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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 PS - These reports will be available online at the Footballguys.com website later on today in a much better looking format. I'm just sending to you now as I know many of you want these just as soon as they're finished. ************************************** 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 with Cathy Fazio Dallas Cowboys 10 at Baltimore Ravens 30 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Dallas Cowboys Drew Henson's first taste of quarterbacking in the NFL was a very good one, as the young passer came into the game late in the fourth quarter and led the Cowboys on their only touchdown drive of the day. Henson was sacked and fumbled on his first snap, but recovered on the next series and completed all 6 of his pass attempts, for 47 yards and a touchdown. Henson also added a 7 yard run on the drive, setting up his 1 yard touchdown strike. Vinny Testaverde started the game but struggled, completing just 9 of 22 passes for 109 yards and being intercepted twice. Testaverde was pulled after his second pick was run back for a touchdown, putting the Cowboys behind by 21 points with just under 11 minutes remaining in the game. Coach Bill Parcells said after the game that Testaverde had a shoulder injury. Despite being listed as "doubtful" on the team's injury report, rookie Julius Jones returned to action against the Baltimore Ravens and carried the ball 31 times for 81 yards. Jones started for the Cowboys, while veteran Eddie George was relegated to the sidelines with only 3 touches in the game. The tough Ravens' defense kept Jones in check, although the hard running and stamina of the rookie has to be an encouraging sign for Dallas. Keyshawn Johnson and Quincy Morgan combined for 7 catches and 82 yards, but the receiving show was stolen by rookie special teamer Terrance Copper, who recorded the first 3 receptions of his career for a team-leading 44 yards. Tight end Jason Witten chipped in 3 catches for 29 yards, while backup tight end Jeff Robinson was the recipient of a 1-yard touchdown pass. Defensively the Cowboys struggled, managing just 1 sack in the game and being burned by Kyle Boller and the Ravens' receivers throughout the second half. The Cowboys did collect two turnovers, both coming on fumbles. Baltimore Ravens Jamal Lewis left the game early in the first quarter after gaining just 5 yards on 2 carries, with what was determined to be a sprained right ankle. Lewis returned to the sideline in uniform after being examined in the team locker room, and was seen hopping around and testing the injury, which did not appear serious. Second-year backup Musa Smith, however, was seriously injured on his only run of the game, which went for a 12 yard gain. Smith broke his right leg on the play and is lost for the remainder of the season. Chester Taylor picked up the rushing duties for the Ravens but struggled, gaining just 33 yards and a 1 yard touchdown on 15 carries. In the absence of a running attack, Kyle Boller responded with his best day as a pro, throwing for 232 yards and 2 touchdowns on 23 of 34 passing. Boller spread the ball around, with 8 different Ravens recording a catch, and lofted a pretty 31 yard touchdown throw to Kevin Johnson to put the Ravens up by a comfortable margin of 11 points. This came on the drive after Boller led the team down the field for their first touchdown, that coming on a 17 yard scoring strike. Travis Taylor led the Ravens with 68 yards on 6 catches, while Kevin Johnson had his best game of the season with 51 yards and a touchdown on 4 catches, including the 31 yard score mentioned above. Rookie Clarence Moore had just one catch for 24 yards, and Randy Hymes threw more passes (one) than were thrown to him (zero). Tight end Darnell Dinkins, who entered the game with only 2 catches in his career, caught 3 passes for 40 yards and a touchdown, while Daniel Wilcox added 2 receptions for 23 yards. The Baltimore defense was its usual dominant self, holding the Cowboys to just 3 points before giving up a garbage time touchdown drive. The Ravens recorded 2 sacks in the game, along with 2 interceptions, a fumble recovery, and a touchdown scored on an interception return, all while holding Dallas to just 222 net yards. WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW Dallas Cowboys QB: Vinny Testaverde (9-22-109, 2 INT, 1-1 rushing) had a terrible game, struggling in the face of the Ravens' pass rush and lacking the mobility to buy extra time. When he had time to throw the ball Testaverde was generally on target, but occasions when the Dallas quarterback had time in the pocket were few and far between. Both of Testaverde's interceptions came on passes which he should not have thrown, although the second came as the Cowboys grew desperate late in the game. Testaverde was pulled from the game after that pick was run back for a touchdown, effectively putting the game out of reach for Dallas. Coach Bill Parcells said after the game that Testaverde suffered a shoulder injury. He'll be evaluated this week before the Cowboys make a QB decision going forward. Drew Henson (6-6-47, 1 TD, 1 fumble lost, 1-7 rushing) finally got a shot under center for the Cowboys, and responded well to the opportunity. Henson was hit from behind and stripped of the ball on his first snap in the game, but quickly got back on track in his second possession, leading the team down the field for their first touchdown of the game. Henson's passes were accurate, as evidenced by his 100% completion ratio, and he showed good ability to sidestep pressure and hit his check down receiver. He capped the drive with a 1 yard touchdown toss to wide open tight end Jeff Robinson. RB: Julius Jones (30-81 rushing) was listed as doubtful on the team's injury report earlier in the week. However, he was not only active for the game, but started for the Cowboys in place of the veteran Eddie George. Jones showed no lingering effects from his shoulder injury, and was not at all hesitant to lower the shoulder in an attempt to gain a few extra yards. While he was kept in check by the Baltimore defense for the most part, Jones did show nice flashes, in particular in making a great cut on a third and five play, netting him the first down. Jones was not at all used in the passing game. Eddie George (3-5 rushing) seemed to be an afterthought in the Cowboys' game plan, getting his 3 carries early in the first quarter, and then not touching the ball again for the rest of the game. Darian Barnes (1-0 receiving on 1 targets) caught one pass from Drew Henson, while playing at fullback. WR: Terrance Copper (3-44 receiving on 5 targets) had the best game of his young career, recording his first three NFL receptions. Copper is normally a special teams player, but found his way into the offensive lineup with the Cowboys playing catch up ball late. Copper showed good hands in the game, and appeared to have good chemistry with Drew Henson. Quincy Morgan (4-42 receiving on 10 targets) got his share of looks, particularly when the Cowboys tried to stretch the field with deep throws, but was unable to shake his coverage with any regularity. Keyshawn Johnson (3-40 receiving on 9 targets) was the receiver Vinny Testaverde looked to on key downs once again, and not coincidentally was the target of both Testaverde interceptions. Johnson made a couple of tough catches in traffic, but was not able to muster more than a mediocre performance overall. TE: Jason Witten (3-29 receiving on 4 targets) made the catches when the ball was thrown to him, but found his role in the offense diminishing as time went by and the score got more out of hand for the Cowboys. Jeff Robinson (1-1 receiving, 1 TD on 1 target) now has 2 catches for 2 yards and 2 touchdowns on the season. K: Billy Cundiff (1 XP, 1-2 FG) opened the scoring with a 19 yard field goal late in the first quarter, then missed left on a 41 yard kick later. Pass Defense: The Cowboys gave up 232 yards and two touchdowns through the air to the worst passing offense in the league, while managing just a single sack in the game. There is little good to be said about Dallas' pass defense in the game, as the front line was unable to achieve consistent pressure on Kyle Boller, and the secondary was beaten far too often by Baltimore's receivers. Cornerback Lance Frazier was able to force a Travis Taylor fumble, which led to the Cowboys' first points of the game. Run Defense: Dallas completely shut down the Ravens' running attack, although injuries played a key role in that with Jamal Lewis leaving the game with a sprained ankle, and backup Musa Smith subsequently breaking his leg. Overall, Baltimore running backs managed just 50 yards on 18 carries, although Chester Taylor was able to hurdle the defense for a 1 yard touchdown run. Linebacker Dat Nguyen led the team with 7 solo tackles. Baltimore Ravens QB: Kyle Boller (23-34-232, 2 TD, 3-9 rushing) enjoyed the finest day of his pro career, setting a career high with his 67.6% completion ratio and building nicely off the 2 touchdown performance he enjoyed in week 10. Boller started off slowly, but with the Ravens down to only one healthy running back he caught fire in the second half, leading the team on consecutive touchdown drives in which Boller was a combined 8 of 11 for 124 yards. Most importantly, Boller's numbers were not a result of the usual short passing game employed by the Ravens. He showed excellent touch and accuracy on a pair of deep throws, the first a 20 yard completion across the field to tight end Daniel Wilcox, the second a 31 yard touchdown to Kevin Johnson. RB: Chester Taylor (15-33, 1 TD rushing, 4-18 receiving on 5 targets) got called into action with Jamal Lewis and Musa Smith both hurt, but struggled to gain yardage against the stiff Cowboys' defense. Taylor's touchdown run was of the 1 yard variety, when he dove over the pile on the goal line. Musa Smith (1-12 rushing) made a nifty move at the line of scrimmage to hit the hole and rip off a 12 yard gain, the longest running play of the game for the Ravens. Sadly, Smith's foot caught on the turf as he was being dragged down from behind, resulting in a gruesomely broken leg which will likely end his season. Jamal Lewis (2-5 rushing, 1-3 receiving on 1 target) started the game as usual, but suffered a sprained right ankle early in the first quarter and did not return to action. However, Lewis left the field under his own power, and was later shown in uniform on the sidelines, hopping around and testing the injury. It appeared that Lewis could have played, but with the Ravens building a comfortable lead the team opted not to risk it. Alan Ricard (2-5 receiving on 3 targets) generally gets a couple touches per game at fullback. WR: Travis Taylor (6-68 receiving on 11 targets, 1 fumble lost) was the Ravens' leading receiver in the game, doing a good job of getting open and hanging on to the ball when he got both hands on it. He was not able to hang on to the ball on his fumble, coming when he was hit from behind while already wrapped up by another defender. Taylor was targeted on a couple of deep throws, but neither was completed. Kevin Johnson (4-51, 1 TD receiving on 7 targets, 1 fumble lost) made an over the shoulder catch along the sidelines on a perfectly thrown deep ball to record his first touchdown as a Raven. Johnson was looked to more often than normal in the game, including a target on a failed fourth down try in the red zone. He was guilty of a fumble when he was sandwiched between two defenders after a short reception. Clarence Moore (1-24 receiving on 3 targets) appears to have cemented his role as the Ravens' primary deep threat, and made a nifty catch for his only reception in this game. Randy Hymes (0-1-0 passing) got the call on a wide receiver option play, running to his right and then lofting a terrible pass in the general direction of Chester Taylor. TE: Darnell Dinkins (3-40, 1 TD receiving on 3 targets) became the latest Ravens' pass-catcher to go from unknown to contributor, making his first 3 receptions of the season and more than doubling his previous career numbers. Dinkins got open in the middle of the end zone and made an excellent catch on a hard thrown ball for his 17 yard touchdown. Daniel Wilcox (2-23 receiving on 2 targets) got open over the middle of the field for a 20 yard reception, the longest of his career. Todd Heap continues to be inactive while recovering from a high ankle sprain. K: Matt Stover (3 XP, 1-1 FG) hit his second 50 yard field goal of the season, the first time since 2000 that he has succeeded on multiple tries from 50+. Stover missed out on a fourth extra point when a bad snap was bobbled, resulting in an aborted try. Pass Defense: The Ravens came into the game without the services of All Pro cornerback Chris McAlister and Deion Sanders, but still managed to shut down Vinny Testaverde and the Cowboys for all but the waning moments of the contest. Safety Ed Reed picked off his sixth pass of the season, while Terrell Suggs' sack gives him 8.5 for the year. The Ravens were able to bring pressure against the Dallas quarterback, and pass coverage was outstanding throughout the day. Rushing Defense: Baltimore held the Cowboys under 100 total rushing yards, though not through lack of effort by Dallas. Cowboy running backs carried the ball 33 times, an insanely large number for a team that trailed for most of the second half. Baltimore did a great job of swarming the ball carrier, often at or behind the line of scrimmage. Linebackers Ed Hartwell and Ray Lewis combined for 23 tackles in the game. New York Jets 10 at Cleveland Browns 7 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW New York Jets The Jets won the game primarily thanks to a game-winning drive late in the fourth quarter. To that point, they hadn't scored a touchdown in over four quarters going back to last week. The very strong running of LaMont Jordan on the final drive paved the way for the game-winning touchdown pass to Justin McCareins. RB Curtis Martin had an efficient, albeit unspectacular, day running the football. He was injured about halfway through the game and was walking gingerly on the sidelines. Head coach Herm Edwards declared Martin out for the game, but the staff trainers said he was questionable. The trainers knew better, as Martin entered the game on the Jets' next possession. He was in-and-out of the game throughout the second half, as both he and Jordan were very effective running the football. QB Quincy Carter much more resembled the Quincy Carter we've grown accustomed to seeing. That is to say, he held the ball far too long, he misfired on a number of passes, and took a whopping six sacks during the game. Many of those sacks came on crucial third down attempts for New York, and the sacks knocked them right out of the early field position battle. Cleveland Browns QB Jeff Garcia suffered what was termed a shoulder strain late in the first half and did not return to the game. The injury came just as the Browns offense was showing some signs of life. His replacement, Kelly Holcomb, could do almost nothing against the Jets defense. The Browns put together the one nice drive the entire game, and were basically shut down the rest of the way. Kicker Phil Dawson, who entered the game as the league's only kicker to not miss a field goal this season, missed twice. Each miss was obviously extremely costly, as Cleveland lost the game by just three points. One of the kicks was a 34-yard attempt late in the fourth quarter that would have put Cleveland ahead by seven points. Following the miss, New York drove downfield for the game-winning score. RB Lee Suggs got 17 of the Browns' 25 running back carries. He appeared to get stronger as the game went on, and was pretty much the only Browns player who looked capable of making a play in the second half. He didn't light it up exactly, but he performed well above any other offensive player for Cleveland. OL Ryan Tucker left the game and was carted into the locker room with an injured knee. WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW New York Jets QB: Quincy Carter (11-20-116, 1 TD, 1 INT) got knocked around all game long. He seemingly had enough time to throw on many occasions, but it almost seemed like he was waiting for the defense to get close so that he could make them miss rather than just throwing the football. He did a terrible job of checking off his primary receivers, and seemed completely lost as to how to handle an oncoming blitz. On four consecutive third down plays in the first quarter, Carter took sacks. These plays were instrumental in Cleveland winning the field-position battle that eventually led to their first and only score. The Jets as a team had just 80 yards of offense in the entire first half, and they didn't convert their first third down opportunity until late in the third quarter. On Carter's interception, it was a poorly-thrown deep ball to Santana Moss that went into double coverage. Carter was nearly picked off a deflection on another occasion, but the ball fell to the turf incomplete. On the game-winning drive, Carter got credit for 35 passing yards, though his three passes went about 12 yards combined. That's not to say he had nothing to do with them, just saying those yards were more a product of excellent plays by the receivers than anything Carter did. RB: Curtis Martin (17-88 rushing) enjoyed a solid day on the ground, and in the process, made a few milestones. He became only the second player in NFL history (joining Barry Sanders) to rush for at least 1,000 yards in each of his first ten seasons. He also passed Tony Dorsett for sixth place on the NFL's all-time rushing yardage list. The game was not perfect for him, however. He suffered a bruised knee midway through the second quarter and didn't return in the first half. At the beginning of the second half, Jets' coach Herman Edwards declared Martin out for the game, though the training staff said his return was questionable. Martin did return, and looked to be okay. His return seemed to spark the Jets offense somewhat. He was in and out of the game throughout the second half, partly to rest his knee and partly due to the outstanding running of backup LaMont Jordan. LaMont Jordan (18-73 rushing; 1-11 receiving on 1 target) looked outstanding. It was his running that really marched the Jets downfield to get into position for the game-winning touchdown, and it was his running on the Jets' final drive that sealed the victory for New York. He broke tackles, and showed an uncanny knack for eluding defenders. He has really quick on his feet for a man of his size, and all of his skills were on display Sunday. He tallied 61 yards in the fourth quarter, and just about all of them were key for New York to win the ballgame. WR: Justin McCareins (6-71, 1 TD receiving on 7 targets) was outstanding, especially on the Jets' game-winning drive. McCareins caught several balls early on, but sort of faded out as the game went along. Late in the game, however, Quincy Carter found him again. On a crucial third and 11, McCareins made a nice grab of a Carter pass, lunged forward before hitting the ground, and just picked up enough for the first down to keep the drive alive. Then, two plays later, McCareins took a quick screen pass, broke an arm tackle and beat his defender, and took it into the end zone for a score. Santana Moss (2-25 receiving on 6 targets) was more involved in the offense than it appears. Based on his receiving totals, one would assume he was nowhere to be found. But he actually was targeted on three deep balls (one of which resulted in a Browns' interception). He was also the recipient of a 23-yard reception that was negated due to a Jets holding penalty. Moss had a very nice 13-yard catch and run that helped set up the game-winning touchdown pass to Justin McCareins. It should be noted that despite more involvement than one would think, he still didn't register his first reception of the game until the third quarter. TE: Anthony Becht (0-0 receiving on 2 targets) was targeted twice, but came up empty. The Jets tight ends are almost a complete non-factor in the passing game at this point in the season. K: Doug Brien (1-2 FG, 1 XP) nailed the 41-yard field goal to put the Jets down 7-3 in the third quarter. He had earlier missed from 43 yards out on the Jets' opening possession when the kick attempt was blocked. Pass Defense: Considering the Browns' quarterbacks threw for just 120 passing yards in the game, it's plain to see the Jets did a very effective job in shutting this unit down. No Browns receiver ever got behind a Jets defender, and neither Garcia nor Holcomb ever had all that much time to throw. Erik Coleman had a ball right in his hands late in the game for one of the easiest interception opportunities he'll ever see, but he dropped the ball. Run Defense: They did an adequate job in this phase of the game, holding Cleveland to just 99 rushing yards on the day. The problem for New York was that a big chunk of that yardage was given up to William Green on one drive. Green rumbled for 30 of his 32 yards on one Browns' possession, culminating in the Browns' only touchdown of the day. Outside of that one drive, the Jets did a very effective job against the Cleveland runners, and the longest carry other than that drive went for just 9 yards. This unit almost created a turnover on a Lee Suggs run. Suggs' forward progress was halted and was ruled down, according to the refs, and the Jets stripped the ball and recovered it about a half second after the whistle had been blown to rule the play dead. LB Victor Hobson was seen limping badly off the field late in the game, but no update was given on his condition. Cleveland Browns QB: Jeff Garcia (10-17-88, 1 TD) was almost intercepted by Terrell Buckley on the Browns' first possession and it didn't get much better after that. He did manage a touchdown pass to TE Aaron Shea off a play-action fake. Garcia injured his throwing shoulder late in the first half and it was called a strained shoulder. He came out of the locker room in the second half and appeared ready and willing to come in, but Butch Davis stuck with Kelly Holcomb. Kelly Holcomb (4-10-32 passing) looked terrible. He was consistently off on nearly all of his passes. As badly as the Browns' offense played early in the game with Garcia at QB, they were much worse once Holcomb entered. RB: Lee Suggs (17-62 rushing; 3-15 receiving on 4 targets) provided somewhat of a spark late in the game, but overall wasn't really all that effective. In the second half, he was the majority of the Browns' offense and made some nice plays here and there. But due to the overall ineptitude of the offensive unit, it didn't translate into much fantasy success. On one play, Suggs fumbled the football and New York recovered, but the refs ruled that Suggs' forward progress had been stopped and ruled him down before the ball popped loose. William Green (8-32 rushing, 0-0 receiving on 1 target) led the Browns downfield on their only scoring drive of the game. His 21-yard run early in the possession was about the only big play we saw all game long from either team. Green was given a carry in the red zone and was tackled down at the 3-yard line. Aaron Shea caught a touchdown on the very next play. In the third quarter, Green was stuffed on a third and two play and wasn't seen running the ball again. It likely wasn't the reason he came out, but it was curious why he didn't see the field all that much after running the ball effectively on that one drive. WR: Antonio Bryant (3-36 receiving on 6 targets) caught 3 balls, but didn't make much of an impact on the outcome of the game. Dennis Northcutt (2-40 receiving on 5 targets, 1 fumble lost) likewise was unable to do much of anything. He caught a 27-yard pass early on, added another 13-yarder before halftime, and then didn't register a single catch in the second half. Northcutt fumbled a punt return at his own 47-yard line that was recovered by New York, but the Jets were unable to do anything with the possession. TE: Aaron Shea (2-7, 1 TD receiving on 3 targets) made the most of his three opportunities to make a catch, scoring a touchdown on a 3-yard pass from Jeff Garcia early on. Following the touchdown, Shea was rarely heard from again, as was the case with most of Cleveland's receivers. K: Phil Dawson (0-2 FG, 1 XP) had a rough one. It was a day to forget for the Browns kicker, who entered the game as the only kicker in the league that hadn't missed a field goal yet this season. He missed his first attempt from 42 yards away, and then later missed from just 34 yards out. To cap his day off, his kickoff following the Shea touchdown went out of bounds. It didn't lead to any points for New York, but certainly didn't help things any as far as Dawson was concerned. Pass Defense: At one point late in the second quarter, the Jets had a total of zero net passing yards. The Browns were basically teeing off on Quincy Carter, as evidenced by the six sacks they registered in the game. They also managed to record an interception, and kept him from completing any long pass plays because of constant pressure. CB Daylon McCutcheon left the game early with a sprained toe and didn't return until late. In fact, he didn't return until backup CB Anthony Henry also left the game after being shaken up in the fourth quarter. The Browns' pass defense did a solid to excellent job all game long until the last Jet possession. Several missed tackled led to the Jets setting themselves up for the game-winning score. The touchdown itself featured a weak attempt at a tackle by Michael Lehan. On the play, Justin McCareins caught a quick screen, stepped to the side of a diving Lehan, and took it into the end zone for the score. Run Defense: Obviously, when a team rumbles for 161 yards on the ground against you, it makes it much more difficult to win the game. The Browns; run defense wasn't awful early on, but it really let them down late. Consider: with the Jets trailing by four and needing a touchdown to stay in the game, coach Herman Edwards elected to run the ball on the first seven plays of their game-winning drive. That speaks volumes about his confidence in LaMont Jordan and Curtis Martin to be able to move the ball against the Browns' run defense. Arizona Cardinals 10 at Carolina Panthers 35 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Arizona Cardinals Shaun King started the game in place of the injured and ineffective Josh McCown and looked very rusty early on, fumbling a snap, colliding with his running back on a hand-off and having 2 of his first 6 passes tipped at the line of scrimmage. He was obviously not in sync with his receivers and was missing them badly. He shook off some of the rust as the game progressed, but continued to alternate between moments of hope and costly errors. Much of his yardage game late with the game out of reach. The story of the game for Arizona was mistakes. The offense was penalized for 60 yards in the first half alone, costing them a touchdown, many first downs and repeatedly stalling Cardinals' drives. The Cardinals' defense added 40 penalty yards of their own in the half. In addition to penalties, King threw 3 interceptions and fumbled the ball 4 times, though the Cardinals were able to cover all but 1 fumble. As a result, the Arizona offense didn't run a single red zone play in the first half. The penalties were greatly reduced in the second half, but by then the Cardinals were down 28-0. The Cardinals' big receivers, Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald, worked hard for every ball, out jumping Panthers' defenders and making smart adjustments on other poorly thrown balls. Shawn King's lack of practice time with the first team offense led to several plays where the receivers ran one route and King threw to another. This tandem of receivers has the ability to make somebody into a productive fantasy quarterback as King's 343 yards passing yards exhibits, but mistakes and miscommunication proved costly to everybody involved. Carolina Panthers Jake Delhomme aired it out to open the game and threw a number of deep balls throughout the day, showing no ill effects from his broken finger. His mediocre fantasy stats were a result of the Panthers' big lead and not quarterback ineffectiveness. He showed poise in the pocket and used his feet to escape pressure on the rare occasions where a Cardinals' defender came close. His first quarter interception was actually caught by Muhammad, and wrestled away by a Cardinal defender. The running back de jour for the Carolina Panthers was Nick Goings and he came through with a phenomenal effort. He had a huge 57-yard touchdown run sandwiched between 2 short rushing touchdowns. Goings was decisive, hitting the hole hard and using his blocks expertly. With all of the injury problems plaguing Carolina's running backs, Goings should continue to see the lion's share of action in the Panthers backfield. Muhsin Muhammad is one of the hottest receivers in the NFL right now with just under 450 yards and 7 touchdowns in the last 4 games. Muhammad got the first look from Delhomme nearly every time he dropped back to pass, was targeted on nearly half of Delhomme's passes and garnered all but 42 of Carolina's receiving yards. WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW Carolina Panthers QB: Jake Delhomme (12-25-157, 2 TD, 1 Int, 1-4 rushing) Delhomme played nearly mistake-free football in leading his team to victory. His low completion percentage can be attributed to an aggressive early game plan which saw Delhomme throwing middle to deep passes often. His lone interception appeared to be completed to Muhsin Muhammad, but the ball was wrestled away by Adrian Wilson and ruled an interception. Delhomme showed uncanny accuracy when he threaded a pass between 2 converging Cardinal defenders to hit Muhammad for a touchdown in the waning seconds of the first half. He did not show any ill effects of the broken bone in his right thumb. Rodney Peete relieved Delhomme late in the game. RB: Nick Goings (22-121 rushing, 3 TD, 3-21 receiving on 4 targets) Goings took his first carry of the day up the middle for 24 yards and never looked back. The Panthers' offensive line dominated Arizona's defensive front and Goings took full advantage of the situation by racking up big yardage and scoring his first 3 touchdowns of the season. Brandon Bennett (1-11 rushing) Bennett had the Panthers' second carry of the game and never saw another ball as Nick Goings earned the right to be this game's featured back. WR: Muhsin Muhammad (6-118 receiving on 12 targets, 2 TD, 1-13 rushing) Muhammad is far and away the first option when its time for Jake Delhomme to pass. A successful rushing game kept the Cardinals from dropping extra defenders into coverage and Muhammad was able to capitalize repeatedly. The only other wide receiver targeted in this game was Keary Colbert and only 6 balls were launched his way. The hottest receiver in the league looks to be given every opportunity to continue the trend. Keary Colbert (3-18 receiving on 6 targets) Colbert was the only Panther wide receiver besides Muhsin Muhammad to be targeted in this game. His targets were spread evenly throughout the game and were primarily short routes. TE: Kris Mangum (1-3 receiving on 2 targets) Mangum limped off the field in the Panther's first offensive possession, but returned and spent most of the day lining up in the backfield. This may be the norm because of Carolina's running back woes. K: Jeff Chandler (5 XP) Chandler had an easy day filling in for the injured John Casey. Pass Defense: With a big lead for most of the game, Carolina played a bend but don't break pass defense. Arizona's big receivers were able to win jump balls often over Carolina's smallish defenders, but Shaun King's inaccuracy created interception opportunities for any defender in the neighborhood of a Cardinal target and the Panthers tallied 3 interceptions on the day. Colin Branch came up 1 yard short of scoring a Panthers' defensive touchdown on an interception return. Rush Defense: Carolina's rush defense held a host of Cardinals' running backs
to 82 total rushing yards with Shawn King garnering 22 of those while scrambling.
Emmitt Smith managed only 26 yards on 11 carries and was stuffed on consecutive
carries from inside the 3 yard line. QB: Shaun King (28-52-343, 1 TD, 3 Int, 1 fumble lost, 6-22 rushing) Shaun King looked like a quarterback making his first start of the season. A significant percentage of his passing yardage came on jump balls that his receivers battled for and won. He and his receivers rarely looked in sync, with receivers breaking one way and passes going another. King had a number of his passes deflected at the line of scrimmage. The Cardinals looked to get back in the game early in the second quarter with a well-thrown touchdown pass to Anquan Boldin, but it was nullified by a questionable holding call. King threw an ugly interception on the next play. RB: Emmitt Smith (11-26 rushing, 1-4 receiving on 1 target) Smith and the Cardinals' rushing offensive was never able to get on track. Only 3 of Smith's carries went for 5 or more yards and his long was 9 yards. Smith was held out of the end zone on consecutive carries from inside the 3-yard line. Josh Scobey (4-19 rushing, 2-35 receiving on 2 targets) Most of Scobey's touches came on third down plays and he proved an effective check down receiver for Shawn King. Troy Hambrick (3-9 rushing) Hambrick was not a factor. Obafemi Ayanbadejo (1-6 rushing, 2-15 receiving on 4 targets) Yet another player in the Cardinal backfield. He was not a fantasy factor. WR: Larry Fitzgerald (7-92, 1 TD receiving on 15 targets) Fitzgerald continues to show progress on the rookie wide receiver curve, using his body well to shield off defenders and winning jump ball passes from quarterback Shaun King. Anquan Boldin got his hands on a pass in the end zone that likely would have been an easy Fitzgerald touchdown. Anquan Boldin (6-75 receiving on 13 targets,) Boldin appears to be fully recovered
from his injury and in game shape. He looked sharp adjusting to Shaun King's
not-so-accurate passes in making 3 consecutive second quarter receptions. The
last of those 3 went for a long touchdown, but it was nullified by a very questionable
holding penalty on tight end Freddie Jones. His height was a significant advantage
in winning a few jump balls from Panthers' defenders. Bryant Johnson (0-0 receiving on 4 targets) Three of his targets came in the same third quarter series and the other target resulted in an intentional grounding penalty. Johnson wasn't really a factor. TE: Freddie Jones (5-73 receiving on 6 targets) Jones had a solid game acting as a safety valve for the struggling Shawn King. Eric Edwards (2-12 receiving on 2 targets) Both of Edwards' targets came in the first half and he was not a significant fantasy factor. K: Neil Rackers (1 XP, 1-2 FG) Rackers missed his first attempt, a 50-yarder, wide left but hit from 28 yards in the third quarter. Pass Defense: Though Delhomme only recorded 157 passing yards, he connected when he needed to sustain scoring drives. Muhsin Muhammad was obviously the focus of Carolina's passing attack, and yet the Cardinals' defense was unable to contain him. They recorded zero sacks on the day. Rush Defense: The Panthers, a team averaging less than 100 rushing yards per game, amassed 117 rushing yards and 2 rushing touchdowns in the first quarter against a Cardinals' defense that looked confused. Nick Goings, the Panthers fourth string back, finished with 122 rushing yards and 3 rushing touchdowns. Arizona was overmatched and it cost them the game. Pittsburgh Steelers 19 at Cincinnati Bengals 14 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Pittsburgh Steelers The Steelers were terrific offensively between the 20s, but were downright horrible in the red zone. Pittsburgh was able to again dominate the time of possession, but their red zone trips were unproductive. The Steelers committed a number of holding penalties, and had several pass protection breakdowns leading to sacks, and they were able to muster only 10 points from 5 trips inside the Bengals' 20. Jerome Bettis, filling in again for the injured Duce Staley, had his third straight 100 yard game, but failed to score a TD. Bettis was the offensive star of this game for the Steelers. Ben Roethlisberger played an uneven, but generally solid game. He was again accurate, completing over 70% of his throws, but was sacked 7 times and fumbled the ball away once deep in Cincinnati territory. Roethlisberger threw for 138 yards and a TD with no interceptions, and picked up a couple of key first downs running the football. Plaxico Burress again led the Steelers with 46 yards receiving despite playing barely over one quarter. Burress left with a hamstring injury. Hines Ward was quiet, with only 15 yards receiving. Defensively, the Steelers were strong, particularly in the second half, in which they shut the Bengals out completely. James Farrior intercepted a Carson Palmer pass and returned it 15 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter, and the Steelers posted a late safety when Palmer was flagged for intentional grounding in his own end zone. Rudi Johnson and the Bengals' running attack were kept completely in check after half time, which enabled the Steelers to lock down in pass coverage. Cincinnati Bengals The Bengals were able to move the ball pretty well in the first half, but were completely neutralized in the second. Rudi Johnson ran well early on, breaking off a couple of nice runs, but was swarmed repeatedly as the game went on, finishing with 62 yards. The Bengals ran only 41 plays in the game, as the Steelers maintained long drives, so Johnson carried only 16 times. Carson Palmer played a good first half, throwing 2 TD passes, to Chad Johnson and Kelley Washington. It would have been a great half were it not for the interception thrown deep in his own territory. Palmer had tons of time to throw early, as the Steelers were throwing very few blitzes at the Bengals, and he took advantage. In the second half, however, with the Bengals playing from behind, the Steelers' pass rush was able to cut loose a bit, and got to Palmer three times. Chad Johnson led the way for Cincinnati with 80 receiving yards, including a great catch for his 36-yard touchdown reception. The Bengals' game-planned superbly on defense. They unloaded blitzes from every angle when the Steelers got close to the end zone, and three times were able to knock Pittsburgh out of field goal range with timely sacks. They garnered one turnover on the Roethlisberger fumble, and held the Steelers to only 10 offensive points. A terrific effort, particularly considering how long they were on the field. WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW Pittsburgh Steelers QB: Ben Roethlisberger (15-21-138, 1 TD, 9-16 rushing, 1 fumble lost) Roethlisberger was forced to scramble in the pocket, a fact which is shown not only by his season high 9 rushing attempts, but the 7 sacks recorded by Cincinnati. On many of those sacks, Roethlisberger had time to get rid of the ball, but looked to roll out away from pressure to make a play, and ended up being swarmed. When he did throw, however, he was very accurate, 3 of his incompletions were dropped by Steelers' receivers. His touchdown was an 8-yard pass in the third quarter, the Steelers' only red-zone touchdown of the day. Roethlisberger had a second touchdown pass called back, as Oliver Ross was whistled for holding. He did lose a fumble inside the Bengals 20 while scrambling on a play on which he was not hit, but simply dropped the ball. RB: Jerome Bettis (29-129 rushing, 1-3 receiving on 2 targets) Verron Haynes (2-6 rushing) Haynes served as the third-down back and got a couple of carries out of the shotgun formation. One went for a crucial first down, the other came on a 3rd and 17, and was called strictly to run clock. Dan Kreider (4-22, 1 TD receiving on 4 targets) The sure-handed Kreider caught 4 balls out of the backfield, including an 8-yard TD. On the touchdown catch, Kreider took the pass at about the 4 yard line and steamrolled a defender on his way to the end zone. WR: Plaxico Burress (3-46 receiving on 3 targets) Burress was targeted heavily early, as the Steelers looked to pick on rookie CB Keiwan Ratliff. Burress was grabbing everything thrown to him in the first quarter, but early in the second, pulled up lame with a hamstring injury. He remained in uniform on the sidelines for the remainder of the game. Coach Bill Cowher said Burress did not hear the hamstring pop. Keep an eye on his status this week. Antwaan Randle El (2-17 receiving on 2 targets) Randle El had a 21 yard touchdown catch nullified by Oliver Ross' holding penalty after taking over Burress' spot with the first-team offense. Most of his damage was again done in the return game. Randle El was sensational returning punts, including one he took all the way to the Cincinnati 18. He repeatedly set the Steelers up with good field position and was one of the keys to the win. Hines Ward (3-15 receiving on 5 targets) Ward was quiet for the second straight game. He also had an uncharacteristic drop on a 10-yard out pattern on which he was hit hard by Keiwan Ratliff. Lee Mays (1-9 receiving on 2 targets) Mays had one grab for 9 yards, but dropped another pass thrown well by Roethlisberger. TE: Jerame Tuman (1-26 receiving on 3 targets) Tuman had a big 26-yard reception that set up the Kreider touchdown. For the second straight week, Tuman was the only Steelers' tight end targeted. K: Jeff Reed (2 XP, 1-1 FG) Reed connected from 32 yards on his only FG attempt. Pass Defense: The Steelers' pass defense was inconsistent. Palmer was able to drive down the field on long drives twice in the first half, which culminated in Bengals touchdowns. Palmer had all day to throw in the first half, and Troy Polamalu and Deshea Townshend were burned for touchdowns. However, Farrior's interception return touchdown kept the score tight and set the Steelers up to pull away in the second half. After halftime, the Steelers pass rush improved, and the corners played much better - Cincinnati was able to do little in the fourth quarter especially. Rush Defense: The Steelers' run defense was very strong yet again. They held Rudi Johnson to only 62 yards, and again were not forced to do much in the second half. As the Steelers continue to take the lead on opponents and force them into a pass-first offense late in games, the rush defense continues to post excellent stats. Cincinnati Bengals QB: Carson Palmer (13-25-165, 2 TD, 1 Int) Palmer looked very good when he had time to throw. When Palmer was able to get comfortable in the pocket, he was very accurate, but when pressured, he made some major mistakes. The interception thrown to Farrior was a terribly ill-advised pass into double coverage, and the safety recorded by the Steelers late was directly attributable to Palmer. On the play, Palmer was under pressure at his own 1 yard line, ran backwards into the end zone, then flicked a pass when hit that never reached the line of scrimmage. His 36-yard TD pass to Johnson was not a very well-thrown ball, and looked like it was going to be picked off, but Johnson went up and simply took the ball away from Deshea Townshend. The touchdown to Washington, on the other hand, was a perfectly thrown dart over the top of the coverage. RB: Rudi Johnson (16-62 rushing, 1-1 receiving on 2 targets) It was an all-or-nothing type of day for Johnson, as it seemed all his runs were either for over 5 yards or for less than 2. He showed some nice speed and power early, but the Bengals were forced to abandon the run late, playing catch up. Despite the fact that the Bengals were not far behind, they were constantly facing terrible field position, and thus had to put the ball up in an attempt to get downfield quickly. Jeremi Johnson (1-9 receiving on 1 target) Johnson made a nice catch near the sidelines on his only look of the day. WR: Chad Johnson (5-80 receiving, 1 TD on 10 targets) Palmer was looking for Johnson all day, especially after Johnson made a spectacular catch for the Bengals' first touchdown. Johnson was by far the Bengals' most targeted receiver on the day, and often was able to create good separation from the Steelers' defenders. His size was a distinct advantage against the much shorter Townshend, and Johnson was able to use his size and strength to create space and get open repeatedly. He played a very strong game. Kelley Washington (3-47 receiving, 1 TD on 4 targets) Washington scored his first TD of the season on a 19-yard toss in the second quarter. On the play, Washington was able to get behind Steelers' safety Troy Polamalu, and Palmer delivered a perfectly thrown pass. He too was able to use his size to create mismatches against the smaller Willie Williams, and had a productive afternoon. T.J. Houshmandzadeh (2-24 receiving on 5 targets) Houshmandzadeh had 2 grabs on the game, one for a first down. Kevin Walter (1-4 receiving on 1 target) Walter made one reception in the game. TE: Matt Schobel (0-0 receiving on 1 target) Schobel was not a factor in the game. K: Shayne Graham (2 XP) Graham converted both of his extra point attempts. Pass Defense: The Bengals did a very nice job containing Hines Ward. Plaxico Burress was getting open frequently early, but was forced to leave the game with an injury, and the Bengals were able to bottle up his replacement, Antwaan Randle El. The Bengals came one sack shy of equaling an all-time team record, as they got to Roethlisberger 7 times. In addition, they also had a number of hurries and batted balls. The rush was the key to their pass defense, and they did a terrific job. Rush Defense: The Bengals join a long list of teams that were unable to contain the Steelers' running game. The way the Pittsburgh front five is run blocking right now, it is virtually impossible to slow them down no matter who is running the ball. Bettis was able to grind out yards with regularity, and when faced with stopping the run in order to get the ball back late in the game, Cincinnati was unable to do so. San Francisco 49ers 3 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers 35 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW San Francisco 49ers The 49ers' offense was wretched. The blame goes to everyone involved, the line didn't block, the running backs didn't run hard, the receivers made little effort to get open, and the quarterback either turned the ball over or was flat on his back. It was so bad that reserve running back Maurice Hicks, who was signed from the practice squad three weeks ago, ended up as San Francisco's leading rusher and receiver thanks to some garbage time carries and targets. Hicks had a 14-yard run on the final play of the first half, which gave the 49ers a total of 26 yards in the first two quarters. In the final 10 seconds of the game, Hicks had 2 carries from the Tampa Bay 1-yard line and was stopped short both times. Quarterback Tim Rattay should not take all the blame for the poor showing by the offense, but he certainly deserves some. He received little help from his line, which allowed 5 sacks and numerous pressures, and there were a few dropped passes, but competing 15 of 31 for 147 yards is not acceptable. Many of his incompletions were badly thrown balls that gave his teammates no chance to make a play. Rattay set up Tampa Bay's first touchdown when he fumbled while being sacked. At halftime, Rattay was 3 of 11 for 12 yards, with no completions to a wide receiver or a tight end. In the fourth quarter, down 28-3, Rattay threw an interception that was returned for a TD by Tampa Bay cornerback Torrie Cox. In Week 5, Eric Johnson set a San Francisco record for receiving yardage by a tight end. Against Tampa Bay, he was a forgotten man. He had his first target in the second quarter, and collected his lone reception in the fourth, for a mere 9 yards. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Quarterback Brian Griese shook off a sprained right shoulder to deliver a mostly efficient day. Griese missed Wednesday's practice and was listed as probable on the injury report. He completed 15 of 21 attempts, a remarkable 71%, for 210 yards, with 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. Had he not thrown two picks directly into the arms of San Francisco strong safety Tony Parrish, Griese really would have had a big day. The first interception was especially painful, as it came on second and goal at the 9-yard line, late in the first quarter. With Tampa Bay up, 35-3, in the fourth period, Griese gave way to Chris Simms. Griese had his pads off and an ice pack taped to his right shoulder while standing on the sidelines. Wide receiver Joe Jurevicius caught 2 touchdown passes in the second quarter, his first scores since the 2003 season opener at Philadelphia. Jurevicius missed much of last year and the first six games of 2004 with knee and back injuries, but caught all 5 passes thrown his way for 82 yards. He had a 9-yard grab to finish a 57-yard Tampa Bay drive early in the second period, then burned the 49ers' safeties with a 42-yard catch down the middle of the field just 17 seconds before halftime. Running back Michael Pittman notched his third consecutive 100-yard rushing day at home. He finished with 106 yards on 21 carries, including 2 touchdowns. His first TD came early in the first quarter on a 14-yard run, one play after a 49er turnover. He capped the Buccaneers' third-quarter-opening drive with a 6-yard blast off right tackle. He was a workhorse in the second half as Tampa Bay looked to burn the clock with a big lead. WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW San Francisco 49ers QB: Tim Rattay (15-31-147 passing, 1 Int, 2-6 rushing) For the third time this season, Rattay was sacked and had the ball knocked out of his hands on the first play of a possession, leading to a touchdown for the opposition. He overthrew and underthrew numerous receivers and seemed rattled by the pass rush. Rattay ignored his best weapon, TE Eric Johnson, and settled for dump-offs to the running backs far too often. He finished with only 3 completions to wide receivers. RB: Maurice Hicks (7-36 rushing, 3-37 receiving on 4 targets) Hicks had 2 carries, for 13 and 4 yards, on San Francisco's lengthy field goal drive in the third quarter. All 4 of his targets and catches came in the fourth period when the game was well out of hand. Kevan Barlow (14-30 rushing, 5-14 receiving on 8 targets) With the offensive line banged up the entire season and few other weapons to distract opposing defenses, Barlow has struggled all year. Against Tampa Bay, his longest rush was only 7 yards, and his longest reception 9 yards. He dropped 2 passes in the second quarter. Terry Jackson (2-31 receiving on 4 targets) The versatile Jackson did his best to try to set up a San Francisco score in the final two minutes His 22-yard catch and run gave the 49ers a first down at the Tampa Bay 24. WR: Rashaun Woods (1-32 receiving on 2 targets) The rookie from Oklahoma State didn't see much of the field prior to the fourth quarter, but he still led the 49ers' receiving corps in yardage. Woods was the target on Rattay's interception. His lone catch came on the first play of San Francisco's final possession. Cedrick Wilson (1-8 receiving on 2 targets) Wilson's only catch came on San Francisco's third quarter field goal drive. His other target came in the fourth quarter. Brandon Lloyd (1-7 receiving on 4 targets) Lloyd was called for offensive pass interference in the third quarter, a call that pushed the 49ers back to first and 20 from the Tampa 28. They kicked a field goal three plays later. Rattay targeted Lloyd twice in the first half, but overthrew him both times. Curtis Conway (0-0 receiving on 3 targets) Technically, Conway got three targets in the first half, but each pass was so badly thrown he didn't have a chance. Arnaz Battle (0-0 receiving on 1 target) The second-year player out of Notre Dame saw most of his action as San Francisco's punt returner. TE: Eric Johnson (1-9 receiving on 3 targets) Johnson didn't see the ball in the first quarter, and had just 1 target in each of the final three periods. It is difficult to understand not getting the ball into Johnson's hands, as he came into the game the NFL's second-leading receiver with 57 catches. Kevin Ware (1-9 receiving on 1 target) Ware made his first catch as a 49er in the final quarter. K: Todd Peterson (1-2 FGs) Peterson was short on a 50-yard field goal try in the second quarter, and accounted for all of San Francisco's points with a 47-yarder in the third period. Pass Defense: The 49ers generated just 2 sacks for 17 yards in losses, and one happened in the fourth quarter against backup QB Chris Simms. Tony Parrish made 2 interceptions, but both balls hit him in the chest. Other than those two plays, San Francisco did little to disrupt Tampa Bay's passing game. Rush Defense: San Francisco did a poor job against the run. Tampa Bay rushed for 159 yards on 35 tries, a 4.5-yard average. The Buccaneers ended up with a seven-minute time of possession advantage. Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB: Brian Griese (15-21-210 passing, 2 TD, 2 Int, 3-5 rushing) Other than the 2 inexplicable interceptions, Griese looked good. In the first half, he was 13 of 18 for 165 yards, plus both scores and both picks. He completed 4 of 5 passes on an early second quarter drive that put Tampa on top, 14-0. Chris Simms (0-0-0 passing) Simms might have had one pass attempt, but he stumbled trying to roll out after a play-action fake on third and 2 from the Tampa Bay 43 and was sacked for a 10-yard loss. RB: Michael Pittman (21-106 rushing, 2 TDs, 0-0 receiving on 1 target) Pittman's longest run of the day came on his second carry: a 14-yard touchdown that opened the scoring. He tallied 18 yards on 4 carries on the Bucs' first drive of the second half, including a 6-yard touchdown. Pittman carried the ball on 4 of 6 plays on two possessions late in the third quarter and into the fourth at Tampa tried to grind out the clock. Pittman lost a 12-yard reception in the first quarter to a facemask penalty on an offensive lineman. Earnest Graham (4-27 rushing) The rookie from Florida had 3 of his 4 carries on Tampa's final possession as he took over clock-grinding duties from Pittman. His other rush was a second quarter draw play on third and 15 from the Tampa Bay 35 that gained 6 yards. Mike Alstott (7-21 rushing) Alstott had a 2-yard touchdown run nullified by an illegal procedure penalty in the first quarter. Jameel Cook (1-9 receiving on 1 target). Cook caught the only pass thrown his way. The 9-yard reception gave Tampa a first and goal at the San Francisco 6 early in the third quarter, and Pittman scored on the next play. WR: Joe Jurevicius (5-82, 2 TD on 5 targets) Jurevicius had all 5 of his targets and catches in the first half. He caught a pass for 5 yards on Tampa's first possession, then became the big-play guy in the second quarter. Michael Clayton (4-66 receiving on 5 targets) The rookie from LSU continues to impress. The only time he did not catch a pass thrown his way was because Griese skipped it. His longest reception of the game, 36 yards, converted a third and 11 from the Tampa Bay 37 and helped set up Pittman's second touchdown. Joey Galloway (3-33 receiving on 8 targets) Galloway had all three of his receptions on one drive - a first quarter march that ended in Griese's interception in the end zone. Both of Griese's picks came on passes to Galloway, though both were poorly thrown. TE: Will Heller (1-13 receiving on 1 target) Heller made his only target count, catching a pass on the first play of a TD drive in the second quarter. Ken Dilger (1-7 receiving on 1 target) Tampa's starting tight end had a quiet day. His only reception came in the first quarter, on second and 8 from the SF 11. K: Martin Gramatica (5-5 XP) Gramatica made all five extra points and did not attempt a field goal. Pass Defense: Tampa Bay's pass defense never let the 49ers get going. The Buccaneers sacked Tim Rattay 5 times for 22 yards in losses, and harried him into a sub-50% completion percentage. The interception by Torrie Cox was the first of his career, and he took it all the way for a score. Rush Defense: The Buccaneers' run defense was excellent, allowing just 72 yards on 23 carries, a 3.1 yard average. That includes giving up a 14-yard run on the last play of the first half, which inflated San Francisco's average by a half yard. Denver Broncos 34 at New Orleans Saints 13 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos came off the bye week with and exploded for 20 points in the first quarter against the New Orleans Saints. On the Broncos' first play from scrimmage RB Rueben Droughns took the hand-off from Jake Plummer and raced down the sideline 51 yards for a touchdown. On the next possession WR Ashley Lelie caught two passes from Plummer, the second a strike for a 37-yard touchdown and a quick 14-0 lead over the Saints. Four plays from scrimmage and two quick touchdowns for the Broncos and the Saints were not able to recover from the early deficit. Jake Plummer had a nice game for the Broncos with two touchdown passes, 224 pass yards, and no interceptions. Plummer had most of his yardage in the first half of the game, including a 37-yard touchdown pass to WR Lelie. In the second half Plummer connected with RB Kyle Johnson for a 19-yard touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter that put the game out of reach for the Saints. Reuben Droughns had a terrific game for the Broncos rushing for over 100 yards for the fifth time this season. Droughns was a workhorse in the game carrying the ball 28 times most of them in the second half as the Broncos took time off the clock. Reuben Droughns finished the day with 166 yards on the ground, including a 51-yard touchdown run and 25 yards receiving. On the defensive side of the ball for the Broncos, Champ Bailey had an excellent game which included 13 tackles, 11 of them solo and a remarkable interception in the end zone that Bailey somehow managed to get both feet down in bounds for the touchback. Initially Bailey's interception was ruled an incomplete pass but Denver coach Mike Shanahan challenged the play which was over turned after review. In addition to Bailey's performance, LB Al Wilson registered his first interception of the season and ran it in for a touchdown. DE Reggie Hayward also had an interception in the game and almost took it in for a score before being caught from behind by Saints TE Boo Williams. New Orleans Saints In a game where the Saints looked bad on both offense and defense, QB Aaron Brooks managed to set passing records for most attempts and most completions by a Saints' quarterback in a game. Brooks completed 34 passes on 60 attempts in the losing effort. The Saints were forced to pass the ball most of the game due to their inability to rush the ball and falling behind quickly in the game. Brooks threw for 377 yards in the game and one touchdown but made several costly mistakes including three interceptions. One of those interceptions was returned for a touchdown and a second was returned 76 yards before the Broncos' defender was tackled, the Broncos would go on to score after the interception. RB Deuce McAllister had a rough day on the ground against a very stingy Broncos' defense and could only accumulate 42 yards rushing. However, McAllister did have a nice day receiving with 11 receptions for 87 yards. McAllister, who was listed as probable in the game after coming down with the flu earlier in the week, showed no signs of being effected by the flu or the ankle injury that has plagued him off and on during the season. He was held scoreless in the game after scoring at least one touchdown in each of his last four games. Donte Stallworth had his best game of the season for New Orleans with 10 receptions and 122 yards receiving including a 30-yard touchdown receptions in the second quarter. Stallworth took advantage of WR Joe Horn being blanketed most of the game by CB Champ Bailey and received most of the targets from Aaron Brooks. Stallworth had an opportunity for what could have been his second touchdown of the contest in the third quarter as Aaron Brooks tossed a long pass downfield that went right through his hands. WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW Denver Broncos QB: Jake Plummer (19-29-224, 2 TD, 3 for -1 rushing) Plummer started the game sharp connecting with WR Lelie on his first two pass attempts for 70 yards including a 37-yard touchdown strike. Plummer led the Broncos' balanced offensive attack that totaled nearly 400 yards. Plummer seemed to baffle the Saints' defenders with his play action passes and rollouts throughout the entire game. His second touchdown of the game came early in the fourth quarter to FB Kyle Johnson on a play action pass, rollout to his left that Johnson took into the end zone for a 19-yard touchdown reception. RB: Reuben Droughns (28-166 rushing, 1 TD, 2-25 receiving on 3 targets) Droughns had a huge game against a woeful Saints' defense as he exploded for a 51-yard touchdown run on the first play of the game for Denver. Droughns took the handoff over left tackle, cut outside to the sideline and scampered untouched into the end zone and a quick 7-0 Bronco lead. Droughns exploited the defense throughout the entire game and had accumulated over 100 yards in the first half alone. Although his second half stats were not as impressive as the first half, Droughns continued to run hard and pound the ball inside as the Broncos dominated the third quarter time of possession. Kyle Johnson (1-19, 1 TD receiving on 1 target) Johnson made the most of his one catch on the afternoon taking a short pass from QB Plummer and running 19 yards for the touchdown. Although he only has just five catches on the season, two of Johnson's catches have gone for touchdowns. WR: Ashley Lelie (3-79, 1 TD receiving on 7 targets) Ashley Lelie caught his team leading sixth touchdown pass of the season in the first quarter of the game. Lelie ran for 15 yards after the catch on a pass from Plummer for a 37-yard touchdown reception. Lelie beat his defender in man-to-man coverage where the Saints' safety failed to help on the play, Lelie lunged for the pylon with the ball that barely managed to cross the plane of the end zone for the score. Late in the game Lelie had a 36-yard reception called back due to offensive pass interference on the play by Lelie. He finished the game with an impressive 26.3 yards per catch. Rod Smith (3-26 receiving on 3 targets) Rod Smith was really not a factor in the game for Denver and only had three passes thrown his way for the entire game. Smith caught two of his three receptions in the second quarter, one of them for a 13 yard gain. Darius Watts (1-12 receiving on 3 targets) Darius Watts did not have any significant contributions in the game for the Broncos. Watts caught just one pass late in the third quarter on a drive that Denver would later score their final touchdown of the game. TE: Dwayne Carswell (5-27 receiving on 7 targets) Carswell saw the most targets at the tight end position for Denver but was not really a factor in the game. Jeb Putzier (4-36 receiving on 5 targets) Putzier had a couple of nice catches in the game for Denver in the game. Three of his four receptions were for first downs. K: Jason Elam (4-4 XP, 2-2 FG) Elam converted all four of his extra point attempts in the game. He was also two for two on field goal attempts connecting from 48 yards and 34 yards away. Pass Defense: The Broncos' pass defense gave up 377 yards in the air to the Saints' Aaron Brooks but most of the yardage was ineffective since the Broncos only allowed one touchdown in the game. The Saints were forced to throw the ball throughout the game after falling behind early which resulted in big passing numbers allowed. The Broncos had just two sacks of Brooks but they put plenty of pressure on him during the contest. Denver did have two interceptions in the game one of which was returned for a touchdown. As a side note, S John Lynch returned to the Broncos line-up after missing a game due to a fractured tailbone. Rush Defense: The Broncos' run defense was tenacious and held Saints RB Deuce McAllister to just 42 yards in the game. They quickly closed the gaps and left McAllister with nowhere to run all day long. Even early in the game when New Orleans was attempting to run the ball they were not very successful. New Orleans Saints QB: Aaron Brooks (34-60-377 passing, 1 TD, 3 INT, 1-7 rushing) Brooks' numbers look pretty impressive until you see his three interceptions for the game. Brooks was under relentless pressure from the Denver pass rush and made several mistakes which ultimately hurt his team. Of his three interceptions, one was returned for a touchdown, another was intercepted in the end zone when the Saints had a chance to cut the Denver lead to two scores and the last one was almost returned for another score. While deep in Saints' territory, Brooks tried avoiding a sack when he errantly threw the ball underhand while falling to the ground; Denver LB Wilson intercepted and ran it in for a score. On a positive, Brooks did throw for one touchdown in the game, a 30-yard strike to WR Stallworth down the right sideline. In addition, Brooks did call his own number in the fourth quarter rushing for an apparent touchdown and he flipped into the end zone but the play was nullified due to offsetting penalties. RB: Deuce McAllister (13-42 rushing, 11-87 receiving on 15 targets) In an unusual game statistically for McAllister, he saw more targets as a receiver then he had rushing attempts in the game. McAllister was never able to establish any rushing threat against a tough Broncos' defense. He did have a very nice game in the receiving category, hauling in 11 receptions for 87 yards. Most of the McAllister's receptions were short "dump" passes over the middle or to the sideline where he ran for plenty of yardage after the catch. Even with all the receptions in the game, he was unable to find the end zone for a score. Aaron Stecker (1-3 receiving on 1 target) Stecker was not a factor at all in this game and caught his only pass in the third quarter. WR: Donte Stallworth (10-122, 1 TD receiving on 14 targets) Stallworth was the most productive of the Saints' wide receivers in the game hauling in 10 receptions for 122 yards. Stallworth saw plenty of passes thrown his way as QB Brooks' defensive reads had him often looking for his second or third receiver on the play and Stallworth made the most of his targets. With Brooks scrambling, he found an open Stallworth down the right sideline for a 30-yard touchdown pass. Stallworth broke the tackle of the Denver defender and sprinted down the sideline for the score. Joe Horn (5-81 receiving on 11 targets) Horn did play in the game although he was listed as questionable with a left knee injury sustained during practice. WR Horn was matched up one-on-one with CB Champ Bailey most of the game and was limited to just five catches. Horn had just two catches for 22 yards in the first half and saw most of his yardage come late in the game when Denver had primarily gone to a prevent defense. Horn was the intended receiver in the end zone on the interception thrown by Brooks. He did leave the game in the fourth quarter after leaping to catch a pass and taking a hard hit from Denver DB Kennedy. Horn would return to the game but appeared to be bothered with a possible shoulder or arm injury. Jerome Pathon (3-44 receiving on 8 targets) Pathon was used primarily as the Saints third receiver and was not a big factor in this game. Pathon did have a nice 30-yard reception early in the second quarter that put the Saints into Denver territory. The Saints went on to kick a field goal later in that drive for the first points of the game. TE: Boo Williams (3-35 receiving on 10 targets) Williams had just three catches in the game on 10 targets but several of the incomplete pass to Williams were errant throws from QB Brooks. Williams had a nice 18 yard catch over the middle that helped set up a field goal by John Carney late in the second quarter. Williams did receive a target in the end zone early in the second quarter but Brooks' pass sailed over Williams head in the back of the end zone. K: John Carney (1-1 XP, 2-2 FG) John Carney made his only extra point attempt of the game. He was also perfect on his two field goal attempt in the game, one from 24 yards and the other from 37 yards. Pass Defense: The Saints' pass defense held QB Jake Plummer to just 224 yards passing but did give up two touchdown passes. They did not have a sack in the game and really did not put any pressure on Plummer during the entire game. The pass defense did not come away with an interception in the game either. Rush Defense: The Saints' rush defense was shredded by Denver RB Reuben Droughns for 166 yards on the afternoon and frequently missed tackles throughout the entire game. They allowed one rushing touchdown, which happened to be on the Broncos first play from scrimmage for 51 yards. Tennessee Titans 18 at Jacksonville Jaguars 15 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Tennessee Titans Returning from a bruised sternum, Steve McNair commanded the Titans to an 18-15 divisional victory on the road. McNair finished the day with 18 completions of 30 attempts for 209 yards, including 1 TD and 2 interceptions, a game where he spread the ball around well, but focused on trying to beat the Jaguars deep on numerous times with passes intended for Drew Bennett. Drew Bennett saw 11 targets in this game, though he caught just 4 balls for 64 yards, proving to be most effective by simply stretching the defense. Derrick Mason scored a touchdown for the second straight week, but was otherwise held in check, with 3 catches for 56 yards. McNair spread the ball around well to the tight ends, Erron Kinney, Shad Meier, and Ben Troupe who combined for 4 receptions for 46 yards. Kinney had the catch of the day on 4th and 1 from the Jacksonville 25 with under 4 minutes left in the game. With Chris Brown nursing a turf toe injury, Antowain Smith filled the void, rushing for 95 yards on 24 carries, and providing a solid target out of the backfield with 3 catches. Troy Fleming was again an important part of the Titans' game plan. Jacksonville Jaguars With Byron Leftwich still out, the Jaguars turned again to David Garrard, but were unable to win at home, splitting the season series with the away team winning both games. The Titans took away the passing game, and limited Garrard to just 13 completions of 27 attempts for 129 yards. Garrard was more effective in the rushing game, picking up a rushing touchdown in addition to 34 yards on the ground. Jimmy Smith was bottled up and finished with his least productive day of the season but he was not alone. Cortez Hankton, Troy Edwards, and Reggie Williams were also limited. The Jaguars were most effective in this game on the ground, where Fred Taylor finished with 103 yards on 21 carries, but were unable to run as much as they might have liked as they trailed most of the game. The Jaguars briefly took a 13-10 lead late in the third quarter and then a 15-10 lead after a safety, but were unable to put the Titans away after taking the lead. Three other running backs, Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala, Greg Jones, and LaBrandon Toefield all saw action in this game in spot duty for Fred Taylor and definitive roles as designed by the offensive schemes. WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW Tennessee Titans QB: Steve McNair (18-30-209, 1 TD, 2 Int, 2-4 rushing) Steve McNair returned from his bruised sternum to lead the Titans to a 18-15 victory on the road in a hard fought divisional matchup. Making his first appearance since being injured in Week 7, McNair completed 60% of his passes. He threw for a touchdown and averaged 7.0 yards per passing attempt, but did throw 2 interceptions, en route to a 64.4 passer rating. Early in the game, he looked at his underneath receivers, but concentrated primarily on Drew Bennett as the game wore on. RB: Antowain Smith (24-95 rushing, 1 TD, 3-14 receiving on 3 targets) Making a start for the injured Chris Brown, Antowain Smith averaged 4.0 yards per carry, scored from 2 yards out, and pulled in 3 passes. Smith's long run on the day was from 11 yards out. Troy Fleming (1-4 rushing, 3-17 receiving on 3 targets) Troy Fleming was used primarily as a receiving back, and pulled in all 3 passes intended for him. The Titans have been utilizing him more and more in recent weeks, but Fleming did not play a significant role in the running game with Chris Brown out. Chris Brown missed this game with a turf toe injury that he has been battling for at least a month now. The team had suggested he would be listed as doubtful at the beginning of the week, however he was officially listed as questionable on the injury report, and was unable to practice all week. WR: Derrick Mason (3-56, 1 TD receiving on 5 targets) Derrick Mason was targeted
less than usual this week, but came up with the only touchdown reception on
the day for the Titans, scoring from 37 yards out. One of McNair's interceptions
was targeted for Mason, however the interception could not be attributed to
Mason. Eddie Berlin (1-12 receiving on 1 target) With Mason and Bennett both healthy, and McNair returning to the quarterback, the third receiver in the system was not utilized to a great degree in this game. TE: Erron Kinney (2-31 receiving on 3 targets) Erron Kinney came up with the most important catch of the day with 3:42 remaining in the game and the Titans trailing 15-10 with 4th and 1 to go from the 25 yard line. Kinney hauled in a 21-yard reception to set up the winning touchdown by Antowain Smith. Shad Meier (1-8 receiving on 2 targets) All three of the tight ends were utilized in this game, and will likely continue a rotation as the year continues. Ben Troupe (1-7 receiving on 2 targets) Troupe had a second catch called back due to a holding penalty, accounting for the second target of the game. K: Gary Anderson (1-1 XP, 1-1 FG) Gary Anderson made the only field goal attempted on the day, a 41 yard field goal at the end of the 1st quarter. Trailing 15-10 with 3:42 remaining in the 4th quarter, the Titans opted against an Anderson field goal and playing defense, which turned out to be a good move as the Titans drove for the touchdown and won the game. Pass Defense: The Titans limited the Jaguars to just 129 yards passing by David Garrard and for the most part shut down Jimmy Smith and company. Rush Defense: The Titans found less success in containing the Jaguars' rushing game, as Fred Taylor gained over 100 yards on the day, and David Garrard was able to consistently scramble out of the pocket when he needed to, including a 5-yard scramble to put Jacksonville ahead late in the 3rd quarter. Jacksonville Jaguars QB: David Garrard (13-27-129, 1 Int, 5-34, 1 TD rushing) Garrard showed the Jaguars' faithful that his feet are still his best weapon, and that his abilities in the passing game have not yet evolved enough to win games when most needed. Garrard's interception came on a deep out at the end of the game, but he averaged just 4.8 yards per passing attempt, and finished with just a 46.7 rating. RB: Fred Taylor (21-103 rushing, 1 fumble lost, 3-20 receiving on 3 targets) Taylor gained over 100 yards and averaged 5 yards per carry, but suffered a costly fumble in the first quarter which led to a Titans' field goal which set the momentum for this game. Taylor was lifted near the goal line and spelled occasionally throughout the game. Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala (3-12 rushing) The Jaguars gave Fuamatu-Ma'afala three carries on 1st and 10's throughout the course of the game. Greg Jones (2-2 rushing) Greg Jones has assumed the role of short yardage back on this team, but did not have a great deal of opportunities in this game. LaBrandon Toefield (1-0 rushing, 1-4 receiving on 1 target) Toefield has found a crowded backfield in Jacksonville, limiting both his rushing attempts and receiving targets. WR: Jimmy Smith (2-29 receiving on 7 targets) Jimmy Smith has been one of the hottest receivers over the last month, but was limited to just 2 catches in this game as the Jaguars never really got the passing game going. Cortez Hankton (3-27 receiving on 3 targets) Ernest Wilford was deactivated, which opened up more playing time for Hankton, who converted all three attempts thrown his way. Troy Edwards (2-24 receiving on 6 targets) David Garrard does not seem to have the same timing and confidence in Edwards as Byron Leftwich does. Reggie Williams (1-13 receiving on 4 targets) Garrard looked the rookie's way numerous times late, but Reggie Williams was only able to pull in one ball. TE: Kyle Brady (1-12 receiving on 2 targets) The Jaguars appeared to be holding Brady back throughout this game to block for Garrard, giving him more time to scramble and find the open guy. Conversely, Todd Yoder was sent out more often on patterns and saw 2 targets but no catches. K: Josh Scobee (1-1 XP, 2-3 FG) Scobee made field goals of 35 and 48 yards, but missed a key field goal 44-yard field goal wide right with 7:24 remaining in the game that would have extended the lead to 18-10, and ensured that the Titans would have needed two scores to win the game. Pass Defense: The Jaguars came up with 2 interceptions, 3 sacks and a safety, but were unable to stop the Titans late in the game when they most needed to. Rush Defense: The Jaguars gave up a combined 103 yards between Antowain Smith, Steve McNair and Troy Fleming, but held them to just 3.8 yards per carry and were not beaten on any one given play. A respect for the run may have caused the key Erron Kinney reception which led to the Titans late touchdown. Detroit Lions 19 at Minnesota Vikings 22 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Detroit Lions WR Eddie Drummond went untouched as he returned the opening kickoff back for a 92-yard TD. Drummond was the highlight for the Lions as he totaled 168 yards in kickoff and punt returns for the game. QB Joey Harrington, possibly playing to save his starting job, played an effective
first half going TE Stephen Alexander led all Lions' receivers with 4 catches for 27 yards and a TD. WR Roy Williams was held to just 2 catches for 19 yards and his counterpart WR Tai Streets managed only 1 catch for 21 yards. DE Cory Redding tackled RB Onterrio Smith in the end zone for a safety and accounted for the only points the Lions scored in the second half. Minnesota Vikings After the opening kickoff return for a TD by the Lions, it took QB Daunte Culpepper
83 seconds to pull the Vikings even at 7-7. Culpepper completed his first pass
of the game for 61 yards to WR Kelly Campbell. Two plays later, Culpepper hit
TE Jermaine Wiggins in the end zone for an RB Michael Bennett and RB Onterrio Smith shared playing time in the backfield alternating possessions. Bennett started the game and gained 30 yards on 11 carries, with Smith garnering 27 yards on 8 carries. RB Moe Williams got the short yardage and goal line touches and punched in a 1-yard TD run for the go ahead score. WR Randy Moss was once again sidelined by his hamstring injury and WR Nate Burleson filled his shoes nicely amassing 5 catches for 52 yards on 5 targets and a TD. The other two wide receivers, Marcus Robinson and Kelly Campbell, each had just one catch. TE Jermaine Wiggins was the leading receiver and Culpepper's favorite option in the passing game. Wiggins caught an 8-yard TD in the opening drive. He had 8 catches for 51 yards on 12 targets for the game. WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW Detroit Lions QB: Joey Harrington (12-19-91 passing, 1 TD, 1 INT, 4-17 rushing) had a poor showing for someone who is trying to save his starting spot. He was off target for much of the game and had just one completion over 20 yards. To his defense, Harrington's two starting wide receivers were both hobbled by injuries and his deep threat in Az-Zahir Hakim was on the sidelines in street clothes because of an injured hip. Harrington ran for two first downs on Detroit's opening drive, both for third down conversions. Due largely in part to the two long sustained drives by the Vikings' offense in the second half, Harrington did not have many opportunities and was just 2-4 for 11 yards and an INT in the fourth quarter. Harrington made a bad decision and a late throw when he threw his only interception late in the game, killing any chance on a comeback. RB: Kevin Jones (19-100 rushing, 3-0 receiving on 3 targets) rushed for 8 yards
on his first carry and totaled 25 yards on 5 carries in Detroit's opening drive.
The Lions' offense relied heavily on Jones in the first half as he compiled
95 yards in 15 carries. The holes were not there in the second half and Jones
was completely shut down by the swarming Vikings' defense. Jones managed just
5 yards on 4 carries in the second half, but it was the first time this season
he had a 100-yard rushing performance. FB Cory Schlesinger (1-1 rushing) received his only touch on a goal line carry and was stopped at the Viking 1 for a 1-yard gain midway through the first quarter. WR: Tai Streets (1-21 receiving on 1 target) was not targeted in the first half and caught his only pass for 21 yards, early in the third quarter. Streets was slowed by his injured hamstring. Roy Williams (2-19 receiving on 4 targets) is still limited by his injured ankle and had trouble creating separation from the defenders. Williams made his first reception for 11 yards on Harrington's first pass attempt, early in the first quarter. Williams other catch came at the start of the third quarter for 8 yards. Williams had a 23-yard reception down to the Vikings 1 wiped out when he was called for offensive pass interference, midway through the second quarter. Williams also dropped a 34-yard perfectly thrown pass in the end zone on the very next play. Reggie Swinton (3 targets) was the intended receiver on Harrington's interception late in the game. Swinton was a victim of poorly thrown passes by Harrington. Eddie Drummond (1-9 rushing) took an end around for 9 yards, midway through the second quarter. Drummond's biggest contributions came on kickoff and punt return duties. He returned the opening kickoff 92 yards for a TD and totaled 156 yards on 4 kickoff returns and 12 yards on 3 punt returns. Drummond became the only other player in NFL history besides Dante Hall of Kansas City to have both two punt returns and two kickoff returns for TDs in a single season. Az-Zahir Hakim did not play due to his injured hip. TE: Stephen Alexander (4-27 receiving on 5 targets, 1 TD) caught his first pass in the opening drive for 10 yards down to the Vikings 2. On the next play, Harrington badly overthrew a wide-open Alexander in the end zone. Two plays later, Alexander and Harrington hooked up for a 1-yard TD reception. Alexander was the leading receiver for the Lions hauling in 4 catches for 27 yards on 5 targets. Casey Fitzsimmons (1-15 receiving on 1 target) caught the only pass thrown his way midway through the second quarter for 15 yards and a third down conversion. K: Jason Hanson (2-2 XP, 1-1 FG) converted on his only field goal attempt from 48 yards, late in the second quarter. Pass Defense: The Lions' pass defense was able to get good pressure on Daunte Culpepper in the first half and sacked him 3 times and FS Brock Marion had an interception. Culpepper was able to scramble effectively in the second half and the Lions' secondary could not stop him as he rallied the Vikings' offense for the come from behind victory. Rush Defense: Detroit did an excellent job of holding the tandem of Michael Bennett and Onterrio Smith to a combined 57 yards on 19 carries for a mediocre 3-yard per carry average. The rush defense did not fare as well with Daunte Culpepper as he broke containment and was able to pick up a couple crucial first downs for third down conversions. Minnesota Vikings QB: Daunte Culpepper (22-32-233, 2 TD, 1 INT, 11-35 rushing) was not as precise as he has been all season but he made the plays when it counted. On the very first play from scrimmage, Culpepper showed off his strong arm hitting Kelly Campbell deep downfield while rolling right for a 61-yard completion. Culpepper threw his first TD pass to Jermaine Wiggins while again rolling to his right and throwing across his body for an 8-yard TD strike. Early in the second quarter, Culpepper took a flea flicker from Michael Bennett and rumbled around the right end for 10 yards when he could not find an open receiver. Culpepper was the Vikings leading rusher gaining 35 yards on 11 carries. He threw his only interception late in the second quarter when he made a bad decision and threw deep into double coverage. Trailing 19-7, midway through the third quarter, Culpepper took the team on his shoulders as he led the Vikings offense on back-to-back long TD drives using the hurry-up offense to spark the comeback. He hit Nate Burleson in the corner of the end zone, threading a laser pass for the 6-yard TD pass play. On the next drive, Culpepper made his best play of the game when he avoided a sack and while rolling right hit Moe Williams for 14 yards down to the Detroit 1 for the third down conversion. On those two drives, Culpepper was a combined 12-17 for 105 yards and 13 yards rushing on 3 carries. RB: Michael Bennett (11-30 rushing, 3-27 receiving on 3 targets) started the game and gained 1 yard on his first carry. Bennett's longest carry of 8 yards came on a draw play up the middle at the start of the second quarter. Early in the fourth quarter, Bennett caught a screen pass and sprinted for 13 yards. Onterrio Smith (8-27 rushing, 2-14 receiving on 3 targets) alternated possessions
with Bennett and had only 2 carries for 6 yards in the first half. Smith had
no chance when he was tackled in the end zone for a safety, early in the third
quarter. He had his best run for 12 yards up the middle on a draw play, midway
through the fourth quarter. Smith received a goal line carry at the end of the
third quarter and ran up the middle for two yards before being tackled at the
Lions 2. Mewelde Moore is still sidelined due to his high ankle sprain suffered in week 8 against the New York Giants. WR: Kelly Campbell (1-61 receiving on 5 targets) made his only catch count as he grabbed Culpepper's first pass of the game for 61 yards to help set up the Vikings first TD. On the first play on the second quarter, Culpepper targeted Campbell on a deep pass in the end zone. Campbell was the intended target on another deep pass at the end of the first half when Culpepper threw his only interception. Culpepper had Campbell open in the end zone from 21 yards out late in the third quarter, but badly overthrew him. Nate Burleson (5-52 receiving on 5 targets, 1 TD) caught every pass thrown his way, including a couple of beautiful, diving catches. Burleson's first reception was a great leaping catch for 15 yards, late in the second quarter. He had an excellent 6-yard catch in the corner of the end zone for a TD, early in the fourth quarter. Burleson converted the subsequent 2-point conversion with a nice diving catch. Marcus Robinson (1-7 receiving on 2 targets) had his only reception for 7 yards, late in the third quarter. At the end of the first quarter, Robinson drew a 36-yard pass interference penalty against CB Dre' Bly. Culpepper targeted Robinson on a fade route in the corner of the end zone, midway through the fourth quarter. Randy Moss was still out of action because of his right hamstring injury and watched the game from the sidelines. TE: Jermaine Wiggins (8-51 receiving on 12 targets, 1 TD) has become the beneficiary from the loss of Randy Moss and has become a reliable target for Culpepper. Wiggins caught his first pass for an 8-yard TD on the opening drive. Late in the second quarter, Wiggins had four consecutive passes thrown to him, catching 3 of them for 14 yards. Wiggins caught 3 consecutive passes for 21 yards, midway through the third quarter. K: Morten Andersen (2-2 XP) converted on both of his extra point attempts. Pass Defense: The Vikings' secondary blanketed Lions' receivers and caused Joey Harrington problems all game long. The Minnesota pass defense was very stingy as they only allowed a total of 67 net yards passing. DE Lance Johnstone recorded all three of the Vikings' sacks. CB Antoine Winfield led the Vikings with 7 tackles and his late interception of Harrington secured the victory. Rush Defense: Although Kevin Jones burned the Minnesota rush defense for 95 yards on 15 carries in the first half, they completely shut down the running lanes in the second half. Jones was held to a meager 5 yards on 4 carries after halftime and the Lions as a whole, managed just 18 yards on the ground in the second half. Detroit's offense was held scoreless in the second half and the inspired play of the defense was the catalyst for Culpepper and the Vikings' offense. San Diego Chargers 23 at Oakland Raiders 17 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW San Diego Chargers Early on, the Chargers appeared to be on their way to a blowout win similar to their 42-14 thrashing of Oakland in week 8. Drew Brees picked up where he left off before the bye week, leading San Diego to touchdowns on two of their first four drives, only being prevented from a third touchdown by Lorenzo Neal's fumble into the end zone on the goal line. Brees tossed an early touchdown and later called his own number, scoring from 6 yards out on a draw. However, Brees seemed to go into a bit of a slump midway through the game and the Chargers' offense stalled for long stretches. This led to a close contest before Brees pulled out of it and led San Diego to the win. After using the bye week to rest his injured groin, LaDainian Tomlinson appeared to be close to fully recovered. Tomlinson ran 37 times for 164 yards and a score. The pattern of having Jesse Chatman spell Tomlinson appears to be over, as Chatman did not receive a carry. Tomlinson ran hard and often broke into the Raiders secondary. After getting stuffed on the goal line on a series late in the third quarter, the Chargers got crafty on their next trip to the red zone. Late in the fourth quarter, San Diego faked a reverse from the Oakland 6 yard line to get Tomlinson some running room. The extra room was enough for Tomlinson to burst up the middle for the touchdown. Keenan McCardell(7-91) and Antonio Gates(8-101, TD) received 23 of Brees' 34 passing attempts. Gates scored early on an easy reception in the front of the end zone over FS Ray Buchanan. McCardell dropped what should have been a touchdown on an option pass from Tomlinson. Tomlinson overthrew the ball a bit and McCardell couldn't make the tough catch. Outside of that though, McCardell made plenty of clutch catches, including one on the Chargers' last drive that let them run out the clock. San Diego swept the season series for the first time in 12 years. Oakland Raiders Kerry Collins had a very good day passing the ball, but his numbers suffered badly due to his receivers' mistakes. Collins didn't throw an interception for the first time in nine games dating back to his time in New York. Collins threw touchdown passes to Teyo Johnson and Ron Curry and kept Oakland in the game right up to the end. Despite scoring a 22 yard touchdown on blown coverage, Ron Curry's gaffes likely cost Oakland a chance to win this game. On Oakland's last drive, down by 6, Collins found Curry wide open down the center of the field for what should have been the go-ahead touchdown. Collins delivered the ball to Curry in perfect stride, but Curry dropped the pass despite it hitting him in the hands. Curry dropped another easy pass two plays later that forced Oakland to punt. San Diego was able to run out the clock after that. Jerry Porter would have likely been the goat in this game had Ron Curry not stepped up to take the honor. Porter should have caught two touchdown passes in this game, but didn't bother to get his feet inbounds either time. Porter also fumbled the ball away at mid-field after getting blasted by LB Randall Godfrey. Tyrone Wheatley looked good running hard and making quick cuts, but his numbers suffered as he only received 12 carries. No other Raider running back received a carry in this game. WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW San Diego Chargers QB: Drew Brees (18-34-226, 1 TD, 5-5 rushing, 1 TD) Brees started off hot in this game, leading the Chargers to touchdowns on two of their first four drives, only being prevented from a third by Lorenzo Neal's goal line fumble. His first score came on a nice throw to Antonio Gates in the front of the end zone for an easy touchdown. Two drives later, Brees called his own number and ran untouched up the middle on a draw for a 6 yard touchdown. After that however, Brees appeared to be in a bit of a funk and had trouble getting into a rhythm with his receivers. He almost had an interception returned for a touchdown on a play where Eric Parker fell down, but Parker was able to slap the ball away from the defender. Brees settled down late in the game though, leading San Diego to a field goal and a touchdown. Trying to run out the clock at the end of the game, Brees made a spectacular play on 3rd and 10 from their own 36. Under heavy pressure from the Raiders, Brees made a great pump fake to freeze two approaching pass rushers. Then he stopped, turned and jumped into the air to throw a pass to an open Keenan McCardell for a 20 yard gain and a 1st down. RB: LaDainian Tomlinson (37-164 rushing, 1 TD, 1-9 receiving on 2 targets, 0-1 passing) Tomlinson showed no ill effects from his groin injury in this game, carrying the football 37 times. Getting an extra week of rest thanks to the Chargers' week 10 bye, Tomlinson responded by bearing almost all of the Chargers rushing load. The broadcasters mentioned that Tomlinson had said that his groin felt good and that it actually felt better the more he carried the ball as it loosened up. Most of Tomlinson's work came right up the middle, making quick cuts and often getting to the secondary. When the Chargers got to the red zone, the Raiders were so concerned with Tomlinson that they stacked nine men at the line of scrimmage to contain him. On 1st and goal from the 1 yard line in the 3rd quarter, Tomlinson was stuffed on 1st down. The Raiders were playing the run so strongly, that the Chargers threw two incomplete play actions passes on the next two downs. When the Chargers made another trip to the red zone late in the 4th quarter, they used a little trickery to loosen up the defense. On 3rd and 2 from the 6 yard line, San Diego faked a reverse before handing off to Tomlinson freezing the defense just long enough to give him some room up the middle for the score. Tomlinson threw a pass early in this game on a halfback option. He found Keenan McCardell open, but overthrew the ball just a bit and it McCardell couldn't come down with the ball, although he likely would have scored if he did. Lorenzo Neal (1-4 rushing, 1 fumble lost) Neal's only carry came on 1st and goal early in the game. As Neal was being dragged down, DE Tommy Kelly managed to pry the ball loose from Neal's hands. The fumble rolled into the end zone and was recovered by CB Denard Walker. Neal didn't carry again in the game. Jesse Chatman (0-0 rushing) Now that Tomlinson appears to be fully recovered from his injury, Chatman was no longer needed to spell him. He didn't get a carry in this game. WR: Keenan McCardell (7-91 receiving on 15 targets, 1-3 rushing) It sometimes seemed as if McCardell was the only wide receiver on the field for San Diego. He was targeted frequently, hauling in 7 of his 15 targets. McCardell played well in this game, often coming up with receptions to move the chains. He almost pulled in a touchdown in the first quarter on a halfback option pass from Tomlinson. Tomlinson overthrew the ball just a bit, and the ball bounced off of McCardell's outstretched hands. McCardell was targeted in the end zone on a long throw by Brees late in the game, but was successfully screened away from the ball by the defender. McCardell's 20 yard reception on 3rd and 4 late in the 4th quarter, denied the Raiders a chance at a final drive. Eric Parker (2-25 receiving on 6 targets) Parker's biggest play of the day came when he broke up an interception that likely would have been returned for a touchdown. Brees targeted Parker on a play in the first half, but Parker slipped and fell to the ground. CB Phillip Buchanan had what appeared to be an easy shot at an interception that likely would have gone for a score, but Parker showed great hustle in getting to Buchanan and knocking the ball away from him. Late in the fourth quarter, Parker made a clutch catch on 3rd and 14 for a 1st down that would setup Tomlinson's touchdown a few plays later. TE: Antonio Gates (8-101 receiving on 9 targets, 1 TD) Gates caught almost everything thrown his way against the Raiders. He pulled in the first score of the game over FS Ray Buchanan in the first quarter. It appeared that Gates may have pushed off a bit on the play, but no flag was thrown. K: Nate Kaeding (2 XP, 1-2 FG) Kaeding had the worst game of his rookie season to date. He had an extra point blocked on the Chargers' first drive. Later, he hooked his attempt badly from 42 yards out. He was able to convert a 19 yard FG in the fourth quarter. Pass Defense: The Chargers came out delivering hard hits in this game, but often left receivers open as well. They gave up two touchdowns on blown coverage (although one of those was negated due to penalty). LB Randall Godfrey's bone jarring hit on Jerry Porter forced a fumble. The Chargers' only sack of the day came on a play where CB Ben Leber was unblocked. CB Sammy Davis should have had an interception as WR Ron Curry threw an ugly pass right to him on a trick play, but Davis dropped the ball. Rush Defense: Tyrone Wheatley found running room against the tough Chargers
rushing defense early in the game. But as the Raiders found themselves trailing,
they abandoned the run for the pass. QB: Kerry Collins (18-30-227, 2 TD, 2-11 rushing) Collins had a solid day throwing the ball, but was betrayed by a receiving core that dropped passes and fumbled balls away. For the first time in nine games dating to last season with the Giants, Collins didn't throw an interception. RB: Tyrone Wheatley (12-42 rushing, 1-9 receiving on 1 target) Wheatley looked great running the ball in the limited carries he received. Wheatley often lowered his shoulder, pushing the pile and dragging ball carriers. But the Raiders pass to run ratio in this game was almost 3-1, and Wheatley's numbers suffered for it. J.R. Redmond (2-20 receiving on 3 targets) Redmond didn't get a carry in this game, but caught a few passes out of the backfield as the 3rd down back. Amos Zereoue (1-11 receiving on 1 targets) Zereoue hauled in his only target of the game for an 11 yard gain. WR: Ron Curry (4-58 receiving on 6 targets, 1 TD, 0-1 passing) Curry scored a 22 yard touchdown on blown coverage in the second quarter, but it was all downhill from there. In fact, Curry's mistakes likely cost Oakland game. Late in the fourth quarter and down by six, Collins found Curry running wide open down the middle of the field with no defenders between him and the end zone. Collins lofted a pass that hit Curry in perfect stride, but he dropped it despite it hitting him square in the hands. Two plays later, Collins found Curry open over the middle for what would have been a first down, but Curry again dropped an easy reception. That drop forced the Raiders to punt and the Chargers were able to run out the clock for the win. Curry also attempted a pass, but couldn't find anyone open. Instead of throwing the ball away, Curry lofted an ugly pass right to CB Sammy Davis, but Davis dropped the easy interception. Jerry Porter (5-63 receiving on 10 targets, 1 fumble lost) Porter fumbled away a chance to capitalize on Kaeding's missed field goal early in the third quarter. Collins hit Porter who was open down the sidelines and cut to the center of the field. However he was then blindsided by LB Randall Godfrey losing both the ball and the Raiders' momentum. Later in the game, Porter took another hard shot, this time from CB Sammy Davis. That play drew a personal foul on Davis and left Porter getting up looking a bit woozy, but he finished the game. Porter could have had two touchdowns in this game with better footwork. Early in the second quarter, Porter caught a pass in the back of the end zone for what would have been a 22 yard touchdown, but only got one foot down before stepping out of the back of the end zone, making no effort to drag his second foot. Later in the game, Collins again targeted Porter in the end zone, but despite having some room to get his feet down, Porter stepped out without even getting one foot down inbounds. Doug Gabriel (2-36 receiving on 4 targets) Like Porter, Gabriel was shaken up after taking a hard shot, but returned to finish the game. Gabriel appeared to score a touchdown late in the fourth quarter when he found himself wide open down the left sideline because of blown coverage. However a holding penalty on Robert Gallery negated the score and the Raiders had to settle for a field goal. TE: Teyo Johnson (1-8 receiving on 1 target, 1 TD) Johnson was promoted to the role of backup tight end due to Courtney Anderson's injury. He responded by hauling in his only target of the game for a score. Johnson came off the flank and headed up the left sideline to find the end zone. Doug Jolley (2-22 receiving on 5 targets) Jolley was the main receiving tight end for the Raiders in this game. He could have had another reception but jumped for a ball that he didn't need to at the sidelines and didn't get his feet down inbounds. Courtney Anderson did not play due to a knee injury. K: Sebastian Janikowski (2 XP, 1-1 FG) Janikowski hit from 31 yards out late in the fourth quarter and hit both of his extra point attempts. Pass Defense: The Raiders were unable to get much pressure on Brees, and didn't sack him in this game. CB Phillip Buchanan was close to what would have been a long touchdown on an interception, but the receiver was able to play defensive back on the play and knocked the ball away. Rush Defense: LaDainian Tomlinson shredded the Raiders run defense. Tomlinson often had to be tackled by the safeties after tearing through the first couple of waves of defenders. The defense made a big play early in the game when DE Tommy Kelly pried the ball out of Lorenzo Neal's hands and recovered it in the end zone. When the Chargers got near the goal line, Oakland put nine men on the line of scrimmage in an effort to contain Tomlinson. This was typically effective, but Tomlinson was able to score late in the game, finding extra running room after the Chargers faked a reverse. Indianapolis Colts 41 at Chicago Bears 10 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Indianapolis Colts As the Colt's game reporter for the last 3 years, this was far and away the best rushing performance by James over that time span. It seems that every time James has a good game, the TV announcers jump on the "James is back" bandwagon. This game however was "vintage" Edgerrin James. Hopping, spinning, cutting, powering through people, and making them look silly as he accelerated out of spin moves. It was one of, if not the best, rushing performances in the last 5 years. After the game, James said "Today was the day you could have easily broken the NFL (rushing) record, but we've got a game in a couple of days and right now my (priority) is being ready for it." James took the entire 4th quarter off. Although Manning saw very little coverage, he made a couple of uncharacteristic bad throws that might have cost the Colts against better competition. He threw what would have been an interception for a TD to WLB Lance Briggs, who just couldn't hold on to it, and then another interception to CB Nathan Vasher. By the 3rd quarter, Manning was in control of the game, and on the sideline watching for the 4th quarter. Chicago Bears The Bears were completely and totally dominated on both sides of the ball. QB Craig Krenzel saw his 3 game winning streak come to an end, as he only completed 14 passes, most of them were short safety valve throws to try and not get sacked. Krenzel personally turned the ball over 4 times. The rushing game fared a little better, certainly as the game wore on, and the Colts had second and third stringers in on defense. RB Thomas Jones ripped off a nice 15-yard carry, but only averaged 2.5 yards a carry outside of that run. The Bears opened in a 2 deep package concentrating on stopping the pass, so the Colts just dominated them on the ground. MLB Brian Urlacher is sorely missed. After the game, James said that he could have broken the NFL rushing record against the Bears defense. That's how bad it was. WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW Indianapolis Colts QB: Peyton Manning (17-28-211, 4 TDs, INT, 1-5 rushing) With the Bears concentrating on stopping Manning and the passing game, the Colts opened on the ground, and actually struggled early on with the passing game. While the game was still close, Manning threw a terrible pass that would have resulted in a return for a TD if WLB Lance Briggs would have held on to it. Harrison couldn't catch the first 4 balls thrown his way. Manning forced a number of balls into tight coverage that luckily were just broken up. As the game wore on, Manning took control of the field, and put the game so far out of reach, that he came out of the game for the first time all year. Jim Sorgi (3 for -3 rushing) Sorgi came off the bench to replace Manning after the game was clearly out of reach. These were his first snaps of the regular season. He didn't attempt a pass, simply handing off. His 3 rushes for negative yards were end of the game kneel downs. RB: Edgerrin James (23-204, TD, 1-11 receiving, 1 target) The Bears opened the game in a 2 deep package concentrated on stopping the pass. James was able to open the game strong, picking up over 30 yards in the opening drive, and he never looked back. This was truly vintage James. This was one of the best rushing performances seen in years. James was on fire, and for the first time in years, he was bobbing, weaving, cutting, and accelerating out of spin moves. It was a joy to watch. Dominic Rhodes (9-54, fumble) After spelling James a play or two in the heart of the game, Rhodes, with Mungro, became the primary ball carriers late in the game. Rhodes tore off a 17 yard run, and looked great in relief, however, he also fumbled marring his stats on the day. James Mungro (3-15) Mungro, with Rhodes, became the primary ball carriers late
in the game. He had a long run for 8 yards, but didn't add much more than just
moving the chains in a game that was far out of reach. Brandon Stokley (1-7, 4 targets) Stokley caught the first ball thrown to him, and failed to make another reception on the day. The rest of the passes came as Manning was trying to force the ball to Stokley down the seam into tight coverage. The Bears were certainly anticipating Stokley getting the ball, and worked to keep him out of the game. Reggie Wayne (6-106, 2 TDs, 8 targets) Wayne was the star of a passing game that only attempted 28 passes on the game. With Wayne getting nearly 30% of the total team passes, he went over 100 yards on the day. The majority of those yards came on 35 and 27 yard TDs. Wayne dropped what would have been another TD in the back of the end zone. TE: Dallas Clark (3-19, 5 targets) Clark pulled in 3 receptions on 5 targets. He averaged 6 yards a reception, mostly as a short pass target for Manning to keep the chains moving. Marcus Pollard (2-19, TD, 3 targets) Pollard pulled in the first TD of the game for 14-yards. Outside of that, Pollard wasn't used in the passing attack, only catching one more pass for 5 yards. K: Mike Vanderjagt (5/5 XP, 2/2 FG) Pass Defense: RDE Robert Mathis (3 tackles) sacked Krenzel once, with Montae Reagor (2 tackles) adding two more sacks. SS Mike Doss (tackle) and RCB Joseph Jefferson each had interceptions. Basically, the Bears passing attack was completely controlled and dominated by the Colts. Rush Defense: RCB Joseph Jefferson (5 tackles) led the team in stops. The Rush defense keep the bears runners in check, never allowing them to get going. Chicago Bears QB: Craig Krenzel (14-24-175, TD, 2 INTs, 2 fumbles, 4-5 rushing) Krenzel is a rookie QB, and he performed like one. He struggled most of the game, as he was hurried, made two costly interceptions, turned the ball over a total of four times, and was sacked three times. He seemed in over his head all game. However, on the last drive of the game, Krenzel started at his own 17, and put together an 11-play drive resulting in a 2-yard pass for a TD. The drive was against the Colt's second stringers, but it was a well-engineered drive nonetheless. RB: Thomas Jones (18-59, 4-23 receiving, 5 targets) Jones had a great run around right end for 15 yards early in the game. Outside of that one run, Jones averaged 2.5 yards a carry. He was most useful in the passing attack as a safety valve for Krenzel. Adrian Peterson (4-15, 1-30 receiving, 1 target) Peterson spelled Jones on a few plays, and had a long gain of 30 yards on his only reception. Bryan Johnson (1 target) Blocking Fullback with a pass target. Jason McKie (1 target) Blocking Fullback with a pass target. WR: David Terrell (3-76, 7 targets) Terrell caught a 7-yard TD pass that was nullified due to offensive holding. It's hard to say that the receiver with 3 receptions was the bright spot of the passing attack. However, that's how bad the Bears passing attack was on the game. Bernard Berrian (1-17, 2 targets) Caught a single pass as part of a terrible passing attack from the Bears. Justin Gage (1-7, 1 target) As with Berrian, not much to say. Gage caught a single pass for 7 yards. Bobby Wade (2-6, fumble, 4 targets) Wade caught half the balls thrown to him, and had a costly fumble after one of his two receptions. TE: Desmond Clark (1-14, 3 targets) Clark caught one of the 3 passes thrown his way on the game. Dustin Lyman (1-2, TD, 1 target) Caught a 2-yard TD pass on his only reception of the day. In fact, it was basically the last play of the day, and Lyman wasn't on the field for the majority of the game. K: Paul Edinger (1/1 XP, 1/1 FG) Pass Defense: CB Nathan Vasher (tackle) intercepted Manning. The Bears opened the game in 2 deep coverage throwing everything at stopping Manning and the pass. The Colts simply went to a successful ground game to open, and found the pass later. Rush Defense: WLB Lance Briggs (10 tackles, 1 assist) led the team in stops. With the defense geared to stop the pass, James got on track and dominated the Bears on the ground. The Bears were clearly missing MLB Brian Urlacher. St. Louis Rams 17 at Buffalo Bills 37 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW St. Louis Rams RB Marshall Faulk was held to just 6 rushing yards on 13 carries, barely averaged over one yard per touch, and did not score. He was stopped cold on four carries inside the Buffalo 5. QB Marc Bulger squandered a hot start with 3 second-half INTs, two of which were deep in Buffalo territory. The fierce Bills pass rush affected the passing game significantly - Bulger was sacked 7 times. WR Torry Holt looked fine, even after appearing on the injury report all week. Holt scored in the second quarter on a jump ball in the end zone - the play was ruled a force-out and a TD, but replays showed Holt probably would have landed out of bounds on his own power. The Rams kick coverage units had a terrible game, giving up an 86-yard runt return TD to CB Nate Clements, and a 53-yard punt return to WR Jonathan Smith to set up another score. Buffalo Bills RB Willis McGahee rushed for 100 yards, and had a TD called back on a downfield holding penalty against a defender McGahee already had beat. McGahee only had 23 rushing yards at halftime, but took over in the second half. TE Mark Campbell caught three TDs, all on short passes into the end zone. Campbell was the surprise star of the game, finding open space behind linebackers and safeties keying on RB Willis McGahee. WR Eric Moulds only managed 17 receiving yard despite being targeted 11 times, more than all the other Buffalo WRs and TEs combined. QB Drew Bledsoe tied to hit Moulds in the end zone four times, but came up empty. Buffalo's special teams provided several big plays. CB Nate Clements returned a punt 87 yards for a TD. WR Jonathan Smith had a 53-yard punt return to the Rams 5 to set up a TD. The Bills recovered a muffed kickoff return to set up a field goal. The Bills pass defense sacked QB Marc Bulger seven times (three by S Lawyer Milloy), and intercepted Bulger three times. WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW St. Louis Rams QB: Marc Bulger (27-45-287 passing, 2 TD, 3 INT, 0-0 rushing) undid some good work in the first half with a poor finish. Bulger completed 8 of his first 10 passes, and threw 2 TDs before halftime. After halftime, the weak pass protection affected Bulger's accuracy and decision-making. Bulger threw three INTs in the second half, two of which were deep in Buffalo territory. With the Rams running game not accomplishing much, Bulger had plenty of opportunities to throw to the end zone. RB: Stephen Jackson (7-29 rushing, 1-3 receiving on 1 target) had limited success in spot duty, but that was enough to lead in the Rams in rushing. Jackson's most successful runs came on draw plays, slipping past the would-be pass rush for a 10-yard gain on one run, and nine yards on another. He did not get the ball in the red zone. Marshall Faulk (13-6 rushing, 4-13 receiving on 5 targets) barely averaged one yard per touch. A pedestrian first half was followed up with a disastrous second half - five of his nine second-half carries were for negative yardage, and a sixth was stopped for no gain. Making matters worse, Faulk was stopped cold four times inside the Buffalo 5, and did not score in the game. WR: Torry Holt (7-90 receiving on 11 targets, 1 TD) was the most productive Rams receiver, not showing much ill effects of the injuries that limited his practice time this week. Holt scored on a jump ball at the back of the end zone, a play that was ruled a force-out TD, though replays showed Holt probably would have landed out of bounds if unimpeded. Holt briefly left the game after being hit low on a running play, but returned and looked fine. He complained after the game of a sore leg though. Isaac Bruce (3-58 receiving on 11 targets, 1 TD) scored in the first half and was targeted often in the second half, but finished with just 58 receiving yards. Bruce barely missed a TD in the first quarter, catching a pass at the side of the end zone, but could not get his feet down in bounds. On the next possession, Bruce scored running a similar route, catching the ball on the right side of the end zone one step in bounds. In the second half, Bulger overthrew Bruce several times, often the result of a hurried throw under pressure. Four of Bruce's 11 targets were in the end zone. Shaun McDonald (6-72 receiving on 9 targets) saw a lot of action in 3-WR and 4-WR sets. Bulger was not afraid to throw to him on 3rd and 4th down, mostly 5-10 yards downfield on the right side. McDonald's highlight was a 33-yard reception to convert a 4th-and-3, caught up the right side. McDonald was targeted twice in the red zone, including one underthrown ball at the goal line that had a chance at a TD. Kevin Curtis (5-51 receiving on 8 targets) saw the field in obvious passing
situations, and had five receptions to show for it. Curtis mostly worked the
left side, but was not afraid to go across the middle. Curtis was targeted once
in the end zone, failing to make the catch, but drawing a pass interference
penalty on 4th down that kept the drive alive. K: Jeff Wilkins made a 41-yard FG, and both of his PATs. Pass Defense: The linebackers and safeties often cheated up to play the run, leaving soft spots in the middle of the field for short passes. While the defense only gave up 185 passing yards, Buffalo scored three times through the air (all to TE Mark Campbell), and got fooled on a flea-flicker for a 54-yard gain. Rush Defense: gave up 100 yards to McGahee, and could have been worse. A few big gains were called back on holding penalties. The struggle to stop the run opened up the short passing game, and failure to stop the run made the pass defense vulnerable to play-action. Buffalo Bills QB: Drew Bledsoe (15-24-185 passing, 3 TD, 1 INT, 3-(-2) rushing) stuck mostly with short passes in a run-first game plan, completing over 60% of his passes, and throwing three scores. All three of Bledsoe's TD were to TE Mark Campbell, all of which were on plays where the defense keyed on RB Willis McGahee. Bledsoe had one INT, a bad throw where he just missed on open Lee Evans, but made up for that mistake with the 3 TDs, plus a 54-yard strike to Sam Aiken on a flea-flicker. RB: Willis McGahee (20-100 rushing, 3-27 receiving on 4 targets) had just 23 yards at halftime, but came on in the second half, finishing with 100 yards. The defense keyed on McGahee most of the day, but he was still able to find holes and burst through them. McGahee's highlight came in the third quarter, when he took a handoff off the left tackle, broke free up the left sideline, hurdled a defensive back, and danced down the sideline into the end zone for an apparent 49-yard score. A holding penalty way downfield (a hold that McGahee didn't need to score) nullified the TD and part of the rushing yardage. On the next play, McGahee had a 15-yard run called back on a holding penalty. McGahee was also an asset in the passing game, catching dump-off passes at the line of scrimmage and turning upfield. Travis Henry (2-9 rushing, 1-5 receiving on 1 target) was an afterthought in the offense. Two of his touches came on back-to-back plays in the 3rd, spelling McGahee after his two long runs. Joe Burns (0-0 rushing, 0-0 receiving on 1 target) had a 24-yard reception called back on an illegal use of hands penalty, the only time he touched the ball. WR: Sam Aiken (2-61 receiving on 2 targets) led the Bills in receiving yards thanks to his first catch, a 54-yard reception at the end of a flea-flicker. Aiken caught a 7-yard pass on the next play, and was not targeted the rest of the game. Lee Evans (2-38 receiving on 4 targets) had a better receiving game than his numbers indicated. On the two balls he didn't catch, one Evans drew a pass interference penalty, and on the other, he was open, but Bledsoe overthrew him for an interception. Evans pulled in an impressive 32-yard grab in the second quarter, jumping high above S Rich Coady to make the catch. Eric Moulds (1-12 rushing, 3-17 receiving on 11 targets) had several near-misses today. He was open for a TD on a fade pattern, but Bledsoe was hurried, and Moulds looked up for the ball too late. He was open on several other plays, and the passes just missed. Despite the low production, Moulds was still a focal point of the passing game - his 11 targets were more than Aiken, Evans, and Campbell combined. TE: Mark Campbell (4-37 receiving on 4 targets, 3 TD) was the surprise star of the passing game today. Three of his receptions were for TDs, and the other was also in the red zone. Campbell was either open or facing single coverage, catching the Rams linebackers and safeties cheating up to play the run. K: Rian Lindell made three short FGs (21, 35, 33 yards), and both of his PATs. Pass Defense: started slow, but held Bulger to under 50% completion rate in the second half, and intercepted him three times. Much credit for the INTs can go to the pass rush, which sacked Bulger seven times (three by S Lawyer Milloy on safety blitzes) and pressured him on several other plays. Two of Bulger's INTs were tipped at the line of scrimmage. Rush Defense: was outstanding, especially in the second half. The Rams could not run outside at all, an only had limited success running inside on draw plays. Four running plays inside the Buffalo 5 came up empty. Atlanta Falcons 14 at New York Giants 10 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW New York Giants The Eli Manning era began with much anticipation and hoopla. Manning had a decent outing for his first NFL start and if a Giant receiver could've held onto a ball in the first half this one might have been a different story. The Giants managed only 84 yards as a team in the first half with a rough estimate of 6 drops including 3 by Jeremy Shockey and 2 by Amani Toomer and did not get past the Atlanta 41 yard-line. Manning settled down in the second half calming leading the Giants to a big TD drive in their first possession of the third quarter going for 16 plays and nearly 8 minutes. After being suckered by a zone blitz leading to an interception (Manning had a second one at the end of the first half), Manning led the Giants on another drive which stalled at the Atlanta 6. Manning had a chance to be the hero with the Giants driving down by 4, but the Giants went out on downs trying to force the ball to Shockey on a 4th and 3. Unlike Kurt Warner, Manning was only sacked one time as he was able to get rid of the ball in a hurry. However, on a play that was called back in the 4th quarter, Manning was sacked and fumbled, but was nullified by defensive holding. Tiki Barber was once again magnificent. For some perspective, it was yet another 100-yard game for Barber (his seventh and the 10th of his career breaking a Giants team record. Barber also broke 1,000 yards for the third straight year. Barber finished this one with 107 yards on 21 carries and chipping in 24 receiving yards on 3 receptions. Everyone has heard the old adage about tight ends being a young quarterback's best friend. Well this held true as Jeremy Shockey led the team in targets and receiving yards and scored the Giants lone touchdown from 6 yards out. Atlanta Falcons This one looked like it might be over in a hurry. The Falcons came out on fire hitting pay dirt on two of their first three drives. Mike Vick looked just unbelievable on the first drive rushing for 53 yards and hitting Alge Crumpler for a 6-yard touchdown. After their second drive going three and out, Vick was at it again on their third drive. Vick rushed for 19 more yards and hit White, Griffith and Crumpler twice (the second of which was a 2-yard TD). The Falcon offense once again went into hibernation mode for just about the rest of the game. The Falcons would have some moderate success running or throwing but were unable to put another complete drive together like early in the first game. The Giants having the ball for over half the 3rd Quarter might have had something to do with this… Vick finished the game with 104 yards on the ground leading the team and setting an NFL mark for most 100-yard games by a QB. Vick also had 115 passing with the aforementioned two TDs to Crumpler. WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW New York Giants QB: Eli Manning (17-37-162, 1 TD, 2 INT) Manning's numbers were not impressive. However, Manning had a very good second half after struggling with his receivers early. Manning did make one rookie mistake missing a read of zone blitz attempting to hit Toomer on a slant, which was picked off by DE Brady Smith. Manning's other INT came in a situation where the Giants probably should have knelt on the ball at the end of the first half. With some pressure coming, Manning tried to hit Hilliard and CB Jason Webster jumped in front. The highlight of his afternoon was the first drive of the 3rd quarter where Manning went 6-10 for 62 yards and hit Shockey from 6 yards. From the "Random Shots" file, all three of the Manning family QBs threw their first NFL TD passes from 6 yards out. RB: Tiki Barber (21-107 rushing, 3-24 receiving on 7 targets) Barber had yet another very nice game against a tough Falcon run defense. Barber went for over 100 yards yet again with a little over 5 yards per carry and finished with 131 total yards. Barber single handedly led the Giants on their FG drive with 35 yards on the drive. Barber gave fans a scare coming out for a few plays on the TD drive but returned and looked fine. Ron Dayne (4-13 rushing) With Mike Cloud sidelined and on the inactive list, Dayne was the second string back again this week. Dayne had two decent looking runs for 4 and 5 yards. WR: Amani Toomer (2-24 receiving on 7 targets) Toomer had a frustrating day with a few drops early on prompting the attention of Coughlin on the sidelines and whoever was on the other end of the red phone. Toomer was able to catch a big 14 yard pass on 3rd down of the Giant TD drive but otherwise was a non-factor. Ike Hilliard (4-28 receiving on 8 targets) Hilliard caught Manning's first completion of the day but gave the Giants a scare seemingly fumbling the ball away (right after the Falcons scored) but this was overruled on a challenge. Otherwise Hilliard hauled in receptions of 11, 7 and 2 yards. TE: Jeremy Shockey (5-45 receiving on 11 targets, 1 TD) Shockey had a rough start as stated above with 3 early drops, but recovered fairly well. As anticipated, Shockey was Manning's favorite target getting 11 looks. Unfortunately, the Falcons knew this too and threw a bunch of coverage Shockey's way including the decisive last drive where he only caught one of three balls thrown his way. Overall, Shockey now has TDs in 3 games in a row and 5 of his last 7. K: Steve Christie (1 XP, 1-1 FG) Christie hit a chip shot for his lone FG attempt as the Giants stalled at the 6. Pass Defense: After getting carved up early, the Giants pass defense settled down. The biggest problem early was the mobility of Mike Vick, but the Giants made their adjustments and slowed down the scrambling and even got 2 sacks and 2 fumbles (which they did not recover). This unit deserves credit for playing well without both starting DE's, their WLB and SS. Rush Defense: The Falcon rush numbers look rather gaudy with the team gaining 201 yards on the ground for 5.3 yards a carry. However, this is a good bit because of the scrambling ability of Vick. However, the Atlanta RBs were able to gain 99 yards on 18 carries including a big 25 yard carry by Warrick Dunn with the Falcons trying to run out the clock on their last possession. Overall, not a good run D day by the depleted Giants. Atlanta Falcons: QB: Mike Vick (12-20-115, 2 TD, 15-104 rushing) It was an unbelievable first half for Vick. As mentioned above, he looked just unbeatable the first 3 drives. Vick was driving the Giants crazy with his arm, but mostly his legs. Vick was turning Giant blitzes into big runs and spreading the ball around to several receivers. Vick hit Crumpler twice in the end zone. One of which Crumpler was all alone in the back left corner, while on the other beating a CB on a button hook pattern. For as great as he was in the first half, check out his second half numbers: 2-7-12 throwing, 0TD, 13 yards rushing. RB: Warrick Dunn (12-69 rushing, 2-11 receiving, 4 targets) Warrick Dunn was pretty much held in check for most of the game with two of his runs going over 5 yards until the last Falcon drive of the game. Dunn helped put the game on ice with a very big 25 yard run into Giant territory not only taking time off the clock but changing field position. Dunn was not in near the goal line on the Falcon touchdown drives. T.J. Duckett (6-30 rushing) Duckett only received a handful of carries on the day but was able to get 5 yards per carry including ripping a 12 yarder up the middle. Justin Griffith (2-22 receiving, 3 targets) Griffith was able to haul in receptions of 14 and 8 yards the first of which picked up a big first down off 3rd and 9 on the second TD drive. WR: Dez White (4-35 receiving on 4 targets) White hauled in receptions of 8, 16, 11, and 0. More importantly was 3 of these looks came on 3rd downs, two of which he converted. Peerless Price (0-0 receiving on 4 targets) Hard to live up to your name if you don't catch a ball. The Falcons need a WR. TE: Alge Crumpler (4-47 receiving. 2 TD on 5 targets) Crumpler is arguably the Falcons second best offensive weapon. Crumpler continues to be very difficult to cover in the red zone or anywhere on the field for that matter. On top of his 2 scores, Crumpler was able to haul in receptions of 18 and 21 yards badly beating Nick Greisen both times. K: Jay Feely (2 XP, 0-1 FG) Feely missed his lone FG attempt at the end of the first half from 46 yards out. Pass Defense: The numbers look good for the Falcon pass Defense with a sack, two INTs and 158 net passing yards given up. The front four was able to get some pressure on Manning throughout the contest. Rush Defense: The Atlanta rush defense did not have a great day either. Barber ripped off over a 100 at over 5 YPC. The Giants offensive line seemed to be having their way with the undersized but quick Atlanta front for a while but they did come through with a big 3rd and 1 stop on a Barber run in the first half and stopped Barber inside the ten on the Giant FG drive. Miami Dolphins 17 at Seattle Seahawks 24 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Miami Dolphins QB A.J. Feeley gave in inspirational performance noticeably limping all over the field, but still making plays. Feeley left the game with a badly bruised hip early in the game and was replaced by QB Jay Fiedler. Fiedler left the game after one series with a neck stinger. Feeley returned on the next series in obvious pain. He took several other nasty hits during the game, but gutted it out and almost pulled off a big upset on the road. RB Sammy Morris started the game, but left early in the second quarter with an injury. RB Travis Minor replaced him. Neither RB was consistently finding much room to run. Eventually the Dolphins abandoned the run playing in catch-up mode during the second half. WR Chris Chambers led the Dolphins with 15 targets, 9 receptions, 103 yards, and scored a touchdown. Chambers was QB A.J. Feeley's first look on more than fifty percent of the Miami pass plays. The overall health of the Dolphins was bad coming into the game, it got worse as each of the following players left the game at some point due to injury; QB A.J. Feeley, QB Jay Fiedler, RB Sammy Morris, FB Rod Konrad, LB Tony Bua, DE Jason Taylor, and CB Patrick Surtain. Seattle Seahawks QB Trent Dilfer started the game looking great in the beginning. He led the Seahawks on three scoring drives in the first half, but fell apart after throwing an interception at the end of the half. He missed wide-open receivers late in the game and came close to handing the game away to the Dolphins. RB Shaun Alexander didn't find the same running room he had in his last three games, but Seattle kept feeding him the ball (29 carries). When he did have a hole to hit, Alexander made great cuts gaining extra yards by making people miss. WR Koren Robinson was mysteriously absent from the starting lineup. The NFL may suspend him in the coming week, but he was eligible to play Sunday. Local radio announced that Robinson was benched for disciplinary reasons not related to the pending substance abuse suspension. He was suited up and standing on the sideline during the game. WRs Bobby Engram and Jerry Rice started the game along with WR Darrell Jackson in a 3-WR set. WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW Miami Dolphins QB: A.J. Feeley (23-45-229 TD 2 INT passing, 1-7 rushing, 2 lost fumbles) Feeley started the game hitting only one of his first seven passes during the first quarter, but did manage to score on a 7-yard scramble following a Seattle turnover. Feeley began to heat up in the second quarter, but he still couldn't get the Dolphins offense moving consistently. He began their first possession of the second quarter with an interception, and ended the quarter with a lost fumble. However, with all signs pointing to a disaster, Feeley mustered up the guts to manage the obvious pain and keep the Dolphins hopes alive. He took several other hits during the game and was in observable pain. He threw several nice passes in key situations scoring 10 unanswered points to tie up the game. The Dolphins had all the momentum as the Seattle offense was ground to a halt, but it all came crashing down when Feeley threw an interception that DB Michael Boulware returned for a touchdown. Feeley may have lost the game with that pass, but he gained tons of fans in Miami and respect from his teammates with an inspiring performance. Jay Fiedler (1-1-1 passing) Fiedler enter the game when Feeley went down with the hip injury. Fiedler took a big hit in his first series and suffered a neck stinger. Feeley limped back into the game on the next Miami possession. RB: Sammy Morris (7-16 rushing, 0-0 receiving on 0 targets) Morris had a nice 13-yard run setting up the Feeley touchdown scramble, but didn't have any room to run on any of his other six carries. He left the game with injury in the second quarter. Morris returned to open the second half and had one 1-yard carry, then sat out the rest of the game. Travis Minor (13-37 rushing, 4-13 receiving on 6 targets) Minor replaced Morris in the second quarter. He had one decent 17-yard run setting up the Chambers touchdown reception, but wasn't able to make a play of any sort in thirteen other touches. No carries longer than 3 yards. No receptions other than 4 yards. Minor had chances in the open field to gain some yardage, but wasn't able to make tacklers miss when he had one on one situations. Rob Konrad (0-0 rushing, 0-0 receiving on 3 targets) Konrad saw three early passing targets, but left the game in the first quarter with a head injury. He was seen on the bench looking dazed. WR: Chris Chambers (9-103 TD receiving on 15 targets, 1-7 rushing) Chambers made several great grabs in the game, including a tiptoeing sideline touchdown dance diving for the pylon. Chambers had what looked like a touchdown reception during the second quarter, but the play was called back due to an illegal shift penalty. As the game progressed Feeley began to get his radar locked in Chambers. On the final Miami offensive play, Feeley was looking Chambers' way immediately after the snap. It was an easy read for the DB to step in front of the pass and end the Dolphins chances. Marty Booker (2-20 receiving on 5 targets) Booker caught a 15-yard reception early in the game that lead to the Dolphins first touchdown. As the game wore on Booker was less and less of the Dolphins passing game. In the second half WR Derrius Thompson had 5 targets to Booker's 2 targets. Derrius Thompson (3-51 receiving on 5 targets). Thompson had two nice receptions on Miami's drive that ended in a game tying field goal. His 25-yard grab in traffic on third down kept the Dolphins hopes alive. It was a play that they had to have. Thompson wasn't targeted in the first half of the game. TE: Randy McMichael (6-43 receiving on 10 targets) McMichael was Feeley's second favorite target behind Chambers. He made an amazing 17-yard leaping grab down the right sideline barely keeping his feet in bounds. K: Olindo Mare (2-2 XP, 1-2 FG made 39, missed 34) Mare's 34-yard miss at the start of the fourth quarter would have tied the game at 17-17. He made up for the miss hitting his 39-yard field goal on the Dolphins next possession. Pass Defense: The Dolphins sacked QB Trent Dilfer three times. They were able to put enough pressure on Dilfer to hurry him into several poor throws, but in reality Dilfer made Miami look better than they were. Several open receivers were missed down field. It was more of a case of an ineffective quarterback instead of a respectable defensive performance. CB Patrick Surtain left the game with an injury, but he returned to intercept a Dilfer pass in the fourth quarter. Rush Defense: Miami stacked the line of scrimmage in anticipation of Seattle pounding away with RB Shaun Alexander. They held Alexander to less than 4 yards per carry. They did a great job of plugging the holes and giving Alexander nowhere to run. Eight of Alexander's carries went for 0 yards or less. Seattle Seahawks QB: Trent Dilfer (14-28-196 TD 2 INT passing, 2-14 rushing) Dilfer came out slinging it, and it looked good. He hit both WR Darrell Jackson and WR Jerry Rice in the numbers on slants setting up Rice's touchdown reception. He also used his tight ends and third WR Bobby Engram well into the second quarter keeping the Seahawks moving. However, Dilfer got what appeared to be happy feet when Miami put a severe rush all around him. While taking a hit and back peddling Dilfer tried to throw a deep ball to WR Darrell Jackson. The pass was poorly under thrown and easily intercepted. Dilfer didn't recover well. He only completed 4 of his 9 second half attempts. He missed WR Jerry Rice open deep in the third quarter. After the Dolphins tied up the game, Dilfer then missed two wide-open receivers with poorly thrown balls for a three and out. The Seahawks went three and out four times in the second half, including their first three possessions of the half. RB: Shaun Alexander (29-96 TD rushing, 0-0 receiving on 1 target) Alexander didn't have much room to run. The Seahawks seemed content to try and pound the ball up the gut more often than usual instead of running behind LT Walter Jones. This may have been because they wanted to avoid DE Jason Taylor. Alexander began the game in great form. Five of his first six carries went for at least 4 yards, including a 16-yard run where he made two tacklers miss. His 4-yard touchdown run in the second quarter was originally called down at the 1-yard line, but after a review of the play the officials overturned their decision. As the game wore on the Dolphins began to stack the line of scrimmage daring Seattle to throw, but Seattle continued to try and feed the ball to Alexander. His ten second half carries gained only 35 yards (17 of those on one carry). Mack Strong (3-6 rushing 1 lost fumble, 1-1 receiving on 2 targets) Mack Strong had his normal workload, but the usually sure handed fullback fumbled to kill Seattle's second possession in the first quarter. WR: Darrell Jackson (3-39 receiving on 9 targets) Jackson was Dilfer's favorite target, but they had trouble hooking up. Both of Dilfer's interceptions were targeted to Jackson. Each was a terrible throw that Jackson couldn't do anything about. Jackson was open deep on his first target of the second quarter but Dilfer's pass was overthrown. Jackson had one obvious drop on a crossing route. The ball hit him in the hands, but Jackson didn't seem to be ready for the ball. Koren Robinson (Did Not Play) Robinson was reportedly benched due to a disciplinary reason. No other news during the game addressed this story. Jerry Rice (3-86 TD receiving on 6 targets) Rice moved the sticks with a tough 9-yard reception on Seattle's first drive. He then was flagged for a 5-yard false start penalty. He followed that up with a 19-yard touchdown reception on the same drive. He was able to gain clear separation from the DB on the play. It was an easy pitch and catch. To start the third quarter Rice was open deep, but Dilfer missed him with an overthrow. He came right back to him on a deep seam route. The play went for 56 yards. Rice did a nice job of covering up knowing he was going to get caught. The DB took a huge swing trying to punch the ball, but Rice was able to brace himself and secure the ball. Rice basically filled in for Robinson. If Robinson is suspended, Rice will logically cover his role during the suspension. Bobby Engram (2-41 receiving on 3 targets) Engram started in the slot and was utilized in his normal role. Both his receptions came in the second quarter. His 29-yard reception was a deep seam route up the middle. It led to the Alexander touchdown run. Engram wasn't targeted in the second half. TE: Jerramy Stevens (1-5 receiving on 2 targets) Stevens didn't start the game, but neither did Itula Mili. Seattle started three receivers and kept FB Mack Strong on the field. However, Stevens was the first tight end in the game. This said, Stevens didn't play a large role in the Seattle passing game. Itula Mili (4-24 receiving on 4 targets) Mili caught the first ball thrown to a Seattle tight end. Mili showed great hands on two of his targets that were thrown low. K: Josh Brown (3-3 XP 1-1 FG 33) Brown was perfect in the game. Brown has missed only one of his 19 field goal attempts this season. Pass Defense: Seattle hit QB A.J. Feeley early and often. The box score only shows 4 sacks for Seattle in the game, but they also put five other huge hits on him. Two of those resulted in intentional grounding penalties on Feeley. Two others drew late hit personal foul penalties. The first big hit (hip injury) came from DT Rocky Bernard. He rushed Feeley into throwing an interception to DE Antonio Cochran who had dropped back into a zone blitz coverage. Bernard fell on Feeley giving him a severe hip bruise. The defensive backs had a tough time hanging with WR Chris Chambers. He was able to get decent separation for most of the game. Rush Defense: The Dolphins didn't have much room to run. Seattle was able to stuff both RB Sammy Morris and RB Travis Minor throughout the game. Each of the two running backs had one longer run (13 and 17 yards), and seventeen of their eighteen carries went for less than 3 yards. OLB Isaiah Kacyvenski had 6 tackles, 2 assists, and a sack in replacing Anthony Simmons who was placed on injured reserve earlier in the week. Philadelphia Eagles 28 at Washington Redskins 6 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Philadelphia Eagles The Eagles offense was out of sync for much of the game, but eventually pulled out of its funk in the 2nd half, when the unit scored touchdowns on three consecutive possessions. On defense, the Eagles played reasonably well against the underachieving Redskins' offense, preventing the big play and playing especially tough in the red zone. The Eagles' defenses also overcame 2 McNabb turnovers (1 interception and 1 fumble), forcing the Redskins to go 3 and out on both ensuing possessions. Donovan McNabb struggled early in the game against a formidable Redskins' pass rush. With his receivers blanketed downfield, McNabb was forced to scramble often. He ran for 28 of his 34 rushing yards on the Eagles first drive alone. In the second half the Eagles' offense found its groove, with McNabb throwing touchdowns to Owens, Westbrook, and Westbrook again. McNabb had 4 total touchdowns on the day, 222 passing yards, and 34 rushing yards. Terrell Owens had a relatively quiet game, struggling to get open against the Redskins' talented secondary. Owens was held without a catch in the first half, and finished the day with only 2 catches for 24 yards. Todd Pinkston took advantage of the Terrell Owens effect, as he took advantage of single coverage to accumulate 106 yards on 5 catches. Brian Westbrook looked sharp in this game, and appeared to be fully recovered from his rib injury. His 63 yards rushing included 2 carries of 21 yards. His 2 touchdowns came in the passing game, where he had 5 receptions for 42 yards. Washington Redskins The Redskins were unimpressive throughout most of this game. Offensively, they failed to move the football with any sort of consistency, managing just 213 yards of total offense and converting only 3 of 12 third downs. On defense, the Redskins played well for stretches against both the run and the pass, but in the end Donovan McNabb and the Eagles offense proved too much for them to handle. Patrick Ramsey started at quarterback for the first time this season, and was kept on a tight leash by the ultra-conservative play calling of Joe Gibbs. Ramsey threw for 162 yards on 34 attempts, with the bulk of the yardage on short hitches and wide receiver screens. No wide receiver stood out for the Redskins on this day, as Rod Gardner and Laveranues Coles finished with 35 and 34 receiving yards, respectively. The Redskins tried to establish the run early, but were unable to move the ball on the ground against a surprisingly stingy Eagles run defense. Clinton Portis carried the ball 17 times for 37 yards, but saw his workload diminish in the second half when the Redskins were trying to come from behind. Ladell Betts was the primary target out of the backfield, catching 6 balls for 39 yards. WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW Philadelphia Eagles QB: Donovan McNabb (18-26-222, 4 TD, 1 Int, 1 Fumble lost, 5-34 rushing) had trouble finding anyone to throw to early in this game, and was forced to scramble often. At times it appeared as if he was trying to do too much, and he paid the price by taking some vicious hits. In the 2nd half, however, McNabb seemed to settle down, when he threw touchdown passes on 3 consecutive Eagles' possessions and was able to pick apart the Washington secondary at will. RB: Brian Westbrook (12-63 rushing, 2 receiving TD, 5-42 receiving on 6 targets) appeared to be fully recovered from his rib injury, as he ran with speed and confidence, running low, bouncing off defenders. He was heavily utilized in both the running and passing game. His first touchdown was on a short 1-yard throw at the goal line; his second touchdown came on a short underneath route that he took for 14 yards to the end zone. Westbrook had two long runs of 21 yards. Notably, he was given 2 carries from the 5-yard line on separate possessions, but was unable to score on either of them. Dorsey Levens (7-19 rushing) was used in short yardage and goal line situations. He had 1 goal line carry from the 1-yard line, but was unable to punch it in. Thomas Tapeh (4-14 rushing) received 4 carries in garbage time. WR: Todd Pinkston (5-106 receiving on 6 targets, 0 TD) had a solid game, taking full advantage of one on one match-ups when the Redskins doubled Terrell Owens. Pinkston had a 46-yard catch over the top to beat Fred Smoot, and just missed scoring on a long touchdown catch and run when he barely stepped out of bounds at the 50-yard line. Terrell Owens (2-24 receiving on 6 targets, 1 TD) had a quiet game, but still found the end zone. He was held without a catch in the first half, as he was double-covered often and unable to find any open space. Owens' touchdown came when he beat Shawn Springs in single coverage on a short crossing route in the end zone. Owens did have one very bad drop in the 4th quarter, when he flubbed a wide open 20-yard pass as he turned to look run upfield prematurely. Freddie Mitchell (1-13 receiving on 2 targets, 0 TD) had his 11th catch of the season, his 10th for a first down. TE: L.J. Smith (3-20 receiving on 4 targets, 0 TD) had little impact on the game. His four targets included one badly dropped ball when he was wide open underneath. Chad Lewis (2-17 receiving on 2 targets, 1 TD) scored his 2nd touchdown of the season on a McNabb pass to the back corner of the end zone from the 2-yard line. K: David Akers (4 XP, 0-0 FG) Pass Defense: The Eagles pass defense played reasonably well against the Redskins' conservative passing game. Although the Eagles' front four had difficulty getting pressure on Ramsey for much of the game, the Redskins' quarterback was nevertheless unable to hit open receivers downfield. The Eagles finished with 1 sack and 1 interception, the latter coming on a deflected pass late in the 4th quarter. Rush Defense: The Eagles rush defense played very well against an offense that seemed determined to run the football early in the game. Anchored by MLB Jeremiah Trotter, who started his 2nd straight game,, the Eagles allowed a mere 51 yards on the ground. On multiple occasions they were able to stop Portis in the backfield for negative yards. Washington Redskins QB: Patrick Ramsey (21-34-162, 0 TD, 1 Int, 1-0 rushing) did not lose this game for the Redskins, as he did what he could with the very conservative offensive game plan enacted by the Redskins' coaching staff. Virtually every pass he threw was a slant, a short hitch, or a wide receiver screen. Ramsey did overthrow his receivers on the couple times that he threw downfield, but he also was plagued by an undue number of dropped passes by his receivers and backs. RB: Clinton Portis (17-37 rushing, 0 TD, 1 for -4 receiving on 4 targets) was never able to get anything going in this game. His long run of the day was 13 yards, and he was dropped for a loss on several occasions. Portis saw limited action in the 2nd half, when the Redskins were forced to pass to try to catch up. Ladell Betts (5-14 rushing, 0 TD, 6-39 receiving on 6 targets) was used to spell Portis, but saw most of his action in the passing game, where he notched 39 yards on 6 targets. Chris Cooley (0-0 rushing, 0 TD, 2-22 receiving on 2 targets) was not a major factor in the game. WR: Rod Gardner (4-35 receiving on 7 targets, 0 TD) had a modest 35 yards on 4 receptions. Laveranues Coles (4-34 receiving on 6 targets, 0 TD) was targeted on one deep throw downfield, but he was overthrown. He was not otherwise a factor in the game. James Thrash (2-19 receiving on 3 targets, 0 TD) was not a factor in the game. Darnerien McCants (2-17 receiving on 5 targets, 0 TD) was overthrown on a deep ball downfield and was targeted once in the end zone. TE: Robert Royal (0-0 receiving on 0 targets, 0TD) was not targeted in the game. K: Ola Kimrin (0 XP, 2-3 FG) missed a 48-yard field goal, but was good from 24 and 35. He filled in for the injured John Hall. Pass Defense: The Redskins' pass defense had a strong first half and a poor second half. Early in the game they generated a good pass rush, and McNabb was forced to scramble often as he scanned the field for open receivers. In the second half the Eagles adjusted well, as McNabb was able to slice and dice the Redskins' secondary. The Redskins' pass defense finished with 3 sacks on the day, 1 interception, and 1 forced fumble. Rush Defense: The Redskins gave up 126 yards on the ground. Although they had success containing Westbrook at some points in the game, he was able to break free for runs of 9, 21, and 21 yards. McNabb also managed 34 yards on the ground against the Redskins. Green Bay Packers 16 at Houston Texans 13 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Green Bay Packers RB Ahman Green was forced from the game twice with rib injuries. ESPN observed him holding his hand, yet team officials reported his injury as his ribs. Green left the game in the first quarter, yet returned later in the same quarter. Green left the game for good in the second quarter. X-rays at halftime on his ribs were negative, but no further information was available. Green Bay was already thin at running back, as backup RB Najeh Davenport was also inactive due to injury. As a result, Green Bay promoted RB Walter Williams from the practice squad, and he saw early action. The stable of RBs for Green Bay for this game included Williams, Tony Fisher, William Henderson and Nicolas Luchey (not to be confused with Mr. Jessica Simpson, Nick Lachey). By halftime, the injuries took out not only Ahman Green but also Williams and Luchey. With the running game decimated, QB Brett Favre took control of the one-dimensional offense. Favre rose to the occasion, throwing for over 200 yards and a touchdown in the second half. Favre focused on two favorite targets, Javon Walker (9-88 on 15 targets) and Donald Driver (10-148 and a TD on 13 targets). In all Favre went 33-50-383-1-2. Green Bay moved the ball well early, but failed to capitalize on their chances. The Packers declined to attempt a field goal on 4th and 2 at the Houston 34 in the first quarter after their first possession resulted in a missed 49-yard field goal attempt by PK Ryan Longwell. Green Bay turned the ball over on downs, and their third possession stalled at the Houston 5. Green Bay led just 3-0 after gained over 150 total yards. Houston Texans Houston took advantage of every early opportunity in the first half. The Texans held Green Bay to field goal attempts early, yielding much yardage but only trailing 3-0 after 20 minutes. Houston closed out the first half with three scores, seizing the opportunity presented by Green Bay for their lack of finding the end zone early. Houston led 13-3 going back into the locker room at halftime due in part to their longest play of the game, a 49-yard run and catch by WR Andre Johnson. Houston's lone touchdown, a pass from QB David Carr to RB Dominick Davis, came on the next play. WR Andre Johnson was the lone Texan receiver to star on the stat sheet, gaining 107 yards on 6 catches. QB David Carr (13-26-164-1-0, 3-36 rushing) faded fast in the second half, managing to go just 3-11 for 41 yards in the entire second half. RB Domanick Davis (21-65 rushing, 6-41 receiving, 1 receiving TD) was the only RB to touch the ball for Houston. Davis was rather ineffective, averaging just over 3 yards a carry with no rushes over 9 yards. Davis did score the only touchdown for the Texans. PK Kris Brown hit on his final two FG attempts from 46 and 40 yards, but he missed his first attempt of 40 yards. This may have possibly influenced their next possession, as Houston declined to attempt a potential 54-yard field goal on their second drive of the game. WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW Green Bay Packers QB: Brett Favre (33-50-383-1-2, 2-16 rushing) put on a show in the second half. Favre performed well before halftime, going 12-19-151, but without any real running attack and down 10 points, Green Bay took to the air almost exclusively in the 3rd and 4th quarters. Favre answered the call, going 19-31-232-1-2. Favre even contributed a 17-yard scramble for a first down. His finest performance came on the final drive, a picture-perfect 2 minute drill where Favre went 6-7. The only incompletion was a spike to stop the clock. Favre moved the Packers 41 yards to set up the winning field goal. It is also noteworthy that Favre connected with eight different receivers, and five of them had catches of 20 or more yards. RB: Ahman Green (5-15 rushing) battled injuries from the onset. Green was forced out of the game in the first quarter and went to the locker room for evaluation. He was seen by ESPN as favoring his right hand, yet it was reported later that his ribs were the problem. Green managed to return, but only lasted into the second quarter as he again had to go in for evaluation. Green reportedly had x-rays on his ribs, which looked to be negative. Green did not return to the contest after the second quarter. Walter Williams (6-42 rushing) looked strong early, as he was the main tailback in the first quarter. Williams was promoted from the practice squad as Najeh Davenport was inactive due to injury and Ahman Green was ailing with a ribcage injury this week. Williams left the game due to injury early in the second quarter and was unable to return. Tony Fisher (7-14 rushing, 4-18 receiving on 4 targets) was the main running back after halftime, mostly due to a lack of alternatives. All but two of Fisher's touches came in the second half, but Fisher was little more than a feeble Packer attempt to muster up a rushing game in the final 30 minutes. FB Nicolas Luchey (1-3 rushing) was active early in the Packer backfield, but was forced from the game with an injury. FB William Henderson (0-0 rushing, 1-16 receiving, 1 target) caught one pass for 20 yards and a first down in the fourth quarter. WR: Javon Walker (9-88 receiving, 15 targets) was the most targeted receiver by QB Brett Favre. Walker caught at least one pass and targeted at least three times in every quarter. Walker was targeted twice deep, but just one of his catches went for over 15 yards - a 20 yard strike in the second quarter. Donald Driver (10-148 receiving, 1 TD, 13 targets) was the most active receiver in the second half, garnering 10 targets after halftime. Driver gained 90 of his 148 yards in the second half, including his 24-yard touchdown, a beautiful running catch in the back of the end zone. Robert Ferguson (4-44 receiving, 6 targets) made a nice diving catch for 11 yards and a first down in the second quarter. The play had to be reviewed as it was ruled incomplete at first, but later overturned. Ferguson also had a nice leaping 23-yard catch in the fourth quarter, but was hit hard in mid-air on the play. Ferguson limped off the field, but did return to the game, making a short 6-yard catch later in the game. Antonio Chatman (2-17 receiving, 6 targets) was ineffective early, unable to make a play on the first four balls heading his way (two were defended, one he had no chance, and the other was an interception). Chatman showed resilience as he caught the final two balls, one for 6 yards and another for 11 in the fourth quarter. TE: Bubba Franks (2-43 receiving, 3 targets) seemed to be open often, running over the middle and down the seam. Both receptions went for first downs, but Franks' second catch was key. The 27-yard run and catch set up Favre's touchdown pass to Donald Driver on the next play. Rookie Ben Steele (1-5 receiving, 2 targets) was looked to twice, and he caught one for 5 yards. K: Ryan Longwell (3-4 FG, 1 XP) was 3-4 on field goals, making the final three (23, 39, 47 yards). The miss , a 49-yard attempt that sailed wide right, was just his third missed FG on the season. The final kick won the game as time expired - just making it inside the upright. Pass Defense: Green Bay did not put a consistent rush on QB David Carr, but they did manage to keep him from getting too comfortable in the pocket. Carr focused on his favorite target, WR Andre Johnson, but CB Al Harris did a good job of staying with him for much of the day. The Packers only gave up 164 passing yards and managed two sacks, but they forced no interceptions. Rush Defense: The Texans were held in check on the ground, as RB Dominick Davis barely managed a 3-yard per carry average. The best Houston rushing attack came on QB David Carr scrambles, as Carr gained 36 yards on 3 carries. The Texans also tried 3 end-arounds, but they amassed just 6 yards in all. Houston Texans QB: David Carr (13-26-164-1-0, 3-36 rushing) started well, going 8-15-115-1-0 in the first half. Carr focused on two main targets, giving WR Andre Johnson and RB Dominick Davis 20 targets. Carr could not move the offense effectively in the second half, as the Texans could not get any points. Carr finished 2-6-8 in the fourth quarter, but seemed upbeat and focused until the very end. ESPN had Carr mic'ed for the game, and Carr was encouraging his teammates throughout the final stanza despite the weak offensive performance. Only after Green Bay kicked the winning field goal did Carr begin to look dejected (and in disbelief). RB: Domanick Davis (21-65 rushing, 6-41 receiving, 1 TD reception) managed 100+ all-purpose yards, but the 3-yard per carry average was not effective. Davis could not help his team to control the clock and play with a lead in the final quarter, as their final 3 possessions were 3-and-outs. Davis was also the second-most effective receiver, gaining 41 yards and scoring the only Texan touchdown. Davis had 9 targets, catching six. WR: Andre Johnson (6-107 receiving on 11 targets, 1-(-9) rushing) was Carr's favorite target once again, much as he has been all season. Johnson responded with a big play in the first half, a run-and-catch for 49 yards. The only touchdown of the game for Houston came on the next play. Johnson was the focus of the passing game, and he was also the dominant contributor. Only one other pass was caught by another WR all day. Johnson also had one rush for negative yardage on a well defended end-around. Derick Armstrong (1-16 receiving on 1 target) caught just one pass for 16 yards in the first quarter for a first down. Jabar Gaffney (0-0 receiving on 2 targets, 2-15 rushing, 0-1 passing) was targeted deep once and was thrown to another time but far short of his route (uncatchable). Gaffney had two end-arounds, gaining 15 total yards, and also had a end-around throwback option after the first end-around. The play was defended well, and Gaffney smartly threw the ball out of bounds. Corey Bradford (0-0 receiving on 4 targets) was targeted about once a quarter, usually on a deep pass, but he came up empty every time. JJ Moses was used exclusively as a return specialist. TE: Mark Bruener (0-0 receiving on 1 target) had just one ball thrown towards him, which he dropped. He was not a factor in this game. K: Kris Brown (1-1 XP, 2-3 FG) connected on his lone extra point, and he made two of three field goals (46, 40 yards). His lone miss came after the first possession of the game, a 40-yard kick that drifted wide right. That miss may have influenced the outcome of the next possession, as Houston chose to punt rather than attempt a 54-yard field goal. Pass Defense The Packers let the ball fly in the second half, and it was no secret to anyone that this was their entire offensive scheme. Green Bay was without any semblance of a running game, as all their rushers were injured, so Favre shouldered the entire load. Even with this knowledge, Houston could do little to slow down the Packer passing game. The Texans had no sacks for the entire contest. Favre had over 200 yards in the second half after gaining 151 in the first half, and eight different receivers caught passes for Green Bay. The only bright spots were that the defense managed to only give up one touchdown, and also forced two interceptions. Both picks gave the Texans the ball, but the field position was not good in either case. Both ensuing drives started inside the Houston 20. Rush Defense Green Bay was forced to abandon the running game, due mostly to a lack of running backs. Green Bay started well in the first quarter, gaining 50 yards on eight carries. However, the Packers only managed 40 more yards on the ground for the rest of the game. This was not a feather in the cap of the Texan defense, as both the lack of backs for Green Bay and the effectiveness of the air attack led them to go to a one-dimensional passing offense. |
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