Henderson filled his usual role in the passing game. He made a nifty run after the catch hurdling a defender on the sideline. His TD came on a nicely designed inside shovel pass near the goal line.

WR: Donald Driver: (1-5 rushing, 7-72 1 TD receiving on 8 targets) Donald Driver showed no after affects from his neck injury. He ran great routes and caught the ball with his hands. Neither of the Seattle cornerbacks (Ken Lucas and Marcus Trufant) looked like they could slow him down. Driver appeared wide open time after time.

Robert Ferguson: (1-5 receiving on 2 targets) Robert Ferguson did not seem to be a factor in the game plan for Green Bay. No word was given during the game on his physical status or whether that was a factor in his apparent lack of production.

Javon Walker: (2-14 receiving on 5 targets) Javon Walker did not put up great numbers or play a large role in the Packer win. However, he did draw a pass interference call on a mid-range pass inside the 10-yardline.

TE: Bubba Franks: (3-40 receiving on 4 targets) Bubba Franks still remains the #1 TE in Green Bay. It did not appear that TE Wesley Walls was cutting into his opportunities. Also, Franks was targeted in the endzone on a play where Marcus Trufant made a great play on the ball.

Wesley Walls: (1-5 receiving on 2 targets) Wesley Walls was lined up as a WR on both plays that he was targeted on.

K: Ryan Longwell: (5-5 XP, 0-0 FG) Nothing of consequence to report for Longwell.

Pass Defense: The Green Bay pass rush was aided by timely blitzes. The defensive linemen were unable to pressure QB Matt Hasselbeck today. Neither of the Green Bay sacks in the game came from the defensive line. DE speed rusher Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila was completely shut down by LT Walter Jones. CBs Mike McKenzie and Al Harris gave large cushions to Koren Robinson, but made several big plays, especially in the endzone.

Rush Defense: The Green Bay run defense looked porous, but did force a Shaun Alexander fumble that led to the first Green Bay TD. Rookie LB Nick Barnett seemed to be everywhere leading the team with 12 tackles and 1 sack.

Detroit Lions 17 at San Francisco 49ers 24

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Detroit Lions

Joey Harrington opened the game by throwing an interception on his first pass attempt. It was his first interception of two for the game. Harrington completed 19 passes on 35 attempts for 200 yards. His lone touchdown was a sharp pass over the middle to Michael Ricks. Harrington played well throughout the middle of the game, but he was unable to connect with his wide receivers when the Lions needed it most.

Olandis Gary and Shawn Bryson switched roles this week. Gary was the more effective rusher of the two and rushed for 64 yards on 14 attempts. He also scored his first touchdown as a Lion this week. Though he started the game, Bryson only rushed for 20 yards on 6 attempts. He did not find much rushing room, and on one play missed reading a clear hole and went up the middle for a minimal gain.

TE Michael Ricks was the leading receiver for the Lions catching all of the passes that came his way and even one that wasn't intended for him. He turned a deflected pass off of Charles Rogers' fingertips into a 37-yard reception. His second reception set up a Lions' field goal. And on the very next drive he caught a sharp pass over the middle for a touchdown.

Charles Rogers was once again Harrington's favorite target. He was targeted 11 times but only caught 4 of them for 51 yards. And it bears noting that his longest reception of 21 yards came on a trick play pass from fellow WR Az-Zahir Hakim.

San Francisco 49ers

There is nothing better for putting animosity to bed than starting the game with a touchdown pass. Jeff Garcia and Terrell Owens connected twice on the opening drive, the second reception for a touchdown. The 49ers started the game strong by scoring on their next two possessions as well. A low snap on third and long brought out the field goal unit on the 49ers' second drive of the game. And on the third drive, Garcia connected with TE Aaron Walker for a 14-yard reception after a fake handoff to Garrison Hearst.

Terrell Owens caught 5 passes for 79 yards and 1 touchdown. He started well connecting for two passes, one a touchdown on the opening drive. But then he was effectively covered in the second and third quarter by the Lions defenders. Owens stopped short on one of his routes and this led to an easy interception for the Lions by Dre Bly.

The 49ers rushed for a total of 142 yards against the Lions. This week it was Garrison Hearst's turn to shine. He was the leading rushing for the 49ers, rushing for a total of 74 yards as compared to Kevan Barlow's 24 total yards. Jeff Garcia also contributed to the rushing game running for 35 yards on 11 attempts, gaining 2 first downs and a 1-yard touchdown rush in the third quarter.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Detroit Lions

QB: Joey Harrington (19-35-200, 1 TD, 2 INT) Harrington threw an interception on his first passing attempt of the day. Ahmed Plummer intercepted the pass, intended for Harrington's favorite target rookie WR Charles Rogers. Throughout the game, Harrington was unable to make the big play when the Lions needed it. He threw a pass to Charles Rogers that could have been caught had it not been broken up by none other than one of the referees. With 51 seconds left in the half, the Lions had the ball at their own 20-yard line. Harrington completed 4 out of 5 attempts, the longest being an 18-yard pass to Az-Zahir Hakim. But Harrington was unable to get the Lions in a position to put points on the board before time ran out. In the third quarter, the Lions went for it on fourth down with 2 yards to go. Harrington's pass was thrown into double coverage and intercepted by Tony Parrish. Harrington ended the game by throwing 4 straight incompletions.

RB: Olandis Gary (14-64, 1 TD rushing, 2-14 receiving, 2 targets) Gary seemed more comfortable in the Lions' offense than he has in past weeks. He interchanged positions this week with Shawn Bryson as the leading rusher for the Lions. Gary and Bryson were interchanged throughout the first half, but by the second half Gary was the main focus of the rushing game. In the fourth quarter, he ran to the outside for a 2-yard touchdown.

Shawn Bryson (6-20 rushing, 1-9 receiving, 3 targets) Bryson started the game at RB for the Lions, but was unable to find any room to run the ball. His longest rush was for 9 yards; the rest were minimal gains. On one rushing attempt he missed a clear hole to the left and rushed up the middle for only a short gain.

Corey Schlesinger (3-21 receiving, 4 targets) Schlesinger played a minor role in the game catching 3 passes for 21 yards.

WR: Charles Rogers (4-51 receiving, 11 targets) Rogers put up numbers similar to the rest of the games this year. He was once again Harrington's favorite target. Though his longest catch of the day for 21 yards came on a pass from WR Az-Zahir Hakim. His first catch of the day for 11 yards was negated by a holding penalty on Bill Schroeder. Both of Harrington's interceptions were passes intended for Rogers thrown into double coverage.

Az-Zahir Hakim (3-26 receiving, 7 targets, 1-1-21 passing) The passes that Hakim did not catch were probably more important than the receptions that he did make. He was targeted in the end zone in the second quarter, but the ball went off of his fingertips. And late in the fourth quarter when the Lions were making a last ditch effort to tie the game, Harrington's last 3 incompletions were intended for Hakim.

Bill Schroeder (1-2 receiving, 3 targets) Schroeder was once again a non-factor in the Lions' passing game. His biggest contribution to the game was a holding penalty that negated a completed pass to Charles Rogers.

TE: Mikhael Ricks (4-76, 1 TD receiving, 4 targets) Ricks was the leading receiver for the Lions catching all of the targets that came his way. Ricks caught a deflected pass that went off of Charles Rogers' fingertips for a gain of 37 yards. On the same drive he caught a 16-yard pass that set up a field goal. The very next drive he made a sharp catch for a touchdown.

Casey Fitzsimmons (2-22 receiving, 2 targets) Fitzsimmons played a small role in the Lions' offense completing 2 receptions for 22 yards.

K: Jason Hanson (1 FG, 28 yards, 2 XP) Hanson completed a 28-yard field goal.

Pass Defense: The Lions pass defense kept the game close by putting pressure on Jeff Garcia. Dre Bly intercepted Garcia in the second quarter. Bly also effectively covered Terrell Owens and kept him in check throughout the game until the middle of the fourth quarter. A pass interference penalty extended the 49ers' touchdown scoring drive in the second quarter.

Rush Defense: The Lions' rush defense was run over by the 49ers' rushers giving up a total of 142 yards. On a positive note, they did hold Hearst for two downs at the goal line before Garcia's touchdown pass to Terrell Owens. And they sacked Garcia twice.

San Francisco 49ers

QB: Jeff Garcia (15-27-192, 2 TDs, 1 INT, 11-35, 1 TD rushing) Jeff Garcia led the 49ers to 3 scoring drives on their first 3 possession of the game. He connected with Terrell Owens on the opening drive for a 6-yard touchdown pass. Garcia's second touchdown pass was to rookie TE Aaron Walker. Garcia showed his toughness by hopping up unscathed from a hard hit after scrambling for a 5-yard gain. His lone interception was a pass intended for Owens. Though blame could be laid on Owens, as it seemed as though he gave up on his route and Dre Bly was able to make the easy interception. Garcia was a factor in the rushing game and rushed for a total of 35 yards on 11 carries. Twice he gained the first down by rushing for the 49ers. And in the third quarter, he faked a handoff to Barlow and easily ran the ball in for a touchdown.

RB: Garrison Hearst (19-74 rushing, 1-10 receiving, 1 target) Hearst started the game and was the leading rusher for the 49ers rushing for 74 yards on 19 attempts. In the second quarter he limped off the field after cutting back, breaking a tackle and gaining 15 yards. The injury was inconsequential and he returned after the half.

Kevin Barlow (7-24 rushing, 2-33 receiving, 2 targets) Barlow was interchanged with Hearst throughout the first half, but as the game progressed, Hearst was used more frequently. Barlow did turn what should have been a short catch into a 22-yard reception by dodging the Lions' defenders.

WR: Terrell Owens (5-79, 1 TD receiving, 9 targets) Owens caught his first two passes on the opening drive of the game, the second for a touchdown. His second reception was very early in the second quarter and then he was shut down until the middle of the fourth quarter. The blame for Garcia's lone interception could be laid at Owens feet, as it looked as though Owens stopped short on his route giving the defender ample room to intercept the ball. A deep pass went incomplete off of Owens fingertips eliciting boos from the 49ers fans. All in all, it appeared they've done a decent job of putting the week 4 blowup behind them.

Tai Streets (4-21 receiving, 6 targets) Streets played a small role in the 49ers offense making four receptions for a total of only 21 yards.

TE: Aaron Walker (1-14, 1 TD receiving, 2 targets) Rookie TE Aaron Walker's sole contribution to the game was his touchdown reception in the second quarter. Garcia faked a handoff to Garrison Hearst and Walker made the short catch, jumped over a Lions' defender and ran into the end zone. In the third quarter, Walker did drop what should have been an easy completion.

Jed Weaver (1-9 receiving, 3 targets) Weaver's contributions to the game were minimal. A personal foul penalty on Weaver negated a third down rushing gain from Garrison Hearst. Garcia's next pass attempt was batted down and the 49ers were forced to punt.

K: Owen Pochman (1/2 FG, 48 yards, 3 XP) Pochman's missed field goal was a 37-yard attempt, he kicked the ball straight but it was caught by the wind and went slightly wide left.

Pass Defense: The 49ers' pass defense intercepted Harrington twice. Ahmed Plummer contributed the first interception. Plummer also effectively covered Charles Rogers throughout the game. The second interception run back for 49 yards by Tony Parrish led to Jeff Garcia's rushing touchdown. Parrish also broke up a pass in the fourth quarter forcing the Lions to punt.

Rush Defense: The 49ers held the Lions to a total of 84 yards rushing. They did give up one rushing touchdown to Olandis Gary. The defense did not get a lot of pressure on Harrington and he was not sacked.

New Orleans Saints 13 at Carolina Panthers 19

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

New Orleans Saints

If this is the way Deuce McAllister performs when sick what would he have done if he was healthy? Maybe it was something that he had in the IVs he was given, both right before the game and the night before. He arrived in Charlotte with a serious case of flu and the team said it was "50-50" whether he'd play. He played and played very well. He ended the game with 23 carries for 124 yards on the ground and 4 receptions for another 59 yards. He ran through and around one of the better front sevens in football all day long. He did come out of the game more than usual, but that was to be expected.

While McAllister was solid, QB Aaron Brooks was erratic all game. He overthrew an open WR Joe Horn for what would have been a long gain and probable touchdown. He later hit Horn in stride on a deep crossing pattern for a 21-yard touchdown. It was his only TD pass of the game. He threw balls off target on several occasions. He finished the day at just over a 50% completion rate for 189 yards. He was pressured all game and while he avoided being sacked he did have several balls knocked down. The announcers noted that he just couldn't find any touch on the shorter passes, painfully obvious to TE Ernie Conwell when a rocket from Brooks went through his hands. He was intercepted once and also made a terrible throw on a lateral that bounced at Donte Stallworth's feet before skipping out of bounds.

WR Joe Horn was the other bright spot for the Saints, catching 4 balls for 56 yards and the lone Saints touchdown. Despite being hurt in the season opener (bruised knee) Horn seems to be the only reliable receiver QB Aaron Brooks has. He was targeted the most, 8 times, and he finished tied for the most catches. Both WRs Donte Stallworth and Jerome Pathon were barely noticeable on the field.

The Saints defense made a valiant effort to turn around the embarrassment they suffered last week against the Colts. They played a solid first half against one of the best running games in the league but were worn down in the second half. Eventually, that proved to be too much for them and they were not able to make up for the offensive inefficiencies. They gave up a touchdown on the first series of the third quarter and that was the difference in the game.

Carolina Panthers

RB Stephen Davis again led the way with his fourth consecutive 100-yard game for the Panthers. He finished with 159 yards on 30 carries and one touchdown. He started out slowly but as the game went on the Panthers wore down the under-manned Saints and Davis started ripping off chunks of yardage. While Davis is the unquestioned feature back, DeShaun Foster did get 7 carries and was thrown to once on a pattern in the end zone.

It looks like the Panthers are very content to let RB Stephen Davis move the ball on the ground and let the defense stop the other team's offense because QB Jake Delhomme isn't asked to do much, especially with the lead. Delhomme finished 15 for 23 for 124 yards. His favorite target, Muhsin Muhammad, caught 5 of the passes for 42 yards. The opening play from scrimmage for the Panthers was a flea-flicker that almost worked but the ball fell off of Muhammad's fingertips as he stretched out for it.

The Panther defense saw Saint's RB Deuce McAllister run all over them and they failed to record a sack. They did manage to put enough pressure on QB Aaron Brooks to keep him from setting up comfortably in the pocket and they only allowed the 13 points, so the final result was good.

Rod Smart, the former "He Hate Me" XFL star, returned a kickoff 100 yards for a score after New Orleans had tied the game at 3 early in the second quarter.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

New Orleans Saints

QB: Aaron Brooks (16-31-189 1TD, 1INT passing, 4-23 rushing) had another inconsistent outing. His accuracy was off, throwing for just over 50%. He was chased around for most of the afternoon and was able to avoid being sacked, but he could not sustain drives when needed. Brooks was able to pick up 23 yards on the ground. Overall, it was another disappointing outing from a player that seems to be making a habit of it. Brooks, who has been criticized for not showing enough leadership, had been much more vocal during practice in the week leading up to the game, including keeping the offense for an extra 2 hours to view film. It didn't translate to better play on the field, however.

RB: Deuce McAllister (23-124 rushing, 4-59 receiving, 5 targets) should get sick more often. For all intents and purposes he was the New Orleans offense. Before the game started it was revealed that he required an IV for flu-like symptoms on Saturday and another IV before the game. There was talk from the team that he was 50/50 on even being able to play. What ever was in the IV should have been given out to the rest of the offense. He was able to run over and through Panther defenders and even though he had to take more plays off than usual still ended the game tied for the lead in receptions and well over 100 yards rushing with a 5.4-yard average per carry.

Ki-Jana Carter (2-8 rushing) spelled McAllister as he needed it but was not a factor in the game.

Terrelle Smith (1-1 receiving, 1 target) got a reception for 1 yard.

James Fenderson was on the field for a couple of plays but did not touch the ball from scrimmage.

WR: Joe Horn (4-56 1 TD receiving, 8 targets) Seems to be the only wide receiver that QB Aaron Brooks has confidence in. He was targeted 8 times, the most on the team and more than fellow WRs Stallworth and Pathon combined. He scored the only touchdown for New Orleans on a crossing pattern saw a perfect throw by QB Aaron Brooks. He also had a potential touchdown pass go over his head as he was open on a long route down the left side of the field. While Horn is not able to go all out in practice due to the sore knee it doesn't seem to affect him on game day.

Donte Stallworth (1-15 receiving, 2 targets) was far more active returning kicks. Since regular return man Michael Lewis was hurt Stallworth assumed return duties, but that wasn't why he had such a quite afternoon. He just didn't get open and when he did Brooks wasn't looking his way.

Jerome Pathon (1-7 receiving, 2 targets), like Stallworth, had an uneventful game.

TE: Ernie Conwell (4-44 receiving, 6 targets) is becoming a favorite target of QB Aaron Brooks. He had the second most targets on the day and is more than just a safety valve. Plays are called for Conwell as the first option and he has a knack for getting open. He does drop a pass every now and then.

Boo Williams (1-7 receiving, 1 target) had one catch.

K: John Carney (2-3 (38, 26 yards) 1-1 XP) missed a field goal attempt from 57 yards out when it hit the upright.

Pass Defense: The Saints pass defense was good since the Panthers didn't spend a lot of time throwing the ball. They had no sacks or interceptions and put very little pressure on QB Jake Delhomme when he did drop back to pass.

Rush Defense: The rushing defense was a tale of two halves. In the first half the Saints "held" RB Stephen Davis to 50 yards and had only given up one field goal, a touchdown having been scored on a kick return. It was all the more impressive since they only had five linemen available for the game. But that lack of depth and the continued pounding eventually proved to be more than they could handle and Davis finished with 159 yards. For the game the unit gave up 185 yards for a 4.6-yard average. They also allowed one touchdown.

Carolina Panthers

QB: Jake Delhomme (15-23-124 passing, 2- -2 rushing) wasn't asked to do much more than hand off to RB Stephen Davis. And don't make any mistakes. He did both well. He did take a couple of shots down field and even completed one to WR Steve Smith, but it was caught just out of bounds. He also went deep to WR Muhsin Muhammad on the opening play from scrimmage on a flea-flicker but the ball was just off Muhammad's fingertips.

RB: Stephen Davis (30-159 1 TD rushing, 1-3 receiving, 1 target) has done everything the Panthers expected when they signed him in the off-season. He had his 4th consecutive 100-yard game, averaging 5.3 yards per carry. Davis started slowly but just kept building up steam and as the New Orleans' defense wore down he started to gain yards in bunches. He ran for 50 yards in the first half, 109 in the second. His longest run was for 27 yards. He was not really involved in the passing game and his only negative play was a fumble deep in New Orleans territory. He is a solid, tough runner that has a coach who understands that for Davis to be effective he has to keep getting the ball.

DeShaun Foster (7-25 rushing, 1 target) was used to give RB Stephen Davis a rest and to provide a change of pace. He was targeted on a throw in the end zone that was incomplete.

Brad Hoover (1-3 rushing, 1-4 receiving, 1 target) was effective opening holes for RB Stephen Davis.

WR: Muhsin Muhammad (5-42, 9 targets) was the favorite target for QB Jake Delhomme. He had one long pass go off his fingertips on the first play of the game. Other than that play it was a rather quiet day for Muhammad as the game plan was to run the ball.

Ricky Proehl (4-22 receiving, 4 targets) caught all four balls thrown his way. He was in on obvious passing downs as the third receiver.

Steve Smith (1-13 receiving, 4 targets) had one long pass thrown his way that he caught but it was out of bounds. Here's another wide receiver with issues as earlier in the week he went off about his contract or lack thereof. If only they could channel this energy into making plays in the game.

TE: Kris Mangum (1-16 receiving, 1 target) made a beautiful catch, his only one of the game, stretching out on a pass down the middle.

Mike Seidman (2-24 receiving, 2 targets) caught both of the passes thrown at him.

K: John Kasay (2-2 (49, 23 yards) 1/1 XP) made both of his field goal attempts.

Pass Defense: The pass defense did a good job for most of the game. They didn't sack QB Aaron Brooks but they put enough pressure on him that he had to move around a lot. They had one interception and held him to 189 yards on the day. It was hard to tell if the Panther defensive backs took away the WRs, other than Joe Horn, or if the receivers took themselves out of the game, but they really didn't have to pay much attention to Donte Stallworth or Jerome Pathon. They did allow one touchdown through the air.

Rush Defense: The rush defense was offensive when you consider the fact that Saints RB Deuce McAllister had been sick and no one was sure just how long he could go. He managed to gain 124 yards on 23 carries, an average of 5.4 yards per carry. For the game they gave up 155 yards. They didn't give up any touchdowns on the ground, though.

Washington Redskins 25 at Philadelphia Eagles 27

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Washington Redskins

Patrick Ramsey fought off pressure all day. He rarely had the chance to throw downfield and was inaccurate while being rushed in the short game. He became effective later in the game as the Eagle defensive backs gave his receivers more cushion. He came off the field on fourth down in the first quarter with a bruised left shoulder, but it did not seem to effect his game.

Running backs Trung Canidate and Ladell Betts were ineffective until catching passes out of the backfield late in the game.

Receivers Laveranues Coles, Rod Gardner and Darnerien McCants did not help Ramsey as numerous high throws were catchable but went off their hands. No one was able to gain separation from a makeshift Philadelphia backfield.

The Redskins missed starting left guard Dave Fiore, out with a knee injury. His replacement, Derrick Dockery was dominated and committed multiple penalties. Washington committed seven false starts, putting Ramsey in long-yardage situations. The offense had trouble checking to audibles in the loud environment.

Philadelphia Eagles

Donovan McNabb also played under relentless defensive pressure. His taped thumb on his throwing hand did not seem to bother him although he was inaccurate on some touch passes. However, his accuracy improved as the game went on. He converted a first down on a tough run and had a 54-yard run on a quarterback draw called back on a penalty.

Fox analyst Cris Collingsworth described Brian Westbrook as "clearly the guy" in the Philadelphia backfield. Westbrook had the first six touches of the game for the Eagles. Meanwhile, Duce Staley is now the change-of-pace back.

Rookie tight end L.J. Smith was the primary receiving target. McNabb did not hit Freddie Mitchell or Todd Pinkston until late in the first half and the Eagle wide receivers totaled six catches on the day.

Philadelphia throttled the high-powered Washington offense with blitzes and fine play by a no-name defensive backfield replacing starters Brian Dawkins, Bobby Taylor and Troy Vincent.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Washington Redskins

QB: Patrick Ramsey (25-50-271, 1 TD, 2 INT) was pressured the whole game. He had trouble against tight coverage and did not look downfield often. The Redskins refused to keep a back in for extra pass protection and Ramsey was punished. He came off the field in the first quarter with a bruised left shoulder, but it did not seem to effect his game. He padded his numbers late when the Eagle defense gave the receivers some cushion. Ramsey led the team on an impressive final drive pulling to within 2 points on a 32 yard TD with 1:01 left. The score was a perfect 32 yard pass to Darnerien McCants. He overthrew Laveranues Coles on the two point conversion attempt which would have tied the game.

RB: Trung Canidate (8-17 rushing, 3-18 receiving, 3 targets) started and was ineffective. He did not see much action in the second half.

Ladell Betts (5-11 rushing, 3-27 receiving, 4 targets) entered the game in the third series again for Washington. Played all three plays from the Eagle one-yard line and was stuffed on his only attempt. Had a screen attempt deflected and picked off.

FB Rock Cartwright (3-3 rushing, 1-9 receiving, 2 targets) is the short yardage back but did not enter the game on three plays from the one. Had a 20-yard pass broken up and a 5-yard run called back on penalty.

Chad Morton (1-6 rushing, 2-24 receiving, 4 targets) was the target on a wild throw in the flat. He dropped a pass off of his shoulder pad as he was running away from a defender on a short crossing route. The play would have been a big gainer and sure key first down. Added 165 return yards.

WR: Laveranues Coles (1-4 rushing, 5-60 receiving, 13 targets) caught his first catch with less than minute left in the first half, a 30-yard gain on a screen pass. Had three catchable passes go off his hands, one for an interception. Ramsey was hit as he threw a 30-yard pass to Coles that was deflected away. Had trouble getting separation from no-name defensive backs. Was overthrown on the potentially game-tying two-point conversion.

Rod Gardner (3-25 receiving, 10 targets) also had trouble getting separation as short passes were deflected away. Had a 15-yard pass over the middle go off his hands.

Darnerien McCants (4-79 1 TD receiving, 6 targets) broke a tackle to pick up an extra 10 yards on a 20-yard gain that was called back on a penalty. He dropped a wide-open 20-yarder over the middle with one minute remaining before catching the potentially game-tying touchdown on a tumbling catch in the end zone.

TE: Robert Royal (2-17 receiving, 3 targets) started and was overthrown on a play-action pass to the flat on the first play from scrimmage. TE Zeron Flemister played but was not a target.

K: John Hall (4-4 FG, 1-1 XP) sliced a 48-yarder through on his first field goal. He was solid on his other field goals from 45, 37 and 53.

Pass Defense: The Redskin defense pressured but contained McNabb with the speed of their linebackers. Jessie Armstead disrupted play while Jeremiah Trotter intercepted a ball at the line-of-scrimmage. Cornerbacks Champ Bailey and Fred Smoot showed fine coverage of the Eagle receivers.

Rush Defense: Washington linebackers also filled the holes and contained plays sideline to sideline.

Philadelphia Eagles

QB: Donovan McNabb (16-30-157, 1 TD, 2 INT) did not seemed bothered by his injured thumb. However, he did not show the touch on short passes until late in the game. The Washington linebackers contained him in the pocket but he did have a 54-yard draw called backed due to penalty. With the Redskin rush, he did not look often to his wide receivers. He instead targeted his tight end and running backs.

RB: Brian Westbrook (11-64 rushing, 4-15 receiving, 6 targets) got the first six touches from scrimmage and was the primary back. Dropped a slant in the red zone and a swing pass fell incomplete in traffic. Fox analyst Cris Collingsworth described Brian Westbrook as "clearly the guy" in the Philadelphia backfield. Both Collingsworth and his colleague Troy Aikman felt Westbrook should be getting more touches.

Duce Staley (10-36 rushing, 0-0 receiving, 0 targets) fumbled a lateral that cost him six yards rushing. He first came in the last minute of the first quarter to spell Westbrook.

FB Jon Ritchie (0-0 rushing, 2-14 1 TD receiving, 4 targets) caught a nice diving touchdown in traffic. He was the safety valve target on two desperate throws by McNabb to the flat.

Correll Buckhalter (3-3 rushing, 0-0 receiving, 0 targets) got three carries early and was not seen again. However, one of his carries was inside the red zone.

WR: James Thrash (2-26 receiving, 4 targets) made a tough catch while blanketed on a 12-yard stop route. He was also thrown behind on the sidelines and was the target on a 40-yard fly that was intercepted on a great play by Fred Smoot.

Todd Pinkston (2-22 receiving, 4 targets) was missed by McNabb on a 10-yard sideline pattern and was well covered on another that fell incomplete.

Freddie Mitchell (1-39 receiving, 3 targets) broke a tackle to gain an extra 20 yards on his only catch. He was the target on the Jeremiah Trotter interception and had a high throw go off his hands on an 8-yard out.

TE: L.J. Smith (4-39 receiving, 8 targets) was the primary receiving target. He was the target on four short-route incompletions in traffic that he didn't really have a chance to catch.

Chad Lewis was never a target but he did commit the unnecessary hold that negated McNabb's 54-yard run.

K: David Akers (2-2 FG, 3-3 XP) drilled a 52-yarder and a 36-yarder. He was hitting 67-yarders in warm-ups before the game.

Pass Defense: The front seven kept pressure on Ramsey with blitzes the whole game. The no-name defensive backfield that replaced starters Brian Dawkins, Bobby Taylor and Troy Vincent provided tight coverage that frustrated the Redskin receivers.

Rush Defense: The Eagle defense allowed only 49 yards rushing. Linebacker Nate Wayne went to the locker room in the first quarter with a hip strain. He returned to play the second half.

Denver Broncos 23 at Kansas City Chiefs 24

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Denver Broncos

Despite fumbling twice and getting stifled late, RB Clinton Portis impressively returned to action following his much-publicized sternum injury. He finished 23-141 rushing, 5-79 receiving and was responsible for two of the game's three most electrifying plays - a 72-yard reception from WR Rod Smith in the first quarter and a 65-yard TD run on the third play of the second half that put Denver ahead, 20-10. It's worth noting that both of Portis' fumbles were recovered by the Broncos.

QB Jake Plummer played well for most of the day (20-38-0-221, one touchdown pass), and although he certainly didn't lose this game for the Broncos, he failed to move them late in the game following a Priest Holmes fumble deep in Denver territory.

WR Rod Smith (8-131 receiving, 1-1-0-72 passing) enjoyed his best performance in more than a year, turning in his first 100-yard receiving game since 2001 and eclipsing the 8,000-yard mark in career receiving yards.

K Jason Elam's first miss of the season (from 53 yards out with six minutes to play) loomed large at game's end, as did Deltha O'Neal's 64-yard punt return TD that was called back due to holding.

Denver largely outplayed Kansas City in a game that lived up to grand expectations, finishing with 469 total yards (to KC's 261), 22 first downs (to KC's 13) and more than 34 minutes in time of possession (to KC's 25:54). But a handful of missed tackles on one punt return likely cost Denver the victory.

Kansas City Chiefs

On an afternoon when RB Priest Holmes was held scoreless and QB Trent Green was just effective enough, WR/KR Dante Hall stole the show again. Hall's remarkable 93-yard punt return midway through the fourth quarter provided the winning margin, and made NFL history to boot. Hall became the first player ever to record return touchdowns in four straight games (he's also the only player to do it three straight times), and he's now scored on kick returns in seven of his last 10 games dating to last season.

In carrying the Chiefs to their first 5-0 start in franchise history, Hall finished with more than 200 return yards (including a 41-yard kickoff return) and also caught three passes for 17 yards.

Holmes (17-97 rushing, 4-14 receiving) ran efficiently and had an apparent five-yard touchdown pass to WR Eddie Kennison overturned when instant replay showed Kennison had only one foot in bounds.

Green (15-28-1-128, two touchdowns) connected with TE Tony Gonzalez (3-46) and WR Johnnie Morton (1-28) on 20- and 28-yard scoring passes, respectively, and dodged a few bullets when two likely interceptions were dropped by Denver defenders.

On the day, Kansas City's defense forced four fumbles, but recovered just one.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Denver Broncos

QB: Plummer was respectable in his first big-pressure game with the Broncos and extended his streak to four games without an interception (although a few errant throws Sunday were dropped by Chiefs defenders). His mobility came in handy throughout the afternoon as Kansas City kept him on the run. He exhibited great patience on his six-yard TD toss to TE Dwayne Carswell, a play during which Plummer faked a handoff, rolled left and then waited to throw until Carswell broke free.

Plummer completed seven of his first nine attempts for 46 yards, connecting with Smith, WR Ashley Lelie, Portis and TE Shannon Sharpe during that span; he went just 13 of 29 for 175 yards the rest of the way. Plummer completed five passes covering 19 or more yards (including three to Smith), but failed to connect with Lelie on two well-thrown deep balls.

Trailing 24-23 with 2:22 left to play, Denver took over at its own eight-yard line following a key Holmes fumble. Plummer could advance no farther than his own 28-yard line, though, as his fourth-down attempt to WR Ed McCaffrey fell incomplete.

Plummer rushed three times for 22 yards, including a long of 11 yards on the drive that culminated with an Elam field goal and a 23-17 Broncos lead. One note is that he looked to be injured an ugly play where his foot and ankle were turned back under him in a bad way. He shook it off though and didn't appear to be bothered by it.

RB: A seemingly completely healthy Portis finished with 220 total yards (137 of which came on two plays) including the 65-yard scoring jaunt off the right side early in the second half. Still, with Denver leading 20-17 early in the fourth quarter and facing a first-and-goal from KC's 4-yard line, Portis carried three straight times for just two yards and Denver settled for another Elam field goal and a 23-17 advantage.

Portis' 72-yard reception on a reverse pass from Rod Smith came during Denver's second possession and likely would have gone for an 80-yard touchdown had the ball not been just a little under thrown. As it was, a wide-open Portis had to stop and come back to catch the ball.

Portis had a 12-yard run nullified by a holding penalty in the first half. He also had 2 fumbles that amazingly and luckily bounced back to him.

Mike Anderson spelled Portis sparingly, finishing with 14 yards on four carries; he also caught one pass for a yard.

FB Reuben Droughns carried once for minus-1 yard on Denver's game-opening possession.

WR: Rod Smith turned in a 100-yard receiving effort for the first time in 22 games, highlighted by three straight catches for 56 yards on a drive just before halftime that led to an Elam field goal and a 13-10 Broncos lead. Smith clearly was Plummer's No. 1 choice all game long and he responded with six grabs of 15 yards or more.

Smith's 72-yard completion to Portis on a fake reverse was actually thrown pretty well considering the circumstances; but had he hit Portis in stride the Broncos would have scored on the play. Instead, they scored two plays later.
Lelie finished with a quiet three-catch, 36-yard afternoon. Still, Plummer threw deep to him twice and Lelie uncharacteristically dropped them both. The first one cost Lelie about 48 yards, the second one directly preceded Dante Hall's 93-yard punt return.

Ed McCaffrey, who finished with no catches in a game for the second time this season, seems to fall farther out of the Broncos game plan every week. Against Kansas City, Plummer targeted him just twice - one was uncatchable out of bounds and McCaffrey attempted to one-hand the other, a last-gasp throw between two defenders on Denver's final offensive play.

TE: Shannon Sharpe finished with three catches for 40 yards (including a long of 21 yards). Two of his third-down grabs resulted in first downs, but he dropped a sure first-down pass on third-and-six in the second quarter. Sharpe took a nasty hit from two Chiefs defenders in the fourth quarter but returned to catch his 21-yarder.

Dwayne Carswell's lone catch of the game - just his third of the year - covered six yards and accounted for his first touchdown of 2003 on a perfectly executed play-action roll out from Plummer.

K: Jason Elam made both of his extra-point attempts and booted field goals of 48, 29 and 21 yards. But it was his first miss of the season from 53 yards in the fourth quarter - long enough but wide left - that prevented Denver from taking a 26-24 lead with less than six minutes remaining.

Pass Defense: Although Denver failed to record a sack, CB Deltha O'Neal picked off one pass when Trent Green forced the ball to Johnnie Morton. Both of Green's touchdown passes were well-covered, perfectly thrown balls. On the day, the Broncos surrendered just five completions of 10 or more yards and yielded just 14 yards receiving to Holmes.

Rush Defense: The Broncos limited the explosive Holmes to fewer than 100 yards rushing (barely) and held him out of the end zone. They did allow Holmes runs of 16, 13, 22 and 17 yards, the latter ending when CB Kelly Herndon poked the ball out of Holmes' arm and CB Lenny Walls recovered. The Broncos were plagued several times during the game by poor tackling.

Kansas City Chiefs

QB: Trent Green's perfectly placed touchdown throws to Tony Gonzalez (20 yards) and Johnnie Morton (28 yards) provided a stark contrast to the rest of his afternoon (13-26-1-80), when he completed just 50 percent of his attempts for an average of 6.2 yards per. Still, his inaccuracy for much of the game was offset by the two scores and a six-yard scramble on third-and-six that eventually led to K Morten Andersen's 23-yard field goal and a 10-10 tie.

Green completed passes to six different receivers (including three each to Gonzalez and Dante Hall) and finished with 10 yards rushing on five carries.

RB: Of Holmes' 97 yards rushing against Denver, 77 of them came on just five carries. It took him 12 attempts to cover the remaining 20 yards, and he finished the first quarter with four yards rushing on four carries.

Holmes did have a 15-yard first-quarter run nullified by a personal foul penalty against FB Tony Richardson. Interesting to note is that Holmes was not on the field during Green's aforementioned third-down scramble in the second quarter. He returned from his breather one play later and ended up throwing what was initially ruled a five-yard touchdown pass to WR Eddie Kennison. The ruling was overturned by instant replay.

Holmes added four receptions for 14 yards.

FB Tony Richardson rushed once for minus-1 yard and caught two passes for nine yards.

WR: Dante Hall, Johnnie Morton and Eddie Kennison combined for just six receptions for 59 yards against Denver, but two of three made their contributions felt.

Morton's lone grab early in the second quarter covered 28 yards and brought Kansas City to within a field goal at 20-17. He also scampered 27 yards on a reverse during the Chiefs' second possession.

Hall's performance Sunday has some observers speculating that he's an MVP candidate. While it might be a little premature for that, there's no denying Hall's unparalleled ability. He made no less than four Broncos miss tackles on his 93-yard punt return TD, catching the ball inside the 10, eluding tacklers all the way back to his own 2-yard line and then bolting around the left side for the score. Hall also returned a second-half kickoff 41 yards to midfield, and finished with 205 return yards on the day.

With four kick-return touchdowns in the last four games, Hall's next one (should opposing teams choose to give him any more chances) will establish a new NFL record for return scores in a season. As an aside, Hall also caught three passes for 17 yards.

Since Kennison's touchdown catch of Holmes' pass was overturned by instant replay, he was essentially a non-factor Sunday and finished with 14 yards on two receptions.

Marc Boerigter was targeted just twice and finished with zero catches.

TE: If only temporarily, Gonzalez returned to form as one of the NFL's top pass-catching tight ends. His leaping grab of Green's 20-yard touchdown pass was a thing of beauty - partly because it looked good and partly because it helped the Chiefs tie the game, 7-7, following Deltha O'Neal's fumbled punt three plays earlier. Gonzalez finished with 46 yards on three catches, the last a 22-yarder in the third quarter.

K: Morten Anderson was perfect on the day, connecting on a 23-yard field goal and adding all three extra points. He actually missed the 23-yarder once (following Denver's challenge of Holmes' touchdown pass), but officials ruled that the ball had not been put in play yet and he was allowed to try again, where he made it.

Pass Defense: Despite giving up almost 300 yards passing and giving Rod Smith too much room, the Chiefs' gave up just the one short touchdown pass and applied consistent pressure on Plummer.

Rush Defense: The stat sheet will show that Portis gained 143 yards on 6.1 YPC. But take away his 65-yard touchdown run to start the third quarter and his YPC average drops to 3.5. The Chiefs allowed just three runs of 10 yards or more and, even more importantly, stuffed Portis on three consecutive carries from inside the 5-yard line early in the fourth quarter, forcing Denver to kick a field goal.

Tennessee Titans 30 at New England Patriots 38

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Tennessee Titans

Steve McNair posted big fantasy numbers with 391 passing yards in addition to 18 rushing yards and two touchdowns from the 1 yard line. McNair put the ball up 45 times as the running game continues to underachieve. McNair also threw a costly interception which sealed the game for New England as it was returned 65 yards for a touchdown by Ty Law late in the 4th Quarter.

The Titans running game continues to struggle. Eddie George managed just 35 yards on 15 carries with just 6 rushes over 2 yards. George also was stopped at the 1 yard line and later lifted at the goal line for Robert Holcombe. Also of note, as stated above, McNair punched in 2 touchdowns himself from the 1 yard line in lieu of carries for George.

Derrick Mason was back as a part of the game plan this week with 8 catches for 99 yards. With McNair completing 23 passes, other Titan receivers had nice yardage games including Tyrone Calico with 92 yards, Justin McCareins with 72 yards and Drew Bennett with 41 yards. The Titan receivers were unable to score, but McCareins did haul in a 43 yard pass to the 1 yard line and Bennett caught a 12 yard pass down to the 4 yard line.

The Tennessee run defense was beat up pretty good by Antowain Smith and Mike Cloud. The two combined for 23 carries 153 yards and 3 touchdowns. The pass defense played a fair game but did give up one big pass from Tom Brady to Troy Brown for a 58 yard score easily beating Lance Schulters. Also of importance: Samari Rolle was injured on a block on an attempted screen in the first quarter with a dislocated elbow.

The kicking duties in Tennessee seem to be split based on distance. Craig Hentrich might be the "long" field goal attempt kicker on attempts in the upper 40-yard range and longer. Gary Anderson still handles the attempts in the low 40 yard range and closer. Anderson did make four attempts but did miss on one 46 yard attempt off the upright. Hentrich made one 48 yard attempt.

New England Patriots

Tom Brady had a decent afternoon against the Titans. Brady did not turn the ball over and spread the passes around to 6 different receivers. Brady connected very nicely with Troy Brown for a 58 yard score. Brady nearly had two other scores on passes to Branch which were bulled in by Antowain Smith and Mike Cloud each one play later.

Antowain Smith was enjoying a great game up until coming out in the 3rd quarter. Smith did finish with 80 yards and a touchdown but did not re-enter the game after leaving. Smith was replaced by Mike Cloud, who looked fantastic. Cloud had very nice burst and was able to get 10.4 yards a clip with two touchdowns.

Deon Branch had a very nice game as well. Branch could be emerging as a legitimate number two option in the Patriot attack. Branch was open all afternoon, nearly scoring twice. Troy Brown, despite the low number of targets, had the biggest offensive play of the game for the Pats, getting deep for a 58 yard score.

The Patriots defense looked very menacing against the run being very stingy in the first half. The Titans later abandoned the run because of the ineffectiveness. The Patriot passing defense was exposed by Tennessee. The quartet of Titan receivers had nice days exploiting the Patriot coverage with 3 plays over 40 yards. Although New England did not allow a score through the air.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Tennessee Titans

QB: Steve McNair (23-45 391 yds 0 TD, 1 INT; 6 rushes 18 yds, 2 TD) McNair had a slow start in this game being harassed by the Patriot Defense including 3 straight 3 and out drives. McNair got things going in the second quarter and finished the day with great fantasy numbers despite his big mistake in trying to lead the Titans back. Tennessee also chose to call McNair's number twice at the goal line, encouraging for McNair owners, but not so good for Eddie George owners.

RB: Eddie George (15-35 rushing, 2-13 receiving, 2 target) George continues to struggle averaging just 2.33 yards per carry. George failed to produce with the number of carries he was given gaining little yardage or even losing yardage on 9 of his carries. George did have runs of 12, 12 and 9 early, but was by and large very ineffective.

Robert Holcombe (3-4 rushing, 2-34 receiving, 2 target) Holcombe received little time out of the backfield including a goal line carry, but was stopped from the 1 yard line. Holcombe did get a lateral from Erron Kinney picking up 19 yards after a 20 yard reception for Kinney.

Chris Brown (2-6 rushing, 1 target) Brown had two rushes: one for 8 yards and the other for -2 on a drive in the 4th Quarter.

WR: Derrick Mason (8-99 receiving TD, 13 targets 1-7 rushing ) Mason was McNair's favorite target getting 13 looks and hauling in 8 of them…kind of relieving after the low number of looks Mason received last week.

Tyrone Calico (3-92 receiving, 9 targets, 2-point Conversion) Surprisingly enough, McNair looked the rookie's way 9 times on the day. Calico only pulled in a third of these looks but had key plays such as a 40 yard gain tight-roping down the side line, a 45 yard gain starting the 4th Quarter on a jump ball and a two point conversion.

Justin McCareins (2-72 receiving, 4 targets) McCareins made a beautiful catch from McNair for a 43 yard gain to inside the Patriot 1 yard line adjusting very nicely and catching the ball over his shoulder beating Ty Law.

Drew Bennett (2-52 receiving TD, 8 targets) McNair seems to like throwing jump ball type throws to Bennett to use his height advantage particularly near the red zone. Bennett did catch such a pass from McNair to inside the 5 yard line.

TE: Erron Kinney (2-26 receiving, 4 targets) Kinney hauled in two receptions of 20 and 6 yards and was involved in a little razzle-dazzle play on the last drive of the game.

Shad Meier (1-14 receiving, 1 target) Meier caught the only ball throw his way, but suffered a concussion on the play courtesy of Rodney Harrison.

K: Gary Anderson (4-5 FG (43, 33, 37, 41 yds), 1-1 XP) Andersen missed on one of his five attempts from 46 yards hitting the upright. As noted above, Coach Fisher may go with punter Hentrich on longer FG attempts, who hit from 48 yards.

Pass Defense: The Titan pass defense only allowed 219 yards in the air to Brady and his Bunch. Schulters was burnt badly getting isolated one on one against Troy Brown. Other than that play, the Titan pass defense was O.K. not giving up many big plays, all of this damage was done without Rolle.

Rush Defense: The Titan rush defense looked uncharacteristically soft. Smith and Cloud had little trouble picking up yardage against the unit. The Patriots were able to hammer out 161 total yards on the ground for 5.8 per carry and 3 scores.

New England Patriots

QB: Tom Brady (17-31 219 1 TD passing, 3-2 rushing) Brady had an efficient, mistake free day. Brady completed a nice percentage of his passes and didn't turn the ball over. Brady did make one excellent throw for a 58 yard touchdown to Troy Brown, but otherwise spread the ball around for a medium range passing attack. Brady very nearly had two more touchdowns on passes to Deon Branch, each time Branch being tackled just inside the 1 yard line.

RB: Antowain Smith (16-80 rushing TD, 3-23 receiving, 5 targets) Smith looked very strong in this game until he was shaken up on a play and left with about 5 minutes to go in the 3rd Quarter. Smith was effective with his bulldozing style averaging 5 yards per carry.

Mike Cloud (7-73 rushing, 2 TD, 0 targets) Cloud saw his first action of the season in the second half filling in for Smith who was shaken up. Cloud, coming off a 4 game suspension, also saw an opportunity due to Kevin Faulk being out with a leg injury. Cloud made the most of his opportunity and wound up playing out the game for Smith. Cloud scored on runs of 1 and 15 and had a long carry of 42 yards. Overall, he averaged 10.4 yards per carry.

Larry Centers (1-6 rushing , 4-18 receiving, 7 targets) Centers, as per the pattern of his career, is a nice target out of the backfield for Brady. Centers caught 4 of these passes on the afternoon.

WR: Deon Branch (5-68 receiving, 7 targets) Branch seems to be emerging in the offense and was Brady's favorite target in this contest. Branch gets nice separation with his speed and nearly scored catching one ball and running inside the 1 yard line on two occasions and catching another inside the 10.

Troy Brown (2-64 receiving, 5 targets) Brown ran a great route in beating Schulters for the long touchdown of 58 yards. The play schemed to get Brown matched up on the safety, who he easily ran by and was hit for the score. Brown suffered an illegal block penalty calling back his punt return where scored on an 89 yard return.

David Patten (1-13 receiving, 3 targets) Brady took a few customary deep shots to Patten but was only able to complete one pass to Patten. Patten limped off the field on one such attempt.

TE: Christian Fauria (2-33 receiving, 4 targets) Fauria made a very nice catch and run in the 3rd and was denied a TD on the same drive on a great break up by Schulters.

K: Adam Vinatieri (1-3 FG (48 yds), 5-5 XP) Vinatieri struggled missing his first two attempts in the first half from 34 and 39 yards, but later connected from 48 yards. Vinatieri did hit all five of his extra points.

Pass Defense: The numbers are gaudy with 391 yards allowed to Steve McNair and the Titan receivers, which came on 45 attempts. However, there were a handful of bad breakdowns allowing plays of over 40 yards on three occasions. The big play of the game was Ty Law picking off a McNair pass intended for Calico and returning the ball for a touchdown to seal the win.

Rush Defense: The Patriot rush defense was very strong allowing only 70 yards on 27 carries for a paltry average of 2.6 yards. However, the Titans only attempted 4 rushes in the second half, instead turning to the arm of McNair.

Cleveland Browns 33 at Pittsburgh Steelers 13

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Pittsburgh Steelers

This was a disastrous night for the Steelers, and Tommy Maddox in particular. Pittsburgh fell behind early, which basically set the tone for the rest of the night. The Steelers then abandoned the run and went into catch-up mode. Maddox, however, did not respond. He was under pressure from the Browns' front four much of the night, and made bad decision after bad decision as a result. And when he did make the right read, he followed it up with an errant pass. He was lucky to escape with only 2 interceptions.

The Steelers wide receivers did not help matters, as both Plaxico Burress and Hines Ward struggled to get open against a very impressive Browns secondary. The duo was shut out in the second half and only totaled three catches between them for the game.

RB Amos Zereoue was the Steelers best option on the night, as he lead the team in both rushing (38) and receiving yards (57), although neither total will open many eyes.

Cleveland Browns

Tim Couch was outstanding. His offensive line gave him plenty of time to throw, and he took full advantage, completing 16 of his first 17 passes and 20 of 25 for the night. While Maddox made all the wrong reads, Couch was darn near perfect in his decision-making, including his choice to step out the pocket and run for 9-yard score just before halftime.

Couch spread the ball around to his entire cast, hooking up with 8 different players. But most of his completions (16 of 20) went to his talented receiving corps. The Steelers defensive backs simply could not account for Browns receivers Dennis Northcutt, Quincy Morgan, Kevin Johnson and Andre Davis. Unfortunately, the very thing that makes this group so tough to defend, makes them frustrating from a fantasy perspective. You never know which one is going to have the big day. This week, Davis and Johnson found the end zone. Together, this group is the closest thing out there to WRBC - wide receiver by committee.

Despite their success throwing the ball, the Browns stuck with the running game all night, which resulted in 33 carries and115 yards for William Green. It was his best performance of the season, and impressive considering it came against one of the leagues top run defenses. Green was stonewalled early, but he persevered and was able to find some running room later in the contest.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Pittsburgh Steelers

QB Tommy Maddox (11-24, 136 yards, 2 INT passing) had a rough night. Forced to play catch-up early, and under pressure much of the night, he made poor decisions, and even worse throws. Maddox had trouble finding the open receiver all night long. To be fair, part of that was a result of the Browns dropping seven men into coverage once they jumped out to a big-lead early. But Maddox deserves much of the blame. He frequently forced the ball into heavily covered receivers, and when he did find an open man, Maddox couldn't make an accurate throw. He finished the game with 2 interceptions, but that could very easily have been 3 or 4 as Browns linebackers came up just shy of a pick on several occasions.

QB Charlie Batch (3-6, 25 yards passing, 1-11 rushing) saw action on the Steelers last drive of the night after Coach Bill Cowher had apparently seen enough of Maddox. He played well, and displayed nice mobility in the pocket, a part of Maddox's game which was noticeably absent on this evening.

RB Amos Zereoue (13-38 rushing, 7-57 receiving, 9 targets) had little success running the ball against the Browns - and little opportunity as Pittsburgh abandoned the run early. But he proved a valuable asset out of the backfield. Maddox mostly hooked up with Zereoue on swing passes and check-down routes, which Zereoue then turned into positive gains with his speed and quickness in the open-field. He was really the Steelers only offensive weapon.

RB Jerome Bettis (3-8 rushing, 0 targets) still has value as a goal line threat. The Steelers went to him on their first play inside the 5-yard line, and he delivered with a 1-yard TD plunge.

WR Plaxico Burress (1-19 receiving, 8 targets) was shut down. He struggled to get open against the Browns young, aggressive defensive backs and recorded his only reception midway through the first quarter. Maddox looked for Burress enough, but Plaxico simply could not shake the Browns defenders.

WR Hines Ward (2-55 receiving, 6 targets) looked solid in the first half, but did not record a catch after the break. The Browns defensive backfield is the real deal, and they limited Wards chances for most of the night. Their play, combined with Maddox' ineffectiveness made it a tough night to be a Steelers wide receiver.

WR Antwan Randel El (3-25, 4 targets) was actually the leading wide receiver in terms of receptions, but for such a fast guy, the Steelers rarely throw to him downfield. Pittsburgh seems content to throw to him underneath on crossing routes and allow him to use his quickness to gain yards. It didn't work on Sunday.

TE Jerame Tuman (1-5, 3 targets) had one grab on the day.

K Jeff Reed (2-2 FG, 1-1 XP) connected on all of his attempts.

Pass Defense: The Steelers pass defense was horrible on the evening. They did not put enough pressure on Tim Couch, who subsequently picked them apart. Short. Deep. It didn't matter. They looked to be on their heels more or less the entire game.

Run Defense: Pittsburgh's D clamped down on Browns RB William Green early, but they started to loosen in response to Couch's passing clinic. Green was eventually able to find some cracks in the Steel Curtain late in the game, which is when he gained most of his yardage.

Cleveland Browns

QB: Tim Couch (10-25, 208 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT passing; 4-11 yards, 1 TD rushing) was perfect (5 for 5, 79 yards) on his first drive and most of the night for that matter. His offensive line gave him time to make the right reads and throws, and when his protection broke down Couch seemed to make the right decision every time. He hit his check-downs when he had to, took his chances downfield, and threw it away when he needed to (his only incompletion of the 1st half). He also pulled the ball down and ran for a touchdown on the Browns last play of the 1st half. His accuracy and decision making throughout the game was truly impressive to watch. Couch completed 16 of his first 17 passes, and didn't play favorites, hooking up with eight different receivers on the night. More important, all but 4 of his completions were to wide receivers, as he was able to consistently complete the passes downfield.

RB: William Green's performance (33-115 rushing, 1-5 receiving, 1 target) was an exercise in perseverance. He was the beneficiary of two developments. One, Coach Butch Davis' determination to run the ball vs. the Steelers. And two, a 20-point second half lead. Thanks to both, Green saw plenty of touches. He struggled early on against the Steelers stout run defense, but he ran hard all night and was able to break off a couple of long runs (12 and 26 yards) late in the game. Green got a couple carries inside the 10-yard line on the Browns' first visit to the red zone, but was unable to convert them. He was replaced in passing situations by Jamel White, and was only targeted once by Couch.

RB Jamel White (1 for -3 rushing, 1 target) was on third-down passing situations, but had virtually no impact on the game.

WR: Dennis Northcutt (5-58 receiving, 7 targets) showed why it can be so frustrating to start a Cleveland receiver. Northcutt led the group in targets and receptions, but was not rewarded with a score. With such a talented corps, it's a gamble trying to figure who will have the best day. Northcutt's performance was especially impressive considering he was playing with broken ribs.

WR Andre Davis (3-32 receiving, 1 TD, 3 targets) was the lucky recipient of a touchdown pass on the Browns first drive, in the Cleveland WR lottery. The fastest of the Browns' receiver also had a near miss on a 69-yard kickoff return.

WR Kevin Johnson (3-20 receiving, 1 TD, 5 targets) caught Couch's other touchdown toss, as he found an opening in the back of the end zone.

WR Quincy Morgan (4-51 receiving, 4 targets) was also effective getting open all night against the Steelers defensive backs.

WR Andre King (1-6 receiving,1 target) contributed his grab as the Browns were driving for a score at the close of the first half.

TE Steve Heiden (2-30 receiving, 3 targets) was Couch's favorite target outside of his wide receivers.

TE Darnell Sanders (1-6 receiving, 2 targets) recorded his first catch of the season.

K Phil Dawson (2-2 FG, 3-3 XP) was perfect on the night.

Pass Defense: The Browns defenders did an outstanding job of confusing Tommy Maddox on the evening. Their defensive backs played aggressively against Pittsburgh's vaunted receiving duo, and their speedy linebackers shut down most of the underneath passes. And the defensive front four finally played to their potential, with Gerald Warren and Courtney Brown combining for 3 sacks and numerous pressure against Maddox. They forced the issue all evening.

Run Defense: After falling behind so quickly, the Steelers only ran the ball 18 times on the night. The Browns held them to just 60 yards for the game.

San Diego Chargers 21 at Jacksonville Jaguars 27

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

San Diego Chargers

David Boston looks like a TE, but the speed that made him a top WR is still there. Brees was locked into Boston all game, looking for him right out of the snap. That resulted in 21 targets, and 14 receptions. When Boston got the ball, he showed the extra body mass has not compromised any speed. At one point, Boston caught the ball in traffic, and accelerated away from the defenders actually gaining more of a buffer from them, before a DB from the far side with a good angle brought him down.

Tomlinson had a bad outing. But it looks worse than it was. He still averaged a decent 3.8 yards a carry. The Chargers simply couldn't keep the offense on the field, and then fell behind, and had to go to the pass to trying to play catch up. Tomlinson's final carry came with over 11 minutes left in the game, and the Chargers did not even attempt another run after that point. When looking at Tomlinson's total yards, think about opportunity, and take Brees' 41 passing attempts into account.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Playing for the "injured" Brunell, QB Byron Leftwich looked like a seasoned pro, putting up a game passing rating of 132.4. Leftwich was confident in the pocket, and moved the ball against the young Charger backfield with ease. Biggest thing of note would be that Leftwich seemed to look upfield for his first and second read, stretching the field of play. If this is his style, it could take a ton of pressure off of Taylor in future games. After the game, in his post game interview, HC Del Rio said he would announce the starter for next week's game in a few days.

WR Jimmy Smith is not rusty, playing as if he never missed a day. Little known fact: Over the past 7 years, Smith has been the NFL's leading receiver (based on number of receptions), and he proved it again today. After allowing Smith to play in the first half, the Chargers piled up the defense on him in the second half, covering with 2 and 3 men at a time. Smith was still able to find ways to get open and make plays.

Given the box score, and the game, it would seem that Fuamatu-Ma'afala is the new primary backup to Taylor. Toefield did enter the game with an injured shoulder, so this might not be a sure thing, but Fuamatu-Ma'afala looks like the handcuff for Taylor.

Troy Edwards was out of football to start the season. After recently getting signed by the Jaguars, he looked like a solid #2 today. He outplayed Hatchette, and made the most of his opportunities.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

San Diego Chargers

QB: Drew Brees (24/41 for 296, 3 TD, 1/13 rushing) Locked in on Boston, looking for him as soon as the ball was snapped. Brees had an unusually high number of attempts for a "Marty" coached team. As the Chargers fell behind, they abandoned the run. Brees did little with the additional attempts. Threw an interception late in the game that was nullified by a roughing the passer penalty.

RB: LaDainian Tomlinson (10/38, 4/30 receiving, Fumble, 6 targets) Horrible game statistically. However, Tomlinson looked relatively good early on in the game, finding blocks, and gaining yards. The Chargers abandoned the run, and that was most likely partly Tomlinson's inability to control the game on the ground, but he cannot be held entirely at fault. He looked decent with the very few carries he had.

Lorenzo Neal (1/2, 1 target)

WR: David Boston (14/181, 2 TDs, 1/13 rushing, Fumble, 21 targets) Brees totally locked into finding Boston throughout the game. That most likely hurt the offense as a whole, but it was great for Boston. Although Boston is a huge target, he still has his game breaking speed. At one point, Boston caught the ball in traffic, and accelerated away from the small DBs surrounding him. Do not doubt his speed.

Eric Parker (2/44, TD, 2 targets) All receivers seemed like an afterthought to Boston in the game. Parker caught both balls thrown to him.

Tim Dwight (2/31, 1/5 rushing, 6 targets) Lost a couple of catchable balls that came his way. Could have had a better game.

Kassim Osgood (1 target) Target came late in the game, simply a substitution to rest Dwight. No value.

TE: Justin Peelle (2 targets)

Antonio Gates (1/8, Fumble)

K: Steve Christie (3/3 XP)

Pass Defense: San Diego's young backfield got torched. The Charger's defense had the strength and stopping power of a wet paper towel, making a young rookie look like a seasoned pro moving the ball with ease against them. First round draft pick, RCB Sammy Davis had a "painful to watch" day, highlighted when he blew his coverage allowing WR Hatchette to get wide open for a 45 yard reception. RDE Raylee Johnson recorded 2 sacks on Leftwich, as LDE Marcellus Wiley added another.

Rush Defense: Unable to contain Taylor, as he ran with ease to control the clock. RDE Adrian Dingle limped off the field, but returned to play later in the game. WLB Donnie Edwards (9 tackles, 2 assists) lead the team.

Jacksonville Jaguars

QB: Mark Brunell was officially on the injury report with an elbow injury, but he insisted throughout the week leading up to the game that he was ready to go. Listed as the 3rd string QB for the game, Brunell did not play.

Byron Leftwich (19/28 for 336, 2 TDs, 2/-1 rushing, 2 fumbles) Looked like a 10 year vet, as he dismantled the Charger's young back field. Seemed to have a real chemistry with Smith, as if they had played together for years. It is a great interest that Leftwich went vertical up the field on the vast majority of his first and second reads. He lost a 37 yard scoring strike on an offensive pass interference call.

RB: Fred Taylor (27/87, TD, 3/77 receiving, TD, 5 targets) The Jaguars came out of the gate running with Taylor for 3 straight carries. Taylor looked crisp and powerful, and did not yield his goal line carries this week. Taylor was certainly able to find more running room with the passing game clicking. 60 yard screen pass from Leftwich for a score.

Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala (6/30) Seemingly the new backup to Taylor. All 6 of his carries came on 1st and 2nd down shortly after going to Taylor repeatedly. Used to give Taylor a breather.

LaBrandon Toefield (2/7) Entered the game with an injured shoulder, and was not used as Taylor's primary backup, coming in on 3rd down situations.

Marc Edwards (3/26 receiving, 3 targets) All three receptions came on the same route, a seam route up the right side, that was left open by the defense. His use was simply the result of observation and good play calling.

WR: Jimmy Smith (8/137, 11 targets) Returned from his 4 game suspension looking almost better than ever. Although Smith made plays all over the field, he ran 12-15 yard outs and curls for the large majority of his plays. Caught a one handed highlight reel grab along the sideline. After Smith got 116 yards in the 1st half, the Chargers double and triple teamed Smith on every play in the second, at which time, the Jaguars relied heavier on Taylor and spread the ball around.

Matt Hatchette (1/45, 2 targets) Caught both receptions in the second half as the chargers double and triple teamed Smith.

Troy Edwards (3/39, 5 targets) Recently acquired after being out of Football, Edwards made the most of the opportunities provided as the offense was spread out in the second half due to the coverage on Smith. Looked very crisp, running good pass routes. Made a strong statement to be the #2 receiver.

JJ Stokes did not play.

Jimmy Redmond played but did not contribute.

Cortez Hankton (1 target) Saw one play late in the game (garbage time)

TE: Kyle Brady (1/12, 1 target) Lost a 12 yard reception where the play was challenged and over turned. Not in late in the game.

Chris Luzar was used as a blocker.

George Wrighster (2 targets) Both targets (one was the called back TD), came late in the game with Brady not on the field. This bears watching. 37 yard TD nullified on an offensive pass interference call.

K: Seth Marler (2/2 FG [53, 27], 3/3 XP)

Pass Defense: With Brees locked into Boston, the Jaguars double and triple teamed him to break up the flow of the Charger's offense. The defense put Brees on his back 4 times. Along with Slaughter's sack, LDT Marcus Stroud, RDE Lionel Barnes, and LDE Tony Brackens each got a sack on Leftwich.

Rush Defense: The Chargers gave up on the run early on, so it is hard to gauge the unit's performance. Did a good job of keeping Tomlinson from going off, but a lot of that could be attributed to the score of the game. SLB TJ Slaughter (6 tackles, 1 assist, sack) lead the team.

Oakland Raiders 21 at Chicago Bears 24

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Oakland Raiders

The Oakland Raiders sliced through the Chicago defense with a textbook 16 play, 68-yard opening drive for a touchdown. In the second quarter, the Raiders were inside the Chicago 25- yard line on four separate occasions and had to settle for field goals each time. Oakland's inability to put the Bears away early, led to their downfall as Chicago K Paul Edinger's 48-yard game winning field goal snuck inside the right post with triple zeroes on the clock.

K Sebastian Janikowski connected on all four of his field goal attempts in the first half to remain perfect on the season at that point (12 for 12). On the Raiders first drive in the second half, Janikowski's 47-yard field goal attempt was driven low and blocked by the Bears.

CB Charles Woodson had a career day, recovering a fumble and intercepting two passes thrown by Chicago QB Kordell Stewart. His thievery resulted in six Raider points.

Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears plagued by stupid mistakes, untimely penalties, numerous turnovers, and booing fans overcame an 18-3 halftime deficit to put their first victory of the 2003 season in the books. It got so bad, that at one point in the second half, QB Kordell Stewart threw a cup of water at some unruly fans behind the Bears' bench.

QB Kordell Stewart plagued by an offensive line dominated by the Raiders' defense, had a nightmarish first half. His statistics at halftime were 4-10-72, 0 TD, 1 INT and sacked three times. Stewart's first completed pass was fumbled away to the Raiders by TE Desmond Clark. Stewart turned the tide by using his athletic ability and the hard running of RB Anthony Thomas to pull ahead of Oakland in the fourth quarter, scoring 18 unanswered points.

K Paul Edinger continued his perfect season, going 3 for 3 on field goal attempts. Using his unorthodox style of turning his back to the ball before the kick, he kicked a 48-yard, game-winning field goal on the last play of the game.

The Bears defense on the field for most the first half because of Chicago mistakes, continually came up with the big play to keep the Bears in the game.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Oakland Raiders

QB: Rich Gannon (16-34-183, 0 TD, 2 INTs; 1-3 rushing) was never able to get on track in this game. He was a victim of dropped passes and his two interceptions were the result of tipped balls. In the middle of the fourth quarter with the Raiders ahead 18-13, Gannon was leading the Oakland offense on what may have been a game clinching score. His very catchable pass deflected off TE Doug Jolley's hands and was intercepted by CB R.W. McQuarters and returned 43 yards to the Raiders 45. Gannon's second interception led to the Bears' first lead.

RB: Charlie Garner (15-92 rushing, 1-3 receiving, 2 targets), playing against the league's weakest run defense, used his quickness and explosive running to rip off big runs. Garner scampered for a 33-yard run (the Raiders longest run of the year) early in the second quarter to help set up Oakland's first field goal. Normally a favorite target of Gannon out of the backfield, he only had one catch in the game.

Tyrone Wheatley (6-21 rushing, 1-16 receiving, 1 target) was used to give Garner a breather.

Zack Crockett (4-3 rushing, 1 TD, 1-9 receiving, 2 targets) was used in short yardage and goal line situations. In the Raiders' opening drive, he contributed with a tough run for a third down conversion and scored Oakland's only touchdown when he bulled his way into the end zone on a 1-yard run.

WR: Jerry Rice's (3-51 receiving, 7 targets) effectiveness has been taken away with the loss of WR Jerry Porter. Defended by Bears' rookie CB Charles Tillman for much of the game, Rice was not a factor. He was targeted by Gannon in the end zone, but Rice was double covered and the pass was thrown away.

Tim Brown (2-39 receiving, 6 targets, 1-4 rushing) has become a secondary target for Gannon. Brown did not see a pass thrown his way in the first half.

Ronald Curry (2-10 receiving, 4 targets) was not a factor in the game.

Jerry Porter did not suit up for the game and is still recovering from Hernia surgery. He is expected to return October 20th against the Kansas City Chiefs.

TE: Doug Jolley (5-35 receiving, 8 targets) has quickly become Gannon's favorite target. His first catch was a third down conversion that kept the Raiders' first scoring drive alive. Jolley did have a pass go off his hands that resulted in an interception, leading to a Bears' touchdown and their first lead in the game.

Teyo Johnson (1-20, 2 targets) was not a factor in the game.

K: Sebastian Janikowski kicked five field goals, but he missed an extra point and had a 47-yard attempt blocked in the second half. The missed extra point was the first of his career in four seasons with Raiders. He had converted on 147 straight extra point attempts before missing wide right. The blocked 47-yard attempt is his only missed field goal of the season. Janikowski's last field goal of 49 yards, a knuckler that hit the left post and bounced through, tied the score at 21 late in the fourth quarter.

Pass Defense: The Raiders pass defense was superb, holding QB Kordell Stewart to only 160 yards passing. They put constant pressure on Stewart and caused several holding penalties on the undermanned Chicago offensive line. CB Charles Woodson picked off two passes and recovered a fumble.

Rush Defense: The Oakland rush defense was as bad as the pass defense was good. Chicago running backs rumbled for 148 yards on 26 carries, an enormous 5.69-yard per carry average. Bears' RB Anthony Thomas continually lumbered untouched through gaping holes, amassing 123 yards for the game. QB Kordell Stewart was able to break containment and gathered 57 yards of his own. It makes you wonder how big the loss of LB Bill Romanowski really is with the Raiders unable to stop the opponents' running game.

Chicago Bears

QB: Kordell Stewart (13-24-160, 1 TD, 2 INTs; 9-52 rushing) looked awful in the first half. Hounded by the Oakland pass rush, his passes were consistently off target. In Chicago's opening drive, Stewart took an ill advised sacked, knocking the Bears out of field goal position. Overcoming continuous Chicago mistakes, some his own, he was able to engineer an 8-play, 67-yard drive capped off by a 14-yard TD strike to WR Marty Booker on the first play of the fourth quarter. After an interception return by CB R.W. McQuarters, Stewart quickly led the offense to another touchdown with RB Stanley Pritchett sneaking in from 8 yards. Stewart successfully added the two-point conversion with a quarterback option run around the right side. With the score tied late in the fourth quarter, Stewart showed his experience by coolly guiding the Bears into field goal position for the game winning field goal. After a holding penalty had nullified a spectacular 19-yard run by Stewart, his brilliant pump fake left WR Dez White wide open and he hit White in stride down to the Raiders 31. Stewart kept the drive alive by leaping over the line for a first down on fourth and one.

RB: Anthony Thomas (22-123 rushing) was a workhorse for the Bears. On the Chicago's opening drive he carried the ball the first six plays for 67 yards, having the last 17-yard run wiped out by a holding penalty on the offensive line. For some unknown reason, Thomas only got two touches for 0 yards in the second quarter, but Chicago started the third quarter giving the Raiders another healthy dose of Thomas. He had room to run all game long, several times rambling untouched until deep in the Oakland secondary. Thomas lumbered for a 20-yard run that aided the Bears in their last touchdown drive giving Chicago their first lead.

FB Stanley Pritchett (2-17 rushing, 1 TD, 1-2 receiving, 2 targets) did a tremendous job opening huge holes for Thomas. Pritchett scored the Bears second touchdown with a sneaky 8-yard gallop.

WR: Marty Booker (4-94 receiving, 1 TD, 8 targets) showed why he is Chicago's number one receiver, coming up with spectacular catches down the stretch. He only had one catch in the first half, a 48-yard reception that gave the Bears a first and goal to go at the Raiders 10-yard line. The Bears failed to put any points on the board after two consecutive holding penalties followed by a Kordell Stewart interception. Booker scored a 14-yard TD, his first touchdown of the season, on an excellent, diving catch in the back on the end zone. He hurt his left side on the catch and was taken into the Bear's locker room for X-rays. He did not return and his status for next week is unknown at this time.

Dez White (4-48 receiving, 6 targets) was an adequate compliment to Booker. White came up big in the game-winning drive grabbing a 29-yard pass from Stewart to put the Bears in field goal position.

David Terrell (2 targets) was not a factor in the game.

TE: Desmond Clark (2-19 receiving, 3 targets) entered the game as the Bears' leading receiver with 12 receptions. He made an outstanding, one-handed catch for Stewart's first completion, but was stripped on the ball and his turnover led to the Raiders' second field goal.

K: Paul Edinger was the hero of the game, connecting on a 48-yard field goal for the game winner as time expired. He was also successful on his other two field goal attempts, one from 35 yards out and the other a 50-yard boot (his longest of the year). Edinger is a perfect 8 for 8 on the season.

Pass Defense: The Chicago pass defense did excellent job of bailing out the Bears' offense. Put in difficult situations deep in their own zone in the first half, the defense held the Raiders offense to field goals four times after Oakland got inside the Chicago 25 yard line. The Bears' pass defense intercepted two tipped passes from QB Rich Gannon that led to 10 Chicago points.

Rush Defense: The Bears rush defense, ranked last in the league, had trouble corralling a speedy RB Charlie Garner. Garner rushed for 92 yards on 15 carries, an unacceptable 6.13-yard per carry average. However, when it came down to crunch time, the Chicago defense held the Raiders' offense in check and was instrumental in allowing the Bears' offense to come from behind for the victory. Chicago LB Warrick Holdman sprained his ankle late in the first half and did not return.

Arizona Cardinals 7 at Dallas Cowboys 24

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Arizona Cardinals

Emmitt Smith (6 carries for -1 yards, 2 catches for 2 yards, 3 targets) Left the game in the first half with a right shoulder injury and did not return. Considering the emotional nature of returning to Dallas and playing against the team he played for, this game has to be a huge disappointment for him. Dallas came out to stop him and it appeared he came out to say goodbye.

Jeff Blake (14/28 for 121 yards, 1 TD, 2 interceptions) turned in a fantasy clunker in spite of having a decent first half and falling behind in the game. He was pressured often by the Cowboy pass rush and often looked flustered and confused. He accounted for only 26 yards passing in the second half despite trailing 20 to 7 early in the 3rd quarter.

Anquan Boldin (3 catches 33 yards, 6 targets) turned in his first professional fantasy football disappointment. The Cowboys covered him extremely well and appeared intent on taking him out of the game and forcing Blake to use his other targets. He lost out on a 15 yard reception on a questionable sideline call and a 36 yard reception in which he was flagged for an offensive pass interference penalty. The replay showed no such penalty.

The Cardinal defense did not slow down or stop the Dallas passing game. They were unable to put much pressure on Quincy Carter and sacked him only once in 31 passing attempts.

Dallas Cowboys

Quincy Carter (20 for 31, 277 yards, 2 TDs, 1 interception) showed poise and leadership in directing the Dallas offense. Bill Parcells appears to have him confident in himself and his team and is using Carter within his means.

Troy Hambrick (23 carries for 59 yards, 1 reception 8 yards) was very active and effective early as the Cowboys established domination of the game. He disappeared in the 2nd half gaining only 11 yards on 15 carries. It was almost as if when Emmitt Smith left the game, Hambrick lost his focus. He appeared to have decent play from his offensive line but did not show the second half drive and determination that is expected from an elite running back.

The Cowboy defense came to play. Free Safety Roy Williams appeared to play this game as if he had a personal vendetta. The Cowboys converted on both chances for safeties when they had the Cardinals pinned near their goal line. They allowed the Cardinals only 153 total yards.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Arizona Cardinals

QB: Jeff Blake (14/28 for 121 yards, 1 TD, 2 interceptions) did not play well but also had little help with drops from his receivers and bad calls. His first interception was not his fault. The pass was tipped in the air. Dallas seemed intent to take Anquan Boldin out of the game plan with double teams and Blake never got in sync with his other targets.

RB: Emmitt Smith (6 carries for -1 yards, 2 catches for 2 yards, 3 targets) had the kind of day that his numbers indicate. He lost 4 yards on the opening carry of the game and never got on track. His longest carry of the day was 2 yards. He left the game with a shoulder injury. All in all, a very embarrassing return "home".

Marcel Shipp (9 carries for 31 yards, 0 receptions, 1 target) was shut down as cold as Emmitt Smith was in the first half (3 carries for 4 yards) and picked up what production he did amass late in the game when the Cowboys had the game well in hand. He didn't show particular burst or power but had little room to move as the Dallas defense played the second half as if they had a 3-0 lead.

WR: Anquan Boldin (3 receptions 33 yards, 6 targets) turned in his first professional fantasy football disappointment. He lost out on a 15 yard reception on sideline catch in which he would have had both feet in bounds had the defender not forced him out of bounds. He also had a 36 yard reception nullified because he was flagged for an offensive pass interference penalty. The replay showed no such penalty and the announcers seemed mystified at the call.

Bryant Johnson (1 reception 6 yards, 5 targets) dropped his first pass and never seemed to be on the same page as Jeff Blake. He was the target of a 2nd quarter pass play in which Dallas committed a pass interference.

Brian Gilmore (1 receptions 30 yards, 5 targets) was wide open for the Cardinals only touchdown and dropped another 4th quarter pass in which he was wide open that could have gone for a touchdown.

TE: Freddie Jones (4 receptions 39 yards, 5 targets) was Jeff Blake's safety valve and was as active as any Arizona receiver.

Cardinal Pass Defense: Did not put much pressure on Carter and only sacked him one time.

Cardinal Rush Defense: This unit gave up only 97 rushing yards but it was more of a function of Dallas completing passes at will versus the Cardinal secondary. Still they should be credited for holding Dallas to only 2.7 yards per carry.

Dallas Cowboys

QB: Quincy Carter (20 for 31, 277 yards, 2 TDs, 1 interception) Bill Parcells appears to have him believing he can be the next Phil Simms because he directed the offense with efficiency despite not being able to rely on the running game. He appears to be setting his feet in the pocket more than he did last year and is hitting his receivers in stride. His 2nd quarter touchdown pass to Richie Anderson was a beautiful sideline touch pass.

RB: Troy Hambrick (23 carries for 59 yards, 1 reception 8 yards) was very active and effective early as the Cowboys established domination of the game. He disappeared in the 2nd half gaining only 11 yards on 15 carries. Richie Anderson not only scored a touchdown but ended the day with 5 carries for 22 yards with 4 of those carries coming in the second half.

Aveion Cason was not a factor with negative 4 yards on 2 carries.

WR: Terry Glenn (4 receptions 104 yards, 1 TD, 6 targets) was active and motivated in this game. His 51 yard touchdown pass came on a well-timed flea flicker play that had Glenn and Galloway wide open.

Joey Galloway (2 receptions 46 yards, 5 targets) had only 2 big catches and did not have good numbers only because Carter appeared content to spread the ball around to open targets. Galloway was wide open on Glenn's flea flicker touchdown reception but Carter had Glenn as his primary target for the play.

Antonio Bryant (2 receptions 16 yards, 3 targets) was not Carter's first or second choice today and usually his first or second choice was open.

TE: Rookie Jason Witten finally seemed to be part of the game plan catching 4 passes for 41 yards. But his day was cut short after a vicious hit from the Arizona linebackers that left him with a broken jaw.

Dallas Pass Defense: Sacked Blake 3 times and forced 2 safeties. Cardinal receivers were blanketed all day and Roy Williams forced 2 drops with punishing hits that jarred the ball lose.

Dallas Rush Defense: What do you say about a unit that allows 32 yards rushing on 18 carries for 1.8 yards per carry?

Minnesota Vikings 39 at Atlanta Falcons 26

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Minnesota Vikings

QB Dante Culpepper was unavailable for the second straight week (he was listed as the third-string emergency quarterback for the game). Backup QB Gus Frerotte stepped in and was up to the challenge for the second straight week. Frerotte was able to rely on his supporting cast to lead the Minnesota attack, both via the air and on the ground.

WR Randy Moss started despite another week of reported back ailments. Once again, Moss did not disappoint fantasy owners, scoring twice and gathering 81 yards on five catches. Remarkably, Moss could have had an even larger offensive output, given that he was targeted on 12 separate occasions. Moss dropped a few passes, including one deep ball in the back of the end zone.

HC Mike Tice was quoted this week as promising rookie RB Onterrio Smith would rack up over 100 yards rushing against the Falcon defense. This may have been a tactical move, since the Viking's strong rushing game was not on display the first half of the contest. Minnesota called just 12 runs versus 17 passes in the first two quarters, and obtained only 31 rushing yards before halftime.

This running game oversight was corrected in the second half as the Minnesota rushing game tallied 133 yards. Onterrio Smith did not wind up with the predicted 100 yards, but did average nearly five yards a carry, toting the ball 13 times for 63 yards. RB Moe Williams, the listed starter for the game, gained 71 yards and scored twice on the ground.

Even the Viking defense got in on the act, putting four points on the scoreboard. Pressure on Atlanta's QB Doug Johnson forced one grounding penalty and one holding penalty in the Falcons' end zone, resulting in two safeties.

Atlanta Falcons

Atlanta had QB Doug Johnson under center yet again this week in this battle of backup QBs. The Falcons' gameplan had two points of emphasis in the first half - establish the run with starting RB TJ Duckett, and get WR Peerless Price more involved in the offense.

The Falcons' first half was arguably their best 30 minutes of football all season. Atlanta played mistake free football, moving the ball well on the Vikings and went into the locker room up 20-12. Unfortunately, this offensive outburst did not persist past halftime. Atlanta had a mere 14 net yards of offense in the third quarter and lost another 4 yards on their next two possessions. After these five forgettable possessions, Minnesota had seized control of the game and the scoreboard, leading 36-20 at that point. After that, Atlanta was never in the game and merely added to their stats.

RB TJ Duckett worked on establishing himself as the Falcons' feature running back. Duckett gained 69 yards on 10 carries in the first half, including a strong run of 55 yards that set up RB Warrick Dunn's 8-yard plunge into the end zone on the next play. Despite these efforts, the score dictated the abandoning of the run game in the second half and both runners had one lone carry after the game's midpoint. Dunn's impact in the second half was as a receiver, gaining 64 of his 83 receiving yards in the fourth quarter.

WR Peerless Price was finally able to demonstrate the abilities that brought him to Atlanta as a free agent. Price had 12 catches and 168 yards and a touchdown. Price had at least two catches in every quarter, amassing six catches for 10 or more yards and 2 for more than 20.

QB Doug Johnson had a career day in the box score, going 28 of 40 for 352 yards, all personal bests. Johnson had a strong first half, going 10 for 15 for 161 yards and a score. Johnson improved his numbers dramatically in the fourth quarter, completing 14 of 17 for 168 yards, a touchdown but he also had two interceptions.

QB Michael Vick remained inactive, and reports state his return to be at least two more weeks in the future.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Minnesota Vikings

QB: Gus Frerotte (14-24-239-2 TD, 1INT, 3-3 rushing, 2 Point Pass) threw early and often to his favorite target, WR Randy Moss. Half of Frerotte's tosses went in Moss' directions, and it would be hard to blame him for it. Frerotte was accurate all game, and his numbers suffered from a few dropped passes. His lone mistake came on a long pass intended to Randy Moss in the end zone which was intercepted for a touchback. This was not much of a setback, since this came immediately after one of the two interceptions thrown by Falcons' QB Johnson.

Normal starter Dante Culpepper dressed for the game, but was listed as the number 3 (emergency) QB.

RB: Onterrio Smith (13-63 rushing, 2-23 receiving, 2 Point catch, 2 targets) did not live up to HC Tice's lofty predictions of 100 yards, but did amass 86 all-purpose yards and nearly a 5-yard run per carry average. Smith continued to split carries in the backfield with Moe Williams, who also had double-digit carries.

Smith also tacked on the 2-pointer with a shovel pass catch from Frerotte to knot the game at 20-20.

Moe Williams (11-71 rushing, 2 TDs, 2-15 receiving, 3 targets) was listed as the starter for the Vikings, although Smith did get the first carry of the game. Williams most significantly contributed by finding the end zone on two occasions in the second half.

Doug Chapman (10-22 rushing, 0-0 receiving, 0 targets) assisted in the second half Minnesota ground game, helping control the clock and giving Williams and Smith rest on the sideline.

WR: Randy Moss (5-81 receiving, 2 TDs, 12 targets) was involved in the Minnesota offense early and often, scoring a 32-yard touchdown as one of his 4 catches on 8 targets in the first half. Moss added another score in the second half coming on his only catch after halftime. The interesting thing is that Moss could have had an even more productive game had he been able to hold on to more of his intended passes. Moss dropped a touchdown pass in the back of the end zone and had at least three drops. He seemed to lose concentration at times on the short drops. It wasn't a case of not trying or taking plays off, but he didn't seem as sharp as he did last week for the Terrell Owens "showdown".

Moss was clearly the focus early on, as he accounted for 64 of Minnesota's first 99 yards.

Nate Burleson (3-71 receiving, 4 targets) continued to get more involved in the passing game, catching three balls for 71 yards. Burleson showed good speed and open space running on his long catch, a 52-yard effort. This deep ball was set up by Randy Moss drawing double coverage away from Burleson.

Kelly Campbell (1-7 rushing, 2-49 receiving, 2 targets) had a similar game to Burleson. Campbell's 51-yard pass reception came in the third quarter and he also showed nifty moves in the open field.

TE: Jim Kleinsasser (1 target) was not a factor in this game.

K: Aaron Elling made all of his kicks, converting on 3 extra points and two field goals of 32 and 24 yards.

Pass Defense: The Vikings had trouble with Peerless Price throughout the game, yielding 101 yards to him through the first three quarters and 168 total yards on 12 catches. Atlanta QB Doug Johnson had a career passing day, completing 70% of his tosses for 352 yards and both Falcon touchdowns.

The Minnesota defense did have its moments. They forced two penalties on Atlanta inside their own end zone (grounding, holding) that resulted in two safeties. They also contributed two interceptions in the fourth quarter.

Rush Defense: After RB TJ Duckett scampered for two long runs (13, 55) and 69 first half yards, Atlanta was forced to shut down its ground game and play catch-up. Minnesota only allowed 27 rushing yards in the second half, but that was partially due to Atlanta's paltry four carries.

Atlanta Falcons

QB: Doug Johnson (28-40-352, 2 TD, 2 INT, 2-20 rushing) had a career day, statistically speaking. Johnson had a personal best in attempts, completions, and yardage. Aided by WR Peerless Price's efforts, Johnson had over 160 yards by halftime. However, some of his totals were amassed during the Minnesota prevent defense in the fourth quarter, where Johnson went 14 of 17 for 168 yards.

Woody Dantzler (0-1, 1-0 rushing) came in as a change of pace, but did little to contribute significantly. He was in for three plays under center, but missed WR Quentin McCord in the end zone on his lone pass attempt.

RB: TJ Duckett (11-69 rushing, 2-10 receiving, 3 targets) began the game as Atlanta's feature running back, and it was clear that the Falcons wanted to establish his presence early. Duckett started well, gaining 69 first-half yards on ten carries. He also broke off a 55-yard rumble in the second quarter. However, once Atlanta fell behind in the second half, the run game was abandoned. Duckett only had one official carry in the second half.

Warrick Dunn (3-15 rushing, TD, 6-83 receiving, 6 targets) was brought in to spell Duckett on a few carries, so it appears that he is the clear second option in the Falcon backfield. However, he did get a chance to score after Duckett's long run to the Viking 8, and Dunn did not disappoint - carrying his chance into the end zone.

Dunn's main contributions came as a receiver, where he was the second-most targeted option for QB Johnson. Dunn caught all six of his targets and gained 83 yards receiving.

Justin Griffith (1 target) was targeted on one lone pass, which was a catch he did not make.

WR: Peerless Price (12-168 receiving, TD, 17 targets) had his best day as a Falcon. Price broke 100 yards for the first time this year, amassing 101 yards before the fourth quarter. Price was able to add to his totals during Minnesota's dropping back in prevent coverage for much of the 4th, where he added 6 more catches and 67 yards on top of his already impressive totals. The only slight in his performance was a drop in the end zone in the first quarter where it appeared he had a reasonable chance to score.

Quentin McCord (2-42 receiving, 3 targets) caught the first pass of the game, a 33 yard strike from QB Doug Johnson. After that catch, however, McCord offered little more to the Atlanta offense, amassing just one more catch for 9 yards.

Jimmy Farris (1-8 receiving, 1TD, 2 targets) only caught one pass, but it was for a touchdown. Granted it came in the last two minutes of the game with the outcome already decided, but it was still six points.

TE: Alge Crumpler (4-31 receiving, 6 targets) continued to offer production from the TE position, catching four passes. Crumpler helped to move the chains, but never gained more than 12 yards on any catch.

Brian Kozlowski (1-10 receiving, 1 target) caught one pass for 10 yards.

K: Jay Feely scored two field goals (34, 33) in the first quarter, but never had another attempt. He also accounted for two extra points.

Pass Defense: Atlanta could not contain Minnesota's main threat, Randy Moss. Moss was the target on half of QB Gus Frerotte's 24 passes and caught just five, but that was mostly due to drops rather than any defensive efforts. Even with just the five catches, Moss scored twice and helped draw coverage away to free up other receivers deep. The Falcons allowed two other receivers to each catch a 50-plus yard strike. The lone interception by the pass defense came on a deflection off of Randy Moss in the Falcon end zone.

Rush Defense: The Falcons did not permit a 100-yard rushing game to Onterrio Smith, but they did give up 135 rushing yards in the second half. Minnesota was able to pound away the game against the Falcons' 28th-rated rushing defense and control the game clock once they established a lead. Despite only gaining 31 first half rushing yards, Minnesota called 26 run plays after halftime and averaged over five yards a carry in the third and fourth quarters.