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Hi Folks, Hope you had a great Thanksgiving. It's one of the best days of the year for food and football. You probably caught both these but just in case, here our 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, Edited by Joe Bryant with Cathy Fazio Indianapolis Colts 41 at Detroit Lions 9 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Indianapolis Colts Peyton Manning, Marvin Harrison and Brandon Stokley owners were thankful to have those players in their lineups on this day, although fans hoping for a close game probably considered this one a turkey. All three of those players tied or surpassed their career touchdown marks. The Colts' offense ran like a well oiled machine and was aided by the short fields provided by Detroit's four lost fumbles. This one was a laugher by halftime and Peyton Manning was wearing a baseball cap before the fourth quarter. Manning's six touchdown passes tied his career best. This marked the fifth straight game that Manning has thrown at least four touchdown passes. Manning unloaded his first three touchdowns to Brandon Stokley, who often found himself wide open working out of the slot. After that, Manning keyed in on Marvin Harrison. Harrison received a game high 16 targets, converting them into 127 yards and three touchdowns. Harrison embarrassed Lions' defenders, getting them to bite on an assortment of fakes. Edgerrin James looked fantastic in this game, but couldn't find the end zone, despite the 41 points posted by Indianapolis. He did manage to surpass the century mark, rushing for 105 yards. However, when the Colts got in the red zone, they preferred to sell the play action fake and then throw the ball. Other than Harrison and Stokely, the Colts' other receiving targets were very quiet. Only Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark caught passes, going 3-37 and 1-6 respectively. Detroit Lions Detroit had only lost one fumble all year coming into this game, but their four lost fumbles in this contest proved to be their undoing. The Lions showed that they had no answer for the Colts offense early on, giving up touchdowns on the Colts' first two drives. Detroit moved the ball well early, but bogged down in the red zone, being forced to settle for field goals. Two Detroit fumbles before the half lead to two Indianapolis touchdowns. That turned a 7 point deficit into a 21 point deficit and a close game into a blowout. Joey Harrington was benched for Mike McMahon in the 3rd quarter. Harrington didn't look awful, but couldn't get the team into the red zone. His 0 for 4 passing in the red zone lead to several Detroit field goals. He fumbled as well on a hit by LB Rob Morris. In the 3rd quarter, Mariucci decided he had seen enough and sent McMahon in. McMahon started off hot completing his first eight passes. Although McMahon looked better than Harrington in this game, he wasn't able to lead the Lions to any points. Early on it seemed like Kevin Jones was going to have a monster day, breaking off runs of 40 and 21 yards. The former was of highlight reel variety as Jones juked defenders down the field and put a great spin move on the last tackler to make him miss. But as the Lions fell behind, they began to throw more and use Jones less. In fact, as they started to get blown out, Bryson was inserted into the game on many downs at Jones' expense. Roy Williams opened with a 37 yard catch on the Lions' first drive, but could
only muster another 14 yards the rest of the day. He couldn't make two tough
catches in the end zone for would-be touchdowns. Williams contributed to the
Lions' turnover problem by fumbling the ball away in the fourth quarter. Stephen
Alexander led the Lions' receiving core with 58 yards. WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW Indianapolis Colts QB: Peyton Manning (23-28-236, 6 TD, 1-4 rushing) was electric in this game. His six touchdown passes tied his career high. Often given a short field to work with due to Lions' turnovers, Manning continually lead the Colts on short drives culminated by a touchdown throw. The Lions' defense often left someone uncovered and Manning quickly spotted that man and delivered him the ball. In the first half, the open man was usually Brandon Stokley working out of the slot. Manning hit Stokley for his first three touchdown passes, all off of play action fakes. Manning's next three touchdown passes all went to Marvin Harrison who was badly beating his man at that point. Manning's lofty touchdown total is even more impressive considering that he did it in just under three quarters of play. With about a minute to go in the 3rd quarter, Manning gave way to backup Jim Sorgi. Jim Sorgi (1-3-7) Sorgi played the last quarter for the Colts, when Manning was pulled. He was only able to complete one of his three passes, but the Colts were mostly trying to work the clock. RB: Edgerrin James (23-105 rushing, 3-16 receiving on 3 targets) ran impressively in this game. James ran hard, driving his legs and picking up extra yards after first contact. One particularly impressive run had James get knocked off balance, but he managed to tip toe down the sidelines and pickup a first down. James' 6 yard gain down to the Lions' 4 yard line setup the Colts' first score. However, James didn't get many red zone carries. Instead, the Colts preferred to use play action fakes, before scoring through the air. James continued to play late into the 4th quarter despite the game being out of reach and Manning already being pulled. James didn't leave the game until the Colts' final drive with less than three minutes left. Dominic Rhodes (2-4 rushing) Rhodes first entered the game late in the 3rd quarter, but didn't get a carry at the time. James continued to play up until the end of the game. Rhodes ended up getting a couple of carries on the Colts final possession. James Mungro (2-4 rushing) got the last two carries of the game for the Colts. WR: Marvin Harrison (12-127 receiving on 16 targets, 3 TD) Through most of
the first half, it seemed that Brandon Stokley would put up the best numbers
by an Indianapolis wideout this Thanksgiving, but Harrison played marvelously
the rest of the game to lead the Colts' receivers. After a Lions' fumble gave
the Colts the ball at the Detroit 31 yard line, Harrison scored his first touchdown
two plays later. Harrison made a jaw dropping fake, starting to cut to the outside,
before reversing to the inside, leaving him wide open. CB Fernando Bryant could
only stand idly by as Harrison made the easy catch. Harrison's second score
came on a play that the Colts love to run. Indianapolis sent the tight end deep
and Harrison ran underneath the coverage. He turned upfield cutting to the outside
and diving for the score. Harrison's 3rd score came on a play action fake and
he did a great job of selling a fake run block before catching the easy touchdown.
Harrison made great plays all game, including a leaping catch at the sidelines
for a first down. Reggie Wayne (3-37 receiving on 5 targets, 1-minus 4 rushing) had a fairly quiet game considering the Colts' offensive explosion. Manning found Wayne for a 20 yard gain on the first offensive play of the game, but Wayne could only manage another 17 yards the rest of the way. Wayne was targeted early on a long throw in the end zone. He came down with the grab, but he was well out of bounds when he had possession. It seemed that for most of the first half, Manning looked to Stokley and then looked for Harrison in the second half. Wayne just never got his turn in the rotation. TE: Dallas Clark (1-6 receiving on 2 targets) both Colts' tight ends weren't used too often in this game. Clark caught only one ball for six yards. Marcus Pollard (0-0 receiving on 0 targets) started at tight end for the Colts but was never targeted. K: Mike Vanderjagt (5 XP, 0-0 FG) had an extra point blocked early in the game. The Colts were so efficient in the red zone that Vanderjagt never got to attempt a field goal despite the 41 point output by Indianapolis. Pass Defense: The Colts defense gave up a couple of big passing plays in the first half, but overall had a fairly solid game. The defense really buckled down in the red zone and didn't give up a score. LB Rob Morris's hit on Joey Harrington forced a fumble and lead to an Indianapolis touchdown. Rush Defense: The Colts' defense missed a lot of tackles in the first half,
but after a reported lecture at the half from Tony Dungy, clamped down and tackled
better. Kevin Jones had a big first half breaking off runs of 40 and 21 yards,
but was held in check in the second half. QB: Joey Harrington (14-23-156, 1 fumble lost) Harrington wasn't awful in this game, but the offense seemed to struggle at times when he was at the helm, especially in the red zone. Harrington was 0 for 4 passing in the red zone in the first half. He wasn't helped by the fact that Roy Williams dropped two balls in the red zone that could have been scores. Both throws would have been difficult receptions, but were both catchable. His fumble after being hit by LB Rob Morris on a delayed blitz, led to a Colts touchdown and a 14 point deficit. Mike McMahon was shown warming up on the sidelines midway though the third quarter, and took over on the Lions' next possession. Mike McMahon (11-15-77, 1 INT, 2-18 rushing) took over for Joey Harrington midway through the third quarter. McMahon looked very good throwing the ball, completing his first eight passes, although he couldn't lead the Lions to any points. McMahon threw with velocity and accuracy. He showed good mobility when flushed from the pocket. His interception came on a desperation throw on the last play of the game in the end zone. RB: Kevin Jones (12-99 rushing, 3-3 receiving on 4 targets) Similar to last week's game against the Vikings, Jones came out red hot in the first half, but posted meager rushing numbers in the second half. Early on, Jones broke off his longest run of the season. It was a 40 yard scamper, where Jones found the middle clogged, cut to the outside and juked defenders all down the field, including putting on a great spin move. The last defender wrapped Jones up to prevent him from a 60 yard touchdown run. On the next drive, Jones had another great run, where he burst up the sidelines for a 21 yard gain. But after the Lions found themselves trailing badly, Jones' touches were limited and he sacrificed playing time to Shawn Bryson. Shawn Bryson (7-51 rushing, 6-44 receiving on 7 targets, 1 fumble lost) Bryson was in at tailback on most 3rd downs in this game. When the Lions started getting blown out, they were forced to play catch up, and Bryson got a lot of touches at Jones' expense. Bryson had a costly fumble before the half. While attempting to gain control of the ball on a reception, Bryson was leveled by LB David Thorton. This lead to a Colts touchdown. Corey Schlesinger (1-10 receiving on 1 target) Schlesinger didn't get a carry, but picked up a first down on his only target catching the ball. WR: Roy Williams (4-51 receiving on 8 targets, 1 fumble lost) had a 37 yard reception on the Lions' first drive, but had a quiet afternoon outside of that. Williams was targeted in the end zone, two plays after the long reception, but couldn't make a tough catch of a ball thrown behind him. Harrington looked for Williams in the end zone on the Lions' next possession, but again he couldn't make the tough grab. Williams dove for the ball and tried to pull in the catch with one hand, but was unsuccessful. Mike McMahon appeared frustrated with Williams for not making much of an effort to go after a catchable ball late in the game, with the victory out of reach. Williams also racked up the Lions fourth lost fumble on the day in the fourth quarter when he was hit by DE Raheem Brock. Tai Streets (3-26 receiving on 4 targets) Streets started across from Roy Williams and had a fairly quiet day, pulling in three catches for 26 yards. His biggest contribution came on a 19 gain from McMahon early in the fourth quarter. Reggie Swinton (1-23 receiving on 2 targets, 1 fumble lost) had a costly fumble on a punt return late in the game. Other than that, Swinton's only reception was a great diving catch at the end of the first half that setup a Detroit field goal attempt. Scottie Vines (1-11 receiving on 3 targets) entered the game in garbage time and pulled in one of his three targets. TE: Stephen Alexander (5-58 receiving on 7 targets) was the Lions' leading
receiver in this contest. Alexander had a 30 yard reception right down the middle
of the field early in the game. He was also targeted once in the end zone, but
the pass was too high and was not catchable. K: Jason Hanson (0 XP, 3-4 FG) Hanson missed a 48 yard field goal wide left, but hit from 20, 34 and 32 yards out. Pass Defense: For the first half, the Lions' defense continued to leave Brandon Stokley open out of the slot and he burned them badly for it. Once the coverage rolled over to Stokley, Marvin Harrison began abusing the defense. Harrison made CB Fernando Bryant look lost with an array of quick cuts and fakes. The passing defense didn't give up lots of yards, only because the Colts were repeatedly working with a short field, but Indy scored at will against them. Rush Defense: Edgerrin James juked Lions' defenders and ran over them in this game. James effective running against the Lions' defense setup the play action pass. Chicago Bears 7 at Dallas Cowboys 21 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Chicago Bears RB Anthony Thomas replaced RB Thomas Jones during two consecutive series in the second quarter. This was the only time that Anthony Thomas saw the field. Jones was the featured running back in their offense with 20 total touches. QB Craig Krenzel started the game, but left during the second quarter with a foot injury. Krenzel was able to complete only one pass to a wide receiver. His receivers weren't helping him by getting open, but when he did have opportunities he was inaccurate or unable to get a pass off. Backup QB Jonathon Quinn didn't fare any better throwing two interceptions. The most telling statistic for the Chicago quarterbacks may have been that 9 of their 15 completions went to running backs. Dallas Cowboys Rookie RB Julius Jones carried the Dallas offense with 150 yards rushing and 2 touchdowns. Jones hit the holes quickly and made several nice cuts breaking runs to the outside for long gainers. RB Eddie George didn't see the field until garbage time when the Cowboys were attempting to run down the clock. Rookie QB Drew Henson got his first start in nearly four years. Veteran QB Vinny Testaverde replaced him after a shaky start including an interception by CB R.W. McQuarters that was returned for a touchdown. WR Quincy Morgan had a target edge over WR Keyshawn Johnson in the first half (4-2) while Henson was in the game. However, with Testaverde at the helm Johnson became the featured receiver with 5 receptions on 6 targets in the second half. WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW Chicago Bears QB: Craig Krenzel (5-10-46 passing, 2-2 rushing) Krenzel had to leave the game in the second quarter with a foot injury. Before he left Krenzel lost a fumble when he didn't connect with C Olin Kreutz on the snap. Kreutz was somehow credited with the fumble. Krenzel never looked comfortable in the pocket. The Cowboys were able to put enough heat on him forcing him to lose focus of his receivers downfield. His one completion to WR Bobby Wade on their second drive was a nice pass. However, he was way off target when trying to throw the ball downfield on almost all his attempts. Jonathon Quinn (10-21-86 2 INT passing, 2 fumbles - 0 lost) Quinn didn't fare any better than Krenzel. Several of his passes were terribly overthrown and multiple attempts should have been intercepted. Quinn took even more of a beating than Krenzel did. He was sacked and fumbled twice, but a Bear recovered each fumble. RB: Thomas Jones (14-46 rushing, 6-48 receiving on 8 targets) Jones ran hard and quick. However, he didn't have much room to run. The Cowboys consistently stacked the line of scrimmage with eight in the box on running downs. Jones didn't have much a chance. When he did have a sliver of a hole he hit it quickly. Jones demonstrated very good acceleration on several plays. Anthony Thomas (3-0 rushing, 2-20 receiving on 2 targets) Thomas saw two series during the second quarter. On each series Thomas caught a first down pass for decent yardage, but followed that up with carries for no gain. WR: David Terrell (2-34 receiving on 8 targets) Terrell was shown on the sideline losing his temper early in the game. His frustration was most likely due to being open on several plays, but not being seen by QB Craig Krenzel when he felt he was open. Terrell's 23-yard reception in the third quarter was the offense highlight of the game for Chicago, but PK Paul Edinger missed a 48-yard field goal when the drive died. Following his 23-yard catch he was also open on a long sideline route, but Quinn missed him badly with an overthrow. Bobby Wade (2-23 receiving on 6 targets, 1-1 rushing) Wade was nearly invisible for most of the game. The Chicago passing attack was simply dismal not affording Wade much of an opportunity. Bernard Berrian (1-3 receiving on 5 targets) Berrian dropped a ball on a slant route that would have been a first down in the opening quarter. He was targeted deep down the sideline in the second quarter, but the pass was thrown short and too far to the inside. TE: Desmond Clark (1-6 receiving on 2 targets) Clark was a non-factor until the second half. His one reception came in the third quarter. His other target was intercepted in garbage time at the end of the fourth quarter. K: Paul Edinger (1-1 XP, 0-1 FG missed 48) Nothing good to report here. Edinger kicked the second half kickoff out of bounds and missed his only field goal attempt midway through the third quarter. Pass Defense: CB R.W. McQuarters was able to jump a short out by WR Quincy Morgan and returned the Henson pass for a 45-yard touchdown. He was well on his way to another touchdown return after picking off a Testaverde pass, but fumbled it back to the Cowboys. The defensive backfield put lots of big hits on Cowboy receivers, but they weren't able to separate them from the ball. The pass rush dropped Cowboy quarterbacks only twice, but brought enough pressure to hurry several throws including Testaverde's interception. Rookie DT Tommie Harris left the game at the start of the fourth quarter with an unspecified injury. Rush Defense: The Bears were able to able to make adjustments to shut down RB Julius Jones after a poor start. Early in the game Jones had some giant holes to run through and the Bears allowed themselves to be juked in open space. At the end of the second quarter through the third they were able to shut Jones down. They held him to 5 yards on 10 carries during this stretch. However, Jones found his stride again in the fourth quarter with 50 yards and his second touchdown. Dallas Cowboys QB: Vinny Testaverde (9-14-92 TD INT passing) Testaverde started the second half after Henson struggled early on. He entered the game to a cascade of boos and jeers. The crowd definitely wanted Henson in the game. He appeared out of sync during most of the third quarter. When hurried in the pocket he threw a long interception off his back foot. He rebounded in the fourth quarter looking much sharper. His touchdown pass to FB Darian Barnes was a play action pass in the flat. He leaned on WR Keyshawn Johnson when the Cowboy offense started to click. Testaverde made good decisions late throwing the ball away on multiple occasions instead of forcing the ball or taking sacks. Drew Henson (4-12-31 INT passing) After the opening Cowboy touchdown drive, Henson was unable to sustain any drives. His inability to convert third down opportunities (0-7) kept stalling the Dallas offense. He allowed CB R.W. McQuarters to jump a short out route because his head snapped right to his intended receiver. RB: Julius Jones (33-150 2 TD, 1- -1 receiving on 3 targets) Jones had a fantastic first and fourth quarter. He showed the ability to hit the hole and lower his shoulders with power. He showed the ability to cut hard to the outside and break runs up the sideline. His made a marvelous cut in the open field on his first touchdown run making two defenders miss. He was shut down during the bulk of the third quarter, but the Cowboys kept giving him the ball. Their perseverance paid off when he got his second touchdown late plowing through a defender to the endzone. Eddie George (3-8 rushing, 0-0 receiving on 0 targets) George didn't see the field until the game was basically over. He mopped up in garbage time after the Cowboys took a 14-point lead. Richie Anderson (DNP) Anderson was held out after suffering a mild concussion in the loss last week to the Ravens. Darian Barnes (0-0 rushing, 1-5 TD receiving on 1 target) Barnes started in place of FB Richie Anderson. His only touch was the 5-yard touchdown reception at the start of the fourth quarter that got the Cowboys the lead. WR: Keyshawn Johnson (6-58 receiving on 8 targets) Johnson hooked up with Testaverde for 5 second half receptions. Johnson used his size and no fear attitude to make several tough grabs over the middle. Johnson made a nice hustle play jumping on a possible Jones fumble in the fourth quarter. Quincy Morgan (2-22 receiving on 5 targets) Morgan caught the first Henson completion in the first quarter. Henson rolled out to his right and hit Morgan on a crossing route. Morgan's second reception came on the last Dallas touchdown drive. He made a nice leaping grab and went down hard inside the 5-yard line. The defensive back almost stepped in front of the pass but Morgan did a nice job of using his body to shield off the defender. Terrance Copper (2-22 receiving on 5 targets) Copper made a tough diving grab to keep the Cowboys' final touchdown drive going. The TV announcers raved about how much Parcells is high on Copper. TE: Jason Witten (1-17 receiving on 3 targets) Whitten's only reception came on a square in route. Witten became an afterthought as the Cowboys looked to RB Julius Jones to move the ball. K: Billy Cundiff (3-3 XP, 0-1 FG missed 52) Cundiff missed his 52-yard attempt at the start of the second quarter. Pass Defense: Because Dallas was able to stuff the run, they were afforded with ample opportunities to pin their ears back and attack Chicago quarterbacks. They dropped Krenzel and Quinn three times each led by the 3.5 sacks credited to DE Eric Ogbogu. Terrance Newman played beautiful bump and run coverage when intercepting a fade route on the first play after the Cowboys got the lead. The interception was followed by RB Julius Jones second touchdown that put the game out of reach. Rush Defense: The Cowboys stacked the line of scrimmage daring Chicago quarterbacks to throw the ball. With the safety up playing as a linebacker it was no surprise to see Dallas stuff the run. 12 of the 20 Chicago rushing attempts went for 2 yards or less. |