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

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

Joe

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Joe Bryant
Owner - www.Footballguys.com

WEEK 7 GAME RECAPS

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

Edited by Joe Bryant

Green Bay Packers 24 at St. Louis Rams 34

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Green Bay Packers

QB Brett Favre and the Packers are not big fans of playing inside. With the loss to the Rams, Favre's career record in domes fell to 12-21. Costly turnovers and a swarming St. Louis defense were the main ingredients in a Green Bay loss.

The Packers' offensive lacked the balance from the running game to sustain several drives throughout the game, and a couple of key turnovers weren't helpful either in the first half. Brett Favre had his moments and found a rhythm after missing his first two passes. His overall numbers (268 yards, 2 TDs, INT) are solid. He spread the ball around to 10 different receivers, but rarely did Favre attempt to stretch the field. While the Rams' defense only recorded one sack on Favre, he was forced out of the pocket often.

Ahman Green was bottled up by the Rams' tenacious front four. He averaged less than two yards a carry while piling up just 35 yards on the ground. Green once again suffered from fumble-itis as he coughed up the ball late in the second quarter. He redeemed himself slightly, getting 62 yards receiving, including a touchdown reception.

RB Najeh Davenport led the Packers RBs with 74 rushing yards and a score. Don't be fooled, 76 of them came on a long scoring run. Yes, his other 4 carries netted him -2 yards.

The Rams' defense set out to shut down RB Ahman Green and they received an A+ on their report card. The only time Ahman Green broke free was a 21-yard screen pass for the Packers first touchdown. The Green Bay wide receivers were totally taken out of the game by a stifling Rams' secondary. WR Donald Driver led the wide receivers with 4 catches for 53 yards. Coming into the game, the Packers were the only team in the NFL that had six receivers with ten or more catches.

St. Louis Rams

The Rams' offense continues to build off dominating efforts against Arizona and Atlanta by going over 30 points for the third straight week. Marc Bulger passed for 247 yards and three TDs to go along with two interceptions, although both picks were tipped at the line of scrimmage. As in the past two weeks, Bulger just played pitch-and-catch with his two favorite targets, Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce. Half of Bulger's pass attempts went to his dynamic duo. Bulger also continues to show he can scramble when he needs to, as evidence by his 28-yard run in the second half.

Even though Isaac Bruce didn't find the end zone, he continues to show he is the man to look for with intermediate passes. On the day, he posted 129 yards on nine receptions, with seven of those catches going for first downs. Bruce could've had a TD in the third, but Bulger overthrew him in the end zone. Torry Holt made the most of his four receptions, catching TDs of 39 and 9 yards. Holt now has seven touchdowns on the season, and while Bruce gets his fair share of yardage, Holt is the one finding the end zone. Dane Looker had just two catches, but found the end zone on one reception, a nice tiptoe job down the left sideline.

RB Lamar Gordon left the game early in the first quarter with an ankle sprain. He did not return and was replaced by RB Arlen Harris. Harris had a fine day totaling 85 yards on 15 carries including a 3-yards scoring run. Harris' future production will depend heavily on the severity of Gordon's injury, though, so don't get too excited. If Gordon misses some time then jump on him for sure, the whole Rams offense is too hot to ignore right now.

The Rams' defense had another impressive outing and was the big reason behind the victory. Flying all over the field in a crazed frenzy; they forced four turnovers, shut down RB Ahman Green, and held QB Brett Favre in check. The St. Louis defense is fast becoming one of the better squads in the league.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Green Bay Packers

QB: After missing his first two passes, Brett Favre found a rhythm and ended up with solid numbers on the day (22 of 32 for 268 yards, 2 TDs, INT). He had a disastrous day the last time he played in St. Louis, throwing six interceptions in a playoff game two years ago. And considering his struggles in domes, Sunday's effort was excellent. Favre only tried to stretch the field deep once to Donald Driver. Most of his passes were short dump-offs or medium range. He spread the ball around to 10 different targets, but Driver was his favorite, looking to him seven times. His one interception was a heads-up play by Rams defensive end Leonard Little. Favre was sacked just one time, but the Rams' front four did force him to alter several throws.

RB: Ahman Green (20-35 1 fumble rushing, 6-62 1TD receiving) had a terrible rushing game and another fumble. He was held to just 35 yards on 20 attempts, and 2 of those attempts were for 10 yards apiece. It didn't look like the coaching staff changed how they used Green after his fumble, which is great news for fantasy owners. One does have to wonder, though, how many more fumbles the coaches will be willing to overlook. Green also led the Packers with 6 receptions and he scored on a nice run after catching a screen pass.

Najeh Davenport (5-74 rushing, 1-10 receiving) led the Packers with 74 rushing yards, but 76 of them came on one scoring run late in the game. His other 4 carries netted -2 yards. He also had a fumble.

William Henderson (2-15 receiving, 1 TD, 5 targets) was a safety valve for Favre. Henderson's 1-yard TD grab capped off the Packers' opening drive in the third quarter.

WR: Donald Driver (4-53 receiving, 1-7 rushing, 8 targets) was Favre's favorite target, but they were unable to solve a puzzling Rams' secondary. Driver did draw a pass interference call in the end zone to set up Green Bay's second touchdown early in the third quarter.

Javon Walker (1-26 receiving), Robert Ferguson (1-25), and Antonio Freeman (1-8) round out the rest of this under achieving bunch.

TE: Wesley Walls (1-16 receiving) looked like a promising addition to the Packers with his play last week but he got lost in the shuffle today.

David Martin (2-27 receiving) is another big target in the Green Bay receiving corps.

Bubba Franks (4-26 receiving) probably hasn't ever caught this many passes from Brett Favre in a game without scoring. In fact, none of his catches were even in the red zone.

K: Ryan Longwell made his only field goal attempt and all of his PATs.

Pass Defense: The Packers were unable to get any pressure on St. Louis QB Marc Bulger and the Green Bay secondary could not stop the Rams wide receivers. The Packers' blitzes were easily picked up and the Rams moved the ball at will through the air. The defensive line tipped two Bulger passes that resulted in interceptions, but this only slowed the onslaught.

Rush Defense: The Green Bay rush defense surrendered 131 yards on the ground, 85 of those yards to an undrafted third string running back named Arlen Harris. The Rams' offensive line dominated a weak Packers' defensive line opening huge holes.

St. Louis Rams

QB: Marc Bulger had another excellent performance, further solidifying himself as the starter, and ensuring Kurt Warner won't be back on the field, barring injury. Bulger focused his attention on Holt and Bruce, completing 13 of 22 passes to the All-Pro tandem. Bulger primarily looked for Bruce over the middle and with medium-length routes, while turning to Holt as a deep threat. As is usually the case, Bulger spread the ball around to six different receivers. He also appears to be developing a rapport with Manumaleuna as the favorite tight end target. Bulger threw two interceptions, but both picks were deflected at the line of scrimmage. Bulger, who continues to be perfect at home as a starter, had 247 yards passing to go along with three TDs. He could've had a fourth TD but overthrew an open Bruce in the end zone. Bulger also contributed 26 yards rushing.

RB: Lamar Gordon left the game early in the 1st quarter with a sprained ankle. It should be noted that the announcers quoted Gordon's position coach as saying he thought Gordon should "toughen up". Gordon did not return to the game. His injury should be watched closely as Faulk is still a few weeks from returning.

Rookie free agent Arlen Harris (18-85 1TD rushing, 2-2 receiving) filled in well for the injured Gordon. He ran patiently and took advantage of his pulling blockers when the Rams ran sweeps. When the call was for a run up the middle Harris didn't hesitate to run hard into the defensive front. Harris converted a 3rd and 1 to set up Holt's second score as well as scoring on his own from three yards out. Harris' future production will depend heavily on the severity of Gordon's injury, though.

WR: WR Isaac Bruce (9-129 receiving, 13 targets) looked like the seasoned veteran he is, running great routes and was QB Marc Bulger's favorite target. He became the 18th receiver in NFL history to accumulate 10,000 yards receiving. Although he didn't score a TD, Bulger targeted Bruce twice in the end zone. The first was a highlight reel grab at the end of the first that he barely missed getting both feet down in the corner of the end zone. The second coming when Bruce split double coverage but was overthrown by Bulger late in the third quarter.

Torry Holt (4-67 2TD receiving) has been a touchdown machine for the last month. There seems to be something special developing between Bulger and Holt as the two have been on the same page all season long. His receiving numbers were down a bit today but he more than made up for it with 2 scoring catches.

Dane Looker (2-31 1TD) had a highlight-reel 20-yard touchdown catch where he shed a defender and then tiptoed the last 10 yards to the endzone, lunging to get the ball inside the pylon as he was falling out of bounds. The Rams may have finally found a replacement for the departed Az Hakim in this former NFL Europe MVP. His progress is certainly worth keeping an eye on since the Rams seem to be getting back to their pass-happy roots.

Shaun McDonald returned after missing several weeks with a leg injury and fumbled his only reception, which was already for a 5-yard loss.

TE: Brandon Manumaleuna (4 catches, 23 yards, 5 targets) is getting more and more involved in the Rams' offense. St. Louis isn't big on utilizing the tight end, partly because they haven't had a quality one in a while. But Bulger appears to have more confidence in Manumaleuna on key 3rd-and-short plays.

K: Jeff Wilkins made both of his field goal attempts as well as all four of his PATs.

Pass Defense: The St. Louis pass defense really set the tone for the Packers offense, by taking the Green Bay wide receivers out of the game. With their shut down coverage, they forced QB Brett Favre to check off to his running backs and tight ends not allowing the long pass down field. With the Packers trying to mount a late comeback, DE Leonard Little read the screen pass beautifully and intercepted Favre, athletically returning the pick deep into Packer territory.

Rush Defense: The Rams rush defense abused RB Ahman Green, only permitting him 35 yards on 20 carries. With their punishing hits, the rush defense caused the Packers' running backs to cough up the ball twice, ending promising scoring drives. They did give up a 76-yard TD dash to RB Najeh Davenport late in the game, but the game was already well in hand. Before that inconsequential TD run, the defense had only allowed a scant 40 yards on 25 carries. The Rams lost OLB Tommy Polley in the second quarter due to a dislocated left elbow.

Dallas Cowboys 38 at Detroit Lions 7

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Dallas Cowboys

Whatever Bill Parcells has brought to the table for the Cowboys certainly seems to be working. The Cowboys completely dominated the Lions in all aspects of the game. After scoring 3 touchdowns on 3 consecutive drives in the first half; the Cowboys effectively controlled the clock for the rest of the game with a total time of possession of 37:21. Amazingly in the third quarter, the Cowboys' time of possession was 13:59, leaving the Lions with the ball for a measly 1:01.

The Cowboys used three wide receiver sets throughout the game, but the receiving game clearly belonged to Terry Glenn. Glenn had 3 touchdowns total in his previous 2 seasons and finished the game today with 3 touchdown receptions. Glenn's first touchdown reception was a beautiful catch in the back of the end zone and Glenn incredibly dragged both feet in bounds before going out of bounds.

Quincy Carter exuded confidence playing an outstanding game completing the 3 touchdown passes to Terry Glenn. The Cowboys' offensive line gave him plenty of time to pass and he finished the game with 18 completions for 190 yards.

After fumbling the ball in the first quarter, Troy Hambrick got back on track and rushed for 74 yards and one touchdown. Fullback Richie Anderson shared rushing duties as well, and rushed for 52 yards on 7 carries. Anderson made a 17-yard catch to the 3-yard line that set up Hambrick's touchdown. The effective rushing game set up Carter's passing game and a number of times throughout the game Carter would play fake the ball to Hambrick and then make a pass to a receiver.

Detroit Lions

There is very little positive that can be said about the Lions' game. The Lions put up the first points of the game after Dre Bly recovered a fumble and ran it back for a touchdown. But that's about it. And that touchdown became the last time that they would find the endzone and the Cowboys controlled the game from then on out. It was almost sad watching the Lions' defense try to stop the Cowboys; clearly exhausted from the amount of time they were spending on the field.

Joey Harrington completed 5 passes on 13 attempts for only 30 yards. After throwing his second interception in the second quarter, he was pulled from the game. When Mike McMahon replaced him the spark that the Lions' fans were clearly expecting just wasn't there. McMahon completed 5 passes for only 51 yards, all of those completions coming in the fourth quarter though he came into the game late in the second. McMahon gave up two costly turnovers that abruptly ended any momentum the Lions were gaining in the fourth quarter.

The Lions rushing game was just about as bad as the passing game. Shawn Bryson and Olandis Gary combined for a total of 57 yards rushing. Now granted in the second half the Lions weren't really focused on the rushing game. But neither Bryson nor Gary could find any room to run and were shut down by the Cowboys.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Dallas Cowboys

QB: Quincy Carter (18-25-190, 3 TDs, 0 Int, 2-13 rushing) Quincy Carter played a near flawless game. His offensive line gave him plenty of time to throw and Carter took advantage of the opportunities given to him. A penalty on the Lions during a Billy Cundiff field goal attempt gave Carter and the Cowboys a first down. Carter then threw a perfect pass right over the middle into the back of the end zone and connected with Terry Glenn for the touchdown. This was the first of three touchdown passes from Carter to Glenn on three consecutive drives.

Chad Hutchinson (1-2-8, 0 TD, 0 Int) Chad Hutchinson came in for Carter in the fourth quarter when the game was well in hand for the Cowboys. His play wasn't anything to write home about and the Cowboys were forced to punt on the three drives he led.

RB: Troy Hambrick (24-74 rushing, 1 TD, 2-15 receiving on 3 targets) Hambrick found a big hole in the middle and gained 13 yards on his opening carry. But the very next time he touched the ball, it was knocked out of his hands and the Lions returned it for a touchdown. But Hambrick bounced back and gained most of his yards and scored a touchdown during the third quarter when the Cowboys had secured the game and were quite effectively focused on running the ball and controlling the clock.

Richie Anderson (7-52 rushing, 3-3 receiving on 3 targets) Anderson made a short catch and powerfully turned it into a 17-yard reception to the 3-yard line setting up Hambrick's touchdown run during the third quarter. Anderson was an excellent blocker for Hambrick throughout the game and gave Hambrick plenty of running room.

WR: Terry Glenn (6-75 receiving on 7 targets, 3 TDs) Glenn's first catch of the day was a 20-yard reception for a touchdown. Glenn caught the ball in the back of the end zone and showed great athleticism dragging both of his feet to make sure they were in bounds. He went on to make 2 more touchdown catches on the Cowboys next two consecutive drives. Until Sunday, Glenn had never caught more than one touchdown pass in a game.

Antonio Bryant (4-57 receiving on 6 targets) Bryant was targeted once in the endzone, but dropped the ball as he hit the ground.

Joey Galloway (0-0 receiving on 2 targets) Galloway saw his first pass batted down, bringing a defensive pass interference call.

TE: Dan Campbell (2-28 receiving on 2 targets) Campbell's contributions to the game were minimal as he made two back to back catches in the second quarter.

K: Billy Cundiff (1-1 FG, 23-yards, 5XP) Cundiff made an impressive 53-yard field goal attempt in the first quarter, but a penalty on the Lions negated the field goal and gave the Cowboys a first down from which they were able to score a touchdown.

Pass Defense: The Cowboys' defense held both Mike McMahon and Joey Harrington to a combined total of 74 yards passing. Harrington was intercepted twice in the game. Dexter Coakley intercepted him in the second quarter and returned the ball to the Dallas 8-yard line setting up a Cowboys' touchdown. Mario Edwards intercepted Harrington and returned the ball 27-yards for a touchdown after which Harrington was pulled from the game. Late in the fourth quarter, Derek Ross intercepted Mike McMahon in the end zone bringing the game to a close.

Rush Defense: The Lions were held to only 83 yards rushing. The longest rush from a Lions' running back was for 7 yards. The Cowboys defense was able to shut down any rushing attempts to the outside. Late in the fourth quarter, Kenyon Coleman came up with a fumble recovery from a McMahon forced fumble.

Detroit Lions

QB: Joey Harrington (5-13-30, 0 TD, 2 Int) Harrington opened the game with plenty of time to throw but no open receivers. His first passing attempt to Corey Fitzsimmons was batted down. And while Quincy Carter was throwing touchdowns on back to back drives, Harrington was throwing interceptions. His second interception returned for a touchdown caused Steve Mariucci to pull him from the game.

Mike McMahon (5-20-51, 1 Int) McMahon came into the game late in the second quarter and could not get anything done either. He overthrew Az-Zahir Hakim on his first attempt after Hakim stopped short on his route. His second pass went incomplete forcing the Lions to punt the ball. The Lions only had the ball for one possession in the third quarter, and again McMahon was ineffective throwing two incompletions forcing the Lions to punt. Things got a little better in the fourth quarter when McMahon was finally able to connect with a receiver. But he fumbled the ball on a rushing attempt and turned over the ball. Later McMahon threw an interception in the end zone, bringing the game to a close.

RB: Olandis Gary (11-37 rushing, 0-0 receiving on 1 target) Gary was simply ineffective as a rusher for the Lions. He rushed for only 37 yards on 11 attempts. In the first quarter, Gary dove over the top of the pack to pick up a first down for the Lions. He had two rushes in the second quarter that gained a first down. But if those are the only positive things that can be said about a running back's game, then something is clearly wrong.

Shawn Bryson (6-20 rushing, 2-9 receiving on 2 targets) Bryson started the game at RB and rushed for 2 yards on his first attempt. But even though he started Bryson only rushed for a total of 20 yards.

WR: Scotty Anderson (3-27 receiving on 4 targets) Anderson's first catch was just short of a first down and the Lions were forced to punt. In the second quarter he made a short catch, but was shaken up on the play. Anderson did return after that but only made one more additional catch.

Bill Schroeder (1-26 receiving on 5 targets) It was a miserable outing for all of the Lions' receivers Schroeder included who only managed to catch one ball on his five targets.

Az-Zahir Hakim (1-4 receiving on 8 targets) Hakim received the most targets of any Lion receiver but only caught one pass. He dropped a number of passes that he should have caught. Inexplicably, Hakim stopped short on one of his routes and McMahon overthrew him.

TE: Corey Fitzsimmons (0-0 on 3 targets) Fitzsimmons got the start this week at TE for the Lions over Mikhael Ricks, but was ineffective in the role. In the fourth quarter, he dropped what should have been an easy catch. He then missed a catch in the end zone.

Mikhael Ricks (0-0 on 2 targets) Ricks was just as ineffective as Fitzsimmons was. McMahon's interception in the fourth quarter in the end zone was on a pass intended for Ricks.

K: Jason Hanson (1 XP) Hanson's sole contribution to the game was his extra point scored early in the first quarter.

Pass Defense: The Lions were beaten by the Cowboys and gave up 3 touchdown receptions to Quincy Carter and Terry Glenn. Quincy Carter was not hurried at all in the game, and responded by throwing for 190 total yards. Carter was sacked once by Corey Harris, who also forced the fumble that Dre Bly returned for a touchdown.

Rush Defense: The only bright spot in the whole game for the Lions was the forced fumble and recovery for a touchdown by Dre Bly. Troy Hambrick ran at will over the Lions for a total of 74 yards and fullback Richie Anderson contributed 52 additional yards. Hambrick had no problem finding holes right up the middle to make long gains.

New York Jets 19 at Houston Texans 14

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

New York Jets

QB Vinny Testaverde led a Jets' comeback from a early 14-0 deficit to defeat the Texans. The Jets offense was slow to be effective in the game as their first three series went without a first down, and their first four series resulted in a punt. (The Jets did not collect their first first down until early in the second quarter.) As the first half was drawing to a close, Testaverde led the Jets' on a 7-play, 91-yard drive that ended with an 18-yard touchdown pass to Santana Moss. Testaverde continued to bring the Jets back in the second half, leading them to two Doug Brien field goals, and a final, 8-play, 86-yard game winning touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter that culminated on Lamar Jordan's 8-yard touchdown run.

QB Chad Pennington was dressed for the game, and listed as the third quarterback for the Jets. Pennington is expected to play in next week's game.

RB Curtis Martin saw the majority of carries, but Lamar Jordan scored the Jets only rushing touchdown. Both backs looked pretty good running the ball, but neither was utilized much, especially in the passing game.

WR Santana Moss collected six receptions for 111 yards in the game, and scored the Jets only receiving touchdown. Moss made a 25-yard, finger tip reception in the fourth quarter that started the Jets' drive for their game winning touchdown. Moss also nearly made a 31-yard reception to the Texans' 3-yard line during the Jets' final drive, but was ruled out-of-bounds on the reception attempt.

WR Curtis Conway started the game for the injured Wayne Chrebet, but collected only one reception in the game. Conway did have an opportunity for a 13-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter, but this pass was knocked away by a Texans' defender.

PK Doug Brien made his 22nd and 23rd consecutive field goals from less than 40 yards in the second half. Brien also made his only point after touchdown attempt.

Houston Texans

The Texans' started out strong in the game, scoring touchdowns on two of their first three drives, and forcing the Jets to punt in their first four series. However, the Texans could not keep either the offensive or defensive momentum going through the remainder of the game, as the Jets stayed close long enough to score the game-winning touchdown late in the game. The Texans did have an opportunity to pull the game out on a final drive after J. J. Moses' 63-yard kickoff return, but the game ended on fourth down for the Texans as Andre Johnson could not hang on to a pass deep in Jets' territory that most likely would have resulted in a first down.

RB Domanick Davis was the focal point in the game for the Texans in the game, as he started his first career game and collected 129 yards rushing and 70 yards receiving. Davis' 129 yards was the first 100-yard rushing game in the Texans' short 2-year history. However, Davis did not cash in his success rushing and receiving by toting the ball into the endzone in the game. Veteran Stacey Mack scored both of the Texans' touchdowns, first from 10 yards out on first down, and again from one yard out on fourth down as Davis failed to score on three consecutive attempts from inside the 5-yard line. Davis was designed to be the offense leader very early in the game as on the Texans' first drive, Davis was responsible for 43 of the 61 yards gained that led to a Texans' touchdown.

The Texans seemed to focus on the short passing game, as Domanick Davis had nine of QB David Carr's 15 completions. Andre Johnson caught three receptions for 71 yards, with a long reception of 37 yards.

PK Kris Brown was successful on his two scoring attempts in the game, both point after touchdowns in the first half. Brown did not attempt a field goal in the game.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

New York Jets

QB: Vinny Testaverde, reportedly making his final start before the return of Chad Pennington next week, led a Jets' comeback from an early 14-0 deficit against the Texans. Testaverde was a very non-descript 15-for-29 for 182 yards passing in the game. Testaverde threw for one touchdown pass, an 18-yard score just before halftime, to cut the Texans' lead to 14-7. Testaverde was sacked twice in the game, and did not throw an interception.

RB: Curtis Martin and Lamar Jordan shared carries out of the Jets' backfield against the Texans, with Martin taking a majority of the rushing attempts and yardage (Martin, 17 for 88 yards; Jordan, 7 for 40 yards), but Jordan scoring the game-winning Jets' touchdown late in the 4th quarter on an 8-yard rush. Lamar Jordan also had two receptions for eight yards, and FB Jerald Sowell caught three passes for 29 yards.

WR: Santana Moss was the leading Jets' receiver in the game, collecting six receptions for 111 yards and 18-yard touchdown reception that started the Jets' scoring.

Curtis Conway, replacing the injured Wayne Chrebet, caught only one pass for three yards on the day, Conway's only catch came with about 10:00 remaining in the game.

TE: Anthony Becht made two receptions for 30 yards.

K: Doug Brien successfully converted two field goals from 39 and 30 yards out that reduced the Texans' lead to four and then one point late in the third quarter and the early fourth quarter, respectively. These two field goals continued Brien's streak of 23 consecutive field goals converted from less than 40 yards. Brien also converted his lone point after touchdown attempt. (The Jets failed on a 2-point pass on their second touchdown.)

Pass Defense: The Jets yielded 156 net passing yards in the game, with 102 of those coming in the first half. The Jets collected two sacks in the game, one for Shaun Ellis and the other for Vince Hobson. Ellis' sack extended his streak to nine consecutive games with at least one sack. LB Mo Lewis nearly intercepted a pass early in the game and deep in Texans' territory.

Run Defense: The Jets surrendered 169 rushing yards to the Texans in the game, yielding an average 4.7 yards per rushing attempt. The Jets gave up 106 yards rushing in the first half as the Texans jumped to a quick 14-0 lead. However, the Jets' run defense strengthened in the second half, as the defense shutdown the Texans over the remaining 2-1/2 quarters.

Houston Texans

QB: David Carr was 15-for-23 in the game with 233 yards passing. Carr did not throw a touchdown. Although sacked twice in the game, Carr generally had ample time in the pocket. Much of the Texans' passing game was structured for short passes as nine of his completions went to running backs (all to Domanick Davis). Although Carr did not throw an interception, he was lucky not to have incurred one as a pass early in the game and deep in Texans' territory was nearly intercepted by Jets' LB Mo Lewis. Carr also showed his youthful inexperience on the Texans' last offensive play of the game as he rifled a short pass to Andre Johnson that fell incomplete on fourth down which probably should have been thrown with more finesse.

RB: Domanick Davis made his first carrier start and was the primary focus of the offense, collecting 129 yards rushing on 29 carries and an additional 70 yards receiving on 9 catches. He quickly recognized where he needed to run when initial running lanes got too tight. Davis' number was called on often throughout the entire game. He constantly made people miss and had several nice runs where he could have been stopped for little to no gain. Davis also caught nine passes out of the backfield totally 70 yards.

Stacey Mack had 4 carries for 13 yards and 2 TDs. His first touchdown came on a 10-yard run while Davis was on the sideline getting a breather. The second TD came on a 1-yard dive after Davis was stuffed on three consecutive plays inside the Jet's 5-yard line. Mack did not catch a pass because he was not targeted in the passing game.

WR: Andre Johnson was David Carr's main WR target in the game, as Johnson collected 3 receptions for 70 yards.

Corey Bradford had only one reception for seven yards in the game, with his only reception coming in the last minute of the game on the Texans' last drive.

Jabar Gaffney also had only one reception in the game for eight yards.

TE: Billy Miller caught one pass for 14 yards in the game.

K: Kris Brown converted on his two point after touchdown attempts. Brown did not attempt a field goal in the game.

Pass Defense: The Texans pass defense improved greatly from their last game against the Titans, improving from 421 net passing yards in the Titans' game to only 160 net passing yards against the Jets. However, the Texans could not make the plays when necessary in the Jets' final game-winning drive. The Texans' collected two sacks in the game. CB Aaron Glenn did not play in the game.

Run Defense: The Texans held the Jets to 136 yards rushing in the game on an average of 5.0 yards per rushing attempt.

New England Patriots 19 at Miami Dolphins 13

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

New England Patriots

Tom Brady capped off what was until the last play a lackluster game with an 82 yard touchdown pass to Troy Brown with just over five minutes remaining in overtime. Brown, who is the self proclaimed "king of the 5 yard crossing route", ran right between both Dolphin safeties and Brady threw the ball 54 yards in the air right into Browns hands. Brown ran the last 28 yards to end the game.

Kevin Faulk had the most opportunities out of the backfield, but did not end up faring too well against a terrific Miami defense. A sign of the Patriots confidence in their RBs was Brady three times in the first half on 3rd and 2 or 3 trying the QB sneak all three times. The first time he was stopped, the second he fumbled and the third he finally made a first down.

The Defense came in with a fantastic game plan. The only TD they surrendered was a result of the Brady fumble on the Patriots 16 yard line. They held Ricky Williams in check for most of the day until he finally broke free for some good runs during overtime. DL Richard Seymour saved the game by blocking a 35 yard field goal attempt with 2 minutes remaining in regulation.

Miami Dolphins

QB Jay Fiedler sprained his left knee and it's being evaluated.

The star of the game for the Dolphins was not Ricky Williams for once. Randy McMichael had his best game of the season catching 8 balls for 102 yards. Williams finished with a respectable 97 yards on the ground, but he benefited from the extra period gaining 24 of his yards in OT.

Derrius Thompson finally show some promise for a Dolphins receiver other than Chris Chambers. During the week, Thompson was quoted as being "embarrassed" that he only has 7 catches on the season. Thompson caught only 3 passes, but was targeted several times including a 40 yard pass in the first quarter that ended up being intercepted.

The defense would have had a very good day if not for Brown's long TD. The Dolphins are allowing a league leading 11.2 points per game and no team had scored more than 10 points on them since the Texans in week one. Had Mare connected at the end of regulation or on his one attempt in OT, they would have still held New England to only 13 points and about 260 yards of offense.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

New England Patriots

QB: Tom Brady (24-34/283/2TD/0Int, 2 fumbles) still hasn't returned to his 2001 or 2002 form, but thanks to the game winner, he finished the day with good stats. He had another TD pass called back because of offensive pass interference on an offensive lineman who had lined up as an eligible receiver. He also overthrew Deion Branch on what would have been a 40 yard completion in the 4th quarter.

RB: Kevin Faulk (18-38) got the start over Mike Cloud, but was mostly ineffective on the ground but did catch 5 balls out of the backfield for 31 yards. The Dolphins defense gave him no room to run as his long carry went for 6 yards. Cloud didn't fare any better gaining 8 yards on 5 carries.

WR: Troy Brown (6-131/1TD) led all receivers on the day. His game winning TD was likely the result of the Dolphins safeties being shocked to see him running a route beyond 10 yards. No one thought that was in the playbook and surprise, it wins the game.

Deion Branch had a good day with 6 catches for 62 yards and was overthrown after he got open deep on what would have been a 40 yard catch.

David Givens made the most of his playing time (due to injuries to other WR's) hauling in 3 balls for 34 yards and a TD.

TE: Christian Fauria continued to display his TD skills catching a TD in the first quarter. Unfortunately, it was called back due to a penalty and he ended up only catching 2 passes for 16 yards.

K: Adam Vinatieri made both his attempts which were both from short yardage (25,30) and his PAT.

Pass Defense: The pass defense played great all day except for one key element - they forgot about the TE. McMichael accounted for 102 of the 230 yards allowed by the Patriots through the air. The defense ended up with only 1 sack on the day, but they did get good pressure on Fiedler and ended up with 2 interceptions, both of which were great plays by the defenders (not cheap tipped balls).

Rush Defense: You have to give the rush defense a B+ on the day. Had it not been for overtime, it would have been an A. Of Ricky Williams' 27 carries, 21 were for 3 yards or less.

Miami Dolphins

QB: Jay Fiedler (20-35/230/1TD/2Int) had a below average day. I guess you can't hold it against him that he was bailed out of a horrible day by his TE. He also benefited from good coaching after he completed a pass to Thompson for 31 yards in OT, replays clearly showed that Thompson stepped out of bounds both before he caught the pass and before he came down with the ball. The officials missed both and the Dolphins hurried to the line and ran a quick handoff to Williams before the booth upstairs could review the play. QB Jay Fiedler sprained his left knee and it's being evaluated.

RB: Ricky Williams (27-94) continues to be on pace to break Jamal Anderson's single season attempts record. His 27 carries gives him 161 carries in 6 games (27 per game…funny how that works out - Anderson's record is 410). Although he didn't find the end zone, he did catch 2 balls for 9 yards. His best run of the day came on the last drive in regulation - 3rd and 9 from the NE 31 yard line, Williams got the ball on a draw play and appeared to be tackled 4 yards short of the first down - but he kept his knee from hitting the ground a la Randal Cunningham and got up from almost prone to keep running and get the first down. Make sure to catch the replay…it's worth it.

WR: Derrius Thompson (3-65) was the leading receiver and did have a TD called back after his knee barely hit the ground following a great leaping catch and run in the second quarter. He also made another leaping catch in the back of the end zone, but his momentum carried him just over the line and he was correctly ruled out of bounds. Chris Chambers (3-30/1TD) found the end zone on a nice quick slant between two Patriot defenders in the red zone. Chambers was also a deep target on the next to last play of the game when Fiedler was intercepted by Ty Poole.

TE: The one bright spot for Miami was the play of Randy McMichael (8-102). On the season, he had yet to catch more than four passes in any game and he still only has 1 TD. McMichael kept drives alive all day taking advantage of single coverage by the Patriots' linebackers. He has the talent to keep delivering games like this so long as Fiedler takes advantage of him.

K: Olindo Mare had a tough game. Before Sunday, he had only connected on 5 chances (on 7 tries) which is only 1 FG per game. He did hit his first two tries (23,34) but with the game on the line he missed twice. The first on from 35 yards was blocked and the overtime attempt from the same exact spot sailed wide right. Somewhat in his defense was the misfortune of the Florida team to make the World Series thus leaving the dirt infield on which both of Mare's misses were attempted from.

Pass Defense: The defense also played great all day. No interceptions were just as much Brady not forcing anything. Only one sack was also misleading as Brady was under pressure for most of the day, he just benefits from the Patriots short passing attack. Take away the long pass and Brady ends up with just over 200 yards.

Rush Defense: The heart of this defense is it's reluctance to give up yards on the ground. The Patriots gained 59 total yards on 29 carries. Just over 2 yards per attempt.

Tennessee Titans 37 at Carolina Panthers 17

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Tennessee Titans

The Titans came in to Ericsson Stadium and combined an early turnover, a strong defense, a trick play and QB Steve McNair to take the Carolina Panthers out of their game plan. They completely shut down the Panther's running game and opened up a 27-3 halftime lead, forcing Carolina to abandon the run and throw to try and get back in it. It started when the Panther's muffed the opening kick and Tennessee took only five plays to put it in the end zone.

QB Steve McNair only threw for 190 yards, completing 12 of 22 attempts, but he also ran for the first score from seven yards out, threw for another after escaping the pocket, and showed why he is one of the most complete quarterbacks in the game today. His numbers didn't really show the way that he dominated the game. To show how dominant he can be he even completed a pass to himself.

The Titan's used a trick play on 4th and 2 from the 50-yard line to score their second touchdown. They had the offensive line set up to the far left, put backup QB Billy Volek in the shotgun with the center in the middle of the field and he threw a pass to WR Eddie Berlin, who took it 50 yards for the score. The Panthers looked like they were expecting a punt and failed to call a time out when they should have recognized the punter wasn't in the game.

WR Drew Bennett led the Titan receivers, catching 4 balls for 97 yards and a score.

RB Eddie George continued his struggles, gaining 51 yards on 18 carries. Backup RB Robert Holcombe ran for 53 yards on 2 less carries.

Carolina Panthers

The Panthers depend on a strong defense and running game to win. They had not given up any points in the first quarter this year, allowing them to use that game plan and riding it to a 5-0 start. But the Titans scored 17 points in the first quarter, causing Carolina to abandon the running game early and do something their coach doesn't feel comfortable doing, pass the football.

QB Jake Delhomme had a fantastic day for fantasy football, throwing for 362 yards, 2 touchdowns and no interceptions. He completed 31 of 49 passes and the numbers would have been better if not for a couple of drops.

RB Stephen Davis couldn't get anything going in this game. He finished with 20 yards on 11 carries. The entire team managed only 44 yards rushing. While talk leading up to the game centered on not putting too big of a load on Davis falling behind early isn't how they wanted to see his carries reduced.

WR Steve Smith had a second straight 100-yard receiving game, pulling in 10 passes for 151 yards and a touchdown (67 yards). He was QB Delhomme's favorite target.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Tennessee Titans

QB: Steve McNair (12-22-190 1 TD passing, 2-30 1 TD rushing, 1-4 receiving, 1 "target") had a far more dominating game than his numbers would suggest. He ran for the first touchdown after protection broke down and he couldn't find a receiver. He also was able to avoid the rush and, after getting out of the pocket threw a pass to WR Drew Bennett in the back of the end zone for the third Titan's touchdown of the first half. He wasn't required to do much more than that and was actually able to come out of the game with about half the fourth quarter remaining. He did have a few balls batted down at the line, with one coming right back into his arms for what he turned into a 4-yard reception.

Billy Volek (1-2-50 1 TD passing) replaced Steve McNair with about half the fourth quarter left. Prior to that, however, he had thrown a 50-yard touchdown pass on a trick play from a fourth and two that left the Panther defense confused.

RB: Eddie George (18-51 rushing) had what has become his typical game - very few yards, a horrible average per carry, and no touchdowns. He seems to run into the backs of his own linemen and on the occasion that he finds a hole it closes quicker than he can get through it. He was not targeted all game as he comes out on obvious passing downs, and he is even spending more time on the sidelines when it would be considered a more traditional running down.

Robert Holcombe (16-53 rushing, 1-3 receiving, 2 targets) was the more effective of the running backs in this game, but not by much. He is coming close to being on the field as much as Eddie George and is certainly more involved in the passing game.

WR: Drew Bennett (4-97 1 TD receiving, 6 targets) was the primary receiver for QB Steve McNair. Bennett made a beautiful adjustment on a long pass from McNair, turning around while running in full stride and managing to stay with the ball and catch it while falling down, resulting in a 48-yard gain.

Derrick Mason (2-39 receiving, 2 targets) had a very quiet game after last week's monster outing. He caught both of the balls thrown his way, averaging almost 20 yards per catch.

Eddie Berlin (1-50 1 TD receiving, 1 target from Volek) scored on the trick play on 4th down, taking a pass from QB Billy Volek a couple of yards past the line of scrimmage and turning up the right sideline and outracing everyone to the end zone.

Justin McCareins (1-17 receiving, 4 targets) received 4 targets, including a couple in the red zone. He managed just the one catch.

Tyrone Calico (1-20 receiving, 3 targets) had one catch but was not a factor in the game.

Jake Schifino (1 target from Volek) was not a factor in the game.

TE: Erron Kinney (2-10 receiving, 2 targets) had only the 2 balls thrown his way and he caught them both.

K: Gary Anderson (3-3 FGs (40,32,34 yards) 4-4 XP) was perfect, however there was a bad snap on another field goal try that turned into an incomplete pass for holder Craig Hentrich.

Pass Defense: The Titan's sacked QB Jake Delhomme 4 times but they also allowed two touchdowns and 362 yards in the air. The Panthers went 3 and out four of their first five possessions. The Titans also returned a fumble after a pass reception for a touchdown.

Rush Defense: The rush defense was superb, allowing only 44 yards to the Panthers for the entire game. That's 2.59 yards per carry. This unit was not going to allow the Panthers to run on them. They did not allow a touchdown and stopped RB Stephen Davis for a loss or no gain on almost half of his carries.

Carolina Panthers

QB: Jake Delhomme (31-49-362 2 TD passing, 2-9 rushing) played a very good game from a fantasy perspective. He is normally not asked to throw this much but he did so effectively. He hit WR Steve Smith down the sideline with a perfect pass that went for 67 yards and a touchdown. He would have had even better numbers but his receivers dropped a couple of balls. He did have a fumble that was recovered by the Titans.

RB: Stephen Davis (11-20 rushing, 1-9 receiving, 1 target) had his worst game as a Carolina Panther. The Titans were determined to make sure that Davis didn't beat them and he had what seemed like all 11 Tennessee defenders around him every time he touched the ball. He came into the game with a bruised forearm and left with a bruised ego. He had no gain or was dropped for a loss on 5 of his 11 carries. His longest run was for 11 yards and he averaged less than 2 yards per carry. The defense and eventually the score made Davis ineffective.

DeShaun Foster (2-10 rushing, 4-20 receiving, 4 targets) came in to give RB Stephen Davis the occasional break but he wasn't much more successful at running against the Titans defense. He also had a big fumble that was returned for a touchdown after he had caught a pass in the fourth quarter. Foster was more involved in the passing game than Davis.

Nick Goings (1-7 rushing, 4-38 1 TD receiving, 4 targets) came in late in the game and had a touchdown reception on a short pass which saw him leap over the goal line. He was hit while in the air and landed awkwardly. He was shaken up, but after a short time he was able to walk off under his own power.

Brad Hoover (3-25 receiving, 4 targets) helped set the tone for the game early when he dropped the opening kick-off and the Titans recovered it.

Rod Smart (1-3 receiving, 1 target) was not a factor in the game.

WR: Steve Smith (10-151 1 TD receiving, 1- -2 rushing, 14 targets) was the best weapon the Panthers had. Besides his 10 catches and one touchdown he had several nice returns on special teams. He was the most targeted receiver, getting twice the looks of both WR Muhsin Muhammad and Ricky Proehl. He showed his speed on several plays after making a catch, oftentimes on plays over the middle. His touchdown reception was a pass down the left sideline that was right in his hands. He made a couple of moves and outran the Titan defenders to the end zone.

Muhsin Muhammad (2-70 receiving, 7 targets) only caught 2 of the 7 balls thrown his way. One pass went for 60 yards, much of the yardage coming after the catch as he fought off a couple of tacklers.

Ricky Proehl (2-12 receiving, 7 targets), usually sure-handed, had two drops to go with his two catches.

TE: Kris Mangum (4-34 receiving, 5 targets) caught several passes near the end of the game.

Jermaine Wiggins (1 target) was not a factor in the game.

K: John Kasay (1-1 FG (53 yards) 2-2 XP) was perfect on his kicks.

Pass Defense: Overall this unit didn't play that well. While they held QB Steve McNair to under 200 yards they allowed another 50 on a trick play that went for a touchdown. They also allowed McNair to throw for a score. They did sack McNair 3 times and knocked down several passes at the line but they couldn't do enough to stop the Titan passing game when it mattered.

Rush Defense: This unit held Titan running backs to just over 3 yards per carry, allowing 104 yards on 34 carries. They also allowed QB Steve McNair to scramble twice for 30 yards and one touchdown, so the final results weren't that impressive. Middle linebacker Dan Morgan went off early in the game which certainly affected this unit.

Washington Redskins 7 at Buffalo Bills 24

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Washington Redskins

Ladell Betts had a chance to shine with Trung Canidate injured. Betts was injured himself leaving the game with what is believed to be a broken arm. No timetable for return is known at this time. Betts did not make the most of his start with only 11 yards before giving way to Chad Morton and Rock Cartwright in the second half.

Patrick Ramsey was suffering through a terrible game until leaving the game early in the fourth quarter with an injury on his throwing hand. The Redskins continue to provide little or no protection for him. Before the injury, Ramsey had trouble holding on to the ball while fumbling a snap at the Buffalo goal line and having the ball slip from his hand later, fumbling twice on one play.

Washington's defense could not stop the run, setting themselves up to be beaten on the play action pass.

The Redskins looked lethargic prompting coach Steve Spurrier to say, "I don't know how much fight we had in our team out there."

Buffalo Bills

Travis Henry showed great vision picking the holes on the sweep and toughness breaking tackles with his still sore ribs on 31 carries. Henry picked up his first hundred yard game of the season, dominating the game. First round selection Willis McGahee had drawn much attention this week practicing and Henry appeared to be making a statement.

Drew Bledsoe ran the play action to perfection, completing medium length passes without a deep threat. Eric Moulds missed his second consecutive game due to his groin injury.

Without Moulds in the line up, Josh Reed had a season high eight catches by catching everything thrown his way. He utilized his size and strength making several tough catches in traffic and finally looked to be the receiver everyone thought he would be.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Washington Redskins

QB: Patrick Ramsey (9-26-115, 1 TD, 0 INT) left the game early in the fourth quarter with a hand injury. He continues to get punished as the Redskins provide him little or no protection. He struggled to hold on to the ball and in the course of two plays, suffered three fumbles. Ramsey spread the ball around to his receivers even though they didn't produce many yards.

Rob Johnson (1-3-4, 0 TD, 0 INT) ran for his life and was ineffective. Pretty much as he always does.

RB: Trung Canidate did not play due to an ankle injury.

Ladell Betts (8-11 rushing) started but was not effective before leaving the game with what is believed to be a broken arm. There weren't many details available as of this writing and the Redskins are entering their bye week.

Chad Morton (7-32 rushing, 1-3 receiving, 2 targets) started the second half as the feature back. He provided a nice change-of-pace as a speed back. Had a screen deflected incomplete. Added 104 return yards.

FB Rock Cartwright (4-18 rushing, 0-0 receiving, 1 target) ran a short-yardage play and shared carries with Morton in the second half. He let a pass go through his hands on a short out.

FB Bryan Johnson (0-0 rushing, 1-4 receiving, 2 targets) had a 12-yard reception called back on a hold.

WR: Laveranues Coles (1-minus 11 rushing, 3-58 receiving, 6 targets) caught the first Washington reception in the second quarter. Had a short slant pass and a 35-yarder into the end zone broken up. Coles was overthrown in the end zone from 25 yards out.

Rod Gardner (2-28 1 TD receiving, 8 targets) was targeted more than the other wide receivers but was not able to produce many yards. He missed several times on deep routes.

Darnerien McCants (2-17 receiving, 5 targets) made a tough catch in traffic from six yards out but was stopped at the half-yard line. Was thrown behind twice by Rob Johnson.

Patrick Johnson (1-9 receiving, 3 targets) had a 15-yard crossing route knocked away and was missed on a 10-yard out as Ramsey was pressured.

TE: Were not a receiving target. Waiver pickup Byron Chamberlain was kept in to block, but has never been known as a blocker.

K: John Hall (0-0 FG, 1-1 XP) had his kickoffs fall surprisingly short.

Pass Defense: The Redskins were open against the play action as they tried to stop the run. Bledsoe had struggled recently but found his old form against Washington.

Rush Defense: Washington came out flat and again allowed a weak-running team rack up yards against them. Like Bledsoe, Henry had struggled lately but looked great against Washington.

Buffalo Bills

QB: Drew Bledsoe (19-26-244, 1 TD, 1 INT) ran the play action to perfection, completing medium-length passes without a deep threat. His only interception was a poor decision with a half-minute to go in the first half and the Bills inside the Redskin 30.

RB: Travis Henry (31-167 2 TD rushing, 1-13 receiving, 2 targets) showed great vision picking the holes on the sweep and great toughness breaking tackles with his still sore ribs. Henry picked up his first hundred yard game of the season, dominating the game. He lost 18 rushing yards that were nullified by penalty. The talk out of Buffalo this week centered on first round selection Willis McGahee practicing. McGahee's been a sore spot for Henry ever since the draft. While Henry publicly downplays it, this looked like a "statement" game.

Joe Burns (3-6 rushing, 0-0 receiving, 0 targets) got all his carries in the last four minutes of the ballgame.

Sammy Morris did not play.

WR: Bobby Shaw (3-23 receiving, 8 targets) got the start in place of the injured Moulds. Had a short hitch thrown at his feet, a screen go high off his hands and a deep sideline route broken up. He was the also the target on a five-yard hitch that was intercepted.

Josh Reed (8-109 1 TD receiving, 8 targets) had a breakout day catching everything thrown in his direction. He utilized his size and strength making several tough catches in traffic showing he is best utilized as a possession receiver.

Clarence Coleman (2-22 receiving, 2 targets) caught Bledsoe's first pass of the day.

TE: Mark Campbell (3-36 receiving, 4 targets) was the safety valve on an incompletion under pressure.

Ryan Neufeld (1-25 receiving, 2 targets) caught the first catch of his career while wide open on a play action. Was the target on a pressured dump that went incomplete.

K: Rian Lindell (1-1 FG, 3-3 XP) hit a solid 20-yarder on his only attempt.

Pass Defense: The front four provided pressure all day. Although burned once by Coles, CB Antoine Winfield provided strong coverage throughout the game.

Rush Defense: DT Sam Adams was effective despite being hampered with an ankle injury. The Bills totally shut down Ladell Betts and were pretty effective against Morton and Cartwright as they replaced Betts.

Chicago Bears 17 at Seattle Seahawks 24

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Chicago Bears

QB Chris Chandler fared no better than Kordell Stewart in his first start. Chandler attempted to execute the short passing game with limited success. Chandler was hit hard and often early in the game by Seattle's pass rush causing Chandler to get rid of the ball quickly gaining less than 5 yards per passing attempt in the game.

Filling in for injured RB Anthony Thomas, RB Adrian Peterson ran hard and did serious damage during the second quarter of the game. The massive Chicago offensive line does much better trying to blow people off the line instead of pass blocking. Peterson suffered a foot injury early in the fourth quarter and did not return. RB Rabih Abdullah replaced Thomas after the injury.

Suffering from injuries at numerous positions before the game started, matters only got worse for the Bears. RB Adrian Peterson, TE Desmond Clark, and WR Ahmad Merritt did not finish the game.

Seattle Seahawks

WR Bobby Engram was handed an increased role in the game leading Seattle in targets and scoring their lone receiving TD. He almost had two TDs, but dropped a pass that resulted in a Chicago interception. Jackson and Robinson owners should not read too much into these events. Engram's role is set in Seattle. He will continue to be the third down specialist and slot receiver when Seattle goes to three WR sets. His use in this game should be viewed as more of an aberration instead of a trend.

RB Shaun Alexander was shut down through three and a half quarters. Chicago kept eight in the box for most of the game daring Hasselbeck to beat them deep. After Chicago came back and tied the game in the fourth quarter, Alexander ripped off several long runs including the game winning TD.

Seattle out gained Chicago 335 yards to 211 yards, but turnovers and penalties allowed Chicago to "hang around" and stay in the game. It appeared that Seattle was taking the Bears lightly and didn't pick it up until late. QB Matt Hasselbeck's laughing after a deflected ball was intercepted in the endzone best summed up the Seahawk's attitude. Even though the game was tied, they never appeared to play like the outcome was in question.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Chicago Bears

QB: Chris Chandler: (19-34-149 yards passing 2 INT, 4-4 yards rushing, 2 pt) Chris Chandler got his first start of the year replacing Kordell Stewart. It still isn't clear whether Stewart was benched do to his injury or his ineffective play. Chandler led Chicago on four scoring drives, but three ended in FGs and Chandler was unable to complete any passes down field. He only had two completions longer than 10 yards (with a long of 20) in the game. Chandler did not have time to take seven step drops and look down field. Chandler put his head down and took a big hit in scoring the game tying 2-point conversion. He got up very slowly.

RB: Anthony Thomas: Did not play due to injury.

Adrian Peterson: (16-55 yards rushing, 1-5 yards receiving on 1 target) Peterson looked great in the first half. 7 of his first 8 carries went for 4+ yards. Seattle stacked the line in the third quarter and took away the run game for Chicago. Peterson suffered an ankle injury at the beginning of the fourth quarter and didn't return. He was seen on the sideline with his entire foot wrapped in ice and elevated.

Rabih Abdullah: (3-4 yards rushing, 0-0 yards receiving on 0 targets) Abdullah replaced Peterson after his injury and would be worth a look if both Thomas and Peterson were still out.

Stanley Pritchett: (4-19 yards rushing 1 TD, 0-0 yards receiving on 2 targets) Pritchett scored the lone Chicago TD, but was not a significant part of the Chicago game plan. Pritchett dropped both of his passing targets. One put a stall on the first Chicago drive in the fourth quarter that resulted in another PK Edinger field goal.

WR: Marty Booker: Did not play due to injury.

Dez White: (6-35 yards receiving on 12 targets) White was the focus of an anemic passing game. His long reception of the game was 8 yards. Even if he could get open, QB Chris Chandler would have been flat on his back by the time White got down field. White was targeted once in the endzone. He also was the target on the interception that ended the game.

David Terrell: (4-34 yards receiving on 7 targets) Terrell did not have much impact on the game. On a positive note, he was targeted in the end zone and drew a pass interference flag on Shawn Springs late in the game that led to the Pritchett 1 yard TD.

Justin Gage: (2-26 yards receiving on 5 targets) Gage caught the longest pass (20 yards) in the game for Chicago and tied for the most targets in the second half (5).

TE: Desmond Clark: (3-19 yards receiving on 4 targets) Clark made all three of his receptions in the third quarter, but left the game with an injured toe early in the fourth. He did not return. He was seen on the sideline with his foot wrapped in ice. In the second quarter Seattle intercepted a deflected ball that hit Clark in the hands.

K: Paul Edinger: (3-3 FG, 50, 35, and 40, 0-0 XP) Edinger hit all three of his field goal attempts. He missed out on an XP attempt when Chicago successfully went for 2 to tie the game.

Pass Defense: Tillman and McQuarters were on an island all afternoon with little safety help. They both drew multiple flags trying to keep up with Jackson and Robinson. Chicago blitzed all game long and forced Hasselbeck to take the dump off passes. The strategy kept them in the game until the fourth quarter.

Rush Defense: Chicago did a great job of keeping RB Shaun Alexander pinned down for most of the game. However, Alexander torched them for 60 rushing yards in the last four minutes. Only one of Alexander's first fifteen carries went for more than 4 yards.

Seattle Seahawks

QB: Matt Hasselbeck: (19-26-215 yards passing 1 TD 1 INT, 3-13 yards rushing) In a bizarre twist, the ball that Hasselbeck threw for a TD was horribly under thrown, but Engram made a great adjustment on the ball for the score. On a great throw, he hit Engram in the hands in the end zone that resulted in an interception. Hasselbeck did a nice job of stepping forward into the pocket and he noticeably went through his progressions checking off to his second and even third options on multiple pass plays. Hasselbeck also scrambled for two first downs when things fell apart in the pocket.

RB: Shaun Alexander: (21-101 yards rushing 2 TD, 4-21 yards receiving on 5 targets) With four minutes left in the game Alexander's stat line read 15 carries for 41 yards and a 1-yard TD (one of those carries was for 20 yards). Alexander did lots of dancing behind his line looking for big plays early on. Immediately after Chicago tied up the game, Alexander went off. He ran for 60 yards during the final 4 minutes mostly off tackle behind LT Walter Jones and LG Steve Hutchinson including the game winning TD. Also of note, Alexander's only non-reception target drew a flag resulting in a Seattle first down.

Mack Strong: (3-11 yards rushing, 3-18 yards receiving on 3 targets) Strong added his normal contribution of a few carries and a few catches. His small outburst last week should be viewed as an anomaly. Alexander owners worried about Strong stealing goal line carries have little to worry about.

Maurice Morris: Speculation during the week with regard to Alexander's injuries led to lots of discussion about a possible Morris contribution this week. However, Morris only returned kickoffs during the game.

WR: Koren Robinson: (3-65 yards receiving on 8 targets) The hamstring injury did not appear to affect Robinson. Robinson flashed the potential that makes coaches drool and the inconsistency that makes coaches shake their heads. He made two great plays leaving DBs in the dust during the second quarter for 24 and 32-yard gains. He also suffered two drops on balls that hit his hands. On top of that he fumbled away the ball after a reception in the fourth quarter that led to the lone Chicago TD. On another positive note Robinson drew multiple flags on Chicago DBs that couldn't stay with him, including the play that preceded Alexander's game winning TD.

Darrell Jackson: (2-31 yards receiving on 5 targets) Jackson was the only Seattle WR targeted deep down the sideline in the game. Also, Jackson drew a pass interference call in the end zone that led to the Shaun Alexander 1-yard TD.

Bobby Engram: (6-73 yards receiving 1 TD on 9 targets) There was special interest in the week leading up to this game for Engram because Chicago was the team that he caught 246 balls for in the first 5 years of his career. Chicago released him in 2000 after he blew out a knee. Engram started the game (3 WR set) and was the target on the first play of the game. He was also scored on deep sideline route that he hasn't run all year until Sunday. He made a great adjustment to a terribly under thrown pass. He almost put an exclamation point on his performance with a second TD, but the ball was dropped and flipped up in the air resulting in an interception. Local media commented that Engram might play a larger role due to Robinson's tender hamstring.

TE: Itula Mili: (1-7 yards receiving on 1 target) Mili didn't have a target until the fourth quarter. He didn't start the game due to the 3 WR set. Seattle went three wide for most of the game resulting in a minimal impact on the game from Mili.

Jeremy Stevens: (0-0 yards receiving on 0 targets) Stevens did not have his name mentioned once during the game.

K: Josh Brown: (1-2 FG made 45 missed 50, 3-3 XP) Brown missed from 50 yards to end the first Seattle possession.

Pass Defense: Seattle put serious pressure on Chandler early on with multiple blitzes from various positions. They recorded three first half sacks. Chicago adjusted in the second half and Chandler got rid of the ball quickly using only three step drops.

Rush Defense: Seattle stacked the line most of the game, but still looked vulnerable to the run during several stretches. RB Adrian Peterson had consecutive carries of 4, 5, 10, 9, 4, and 10 yards during the second quarter resulting in two Chicago FGs. At the half Chicago had 62 yards rushing, but ended up with only 87 yards in the game. They were forced to try and move the ball quickly in the air trying to catch up.

Denver Broncos 20 at Minnesota Vikings 28

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Denver Broncos

QB Steve Beuerlein got the call to lead the 5-1 Broncos into Minnesota to face the undefeated Vikings. Beuerlein, filling in for the injured starting QB Jake Plummer (who is out 3-5 weeks due to a broken foot), also fell victim to the contagious injury bug. Late in the third quarter, Beuerlein was under duress from the Viking front four, as he was all day, and hit his hand on a helmet and fell awkwardly after a pass attempt. He immediately looked to the sideline for assistance for his dislocated right (throwing hand) little finger. Late word from the Denver Broncos web site described Beuerlein as being out three to four weeks.

Third string QB Danny Kanell took over the reins of the Denver offense, guiding the Broncos on a late game comeback attempt. Kanell looked more at ease in the backfield, in part due to a quicker release than Beuerlein, and also reliance on TE Shannon Sharpe. Sharpe caught five of his seven balls from Kanell, including his first two pass attempts upon entering the game.

RB Clinton Portis was the majority of the Denver offense until Kanell entered the game, gaining 112 all-purpose yards (75 rush, 37 receiving) in the first half and a score. This was an incredible total, considering that Denver only gained 132 net yards in prior to halftime (which does include 40 yards lost on 5 sacks).

Denver's low offensive output led to the first time that the Broncos failed to score in the first quarter and also the first time they trailed at halftime this season. The defense did not help matters either, as Minnesota advanced the ball seemingly at will via the passing game.

Minnesota Vikings

The undefeated (5-0) Minnesota Vikings celebrated Week 7 with the return of starting QB Daunte Culpepper under center. Culpepper picked up right where he left off, completing passes at will to All Pro WR Randy Moss. Short passes, long passes, double and triple coverage - none of it mattered. Moss and Culpepper put on a display of offense rarely seen at the NFL level. It was hard to believe that Culpepper was returning from a back injury, and Moss still claims to be "not at 100%" due to his continued back spasms.

"Culpepper to Moss" was good for 10 catches on 12 targets for 151 yards, and a touchdown. However, only Culpepper got credit for the TD, not Moss. On what may be the highlight of the year, Culpepper scrambled on the final play of the first half near midfield before launching a high arcing toss to Randy Moss. Moss, surrounded by Broncos, was able to leap and catch the ball inside the Denver 15 just as time expired. The drama continued to unfold as Moss lateraled over his shoulder to a streaking Moe Williams, who caught the ball mid stride and scampered the final 14 yards for the touchdown.

While it would seem that Minnesota was in complete control of the game, the Vikings were their own worst enemy. The Vikings committed a season high 14 penalties for 108 yards, constantly slowing their offensive progress. Before the Moss-Williams lateral before the half, Minnesota had only mustered a lone touchdown on a deep strike to WR Kelly Campbell.

Similarly to the Minnesota-Atlanta game in Week 5, the Vikings showed a renewed commitment to the running game after the half. Williams and RB Onterrio Smith teamed for 7 carries, 40 yards and the only rushing touchdown of the game all in the third quarter.

Minnesota's pass defense dominated Denver, especially prior to Beuerlein's injury-induced departure in the third quarter. The Viking front four applied constant pressure, recording 5 sacks and hurrying Denver's passing game into committing three interceptions.

One other noteworthy event came late in the fourth quarter, where Minnesota declined to attempt a 50-yard field goal attempt and went for the first down on 4th-and-3. This looked to be related to K Aaron Elling's ailing back. K Jose Cortez was signed this week and kicked off for the Vikings, whereas Elling only attempted the four extra points - no field goals were tried.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Denver Broncos

QB: Jake Plummer did not dress for the game and was in the coach's box upstairs all game. Plummer suffered a broken foot and is listed out 3-5 weeks.

Steve Beuerlein (9-19-119, 0 TD, 3 INTs) did not have a very good game at all. Under constant pressure, Beuerlein threw three interceptions and was sacked five times. Beuerlein was forced to leave the game with 3 minutes left in the third quarter due to a dislocated right pinky finger. Beuerlein, who is right handed, is reportedly out three to four weeks.

Danny Kanell (12-18-104, 1 TD, 0 INT) entered the game as Beuerlein's replacement, and fared much better. Kanell was able to rely on RB Clinton Portis' and TE Shannon Sharpe's sure hands, as they were responsible for the first three plays after Kanell entered the game. Sharpe collected 5 of his 7 catches from Kanell. Kanell also completed the lone touchdown pass for Denver on the day, a one-yard strike to FB Mike Anderson.

RB: Clinton Portis (25-117-1 TD rushing, 3-43 receiving, 4 targets) had a strong game, but was under-utilized late in the contest due to Denver being down by as many as 18 points in the second half. Portis accounted for 112 all-purpose yards in the first half, a significant portion of the Denver productivity (Denver had 132 net yards at halftime).

Reuben Droughns (0-0 rushing, 3-28 receiving, 3 targets) had three catches in the second quarter for 28 yards, but was not a factor in the second half. Droughns did contribute on special teams, returning two kickoffs for 40 yards.

FB Mike Anderson (1-13 rushing, 1-1 receiving, 1 TD, 1 target) continued to set the table for Portis, but also had a 13-yard carry in the second quarter and a single reception for one yard and a score in the fourth quarter.

WR: Ashley Lelie (3-43 receiving, 9 targets) received a number of looks, including two targets in the end zone, but was only able to collect 3 balls for 43 yards. The large ratio of targets to catches was more indicative with Beuerlein's inaccuracy and being under a constant pass rush than any issue with Lelie's playmaking ability. In fact, one of the targets was Beuerlein's second interception, where Lelie was well out of range to make a play for the ball.

Rod Smith (3-24 receiving, 9 targets) had a very similar game to Ashley Lelie. Smith was the unfortunate recipient of two targets that were Beuerlein's two other interceptions. Neither of those were close enough to Smith for him to possibly make a catch.

Chris Cole (0-0 receiving, 1-8 rushing) carried the ball once on an end-around (a favorite Bronco play) for eight yards. Cole's only other touches came on special teams, as he ran back two kickoffs for a total of 60 yards.

Adrian Madise (1-5 receiving, 2 targets) made one catch for five yards, and could not haul in the second pass in the end zone due to pass interference.

Ed McCaffrey was inactive due to an injury.

TE: Shannon Sharpe (7-79 receiving, 10 targets) played an excellent game, and was the most targeted receiver for Denver on the day. All of Sharpe's catches came in the second half, as Denver played catch up on the scoreboard. Also of note was that Sharpe was drilled on a crossing route in a helmet-to-helmet collision in the second quarter, but returned to the game. Sharpe served as Kanell's safety valve, collecting 5 of his 7 catches from Kanell after he quarterbacking change.

K: Jason Elam (2/2 FG, 46 yards each, 2-2 XP) Elam had a successful game completing two field goals and two extra point attempts.

Pass Defense: The Broncos pass defense could not contain Randy Moss at all. Culpepper passed at will to Moss, completing 10 of 12 to him and 19 of 26 overall. Culpepper was the first QB to amass over 200 yards against Denver since Week 1 (Bengal's Jon Kitna). Culpepper was rarely under duress, and when he was he was able to buy time and complete big plays deep downfield.

Rush Defense: The Broncos rush defense was not much of a factor, given the domination of the Viking aerial attack. When the Vikings tried to rush more in the second half, the Broncos yielded 40 yards on just 10 carries and a touchdown.

Minnesota Vikings

QB: Daunte Culpepper (19-26-277, 2 TD, 0 INTs, 2-1 rushing) returned from the bye week and his back injury looking well rested. Culpepper was able to pick up where he left off, namely throwing the ball at will, all over the field, mostly for completions to Randy Moss. Culpepper was not asked to run at all, nor was he under much pressure from the Broncos. On the two occasions that the play did break down, Culpepper bought time and threw deep. These two passes were actually the biggest pass plays on the day, both going for touchdowns.

First, Culpepper scrambled out of a Moss screen to the left and threw deep to the right for a 47-yard touchdown to WR Kelly Campbell. The other play was simply remarkable. Culpepper glided to his right out of the pocket on the last play of the first half, threw deep to a heavily covered Randy Moss. Moss not only caught it, but was able to lateral to a streaking Moe Williams who went in for the 59-yard score.

RB: Moe Williams (14-42 rushing, 4-50 receiving, 1 TD, 4 targets) had an average performance. The one remarkable performance was his completing the Culpepper-Moss strike at the end of the first half, where Williams received a lateral from Moss and ran the final 14 yards for the touchdown.

Williams alternated playing time in the backfield with RB Onterrio Smith.

Onterrio Smith (5-29 rushing, 1 TD) had a quiet game. Smith's biggest quarter was the third, when the Vikings tried to focus on ball control via the run attack. Smith had three of his five carries in the third, when he went in for his 5-yard score.

FB Charles Stackhouse (1-0 rushing, 3-16 receiving, 3 targets) contributed mostly in the passing game. Stackhouse caught all three balls that came his way, catching one ball in every quarter but the third.

WR: Randy Moss (10-151 receiving, 12 targets) seemed to be toying with the Bronco's secondary. Moss could do as he pleased all day. Short routes, deep routes, single, double or triple coverages - it did not matter. The only slight on Moss' prolific day was that he did not personally find the end zone, but he did provide the highlight of the game, if not the entire NFL season to date. His catch and lateral to Moe Williams just before halftime was a thing of beauty. Moss caught nearly everything that came his way, gathering in five catches in each half.

Kelly Campbell (1-47 receiving, 2 targets, 1 TD) had only one catch, but he made it count. Campbell caught a deep pass at the Bronco 10, danced through two potential tacklers, and went in for the score. Campbell's only other target was on a fourth-and-3 at the Bronco 32 that would have iced the game (and probably been a score), but he dropped the ball.

Nate Burleson (2 targets) was not a factor in the game. He did seem to make his first catch, a 7-yarder across the middle on first and ten, but the officials ruled incomplete and the down and distance did not warrant a challenge of the call.

TE: Jimmy Kleinsasser (1-13 receiving, 2 targets) was the target of two passes in the third quarter, gathering in one of them for 13 yards.

K: Aaron Elling (4 XP) made all of his extra point attempts, but that's only half the story. Elling had an ailing back this week, forcing Minnesota to sign K Jose Cortez to handle kickoffs. The extent of the injury was supposedly minor so that Elling could still handle field goals, but the Vikings decided against going for a 50-yard field goal attempt late in the game to extend the lead to 11. It may have been a field position decision, but the Vikings did attempt to convert on 4th and 3 rather than try the kick.

Pass Defense: The Viking pass defense was exceptional while Beuerlein was in the game. The front four pressured him for five sacks and three interceptions, and limited the Broncos to just 36 yards passing for the first half. The third interception was returned for a touchdown by Lance Johnstone. Backup QB Kanell fared better, releasing the ball faster and avoiding the rush, but was still limited to 104 yards. FS Brian Russell set a record with yet another interception, marking six consecutive games with an INT.

Rush Defense: The rush defense had trouble with Portis in the first half, giving up 73 yards and a TD on 10 carries. However, once the Broncos fell behind, this relative weakness was masked by the need for Denver to take to the air to try and score quickly.

Baltimore Ravens 26 at Cincinnati Bengals 34

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Baltimore Ravens

Kyle Boller's inexperience came to light again in this game, though he did have his best fantasy game of the season. He netted 302 passing yards and 2 touchdowns on a 15 for 27 day, most of which came after the 24-7 halftime mark in the Bengals' favor. Nothing went right through the first half after an excellent first drive; Boller threw an interception and lost two fumbles. Boller showed some accuracy, pinpointing his throws on more than one occasion. The second half, essentially garbage time with a shadow of hope, Boller padded his stats and showed the first real signs of chemistry with WR Travis Taylor and TE Todd Heap.

RB Jamal Lewis did his job very well, finishing with 19 carries for 101 yards. 85 of those were in the first half before the Ravens had to leave the running game behind. Lewis did not have a touchdown. RB Chester Taylor vultured a 2 yard TD from Jamal Lewis with a little over a minute left in the game. A 37 yard run from Taylor was called back for holding in the first half.

WR Travis Taylor had his first great game of the season, catching 4 balls for 138 yards and 2 touchdowns. He was targeted a relatively low 6 times, but his catches went for 8, 19, 38, and 73 yards. His 73 yard TD grab went for the extra yards and end zone only because the Bengal defender tripped as Taylor was making the catch. WR Frank Sanders was targeted as many times as Taylor (6), but caught only one ball for 8 yards.

TE Todd Heap did not go unnoticed as he led the Ravens with 7 catches for 129 yards. Though he did not have a touchdown, he did catch two 2 point conversions from QB Boller during the second half comeback attempt. Heap was targeted 11 times altogether, including the 2 point conversions.

Cincinnati Bengals

QB Jon Kitna was excellent, completing 16 of 27 passes for 274 yards with 3 scores. He connected on five straight passes in the first half at one point, including a 82 yard TD to Chad Johnson that should have been intercepted. Kitna threw no interceptions on the day, though and showed very good accuracy on some flawlessly placed throws.

RB Corey Dillon played for the first time in weeks and lingering effects from the injury limited his cuts for additional yards. His longest gain was 9 yards; managed to bash his way for 39 yards on 18 carries with a 2 yard TD. Dillon caught the 2 balls coming his way for 16 yards.

WR Chad Johnson had great fantasy numbers (5 catches for 130 yards and a score) with the aid of an 82 yard TD that was covered and almost intercepted but the Bengal made a great play as he came up with the bobbled ball. Johnson was targeted 9 times during the game. WR Peter Warrick was a second half star for the Bengals, finishing with 4 catches for 43 yards and a score all after the first two quarters. He made a very nice catch and dive in on his TD in the third quarter, and made several sharp catches. WR Kelley Washington did not catch a pass though 2 were thrown his way.

TE Matt Schobel caught and ran in a 45 yard pass following a Boller fumble for the first Bengal score. He also made a gutsy 17 yard catch in the 3rd. TE Tony Stewart had a couple decent games before the bye week, but caught only one pass for 17 yards. TE Reggie Kelly was thrown twice, catching one 1 yard pass.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Baltimore Ravens

QB: Kyle Boller's garbage time performance led him to his best fantasy game of the season Sunday as he netted 302 passing yards and 2 touchdowns, most of which came after the 24-7 halftime mark in the Bengals' favor. Boller, 7 for 12 with 101 yards in the first half, capped off an excellent first drive with a 19 yard TD pass to Travis Taylor. Nothing went right through the first quarter after that, though. He mishandled a handoff on the next drive, leading to a Bengals touchdown pass less than a minute later. He lost a fumble again on the next drive as the Bengals stripped the ball from Boller on a sack.

The second quarter was little better; Boller threw an interception two plays after recovering his third fumble of the half. Largely abandoning the run led to 201 yards for Boller in the second half. He completed almost every pass he didn't have to throw away; unfortunately, this happened several times including an intentional grounding call. His laser beam throws were too hot and high for his receivers multiple times throughout the game. Boller did show improvement on his accuracy (52% completion percentage for 543 yards total previous to this game), pinpointing his throws on more than one occasion and finishing 15 for 27. His chemistry with TE Todd Heap exploded for the first time this year, and his TD hookups with Travis Taylor made the previously disappointing wideout a great fantasy play for this week.

RB: Jamal Lewis was slightly off his numbers for the past three weeks (132, 115, and 131 yards rushing, respectively), but only because the Ravens' run game had to be let go during the comeback of the second half. Lewis finished with 19 carries for 101 yards, 85 of which were in the first half. A 35 yard burst late in the second didn't lead to a score after a disastrous series of offensive penalties on plays following the run. The Ravens weren't in a goal line situation until the end of the game, and Lewis did not have a touchdown. He did little in the passing game, catching one pass for 8 yards; another 9 yard completion to him was called back because of holding.

RB Chester Taylor vultured a 2 yard touchdown from Jamal Lewis with a little over a minute left in the game. His other 4 carries were in the first half, and he finished with 10 yards. A big time 37 yard run was called back for holding with about 2 minutes remaining in the first half. He was not targeted in the passing game.

FB Alan Ricard was targeted twice in the passing game, nabbing one 4 yard catch. The other pass to him was incomplete but negated by a Bengal roughing the passer penalty.

WR: Travis Taylor had his first great game of the season, catching 4 balls for 138 yards - 2 for touchdowns. He more than doubled his numbers from the rest of the year (13 for 107 yards, 1 TD). Though he was targeted a relatively low 6 times, his catches went for 8, 19, 38, and 73 yards, respectively. His 73 yard TD grab went for the extra yards and end zone only because the Bengal defender tripped as Taylor was making the catch. One of Taylor's incompletions was a 4th quarter end zone drop that would have been a very nice TD catch.

WR Frank Sanders was targeted as many times as Taylor (6), but caught only one ball for 8 yards. One pass from Boller was intercepted; another came back because of Sanders' offensive pass interference.

TE: Todd Heap's comments on his lack of catches so far this year (he was 17 for 162 yards and 1 TD before Sunday, including only one catch last game) apparently did not go unnoticed as he registered a phenomenal performance. Heap finished with 7 catches for 129 yards. Though he did not have a touchdown, he did catch two 2 point conversions from QB Boller during the second half comeback attempt. He had a fantastic play in the fourth quarter, essentially stealing the ball away from a Bengal to make the catch, and made a 24-yard sideline catch originally called out of bounds but reversed in the 3rd. Heap was targeted 11 times altogether, including the 2 point conversions and an incompletion negated by a Bengal unnecessary roughness call.

TE Terry Jones caught a 15 yard pass on his only target of the day.

K: Matt Stover connected on his 25 yard field goal attempt in the third quarter and made his only extra point attempt (the other TDs had successful 2 point conversions).

Run Defense: The Ravens clogged the outside, limiting a Corey Dillon returning from injury to 39 yards on 18 carries. The Ravens allowed Dillon into the end zone from the 2 yard line in the first quarter.

Pass Defense: The Ravens allowed Jon Kitna and the Bengals passing attack to capitalize on QB Kyle Boller's mistakes in the first half. Though both the 82 yard TD to Chad Johnson and the first Bengal pass out in the third quarter were covered well by the Ravens and should have been intercepted, the breaks simply didn't go the Ravens' way. Kitna made several sharp passes and had a good game, but the Ravens' simply allowed too many opportunities to open up.

Cincinnati Bengals

QB: Jon Kitna played very well in leading the Bengals to their second win. He completed 16 of 27 passes for 274 yards, hitting Chad Johnson, Matt Schobel, and Peter Warrick for scores. After missing on his first three passes, Kitna tossed a 45 yard to score to Schobel and never looked back. He connected on five straight passes, including the 82 yard TD to Johnson. That pass should have been intercepted, as well as another early in the third quarter. Rare Bengal luck prevailed, however, and Kitna threw no interceptions on the day. He showed very good accuracy on perfectly placed throws, especially a couple to Peter Warrick.

RB: Corey Dillon played for the first time in weeks, and either the rust or lingering effects from the injury (or both) seemed to show. The broadcasters noted several times that Dillon showed sluggishness trying cut for more yardage, and his longest gain was 9 yards. He did bash his way ahead when needed, however, and finished with 39 yards on 18 carries with a 2 yard TD. Dillon caught the 2 balls coming his way and ended with 16 yards receiving.

RB Rudi Johnson, coming off 51 and 69 yard rushing performances as Dillon's replacement, had 3 carries for only 5 yards with Dillon back in. He did not have a pass thrown his way.

RB Brandon Bennett carried the ball twice for 5 yards, and was also not thrown to by Kitna.

FB Jeremi Johnson factored in slightly, catching a 5 yard pass. He was thrown to 2 on two other plays.

WR: Chad Johnson continued marking down fantastic fantasy numbers (5 catches for 130 yards and a score) with the aid of a fortunate bounce. His 82 yard TD was covered and almost intercepted by the Ravens, but a bobbling session came out with Johnson making a great catch and he ran it all the way to the end zone. Johnson was targeted 9 times during the game by Kitna, once missing a ball following what was presumably the wrong route.

WR Peter Warrick was a second half star for the Bengals; he caught neither of the two balls coming his way in the first half. The second half saw 5 throws come his way, and he finished with 4 catches for 43 yards. He made a very nice catch, juke, and dive in on his TD in the third quarter. The Bengals' rediscovered possession receiver moved the chains on a precise 3rd down pass from Kitna with 3 Ravens in close proximity.

WR Kelley Washington did not catch a pass, though 2 were thrown his way.

TE Matt Schobel, blanked for no catches the last 2 games, caught and ran in a 45 yard pass following a Boller fumble for the first Bengal score. He also made a gutsy 17 yard catch in the 3rd, which he subsequently fumbled (though the Bengals recovered).

TE Tony Stewart had a couple decent games before the bye week, but caught the only pass his way, nailing down 17 yards.

TE Reggie Kelly was thrown to once before he caught a one yard pass from Kitna.

K Shayne Graham, having made 7 of 8 field goal attempts before this game, added a 2-for-2 game, making FGs from 44 and 37 yards out. He hit all 4 extra points.

Run Defense: Jamal Lewis successfully ran against the Bengals in the first half, but the Raven's turnovers and large resulting deficit kept the running from use in the second half. Cincinnati did not let up more than 35 yards on any Lewis run, which is better than most teams up against him can say this year.

Pass Defense: The Bengals came into the game knowing their best chance of winning was to disrupt rookie QB Kyle Boller. The strategy worked decisively, harrowing Boller into two fumbles (the first two recovered all year by the team) and an interception in the first half. Cincinnati's defense seemed to weaken during the second half, allowing 201 yards, two 2 point conversion passes to Todd Heap, and, most importantly, the Ravens
a sliver of hope until a failed onside kick.

New Orleans Saints 45 at Atlanta Falcons 17

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

New Orleans Saints:

Aaron Brooks (23/30, 352 yards, 3 TDs, 3 rushes 15 yards) Rumors of Aaron Brooks' demise may have been greatly exaggerated. The Saints came out in a no-huddle offense and it seemed to inspire Brooks who looked exceptionally good even considering he was playing against a weak defense.

Deuce McAllister (21 carries 116 yards, 2 TDs, 1 receptions 0 yards, targeted 1 times) had a very productive day considering he rested the entire 4th quarter because of the huge Saint lead. The only reason he was not involved in the Saint passing game was because Brooks had receivers open downfield all day. He tripped and fell for no gain on his only pass reception.

Ki-Jana Carter (10 carries 21 yards, 1 TD) was not particularly impressive, but may have emerged as McAllister's primary backup. Carter was inserted into the game in the 4th quarter and was utilized often. A concerted effort was made to get him a touchdown after a long drive. He received 4 red zone touches eventually resulting in the 1 yard touchdown run.

Joe Horn (8 catches, 133 yards, 1 TD, 12 targets, 1 drop) had a spectacular day. He also drew a 43 yard pass interference penalty.

Donte' Stallworth (1 catch, 69 yards, 1 target) caught an early touchdown pass but left the game in the second quarter with a strained quadriceps muscle and did not return.

Atlanta Falcons

Kurt Kittner (9/29 115 yards, 1 TD/1 INT) is not the answer for the Falcons at quarterback. He played worse than his inadequate numbers indicate, often missing open receivers, not finding throwing lanes and having his passes tipped. He nearly had 3 additional passes intercepted but the Saints' defenders could not hold onto the ball. He did not complete a pass after being sacked for the first time in the 3rd quarter.

Warrick Dunn (6 carries 82 yards, 1 TD, 2 catches 8 yards, 5 targets) proved he still has some fantasy value but mysteriously carried the ball only 5 times after his 69 yard touchdown run on the second play from scrimmage. It's almost as if the Falcons don't want to see him succeed.

TJ Duckett (14 carries 42 yards) averaged only 3 yards per carry but accounted for the majority of the Falcons' rushing plays.

Peerless Price (3 catches 38 yards, 11 targets) was the victim of an incompetent passing attack. He made 2 beautiful catches on one series in the 3rd quarter but otherwise had little opportunity to catch the ball any of the times he was targeted.

Keith Brookings left the game in the first series of the game and did not return. He was taken in for X-rays. If he is out for a significant period of time it may be disaster for the Falcon defense because without him they seemed unable to slow down, let alone stop what had been a struggling Saint offense.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

New Orleans Saints:

QB: Aaron Brooks (23/30, 352 yards, 3 TDs, 3 rushes 15 yards) played even better than his statistics indicate. He completed 15/18 passes for 281 passes in the first half. Considering one of those incompletions was a dropped pass by Joe Horn and another was an uncalled pass interference penalty, he virtually pitched a perfect game. If this had been a close game he could have thrown for as many yards as needed. He led his team on nearly a 10 minute drive in the 4th quarter to put the game completely out of reach.

RB: Deuce McAllister (21 carries 116 yards, 2 TDs, 1 receptions 0 yards, targeted 1 times) had only 2 rushing yards after the first series of the 2nd quarter but came alive after that. The Saints used a direct snap to him a few times to open up the running lanes which McAllister exploited for a 25 yard gain and a 4 yard touchdown run.

WR: Joe Horn (8 catches, 133 yards, 1 TD, 12 targets, 1 drop) appeared to get more looks because of Stallworth's absence. His touchdown reception was a beautiful 32 yard catch which Horn made a wonderful play to get both feet in bounds in the end zone.

Donte' Stallworth (1 catch, 69 yards, 1 target) caught a 69 yard touchdown pass early in the game but left with an injury to his quadriceps muscle. The pass was a simple slant where Stallworth broke a tackle and took off.

Jerome Pathon (4 catches, 65 yards, 6 targets, 1 drop) was active in the game but accumulated most of his yards on one 40 yard reception. With Stallworth out of the game after the first series he seemed to get no additional looks.

TE: Ernie Conwell (2 catches, 36 yards, 4 targets) in addition to his catches Conwell was interfered with but did not get the pass interference penalty and on the next series drew a defensive holding penalty.

Pass Defense: Did not pressure Kittner until the 3rd quarter but held the Falcons to just 115 yards passing. Once they started coming on blitzes and pressuring the Falcons, they completely shut them down. Dale Carter and Fred Thomas clamped down on the Atlanta receivers covering them very closely.

Saint Rush Defense: Gave up only 130 yards rushing despite surrendering a 69 yard touchdown run on the opening series.

Atlanta Falcons:

QB: Kurt Kittner (9/29 115 yards, 1 TD/1 INT) overthrew and under threw open receivers. He completed 2 passes on the opening drive of the 3rd quarter and then completely seemed to fall apart. He did not complete a pass after being sacked hard with 2:13 to play in the 3rd Quarter.

RB: Warrick Dunn (6 carries 82 yards, 1 TD, 2 catches 8 yards, 5 targets) broke a long run on the opening series but then gave way to TJ Duckett for most of the game. He carried the ball 5 times for 13 yards after the long run and just couldn't get into the flow in the rushing or passing game.

TJ Duckett (14 carries 42 yards) ran hard and had a 12 yard run negated due to a holding penalty. It would have been his longest run of the game and some air seemed to come out of his sails after that run came back.

WR: Peerless Price (3 catches 38 yards, 11 targets) appeared to be a targeted man by the New Orleans' secondary. He was double covered and often very tightly covered. Still Kittner tried to force the ball to him but usually with no success. The interception and 2 of the near interceptions were forces to Price that were uncatchable balls.

Brian Finneran (2 catches 32 yards, 1 TD, 4 targets) caught a nice touchdown pass but disappeared after that catch.

TE: Alge Crumpler (2 catches 37 yards, 3 targets) had a 31 yard big play in the 1st quarter but caught only one pass the rest of the game.

Atlanta "Defense": When you surrender 81 points and 1,013 yards of offense over 2 weeks, you have no defense. They got 3 sacks, however one of them was on a broken play where Brooks and McAllister miscommunicated on a handoff. If Brookings misses any significant time, Ray Buchanan may have to make every tackle himself.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 7 at San Francisco 49ers 24

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

49er defensive end (and former Buccaneer) Chidi Ahanotu had this to say on what he told his new teammates about his former team: "I told them, 'Man, keep running right at them,"' said Ahanotu, Tampa Bay's former franchise player. "Run it down their throat. They want to dance. They want to look pretty. When you run it right at them, you really get into their psyche and take them out of everything they want to do."

Tampa Bay came into San Francisco looking to put together back to back wins for the first time all season. However, a hungry San Francisco team outmatched them. It seemed as though the San Francisco 49ers wanted to make a game of it by turning the ball over in the 3rd and 4th quarters. Yet, it was Tampa Bay's mistakes that finally cost them the game.

Brad Johnson came into the game as the league's most efficient passer but he committed three costly interceptions. Yet, not all is to blame on Brad Johnson. The running game was non-existent only producing 68 yards on 14 rushing attempts.

Tampa's defense was run over by two different backs (Kevan Barlow and Garrison Hearst). It seems as though Warren Sapp may want to concentrate more on stopping the run, than talking about being a "slave".

Cornerback Brian Kelly who'd been struggling with a chest injury, re-injured himself and was forced to leave the game in the first half.

San Francisco 49ers

Coach Dennis Erickson called this win his biggest win in his five NFL seasons.

Early in the game the tone was set when Mike Rumph intercepted a pass that clearly should have been caught by Michael Pittman. Nonetheless, the 49ers capitalized on the turnover by quickly scoring a rushing TD by Garrison Hearst. That was the first time all year the Buccaneers have allowed a TD on an opening drive.

Tampa Bay quickly bounced back on a 75 yard TD from Brad Johnson to Keenan McCardell. Yet, that would be the last time they would sniff the end zone and credit needs to be given to the 5th rated defense in the NFL: The San Francisco 49ers.

The San Francisco defense rattled the Bucs offense all day. Constant pressure led to three interceptions and a fumble recovery. Andre Carter had one sack but seemed to be in the backfield all day. And former Buccaneer Chidi Ahanotu even chipped in with a sack. All in all the San Francisco 49ers defeated a weak Tampa Bay team 24-7.

San Francisco's defense came into the game fired up and ready to challenge Brad Johnson and the Bucs offense. Brad Johnson was consistently pressured throughout the game.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

QB: Brad Johnson was rushed all day long and committed 3 interceptions. He finished the day 21 of 34 for 241 yards, 1 TD, 3 picks and 1 fumble, which was recovered by the Bucs. Sean King entered the game with a few minutes remaining and completed 4 of 7 passes for 24 yards.

RB: The Tampa Bay rushing game couldn't get anything started, gaining a combined 68 yards on 14 carries. Michael Pittman led the way with 6 carries for 29 yards. Aaron Stecker chipped in with 2 carries for 14 yards and could see more looks as Thomas Jones committed a costly turnover late in the game.

WR: Keenan McCardell had the big reception (75 yards, TD) of the game and finished with 3 catches for 119 yards and the lone TD for the Bucs. He was the bright spot on this offense.

Keyshawn Johnson has a dismal performance, finishing with just one catch for 4 yards.

Running back Michael Pittman was the leading receiver with 10 catches for 60 yards.

TE: The trio of Ken Dilger, Todd Yoder and Will Heller finished the day with a combined 3 catches for 27 yards.

K: Martin Gramatica only had the opportunity to kick an extra point on the day, as the Bucs committed turnover after turnover in crucial situations.

Pass Defense: Simeon Rice, Warren Sapp and company were not big factors. Ronde Barber led Tampa with the lone sack keeping the streak of obtaining at least one sack in 65 consecutive games.

Rush Defense: The Tampa Bay defense continues to show up every other game when it comes to allowing opposing rushers to gain yards. They allowed 212 yards rushing; mostly from Garrison Hearst and Kevan Barlow.

San Francisco 49ers

QB: Jeff Garcia was efficient on the day completing passes and scrambling when he needed to. He finished the day 15 of 29 for 253 yards, 2 TDs and 1 pick.

RB: Garrison Hearst and Kevan Barlow ran wild on the Bucs. Garrison Hearst led the way with 20 carries, 117 yards and 1 TD. Kevan Barlow didn't let up when he replaced Hearst and finished the day with 75 yards on 15 carries.

WR: Terrell Owens had a big day catching 6 passes for 152 yards and one TD. However, he had three bad drops including two that could have been TDs. On Terrell Owens' 75 yard touchdown, he outran and juked 4 or 5 defenders on his way to the end zone. Jeff Garcia described it like this: "That was old-school T.O. That was the T.O. that everybody has been waiting to see this year."

Tai Streets contributed with 3 catches for 34 yards and a TD.

TE: Jed Weaver only had 1 reception on the day for 16 yards. However, he clearly helped pave the way for the San Francisco 49ers running backs.

K: Owen Pochman had a tough day finishing 1 for 4, with two misses coming by way of being blocked. His lone made attempt went for 27 yards.

Pass Defense: The pass defense befitted from the constant pressure put on Brad Johnson. The San Francisco 49ers started the day off with an interception by Mike Rumph that led to a 49er TD. Ahmed Plummer had an interception that took away a Tampa Bay offensive threat and DL Julian Peterson even had a pick.

Rush Defense: The San Francisco 49er defense hounded the Bucs throughout the day and shut down the run; allowing only 68 rushing yards on 14 carries. The offensive run production of the Buccaneers was soon abandoned as they fell behind.

San Diego Chargers 26 at Cleveland Browns 20

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

San Diego Chargers

LaDainian Tomlinson rushed for 200 yards on 26 carries, including a game breaking 70 yard touchdown run, as the San Diego Chargers held on for their first win of the season. Tomlinson single handedly carried the Chargers offense, as quarterback Drew Brees passed for just 74 yards. Tomlinson seemed poised to score again on the Chargers next to last drive. Ahead 23-20, Tomlinson carried 9 times for 62 yards as the Chargers moved to the Browns 8 yard line. From there, the Chargers ran twice to FB Lorenzo Neal down to the 1 yard line. Then on third and goal, QB Drew Brees inexplicably faked to Tomlinson and was sacked for a 13-yard loss, which resulted in just a field goal for a 26-20 lead.

Other than Tomlinson, the rest of the Chargers offense was brutal. QB Drew Brees continued his poor performance this season. He threw for just 74 yards with no touchdowns and an interception. In the 1st quarter he under-threw WR David Boston, who was open in the end zone. In the 2nd quarter, Boston didn't help him by dropping a wide-open 15-yard throw. Brees threw an interception on the first play of the second half with the Chargers ahead 13-3. He overthrew TE Josh Norman on the play and Earl Little of Cleveland picked it off. After that, with Tomlinson picking up yardage at will, Brees only threw four more passes.

David Boston finished with just two catches for 10 yards. He also ran once for no yards, and was not a factor in the game. WR Tim Dwight caught one ball for 17 yards, and fumbled a kickoff early in the 4th quarter.

The Chargers committed 12 penalties, missed a field goal attempt and failed to get a try off on another field goal. They kept the Browns in the game until the very end with their mistakes, but the Browns could not capitalize.

On defense, Kwamie Lassiter intercepted a Tim Couch pass in the second quarter and took it 38 yards for an early 13-0 lead.

Cleveland Browns

QB Tim Couch was ineffective in three quarters of play. He threw two interceptions; Kwamie Lassiter returned one for a touchdown and the second one resulted in a San Diego field goal and a 23-6 deficit for the Browns. QB Kelly Holcomb replaced Couch for the final drive of the 3rd quarter and threw touchdown passes to WR Dennis Northcutt and TE Darnell Sanders in the 4th quarter, nearly leading the Browns to a comeback win.

RB William Green left the game in the 3rd quarter with an unspecified shoulder injury after he coughed up the ball on a 14-yard run. The Browns retained possession, although Couch threw his second interception on the next play. While in the game, Green ran pretty well. He carried 14 times for 65 yards on the day. Backup RB James Jackson ran five times for 27 yards and caught two passes for 22 yards. His longest run came on Holcomb's first drive, a 16-yard run. Jackson showed pretty good quickness when he was in the game.

WR Dennis Northcutt caught 5 passes for 54 yards and a touchdown. The touchdown was a 6-yard catch over the middle on Holcomb's first drive, and cut the Chargers lead to 23-13. WR Kevin Johnson caught 5 passes for 53 yards, including a key 4th down catch which set up Holcomb's second touchdown pass and sliced the Chargers lead to 23-20. WR Quincy Morgan did not come up with the big game he promised, as he had just three catches for 22 yards. In all, six different receivers and backs were targeted five times or more.

With the loss, the Browns failed to take advantage of a tremendous opportunity to move past the Baltimore Ravens into 1st place in the AFC North.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

San Diego Chargers

QB: With LaDainian Tomlinson's brilliant performance, the Chargers were able to rely on Drew Brees just enough to not lose the game. Brees came into the game with a league low QB rating of 30.1, and did little to improve that number. Brees finished the game 9-18 for just 74 yards, with no touchdowns and an interception on the 1st play of the 2nd half. After that play, the Chargers took the ball out of his hands until late in the 4th quarter. With the Chargers leading 23-20 and facing a 3rd and goal at the Browns 1 yard line, coach Marty Schottenheimer called for a play-action pass instead of giving it to Tomlinson. Brees was sacked for a 13-yard loss and the Chargers had to settle for a FG, which kept the Browns hopes alive. Schottenheimer said after the game, "I made a bad call. If I had to do it over again, I'd run the ball." The only bright spot for Brees was a 3 play, 39-yard drive in 28 seconds to end the first half. That resulted in a missed field goal by Steve Christie.

RB: LaDainian Tomlinson (26-200-1 TD, 3 catches for 21 yards on 4 targets) was the offense for San Diego. He had runs of 11 and 27 yards in the 1st quarter, and once the Chargers realized he was in a groove, he took over the 2nd half of the game. He carried 9 times for 62 yards on the Chargers aforementioned drive for the final score, and showed off his elusiveness and speed on his 70-yard TD run. That play was the real game breaker for San Diego. It came on the Chargers 1st play after Cleveland had cut the lead to 13-6 to start the 3rd quarter. On the Chargers final drive, Tomlinson ran for a 1st down before failing to convert with less than a minute to go. By then, it was too late for the Browns to mount any sort of realistic scoring opportunity.

WR: David Boston followed up his best game of the season with a real clunker. He caught just 2 passes for 10 yards on a team-high 5 targets, and ran an end around for no yardage. Both of his receptions were WR screens; one went for 11 yards and the other for a 1 yard loss. In the 1st quarter he was open in the end zone, but Brees threw under threw him. Later, Boston dropped a 15-yard pass with room to run in front of him. His lone run came on 3rd and 2, but fooled nobody.

Eric Parker caught 2 passes for 22 yards and was targeted just 3 times. Tim Dwight caught a 17 yard pass in 3 targets and fumbled a kickoff, leading to a touchdown that cut the Chargers lead to 23-20 in the 4th quarter.

TE: Josh Norman's only impact on this game was negative. He caught a pass for 4 yards on 3 targets and was the intended receiver on Brees' interception. On the play, Brees play-faked to Tomlinson and threw to Norman in the right flat. The throw was high and Norman tipped it to the Browns' Earl Little.

PK: Steve Christie made field goals of 32, 42, 44 and 50 yards. He also missed a 43-yard kick at the end of the 1st half, as the ball kicked off the left upright. One other attempt never got off the ground, as a high snap forced holder Darren Bennett to throw the ball away.

Run Defense: The Chargers held the Browns running game to 101 yards on 25 carries. The Browns were able to run effectively, but were forced to throw the ball for most of the 2nd half. LB Donnie Edwards led the Chargers with 9 tackles.

Pass Defense: DT DeQuincy Scott finished with 2 sacks, and Adrian Dingle had one, as the Chargers were able to pressure Tim Couch. Kwamie Lassiter had the big play, a 38-yard interception return touchdown, and Terrence Kiel added a pick. The game changed when Kelly Holcomb came in, as he was able to convert key 3rd and 4th down passes, and led two 4th quarter touchdown drives. After the Chargers took a 26-20 lead, CB Sammy Davis made the lead stand up, tipping away two passes, including a 4th down pass to Kevin Johnson.

Cleveland Browns

QB: This was a tale of two quarterbacks for Cleveland; unfortunately for them, the better QB today played just over a quarter, while Tim Couch (13-24 for 102 yards and 2 interceptions) played almost three quarters. Couch did not play well and received little help from his receivers. Early in the game, Quincy Morgan dropped a wide-open 3rd down pass with plenty of room in front of him. On the next drive, RB Jamel White dropped a 3rd down pass. On the next drive, Couch completed a pass to Kevin Johnson for an apparent 1st down, but Johnson fell back after catching the ball and came up inches short. On Lassiter's interception return for a touchdown, Couch stared down Quincy Morgan and Lassiter stepped in for an easy touchdown. Couch's last pass was intercepted by Terrence Kiel, and was thrown into double coverage.

Kelly Holcomb (11-19 for 90 yards and 2 touchdowns) came in late in the 3rd quarter and quickly led two scoring drives to cut the Chargers lead to 3 points. He hooked up with Quincy Morgan on his first throw for 13 yards, and finished the drive with a nice pass to Dennis Northcutt for a 6-yard touchdown. After Dwight's fumble on the ensuing kickoff, Holcomb hit TE Darnell Sanders for a 2-yard touchdown. That drive was kept alive by a 16-yard pass to Kevin Johnson over the middle on 4th and 6. The Browns last real opportunity ended at their own 47-yard line when Kevin Johnson dropped a pass over the middle on 4th and 8. The ball was on target, but appeared to have been knocked loose by the Chargers Sammy Davis.

RB: William Green (14-65-0, 1 catch for 4 yards on 2 targets) played well until he left in the 3rd quarter with a shoulder injury. He ran hard and showed pretty good moves in the open field. His longest run went for 14 yards, but he fumbled at the end of it. The Browns recovered, but Green did not return.

James Jackson looked capable after Green left, against a semi-prevent defense. He had 5 carries for 27 yards and 2 catches for 22 yards. His 16-yard carry on Holcomb's first drive showed that he was a threat. He was quick to the hole and ran hard.

Jamel White ran 3 times for 9 yards and caught 2 passes for 11 yards. He was targeted 6 times, including 4 times on 3rd or 4th down. He converted none of those 4 chances into 1st downs.

WR: Dennis Northcutt (5-54-1 on 7 targets) led a mediocre group of receivers. He was targeted 4 times on 3rd down, converting just one. It was a big one though, a 6-yard touchdown catch. The Browns tried two deep balls to him, but they were tipped away by Lassiter and Davis.

Kevin Johnson (5-53 on 8 targets) dropped the Browns final chance on 4th and 8 from their own 47. It may have been knocked away by Davis, but Johnson should have held on. His biggest play of the game was a 24-yard catch on a flea-flicker during the Browns opening drive. Johnson was 0-1 passing, as he under threw an open Quincy Morgan in the end zone on an end around pass attempt.

Quincy Morgan (3-22 on 8 targets) caught a 6-yard pass on the Browns first drive of the game. On their second drive, Morgan dropped a ball on 3rd and 3. He was wide open in the right flat and had at least 15 yards open in front of him. After this, he disappeared until Holcomb connected with him on a 13-yard pass on Holcomb's first play.

Andre Davis caught just one pass for 8 yards, despite 5 targets.

TE: Steve Heiden caught 3 passes for 15 yards on 5 targets. 3 of his targets were in the red zone, including an 11-yard reception. Darnell Sanders made the most of his 2 catches for 3 yards. He scored a 2-yard TD as the receiver on a fake end-around to Andre Davis.

PK: Phil Dawson connected from 46 and 42 yards out, but missed from 46 yards out as well.

Run Defense: The Browns could not stop LaDainian Tomlinson in the 2nd half. He was able to break tackles and outran the entire defense on his 70-yard touchdown run. The Chargers averaged 6.3 yards per carry. Kevin Bentley led the team with 8 tackles.

Pass Defense: The Browns were able to shut down WR David Boston and the Chargers passing game. Courtney Brown had a big sack on Drew Brees on the 3rd and 1 play, as he exploded the play action attempt.

Philadelphia Eagles 14 at New York Giants 10

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles wide receivers are heavily to blame for the continued struggles of QB Donovan McNabb. The wideouts did not catch a pass in the first half, and had no receptions until there was 7:10 left in the fourth quarter.

Quarterback Donovan McNabb is clearly playing in pain. McNabb grabs his thumb after nearly every throw, and it is heavily taped and wrapped. He was bailed out today by Brian Westbrook's game winning punt return, otherwise he would have had to lead the Eagles downfield for a score (something they had an extremely difficult time doing today). McNabb is also clearly in the midst of a gigantic slump, posting his third game with a QB rating under 50.0. By the end of the contest, the commentators were wondering whether Andy Reid would stick with McNabb.

Brian Westbrook scored the only two touchdowns of the game for Philadelphia, with a 6-yard run and the aforementioned 84-yard punt return TD to win the game. He was the only bright spot for the team and really the only one who did anything productive.

New York Giants

Try as they might, the Giants still cannot shake the turnover bug. Kerry Collins had a very costly fumble at the 5-yard line on a drive that probably would have put the game away. Earlier, Jeremy Shockey fumbled the ball in the red zone after a reception. The problem with the Giants isn't moving the football between the 20s, it's pushing it across the goal line. Red zone turnovers are a killer if they happen once in awhile; the Giants are making it an almost weekly habit to have a few.

The Eagles receivers weren't the only ones having trouble getting open, as Amani Toomer and Ike Hilliard combined for just 65 yards on 5 receptions. The Eagles were playing with starting CBs Troy Vincent and Bobby Taylor for the first time in a long time, which likely played a role in slowing the Giants passing game.

The Giants offensive line play was very poor in pass protection. This was a contributing factor in the limited role of the receivers. Additionally, one of the few linemen the Giants can actually rely on, Rich Seubert, was lost with a fractured leg. He will undergo surgery either today or tomorrow.

Tiki Barber enjoyed a productive day, gaining 113 total yards. Unfortunately for Barber owners, his day ended much too soon. It wasn't because of injury, however. Backup RB Dorsey Levens, who hadn't played this season until today, came into the game to apparently give Barber a breather. He ended up sparking the offense to a long drive, getting the Giants to within 5 yards of the end zone, but Collins fumbled the ball away. Levens received the remainder of the carries once he was in the game. When all was said and done, he had 16 carries for 64 yards.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Philadelphia Eagles

QB: Donovan McNabb played as poorly as his statistics (9-23, 64 yards, 1 INT) suggest. He under threw Todd Pinkston on a deep route where Pinkston had several steps on his man Ralph Brown early on, and things only got worse. McNabb's thumb obviously bothered him, as he came up holding it many times after passes. What's more, McNabb was stuffed on a third and inches run up the middle. On his first real "run" of the day, he ended up fumbling the ball but it was recovered by Philadelphia. By the end of the game, Troy Aikman and Cris Collinsworth were commenting on the likelihood of Andy Reid benching McNabb for the good of the team. They did acknowledge a lot of the blame needs to be placed with the wide receivers, but McNabb isn't getting the job done, either. He seems unable to avoid the oncoming rush like he used to, and very hesitant to take off and run with the ball, which had been one of his biggest fantasy assets.

RB: Brian Westbrook received the lion's share of the carries in this one, and did not disappoint. Though he only carried 15 times, he picked up 67 yards on the ground, including the Eagles' only offensive touchdown. Westbrook has now scored a rushing touchdown in four straight games, the first Eagles RB to do that since Ricky Watters in 1996. He also caught a team high three passes but for just 11 yards. With the Eagles' offense stagnating, Westbrook took a late punt return from New York and raced 84 yards to pay dirt with the winning score.

Correll Buckhalter carried 3 times for 19 yards, but fumbled the ball away on his first carry of the game. He was pretty much a non-factor from that point on.

Duce Staley was almost a forgotten man today. Outside of one run and one reception, he was invisible.

WR: With the Giants best cornerback, Will Peterson, out for the next two months, it was expected that this could be the game where a Philadelphia receiver could break the end zone. Instead, it was the game where they struggled just to catch one pass. Todd Pinkston caught a 6-yard pass halfway through the fourth quarter for his only reception of the game. James Thrash had no catches, and Freddie Mitchell chipped in with zero as well. Pinkston was targeted three times, and did draw a pass interference penalty. Thrash was targeted five times, with the only completed pass going to the Giants' Will Allen.

TE: L.J. Smith had a very nice 25 yard reception over his shoulder and then barreled a few defenders on his way downfield. It was a nice play, but little did anyone know at the time that those 25 yards would lead the team.

Chad Lewis, once a solid source of fantasy points at TE, is an afterthought. He caught 2 balls for 15 yards and was targeted just three times.

Pass Defense: Whether it was the Eagles blitz packages or the Giants pathetic offensive line, the fact remains that Philadelphia got a ton of pressure on Kerry Collins. He never felt comfortable in the pocket, and the Eagles only got 3 sacks because Collins quickly flipped a lot of balls out of there before the Eagles D could tee off on him. This unit came up with two of the biggest plays of the game, forcing a Jeremy Shockey fumble just inside the 20, and also stripping the ball from Collins at their own 5 yard line. Cornerbacks Bobby Taylor and Troy Vincent did a great job of keeping Amani Toomer and Ike Hilliard from doing their thing, though the pressure from the front didn't really allow the Giants to look very far downfield anyway. They did blow coverage once on Tiki Barber when he was split out wide. It should have resulted in a Giants touchdown, but Collins under threw the ball.

Run Defense: They allowed a total of 180 yards on the ground, which is far too many. If they hadn't been bailed out by Giant turnovers, there is no way the Eagles win this game. Tiki Barber tore them up through the first three quarters, and Dorsey Levens did the job late. Even Kerry Collins got in on the act, as he took off and scrambled several times for first downs when nothing was open downfield.

New York Giants

QB: Kerry Collins didn't have much of a chance today. The offensive line was already having problems in pass protection, and things didn't get any better when Rich Seubert was lost with a broken leg. Collins never had much time to throw, and the deep ball was all but forgotten, as they never had enough time to even wait for a guy to get deep. Collins wasn't blameless in this one, however. He under threw Tiki Barber on what should have been a touchdown early on, and misfired on several other passes. He did a poor job of checking down off the primary receiver, and had an incredibly costly fumble at the 5-yard line just as the Giants were about to drive in for the touchdown that likely would have sealed the victory.

RB: Tiki Barber didn't do anything to come off the field other than get tired. He carried 19 times for 79 yards while adding 5 receptions for 34 more and appeared to be having a solid game. However, he came out for a breather and didn't get back in the game. Dorsey Levens took over while he was in, specifically on one drive. Levens finished with 64 yards on 16 carries, an almost equal number of carries as Barber. Interestingly, when the Giants were driving to try and run out the clock, it was Levens, not Barber, who was on the field.

WR: Amani Toomer had a rough day. He did manage 4 receptions for 54 yards, but for the most part was blanketed all day long. By the time he came out of his breaks, his QB Kerry Collins was already under intense pressure. He was only thrown to 8 times.

Ike Hilliard fared even worse. Matched up against a couple of All-Pro corners, plus the outstanding pressure Philly got on Collins, caused Hilliard to have his quietest game of the year. He caught just 1 pass for an 11-yard gain. He was targeted in the back of the end zone and drew a pass interference penalty, which led to a Jeremy Shockey touchdown reception.

TE: Jeremy Shockey didn't have as big a game as his two against the Eagles last year, but he still managed a game-high 5 receptions for 23 yards and a touchdown on 8 targets. He also had a costly fumble just inside the red zone in the first half, but atoned for that mistake with the TD grab.

Marcellus Rivers had his second consecutive productive game. Outside of the touchdown, Rivers was actually just as productive as Shockey. He took his five targets and turned it into 4 receptions for 31 yards.

Pass Defense: Considering they were without their best defensive back, this unit played outstanding. Ralph Brown filled in well for Will Peterson, though he was beaten twice deep. Once, he was whistled for pass interference (a poor call), and the other time Todd Pinkston just dropped the ball. The Eagles receivers were held without a catch until midway through the fourth quarter, and the Eagles as a whole managed just 64 passing yards. Michael Strahan was big for New York, and told Cris Collinsworth before the game, "I'm feeling the best I have in a long time". It showed, as Strahan got consistent pressure on McNabb with two sacks. In fact, all of the Giants pass rushers got pressure on McNabb, and kept containment on him all day long.

Run Defense: Allowed the TD run to Brian Westbrook, but only allowed 87 total yards on the ground. This was against a team that has three quality running backs, one of the top end-around receivers in James Thrash, and the ever-dangerous Donovan McNabb.

Special Teams: Once again, the Giants' special teams deserve a mention. With a 13-10 lead and just over a minute left to play, they opted to punt the ball down the middle of the field, giving Brian Westbrook a returnable kick. Well, return it he did, (84 yards to be exact) for the game-winning score. Earlier in the game, newly signed kicker Brett Conway barely managed to boot through a 39-yard field goal, though the Giants Stadium winds may have played a part in that.