Hi Folks,

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

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

Joe Bryant
Owner - www.Footballguys.com

Thanks to Footballguys recap writers: Andrew Abouzeid, Mike Anderson,
Michael Bartlett, Bill Brown, Michael Brown, Christopher Clark,
Timothy Creech, Cathy Fazio, Bradley Gabbard, Cory Gilbert, Chris
Gilman, Anoop Jalan, Alex Knapik, Jeff Lewis, Scott Martin, John
Matthes, Doug Mobley, David Oleyar, Jeff Pasquino, Greg Porzucek,
Steve Prosapio, David Shick, Jeff Siedsma, Dave Teller, Chris Thomas,
Dave Thompson, Rob Umberger, Mark Westmyer, George Willock, and Todd
Young

Edited by Joe Bryant


 
Indianapolis Colts 24 at New England Patriots 27


WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Indianapolis Colts

The Colts seem to want Reggie Wayne to be their second receiver.
Manning targeted him 8 times during the game but Wayne only made one
reception.  As Wayne failed to catch all 6 of the passes thrown his
way in the second half, Manning started to look for Brandon Stokley.
Stokley was unused in the first half, not even garnering a single
look.  With Wayne struggling in the second half, Stokley came in,
caught 4 out of 5 passes, and a TD.

Dallas Clark is the leading receiving tight end on the Colts.  He had
four targets from Manning across both halves of the game.  2 of those
4 targets were in the end zone.  Marcus Pollard on the other hand was
targeted by Manning a single time early in the game, and was never
looked to again.

Dominic Rhodes scored, while Edgerrin James did not.  After taking the
Colts down the field rushing 45 yards on 5 attempts, James motioned
over to the sideline and took himself off the field for a breather.
It was during this rest that Rhodes scored.  James looked like he is
in pre-injury form rushing for a total of 142 yards with 3 receptions
for 29 yards.  But it was his 2 fumbles, one at the goal line that
took the Colts out of the game.

SS Mike Doss pulled his Hamstring on a kick off return, and was taken
by cart off the field, and did not return.  With Doss out of the game,
Brady capitalized by throwing towards Doss' inexperienced back ups.

New England Patriots

It's been over 10 years since a Patriots' running back averaged over 4
yards a carry for the season.   RB Corey Dillon had a good game in his
New England debut.  He rushed for 86 yards on 15 carries, yielding a
5.7 yard per carry average.  The Patriots used a number of empty back
field formations, with Dillon on the sideline.  With a death in his
family, Kevin Faulk did not play.  Dillon was the only RB on the team
for all practical purposes, and was most likely limited to not risk
injury.

Tom Brady was sharp and accurate completing 26 passes for 335 yards
and 3 touchdowns.  WR Deion Branch and TE Daniel Graham were his
favorite targets with nine each.  And both scored touchdowns as well.

The Colts totaled 446 yards, more than the Patriots allowed in any
game last year.  Almost 200 of those yards came on the ground.
Without Ted Washington who is now with the Raiders will be sorely
missed.  The Patriots' run defense looked average at best.  If this
game is an indication, New England will not be strong against the run
this season.

Although the first flag on a defensive back for holding didn't come
until four minutes into the third quarter, Rodney Harrison was flagged
for almost every rule violation in the book during the game.  To add
insult to injury, TE Dallas Clark came off the line, ran into Harrison
himself, and drew a defensive holding call.  Don't be shocked if teams
around the NFL pick up on this.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Indianapolis Colts

QB:  Peyton Manning (16-29-256, 2 TD, 1 Int, 2-18 rushing) Manning
enjoyed almost unlimited time to throw behind the strong protection of
his offensive line.  He picked up 19 yards rushing on a naked bootleg
at mid field on 4th and 1.  If all of the forced passes Manning threw
into the end zone had panned out, the Colts would have walked away
with the game.

RB:  Edgerrin James (30-142 rushing, 3-29 receiving on 3 targets, 2
fumbles lost) James is back.  Outside of his fumbles lost, James had
an outstanding night.  He made cuts and ran for extra yards.  James
lost a 4-yard carry on an encroachment call against SS Rodney
Harrison.  James lost another 5-yard reception on a defensive holding
call.  James fumbled the ball away twice with the Colts in scoring
position.  The first was on 1st and 10 at the 22-yard line.  James
also fumbled the ball away on 1st and 1 at the New England 1-yard
line.  James picked up 20 yards on a screen pass.

Dominic Rhodes (10-42 rushing, 1 TD) Rhodes ran hard in relief of
Edgerrin James, and had a good night.  Rhodes scored after James
brought the team down the field, and was taking a breather on the
sideline.  James himself motioned to come out of the game and take a
breather.

WR:  Marvin Harrison (7-44 receiving on 10 targets, 1 TD) Harrison's
touchdown came on an out pattern in the right front corner of the end
zone, where he kept both feet in bounds for the score.  New England
did an excellent job keeping the ball out of Harrison's hands and did
not allow him an open field to work in.

Brandon Stokley (4-77 receiving on 5 targets, 1 TD) Stokley beat Ty
Law, who was in and out of the game all night, for his touchdown.  He
showed to the right, Law bit, and Stokley redirected his body to the
left to score.  Operating out of the slot, Stokley was totally ignored
in the first half; all of his targets came in the second half.

Reggie Wayne (1-42 receiving on 8 targets) Wayne's only catch was on a
play action to James, where he got separation and picked up 42 yards.
Manning looked for Wayne in the end zone, but Patriot defenders had
blanketed Wayne.  Wayne went 1-2 receptions in the first half;
however, he failed to catch all 6 of the targets from Manning in the
second half.  Though Manning was trying to force him the ball.

TE:  Dallas Clark (1-64 receiving on 4 targets) Clark only caught one
pass for 64 yards, but Peyton Manning targeted him 3 times, twice in
the end zone. The first had Clark heavily covered, and was broken up,
the second was intercepted by Tedy Bruschi.

Marcus Pollard (0-1 receiving on 1 target) Manning looked for Pollard
early in the game for what would have been a TD had it not been broken
up.  It was the only look Manning gave Pollard all game.

K:  Mike Vanderjagt (3 XP, 1-2 FG) After making 42 straight field
goals, Vanderjagt missed wide right on a 48-yard attempt with 19
seconds left in the game.

Pass Defense:  Nick Harper (4 tackles, 1 assist) intercepted Brady.
Raheem Brock forced a fumble by WR Deion Branch.  Mike Doss pulled his
hamstring on a kick off return, and was taken by cart off the field.
The pass rush was adequate, putting pressure on Brady, though he did
finish with 335 passing yards.  The Colts' defense did a good job at
showing different fronts to Brady trying to knock him out of his
rhythm.  They rushed 3 and 4 linemen, and threw zone blitzes at him.

Rush Defense:  Donald Strickland (7 tackles, 1 assist) led the team.
The rush defense did hold Dillon under 100 yards rushing, but that is
not the tale of the tape.  Dillon had room to run all game, and was
provided with nice running lanes.

New England Patriots

QB:  Tom Brady (26-38-335, 3 TD, 1 Int, 1 for -1 rushing) Two-time
Super Bowl Most Valuable Player, Brady threw for 335 yards and three
touchdowns and improved his career record to 5-0 against the Colts.
Unlike Manning, Brady was hurried in the pocket, and took a far deal
of abuse to complete his passes during the game.  When Brady found
time to safely throw, it was on roll-outs, where he got separation
from the pocket.  Brady's accuracy was incredible to watch.  He
threaded the needle on throw after throw, found open receivers, and
controlled the game from his side of the ball.

RB:  Corey Dillon (15-86 rushing) The Patriots started the game
no-huddle with an empty backfield, and ran out of an empty backfield
throughout the game, not allowing Dillon to rack up a substantial
number of carries.  He looked great with the carries he had.  Cutting,
slashing, and finding room.  Dillon lost 3 yards on an offensive
holding call. The talent is unquestionably still there.

Kevin Faulk did not dress for the game due to a death in his family.

WR:  Deion Branch (7-86 receiving on 9 targets, 1 TD, 1 fumble lost)
Up until his fumble, Branch was clearly the go-to player in the
passing attack.  The lost fumble was actually on a punt return, where
Branch signaled for a fair catch, and then misjudged where the ball
was coming down.  It bounced off him, and was recovered by the Colts.
Branch wasn't targeted again, and didn't touch the ball for the rest
of the game.

David Patten (4-86 receiving on 7 targets, 1 TD) Patten got off to a
slow start, only getting targeted twice in the first half.  Patten was
targeted 5 times in the second half, leading to a touchdown.

David Givens (4-80 receiving on 5 targets) Givens operated out of the
TE position on a handful of plays, creating a mismatch with his speed.
Givens was a non-factor in the first half, but came out strong in the
second with 4 targets from Brady.

Bethel Johnson (1-5 receiving on 2 targets, 1 for -3 rushing) Johnson
was used as a kick off and punt returner.  Johnson's only carry was an
end around reverse that netted -3 yards.   Johnson lost what would
have been at least a 15 yard gain on a ball that went off his hands.

Troy Brown did not dress for the game due to injury.

TE:  Daniel Graham (7-57 receiving on 9 targets, 1 TD) Graham was slow
getting up after a hit early in the game.  He walked off the field
clearly favoring his right leg.  It was nothing to be worried about as
Graham had an outstanding game the rest of night.

Ben Watson (2-16 receiving on 4 targets) Watson seemed to be a
favorite target of Brady in the first half, but virtually disappeared
in the second.

Christian Fauria (1-5 receiving on 1 target) Fauria was not a factor
in the game.

K:  Adam Vinatieri (3 XP, 2-2 FG)

Pass Defense:  Tedy Bruschi (5 tackles, 7 assists) intercepted
Manning.  Willie McGinest (4 tackles, 2 assists) likely won the game
when he sacked Manning for a 12-yard loss in the closing seconds of
the game, pushing Mike Vanderjagt's game tying field goal attempt out
of reach. The New England linebackers and defensive linemen were
manhandled on the ground and in the short-passing game.

Rush Defense:  Roman Phifer (8 tackles, 6 assists) led the team in
stops.  Eugene Wilson (6 tackles, 1 assist) and Ty Warren (5 tackles,
1 assist) each forced a Colts' fumble.  The Patriots' defense was
pushed around most of the night, but came through on a couple of big
plays.


 
San Diego Chargers 27 at Houston Texans 20


WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

San Diego Chargers

As expected, LaDainian Tomlinson was the Chargers' star of the game,
rushing for 121 yards on 26 carries and one touchdown.  Tomlinson did
have three receptions in the game but it was for a net loss of four
yards.  Tomlinson was the primary running back, except for one carry
by Lorenzo Neal, and continues to perform well on a Charger team that
does not provide many more weapons beyond Tomlinson.

The second star in the game for the Chargers was TE Antonio Gates.
Gates had eight receptions for 123 yards, and was clearly QB Drew
Brees' favorite target in the passing game.  If there is one thing
that Gates could improve upon would be his propensity to commit
penalties.  Gates was responsible for 20 yards of penalties, being
flagged for two false start penalties and an offensive holding
penalty.

QB Drew Brees had a solid game, throwing for 209 passing yards and 2
touchdowns completing 17 out 24 passing attempts.  Brees' touchdown
passes were to a wide open Reche Caldwell for 36 yards, and a game
winning, back of the end zone touchdown to Eric Parker from 19 yards
midway through the fourth quarter.   In this game, Brees performed his
duties well.  He handed the ball off to Tomlinson, limited the number
of sacks, and was not responsible for any turnovers.

Although the Chargers' defense forced two fumbles and two
interceptions in the game, their performance would only be considered
average.  The Chargers yielded 336 yards in the game, had two sacks
for three yards lost, and permitted the Texans to convert 5 of their 9
third down attempts.

Houston Texans

RB Domanick Davis picked up where he left off from his 2003 season,
rushing for 87 yards on 21 carries, with two touchdown runs and
catching five passes for 70 yards.  He led the Texans in both rushing
and receiving yards.  Davis was definitely the center of the Texans'
game plan as he touched the ball on the first four plays from
scrimmage, resulting in 57 yards.  Unfortunately, Davis also
contributed two key lost fumbles, one in the early second quarter that
led to a Chargers' touchdown, and again the late in the fourth quarter
as the Texans were driving for the tying touchdown.  RB reserve Tony
Hollings spelled Davis midway in the second quarter, rushing for nine
yards and making one reception for 27 yards during the drive.

WRs Andre Johnson and Jabar Gaffney both contributed 4 catches.
Johnson collected 58 yards receiving and Gaffney 40 yards receiving.
The TEs received little exposure in the passing game as Mark Bruener
had the only TE reception in the game.

QB David Carr was 19 for 25 in the game for 229 yards passing.
However, two of the six passes that Carr did not complete were
intercepted by the Chargers.

The Texans' defense saw limited improvement over last year's poor
performance.  The Texans yielded only 324 yards in the game, but they
allowed the Chargers to convert 60 percent of their third down
conversions.  Rookies Jason Babin and Dunta Robinson started the game
for the Texans, and each had some amount of success in their first
professional game as Babin tied for second with seven tackles and
Robinson had solid coverage in the first half.  However, both
experienced rookie mistakes as Babin was flagged for a personal foul
out of bounds after a long Tomlinson run.  Robinson had a rough third
quarter as he fell down on Reche Caldwell's 36-yard TD reception, was
flagged for a face mask penalty and committed a defensive pass
interference penalty in the following Charger drive on back to back
plays that led to a Charger field goal.

The Texans did not punt until early in the fourth quarter.

The Texans lost their first season opening game, beating the Cowboys
in 2002 and the Dolphins in 2003.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

San Diego Chargers

QB:  Drew Brees (17-24-209, 2 TD, 5 for -2 rushing, 1 fumble/0 fumbles
lost) Brees had a solid game, playing within himself, making plays
when necessary, and keeping the mistakes to a minimum.  Brees had no
turnovers and was sacked only one time for a loss of seven yards.
Brees' passing rating for the game was 126.2

RB:  LaDainian Tomlinson (26-121 rushing, 1 TD, 3 for -4 receiving on
5 targets, 1 fumble/0 fumbles lost) Tomlinson gained 100 yards rushing
for the 18th time in his career.  Tomlinson performed as expected,
carrying the ball the large majority of the time from the backfield,
making a few receptions and scoring when the opportunity was
available.  Tomlinson's longest run was 32 yards, and his rushing
touchdown was in the second quarter from the 1-yard line.  Tomlinson's
receptions were a result of screen passes.

Lorenzo Neal (1-3 rushing) Neal was the only RB besides Tomlinson to
touch the football.

WR:  Reche Caldwell (4-65 receiving on 5 targets, 1 TD) Caldwell led
the Chargers' receivers with four catches and 65 yards.  Caldwell's
36-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter was the longest
reception of his career.  Caldwell's touchdown came when Texans'
rookie cornerback Dunta Robinson fell down in coverage, leaving
Caldwell wide open in the end zone.

Eric Parker (2-25 receiving on 6 targets, 1 TD) Parker's game-winning
touchdown in the fourth quarter was a back of the end zone grab that
was challenged by Texans' coach Dom Capers.

Tim Dwight was inactive for the game.

TE:  Antonio Gates (8-123 receiving on 9 targets) Gates was the
Chargers' receiving star in the game collecting 8 receptions for 123
yards.  On Gates' eight catches, he made 22 yards after the catch.

K:  Nate Kaeding (3 XP, 2-2 FG) Rookie Nate Kaeding converted his
first two professional field goals, connecting from 48 yards on the
Chargers' opening drive and again from 29 yards to conclude the third
period.

Pass Defense:  Outside of the Chargers' two interceptions, their pass
defense was nothing special, yielding 226 net yards on 8.4 yards per
pass play.  The Chargers did not place much pressure on Texans' QB
David Carr, but did manage to sack him twice for a total of three
yards lost.  Jerry Wilson and former Texan Steve Foley each had one
interception.

Rush Defense:  The Chargers were equally as average with their run
defense as with their pass defense.  The Texans ran for 110 yards on
the ground on 29 carries.  The Chargers did force and recover two
fumbles, both by the Texans' Domanick Davis.  Steve Foley and
Terrence Kiel each recovered a fumble for the Chargers.

Houston Texans

QB:  David Carr (19-25-229, 0 TD, 2 INT, 3-12 rushing)  David Carr
would have had a solid game, but his performance was marred by two
interceptions.  The first interception was in the second quarter that
ended a Texans' drive toward the end of the first half.  The second
interception was a result of a pass being deflected at the line of
scrimmage and sent high into the air and led to a Chargers' touchdown.
Both pass interceptions were intended for Texans' WR Andre Johnson.
Carr nearly had two other passes intercepted.  Both of these passes
fell incomplete, and resulted in Texans' field goals.

RB:  Domanick Davis  (21-87 rushing, 2 TD, 5-70 receiving on 5
targets, 2 fumbles/2 fumbles lost) Similar to David Carr, Domanick
Davis' solid performance was marred by two fumbles lost.  Davis first
lost the ball in the second quarter that later lead to a Chargers'
touchdown, and again late in the fourth quarter as the Texans' were
driving for the tying touchdown.  Outside of these two fumbles, Davis
picked up where he left off in 2003, as the feature back in the
Texans' backfield, and the leader of the Texans' offense.  Davis did
pick up 60 yards after the initial reception in the game.

Tony Hollings (3-10 rushing, 1-27 on 1 target) Hollings had all of his
touches in the first half on the Texans' opening drive of both
quarters.  Hollings picked up 33 yards after the catch on his only
reception.

WR:  Andre Johnson (4-58 receiving on 8 targets)  Andre Johnson was
the most targeted WR for the Texans.  Included in his 58 yards
receiving was nine yards gained after the catch.

Jabar Gaffney (4-40 receiving on 4 targets) Three of Gaffney's four
catches on the day resulted in yards after the catch, totaling 13
yards.

Corey Bradford (3-24 receiving on 4 targets) Bradford did not have an
opportunity to stretch the defense as all of his targets were for
short-to-medium passes.

TE:  Mark Bruener (1-7 receiving on 1 target); Billy Miller (0
receptions on 1 target) Both Texans' tight ends were relatively
invisible in the game as they were targeted only twice.  Mark Bruener,
the Texans' blocking tight end caught the only TE reception, while
David Carr's favorite TE target in the Texans' first two years of
play, Billy Miller, was held without a catch.

K:  Kris Brown (2 XP, 2-2 FG) Kris Brown converted both field goal
attempts, connecting from 37 yards and 20 yards in the first half.
Brown was carried off the field after making the tackle on the kickoff
to start the third quarter.  He returned later and showed no affects
from the injury.

Pass Defense: Chargers' TE Antonio Gates was a thorn in the Texans'
pass defense all day as Gates collected 8 receptions for 123 yards.
Rookie Dunta Robinson had a solid first half, but the Chargers seemed
to target him more in the second half as he was called for two
penalties and fell down on Reche Caldwell's TD reception.  On the
game, the Texans' gave up 202 net passing yards, or 8.1 yards per
passing play.  The Texans had some pressure on Drew Brees, but sacked
him only one time and did not force an interception.

Rush Defense:  The Texans yielded a 100-yard rushing day for LaDainian
Tomlinson as the Texans gave up 122 net yards on 32 carries.  The
Chargers fumbled the ball twice, but both were recovered by San Diego.


 
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 10 at Washington Redskins 16


WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Rookie WR Michael Clayton was the hot target. With Keenan McCardell
still holding out and reportedly demanding his release, and Joe
Jurevicius out with yet another injury, Tim Brown started alongside
Joey Galloway at wide receiver.  However, it was the rookie Clayton
who led the Buccaneers' receivers with 7 receptions for 53 yards.
Galloway's day was a forgettable one, with just one catch for no yards
and two drops, including one in the end zone which would have been a
29-yard touchdown had he caught it.  Galloway left the game after the
end zone drop and did not return, reportedly aggravating a groin
strain.

Brad Johnson and the offense struggled to mount an effective attack,
with the offensive line proving unable to hold back an aggressive
Washington defense.  Johnson was sacked 4 times in the game, and the
constant pressure led directly to his interception and pedestrian
passing output.  Tampa's last three offensive plays fittingly resulted
in sacks of Brad Johnson.  The rushing attack was largely
non-existent, with the team gaining only 30 yards on 15 combined
attempts.

Tampa Bay's defense played hard and kept the team in the game, with
their lone touchdown on the day coming on a Ronde Barber fumble
return.  But they struggled mightily to control the line of scrimmage
and gave up 148 yards to Clinton Portis as a result, including a
64-yard touchdown on the first rushing play of the game.  While the
Buccaneers were able to mount some sporadic pressure on Mark Brunell,
they were unable to tally a sack in the game.

Washington Redskins

RB Clinton Portis was the star of the show.  Portis broke a 64-yard
touchdown run on his first touch as a Redskin, and finished the day
with 148 yards on 29 carries.  Portis appeared to get shaken up late
in the first quarter after a vicious hit by Greg Spires, but returned
to action and showed no ill effects during the remainder of the game.
He was active in the passing game and at the goal line alleviating
some earlier worries.

The passing attack was far more subdued, with Mark Brunell attempting
only 24 passes in the game.  Brunell, the Redskins' other big
offensive off season addition, played a smart game in what turned out
to be a defensive struggle, with his only mistake of the game being a
fumble on an attempted lunging handoff to Portis, which was returned
for a touchdown by the Buccaneers.

Rod Gardner led all Washington receivers with 61 yards on 4
receptions, while Laveranues Coles managed just 2 catches for 27
yards, although he was targeted on a couple of deep patterns.  Rookie
tight end/H-back Chris Cooley made a very nice leaping grab along the
sidelines for 16 yards on his only reception, and Portis added 4
catches for 15 yards out of the backfield.

The Redskins were most impressive on defense, however, as their
attacking blitz schemes kept defenders constantly in Brad Johnson's
face, and the defensive line dominated to the tune of just 30 rushing
yards allowed in the game.  Washington managed 4 sacks, an
interception, and a fumble recovery on the day, while allowing only a
field goal to the Buccaneers offense.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

QB:  Brad Johnson (24-37-169, 1 INT, 1 Fumble lost) was harassed
constantly in the pocket, and also faced an aggressive zone defense
which keyed on the Buccaneers' short passing game, especially after
deep threat Joey Galloway left the game with a groin strain.
Johnson's lost fumble came when he was blindsided for a sack by
Redskins safety Matt Bowen.  The interception came late in the game,
when Johnson threw a split second before being leveled by Renaldo
Wynn, as a result of the pressure up the middle.  He was unable to see
Antonio Pierce standing right in the spot where the pass was aimed.
He was also victimized by a dropped pass by Galloway in the end zone,
on what was actually a perfect throw over the defender and into
Galloway's hands.

RB:  Charlie Garner (11-25 rushing, 1-4 receiving on 4 targets)
suffered all day from the ineffective blocking of his offensive line,
and was usually forced to avoid a tackler at or behind the line of
scrimmage.  13 of his rushing yards came on two plays, a 7 yard
scamper on his second carry of the game, and a 6 yarder midway through
the fourth quarter.

Mike Alstott (4-5 rushing, 3-17 receiving on 4 targets) was once again
used as the short yardage back, and showed no lingering effects from
off-season surgery in which he had a cadaver bone and a titanium plate
implanted in his neck.  Despite having the entire stadium keyed on
him, Alstott was able to convert on a 3rd and 1 carry midway through
the fourth quarter, gaining 3 yards on the play.

Jamel White (0-0 rushing, 1-3 receiving on 1 target) was used
sparingly, although he did chip in a nice tackle following Johnson's
intercepted pass.

Michael Pittman did not play while serving a league-mandated 4 game
suspension.

WR:  Michael Clayton (7-53 receiving on 11 targets) had an impressive
NFL debut, leading his team in all receiving categories.  Although he
didn't start, Clayton played extensively in the game, and picked up
the playing time of Joey Galloway after he was forced from the game
due to injury.  Clayton proved very capable of breaking free from the
cornerbacks and did not have any rookie moments of blown routes or
penalties.

Bill Schroeder (2-26 receiving on 2 targets) saw action as a wide
receiver after Galloway left the field and handled return duties for
the Buccaneers.  It should be noted, however, that he was only lining
up on offense because Joe Jurevicius and Galloway were out with
injuries and Keenan McCardell has not reported to the team.

Tim Brown (4-23 receiving on 6 targets) earned the start in the game
and proved that he's still capable of contributing as a possession
type receiver, but did not look to have anywhere near the speed to
stretch the field.  Brown did fumble the ball once as he was hit while
stepping out of bounds, but the ball did not land anywhere near the
field of play.

Joey Galloway (1-0 receiving on 3 targets) had a terrible game by all
accounts.  Galloway dropped both of his other targets, including a
perfectly thrown pass on a deep corner route in the end zone which
would have been a 29-yard touchdown.  He aggravated a groin strain
which had limited him in the preseason on the end zone play early in
the second quarter, and left the game immediately, not to return.

Keenan McCardell did not play due to his ongoing holdout, and
reportedly demanded his immediate release prior to the game.  Joe
Jurevicius did not play due to knee and back injuries, and is
currently on the Buccaneers' non-football injury list.

TE:  Rickey Dudley (2-31 receiving on 2 targets) had a productive day,
if not an outstanding one.  His big play came late in the third
quarter, when he blew by coverage and caught the ball in stride for
what turned out to be a 24-yard gain, the longest offensive play of
the day for Tampa Bay.  His other reception came on a third down play,
but was 3 yards short of the conversion.

Ken Dilger (3-12 receiving on 3 targets) was used as a short outlet
option, and did well in that duty.  He looked great in making a
10-yard catch early in the second half while in heavy traffic, and in
fact drew a flag for defensive holding on the play.

K:  Martin Gramatica (1 XP, 1-1 FG) got back in Coach Gruden's good
graces with a 47-yard field goal, which accounted for all of Tampa
Bay's offensive scoring.  Gramatica had missed 10 field goal attempts
in 2003, and 4 more in the 2004 preseason.

Pass Defense:  The Buccaneers did a good job of defending Washington's
talented receiving corps, limiting Redskins starter Mark Brunell to
just 54 percent completions despite not notching a single sack in the
game.  Free safety Dwight Smith was all over the field, breaking up
several passes and notching 4 solo tackles in the game.  Smith would
likely have had an interception on an under thrown deep ball, but
collided with the cornerback and couldn't hold on.  Ellis Wyms
narrowly missed a pair of sacks, leveling Brunell on both occasions.

Run Defense:  The Buccaneers once again struggled to contain the
rushing attack, particularly up the middle of the line, as Clinton
Portis and the Redskins were able to gain 166 rushing yards against
them.  The defensive line was often pushed around by Washington's
blockers, and while Smith did a good job in the secondary, the team
obviously missed the big-hitting John Lynch, now in Denver.  Shelton
Quarles had a big game with 10 solo tackles and 3 assists, but also
over pursued Portis on the 64-yard touchdown, which left the middle of
the field wide open for the cutback.

Washington Redskins

QB:  Mark Brunell (13-24-125, 1 fumble lost, 5-1 rushing) did not pile
up a lot of stats, but wasn't asked to with the running game working
and the defense holding Tampa Bay in check.  While the offensive line
provided excellent protection overall, Brunell did take two huge hits
from Ellis Wyms, bouncing back up on both occasions.  Brunell's lost
fumble came on a rushing play, when backup center Corey Raymer stepped
on his foot after the snap and Brunell attempted a lunging handoff to
Clinton Portis.  Portis was unable to handle the ball, and Buccaneers
Ronde Barber picked the ball up and sprinted 9 yards for a touchdown.
Brunell also had two other bad exchanges with starting center Lennie
Friedman, one of which was a bad snap that shot out between Brunell's
legs and was recovered by running back Chad Morton, and the other
which Brunell immediately fell on himself.  He did attempt to go deep
on several occasions in the game but was unable to complete the
passes, and would probably have been picked off on one play had two
Tampa defensive backs not collided while going up for the ball.

RB:  Clinton Portis (29-148 rushing, 1 TD, 4-15 receiving on 5
targets) started his Redskins career off with a bang, cutting back
into a huge hole on his first carry and then running untouched for a
64-yard touchdown.  Despite losing All Pro tackle Jon Jansen for the
season, Portis had plenty of holes to run through and used them well,
as his 5.1 yards per carry testifies.  He also showed plenty of
stamina, carrying the ball 12 times in the 4th quarter for 40 yards,
including 6 consecutive plays on Washington's final drive, which
resulted in a field goal.  As his stat line shows, Portis was also
active as a receiver out of the backfield, although his one incomplete
target was a drop.  Perhaps most importantly, Portis was not lifted on
passing downs in favor of Chad Morton, and only came out of the game
for brief breathers.  He was shaken up late in the first quarter after
a huge hit by Greg Spires and came out of the game for two plays, but
returned to action and did not look to be at all affected by it.  In
fact, Portis immediately got consecutive carries from inside the 10
yard line, alleviating worries that the Redskins might use Ladell
Betts in a goal line capacity.

Ladell Betts (5-17 rushing, 1-6 receiving on 1 target) was used to
spell Portis, and for little else.  He did get two red zone carries,
but those came on the two plays Portis sat out after being shaken up.

Chad Morton saw very limited playing time on offense, and contributed
only as a return specialist.

WR:  Rod Gardner (4-61 receiving on 7 targets) had an active day and
got 4 targets in the first quarter alone, including the first 3
Redskins passing attempts of the day.  Gardner did have one drop on a
screen play, and his production tapered off as the game wore on and
Washington went to a more run-oriented offense.

Laveranues Coles (3-27 receiving on 8 targets) was used often to
stretch the field, and had two deep targets in the game, although
neither was completed.  While his numbers were hardly impressive, he
did not appear to be at all hampered by his lingering toe problem,
running well and showing no signs of a limp on the field.

No other Redskins wide receiver had a target in the game.

TE:  Chris Cooley (1-16 receiving on 2 targets) saw action as the
halfback in Joe Gibbs' offense, and did not look at all like a rookie
on his one catch, going up over a defender along the sidelines to make
a leaping catch, and then managing to stay in bounds to record the
reception.

K:  John Hall (1 XP, 3-4 FG) accounted for most of the Redskins
offense on the day, hitting from 20, 30, and 34 yards.  Hall also
attempted a 50-yard field goal early in the game, but missed right by
about 3 or 4 yards.  The kick had plenty of distance.

Pass Defense:  The Redskins were relentless in their attempts to
pressure the passer, and notched 4 sacks and an interception as a
direct result.  While all the preseason hype surrounded rookie safety
Sean Taylor, it was the unheralded Matt Bowen who excelled in the
game, piling up 9 solo tackles and 2 sacks.  Taylor did not start, but
did play often on the day, although he managed just 1 assist.  The
combination of pressure on the quarterback and Bowen's solid play held
Tampa Bay to just 139 net passing yards, and only 3 points on offense.

Rushing Defense:  Tampa Bay hardly tried to challenge the Redskins run
defense, with just 15 carries on the day.  Keep in mind, however that
Redskins never led by more than 10 points, so that lack of rushing
attempts is a testament to how well Washington played the run, and how
poorly Tampa Bay blocked for it.  Washington did not allow a first
down at all until midway through the 2nd quarter, and did not allow a
rushing first down until Mike Alstott converted on 2nd and 2 late in
the third.


 
Oakland Raiders 21 at Pittsburgh Steelers 24


WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Oakland Raiders

RB Tyrone Wheatley managed to keep his starting running back job
through the Raiders first three possessions, netting 8 yards on 6
carries.  After that, the Raiders played musical running backs and
never established an effective ground game.   Justin Fargas ran around
the left end for 11 yards on his first attempt, but managed to net
only 6 yards on his other 6 carries.  J.R. Redmond fumbled the first
two times he touched the ball, though one was ruled down by contact.

QB Rich Gannon was dominated by a blitzing Steeler defense for most of
the game.  He was sacked three times and was constantly ducking under
and around defenders.  The pressure came early and often, causing 3
fumbles and a number of poor decisions.  His stat line will show a
pretty decent outing, but in reality, Gannon had a lousy day.

It was a very interesting day for the Raiders receiving corps as 11
different players were targeted (5 different WRs, 4 different RBs and
2 different TEs.)  Jerry Porter saw only 1 target in the first half
and 9 in the second half.  There was no clear #2 WR with Jerry Rice
seeing 5 targets, all but 1 in the first half, and both Doug Gabriel
and Ronald Curry seeing 4 targets each.

Pittsburgh Steelers

It was a good news/bad news day for Duce Staley owners.  The good
news...he is clearly the Steelers featured back, gaining 91 yards on
24 carries.  The bad news...it appears that Jerome Bettis will be
vulturing the Steelers goal line carries as he managed to convert on
all three of these opportunities.  Staley was given a chance on 2nd
and 3 from the Raider 3-yard line, but Bettis came in to get the TD
after Staley came up 1 yard short.

The Steelers defense gave Oakland more than they could handle for most
of the game, blitzing anyone and everyone most of the time.  This game
was two plays away from being a Pittsburgh blowout and the Steelers
defense deserves major kudos.  Oakland runners were rarely able to
find running lanes and Gannon was hit as he threw on a number of
occasions.

Let there be no doubt...this was a run-first, run-most-of-the-time,
run wherever and whenever offense.  The stat lines will show that
Tommy Maddox made only 22 pass attempts while Steeler RBs carried the
ball 33 times.  That said, Hines Ward showed that he was by far the
most effective receiver, reeling in all 8 passes tossed in his
direction.  No other Steeler caught more than 1 ball.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Oakland Raiders

QB:  Rich Gannon (37-20-305, 2 TD, 2 Int, 1 Fumble lost)

The former MVP winner looked spectacular twice in this game.  The
first time was when he pump faked the Steeler secondary into
confusion, allowing Doug Gabriel 7yards of breathing space to catch
Gannon's perfectly thrown pass for a 58-yard TD.  The second came when
he led a streaking Alvis Whitted in the end zone for another TD
strike, this time 38 yards.  Outside of those two plays, the Raiders
"dink and dunk" passing game wasn't enough to sustain drives.  When
Gannon attempted to look deep, he often found a black jersey or two
closing in before he could get off the pass.  His 3 fumbles all came
when the ball was knocked out just before throwing.  His interceptions
were both the result of blatant poor decisions with no Raider
receivers even close to catching them.  Gannon's turnovers dug the
Raiders into a hole that they simply couldn't climb out of.

RB:  Tyrone Wheatley (11-24 rushing, 1-20 receiving on 2 targets)
As bad as Wheatley's rushing stats look, he looked worse with better
than a third of his rushing attempts going for no gain or a loss.  The
Steeler defense seemed to know what Raider coaches were calling as
Wheatley found no running room up the middle and doesn't have the
speed to make it around the corner.  Justin Fargas came in during
Oakland's fourth possession and saw the bulk of the carries from then
on.

RB:  Justin Fargas (7-17 rushing, 2-19 receiving on 3 targets)
Fargas saw his first carry go for 11 yards and his other 6 carries go
for -1, 1, 2, 2, 6, -4.  While this type of performance combined with
his apparent inability to pass block won't help him unseat Wheatley,
his speed around the corner might.

RB:  Zack Crockett  (2-10 rushing, 1-1 receiving on 1 target)
Crockett, normally a short yardage or goal line back, saw his 2
carries on 1st  & 10 and 2nd & 10 respectively.  I wouldn't read
anything into this other than the Raiders grasping at straws, trying
to find somebody who could gain positive yardage on the ground.

RB:  J.R. Redmond  (1-7 rushing, 3-29 receiving on 4 targets)
All of his touches came on 3rd down as he, Fargas and Wheatley
continued to alternate plays throughout the last three quarters.

WR:  Doug Gabriel (3-81 receiving on 4 targets, 1 TD; 1-3 rushing)
Gabriel's first target came near the end of the second quarter when
Rich Gannon redirected a Steeler safety with a perfect pump fake and
found Gabriel sprinting ahead of his coverage into the end zone.  The
second year receiver had only 1 NFL reception prior to this game.  If
opposing defenses continue to blanket primary target Jerry Porter,
Gabriel could be the recipient.

WR: Jerry Porter (4-44 receiving on 10 targets)
It would appear obvious that Porter was Rich Gannon's primary target
and was treated as such by Pittsburgh's secondary.  It should be
noted, however, that all but one of Porter's targets and all four of
his catches came in the second half when the Steelers decided they
should pay some attention to other Raider wide outs.  At least 2 of
Porter's "misses" came on Gannon overthrows.

WR:  Alvis Whitted (1-38 receiving on 2 targets, 1 TD, 2-pt
conversion)
Whitted caught both balls tossed his way, including a nice finger tip
grab for his TD.  This matches his number of TD receptions for the
past three seasons combined.

WR: Jerry Rice (2-22 receiving on 5 targets)
Four of Rice's five targets came in the first half, as did both of his
catches.  Rice showed that he still has the ability to tiptoe the
sidelines and reel in the tough catch, but he sat much of the second
half, presumably so that the Raiders could play their speedier wide
outs.

WR:  Ronald Curry  (1-12 receiving on 4 targets)

TE:  Doug Jolley (1-19 receiving on 2 targets)
Gannon checked down to his RBs far more often than his TEs.

TE:  Courtney Anderson  (1-13 receiving on 2 targets)
The rookie out of San Jose State is a huge target (6-7, 270) and could
steel some of Doug Jolley's limited value on two tight end sets.

K:  Sebastian Janikowski (2 XP, 2-2 FG)
The big guy hit from 38 and 28.

Pass Defense:  Pittsburgh's successful running game kept the Raiders
from putting too much pressure on Maddox.  The Raiders recorded only 2
sacks, but 1 led to a fumble recovery.  Maddox scrambled away from the
Raider pass rush twice for positive yardage.  They looked good in
tipping two passes and shutting the Steelers down just before
halftime.

Rush Defense:  Pittsburgh controlled the clock with a dominant ground
game.  The line was full of holes, gladly exploited by Duce Staley,
and Raider defenders weren't finishing tackles.  Steeler rushing
numbers weren't huge, but Staley's success keyed the team's success.

Pittsburgh Steelers

QB:  Tommy Maddox (22-13-142, 0 TD, 1 Fumble lost, 3-13 rushing).
Maddox did just what was asked of him and led his team to victory.  A
39-yard strike to Hines Ward was his longest of the night with all but
two others garnering 15 yards or less.  He spread the ball around to 8
different receivers, though Hines Ward was by far the primary target.
There was nothing spectacular to speak of but his mistakes were few.

RB:  Duce Staley (24-91 rushing, 0 TD, 1-3 receiving on 5 targets)
Staley showed that the Steelers were right on when they named him the
starter.  He hit the holes hard, broke tackles and finished his runs
consistently.  Unfortunately, he lost all of his goal line carries to
"The Bus."

RB:  Jerome Bettis (5-1 rushing, 3 TD)  No, that's not a typo.
Bettis' first 1-yard TD was overturned by challenge, so he did it
again on the next play.  And again 2 series later.  And again in the
3rd quarter.  In all, Bettis scored three 1-yard TDs and lost 2 yards
on his only non-goal line carry.

RB:  Vernon Hayes (1-2 rushing, 1for -2 receiving on 1 target)
Not much going on here, but he did recover a bobbled center to QB
exchange and push forward for 5 yards.

WR: Hines Ward (7-99 receiving on 8 targets)
Ward caught everything that Maddox sent in his vicinity (including one
short reception where the Steelers accepted a penalty instead.)  His
yardage total accounted for two thirds of the Steelers receiving
yards.  If this game is any indication, he won't be sharing the
spotlight with Plaxico Burress like he did two seasons ago.

WR: Plaxico Burress (1-13 receiving on 3 targets)
Burress drew coverage from Charles Woodson more often than not and was
not a factor.  He did come very close to a TD though as his lone
reception put the ball on the goal line where Jerome Bettis took over.

WR:  Antwaan Randle El (1-11 receiving on 4 targets)

TE:  Jay Riemersma (1-12 receiving on 1 target)

TE: Jerame Tuman (1-6 receiving on 2 targets)

K:  Jeff Reed (3 XP, 1-1 FG)
Reed hit from 42 yards at tricky Heinz Field.

Pass Defense:  The Steeler defense blitzed time after time, rarely
giving Rich Gannon time to breathe.  They only sacked him 3 times, but
hurried him often, leading to 2 interceptions and a number of
overthrown receivers.  They gave up 2 big play touchdowns on the
afternoon, but otherwise kept the Raiders in check and capitalized on
turnovers.

Rush Defense:  The entire stable of Raider running backs tried to get
the rushing game started, but none found success.  Steeler defenders
were quick to plug running lanes and made sure tackles.  The Raiders
longest rush of the night was 11 yards.


 
Baltimore Ravens 3 at Cleveland Browns 20


WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Baltimore Ravens

Fantasy football fanatics looked forward to this huge division rivalry
between the Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns from the time the
schedule was made, salivating at the prospects of a huge game from
Jamal Lewis. Instead, they witnessed a swarming Cleveland Browns
defense that limited Jamal Lewis to just 57 yards and caused 3
turnovers (2 interceptions and 1 fumble) by Kyle Boller.

Unable to run the ball, and after falling behind late, the Baltimore
Ravens turned to the passing game, and found limited success in moving
the ball downfield. Kyle Boller completed 22 of 38 passes, but only
garnered 191 yards through the air. The primary beneficiary of the
passing game was Todd Heap, who was targeted 15 times, and caught 9
balls for 86 yards. After Heap, the ball was spread around evenly to
the three primary receivers (Kevin Johnson, Travis Taylor and Randy
Hymes), however Kyle Boller seemed to lock in on one wide receiver
throughout various stretches in the game, which led to interceptions.

Jamal Lewis finished with 20 carries for 57 yards (2.9 ypc average)
and was not able to break one longer than 9 yards (his first carry of
the game). Furthermore, Jamal Lewis did not contribute in the
receiving game, as he was not targeted at all throughout the game out
of the backfield. Fantasy owners curious about the prospects of the
Baltimore Ravens backup running back should Jamal Lewis be sidelined
by an injury or due to his pending court trial in November saw Brian
Billick's game plan in Week 1. Where after heavy doses of Jamal Lewis,
only Chester Taylor was utilized throughout the game, primarily on 3rd
downs. Musa Smith was active for the game, but did not rush the ball
or receive any passes.

Cleveland Browns

Jeff Garcia brought the electricity to a team in desperate need of a
leader, commanding the troops to a 20-3 win with a solid 2nd half and
outstanding improvisations when plays had broken down. Cleveland
Browns fans got to see Jeff Garcia and Kellen Winslow for the first
time during the regular season, and saw the return of William Green to
the Browns starting lineup when Lee Suggs was unable to play due to a
stinger incurred during Monday's practice.

Jeff Garcia came up with key plays when they were needed most,
including a 3-yard run for a touchdown to seal the game late in the
4th quarter, and a 46-yard touchdown pass to Quincy Morgan late in the
3rd quarter after the play had already broken down. He provided
leadership on the field that the Browns have been seeking from their
quarterback since their return to the league, making all the plays
that he needed to when it counted most. Despite having trouble getting
the ball to Andre Davis and Quincy Morgan through the majority of the
first 3 quarters, the Browns remained composed, and utilized rookie
tight end Kellen Winslow quite effectively early on, allowing Winslow
to catch 4 balls for 39 yards.

William Green made his return to the field with 65 yards on 22
carries, but more importantly caught 4 balls out of the backfield for
27 yards. With a solid performance against a tough Baltimore Ravens
defense, William Green laid his claim to the starting running back job
in Cleveland. Both Green and Lee Suggs performed very well in camp,
but it was Lee Suggs who was presumed to have the starting job, before
suffering an injury in practice this week. It will be interesting to
see how this one plays out once Lee Suggs returns from his injury.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Baltimore Ravens

QB:  Kyle Boller (22-38-191, 0 TD, 2 Int, 1 Fumble lost, 2-16 rushing)
Boller's three turnovers played a significant factor in the outcome of
this game, as they ultimately led to the final 10 points scored by the
Cleveland Browns. Boller was effective underneath to Todd Heap, but
struggled when he tried to go upfield, and this was reflected in the
fact that he only averaged 5.0 yards per attempt, far below the league
average. Boller was forced to throw much quicker than he would have
liked, as the Browns defense blitzed often and limited his time to
allow the play to develop.

RB:  Jamal Lewis (20-57 rushing) With hopes of breaking his own record
set against the Cleveland Browns in 2003, Jamal Lewis was held in
check by the Cleveland Browns in the 2004 opener, averaging just 2.9
yards per carry. Lewis was not able to get past the linebacking corps
and break into the secondary, as he had been so successful doing last
year en route to his 2066-yard season. Lewis' longest official carry
was for 9 yards (he had an 11 yard carry called back due to a holding
penalty). The Ravens did not seem to alter their game plan with the
absence of All-Pro Jonathan Ogden, rushing equally from the left and
right sides, with 10 rushing attempts to both sides of the center. The
most striking part of Lewis' Week 1 game was that he was not targeted
at all by Kyle Boller (After 47 receptions in 2002, Lewis saw his 2003
numbers fall to 26 receptions).

RB:  Chester Taylor (3-14 rushing 0 TD, 1 target) Taylor was used
sparingly throughout the game, and received one carry on 2nd down, and
two carries on 3rd down, and the former Toledo back appeared to be the
primary backup to Lewis in this game. Musa Smith, though active, did
not appear in the box score.

WR: Kevin Johnson (5-43 receiving on 8 targets) Playing against his
former team, Kevin Johnson had the biggest day of the Raven's crew of
wide receivers, though it was just for 5 catches and 43 yards. Kevin
Johnson was targeted 8 times, including the pass intercepted by
Anthony Henry that helped propel the Browns to victory.

WR: Randy Hymes (5-39 receiving on 7 targets) Used primarily in three
receiver sets, Randy Hymes caught a lot of balls late in the game when
the Browns did not want to give up the big play and were willing to
give up the underneath ball.

WR: Travis Taylor (1-5 receiving on 5 targets) Kyle Boller looked at
Travis Taylor often in the 1st period, but Taylor seemed to disappear
from this game late, and only caught 1 ball on 5 targets, continuing a
trend from last season where he caught just 40.2% of the balls thrown
to him.

WR: David Wilcox (2-18 receiving on 2 targets) Wilcox picked up two
receptions late and would not be considered a factor on a weekly
basis.

TE: Todd Heap (9-86 receiving on 15 targets) Despite not finding the
end zone, Todd Heap had a monster game with 9 catches on 15 targets.
As the Ravens' receiving crew continues to adjust to Kyle Boller, Heap
will be the primary beneficiary of the underneath pass, and he
certainly was able to find the holes in the zone.

K:  Matt Stover (0 XP, 1-1 FG) A member of the Ravens since their
inception into the league, the steady 15-year veteran Matt Stover
connected on a 42 yard field goal in his only attempt on the day.

Pass Defense: The highlight of the day was supposed to be the return
of Deion "Prime Time" Sanders. Unfortunately for Ravens and fantasy
football fans expecting a big day, there were few highlights and no
turnovers from this Ravens defense. The pass rush was unable to
contain Jeff Garcia late in the 3rd quarter after the play had broken
down, and gave up a 46 yard touchdown pass to Quincy Morgan. They were
again beat by the long ball on a 51 yard catch by Andre Davis in the
fourth quarter. Otherwise, they limited the targets to the deep
threats and kept everything underneath to Kellen Winslow and William
Green. The Ravens pass rush contributed two sacks on the afternoon.

Rush Defense: The Ravens limited the Browns to 85 yards net rushing,
but were unable to come up with the big plays when needed most late in
the game, when the Browns picked up 4 rushing first downs.

Cleveland Browns

QB:  Jeff Garcia (15-24-180, 1 TD, 3-13 rushing, 1 rushing TD) Garcia
showed tremendous poise, making great plays, and did not turn the ball
over. Garcia finished with completions of 51 and 46, and only averaged
5.8 yards per attempt, but was effective in managing the game in his
Browns debut. Garcia showed great footwork, highlighted by a gutsy
three yard run for a touchdown to seal the game in the fourth quarter.

RB:  William Green (22-65 rushing, 4-27 receiving on 7 targets)
Fueling the fire of a running back competition, William Green played
quite well in between the tackles, getting outside, and catching the
ball out of the backfield. As they had done effectively in preseason,
the Browns focused on running the ball towards the right side of their
line. Green rushed to the right 13 times for 35 yards. Late in the
game, Green ran effectively to the left side, picking up runs of 5, 5
and 10 yards for a total of 7 carries for 25 yards.

RB:  James Jackson (4-7 rushing, 2-5 receiving on 2 targets) Jackson
was asked to spell William Green primarily on 3rd down, and played a
minimal role in the Browns offense. Jackson was asked to come in for a
series during the middle of the game, a role he would unlikely be
asked to do if Lee Suggs were healthy.

RB:  Terrelle Smith (1 target) The Browns finally have a fullback in
the backfield, and found the blocker to be quite useful in both the
rushing attack and in pass blocking.

WR: Andre Davis (1-51 receiving on 3 targets) Davis was limited until
the fourth quarter, when he caught his only ball on a 51 yard pass
reception. The Ravens defense limited both he and Quincy Morgan all
afternoon.

WR: Quincy Morgan (1-46 receiving on 2 targets, 1 TD) Morgan came up
with the play of the day when he hauled in the 46 yard touchdown late
in the third quarter to put the Browns ahead for good. Like Davis, his
targets were limited as the Ravens cornerbacks played solid defense
throughout most of the game.

WR: Dennis Northcutt (3-12 receiving on 3 targets) The Browns were
able to find Dennis Northcutt underneath 3 times, and utilized him in
the punt return game, where he picked up 19 yards on two punt returns.

TE: Kellen Winslow (4-39 receiving on 6 targets) The heavily hyped
rookie produced in his first game, coming up with a number of catches
early in the game by finding the seam in the Ravens defense and
providing Jeff Garcia with another outlet that he will continue to
look towards as the year continues. He lived up to most of the hype
and did not seem intimidated by Ray Lewis on defense.

K:  Phil Dawson (2 XP, 2-2 FG) Dawson connected on field goals of 25
and 37.

Pass Defense: Though Kyle Boller completed 58% of his passes, the
Browns limited the Ravens to just 5.0 yards per pass attempt, and
picked up a pair of key interceptions by Anthony Henry and Andra Davis
in the second half. The Browns hounded Kyle Boller all game long,
picking up three sacks, carrying the team on their backs until the
offense was able to provide the necessary sparks to win the game.

Rush Defense: A weakness of the 2003 squad, the Browns rush defense
really improved in the opener, limiting Lewis to just 57 yards on 20
carries, and did not give up a run longer than 9 yards by preventing
Lewis from getting past the linebackers. The Browns limited Lewis to
negative or zero yards on four carries (20% of all carries) and three
yards or less on twelve carries (60% of all carries). Browns fans saw
a concentrated effort for 60 minutes.


 
Detroit Lions 20 at Chicago Bears 16


WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Chicago Bears

Based on total yards, number of plays, and third down conversions, it
would appear the Bears would have been the winners of this game.
However, due to four turnovers, twelve penalties (three declined), a
big special teams play, and a few brief defensive lapses, the Lions
were able to win a road game.

The Bears offense displayed significant potential in offensive
coordinator Terry Shea's new scheme. They had a handful of big gains,
and converted a number of third down chances, with only a few negative
plays. Rex Grossman showed good command of the offense, and generally
looked sharp. At times he still looked like a young quarterback,
especially when running with the ball as protecting his body seemed to
be an afterthought.

Thomas Jones looked strong and appeared to be the
"Priest-Holmes -like" back, just as advertised. He was given the ball
in a variety of ways, with pitchouts, screen and short passes, and
draw plays. He looked quick, hit openings hard, and was the only back
getting the ball in the red zone.

The Bears may also have found their go-to receiver to replace Marty
Booker in David Terrell. He displayed great athletic ability, and
showed that he can actually run after the catch.

Detroit Lions

The Detroit Lions were able to overcome the early losses of both
Charles Rogers and Dre' Bly due to injury, and still break their
twenty-four-game road losing streak. One of the big reasons was the
emergence of rookie wide-receiver Roy Williams. He used his size and
ability to make a number of big catches including a one-handed,
highlight reel beauty. A blocked-punt return for a touchdown at the
start of the second half provided the game's turning point and seemed
to ignite the team.

Joey Harrington had a streaky game, seeming to be most accurate when
successive pass plays were being executed. This was especially evident
during the first half two minute drill that got Detroit on the board
with a field goal before half-time. Rookie running back Kevin Jones
looked sharp when given room to run.

RB Kevin Jones saw 15 carries while Artose Pinner carried just 5
times. Coach Steve Mariucci had said they would be #1 and #1A RBs but
it looks clear that Jones is the guy. He was held in check by the
defense but looks to have potential.

The Lions offense was terrible on third down, only converting twice
during the entire game.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Chicago Bears

QB: Rex Grossman (35-16-227, 0 TD, 2 Int, 1 Fumble lost, 4-21 rushing)
Grossman generally showed good poise in the pocket, getting throws off
just ahead of the rush, and showing good touch on throws of various
depths. His throws were spread around to many of the backs and
receivers, including those on third downs. His first interception was
due to under throwing a deep pass to Daryl Jones. The second was his
last throw of the game into double coverage at the back of the end
zone, on third-and-goal from the twelve with 28 seconds left. Up to
that point he had been accurate and efficient in the two-minute drill.
Grossman was sacked three times and hit frequently.

RB: Thomas Jones (21-67 rushing, 2 TD, 6-38 receiving on 8 targets)
Thomas Jones was effective as a rusher and receiver, showing quickness
and the ability to break tackles. His rushing numbers were tempered by
a number of very short gains. His first touchdown was a nifty cutback
run through arm tackles. The Bears offense was focused on him,
including in the red zone.

Anthony Thomas (3-13 rushing, 0 TD) One of Thomas' carries was a
garbage-time carry to run out the clock in the first half. He had one
nice five yard gain up the middle in the second half.

Jason McKie (1-1 rushing, 0 TD, 1-10 receiving on 1 target) McKie had
a great catch on a tipped pass.

Bryan Johnson (0-0 rushing, 0 TD, 1-4 receiving on 3 targets) Johnson
was providing strong blocking most of the game.

Adrian Peterson (0-0 rushing, 0 TD) Inactive.

WR: David Terrell (5-126 receiving on 9 targets, 0 TD, 1-20 rushing)
Terrell made an effort to show that he should be the Bears #1
receiver, and made a number of big, athletic catches. However, he
still showed a lack of maturity by earning a taunting penalty and
frequently barking at officials. He also had his preseason penchant
for offensive pass interference penalties continue with one on his
first receiving attempt. He did not get credit for a high-jumping,
circus catch where the officials ruled him out of bounds - yet the
replay appeared to show both feet in-bounds.

Bobby Wade (1-12 receiving on 3 targets, 0 TD, 1-5 rushing) Wade was
used on several fake-reverse plays but didn't seem to be a big factor
in the passing game.

Justin Gage (1-9 receiving on 4 targets, 0 TD) Gage missed an early
leaping, third-down catch with the ball just going off his fingertips.

Bernard Berrian (0-0 receiving on 3 targets, 0 TD, 1-1 rushing)
Berrian was not a factor in his first NFL game.

Daryl Jones (0-0 receiving on 1 target, 0 TD) Jones was used primarily
as a kick-returner, with questionable results.

TE: Desmond Clark (1-28 receiving on 1 target, 0 TD, 1 Fumble lost)
Clark had a nice catch over the middle, but had the ball stripped
before hitting the ground.

Dustin Lyman (0-0 receiving on 2 targets, 0 TD) Lyman gave up the
chance for a big gain when missing a ball that Grossman put right in
his hands. His second target was a first-and-goal throw from the two
yard line.

K: Paul Edinger (2 XP, 0-1 FG) Edinger's only field goal attempt was
blocked by the Lions and run back for a touchdown.

Pass Defense: The Bears pass defense played a decent game, but allowed
185 yards. The Bears pressured Joey Harrington frequently, a delayed
blitz by Brian Urlacher forcing him to throw his one interception.
Even with the pressure, the Bears were only able to sack Harrington
once. They were called for one defensive pass interference penalty by
RW McQuarters

Rush Defense: The Bears rush defense was strong holding Kevin Jones to
only 36 yards. Lance Briggs, Brian Urlacher, and Mike Brown provided
most of the big hits in the game, and frequently tackled Lion rushers
in the backfield. Urlacher appeared to be fully recovered from his
preseason hamstring injury. He covered the field well, led the team in
tackles, and came very close to making an early leaping fingertip
interception.

Detroit Lions

QB: Joey Harrington (26-14-187, 1 TD, 1 Int, 4-6 rushing) Harrington
displayed some very streaky play with completions or misses in
bunches. He was effective when on the move, rolling out of the pocket.
His stats could probably have looked better, with a number of his
tosses being dropped by his receivers.

RB: Kevin Jones (15-36 rushing, 0 TD, 1-34 receiving on 2 targets)
Jones was generally given little room to run by the Bears. He was
stopped a number of times behind the line of scrimmage. He ran well
when he had some space, breaking tackles and running hard. He scored a
touchdown on a first-and-goal carry from the one yard line in the
first half, but the play was called back on an obvious holding
penalty.

Artose Pinner (5-21 rushing, 0 TD, 1-5 receiving on 1 target) Pinner
was generally relegated to back-up duty.

Shawn Bryson (3-18 rushing, 0 TD, 0-0 receiving on 2 targets) Also
acting as a back-up to Jones.

Cory Schlesinger (1-2 rushing, 0 TD, 1-30 receiving on 2 targets)
Schlesinger was less effective as a blocker controlling Brian
Urlacher, than he had been in recent meetings between the two teams.

WR: Roy Williams (4-69 receiving on 7 targets, 0 TD, 1-1 rushing) Roy
Williams may ease the pain felt by Lions' fans over Rogers' second
broken collarbone. He looked every bit like a rising star making big
exciting plays, and drawing a pass-interference penalty. His big frame
appeared to be giving the smaller Bear defenders plenty of trouble.

Az-Zahir Hakim (3-29 receiving on 7 targets, 1 TD) Hakim caught the
Lions only offensive touchdown on a short four-yard pass. Before the
touchdown, Hakim must have been dreading the Monday film session after
dropping three passes that hit him in the hands.

Tai Streets (1-1 receiving on 1 target, 0 TD) Streets was not much of
a factor.

Charles Rogers (0-0 receiving on 1 target, 0 TD) Went out with a
shoulder injury (another broken collarbone) halfway through the first
quarter.

TE: Stephen Alexander (2-15 receiving on 5 targets, 0 TD) Alexander
was another Lions receiver with butterfingers. He was frequently
targeted on third down and near the end zone.

Casey Fitzsimmons (1-4 receiving on 1 target, 0 TD)

K: Jason Hanson (2 XP, 2-2 FG) Hanson was steady as usual, hitting two
short field goals.

Pass Defense: The Lions pass defense looked a little shaky with
Chicago getting 214 yards in the air. The loss of pro-bowl CB Dre' Bly
may have been partially responsible, but his replacement Andre'
Goodman came up with their first interception. The Lions were able to
avoid pass interference calls, but they did commit two roughing the
passer penalties. They were able to get frequent pressure on Grossman,
even once knocking the ball out of his arm for a fumble.

Rush Defense: The rush defense gave up 128 yards to the Bears, Thomas
Jones accounting for more than half of the total. Jones had a number
of runs over four yards, but the Lions did a great job of containing
him on delayed handoffs, holding those to little or no gain. The Lions
were led in tackles by their secondary.


 
Jacksonville Jaguars 13 at Buffalo Bills 10


WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jaguars offense had a difficult time moving the ball during the
first half of the game against a tough Buffalo defense.  QB Byron
Leftwich was ineffective passing the ball throughout most of the game,
frequently overthrowing his receiver and struggling to convert on
several key third down conversions.  However, Leftwich was ready for
the challenge and showed his leadership when his team needed him most,
late in the fourth quarter.  Leftwich looked poised and confident as
he drove his team 80 yards in a two-minute drill to the winning
touchdown as time expired in the game.  Leftwich converted three
fourth down conversion on the final drive.

Fred Taylor was the focus of the Jaguars offense early on but found
the running tough against a stout Buffalo rush defense.  Taylor's
longest run was 12 yards and he finished with only 61 yards total.
Taylor was also not involved in the passing game as he had no
receptions.  Twice inside the Buffalo 10 Taylor was replaced by
LaBrandon Toefield who did not fair any better.

Veteran WR Jimmy Smith was Leftwich's favorite target in the game
although he only had 4 receptions in the contest.  Smith was the
target of 12 Leftwich passes and none more important in the game then
a 45 yard completion on 4th and 14 that kept the Jaguars final drive
alive.  Smith was able to out leap Bills CB Clements on a "Hail Mary"
type pass down the left side by Leftwich that put the Jaguars at the
Bills 21 yard line.  Smith put up some nice stats for the day with a
total of 83 receiving yards

Buffalo Bills

For the most part it was a case of missed opportunities by the Bills
offense that put the team in the position to lose the game.  The Bills
did turn an early Nate Clements interception into a touchdown going 18
yards in 2 plays, most of it on a 17 yard TD pass to Moulds on a blown
coverage.  However, a later interception by Izelle Reese, the first by
a Bills safety in 3 years, that was returned to the Jaguars 3 yard
line could not be converted into a touchdown.  The Bills held the ball
over 7 minutes longer than Jacksonville and had 3 drives of 10 or more
plays.  Unfortunately for Buffalo's sellout crowd these drives
resulted in 2 fumbles and 1 missed field goal.

Drew Bledsoe had a fairly accurate day and was successful at
converting 3rd downs going 7 of 14 but he just couldn't get the Bills
to finish drives.  On a 3rd and goal from the 1 Bledsoe appeared to
have fullback Damien Shelton opened on the left side and looked at him
but couldn't pull the trigger and ended up taking a sack.  It
sometimes appears as if he can't make the quick decisions necessary in
big spots.  Most of his passes were of the short variety and no
downfield passes were attempted.

RB Travis Henry had a respectable game on the ground, gaining 75 yards
and leading the Bills in rushing for the game.  Henry left the game in
the fourth quarter with leg cramps.

RB Willis McGahee was able to see some action in game after Henry left
the game in the fourth quarter.  McGahee ran the ball a total of 9
times in the game and rushed for 31 yards.  He ran the ball right at
the Jaguars defense and made several nice cuts on a couple of runs
showing no signs that his knee injury will cause him any problems this
season.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Jacksonville Jaguars

QB:  Byron Leftwich (18-36-147 passing, 2- 11 rushing, 1 TD, 2 Int)
Byron Leftwich started this game much like he had played through the
preseason with little confidence and unable to move the football.
Leftwich struggled throughout the first half completing only 5 of his
13 attempts for a mere 49 yards and 1 interception.  He was under
constant pressure from the Bills pass rush and had little time to
complete his pass attempts.  Leftwich improved his numbers in the
second half most of which came on an impressive fourth quarter
game-winning drive.  He spent most the final drive in the shotgun
formation and connected on 7 of 13 attempts for 72 yards including a
clutch 45 yard completion to WR Jimmy Smith.  As an addition note,
neither of interceptions thrown by Leftwich was due to errant throws
by the Jaguar quarterback.  The first interception in the first
quarter was tipped by WR Jimmy Smith before being intercepted by
Buffalo and on the second interception WR Jimmy Smith slipped as he
made his cut to the middle.

RB:  Fred Taylor (17-61 rushing, no receptions, 4 targets)    Fred
Taylor was the leading rusher for the Jaguars but Taylor had most of
his carries and yards in the first half of the game where he managed
to rush for 40 yards on 12 attempts.  Taylor saw a limited number of
carries in the second half as the Jaguars coaching staff appeared to
abort the running game and went to the air.

LaBrandon Toefield (3-8 rushing, 2-(-7) receiving, 2 targets)
Although Toefield was not a big part of the running game for the
Jaguars, two of his three carries were for first downs.

WR:  Jimmy Smith (4-83 receiving, 12 targets)  Jimmy Smith was the
favorite target for Leftwich throughout the entire game.  Even though
the first pass attempt to Smith was tipped by the veteran and
intercepted by the Bills, Leftwich continued to throw at Jimmy Smith.
Smith caught 2 passes for 29 yards on a drive late in the second
quarter that led to Jaguars field goal before halftime.  His key
reception of the game was a 45 yard catch on fourth down with 1:18
remaining in the game.  Smith was able to out leap CB Clements, who
appeared to be turned around on the pass completion.

Troy Edwards (5-37 receiving, 8 targets)  Troy Edwards caught all of
his passes in the second half of the game.  Edwards caught 2 of 4
passes from Leftwich on the final drive of the game including a 7 yard
catch on fourth down to put the Jaguars at the Bills 7 yard line. He
dropped what would have been the game winning TD on the last series.

Reggie Williams (2-9 receiving, 2 targets)  Rookie WR Reggie Williams,
who started the game along side Jimmy Smith, caught only two passes in
the game, one in the first half and one in the second half for the
Jaguars.

Ernest Wilford (1-7 receiving, 3 targets)  Rookie WR Edward Wilford
caught only one pass on the day but the catch could be the biggest of
the season for the back-up wide receiver.  Wilford caught a 7 yard
pass from Leftwich, as time expired, at the back of the end zone
between three Buffalo defenders.  A review was requested by the
reviewing official in the booth but after the referee reviewed the
catch the call was upheld and the touchdown stood.  Also, Wilford was
a end zone target for Leftwich at the end of the second quarter but
was unable to get both feet inbounds for the score.

TE:  George Wrighster (2-12 receiving, 4 targets)  George Wrighster
filled in for an injured Kyle Brady at tight end and caught 2 passes
from Leftwich.  Two of the four targets thrown to Wrighster were in
the end zone, one in the third quarter and one in the fourth quarter.
On both attempts Wrighster was overthrown in the end zone by Leftwich.

K:  Josh Scobee  (2/2 FG, 25-yards and 27-yards, 1-1 XP)  Rookie Josh
Scobee connected on both field goal attempts from close range and also
made his only extra point attempt.

Pass Defense:  The Jaguars pass defense only gave up 153 passing yards
and 1 touchdown and played a tough game from start to finish.
Although the defense only managed one sack for the game, the defense
did put plenty of pressure on the Bills quarterback.  The Jaguars were
able to force two fumbles by Bills receivers but only recovered one by
DB Donovin Darius early in the fourth quarter.  The turnover was huge
for the Jaguars defense which stopped the Buffalo offense at the
Jaguars 7 yard line.  a scoring opportunity for Buffalo  In addition
DB Donovin Darius also recovered a backwards pass attempt from QB
Bledsoe and WR Moulds in the third quarter which led to a Jaguar field
goal.

Rush Defense:  The Jaguars rush defense gave up a total of 95 rushing
yards on 36 attempts for an average of 2.6 yards per carry.  The
Jaguars defense played a very solid game and made yardage up the
middle difficult for the Bills running backs throughout the game.

Buffalo Bills

QB:  Drew Bledsoe (17-26-153 passing, 1 TD, 0 Int, 3-(-4) rushing)
Drew Bledsoe looked less than stellar in this opening day contest.
Although Bledsoe's numbers are not terrible and he didn't throw an
interception he was not able to lead his team to a victory in a game
they appeared to have in control.  Bledsoe took advantage of a Jaguar
turnover late in the first quarter to connect with WR Eric Moulds for
a 17 yard touchdown pass but that would be his only touchdown on the
day.  Bledsoe was charged with one turnover for the game, a fumble,
which was ruled as a backwards pass to WR Moulds and recovered by
Jacksonville.

RB:  Travis Henry (23-75 rushing, 3-9 passing, 3 targets)  Travis
Henry was the leading rusher for the Bills offense and looked to be in
mid-season form breaking tackles and fighting for that extra yard.  RB
Henry had couple of nice runs of 14 yards and 13 yards but was unable
to score for the Bills.  Henry had a couple of scoring chances in the
fourth quarter when the Bills had first down at the Jaguars 3 yard
line but Henry managed just 2 yards on 2 carries and the Bills were
later forced to kick a field goal.  Around mid-way through the fourth
quarter Henry hobbled off the field apparently complaining of cramps
in his left leg.

Willis McGahee (9-31 rushing, 1-12 receiving, 1 target)  Willis
McGahee saw his first regular season action for the Bills after not
playing his rookie season a year ago.  McGahee saw most of his action
in the fourth quarter after replacing RB Travis Henry.  Willis McGahee
had eight straight carries for the Bills in the fourth quarter, two of
them nullified due to penalties, and gained 24 yards during the
series.  McGahee, who played without a protective brace on his
repaired left knee, showed his quickness and power and willingness to
take a hit.

WR:  Eric Moulds (8-75 receiving, 1 TD, 9 targets)  Eric Moulds was
the leading receiver for the Bills in both catches and yards.  Moulds
was the main target for Bledsoe throughout the game.  Moulds scored on
a 7 yard pass from Bledsoe late in the first quarter after a Jaguar
turnover deep in Jacksonville territory.  On the touchdown, Moulds
sprinted down the left sideline and was uncovered by the Jaguars
defensive backs which Bledsoe took advantage of and hit Moulds in the
end zone for the score.  Moulds was the intended receiver for Drew
Bledsoe's backward pass which Moulds was unable to handle before being
hit by Jaguar defenders.  Moulds also lost a fumble in the red zone
early in the fourth quarter.

Josh Reed (2-18 receiving, 1- (-7) rushing, 4 targets)  Josh Reed was
not a factor in the Bills passing game.  He did have a nice catch for
a 13 yard gain early in the second quarter but was never able to able
to get involved in the passing game with Moulds getting most of the
looks from Bledsoe.

Lee Evans (2-12 receiving, 3 targets)  Rookie Lee Evans was on the
receiving end of two Drew Bledsoe passes, one of them for a first
down.  Evans also recovered a fumble by Bills TE Mark Campbell which
kept a Buffalo drive alive.

TE:  Mark Campbell (1-27 receiving, 2 targets)   Mark Campbell caught
a nice pass over the middle from Bledsoe and ran the ball to the
Jaguars 27 yard line but then fumbled the ball.  Fortunately for
Campbell the ball was recovered by Buffalo.

K:  Ryan Lindell (1/2 FG, 25-yards, missed 42-yards, 1-1 XP)  Ryan
Lindell was successful on one of two field goal attempts.  With a
slight wind at his back, Lindell missed wide left on a 42 yard field
goal early in the second quarter.  He later connected on a 25 yard
attempt to extend the Bills lead to 10-6.  Lindell was successful on
his only extra point of the game.

Pass Defense:  The Bills pass defense held the Jaguars to 147 passing
yards and was able to pick-off two Leftwich passes for interceptions.
The Bills pass rush was relentless on Leftwich but only managed to
come away with two sacks for the game.  DB Nate Clements and DB Izell
Reese each had an interception on the day both leading to scores for
the Bills.  With DB Lawyer Milloy out due to a broken forearm,
newcomer to the Bills veteran DB Troy Vincent stepped in to lead the
Bills in tackles with eight.  The Bills pass defense which had played
great all day was not able to stop the Jaguars during the final two
minutes of the game when then need to hold the lead.

Rush Defense:  The Bills rush defense held the Jaguars rushers to 83
yards on 23 carries.  The Bills defense was able to keep Jaguars RB
Fred Taylor in check for the afternoon and did not allow a rushing
touchdown.


 
Tennessee Titans 17 at Miami Dolphins 7

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Tennessee Titans

The Titans ran the ball 36 times on Saturday, compared to only 14
passing attempts.  While leading his team to victory, McNair put up
very modest fantasy numbers (73 yards passing, 1TD).

Chris Brown rolled for 100 yards (with a 6.25 ypc average, 0 TD)
before spraining an ankle late in the second quarter - he did not
return to the game.  The injury does not appear to be the serious high
ankle sprain, but it's of some concern. On his long run of 52 yards,
Brown was driven out of bounds just a couple yards shy of a touchdown.
Antowain Smith (40 yards rushing, 3.64 ypc, 0 TD, 1 fumble lost) and
Robert Holcombe (31 yards rushing, 4.43 ypc, 0 TD) filled in
adequately after Brown left the game.

The receivers suffered with the Titans quiet passing game; Derrick
Mason only saw 4 targets, resulting in 3 catches for 51 yards.  Drew
Bennett was the only other Tennessee wide receiver to make a catch on
Saturday going 15 yards on 3 catches (on 5 targets).  The only catch
of the day for tight end Erron Kinney was a 1 yard TD grab.

Miami Dolphins

Jay Fiedler started out the day as quarterback, but was pulled after
the first half in which he completed only 5 of 13 passes for 42 yards
while throwing 2 interceptions.  A.J. Feeley  (21-31-168, 1TD, 1 Int)
took over in the second half and looked considerably better than
Fiedler; he was able to lead the Dolphins on a drive that nearly led
to a field goal and later threw a touchdown to tight end Randy
McMichael.

Lamar Gordon made his Miami debut, rushing 12 times for 32 yards (2.67
ypc) and hauling in 5 passes for 30 yards.  Gordon came in the game
after the starter, Minor (5 rushes for 25 yards), left the game with
an injury.  Sammy Morris wasn't much of a contributor as he also left
the game with an injury.

In addition to having the Dolphins only touchdown catch, McMichael
also lead his team in receiving yardage with 79 yards.  Marty Booker
ended the day with a meager 4 catches for 36 yards, although he was
targeted 10 times.  Counterpart Chris Chambers saw 12 targets,
catching 6 balls for 35 yards.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Tennessee Titans

QB:  Steve McNair (9-14-73, 1 TD, 0 Int, 0 Fumbles lost, 2-11 rushing)
McNair had a great game for a 'real life' quarterback - no mistakes,
good ball management, and a win for Tennessee.  From a fantasy
standpoint however, there are surely some disappointed McNair owners
out there this week. The Titans simply did not need to throw the ball
to win.

RB:  Chris Brown (16-100, 0 TD, 1-5 receiving on 1 target, 0 Fumbles
lost)  Brown had a nice showing even though he played a little less
than one half.  Brown was shoved out of bounds a couple yards short of
a touchdown after an explosive 52 yard run. He sprained his ankle on
this play. Stay tuned for reports on his ankle this week. The team
says it's not the more serious high ankle sprain but they are being
cautious.

Antowain Smith (11-40, 0 TD, 1-1 receiving on 1 target, 1 Fumble lost)
Smith filled in capably for Brown with a 3.64 ypc average against a
formidable Miami defense.

Robert Holcombe (7-31, 0 TD, 0-0 receiving on 0 targets, 0 Fumbles
lost)  Holcombe was also called on the fill in for the injured Brown,
getting nearly half the work and posting a 4.43 ypc average.  Holcombe
definitely cuts into whatever fantasy value Smith may possess.

WR:  Derrick Mason (3-51 receiving on 4 targets, 0 TD)  Mason saw only
4 balls thrown his way Saturday due to the lack of need for Tennessee
to open up the passing game.

Drew Bennett (3-15 receiving on 5 targets, 0 TD)  Bennett also
received few looks due to the limited use of the Tennessee passing
attack.

TE:  Erron Kinney (1-1 receiving on 2 targets, 1 TD)  Kinney was the
recipient of McNair's only touchdown throw of the day; otherwise he
was not as much of a factor in the passing game as he was blocking in
the running game.

K:  Aaron Elling (2 XP, 1-2 FG)  Elling, who was just signed to
replace the recently injured Nedney, hit a 22 yard field in the fourth
quarter after missing an earlier 33 yard attempt (wide left).

Pass Defense:  The Tennessee pass defense looked superb, snaring 2
interceptions from Fiedler (Dyson, Rolle) and running back a Feeley
interception (Thompson) for a 37 yard touchdown.  They gave up 210
yards through the air and one touchdown.

Rush Defense:  The Tennessee rush defense looked good as well only
giving up 65 yards on the ground, holding the Miami rushers to a 3.2
average.

Miami Dolphins

QB:  A.J. Feeley (31-21-168, 1TD, 1 Int, 0 Fumbles lost, 1-0 rushing)
Feeley came out in the second half after Fielder was benched.  He was
able to lead the dolphins on an 83 yard touchdown drive near the end
of the fourth quarter.  Feeley did throw one interception that was
returned for a touchdown, but overall looked more capable the Fiedler.

Jay Fiedler (13-5-42, 0 TD, 2 Int. 0 Fumbles lost, 0-0 rushing)
Fiedler started the game but was pulled at halftime after struggling
mightily in the first half.  Under Fiedler, the Miami offense went
three and out 5 out of their 6 drives in the first half.

RB:  Lamar Gordon (12-32, 0 TD, 5-30 receiving on 8 targets, 0 Fumbles
lost)  Gordon was one of the lone bright spots of the Miami offense in
this game.  He gained 62 all purpose yards in his debut; not bad
considering he didn't come in until part way through the second
quarter and he just arrived in Miami earlier in the week.

Travis Minor (5-25, 0 TD, 1-20 receiving on 1 target, 0 Fumbles lost)
Minor was showing signs of productivity until he went down to injury

Sammy Morris (1-2, 0 TD, 1-6 receiving on 1 target, 0 Fumbles lost)
Morris was a non factor in Saturdays game. He was injured as well.

WR:  Marty Booker (4-36 receiving on 10 targets, 0 TD)  Booker was
targeted several times, but he was unable to take advantage against
the stout Tennessee secondary

Chris Chambers (6-35 receiving on 12 targets, 0 TD)  Chambers also got
quite a few looks but had the same problems that Booker did - good
coverage and pressure on the quarterback.  Chambers was held to 10
yards or less on each of his 6 receptions.

TE:  Randy McMichael (8-79 receiving on 10 targets, 1 TD)  McMichael
was much more productive on his 10 targets than either of the wide
receivers.  Fiedler only connected once with McMichael for 7 yards;
the rest of the throws, including the 15 yard touchdown, came from
Feeley.  Feeley and McMichael seem to have a good connection.

K:  Olindo Mare (1 XP, 0-1 FG)  Mare missed (wide right) a 46 yard
field goal attempt.

Pass Defense:  The Miami pass defense did their job, only giving up 73
yards through the air to McNair and company; however, they had no
interceptions, and did give up a goal line touchdown pass.

Rush Defense:  The Miami run defense was relatively ineffective,
giving up 182 yards to the Titans on the ground.  Chris Brown alone
had 100 yards before the half.



New York Giants 17 at Philadelphia Eagles 31

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

New York Giants

It would be difficult for the Giants to look much worse. In nearly all
aspects of the game, they came up well short of matching the Eagles.

QB Kurt Warner had an uneven performance. You almost expected him to
either perform terrific or be downright awful, but he was somewhere in
between.

"Thunder and Lightning" seems to be in full effect. Ron Dayne got the
first carry of the game for New York and totaled 13 carries on the
day. Considering 2003, he looked vastly improved. Tiki Barber received
just 9 carries, but gained 80 more yards than Dayne. It should be
noted, however, that 72 of Barber's 125 rushing yards came on one play
in garbage time. Still, he ran more effectively than Dayne even
without that one big rush.

Philadelphia Eagles

Brian Westbrook isn't called a feature back in the fantasy community.
Let me revise that. Brian Westbrook wasn't called a feature back in
the fantasy community until now. Westbrook got 17 of the 23 running
back carries (McNabb added four, and backups Thomas Tapeh and Reno
Mahe got a few late touches), and gained 119 yards on the ground. It
was his first career 100-yard game, but as announcer Daryl Johnston
said, "It looks like it'll be the first of many." With Correll
Buckhalter out for the year and Duce Staley out of town, unless
someone else is brought in, Westbrook is "the man".

The Giants defense had no answers for the Eagle offense. On a day when
Terrell Owens caught three touchdowns, you got the feeling that anyone
on the field for Philadelphia was capable of such an effort. When
Owens was covered, Todd Pinkston was open. When Owens and Pinkston
were covered, L.J. Smith was open. A tremendous all-around
performance.

QB Donovan McNabb had a nearly flawless performance. He directed the
offense to scores almost at will, and displayed an immediate chemistry
with WR Terrell Owens.

The one negative in the game for the Eagles (and it is a big one) is
that OL Shawn Andrews, the team's first round pick in the April draft,
broke his leg in the game and is out for the year.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

New York Giants

QB:  Kurt Warner (16-28-203, 0 TD, 0 Int, 2 Fumbles, 1 Fumble lost,
1-0). Warner had an up and down performance. You got the sense during
the game that he actually might still have something left, but that
he's going to be hard-pressed to find it with the team around him.
Several of his passes had life and he hit several players on some nice
throws. He was done in by several drops, however. There were at least
four dropped passes in the game, including one by Jeremy Shockey that
could have gone for a touchdown and another by Ike Hilliard in the end
zone (in Hilliard's defense, the ball was thrown a little bit behind
him but could have definitely been caught).

Warner did make one glaring mistake in the game, as his fumbling
demons resurfaced at the worst possible moment. He missed an exchange
from center and fumbled the ball at the goal line. The fumble was
recovered by Jevon Kearse of Philadelphia. Warner exited late in the
game when it was out of reach so that Eli Manning could get some game
experience. This may become a frequent thing as well. Daryl Johnston
said he had talked to Tom Coughlin earlier in the week and was told by
Coughlin, "I could bring (Eli) Manning in the second halves of games,
and still go back to Warner the next week". That would imply that
Manning will play whenever the games are out of reach and, judging by
today's performance, that may happen quite often.

Eli Manning (3-9-66, 0 TD, 0 Int, 0 Fumbles lost). Manning entered the
game with just under three minutes left to play, and the Giants
promptly picked up 72 yards for a touchdown. Of course, the extent of
Manning's contribution on that drive was that he handed the ball off
to Tiki Barber, who then ran it the rest of the way for the score.
When Manning actually had to perform in the game, he looked like a
rookie QB should. His stats are skewed because his biggest gain was a
screen pass to Tiki Barber that went about 5 yards in the air, and
Barber did the rest in picking up a 33-yard gain on the play. Outside
of that one play, Manning was 2-8 for 33 yards. He made a few nice
passes on his lone drive, though the Eagle defense was sort of soft
because they were up 14 points with about a minute left to play. On
Manning's last play of the game, he was absolutely crushed on a
blindside hit when he was just taking off to scramble. Sort of a
'Welcome to the NFL' type of hit that you're sure to see on the
highlights. To his credit, he popped right back up. Manning lost an
8-yard completion to WR Tim Carter that was called back due to
penalty.

RB:  Tiki Barber (9-125 rushing, 1 TD, 5-75 receiving on 6 targets, 0
Fumbles lost). Barber owners can rejoice for garbage time. With 2:44
left in the game, Barber had totaled 95 yards in the contest. He then
proceeded to break off a 72-yard touchdown run, and added a 33-yard
reception on the next drive, giving him 200 total yards and a score
for a great game stat-wise. As for his actual play, he outplayed Ron
Dayne even without those two late big gains from Barber. Despite
Dayne's struggles, he still received the majority of the carries
(13-9) and all of the short-yardage and goal line touches while Barber
was sparsely used throughout the contest. Barber showed a good burst
and his typical terrific outside speed. You could see Eagle defenders
trying to force Barber to fumble at every opportunity, but he
protected the ball. Early on in the contest, Barber was tangled up in
a big collision with Eagles' DE Jevon Kearse and both players were
down on the field for several moments, but each got up and continued
to play in the game.

Ron Dayne (13-45 rushing, 1 TD, 0-0 receiving on 1 target). Dayne got
the first carry of the game for New York, and was featured prominently
whenever the Giants got near the goal line. He looked better than he
did in 2002 (he didn't play a single game last year), but he still
seems to be miscast as a short-yardage back. Former fullback Daryl
Johnson, who knows a thing or two about how to go about scoring
touchdowns, blamed Dayne's ineffectiveness in short-yardage situations
on his poor footwork. Dayne did manage to score the game's opening
touchdown, but it was pretty much all downhill for him after that. He
was stuffed on an early third and one, and later stuffed twice at the
goal line.

WR:  Amani Toomer (4-41, 0 TD receiving on 7 targets). Toomer had a
very quiet afternoon. He was only thrown to 5 times by Kurt Warner,
and never was able to separate downfield for any kind of big gain.

Ike Hilliard (3-59, 0 TD receiving on 9 targets). Hilliard wasn't
heard from all game long until there were two minutes left in the
first half, then suddenly caught a 43-yard pass down the seam on a
perfectly thrown ball by Kurt Warner. Had it been Tim Carter or Amani
Toomer that caught the pass, it could have gone for a score but
Hilliard ended up getting caught from behind. The Giants targeted him
more than anyone else, especially in the second half, but Hilliard
wasn't able to do much with it. He was the target on a 5-yard pass to
the end zone but it fell incomplete, and then on the next play,
Hilliard had a sure touchdown go through his hands. In his defense,
the ball was thrown a little bit behind him and from close range, but
it is a play that Hilliard normally makes.

TE:  Jeremy Shockey (2-39, 0 TD receiving on 4 targets). Shockey had
an extremely disappointing day. His 39 yards are even misleading, as
34 of them came on a late play when the Eagles lost track of him. He
had earlier dropped a ball in the middle of the field that could have
gone for a 31-yard touchdown, but the problem was that Shockey tried
running before he had the ball. The Philadelphia crowd loved that one.
Later on that same drive, Warner overthrew Shockey on a ball in the
end zone for what could have been a 26-yard score. Shockey had beaten
his defender on the play, but the ball was too high. Shockey had no
catches until there was 1:33 left in the first half, and would later
go on to drop another pass in the 2nd half.

K:  Steve Christie (2 XP, 1-1 FG). The Giants may have found a kicker
solution, as Steve Christie nailed a booming 53-yard field goal late
in the second quarter.

Pass Defense:  There was little defense to be seen. Surprisingly, the
Giants actually were able to penetrate and get to Donovan McNabb. But
once they got to him, the problem was then bringing him down. They did
sack him twice, but based on the number of times they had arms around
and on him, that number should have been tripled. Will Allen was badly
beaten on Terrell Owens' first touchdown of the day, and that was the
best coverage they had on him on any of his three scores. And when
they turned their attention to slowing Owens, someone else always
emerged to become open. They really had no answers for the Eagle
offense, which may say as much about the Eagles firepower as it does
about the Giants defensive ineptitude. There was an interception by
the Giants that was overturned by the officials, and the replay showed
that it was the correct call.

Run Defense:  They had trouble with Brian Westbrook all game long, as
he averaged 7 yards per carry on the ground against this unit. Even
removing Westbrook's 50-yard scamper, the Giants still allowed him to
go well over 4.0 yards per carry.

Philadelphia Eagles

QB:  Donovan McNabb (26-36-330, 4 TD, 0 Int, 0 Fumbles lost, 4-12
rushing). McNabb was nearly flawless. He had his way with the Giants
defenders, and put up monstrous fantasy stats even without any rushing
totals to speak of. The McNabb/Owens connection was, on this day at
least, unstoppable. They showed an especially good connection on
Owens' second touchdown of the day on a play that seemed dead. McNabb
was being run out of bounds by DE Michael Strahan. At the last moment,
McNabb made a throw across his body to a cutting Owens between several
Giants defenders. It was a play that really cannot be taught, it's
just a 'feel' play and the two showed very good chemistry for knowing
what the other was thinking.

The same thing happened on the first score, as McNabb read Owens' cut
perfectly and lofted a touchdown pass to the back corner. The third
score was just an absolutely blown assignment by New York, as Owens of
all people was somehow wide open in the back of the end zone. McNabb
had an interception overturned by replay, and it was the correct call
to make. Still, it was a terribly thrown pass right to a Giant
defender in the middle of the field. That was one of McNabb's few
mistakes in the game, with another being an underthrown ball to WR
Freddie Mitchell that could have gone for a 46-yard touchdown if he
had been led a little better. It didn't matter in the long run, as
McNabb was still able to throw a touchdown pass later on that same
drive to L.J. Smith. With the Eagles up by 21 with 2:44 left to play,
McNabb was strangely still in the game - even after RB Brian Westbrook
had come out. McNabb lost 15 yards passing on a penalty.

RB:  Brian Westbrook (17-119 rushing, 0 TD, 3-42 receiving on 3
targets). Westbrook did exactly what was asked of him for
Philadelphia. He was the no-doubt featured back, and responded with
the first 100-yard rushing day of his career. He averaged 7 yards per
carry, which is skewed somewhat by his 50-yard run early in the
contest. Still, even without that run, he had a fine day. Westbrook
added 42 yards receiving and really kept the Giants defenders
off-balance all game long. It was the running threat of Westbrook that
seemed to really open up the offense for everyone else through the
air, and vice versa. The one negative with Westbrook was that he was
stuffed on his only goal line carry of the day. Westbrook lost 6
rushing yards on a holding penalty. Westbrook left the game with about
5:00 left to play in the fourth quarter to a rousing ovation.

WR:  Terrell Owens (8-68 receiving on 12 targets, 3 TD). What can be
said about Terrell Owens? It was a classic Owens performance,
including how he showed up an hour late to the stadium, approximately
one hour before kickoff. But once he arrived, he really arrived. Owens
found the end zone three times, three different ways. On the second
touchdown in particular, it took a mental connection between Owens and
McNabb to know exactly where the play should be run. Owens also lost
15 yards receiving on a play that was called back due to penalty.
Basically, it was everything Eagles fans could have hoped for.

Todd Pinkston (3-76 receiving on 3 targets, 0 TD). Outside of Donovan
McNabb, Pinkston may be the biggest beneficiary of the arrival of
Owens. With Owens constantly demanding attention from the Giants DBs,
Pinkston was able to take advantage to actually lead the team in
receiving yardage. He caught each of the three balls thrown his way,
including a very nice catch on a deep ball.

Freddie Mitchell (1-11 receiving on 4 targets, 0 TD). Mitchell was
targeted more times than Pinkston, but none were potentially big
plays. For this game at least, Mitchell was an afterthought in the
Eagles attack.

TE:  L.J. Smith (3-50 receiving on 4 targets, 1 TD). Smith may be on
his way to fulfilling many an expert's preseason prediction that this
will be a breakout season for him. He was very involved in the Eagles
offense, and was the only player not named Terrell Owens to catch a
touchdown pass. On that score, McNabb lofted a ball to the back of the
end zone that Smith made a nice sliding catch on. He also snared a
24-yard reception later in the game and really looked impressive in
putting up the numbers he did.

Chad Lewis (6-58 receiving on 7 targets, 0 TD, 1 Fumble lost). Lewis
may not have scored, but he had just as much of an impact as Smith.
Lewis was targeted early and often, and was McNabb's safety net on
many plays (other than Terrell Owens). One big blemish on the game of
Lewis was that he did cough up a fumble, but outside of that he and
Smith posed quite the 1-2 punch for New York.

K:  David Akers (4 XP, 1-2 FG). Akers nailed all four extra points and
did bang through a 45-yard field goal but misfired on a 53-yarder. He
gets the benefit of the doubt because he's one of the league's top
kickers and it was, after all, a 53-yard attempt. But it should be
noted that Akers didn't kick nearly as well at home as he did on the
road last season. The wind didn't seem to be a big factor today, but
it is something that Akers owners may want to keep an eye on in case
the home/road splits begin to look significantly different again.

Pass Defense:  They didn't intercept any passes, but they got to
Giants QBs a whopping five times for sacks. And if they weren't
sacking them, they were at least hurrying them plenty. What's more,
Amani Toomer and company had a tough time getting much separation from
the Eagles' new DBs.

Run Defense:  The run by Barber came in garbage time and was probably
a fluke thing. Outside of that, they weren't terrible against the run.
But part of the reason they appeared to do well was because Tiki
Barber wasn't in the game much. When he touched the ball prior to the
72-yarder, he was already averaging 6.6 yards per carry. Ron Dayne,
meanwhile, averaged only 3.5 per carry. Since he got most of the
carries, the Eagles run defense appears to have played well. But most
of their success came when the indecisive Dayne was in the game. As
was the case last year, they had a tough time with Barber.



Dallas Cowboys 17 at Minnesota Vikings 35

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas passing game was effective against the Minnesota defense.
The Cowboys' offensive line gave Testaverde adequate protection and he
was accurate on both his deep and intermediate throws, completing 29
of 50 passes for 355 yards. Though Dallas was behind by more than 10
points for most of the second half, and the Vikings knew they had to
throw the ball, the Dallas offensive line did not give up any sacks.

The Cowboys' running game looked promising early, but after they fell
behind by more than 2 scores, they relied heavily on the pass. Eddie
George gained 25 yards on 8 carries with runs of 5,5,-1,3,5,4,1 and 3
yards. George did not play in the 2nd half.

Dallas' wide receivers all posted pretty good numbers. Keyshawn
Johnson, Terry Glenn and Antonio Bryant combined for 22 receptions and
307 yards.  Glenn was featured on the deeper routes, while Johnson and
Bryant received the bulk of their throws on the intermediate and
crossing routes.

Julius Jones was still nursing sore ribs and was not active for the
game. The FOX television reporters said Jones is expected to be
activated for the next game. They offered the opinion that Coach
Parcells was holding him out for a variety of reasons, among them
helping his mental development.

Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings offense looked as fearsome as advertised. Onterrio Smith
rushed 15 times for 76 yards (a 5.1 yards per carry average) and
caught a short pass, which he turned into a 63 yard touchdown. Daunte
Culpepper was very effective, completing 17 of 23 passes with 5
touchdowns. Culpepper also demonstrated the added running dimension he
brings to the table, and finished with 6 rushes for 25 yards,
including 2 for first downs.

Minnesota pulled out a nice fake reverse to Moss, who threw a wobbly
pass that was caught by Marcus Robinson for a 37 yard gain. Including
that pass, the Vikings had 3 pass plays of 37 yards or longer. While
Moss did not have a lot of receiving yards, he was the beneficiary of
pass interference calls twice. On one long pass attempt he was held at
the 3 yard line. On the other, he was held in the end zone. Moss still
managed to finish with 2 touchdown receptions, though only 27 yards.

Morten Andersen did not attempt any field goals, and made all five of
his Extra Point attempts. His kickoffs usually landed inside the 10
yard line.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Dallas Cowboys

QB:  Vinny Testaverde (29/50, 355 yards TD). Testaverde looked very
comfortable running the Dallas offense. His offensive line gave him
time to throw and he was very accurate. His numbers would have been
better if not for some of his receivers dropping some catchable
passes. Testaverde displayed nice touch on the intermediate throws,
and went to Keyshawn Johnson and Antonio Bryant with confidence during
the game.

RB:  Eddie George (8/25 rushing, 0 receiving, 0 targets). George
showed some power on half of those attempts, gaining 5 yards per carry
on 3 of his rushes. George did not play in the second half, due to
coach's decision.

Richie Anderson (6/10 rushing, 4/31 receiving, 6 targets). Anderson
was the featured running back for most of the second half. He did not
have any outstanding runs or receptions.

ReShard Lee (5/35 rushing, 1 TD). Lee, the 4th string back, played as
Jones was inactive, and was featured on the last scoring drive the
Cowboys managed. He looked very explosive and turned several heads.

WR:  Keyshawn Johnson (9/111 on 12 targets, 0 TDs). Johnson was
targeted the most by Testaverde during the game. Most of his work was
done in the intermediate routes, and he took a couple of punishing
hits over the middle, but hung onto the ball and picked up first
downs. The television commentators remarked several times that he told
them he feels invigorated and appreciated that Coach Parcells has
confidence in his abilities as a receiver.

Antonio Bryant (8/112 on 11 targets, 0 TDs). Bryant continued working
his way out of Coach Parcells' doghouse by making several tough
catches and running well after the catch. He had an 8 yard reception
in the red zone called back by holding on the right tackle.

Terry Glenn (5/84 on 9 targets, 1 TD). Glenn displayed the speed he is
known for, and made a couple spectacular catches on long throws by
Testaverde. He displayed great body control on the TD catch, which was
for 32 yards.

TE:  Jason Witten (3/17 on 7 targets, 0 TDs). Witten was targeted
often but dropped some balls he would normally be expected to catch.

K:  Billy Cundiff (2 XP, 1/1 FGs). Cundiff's lone field goal was from
27 yards. On the first field goal attempt, the holder, a punter with
Australian Rules Football experience, muffed the ball when it was
hiked, and ended up throwing the ball away after running in circles
for a few seconds. On Cundiff's next attempt, back-up QB, Tony Romo,
was the holder.

Pass Defense:  The Cowboys' pass defense was aggressive, but had to
blitz to generate pressure on Culpepper. They were able to sack him
twice, with both sacks being recorded by defensive backs. The Vikings
receivers were able to get behind the Cowboys' secondary for 3 plays
of 37 yards or more. The Cowboy's defensive backs were manhandled
three times in the red zone by Vikings receivers on jump balls.

Rush Defense:  The Cowboys did not do a good job of containing the
Vikings runners. Onterrio Smith, Moe Williams and Culpepper all found
running room on several occasions.  As a team, the Vikings averaged
just over 4.8 yards per carry.

Minnesota Vikings

QB:  Daunte Culpepper (17/23, 242 yards, 5 TDs, 6/25 rushing).
Culpepper was very efficient as his numbers show. He ran when needed,
and picked up 2 first downs. He showed excellent touch on the long
ball, and good touch on intermediate passes, which were usually
directed to Nate Burleson.

RB:  Onterrio Smith (15/76, 0 TDs, 1/63 receiving, 1TD, 1 target).
Smith was effective running between the tackles, but was even more
effective bouncing plays outside where he used his speed and quickness
to great advantage. On one run designed to go up the middle, the
Cowboys' defenders plugged the gap, so Smith spun sharply to his left,
and outran the pursuit for a gain of 15 yards.

Moe Williams (6/27, 0 TDs, 1/8 receiving, 1 target). Williams did not
have a lot of carries, but was effective when his number was called.
He left in the 4th quarter with an ankle sprain.

Mewelde Moore (1/8, 0 TDs, 1/8 receiving, 1 target). Was not a factor.

WR:  Randy Moss (4/27, 2 TDs, 8 targets, also 1/1 passing for 37
yards). Though his yardage numbers were low, Moss was the recipient of
2 pass interference calls against Dallas' defensive backs during the
game. On one play, Moss fell in the endzone and Dallas's best
cornerback, Terrence Newman, jumped on top of him. He stayed on Moss
for a few seconds, pushing him repeatedly to keep him on the ground.
The play was legal, as Culpepper had run out from between the hash
marks, thus rendering all receivers fair game to be blocked. On the
next play, Moss "gently" pushed off on Newman, and caught a 1 yard
pass from Culpepper for a TD, showing he was not going to back down
from physical contact.

Marcus Robinson (3/54, 1TD, 5 targets). While the Vikings did not
feature Robinson downfield much, they did utilize his 6'3" frame on a
few jump balls, including the 3 yard TD pass from Culpepper. He
displayed very good hands on that pass, as the play was fairly well
defended. He was targeted another time in the red zone, but the pass
fell incomplete.

Nate Burleson (3/34, 0 TDs, 4 targets). Burleson was the favored
receiver on the underneath routes, and averaged 10 yards per
reception.

Kelly Campbell (1/43, 1TD, 1 target). Campbell made the most of his
one opportunity, displaying his great speed on a long throw from
Culpepper.

TE:  Jim Kleinsasser (2/24, 0 TDs, 3 targets). Kleinsasser remained
the outlet valve for Culpepper. He hurt his knee and it was reported
as a sprain, and did not return after the injury.

Jermaine Wiggins (2/18, 0 TDs, 2 targets). Made the most of his
receiving opportunities.

K:  Morten Andersen (5/5 XPs, 0 FG attempts). Andersen was perfect on
extra point attempts. He did not kick any field goals, but displayed
decent distance on kickoffs, consistently delivering the ball inside
the Cowboys' 10 yard line.

Pass Defense:  The Vikings were very aggressive, displaying improved
team speed. One of their projected starting cornerbacks (Ken Irvin)
hurt himself in warm-ups and was declared inactive for the game, which
pressed one of their reserves into starting duty. Though they were
aggressive, the defensive line did not put much pressure on Vinny
Testaverde, and he was able to compile a lot of yards against the
Vikings. Minnesota did not record any interceptions or sacks.

Rush Defense:  In keeping with their aggressive play, the Vikings
swarmed to the ball when Dallas attempted to run. They were able to
cause 3 Dallas fumbles, and recovered 2 of them.



Atlanta Falcons 21 at San Francisco 49ers 19

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Atlanta Falcons

Michael Vick shook off a rough preseason and had a solid debut in the
new Falcons offense, despite some pedestrian stats. Vick looked
comfortable in the new offense, throwing the ball with velocity and
precision. Vick often rolled out with the ball and attempted to
scramble when the opportunity presented itself. Although he wasn't
able to do much damage with his legs in this game (only 10 yards
rushing), he showed no signs of being slowed by his hamstring injury.
After a strong first half, Vick struggled in the 2nd half, throwing
for only 26 yards with no TDs and an interception.

Warrick Dunn got the majority of the carries for the Falcons,
relegating TJ Duckett to a change of pace role. Dunn was in the lineup
for both goalline and short yardage situations.  Duckett didn't even
get his first carry of the game until the third quarter. Dunn rushed
19 times for 63 yards and two scores. Dunn's first touchdown of the
day was a two yard scoring plunge right up the middle. It's the kind
of situation that Duckett handled last season.  Dunn's second TD was
highlight reel material as he ran outside to the right, stiff armed
the first defender, and spun past a group of would be tacklers into
the end zone.

Alge Crumpler and Peerless Price were Vick's favorite options in this
game, combining for 13 targets. Crumpler caught 6 passes for 82 yards
and a TD, while Price caught 4 balls for 62 yards. On Crumpler's TD,
he caught a pass by the sideline, and then juked past SS Tony Parrish
into the end zone for the score. Crumpler caught a helmet in the chest
in the first half and lay motionless on the field for a few minutes.
However, he walked off the field on his own power and returned to the
game on the next series.

San Francisco 49ers

Kevin Barlow shook off a very slow start to finish the game with
respectable numbers. On the 49ers first offensive play, Barlow was hit
by CB Jason Webster and fumbled. For most of the game, Barlow ran
tentatively, hesitating instead of hitting the holes with authority.
Barlow started to come around in the fourth quarter, breaking off 20
and 12 yard runs as well as taking a screen pass 15 yards.

Both starting QBs for the 49ers were injured in this game. Rattay
guided the San Francisco offense to only 29 yards on his first four
possessions before leaving the game with a shoulder injury. Ken Dorsey
entered the game and immediately gave a boost to the offense, driving
them to two field goals. However, Dorsey suffered a neck stinger in
the third quarter and had to leave the game. Rattay felt like he was
healthy enough to go and took over for Dorsey in the 4th quarter.
Rattay played much better in his 2nd attempt at the helm of the 49er
offense. Rattay threw two TD passes, rallying San Francisco to within
a two point conversion of tying the game, but the two point try fell
short.

Brandon Lloyd was targeted 11 times in this game, but could only
manage 29 yards with no scores despite the high number of targets.
Often San Francisco quarterbacks were putting the ball where Lloyd
would have had to make a circus catch. Lloyd was just not coming down
with those balls. Easy grabs were few and far between for Lloyd.

Eric Johnson (8-86, 1TD) and Cedrick Wilson (7-94) picked up the slack
catching the ball for the 49ers. Johnson was targeted heavily by
Rattay on the Niners last scoring drive, racking up 45 yards and a
score on that drive alone. Wilson caught the last score that setup the
failed two point try. On the TD catch, Wilson caught the pass from
Rattay and fell over backward landing on his posterior on the 2 yard
line. Wilson narrowly avoided being touched by a defender and rolled
into the end zone for the score. The play was challenged by the
Falcons, but upheld.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Atlanta Falcons

QB:  Michael Vick (13-22-163, 1 TD, 1 Int, 6-10 rushing)  While
Michael Vick didn't have a monster day statistically, he was quietly
effective running the Falcon's offense. Vick rolled out a good bit in
this game and didn't hesitate to scramble. Vick was unable to break
off any long gains with his legs, but didn't seem to be hampered by
his sore hamstring. Vick looked sharp in the 1st half leading the
Falcons on two TD drives. Vick tossed a 15 yard scoring strike to Alge
Crumpler, where Crumpler juked a defender and raced down the sidelines
for the score. However, Vick slumped in the 2nd half completing only 3
of 10 passes for 26 yards with an interception. On the interception,
OLB Jeff Ulbrich grabbed the ball after DT Anthony Adams had batted it
into the air at line of scrimmage. Vick also fumbled the ball twice in
this game, but neither fumble was lost.

RB:  Warrick Dunn (14-63 rushing, 2 TDs) Make no mistake, Warrick Dunn
is the primary ball carrier for the Atlanta Falcons. Dunn remained in
the game on both goal line and short yardage situations. Dunn's first
TD was a two yard blast straight up the middle. It was the kind of
play that TJ Duckett has handled in the past. Dunn's second TD showed
why he is a special player. Dunn took the handoff to the right, stiff
armed a defender, then he put a spin move on several approaching 49ers
to reach the end zone. Dunn didn't have any receptions in this game.

TJ Duckett (2-6 rushing, 1-1 on 1 target) Duckett playing sparingly in
this game. He didn't receive his first carry until the end of the
third quarter. He played two series, receiving only two carries total.
Duckett did not replace Dunn in either short yardage or goal line
situations.

WR: Peerless Price (4-62 receiving on 6 targets, 0 TD, 1-16 rushing)
Peerless Price received six targets from Vick on the day, the most of
any Falcons WR. Peerless Price raced 16 yards on an end round on 4th
and 1. Price had a solid but unspectacular outing.

Brian Finneran (1-16 receiving on 3 targets, 0 TD) Brian Finneran was
only targeted three times in this game. Finneran hauled in a 16 yard
grab to keep a drive alive in the third quarter, but didn't catch
another pass for the rest of the game.

TE: Alge Crumpler (6-82 receiving on 7 targets, 1 TD) Alge Crumpler
had an excellent game for the Falcons. He caught a pass by the
sideline in the first quarter and juked past SS Tony Parrish for the
Falcons first score. Crumpler took a helmet to the abdomen in the
second quarter. After taking the shot, Crumpler laid motionless on the
field for a minute or two. He got up and was able to walk off the
field on his own power. He reentered the game on the Falcons next
series.

K:  Jay Feely (3 XP, 0-0 FG) Jay Feely didn't attempt a field goal in
this game, but kicked three extra points.

Pass Defense:  While the Falcons gave up 266 yards passing in this
game, they showed a marked improvement from last year, when they had
one of the worst pass defenses in the league. The passing defense
didn't allow a TD until there was less than 7 minutes in the game. CB
Aaron Beasley intercepted a Rattay pass on the goalline and ran it
back 85 yards for what was probably the biggest play of the game. The
Falcons blitzed a lot in the 1st half, putting Rattay under constant
pressure.

Rush Defense: The Falcons rush defense kept Kevin Barlow in check for
most of the game before allowing him to break off 20 and 12 yard runs
late in the 4th quarter. They held the 49ers to 93 yards rushing on
the day.

San Francisco 49ers

QB:  Tim Rattay (18-31-175, 2 TD, 1 Int) Tim Rattay started off very
slowly in this game. Rattay took a hard hit in the 2nd quarter and
suffered a shoulder injury. Up to that point, Rattay had managed to
guide the 49ers offense to only 29 yards on four possessions. Rattay
got a second chance to lead the team late in the game when Dorsey was
injured. Rattay looked much sharper in his second stint at QB,
throwing for 131 yards and two TDs in the 4th quarter. Rattay drove
the 49ers down to the goal line on his first series back. However,
that series ended with a very ugly interception when CB Aaron Beasley
jumped on a lazy Rattay throw on the goal line and ran it back 85
yards. Rattay settled down after that, throwing TD passes to Eric
Johnson and Cedrick Wilson to pull the 49ers within two points.
However, DT Rod Coleman batted down Rattay's 2 point conversion pass
to end the game.

Ken Dorsey (9-15-111, 0 TD) Ken Dorsey entered the game in the 2nd
quarter after Tim Rattay had been injured. Dorsey immediately was able
to breathe life into the previously dormant 49er offense leading San
Francisco to two field goals. However, while Dorsey was able to move
the team down the field, he was unable to punch the ball into the end
zone. Dorsey suffered a neck stinger late in the 3rd quarter, opening
the door for Rattay to re-enter the game.

RB:  Kevin Barlow (19-76 rushing, 0 TD, 1-15 receiving on 2 targets, 1
Fumble lost) Kevin Barlow didn't show the same explosiveness he
demonstrated last year through most of this game. On Barlow's first
carry, he put the ball on the ground after getting tackled by CB Jason
Webster.  For most of the game, Barlow danced around in the backfield
and was slow to the hole. Five of his carries went for no gain or
less. Late in the game, Barlow started to look like the player that
won many owners fantasy championships last year. Barlow stopped
dancing around and was blasting through holes. In the 4th quarter he
was showing nice moves, making defenders miss. Barlow took a run
outside to the left for 20 yards and was close to scoring before
getting knocked out of bounds at the 2 yard line.

Terry Jackson (3-19 rushing, 0 TD, 3-31 receiving on 3 targets)
Jackson made the most of his few carries in this game. Jackson ran
with the decisiveness that Barlow lacked until late in the game. The
announcers even remarked that Jackson's running could have been what
lit a fire under Barlow. Jackson hauled in all three of his targets
for 31 yards.

WR: Cedrick Wilson (7-94 receiving on 10 targets, 1 TD) Wilson started
the game opposite Brandon Lloyd as the 49ers #2 WR but produced the
best stats of any of the San Francisco WRs. Wilson caught a TD pass
late in the game where he fell backwards as he caught the ball,
hitting the ground at the two yard line. The defender just missed
making contact with Wilson and he rolled in the end zone for the
score.

Brandon Lloyd (4-29 receiving on 11 targets) Lloyd was targeted often
in this game, but didn't get the opportunity to make many easy
catches. Often the ball was delivered in a place where Lloyd would
have to make a fantastic grab to come down with the catch, and Lloyd
was unable to make those circus catches in this game. Lloyd almost
made a fantastic TD catch where he had to go way up to get the ball,
but juggled the ball coming down and couldn't gain control of it. He
was the intended target for what would have been the game tying 2
point conversion but the ball was batted away before he had a chance
to make a catch.

Curtis Conway (2-24 receiving on 5 targets) Conway was used as the
third receiver. He caught two passes, both of them for first downs.

TE: Eric Johnson (8-86 receiving on 9 targets, 1 TD) Eric Johnson was
a major component of the 49ers passing attack. Rattay looked Johnson's
way often, particularly on the last drive of the game. On that drive
alone, Johnson had 45 yards and a TD.

K:  Todd Peterson (1 XP, 2-2 FG) Todd Peterson hit field goals of 32
and 23 yards in this game.

Pass Defense:  OLB Julian Peterson was all over the field today,
racking up five tackles, 2 sacks and 2 forced fumbles. Peterson was
constantly in the backfield, hurrying Vick. Vick was only able to pass
for 163 yards. The 49er defense really settled down after halftime,
allowing Vick to complete only 3 passes for 26 yards in the 2nd half.
OLB Jeff Ulbrich intercepted Vick on a play where DT Anthony Adams
batted the ball into the air at line of scrimmage.

Rush Defense: The 49ers were able to keep Vick in check scrambling,
holding him to only 10 yards on six carries. San Francisco had a
tougher time stopping Warrick Dunn who punched in two TDs.
Collectively, it was a decent effort by the 49ers defense, holding the
Falcons to 95 yards rushing.



Arizona Cardinals 10 at St. Louis Rams 17

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Arizona Cardinals

The Dennis Green era in Arizona got off to a slow start as the
Cardinal's offense failed to move the ball and was only able to put 10
points on the board.

RB Emmitt Smith showed he still has life in his 35-year old legs as he
rushed for 87 yards on 16 carries and scored Arizona's only TD.  New
acquired RB Troy Hambrick only had 2 carries for 2 yards and at this
time, doesn't look to cut into Smith's playing time.

WR Larry Fitzgerald made some brilliant catches and is definitely the
go-to-guy for the Arizona offense.  Although his numbers of 4 catches
for 70 yards were not mind blowing, Fitzgerald was targeted by QB Josh
McCown 9 times in the game.

The Arizona defense struggled mightily against the Rams offense giving
up 448 total yards, but caused 3 timely turnovers in the first quarter
to keep the game close.

St. Louis Rams

The St. Louis offense emphasized the running game to open up the
passing attack.  Their makeshift offensive line opened gaping holes
for Faulk and Jackson and they gave QB Marc Bulger all the time he
needed to throw.  If not for 3 costly turnovers deep in Arizona
territory in the first quarter, this game could have been a blowout.

RB Marshall Faulk looked fully recovered from his nagging knee
injuries to amass 128 yards on 22 carries.  Faulk showed he still has
his quickness as he darted through huge holes and used his elusiveness
to break off several runs over 10 yards.  One concern to Faulk owners
was the use of rookie RB Steven Jackson in short yardage and goal line
situations.  Jackson looked solid in spelling Faulk as he rushed for
50 yards on 7 carries.

The WR tandem of Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt used quick slants to
frustrate the Arizona zone defense.  The duo compiled 208 yards and 1
TD on 16 receptions.

The Rams defense put constant pressure on QB Josh McCown and aside
from a 37-yard flea flicker to WR Larry Fitzgerald on the opening play
of the game, relegated the Arizona passing attack to short gains

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Arizona Cardinals

QB:  Josh McCown (18-29-181, 1-5 rushing) started the game off with a
bang, hitting WR Larry Fitzgerald for 37 yards on a flea-flicker on
the first play from scrimmage.  McCown, under constant pressure all
game long, showed good mobility outside the pocket.  He had trouble
finding receivers open downfield and was forced into throwing short
passes to his receivers and tight ends.  McCown was off target for
much of the game and two badly thrown passes should have resulted in 2
INTs (one dropped by the defense and the other INT called back because
of a penalty).  McCown never looked comfortable throughout the game
and was unable to rally the offense for a comeback.

RB:  Emmitt Smith (16-87 rushing, 1 TD) showed he still has something
left in his tank.  Using his vision and knowledge, he provided Arizona
with a strong running attack.  Smith ran hard between the tackles and
used his excellent cutback ability to produce an impressive 5.44 yards
per carry average.  His 11-yard TD run around the left side and into
the corner of the end zone put the Cardinals ahead 10-9 with 1 minute
left in the third quarter.

Josh Scobey (2-9 rushing, 3-23 receiving on 4 targets) was primarily
used as McCown's safety valve out of the backfield.  Scobey's 71-yard
kickoff return in the second quarter helped set up a 22-yard field
goal by K Neil Rackers.

Troy Hambrick (2-2 rushing) was a non-factor and received his only two
touches when Arizona was buried deep on their own goal line.

WR: Larry Fitzgerald (4-70 receiving on 9 targets, 1-(-1) rushing)
made a very quick impression on the Rams secondary by leaping over two
defenders to haul in a 37-yard reception on a flea-flicker on the
first play from scrimmage.  Fitzgerald was clearly McCown's favorite
target and made a couple of great catches for third down conversions.
McCown targeted Fitzgerald in the end zone, but the pass was badly
underthrown and was intercepted (negated by a defensive holding
penalty).

Nate Poole (1-24 receiving on 2 targets) was a non-factor in the game,
with his only catch coming as time expired.

Bryant Johnson (3-19 receiving on 4 targets, 1-1 rushing) is the
number two receiver with WR Anquan Boldin out, but was blanketed
downfield and his catches were all of the short variety.

Karl Williams (1-6 receiving on 4 targets) was not a factor in the
game.

TE: Freddie Jones (6-39 receiving on 7 targets) led the Cardinals in
receptions and was able to use his size to get open.  McCown looked to
him often, as he was forced to get rid of the ball quickly.

Lorenzo Diamond (1 target) was not a factor in the game.

K:  Neil Rackers (1 XP, 1-1 FG) connected on his only attempted field
goal from 22 yards.

Pass Defense:  The Cardinals were unable to get any pressure on Marc
Bulger and the Arizona secondary was unable to stay with the Rams'
wide receivers.  The Rams abused the Cardinals' zone cover by throwing
quick hitters and slants.  With big hits, the secondary was able to
bend but not break, causing three turnovers in the first quarter.  The
back breaker, an INT returned for a TD by Arizona was called back due
to a holding penalty.  St. Louis scored the game winning TD two plays
later.

Rush Defense:  Arizona's undersized defensive front was manhandled by
a revamped Rams' offensive line.  Faulk and Jackson ripped off a
combined 178 yards on the ground.

St. Louis Rams

QB:  Marc Bulger (23-34-272, 1 TD, 1 Int) posted solid numbers, but
was far from spectacular.  Given all day to throw by his offensive
line, Bulger found his receivers wide open.  He used quick, short
passes to beat the Cardinals' two deep zone.  However, Bulger's badly
thrown pass on the Rams' second possession in the first quarter,
killed a promising drive.  With the offense driving early in the
fourth quarter for the go ahead score, Bulger threw into double
coverage and had his pass intercepted and returned 95 yards for a TD.
Luckily for him and the Rams, the play was nullified by a defensive
holding penalty and Bulger hit Bruce two plays later on an 8-yard
slant for the winning TD.

RB:  Marshall Faulk (22-128 rushing, 2-17 receiving on 2 targets)
looked like his old self darting and slashing for 128 yards.  Faulk
showed his patience waiting for his blockers and then scampering
through the open holes.  He used his great vision and devastating
cutbacks to leave Arizona defenders tackling air.  Faulk scored on a
2-point conversion run inside to cap off the Bruce TD reception and
give St. Louis a 7 point cushion.

Steven Jackson's (7-50 rushing, 1 fumble lost) career got off to a
shaky start after he fumbled his first carry following a nice 14-yard
run.  Jackson atoned for his blunder by running with power up the
middle and showcasing his deceptive speed for a 233-pound running
back.  An important fact is Jackson was used as the short yardage and
goal line back.

FB Joey Goodspeed (1 target) was not a factor in the game.

WR: Isaac Bruce (9-112 receiving on 15 targets, 1 TD) used his speed
to pick apart the Arizona secondary.  He was Bulger's favorite target
of the day and led all receivers with 9 receptions.  Bruce caught
several quick slants, including his 8-yard TD for the game deciding
score.  Bulger targeted him for a deep pass near the end zone, but the
ball was poorly thrown and intercepted.

Torry Holt (7-96 receiving on 9 targets) also had no problems getting
open and gouged the Cardinals' secondary for 96 yards receiving.  He
showed his great hands by making several acrobatic catches. He had
been listed as questionable with a sore back but he did not appear to
be limited.

Dane Looker (3-34 receiving on 5 targets, 1 fumble lost) is a solid
third receiver and provides a nice compliment to Holt and Bruce.
Looker fumbled after a catch leading the Rams third turnover in the
first quarter.

Shaun McDonald (2-13 receiving on 2 targets) was not a factor in the
game.

TE: Brandon Manumaleuna (3 targets) was not a factor in the game.

Cameron Cleeland (1-(-2) rushing) was not a factor in the game.

K:  Jeff Wilkins (3-3 FG) was perfect, converting on all his field
goal attempts from 22, 28, and 50 yards.

Pass Defense:  Caught off guard by the opening flea-flicker to Larry
Fitzgerald for 37 yards, the Rams secondary buckled down and stymied
the Arizona receivers.  They provided smothering coverage downfield
and forced Josh McCown into short dumpoffs all game long.  The
defensive front played most of the game in the Arizona backfield,
sacking McCown twice and providing constant pressure.

Rush Defense:  Although they allowed only 103 yards rushing, St. Louis
was unable to stop a charging Emmitt Smith.  Smith made several
defenders miss en route to his 11-yard TD run and ended up with a
strong 5.44 yard per carry average against the rush defense.



Seattle Seahawks 21 at New Orleans Saints 7

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Seattle Seahawks

RB Shaun Alexander piled up 166 total yard and 3 TDs in the game
before leaving at the 3:36 mark of the fourth quarter with a knee
injury. ESPN and local media were reporting Monday morning that the
injury could cause him to miss 1-2 games.

The Seattle defense allowed only 281 total net yards. They dominated
the line of scrimmage consistently at the point of attack and the
defensive backfield punished Saint wide receivers with several big
hits.

QB Matt Hasselbeck recovered from an early interception and managed a
great game as Seattle piled up 415 yards of total offense and held
onto the ball for more than 33 minutes. Seattle went three and out
only once in the game. If not for several drops by WR Koren Robinson,
Hasselbeck would have posted better passing totals.

New Orleans Saints

The Saints offense was never in sync. QB Aaron Brooks and his wide
receivers often were on different pages of the playbook, and when they
did connect several balls were dropped (5).

RB Deuce McAllister didn't get much of an opportunity because the
Saints passing game couldn't convert third downs (3-14). As the game
began to get out of reach, McAllister started to see less of an
opportunity to make plays.

The Saints utilized double TE formations quite a bit. Eleven of QB
Aaron Brooks passes went to his tight ends (Williams-7, Conwell-4).
The Saints are opting to go without a fullback leaving McAllister
alone in the backfield. McAllister has voiced opposition to not having
a lead blocker.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Seattle Seahawks

QB:  Matt Hasselbeck (19-29-246, TD, INT, 4- -1 rushing) Hasselbeck
overcame two early Seahawk's turnovers to post 179 first half passing
yards. His passes were sharp and accurate with the exception of his
one interception. He looked nimble in the pocket and avoided the
Saints pass rush with ease. Hasselbeck was rarely hit in the game.
Hasselbeck might have had a monster day statistically if not for three
drops by WR Koren Robinson and the game situation late. With the game
well in hand the Seahawks were content to run out the clock for most
of the fourth quarter.

RB:  Shaun Alexander (28-135 rushing, 2 TD, 3-31 receiving on 2
targets, TD) Alexander torched the Saints defense with formidable
chunks of yardage. His offensive line was giving him significant push
and holes to run towards. Alexander's 30 touches nearly accounted for
half the Seahawk's plays from scrimmage. Early in the game there was a
noticeable change in Alexander's running style from last year. He
showed more of a willingness to lower his pads and plow forward than
he has in the past when a hole didn't exist. The injury that ended his
day came when he attempted to stop and make a cut on a first down run
on the last possession of the game. The knee didn't bend to either
side at all, it seemed like more the upper and lower leg were "jammed"
together. The angle of the leg was nearly 90 degrees when he attempted
to plant.

Mack Strong (7-25 rushing, 2-9 receiving on 2 targets) Strong tied a
career high with seven carries in the game. Four of the carries came
on Seattle's last two possessions as they were winding down the clock.
This should be viewed as an aberration. In the worst-case scenario
that Alexander might miss time with an injury Strong would most likely
not see an increase in his carry totals. Fantasy owners should only
count on Strong to supply two or three passing targets each game.

Maurice Morris (4-10 rushing, 0-0 receiving on 0 targets) Morris had
one carry just before halftime, and immediately replaced Alexander at
the end of the game after Alexander left. Morris is a lock to replace
Alexander if Seattle's feature RB should miss any time due to injury.

WR: Darrell Jackson (7-98 receiving on 10 targets) Jackson was
Hasselbeck's favorite target in the game and was utilized all over the
field. Jackson was the only Seattle wide receiver targeted near the
goal line. Jackson didn't record a drop in the game.

Koren Robinson (3-35 receiving on 7 targets) All three of Robinson's
receptions came in the first half. Two were on short crossing routes
allowing him the opportunity to then break it up field. His other
reception was on a short out pattern. In the second half Robinson
finished the game with three straight drops. Two of the three hit him
square in the hands. One was on a deep ball down the sideline.

Bobby Engram (3-55 receiving on 5 targets, 1 lost fumble) Engram's
second target in the game was actually a completed pass, but was
called back because of a penalty. His third target went for 38 yards
on a crazy play. Hasselbeck avoided a heavy rush and scrambled up into
the pocket. He hit Engram deep down the center of the field, but a DB
poked the ball out from behind forcing a turnover.

TE: Jerramy Stevens (0-0 receiving on 2 targets) Stevens was the
starting tight end. His first target was intercepted on a terribly
overthrown pass from Hasselbeck that Stevens had no chance to catch.
On his second target in the third quarter Stevens was open deep down
the seam, but the ball was tipped at the last second by a linebacker.

Itula Mili (1-15 receiving on 1 target) Mili's only target and
reception occurred just before halftime. Mili is playing the second TE
for now. He was only in the game in two TE formations.

K:  Josh Brown (3 XP, 0-0 FG) Brown was a non-factor in the game.

Pass Defense: Seattle put a heavy rush on QB Aaron Brooks in the game.
They kept him off balance and forced him into getting rid of the ball
early on several plays, including an intentional grounding when LB
Orlando Huff came untouched on a blitz. The Seattle defensive backs
used intimidation with big hits on wide receivers. It's becoming
apparent that FS Ken Hamlin is trying to cultivate a nasty reputation
across the league. On several occasions Hamlin was face-to-face jawing
with New Orleans wide receivers.

Rush Defense: Playing without star LB Chad Brown and rookie first
round draft pick DT Marcus Tubbs, the Seahawks were concerned about
containing RB Deuce McAllister. Untested DTs Cedric Woodard and Rashad
Moore did an excellent job of stuffing McAllister. Each was among the
team leaders in tackles.

New Orleans Saints

QB:  Aaron Brooks (18-37-223, TD, INT, 2-16 rushing) These numbers are
not nearly as bad as they look. When you factor in the ton of drops
that his wide receivers had along with the varying pressure that
Brooks was under, it could have been much worse. Brooks threw his
first interception in 254 pass attempts, and that came on a tipped
ball by a DE dropping into zone blitz coverage. Not having a solid
running game to lean on didn't help either. Brooks was able to keep
their lone scoring drive alive with a nice fourteen-yard scramble for
a first down.

RB:  Deuce McAllister (16-57 rushing 1 fumble lost, 2-20 receiving on
5 targets) McAllister had very little room to run. McAllister
consistently ran into the Seattle defensive tackles and was brought
down near the line of scrimmage on half his carries. He found most
success when the Saints ran off right guard and around left end. Up
the middle was nothing doing. McAllister's fumble came on the first
possession of the third quarter with the score at 14-7. The fumble
occurred on a third and short play after McAllister tried to break a
play outside bouncing off the pile. The Saints were moving the ball
well and McAllister's carry would have given the Saints a first down
inside the Seattle 35-yard line. McAllister has recently been
outspoken about his unhappiness with regard to a lack of a lead
fullback. The Saints are opting to leave him in the backfield alone
and move to more two TE formations.

Mike Karney (0-0 rushing, 1-12 receiving on 1 target) Karney's only
touch came in the second quarter and set up Conwell's TD.

WR: Joe Horn (6-110 receiving on 10 targets) Joe Horn is still QB
Aaron Brook's crutch in the passing game. Brooks targeted Horn at
least twice in every quarter of the game. Horn was able to pile up
some yards after his receptions with some nice open field running and
doesn't look to have lost a step.

Donte' Stallworth (3-36 receiving on 6 targets, 1-1 rushing)
Stallworth beat CB Ken Lucas deep badly but QB Aaron Brooks overthrew
him. Stallworth has significant history with Seattle FS Ken Hamlin.
Last year Hamlin put a huge hit on Stallworth in the season opener (a
de-helmet shot) that Stallworth never quite recovered from. If the hit
was still on Stallworth's mind it didn't show. Stallworth had one
drop, but it would have been a nice catch if he made it.

Jerome Pathon (0-0 receiving on 5 targets) Pathon had several drops in
the game. The worst was a drive killer on a deep ball that hit him in
the hands at the end of the third quarter that could have pulled the
Saints to within seven.

TE: Boo Williams (3-13 receiving on 7 targets, 1 lost fumble) Williams
fumbled after his first catch of the day while fighting for extra
yardage. His other two receptions came in the third quarter for very
short yardage. All his receptions were on routes toward the sideline
as the Saints had Conwell working the middle of the field. Brooks'
interception came on a ball targeted for Williams, but DE Grant
Wistrom who had dropped off in zone blitz coverage tipped it.

Ernie Conwell (3-32 receiving on 4 targets, 1 TD) Conwell dropped his
first target in the game when hit him directly in the chest. On
Conwell's TD reception the Saints used both he and Williams in a two
TE formation near the goal line. Both were out in the pattern in the
endzone.

K:  John Carney (1 XP, 0-0 FG) Carney was a non-factor in the game.

Pass Defense:  The Saints weren't able to put pressure on Hasselbeck
at all. The few times they came close Hasselbeck he was able to
scramble away from it and still deliver a pass down field. The
defensive ends had decent push on the side, but the lack of a rush up
the middle allowed Hasselbeck to set forward deliver passes down
field.

Rush Defense:  RB Shaun Alexander was able to keep Seattle in short
down and distance situations with multiple runs of five and six yards.
The Saints defensive front appeared to be more concerned with putting
a rush on QB Matt Hasselbeck and less concerned with Alexander.



Kansas City Chief 24 at Denver Broncos 34

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Kansas City Chiefs

Despite the usual excellent performance from RB Priest Holmes, the
Chiefs anemic passing attack and mediocre defensive play eventually
did them in during a 34-24 loss in Denver.

Holmes had an outstanding start to the season, but was one of the few
bright spots for the Chiefs. Holmes ran for 151 yards and three
touchdowns in showcasing his unmatched ability to get the ball in the
endzone. His 33-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter brought
the Chiefs back from a ten point deficit to tie the game at 24-24.

QB Trent Green and the Chiefs passing game looked out of sync all
night long. He threw for 174 yards and an interception. Green's most
successful play of the game came on the second play from scrimmage, a
57-yard strike to WR Eddie Kennison. Even this play was a little off,
as Kennison was wide open for an easy touchdown, but Green overthrew
the pass causing Kennison to tumble to the ground after hauling it in.
Green was under pressure most of the game and failed miserably on
3rd-down conversion attempts.

WR Eddie Kennison finished with six catches for 101 yards, but was
less than impressive in doing so. He made a nice catch on his 57-yard
reception, but was hit after he got up and fumbled. Only an errant
call on the field that he was down by contact prevented Kennison from
a fumble. When it mattered most, Kennison did not make the big play,
failing to convert all five of his 3rd-down targets into first downs.

The Broncos blanketed TE Tony Gonzalez all game long, daring Green to
throw to somebody else. Despite eight targets, Gonzalez caught only
two passes for 17 yards.

Kansas City's defense struggled mightily against the run and the pass,
but did intercept two Jake Plummer passes. WR/KR Dante Hall was made
irrelevant by Broncos PK Micah Knorr's booming kickoffs.

Denver Broncos

The Denver Broncos overcame two early 3rd quarter interceptions by QB
Jake Plummer, pulling away late to beat the Chiefs.

The story of this game for Denver was RB Quentin Griffin, who was
brilliant in his first game as the Broncos starter. He showed big-play
ability, scoring from 25 and 47 yards out. He also scored a 1-yard
touchdown on his only reception of the game. His lone negative came in
the third quarter with the score tied 24-24, when he fumbled at the
1-yard line after he looked like he was on his way to his 4th
touchdown of the game. Griffin rebounded to finish the game strong and
hold onto the football the rest of the way, finishing with 156 yards
on 23 carries.

Jake Plummer rebounded from two 3rd-quarter interceptions, the second
being a badly thrown ball, and led the Broncos to ten 4th-quarter
points after the Chiefs had tied the game. He finished with 230 yards
passing to go with two touchdowns. Plummer was a threat with his feet
as well, throwing accurately on rollouts and running for 33 yards.

WR Rod Smith made the most of his opportunities, catching passes all
seven times he was targeted for 76 yards. WR Ashley Lelie showed his
big-play ability once again, catching four passes for 88 yards,
including a nice catch for 58 yards.

CB Champ Bailey had an interception in his first game as a Bronco, and
also caught an 11-yard pass on offense.

Rookie RB Tatum Bell appeared in only one series, rushing twice for 11
yards. RB Garrison Hearst played sparingly also.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Kansas City Chiefs

           QB:  Trent Green (16-32-174, 1 Int, 1-3 rushing) was under
pressure most of the game and looked a little bit off all game long.
His 57-yard pass to Eddie Kennison on the opening drive should have
gone for a touchdown, but he led Kennison too far. Green repeatedly
failed to convert third down plays. The lone interception came under
heavy pressure when Green dropped the ball, recovered to roll to the
left and fired downfield where Broncos CB Champ Bailey made a terrific
leaping catch. Green also failed to connect with TE Tony Gonzalez on 6
of 8 attempts.

RB:  Priest Holmes (26-151 rushing, 3 TD, 2- (-2) receiving on 3
targets) looked to be well on his way to a 200-yard game until the
Chiefs fell behind in the 4th quarter. Holmes scored three times,
including a spectacular 33-yard run. On the play, Holmes was nearly
tripped up near the 20 yard-line, but used his right hand to stay on
his feet and accelerated past two defenders for the score.

WR:  Eddie Kennison (6-101 receiving on 12 targets) missed out on a
75-yard touchdown catch, yet still caught a break on the same play.
After hauling in Green's first pass of the game for 57 yards, Kennison
got to his feet and had the ball knocked loose, but the referee ruled
him down by contact. Kennison played well in the first half, finishing
with 89 yards, but did not play much of a role in the second half.

Johnnie Morton (3-30 receiving on 6 targets) failed to provide Green
with another quality option on a night when Tony Gonzalez was
non-existent.

TE:  Tony Gonzalez (2-17 receiving on 8 targets) faced blanket-like
coverage most of the game and did not catch a pass until midway
through the 3rd quarter. He was targeted once in the endzone, but
Green overthrew him. His longest catch, 14 yards, didn't even go for a
first down.

K:  Lawrence Tynes (3 XP, 1-2 FG) showed a strong leg on his 50-yard
field goal, and also on his miss, a 58-yard try as time expired in the
first half. The 58-yarder had the distance but missed wide-right.

Pass Defense:  LB Monty Beisel and S Jerome Woods each came up with
interceptions, but the Chiefs defense never effectively stopped Jake
Plummer from rolling out and completing passes. The Chiefs did manage
two sacks, but other than those occasions, rarely pressured Plummer.

Rush Defense:  The Chiefs run defense was a sieve. The Broncos
averaged 6.2 yards per carry, excluding the kneel-downs by Plummer on
the final two plays. Monty Beisel was a lone bright spot for the
Chiefs, showing a nose for the football and finishing with 7 solo
tackles. S Greg Wesley also made a nice play to save a touchdown and
force the fumble by Quentin Griffin.

Denver Broncos

QB:  Jake Plummer (18-29-230, 2 TD, 2 Int, 7-33 rushing) played a
solid first half, but then started off horribly in the second. The
first play of the second half resulted in an interception. On the
Broncos next series, facing a 3rd and 23 at their own 7 yard-line,
Plummer tried to avoid a sack near his goal line and inexplicably
threw the ball left handed, right into the hands of Chiefs S Jerome
Woods and leading to a 17-17 tie. Plummer was in control from there.
He ran well and threw well when rolling out. His touchdown passes of 1
and 2 yards both came on bootlegs.

RB:  Quentin Griffin (23-156 rushing, 2 TD, 1 Fumble lost, 1-1
receiving on 3 targets, 1 TD) was incredible. He displayed great
burst, showing excellent cut-back ability and vision, while running in
a low-to-the-ground style. It took a while to get him in rhythm, but
he got going with a 25-yard score in the 2nd quarter. He sprinted left
for about 10 yards, then made a nice cutback at the 16 yard-line and
raced into the endzone. He followed that up in the 3rd quarter with a
47-yard run where he went untouched up the middle, making a nice move
on a safety near the 20. His fumble came on what looked to be another
touchdown, until Wesley hit him hard at the one, jarring the ball
loose into the endzone. Griffin bounced back to carry 7 times for 37
yards on the Broncos final scoring march. Coach Mike Shanahan
commented after the game that the most important things he did
wouldn't be noticed by most - the fact he correctly picked up blitzes
on pass protection.

WR:  Ashley Lelie (4-88 receiving on 5 targets) showed a little of his
break out ability, catching a nice 58-yard pass from Jake Plummer. He
also had a 23-yard reception over the middle and was reliable,
catching 4 of 5 attempts.

Rod Smith (7-76 receiving on 7 targets, 1- (-3) rushing) caught every
pass thrown his way. He and Plummer looked to be locked into one
another, especially on third downs where he converted both chances.
Smith also had two punt returns of over 20 yards.

TE:  Jeb Putzier (2-25 receiving on 3 targets) had his biggest catch
(18 yards) on the Broncos final scoring drive, but instead of getting
the call in the red zone, Patrick Hape (1-2 receiving on 1 target, 1
TD) found himself all alone in the endzone and scored the
game-clinching touchdown on a nice play-action rollout by Jake
Plummer.

K:  Jason Elam (4 XP, 2-2 FG) connected from 43 and 45 yards out.

Pass Defense:  The Broncos managed to get good pressure on Trent
Green, despite not registering a sack. The Chiefs managed just 4.6
yards per pass and Denver was all over Gonzalez the entire game. Champ
Bailey made a quick impression with a brilliant leaping interception
in the first half. .

Rush Defense:  Priest Holmes and the Chiefs managed 6 yards per carry.
Still, they were unable to control the ball for long stretches.
Overall, not a good job, but they did force Kansas City to throw the
ball enough to get the win. Rookie D.J. Williams led the way with 6
solo and 2 assisted tackles.



Cincinnati Bengals 24 at New York Jets 31

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Cincinnati Bengals

Carson Palmer's debut as the starting quarterback for the Bengal's
was, for the most part, a success, but his lone interception late in
the 4th quarter was a costly one.  The turnover ultimately ended any
chance for a Cincinnati comeback because time was not on their side.
Palmer threw for 248 yards and 2 TDs in the game.

Cincinnati's rushing attack had problems throughout the entire game.
In all fairness to RB Rudi Johnson (70 yards rushing, 1 TD, and 1
fumble), the offensive line was a mess.  Starters Rich Braham (Center)
and Willie Anderson (Tackle) both played, but were listed as
questionable prior to kickoff with knee injuries.  Eric Steinbach
(Guard) didn't start because of problems with the arm he had operated
on in the off-season.  Larry Moore (Center/Guard) started in his
place.  That is, until Braham had to leave the game for good in the
first half.  Moore then moved to center and Steinbach came off the
bench to play guard.  With rookie RB Chris Perry not playing due to
injury, Kenny Watson (1 rush for 25 yards, and 2 receptions for 15
yards and 1 TD) made the most out of his brief playing time.

WR Chad Johnson led all Bengal receivers with 5 receptions for 99
yards and 1 TD.  Peter Warrick, also nursing an injury since the
off-season, had a good game, catching 5 passes for 76 yards.  However,
he did not score.  T.J. Houshmandzadeh caught three of the four passes
thrown his way.  He also had a few quality returns on special teams.
Reggie Kelly represented all Bengal TEs with 1 reception for 3 yards.

The Bengal defense could not stop Jets RB Curtis Martin.  He punished
Cincinnati's defense all the way until the end of the game before
Coach Herman Edwards pulled him with less than a minute left.  He
could have gone over 200 yards rushing, but Edwards showed some mercy
and class.  As bad as the run defense was, the pass defense wasn't
much better.  Rookie CB Madieu Williams, starting the entire game for
the injured, Deltha O'Neal, was schooled by several New York receivers
in the first half.  However, he came back strong in the second half.

The Bengal Special Teams played particularly well the entire game, and
K Shayne Graham converted on his only FG attempt of 22 yards.

LB Brian Simmons did not play due to injury, and starting safety
Rogers Beckett left the game in the first quarter with a concussion.

New York Jets

The Jet's first turnover of the season came on the opening kickoff.
WR/KR Jonathan Carter tripped over his own feet and fumbled the return
upon hitting the turf.  The fumble was initially recovered by New
York, but it was fumbled again into the waiting arms of Bengal
defenders.  Cincinnati scored a TD four plays later, but it didn't
seem to faze the Jet's and their game plan.

QB Chad Pennington completed 74% of his passes (20 of 27) for 224
yards and 2 TDs.  He was sharp all four quarters and did not throw an
interception.

The story of the game was RB Curtis Martin, who rushed for 196 yards
on 29 carries (1 TD).  He also caught 3 passes, one for his second TD.
RB Lamont Jordan did not carry the ball once.  However, he did catch
one pass for five yards (targets: 1).  FB Jerald Sowell saw more
action than Jordan, hauling in 3 receptions for 20 yards.  He also
carried the ball once, gaining 19 yards.

WR Justin McCareins led all New York receivers with 5 receptions for
66 yards (0 TDs).  Santana Moss had 4 receptions for 55 yards, but he
too did not find the end zone.  Jonathan Carter got redemption for his
kickoff return mishap in the form of a 46-yard TD reception.  Wayne
Chrebet, coming off a concussion-filled '03 season, had only 2
receptions for 21 yards (0 TDs).  Like the Bengal's, the Jet's barely
utilized TEs.  In fact, Chris Baker made only 1 catch on 2 targets,
and Anthony Becht dropped a sure catch.

K Doug Brien converted on his only FG attempt of 21 yards.

The Jet's had a defensive touchdown, one interception, one sack, and
one forced fumble.  They gave up 351 net yards (rush and pass).

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Cincinnati Bengals

QB:  Carson Palmer (18-27-248 passing, 2 TDs, 1 Int, 2-10 rushing).
At times, Palmer looked fantastic, putting the ball right where it
needed to be.  However, on a couple of other plays, he dangerously
under-threw, or threw behind his receivers.  He could have very easily
had 2-3 interceptions in the game, but Jets defenders couldn't hang on
to the ball.  Overall, Palmer had a pretty good game, despite one
important interception.  He also showed a lot of poise in his first
NFL start.  He made good decisions most of the game, and even had an
impressive run for a first down.  On the same play, he wisely stepped
out of bounds before getting tattooed by a defender.

RB:  Rudi Johnson (24-70 rushing, 1 TD, 1 Fumble Lost, 0-0 receiving
on 2 targets).  Johnson put up respectable fantasy numbers, but he got
stuffed at the line of scrimmage too many times to count.  Again, his
offensive line is a mess right now, so his performance is hard to
gauge.  Also, the fumble he lost was actually a really good strip by
the defense.  Not only did Johnson have trouble running inside, he
found no running room on the corner.  He was the intended receiver on
a couple of short passes up the middle, but he kept getting caught up
in the cluster of offensive and defensive lineman.  Johnson also had a
nice 9-yard gain negated because of a holding call.

Kenny Watson (1-25 rushing, 0 TD, 2-15 receiving on 2 targets, 1 TD).
Watson didn't touch the ball a lot, but he sure looked good when he
did.  His touchdown could have been reviewed, but the replay showed he
crossed the plane of the goal line before the ball bounced off the
turf.

WR:  Chad Johnson (5-99 receiving on 8 targets, 1 TD). Johnson looked
very fast, ran great routes, and caught just about everything thrown
his way.  He also made a great adjustment on a pass from Palmer for a
53-yard touchdown reception.

Peter Warrick (5-76 receiving on 7 targets, 0 TD, 1-8 rushing, 0 TD).
Warrick spent most of training camp and the preseason rehabbing his
knee.  To do what he did against New York after missing so much
practice time is pretty remarkable.  He didn't find the end zone, but
the knee looked pretty good.  On his only rushing attempt, a
semi-busted trick play, he reversed field and gained 8 yards.  Warrick
also prevented an interception when he knocked the ball from a
defender's grasp.

T.J. Houshmandzadeh (3-38 receiving on 4 targets, 0 TD).
Houshmandzadeh looked great when he was given a chance.  However, he
didn't get many opportunities.  His kick return skills were very
helpful in giving the Bengal's pretty good field position most of the
game. Houshmandzadeh's all-around performance against the Jet's was
very typical of the way he played in preseason games.  The Bengal's
can only hope that his chronically injured hamstring holds up all
season.

Kelley Washington (1-9 receiving on 2 targets 0 TD).  With three other
talented receivers around, it's hard to get a share.

TE:  Reggie Kelly (1-3 receiving on 1 target, 0 TD).

K:  Shayne Graham (3 XP, 1-1 FG).

Pass Defense:  Despite getting torched throughout the first half, CB
Madieu Williams rebounded in the second half, making a nice play on a
third and goal that prevented a Jets TD.  New York settled for a FG on
the next play.  Williams also had a huge play on Jets WR, McCareins,
that enabled Cincinnati one last shot at tying/winning the game.
However, the Bengal's next series ended on Palmer's interception.
Besides the Jets taking advantage of a rookie, none of New York's
receivers had a "huge" day, individually.  However, the Bengals did
give up 224 passing yards and 2 TDs to Pennington.

Rush Defense:  The Bengal's provided no rush defense whatsoever.
Defenders were having a very difficult time shedding blocks, and there
was virtually no pass rush applied to Pennington, who frequently had
all the time he wanted before making his throws.  The rush defense
picked up where it left off in '03, when the unit gave up a huge day
to Cleveland RB, Lee Suggs, in the final game of the season.  DE
Justin Smith's biggest contribution was taking a shot to Pennington's
head after he clearly released a pass.  His lack of judgment gave the
Jets the ball at the Bengal 9-yard line.  Three plays later, Curtis
Martin ran in a screen pass for a TD.

New York Jets

QB:  Chad Pennington (20-27-224 passing, 2 TD, 2-minus 2 rushing).
Pennington's performance against Cincinnati was excellent.   He
appeared flawless, but I'm sure his coaches can dig something up.  His
play action fakes were a thing of beauty. He clearly looked intent on
living up to his big contract.

RB:  Curtis Martin (29-196 rushing, 1 TD, 3-7 receiving on 3 targets,
1 TD).  The play calling  didn't matter much to Martin ...pitch left,
pitch right, up the middle.  He successfully ran all three directions
at will.  His demeanor on the sidelines was all business.  In the
Jet's first game of 2004, Martin has already matched his TD total from
2003 (2).  He looked very quick, and his decision making was
outstanding.  He also didn't appear to have any problem shedding
tackles.

FB:  Jerald Sowell (1-19 rushing, 0 TD, 3-20 receiving on 3 targets, 0
TD).  Sowell had a nice game ...when his number was called.

WR: Justin McCareins (5-66 receiving on 7 targets, 0 TD).  McCareins'
debut in New York was a success, despite the fact that he never found
the end zone.  66 total yards is pretty good for a receiver in his
first game with a new team.  Also, when you play second fiddle to a
speedster like Santana Moss, you'll take what you can get.

Santana Moss (4-55 receiving on 8 targets, 0 TD, 1-8 rushing, 0 TD).
Not a big numbers day for Moss, but he did make some incredible
catches.

Jonathan Carter (1-46 receiving on 1 target, 1 TD).  Carter's play as
a kick returner improved after his early miscue, and he did score a
receiving touchdown to make up for it.

Wayne Chrebet (2-21 receiving on 2 targets, 0 TD).  Despite missing
some of training camp and the preseason due to injury, he looked
pretty able-bodied.  He gave his usual spark right when the team
needed it.

TE:  Anthony Becht (0-0 receiving on 1 target).

K:  Doug Brien (4 XP, 1-1 FG).

Pass Defense:  The unit gave up some big plays to Bengal receivers,
and they had a few missed opportunities on bad Palmer passes.  But in
the end, they got the job done with an interception that eventually
ended the game.

Rush Defense:  The confusion on the Bengals offensive line allowed
Jets DE, John Abraham, to  wreck havoc, especially during Cincinnati's
third offensive series.  On one play, he forced Palmer to throw an
incomplete pass.  On another, he sacked Palmer for a 10-yard loss that
essentially ended the drive.  Also, LB Sam Cowart stripped a ball that
was picked up by Jets CB, Donnie Abraham, and taken back for a TD.
Lastly, second year DT, Dewayne Robertson, stuffed Rudi Johnson for a
6-yard loss.