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

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

PS - These reports will be available online at the Footballguys.com website later on today in a much better looking format. I'm just sending to you now as I know many of you want these just as soon as they're finished.

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

Edited by Joe Bryant with Cathy Fazio

Chicago Bears 3 at Jacksonville Jaguars 22

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Chicago Bears

Chicago could not establish any offensive rhythm against a very aggressive Jacksonville defense. Chad Hutchinson only completed 2 of his first 6 passes for 6 yards, 10 of his next 13 for 164 yards, and 5 of his final 14 for 42 yards. Even when he was able to move the Bears' offense, he was unable to get them in the end zone. Though he was pressured throughout the game, Hutchison displayed some poise, completing several passes in the face of a strong pass rush. Several of his incompletions came after he had to scramble to evade a pass rusher, and then throw the ball away.

Thomas Jones was unable to get the ground game going, and finished with 13 carries for 26 yards. He finished with 68 yards receiving on 3 receptions, including a nice 45-yard pass play. Most of Jones' runs were up the middle but he found that difficult against Jacksonville's impressive tackle duo of Marcus Stroud and John Henderson. Anthony Thomas did not have any carries, though he did contribute 3 receptions in the passing game.

The Bears' receivers did not distinguish themselves in this game. Their leading receiver was Bernard Berrian with 46 yards. Though David Terrell was targeted 8 times, he ended the day with 2 receptions for 23 yards. The combination of Jacksonville's pass rush and the inability of Chicago's receivers to gain separation from the defensive backs led to the poor showing of the passing game.

The Bears defense was good throughout the game, but gave up some big plays in the passing game. They held Fred Taylor to 79 yards rushing on 21 carries, and kept him from the explosive big plays he is capable of having. The defense against the pass was inconsistent, however. At times they were able to generate pressure on Byron Leftwich, but at other times, he was able to pick out which receiver he wanted. There were other occasions where the Bears' defenders missed tackles. Chicago forced a fumble by tight end Todd Yoder, which they recovered, but the play was called back due to a personal foul for a hit on Leftwich.

Jacksonville Jaguars

While not spectacular, the Jaguars did enough offensively to win the game. Byron Leftwich was not as sharp as he has been earlier in the season, but he made several big throws at key moments. After penalties, Jacksonville was faced with a 3rd and 27 play at the Chicago 31-yard line. Leftwich stood in the pocket and threw a laser to Jimmy Smith for a touchdown catch. This play put Jacksonville up 22-3. Though his completion percentage was under 50%, Leftwich finished with respectable numbers of 25 of 45 for 242 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception.

Fred Taylor put in a solid 21 rushes for 79 yards and added 4 receptions for 23 yards on 8 targets. Taylor once again demonstrated his ability to elude the first defender, but the Bears' defenders covered for each other and usually had multiple players tacking him. Taylor could have had more combined yards as he dropped 3 passes that would have all accounted for positive yardage.

Jimmy Smith continues to show why he is one of the elite receivers in the NFL. He displayed his ability to run very good routes over the middle by cutting sharply and being open several times, and his speed as he was able to get behind Bears' cornerbacks several times. He went out of the game with an ankle sprain in the 4th quarter, but returned and showed no ill effects as he made a spectacular 31-yard catch for a touchdown. On that play, Smith outran second year cornerback Charles Tillman, who interfered him as he flew down the sideline. As he was interfered with, Smith threw himself forward towards the end zone and made a great catch for the score.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Chicago Bears

QB: Chad Hutchinson (17-33-212, 1 INT) Hutchinson displayed a strong arm and threw some very nice passes at times, but was under a lot of pressure most of the game. Due to the pass rush he faced, he had to scramble out of trouble a few times, and displayed some good athleticism. Given that he was facing an excellent defense that was playing very well, Hutchinson had an okay game, though he was unable to get Chicago into the end zone.

RB: Thomas Jones (13-26 rushing, 3-68 receiving on 5 targets) Jones was not a factor in the running game. He was more effective in the passing game running outside, but should have had more as he dropped a pass on a 3rd down play that would have resulted in a first down.

Anthony Thomas (3-18 receiving on 3 targets) Thomas was not involved much, and was used primarily as an outlet receiver when Hutchinson was scrambling away from pressure.

Jason McKie (3-17 receiving on 3 targets) Also used primarily as an outlet receiver when Hutchinson was under pressure from the pass rush.

WR: Bernard Berrian (2-46 receiving on 3 targets) Berrian seemed to be Hutchinson's favorite deep target on the few occasions he was able to throw deep. His incomplete pass was as a result of him being ruled out of bounds before he had possession of the ball.

David Terrell (2-23 receiving on 8 targets, 1-5 rushing) Terrell was not a factor in this game. Five of his 8 targets came on Chicago's last 2 drives of the game.

Bobby Wade (1-14 receiving on 2 targets) Was not thrown to until the second half.

Justin Gage (1-7 receiving on 1 target) A non-factor in the receiving game also.

TE: Dustin Lyman (2-19 receiving on 5 targets) Lyman was almost exclusively used as an outlet receiver. He was able to get open at times, but Hutchinson missed him a couple of times due to the pressure from Jacksonville's pass rush.

K: Paul Edinger (1-2 FGs) Edinger missed a field goal attempt wide right from 47 yards and made one from 42 yards.

Pass Defense: The Bears pass defense applied pressure at times to Leftwich but allowed several big plays. In addition, they missed tackles and committed costly penalties.

Rush Defense: The rush defense was decent. They did not allow Fred Taylor to have one of his signature explosive long runs. His longest run was for 20 yards. The Bears seemed committed to preventing Taylor from having a big game, and usually had multiple defenders swarm to him when he touched the ball.

Jacksonville Jaguars

QB: Byron Leftwich (25-45-242, 2 TDs, 1 INT, 4-8 rushing). Leftwich continued his evolvement into one of the better quarterbacks by doing enough to ensure his team won, despite not putting up great numbers. He not only showed off his powerful arm several times, but displayed nice touch on his shorter throws. He also spread the ball around, throwing to 8 different receivers in the first half and 11 different receivers in the second half, usually taking whatever the defense gave him.

RB: Fred Taylor (21-79 rushing, 4-23 receiving on 8 targets) Taylor had a solid game. Though he did not have any explosive plays, he could have had more yards in the passing game as he dropped some passes that he should have easily caught. He was also in the game on a 1st and goal play at the 3-yard line, but was stopped for a loss as he attempted to run up the middle.

Greg Jones (3-3 rushing, 0-0 receiving on 1 target) Jones was used in short-yardage situations, was stopped for losses twice and ran for 4 yards on his other rushing attempt.

LaBrandon Toefield (2-10 receiving on 2 targets) Toefield was not utilized much in this game.

David Allen (1-3 receiving on 2 targets). Allen played on one offensive series and concentrated on returning kicks.

WR: Jimmy Smith (6-85,1 TD receiving on 11 targets) Smith had another outstanding game. He appeared to be the fastest player in the secondary and ran his routes sharply as well. Smith showed his resiliency by shaking off an ankle injury in the 4th quarter and returning to run 31 yards and make a spectacular diving catch to put the game away.

Reggie Williams (4-62, 1 TD receiving on 7 targets) The rookie had his best game of the season. He used his impressive size several times, including running through the tackle of a Bears' defensive back and gaining several yards afterwards until being brought down by 2 other defenders. He also used his size to advantage on the touchdown catch when he caught the ball with his back to 2 defenders, then bulled his way into the end zone.

Troy Edwards (4-30 receiving on 9 targets) Edwards should have had a more productive day, as most of the balls thrown his way should have been easily caught. Leftwich did not lose confidence in him, and kept going to him throughout the game.

Ernest Wilford (1-9 receiving on 4 targets) Two of the incomplete passes to Wilford were thrown to him in the end zone.

TE: Brian Jones (1-14 receiving on 5 targets) Like Wilford, 2 of the incomplete passes to him were thrown in the end zone. Leftwich also threw deep to him twice.

Todd Yoder (1-4 receiving on 3 targets) Yoder fumbled once, but the fumble was nullified by a penalty on Chicago.

Kyle Brady (1-2 receiving on 1 target) Brady was Leftwich's first target in the second half, but did not see the ball thrown his way other than that play.

K: Josh Scobee (2-2 XP, 2-2 FG) Scobee made field goals from 25 and 30 yards.

Pass Defense: The Jaguars blitzed often and successfully throughout the game. In addition to the 4 sacks and 1 interception they recorded, they made Hutchinson hurry many throws to his outlet receivers. The Jacksonville defensive backfield did their part by not allowing the Chicago receivers to get open deep very often. Defensive tackle Marcus Stroud displayed tremendous athleticism many times, but especially on a play where he was pushing his blocker into Hutchinson. Hutchinson threw a pass to running back Anthony Thomas who started running for a first down. Stroud disengaged himself from the offensive lineman, turned and ran Thomas down from behind holding him to an 11 yard gain.

Rush Defense: The Jaguars' run defense was dominant. The Bears only attempted 14 running plays throughout the game, one of which was a reverse attempt by David Terrell. The other 13 carries were by Thomas Jones, who was held to a 2-yards per carry average.

New York Giants 14 at Baltimore Ravens 37

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

New York Giants

With Eli Manning named as the Giants' starting quarterback next week, it seems apparent that Tom Coughlin cares only about next season because it is obvious that he is not ready to lead an NFL team right now. Manning looked pitiful in all phases of the game, completing almost as many passes to Raven defenders (2) as to Giants' receivers (4). After three quarters of play, the Giants had just 55 total offensive yards, and Manning turned the ball over three times. He was replaced late in the game by Kurt Warner, who promptly marched the Giants downfield on a scoring drive. It should be noted that the Ravens were up big at the time and were playing a very vanilla brand of defense, but one got the sense that they were doing that when Manning was in there as well, but he still couldn't move the ball.

Tiki Barber owners have Warner to thank for salvaging what was nearly a disaster of a fantasy day. In addition to carrying the ball 19 times for just 55 yards, Barber also registered his first two lost fumbles of the season. But, as has been the case so often this year, Warner moved the Giants down to inside the five-yard line, and Barber took the carry in for a short touchdown. Barber didn't look too bad running the ball against such a tough defense. It is clear, however, that opponents do not respect Eli Manning and the passing game and can just sell out on the run nearly every play without getting burned.

TE Jeremy Shockey finished with respectable numbers, but nearly all of his production came on the two late garbage-time drives engineered by Kurt Warner. Shockey's first catch of the game didn't come until halfway through the third quarter, but went on to catch four more balls in the last several minutes of the game. He was also tackled at the one-yard line yet again, preventing him from scoring a touchdown.

Baltimore Ravens

QB Kyle Boller had by far the best game of his young NFL career. He made good, quick decisions, and put the football in places where only his receivers could get to it. He seems to really trust guys like Clarence Moore and Todd Heap, as several of Boller's touchdown passes were really the result of fantastic athletic plays by those two.

RB Jamal Lewis carried the ball eight times in the first half, but left the game just before halftime. He did not return in the second half. His ankle was slightly aggravated but it was more because the team was up by so many points.

TE Todd Heap enjoyed an outstanding fantasy day, grabbing five receptions, including two touchdowns. Heap's first touchdown involved a very nice cutback move, and the second one he had to leap high above the defender to bring in the pass. Each play tested his ankle, and he passed each test with flying colors. It would appear, from this game at least, that Heap is fully recovered from the injury.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

New York Giants

QB: Eli Manning (4-18-27, 2 INT, 1 fumble lost) Manning was terrible. The numbers you see really speak for themselves. He looks lost out there and showed no signs of improvement this week. Granted, it was against the Ravens' defense but he regressed badly in this game. The facts: he averaged one and a half yards per attempt, he had nearly as many interceptions as completions, and the Giants offense as a whole had just 55 total yards with Manning at the helm. That's really all you need to know to see how his day went.

Kurt Warner (6-9-127) came on in relief of Manning with about six minutes left to play. Warner marched the Giants downfield for their only offensive score of the game. His throws were crisp and perfectly placed in stride to the receivers. Granted, the Ravens weren't throwing him a bunch of different looks, but he looked calm and poised on the field, the complete opposite of Manning. Warner nearly had a touchdown pass, but Jeremy Shockey caught the ball and was tackled all in one motion at the Ravens' one-yard line. Tiki Barber scored on the next play.

RB: Tiki Barber (19-55, 1 TD rushing, 2-9 receiving on 4 targets, 2 fumbles lost) had another sub-par fantasy day. His touchdown was offset by two lost fumbles, and he didn't do much in the way of yardage, either. In fact, Barber owners are lucky he didn't post negative points for the game, because there was another play in which Manning apparently tried handing off to Barber, who didn't expect the exchange. It simply hit off his hands and into the hands of the Ravens. The fumble wasn't charged to Barber because he never had possession, but it was unclear who was at fault on the play. Barber's touchdown was also courtesy of the only sustained Giants' drive of the game. Kurt Warner moved the team downfield to the Ravens' one-yard line before Barber took it in for a score.

WR: Amani Toomer (2-53 receiving on 5 targets) didn't have much of an opportunity to make an impact with Manning at quarterback. With Manning in there, he had just one reception for 12 yards. On Kurt Warner's second completion, Toomer caught a pass on a crossing route and turned it up field for a 41-yard gain. Other than that, however, he was pretty invisible.

Ike Hilliard (1-9 receiving on 6 targets) did not have a catch until Warner's first pass attempt, though he was targeted plenty by Manning. The lack of receptions were more a product of Manning's futility, as Hilliard was actually open on occasion.

TE: Jeremy Shockey (5-83 receiving on 7 targets) finally had a productive day once Eli Manning exited the game. Kurt Warner's first two passes went to Ike Hilliard and Amani Toomer, but after that it was pretty much all Shockey. He caught four of his five receptions once Warner entered the game, and so nearly all of Shockey's production took place with less than five minutes left to play. Still, Shockey owners won't complain about that. What they will complain about, however, is the fact that yet again, Shockey was tackled inside the opponents' one-yard line and fail to score, only to see Tiki Barber take the next carry into the end zone for the score.

K: Steve Christie (2 XP) connected on both of his extra point attempts.

Pass Defense: When you allow Kyle Boller to throw four touchdowns, something is wrong. It wasn't so much allowing Boller to make throws all over the place as much as it was an inability to hang with the receivers once the balls got there. Boller made good throws and had an excellent game, but a lot of it was a product of guys making plays. The defensive backs were outplayed badly on all four touchdowns, though at least two of them their fault lied mostly with not being tall enough to out-leap Clarence Moore and Todd Heap for jump balls. The Giants, surprisingly, were able to sack Boller three times, with one of the sacks resulting in a fumble and a subsequent return touchdown by Osi Umenyiora. That was the highlight of the day for the Giants defense, because there wasn't much else positive to take from this. They were beaten consistently by a group that most would put amongst the NFL's worst receiving corps, so it isn't saying much when you allow them over 200 yards and four scores through the air.

Run Defense: With Jamal Lewis slowed still and unable to play in the second half, one would think that the Giants would have an easier time containing the Ravens' running game. One would then be wrong. Chester Taylor, filling in for Lewis, rolled for 104 yards on 25 carries and consistently showed an ability to avoid the big hit. He made guys miss all day long, and as evidenced by the statistics, the Giants defense really didn't play well in any aspect of the game. LB Barrett Green was injured during the game, and his replacement, Nick Greisen, also was hurt. No updates were given in-game on either player's condition.

Baltimore Ravens

QB: Kyle Boller (18-34-219, 4 TD, 4-19 rushing, 1 fumble lost) had an outstanding game. He was very solid in the pocket, making good decisions and good reads, but his biggest improvement was in him trusting his receivers. Rather than trying to force the perfect throw, there were many instances where Boller left the ball up in the air for his receivers to make a play on it. This worked to perfection on several jump balls in the end zone, as well as a long pass completion to Clarence Moore. The long pass to Moore was overturned on a Jets challenge, but it really emphasized Boller's willingness to air it out and let guys just simply make plays. The only blemish on his performance was a lost fumble that was returned for a 50-yard touchdown by the Giants.

RB: Chester Taylor (25-104 rushing; 4-27 receiving on 4 targets) had an outstanding game in what was, essentially, one half of action. Jamal Lewis and Taylor split early carries as the Ravens tried working Lewis back into the mix. But when he didn't return for the second half, all of the second half carries fell to Taylor. He responded in a big way, going up over 100 yards early in the fourth quarter. He almost managed a late touchdown, but was taken down at the Giants' one-yard line. Todd Heap caught a touchdown later in the possession.

Jamal Lewis (8-32 rushing) looked good running the ball early on. He displayed his trademark quick cutbacks and showed no effects of his ankle injury. He left the game just before halftime to go into the locker room to have his ankle re-taped for the second half. A second half return never came, however, as Baltimore's lead grew large and the risk of playing Lewis was outweighed by a desire to keep him healthy for next week's game. Earlier in the contest, Lewis nearly found the end zone but was tackled at the 3-yard line. Todd Heap scored moments later. Anyone starting Lewis also managed to avoid negative fantasy points when an obvious fumble by Lewis was called down by contact. It was a bad call, and it should have been a fumble recovery by New York.

WR: Clarence Moore (3-37, 2 TD receiving on 5 targets) made two outstanding plays and nearly had another to give him a productive game. Moore was sought out again by Kyle Boller down near the end zone, and responded with two fantastic touchdown catches. He also had an earlier reception that was overturned on a Jets' challenge. It was difficult to overturn because there didn't seem to be conclusive evidence that the ball hit the ground, but apparently the officials saw something the rest of us did not. Still, the ability of Moore in the end zone cannot be overstated. On his second touchdown reception, Moore picked it out of the air amazingly for the touchdown. He just gets to balls that most other players can't get to.

TE: Todd Heap (5-76, 2 TD receiving on 10 targets) was clearly Kyle Boller's favorite target today. Heap, who is working his way back from a severe ankle sprain, appears to be healthy and all the way back from the injury. On his first touchdown, he caught a pass in the flat, put a great cut-back move on his defender, and dove into the end zone for the score. On his second touchdown, he out-leaped a defensive back for a phenomenal touchdown in the back corner of the end zone. Those two plays are huge examples of Heap's seeming good health. Heap's day could have been even bigger, but he had a potential touchdown reception go off his fingertips in the back of the end zone.

Pass Defense: When you hold the opposition to the kind of numbers the Ravens held Eli Manning to, not much more can be said about their performance. The Giants could get nothing done through the air, and Manning barely got any completions, let alone get into a rhythm. New York's offense as a whole had just 55 yards heading into the fourth quarter, which pretty much tells you all you need to know.

Run Defense: Tiki Barber was held in check all day. He never was able to bust any big runs, and his presence in the game didn't affect this outcome one way or the other. Barber averaged less than three yards per carry against this stout Ravens defense, and fumbled the ball away twice. All in all, it was another fantastic performance by the Ravens against a top-quality running back.

New York Jets 6 at Pittsburgh Steelers 17

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers' offense was held effectively in check until the fourth quarter. The Jets' stout defense did a solid job of containing Duce Staley in the early going while still managing to provide good coverage on the Steelers wideouts. Staley does not yet appear to be running at 100%, his explosiveness into the holes is significantly less than what it was early in the season. He finished with 51 yards. Jerome Bettis was the focal point of the Steelers' ground game in the fourth quarter and finished with a team-high 56 yards, including a 12-yard TD run. Bettis also threw a 10-yard touchdown to Jerame Tuman on a halfback pass play on 3rd and 3 in the fourth quarter.

Ben Roethlisberger struggled early before settling into a rhythm in the second half. Roethlisberger finished with 144 yards passing with no touchdowns and 2 interceptions. Neither of the INTs were poor throws; one came on a Hail Mary pass to conclude the first half, the other when a pass intended for Hines Ward was tipped by Donnie Abraham at the last second. The ball ricocheted high in the air and was grabbed by Reggie Tongue. Lee Mays led the team with 46 yards receiving but that was on one reception.

Defensively, the Steelers were outstanding, keeping the Jets' offense out of the end zone. Although they recorded no sacks, the Steelers were able to intercept Chad Pennington three times - one each by James Farrior, Troy Polamalu, and Chris Hope. The Steelers did not allow the Jets to cross midfield until late in the second quarter and were rock-solid in the red zone, allowing only 2 field goals.

New York Jets

Curtis Martin gained just 72 yards on 24 carries, many of which came late in the game after the outcome was effectively decided. Lamont Jordan got only 3 carries in the ball game.

Chad Pennington looked sharp for the most part, but the interceptions he threw came at very inopportune times. He finished with only 189 yards on 31 attempts. The Jets also shot themselves in the foot early and often, with 12 penalties in the first half, many of them false starts and delay of game penalties, which effectively killed their chances of surmounting a sustained drive. Justin McCareins led the Jets with 78 yards receiving, including a big catch on the sideline to set up the Jets' first points of the game, a field goal in the third quarter.

The Jets' defense was excellent through 3 quarters. They did a sensational job of taking Hines Ward out of the game, and yet were effective against the run as well. They began to wear down in the fourth quarter, as the Steelers were finally able to create holes for the running backs and put points on the board while running out the clock. The Jets got to Roethlisberger twice in the game, and also made the aforementioned interceptions. A Hines Ward fumble, which the Jets recovered, was wiped out by an illegal contact penalty.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Pittsburgh Steelers

QB: Ben Roethlisberger (9-19-144, 2 INT, 4 for -2 rushing) Roethlisberger was inconsistent in this game. He struggled to find his receivers early on, but was much more accurate in the second half. It was obvious that Roethlisberger is still slowed somewhat by the bruised quadriceps that he suffered in last week's game against the Jaguars, as he lacked some of the mobility which helps him frequently avoid pressure. As the Steelers were able to find more success in the running game later in the game, Roethlisberger had much more time to throw, and more open receivers to hit. He dropped a beautifully thrown ball into the hands of Lee Mays in the fourth quarter to set up the TD that put away the game.

RB: Jerome Bettis (10-57 rushing, 1 TD, 1-1-10, 1 TD passing) Bettis was huge in the fourth quarter of this game. After receiving only 3 carries in the first half, Bettis got most of the playing time late and responded with a rushing TD and a 10-yard passing TD to a wide open Jerame Tuman. Bettis looked quicker into the holes than Staley and may continue to split carries until such time as Staley is running at full speed.

Duce Staley (16-51 rushing, 2-30 receiving on 3 targets) Staley looks to be still a step slow. He was held to 2-3 yards on most of his carries in the game. His biggest play came on a well-designed screen pass which netted 21 yards. Staley fumbled the ball once, but Keydrick Vincent was able to come up with the ball. The team said he began to feel his hamstring a little bit in the 2nd half so they elected to go with Bettis.

Willie Parker (1-14 rushing, 0-0 receiving on 1 target) Parker showed great burst and elusiveness on his only carry, a 14-yard draw in the third quarter. If he can develop his pass-catching skills, he could supplant Verron Haynes as the full-time 3rd down back.

Dan Kreider (3-19 receiving on 3 targets) Kreider continues to be a good safety-valve option out of the backfield for Roethlisberger. The Steelers love to use him on 4-5 yard dump passes in the flat, where he is sure-handed and usually manages to drag would-be tacklers for an extra few yards.

WR: Lee Mays (1-46 receiving on 3 targets) Mays got open and caught a perfectly-thrown pass from Ben Roethlisberger which went for 46 yards and led directly to a Steelers' touchdown. He spent a lot of time in this game playing in the injured Plaxico Burress' position, and nearly had another long catch, but a good defensive play to deflect the ball out of his hands prevented it.

Hines Ward (2-38 receiving on 6 targets) Ward was shut down for most of this game. He was able to pull down a 26-yard catch in the third to get the Steelers across midfield, but had only one other catch on the game. Ward did draw two interference penalties on the Jets, who were intent on keeping him contained.

Antwaan Randle El (1-11 receiving on 3 targets) Randle El was a non-factor in the passing game, and was unable to make anything happen in the return game either, as the Jets punt coverage was excellent all afternoon.

TE: Jerame Tuman (1-10, 1 TD receiving on 1 target) Tuman caught Bettis' TD toss, as he was able to slip past a Jets defense selling out against the run and was wide-open in the end zone.

K: Jeff Reed (2 XP, 1-1 FG) Reed connected from 34 yards in the first quarter.

Pass Defense: The Steelers' pass defense was hot and cold. They did get big plays when they needed them, as the 3 interceptions will attest to. However, they did give up a number of 3rd and longs, and will need to tighten up their coverage if they want to continue to keep teams off of the scoreboard. The line was not able to generate much in the way of a pass rush, and the linebackers were often back in run support rather than blitzing Pennington.

Rush Defense: The Steelers' run defense was good. They were committed to stopping the Jets' ground game, and were able to do so for the most part. Despite a few runs of 10 yards, they were still able to keep Curtis Martin to only 3 yards a carry. Lamont Jordan was no more effective in limited action.

New York Jets

QB: Chad Pennington (17-31-189, 3 INT, 4-16 rushing) Pennington played a pretty good game for the most part, but absolutely killed the Jets with his interceptions. His first, which was grabbed by Polamalu early in the game, led directly to a Steeler field goal. His second, by Farrior, ended the only Jet drive into Pittsburgh territory in the first half. The last one came late in the game as the Jets were making a last-ditch effort to get back into the game. These turnovers basically won the game for Pittsburgh. Aside from these lapses, however, Pennington showed good accuracy and very good mobility in the pocket.

RB: Curtis Martin (24-72 rushing, 3-35 receiving on 3 targets) Martin's 107 yards of total offense led the Jets. However, more often than not, he was stopped at the line or in the backfield, and was unable to find running room for much of the game. Martin looked very good, following his blocks, and hitting the hole hard, but simply did not get much to work with for the most part.

Lamont Jordan (3-10 rushing) Jordan was brought in primarily in short yardage situations. He had one excellent run for 30 yards called back due to a holding penalty on Anthony Becht.

Jerald Sowell (1-9 rushing, 1-2 receiving on 2 targets) Sowell gained 9 yards on his only carry.

WR: Justin McCareins (4-78 receiving on 8 targets) McCareins' biggest impact came on a 43-yard grab in the third quarter which led to a game-tying field goal for the Jets. McCareins made a nice grab on the sidelines and managed to get both feet in. Pittsburgh coach Bill Cowher challenged the play, but replays showed McCareins was clearly in bounds.

Santana Moss (3-37 receiving on 8 targets) The Steelers seemed determined not to let Moss catch the ball. Coverage was tight when Moss ran patterns in the middle of the field, and most of his catches came along the sidelines, not allowing him much room to make yardage after the catch. A couple of long passes caught by Moss were ruled out-of-bounds.

Wayne Chrebet (2-15 receiving on 5 targets) Chrebet ran a nice route and made a 12-yard catch to convert a third-and-10, but was otherwise quiet.

Jonathan Carter (2-13 receiving on 3 targets) Pennington targeted Carter in the end zone once, but the pass was off the mark.

TE: Chris Baker (1-5 receiving on 1 target) Baker caught a 5-yard pass over the middle for his only contribution.

Anthony Becht (1-4 receiving on 1 target) Becht's biggest impact in the game was a negative one. His holding penalty eradicated a 30-yard run by Lamont Jordan.

K: Doug Brien (2-2 FG) Brien hit from 41 and 43 yards in the game.

Pass Defense: The Jets did a fine job in pass defense. Their primary goal with Burress out was to contain Hines Ward, and they did an admirable job. Aside from the long connection with Mays, Roethlisberger rarely had open receivers to throw to. They were able to sack Roethlisberger twice, with 1.5 of those sacks coming from Shaun Ellis.

Rush Defense: The Jets' run defense was excellent for three quarters, but wore down late. Bettis was able to ring up 46 yards in the fourth quarter, as the Jets defense finally began to get tired. There were a lot more attempted arm-tackles late in the game, which are not going to bring down a back of Bettis' size. Nevertheless, for the game, the Steelers were held to 35 yards below their per-game average, so it must be considered a solid, if not spectacular effort.

Cincinnati Bengals 28 at New England Patriots 35

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Cincinnati Bengals

QB Carson Palmer took advantage of the beat up Patriots' secondary to throw for 202 yards and 2 touchdowns in just under three quarters of play. Palmer's only miscue was an ill advised pass that was intercepted and returned 34 yards for the TD by CB Asante Samuels, midway through the second quarter. Late in the third quarter, Palmer left the game with a left knee sprain and did not return. Last year's starter, Jon Kitna replaced Palmer and methodically drove the Bengals down the field before having a pass intercepted in the end zone, early in the fourth quarter. Kitna was able to pull the Bengals within striking range at 35-28 with a 27-yard TD pass to Kelley Washington, late in the fourth quarter. It was too little, too late as the Patriots offense ran out the remaining 3 minutes and 44 seconds on the clock.

RB Rudi Johnson rushed for a hard fought 89 yards on 24 carries against an aggressive New England defense. However, Johnson ended a promising, opening drive when he fumbled at the Patriots 12.

WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh had a career best 12 catches for 145 yards on 13 targets. Chad Johnson also contributed with 5 catches for 80 yards on 10 targets and a 5-yard TD reception. TE Matt Schobel added a 2-yard TD catch.

The Bengals completely caught the Patriots by surprise, when Punter Kyle Larson scored on an 11-yard TD run after a fake 29-yard field goal attempt, late in the third quarter.

The Cincinnati defense was once again dreadful as they failed to put any pressure on QB Tom Brady. Cincinnati was torched for 351 total net yards. They recorded just one sack and did not cause a turnover.

New England Patriots

The New England Patriots wrapped up a playoff berth for the third time in four years with their victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. The Patriots scored first for the 18th straight regular-season game, extending their NFL record, on RB Corey Dillon's 1-yard TD run on their opening series.

QB Tom Brady was business as usual as he completed 18 out of 26 passes for 260 yards and 2 touchdowns. He had all day to throw and even had the presence of mind to complete a 7-yard pass to Patrick Pass while sitting on his backside after Brady had fallen down.

RB Corey Dillon faced his old team for the first time since leaving the Bengals after last season. Dillon drove through tacklers on his way to 88 yards on 22 carries. Dillon scored the Patriots' first TD with a 1-yard run on the opening drive. Kevin Faulk also scored a 4-yard TD on his only carry of the game.

WR David Patten led all Patriots' receivers compiling 107 yards on 5 catches and a 48-yard TD reception. TE Christian Fauria had a 17-yard TD on a brilliant diving catch in the end zone, midway through the third quarter.

Playing without their two starting cornerbacks, the New England defense was lit up for 328 yards passing by the tandem of Carson Palmer and Jon Kitna and surrendered 478 total net yards. However, the Patriots defense forced two turnovers inside the red zone and returned a third for a defensive touchdown.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Cincinnati Bengals

QB: Carson Palmer (18-24-202, 2 TD, 1 INT, 2-19 rushing) showed great composure as he deftly alluded the Patriots' rushers and bought himself time to find the open receivers. Palmer spread the ball around, finding 9 different pass catchers and hitting receivers in stride with perfectly thrown passes. Palmer missed a golden opportunity late in the first quarter when Chad Johnson had badly beaten the Patriots' secondary deep, but the pass was severely under thrown and broken up. Early in the second quarter, Palmer hit a wide-open Matt Schobel for a 2-yard TD catch for the Bengals' first touchdown. On the following drive, Palmer made his only poor decision as he threw late to T.J. Houshmandzadeh and had the pass intercepted and returned 34 yards for a Patriots' touchdown. Palmer redeemed himself by leading the Bengals right back down the field and hitting Chad Johnson with a nice touch pass for a 6-yard TD strike. Palmer was injured on Cincinnati's first drive of the second half as DE Richard Seymour hit him low as he was delivering a pass. Palmer left the game with a sprained left knee and did not return.

Jon Kitna (9-13-126, 1 TD, 1 INT, 1-9 rushing) replaced Palmer and led the Bengals down the field, but his pass intended for Chad Johnson was intercepted in the end zone by Troy Brown. Kitna was 4-4 for 57 yards in the Bengals final scoring drive, capping it off with a 27-yard TD throw to Kelley Washington.

RB: Rudi Johnson (24-89 rushing, 2-35 receiving on 2 targets, 1 fumble lost) had his best run in the opening drive as he darted through the left side of the line and used a nifty cutback move for an 18-yard gain. Three plays later, Johnson coughed up the ball at the New England 12 and ended a promising drive. He finished the first half with a respectable 66 yards on 17 carries. With the Bengals playing from behind throughout the second half, Johnson had a limited number of touches and managed just 23 yards on 7 carries after halftime.

Kenny Watson (2-12 rushing, 2-15 receiving on 2 targets) saw most of his action in the first half as he had 2 catches for 15 yards, including a screen pass he scooped up and ran for a third down conversion. Watson had just one touch in the second half, a run of 3 yards midway through the third quarter.

Punter Kyle Larson (1-11 rushing, 1 TD) was the holder on the fake field goal at the end of the third quarter. Larson took advantage on the Patriots overloading on one side and dashed through the left side for an 11-yard TD run.

FB Jeremi Johnson (1-0 receiving on 1 target) caught a pass out of the backfield and was stopped for no gain, late in the first quarter.

WR: T.J. Houshmandzadeh (12-145 receiving on 13 targets) capitalized on the Patriots double teaming of Chad Johnson and consistently got open against a sub par and banged up secondary. Houshmandzadeh set a career high with 12 receptions and was the favorite target of both quarterbacks. He had 3 catches in a row for 22 yards on the opening drive. Houshmandzadeh had four catches for third down conversions, including a huge 33-yard reception down the middle midway through the second quarter. He caught 12 out of 13 passes thrown his direction, with the only disconnect coming on the interception returned for a touchdown by Asante Samuels. Houshmandzadeh's most impressive catch for 18 yards came midway through the fourth quarter as caught a ball over the middle and was leveled by free safety Eugene Wilson. Not only did he miraculously hold onto the ball, but he popped right up and ran back to the huddle.

Chad Johnson (5-80 receiving on 10 targets, 1 TD, 1-10 rushing) had his first touch on a double reverse that he took for 10 yards around the right end, midway through the second quarter. Johnson caught his first pass for a 6-yard TD, late in the second quarter. Although he had solid numbers of 5 catches for 80 yards and a touchdown, it was missed opportunities and penalties that really cost him a huge day. Johnson missed out on a potential 69-yard TD reception on the Bengals second drive of the game when Palmer seriously under threw the ball and allowed the badly beaten defenders to recover in time to break up the long pass. Johnson also had 2 catches for 28 yards wiped out by offensive penalties. Palmer targeted Johnson in the end zone on the play Palmer was hurt on and was the intended target when Kitna threw his interception in the end zone, early in the fourth quarter.

Kelley Washington (2-35 receiving on 3 targets, 1 TD) caught his first pass for 8 yards, early in the second quarter. Washington made a tremendous leaping catch over the defender for a 27-yard TD late in the fourth quarter for the final Bengals score.

Kevin Walter (1-11 receiving on 1 target) helped set up Chad Johnson's 6-yard TD catch with an 11-yard reception for a third down conversion on the preceding play.

TE: Reggie Kelly (1-5 receiving on 1 target) caught the only ball thrown his way for 5 yards on the first play of the second quarter.

Matt Schobel (1-2 receiving on 1 target, 1 TD) cashed in on his only target with a 2-yard TD catch, early in the second quarter.

Tony Stewart (1 target) was targeted by Palmer in the end zone, late in the third quarter.

K: Shayne Graham (4-4 XP) converted on all his extra point attempts and missed out on his only field goal attempt from 29 yards when his holder Kyle Larson took the fake into the end zone for an 11-yard TD run.

Pass Defense: The Bengals pass defense gave Tom Brady all the time he needed to find open receivers. Brady was sacked just once and it did not come until early in the fourth quarter. They were so bad that Brady was even able to complete a 7-yard pass while throwing from a sitting position after he had tripped.

Rush Defense: Although the Bengals rush defense held Corey Dillon to under 90 yards on the day, they did allow two rushing touchdowns. The Bengals were completely caught off guard by the Patriots when they went to a spread offensive set and then handed the ball off to Kevin Faulk as he went in untouched for a 4-yard TD run just before halftime. Their only bright spot came when they stopped linebacker Larry Izzo for no gain on a fake punt attempt, midway through the fourth quarter.

New England Patriots

QB: Tom Brady (18-26-260 passing, 2 TD, 5-2 rushing) provided another solid performance in leading the Patriots to victory with 260 yards passing and two touchdowns. Brady was given plenty of time to throw by his offensive line and he picked apart a horrible Bengals secondary. On his first touchdown pass, Brady read that there was no safety help and hit David Patten in stride for a 48-yard TD strike. Brady came out hot in the third quarter and hit Christian Fauria with a 17-yard TD pass to increase the New England lead to 35-14. On the drive, Brady completed 6 out of 7 passes for 65 yards. The offense sputtered a bit late in the third quarter and early in the fourth quarter going three and out on two consecutive drives. However, when the Bengals pulled within 35-28 with just under four minutes left, Brady was cool and collected as he efficiently ran out the clock and secured the victory.

RB: Corey Dillon (22-88 rushing, 1 TD) showed off his powerful running style as he finished off runs by driving through would be tacklers. Dillon exploded through a big hole on the left side for 16 yards on his first carry. Brady targeted him in the end zone on that first drive, before Dillon finished it off with a 1-yard TD run. Dillon had 31 yards on 7 carries in the fourth quarter, helping the Patriots run out the clock.

Kevin Faulk (1-4 rushing, 1 TD, 1-13 receiving on 1 target) saw all his action in the first half. He took his only carry in untouched for a 4-yard TD run with just seconds left before halftime. Faulk's only catch out of the backfield was on a screen pass that he took for 13 yards.

Patrick Pass (2-22 receiving on 3 targets) had both his catches in the Patriots' first drive of the third quarter, including a 7-yard reception that Brady threw from his backside.

Linebacker Larry Izzo (1-0 rushing) was stopped for no gain on a failed fake punt attempt, midway through the fourth quarter.

WR: David Patten (5-107 receiving on 5 targets, 1 TD) was very active in the first half amassing 4 catches for 97 yards and a touchdown. Patten caught every ball thrown his direction and did not have a catch for less than 10 yards. Brady threw a 48-yard TD strike to Patten on a deep post down the middle midway through the second quarter. Patten had just one catch for 10 yards in the second half.

Deion Branch (3-44 receiving on 7 targets) caught Brady's first pass of the game for 23 yards and added his second catch for 9 yards on the same drive. Branch did not have another reception until late in the fourth quarter when he caught a 12-yard strike from Brady and helped to run out the clock.

Troy Brown (2-27 receiving on 4 targets) continues to show off his athletic ability by playing both sides of the ball and helping out in a depleted New England secondary. Brady targeted Brown just once in the first half and you have to wonder how much his defensive play is taking away from his offensive production. Brown made his first catch for 7 yards and a big third down conversion on the Patriots first drive on the second half. Brown's second catch of 20 yards came right before the two-minute warning in the fourth quarter and helped ice the game. However, Brown's biggest contribution came on the defensive side as he intercepted Kitna's pass in the end zone and thwarted a late comeback by the Bengals. It was Brown's third pick off of the season and he leads the Patriots in interceptions.

TE: Christian Fauria (3-33 receiving on 3 targets, 1 TD) did not have a target in the first half, but caught everything thrown his direction in the second half. Fauria capped off the Patriots' opening drive of the third quarter with a beautiful, diving catch in the end zone for a 17-yard TD.

Jed Weaver (2-14 receiving on 2 targets) started the game in place of injured Daniel Graham. Weaver had both his receptions in the first half, including a 5-yard catch on the opening drive.

Daniel Graham did not suit up for the game, sidelined by a rib injury.

K: Adam Vinatieri (5-5 XP) converted on all five on his extra point attempts and did not have a field goal attempt in the game.

Pass Defense: The Patriots' pass defense is not at full strength as their two starting cornerbacks continue to miss time due to injury. It is not a good sign when a starting wide receiver is leading the team with three interceptions. Although the Bengals quarterbacks burnt them for 328 yards and 3 touchdowns, this patchwork secondary continues to come up with the big plays when needed. CB Asante Samuels returned an interception 34 yards for a TD and WR/CB Troy Brown continues to be "Johnny on the spot" as he squashed a comeback bid by Jon Kitna with an interception in the end zone, early in the fourth quarter.

Rush Defense: The New England rush defense was pounded for 150 yards on the ground by the Bengals and allowed an 11-yard TD run on a fake field goal. However, they came up huge when safety Rodney Harrison forced a fumble by Rudi Johnson in the red zone on the Bengals' opening drive. Linebacker Tedy Bruschi was all over the field, recording 12 tackles and 4 assists.

Detroit Lions 13 at Green Bay Packers 16

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Detroit Lions

The Detroit Lions surrendered a 13-0 halftime lead in an ugly football game plagued by wind-blown passes and penalties. When all was done, Green Bay had rallied for a 16-13 win on a field goal by Ryan Longwell with two seconds left in the game.

Quarterback Joey Harrington completed just 5 of 22 pass attempts for 47 yards, with no more than one completion to any receiver.

For a while it looked like Detroit wouldn't need to throw the ball to win this one. Aided by an abundance of Packers penalties in the first half, and a fine performance from rookie RB Kevin Jones, the Lions managed 10 points in the 2nd quarter despite failing to complete a single pass. Jones finished with a workman-like 156 yards on 33 carries, including a nice 24-yard scamper to give the Lions a 10-0 lead early in the 2nd quarter.

Meanwhile, the Lions receivers were non-existent. Roy Williams struggled to get open against Al Harris, and Az-Zahir Hakim was not a major factor. In fact, the Lions were the beneficiaries of 49 yards in defensive pass interference and illegal contact calls in the 1st quarter alone - two more yards than Harrington threw for all day.

In the 2nd half, the script flipped. Now it was Detroit helping Green Bay's opening drive out with five penalties for 55 yards. After limiting QB Brett Favre to just three completions and 28 yards in the first half, they surrendered 160 passing yards in the second half. Green Bay running backs Ahman Green and Tony Fisher began to rack up positive yardage, and WR Donald Driver made enough big catches to doom the Lions.

Green Bay Packers

The Green Bay Packers rallied from a miserable first half to score 16 unanswered points. The final three coming on a game winning 23-yard field goal by Ryan Longwell with two seconds left on the clock, for a 16-13 win and a one-game lead over the Minnesota Vikings for the lead in the NFC North Division.

Despite QB Brett Favre's 0 for 6 start to the game, he actually finished with reasonable numbers, thanks to an impressive second half performance in poor weather conditions. Favre heated up on the second drive of the second half, completing three passes to Donald Driver for 48-yards and a touchdown, after a 79-yard screen pass for a touchdown to RB Ahman Green was called back on a holding penalty.

Despite the nullified touchdown, Green had a solid game and was a factor in the passing game for one of the few times this season. Green ran hard with little running room against a Lions defense that was biting hard against the run, and finished with 76 yards on 23 carries. He also caught five passes.

WR Donald Driver came through in the second half when the Packers needed it. He made a couple nice catches on the lone touchdown drive, including a 23-yard pass for the Packers lone touchdown. Driver caught Favre's bullet in double coverage in the endzone.

K Ryan Longwell made all three of his field goal tries in windy conditions, including the game winner.

Poor Detroit punts into the wind set up both of Green Bay's 4th quarter scoring drives.

Green Bay's defense was plagued by penalties in the first half, along with the hard running of Detroit's Kevin Jones, but stood tall in the second half, shutting out the Lions.

Brett Favre improved to 14-0 in his career at home against the Lions.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Detroit Lions

QB: Joey Harrington (5-22-47, 4-29 rushing) nearly ran for more yards than he passed for. The lions built a 13-0 lead, but the thanks was due almost entirely to the running of Kevin Jones, and the occasional scramble by Harrington. In difficult conditions, he was very inaccurate, and once it became apparent that Green Bay was seizing the momentum, Harrington could do nothing to jump-start the Lions offense.

RB: Kevin Jones (33-156 rushing, 1 TD) ran hard all day long, and brilliantly at times, particularly in the first half. Jones was a workhorse, and also ripped off carries of 31 and 24 yards, the latter going for a nifty touchdown run early in the second quarter. On the play Jones took a pitch to the right, waited patiently for blockers, and cut quickly to break a tackle on the way to the end zone. Jones had more difficulty in the second half, after it became apparent that Detroit could not throw the ball effectively.

WR: Az-Zahir Hakim (1-18 receiving on 6 targets) caught an 18-yard crossing pass to convert for the Lions on third down late in the 3rd quarter, but the drive stalled and the Lions eventually had to punt. The majority of his other targets were not near him.

Roy Williams (1-13 receiving on 7 targets) caught his lone pass on a crossing pattern early in the 1st quarter. He also was the recipient of a questionable pass interference call in the quarter, setting up the Lions opening field goal. Most of his other targets were not realistic opportunities to catch the ball.

TE: Casey Fitzsimmons (1-9 receiving on 1 target) caught one pass on his only target in the 3rd quarter.

K: Jason Hanson (1 XP, 2-2 FG) made field goals from 31 and 36 yards out.

Pass Defense: Detroit stifled the Packers in the first half, but despite pretty good coverage, Favre lit them up in the second half. The Lions recorded just one sack and did not force a turnover.

Rush Defense: Detroit limited Green Bay to four yards per carry, but wilted a bit as the game went on. Earl Holmes led the way with six solo tackles and seven assists.

Green Bay Packers

QB: Brett Favre (19-36-188, 1 TD, 1-8 rushing) was 3-15 in the first half, but rebounded to complete 16 of 21 passes in the second half. With the miserable conditions on the field, he was limited mostly to short throws to his backs and TE Bubba Franks, but did complete a couple passes down the field to Donald Driver, including the lone touchdown. He had a 79-yard screen pass for a touchdown to Ahman Green called back on a holding call. Favre completed six of six passes on the lone touchdown drive, for 61 yards.

RB: Ahman Green (23-76 rushing, 5-20 receiving on 8 targets) was a factor in the passing game for one of the few times this season, even though his great run after the catch for 79 yards was called back on a questionable hold. Had it not been, his scamper down the left sideline would have been highlight reel material. Green carried the ball six times on the Packers game winning drive, for only 16-yards, but helped run the clock down to the final seconds for the winning field goal.

WR: Donald Driver (4-87 receiving on 8 targets, 1 TD) was Favre's most reliable target, after a slow start including a couple drops. In the second half, Driver caught anything his way, including a nice grab in the end zone over double coverage.

Javon Walker (3-26 receiving on 8 targets) was limited without the threat of the deep pass.

TE: bubba Franks (4-29 receiving on 6 targets) was a larger factor than usual outside the red zone due to the conditions, and made a couple key grabs on short passes. He did drop a sure touchdown in the back of the end zone that would have given Green Bay a lead in the 4th quarter, and the incompletion caused the Packers to settle for a field goal to tie it at 13-13.

K: Ryan Longwell (1 XP, 3-3 FG) made all his field goal tries, from 36, 28 and 23 yards out. The 23-yard field goal won the game with two seconds left.

Pass Defense: Detroit was unable to throw the ball, mostly due to the conditions. Green Bay was flagged for multiple penalties in the passing game early.

Rush Defense: After a poor showing in the first half, Green Bay controlled Kevin Jones in the second half. LB Nick Barnett played an unusually emotional game and finished with six solo and eight assisted tackles.

Miami Dolphins 17 at Denver Broncos 24

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Miami Dolphins

With QB Jay Fiedler sidelined for the rest of the year due to an injury, QB A. J. Feeley is now at the helm of the Dolphin offense. Feeley, obtained from Philadelphia this past offseason for a second round draft choice next year, has a four-game audition for the starting QB job for next year. Feeley (17-35-170-1-1) threw better than his numbers due to 7 dropped passes by Miami receivers.

The Dolphin offense is virtually one-dimensional - there seems to be no running game at all. RBs Travis Minor and Sammy Morris split backfield duties, carrying 19 times for just 60 yards, although Morris did punch the ball in for a score.

TE Randy McMichael (8 targets) and WRs Chris Chambers and Marty Booker (9 targets each) are the primary weapons in the Dolphin attack, as they produced 14 catches for a combined 154 yards.

Denver Broncos

RB Reuben Droughns had a very shaky start in this game, fumbling on his first carry, then again three carries later. While Denver was fortunate to fall on the first fumble, the Broncos were not so lucky the second time. He was pulled from the game after fumbling and didn't see significant time until Tatum Bell was injured.

Rookie RB Tatum Bell was slated to get between 10 and 15 carries this game, as he is being worked into the backfield rotation by head coach Mike Shanahan. Droughns' mistakes opened the door even further for Bell, and he made the most of the opportunity. Bell gained over 100 yards for the first time in his career, finding the end zone twice. It appeared that Bell was quickly becoming the primary option in Denver's backfield, as Droughns seemed to be in the Shanahan's doghouse.

However, as ESPN's Lee Corso likes to say, "Not so fast, my friend!" In the third quarter, Bell was forced from the game due to a sprained shoulder. Enter back into the game Droughns. Droughns carried the entire running game for the Broncos, carrying 11 times in the second half. While his production was limited, Droughns picked up the needed first down at the end of the game and complicated the backfield situation for Denver even further.

QB Jake Plummer had a sub par performance, completing just over half of his passes and throwing two interceptions but no touchdowns. While Plummer had a modest first half (10-17-136-0-1), he faltered down the stretch, completing just 6 passes after halftime.

K Jason Elam hit another big field goal, nailing the game-winning kick of 50 yards with 2:50 remaining in the game.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Miami Dolphins

QB: A.J. Feeley (17-35-170, 1 TD, 1 INT, 2-2 rushing) started for Miami in place of the injured Jay Fiedler. Feeley was more accurate than his numbers reflect - the Dolphins' receivers dropped 7 passes. Feeley targeted three main pass-catchers: TE Randy McMichael and WRs Marty Booker and Chris Chambers. Feeley kept the passes short, as his longest completion was just 21 yards.

RB: Sammy Morris (9-36 rushing, 1 TD) split time in the backfield with Travis Minor. Morris averaged 4 yards a carry, but the numbers are deceiving. Only four of his 9 carries were for positive yardage - carries of 11 (TD), 12, 6 and 9 yards accounted for the gains. Three of the four positive carries came in the second quarter.

Travis Minor (10-24 rushing, 1-2 receiving on 2 targets) split time in the backfield with Sammy Morris. Minor's longest carry was just 6 yards, and was generally ineffective on offense.

FB Rob Konrad (1-4 receiving on 1 target) caught one pass for 4 yards in the first quarter, then was forced from the game with a back injury.

FB Jamar Martin (1 target) was not a factor in the game.

WR: Marty Booker (4-45 receiving on 9 targets, 1 TD) caught 5 passes on the day, four of which went for first downs. Booker also lost a catch on a bad call on the sideline - he was ruled out of bounds on a 10-yard catch, but appeared to have both feet clearly in bounds on replay. He also dropped two catchable balls. Booker had the lone receiving touchdown on the day, an 8-yard catch in the first quarter.

Chris Chambers (5-47 receiving on 9 targets, 1-8 rushing) was covered most of the day by DB Champ Bailey, who knocked down two of Chambers' targeted passes. Chambers was unable to get open for a big gain, and as a result all 5 receptions were held under 15 yards. Chambers also gained 8 yards on a first-quarter end around.

Donald Lee (1-10 receiving on 2 targets) contributed just one catch for 10 yards in the first quarter. Lee was wide open in the fourth quarter down the seam, but the ball was thrown over his head. Lee would have had a big gain, at least 20 yards.

Bryan Gilmore (1 target) and Derrius Thompson (2 targets) were non-factors in the game.

TE: Randy McMichael (5-62 receiving on 8 targets) had complained about the Dolphins offense this week, but was given the opportunity to contribute with 8 targets on the day. He was targeted at least once every quarter by QB A.J. Feeley. McMichael reeled in 5 of them, and dropped another. He was held under 20 yards on all of his receptions, as his longest catch was just 16 yards.

K: Olindo Mare (2-2 XP, 1-1 FG) connected on both of his extra points and his lone field goal of 32 yards. The field goal came in the third quarter.

Pass Defense: QB Jake Plummer was rolling out of the pocket, under pressure and hurried all day, yet Miami was unable to record any sacks. Plummer did make two bad decisions that resulted in interceptions. The Dolphins did yield a few big plays to WR Ashley Lelie (32- and 28-yard catches) including a 20-yard pass interference call. However, Miami kept QB Plummer from throwing a single touchdown.

Rush Defense: Denver RB Tatum Bell ran wild, gaining over 100 yards and scoring two touchdowns. Reuben Droughns fumbled twice early, losing one of those, but settled down in the second half. Droughns was held to shorter gains in the second half, but Miami still yielded a costly first down at the end of the game when a stop would have given them one last chance to win the game.

Denver Broncos

QB: Jake Plummer (16-30-219, 0 TD, 2 INT, 5-11 rushing) had a sub par performance, completing just over half of his attempts. Plummer also failed to complete any passes for a touchdown. He threw two questionable passes that were intercepted, and Plummer vented his frustration on the bench. TV cameras caught an obscene gesture from Plummer towards his home town fans after an interception, showing how frustrating an afternoon he was having.
Plummer never seemed to get on track aside from going by his normal routine - throw often to WR Rod Smith, and sprinkle in the occasional deep toss to WR Ashley Lelie. Both WRs responded to the passes adequately, but more often than not Plummer was off target.

RB: Reuben Droughns (18-62 rushing, 0-0 receiving on 1 target, 2 fumbles, 1 lost) started for Denver in the backfield, but was quickly substituted for after fumbling on two of his first four carries. Droughns was rarely used after the second fumble up until RB Tatum Bell left the game with a sprained shoulder. Thereafter Droughns returned to the starting lineup, carrying 14 times in the second half. He did not gain much yardage in the third and fourth quarter, with all his runs for 5 yards or less. However, he did gain a big first down at the end of the gain that allowed Denver to hold the ball with the lead and run out the clock. Droughns' 62 yards put him over 1,000 yards for the season.

Tatum Bell (17-123 rushing, 2 TDs, 1-(-6) receiving on 3 targets) had the best day of his short career, gaining 123 yards and scoring twice after replacing Droughns in the backfield. He did drop an easy sure TD pass in the endzone. However, Bell injured his shoulder in the third quarter and was forced out of the game. Preliminary word is that Bell may be out for the year, but definitive word will come later in the week.

Kyle Johnson (2-22 receiving on 2 targets) contributed with two catches out of the backfield, making a 14-yarder in the second quarter and another for 8 yards in the third.

WR: Rod Smith (8-97 receiving on 15 targets) once again had the most targets in the game for Denver. Smith was thrown to early and often, getting at least two looks in each quarter. Smith was used as a possession receiver, with catches ranging from 8 to 26 yards. Five of his 8 catches were for under 10 yards. However, Smith continues to be the most productive member of the Bronco receiving corps.

Ashley Lelie (2-60 receiving on 4 targets) continues to be the Denver deep threat, as all of the throws headed his way were for 20 yards or more. Lelie gained 32 yards in the second quarter and another 28 in the fourth quarter. The 28-yarder was a great catch, as Lelie ran back to Plummer's short pass and made a diving two-handed catch of a ball at his shoes.

Lelie's two other targets were also big plays. In the first quarter, Lelie drew a 20-yard pass interference call. The second incompletion was a 25-yard pass inside Miami's 10 that was initially ruled an interception, but later overturned on replay to an incomplete pass.

Darius Watts (1-16 receiving on 2 targets) caught just one pass for 16 yards in the second quarter for a first down.

TE: Jeb Putzier (2-30 receiving on 3 targets) made two catches in the game, both in the fourth quarter. Putzier's first catch was an 11-yarder for a first down. The second was on 4th and 6 at Miami's 34, and Putzier made a nice catch-and-run for 19 yards and another first down.

Dwayne Carswell (0-0 receiving on 0 targets) contributed by falling on RB Reuben Droughns' first fumble. Other than that, Carswell was a non-factor in the game.

Patrick Hape (0-0 receiving on 1 target) was also not a factor in the game.

K: Jason Elam (2-2 XP, 2-2 FG) connected on all his attempts, making field goals of 20 and 50 yards. Elam's first FG (20 yards) came in the third quarter after a stalled red zone possession, but his biggest kick came with 2:50 left in the game. Elam's game-winning field goal of 50 yards sailed right down the middle with yardage to spare.

Pass Defense: While three Miami receivers had 4 or more catches, the Broncos were able to contain all the Dolphins to receptions for under 25 yards on the day. Denver held Miami to just 170 passing yards. The Broncos also had four sacks and an interception on the day, keeping Miami from ever establishing a rhythm in the passing game.

Rush Defense: The Miami running game was anemic at best, with RBs Travis Minor and Sammy Morris gaining just 60 yards on 19 carries. Miami never broke off a big run, as Morris had the only rushes for over 10 yards. Minor never gained more than 6 yards at a time. Miami continued to try the run game to keep the Denver defense honest, but the running attack was not very effective.

Philadelphia Eagles 17 at Washington Redskins 14

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Philadelphia Eagles

Donovan McNabb had a thoroughly mediocre game against a tough defense, completing only 21 of 38 attempts for 260 yards and a touchdown, while also being picked off once. McNabb's ability to improvise by moving around behind the line of scrimmage was there, but he struggled to put the ball on target with any consistency in the game. 80 of his passing yards came on one play, a long completion to Todd Pinkston.

Head Coach Mike Holmgren can wait at least one more week before having to find a pair of XXL spandex shorts. Terrell Owens was well contained by a Redskins defense which was clearly focusing on him, catching 6 passes but for only 46 yards and no touchdowns. Todd Pinkston's 80 yard reception made up the lion's share of his 3 for 99 yard total, while Greg Lewis and Freddie Mitchell added 3 receptions for 31 yards between them. Tight end L.J. Smith came down with the only touchdown reception of the night, a two yarder, along with a 10 yard catch.

Brian Westbrook wasn't given many opportunities to run the ball, finishing the game with 59 yards on just 12 carries, but still went over 100 total yards with his 6 catch, 59 yard receiving performance. Dorsey Levens totaled zero yards on three carries, but still managed to score a 1 yard touchdown on the ground.

Defensively, the Eagles did just enough to win the game. Philadelphia managed 3 sacks and an interception against the Redskins, while limiting the lowest-scoring offense in the league to 14 points.

Washington Redskins

The Washington Redskins killed themselves with penalties in this game, being flagged 12 times for 137 yards in what wound up being a 3 point contest. Despite that, Washington was still in position to at least tie the game with under two minutes remaining, but Patrick Ramsey lofted a terrible throw into the end zone which was picked off, on a first down play. While that was Ramsey's only turnover of the game, it couldn't have come at a worse time, and Ramsey subsequently made another costly error in taking a sack when his team got the ball one last time with less than a minute remaining, and then spiking the ball to stop the clock on a third and 26 play. Ramsey finished the game 29 of 45 for 251 yards, plus the aforementioned interception. When he was given protection the young quarterback looked good, but he continued to struggle on plays where he felt some pressure.

Clinton Portis managed just 80 yards on 23 carries, along with 4 for 22 receiving, but scored a pair of short touchdowns to provide the Redskins with their only points of the game. Portis' gains depended heavily on the blocking of his offensive line in the contest, as he proved unable to break out of sure tackles by the Eagles' defenders. Ladell Betts had three touches for 14 total yards.

Laveranues Coles was a one man show in the Redskins' receiving attack, catching 12 passes for an even 100 yards and proving more than capable of making the tough catch over the middle of the field. Tight end Chris Cooley's role continues to grow in the offense, as he caught 5 passes for 75 yards and got several more red zone targets. Rod Gardner had a pedestrian 4 receptions for 25 yards, while James Thrash added 22 yards on 2 catches.

The defensive unit did everything it could to keep the Redskins in the game, stifling Philadelphia's offense for the most part and forcing two turnovers, an interception and a fumble. Washington also managed two sacks of Donovan McNabb.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Philadelphia Eagles

QB: Donovan McNabb (21-38-260, 1 TD, 1 INT, 2-8 rushing) struggled in this game more than his stat line would suggest. McNabb was anything but consistent in his accuracy, at times making the perfect throw to a receiver in traffic, while at others missing an open receiver by several yards. McNabb did excel, however, in moving around behind the line of scrimmage to buy time against a tenacious pass rush. When he did move to escape pressure, McNabb proved deadly in finding the open receiver and getting it to him. McNabb's two yard touchdown was a good example, coming when he threw a bullet to L.J. Smith in the end zone after sidestepping pressure up the middle. He looked equally bad on his interception, however, overthrowing an open Terrell Owens by five yards with the ball coming down in a crowd of Redskin defenders.

RB: Brian Westbrook (12-59 rushing, 6-59 receiving on 7 targets) did a fine job of running the ball against a tough Washington defense, although most of his yardage came on two long carries of 16 and 20 yards. Westbrook excelled as a pass receiver, though, tying for the team lead in receptions while finishing the game second only to Todd Pinkston's 99 yard effort. As always, Westbrook showed outstanding hands as a receiver, and a mastery of slipping out of the backfield and into his pattern.

Dorsey Levens (3-0, 1 TD rushing, 1-13 receiving on 1 target) powered his way through a gang of would-be tacklers for a 1 yard touchdown run.

WR: Todd Pinkston (3-99 receiving on 8 targets) got most of the deep looks from Donovan McNabb, only one of which they connected on. Pinkston got several steps on his defender and caught the ball in stride more than 50 yards downfield, but stumbled just enough after making the catch to allow the cornerback to catch him from behind and drag Pinkston down at the Washington 4 yard line. The play went for 80 yards, somewhat atoning for a play earlier in the game where Pinkston braced for impact on a pattern over the middle rather than extending for the pass, which led him perfectly.

Terrell Owens (6-46, 1 fumble lost receiving on 10 targets) was clearly the focal point of the Washington defense in this game, drawing double coverage on many plays and paying for each of his catches with a hard and immediate hit. Owens struggled at times to escape the tight coverage of Shawn Springs, who he works out with during the off season. Owens fumbled the ball on the Washington 5 yard line after being hit hard by linebacker Antonio Pierce.

Greg Lewis (2-29 receiving on 2 targets) had his longest catch go for 25 yards, being stopped one yard short of the end zone by a big hit from safety Sean Taylor. Lewis also had three tackles on special teams.

Freddie Mitchell (1-2 receiving on 3 targets) has become little more than an afterthought in this offense.

TE: L.J. Smith (2-12, 1 TD receiving on 4 targets) made an outstanding catch in the end zone with a defender draped over his back, resulting in a two yard touchdown.

K: David Akers (2 XP, 1-2 FG) connected on a 38 yard kick, but missed short on a 48 yarder.

Pass Defense: While Laveranues Coles seemed able to get open at will against the Eagles' secondary, Philadelphia proved quite adept at making the quick tackle and limiting him and the other Washington receivers to short catches in front of coverage. The Eagles were able to mount pressure on Patrick Ramsey, particularly in the second half of the game, which resulted in 3 sacks and numerous incompletions. Brian Dawkins was the recipient of a "gimme" interception when Ramsey threw a terrible ball up for grabs in the end zone, late in the fourth quarter.

Run Defense: Here, too, the Eagles improved as the game went on. Washington's offensive line seemed able to create holes wherever they wanted to early in the game, but Philadelphia solidified in the second half of the game, limiting Clinton Portis to under 4 yards per carry. Linebacker Jeremiah Trotter led the team with 10 tackles, 9 solo.

Washington Redskins

QB: Patrick Ramsey (29-45-251, 1 INT) looked terribly inconsistent in the game, with a good deal of that being directly attributable to his pass protection. When Ramsey was given a solid pocket to stand and throw from, he was generally on target with his passes. But when pressured by the Philadelphia pass rush, Ramsey too often got happy feet and either threw the ball away, or found his throws sailing well off target. Ramsey's best pass of the game came when he threaded the needle to tight end Chris Cooley in the red zone, literally a perfect pass which Cooley took down to the 2 yard line, setting up a Clinton Portis score. Ramsey's worst moment came with less than 2 minutes to go in the game, with the Redskins already within range of a game-tying field goal attempt. On first and ten from the Eagles' 27 yard line, Ramsey lofted a throw up for grabs in the corner of the end zone, with two Eagles the closest players to the ball. Brian Dawkins came down with it for the interception, killing Washington's chances of a victory.

RB: Clinton Portis (0-1-0 passing, 22-80, 2 TD rushing, 4-22 receiving on 5 targets) had a big game by fantasy standards, but was less than exceptional in the NFL sense. Despite rushing for a pair of short touchdowns, Portis and the Redskins' offensive line were unable to move the ball consistently against the Philadelphia defense, particularly in the second half of this tight game. When given a hole, Portis was explosive in getting to and through it, but just couldn't seem to shake the one defender standing between him and a huge gain. When the run blocking faltered, Portis often found himself gang tackled at or behind the line of scrimmage. Portis left the game briefly with what appeared to be an ankle injury, but quickly returned to action and showed no outward effects of lingering pain.

Ladell Betts (2-8 rushing, 1-6 receiving on 2 targets) got into the game to spell Clinton Portis, and on obvious passing downs, as is the norm..

WR: Laveranues Coles (12-100 receiving on 17 targets) was nothing short of spectacular in this game, finding and exploiting holes in the Eagles' short yardage pass coverage, and making tough catch after tough catch over the middle of the field. On one play in particular, Coles was absolutely leveled by safety Michael Lewis the instant the ball hit his hands. Coles held onto the ball for the first down reception, and immediately bounced back up to his feet.

Rod Gardner (4-25 receiving on 7 targets) made a few nice catches in the game, but is clearly option number two among the Redskins' wide receivers..

James Thrash (2-22 receiving on 2 targets) has about as much fantasy value as the Coors Twins. Fantasy football value, that is.

TE: Chris Cooley (5-75 receiving on 9 targets) continues to get a lot of looks in the Washington offense, particularly inside the red zone. Cooley narrowly missed a 25 yard touchdown reception in this game, with the ball grazing off his outstretched fingers in the end zone, and was brought down two yards shy of the end zone on a fine 24 yard catch later in the game.

Robert Royal (1-1 receiving on 2 targets) broke his career best for receiving yards in a season in this game, pushing his 2004 mark up to 49 yards..

K: John Hall (2 XP, 0-1 FG) hooked a 43 yard field goal attempt wide right.

Pass Defense: The Redskins' game plan clearly revolved around stopping Terrell Owens and keeping Donovan McNabb inside the pocket. For the most part, they succeeded in the first part, but failed in the latter as McNabb was able to move around and create plays behind the line of scrimmage. With the exception of the one 80 yard completion to Todd Pinkston, Washington did a fine job against the Eagles' passing game, holding Owens under 50 yards receiving and limiting McNabb to 260 yards on less than 50% passing. Washington was able to get some pressure on McNabb, but the quarterback's mobility limited them to only two sacks in the game. Cornerback Shawn Springs, who came down with the Redskins' only interception of the evening and has been having a great season, was carted off the field after being knocked unconscious by a vicious by legal block on a McNabb scramble. Springs was able to move his arms and legs as he was taken to the locker room, but no further updates on his condition were available.

Rushing Defense: Philadelphia appeared to concede the running game to Washington in this contest, coming out with a pass-heavy attack from the beginning and enjoying little success when they did attempt to run. Brian Westbrook managed a very good 59 yards on 12 carries, but that was heavily affected by two long runs which totaled 36 of those yards. Linebacker Marcus Washington had a big game, tallying 10 solo tackles including a huge hit on Terrell Owens.

Seattle Seahawks 27 at Minnesota Vikings 23

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Seattle Seahawks

QB Matt Hasselbeck had his second straight game passing for more than 300 yards and 3 TDs. Hasselbeck was sharp and accurate picking apart the banged up and often confused Minnesota secondary.

WR Darrell Jackson had a great game after losing his father earlier in the morning to cancer. He was shown several times on the sideline and it was clear his emotions were weighing heavy on him. Jackson topped the 100-yard mark for the fourth time this season and passed the 1000-yard barrier for the third time in his career. Jackson was also ill early in the week before flying to Tampa to be with his family. Jackson did not practice at all this past week.

Rookie SS Michael Boulware got his first start and responded with several big plays. Boulware had shown a nose for big plays earlier in the season in nickel situations. He finished the first half with 7 tackles and sack. His interception of a Randy Moss pass in the endzone late helped put the game out of reach.

Minnesota Vikings

WR Randy Moss ran well and looked much more like the Moss of old. His hamstring injury did not appear to hamper him like it has the past few weeks. However, Moss was limited in the number of plays he was on the field. The majority of his targets were on deep fly routes.

RB Onterrio Smith was the featured player in the Minnesota offense (18 total touches), but RB Michael Bennett was given 5 carries in the game after sitting the past two weeks. RB Moe Williams also contributed with 3 receptions in the passing game.

QB Daunte Culpepper posted decent statistics in the game, but continually had drives stall when he couldn't convert on third down (Vikings were 3 out of 10). He nearly threw two interceptions in the game when facing mild pressure in the pocket.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Seattle Seahawks

QB: Matt Hasselbeck (23-34-334 3 TD 2 INT passing, 1-13 rushing) Hasselbeck was on fire for the second week in a row, but he had lots of help from guys on both sides of the ball. His offensive line did a marvelous job of affording him tons of time to survey the field and come off of his first read. The Minnesota defense also helped out with multiple blown coverage assignments in the secondary. Three of Hasselbeck's longest completions in the game came from Minnesota secondary mistakes, two of them for touchdowns. His first interception was an under thrown pass down the right sideline intended for WR Darrell Jackson. His other interception was intended for WR Jerheme Urban down the right seam. Urban took a shot to the head and was clearly interfered with before the ball arrived. The ball went right past Urban's head and was intercepted.

RB: Shaun Alexander (27-112 rushing, 1-12 TD receiving on 2 targets) Alexander posted solid statistics, but not in his normal fashion. He had only one carry longer than 9 yards in the game (20-yarder in the fourth quarter), while grinding out tougher yards between the tackles. However, Alexander was still most effective when running behind LT Walter Jones off left tackle. His touchdown reception was a nicely set up screen play to the right side in the second quarter. In the second half Seattle forced themselves to stick with Alexander and the running game. Their ability to control the clock kept Culpepper and Moss off the field and didn't let the Vikings get into any sort of rhythm. Alexander did a nice job of keeping the Seahawks in friendly down and distance situations.

Maurice Morris (3-13 rushing, 1-12 receiving on 1 target) Morris had two nice runs for first downs in the third quarter. He was able to use his speed in each case to get to the outside.

WR: Darrell Jackson (10-135 TD receiving on 14 targets) Jackson missed all of practice this week due to injuries and family tragedy. His father passed away very early Sunday morning due to cancer. Jackson played an inspired game. No drops in the game, and Jackson seemed to make that little bit of extra effort on every ball thrown his way. His touchdown reception was off a blown coverage when he was allowed to sneak behind the zone coverage. No one on the Vikings defense accounted for him. Jackson made a fantastic leaping effort of a deep ball to the endzone in the fourth quarter, but couldn't quite come up with the pass. On third and eight late in the game Seattle went play-action to Jackson down the right sideline for a 37-yard gain. If Jackson had stayed in bounds instead of nonchalantly sliding out of bounds it would have made life much easier for the Seattle defense on the final Minnesota possession.

Bobby Engram (4-79 TD receiving on 7 targets) Engram had his best game of the season after suffering through several games with a severe ankle injury. Engram mostly worked the underneath routes just behind the linebackers, but also got down field on a few plays. His 35-yard touchdown was a crossing pattern all the way across the formation. The defense allowed him to run unaccounted for and he waltzed into the endzone untouched.

Jerry Rice (5-52 receiving on 6 targets) Rice was a ghost in the first half of the game, and then erupted for five receptions on Seattle's first two possessions of the second half. Rice did a good job of getting defensive backs to turn their hips the wrong way, and then cutting away from them to gain separation. Rice wasn't targeted again for the rest of the game.

Jerheme Urban (0-0 receiving on 1 target) Urban got shafted by the referees. He was clearly interfered with on his only target, and the pass was intercepted.

Koren Robinson (DNP - Suspended by NFL due to violation of the substance abuse policy) Robinson will miss one more game and will return in week 16.

TE: Itula Mili (0-0 receiving on 1 target) Mili's only target in the game occurred in the fourth quarter. He was targeted on a desperation pass as Hasselbeck was evading a pass rush. It was third down in the red zone. Mili didn't come close to catching the ball. At the end of the play Mili collided hard with the goal post. It wouldn't be surprising if he injured one of his lower ribs on the play. The sound of the impact was more than just noticeable.

Jerramy Stevens (0-0 receiving on 0 targets) Stevens was not targeted in the game, but did see the field regularly throughout the game.

Ryan Hannam (2-44 receiving on 2 targets) Hannam broke free down the left sideline off a short pass in the flat for a 36-yard gain. He was unaccounted for by the Viking defense. His other reception happened in the fourth quarter. Hannam, Mili, and Stevens all split time at the TE position.

K: Josh Brown (3-3 XP, 2-3 FG missed 38 made 33 28) Brown missed his second field goal of the season at the outset of the game, but rebounded to hit from 33 and 28 late in the game. Brown could have had a 50-yard attempt in the fourth quarter, but head coach Mike Holmgren opted to punt it back to the Vikings.

Pass Defense: The Seahawks struggled to put pressure on QB Daunte Culpepper. Their only sack in the game was credited to SS Michael Boulware in the first half. However, DE Antonio Cochran dropped Culpepper on the game's final play, but the referee did not call Culpepper down and bounced back up after rolling over the top of Cochran and nearly threw the game-winning touchdown. Seattle struggled with the deep balls from Culpepper. They were nailed with three pass interference flags in the game, two while trying to defend WR Randy Moss. Rookie SS Michael Boulware gave Seattle a giant lift when he picked off a Moss pass in the endzone to end a late Viking drive.

Rush Defense: Seattle was able to contain RB Onterrio Smith for most of the game, but they weren't really forced too much in the second half of the game as Minnesota abandoned the run. The Seattle offense controlled the clock very well with RB Shaun Alexander, which in turn kept the Vikings from being able to get a rhythm on offense. DE Grant Wistrom was helped to the sideline late in the game. He was unable to put any pressure on an injured left leg. The injury appeared to be serious.

Minnesota Vikings

QB: Daunte Culpepper (21-33-270 TD passing, 6-32 rushing, 1 fumble lost) Culpepper didn't get any help from his defense. He didn't play terrible in this game (as his stats indicate), but he wasn't able to carry the team when they needed him. The Vikings attempted to air it out on about six plays, mostly to WR Randy Moss. However, they weren't able to connect on any of these deep balls. Seattle opted to insure that they didn't connect by roughing up Moss. Seattle was flagged twice in the game for pass interference on deep balls to Moss for a total of 64 penalty yards. Culpepper was off target on his other deep balls, and nearly intercepted twice when the Seattle defense was able to put a little bit of pressure in his face. Culpepper seemed to panic just a bit and opted to just let it fly deep instead of taking a sack. Culpepper was credited with a lost fumble when he didn't get a hand off into RB Onterrio Smith's body. The fumble was just as much Smith's fault as a defender was right in Smith's face on the play. Smith took his eyes of the ball and was more concerned about the hit he was about to take. On a positive note, Culpepper displayed his mobility well when flushed from the pocket. He caused DE Brandon Mitchell to completely whiff when Mitchell came free off the edge.

RB: Onterrio Smith (14-56 TD rushing, 4-41 receiving on 4 targets) Smith started the game and looked great early on. Six of his nine carries in the first quarter went for at least 5 yards. He topped the quarter off with a 5-yard touchdown up the gut. As the Seattle offense started to click the Vikings began to go away from Smith and rely more on Culpepper. He only had five more carries in the game as the score started to seesaw back and forth. Minnesota tried to go back to Smith in the third quarter at the start of two drives, but penalties and a couple of poorly blocked run plays put the Vikings in passing situations. Smith's only touch in the fourth quarter was a 9-yard reception.

Michael Bennett (5-25 rushing, 0-0 receiving on 0 targets) Bennett had two carries in the first quarter giving RB Onterrio Smith a blow. His other touches came late in the game. On a 10-yard gain in the fourth quarter Bennett showed a nice burst through the hole picking up good yardage.

Moe Williams (0-0 rushing, 3-23 receiving on 3 targets) Williams did have any carries in the game. His three receptions all came in the second quarter.

WR: Randy Moss (4-104 TD receiving on 10 targets, 0-1 INT passing) Randy Moss didn't show signs of pain during the game. His hamstring injury didn't appear to be bothering him. However, he was shown on the sideline a few times getting it stretched out. Also, true to their word the Vikings routinely took Moss out of the game a few times to give him plays off. Another positive sign that Moss is drastically improving is that the Vikings lined Moss up to return a punt late in the game when the Vikings need a big play. The bulk of Moss's targets were on deep passes. He was able to draw two pass interference calls on Seattle cornerbacks (64 yards in total), but didn't connect on any fly patterns with QB Daunte Culpepper. Culpepper and Moss connected on a short 3-yard touchdown in the second quarter. Moss made a fantastic hard cut just inside the goal line after selling the thought of a slant route and scored his touchdown in the corner of the endzone. His long reception in the game was on a deep crossing route for 54 yards. He was able to turn on the jets and run for about 30 yards after the reception. On Minnesota's next to last possession Moss took the ball from Culpepper on an end around option pass. Moss attempted to hit a receiver on the side of the endzone coming across the back line. He was late in getting the ball out and SS Michael Boulware made a nice play to intercept the pass.

Nate Burleson (4-42 receiving on 4 targets) Burleson caught all his receptions on short comeback and sideline routes. Burleson also showed some nifty moves in the open space during an 18-yard punt return.

Kelly Campbell (2-14 receiving on 4 targets) The Vikings attempted to make use of Campbell's running ability by putting him in situations that would allow him to go one on one with a defensive back in space. His 9-yard reception in the fourth quarter was a quick pass in the flat. He did a nice job of juking the cornerback for a solid gain. He was also targeted on a deep ball down field into the endzone. Campbell also did a nice job on kickoff returns making defenders miss in space.

Marcus Robinson (1-13 receiving on 1 target) Robinson caught the first Culpepper pass of the game and wasn't heard from again.

TE: Jermaine Wiggins (3-33 receiving on 4 targets) Wiggins fumbled his first reception in the second quarter, but a hustling offensive linemen saved him and recovered the ball before a defender could get to it. Wiggins was targeted near the goal line in the second quarter. His other two receptions came late in the game when Seattle allowed Minnesota to complete balls in the center of the field hoping to let the clock run out.

K: Morten Anderson (2-2 XP, 3-3 FG 48, 32, 31) Anderson was perfect in the game. He was gifted an extra FG attempt at the beginning of the game when Seattle was hit with a twelve men on the field penalty. Minnesota was punting the ball to Seattle on the play. The extra five yards put the Vikings within Anderson's field goal range.

Pass Defense: The Vikings weren't able to bring consistent pressure on QB Matt Hasselbeck. To compound issues they weren't able to cover well in the secondary either. This deadly combination allowed Seattle to move the ball well and put together multiple long drives. Seattle went three and out only once in the game. The Vikings first interception in the game was more of a terrible over throw by QB Matt Hasselbeck than a great play by CB Brian Williams. Their second interception could have been interpreted as a referee gift. The intended receiver was bumped in the head by the cornerback as he was turning his head to see the ball. The ball floated right by his head and was picked off by FS Brian Russell.

Rush Defense: RB Shaun Alexander posted 112 rushing yards on 27 carries for an average of 4.1 yards per carry. Backup RB Maurice Morris also stepped in and posted some decent yardage. Even QB Matt Hasselbeck had a 13-yard run when he made DE Lance Johnstone look foolish on a very nice play fake and bootleg. Johnstone bit hard on the fake and was left standing wondering where the ball had gone.

San Francisco 49ers 31 at Arizona Cardinals 28 (OT)

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

San Francisco 49ers

Maurice Hicks made his first NFL start for the injured and struggling Kevan Barlow (concussion) and made the most of it. He ran tough, gaining extra yards after initial contact repeatedly and making a number of long runs. With a healthy lead for most of the game, the 49ers milked the clock with the run game and Hicks' stats benefited. He finished the game with 139 yards on 34 rushing attempts and a touchdown, the 49ers' best rushing day this season.

Ken Dorsey started for the injured Tim Rattay (torn foot muscle) and looked much better than he did in his run of starts earlier this season. Though not a master of efficiency (18-34-191) he managed three touchdowns through the air, two to Cedrick Wilson and one to Brandon Lloyd, Dorsey's first NFL regular season touchdowns. He showed pinpoint accuracy on his first quarter connection with Lloyd and a very strong arm on one of the Wilson touchdowns. Rattay is expected to miss next week's game, so Dorsey should get the nod.

Arizona Cardinals

Josh McCown reclaimed the starting quarterback job after head coach Denny Green rolled the dice on two other quarterbacks the past three weeks. McCown came out looking rusty, completing 10 of 21 first half pass attempts and throwing an interception en route to a big halftime deficit. He rebounded in the second half against a softer 49ers' secondary, completing 15 of 23 and leading his team in a huge comeback. McCown capitalized on the athleticism of his talented receiving corps, often throwing high into tight coverage and letting his receivers go up and fight for balls.

Emmitt Smith unexpectedly returned to the starting line-up after sitting out last week's game with a toe injury. He found no running room against the 49ers in the first three quarters of play, netting only 22 yards on 12 carries. His 8-yard, fourth quarter touchdown run brought back memories of a younger Emmitt Smith as he made several nice cuts, making several defenders miss on his way into the end zone. He also set up one of Obafemi Ayanbadejo's short touchdowns with a 16-yard run and finished the day with 53 yards on 18 carries.

The Cardinals' special teams were feeling holiday cheer and gifted the 49ers with their first touchdown. The 49ers punted after going three-and-out, but the Cardinals' Karl Williams muffed the punt and the 49ers recovered it inside the Cardinals' 11-yard line. After three more fruitless plays, the 49ers kicked a field goal, but a Cardinals' player was penalized for jumping over the back of a teammate, giving the 49ers a first and goal from the Cardinals' 5-yard line. Three plays later, Ken Dorsey hit Brandon Lloyd in the end zone.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

San Francisco 49ers

QB: Ken Dorsey (18-34-191, 3 TD, 2-2 rushing) Dorsey looked much better in this game than he did in his starts earlier this season. He was aided by a steady running game and never had to play catch-up football, a luxury that 49ers' quarterbacks haven't experienced often this season. Dorsey showed good accuracy and a strong arm in delivering touchdown passes to his two top receivers, Brandon Lloyd and Cedrick Wilson. The Cardinals seldom threatened him with the blitz and recorded only one sack on the day.

RB: Maurice Hicks (34-139, 1 TD rushing, 5-29 receiving on 6 targets) The Cardinals began the game committed to stopping the run and stacked the line. It worked on the 49ers first possession and sporadically throughout the game, but the 49ers' offensive line was still able to open up some nice holes and Hicks exploited them. With the 49ers ahead most of the game, Ken Dorsey fed Hicks steadily and his stats reflect the 49ers strongest running game this season. Even with the heavy workload, Hicks continued to look fresh and had his longest rush of the game, a 17-yard ramble, in the overtime period.

Terry Jackson (5-27 rushing, 2-13 receiving on 3 targets, 1 fumble lost) Jackson, primarily a change of pace and third down back, was given consecutive goal line carries in the second quarter and was stuffed both times. Hicks punched it in on the next play. Jackson also made a crucial error when he fumbled in the fourth quarter, leading to the Cardinals' game-tying field goal.

Fred Beasley (0-0 receiving on 2 targets) Beasley was not a fantasy factor.

WR: Cedric Wilson (5-83, 2 TD receiving on 9 targets) Wilson was Ken Dorsey's most targeted receiver and finished with a very healthy stat line. He showed outstanding concentration and footwork in making his early second quarter touchdown reception on a perfectly placed Ken Dorsey pass. Wilson looked to be the primary receiver on most of the 49ers' plays and he made the most of it.

Brandon Lloyd (2-18, 1 TD receiving on 6 targets) Lloyd was targeted twice in the first quarter, both in the red zone, and scored a touchdown. He wasn't targeted again until the fourth quarter and both passes were uncatchable. Dorsey looked his way twice in the overtime period.

Arnaz Battle (1-10 receiving on 2 targets) Battle was not a fantasy factor in this game.

Curtis Conway (0-0 receiving on 1 targets) Conway was even less of a fantasy factor.

TE: Aaron Walker (1-30 receiving on 2 targets) Walker's 30-yard reception in the second quarter came up 1-yard short of a touchdown.

Eric Johnson (2-8 receiving on 4 targets) The receiving tight end had twice the targets, but recorded far less yardage than his blocking tight end counterpart. He was targeted once in the first quarter and three times in the fourth.

Aaron Walker (1-30 receiving on 1 target) Walker is normally considered the blocking TE but managed a nice 30 yard reception.

K: Todd Peterson (1-1 FG, 4-4 XP) Peterson hit from 31 yards on his only field goal attempt.

Pass Defense: The 49ers' secondary played a lot of man-to-man coverage, even when they were up big, and the corners always seemed to have safety help when they needed it. Nevertheless, the Cardinals' tall, athletic receivers were able to battle and win many Josh McCown passes, often by out-jumping the coverage. The 49ers showed a variety of different blitz looks, trying to confuse the inexperienced McCown, but seldom brought more than 3 or 4 rushers and recorded only one sack. They allowed the Cardinals back into a game that should have been over at halftime

Rush Defense: The San Francisco rush defense came out fired up and limited the Cardinals' backs to 16 yards in the first half. Finding little success and playing from behind for most of the game, the Cardinals averaged only six rushing plays per quarter. The 49ers dominated at the line nearly all day, except when it really counted, giving up three rushing touchdowns in the second half.

Arizona Cardinals

QB: Josh McCown (26-44-307, 1 Int, 1-7 rushing, 2-pt conversion) McCown used the athletic ability of his big receivers to his advantage; tossing up catchable balls and letting them fight for the catch. His second quarter interception was thrown too high for even Larry Fitzgerald to grab. McCown was forced to change plays at the line several times as the 49ers' defense tried to confuse him with a variety of different blitz looks. Despite the different packages, McCown was sacked only once and seldom hurried.

RB: Emmitt Smith (18-53, 1 TD rushing, 1 for -3 receiving on 1 target) Smith returned from injury and struggled early as three of Smith's first five carries were stopped short of the line of scrimmage. He finished the first half with 10 carries for only 13 yards. Smith shared carries with Ayanbadejo and Scobey in the second half and looked better, recording a pair of double-digit runs. His 8-yard fourth quarter touchdown was highlight reel material, a flashback to his Cowboy days as he made three tacklers miss en route to the end zone

Obafemi Ayanbadejo (5-13, 2 TD rushing, 0-0 receiving on 1 target) Three of his five carries came in the red zone, including his 4-yard and 1-yard touchdowns.

Josh Scobey (1-2 rushing, 1-4 receiving on 1 target) Scobey was not a fantasy factor.

WR: Anquan Boldin (9-109, receiving on 15 targets) Boldin didn't see his first target until midway through the second quarter, but was far and away the primary focus in McCown's comeback attempt from that point forward. He picked up yardage in chunks, but was held out of the end zone and didn't see any red zone targets.

Bryant Johnson (4-77 receiving on 7 targets) Johnson was targeted evenly throughout the contest and recorded his best yardage game of the season.

Larry Fitzgerald (4-47 receiving on 9 targets) Fitzgerald was McCown's favorite target in the first and second quarters, before McCown remembered that Anquan Boldin was back. Fitzgerald was targeted only three times once Boldin got into the flow of the game.

Nate Poole (0-0 receiving on 1 target) Poole had a red zone target in the first quarter.

TE: Eric Edwards (3-39 on 4 targets) Edwards appeared to act as a safety valve for McCown and received all of his targets in the second and third quarters.

Freddie Jones (4-34 on 5 targets) Jones was largely ignored until the fourth quarter. He nearly caught a game-winning touchdown pass in the end zone, but it was tipped away at the last second by a 49er defender and the Cardinals had to settle for the game-tying field goal.

K: Neil Rackers (2 XP, 2-3 FG) Rackers missed a 32-yard kick in the first quarter and hit from 44 in the second quarter. His 22-yarder in the fourth quarter sent the game into overtime.

Pass Defense: The Cardinals recorded only one sack on Ken Dorsey and it didn't come until the overtime period. The Cardinals were forced to respect a steady 49er running game and Dorsey was seldom hurried or hit.

Rush Defense: The Cardinal defense was able to stop Maurice Hicks at or behind the line of scrimmage 9 times in this game, but he also rattled off 5 double-digit runs. When the 49ers o-line opened up small holes, Hicks was often able to exploit them and his 34-carry day wore down the Cardinals' defense.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24 at San Diego Chargers 31

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers matched the prolific Chargers' offense touchdown for touchdown in the first three quarters of this game -- an impressive road effort against one of the top teams in the AFC. In the end, despite forcing three San Diego turnovers, the Tampa Bay offense was unable to overcome several critical mistakes of its own.

Brian Griese played well at times in this game, as evidenced by his gaudy passing numbers (36-50-392, 3 TD, 3 Int). However, a couple of big mistakes by Griese, including a fourth quarter interception return for a touchdown, proved costly to the Buccaneers and their fleeting playoff hopes.

One very bright spot in this game for the Buccaneers was the performance of their rookie wide receiver, Michael Clayton. He finished the day with 9 catches for 145 yards, capped off by a touchdown catch on which he tipped the ball to himself on his way into the end zone. Joey Galloway also had a nice game, showing flashes of his former self on his way to 78 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

Michael Pittman was the primary ball carrier for the Buccaneers, with 46 of his 88 combined yards coming in the passing game. Pittman was unable to find the end zone.

San Diego Chargers

The San Diego Chargers overcame three turnovers to defeat a hot Tampa Bay team in this closely contested physical match-up. The usually prolific Chargers' offense struggled to move the ball against the stingy Tampa Bay defense. In a game where turnovers ruled the day, it was the San Diego defense that made the key play in the game, a 30-yard interception return for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter.

Drew Brees made some big plays in this game, connecting on long touchdown passes to Eric Parker and Kassim Osgood. However, Brees was far from his best. He was off the mark on numerous throws, and was intercepted twice by the Buccaneers' league best pass defense. Even more surprising, Antonio Gates was virtually silent in this game. Gates had one reception for 17 yards, and was targeted only three times all afternoon. Keenan McCardell left the game in the second quarter with a hamstring injury and did not return.

LaDainian Tomlinson gave the San Diego Chargers another stellar effort, finishing with 131 yards on 25 carries and a touchdown. He set a franchise record by scoring a touchdown in his tenth straight game.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

QB: Brian Griese (36-50-392, 3 TD, 3 Int, 1 Fumble lost, 1-3 rushing, 1 for -4 receiving) was hot and cold in this game. He threw for 3 touchdowns and nearly 400 yards, but was also intercepted three times. His last interception was returned 30 yards for a touchdown by Donnie Edwards, giving San Diego the lead late in the fourth quarter. Griese also fumbled on the Buccaneers' next possession, a turnover that resulted in a Chargers field goal and an insurmountable 10-point deficit for Tampa Bay.

RB: Michael Pittman (12-42 rushing, 6-46 receiving on 12 targets) was busy on the afternoon, with most of his work coming in the passing game. He found limited running room against the San Diego defense. In the passing game he was targeted often, ending up with 46 yards on 6 catches.

Mike Alstott (4-12 rushing, 2-23 receiving on 3 targets) saw limited action on the afternoon. He was given one carry inside the ten, but failed to find the end zone.

Ian Smart (2-10 receiving on 2 targets) was not a major factor in the game.

WR: Michael Clayton (9-145, 1 TD receiving on 11 targets) had a huge game for Tampa Bay. Clayton gained many of his yards in the middle of the field, successfully exploiting seams and pockets in the Chargers' zone defense. His touchdown came on a phenomenal play where he turned the defender around and tipped the ball to himself on his way to the end zone. Clayton was targeted multiple other times in the red zone.

Joey Galloway (5-78, 2 TD receiving on 8 targets) showed flashes of his former self, using speed and agility to exploit the San Diego secondary. His first touchdown came on a 36-yard corner route. On his second touchdown, Galloway faked his defender to the corner, and then cut back across the end zone for a wide open toss from Brian Griese. Galloway left the game in the second half after appearing to aggravate his groin injury on a punt return. He came back into the game, but had little impact thereafter.

Joe Jurevicius (2-33 receiving on 2 targets) was not a big factor in the game. With Galloway healthy, he is clearly not a primary weapon in the Buccaneers' offense.

Tim Brown (2-14 receiving on 3 targets) had two catches for 14 yards.

TE: Ken Dilger (4-28 receiving on 6 targets) effectively worked the middle of the field, catching 4 passes for 28 yards.

Will Heller (3-19 receiving on 3 targets) caught all 3 balls thrown his way for a total of 19 yards.

K: Jay Taylor (3 XP, 1-2 FG) missed a 30-yard field goal and made a 41-yard field goal. The missed field goal came after a successful 20-yard attempt was nullified by a Tampa bay penalty.

Pass Defense: The Buccaneers' pass defense kept the Chargers' passing attack in check for most of the game, but did give up two big touchdown plays in the first half. The Buccaneers appeared to confuse Brees at times with their blitz and coverage schemes, leading to two interceptions and many hurried throws. They finished with 2 sacks on the afternoon.

Rush Defense: Early in the game the Buccaneers' run defense was successful at containing Tomlinson and the Chargers' rushing attack. However, in the second half the Chargers were able to pound the Buccaneers' speed oriented defense, as Tomlinson repeatedly found running room in the middle of the Tampa Bay defense. The Buccaneers yielded 129 total yards on the ground.

San Diego Chargers

QB: Drew Brees (17-23-220, 2 TD, 2 Int, 4 for -3 rushing) struggled at times in this game against the NFL's top-rated pass defense. He was off the mark on numerous passes, including his two interceptions. His first interception came on a failed flea flicker attempt, and was his first red zone pick of the year. Brees did throw 2 touchdowns, including a well-thrown 79-yard deep pass to Eric Parker, the longest touchdown pass of his career.

RB: LaDainian Tomlinson (25-131 rushing, 1 TD, 4-19 receiving on 5 targets, 1 fumble lost) gave the Chargers the type of performance we have come to expect from him. Once Tomlinson found his rhythm, he gashed the middle of the Buccaneers' defense for several long runs. His long run of the day was 35 yards. His touchdown came on a 7-yard run up the middle.

Lorenzo Neal (1-2 rushing) was the only other back to carry the ball in this game.

WR: Eric Parker (6-118, 1 TD receiving on 8 targets) had his coming out party for the Chargers. After McCardell left the game, Parker tallied a career-high 118 receiving yards. Parker's touchdown came on a 79-yard post pattern, and was the longest of his career.

Keenan McCardell (3-30 receiving on 5 targets) left the game at the end of the first half after injuring his hamstring. He was unable to return to the game.

Kassim Osgood (2-27, 1 TD receiving on 2 targets) filled in nicely for the injured Keenan McCardell. On his touchdown catch, Osgood stepped in front of Tampa Bay cornerback Brian Kelly at the last second, turning a sure interception into a Chargers' touchdown.

Justin Peelle (1-9 receiving on 2 targets) was not a factor in the game.

TE: Antonio Gates (1-17 receiving on 3 targets) was rendered ineffective by the Tampa Bay defense. Gates managed just 1 catch on the afternoon, and was not targeted in the red zone.

K: Nate Kaeding (4 XP, 1-2 FG) just missed a 51-yard field goal attempt, but was successful from 40 yards.

Pass Defense: The Chargers' zone-oriented pass defense allowed Tampa Bay big chunks of yards and three touchdowns. The unit had difficulty getting pressure on Griese for much of the game. However, with the game on the line in the fourth quarter, the San Diego pass defense rose to the occasion, making the big plays that ultimately were the difference in the contest. The pass defense tallied 3 interceptions, a touchdown, a fumble recovery, and 3 sacks.

Rush Defense: The Chargers' 3-4 run defense effectively contained Michael Pittman and the Buccaneers' rushing attack. They allowed zero touchdowns and just 63 total yards on the ground.

Oakland Raiders 10 at Atlanta Falcons 35

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Oakland Raiders

The Raiders fumbled on the first play from scrimmage which set the tone for what was to be a dismal offensive day for the Raiders. The Raiders jumped to an early lead in the game on a Sebastian Janikowski field goal early in the first quarter but the Raiders offense could not sustain another scoring drive until late in the fourth quarter. This was the third loss in four games for the Raiders and their fifth road loss of the season.

QB Kerry Collins had a dreadful game this week after last week's 300+ yards passing and three touchdowns. He managed just 166 passing yards, no touchdowns and an interception. Most of his yardage came in the second half when the Raiders where well behind and the Falcons were playing a prevent defense. The absence of WR Ronald Curry, the Raiders' deep threat this season was apparent in the game as most of Collins pass attempts were 10 yards or less.

Oakland RB Zack Crockett scored his first touchdown of the season with 3:27 remaining in the game. The Raiders drove 71 yards in four plays before Crockett's burst through the left side of the line into the end zone.

Atlanta Falcons

The star of the game for the Falcons this week was RB T.J. Duckett who set a Falcons team record with four rushing touchdowns in a game. Duckett was a load the Raiders' defense just could not handle, breaking tackles throughout the game and punishing the Oakland defenders. Duckett's four touchdowns brought his season total to eight and pushed him past teammate Warrick Dunn for the team leader in touchdowns.

With their victory, the Falcons clinched the NFC South division and remain in the chase for home field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. The division title is just the third in franchise history for the Falcons. Their last division title was in 1998 when the Falcons went on to face the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXXIII.

The Atlanta Falcons brought the NFL's top-rated rushing attack into the contest against the hapless Raiders and it showed as Atlanta amassed 219 yards of rushing. This week the rushing totals were not inflated because of QB Michael Vick's scrambles. Vick had just two rushing attempts in the game for only 31 yards. RB Warrick Dunn spearheaded the attack with 103 yards on 25 carries while RB TJ Duckett put the ball in the end zone rushing for four touchdowns.

Ball control was the name of the game for Atlanta as they dominated the Raiders in time of possession by over 13 minutes. On the opening drive of the second half, the Falcons kept the ball for what seemed like an eternity. A 67 yard drive that took 9:30 finally came to an end when Duckett scored his third touchdown of the game. On their second possession of the second half they continued to wear the Raiders defense down with another long drive, this one for 90 yards in 7:40, capped by Duckett's fourth touchdown. In addition, the Falcons converted a season high 10 of 16 third down attempts. The effective ball control resulted in basically three possessions for the Raiders in the entire second half, a fourth possession came with just 26 seconds remaining in the game.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Oakland Raiders

QB: Kerry Collins (14-28-166 passing, 1 INT) Collins had a big drop off from last week's performance and just could not seem to hit those key passes in this game to keep the offense moving. Collins struggled in the first half completing just eight passes for 57 yards and one interception. While trailing just 14-3, Collins tried a pass over the middle that was deflected by a defensive lineman and intercepted by former Raider Rod Coleman who ran for a touchdown. Collins' longest completion of the game was a 55 yard strike to WR John Stone that could have resulted in a touchdown had Stone not tripped and fell to the ground.

RB: Zack Crockett (5-20 rushing, 1 TD, 1-4 receiving on 1 target) Crockett saw most of his carries on the Raiders' scoring drive in the first quarter and did not see another carry until the fourth quarter. Crockett did score the Raiders' only touchdown of the game late in the fourth quarter on a 1-yard run up the middle.

J.R. Redmond (6-50 rushing, 1-5 receiving on 5 targets, 1 fumble lost) Redmond was rotated with Zereoue as the primary running back for the Raiders throughout most of the game. Redmond had the longest run of the game for the Raiders but unfortunately he was stripped of the ball and the Falcons recovered in Falcon territory.

Amos Zereoue (10-50 rushing, 2-7 receiving on 2 targets) Zereoue had some nice gains in the first half as rushed for 45 of his 50 yards. His best run of the game was a 16 yard burst around the right end that he managed to break a couple of tackles before being brought to the ground.

Chris Hetherington (1-4 rushing, 2-14 receiving on 2 targets, 1 fumble lost) Hetherington was not a factor in the game but he was responsible for one of the Raiders turnovers. Hetherington fumbled the ball on the first play of the game on a 10-yard reception and saw very limited action after the turnover.

WR: John Stone (2-62 receiving on 2 targets) Stone was the leading receiver for the Raiders with his 62 yards on just 2 catches. His big play was a 55-yard reception late in the fourth quarter that set up the Zack Crockett touchdown run. Stone beat his defender with his great speed on the reception and could have gone the distance for a score but he stumbled and fell to the turf and was touched by the Atlanta defender. Stone came into this game with just one reception for the season.

Jerry Porter (2-33 receiving on 5 targets) Porter had a disappointing game after last week's performance and was expected to improve his game with his counterpart WR Ronald Curry out for the season. He had a 13 yard grab in the first quarter on the Raiders scoring drive.

Doug Gabriel (2-19 receiving on 5 targets) Gabriel struggled, catching just two passes in the game. His other targets were thrown at his feet or out of bounds.

TE: Teyo Johnson (1-13 receiving on 1 target) Johnson was used mostly as a blocker, but did sneak out to catch one pass late in the fourth quarter. His 13-yard reception helped set up the Raiders only touchdown.

Doug Jolley (1-9 receiving on 2 targets) Jolley was not a factor in the game and caught his only pass about midway through the fourth quarter.

K: Sebastian Janikowski (1-1 XP, 1-1FG) Janikowski put the Raiders on the board first with a 52 yard field goal in the first quarter. His made his only extra point attempt of the game in the fourth quarter.

Pass Defense: The Raiders did manage to put pressure on Michael Vick but only came away with one sack in the game and no interceptions. They only allowed 145 yards passing but the Falcons didn't need to pass the ball with their effective running game.

Rush Defense: The Raiders' defense was shredded by the Falcons' ground game for 219 yards and an average of 5.2 yards per carry. They couldn't stop Warrick Dunn who carried the ball for over 100 yards. T.J. Duckett was able to score four rushing touchdowns against a Raiders defense that continues to struggle. The Raiders did lose DL Ted Washington in the first quarter with a sprained foot and DL Warren Sapp sat out the fourth quarter with a sprained ankle.

Atlanta Falcons

QB: Michael Vick (13-20-145, 2-31 rushing) Michael Vick's statistics probably won't dazzle anyone this week but the one huge statistic not showing up this week for Vick was turnovers. Last week Vick had four turnovers in a loss to Tampa Bay, this week no turnovers and a great ground attack results in a victory. Vick did throw an interception but it was nullified due to an offsides penalty against the Raiders and he was aware he had a free play. Although Vick was under plenty of pressure from the Raiders pass rush he did not take careless chances by throwing the ball up for grabs and committing costly turnovers. He only had two rushing attempts in the game and both were typical Michael Vick runs, making quick cuts to elude the defender, changing directions and of course using his great speed.

Matt Schaub came in late in the fourth quarter when the game was out of reach.

RB: T.J. Duckett (12-65, 4 TD rushing) Duckett had his best game of the season rushing for 65 yards, a season high, and four touchdowns. Duckett's first touchdown was set up by a 49 yard punt return by Allen Rossum. Duckett took the Vick handoff straight up the middle before cutting outside and scoring just inside the right pylon. The run was 28 yard touchdown and put the Falcons on their way to a blowout. Duckett did not have to work very hard the rest of the afternoon for his other three touchdowns. As usual when the Falcons got close to the end zone, Duckett came in at running back where he power in for scores from 2, 4 and 1 yard away. His four touchdowns set an Atlanta Falcons' franchise record. Duckett had not scored in his previous three games.

Warrick Dunn (25-103 rushing, 1-9 receiving on 1 target) Dunn was the workhorse for the Falcons with 25 attempts and 103 yards rushing. Unfortunately for fantasy owners, Dunn was not able to get into the end zone for a touchdown. It was just the second time this season Dunn has rushed for over 100 yards; his first was in Week 3 against Arizona.

Stanley Pritchett (6-18 rushing, 0-0 receiving on 1 target) Pritchett came in late in the fourth quarter for his six carries and was not a factor in the game.

Justin Griffith (1-2 rushing, 2-21 receiving on 3 targets) Griffith was a factor in the game and saw most of his action blocking for Dunn and Duckett.

WR: Dez White (3-34 receiving on 4 targets) Dez White was the leading receiver for the Falcons again this week. He had a nice 18 yard catch in the over the middle in the fourth quarter that started the Falcons final scoring drive.

Brian Finneran (2-21 receiving on 3 targets) Finneran did see action this week after sitting out last week with a sprained ankle and managed to catch two passes. Finneran made a great catch for 17 yards in the first quarter, diving at the sideline; fully extended he managed to stay in bounds for the reception.

Michael Jenkins (2-20 receiving on 3 targets) Rookie Michael Jenkins caught just two passes in the game which now brings his total to four receptions on the season.

TE: Alge Crumpler (1-22 receiving on 3 targets) Crumpler had his second consecutive game with just one reception leaving fantasy owners in a quandary. A positive for Crumpler owners was that Vick did target him in the end zone twice on the same series but both attempts were out of his reach.

K: Jay Feely (5-5 XP) Feely was perfect on five extra point attempts in the game.

Pass Defense: The Falcons allowed just 166 yards passing by Raiders' QB Collins and no touchdowns. They were able to sack Collins one time in the game and did force an interception. DE Travis Hall deflected a pass attempt by Collins which DT Rod Coleman took 39 yards the other way for a Falcons touchdown. CB's Aaron Beasley and DeAngelo Hall each had a forced fumble in the game both were recovered by Atlanta.

Rush Defense: The Falcons' rush defense allowed 131 yards rushing in the game, 117 of those yards came in the first half on just 17 carries as the Raiders successful with the ground game. The Falcons did give up a meaningless rushing touchdown late in the game to Zack Crockett.

St. Louis Rams 7 at Carolina Panthers 20

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

St. Louis Rams

QB Chris Chandler (16-29-243 passing, 1 TD, 6 INT, 1-2 rushing) dashed any early hopes generated from a 75-yard TD pass to Torry Holt by following it up with a barrage of interceptions, three to the linebackers, and three to the cornerbacks. Chandler took several big hits early, and had trouble recognizing zone coverages, often throwing INTs right at defenders.

RB Arlen Harris (19-61 rushing, 4-41 receiving on 4 targets) had a quiet 102 yards from scrimmage, and did not score while filling in for injured Marshall Faulk and Steven Jackson. Harris gained most of his rushing yards when Rams coach Mike Martz reacted to Chandler's interceptions by calling nine consecutive running plays in the second half while down by 13.

WR Torry Holt (6-151 receiving on 8 targets, 1 TD) gave his fantasy owners a big lift in the first quarter, getting behind the Panthers' defense for a deep ball and converting it into a 75-yard TD. Holt was the only reliable offensive weapon for the Rams - his 151 yards accounted for nearly half of their production.

WR Isaac Bruce (3-27 receiving on 10 targets) struggled with many poor throws in his direction, made worse by a spectacular one-handed catch and run for a 52-yard TD nullified by a holding penalty.

Carolina Panthers

The Panthers defense intercepted six passes, and sacked Chris Chandler three times. The pass rush was able to get hits and hurries without blitzing, allowing the linebackers to drop into coverage for three of the team's six picks.

RB Nick Goings (31-108 rushing 1 TD, 0-0 receiving on 1 target) did not generate much highlight-film material, but rushed for over 100 yards and a score. Goings was the primary weapon in the second half, churning out short gains and first downs, keeping the Rams offense off the field, keeping the clock running, and protecting the lead.

WR Muhsin Muhammad (6-98 receiving on 13 targets, 1 TD) scored on a 14-yard reception in the first quarter, and produced a few other big catches to move the chains. However, Muhammad had a couple of near misses, most notably a bad drop on the Rams' 1 yard line for an incomplete pass that probably would have been a TD if caught.

QB Jake Delhomme (16-30-206 passing, 1 TD, 1 INT, 5-9 rushing) had over 100 passing yards and his only TD in the first quarter. Once Carolina built their lead and went to a more conservative game plan, Delhomme struggled. Delhomme also had trouble converting in the red zone, completing just 2 of 7 red zone passes, including two incompletions from inside the Rams 5 late in the first half.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

St. Louis Rams

QB: Chris Chandler (16-29-243 passing, 1 TD, 6 INT, 1-2 rushing) threw six interceptions. That is not a misprint. On pass plays, the Rams usually sent 4 or 5 guys out on patterns, and the minimal protection meant Chandler got hit hard on almost every pass play. Chandler did connect on a 75-yard bomb to Torry Holt for a TD, and had a 52-yard TD pass to Isaac Bruce called back on a holding penalty. But the story of the day for Chandler was the interceptions. None of them were cheap picks, like balls tipped at the line or receivers falling down. Three of them were to linebackers in short zones that Chandler didn't see when trying to hit receivers. The other three were to CBs on errant throws.

RB: Arlen Harris (19-61 rushing, 4-41 receiving on 4 targets), gained 39 of his 61 rushing yards in one odd second-half stretch when the Rams called nine consecutive running plays for Harris. While Harris did gain three first downs in that sequence, the streak ended with Harris getting stuffed in the backfield on 4th down. Overall, Harris was not much of a threat, held under 3 yards a carry against a defense set up to stop the pass. Harris did have one impressive reception, a screen pass that gained 21 yards.

Joey Goodspeed (0-0 rushing, 1-8 receiving on 2 targets) did not play very much, never carrying the ball, and catching just one pass.

Steven Jackson was inactive. Marshall Faulk was on the active list but did not play.

WR: Torry Holt (6-151 receiving on 8 targets, 1 TD) was the only reliable offensive weapon for the Rams in the game, and his 151 yards were nearly half of the Rams' offense. Holt got behind the Carolina secondary for a bomb and a 75-yard TD, the only Rams score of the day. Holt also had success working the middle of the field, catching balls in traffic for double-digit gains. He was targeted once in the end zone, an errant throw that was intercepted by Chris Gamble.

Isaac Bruce (3-27 receiving on 10 targets) had a spectacular 52-yard TD called back on a holding penalty. Bruce made a one-handed grab running full speed at the Carolina 20, then worked across the field, setting up one downfield blocker to clear a path to the end zone. While Bruce only caught 3 of his 10 targets, most of the misses were poorly thrown passes, often thrown behind him.

Shaun McDonald (1-3 rushing, 1-9 receiving on 2 targets) often lined up in the slot in 3-WR sets, but was only targeted twice. McDonald also handled punt return duties, and muffed one punt return that gave Carolina the ball back.

Kevin Curtis (1-7 receiving on 3 targets) had one bad drop on a 3rd-and-3 three play that cost the Rams a first down, and was largely ignored the rest of the day.

TE: no Rams tight ends were targeted for a pass.

K: Jeff Wilkins made the only PAT he attempted. He did not attempt a FG.

Pass Defense: gave up big chunks of yardage in the first half, but improved in the second half, and defended short fields well - Carolina was just 2-for-7 passing in the red zone, though one of those completions was a TD. DE Bryce Fisher had two sacks.

Rush Defense: held Goings to just under 3.5 yards per carry, but the quantity of runs gave him a 100-yard day. While Goings did not break off any big runs, he did churn out a few clock-draining first downs in the second half.

Carolina Panthers

QB: Jake Delhomme (16-30-206 passing, 1 TD, 1 INT, 5-9 rushing) started out hot, 7-9-102 and 1 TD in the first quarter as the Panthers jumped out to a 14-0 lead. The rest of the way, Delhomme was a pedestrian 9-21-104 with 1 INT, and in the game completed just 2 of 7 red zone pass attempts. Delhomme had most of his success when the Panthers lined up with 5 wideouts in the shotgun, spreading out the defense and opening the middle of the field for Muhammad and Colbert on crossing patterns.

RB: Nick Goings (31-108 rushing 1 TD, 0-0 receiving on 1 target) made up for a lack of high-quality runs with sheer quantity, getting 31 carries and breaking 100 rushing yards on the day. Goings was the primary offensive weapon in the second half, as the Panthers drained the clock to protect their lead. Goings' TD was a 1-yard plunge over the pile, right after a nine-yard run that was a shoestring tackle short of a score. The only pass thrown his way drew a 9-yard pass interference penalty, creating a 1st-and-goal opportunity for Carolina.

Brad Hoover (2-2 rushing, 1-15 receiving on 2 targets) was used primarily as a blocker

WR: Muhsin Muhammad (6-98 receiving on 13 targets, 1 TD) opened the scoring with a 14-yard TD reception on Carolina's opening drive. Delhomme scrambled left to buy time, and Muhammad drifted to open space in the middle of the field, making the grab, then turning upfield for the score. While his fantasy production was strong, there were a few near misses - one ball tipped away in the end zone, and one drop on the St. Louis 1-yard line cost Muhammad two scoring chances.

Keary Colbert (5-46 receiving on 8 targets) had one very impressive catch in the first half, where he managed to turn around, stay in bounds, get away with a little shove of his man, and make the catch along the sideline for an 18-yard gain and a first down. Later in the game, Colbert was flagged for offensive pass interference. Colbert was not afraid to go across the middle, and Delhomme was not afraid to throw to him on third down - 5 of Colbert's 8 targets were on third down.

Ricky Proehl (2-40 receiving on 4 targets) made both of his receptions count, third-down receptions for big gains that moved the chains. Proehl was also targeted once in the red zone, but could not come up with the catch in tight coverage.

DE Julius Peppers lined up at WR for one goal-line play, but only as a decoy.

TE: Mike Seidman (2-7 receiving on 2 targets) was used mostly as a blocker, but snuck out for two short receptions to keep the defense honest.

Kris Mangum (0-0 receiving on 2 targets) was the intended receiver on Delhomme's interception, an under thrown ball. Mangum was used mostly as a blocker in 2-TE sets.

K: John Kasay made two chip-shot FGs and both PATs he attempted. Faced with fourth down on the Rams 34 late in the third quarter, Carolina lined up for a field goal, but snapped the ball to Kasay, who pooch-punted the ball into the end zone for a touchback.

Pass Defense: won the game for Carolina. The defensive line was able to create hurries and sacks without the help of blitzers, allowing the linebackers to drop back into coverage and grab 3 or Carolina's 6 interceptions. They did give a up 75-yard bomb to Holt for a TD, and caught a break when a 52-yarder to Bruce got called back on a holding penalty, but the interceptions won the game for the Panthers.

Rush Defense: held Harris to 3.2 yards per carry despite setting up to defend the pass on almost every play. Harris gained a few first downs on the ground, but the running game was never a serious threat.

New Orleans Saints 27 at Dallas Cowboys 13

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

New Orleans Saints

The Saints quickly fell behind 10-0 in this contest and seemed to be on their way to losing their 10th straight game at Texas Stadium before rallying for an impressive win. The New Orleans defense rallied with an impressive effort, particularly in the second half.

Aaron Brooks was out of sync with his receivers for most of the game, but came alive in the fourth quarter to lead the Saints to victory. Brooks made many mistakes through the first three quarters, including two ugly interceptions, and getting called for a drive killing 24 yard intentional ground penalty. But in the fourth quarter, Brooks settled down and marched the Saints down the field for the go ahead score. Joe Horn continued to be Brooks' favorite target (5-84, 1 TD on 11 targets), but Donte' Stallworth displayed some of the form he showed his rookie season (5-113 on 9 targets). Brooks' 31 yard touchdown pass to Joe Horn secured the win for the Saints.

Deuce McAllister didn't generate a high yard-per-carry average in this contest (30-83 rushing), but he punched in two touchdowns and made enough plays in the second half to juice the Saints offensive attack. McAllister took the ball 4 yards to pay dirt on a sweep late in the fourth quarter to give New Orleans the lead for good.

The Saints defense came into this game ranked dead last in the NFL (416.8 yards per game), but elevated their play on this Sunday. After giving up a big first half to Julius Jones they clamped down in the second half, limiting his effectiveness. DE Charles Grant continues to have a monster season for the Saints. On a series late in the game, Grant stuffed Richie Anderson on one play, stripped Testaverde of the ball on the next play (though the Cowboys recovered) and finally sacked Testaverde on the next down, forcing Dallas to punt.

Dallas Cowboys

Vinny Testaverde had a rotten afternoon, completely just over a third of his passes and throwing an interception deep in Dallas territory that setup a Saints touchdown. Testaverde's favorite target was Jason Witten (11 targets), but no Dallas receiver had a big day. Witten had the biggest day if any Cowboy, going 4-59. Testaverde's fumble late in the game was recovered by New Orleans effectively ending the game.

Julius Jones had a big first half, and seemed poised to pickup where he left off on Monday night. Jones was breaking off yardage in big chunks and shredding the last place Saints' defense. He scored an impressive touchdown on the goalline where he was seemingly stopped short of the score, but used a great second effort and a spin move to force his way in. But Jones lost a fumble in New Orleans territory in the third quarter after CB Fakhir Brown put his shoulder squarely on the football and Jones carried only three more times for the next quarter and a half.

Keyshawn Johnson (2-50 on 5 targets) and Quincy Morgan (3-26 on 8 targets, 1-24 rushing) both had quiet afternoons for Dallas. Johnson didn't make his first reception until late in the fourth quarter. Morgan was only able to produce 26 yards despite his 8 targets.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

New Orleans Saints

QB: Aaron Brooks (18-31-252, 1 TD, 2 INT, 5-18 rushing) was in a funk for most of the day, throwing two ugly interceptions and stalling the Saints' offense. But late in the game, Brooks was able to shake it off, and drove New Orleans to back-to-back touchdowns. The Saints have not scored in the first quarter since week two, and that trend continued in this game. Throughout the first quarter, Brooks was out of sync with his receivers. On the first play of the game, Brooks threw an ugly incompletion as he threw short for Joe Horn, while Horn was going deep on the play. The Saints went on their first prolonged drive of the game early in the second quarter, but it ended with a Brooks interception in the end zone. Joe Horn had beaten CB Lance Frazier on an out route, but Brooks delivered the ball behind Horn and Frazier easily intercepted the pass to kill the drive. Brooks helped to stall the next drive by taking an ugly intentional grounding penalty. After getting great field position at the Dallas 46, Brooks scrambled straight back under pressure, not getting outside of the hash marks and then threw the ball away. This turned a 1st and 10 into a 2nd and 34. Brooks then ended the Saints' first drive of the second half by throwing an interception to Roy Williams who made an adjustment to get between intended receiver Joe Horn and the ball.

But as he has done in the past, Brooks improved his level of play in the fourth quarter. Brooks did a good job of avoiding pressure late in the game, and drove New Orleans to the go-ahead score. On the next series, Brooks found Joe Horn down the sideline for a 31 yard touchdown to seal the victory.

RB: Deuce McAllister (30-83, 2 TD, 4-37 receiving on 4 targets) seemed sluggish early in the game and struggled to get the Saints' ground game going. He managed a nifty 5 yard touchdown run late in the first half, navigating past defenders as he took the ball up the middle. Outside of the touchdown though, McAllister was able to gain only 35 yards in the first half, with his longest carry going for 5 yards. But McAllister began to shine in the second half, and helped to get the Saints offense churning when the passing game was sputtering. McAllister opened up New Orleans' second drive of the second half with gains of 10 and 12 yards followed by an 18 yard reception. McAllister took a sweep around left end for a 4 yard touchdown to give the Saints the lead in the fourth quarter.

Aaron Stecker (1-3, 2-10 receiving on 2 targets) was inserted into the game on some passing downs, but received only one carry. His 14 yard reception down to the Dallas seven yard line set up McAllister's score two plays later.

Fred McAfee (1-1) was unable to convert on 4th and 4 when he took a direct snap on a fake punt late in the first quarter.

WR: Joe Horn (5-84, 1 TD on 11 targets) remained Aaron Brook's security blanket in this game, despite the increased presence of Donte' Stallworth. Horn got open in the end zone in the first quarter, beating CB Lance Frazier, but Brooks' but the throw was a good bit behind Horn and it was easily intercepted by Frazier. Horn's 14 yard catch on a slant on 3rd and 10 late in the game, set up McAllister's go-ahead touchdown. Horn made a fantastic touchdown reception on the next series to seal the win for the Saints. Horn found himself in single coverage down the right sideline against CB Lance Frazier and made an acrobatic catch going airborne to catch the under thrown ball at about the 5 yard line. Horn then did a great job out muscling Frazier as Frazier and keeping his balance, dragging Frazier down the sideline the last five yards to fall into the end zone for the score.

Donte' Stallworth (5-113 on 9 targets) displayed the form in this game that enticed New Orleans to use a high first round pick on him. Stallworth didn't have any trouble holding on to the ball in this contest and when it was in his hands, he looked explosive. Early in the second quarter, Stallworth took a short slant and exploded for 35 yards, breaking tackles all down the field and showing great acceleration. His 33 yard gain just before the half set up a New Orleans field goal. It looked like Stallworth was close to scoring a long touchdown early in the fourth quarter. Stallworth caught a quick screen pass on a play where Brooks was under heavy pressure. He proceeded to race right past CB Lance Frazier for a 25 yard gain before CB Terrance Newman made a touchdown saving tackle.

Jerome Pathon (0-0 on 1 target) Pathon technically started this game, but is clearly the third receiver behind Horn and Stallworth. He was targeted once at the end of the first quarter, but couldn't haul in the catch.

TE: Ernie Conwell (1-4 on 1 target) and Boo Williams (1-4 on 1 target) Both tight ends for the Saints hauled in one catch each for four yards.

K: John Carney (3 XP, 2-2 FG) hit from 44 and 39 yards out as well as all three of his extra points.

Pass Defense: The Saints were able to get adequate pressure on Vinny Testaverde in this game, but a lot of Testaverde's inaccuracy was due to poor throws, not defensive pressure. That being said, New Orleans greatly outplayed their last place defensive pass ranking. DE Charles Grant continues to have a monster season. On one series late in the game, he stripped Testaverde of the ball on one play and sacked him on the next. DE Will Smith stripped Vinny Testaverde to end the game

Rush Defense: DE Darren Howard said before the game that the Saints defensive game plan would be to key on Julius Jones. Early on it didn't seem to be working as Jones continually gashed the Saints defense, but New Orleans clamped down on Jones in the second half. CB Fakhir Brown came up with a big play in the 3rd quarter, forcing Jones to fumble with a solid tackle. Jones carried only three more times in the game after the fumble.

Dallas Cowboys

QB: Vinny Testaverde (14-35-167, 1 INT, 1-2 rushing, 1 fumble lost) The phrase "off the mark" was used repeatedly by the commentators in this game to describe Testaverde's play. Testaverde was able to complete just over a third of his passes against the league's worst passing defense. Passes were both over and under thrown by the Dallas quarterback. On a series late in the first half, the Cowboys called the same play twice in a row. The play was designed to get Jason Witten into single coverage down the right side. On both plays, Witten appeared to gain separation, but Testaverde badly overthrew the ball. Testaverde's second quarter interception gave the Saints a short field to work with and set up the Saints' first touchdown. Terrance Copper was the intended target on the play, but the ball was severely under thrown and CB Mike McKenzie easily intercepted it. When the Saints scored late in the game to go up by a touchdown, Testaverde was unable to move the Cowboys offense on the ensuing drive. Testaverde both fumbled (though Dallas recovered) and took a sack on the drive, forcing the Cowboys to punt. After the Saints scored again to open up a two touchdown lead, Testaverde took another sack on the next drive and fumbled again. That fumble was recovered by the Saints, effectively ending the game.

RB: Julius Jones (23-88, 1 TD, 2-8 receiving on 2 targets, 1 fumble lost) seemed poised to pick up where he left off Monday night, breaking off yards in large chunks against a New Orleans defense geared to stopping him. After a pass interference penalty gave the Cowboys 1st and goal from the 1, Jones was given the ball on the next play. He appeared to be stopped getting met by a defender short of the goal line, but used a strong second effort to spin his way in for the score. In the second half, Jones was less effective. Midway through the 3rd quarter, Jones fumbled the ball away in New Orleans territory after CB Fakhir Brown planted his shoulder squarely on the ball while tackling Jones. Throughout the last quarter and a half, Jones was given only three more carries. After Dallas found themselves trailing by two touchdowns late in the game, Jones was pulled in favor of Richie Anderson.

Richie Anderson (2-7, 3-17 receiving on 4 targets) drew a pass interference call in the end zone on a 38 yard throw down the left sideline late in the first quarter. That penalty setup Julius Jones' touchdown one play later. When Dallas went into catch-up mode late in the game, Anderson was inserted into the game for Jones.

WR: Keyshawn Johnson (2-50 on 5 targets) was very quiet in this game, not catching a pass until 3:06 in the fourth quarter. On that play, Johnson caught a slant over the middle and was leveled by CB Mike McKenzie. On the Cowboys' last offensive play of the game, Richie Anderson lateraled the ball to Johnson. Johnson then lateraled the ball again, but it hit the ground and was recovered by New Orleans. Johnson was not charged with a fumble as the officials ruled that Johnson's lateral was actually an illegal forward pass.

Quincy Morgan (3-26 on 8 targets, 1-24 rushing) took a hard hit on his first reception after being sandwiched by FS Tebucky Jones and CB Fakhir Brown. Morgan got up though, and took an end around 24 yards for a first down two plays later. Other than that, Morgan had a quiet game managing only three short catches on his eight targets.

Terrance Copper (0-0 receiving on 3 targets) was the intended target on Testaverde's interception in the second quarter, but had no chance to make a play on the ball as it was thrown way behind him. Copper didn't have a catch in this game. His other only other contribution in this game came in the first quarter, when CB Mike McKenzie was called for unsportsmanlike conduct for jerking Copper's neck as he broke up a pass.

TE: Jason Witten (4-59 on 11 targets) caught Testaverde's first pass of the day and continued to be his favorite target throughout the game. However, Testaverde had trouble getting him the ball, often overthrowing Witten after he had beat the coverage. Late in the first half, Testaverde overthrew Witten twice in a row on the same play, as Witten got open in single coverage down the right sideline. Witten was targeted in the end zone from 18 yards out on a play where Testaverde was scrambling away from pressure, but like many of his other throws on the day, the pass sailed high and was uncatchable.

K: Billy Cundiff (1 XP, 2-3 FG) Cundiff shanked his first field goal attempt badly, missing wide left from 44 yards out. After that, he settled down and connected from 34 and 41 yards out. With 10 seconds to go in the first half, Dallas elected go for it on 4th and 4 rather than let Cundiff attempt a 56 yard field goal.

Pass Defense: The Cowboys often got pressure on Aaron Brooks, forcing him from the pocket which led to several mistakes. CB Lance Frazier was often left covering Joe Horn and for awhile, fared pretty well. Frazier came up with an interception in the end zone to end a Saints drive. However, Brooks had time to throw at the end of the game, and was able to lead the Saints to a win. Frazier was beaten by Horn down the sidelines for a touchdown that iced the game for New Orleans.

Rush Defense: The Cowboys held Deuce McAllister to a under 2.8 yards a carry, but gave up two rushing touchdowns and enough big plays in the second half to lose the game. McAllister's 4 yard touchdown on a sweep in the fourth quarter was the go-ahead score.

Indianapolis Colts 23 at Houston Texans 14

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Indianapolis Colts

QB Peyton Manning didn't set THE record, but set a record nonetheless. 13 straight games with a passing TD, a new NFL record. Manning came out of the gate with two quick TDs, and then settled in as the Colts simply took what Houston gave them. It appeared that Manning was not actively trying to set the total season TD record Sunday. As he said he would do, he looked as if he was trying to win a game.

The Colt's pass rush dominated QB David Carr. Carr was unable to throw the ball down field, and spent most of the game dumping the ball off if he wasn't on his back.

Houston Texans

RB Domanick Davis also set a record with a strong showing. His 6th straight game with a TD set the Texan's record. Davis was on fire. He was able to pick up yard after yard, running all over the Colts.

The Texans simply didn't throw the ball. No deep passes. The longest pass of the day was 19-yards, mostly gained on the ground. Davis was on fire, and Carr simply handed him the ball. The most successful play ran by the Texans was a Draw to Davis, which would spring him past the Colt's pass rush.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Indianapolis Colts

QB: Peyton Manning (26-33-298, 2 TD, 2 for -3 rushing) Manning started out hot throwing TDs on the Colts' first two drives. However, Manning was unable to find the end zone again. Manning only threw into the end zone a single time more in the entire game, and that was a badly thrown ball that Stokley tried to dive for. James and the Colt's pass rush won the game in the end.

RB: Edgerrin James (28-104, 7-54 receiving, 8 targets) James was able to take control of the game as it went along, and eat up enough clock to doom the Texans. James ran with power, cutting and breaking tackles, keeping the chains moving. In a game that looked like the Colts would run away with it early, it came down to the ground game for both units. As the Texans were forced to the air late in the game, James was still in control.

WR: Reggie Wayne (7-96, 1 TD, 11 targets) Wayne was far and away the focus of the passing game. His 4 targets in the 1st half totaled Harrison's and Stokley's combined targets, as did has 7 targets in the second half.

Brandon Stokley (3-54, 5 targets) Stokley lost a 10-yard reception due to offensive holding. Stokley had an opportunity for another TD. The only other time outside of his two TDs that Manning threw into the end zone was a poor throw that Stokley tried to dive for. Stokley was completely ignored in the first half, seeing just one target that ended up being called back on a penalty. He was more a part of the offense in the second half, but was never in the game.

Marvin Harrison (3-26, 1 TD, 6 targets) Harrison faced multiple coverage all game, seeing only 3 targets in each half. With the Texans keying on Stokley and Harrison, Wayne saw most of the passing attack for the game. Harrison reeled in the first TD of the game, but did very little after that.

TE: Marcus Pollard (4-42, 4 targets) Pollard caught every ball thrown his way, and was able to keep the chains moving in a couple of key plays.

Dallas Clark (2-26, 2 targets) Clark had both catches early in the game, and then became a non-factor. Unsure how much of that was due to his previous injury.

K: Mike Vanderjagt (2 XP, 3-3 FG) Vanderjagt accounted for all of the Colt's scoring in the second half.

Pass Defense: The Colts were stout defensively against the pass, sacking David Carr five times, including three by defensive end Dwight Freeney. The Colts made two key stops in the second half, icing the game.

Rush Defense: Domanick Davis was able to run roughshod over the Colts. In the end, the Colts never really did stop him. The Texans were simply too far behind, and had to go to the air to try and get back in the game.

Houston Texans

QB: David Carr (16-21-167, 1 TD, 1 INT, 4-19 rushing) This was a weird game plan for the Texans, but it almost seemed to work. Carr threw nothing downfield for almost the entire game, looking at short passes, if he threw at all. Carr was swarmed on every play by the Colt's pass rush. The play of the game was the draw. With the Colt pass rush coming hard, Carr would give a delayed hand off to Davis, who was making great gains. For most of the game, Carr was simply a guy that handed the ball to Davis. In the entire 1st half, Carr threw two total passes to WRs, both failed. Towards the end of the game, Carr needed to pick up the team, and win the game. He was unable to. The longest Texan pass of the day was 19-yards, where most of that gain came on the ground.

RB: Domanick Davis (23-128, 1 TD, 6-73 receiving, 7 targets) Davis had a great day running the ball. The Colts were either unable or unwilling to stop him for the better part of the game. Davis had 92-yards on his first 14 carries. Clearly the Texans were trying to control the clock, and keep Manning off the field. Davis was a monster, and the Colts couldn't shut him down. In the end, the Texans were just too far behind too late in the game, and had to abandon the ground attack.

Jonathan Wells (1-1, 2-8, 1 TD receiving, 2 targets) Wells scored on a 3 yard pass from Carr. Except for that "vulture", he added nothing to the game.

Moran Norris (1-2 receiving, 1 target) Norris' single catch was a dump off a yard behind the line of scrimmage, that he advanced for 3 yards.

WR: Andre Johnson (3-34, 5 targets) Johnson was double covered almost entirely through the game. He was only targeted 5 times, and could never get free and make a play. His first real chance at catching the ball came as he was slammed into and was unable to hold on to the ball, dropping it. It was like that all day for Johnson.

Corey Bradford (2-27, 2 targets) Bradford had two balls thrown to him in the second half. He was ignored in the first half, barely getting on the field.

TE: Billy Miller (2-23, 2 targets) Miller spent most of the day helping with protection. He didn't see a target in the first half, but did catch both balls thrown his way.

K: Kris Brown (2 XP, 0-0 FG)

Pass Defense: CB Dunta Robinson (4 tackles) sacked Manning twice. These were the first two sacks on Robinson's career. The Texans did a great job of showing different fronts to Manning, bringing up different defenders, trying to slow him down. And for the most part it worked. After starting white hot, Manning was held in check, and the game was close, as the Colts were held to their lowest score all season.

Rush Defense: The rush defense was out matched going in the game, and was unable to contain James. The Texans did a good job trying to control the clock, and keep James and Manning off the field, it just wasn't enough.

Cleveland Browns 7 at Buffalo Bills 37

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Cleveland Browns

Two weeks ago, the Browns were involved in the second highest scoring game in NFL history. In their 7th straight loss, the Browns made the record books once again, finishing with the fifth lowest output in net yards in a single game, with just 17 yards on the game. Despite jumping out to an early lead, the Browns could not sustain any momentum on either the ground or through the air, temporarily removing starters Luke McCown and William Green, only to find that their backups were no more effective.

Luke McCown finished with just 62 yards on the day, going 8/20 with 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions. McCown's primary target on the day was Antonio Bryant, who finished with 4 catches and 37 yards on the day. Dennis Northcutt accounted for the only Browns score, but finished with just 2 catches and 6 yards. The remainder of the Browns passing game was focused amongst the tight ends, as the running backs were pretty much overlooked on the day out of the backfield, forced to stay in and block as the result of 8 sacks on the afternoon. Steve Heiden came up with 2 catches for 19 yards, and Aaron Shea finished with 1 catch for 5 yards.

The running game was non-existent, as William Green mustered just 5 yards on 11 carries, and his backup, Adimchinobe (Joe) Echemandu had just 13 yards on 5 carries. The pair was targeted 3 times on the afternoon, but failed to come up with any catches.

Buffalo Bills

Willis McGahee had the biggest afternoon of any Buffalo player, finishing with 27 carries, 105 yards and 2 touchdowns, in addition to 12 yards on 2 receptions before being lifted in the 4th quarter with the game significantly in hand. Undrafted backup Shaud Williams contributed 42 yards on 10 carries, including a touchdown in late action.

The best stats of any receiver for the Bills belonged to Lee Evans, who had 33 yards on 4 catches, a receiving touchdown and a 48 yard rush on a reverse, but it was Eric Moulds (3 catches for 38 yards) who should have had the big day. Moulds was targeted over and over again in the end zone, but failed to come down with any touchdown receptions. The Bills did not ask Bledsoe to do much in this game, and as a result he finished with just a 12/27 day in which he threw for 1 touchdown and 100 yards.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Cleveland Browns

QB: Luke McCown (8-20-62, 1 TD, 2 Int, 1-11 rushing) In his second career start, Luke McCown struggled mightily, completing just 40% of his passes, averaging just 3.1 yards per attempt and finishing with just a 25.4 passer rating. Interim coach Terry Robiskie briefly replaced Luke McCown in the third quarter with veteran Jeff Garcia. Garcia attempted just one pass, but left after spraining his knee on a play in which he fumbled, and McCown returned to the game. The Browns were unable to get any type of running game running, and as a result, this made it even more difficult to get the passing game going. Early reports are that Garcia is out for the season.

RB: William Green (11-5 rushing, 1 fumble lost, 1 target) For the second straight week, William Green (starting due to a toe injury by Lee Suggs) was removed from the game due to a lack of effectiveness, and has totaled just 20 yards on 23 carries (0.9 ypc) in the past two games. William Green and the running backs in general were also in a non-factor in the passing game.

Adimchinobe (Joe) Echemandu (5-13 rushing, 1 fumble lost, 2 targets) The rookie from California has been given the opportunity to get a few carries over the past two weeks, but struggled a bit more this week versus a stout Bills defense who forced a Echemandu fumble.

WR: Antonio Bryant (4-37 receiving on 10 targets) Bryant has settled in as the top receiving option for the Browns squad, especially over the past three weeks, though for the first time in as many weeks, he failed to reach the 100 yard barrier. Bryant was, however, targeted 10 times, including multiple pass attempts in the end zone, but managed just 4 catches, and was the intended target on both of McCown's interceptions.

Dennis Northcutt (2-6 receiving on 2 targets, 1 TD) Northcutt had a minimal impact on this game, but did catch a touchdown on a short 5-yard pass from Luke McCown.

TE: Steve Heiden (2-19 receiving on 3 targets) Aaron Shea (1-5 receiving on 4 targets) The Browns continue to utilize their tight ends, which may be a positive sign for the future of the organization, as they made a significant commitment to Kellen Winslow Jr in the 2004 draft. With neither the rushing or passing game going from the Browns Sunday, Heiden and Shea were not as successful as in previous weeks.

K: Phil Dawson (1-1 XP, 0-1 FG) Phil Dawson missed a 45 yard field goal in this game, just his 3rd miss of the season, and not significant in the final outcome, but at the time, the Browns had the opportunity to open up a 10-3 lead and set a tone in the game, having just recovered a Drew Bledsoe fumble attempt on the handoff.

Pass Defense: The Browns kept the Bills from beating them through the air, but Buffalo did not have to, as their rushing game was so effective, and the Bills defense was so dominating, they did have to pass often in the 37-7 win.

Rush Defense: Including rushing attempts by backup running backs, receivers and quarterbacks, the Bills amassed 215 yards on 42 carries, which was practically deja vu when compared to last week, when the New England Patriots ran all over them the previous week, and the Cincinnati Bengals had the week before. For reference, the Browns close against San Diego at home, the on the road versus Miami and Houston.

Buffalo Bills

QB: Drew Bledsoe (12-27-100, 1 TD, 1 Int, 1 fumble lost, 1-10 rushing) In the past few weeks, Bledsoe had turned his game around, helping to lead the Bills on their current winning streak. On this Sunday, Bledsoe completed just 44% of his passes, averaged just 3.8 yards per attempt and finished with a passer rating of 51.5, but didn't have to impress in the 37-7 win. At the end of the game, Bledsoe was replaced by JP Losman, who primarily handed the ball off to Shaud Williams.

RB: Willis McGahee (27-105 rushing, 2 TD, 2-12 receiving on 4 targets) The Bills hot streak coincided with McGahee's insertion into the lineup, as he performed extremely well over that period with this game versus the Browns being no exception. McGahee averaged 3.9 yards per carry, but found the end zone twice and contributed in all phases of the game before being replaced by Shaud Williams when the Bills had all but wrapped up the game.

Shaud Williams (10-42 rushing, 1 TD, 1-10 receiving on 1 target) The undrafted 24 year old from Alabama had a solid pre-season, but saw his most extensive action on the season in this game, and performed quite well, even when the Browns knew the Bills would be running. With Travis Henry's broken leg, Shaud Williams becomes a solid option for McGahee owners.

WR: Lee Evans (4-33 receiving on 5 targets, 1 TD, 1-48 rushing) Evans came up with two big plays in this game including a pass reception for a TD and a 48 yard end around, building on his two touchdown performance from a week ago.

Eric Moulds (3-38 receiving on 13 targets) It seemed that virtually all of Moulds' 13 targets this week were in the red zone, and the majority in the corner of the end zone, however, as often as he was targeted, he failed to pull down on any passes for touchdowns, but did draw an interference penalty which led to a one yard touchdown run by Willis McGahee.

Josh Reed (1-6 receiving on 2 targets) Josh Reed returned to the active roster and was targeted twice by Bledsoe in this game.

TE: Ryan Neufeld (1 target) With Campbell and Euhus both being declared inactive, Neufeld drew the starting assignment and was targeted once, but did not come up with any catches.

K: Rian Lindell (4-4 XP, 3-3 FG) Rian Lindell was perfect on the game, connecting on 4 extra points, and kicking field goals of 21, 23 and 37 yards.

Pass Defense: The Bills secondary limited the Browns to just 9 completions on the day and 67 yards through the air, coming up with 2 interceptions, and sacking the Browns 8 times in an absolutely dominating performance.

Rush Defense: The Browns were able to combine for 17 carries and 29 yards (including an 11 yard scamper by McCown) in what was an equally dominating performance by the defensive unit.