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.

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Joe Bryant
Owner - www.Footballguys.com

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

Edited by Joe Bryant with Cathy Fazio

Washington Redskins 7 at Pittsburgh Steelers 16

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers again faltered somewhat in the red zone, and were forced to settle for short field goals three times. Despite a field surface which was very torn up due to inclement weather and heavy usage over the past few days, Jerome Bettis recorded his fourth straight 100 yard game in place of the still injured Duce Staley. The Washington defense made him fight for every yard, but Bettis still finished with exactly 100, and a 4-yard score for the Steelers only touchdown.

Ben Roethlisberger struggled somewhat without his favorite option, Plaxico Burress, who was sidelined with a hamstring injury. With no one to stretch the field, the Washington secondary was able to play a lot tighter on the underneath receivers, and it was an effective strategy. Roethlisberger failed to complete 50% of his throws for the first time all year, but was also undermined by some untimely drops. Willie Parker dropped an easy 25-yard completion in the fourth quarter, which curbed Roethlisberger's stats a bit.

Defensively, the Steelers were sensational, keeping the Redskins in check the entire game. Washington was able to muster only 50 yards of total offense in the first half, and the Steelers jumped out to what proved to be an insurmountable lead. The Steelers blitzed early and often and were able to get to Patrick Ramsey five times. Clark Haggans and Joey Porter recorded two sacks each. Deshea Townshend recorded his fourth interception of the year in the fourth quarter, putting the icing on the victory. This was the only turnover in the game on either side.

Washington Redskins

The Redskins had no success on the ground all game long. They mustered only 51 yards rushing, 26 of which came on a single carry from Ladell Betts. Otherwise, they were completely stifled by the Steelers' front 7. Clinton Portis never seemed to be able to find his footing on the shoddy turf, and there were absolutely no holes for him to run through. He was so ineffective that the Redskins used Ladell Betts more than Portis in the second half. Sideline reporter Chris Myers said it was because Washington wanted the more powerful Betts in the game with the poor field conditions.

Patrick Ramsey never seemed to be able to get into a groove in the face of a relentless pass rush. He was sacked 5 times, and was otherwise harassed all day, with 10 hurries and 9 knockdowns in addition to the sacks. Most of his completions were of the short yardage variety, and he missed his receivers on many passes when he threw down the field. Ramsey was able to muster only 138 yards passing and threw a terrible interception late to end the Redskins last chance to get back into the game. He did throw a 2-yard TD pass on fourth down to Chris Cooley in the third quarter to temporarily get Washington back into the game.

The Redskins defense was stout. They ran a lot of blitzes at Roethlisberger and were able to record 4 sacks in the contest. In addition, they tightened up considerably once the Steelers were able to cross midfield, and twice knocked the Steelers out of field goal range with sacks, forcing Pittsburgh to punt. They were unable to force any turnovers, however.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Pittsburgh Steelers

QB: Ben Roethlisberger (9-20-131, 6-4 rushing) Roethlisberger was mediocre in the game. He made a few errant throws and had one ball nearly picked off by Redskins' corner Fred Smoot. His receivers did drop a few easy catches. Roethlisberger clearly missed the presence of Plaxico Burress, particularly on third down. Roethlisberger has one of the highest third-down passer ratings in the NFL, but in this game, he was not sharp, missing a couple of open receivers when the Steelers needed to convert. He needs to be quicker releasing the ball against the blitz, as the Redskins were able to sack him 4 times, though most of those sacks were attributable to poor pass-blocking by the line.

RB: Jerome Bettis (31-100, 1 TD rushing, 1-20 receiving on 1 target) Bettis was the engine driving the Pittsburgh offense in this game. He seemed unfazed by the poor footing on the field, and got stronger as the game wore on with 70 of his rushing yards coming in the second half. Bettis also punched in a 4-yard TD run in the second quarter. The Steelers were content to wear the Washington defense down up front rather than challenge their excellent secondary, and Bettis was up to the task.

Verron Haynes (1-3 rushing, 2-24 receiving on 2 targets) Haynes converted a 3rd and 15 with a nice run after the catch on a screen pass. He was not used much in the run game.

Duce Staley was held out again with his hamstring. He is making good progress but the team elected to hold him out one more week with the poor field conditions.

WR: Hines Ward (3-42 receiving on 9 targets) Ward was blanketed all game long by Fred Smoot and Shawn Springs. The Redskins were determined not to let Ward beat them, and they did an excellent job of all but taking him out of the offense. Ward did not even catch a ball until after halftime, and was a non-factor in the game for the most part.

Antwaan Randle El (2-37 receiving on 4 targets) Randle El made a couple of nice catches replacing Burress in the starting lineup, but he contributed in other areas as well. Randle El was able to draw a 32 yard pass interference call on Shawn Springs, and repeatedly set up Pittsburgh scores with huge punt returns. A 60-yard return in the first quarter led to a 33 yard field goal and a 43 yard return in the second set Pittsburgh up at the Washington 39. Bettis scored the Steelers' lone touchdown on the ensuing drive. Randle El had another huge return called back late due to an illegal block in the back penalty.

Sean Morey (1-8 receiving on 1 target) Morey made an 8-yard reception in the second quarter.

Lee Mays (0-0 receiving on 2 targets) Mays was not a factor and did not catch the two targets that came his way.

TE: No Steelers' tight end received a target in the game.

K: Jeff Reed (1 XP, 3-3 FG) Reed connected from 32, 33, and 36 yards in the game.

Pass Defense: The Steelers' pass defense was very strong. As mentioned, the rush got to Ramsey 5 times, with Porter and Haggans recording two sacks each, and James Farrior chipping in with one. Ramsey was never allowed to get comfortable, and was throwing on the run or off his back foot all day long.

Rush Defense: The Steelers' run defense was sensational. Clinton Portis was completely ineffective, and Ladell Betts did not fare much better. Betts slid off right tackle for a 26-yard gain on third and one, which led to the Redskins' touchdown, but that was basically it for the running attack. Washington's other 13 carries netted only 25 yards.

Washington Redskins

QB: Patrick Ramsey (19-34-138, 1 TD, 1 INT) Ramsey was playing off-balance the entire game. He made a number of errant throws, and missed several open receivers. He was rarely able to make plays down the field, and most of his passes were of the short drop off variety, as evidenced by the fact that 11 of his 19 completions went to tailbacks Betts and Portis, and tight end Chris Cooley. As mentioned, he did throw a TD pass in the third quarter to Cooley, but also cost the Redskins a chance to get back into the game with a poorly thrown late interception.

RB: Ladell Betts (8-34 rushing, 3-35 receiving on 3 targets) Betts was the Redskins' most effective back with 69 combined yards. He replaced Portis as the Redskins' lead back in the second half, and gained most of his rushing yards on a single 26-yard carry. Outside of that, he was pretty well contained. He did receive 3 looks out of the backfield in the passing game.

Clinton Portis (6-17 rushing, 1-0 receiving on 2 targets) Portis was completely neutralized in the game. He was replaced by Betts in the second half, though he did share carries after that point. Portis was ineffective hitting the holes when they were there. He was a complete non-factor in the game.

WR: Laveranues Coles (6-55 receiving on 13 targets) Ramsey was looking in Coles' direction early and often in the game, but was unable to link up with him down field. Coles was hit hard every time he came across the middle, and spent most of the afternoon campaigning for pass interference flags. He did draw one questionable interference call against Willie Williams to keep a Redskins' drive alive, but they were unable to capitalize.

Rod Gardner (1-11 receiving on 4 targets) Gardner was neutralized by the Pittsburgh defense. Ramsey did take one shot deep to Gardner, but he was unable to come up with the ball.

Darnerien McCants (0-0 receiving on 2 targets) McCants did not catch any of the passes that came his way.

TE: Chris Cooley (7-31, 1 TD receiving on 10 targets) Cooley was one of Ramsey's favorite options in the passing game, primarily because he was forced to dump off a lot against the Steelers' pass rush. Cooley did a nice job getting open over the middle to corral the Redskins only touchdown.

Robert Royal (1-6 receiving on 2 targets) Royal recovered a Patrick Ramsey fumble. He made a 6-yard reception in the fourth quarter.

K: John Hall (1 XP) Hall converted his only extra point attempt.

Pass Defense: The Redskins' pass defense was excellent. Their secondary did a terrific job of containing Hines Ward and did an equally good job of pressuring Roethlisberger. Marcus Washington carded two sacks, while Lemar Marshall and Chris Clemons had one apiece. They did not generate any turnovers or big plays in the secondary but kept the Steelers' passing game grounded for much of the game.

Rush Defense: The Redskins run defense was pretty solid, but wore down late. Pittsburgh turned to the run late to wear down the opposing defense and run clock and the Redskins were unable to stop Bettis when it mattered most. On most critical short-yardage plays, the Redskins were unable to generate stops, and their defensive line was generally outplayed by the Pittsburgh offensive line.

Cleveland Browns 48 at Cincinnati Bengals 58

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Cleveland Browns

Kelly Holcomb threw for 413 yards and 5 touchdowns in the highest scoring game since the AFL merger in 1970 as the Browns ended up on the short end of this 58-48 shootout. In relief of the injured Jeff Garcia, Kelly Holcomb completed 30 of 39 passes, but threw a costly interception at the end of the game as the Browns were trying to come back from a 51-48 deficit. Holcomb was able to use the entire field, looking downfield to his wide receivers and underneath to his tight ends throughout the entire game.

Antonio Bryant excelled in the absence of Andre Davis, picking up 131 yards on 8 catches for 2 touchdowns, his best game as a Cleveland Brown. Dennis Northcutt was effective in this game, as he picked up 5 catches for 87 yards, and Frisman Jackson was used late, pulling in 2 balls. The tight ends were used heavily in this game as Steve Heiden pulled in 3 touchdowns in addition to his totals of 7 catches for 82 yards. The Browns used both tight ends in their system in the passing game as Aaron Shea pulled in 5 catches for 67 yards on the game.

The Browns generally abandoned the rushing game after they fell behind in the 2nd quarter, and instead focused on passing, passing and more passing. William Green finished with 75 yards on 16 carries.

Cincinnati Bengals

Playing before a charged up home crowd, the Bengals showed a balanced offense, and were able to score through both the air and on the ground. Rudi Johnson went over the 1000 yard mark for the season and proved his worth as a workhorse back for the Cincinnati organization as he gained 202 yards on 26 carries, gaining first downs at will throughout this game, showing very good power in breaking numerous tackles throughout the game.

Carson Palmer showed leadership in this game as he threw for 4 touchdowns and 251 yards, going 22 of 29 on the day. Two of the 3 interceptions thrown in this game should not be charged to Palmer, and he should be credited with his best game as a Bengal, a game in which trainers were not sure he would play after having back spasms flare up throughout the week.

Chad Johnson made up for a poor first outing versus the Browns this season, responding with 10 catches for 117 yards and a touchdown, getting open consistently both underneath and over the top. T.J. Houshmandzadeh came up big in this game, bring in 4 catches for 79 yards and 2 touchdowns, plus contributions in the rushing and return game. Kelley Washington proved an effective third target for the Bengals as he pulled in a touchdown in addition to his 3 catches and 35 yards in this game.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Cleveland Browns

QB: Kelly Holcomb (30-39-413, 5 TD, 2 INT, 1-0 rushing) Kelly Holcomb had a great day. He showed excellent touch on the deep out as well as the ability to find the player underneath. He completed 12 passes to wide receivers today. Holcomb completed 77% of his passes, averaging 10.6 yards per attempt, and threw 5 touchdowns en route to a 128.5 passer rating.

RB: William Green (15-75, 1 TD rushing, 2-15 receiving on 3 targets) William Green broke a long run for 46 yards early in the game, but was not utilized significantly once the game really turned into a shootout. It is interesting to note that the strong safety caught up to Green from behind on the long run, without a significant angle aiding the strong safety, showing the limitations in the Green's game.

Lee Suggs was listed as questionable this week with a toe injury, but declared inactive on Sunday morning. With Suggs inactive, rookie Adimchinobe Echemandu from California was the backup RB for this game.

WR: Antonio Bryant (8-131, 2 TD receiving on 13 targets) The former Cowboys' receiver appeared to be Holcomb's favorite target, especially on the 20-30 yard out, where Holcomb looked consistently to him. Bryant came up with a number of key first downs to extend drives throughout the game, in addition to his 2 receiving touchdowns.

Dennis Northcutt (5-87 receiving on 6 targets) With few healthy receivers in Cleveland, Northcutt has been asked to run some different routes, and while this has limited his targets, it has opened him up to longer catches and more opportunities to make plays in open space, where he is so effective.

Frisman Jackson (2-30 receiving on 2 targets) Frisman Jackson made a fantastic one-handed catch on the final drive of the game as the Browns were trying to come back from a 58-48 deficit, but had a very limited role in this game otherwise.

Andre Davis missed his fourth straight game with toe injuries on both feet and hasn't been heard from since the 1st play of the previous game against Cincinnati this year, when he scored a 99-yard touchdown.

TE: Steve Heiden (7-82, 3 TD receiving on 11 targets) Heiden made the most of his opportunities against the Cincinnati linebacking corps. In both games against the Bengals this year, the Browns had a great deal of success with the tight ends, and Heiden was the benefactor in this game.

Aaron Shea (5-67 receiving on 7 targets) Shea had a very good game that was overshadowed by Steve Heiden's great game, as he was consistently open and made solid contributions in the blocking game.

K: Phil Dawson (6-6 XP, 2-2 FG) Dawson was good on field goals of 23 and 29 yards, and nailed 6 extra points.

Pass Defense: The Browns were shredded apart for 251 yards and 4 touchdowns, but did pick up 3 interceptions. The Browns' defensive backs were consistently beaten on deep passes that were slightly under thrown to allow the receiver to win the jump ball, which led to 3 of the touchdowns.

Rush Defense: More alarming than the 4 touchdown passes given up was the 202 yards gained by Rudi Johnson, who was able to run at will throughout the entire game. This was an area that has shown much improvement during the 2004 campaign, but was ineffective this week as the Browns were forced to try to stop the pass.

Cincinnati Bengals

QB: Carson Palmer (22-29-251, 4 TD, 3 Int, 2-10 rushing) Despite 3 interceptions, this was perhaps Palmer's most productive day as a pro. Two of the interceptions were not his fault. Rudi Johnson failed to complete his route on the second interception, and the ball was stolen out of Chad Johnson's hands on the third one. Palmer showed poise after falling behind, and came back to give the Bengals a solid lead, only to watch it evaporate, and be forced to come back again. Sidelined from practice this week with back spasms, he showed no ill effects, but excellent leadership in this shootout.

RB: Rudi Johnson (26-202 rushing, 2 TD, 1-5 receiving on 2 targets) Rudi Johnson went over 1000 yards on the season. Rudi Johnson showed power up the middle, and good speed after breaking tackles. It was noted during the game that Rudi Johnson was third in the league in terms of rushing attempts, proving him capable of being a workhorse back in Marvin Lewis' system.

Kenny Watson (1-15 rushing) Palmer was able to find his receivers consistently open throughout this game, so he did not need to utilize his running backs as much out of the flat in this game as he had previously this year against the Browns.

Chris Perry failed to dress again with an abdomen injury.

WR: Chad Johnson (10-117, 1 TD receiving on 13 targets, 1-9 rushing) Chad Johnson took a number of hard hits throughout this game, but each time responded by coming back to the field shortly thereafter and coming up with a big catch immediately upon his return.

T.J. Houshmandzadeh (4-79, 2 TD receiving on 5 targets, 2-17 rushing) Houshmandzadeh scored his first touchdowns of the year. And the Bengals tried to get him as involved as possible, allowing him to run the ball a couple of times to spread the defense, and return punts.

Kelley Washington (3-35, 1 TD receiving on 4 targets) Washington came up with an early touchdown in this game, and provided a solid third target for Palmer.

TE: Reggie Kelly (0-0 receiving on 1 target) The tight ends were a relative afterthought for the Bengals, as Kelly was targeted once, and an pass intended for Tony Stewart was called back due to a penalty.

K: Shayne Graham (7-7 XP, 3-3 FG) Shayne Graham continues to have a very solid season, nailing field goals of 21, 32 and 36 yards and 7 extra points.

Pass Defense: The pass defense for the Bengals was even worse than the Browns, as they gave up 413 yards and 5 touchdowns, and absolutely could not stop the Browns. However, when they needed it most, Deltha O'Neal stepped in front of pass in the flat to pick off a pass and put the Bengals ahead 58-48 with less than 2 minutes remaining. The Bengals picked up 3 sacks, with most of the pressure coming late.

Rush Defense: The Bengals' rush defense was pretty effective in this game albeit a 46 yard run by William Green early. Excluding that run, the Bengals held William Green to less than 2 yards per carry on the remainder of his carries. The Bengals tackling was much better than it has been throughout the majority of this season.

New York Jets 13 at Arizona Cardinals 3

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

New York Jets

The Jets, despite the absence of starter Chad Pennington, got strong play from the quarterback position. Quincy Carter suffered a head injury early in the contest and was replaced for several series by Brooks Bollinger before eventually returning. Both QBs fared well, avoided costly errors, and led the Jets to a very important road win.

RB Curtis Martin fell one yard shy of yet another 100-yard effort. While he didn't find the end zone, his strong running enabled the Jets to control the ball for much of the game and keep the Arizona offense off the field.

WR Santana Moss had a team high 5 receptions and 109 yards, including a beautiful 69-yard touchdown reception from Quincy Carter. Moss snuck in behind his defender on the play and displayed remarkable concentration as several defenders swatted at the ball.

Arizona Cardinals

RB Emmitt Smith suffered an injury to his left big toe early in the game. He lay on the ground in pain for a while, but got up and walked off under his own power, though limping. Smith played one more series before leaving the game again. He did not return.

You know things are going badly at the quarterback spot when the fans are chanting, "We want Josh", in reference to the desire for Josh McCown to get back on the field. Head coach Dennis Green eventually obliged, taking out starter Shaun King and replacing him with McCown in the second half. Neither QB was all that effective, and was seemingly the main reason this team was unable to hang around with New York.

WR Anquan Boldin had a solid day, but at the same time, may have cost his team a shot at a comeback. He had a nice catch and run late in the fourth quarter with Arizona driving, but coughed up a fumble that was recovered by New York. Boldin was consistently sought out by both Arizona quarterbacks.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

New York Jets

QB: Quincy Carter (8-12-133, 1 TD, 1-2 rushing) suffered a head injury in the first quarter of the game. He appeared to be very woozy, and it seemed surprising that Carter returned to the game. Not only did he return, but shortly after his return, he threw a perfect 69-yard touchdown strike to WR Santana Moss that extended the lead from 6-3 to 13-3 and really put the game out of reach. Carter made two mistakes that could have been very costly, but as it turned out they didn't hurt the Jets at all. One was a fumble that just sat on the ground for far too long. Another was a throw in the red zone to Santana Moss. Carter thought Moss was going to stop, but Moss continued on towards the end zone. Arizona CB Duane Starks jumped the route and nearly picked the ball off for what would have definitely been a touchdown, but Starks couldn't handle the ball and it fell incomplete.

Brooks Bollinger (5-9-60 passing; 1-2 rushing) filled in for the Jets when Carter left with a head injury, and performed well. The announcers even mentioned the possibility of Bollinger coming back in the game even after Carter's return, because to that point, Bollinger had outplayed Carter.

RB: Curtis Martin (24-99 rushing) really helped the Jets control the clock and maintain possession for much of the game. Considering Arizona had no semblance of a running game once Emmitt Smith came out, it heavily favored New York to be able to mount a rushing attack in such a low-scoring game. Curiously, Martin again saw almost no action in the passing game. He has just 5 receptions for 18 yards in his last 6 games and is on pace for a career-low 180 receiving yards. Martin also uncharacteristically fumbled once in the game, but had the ball pop right back up to him after hitting the ground.

LaMont Jordan (12-43 rushing; 1-3 receiving on 1 target) saw some late carries when the Jets built up their lead. That's not to say he wasn't utilized during the game, however. He spells Curtis Martin much more frequently now and does a very solid job when called upon. Jordan almost never goes down on the first hit and fought for some very tough yardage.

WR: Santana Moss (5-109, 1 TD receiving on 8 targets) enjoyed a big day, mostly thanks to one spectacular play. Moss did have a decent enough game outside of his one long reception, considering how little offense there was in this game. But his touchdown catch transformed a ho-hum game into a spectacular one. Moss hauled in a 69-yard bomb from Quincy Carter late in the third quarter that put the Jets up by ten and put the team in control for the first time really all game. The ball was placed perfectly over Moss's shoulder, but he still had to display tremendous concentration and focus to haul it in, as he had a defender's arm basically in his face as he caught the ball. Moss scampered the remaining 14 yards into the end zone for the score.

Justin McCareins (2-23 receiving on 4 targets) caught a couple of early passes, but was almost never looked to in the second half and received just one target after halftime.

TE: Not only did no Jets tight end catch a pass, but neither of the primary tight ends (Chris Baker, Anthony Becht) so much as had a pass thrown in their direction. The role of the tight end in the Jets' offense has been very phased down in recent weeks as the receivers have become more involved.

K: Doug Brien (2-2 FG, 1 XP) connected from 28 and 46 yards out with no problems on either kick.

Pass Defense: The Jets' pass defense on Shaun King actually had the fans clamoring for Josh McCown, which tells you a lot about how badly they made Arizona look. For the day, they intercepted three balls, forced a fumble, held Arizona under 200 yards passing, and had one sack, though they were close on many other occasions. Each time Arizona looked to be starting something, the Jets defense clamped down and stopped it in its tracks. The biggest defensive play of the game may have been the interception just in front of the end zone by Jonathan Vilma. Arizona had driven downfield and was poised to score when Vilma stepped in front of a pass intended for Larry Fitzgerald and picked it off. Arizona never really came close again. The interception by Terrell Buckley came on a heave on the last play of the game.

Run Defense: Twenty-four carries for 73 yards. Those are the totals that Arizona managed against the Jets run defense. Emmitt Smith had 3 of those carries for 21 of those yards. That means that the rest of the Cardinal runners totaled 21 carries for 52 yards. That works out to fewer than three yards per carry. Suffice it to say, the Jets absolutely stuffed the Cardinal running game once Smith went down.

Arizona Cardinals

QB: Shaun King (14-26-119, 1 INT; 3-8 rushing) did not play well. He turned the ball over in the red zone, made some bad mistakes, and too often looked to run first rather than throw. Of course, he wasn't helped by his offensive line giving him little protection, but even when they did King seemed rather lost. Throughout the game, chants of "We want Josh" could be heard in the stands, and the Arizona fans booed lustily just about anytime something negative happened. Much of the booing was directed at King. He was pulled from the game in favor of McCown later in the contest after throwing an interception in the red zone right into the arms of Jonathan Vilma. The pick came just as Arizona was mounting its first solid drive of the game, but King under threw a ball intended for WR Larry Fitzgerald in the end zone and was an easy pick for Vilma.

Josh McCown (5-10-62, 2 INT) actually looked better than King, though the stats would suggest otherwise. In a sign of things to come, however, his first pass was completed to WR Anquan Boldin, who took off and ran a good distance with it - only to fumble it away to New York at the end of the run. McCown was also intercepted twice, though one was on a heave as time expired.

RB: Emmitt Smith (3-21 rushing) carried the ball just three times and was injured in the first quarter, and still had the best statistical day by an Arizona running back. Smith injured his toe and remained on the field for several moments, but eventually walked off under his own power, though with a limp. He returned to the game on the next possession, but left once again for good. No information was given on his condition immediately following the game.

Larry Croom (10-25 rushing, 1-8 receiving on 3 targets) got the majority of the carries once Smith was injured, but as one can tell from the stats, he made almost no impact on the game.

Josh Scobey (5-5 rushing, 3-14 receiving on 4 targets) was also involved in the RB mix after the Smith injury, but did just about nothing, totaling 19 yards on 8 touches. Neither runner impressed.

WR: Anquan Boldin (8-87 receiving on 14 targets) got the lion's share of the looks in this game, especially once Josh McCown entered the game. Boldin had a decent first half, with 3 catches on 4 looks. King completed 2 more passes to him on 4 more targets in the second half. But once McCown came in the game, Boldin really got active. He caught 3 passes from McCown on 6 targets in just about one quarter of work. McCown only attempted 10 passes in all, with 6 of them heading in Boldin's direction. Boldin's stats look good, but he made an error that cost his team a shot at a comeback. On McCown's first play after entering the game, he completed a pass to Boldin but Boldin fumbled the ball away to New York during the run. Boldin was later the target on McCown's first interception. As for how Boldin looked, he looked solid, as most of his catches were the short variety. It appeared he was being utilized much as he was last season, catching short routes and trying to use his size and strength to turn it upfield for big gains after the catch. He did a solid job of that today on the chances he got.

Larry Fitzgerald (2-21 receiving on 6 targets) had a quiet day, but it could have been much bigger with some better QB play. Fitzgerald was targeted once on a deep ball flea-flicker, and once more on a pass up the seam in the end zone. Each ball was poorly thrown, especially the end zone target. Fitzgerald was wide open on the play, and it should have gone for a touchdown, but QB Shaun King badly under threw the football. Thus, Fitzgerald had a very quiet day.

TE: Freddie Jones (4-37 receiving on 7 targets) keeps on plugging along. As usual, he didn't have an explosive day, but he also wasn't shut out either. Five of his seven targets came after the first half.

K: Neil Rackers (1-1 FG) connected on a chip shot 20-yard field goal, his only kick attempt of any kind in the game.

Pass Defense: Considering they went up against the likes of Quincy Carter and Brooks Bollinger, one would have thought the Cardinals could have come up bigger than they did. They neither recovered a fumble nor intercepted a pass, and they only registered two sacks the entire game. They did blow a golden opportunity to make a dent in the scoreboard on a pass from Quincy Carter to Santana Moss. Due to a miscommunication between the two of them, Carter threw a ball behind Moss that Arizona CB Duane Starks read perfectly. He jumped the pass and could have easily taken it the other way for a touchdown, but he mishandled the ball and it fell harmlessly to the turf, incomplete. CB Renaldo Hill was shaken up, but no updates were given on his status.

Run Defense: The Jets rumbled for 146 yards on the ground against a seemingly improved Arizona defense. This proved to be the difference in the game, as the Jets ensured they would remain in control from start to finish by flaunting their run game. Curtis Martin fell one yard shy of 100 for the game, and LaMont Jordan added in some tough yards of his own. There were almost no cases of either RB being taken down on the first hit, and it always seemed as if New York was consistently able to get exactly what it needed to convert first downs on the ground. DT Darnell Dockett was shaken up, but no updates were given on his status.

Philadelphia Eagles 27 at New York Giants 6

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles' offense was held to a single touchdown in the first half of this game. In the second half, however, the Eagles were able to take advantage of an Eli Manning interception and a blocked punt on their way to 20 unanswered points.

Donovan McNabb struggled at times, but eventually he was able to get the ball into the hands of his potent offensive weapons. McNabb finished with 244 yards passing on 18 completions, and ran for an additional 30 yards. Terrell Owens was held without a first half catch for the 2nd consecutive week, but picked up the pace in the second half. He finished with 4 catches for 61 yards, though he failed to get into the end zone. Todd Pinkston continued to excel in his role as the Eagles' number two receiver, finishing with 3 receptions for 75 yards.

Brian Westbrook played very well in this game. He ran with power and speed and appeared to be fully recovered from his rib injury. Westbrook finished with two touchdowns, one on a 1-yard run at the goal line, and the other on a 34-yard screen pass on which he zigzagged his way through the Giants' secondary to the end zone.

Despite giving up 110 yards on the ground to Tiki Barber and 272 yards of total offense to the Giants, the Eagles' defense played well. In addition to two interceptions and four sacks, the Eagles blocked a Giants' punt. For the 2nd straight week, they held an opponent to just 6 points.

New York Giants

The Giants were generally unimpressive in this game. Although their run game was effective at times, the Giants were unable to string together any complete drives. A woeful passing game was partly to blame. Despite getting deep into Eagles' territory on multiple occasions in the first half, the Giants struggled in the red zone and came away with only two field goals.

In his second start as a pro, Eli Manning looked and played like an NFL rookie quarterback. Faced with relentless blitzing from the Philadelphia defense, Manning was unable to make the reads necessary to find open receivers. He finished with just 6 completions on 21 attempts, for 148 yards passing and two interceptions. Jamaar Taylor emerged as Manning's most productive downfield target. He finished with two catches for 102 yards.

Tiki Barber and the Giants' running game enjoyed modest success. Barber finished with 110 total yards on 19 carries, despite leaving the game for a brief period with an apparent shin injury. Ron Dayne filled in while Barber was out of the game, carrying 3 times for 24 yards.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Philadelphia Eagles

QB: Donovan McNabb (18-27-244, 1 TD, 1 Fumble lost, 5-30, 1 TD rushing) rebounded from a shaky first half performance to lead his team to a win. Early in the game McNabb had trouble hitting open receivers, as he threw a number of poor passes. He also fumbled a ball off of his leg while scrambling to avoid the Giants' pass rush. Eventually McNabb found his groove, as he was able to spread the ball among his many targets. His rushing touchdown came on a play action fake at the goal line.

RB: Brian Westbrook (18-74, 1 TD rushing, 5-53, 1 TD receiving on 6 targets) had a strong afternoon, as he ran with confidence and seemed to break multiple tackles every time he touched the ball. Per Eagles' custom, he was utilized often in both the run and pass game. He finished with 127 combined rushing and receiving yards and two touchdowns. The first touchdown came on a 1-yard run at the goal line which was nice to see for his owners. Although Westbrook did lose a number of red zone carries to Dorsey Levens, the Eagles' short yardage back. The second touchdown was the result of a short screen pass that he took 34 yards to the end zone.

Dorsey Levens (9-38 rushing, 0-0 receiving on 1 target) was used often to spell Westbrook and in 3rd down and short yardage situations. Despite multiple red zone carries, Levens was unable to find the end zone.

Thomas Tapeh (3-12 rushing) got all of his touches in garbage time.

Josh Parry (1-15 receiving on 2 targets) saw limited action as a receiver out of the backfield.

WR: Todd Pinkston (3-75 receiving on 5 targets) continued to take advantage of opposing defenses' preoccupation with Terrell Owens. Pinkston notched 75 yards on the day, but was not targeted in the end zone. His long catch of the day came on the Eagles' first offensive play - a perfectly thrown 50-yard sideline pass from McNabb.

Terrell Owens (4-61 receiving on 9 targets) was held without a catch in the first half of the game, but played a key role in the Eagles' second half scoring success. Owens kept several 2nd half Eagles' drives alive with acrobatic catches, although he failed to find the end zone.

Freddie Mitchell (1-9 receiving on 1 target) had his 12th catch of the season, his 11th for a first down.

TE: L.J. Smith (4-31 receiving on 5 targets) was the only TE targeted by McNabb on this particular day. Smith had a solid game, with 31 yards on 4 catches, including a great diving catch for 20 yards in the 3rd quarter.

Chad Lewis was not targeted by Donovan McNabb.

K: David Akers (3 XP, 2-2 FG) hit field goals of 42 and 47 yards.

Pass Defense: Armed with defensive coordinator Jim Johnson's elaborate blitz schemes, the Eagles held the Giants to just 148 yards in the passing game. The Eagles generated good pressure both with their front four and with their many blitz packages. They intercepted Eli Manning twice and sacked him four times.

Rush Defense: The Eagles' run defense was porous at times, allowing 169 rushing yards to Tiki Barber and company. However, the presence of Jeremiah Trotter at MLB for the 3rd straight game helped solidify the defensive unit, particularly in the red zone. The Eagles did not give up a touchdown for the second straight week.

New York Giants

QB: Eli Manning (6-21-148, 2 Int, 2-18 rushing) looked puzzled by the steady diet of blitzes fed to him by the Eagles' defense. He had difficulty checking down to open receivers, as evidenced by his poor completion ratio of 6 for 21. Both of Manning's interceptions can be classified as rookie mistakes. The first came on a badly under thrown fade pass intended for Jeremy Shockey. The second interception occurred when Manning was backpedaling in the face of an Eagles blitz, and he forced a ball downfield into double coverage.

RB: Tiki Barber (19-110 rushing, 1-9 receiving on 2 targets) was the lone bright spot for the Giants on this day. He rushed for 110 yards, including long runs of 33, 15, and 22 yards. Barber hobbled off the field in the second quarter with an apparent leg injury, but returned to have a strong second half performance.

Ron Dayne (3-24 rushing, 0-0 receiving on 1 target) saw the bulk of his work when Barber was out of the game.

WR: Jamaar Taylor (2-102 receiving on 4 targets, 1 for -8 rushing) emerged as Manning's favorite downfield target. He made catches of 52 and 50 yards, both on well-thrown balls from Eli Manning.

Amani Toomer (1-6 receiving on 5 targets) had a poor game, managing just one catch for 6 yards on 5 targets.

Ike Hilliard (0-0 receiving on 1 target, 1-17 rushing) had his only touch of the afternoon on an end around on the Giants' first series.

TE: Jeremy Shockey (2-31 receiving on 5 targets) managed just two catches on the day for 31 yards. He was targeted twice in the end zone, one of which was under thrown and resulted in an interception. Shockey also fumbled after being hit by two Eagles defenders, but the ball was recovered by the Giants.

K: Steve Christie (2-2 FG) made field goals of 22 and 32 yards.

Pass Defense: Early on, the Giants' pass defense was impressive. The Giants' secondary shut down Terrell Owens in the first half and managed to get good pressure on McNabb on numerous occasions. The second half was a different story, as McNabb had more time and was able to pick apart the Giants' secondary. The Giants had just one sack on the day.

Rush Defense: The injury-plagued Giants' defensive line had difficulty containing the Eagles' run game, which totaled 152 yards in the game. On a positive note, the Giants did not allow a run of more than 16 yards.

New Orleans Saints 21 at Atlanta Falcons 24

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

New Orleans Saints

The Saints were, once again, a model of inconsistency. They were a tale of two halves - two field goals in the first half, two touchdowns in the second. 6 first downs in the first half, 13 in the second. A bad Brooks' interception near the end of the first half, bad Brooks' interception at the end of the second. At least that happens consistently…

Brooks played a poor "real" game, (57.1 QB rating with two interceptions) but managed to post decent fantasy stats, hitting Joe Horn for a 7 yard touchdown and sneaking one in from the one yard line himself. His third and early fourth quarter production was well overshadowed by inaccuracy and some poor decision-making in critical situations.

Deuce McAllister had a very solid running game, rebounding from his stifling against Denver last week. He pounded a very strong Falcons' run defense, hitting the 100 yard mark for only second time in the last six games. Compared to last week's 11 grabs, however, he was quiet in the receiving game, with 4 catches for only 10 yards.

Joe Horn regained top receiver status from a quiet Donte Stallworth and looked completely healthy catching middle range passes all day. He converted an easy two point conversion pass from Brooks that put the Saints within three and got the TD that gave New Orleans their short-lived lead. Stallworth continued his up-and-down season, coming back to earth after last week's monster game.

Atlanta Falcons

Mike Vick was sensational as a runner, as a passer, and as a fantasy player. When under attack from the Saints' defense, Vick simply either galloped around the backfield until a receiver became wide open, or took off himself for solid yardage. The low-ranked Saints' D deserves a bit of sympathy - there was very little any team could do against the field dancing Vick put out there.

The running attack was a pure big-and-fast split: T.J. Duckett and Warrick Dunn had nearly identical carries (12 to 11), yardage (58 to 59), and even top runs (25 and 24 yard bursts). Both were stopped by the Saints on occasion, but largely moved forward when needed. Despite the second half having Duckett's name being primarily called, Dunn took the ball on 1st-and-goal at the 6 yard line (which was then stripped from him and lost to the Saints).

Alge Crumpler was the receiver of choice again for Mike Vick, nabbing 4 passes for over 100 yards with a touchdown. He was wide open much of the day, despite double teams, after Vick's copious time in the pocket.

Peerless Price recovered from a big zero performance last week to net 4 catches for 59 yards, lengthening several important drives for Atlanta.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

New Orleans Saints

QB: Aaron Brooks (19-34-189 passing, 1 TD, 2 INT, 3-10 rushing, 1 TD) Brooks nearly led his team to victory over the Falcons but was his trademark inconsistent self. Brooks was accurate in the first quarter, completing 4 of 5 passes (3 to Joe Horn) but was unable to push forward for scoring drives. The second quarter was a debacle, missing on 6 passes and throwing an interception on a miscommunication with Joe Horn. Brooks and the Saints rallied admirably in the second half, where he completed 12 of 20 passes for 105 yards. He had a nosedive into the endzone on a 3rd and 1 in the third quarter, and followed it up with a two point conversion to Horn to bring the Saints within three at that point. Down by three with over a minute left (and all three timeouts remaining) in the fourth quarter, Brooks was unable to bring his team within field goal range. The game ended on a launch up to Horn that was intercepted - a bad choice considering the Saints needed about 30 yards to get a kick attempt, and representative of Brooks' poor decision-making.

RB: Deuce McAllister (23-100 rushing, 4-10 receiving on 4 targets) had a nice bounce back from a weak running performance against the Broncos' last week, carrying the ball over twenty times for the only time this month, but his comparative lack of receiving success kept his fantasy results modest. The Falcons' interior defense stopped him up the middle occasionally, but McAllister pounded ahead successfully on many carries. For the second straight week McAllister did not find the end zone.

Aaron Stecker (1-5 rushing, 1 target) was thrown an uncatchable pass in the second quarter, and ran the ball once near the end of the third in very limited action.

Matt Karney (1-1 receiving on 2 targets) barely added to his 34 total yards on the year, catching a pass that was generously listed as a yard reception.

WR: Joe Horn (9-101 receiving on 12 targets, 1 TD, 1 two pt. conversion catch) broke out for a big game, becoming virtually Aaron Brooks' only successful target. He was the master of the mid-range catch, with 8 catches between 7 and 13 yards. Both of Brooks' interceptions were going Horn's way, though the final play interception was just a prayer. There was some type of confusion on the second quarter pick, with Horn stopping on a pass that sailed clearly over him to the Falcons' DB Allen Rossum. Horn did not look to be bothered by any injuries that were possibly hampering him last week.

Donte' Stallworth (2-20 receiving on 7 targets, 1-26 rushing) shouldn't have shocked anyone by failing to repeat last week's huge performance. In Stallworth's defense, at least three of the passes thrown his way were completely uncatchable. However, a late throw to the sidelines that would have put the Saints close to field goal range was not pulled down by Stallworth, the second time in as many games that he has not made an important play. Stallworth did have a nice 26 yard reverse in the second quarter on third down.

Jerome Pathon (2-43 receiving on 3 targets) snagged two big pass plays (18 and 25 yards) in the third quarter. He dropped a pass in the first.

TE: Boo Williams (1-14 receiving on 3 targets) caught a 14 yard pass in the mid-first quarter, but was blanked after that.

Ernie Conwell (1 target) continues to be a non-factor at tight end.

K: John Carney (1-1 XP, 2-3 FG) Carney had a 37 yard attempt blocked on the first drive of the third quarter. Clearly, they'd like to have that one over again. He made two in the second quarter from 48 and 38 yards out.

Pass Defense: The Saints sacked Vick twice and lineman Charles Grant had a key interception in the third quarter that set up a lead-changing touchdown. But Michael Vick made some phenomenal throws after twisting away from the Saints' defenders time and time again. Alge Crumpler was wide open on several of his huge catches, and a 55 yard TD where backup FB Stanley Pritchett was wide open was negated only by a questionable offensive pass interference call on Peerless Price.

Rush Defense: All three parts of the Falcons' rushing attack of Vick, Duckett, and Dunn were effective, producing 186 yards. The Saints were unable to adjust to the differing styles of Duckett and Dunn, and could do almost nothing to Michael Vick when he found a hole.

Atlanta Falcons

QB: Mike Vick (16-29-212, 2 TD, 1 INT, 10-69 rushing, 1 TD) Mike Vick was absolutely electric in leading his team to victory. Finding his men covered, Vick simply danced around the backfield until someone was often wide open. He was still able to rocket passes downfield even as he was being tackled. He scampered around, making the Saints look silly as only he can on his 16 yard touchdown run. Only a weak third quarter, with a Vick interception on a screen pass deep in their own territory was a low spot.

RB: Warrick Dunn (11-59 rushing, 3-22 receiving, 4 targets) Dunn had most of his action early, with 8 carries and all 3 receptions in the first half. Dunn's early runs bore little result, but he broke open a nice 24 yard run to start the second quarter and hit good yardage in the 6 carries after that. A screen pass intended for Dunn, his only target in the second half, was Mike Vick's only interception of the day. Despite Duckett being the primary ball carrier on a drive in the middle of the fourth quarter, Dunn was handed the ball on the 1st-and-Goal at the 6 yard line. He was stripped of the ball, which was then recovered by the Saints.

T.J. Duckett (12-58 rushing) Duckett, in contrast to Dunn, carried the ball more the second half, getting 31 yards on his 7 carries. He totaled most of his yards on a 25 yard burst up the middle in the fourth quarter. His ineffectiveness on the rest of that drive (2 yards on 3 carries) put Dunn in on the first down at the 6 yard line.

Stanley Pritchett (2-5 receiving on 2 targets, 1 TD) Pritchett was very active in relief of the injured Justin Griffith. He had a pop fly to the endzone, a 55 yard pass where he was wide open with Peerless Price, negated by Price's (very slight) bumping of the Saints' defender on the way to the endzone. On the 1 yard line, Pritchett was given the score, grabbing the three foot TD.

Justin Griffith did not play due to a knee injury.

WR: Peerless Price (4-59 receiving on 8 targets) Price equaled the number of catches he had previously this month and atoned for being blanked last week. His 25 yard catch in the second quarter was a fantasy buzz kill as he was stopped just before the end zone to the 1 yard line. He made two first downs in the fourth, including a 13 yard play on an important 3rd-and-11. Only one of his missed targets was catchable.

Dez White (1-7 receiving on 2 targets) White followed up his best performance of the year (4 for 35) with a very quiet 7 yards.

Brian Finneran (2-16 receiving on 5 targets) Finneran returned to action after missing two games due to injury. He had all five targets in the first half, hitting 12 and 4 yard plays. He should have made a 3rd down catch in the second quarter.

Michael Jenkins (1 target) The rookie, who has caught one pass this year (a 46 yarder in week 8) was overthrown in the fourth quarter.

TE: Alge Crumpler (4-103 receiving. 1 TD on 7 targets) Crumpler was the other star for the Falcons with his third straight big game, catching 4 balls all over 20 yards - one of them the winning fourth quarter touchdown. Vick squirmed his way around the backfield and Crumpler found his way open. After 24 and 32 yard catches in the first half, the Saints adjusted, double covering Crumpler for much of rest of the game. It didn't matter much - Crumpler was wide open on his 27 yard grab and made his touchdown easily.

K: Jay Feely (3 XP, 1-2 FG) Feely had a 37 yard miss wide right, but redeemed himself with a 31 yarder (which was close) to end the first half.

Pass Defense: The Falcons stifled Aaron Brooks and the Saints' passing attack in the first half, making two third down sacks and getting a late interception. But Brooks rallied the troops in the third quarter, going 7 for 8 and hitting a two point conversion with ease. When it mattered the most, however, the Falcons toughened up, forcing Brooks into bad throws on the final drive, culminating in a game-ending interception.

Rush Defense: The Falcons' interior defense was stout on occasion, stifling Deuce McAllister on two third down conversion attempts. But a brick wall Atlanta defense that had been holding opponents to only 97 total rushing yards per game on 3.7 yards per carry allowed McAllister to hit them hard, and the Saints had 5 yards per carry for a 141 total rushing yards.

Baltimore Ravens 3 at New England Patriots 24

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Baltimore Ravens

With Jamal Lewis sitting out with an ankle injury and the field soaked by a steady, cold rain, the Ravens pinned their hopes on the jersey of Chester Taylor. However, while Taylor ran hard throughout the game, Baltimore was unable to move the ball on the ground, and Taylor finished the game with just 61 yards on 16 carries. Taylor did chip in 24 yards receiving on 5 catches. New signee Jamel White had two carries for six yards.

After back to back quality games, Kyle Boller regressed in a big way. Boller completed only 15 of his 35 attempts for a pathetic 93 yards, while being picked off once and losing a fumble. Boller's struggles were more a result of the constant pressure that New England's pass rush was able to bring against him then of the sloppy game conditions, and the interception came on a pass thrown directly to the defender.

With Boller struggling, the Ravens' receivers were not able to chalk up many statistics. Tight end Daniel Wilcox led all Ravens with 30 yards on 2 catches, while Kevin Johnson's three receptions for 20 yards paced the wide receivers. Travis Taylor managed only one catch for four yards, and rookie Clarence Moore caught two for 15.

Baltimore's normally dominant defense had the tables turned on them, as the Patriots dominated the time of possession battle and wore down the Ravens' defenders. Ray Lewis and company managed only one sack in the game, and no turnovers.

New England Patriots

Corey Dillon broke the 1,000 yard mark for the season on his way to a 30 carry, 123 yard performance. The muddy field conditions were perfect for the powerful running of Dillon, and the superb blocking by the Patriots' offensive line enabled Dillon to run through tackles several yards past the line of scrimmage. Dillon added a 1 yard touchdown run and then ran the ball in for the two point conversion play. Patrick Pass got into the game during junk time and amassed 12 yards on 4 carries.

Tom Brady's final numbers of 15 completions on 30 attempts for 172 yards don't look like much, but considering the strong play of the Baltimore secondary and the terrible field conditions, this was a great game for the quarterback. Brady protected the ball and did not commit a turnover against an opportunistic defense, and also had a 23 yard touchdown throw called back for offensive pass interference.

With the field a veritable mud pit and the Baltimore secondary playing tough, the Patriots' receivers had their work cut out for them. David Givens led New England with six catches, but for a disappointing 42 yards. Deion Branch had 52 yards on four receptions, while David Patten caught one pass for 37 yards. Tight end Daniel Graham had a key 22 yard reception to set up New England's first field goal, but finished the day with just 24 yards on 2 catches.

The Patriots' defense was nothing short of dominant in the game, sacking Kyle Boller four times, intercepting a pass, and forcing a fumble which was recovered in the end zone for a defensive touchdown. New England controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, a key factor in their win.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Baltimore Ravens

QB: Kyle Boller (15-35-93, 1 INT, 1 fumble lost, 2-10 rushing) lost confidence in his blockers early on, and struggled throughout the game as a result. Boller often left the pocket unnecessarily and rushed throws even when he did get good protection, which combined with the lousy weather conditions to produce a very sub par performance. Boller's interception came early in the game and was thrown right to the defensive back, and in fact Boller threw two other passes which could have been picked off in the game. His lost fumble came on a play where Boller deftly ducked under an untouched blitzer, but was then caught from behind and stripped of the ball as he tried to get moving on the muddy field. Boller showed excellent ability in chasing down a bad snap from the shotgun late in the game, recovering the ball in his own end zone and managing to throw the ball away.

RB: Chester Taylor (16-61 rushing, 5-24 receiving on 5 targets) ran hard against the Patriots defense, breaking tackles on a number of carries, but in the end he could not get much going against a strong New England defensive front. The muddy field conditions also negated the advantage which a shifty runner such as Taylor might otherwise enjoy.

Jamel White (3-5 rushing) was signed by the team earlier in the week to replace the injured Musa Smith, and saw little action in the game.

Alan Ricard (0-0 rushing, 1-0 receiving on 1 target) started at fullback, and can usually be counted on to catch at least one pass per game.

WR: Kevin Johnson (3-20 receiving on 6 targets) was unable to create separation on his routes, in part because of the rain-soaked field, but also because of superior play by the New England secondary. Two of Johnson's catches came on short routes with less than eight minutes remaining in the game, while the defense laid back to prevent the big play.

Clarence Moore (2-15 receiving on 4 targets) had his biggest catch of the day on a third and one play with less than 30 seconds remaining in the first half. Moore was also the target of a perfectly thrown deep ball late in the fourth quarter, but dropped the pass.

Travis Taylor (1-4 receiving on 11 targets) did manage to get open on several occasions, but Kyle Boller was unable to get the ball to Taylor even when he did. On one third down play in particular, Taylor found himself wide open 10 yards down the field, but Boller rushed a throw off his back foot which splashed down 3 yards short of Taylor.

Randy Hymes (1-0 receiving on 3 targets) was back as the third receiver for the Ravens, but was also victimized by Kyle Boller's poor play. Hymes was the target of a fade route in the end zone in the waning seconds of the first half, but Boller's throw was behind the receiver and grazed off his fingertips.

TE: Daniel Wilcox (2-30 receiving on 3 targets) led all Baltimore receivers, due in large part to a 20 yard catch and run which set up the Ravens' only score in the game.

Todd Heap did not play due to his continuing recovery from a high ankle sprain, but expects to be back on the field next week.

K: Matt Stover (1-1 FG) was successful on his only kick of the game, from 22 yards out.

Pass Defense: The Ravens secondary did a good job in covering New England's deep receiving corps, but the front seven failed to bring consistent pressure against Tom Brady. Chris McAlister, whose status had been uncertain earlier in the week, did start at cornerback.

Run Defense: Baltimore started the game strong against the run, but as the game wore on and the Patriots built up a lead, the Ravens found themselves unable to stop Corey Dillon with any regularity. Dillon ran over a trio of Ravens, including linebacker Ray Lewis, in rushing for a successful two point conversion.

New England Patriots

QB: Tom Brady (15-30-172, 3-3 rushing) was hurt by the field conditions and the strong coverage by Baltimore defensive backs, but still managed a respectable game all things considered. Brady was far more accurate than his 50% completions would suggest, as he was forced to throw the ball away several times because of the tight coverage. Most importantly for a game of this nature, Brady did not allow the slippery field (and ball) to create any turnovers. Brady had a touchdown pass negated when his receiver was flagged for pass interference. Brady's 22 yard completion to Daniel Graham moved him onto third place on the Patriots' all time completions list.

RB: Corey Dillon (30-123, 1 TD rushing, 0-0 receiving on 1 target) started the game slowly, but picked up momentum and huge chunks of yardage as the second half wore on and the Patriots went to more of a run-oriented attack. Dillon's strong running style was perfect for the weather conditions, and the superb blocking that he enjoyed often meant that he didn't have to contend with a tackler until he had already gained yardage. Dillon ran over linebacker Ray Lewis on the goal line for his 1 yard touchdown run, and then powered over Lewis and two other defenders for a two point conversion.

Patrick Pass (4-12 rushing, 2-18 receiving on 2 targets) got into the game during junk time and played well. Pass had a third reception for seven additional yards negated by a penalty.

Kevin Faulk (3-7 rushing) got the bulk of his playing time on special teams.

WR: Deion Branch (4-51 receiving on 7 targets) led all Patriots receivers with his 51 yards, getting the bulk of his work on New England's field goal drive at the end of the first quarter. As was the case with all the Patriots' receivers, however, Branch struggled to get free from coverage on a consistent basis.

David Givens (6-42 receiving on 9 targets) was hurt badly by the field conditions, being unable to use his speed and shiftiness to create yards after the catch. Givens was the recipient of a red zone target from the Baltimore 13 yard line, but was quickly wrapped up eight yards short of the end zone.

David Patten (1-37 receiving on 6 targets) made his only catch of the day count, collecting a deep pass along the sideline to pull New England out of the shadows of their own goalposts. Patten also had a 23 yard touchdown reception nullified by an offensive pass interference penalty.

Troy Brown (0-0 receiving on 2 targets) was little used on offense, and had a sure interception bounce off of his facemask while playing defensively late in the game.

TE: Daniel Graham (2-24 receiving on 5 targets) got most of his production from a nifty 22 yard catch to set up the Patriots' first field goal. Graham was also targeted in the end zone on that drive, but the pass was off target.

K: Adam Vinatieri (1 XP, 3-3 FG) did a remarkable job of kicking on the sloppy field, hitting field goals of 28, 40, and 48 yards.

Pass Defense: With the secondary banged up, the key to the Patriots' pass defense was the ability to bring consistent pressure against the quarterback. They did this in spades, sacking Kyle Boller four times and forcing numerous other hurried throws. With the exception of a few plays in which Travis Taylor was able to find open space, the secondary did a superb job of sticking with Baltimore's receiving corps and taking away the short patterns favored by the Ravens.

Rushing Defense: New England did a superb job of controlling the line of scrimmage against one of the best run-blocking lines in the league, limiting Chester Taylor and the Ravens to only 77 yards on the ground. Hard-hitting safety Rodney Harrison led all Patriots with 9 solo tackles.

Buffalo Bills 38 at Seattle Seahawks 9

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Buffalo Bills

Drew Bledsoe and the Bills began the game by running a lot of no huddle plays, many out of the shotgun, in an attempt to keep the Seahawks blitzing defense off balance. These tactics met with some success as Bledsoe moved his team down the field effortlessly, hitting open receivers almost at will, but ended 2 first half drives with interceptions. On the day, Bledsoe completed two-thirds of his passes for 275 yards, 1 touchdown and 3 interceptions.

Willis McGahee came through for his team and fantasy owners with an outstanding statistical day. Though the Seahawks run defense stuffed him multiple times over the first 3 quarters, he finished with 142 total yards and 4 touchdowns. McGahee was stopped for no gain or a loss 6 times and had a modest 66 yards on 22 carries before taking Bledsoe's fourth quarter backward pass 30 yards for a Bills' touchdown. He finished with 4 rushing touchdowns, the aforementioned 30-yard run and 3 short ones.

For the first time this season, the Bills scored a touchdown on their opening drive and they never looked back. It was also their first road victory of the season and only their second in the last 12 road games.

Seattle Seahawks

The Seattle offense looked horrible and the team could have been down big at halftime had their defense not come through with 2 key interceptions. Unfortunately for the Seahawks, they did not capitalize on the turnovers and ended the first half with only a field goal on the scoreboard.

Matt Hasselbeck returned from his bruised thigh/charley horse injury but did not play well at all. The Bills' defense applied only a moderate amount of quarterback pressure, but it was enough to keep the hobbled quarterback off-balance and out of sync with his receivers. When he wasn't throwing off-target, his receivers, particularly Darrell Jackson, continued to hamper his efforts by dropping catchable passes. Hasselbeck picked himself up from the turf on several occasions favoring his injured leg. On one occasion in the third quarter, he grossly under threw a wide open Darrell Jackson streaking toward the end zone and went to the ground untouched when the leg gave out on him.

Shaun Alexander was never able to get the Seahawk rushing game off the ground. He finished with only 39 yards on 13 carries and 23 of those yards came on 2 plays. With Hasselbeck virtually immobile and ineffective, the Bills were able to focus their efforts on stuffing Alexander and dropped him at or behind the line of scrimmage on 4 occasions. With the Seahawks playing from behind, Alexander saw only 3 third quarter carries and was replaced by Maurice Morris in the fourth quarter when the game was out of reach.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Buffalo Bills

QB: Drew Bledsoe (25-37-275, 1 TD, 3 Int) Bledsoe had a productive day running the Bills' offense, completing 68% of his passes to wide receivers who were often wide open. His 3 interceptions did not come back to haunt him as Seattle was unable to capitalize. Though the Seahawks blitzed early and often, they were able to record only 1 sack against the veteran who kept them guessing by going no-huddle often and targeting 9 different receivers in the game.

J.P. Losman (1-1-17) Losman came in and cleaned up in garbage time, mostly handing the ball to back-up tailback Joe Burns.

RB: Willis McGahee (28-116 rushing, 4 TDs, 2-26 receiving on 4 targets) From a fantasy perspective, McGahee had an outstanding game. In reality, the Seahawks stuffed him for most of the day, allowing a mediocre 66 yards on 22 carries before his 30-yard fourth quarter touchdown run. On the Bills' first offensive possession, McGahee was initially stopped at the goal line by Seattle defenders, but showed nice second effort in bouncing off and going in for the score. McGahee left the field limping in the second quarter, but returned on the next play and showed no ill effects. In the fourth quarter, with the Seattle defense worn down and out of the game, McGahee padded his stats with some nice runs and another short touchdown.

Joe Burns (7-14 rushing) Burns received 5 of his 7 carries in fourth quarter mop up duty.

Travis Henry (1-5 receiving on 1 target) Henry caught his first target of the game for a first down, but was injured on the play and had to be helped off the field. The injury was later reported as a leg fracture and he will be out indefinitely.

Daimon Shelton (1-24 receiving on 1 target) The fullback was targeted once in the first quarter and made a 24-yard reception but was not heard from throughout the rest of the game.

WR: Eric Moulds (8-93 receiving on 11 targets) Moulds was Bledsoe's primary look on most plays, but drew tight coverage from the speedy Seattle secondary. He caught everything that was catchable, but was only targeted once in the red zone.

Lee Evans (6-70, 1 TD receiving on 9 targets, 1-15 rushing) The rookie wide receiver looked sharp and played a key role in the Bills' offense. He caught a short touchdown pass on a fade route in the end zone late in the first half. Evans also picked up another 13 yards on a successful end-around, but it was nullified by an illegal substitution penalty.

Jonathan Smith (2-10 receiving on 3 targets, 1-3 rushing) The Bills' other rookie receiver was less of a factor.

Sam Aiken (1-11 receiving on 1 target) Aiken was not a fantasy factor.

TE: Mark Campbell (3-31 receiving on 3 targets) Campbell continued to get his looks in the red zone with 2 of his 3 targets coming inside the 20, but didn't score a touchdown.

Tim Euhus (2-22 receiving on 3 targets) The other Bills' tight end saw 1 red zone target and caught everything that was catchable.

K: Rian Lindell (1-1 FG, 5-5 XP) Lindell converted all of his extra point attempts and hit a 25-yard field goal. He missed from 52 yards, but the Bills called a timeout just before the snap and the play wasn't counted. After the time out, Buffalo opted to go for it on fourth down and Willis McGahee scored on a 30-yard run.

Pass Defense: The Bills applied just enough pressure to keep the hobbled Matt Hasselbeck off balance and out of sync with his receivers. Takeo Spikes tipped several Hasselbeck passes at the line of scrimmage and he recorded 1 of the teams 2 sacks. Their only interception came when Hasselbeck tried to hit Darrell Jackson in triple coverage.

Rush Defense: The Buffalo run defense dominated the line of scrimmage and limited Shaun Alexander, the NFL's rushing leader this season, to his lowest rushing total of the year. They also kept Alexander out of the end zone, a feat seldom accomplished.

Seattle Seahawks

QB: Matt Hasselbeck (19-38-185, 1 TD, 1 Int, 1 Fumble lost, 2-6 rushing) The Buffalo defense kept a fair amount of pressure on an injury-hampered Hasselbeck and his receivers continued to drop passes. Nearly half of his yardage came in the fourth quarter when the game was out of reach, though the Bills' defense didn't seem to loosen up much. He made a number of poor decisions and off-target passes, including his lone interception, which came as he tried to thread triple coverage to Darrell Jackson. The injury and his lack of practice time seemed to really take their toll on Hasselbeck and he never truly got on track.

RB: Shaun Alexander (13-39 rushing ,0-0 receiving on 1 target) Alexander was off to a slow start, rushing for 3 total yards on his first 4 carries before breaking off back-to-back runs of 10 and 13 yards on the team's third offensive possession. Those 2 carries would be the highlight of the game for Alexander, as the Bills continued to frustrate him for the remainder of the day. With the passing game completely ineffective, the Bills kept extra players in to stuff the run. Alexander saw only 3 carries in the third quarter and none in the fourth as the Seahawks played catch-up.

Maurice Morris (2-10 rushing, 2-10 receiving on 3 targets) Morris replaced Shaun Alexander when the game was out of reach.

Mack Strong (2-9 receiving on 5 targets) Strong wasn't a significant factor, though he did contribute to the Seahawk's dropped passes tally in the first quarter.

WR: Darrell Jackson (4-45 receiving on 11 targets) Jackson added 3 more dropped passes to his season tally eliciting waves of boos from frustrated Seattle fans. When Jackson wasn't dropping, Hasselbeck was simple missing him. On one such play, Hasselbeck's injured leg gave out and he fell to the ground untouched, grossly under throwing Jackson who had distanced himself from coverage and was streaking toward the end zone.

Jerheme Urban (2-31 receiving on 3 targets) With Koren Robinson serving the first game of his four game suspension, Urban stepped in as the Seahawks' fourth receiver. He saw one red zone target in the first quarter and made an outstanding play on a tipped ball in the fourth quarter, holding on to the ball even after taking a big hit

Jerry Rice (2-24 receiving on 5 targets) Coming off last week's big game, Rice was expected to benefit most from the Koren Robinson suspension. This was a big disappointment.

Bobby Engram (2-19, 1 TD receiving on 3 targets) Engram made a nice catch on a not-so-perfect Hasselbeck pass for a fourth quarter touchdown.

TE: Jerramy Stevens (2-29 on 2 targets) Stevens was not targeted by Matt Hasselbeck until the last series of the fourth quarter.

Itula Mili (2-18 receiving on 5 targets) Mili was the most involved Seattle tight end seeing his 5 targets spread throughout the game. He also contributed to the Seahawk's dropped passes tally with 1 in the second half.

Ryan Hannam (1-0 receiving on 1 target) Hannam was not a fantasy factor.

K: Josh Brown (1-1 FG) Seattle opted to go for 2 after their lone touchdown.

Pass Defense: The Seahawks sent a number of different blitzes early in the game with mixed results. Drew Bledsoe completed passes almost at will before the Seahawks recorded their first and only sack of the game. Two plays later, the Seattle rush hurried Bledsoe into throwing an interception to Ken Hamlin. Lucas intercepted another Bledsoe pass in the end zone on a well-overthrown ball to Lee Evans. Ken Hamlin garnered another pick in the third quarter.

Rush Defense: Seattle filled the rushing lanes with blitzing linebackers, leaving Willis McGahee with limited running room for most of the first three quarters. Still, McGahee was able to score a pair of 2-yard rushing touchdowns. He would cap a statistically strong day with a 30-yard trick play touchdown and a goal line touchdown in the fourth quarter. The Seahawks' defense played much better than the score would indicate, but spent too much time on the field and wore down.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 14 at Carolina Panthers 21

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

In a game statistically won by Tampa Bay were they totaled 398 yards of offense, mostly through the passing game, the Buccaneers saw their hopes of making the playoffs dwindle with the loss to Carolina. The Tampa Buccaneers can attribute this loss to poor clock management, missed field goal opportunities and turnovers. With 8:40 remaining in the second quarter the Buccaneers were forced to use their final timeout of the half as the play clock ran out which left them unable to stop the clock or challenge a call on the field. Tampa Bay K Martin Gramatica had a horrible day, missing two field goal opportunities and having another blocked. The Buccaneers also had three turnovers, two lost fumbles and an interception.

QB Brian Griese completed 27 of 39 attempts, an outstanding 69%, for 347 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception. The interception was costly for Griese as the Panthers returned the interception for a touchdown. Griese had two touchdown passes to RB Michael Pittman, one on a six yard shuttle pass, the second on an eight yard pass. Griese's 347 passing yards was a season high for the Tampa Bay quarterback. He also converted 17 first downs for Tampa Bay through the air. Griese has thrown at least two touchdown passes in his last four games.

RB Michael Pittman came away from this game with mixed emotions, having had a career day in receiving yards with 134 and scoring two touchdowns but on the down side he had two lost fumbles during the game and only 29 yards rushing. One of the fumbles by Pittman was a costly turnover as the Buccaneers were in the Red Zone and driving for a potential score. Pittman's set a Tampa Bay team record for receiving yards by a running back with his 134 yards in a single game.

Rookie WR Michael Clayton had eight catches for Tampa Bay and leads all rookie wide receivers with 60 receptions. He finished the game with 77 receiving yards and has 828 for the season to set a new team record for a rookie receiver.

Carolina Panthers

Jake Delhomme threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to Keary Colbert for the winning score with 20 seconds remaining, as the Carolina Panthers pulled out the victory. QB Delhomme, for a second straight game, did not show any ill effects of his broken right thumb completing 14 of 21 passing attempts during the game. Delhomme's statistics were not that impressive, however he did lead the offense to a touchdown drive on their first possession of the game and again on the final game winning drive. Delhomme also connected with WR Colbert on a 24-yard touchdown pass on their opening drive.

Rookie WR Keary Colbert had an outstanding game for the Panthers with 72 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Both of Colbert's touchdown receptions were over 20 yards, including the 40-yard game winner. On the game winning touchdown reception, Colbert came back for an under thrown pass at about the 10 yard line then waltzed into the end zone for the score.

Nick Goings had another nice game for the Panthers rushing for his second consecutive 100+ yard game. Although Goings did not score in the contest he was successful in establishing the running game for the Panthers.

Julius Peppers had a tremendous game for Carolina; he ran an interception 46 yards for a touchdown, blocked a 26 yard field goal attempt and recorded a sack in the game. The sack was Pepper's seventh in his last four games for Carolina. As Peppers play improves this season so have the Panthers as they have now won three straight games.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

QB: Brian Griese (27-39-347 passing, 2 TD, 1 Int, 2-9 rushing) Other than his one miscue, the interception returned for the touchdown, Griese had an outstanding performance and great numbers for fantasy owners. With an ineffective running game behind him, Griese was equal to the challenge of moving the ball through the air on his way to a 300+ yard passing day. He threw two touchdown passes to RB Michael Pittman including a dangerous shovel pass up the middle, in traffic, on a third down and six late in the second quarter. Griese would later connect with Pittman again on an 8-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at 14-14. Both of Tampa Bay's scoring drives were greater than 65 yards, most of the yards the result of Griese's effective passing.

RB: Michael Pittman (18-29 rushing, 8-134 receiving on 12 targets, 2 TD's, 2 lost fumbles) Pittman had a horrible day rushing the ball and managed just 29 yards on the ground. Pittman was not able to find any running room against a stingy Carolina defense and establish a running game for Tampa Bay. However, Pittman had a huge day catching the ball out of the backfield tallying a career record 134 yards receiving. His big reception of the game was a 68-yard screen pass from Griese that set up Pittman's first touchdown grab from 6-yard out. Pittman had a second touchdown on an 8-yard pass from Griese early in the fourth quarter. On the downside for Pittman, he lost two fumbles in the game, one rushing and the other receiving. The later proved costly as the Buccaneers were driving and Pittman put the ball on the ground at the Carolina 11 yard line.

Mike Alstott (6-15 rushing, 2-19 receiving on 2 targets) Alstott also had very little success rushing the ball during the game and was used primarily in short yardage situations. Alstott was not really a factor for the Tampa Bay offense but did manage a couple of first downs during the contest.

Earnest Graham (2-9 rushing) Graham saw his only two carries of the game in the second quarter after Pittman needed a quicker breather after his 68-yard reception.

WR: Michael Clayton (8-77 on 11 targets) Rookie WR Michael Clayton continues to have an impressive season for the Buccaneers. Clayton saw most of his targets in the first and fourth quarters of the game. Clayton's longest reception of the game was a 20-yard grab in the first quarter that put Tampa Bay in Carolina territory.

Joe Jurevicius (4-60 receiving on 6 targets) Jurevicius had a nice game receiving for Tampa Bay hauling in 4 catches for 60 yards. He had a spectacular catch of 25 yards on a third and two, where he leaped at the sideline and somehow managed to get both feet inbounds and keep control of the ball. The reception was challenged by Carolina but upheld by replay. He also had an 8 yard reception in the second quarter where it appeared he may have broken the plane of the end zone but was ruled down at the 1 yard line. With no timeouts remaining, Tampa Bay was unable to challenge the ruling on the field.

Joey Galloway (3-34 receiving on 3 targets) Galloway caught all three passes thrown his way but did not play a key role in Tampa Bay's passing game. He had an 18-yard reception on the Buccaneers' last series of the game.

TE: Ken Dilger (1-19 receiving on 4 targets) Dilger had his only catch in a second quarter drive that put the Buccaneers in field goal range. Dilger was an end zone target of Griese's in the same drive but the ball was sailed over the outstretched arms of Dilger. Dilger was also the intended receiver on the interception by Griese.

Will Heller (1-4 receiving on 1 target) Heller saw limited action and on his only reception he fumbled the ball out of bounds.

K: Martin Gramatica (2-2 XP, 0-3 FG) Gramatica had one of the worst games of his career missing all three of his field goal attempts. He missed two field goals wide left from 39 yards and 37 yards. The 37 yard attempt was missed with 1:48 left in the game and could have put Tampa Bay in the lead. He also had a 26 yard attempt blocked by the Panthers. He was successful on both of his extra point attempts.

Pass Defense: The Buccaneers sacked Jack Delhomme 4 times for 25 yards in yards lost. They held Delhomme to just 213 yards passing but did give up two touchdowns of more that 20 yards. CB Brian Kelly had his third interception of the season which halted a Carolina drive.

Rush Defense: The Buccaneers' run defense was not effective stopping the Panthers' Nick Goings as he rushed for 106 yards on 23 carries. They did not allowing a rushing touchdown in the game.

Carolina Panthers

QB: Jake Delhomme (14-21-213, 2 TD, 1 Int, 1-5 rushing) For the second straight week, Delhomme played a near flawless game in leading his team to victory. Delhomme led his team down the field on their first possession of the game completing 3 of 4 pass attempts for 55 yards, including a 24 yard touchdown strike to WR Colbert. Delhomme was not successful in finding the end zone on the next 8 possession but did manage to put the team in field goal position twice during those possessions but both attempts failed. It was on the last possession for Carolina that Delhomme went to the shotgun formation and completed 4of 4 passing for 68 yards and connected with WR Colbert on the 40 yard game winning touchdown.

RB: Nick Goings (23-106 rushing, 3-17 receiving on 4 targets) Goings had another productive game for the Panthers again this week. The Panthers' offensive line opened up the "running lanes" for Goings and he took advantage of the opportunities his offensive line provided. Goings longest run of the game came on a burst up the middle and ran for 28 yards before being pushed out of bounds. Although he did not score and touchdown in the game, Goings was able to manage a 4.6 yards per carry average against the Tampa Bay defense.

WR: Keary Colbert (3-72 receiving on 8 targets, 2 TD's) Rookie WR Colbert had one of his best games of the season for the Panthers. Despite catching just three passes in the contest, Colbert took advantage of his target opportunities and scored two touchdowns in the game, bringing his season total to four. Colbert scored on a 24 yard reception, breaking a tackle CB Torrie Cox, then alluding S John Howell down the sideline on his way to the end zone. Colbert also caught the game winning touchdown on an under thrown ball in single coverage. He came back to grab the ball the defender slipped and Colbert was on his way to the end zone untouched for the 40 yard touchdown catch.

Muhsin Muhammad (2-52 receiving on 4 targets) Muhammad had a disappointing day for fantasy owners after the great performances Muhammad had in his previous two games. He caught one pass for 43 yards in the second quarter and did not catch another until late in the fourth quarter.

TE: Kris Mangum (3-44 receiving on 5 targets) Mangum had all three of his receptions in the first half of the game. He had two of his three receptions on the first series of the game including a nice 26 yard gain. Mangum was an end zone target for Delhomme in the third quarter but Mangum was double covered and the ball was tipped away by the Tampa Bay defender.

K: Jeff Chandler (3-3 XP, 0-2 FG) Chandler did not have a second successful week filling in for the injured John Kasay. He did make all three of his extra point attempts in the game. On his first field goal attempt for the Panthers, Chandler missed wide left from 38 yards away. On the next possession for Carolina, Chandler had another 38 yard attempt blocked.

Pass Defense: The Carolina pass defense was picked apart by Tampa Bay QB Griese for a total of 347 yards and two touchdown passes. They were able to sack Griese two times in the game. The big play on defense came from DE Julius Peppers who fooled Griese by dropping back in coverage against TE Dilger. Peppers stepped in from of Dilger for the interception and ran 46 yards to the end zone.

Rush Defense: The Panthers' rush defense was outstanding, holding the Buccaneers to just 62 yard rushing on 28 attempts. The Carolina defensive line dominated the Tampa Bay offensive line throughout the game and forced the Buccaneers to pass the ball. The rush defense did not allow a touchdown in the game.

Tennessee Titans 21 at Houston Texans 31

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Tennessee Titans

QB Steve McNair started the game red hot completing his first seven passes and leading the Titans out to a 21-3 early in the second quarter. However, McNair turned the ball over on three consecutive possessions late in the game as the Titans' early lead melted away.

RB Antowain Smith filled in for RB Chris Brown. Brown was given an injection in his injured toe on Sunday morning, but the shot did not have the necessary effect and Brown could not play. Smith ran hard between the tackles and broke numerous arm tackles.

The Tennessee defense committed themselves to preventing WR Andre Johnson from dominating the game. They held Johnson to 4 catches and 34 yards on only 5 targets, but did allow Johnson to score a touchdown. Also, the extra attention to Johnson allowed RB Dominic Davis and TE Billy Miller more chances to be successful.

Houston Texans

RB Dominic Davis was the featured Texan in the Houston offense. Davis posted his longest two runs of the season and was utilized extensively in the short passing game.

QB David Carr completed 11 of 13 second half passing attempts for two touchdowns and 28 unanswered points. The game marked the largest comeback victory in the short history of the Texans.

TE Billy Miller emerged as a receiving threat after a very quite first half of the season. Before this game Miller had only 7 receptions on the season. He contributed heavily with 4 receptions for 42 yards and his first touchdown this year.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Tennessee Titans

QB: Steve McNair (25-34-227 3TD INT passing, 3-24 rushing 2 fumbles lost) McNair led the Titans on touchdown drives in three of their first four possessions. Each drive ended with a McNair touchdown pass. McNair was very sharp early in the game. He had lots of time to stand tall in the pocket and survey the field. WR Drew Bennett was his favorite receiver early on when they were moving the ball well. Near the end of the third quarter McNair fumbled on a 4th and 1 quarterback sneak. On the next Titan possession he took a hard hit while scrambling for a first down, and fumbled again when sacked. McNair took quite a while to get up after being hit. He was in obvious pain. In his defense, his arm was "chopped" from behind and didn't have a chance to brace for the impact. McNair followed up the two fumbles with an interception when he tried to force a pass into WR Derrick Mason. Just before he was intercepted he threw a prayer of a pass deep into double coverage intended for Mason. Had Mason not done a good job of turning into defender this pass would have been intercepted as well.

RB: Antowain Smith (21-90 rushing, 2-11 receiving on 2 targets) Smith started in place of the injured Brown. Smith ran with great shoulder lean and was effective enough to make play action passing more effective.

Robert Holcombe (1-20 rushing, 1-4 receiving on 2 targets) Holcombe's lone carry came on the final play of the game (garbage time). His targets were also in the fourth quarter when the Titan offense went into their hurry up passing offense.

Chris Brown (DNP due to turf toe injury)

WR: Derrick Mason (8-87 TD receiving on 13 targets) All three of Mason's first half receptions came on first down. This included his 4-yard TD reception. QB Steve McNair turned quickly after taking the snap and hit Mason immediately with a dart at the line of scrimmage. Bennett quickly slanted to his left and muscled the cornerback into the endzone for the score. Mason made three nice catches on a long drive that ended with the McNair sack/fumble. On their next drive Mason was targeted twice. Both were passes that McNair was forcing into coverage. Mason did a great job of preventing the first one from becoming an interception, but had no chance on the second one.

Drew Bennett (5-54 receiving on 7 targets) Bennett's 3 receptions for 39 yards in the first quarter got the Titan offense moving. His first two receptions came on first down off of play action fakes. His third reception came on 3rd and 10 to keep a drive moving. Bennett's only target in the second quarter drew pass interference at the 4-yard line. Bennett had the cornerback beat and would have scored a touchdown if not for the penalty. Bennett wasn't targeted at all in the 3rd quarter while the Texans dominated time of possession. He had two catches in the fourth quarter. His last catch came on 3rd and 7 for 8 yards keeping a potential game winning drive alive. Bennett did a nice job of working down field to make the catch worth enough for the first down.

TE: Erron Kinney (6-53 2TD receiving on 6 targets) Kinney posted his best statistics of the season. He scored both his touchdowns at the end of the first two Titan drives. Each was caught near the goal line, and then Kinney used his considerable size advantage to bull over defenders into the endzone. Kinney's third catch in the second quarter came on 3rd and 7 getting just enough for the first down. Kinney caught at least one pass in every quarter.

K: Gary Anderson (3-3 XP, 0-0 FG) Nothing of significance to report from the Titan's kicking game.

Pass Defense: Rookie DE Randy Starks had a big impact in the game. He sacked QB David Carr twice and also blocked a field goal attempt. Starks first sack was nearly a safety. The call on the field was reviewed, but upheld. The banged up Tennessee secondary (missing three starters) did a good job of keeping WR Andre Johnson from beating them downfield. However, the linebackers were not able to contain RB Dominic Davis in the short passing game. Davis was left alone out of the backfield far too often allowing the Texans to move the ball.

Rush Defense: The Titans had a tough time stuffing the run without DT Albert Haynesworth. RB Dominic Davis was able to able to break tackles and gain decent yardage after initial contact on first down keeping the Texans in manageable 2nd and 3rd down situations. Both of the longer runs by Davis came on plays up the gut (28 & 41 yards).

Houston Texans

QB: David Carr (21-30-201 2TD INT passing, 2-10 rushing) Carr threw an interception on the second Texan offensive play. His receiver cut off his route too soon as Carr was placing the ball between defenders in the zone. If the receiver had continued the route it probably would have been a completion. It put the Texans in a quick 14-0 hole, but Carr responded with a 60-yard drive resulting in a Kris Brown field goal on their next possession. The Texan's third possession nearly ended in disaster. Carr backpedaled away from DE Randy Starks to the goal line. Carr was sacked into the endzone, but the officials ruled him down at the half-yard line. Carr came right back with a 60-yard touchdown drive and followed that up with a 48-yard drive that resulted in a blocked field goal. Other than the early interception, Carr was sharp and particularly effective on the move. He did a good job making decisions and taking what the defense was giving him using his running backs and tight ends in the passing game.

RB: Dominick Davis (16-129 TD rushing, 7-52 receiving on 8 targets) Davis accounted for about 50% of the Texan yards from scrimmage. He ran hard all game long and looked quick making his cuts. In the second half Davis was held to less than 3 yards only once. Davis was particularly effective in the passing game. He consistently turned short passes and screen plays up field quickly for solid gains. Davis posted is two longest gains of the season with 28 and 41 yard gains. Each was a dive straight up the gut. Davis was pulled in the second quarter and replaced by RB Jonathon Wells after Davis winded himself on 4 plays that involved lots of running. Wells was the beneficiary of the drive scoring a touchdown.

Jonathon Wells (3-10 TD rushing, 1-9 receiving on 1 target) Wells entered the game to give RB Dominic Davis a breather in the second quarter after Davis had four consecutive touches for good gains. Davis left because he was observably winded. Wells had his 9-yard reception on his first play. He followed that up with a 7-yard touchdown run on the next play around the left end. Wells didn't see the field again until garbage time.

WR: Andre Johnson (4-34 TD receiving on 5 targets) Johnson was blanketed the entire game. The receptions he did have in the game came on short underneath routes. His touchdown reception was coming across the back of the endzone. Johnson was uncharacteristically not targeted deep down field in the game. Because the Titans choose to keep Johnson under wraps it opened up opportunities for RB Dominic Davis and TE Billy Miller.

Corey Bradford (3-32 receiving on 6 targets) Bradford had an unspectacular game. He dropped his second target. The ball hit him squarely in the hands. His third target was more of a pass thrown away over his head by QB David Carr.

Derrick Armstrong (1-20 receiving on 1 target) Armstrong's only target came in the second quarter. He did a nice job of pulling in the ball in traffic in the center of the field. The play helped to set up a field goal attempt just before halftime.

Jabar Gaffney (0-0 receiving on 1 target) Gaffney started the game along with Johnson and Bradford in a three-receiver set. Gaffney cut off his route too soon on QB David Carr's only interception. Gaffney choose the wrong hole in the zone defense to settle into. Carr had expected Gaffney to continue into the center of the field where he threw the ball. Gaffney wasn't heard from again after this play.

TE: Billy Miller (4-42 TD receiving on 4 targets) Miller looked like he was going to match his season totals (7-86 0TD) after a flurry of receptions in the third quarter including a 14-yard touchdown. Tennessee was flooding WR Andre Johnson with extra coverage leaving Miller and RB Dominick Davis open.

K: Kris Brown (4-4 XP, 1-2 FG made 29 missed 41) Tennessee DE Randy Starks blocked Brown's attempt from 41-yards.

Pass Defense: The Texans weren't able to generate much of a pass rush. QB Steve McNair was only hit a few times and Houston wasn't able to take advantage of McNair's current fragile condition. Even though the pass rush wasn't there, they did make one huge play when LB Antwan Peek came free off the corner and hit McNair from behind on the blind side forcing a turnover. The defensive backfield wasn't able to cover wide receivers Desmond Mason and Drew Bennett very well on the outside. Each had a fairly easy time getting separation, but most of the routes were on comebacks. To their credit, they did a nice job of preventing any run after the catch.

Rush Defense: RB Antowain Smith was able to grind out decent yardage between the tackles. The Houston front seven weren't able to control the line of scrimmage with any regularity in the first half. They improved later on. Only three of Smith's eight second half carries went for more than 3 yards.

Jacksonville Jaguars 16 at Minnesota Vikings 27

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Jacksonville Jaguars

Jacksonville played well in most facets of the game, and the game was closer than the final score would indicate. Byron Leftwich returned to action after not playing the past 2 games due to injury, and looked good. He began the first Jacksonville series by throwing the ball with a lot of zip, and continued to do so throughout the game.

While Leftwich looked fairly sharp in his return to the field, Fred Taylor was the most dominant offensive player for Jacksonville. He ran with power and showed tremendous speed on several long runs. Taylor also showed elusiveness uncommon for a running back of his size, using a variety of side steps and spin moves to elude Minnesota's defenders several times. While Jimmy Smith tied with Reggie Williams for the most targets, those 6 targets are low for a receiver of Smith's stature. He and Leftwich did connect on a 53-yard pass play in the 4th quarter.

Jacksonville's defense was aggressive as usual. They did not let Daunte Culpepper have a great game, and pressured him throughout the game, sacking him 4 times and intercepting him once. They were not challenged deep very often, in large part due to the defense constantly pressuring Culpepper. The Jaguars did not give up many long gains in the running game. Apart from a 16-yard reverse by Wide Receiver Kelly Campbell, the longest run they gave up was a tough 11-yard run by Onterrio Smith. Jacksonville starting Defensive End Rob Meier was carted off the field with an apparent knee injury and did not return.

Minnesota Vikings

While the Vikings were not their usual explosive self offensively, they played well enough to win. Despite being under pressure from the Jacksonville pass rush, Culpepper did not become rattled and played well enough to keep his team in the game and ultimately put them ahead to stay in the second half. Culpepper displayed character and leadership during Minnesota's first series in the 2nd half. He completed a 28-yard pass to Nate Burleson but the play was called back due to holding. On the next play, which was now a 3rd and long situation, Culpepper had to evade a strong Jaguars' pass rush and then completed a pass on the run to Jermaine Wiggins for a first down. That drive ended with Minnesota scoring a touchdown. That touchdown also reflected the type of competitive players Culpepper and Randy Moss are. On 2nd and goal from the 2-yard line, Culpepper threw a pass to Moss who had the ball knocked away by a Jaguars' safety that was providing help. On the very next play, Moss ran the same route, was double-covered by the safety again, and made an outstanding catch for the touchdown. Head Coach Mike Tice showed his enthusiasm for that play by chest-bumping Moss when he returned to the sideline after that play.

Minnesota's defense was inconsistent. Their pass defense was pretty good, holding Leftwich to 19-34 passing for 235 yards and 1 touchdown. Minnesota blitzed frequently and it seemed as though one of their linebackers would come through cleanly often. On other occasions, Jacksonville receivers had good position on the Minnesota pass defenders, but either dropped the ball or had the ball overthrown. The Vikings' run defense gave up big plays to Fred Taylor throughout the game, and he finished with an impressive 147 yards rushing with an eye-popping 6.7 yards per carry. The Vikings defense remained aggressive all day, and paid off when Jacksonville was at their 19-yard line in the 4th quarter only down by 4 points. Defensive End Kenechi Udeze made a valiant and successful attempt to strip the ball from Leftwich's grasp, and 311-pound Kevin Williams picked the ball up and sealed the game with his 77-yard touchdown run.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Jacksonville Jaguars

QB: Byron Leftwich (19-34, 235 yards 1 TD). Leftwich played well, especially considering this was his first game action since his knee injury. While his mobility was affected by the knee brace he wore, he displayed an ability to move around in the pocket to elude pass rushers and get his throws off. Despite his fumble that decided the game, Leftwich seemed comfortable running the offense.

RB: Fred Taylor (22-147 rushing, 1-13 receiving on 3 targets). Taylor was outstanding running the ball. He received 22 of the team's 27 rushing attempts and was hardly ever stopped by the first defender he encountered. Taylor ran well between the tackles and to the outside, and seemed on the verge of even longer runs several times. He looked like a top-10 back as he displayed that type of ability in showing off his power and speed.

LaBrandon Toefield (2-5 rushing, 2-11 receiving on 5 targets). Toefield was used primarily as a receiving option on 3rd downs. He dropped a potential touchdown catch in the first half.

Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala (2-2 rushing) Fuamatu-Ma'afala did have one reception for 8 yards but that was called back due to a penalty.

WR: Jimmy Smith (4-68 on 6 targets). Smith was not thrown to much in the second half - only 2 targets. Though he was double-teamed on occasion, he was not thrown to as much as you would expect. He did catch a 53-yard pass in the 4th quarter, but it was a relatively quiet day for him otherwise.

Troy Edwards (3-55 on 5 targets). Edwards turned his second target into a nice run for a 1st down, but fumbled the ball, which was recovered by Minnesota at their 20-yard line. Despite this, Edwards came back in the second half to make a couple of tough catches including one where he was double-covered, for a first down.

Reggie Williams (3-32 on 4 targets). Leftwich seemed more comfortable with Williams in the second half, targeting him 4 times, including a throw to him in the end zone that landed incomplete.

Cortez Hankton (2-19 on 2 targets). Made a couple of nice catches, but was not thrown to in the second half.

Ernest Wilford (0-0 on 1 target). Wilford seems to be having a smaller role in the Jaguars' offense than earlier in the season.

TE: Brian Jones (2-28 on 3 targets). Jones caught a 26-yard pass for a touchdown in the first half, but was not a factor afterwards.

Todd Yoder (1-5 on 1 target). Most of his contributions came as a blocker.

Kyle Brady (1-4 on 2 targets). Like Yoder, did most of his work blocking.

K: Josh Scobee (1-1 XP, 3-3 FGs). Scobee had an outstanding day, making field goals from 33, 32 and 42 yards. His kickoffs also routinely found their way to the end zone.

Pass Defense: The Jaguars' pass defense was aggressive and kept coming after Culpepper all day. While there were times when he had time to find open receivers, he was flushed from the pocket several times and forced to improvise.

Rush Defense: The rush defense was solid and kept the Vikings' running backs in check most of the game. The longest run they gave up was an 11-yard run by Onterrio Smith.

Minnesota Vikings

QB: Daunte Culpepper (19-27, 235 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 8-18 rushing, 1 TD). Culpepper was under pressure most of the game and relied more on his short to intermediate passes than the deep ball. When given time, he was able to connect on a 48-yard pass to Kelly Campbell. However he spent most of the day improvising or throwing to his receivers underneath. Culpepper displayed the double-threat that he is during this game. In the red zone, he ran for a touchdown and threw for another one. In both cases the defense had to respect that he could either run or pass as he was within the 3-yard line both occasions.

RB: Onterrio Smith (20-72, 3-18 receiving on 4 targets). Smith had all but one of the carries that went to running backs. He ran very well, showing good power between the tackles and a good burst. The Jacksonville defense played very well and prevented him from breaking any long runs. Smith seemed comfortable receiving the passes thrown his way.

Moe Williams (1-6, 2-18, 0-0 receiving on 1 target). Williams was not used much but did come in once when the Vikings were in the red zone.

Michael Bennett (0-0, 1-5 receiving on 1 target). Bennett did not enter the game until the Vikings' first serried of the second half. He caught a 5-yard pass and was not heard from again.

WR: Kelly Campbell (1-48 on 1 target, 1-16). Campbell was thrown to once, and he used his great speed to haul in a 48-yard reception. He also ran a reverse for 16 yards.

Marcus Robinson (4-48 on 6 targets). Robinson did not go deep often and used his height to advantage for several jump ball situations. He was thrown a pass in the end zone, but the ball was deflected by a Jacksonville defender.

Randy Moss (4-48, 1 TD on 5 targets). Moss began the game slowly but became more involved in the second half. He did not run any deep routes, but displayed his leaping ability on a couple catches, including the one for a touchdown. Moss was definitely a good bit less than 100% and ran short and intermediate routes exclusively. He was very animated on the sideline. After scoring his touchdown, he chest bumped Coach Tice then went over to the offensive line and exchanged high fives with all of them.

Nate Burleson (2-21 on 4 targets). Burleson's biggest play of the day was a 28-yard reception that was called back due to holding. He too ran only short to intermediate routes.

TE: Jermaine Wiggins (4-55 on 8 targets). Wiggins is thriving in this offense and has displayed a knack of where to be when Culpepper is scrambling in the pocket. He picked up a couple of important first downs to keep drives alive for the Vikings.

K: Morten Andersen (3-3 XPs, 2-2 FG attempts). Andersen was efficient as usual, connecting on field goal attempts from 25 and 33 yards.

Pass Defense: The Vikings pass defense was aggressive, and was especially effective in the second half. The blitzed their linebackers frequently, and coupled with a good push from the defensive linemen, made Leftwich hurry some of his throws. The defensive backs did a good job of keeping the Jaguars' receivers in front of them.

Rush Defense: The Vikings gave up 77 yards to Fred Taylor in the first half and 70 to him in the second half - not the kind of consistency they were hoping for. Late in the second half they were able to stop him as Jacksonville was trying to drive to take the lead, but other than that they could not contain him.

San Diego Chargers 34 at Kansas City Chiefs 31

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

San Diego Chargers

The Chargers continued to surge in their bid for the playoffs, winning this critical divisional game to remain in first place in the AFC West.

QB Drew Brees is having an MVP-type year, and his name would be mentioned for consideration for that award if it weren't for that Manning fellow in Indianapolis. Brees continues to deliver the offense, going 28-37-378 with 2 TDs and no picks. Brees has 21 touchdowns on the year with just 3 interceptions, and is completing over 65% of his passes.

RB LaDainian Tomlinson continues to impress, contributing to both the running and the passing attacks. In fact, Tomlinson can be safely deemed the entire running attack for San Diego, as Tomlinson had all 21 carries by a Charger running back and two scores. Tomlinson also added 10 catches on 12 targets, combining for over 100 all-purpose yards.

TE Antonio Gates may not have surpassed Kansas City's TE Tony Gonzalez as the best TE in the NFL, but he certainly is making a strong case in his rookie campaign. Gates added two touchdowns to up his total to 11, only one short of the NFL record for tight ends. Gates caught 7 passes for 92 yards. The presence of Gates for the Chargers has helped offset the workload on Tomlinson, who represented over 70% of the offense for San Diego last year.

Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs may be all but eliminated from the playoffs in the contentious AFC, but Kansas City is playing with great pride in their spoiler role. Kansas City nearly defended their home turf and came up with the upset in this see-saw battle.

RB Priest Holmes remains out with an injury. As a result, the combination of Larry Johnson, Derrick Blaylock and Tony Richardson were used in the Chief backfield. In all, the rushing game gained 100 yards rushing, 3 touchdowns, and an additional 31 yards receiving.

TE Tony Gonzalez continues to be QB Trent Green's favorite target, and Gonzalez delivered with 8 catches and 105 yards, his fourth 100+ yard game this year. Gonzalez accounted for more than half of Green's 208 yards, a meager total posted by Green considering he went 21-34.

KR / WR Dante Hall lined up a few times at WR, but his big play ability remains on special teams. Hall ran back two big kickoffs in the second half. The first return of 77 yards ended with a rather inexplicable fumble and turnover inside San Diego's 10-yard line. Hall made up for the miscue later in the game, returning another kickoff in the fourth quarter for 96 yards and a touchdown.

One additional miscue for Kansas City was a missed extra point by K Lawrence Tynes. His teammates salvaged the lost point by scoring on a 2-point conversion after the following touchdown.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

San Diego Chargers

QB: Drew Brees (28-37-378-2-0, 8-23 rushing) continues to impress, delivering his biggest passing yardage game this year, throwing for 378 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.
Brees focused on three main targets, RB LaDainian Tomlinson (12 targets), TE Antonio Gates (13 targets) and WR Keenan McCardell (10 targets). Brees threw for 210 yards after halftime, leading his team back twice from deficits and throwing for both his touchdowns to regain the lead.

Brees added a few rushes in the game, gaining four first downs in the process. In fact, all of his positive rushes (and intended rushes) went for first downs - his final three carries were kneel-downs to run out the clock, and another "carry" came on a fumbled snap where Brees fell on the ball.

RB: LaDainian Tomlinson (21-46 rushing, 2 TDs, 10-57 receiving on 12 targets) contributed in both the running and passing game for the Chargers. Tomlinson had every carry by a San Diego running back, but he was not very impressive when he ran the ball. Aside from a 14-yard carry and a subsequent 8-yarder in the second quarter, Tomlinson never gained more than 6 yards, and was held for zero or negative yardage 5 times. However, Tomlinson was able to punch the ball over the goal line in the red zone, scoring on 1-yard and 3-yard carries.

Tomlinson was the second-most targeted receiver, catching 10 of 12 possible throws - he dropped one ball, and the other target was denied due to penalty.

FB Lorenzo Neal (0-0 rushing, 1-7 receiving on 1 target) caught one pass out of the backfield for 7 yards in the fourth quarter. He had zero carries, and was relegated to being a lead blocker for Tomlinson. He was not much of a factor statistically for this game.

RB Jesse Chatman (often referred to as Tomlinson's backup) played in the game, but had no offensive touches or targets. This is a testament in how healthy Tomlinson is feeling these days.

WR: Eric Parker (3-78 receiving, 3 targets, 2-58 rushing) caught all three of the balls thrown his way, one each in the first 3 quarters. Parker's contributions waned as the game went on - his first catch went for 55 yards in the first quarter, then for 17 in the second, and just 6 in the third. Parker had no looks in the final quarter.

Parker added two rushes on end-arounds, a 20-yard play in the first quarter, and another rend-around for 38 yards in the third quarter.

Parker was also used as the punt returner, returning just one for a 1-yard loss.

Keenan McCardell (4-48 receiving, 10 targets) was the most targeted receiver, garnering 10 targets from QB Drew Brees. McCardell was only able to haul in 4 of those passes, dropping two balls. Three of his four catches did go for first downs, and the other catch was lucky not to be intercepted as it was deflected off of KC CB Eric Warfield's hands.

Kassim Osgood (2-92 receiving, 2 targets) caught two deep balls, a 27-yard pass in the second quarter and a pretty 65-yard strike in the fourth.

Tim Dwight (135 kickoff return yards) was used exclusively as a return specialist.

TE: Antonio Gates (7-92 receiving, 2 TDs, 13 targets) was the most active Charger in the passing game, receiving 13 targets. QB Drew Brees kept Gates involved throughout the game, as Gates had 3 targets in each of the first three quarters and another 4 in the final quarter. Gates grabbed 7 of the passes, including two run-and-catches for touchdowns in the second half.

Gates also had a 51-yard reception, but it was called back due to a penalty.

Justin Peelle (1-4 receiving, 1 target) caught one pass for 4 yards in the first quarter.

K: Nate Kaeding (2-4 FG, 4 XP) was 2-4 on field goals, making the final two (25, 43 yards) including the game-winner. The misses came in the first half. The first was a very makeable 29-yard attempt in the first quarter, which he pushed wide right. The second miss was more challenging, a 52-yard attempt in the second quarter that fell short (and was slightly off to the left).
Kaeding overcame the early misses and made the big kicks that counted late in the game.

Pass Defense: Kansas City completed 21 of 34 passes, but was able to connect on just one pass for over 20 yards. San Diego took away the deep pass, forcing the Chiefs to look short and across the middle on most attempts. The coverage was important, as the pass rush was limited - San Diego only managed one sack.The one interception came in the final quarter, a pass Kansas City QB Trent Green tried to force to WR Johnnie Morton against tight double coverage. LB Donnie Edwards stepped in front of Morton to make the interception.

Rush Defense: The Chiefs gained 110 yards on the ground, splitting the RB duties between Larry Johnson and Derrick Blaylock. Kansas City averaged over 5 yards a carry, but used the run to compliment the passing game rather than as a main offensive attack. San Diego allowed just two runs for over 10 yards, but they did little else to hold the Chiefs back when running the ball.

Kansas City Chiefs

QB: Trent Green (21-34-208-0-1, 1-7 rushing, 1 2-point conversion pass) had a quiet performance for completing 21 of 34 passes, gaining just 208 yards and no touchdowns. Green often looked at TE Tony Gonzalez, targeting him 10 times. Gonzalez had the only pass reception for more than 20 yards, a 27-yard catch in the first quarter. Green was far too unproductive in the final quarter, where he was just 2-6-10 and the interception.

RB: With RB Priest Holmes still inactive due to injury, the running back duties were split predominantly between Derrick Blaylock and Larry Johnson.

Derrick Blaylock (8-57 rushing, 2 TD, 3-21 receiving, 5 targets) split backfield duties for the Chiefs, contributing for 78 all-purpose yards and 2 scores. Blaylock's last run was his longest, a 22-yard dash for his second touchdown.

Larry Johnson (10-43 rushing, 1 TD, 1-7 receiving, 3 targets) was the other main rusher for Kansas City, with the bulk of his work and productivity coming the first half. Johnson finished the second quarter with 7 carries for 45 yards and a touchdown.

Tony Richardson (1-3 receiving, 1 target) caught a 3-yard pass in the first quarter.

WR: Johnnie Morton (4-39 receiving on 6 targets, 1-3 rushing) was targeted at least once in every quarter, getting looks on short- to middle-yardage plays. Morton's two longest catches were for 18 and 13 yards.

Morton also had one end-around rush for three yards on a well defended end-around.

Eddie Kennison (1-9 receiving on 6 targets, 1 2-point conversion) caught just one pass for 9 yards in the second quarter, a weak follow-up performance from last week (99 yards, 2 TD on Monday Night Football vs. New England). Kennison's 6th target was on a 2-point conversion, which he pulled down in the back of the end zone.

Dante Hall (1-8 receiving on 2 targets, 234 kick return yards, 1 return TD) played some for Kansas City as a wide receiver, but Hall's main contributions came on kickoff returns. Hall returned a kickoff in the third quarter on what looked to be a touchdown, but Hall dropped the ball inside the San Diego 10-yard line and San Diego fell on the ball. Hall did make up for the blunder as he returned another kick in the fourth quarter for a 96-yard touchdown.

TE: Tony Gonzalez (8-105 receiving on 10 targets) was the main target in the Chief passing attack. Gonzalez had 105 of the 208 passing yards for Kansas City, and he was the first option on many passing plays. Gonzalez was targeted at least twice by QB Trent Green in every quarter. Gonzalez also had the longest pass play for the Chiefs in the game, a 27-yard catch in the first quarter.

Jason Dunn (2-16 receiving on 2 targets) had two catches, his 16th and 17th catches this year. The first one was for zero yards in the first quarter, while the second was a 16-yard catch in the second quarter that gained a first down.

K: Lawrence Tynes (2-3 XP, 1-1 FG) missed on his third extra point kick, pushing it wide right. Fortunately for Tynes, his teammates bailed him out as they converted on a 2-point pass following the next touchdown (Green to Kennison). Tynes did not have any subsequent chances to make any kicks after this miss.

Tynes also connected on his only field goal attempt, a short 28-yarder in the second quarter.

Pass Defense: The Chargers threw the ball virtually at will against the Kansas City defense, giving up 378 passing yards to QB Drew Brees. Kansas City had little pressure on Brees, recording just one official sack (another was nullified by penalty) and forcing no turnovers. San Diego had 13 first downs via the air, completing 75% of their attempted passes.

Rush Defense: San Diego gained 127 yards rushing on 31 carries, but nearly half of that productivity came on two end-arounds by WR Eric Parker. The Chiefs were able to keep LaDainian Tomlinson from breaking any long runs, but they were unable to keep him from the end zone. Tomlinson punched the ball in twice from inside the 5. The 31 carries and the 10 first downs on the ground helped to keep the high-powered Chief offense off the field.

Miami Dolphins 24 at San Francisco 49ers 17

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Miami Dolphins

It's hard to figure out if the Dolphins defense played a great game or if the 49ers offense is just this bad. The game was basically won by the play of the Dolphin's front four. They constantly pressured the Niners into either sacks (8), fumbles (4, losing 3) or short dump off passes (4.6 yards per attempt). The only letdown for the Dolphins on the day was the "prevent" defense which allowed a lot of yards late plus a TD that gave San Francisco a sliver of hope with 40 seconds left in the game.

As for Miami's offense, A.J. Feeley has been watching tapes of Steve McNair. All day he was limping around after getting knocked down. He looked like he couldn't get out of bed let alone play QB in a football game. In spite of his woes, he managed two TD passes and only turned the ball over once as the Dolphins didn't need for the offense to win, just not to loose the game for them.

Chris Chambers would be a star if not for being buried on the terrible Dolphins offense. He's a big strong receiver who makes great catches and also makes a lot of yards after the catch. He reminds you a lot of Terrell Owens his last year in San Francisco.

San Francisco 49ers

The best thing that can be said is that the defense played well limiting a weak Miami offense to only 208 yards of total offense. The unit also gave their fans a brief tease when they picked up a Miami fumble and returned it 46 yards for a score. This gave the Niners a brief 4 minute lead.

Tim Rattay looked lost all day until the final drive. He defined nearsighted as only twice did he throw the ball more than 15 yards and was constantly dumping off to his RBs. Kevan Barlow was ineffective and ended up yielding backfield duties to Maurice Hicks who fared only slightly better than Barlow. Hicks did look much faster and will likely see increased playing time the rest of the year.

Eric Johnson continues to be a bright spot based on the fact that Rattay never seems to have enough time in the pocket for the WRs to get open. He continues to lead NFC TEs in receptions and didn't hurt his cause with another 7 catches.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Miami Dolphins

QB: A.J. Feeley (17-33/159, 2 Td, 1 Int) was serviceable on the day. His shining moment came when he dislocated a finger on his throwing hand in the first quarter. He only came out for one play while the pulled his finger back into place and on his first play back he throws a 25 yard TD pass. He also threw a great touch pass over the DE that was covering McMichael on his other TD pass. He was noticeably limping, so it bears watching the injury report this week to see if he shows up.

RB: Travis Minor (22-47 rushing, 2-15 receiving on 2 targets) is not the answer for Miami. 34 of his 47 yards came on three runs meaning on his 19 other carries he gained 13 yards. He was also stuffed twice on 3rd and 1 for no gain. Unfortunately for Miami he's all they have. No other back ran the ball. Rob Konrad (1-15 receiving on 2 targets) and Jamar Martin (1-2 receiving on 1 target) were targeted on Feeley dump off passes.

WR: Chris Chambers (5-64 receiving 1TD on 9 targets) had a decent game in spite of the Dolphins offense. He made several good catches and was a favorite target of Feeley. Marty Booker (3-20 receiving on 8 targets) had an uneventful game to go with his 7 targets. Darius Thompson (3-19 receiving on 6 targets) seemed to be the go to guy for Feeley behind Chambers. All six of his targets were on 3rd down passes and 2 of his three catches resulted in first downs (the third catch went for was a yard short of another first down).

TE: Randy McMichael (2-28 receiving 1 TD on 7 targets) had a quiet day except for his TD. He was targeted frequently, but only managed his two catches.

K: Olindo Mare (1-2 FG, 3-3 XP) Mare managed one of the shortest misses you'll ever witness without a bad hold or a block on his first attempt (23 yard miss), but came back later to hit a clutch 50 yarder.

Pass Defense: Not hard to defend Rattay who was not interested in testing Miami's secondary. The defensive line pressured him all day long and ended up with 8 sacks plus 3 fumble recoveries. Interceptions are hard to come by on dump off passes, so there weren't a lot of chances for a pick. Chalk this up to a combination of a good defense playing a horrible offense.

Rush Defense: Was as solid as the pass defense. No rushes longer than 9 yards were allowed by Miami. San Francisco played from behind most of the day, so they were not interested in running the ball and they ended up with only a 3.2 yard per carry average.

San Francisco 49ers

QB: Tim Rattay (23-38/181,0,0 - 1/9 rushing) is not good. Out of 38 attempts, he only made at best 7 or 8 good throws. His biggest problem is an offensive line that doesn't block well combined with WRs that seem to get uninterested in running routes all day knowing they will not get the ball thrown in their direction. If for some reason you're reading this because Rattay's the only QB you have on your fantasy roster…you're season is either over or will be in a week or two.

RB: Maurice Hicks (13-46 rushing 1TD, 2-33 receiving on 5 targets) took over midway through the second quarter for Barlow and was the feature back the rest of the way. He will likely keep this job as he did show a tiny spark for the Niners offense as well as making a heads up play (that coaches love) by recovering a Rattay fumble (the play was short lived as Rattay lost another fumble on the very next play). Hicks did score San Francisco's only offensive TD on a strong 1 yard run.

Kevan Barlow (9-20 rushing 3-0 receiving on 3 targets) was ineffective and has likely lost his starting job to Hicks. It's a fitting end to a disappointing season. Fred Beasley (1-2 rushing, 2-5 receiving on 5 targets) and Terry Jackson (1-6 receiving on 2 targets) both saw only dump off passes from Rattay.

WR: Cedric Wilson (5-59 receiving on 7 targets) was the only productive San Francisco WR. As long as the offensive line continues to protect Rattay like they do, not much will be in store for this receiving corps.

Brandon Lloyd (2-15 receiving on 4 targets) was actually benched for a couple of series, but he did return and made two short catches. He was the lucky target on Rattay's only deep throw of the day, but he was under thrown on about a 35 yard attempt.

Arnez Battle (1-6 receiving on 1 target) had the only other pass thrown in the vicinity of a WR.

TE: Eric Johnson (7-57 receiving on 10 targets) bounced back from his worst week of the season (only 1 catch last week vs. TB) and had his usual productive game. He was the most targeted receiver and should likely continue to be so. He is quietly having one of the better TE seasons ever for a 49er.

K: Todd Peterson (1-1 FG, 2-2 XP) made all his kicks from 20 yards or less. His FG was actually shorter than his two extra points.

Pass Defense: The defensive numbers are misleading. With Miami ahead most of the game, there were not many must pass situations. The defense did a lot of blitzing, but most of the time Feeley would just throw the ball away. They finished with one interception and one sack, but they did put a lot of pressure on Feeley whose only completion over 20 yards was his TD pass to Chambers who was covered but made a great catch.

Rush Defense: Really kept the 49ers in the game. Not only did they hold Miami to under 50 yards on the day, but they also returned a fumble for a 46 yard TD. It's the only unit to earn their paychecks on the day for San Francisco besides the punt team (for a while, SF had 10 first downs and 8 punts). This also could be the result of a good unit playing a horrible run offense.

Oakland Raiders 25 at Denver Broncos 24

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Oakland Raiders

The Raiders rallied behind QB Kerry Collins' right arm and excellent play by his three top wide receivers to overcome snowy weather, a lack of a running attack and an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit to rally past the Denver Broncos. Collins threw for four scores in the final 30:16, after a slow start, and finished with 339 yards passing, despite two interceptions. His big moment came after the two-minute warning, when he hit Jerry Porter in the middle of the end zone for the winning score on 4th and 5.

WR Jerry Porter started slow, but eventually took over the game against Denver CB Champ Bailey and the rest of the Broncos secondary. He got it started with a nice catch over his right shoulder on a 42-yard touchdown pass that ended the first half and came less than a minute after Denver had taken a 10-0 lead. His next touchdown came in front of Bailey in the end zone on a 14-yard bullet, and he capped the game with his 5-yard catch when he managed to get wide open in the end zone.

RB Tyrone Wheatley was moderately effective, running for 34 yards before leaving the game with a hamstring injury in the 3rd quarter. Once he left, the Raiders totally abandoned the run, and other than Collins' two interceptions, they thrived.

The Raiders failed on both of their two-point conversion attempts, which left them with just a one-point lead going into the Broncos final drive.

The Raiders defense stopped Denver RB Reuben Droughns on three straight runs late in the game, forcing a punt and giving the Raiders a chance to win. They then allowed QB Jake Plummer to drive the ball into field goal range, but the Broncos could only get close enough for Elam's unsuccessful 42-yard try.

Denver Broncos

QB Jake Plummer managed the conditions well and led the Broncos on a potential game-winning drive, but came up just short with Jason Elam's blocked field goal attempt. Plummer finished with 245 yards through the air, including an 85-yard touchdown pass to WR Rod Smith, but also threw an ill-advised interception in the end zone, just one play after the Broncos defense forced a fumble by Raiders backup RB Justin Fargas.

RB Reuben Droughns ran hard as always, but made a couple key mistakes. He finished with 102 yards and a touchdown, but dropped a Jake Plummer handoff in the 1st quarter (a fumble credited to Plummer), and later fumbled after a hard hit by the Raiders Marques Anderson. Droughns' fumble led to a Raiders touchdown and a 13-10 deficit. Droughns also failed to convert a late 3rd and 1 situation that would have made it much more difficult for the Raiders to take the lead late in the game.

The Broncos pass defense was the real culprit however, allowing Collins the opportunity to throw for 339 yards and four touchdowns, and failing in several critical moments, most noticeably the end of the first half and the end of the 4th quarter. They allowed two late drives after appearing to take control of the game with interceptions on back-to-back drives, including one that was returned 32 yards for a touchdown by Ellis Johnson for a 24-13 lead.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Oakland Raiders

QB: Kerry Collins (26-45-339, 4 TD, 2 INT, 3-7 rushing) overcame two costly interceptions in the 4th quarter to lead two brilliant touchdown drives in the final eight minutes of the game. He got it going at the end of the first half with a perfect strike over Jerry Porter's right shoulder in double-coverage. After Droughns' fumble gave the Raiders good field position, he hooked up with Porter again, for a 13-10 lead on a nice line-drive pass from 14 yards out. Trailing 17-13, Collins had a pass tipped at the line of scrimmage and intercepted by Ellis Johnson, who returned it 32 yards for a 24-13 Broncos lead. On the next drive, after another perfect pass for 52 yards to Porter, Collins under threw Porter in the end zone and was intercepted, which seemed to put the game away. Collins then calmly marched the Raiders for another score, his third, on a great catch by Ronald Curry. On the final drive, he hit a wide-open Curry for 63 yards, which set up his 4th and 5 pass to Porter for the winning touchdown.

RB: Tyrone Wheatley (8-34 rushing, 2-12 receiving on 2 targets) had limited success before leaving the game late in the 3rd quarter with a hamstring injury. Wheatley took a shoulder to his right knee from CB Kelly Herndon and flipped and landed awkwardly on his left leg, and had to be carted off the field. Prior to that, his longest run had been 18 yards. After his injury, and trailing the rest of the way, Oakland abandoned the running game.

WR: Jerry Porter (6-135 receiving 9 on targets, 3 TD) torched Broncos CB Champ Bailey after a slow start. His 42-yard catch got it started at the end of the first half, a nice catch over his right shoulder on a perfectly thrown post pattern. He then scored on a slant pass in front of Bailey, where he used his body to shield him from the ball. He also caught a 52-yard pass deep over the middle on a failed drive to start the 4th quarter, before getting wide open in the end zone for the game-winner on 4th down.

Ronald Curry (6-110 receiving on 9 targets, 1 TD) cut the Broncos lead to five in the 4th quarter with a ridiculous one-handed catch in the end zone. He reached high into the air with his right hand, controlled it with just the one hand, before bringing his other hand to secure the ball before he landed. On the final drive, Curry got free deep down the middle of the field for 63-yards, before tripping himself at the Broncos 10-yard line. Five of Curry's catches came in the 4th quarter.

Doug Gabriel (4-51 receiving on 10 targets) was actually the most targeted receiver, although he did not get into the scoring act. His 21-yard reception got the Raiders comeback going, a play where he muscled 10 extra yards out of the play. He had a 22-yard reception that set up Porter's second score, and also was the intended receiver on two defensive penalties against him.

TE: Doug Jolley (1-9 receiving on 4 targets) was not a factor after the first play of the game, his 9-yard catch. He was the intended receiver twice on unsuccessful 3rd down tries.

K: Sebastian Janikowski (1 XP, 0-1 FG) missed a 48-yard field goal wide-right, and had an extra point blocked by the Broncos Monsanto Pope.

Pass Defense: The Raiders never really stopped the Broncos through the air, they got back into the game by limiting the running game. Patrick Buchanan did have an interception on a ball thrown up for grabs by Jake Plummer. The Raiders seldom pressured Plummer, although they did on the interception, and recorded no sacks.

Rush Defense: Oakland held Reuben Droughns under 4 yards per carry and stopped him on a key 3rd and 1 late in the game. Instead of tiring, they held Droughns to just 17 yards on his final 6 runs. Marques Anderson forced Droughns' fumble with a hard hit early in the second half.

Denver Broncos

QB: Jake Plummer (14-23-245, 1 TD, 1 INT, 5-18 rushing, 1 fumble lost) played a solid game and rallied the Broncos for a final chance to win, but they were unable to cash it in. The Broncos played cautiously under the rough weather conditions until late in the first half, when Oakland called a time-out on 2nd down, attempting to force Denver to punt. Instead, Plummer faked a handoff and rolled right, firing a perfect lob down the right side to an open Rod Smith, who took it all the way to the end zone for an 85-yard score. Plummer played especially well out of the pocket, until his 4th quarter interception, where he ducked under a defender and scrambled to his left, then lobbed a jump ball that was intercepted by Buchanan. Later, Plummer easily led the Broncos into field goal range on the final drive, but they got conservative and ran the ball from the Raiders 25 with under a minute to go, gaining nothing. On the next play, Plummer threw to WR Darius Watts in the back of the end zone, a ball that sailed right between his hands up high. Plummer's fumble should have been credited to Droughns, as it was Droughns who did not secure the ball on a good handoff.

RB: Reuben Droughns (28-102 rushing, 1 TD, 1- (-5) receiving on 2 targets, 1 fumble lost) ran hard but was unable to put the game away late for the Broncos. He scored on a 3-yard run early in the 4th quarter to give Denver a 17-13 lead, a nice run where he appeared to be stopped at the 2-yard line, but kept his legs pumping and shed a tackler as he high-stepped into the end zone. Droughns' fumble came on a big hit, and was not as much his fault as the fumble that he didn't get credited with.

WR: Rod Smith (2-99 receiving on 7 targets, 1 TD) only caught two passes, but the first one proved to be the longest touchdown of his career. On the play, Smith ran past Patrick Buchanan, caught the pass from Plummer, and showed surprising speed in not getting caught from behind. His only other catch went for 14 yards on the Broncos final drive, and put them in Raiders territory.

Ashley Lelie (4-80 receiving on 4 targets) was quiet most of the game before catching a 57-yard pass to set up Reuben Droughns' touchdown run on the next play. Lelie caught the pass deep down the right sideline despite getting interfered with on the play, then fell to the ground, got up and ran to three-yard line.

TE: Jeb Putzier (1-18 receiving on 2 targets) caught a first-quarter pass, but it didn't lead to anything, and he wasn't a factor the rest of the game.

K: Jason Elam (3 XP, 1-2 FG) made a 32-yard field goal to open the scoring, but had his game-winning try blocked by Langston Walker after a bad snap and hold.

Pass Defense: The Broncos secondary got torched most of the second half of the game, but did manage an interception by Lynch, which appeared at the time to put the game away. Ellis Johnson returned a tipped pass 32 yards for a touchdown.

Rush Defense: The Broncos shut down the run, most noticeably in the first quarter when Al Harris turned away the Raiders on 4th down on a big hit high in the hole for no gain.