As we do each week, 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

**************************************
Joe Bryant
Owner - www.Footballguys.com

Week 17 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

Seattle Seahawks 24 at San Francisco 17

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Seattle Seahawks

QB Matt Hasselbeck rebounded from adversity well in a game that could be considered his first playoff situation. He threw two very poor passes in the game that were intercepted, but also threw many more pinpoint passes including two deep TDs. He did a good job of keeping his team in the game after they were down 14-0 early.

WR Koren Robinson made a great over the shoulder TD reception and was targeted fourteen times in the game. However, he only caught six of those targets and had multiple drops. Robinson continues to let the ball get into his body instead of catching the ball with his hands. His workload was noticeably increased with WR Darrell Jackson's ankle injury possibly limiting him.

RB Shaun Alexander was contained by the 49er defense through three quarters, but had almost all the touches in a thirteen-play six-minute drive to wind down the clock in the fourth quarter.

San Francisco 49ers

QB Jeff Garcia played his typical game moving around well in the pocket avoiding a heavy pass rush. He was able to keep his eyes up and see the field well while on the move. Seattle made a special effort to keep Garcia from scrambling down field after he left the pocket.

The 49ers were determined to get RB Kevan Barlow the ball at the beginning of the game. Barlow left the game in the mid-second quarter with an injury. He returned at the start of the second half and continued to be the focal point of the 49er offense (twenty touches in the game).

WR Brandon Lloyd was hit-and-miss in replacing Terrell Owens in the starting lineup. He only had three receptions, but the first was a 44-yard reception down the sideline and the last was a spectacular one handed grab on the sideline. He also tied for the team lead in targets with nine, but Garcia was not able to consistently connect with his trio of WRs (Streets, Wilson, and Lloyd)

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Seattle Seahawks

QB: Matt Hasselbeck: (24-37-315 2 TD 2 INT passing) The Seahawks need help to make the playoffs, but in order to be in that situation they needed a win in this game. If you consider this his first playoff game, Hasselbeck gets decent marks with the pressure turned up. He made things harder on himself by throwing a ball very far behind WR Bobby Engram. Engram tipped the ball up in the air before it was intercepted. Hasselbeck quickly rebounded leading the Seahawks on two scoring drives to tie the game before half time. He got Seattle the lead with a deep TD to Robinson in the third quarter, but almost blew it with another deep ball that was poorly thrown towards Robinson late in the game that was also intercepted.

RB: Shaun Alexander: (21-84 1 TD rushing, 3-49 receiving on 5 targets) Alexander was shut down in the first half. His long carry of the half was only 3 yards (on his TD). However, he contributed with two nice receptions on screen plays. Alexander continued to meet a wall of 49er defenders until Seattle's last possession of the game. With 7:30 left on the clock, Seattle pounded out a long drive that featured Alexander runs of 18 and 23 yards. He also rambled down field on a 19-yard screen play. The drive resulted in a FG giving Seattle a seven-point lead and took nearly six minutes off the clock.

Mack Strong: (2-1 rushing, 0-0 receiving on 0 targets) Strong saw less of the field than he normally does. Seattle opted to go with 4-WR sets on a greater percentage of plays.

Maurice Morris: (5-11 rushing, 0-0 receiving on 0 targets) Morris saw in increase in his carries. His five carries were the most touches he's seen since week 2 against Arizona. He has consistently been getting one or two carries in the first half each week, but had a few in the second half as well.

WR: Koren Robinson: (6-85 receiving 1 TD on 14 targets) Robinson was the undisputed WR1 in the game for Seattle. He responded with only two receptions in the first quarter even though he was targeted eight times. Two of the targets were drops, but he did draw a pass interference call on another. Robinson has a problem with letting the ball get into his body instead of catching the ball with his hands. Often times the ball bounces off his chest or bicep. While this continues to be a problem, his athleticism is not. He turned one 3-yard pass into a 9-yard gain by breaking a tackle. Robinson has been targeted mostly on shorter routes this season, but caught twenty and thirty yard passes today. This may not be typical when Darrel Jackson is full speed.

Darrell Jackson: (4-54 receiving on 7 targets) Jackson only practiced one day this week due to an ankle injury from last week. The injury wasn't apparent while running his routes and he pulled in eighteen and nineteen yard receptions in the first half. Jackson also drew a holding call on what might have been an easy TD on the game tying drive.

Bobby Engram: (4-27 receiving on 6 targets) Engram had a non-typical game. He had zero catches for first downs today and none on third downs. He had a ball intercepted after it deflected of his hand, but the ball was thrown well behind him and was clearly the fault of Hasselbeck. Engram also muffed a punt that was recovered by San Francisco and led to Garcia's second TD pass.

Alex Bannister: (2-53 1 TD receiving on 3 targets) Bannister was the benefactor of Seattle going to a 4-WR set for a large part of the game. He scored Seattle's first TD on a deep sideline pattern. Later he caught a 22-yard slant and broke a few tackles that led to game winning score from Robinson. Bannister's production should be viewed as more of an aberration instead of a trend. His role on this team is set on special teams. In fact, Bannister will represent the NFC in the pro-bowl this season for special teams play.

TE: Itula Mili: (5-47 receiving on 5 targets) Seattle continues to rely on Mili as an integral part of their passing offense. He quietly broke the record for receptions by a Seattle TE (43-that he set last year) with 46 grabs this season. He also pulled in at least 5 receptions for the third week in a row.

Jeremy Stevens: (0-0 receiving on 0 targets) Stevens didn't see the field much. The Seahawks spent most of the game in 4-WR sets keeping Stevens on the sidelines.

K: Josh Brown: 1-2 FG (missed 49, made 33) 3-3 XP. Brown missed his first attempt wide to the left by a few feet. The kick had the distance. He has missed several of his longer kicks this season short.

Rush Defense: Seattle kept RB Kevan Barlow from being a factor. Bookend outside LBs Anthony Simmons and Chad Brown were everywhere today (7 tackles each). Combined with the young tandem of DTs Rashad Moore and Rocky Bernard, the Seahawks run defense has improved dramatically. They stuffed Barlow for one yard or less on seven of his fourteen carries). 49er RBs were held to a collective 44 rushing yards.

Pass Defense: The return of LB Chad Brown (2 sacks) aided the Seattle pass rush. They kept constant pressure on QB Jeff Garcia deep into the fourth quarter making him deliver passes earlier than he wanted to. Garcia was hit hard on numerous plays. WR Brandon Lloyd torched CB Ken Lucas in bump and run coverage. Lloyd was easily able to knock Lucas off balance and blow by him for a 44-yard gain down the sideline. Rookie FS Ken Hamelin made a nice diving defense of a pass in the endzone and immediately went to the sideline holding his lower back. Spasms have forced him to miss time sporadically late in the season. He returned to the game. Seattle's other rookie in the defensive backfield has become their shutdown corner. CB Marcus Trufant is tough to shake and contributed with an INT.

San Francisco 49ers

QB: Jeff Garcia: (22-38-248 2 TD 1 INT passing, 2-15 rushing) Garcia was forced to get rid of the ball sooner than he wanted to on many plays. He opted to do this instead of taking sacks. Lots of these passes ended up in the dirt. His TD pass to TE Jed Weaver was textbook Garcia. Dance in the pocket with lineman flying all around, then zip a TD pass up field just before taking a hit. His interception was his only horribly thrown ball in the game. It was tossed up for grabs in the middle of the field. Overall, Garcia did an admirable job considering the lack of a running game continually placed him in 3rd and long passing situations.

RB: Garrison Hearst: DNP due to injury. Hearst was shown on the 49er sideline once. The one time on camera Hearst appeared jovial and in good spirits. At this point the 49ers had a 14-point lead.

Kevan Barlow: (14-40 rushing, 6-38 receiving on 6 targets) Barlow was stuffed at the line of scrimmage on half of his carries. When a hole was available he hit it hard and showed good burst, but it was a rare event in this game. Barlow left the game in the mid-second quarter with an apparent ankle injury. He returned in the second half and his first carry in the third quarter was his long for the game (9 yards). Of the sixty-three 49er plays from scrimmage, Barlow had 20 touches. He was the center of their offense.

Fred Beasley: (1-4 rushing, 1-2 receiving on 2 targets) Beasley had little impact on the game. He was surprisingly on the sideline for much of the second half. After being named to the pro-bowl this week most would have expected him to be in the game only being down by 4 points. The 49ers opted to go with 3-WR sets keeping Beasley on the sidelines.

Jamal Robertson: (5-0 rushing, 0-0 receiving on 0 targets) Robertson replaced Barlow in the backfield in the second quarter and had one carry. His other four carries all came in the second half. It has to be assumed that Barlow was not 100%

WR: Terrell Owens: DNP due to injury. Owens was shown dressed on the sideline several times. His arm was in a sling. There was lots of speculation as to whether or not it would be Owens last time on the 49er sideline. The camera didn't catch Owens displaying any particular emotions.

Tai Streets: (2-11 receiving on 6 targets) Streets was pretty much taken out of the game by CB Marcus Trufant. He did draw an illegal contact flag on Trufant in the game, but the numbers tell the story. Streets was a non-factor. Streets was nailed with a costly 10-yard offensive pass interference penalty when the 49ers had the ball on the 2-yard line (note: See Wilson below). Also of note, Streets was targeted in the back of the endzone and nearly had a TD, but FS Ken Hamelin made a diving deflection of the ball to break up the play.

Brandon Lloyd: (3-63 receiving on 9 targets) Lloyd got his first start and responded with two dynamite catches. His first was a 44-yard reception down the right sideline. He did a good job of getting off the line of scrimmage on bump and run coverage. Lloyd used his hands well to make CB Ken Lucas miss on his bump. Some might argue that Lloyd was so wide open more due to poor technique by Lucas. On several of his targets Lloyd was open, but Garcia put the ball in the ground or over threw it. Garcia was under heavy pressure in these instances. On the last 49er possession Lloyd left the 49er faithful with something to be hopeful for next year. On third and long, he made a one handed snag of a ball far behind him tipping it to himself. To pull the pass in he had to dive towards the sidelines barely keeping his toes inbounds. This one will be sure to make a few ESPN Sportscenter highlight reels. After the play he appeared to grab the back of his leg and may have sustained an injury.

Cedrick Wilson: (5-50 1 TD receiving on 9 targets) Wilson caught Garcia's second TD pass at about the 10-yard line and made a good move back to the middle of the field to get in for the score. Wilson was busy in this game. He returned punts and kicks as well as being the most productive WR in the game for San Francisco. He was also targeted in the endzone from the 2-yard line when Streets was tagged for his offensive pass interference penalty. It appeared that they were intentionally running a screen to get Wilson open.

TE: Jed Weaver: (4-58 1 TD receiving on 7 targets) Weaver was Garcia's most consistent target. Weaver did a good job of getting open deep down the seams in the middle of the field. On his TD reception, Weaver did a nice job of hanging onto the ball as he took a big hit. Weaver was also targeted in the endzone later in the game.

K: Todd Peterson: 1-2 FG (missed 29, made 38) 2-2 XP. Peterson blew a chip shot FG that may have helped Seattle head to the locker room with momentum at the half. After Seattle came back from 14 points down in the second quarter the 49ers quickly marched down to the 2-yard line. Peterson's kick bounced off the right upright and sent San Francisco to the locker room with a tie instead of the lead. He rebounded to kick a go ahead FG early in the third quarter.

Pass Defense: The pass rush was able to keep heat on QB Matt Hasselbeck, but they only dropped him once in the game. DT Bryant Young seemed to be living in the backfield despite his one tackle. Seattle rolled Hasselbeck out of the pocket throughout the game to avoid the rush. CB Ahmed Plummer left the game with a neck injury early in the second quarter and was missed. Just after he left the game Seattle marched down the field on consecutive drives for TDs.

Rush Defense: The 49ers held RB Shaun Alexander in check through three quarters and deep into the fourth. With seven minutes left in the game, they allowed Alexander to rip off several long runs to help burn the clock. Realizing their season was about to end, the 49ers may have packed it in. Until this point in the fourth quarter, they didn't allow any holes to develop stuffing the run at all points. The 49ers may have set a record for the fewest average rushing yards per game allowed in home games during a season. Going into the game there were only allowing about 50 yards rushing per game at home.

Buffalo Bills 0 at New England Patriots 31

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Buffalo Bills

The Buffalo Bills disappointing season came to an ugly finish, as the Bills were horrible in all facets of the game. The Patriots harassed bills QB Drew Bledsoe repeatedly on the way to eight consecutive misfires to start the game. Bledsoe was skittish in the pocket, acting at times as if he feared for his safety behind a makeshift offensive line that played without three starters. Bledsoe finished just 12 of 29 for 83 yards, with a fumble and an interception, before he was replaced in the 4th quarter by backup Travis Brown.

The lone bright spot on the day for Buffalo was the play of RB Travis Henry who, despite little room to run, ran hard and showed that he had not packed it in for the season. Henry carried 15 times for 62 hard-earned yards, but did fumble in the red zone in the 4th quarter.

WR Eric Moulds caught seven passes for 55 yards, but the Bills trailed by 21 points before his first reception. Moulds became the second receiver in Buffalo history to surpass 500 career receptions, with 506.

The Bills 243 points scored for the year was their second-fewest total ever in a 16-game season.

New England Patriots

The New England Patriots turned the tables on the Bills, reversing a demoralizing 31-0 drubbing at Buffalo's hands in week one with a 31-0 victory of their own to cap a remarkable season with their 12th straight victory.

New England started the game by throwing the ball all over the place. They started in a no-huddle offense and often went with an empty backfield. QB Tom Brady played brilliantly. Brady threw eighteen 1st quarter passes, spreading the ball amongst multiple receiver sets, and completed 15 of them for 90 yards and two scores. After Brady's third touchdown strike, early in the 2nd quarter, the Patriots led 21-0 and the game was out of reach. He finished the game 204 passing yards to go with four touchdowns, and surprisingly racked up 23 yards on the ground, as well.

Antowain Smith carried 15 times for 74 yards. He ran hard and benefited from a Bills defense that was forced to use most their personnel in a failed attempt to slow down the Patriots passing game.

WR David Givens was the main target in the passing game, catching seven passes for 80 yards and a score. He was the intended receiver on 11 pass attempts, which led the team. Brady spread the ball around, however, as Deion Branch and Troy Brown received nine and seven targets, respectively. Givens, Brown and rookie Bethel Johnson all caught Brady touchdown passes.

The Patriots defense dominated the Bills with pressure and forced four turnovers. LB Larry Izzo came up with the last one, and interception in the end zone in the final minute of play, to preserve their shutout.

With the win, Tom Brady is now 25-4 in the months of November and December as a starter.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Buffalo Bills

QB: Drew Bledsoe (12-29-83-0-1 with a fumble) played horribly. He began the game with an interception on his first attempt and did not really improve from there. The game announcers repeatedly pointed out that some of the blame belonged to the Bills porous offensive line, but Bledsoe did nothing to help himself. He definitely did not look confident, and at times he looked rattled in the pocket. His timing was poor, as were the majority of his passes. He started the game 0-8 before improving somewhat once the game was out of reach. Travis Brown replaced Bledsoe after Patriots LB Tedy Bruschi hit Bledsoe and recovered his fumble on the first play of the 4th quarter.

Travis Brown completed 11 of 14 passes against the Patriots prevent defense. His last pass was intercepted, which secured the shutout for New England.

RB: Travis Henry (15-62 with a fumble) never quit and ran hard all game long. He carried on the Bills first two plays of the game, gaining 11 yards. Then the Bills attempted to throw the ball, and Bledsoe threw an interception. In the 4th quarter, he was still running hard, but he fumbled after an 11-yard carry to the Patriots 13-yard line. Henry caught two passes for only one yard on two targets.

WR: Eric Moulds (7-55 on 10 targets) put up most of his numbers after the game was decided, against the prevent defense. He was not a factor, downfield, as most of his attempts were of the 5-10 yard variety.

Josh Reed caught 5 passes for 40 yards on 10 targets. Only one of those came in the first half.

TE: The tight ends had the two longest receptions of the game. Dave Moore caught one pass for 28 yards, while Mark Campbell caught 2 for 44 yards, including a 26-yard play. Moore's catch was his only one on six targets, while Campbell had four looks.

PK: Rian Lindell missed a 40-yard field goal that hooked left. Earlier, he missed a 45-yard attempt that was nullified on an offensive penalty that resulted in a failed 4th down conversion try for Buffalo.

Run Defense: The Patriots averaged 4.7 yards per carry. Since they came out throwing almost exclusively, the run defense was not really tested until New England was in ball-control mode. They played reasonably well in the second half.

Pass Defense: The Patriots spread out the field and threw at will against Buffalo in the first half. Brady completed touchdowns to four different receivers, all of whom seemed to continually get free for quick passes. The lone bright spot was a forced fumble on tom Brady by LB Jeff Posey. The Bills failed to capitalize.

New England Patriots

QB: Tom Brady (21-32-204-4-0 with a fumble) played a superb football game, the exact opposite of how he played in week 1 in Buffalo. The Patriots threw the ball around from the start, and Brady was extremely accurate. He even led the team in rushing for the first quarter, as he took off on two 11-yard runs. He ended the first drive with a 1-yard toss to TE Daniel Graham. The next drive ended on a 9-yard pass to Bethel Johnson, who caught the ball on the left sideline at the 5-yard line and faked to the middle before spinning left and diving into the end zone. His 19-yard touchdown to Troy Brown was led perfectly to the left corner, and he topped off a tremendous first half with a 10-yard strike to David Givens. In the second quarter, Brady appeared hurt after the Bills Lawyer Milloy fell on his leg. The play was not as bad as it looked, as Brady stayed in until midway through the 4th quarter.

RB: Antowain Smith did not get involved until the game was nearly out of reach, which was late in the first quarter. He carried 15 times for 74 yards and performed solidly.

Kevin Faulk carried 9 times for 26 yards, with a long of just 6 yards.

WR: Brady spread the ball around two three main receivers. David Givens caught 7 passes for 80 yards and a score, on 11 targets. Givens was wide open on a 27-yard pass play down the middle against the Bills zone defense. He was often open, and was mostly sure-handed when he got a chance. He did, however, drop a potential touchdown in the end zone.

On the next play, Brady hooked up with Troy Brown (5-52-1 on 7 targets) for a 19-yard score. Brown was effective when given a chance, although Brady seemed more inclined to look to Givens and Branch.

Deion Branch (6-58 on 9 targets) was effective as well, and had the longest catch of the day, 30 yards.

TE: Christian Fauria (1-4 on 2 targets) and Daniel Graham (1-1-1 on 1 target) were not highlighted in the offense. Graham made the most of his target, an easy score made more difficult by the fact that Brady threw a bullet from about 5 yards away, but Graham held on.

PK: Adam Vinatieri made a 24-yard field goal and also missed one from the same distance, as it bounced off the left upright.

Run Defense: New England held the Bills to just 82 rushing yards, a task made easier by their dominant performance against the pass.

Pass Defense: The Patriots dominated the Bills offensive line. Tedy Bruschi was a force; he had a sack, a forced fumble, a recovered fumble, and set the tone when he pressured Bledsoe into an interception on Bledsoe's first attempt of the game.

Philadelphia Eagles 31 at Washington Redskins 7

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

The Philadelphia Eagles (12-4) clinched their third consecutive NFC East Division Crown and a first-round playoff bye, and still remain alive for the top seed in the NFC Playoffs. The blue paraphernalia of the Detroit Lions should be quite popular in and around the Philadelphia area on Sunday, as Philadelphia and their fans must hope that St. Louis loses to Detroit in order for the road to Super Bowl XXXVIII to go through Philadelphia.

The Washington Redskins (5-11) finished playing out the schedule in rather anti-climatic fashion. Washington finished the season by losing 10 of their last 12, with one of their lone claims to fame as being the last team to defeat New England in Week 4.

Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles looked to get back on track and go into the postseason on a winning note. Looking to win the division, Philadelphia jumped out early and established a lead, eventually winning the game and the division easily. However, the Eagles may have won the battle and lost the war, as RB Brian Westbrook, arguably their offensive (and special teams) MVP went down with an injury. Westbrook tore his left tricep, and an MRI is expected on Monday. Given that the Eagles have a bye, his availability for the playoffs is still unknown.

QB Donovan McNabb came out firing, throwing the ball to 10 receivers. The Eagles are just one of two teams to have seven players with 20-plus catches (Indianapolis the other). McNabb had a great game, completing nearly 75% of his passes (23-32-242) for three touchdowns and running in yet one more.

WR Todd Pinkston continued his efforts to stretch the field and give the Eagles a deep threat, catching two balls in the first quarter for 24 and 40 yards. The second deep one was highlight reel material. Again, the Eagles may have been bitten by the injury bug, as Pinkston was hampered by a toe injury.

The RBBC in Philadelphia continues, but with the potential loss of Westbrook it may become a 2-man act. Correll Buckhalter returned from a 1-game suspension for disciplinary reasons, and led the team in rushing and carries and added a receiving touchdown. RB Duce Staley also added to the mix, touching the ball 10 times for a total of 63 all-purpose yards.

The Eagles shut down Washington's offense, holding them to a mere 7 points.

Washington Redskins

The Redskins look very much like a team that is looking toward the offseason. The pass defense gave up 3 touchdowns and a gaudy 17 first downs to the first place Eagles.

The offense was able to generate one score, a 1-yard dive by RB Rock Cartwright, but the offense was low on highlights. QB Tim Hasselbeck is still trying to showcase his talents, and he posted reasonable stats (21-32-192), but did commit two costly turnovers. His fumble and interception led to 10 Philadelphia points, but the Redskin defense was much more to blame for this loss. It is worth noting, however, that the Eagles had three interceptions that they dropped.

Laveranues Coles (6-87 receiving, 12 targets) was pretty much the whole Redskin offense, making 5 catches for over 10 yards and five first downs, and accounted for all but 37 yards from the wide receivers.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Philadelphia Eagles

QB: Donovan McNabb (23-32-242, 3 TD, 0 INTs, 3-16 rushing, 1 TD, 1-1 receiving, (-7) yards) had an excellent performance, registering four touchdowns, three through the air. McNabb and the Eagles were absolutely dominant, controlling all aspects of the game from the onset. McNabb got the deep passing game going early, hitting WR Todd Pinkston again on an acrobatic catch for 40 yards. This was the key play on a 96-yard scoring drive, which was personally capped by a 1-yard bootleg by McNabb. This was Philadelphia's longest drive of the season, and expanded the score to 21-0.

McNabb hit 10 different receivers, including himself. That came as the result of a batted ball back to him that he caught, then was swiftly tackled for a 7-yard loss. Philadelphia is one of only two teams to spread the ball around enough to have seven 20-plus catch receivers (Indianapolis the other).

McNabb showed a propensity to roll right, looking to the right flat often. Towards halftime, McNabb was 12-12 throwing to the right side under 15 yards, with two TDs, and he was 3-6 elsewhere with 0 TDs. After WR Todd Pinkston went down with a toe injury in the second quarter, he kept the passes short and controlled, not taking any unnecessary chances.

Koy Detmer (1-2-7) came in late in the game to spell McNabb. He attempted two passes, completing one to TE LJ Smith for 7 yards. The other pass was a bad toss for an attempted screen to Duce Staley.

RB: Correll Buckhalter (13-54 rushing, 3-16 receiving, 1 TD, 3 targets) came back from a 1-game suspension by HC Andy Reid due to oversleeping and missing a meeting and played well. Buckhalter was the feature back on the night, getting the most carries, and had to help the Eagles overcome an injury to RB Brian Westbrook. 45 of his 54 rushing yards (and 11 of 13 carries) came in the second half. Buckhalter added another acrobatic touchdown this week, catching a pass in the flat and launching himself at the pylon, holding the ball just inside the marker for the score.

Duce Staley (5-7 rushing, 5-56 receiving, 7 targets) helped the Eagles both on the ground and via the air attack, especially early in the game. Staley caught three balls for 10, 6, and 24 yards in the first quarter, all for first downs. He added a 4-yarder in the second and a 12-yarder for a first down in the third, helping the Eagles move the ball downfield. The two balls that were thrown his way that he did not catch were screens thrown to his feet and uncatchable.

Brian Westbrook (4-6 rushing, 2-15 receiving, 2 targets, left game in the second quarter due to injury) had a quiet night, as he had to leave the game in the second quarter with an injury. The early diagnosis is a torn left tricep, but more will be known after an MRI on Monday. The Eagles have a bye, so his playoff availability is up in the air at this time.

FB Jon Ritchie (1 target) was targeted for a single pass in the third quarter, or that's the official record. In actuality, the ball was tipped at the line and came nowhere near him, so he had no opportunity to haul it in. He was used as a decoy at the goal line when McNabb ran in his score.

WR: Todd Pinkston (3-74 receiving, 7 targets) continued where he left off last week, helping the Eagles to establish a deep threat. McNabb hit him for two first down catches of 24 and 40 yards in the first quarter, the latter catch an acrobatic grab at midfield. This was the longest reception of the game for the Eagles (and his 24-yarder was the third longest). Pinkston added another 10-yard catch in the second quarter, but was pretty ineffective after that catch. He was hampered with a toe injury in either the second or third quarter, and had no more catches after that 10-yarder. He was targeted three more times after that catch, including a deep one in the end zone and another that ticked off his fingers.

James Thrash (2-8 receiving, 3 targets, 40 kickoff return yards) had a very quiet night, and he was forced into punt return duty in addition to his kickoff returner job after the Westbrook injury. This increased activity level may carry into the playoffs, depending on Westbrook's status.

The one pass Thrash did not collect was thrown out of bounds.

Freddie Mitchell (4-47 receiving, 1 TD, 7 targets) had a strong performance, as he was the second-most targeted receiver. All four of his official catches (12, 8-TD, 15, 12) were for first downs, including an 8-yard touchdown. Mitchell also caught a 10-yarder that was called back due to penalty. Mitchell was also targeted in the end zone and had a bullet pass slip through his hands incomplete in the first quarter, and was just overthrown in the third on a deep ball that would have gone for another score.

Greg Lewis (1-25 receiving, 1 target) got in on the act, catching a 25-yard pass over the middle for a first down in the third quarter.

TE: LJ Smith (2-12 receiving, 3 targets) came back from being sidelined due to an injury last week and added two catches for 12 yards. Both catches were for first downs. He also caught the only completion from backup QB Koy Detmer.

Chad Lewis (1-3 receiving, 1 TD, 1 target) had just one catch, but was it ever a big one. Washington lost Lewis in goal line coverage, and McNabb hit the wide open TE for an easy touchdown. No one was within 5 yards of Lewis.

K: David Akers (1/1 FG, 25 yard attempt, 4/4 XPs) made all of his kicks, including a short field goal in the fourth quarter of 25 yards.

Pass Defense: The Eagles pass defense kept Washington from going deep, allowing QB Hasselbeck to complete almost two-thirds of his passes but just 8 for over 10 yards and only 2 for over 20 yards. They applied adequate pressure, registering 5 sacks and a fumble. The one area that was lacking was snaring interceptions - three balls were dropped that looked to be reasonable interceptions. They did get one, but they could have easily had more.

Rush Defense: The Philadelphia rush defense did not give up yet another 100-yard rushing performance, only the second time in the last eight games that they have held someone below that mark. Given the disparity early on the scoreboard, and the lack of a marquee RB in the Washington backfield, this hardly came as much of a surprise. The Eagles run defense was not really tested in this contest.

Washington Redskins

QB: Tim Hasselbeck (21-32-192, 0 TD, 1 INT, 3-17 rushing, 1 fumble) threw the ball around to nine different receivers and completed almost two-thirds of his attempts, but most of his passes were for short yardage. Only eight of his 21 completions went for over 10 yards, and just two for more than 20 - one of which was a long run after a screen pass.

Hasselbeck committed two turnovers, a fumble and an interception, which led to two Philadelphia scoring drives and 10 points. Hasselbeck played reasonably well, but was done in by an ineffective running game and defense.

Rookie Gibran Hamdan (1-2-7) came into the game with 2 minutes to go, and was able to match Philly QB Koy Detmer's output exactly. Unfortunately, it was the differential between the first string QBs that really mattered in this game.

RB: Rock Cartwright (12-43 rushing, 1 TD, 5-53 receiving, 5 targets) led the paltry running attack of the Redskins, gaining just 43 yards on 12 attempts. His longest rush was for 8 yards, and he gained 25 of those yards in the fourth quarter as Philadelphia was dropping back into prevent defense. Cartwright was able to plunge into the end zone from the one-yard line for the only Washington touchdown of the evening.

Cartwright was more successful as a receiver, catching a screen pass that went for 40 yards in the second quarter, Washington's biggest offensive play. He was pushed out at the one-yard line, just before he went in for his rushing score.

It was noted by the ESPN announcing team that Cartwright had left with an injury in the third quarter, but he returned shortly thereafter.

Chad Morton (2-19 rushing, 2-9 receiving, 3 targets, 44 kickoff and punt return yards) was also used in the Redskin backfield. Washington tried all of their runners, but without much success. Morton also had a 4-yard carry that was called back on a penalty.

John Simon (1-0 rushing, 1-5 receiving, 1 target) had one carry and one catch for 5 total yards.

WR: Laveranues Coles (6-87 receiving, 12 targets) was pretty much the whole Redskin offense. Coles had five catches over 10 yards and five first downs, and accounted for all but 37 yards from the wide receivers. Coles was targeted a dozen times, the most by far. He also had another catch of 15 yards that was called back due to offensive pass interference on Rod Gardner (pick play). He was covered very well all night, as 3 of his targets were near interceptions, and a fourth was the one pick by the Eagles' SS Michael Lewis.

Darnerien McCants (1-14 receiving, 4 targets) was looked at four times, but he only snagged one ball for 14 yards. One ball was just beyond his reach, which would have been good for at least 20 yards and a first down. The others were one off his hands and another that was just a clean drop.

Cliff Russell (2-10 receiving, 2 targets) caught two balls for 7 and 3 yards each in the fourth quarter.

Rod Gardner (2-4 receiving, 2 targets) made two short catches. He also committed an offensive pas interference penalty that cost Coles a 15-yard catch.

Patrick Johnson (0-0 receiving, 4 targets) was 0 for 4 in making a catch. One was batted at the line of scrimmage, one off his hands, another out of bounds, and the last one a drop on a penalty. It was that kind of night for the Redskins.

TE: Kevin Ware (2-11 receiving, 2 targets) caught a ball for 4 yards in the first quarter, and another in the fourth for 7 more.

Byron Chamberlain (1-6 receiving, 1 target) hauled one ball in for 6 yards in the third quarter on his only look.

K: John Hall (0/1 FG, 52-yard attempt, 1 XP) tried a long 52-yard field goal in the first quarter, and it was both short and wide left. Hall converted his lone extra point attempt.

Pass Defense: The Redskins pass defense struggled all day to contain McNabb and the Eagles, who were able to march all up and down the field seemingly at will. The defense recorded no turnovers, sacks, or interceptions. McNabb completed nearly 75% of his passes, 17 first downs and three touchdowns without much pressure on him at all. Not a good showing by the Washington defense.

Rush Defense: The Washington rush defense gave up 83 rushing yards, but just 22 in the first half. This was not necessarily a statement that they were doing well defensively, but more of a reflection of how well the Eagles moved the ball through the air. Once the Eagles established the lead, they ran 15 times for 61 yards in the second half, controlling the ball and the clock to secure the victory.

New York Jets 21 at Miami Dolphins 23

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

New York Jets

RB Curtis Martin continued his second-half resurgence with another stellar performance. He rumbled for 92 yards on 24 carries, and even managed his second touchdown of the season. Martin's shiftiness and elusiveness was on great display as he had an outstanding game against a tough run defense.

QB Chad Pennington faced constant pressure all day long. Several times, he had to make tough throws well before he wanted to because of the oncoming rush. He was sacked 4 times, though he did not throw a pick.

The Jets' defense rose to the occasion several times late in the game to keep it close, but faltered badly when they needed to come through. On the Dolphins' last drive, they allowed a wide-open Chris Chambers and then a wide-open Randy McMichael to make huge plays in the middle of the field. Each of these helped set up the game-winning field goal by Olindo Mare.

Miami Dolphins

It was unknown how much RB Ricky Williams would play, but it's a good thing for Miami that he did. He didn't get a ton of yardage on the ground, but he more than made up for that with his constant pounding he delivered on New York defenders all day.

WR Chris Chambers turned in a career-high 153 yards on 9 receptions, including a touchdown. He catches almost everything thrown his way, and appears to have all of the physical tools necessary to be a big-time wideout. His 11 touchdowns this season exceed his career total of 10 coming into the year.

The Dolphins became the first AFC team in 17 years to win at least 10 games, but fail to qualify for the playoffs. Rumors have abounded as to the future of Head Coach Dave Wannstedt, but if today was any indication, his players come to play for him when he needs them to.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

New York Jets

QB: Chad Pennington played a nearly flawless game, despite facing a constant barrage of pressure from the Dolphins' defensive line. Pennington completed 22-28 passes for 221 yards and one touchdown. He didn't throw an incomplete pass until there were 28 seconds remaining in the first half. Pennington lost a touchdown to Anthony Becht when Becht was called for offensive pass interference. Later, he again lost a potential touchdown to Becht when the ball sailed off the tight end's fingers. On the next play, Pennington had WR Curtis Conway wide open in the back of the end zone, but overthrew him. Later in the game, Pennington threw what appeared to be a completed 2-point conversion to Anthony Becht, but the refs ruled that the ball had bounced.

RB: Curtis Martin ran with authority, and kept adding to his season rushing total. Most observers felt that Martin had lost a step early in the season, but as the year has gone on, he has continuously proven people wrong. This game was a great example, as he busted through Miami's supposedly stout defense for 92 yards on 24 carries, including a touchdown. The touchdown was a nice run in which he cut back and burst through the hole. Up until that run, the Dolphins had done a decent job of stifling him, but after that, he displayed his trademark shake before each tackle.

LaMont Jordan got his first significant carry in quite some time. The Jets drove down near the goal line, and Curtis Martin came out so Jordan could get a carry. Jordan didn't do much with the opportunity, however, as he was stuffed after a 2-yard gain.

WR: Santana Moss caught 7 balls for 66 yards on 8 targets. The one incompletion thrown his way was his lone red zone target.

Curtis Conway grabbed just 2 passes for 47 yards, but one was a very nice fingertip grab of a 45-yard pass down the sideline. Had he been able to maintain his balance, he may have taken it longer. But the ball was slightly overthrown and he extended out to make the grab, causing him to lose his footing. Conway was also targeted once in the back of the end zone, but Pennington overthrew him on a floater despite Conway being wide open.

TE: Anthony Becht was the main focus of the Jets' passing game. Becht hauled in 6 passes for 32 yards and a touchdown. He was also the main focus of two other end zone passes, each of which fell incomplete. He was also the target of the 2-point conversion attempt. Despite pleading his case to the officials and a challenge from Herm Edwards, the ruling on the field stood that the conversion attempt was incomplete. To the naked eye, it appeared Becht got his hands under the ball, but there was no visible evidence to overturn it. Becht actually scored earlier in the game, but had the touchdown nullified when he was called for pass interference. He was also called for interference later in the game for what would have been an 18-yard pickup.

Pass Defense: Jay Fiedler had a rare good statistical game, and the Jets didn't do much of anything in this phase of the game. They allowed Ricky Williams to break a 59-yard reception on what should have been a 1-yard gain. Later, Chris Chambers ran all over the field on them. Shoddy tackling and some nice moves by Chambers were the primary reasons for the score.

Run Defense: New York did a good job in containing Ricky Williams on the ground, allowing him just 73 yards on 20 carries. They did, however, give up a touchdown on the ground to Williams. In addition, the constant punishment they received courtesy of Mr. Williams likely led to some fatigue late in the game. They appeared to be pushed back every time Williams made contact with someone.

Miami Dolphins

QB: Jay Fiedler hasn't had many solid games lately, but this was the exception. He completed 21-29 for a whopping 328 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception. The interception wasn't his fault at all. Fiedler owners were hit with the double whammy on that play, as not only should it not have been picked, but it should have been a touchdown. He threw a pass right into the hands of Randy McMichael in the end zone for what should have been an easy score. McMichael, however, let the ball pop up off his hands and into the air for an interception.

RB: Ricky Williams has had better statistical days, but he had two plays in particular that were definitely of the spectacular variety. First, he took a simple screen that appeared to be going nowhere and cut it back against the grain. After moving from right to left across the entire field after a quick cutback, he suddenly burst up the left sideline for a 59-yard reception. He appeared to have the angle to score on the last man, CB Ray Mickens, but Williams slowed down to deliver a stiff-arm and guarantee himself a few extra yards. Later, on the Williams touchdown run, he completely hurdled one defender who had gotten low to tackle him. Williams sprinted the remaining distance to the end zone for a great run.

Travis Minor came in for one carry down near the goal line but was stuffed for no gain.

Rob Konrad was the target of a pass in the end zone, but it was thrown much too high and incomplete.

WR: At times, it appears that Chris Chambers can just take over a game whenever he wants (if only the Dolphins would throw him the ball more often). Chambers took his 11 targets and turned them into 9 receptions for a career high 153 yards and a touchdown. The touchdown was particularly impressive, as he faked out several defenders before dragging another into the end zone. Big-time YAC on that play. Even the catch itself was quite nice, as the ball was thrown very low and Chambers calmly plucked the ball out of the air before turning upfield for the score. He later got his hands on another pass in the end zone, but had the ball knocked away by good defense. Earlier in the game, he was slightly overthrown on a 25-yard deep route in the back of the end zone.

Derrius Thompson caught 2 balls for 30 yards, but had minimal impact.

TE: Randy McMichael had several nice catches in traffic, and came up with a huge catch on the game-winning drive. But he nearly cost his team the game when he dropped a sure touchdown a yard into the end zone. Jay Fiedler put the ball right in his hands, but the ball popped up off his fingers and into the arms of Jets' LB Victor Hobson. McMichael also narrowly missed some earlier points when he was overthrown in the back of the end zone. Later, he had a ball sail off his fingertips in the end zone, but that one was likely a result of Fiedler just throwing it too hard.

Pass Defense: These are some spectacular defensive ends that Miami has. Jason Taylor and Adewale Ogunleye applied consistent pressure on Chad Pennington all game long. It is actually amazing that he was ONLY sacked four times, because they were in his face constantly. The Jets' receivers weren't able to get much separation from the excellent Miami corners, which perhaps is the main explanation for Anthony Becht being the focus of so many passes. Jason Taylor came up limping after one play in which he took a helmet to the thigh, but he walked off under his own power.

Run Defense: Surprisingly, Curtis Martin was very effective against the Dolphins. While he didn't break any huge runs (his long was 14), he was very efficient in picking up yards. He was slowed early on by the Dolphins front, but as the game went along, Martin increasingly picked up more and more steam. By the end of the game, the Jets had totaled nearly 100 yards on just 25 carries.

Special Teams: Olindo Mare connected on the game-winning field goal from just 22 yards out. He had earlier missed from 53, but the kick had enough distance. It just went wide. The Dolphins' special teams unit nearly cost the team the win when an errant snap went over the head of punter Matt Turk and out of the end zone. The play brought the Jets to within 5, and the Jets took the ensuing possession following the safety and scored a touchdown to take the lead. The Dolphins were bailed out, however, by their offense and the kick by Mare.

Oakland Raiders 14 at San Diego Chargers 21

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Oakland Raiders

Take away a kickoff and punt return for touchdowns, and Oakland's offense was obsolete. The Raiders gained 35 yards passing. That tells you all you need to know about the team's quarterback play. Rick Mirer and Tee Martin combined to go 6 of 22 and an interception. The Chargers had Rick Mirer scrambling for his life while he was in the game. Tee Martin entered the game at QB late in the third quarter and couldn't muster any offense.

Oakland's top runner Charlie Garner was suspended before the game, so the Raiders' started out handicapped without its best back. After struggling running the ball on the ground in the first quarter, Tyrone Wheatley and Zack Crockett were able to move the chains in the second quarter. But Wheatley left in the second quarter with an ankle injury, and J.R. Redmond entered the game in the second half with little success.

When your QBs pass for 35 yards, it's impossible to have any positive numbers from your wide receivers. The only note worth mentioning is Tim Brown extending his streak for consecutive games with a reception at 171. Jerry Rice was the only receiver with two catches.

The Raiders didn't get much of a chance to pressure Drew Brees since all he did was turn and hand the ball to LaDainian Tomlinson 31 times. When Oakland did force San Diego in passing situations, the Raiders were able to force Brees to rush throws and did register three sacks.

San Diego Chargers

Drew Brees had one job: hand the ball of the LaDainian Tomlinson and get out of the way. Brees failed to pass for 100 yards but did have one touchdown throw to David Boston. Overall, Brees didn't make many plays, but he didn't make any mistakes either.

Tomlinson was a one-man machine once again for the Chargers, going over 200 yards for the second time this season and the fourth time in his career. He tacked on two more rushing touchdowns to finish with 13 on the year. LT also caught eight passes to hit the milestone of 100 receptions for the season. He's the first player to catch 100 passes and gain 1,000 rushing yards in a season.

David Boston was quiet most of the game, but did manage an 18-yard TD reception in the second quarter, his seventh score on the year.

The Chargers' front four made life miserable for Raiders QBs. San Diego picked up five sacks, forced two fumbles (neither were recovered) and had an interception against Tee Martin. The Bolts also were stout against the run, allowing Oakland's leading rusher, Zack Crockett, to 39 yards.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Oakland Raiders

QB: Rick Mirer was 4 of 11 for 21 yards and got pulled in the third quarter in favor of Tee Martin. Mirer was flushed out of the pocket constantly, enduring a nightmare afternoon. Mirer returned to the game with two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter for a handful of plays before giving way again to Martin.

Tee Martin relieved the ineffective Mirer late in the third quarter and completed just two passes for 14 yards while throwing one pick.

RB: Charlie Garner was suspended before the game, making Tyrone Wheatley the starter. Wheatley had 35 yards on six carries before leaving the game in the second quarter after tweaking an ankle. He did return the following series but didn't play in the second half.

With nothing to play for, the Raiders inserted J.R. Redmond into the lineup in the second half, and he got the bulk of the carries - although he gained just 30 yards on nine carries.

WR: It took Tim Brown until late in the fourth quarter, but he catches at least one pass for the 171st straight game.

Jerry Rice also kept his consecutive receptions streak alive, but he had just two receptions for 14 yards.

TE: O.J. Santiago caught one pass for five yards; Doug Jolley pulled down a reception for three yards.

K: Sebastian Janikowski made both extra points.

Pass Defense: The Chargers primarily ran the ball, but the Raiders were able to muster some pressure on Drew Brees, sacking him three times.

Rush Defense: LaDainian Tomlinson rushed for 243 yards. Need we say more? LT gutted Oakland's defense all afternoon.

San Diego Chargers

QB: Drew Brees did what the Chargers asked of him: don't make mistakes and utilized one of the best running backs in the NFL. He didn't pass for 100 yards, but did manage an 18-yard TD to David Boston. He barely overthrew Kassim Osgood in the first half on a potential touchdown.

RB: LaDainian Tomlinson once again was the Chargers offense. He carried the ball seven times for 43 yards, culminating in a TD run - his 12th on the season - on San Diego's opening drive. Tomlinson went over 100 yards in the first half alone, and finished with 243 yards - a career best - and two touchdowns. It's the sixth time this season he's gone over the century mark, the second time he's surpassed 200 yards in '03, and the fourth time LT has cracked 200 yards in his career. He also caught eight passes for 17 yards and, in the process, hit the amazing mark of rushing for 1,000 yards and catching 100 passes in the same season.

Backup Leon Johnson had a better rushing average than LT (18.0) but had just one attempt.

WR: David Boston catches an 18-yard TD in the back right of the end zone late in the second quarter. It's the seventh TD on the season for him, the fifth in the past nine games. On the day, he finished with four catches for 43 yards, but Boston endured a disappointing season on and off the field, finishing with just 70 receptions for 880 yards.

Kassim Osgood didn't record a reception, but he just missed on a long TD as Brees slightly overthrows him on a play in the second quarter.

Antonio Gates catches a 28-yard pass in the first half but finished with just two catches for 36 yards.

TE: No tight ends caught a pass for the Chargers.

K: Steve Christie made all three PATs.

Pass Defense: The Chargers held Mirer and Martin to 35 passing yards on the day. San Diego disrupted the pocket and forced poor decisions. The Chargers registered five sacks, and Donnie Edwards intercepted a pass in the fourth quarter from Martin.

Rush Defense: San Diego stifled Oakland's running attack, limiting Zack Crockett, Tyrone Wheatley and J.R Redmond to 104 yards total. Once the Raiders showed how inept they were passing the ball, the Chargers focused all their attention stopping a possible running game.

St. Louis Rams 20 at Detroit Lions 30

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

St. Louis Rams

With home-field advantage during the playoffs at stake for the Rams, they were simply unable to outperform the Lions. They played well in the first half of the game, scoring two touchdowns and two field goals but things fell apart in the second half of the game.

Marc Bulger started the game strong, leading the Rams on a touchdown scoring drive at the end of the first quarter. While the Rams' receivers were covered, he connected with TE Brandon Manumaleuna for an 8-yard touchdown pass. He completed 14 passes for 152 in the first half. But when the third quarter started, things went downhill fast. Bulger suffered three turnovers - two lost fumbles and an interception. Late in the third quarter, Bulger was hit hard by Lion Brian Walker and it really seemed to impact Bulger's play. After his second fumble, he was pulled from the game and could be seen on the sidelines with ice on his forearm. Kurt Warner came in, but was ineffective.

Marshall Faulk capitalized on a blocked punt that was recovered inside the Lions' 10-yard line. He rushed twice, the second for 2-yard touchdown run. Faulk was held to only 35 rushing yards, but he was a part of the receiving game making 6 receptions for 40 yards.

Defensively, the Rams allowed Joey Harrington his best game of the year. Harrington threw at will against them and finished with 238 passing yards and most importantly 3 passing touchdowns.

Detroit Lions

Joey Harrington and the Lions have bookended what could only be described as an abysmal season with 2 impressive wins, the first over the Arizona Cardinals to start the season. The second, this inspiring performance over the St. Louis Rams to close the season. Harrington played his best game of the year by completing 26 passes out of 36 attempts for 238 yards and 3 touchdowns. He took chances that he hasn't all year long and it really paid off. He spread the ball throughout the offense connecting with 9 different receivers. And Harrington led the Lions to score on their first four possessions of the second half.

Az-Zahir Hakim led the Lions' receivers against his former team. He finished with 5 receptions for 58 yards. Hakim also contributed the Lions' longest rush of the day with a 35-yard gain on an end around. Both he and Bill Schroeder made 13-yard touchdown receptions.

The Lions' defense shined against a potent Rams' offense and put their offense into a position to score points. They forced turnovers and put pressure on Marc Bulger who responded by throwing an interception and fumbling the ball twice. Boss Bailey came up with the interception and tossed the ball to former Ram Dre Bly who was able to run for an additional 17 yards.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

St. Louis Rams

QB: Marc Bulger (18-31-170, 1 TD, 1 Int, 2 fumbles lost) It was a tale of two halves for Marc Bulger. In the first half, he led the Rams downfield for 3 scoring drives. One was a beautiful touchdown pass to a wide-open TE Brandon Manumaleuna. The other 2 drives ended with field goals. He completed 14 of his 18 passes and 152 of his total 170 yards in the first half. But then things turned ugly. To start the third quarter, he was sacked and fumbled the ball. On the Rams' next possession, Brian Walker hit him hard and the Rams were forced to punt. Soon afterwards, he threw an interception. Two possessions later, he fumbled the ball again and the Lions recovered it. At that point he was taken out of the game and could be seen on the sidelines with ice on his arm.

Kurt Warner (4-11-23) Kurt Warner came into play in the fourth quarter. And though he completed a couple of passes, he was unable to get anything started for the Rams.

RB: Marshall Faulk (12-35, 1 TD rushing, 6-40 receiving on 8 targets) Marshall Faulk capitalized on a blocked punt with his 2-yard touchdown run, which tied Cris Carter at fourth on the all-time touchdown list. But Faulk found little room to run against a stout Lions rush defense. In the second quarter, he turned a short screen catch into a 16-yard pickup by making cuts to the middle of the field.

WR: Torry Holt (5-54 receiving on 9 targets) Torry Holt had a quiet game for him, only coming up with 5 receptions for 54 yards. Holt was matched up against his younger brother Terrence Holt and former teammate Dre Bly and both were able to cover him throughout the game. He made a beautiful 25-yard catch in the first quarter during the Rams' touchdown scoring drive.

Dane Looker (3-35 receiving on 8 targets) Dane Looker made an impressive grab on a tipped pass to gain a first down for the Rams. Bulger's interception was on a pass intended for Looker.

Mike Furrey (2-1 receiving on 4 targets) In the second quarter, Mike Furrey made a short catch, then fumbled the ball. Kyle Turley recovered the fumble, and the Rams maintained possession.

Isaac Bruce (0-0 receiving on 1 target) Isaac Bruce was targeted on the Rams' first play of the game. Brian Walker broke up the pass and it was incomplete. Bruce then proceeded to knock former teammate Dre Bly on the helmet with his own helmet and was called for unsportsmanlike conduct. Bruce could be seen pleading his case with the refs that Bly was his friend and that nothing malicious was intended by the hit. The penalty ended up being declined as Torry Holt was called for illegal motion on the play. That was the last that Bruce was seen in the game plan and it was his only target of the game.

TE: Brandon Manumaleuna (3-24, 1 TD receiving on 3 targets) Manumaleuna caught everything that came his way. Orlando Pace made a block that enabled the wide-open TE to make a short screen catch and run in for a touchdown.

Cam Cleeland (1-29 receiving on 3 targets) Cleeland's lone catch of the game was a leaping grab that he took to the Detroit 13-yard line. Bulger targeted him in the end zone on the next play, but overthrew the pass.

K: Jeff Wilkins (2 XP, 2 FG) Jeff Wilkins converted two extra point attempts and made two field goals, one an impressive length of 51 yards, the other for 36 yards.

Pass Defense: The St. Louis Rams afforded Joey Harrington his best game of the year, giving up 238 passing yards and 3 passing touchdowns. Aeneas Williams limped off the field in the second quarter, but he returned and recovered Az-Zahir Hakim's fumble. Special teams for the Rams blocked a punt and gave the Rams the ball inside the 10-yard line, on which Marshall Faulk scored his touchdown.

Rush Defense: The Rams gave up a total of 112 rushing yards to a Lions' rushing attack that has not been impressive at all this year. Though 35 of those yards were on an end around run by former teammate Az-Zahir Hakim. Harrington was sacked once by Grant Wistrom.

Detroit Lions

QB: Joey Harrington (26-36-238, 3 TD, 1 Int) Joey Harrington played his best game of the year, completing 26 passes out of 36 attempts for 238 yards. He started the game by completing an 11-yard pass to Az-Zahir Hakim and that set the tone for the rest of the day. He took chances that he hasn't taken all year - throwing the ball downfield and into double and triple coverage, and it really paid off. In the second quarter, Harrington threw 3 straight completions capping it off with a 13-yard pass to Bill Schroeder for a touchdown. He opened the second half by making a sharp throw under pressure to Az-Zahir Hakim for a touchdown. And on the very next series, he connected with TE Corey Fitzsimmons for a 2-yard touchdown pass. The only mar for his game would be the interception he threw in the fourth quarter on a pass intended for Bill Schroeder.

RB: Artose Pinner (18-51 rushing, 3-10 receiving on 3 targets) Artose Pinner led the Lions' running back corps with his 18 rushes for 51 yards. He was able to break tackles with spin moves to gain yardage.

Shawn Bryson (3-9 rushing, 2-11 receiving on 2 targets) For the second week in a row, Shawn Bryson was eclipsed by the running performance of Artose Pinner.

Paul Smith (2-5 rushing, 5-45 receiving on 5 targets) Paul Smith a surprise Lions' offensive weapon started playing in the third quarter and did quite well. He had a 13-yard rush called back on offensive holding. He caught everything that came his way and finished with 5 receptions for 45 yards.

WR: Az-Zahir Hakim (5-58, 1 TD receiving on 10 targets, 2-43 rushing) Hakim started the game by making an 11-yard reception, but it was brought back on an offensive holding call. Hakim shone in the third quarter, by making a 13-yard touchdown reception. He then gained 35 yards for the longest run of the day by any Lion on an end around.

Bill Schroeder (2-22, 1 TD receiving on 4 targets) In the first quarter, Schroeder was targeted in the end zone but Harrington overthrew the pass. Schroeder made a 9-yard reception for a third down conversion in the second quarter. On that same drive, he scored a touchdown by bringing in a 13-yard pass.

David Kircus (1-19 receiving on 1 target) David Kircus' lone reception and target was a great 19-yard reception between 2 Rams during the Lions' second possession of the game.

TE: Casey Fitzsimmons (4-36, 1 TD receiving on 4 targets) Casey Fitzsimmons made a leaping 22-yard catch over the middle during the second quarter of the game. In the third quarter, he made a 2-yard reception for a touchdown.

Mikhael Ricks (3-32 receiving on 3 targets) Like fellow TE Fitzsimmons, Ricks caught all of the balls that came his way. He made one catch in tight coverage for 18 yards that set up the Bill Schroeder touchdown.

K: Jason Hanson (3 XP, 3 FG) Jason Hanson converted the 3 extra points he attempted. As well as making 3 field goals of 39 yards, 38 yards, and 50 yards. With his first extra point conversion he broke the team record for all-time extra points with 382.

Pass Defense: The Lions held Marc Bulger to 170 yards and 1 TD. Former Ram, Dre Bly led the Lions secondary and effectively covered the Rams' receivers. The defensive line was able to tip a number of Bulger's passes. Boss Bailey intercepted Bulger and tossed the football to Dre Bly who was able to gain 17 additional yards.

Rush Defense: Shawn Rogers led the defensive line by getting pressure on Marc Bulger. Bulger was sacked four times and the Lions forced him to fumble twice. The Lions run defense proved to be stout once again, holding Marshall Faulk to only 35 rushing yards.

Chicago Bears 3 at Kansas City Chiefs 31

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Chicago Bears

Rookie QB Rex Grossman was injured midway through the second quarter and didn't return. Prior to the injury he was a very ordinary 6 of 10 for 31 yards. His replacements certainly didn't fare as well as Kordell Stewart was intercepted twice on his way to 5 of 15 for 86 yards before he was benched. Chris Chandler replaced Stewart and continued the ineptitude, completing 6 of 17 for 81 yards. Playing in what is arguably the toughest stadium for a visiting team you couldn't tell that Grossman was the rookie quarterback.

Even though the Kansas City Chiefs entered the game with the worst rush defense in the league the Bears couldn't or wouldn't take advantage of it. RB Anthony Thomas carried the ball 16 times for 61 yards with a couple of nice runs included. Even though the score was close for much of the game Chicago seemed more comfortable throwing the ball badly than sticking with the run.

Despite the inept passing game WR Marty Booker was able to grab 6 passes for 92 yards. He was the only receiver on the Bears with more than 2 catches. He was also targeted a team-high 12 times, 4 by each of the 3 quarterbacks.

In what might be seen as a microcosm for his tenure for coach Dick Jauron, the last few plays before the half show how things have gone. After working the ball to the Kansas City 15-yard line they ran a play to the 8 and called their last timeout. They come back on the field and call a quick pass to WR Bobby Wade on the sideline. According to Jauron the play was to go to the end zone or be thrown out of bounds. Instead, Wade catches the pass, one of the few QB Kordell Stewart actually completed, and is tackled, letting the clock run out and missing the field goal attempt.

Kansas City Chiefs

With no playoff implications hinging on the outcome of the game this game was all about RB Priest Holmes getting the single-season touchdown mark. It's appropriate that the Chiefs ended with 31 points as that is Holmes' jersey number. He set the record for rushing touchdowns in a season with his first score, giving him 26 for the year. He would score again, his 27th, giving him the record for most touchdowns in a year. Lost in the record-setting performance was the fact that he only had 50 yards on 20 carries for the game.

The defense, which has allowed opposing teams to run through it like wet tissue paper, did a good job of stopping the Bears' running game, limiting them to 84 yards on 22 carries. They also did a good job in pass coverage and spent a lot of time harassing the quarterbacks.

QB Trent Green completed 19 of 27 passes for 162 yards and a touchdown. He was intercepted once in what could be described as an uninspired passing performance, but again there was little to play for.

The lone receiving touchdown was pulled in by WR Eddie Kennison on a short pass play. WR Johnnie Morton led the team with 6 catches for 81 yards. His 6 catches came on 8 targets.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Chicago Bears

QB: Rex Grossman (6-10-31 passing) was very ordinary but that was way better than what would come from his replacements. He again avoided making mistakes with the football in his limited playing time. He hurt his finger on his throwing hand when he was tackled from behind after a long pass that was incomplete. He was taken in to the locker room for x-rays and it was reported that he would not be back.

Kordell Stewart (5-15-86 2 INT passing, 1-2 rushing) was horrible, again. He replaced QB Rex Grossman after the injury. He was picked off twice, one of the passes being thrown right to the defender. He only completed 33% of his passes with several of the incompletions missing badly. He was so bad that he was replaced by the emergency quarterback, Chris Chandler, after the second interception.

Chris Chandler (6-17-81 passing, 1-4 rushing) was hardly an improvement over QB Kordell Stewart. He did manage to avoid throwing interceptions, but he couldn't get the team into the end zone. He did hit WR David Terrell on a nice pass down the middle for 35 yards.

RB: Anthony Thomas (16-61 rushing, 2-7 receiving, 3 targets (1 Grossman, 1 Stewart, 1 Chandler)) was held in check, but he really wasn't given a chance to get going. He had a long run of 20 yards and came close to breaking a couple of runs. Going against the poorest run defense in the league, he was only able to manage 61 yards. He often faced 8-man fronts as the Kansas City defense seemed determined to show they could stop the run.

Rabih Abdullah (2-8 rushing, 2-19 receiving, 2 targets (1 Grossman, 1 Stewart)) saw limited playing time.

Stanley Pritchett (1-0 receiving, 1 target (Grossman)) was not a factor in the game.

WR: Marty Booker (6-92 receiving, 12 targets (4 Grossman, 4 Stewart, 4 Chandler)) was the most effective receiver for Chicago. He had as many receptions as all the other receivers and tight ends combined.

David Terrell (2-41 receiving, 1-4 rushing, 6 targets (3 Stewart, 3 Chandler) was wide open for a reception down the middle that was also one of the more bizarre plays you'll ever see a receiver make. After catching the ball in stride Terrell had nothing between him and the end zone but rather than continue running he chose to cut hard right and run into the defensive back. It was as if he looked for the defender so that he could get tackled.

Bobby Wade (2-5 receiving, 1-5 rushing, 7 targets (1 Grossman, 3 Stewart, 3 Chandler) had a lot of targets but very little success. He also assured the Bears would not get a field goal try at the end of the half when he caught a ball with no timeouts left and was unable to get out of bounds.

Ahmad Merritt (1 target, Grossman) wasn't a factor in the game, but he was the intended target on the play when QB Rex Grossman was hurt.

TE: Desmond Clark 2-34 receiving, 2 targets (1 Grossman, 1 Stewart) had one play that went for 24 yards.

K: Paul Edinger (1-2 FG (48 yards)) missed one of his attempts from 52 yards away. It was short. He had no extra point tries.

Pass Defense: This unit held Kansas City to one touchdown and 203 yards. They also came up with one interception and one sack. Not bad against a high-powered offense but Kansas City didn't look overly inspired in this phase of the game.

Rush Defense: Although they gave up 3 touchdowns they were able to limit the Chiefs to 87 yards on 34 carries. They did their best to stop what they knew was coming, RB Priest Holmes looking for touchdown records, but in the end they couldn't stop him.

Kansas City Chiefs

QB: Trent Green (19-27-162 1 TD, 1 INT passing, 1-9 rushing) was efficient enough to get the team into position for two scores by RB Priest Holmes. He had a couple of balls dropped, including two on the same series that should have resulted in a touchdown. He also threw an interception in the end zone that could have resulted in a score if he had not lofted the pass as much as he did. Early in the game he was off on a couple of throws, mostly the result of bad footwork. He was replaced with about halfway through the fourth quarter when the game was well in hand.

Todd Collins (3-3-41 passing, 4- -2 rushing) replace Green midway through the fourth quarter, completing all three of his passes.

RB: Priest Holmes (20-50 2 TD rushing, 2-6 receiving, 3 targets) finished the year by setting two scoring records - the most touchdowns scored rushing and the most touchdowns scored in a year (27). He might not have seen any action in this game were it not for the records and as soon as he scored for the second time, on a fourth and goal play, he took a seat. While he got the records he managed only 2.5 yards per carry for the game, as the Bears focused the defense on stopping him. There was little room to run and his longest gain of the day was 8 yards.

Larry Johnson (7-26 1 TD rushing) saw action in the fourth quarter as regular backup RB Derrick Blaylock was shaken up after replacing Holmes. He managed to score on a play that saw him start left, get shut down, and reverse his field all the way to the right where he picked up enough blocks to make it in for the score. While it shows up as a 5-yard run it covered closer to 60 yards.

Derrick Blaylock (1-10 rushing, 1-2 receiving, 2 targets) saw action in the passing game early. He replaced RB Priest Holmes to start the fourth quarter but was shaken up after a run and left the game.

Omar Easy (1 target) was not a factor in the game.

WR: Johnnie Morton (6-81 receiving, 1- -6 rushing, 8 targets (2 Collins)) was the leading receiver for the Chiefs. His long catch of the day went for 31 yards. He made a nice move after catching the ball to avoid a couple of defenders, adding about 15 yards after the catch.

Eddie Kennison (3-30 1 TD receiving, 3 targets) had the touchdown reception on a short pass over the middle that he was able to turn up the field for the last couple of yards.

Marc Boerigter (1-7 receiving, 3 targets) was able to drop two passes in the end zone in the same series. The first was bobbled in the back of the end zone and ruled incomplete. The play was challenged by Kansas City but the call was upheld. A couple of plays later QB Trent Green put the ball over Boerigter's shoulder and it bounced off his hands.

Dante Hall (2-3 receiving, 3 targets) was not a factor in the game.

TE: Tony Gonzalez (6-54 receiving, 6 targets) had a fairly non-eventful game.

Billy Baber (1-20 receiving, 1 target (Collins)) came into the game in the fourth quarter and caught the one pass tossed his way.

K: Morten Andersen (1-1 FG (38 yards) 4-4 XP) was perfect on all of his kicks.

Pass Defense: They didn't allow any touchdowns, recorded 2 interceptions and 4 sacks, and limited the Bears to 198 yards. They also held them to a mere 17 completions on 42 attempts, 40%. They were in the face of all 3 of the quarterbacks all game long. Overall, a stellar effort.

Rush Defense: Considering how badly this unit has played this year they needed a game like this. No touchdowns and only 84 yards is not something this unit is accustomed to.

Indianapolis Colts 20 at Houston Texans 17

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Indianapolis Colts

Despite having twice as many yards on total offense and nearly three times as many first downs, the Indianapolis Colts needed a 43-yard Mike Vanderjagt field goal on the last play of the game to pull out a 20-17 victory over the Houston Texans and clinch the AFC South Division title. QB Peyton Manning led three scoring drives in the final 20 minutes to first tie the game, and then win on Vanderjagt's field goal. Manning was 26 for 38 passing for 220 yards with one touchdown pass and one interception.

RB Edgerrin James was the leading rusher in the game with 171 yards on 27 carries, and also contributed to the passing game, catching five passes for 35 yards. James was generally able to slice through the Texans' run defense throughout the game. James scored one rushing touchdown in the game from six yards out early in the fourth quarter that narrowed the Colts' deficit to 17-10. James did fumble the ball twice in the game, once in the first quarter that was recovered by the Colts, and again early in the fourth quarter that was recovered by the Texans as the Colts were driving for the tying touchdown.

WR Brandon Stokley was Manning's favorite target in the game, collected nine receptions for 67 yards, including a 5-yard touchdown pass from Manning to tie the game at 17 with 3:50 remaining in the game. Reggie Wayne and Troy Walters also had three receptions each in the game. Marvin Harrison was held to two receptions for 34 yards.

PK Mike Vanderjagt was perfect on four scoring attempts, two point after touchdowns and two field goals (39 and 43). Vanderjagt's game-winning field goal was his 41st consecutive converted field goal attempts over two seasons. Along with his game-winning field goal, Vanderjagt was also responsible for a 29-yard pooch punt late in the game that pinned the Texans at their 4-yard line. (Vanderjagt had entered the game to attempt a 53-yard field goal, but the ball was directly snapped to him to punt the ball rather than attempt the field goal.) The poor field position would lead to a David Strickland interception deep in Texans' territory that set up the Colts' game-tying touchdown. Vanderjagt was 83-for-83 in FG/XP (37/46) attempts in 2003, scoring 157 points.

The Colts gained a balanced 418 yards total offense (207 rushing, 211 passing) to the Texans 204 yards total offense. The Colts collected 27 first downs in the game to the Texans 10. As the game statistics would lead one to believe, the Colts had little trouble moving the football on the depleted Texans' defense. (To compound the problem, the Colts ran their offense for much of the game in the no-huddle mode to limit the number of substitutions that the Texans could make.) The Colts ran into problems as they were unable to finish drives. Significant Colts' drives ended on downs in the first quarter (as Edgerrin James was stopped on fourth down), with a Manning interception in the second quarter (that led to a Texans' field goal) and an Edgerrin James' fumble in the fourth quarter (as the Colts were driving to a game-tying touchdown).

CB Donald Strickland made a key play in the game, intercepting an overthrown David Carr pass deep in Texans' territory, late in the fourth quarter and running the pass back to the Texans' 5-yard line.

Houston Texans

Although the Texans were dominated in the statistics book, the Texans were in position to upset the Colts until the Colts rallied with 17 points in the fourth quarter. QB David Carr ran an effective short-passing/running game to minimize turnovers and play field possession. Carr was 13-for 23 for 105 yards passing, with one VERY costly interception. Carr's interception, the only Texans' turnover of the game, occurred deep in Texans' territory with approximately 4:00 remaining in the game that set up the Colts' game-tying touchdown.

RB Domanick Davis collected 134 total yards in the game. Davis' 99 yards rushing on 20 carries with two rushing touchdowns (from 13 and 11 yards) vaulted him over 1,000 rushing yards for the season, becoming the first Texans' running back to collect 1,000 yards rushing in a season. Davis led the Texans with six pass receptions.

WR Andre Johnson collected five pass receptions for 51 yards, falling just short of the 1,000 yard mark in reception yardage (976 yards) that his fellow rookie Domanick Davis attained in rushing yards.

PK Kris Brown was perfect in the game, making his two points after touchdown and converting a 36-yard field goal in the second quarter.

DB Marcus Coleman collected his seventh interception on the season in the second quarter. Coleman returned the interception 41 yards, setting up Kris Brown's 36-yard field goal.

Even with the Texans' triplets (Carr, Davis, and A. Johnson) healthy and available for the game, the Texans had serious difficulty moving the football throughout the game. In eleven offensive series (not including the series to end the first half), the Texans had three double digit yardage drives (78 yards for a touchdown, 63 yards for a touchdown, 18 yards that ended with a punt). Of the remaining eight offensive drives, all collected less than ten net yards, and only one had greater than three offensive plays (four plays for a net of one yard that resulted in a Texans' field goal). After taking a 17-3 lead late in the third quarter, the Texans' remaining five offensive series totaled 16 plays for 32 yards, resulting in four punts and one interception.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Indianapolis Colts

QB: Peyton Manning brought the Colts back from 17-3 deficit to win the game on a final play field goal by Mike Vanderjagt. Manning was 26-for 38 for 220 yards passing with one touchdown and one interception. Manning rushed for five yards on three carries, and was sacked one time in the game for nine yards.

RB: Edgerrin James was the Colts' workhorse in the backfield, rushing for 171 yards on 26 carries and one touchdown. James also caught five passes for 35 yards. James did fumble the ball twice in the game, including a key lost fumble in the fourth quarter as the Colts were mounting a comeback. Back-up Dominic Rhodes also had success rushing the ball, collecting 31 yards on 8 carries.

WR: Brandon Stokley was the Colts' most active receiver, hauling in nine Manning receptions for 67 yards, including a 5-yard touchdown pass to tie the game late in the fourth quarter. Stokley also had a chance for a touchdown pass in the first quarter but the pass glanced off his fingertips in the back of the endzone. The play probably had a broken pattern as Marvin Harrison was also nearby, along with three Texans' defenders. Reggie Wayne and Troy Walters also caught three passes each for 32 yards and 22 yards, respectively. Marvin Harrison was held in check as he caught only two passes for 34 yards, but he did have a possible touchdown pass in the mid-fourth quarter knocked down by a Texans' defender.

TE: Marcus Pollard caught four passes for 30 yards.

K: Mike Vanderjagt was 2-for-2 in field goal attempts in the game, converting from 39 and 43 yards, including the game winner on the game's final play. Vanderjagt was 2-for-2 in points after touchdown.

Pass Defense: The Colts generally held the Texans' passing game in check, allowing only 105 net passing yards in the game. Donald Strickland made the key Colts' defensive play in the game, intercepting an overthrown David Carr pass deep in Texans' territory that set up the Colts' tying touchdown. The Colts' did not record a sack in the game.

Run Defense: The Colts held the Titans (and Domanick Davis) to 99 yards. Although Davis nearly gained 100 yards, the Colts did not allow him to run free on most of his carries, and generally held Davis to small gains throughout the game.

Houston Texans

QB: David Carr was 13-for-23 for 105 passing yards, but threw a costly interception late in the fourth quarter that set up the Colts' game tying touchdown. Carr gained zero yards on two rushing attempts, and was not sacked in the game.

RB: Domanick Davis was the only Texans' running back to record yardage from scrimmage in the game. Davis gained 99 yards on 20 carries with two touchdowns on the ground, and also caught six passes for 35 yards. FB Moran Norris did return one kickoff for 14 yards, and had one pass thrown to him in the first quarter on 3rd-and-1 that was broken-up.

WR: Texans' wide receivers had limited activity in the passing game. Andre Johnson caught five passes for 51 yards. Corey Bradford caught one pass for 12 yards. Derick Armstrong was drilled on a potential reception in the first quarter that if it would have been ruled complete, would most likely resulted in a Colts' fumble return for a touchdown. Andre Johnson nearly had a touchdown reception inside of two minutes in the first half, but was ruled out-of-bounds on the review of the play as his second foot did not come down in-bounds. The pass was perfectly thrown by David Carr, and placed in the only position for Johnson to be able to make the catch due to tight Colts' coverage.

TE: Billy Miller had one reception for seven yards. Miller had one additional pass intended for him in the fourth quarter that could have resulted in solid yardage, but was batted down by a Colts' defender at the last second.

K: Kris Brown converted a 36-yard field goal in the second quarter and also converted two point after touchdown attempts.

Pass Defense: Although the Texans did not yield "the big play" to Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison, they did give up many little ones to Manning and his cast of receivers. The Texans held Marvin Harrison to only two receptions for 34 yards, but turned Brandon Stokley into the second star of the game as Stokley caught nine passes including one touchdown. The Texans yielded 211 net yards passing in the game, sacking Manning once. DB Marcus Coleman intercepted his seventh pass of the season, returning the ball 41 yards. Coleman also had an opportunity for another interception in the third quarter that could have been run back for a touchdown. LB Kailee Wong dropped an interception in the second quarter deep in Texans' territory that would have stopped a Colts' drive that resulted in a Vanderjagt field goal.

Run Defense: Edgerrin James ran through the Texans' defense for 171 yards on 27 carries. Overall, the Texans' gave up 207 yards rushing on 38 carries (5.4 yards per carry average).

Dallas 7 at New Orleans 13

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Dallas Cowboys

Dallas had more first downs, 3rd-down conversions, total yards, rushing yards, and receiving yards than did the Saints. Of course the Cowboys also had more turnovers (3 to 0) and lost the game. HC Bill Parcells said afterward that he was "just disappointed". The loss dropped the Cowboys all the way down to the #6 seed in the NFC and gives them a 1st round date in Carolina.

The Cowboys will need a better ground game to advance very far in the playoffs. Troy Hambrick is not the answer (and it doesn't even matter what the question is).

Richie Anderson is an excellent receiver.

New Orleans Saints

HC Jim Haslett will return next season.

Deuce McAllister was held in check by the stiff Cowboys defense and came up 83 yards short of bettering the Saints single-season rushing record of 1,674 yards (George Rogers in 1981).

Donte' Stallworth turned in a great day (finally). His 76-yd TD was the kind of play that he was expected to have multiple times this season, but it was great to see a healthy Stallworth performing well.

John Carney was perfect on the day (1 PAT and 2 FGs).

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Dallas Cowboys

QB: Quincy Carter (27/47 for 290 yards / 2 carries for 17 yards / 1 TD / 3 INTs) was forced to the air 47 times (he was sacked three more times) so that's a total of 50 pass plays. Carter is not a QB that you want to call 50 passing plays. Two of his INTs occurred deep in New Orleans territory (and took at least six points off the board). The other occurred in Dallas territory and the Saints turned it into three points. That kind of performance will make the Cowboys one-and-out in the playoffs.

RB: Richie Anderson (6 carries for 26 yards / 10 receptions for 83 yards / 1 TD) seems to be the only guy on the field that "gets it" sometimes. With Hambrick not able to handle the load, Anderson has plenty of opportunities to excel. His 10 catches would be huge in leagues that award points for receptions.

Troy Hambrick (11 carries for 26 yards / 1 reception for 2 yards) is obviously not the long term back the Cowboys need.

Erik Bickerstaff (2 carries for 5 yards) is a decent player, but he's not the kind of back that is needed in Dallas.

Jamar Martin (1 carry for 1 yard / 1 reception for 3 yards) got a carry and a catch.

WR: Joey Galloway (1 carry for 10 yards / 3 receptions for 71 yards), Terry Glenn (2 receptions for 42 yards), & Antonio Bryant (2 receptions for 20 yards) are three talented WRs that are simply victims of an anemic ground attack. These guys aren't Randy Moss type talents, but they can make plays when given a little opening. The problem is that opposing defenses have no need to bring up their safeties so there is little room for pass routes. It's kind of the opposite of what Jamal Lewis sees every week in Baltimore. It's almost like Dallas faces "four-in-the-box". It's hard for a WR to excel against that type of defense.

TE: Jason Witten (5 receptions for 45 yards) has really come on over the last few weeks and is a quality fantasy TE. He is an intriguing player for the 2004 season.

Dan Campbell (3 receptions for 24 yards) is a decent pass receiver, but the real star at TE is Witten.

Rush Defense: Dallas did a fine job against Deuce McAllister while holding him just over 2 yards per carry. Most importantly, McAllister was never able to break off a big gain. Considering the talent they were facing, the Cowboys run defense was excellent.

Pass Defense: The Cowboys would have done well here (it didn't hurt that Joe Horn did not play) except for one 76-yard TD from Aaron Brooks to Donte' Stallworth. Two sacks were tallied, but it would have been nice if Dallas would have forced a turnover (none were created).

New Orleans Saints

QB: Aaron Brooks (15/32 for 243 yards 2 carries for 7 yards / 1 TD / 0 INTs) had a fairly ho hum day against a quality defense. He did connect with Donte' Stallworth on a 76-yard TD that gave the Saints a lead that they would never relinquish.

RB: Deuce McAllister (21 carries for 49 yards / 2 receptions for 6 yards / 1 pass for 9 yards) discovered that the Dallas defense is quite tough against the run. McAllister was never able to find daylight and was often stuffed.

Lamar Smith (1 carry for 2 yards) got a carry.

WR: Joe Horn did not play.

Donte' Stallworth (3 receptions for 114 yards) did finally play and played well (for a half). In Joe Horn's absence, Stallworth turned in the biggest play of the game and (in Joe Horn fashion) received an unsportsmanlike penalty after flipping the ball to a Dallas defender. Still, the play was huge and gave the Saints the lead at the time and ultimately proved to be the game-winning catch.

Michael Lewis (2 receptions for 46 yards) & Jerome Pathon (4 receptions for 37 yards) did a fine job as they helped fill in for the injured Horn.

TE: Boo Williams (3 receptions for 34 yards) was relatively quiet for him, but he was still targeted six times on the day.

Walter Rasby (1 reception for 6 yards) caught a pass.

Rush Defense: New Orleans was able to control the mediocre Troy Hambrick (and the other Dallas RBs) for the entire game, but they allowed a couple of 10+ yard gains by Joey Galloway and Quincy Carter. All things considered, this was a good effort.

Pass Defense: Dallas called 50 pass plays, and the Saints defended them very well with a few slip-ups (Richie Anderson did some damage out of the backfield while the WRs caught a few long balls). They sacked Quincy Carter three times and picked him off on three other occasions. Jay Bellamy was huge as he accounted for one sack and hauled in two INTs.

Minnesota Vikings 17 at Arizona Cardinals 18

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

The NFC North was decided in Sun Devil Stadium on a last second play by Josh McCown and Nathan Poole. How's that?

Minnesota Vikings

Daunte Culpepper disappointed Vikings fans by coming out flat against a porous Cardinal secondary. He gained 40 yards rushing. It is worth noting that in addition to the 17 second half points, Culpepper led his team on a drive where a 44 yard field goal was missed.

Michael Bennett averaged 5.3 yards per carry. He had a 21 yard run in on the opening drive and a 15 yard run in the second half.

Onterrio Smith looked special carrying the ball in limited opportunities. He picked up 5.6 yards per carry.

Randy Moss finished with only 56 yards receiving but did have a spectacular 1 handed catch, and a touchdown. It is shocking that he was targeted only 6 times all game. Minnesota appeared content to use this game as a warm up for the playoffs, by spreading around short passes, rather than giving them a heavy dose of Moss.

Arizona Cardinals

Josh McCown shook off a dreadful opening twenty three minutes of football to lead his team in a miracle comeback. McCown held the ball in the pocket way too long, getting sacked 8 times and fumbling 4 times. Fortunately all 4 fumbles were recovered. He threw 2 interceptions but one was called back on a defensive penalty.

Marcel Shipp left for the locker room in the first quarter to nurse his injured shoulder and despite returning in the second quarter, looked tentative and was ineffective averaging just 1.9 yards per carry.

Anquan Boldin's NFL Rookie of the Year celebration may be put on hold after just five catches for 27 yards. It appeared that McCown was trying to make a special attempt to throw to the other Cardinal receivers. Boldin was open on a few plays that McCown never even looked in his direction.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Minnesota Vikings

QB: Daunte Culpepper (18/28 197 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interceptions, 7 carries 40 yards) took a draw to the half yard line on the opening drive but the Vikings chose to go for the touchdown and not kick the field goal. They turned the ball over on downs. Culpepper made a horrible decision throwing his interception deep in his own territory. He threw the ball on the run into double coverage on 3rd and long. Worst of all he had over 5 seconds in the pocket before having to scramble.

RB: Michael Bennett (12 carries for 63 yards) busted a 21 yard run on the opening drive and it looked he would have a huge day. However he was stuffed for short and no gains often. He did have a 15 yard run to the 1 yard line in the second half. Replay showed that Randy Moss just stood in front of his blocker allowing Bennett to get through the line, however Moss did not maintain the block, and his defender brought Bennett down on the 1 rather than get the touchdown.

Onterrio Smith (5 carries 28 yards, 3 catches 26 yards) ran hard and through the line on his carries but did not establish himself as a presence in the Minnesota game plan.

Moe Williams (7 carries 12 yards, 1 touchdown, 2 catches 15 yards, 3 targets) was not very ineffective as a runner except for his 1 yard touchdown run. He was earlier stuffed on 3rd and goal from the half yard line.

WR: Randy Moss (1 carry 0 yards, 5 catches, 56 yards, 1 touchdown, 6 targets) it's shocking that Moss was targeted only 6 times against this defense. He appeared to be open at will but the Vikings did not make an attempt to make the Cardinals adjust to shut down Moss. His "carry" was actually ruled a lateral reception. It was a phenomenal one-handed grab with his right hand extended over his head while running to his left.

D'Wayne Bates (4 catches 44 yards, 7 targets) should have been a secondary rather than a primary target. He doesn't have the physical presence of Moss.

TE: Jim Kleinsasser (2 catches, 18 yards, 3 targets) also had a 15 yard reception nullified by a tripping penalty.

Pass Defense: Minnesota will have to live with giving up two 4th quarter touchdowns to the Cardinals, but they held them silent virtually the rest of the game. They totaled 8 sacks including 5 on the final 2 drives. They wasted a huge game from rookie Kevin Williams who sacked McCown 3 times and also tipped an intercepted a pass.

Rush Defense: Shut the Cardinals down giving up just 64 rushing yards.

Arizona Cardinals

QB: Josh McCown (20/33 for 224 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interceptions, 3 rushes for 27 yards) did not utilize his most effective weapon Anquan Boldin, but found another target in Nathan Poole. He had an interception nullified by a defensive penalty but the interception he was charged with came on a tipped pass.

RB: Marcel Shipp (9 carries for 17 yards, 2 catches 9 yards, 3 targets) ran extremely tentatively and was stuffed on most of his runs at the line of scrimmage.

Emmitt Smith (7 carries for 20 yards, 3 catches 48 yards) talked before the game that despite maintaining all along he would play another year, that if there is a coaching change in Arizona, he could rethink his decision. He ripped off a 36 yard reception where he looked like his old self, and he fumbled a handoff on an end around play and was stuffed on 3rd and 1 from the 2 where he looked like a shadow of his old self.

WR: Anquan Boldin (5 catches 27 yards, 8 targets) was visibly frustrated in the game while the Cardinals were losing and he was not being thrown to.

Nathan Poole (5 catches 86 yards, 1 touchdown, 6 targets) scored one BIG touchdown. The celebration after his touchdown by the Cardinals appeared as if they and not Green Bay were going to the playoffs. Instead, they just lost the 1st pick of the draft. Poole was a college teammate of Randy Moss.

Bryant Johnson (2 catch, 22 yards, 6 targets) was the end zone target in the red zone in Arizona's first trip. He drew a huge pass interference penalty on the final drive of the game to put the team in position to win.

TE: Freddie Jones (2 receptions 30 yards, 5 targets) snagged a 25 yard pass on the first quarter drive that resulted in a field goal. He was also an end zone target from the red zone.

Pass Defense: Did the job against the Vikings but it appeared they were aided by a lackadaisical attitude by their opponent. They did not sack Culpepper and gave him plenty of time to throw, but he appeared indecisive.

Rush Defense: Gave up 150 rushing yards but prevented any break-away runs for touchdowns as is their tradition.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 13 at Tennessee Titans 33

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

With the loss, Tampa Bay became the first defending Super Bowl champion to finish with a losing record (7-9) since Denver in 1999.

QB Brad Johnson had three passes intercepted by the Titans defense and failed to produce any offensive points after a field goal on the opening drive. Johnson relied on quick, short passes, but the Titans' secondary took away the long ball and he struggled to move the offense. Shaun King replaced Johnson after he threw his 3rd interception on the opening drive of the second half. King led the Buccaneers to a field goal and a TD on his first two drives, but it was too little too late for Tampa Bay.

RB Thomas Jones used his speed to turn the corner and was quick to the holes to amass 68 yards on just 13 carries against a very tough Tennessee defense. The lopsided score hurt his rushing numbers, as Tampa Bay was forced to throw the ball playing catch up for most of the game.

WR Keenan McCardell was completely shut down by CB Samari Rolle. McCardell was held to just one catch for 3 yards. WR Charles Lee led all Buccaneer receivers with 4 catches for 59 yards. All Lee's receptions were from King in the second half and most of it coming in garbage time after the outcome was already decided.

The Tampa Bay defense played valiantly despite missing several starters and losing SS John Lynch and NT Anthony McFarland due to injuries in the first half. The Buccaneers defense was the victim of poor field position caused by the numerous turnovers by the offense. Tennessee started 5 offensive possessions in Tampa Bay territory.

Tennessee Titans

Coach Jeff Fisher gambled and started backup QB Neil O'Donnell in place of QB Steve McNair. McNair dressed and could have played, but Fisher chose to rest his banged up quarterback for the playoff run. The gamble paid off as O'Donnell, starting for the first time since Sept. 23, 2001, threw two perfect TD passes to WR Derrick Mason and K Gary Anderson added four field goals for the blowout victory.

Neil O'Donnell showed little signs of rust as he came out firing, throwing precision passes and hitting his receivers in stride. With the Buccaneers defensive line banged up, O'Donnell's offensive line gave him all the time he needed as he sat back in the pocket and scanned the secondary for open receivers. O'Donnell showed his veteran experience by not forcing passes and throwing the ball away when necessary.

RB Eddie George played well and ground out a hard-fought 86 yards on 12 carries. George became the 17th player in NFL history to eclipse the 10,000 yards rushing mark, never missing a start in his 8-year career. George also showed his good hands by catching 4 balls for 45 yards out of the backfield.

WR Derrick Mason doesn't care who is throwing him the ball, he just gets open. Mason had two TD catches of 23 and 34 yards and led all receivers with 6 catches for 90 yards.

The Tennessee defense had an excellent outing intercepting four passes and recording two sacks. The secondary blanketed McCardell and the Tampa Bay receivers only allowing 4 receptions for 36 yards in the first half and ultimately causing Brad Johnson's early departure.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

QB: Brad Johnson (13-23-96 passing, 3 INTs) and Tampa Bay opened up their first drive in a hurry-up offense and caught the Titans off guard. The drive stalled and Tampa Bay settled for a 27-yard field goal from Martin Gramatica. With his wide receivers unable to get open, Johnson was relegated to short, quick passes to his running backs. Seven of his thirteen completions and 57 of his 96 yards passing were to backs. The Titans defense realized this quickly and paid extra attention to the backs in the passing game, resulting in two of Johnson's three interceptions. Johnson's last INT came on the first drive in the 3rd quarter as he got hit as he threw the ball and SS Tank Williams out jumped everyone for the floater. Johnson's day was done, but he still finished the season with franchise records in yards passing (3,810) and TD passes (26).

Shaun King (11-15-106 passing, 1 TD, 1 INT; 2-2 rushing) replaced Johnson early in the 3rd quarter and led the Buccaneers' offense to successive scoring drives of a FG and a 14-yard TD pass to RB Aaron Stecker to pull within 26-13 early in the 4th quarter. The Tennessee defense tightened and intercepted a pass and sacked King twice to end any comeback threat.

RB: Thomas Jones (13-68 rushing; 4-32 receiving, 5 targets) had an impressive 5.23 yard per carry average against the best run defense in the league. He used his speed to turn the corner several times against a quick defense. Jones did have trouble holding onto the ball fumbling twice. The first was recovered by an alert Charles Lee and the second he fumbled out of bounds after a catch, but the play was called back due to an offensive penalty.

Michael Pittman (4-19 rushing; 4-35 receiving, 10 targets) was used primarily as a receiver out of the backfield. His two catches for 27 yards were instrumental in putting Tampa Bay in field goal position in their opening drive.

Aaron Stecker (1-14 receiving, 1 TD, 1 target) made the most of his only touch, lining up as a WR and taking a short catch across the middle into the end zone untouched.

FB Jameel Cook (3-4 receiving, 3 targets) was used primarily as a blocker for Jones and Pittman.

WR: Keenan McCardell (1-3 receiving, 4 targets) is normally the guy who makes this offense go, but he was blanketed by CB Samari Rolle and completely taken out of the offense attack.

Charles Lee (4-59 receiving, 6 targets) had only one target in the first half. Lee caught all his passes from King in the second half against a relaxed Titans' secondary.

Edell Shepherd (4-38 receiving, 6 targets) is a rookie wide receiver the Buccaneers were giving a look to see if he might figure into their plans for next year. Shepherd caught 3 passes in a row from Johnson late in the 1st quarter, but only had one other catch in the second half.

TE: Rickey Dudley (2-14 receiving, 2 targets) and Ken Dilger (1-3 receiving, 1 target) were not factors in the game.

K: Martin Gramatica (2-2 FGs, 1-1 XP) converted on both his field goal attempts of 27 and 33 yards.

Pass Defense: The Tampa Bay pass defense could not get any pressure on O'Donnell and gave him plenty of time to pick apart a banged up secondary. They did not record a sack in the game. CB Dwight Smith did create the only Buccaneers turnover, out leaping WR Drew Bennett for the ball in the end zone for a touchback.

Rush Defense: The Tampa Bay rush defense made the Titans running backs earn their yardage allowing a respectable 3.42 yards per carry average. They caused a fumble by RB Chris Brown at the goal line, but failed to recover the ball in the end zone and allowed the TD recovery by Tennessee. The rush defense was put in tough positions by all the turnovers by the Tampa Bay offense and did a solid job to not allow more than the 33 points scored by Tennessee. Coming into the game, the defense had allowed the fewest points against in the NFL (234).

Tennessee Titans

QB: Neil O'Donnell (18-27-232, 2 TDs, 1 INT; 1-(-1) rushing) made his 100th career start a memorable one. Cut twice this year for salary cap reasons, O'Donnell was re-signed after backup QB Billy Volek lacerated his spleen in his only NFL start in place of the injured McNair. Given all the time on the world, O'Donnell was able to sit in the pocket and wait for his receivers to come open. Midway through the 2nd quarter, O'Donnell threw a strike down the middle of the field to Mason for 23 yards for his first TD pass. He added his second TD pass of 34 yards, hitting Mason again on a perfectly thrown pass in the end zone late in the 3rd quarter. O'Donnell's interception came when WR Drew Bennett was unable to beat out CB Dwight Smith for the 40-yard pass in the corner of the end zone.

RB: Eddie George (26-87 rushing; 4-45 receiving, 6 targets) did not break off any long runs, but ran hard up the middle and fought for every extra yard. George was taken out of the game midway through the 4th quarter after surpassing 10,000 yards rushing and missed out on some extra yards as the Titans went to the running attack to run out the clock.

Chris Brown (7-26 rushing, 1-4 receiving, 1 target) gained 20 of yards rushing after replacing George in the 4th quarter. Brown's status as George's successor continues to be in doubt as fumble problems continue to plague him. Brown fumbled at the Tampa Bay 3 and Tennessee luckily recovered the ball in the end zone for the TD.

WR: Derrick Mason (6-90 receiving, 2 TDs, 8 targets) is clearly the go to receiver for the Titans. Mason split Buccaneer defenders down the middle for his first TD and then got behind CB Ronde Barber for his second TD catch. O'Donnell was off target to a wide open Mason deep down field in the 2nd quarter.

Justin McCareins (1-24 receiving, 3 targets) had a big catch for 24 yards on the opening drive of the game to help set up the Titans' first field goal. McCareins was also targeted by O'Donnell on that opening drive from the Tampa Bay 18 at the goal line, but the pass was overthrown. On that incomplete pass, a defenseless McCareins had his bell rung by a questionable hit by SS John Lynch. The back judge reached for his pocket, but did not throw his flag. A woozy McCareins spent some time recovering on the sideline, but did come back later in the game.

Drew Bennett (1-16 receiving, 3 targets) was targeted in the end zone on a 40-yard bomb from O'Donnell, but CB Dwight Smith out played Bennett for the ball and the pass was intercepted.

TE: Erron Kinney (3-24 receiving, 3 targets) and Frank Wycheck (2-29 receiving, 2 targets) caught all their passes in the first half and neither one was targeted in the second half. Kinney contributed with all three of his catches in a scoring drive at the end of the first half, resulting in a Gary Anderson 43-yard field goal. Kinney also recovered Brown's fumble late in the game in the end zone for a TD. Wycheck had a 22-yard catch for a 3rd down conversion.

Shad Meier (1 target) was targeted in the end zone by O'Donnell on a 4th and goal at the Tampa Bay 1, but the pass was broken up by SS John Lynch.

K: Gary Anderson (4-4 FGs, 3-3 XPs) had a busy day as he converted on all four of his field goal attempts from 37,33,43, and 23 yards. Anderson may lack the leg strength, but he is money from 45 yards and in.

Pass Defense: The Tennessee pass defense gave Brad Johnson fits as they blanketed his wide receivers down field and came with pressure forcing him to get rid of the ball quickly. DE Jevon Kearse started the interception onslaught by tipping an intended screen pass and coming down with the pick. SS Tank Williams added two more interceptions off Johnson and King was intercepted once and sacked twice. LB Peter Sirmon dropped an easy interception chance from Johnson and would have had clear sailing to the end zone for the TD. The Titans allowed only 185 yards net passing with Tampa Bay wide receivers accounting for a just 100 of those yards.

Rush Defense: The Tennessee rush defense was exceptional as always, only allowing 87 yards on the ground to RBs Thomas Jones and Michael Pittman. The rush defense forced two fumbles by Jones, but did not recover either one.

Jacksonville Jaguars 14 at Atlanta Falcons 21

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Jacksonville Jaguars

Byron Leftwich finished his rookie season with small step successes, completing a good deal of passes but only for short yardage. Leftwich's attempts at deep passes and charge to rally back all stalled in the face of simply inaccurate throws.

Fred Taylor continued his two-year run of dependable, though not dynamic, running for Jacksonville with a strong performance hitting good yardage throughout the game.

Jimmy Smith leaves for the offseason firmly in place as the team's main receiver, though he was covered well enough to be thrown to only once on the Jaguars' last drive. Troy Edwards may have found a place to stick around with a decent performance, though more will be expected of Kevin Johnson if he returns to the team to add a dose of star potential that is still quite young.

Atlanta Falcons

Michael Vick showed some inaccuracy and a rare bad decision, but much more importantly was his dead-eye strong arm on the big pass play. Though this has been proven as much in the preceding weeks as now, it's clear Vick has little if any residual effects lingering from his leg injury that sidelined him (and the Falcons, for that matter) for most of the year.

T.J. Duckett has showed enough workhorse potential with his steady progress and touchdown runs to entrench Atlanta in a true "thunder and lightning" situation next year with him and Warrick Dunn, depending on who comes aboard to coach the team next year.

Peerless Price took a good step forward after a season leaping back from the forefront of fantasy wideout performers. If he continues to receive as much attention from Vick next year as he did in this game, Price's numbers have to rise.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Jacksonville Jaguars

QB: Byron Leftwich (19-32-167 yards passing with 1 TD, 3 carries for 33 yards rushing) maintained a solid completion percentage with his final rookie performance, but did very little outside of the short passing game (averaging less than five and a half yards per pass attempt). He missed Jimmy Smith on deep strikes, and tended to throw too high, especially to the outside. Leftwich showed leadership late, hitting some big passes, but couldn't finish the comeback on the final drive of the game, stalling within Atlanta's red zone. He had only 75 yards rushing on the year before this game's 33 yards, making a big 18 yard run to the outside on the final drive. Leftwich spread his meager yards around widely, throwing passes to nine different targets.

RB: Fred Taylor (22-121 yards rushing, one 4-yard catch on 1 target) kept the Jaguars' offensive engine running throughout the game, gaining only 46 less yards than Jacksonville's passing attack. In stark contrast to the Fred Taylor of spectacular-if-healthy years past, it was another steady, high-performance game that lacked any major breakaways or huge plays. Taylor was virtually silent in the passing game, catching the one ball that went his way.

RB LaBrandon Toefield (3-3 yards rushing with a 4-yard TD, 3-31 yards receiving on 3 targets) scored a vulture TD with a 4 yard run near the end of the 3rd quarter. He found more usage receiving than Taylor, catching all 3 passes to him.

FB Marc Edwards (3-24 yards receiving on 3 targets) caught everything going his way, including a short pass on the second-to-last Jaguar play of the game, a 5 yard catch that Edwards couldn't get two more yards for the first down.

WR: Jimmy Smith (4-33 yards receiving on 7 targets) led the Jaguars in both receptions and yardage despite sub par totals. A deep bomb to Smith on the third play of the game was overthrown, else it may have been a 77 yard touchdown pass.

WR Kevin Johnson (2-13 yards receiving on 4 targets) was quiet with his relatively new team, netting two passes. He put on a credible performance in the 4th quarter, pretending to scoop a pass in the endzone that he clearly did not reel in, though the camera replay turned out to be a harsh thespian critic.

WR Troy Edwards (2-27 yards receiving with a TD on 5 targets) received more attention from Leftwich today, catching a 15 yard TD pass from Leftwich on the Jaguars' second drive of the game.

WR Cortez Hankton (1-13 yards receiving on 4 targets) was looked to four times, but the stars were right only once for the Jaguars wideout.

TE: Kyle Brady (1-11 yards receiving on 1 target) was little seen, catching the only pass his way.

TE George Wrighster (2-11 yards receiving on 4 targets) found use; the TD attempt on the Jaguars' last play went Wrighster's way, though it was beyond the tight end's reach.

K: Seth Marler's 30-yard field goal in the mid-4th quarter was blocked on an aggressive burst by Atlanta's Juran Boldin. He connected with both of his extra point attempts.

Rush Defense: 22 carries by Duckett, 9 by Griffith, and several by Vick added up to a lot of important yards on the ground. Duckett hit the Jags hard early, and they got several time-killer first downs in the second half.

Pass Defense: Aside from two big plays of 38 and 44 yards, respectively, Vick and the Falcons had only 98 yards passing. But those plays do count. Vick's athleticism gave him plenty of time in the pocket on most occasions, though pressure gave way to the Jaguar's interception that could have huge had the offense followed through.

Atlanta Falcons

QB: Mike Vick (12-22-180 yards passing with 2 TDs and 1 INT, 7 carries for 29 yards rushing) carries this team so many ways, even when his stats don't necessarily electrify. With less than 30 seconds left in the first half, Vick made a casually amazing throw so seemingly automatic to the Falcons' quarterback. Dancing around behind the line of scrimmage, he chucked the ball with more zip from the Falcons' own 40 yard line moving backwards than many - most? - QBs would have done planted firmly, connecting with Brian Finneran to the Jaguars 4 yard line. Vick's completion percentage this year has been low, and today's game was no exception, but his big plays made the difference in this one-score contest.

RB: T.J. Duckett (22-96 yards rushing with 1 TD, 0 receiving targets) continued to make the most of Warrick Dunn's absence with another credible performance as a feature back. Duckett can clearly handle the carries and has enough quickness to do a bit more than just smash forward. He might be the least-used feature back in the passing game in the NFL (only 11 receptions to go with 197 carries) and he was not targeted as a receiver today.

Justin Griffith (9-38 yards rushing, one 1-yard TD reception on 3 targets) mixed in early, middle, and late, making some impressive runs and catching (vulturing?) a 1-yard TD reception at the end of the first half.

Woody Dantzler (1-3 yards rushing) was little used, as his stats suggest.

WR: Peerless Price (7-74 yards receiving on 9 targets with 1 TD) didn't show an offensive explosion with Vick at the helm the final few games of the Falcons' year. He has been looked to considerably more, however, and had one of his better games of the season. Price caught Vick's sharp 44 year strike for a touchdown in the first quarter, a flea flicker play (Duckett to Vick to Price) that provided a glimpse of the electricity that next year's Price owners will be hoping for.

Brian Finneran (2-46 yards receiving on 5 targets) made a key 38-yard grab on a contested throw from Vick with only 27 seconds left in the first half. The next play was a reward pass to Finneran in the endzone where he was completely interfered.

Jimmy Farris (1 catch for 26 yards) made he most of his targeted pass today, catching and running for 26 yards in the 4th quarter.

TE: Alge Crumpler (3-27 yards receiving on 4 targets) like Peerless Price, slumped considerably without Vick in the lineup but showed some signs of life upon the franchise QB's return.

Brian Kozlowski (1-6 yards receiving on 1 target) caught a pass. What else can be said.

K: Jay Feely did not attempt any field goals, but connected all three extra point attempts.

Pass Defense: The Falcons limited the Jaguar passing game to short and mid-range completions. On the late Jaguar charge, responsibility played more on Byron Leftwich's poor throws than the Falcons' defensive superiority, but a stand is a stand.

Rush Defense: Fred Taylor was able to drop decent yardage consistently throughout the game as the Jaguars grabbed 157 rushing yards. But, like the passing game, the Falcons prevented any game breakers from tipping over their reasonable opposition, and Atlanta won out.

Cleveland Browns 22 at Cincinnati Bengals 14

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Cleveland Browns

The Browns did not roll over against the Bengals in a seemingly meaningless game for them. The Browns wanted the game more and made plays down the stretch to win.

Tim Couch was 9 of 18 for 115 yards. He didn't have to do much besides hand off the ball and was unremarkable when he went back to pass. Couch's status with the team next season is in question.

Lee Suggs had a terrific day, going for 186 yards and 2 TDs on 26 carries. He will at worst compete with William Green for the starting job next year and might even steal it away.

Andre Davis had 5 catches for 72 yards and looks to be the Browns #1 guy next season.

The Browns offensive line possibly had its best day of the season, opening huge holes in the running game and keeping the Bengals pass rush away from Couch. This line has to improve in the offseason to give this team any shot to compete next season.

Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals looked like a team that had not needed to win a game in about 13 seasons. They played tight and never seemed relaxed and ready to play. The Bengals defense was shameful and the offense inconsistent.

Jon Kitna was 23 of 35 for 175 yards and 1 interception. Kitna again struggled against a solid pass rush, being sacked 3 times. He threw to the check down receivers a lot and generally made bad decisions. For all that he has done this season, he deserves some praise. But he was not effective in this game.

Corey Dillon had 8 carries for 50 yards. The chances of his return to Cincinnati appear to be slim, at least that's what he's saying right now.

Rudi Johnson had 14 carries for 52 yards and 2 TDs. Johnson was one of the surprise players in the NFL this season and he should be an integral part of this Bengals team for years to come.

All receivers struggled today. Chad Johnson had 4 catches for 29 yards. Peter Warrick had 4 catches for 25 yards.

The Bengals offensive line had another tough day. They allowed 3 sacks and struggled to run block. A strength all season, another preseason together should make this one of the tougher units in the NFL heading into next season.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Cleveland Browns

QB: Tim Couch (9 of 18 for 115 yards) was only asked to hand the ball off as the Bengals had no answer for the running game. He did have two big 3rd and long conversions on a key 4th quarter drive, but otherwise was invisible.

RB: Lee Suggs (26 carries for 186 yards, 2 TDs) ran over the Bengals all day long, to the tune of 7.2 yards per carry. He broke TD runs of 78 and 25 yards, showing a surprising amount of speed. He narrowly missed a third TD during a goal line stand late in the 4th quarter. Don't be surprised if he is beats out William Green for the starting RB job next year.

Jamel White (9 carries for 54 yards) was the Browns official starter at running back, but proved to merely spell Suggs.

WR: Andre Davis (5 catches for 72 yards) did nothing spectacular on the day, but appears to be the Browns number one receiver heading into next season and a possible 3rd year breakout receiver.

Quincy Morgan (1 catch for 6 yards). Until the Browns figure out how to pass block and get a QB that is consistent, it will be difficult to rely on any Browns receivers. Morgan had another terrible week, ending a miserable season that started full of promise. He will surely be back with the team next season, probably in the #2 role.

Dennis Northcutt (1 catch for 12 yards) most likely played his last game for the Cleveland Browns.

TE: Darnell Sanders (1 catch for 6 yards) was a non-factor.

K: Brett Conway was 3 for 3 on FG attempts of 42, 42 and 18 yards.

Pass Defense: The Browns pass defense played very well against the overwhelmed Bengals. The Bengals were held to 156 passing yards on 35 attempts (a measly 4.1 YPA) and sacked three times. The Browns also intercepted a pass and limited Chad Johnson and Peter Warrick to a combined 8 catches for 54 yards.

Rush Defense: The Browns run defense was decent as the Bengals did not get a chance to consistently run the ball. The Bengals gained 115 rushing yards on 25 carries (4.6 YPC). The Browns did an excellent job of limiting the big run, forcing the Bengals to ground out drives which they were just unable to do.

Cincinnati Bengals

QB: Jon Kitna (23 for 35 for 175 yards, 1 INT) once again struggled against a solid pass rush from the Browns. He was indecisive and when he did make a decision it often turned out badly. He took a sack with four seconds to go in the first half instead of throwing the ball away for a field goal try that might have been important late in the game.

RB: Corey Dillon (8 carries for 50 yards, 1 catch for 11 yards) has played, most likely, his final game for the Cincinnati Bengals. The question of how effective he still can be is up in the air. He has a lot of mileage and a lot more personal baggage. Maybe of a change of scenery will allow him to flourish ala Marshall Faulk (his words, not mine).

Rudi Johnson (14 carries for 52 yards, 2 TDs, 2 catches for 25 yards) had a tough day running the ball and came up just short of breaking 1,000 yards on the season. He struggled again splitting carries and not getting consistent opportunities. This may not be a problem next year with Dillon's likely departure, so his fortunes for next year look bright. He had an excellent season despite only playing about half the time, but how will he translate to game in and game out as a featured back is yet unknown. But he finished with nearly 1,000 yards and 9 TDs on 215 carries. That works out to about 13 carries per game.

WR: Chad Johnson (4 catches for 29 yards) was in and out of the game with a couple of injuries (he returned without from both). He struggled on the day, but completed an outstanding season.

Peter Warrick (4 catches for 25 yards) also struggled along with the entire Bengals team. His role for next year at this point is unclear, with the possibility of moving to the slot receiver role and Kelley Washington taking over in two receiver sets.

Kelley Washington (1 catch for 4 yards) did not put up big numbers on the season, but he avoided the injury bug that plagued him throughout college and dropped him into the third round. He will compete with Warrick for the number two job next season and for the record, developed quite a rapport with Palmer during the preseason.

TE: Matt Schobel (4 for 42 yards) led Bengals receivers with 42 yards. The Bengals TE hasn't been good for fantasy purposes in quite awhile; next year will be no exception. With 3 solid receivers, look for even more three receiver sets, forgoing the TE.

K: Shayne Graham missed his only FG attempt of 51 yards.

Pass Defense: The Bengals pass defense was good, but only because the run defense was so bad. The pass D only allowed 115 net yards on 18 attempts (6.4 YPA) but got zero sacks and zero interceptions against the Tim Couch. The Bengals defense has a lot of work to do before it should be considered a playoff contender.

Rush Defense: The Bengals run defense still must wonder what happened against the rags of an offensive line the Browns have and the unheralded Lee Suggs. The Browns racked up 264 yards rushing on 40 carries, a whopping 6.6 YPC. The Bengals allowed a 78 yard touchdown run, tackled terribly and got beat at the point of attack consistently. Again, the Bengals have a lot to do to be a serious playoff contender next season.

Denver Broncos 3 at Green Bay Packers 31

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Denver Broncos

Denver sat 7 starters with the post season already determined for them. Two of Denver's best defensive players, DE Trevor Pryce and MLB Al Wilson, didn't play in the second half. If you added up everyone, Denver was without 15 regular starters by the 4th quarter. Going into the game, the Broncos had almost nothing to play for. The best they could do is move up from the 6 seed to the 5 seed, which basically means nothing. And the announcers went so far as to say that if Denver stayed at the 6 seed, they would most likely draw the Colts, which the Broncos would prefer anyway.

HC Mike Shanahan was asked as he headed into the locker room for half time why he pulled Jarious Jackson in favor of Danny Kanell. His response was that he was going to work both of them to see where he stood for next season. Shanahan just didn't take this game seriously, and used it like a preseason game to evaluate talent. Showing just how little the Broncos actually cared about the game, DE Trevor Price said "It could have been 100-0, it wouldn't have mattered"

Green Bay Packers

The announcers opened the game trying to build hype where there was none. With Denver resting a number of key starters, this was Green Bay's game to easily win. However, the announcers pointed out a number of times that Favre, coming off a huge emotional win last week after his dad's death, was primed for a huge let down and a poor game.

Guard Mike Wahle broke the ring finger on his left hand in the first half but returned. LB Na'il Diggs strained a shoulder and RB Najeh Davenport strained his neck.

Brett Favre was down compared to his performance last week against Oakland. He threw an interception in the end zone one play after a Denver interception put the Packers in excellent scoring position. Favre's only touchdown pass was a fluke that went though the hands of Denver's Jashon Sykes and popped into the arms of Bubba Franks in the back of the end zone.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Denver Broncos

QB: Jake Plummer was inactive for the game.

Danny Kanell (9/18, 61, interception) Kanell's weak arm was spotlighted in the time he had in the game. He was in over his head, and Kanell could move the ball.

Jarious Jackson (4/9, 41, interception, 1/9 rushing) Earlier this season, the Broncos cut Jackson outright. Now, in the last game of the season, with huge playoff ramifications for the Packers, Jackson gets the start. The NFL is a funny place. Jackson is the model of inaccuracy. He may have a good arm, but Jackson displayed zero control.

RB: Clinton Portis was inactive for the game.

Quentin Griffin (21/74, 3/21 receiving) Griffin got the start, and picked up right where he left off last week running and catching the ball. However, he was stuffed on a 3rd down goal line stand.

Cecil Sapp (12/31) The Fullback averaged about 3 yards a carry, but showed nothing worth mentioning.

Mike Anderson played, but posted no offensive stats.

Reuben Droughns was inactive for the game.

WR:. Ashley Lelie (2/13) Might have performed better with a starting NFL QB but as it was, he struggled.

Rod Smith was inactive for the game.

Adrian Madise (1/5, fumble) Madise did nothing offensively, but he did return a kickoff 83 yards. Unfortunately, he was also stripped on a kickoff, which the Packers recovered for a touch down.

Ed McCaffrey (3/29) McCaffrey took a big hit and laid on the ground for several minutes. Sadly, that was the most notable thing about this game for him.

TE: Shannon Sharpe was inactive for the game.

Jeb Putzier (4/34) In a game of scrubs playing on Offense, Putzier was the team offensive MVP, but most likely because of the Bronco's QBs. Jackson couldn't hit a target, and Kanell couldn't throw it far enough to reach a target. Short passes to the TE were all that worked.

K: Jason Elam (1/1 FG [31])

Pass Defense: RDE Reggie Hayward (4 tackles) and LDT Monsanto Pope (2 tackles) each picked up a sack. FS Sam Brandon (4 tackles/4 assists) recorded an interception.

Rush Defense: LB Jashon (7 tackles/1 assist) led the squad. LB Marcus Wilkins (1 tackle) scored a defensive touch down on a fumble in the end zone. Two of Denver's best defensive players, DE Trevor Pryce and MLB Al Wilson, didn't play in the second half. The Broncos did a reasonable job containing Ahman Green (17 carries, 71 yards) until late in the third quarter. Then Green zipped 47 yards on a misdirection lead play on which Keith Burns, subbing for Wilson, hit the wrong gap. Early in the fourth quarter, Green raced 98 yards on the same play off right tackle in the area where Pryce had been stationed in the first half. Kevin Barry destroyed Pryce's fill-in and Green wasn't touched.

Green Bay Packers

QB: Brett Favre (12/21, 116, TD, interception, 1/4 rushing) With 32 passing touch downs to lead the league, Favre tied the all-time NFL record of 4 seasons with the most passing touch downs. The announcers tried to build up the thought that Favre was going to have a huge letdown after spending the week in Mississippi for his father's death. Favre didn't seem anywhere near as sharp as last weeks performance, but there was no real let down in the team, and his reduced offensive numbers can easily be dismissed as part of Ahman Green running so well.

Doug Pederson (1/1, 2, 2/-1 rushing) Lost a couple of yards on the kneel down at the end of the game.

RB: Ahman Green (20/218, 2 TDs, 1/9 receiving) Green set a franchise record with 218 yards rushing and ran for two scores, giving him 20 and breaking Jim Taylor's record of 19 set in 1962. He ran for a team record 1,883 yards this season. Green scored on the 2 yard TD walking across the goal line standing up. Green also broke for a 98 yard touch down which was a record for the Packers, as well as the longest TD ever scored against the Broncos. With Bronco DE Trevor Pryce out in the 4th quarter, OL Kevin Barry destroyed the scrub replacement the Broncos had in on defense, and Green was able to spring out for the 98 yard score untouched.

Najeh Davenport (2/21, 1/6 receiving) Davenport suffered a strained neck, but X-rays proved to be negative.

Tony Fisher (3/17, 3/16 receiving) Fisher got the opportunity to put up a few offensive numbers, but his real contribution was as a blocker picking up the blitz.

Nicolas Luchey (1/3)

WR: Donald Driver (1/20) Was not a factor in the game.

Robert Ferguson sat out with a strained Achilles tendon.

Javon Walker (3/41) Walker replaced Ferguson in the starting lineup and lead the team in receiving yards.

Antonio Freeman (1/13) Freeman was not much of a factor in the game.

TE: Bubba Franks (1/2, TD) His lone catch was in the back of the end zone, where the ball went in and out of the DB's hands, and just fell into Frank's hands for the score.

Wesley Walls (2/11) Walls was not much of a factor in the game.

K: Ryan Longwell (1/2 FG [33], 4/4 XP) Longwell missed a 40-yard field goal near the end of the half.

Pass Defense: FS Darren Sharper (6 tacles/2 assists) recorded an interception. Can't say if the Packers passing defense played well or not on the game. You can say that the Bronco passing game was terrible.

Rush Defense: LB Hannibal Navies (6 tackles/2 assists) led the defense. The most impressive play of the day was a stuff of Griffin by Grady Jackson on a goal-line stand on third down.

Carolina Panthers 37 at New York Giants 24

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Carolina Panthers

In a game that didn't end up meaning all that much to Carolina, their defense was about the only unit that didn't take the day off. They intercepted Jesse Palmer 4 times in route to holding the Giants to under 200 yards total offense. They also scored twice, once on a punt return by Steve Smith and also on an interception return.

Thanks to the effort of the defense, the offense didn't have to perform up to any high standards. Jake Delhomme had his usual (almost) 200 yards and 2 touchdowns, but was sacked 6 times. Stephen Davis returned from injury and still split carries with DeShaun Foster. Davis played as if he'd not missed any time at all while Foster looked like he'll be riding the pine in the playoffs.

New York Giants

The usual offensive disaster was only alleviated by great special teams play that set up both Giants touchdowns. If not for two punt blocks that landed the offense inside Carolina's 10 yard line, the Giant's would not have scored any touchdowns. They are that bad offensively.

The Defense tried their best to make this game close. Constantly hassling Delhomme and scoring a TD on a fumble recovery in the end zone. The only good news for New York fans on the day is that because of all the upsets, they now have the #4 overall pick in the draft in April.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Carolina Panthers

QB: Jake Delhomme (16-30/191/2 TD/1 Int) was running around all day. He did end up with decent numbers, but this was not his best day by far. His first TD pass was set up by a great catch by Mohammed on a "flea flicker".

RB: Stephen Davis (11-57) returned and looked good. Coach Fox was obviously just trying to get him some game carries so that he'd be more ready for the playoffs.

DeShaun Foster (17-43 rushing 3-20 rec.) played the bulk of the game, but didn't impress as he didn't have a lot of running room because of the inspired Giants D.

WR: Muhsin Mohammad (5-80/1TD) led the Carolina Receivers and was the benefit of instant replay on his TD. Stephen Davis had been given a 1 yard TD run that was reversed after replay showed his knee down on the 1. The next play was a play action fake to Davis and the TD pass to Mohammad. Ricky Proehl (5-66/1TD) had a solid day as the third receiver, but Steve Smith (2-16) had his worse day of the season with the exception of his 54 yard punt return for a TD, he was nowhere to be found offensively.

TE: Carolina did not have a TE catch any passes.

K: John Kasay had a big day for a kicker. He made 3 field goals (42,33,34) and 3 XP's.

Pass Defense: The name of the game for the Panthers pass defense was "make Palmer throw it so we can catch it". Four picks on the day (1 ran back for a TD) coupled with several blocked passes at the line of scrimmage. The only downside was only 2 sacks.

Rush Defense: Played fine limiting the Giants to 76 yards rushing on 19 carries (4 ypc). The Giants rushing offense was taken away early as Carolina built a 20-0 lead early in the second quarter.

New York Giants

QB: Jesse Palmer (18-43/110/2TD/4Int) was bad. His two TD passed were gifts and take those away and he had a horrible day. He got the Giants in a big hole by overthrowing Barber on the pass that Carolina picked off and ran back for a score changing the game from 10-0 to 17-0 and basically over in the first quarter.

RB: Tiki Barber (9-40 rushing 3 for -3 receiving) didn't fumble (which is news) and that's about the best thing that can be said. Dorsey Levens (7-17) got some extended looks that weren't impressive and Brian Mitchell (3-19) got some action in the old fashioned "Single Wing" where he lines up as the QB with no other backs in the backfield. It was fun to watch, but unsuccessful.

WR: Amani Toomer (4-47, 1TD) played like the true professional that he is. As bad as this team is, you don't hear him complaining. Plus he still goes out there and gives it his all with a terrible QB that most likely won't be able to get him the ball. Terrell Owens and Keyshawn Johnson should take some lessons from this guy. Visanthe Shiancoe (2-7, 1TD) scored the Giants other TD in the air.

TE: Darnell Dinkins (2-16) caught a couple of passes and won't be heard from again any time soon unless Shockey gets hurt again next year.

K: Matt Bryant made his only FG attempt from 28 yards and he had 3 XP's.

Pass Defense: One of the few bright spots for this team is its pass rush. They had Delhomme on the run all day and sacked him 6 times including one that cause a fumble recovery in the end zone for a TD.

Rush Defense: They played inspired football for their outgoing coach, but without any help from the other side of the ball…they aren't good enough to shut teams down completely. They had another TD called back on a fumble return for a TD that was ruled to have occurred after the "whistle blew". Bad call and bad luck. It's what you expect from a 4-12 team.

Pittsburgh Steelers 10 at Baltimore Ravens 13

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers suffered this season from trying to change their identity midway through the season. They started the year as a passing team with RB Amos Zereoue starting in the backfield. After a 2-6 start they tried to shift gears back to pounding away with RB Jerome Bettis. The frustration of the players was obvious as the season wore on and the players wondered what type of team they were going to be.

QB Tommy Maddox looked dazed and confused for most of the game. He repeatedly held onto the ball too long and was unable to deliver accurate passes beyond 10 yards of the line of scrimmage.

Starting WRs Hines Ward and Plaxico Burress combined for three receptions and only one after the first quarter. WR Antwaan Randle El became Maddox's favorite target late in the game. Randle El pulled in five receptions in the 4th quarter and overtime period combined.

Baltimore Ravens

RB Jamal Lewis finished the season with second highest rushing total for a season with 2066 yards, just 39 yards short of Eric Dickerson's record. Lewis was powerful breaking tackles and plowing through defenders. He also showed great burst when he broke into the open field.

QB Anthony Wright and WR Marcus Robinson continued to make a special connection. In the 4th quarter and overtime period Wright completed five passes. Four of them went to Robinson. Of Wright's ten attempts during this stretch, seven were targeted at Robinson.

CB Chris McAlister put another notch in his gun handle. He all but completely removed WR Plaxico Burress from the game. McAlister continues to make a strong case as possibly the best cover corner in the NFL.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Pittsburgh Steelers

QB: Tommy Maddox: (14-27-108 3 INT passing) Maddox was terrible. Granted he didn't have tons of time to sit in the pocket for most of the night, but when he did he was indecisive and looked uncomfortable. His longest pass went for 13 yards. Any way you slice it, averaging 4 yards per attempt is a very telling statistic. Maddox only tried to get the ball downfield a few times, and never came close to completing anything more than 15 yards.

RB: Jerome Bettis: (23-54 rushing, 0-0 receiving on 0 targets) Pittsburgh committed itself to running Bettis. Bettis moved into 6th place on the all time rushing list passing Jim Brown. However, Bettis is clearly a shadow of the powerhouse RB that used to punish tacklers. He still has nimble feet and was able to step out of a few tackles, but he only broke through the line of scrimmage 5 times on his 23 carries. His long gain was only 8 yards. Bettis confirmed that he intends to play again next season and hopes to remain a Steeler.

Amos Zereoue: (3-1 rushing, 2-19 receiving on 4 targets) Zereoue was relegated to strictly third down work and obvious passing situations. He wasn't on the field for a 1st down play during the entire game.

WR: Hines Ward: (2-11 receiving on 6 targets) Ward's first target was a terribly thrown pass that was intercepted. It didn't get much better after that. Ward was open on a few plays, but Maddox simply was off target.

Plaxico Burress: (1-13 receiving on 5 targets) Burress was matched up with CB Chris McAlister all night long. He only reception was early in the first quarter. Burress simply couldn't get open. Only one other pass thrown at Burress on the night was catchable, but it Burress dropped it.

Antwaan Randle El: (6-41 receiving on 8 targets) Randle El was the only real positive on the offensive side of the ball for the Steelers. With the game tied, QB Tommy Maddox all but gave up on getting the ball to his WRs down the field. He hooked up five times on short underneath routes to Randle El in the 4th quarter and overtime. Randle El did a great job of catching the ball while getting hit and also did a nice job of getting extra yardage after the catch.

TE: Jerame Tuman: (2-12 receiving on 2 targets) Tuman caught a pass on the Steelers first play of the game, and was a non-factor the rest of the way.

K: Jeff Reed: (1-1 FG 42 yards, 1-1 XP) Reed hit his only FG attempt. The Steelers had a 4th and 5 on the Baltimore 35-yard line, but opted to go for it instead of allowing Reed to attempt a FG. On another kicking game note, the Steelers kept themselves in the game by turning a fake punt into an 81-yard TD pass from punter Josh Miller to DB Chris Hope.

Pass Defense: The Steelers were only able to sack QB Anthony Wright once. They were unable to keep any form of consistent pressure on him. They did intercept him once, but cold have easily had three interceptions if two hadn't been dropped.

Rush Defense: RB Jamal Lewis punished the Steelers with 73 yards on his first seven carries in the first quarter. They allowed Lewis gains of 6, 8, 19, 9, and 25 yards in this stretch. From that point on they adjusted well and took Lewis out of the game for the most part. They held him to 2 yards or less on 9 of his carries from that point to the end of the game.

Baltimore Ravens

QB: Anthony Wright: (16-27-163 1 INT passing, 4- -6 rushing) The best thing you can say about Wright in this game is that he didn't lose it. He nearly had three interceptions and wasn't able to keep Raven drives alive by converting third downs (4-16). Also, Wright started locking into WR Marcus Robinson late in the game. It was obvious where the ball was going as his eyes completely locked onto one WR.

RB: Jamal Lewis: (27-114 1 TD rushing, 1-13 receiving on 1 target) Lewis got off to a phenomenal start in the game. He quickly surpassed the 2000-yard mark for the season and the focus of the game shifted from winning and losing to whether or not he might surpass Eric Dickerson's season rushing record. Lewis showed the same power and quickness that he flashed all year long early in the game. The Ravens surprisingly went away from Lewis in the second quarter (3 runs - 6 passes), and may have prevented allowing him the opportunity to break the record. They went back to Lewis more in the third, but the Steelers clamped down on Lewis and started to dare QB Anthony Wright to beat them.

Chester Taylor: (2-9 rushing, 2-6 receiving on 2 targets) All four of Taylor's touches came in the first half. Taylor didn't see the field after half time.

Alan Ricard: (2-6 rushing, 1-10 receiving on 1 target) Ricard had his typical game with a couple of caries and a reception. Otherwise he wasn't a major part of the Raven's offensive game plan.

WR: Travis Taylor: (3-21 receiving on 5 targets) Taylor was targeted mostly on quick outs. He didn't have much of an impact on the game. If you count his two penalties against him he only netted 11 yards on five plays run his way.

Marcus Robinson: (6-102 receiving on 12 targets) As long as QB Anthony Wright remains the starter in Baltimore, Robinson should remain their top receiving target. He was the only WR targeted more than 10 yards down field and Wright locked into him when the game was on the line. Robinson made several nice leaping grabs on crossing patterns and used his size well to out-muscle DBs.

TE: Todd Heap: (1-1 receiving on 3 targets) Heap's first target in the opening quarter was nearly intercepted after being deflected. The play should have drawn a flag for pass interference. His only reception came at the end of a drive at the start of the third quarter when Wright was running for his life.

Tony Jones: (2-10 receiving on 3 targets) Jones started the game along with Heap in a 2-TE formation. He was targeted an equal amount of times. Jones dropped his last target that could have kept a drive from ending.

K: Matt Stover: (2-3 FG made 46 & 47, missed 52, 1-1 XP) Stover missed a 51-yard attempt in the fourth quarter short and gave way to an attempt by Richey at the end of regulation. Stover rebounded to kick the game winner in overtime.

Wade Richey: (0-1 FG missed 51) The Ravens allowed Richey to attempt a game winning FG at the end of regulation, but he missed it be a few feet wide right.

Also of note: Punter Dave Zastudil had his bell rung (broken nose) and QB Kyle Boller replaced him in the 3rd quarter getting off a 29-yard punt.

Pass Defense: The Ravens kept the heat on QB Tommy Maddox all game long. This fact combined with blanket coverage from the Ravens DBs resulted in a net of only 77 passing yards from the Steeler offense if you discount the fake punt.

Rush Defense: RB Jerome Bettis averaged 2.3 yards per carry. The Ravens stacked the line of scrimmage and sealed up all the holes quickly. The Ravens held Bettis to two yards or less on thirteen of his twenty-three carries. The few times Pittsburgh tried to run off tackle the Ravens flocked to the ball and mauled Bettis. The only yardage they allowed was up the gut.