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Baltimore Ravens 23 at Cincinnati Bengals 9 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Baltimore Ravens Jamal Lewis returned to his 2003 form, running through tacklers and then away from the rest of the defense en route to 186 rushing yards on only 18 carries. Lewis had five carries of more than ten yards apiece in the game, including a 75-yard touchdown in which he burst through the middle of the line and simply outran every other player on the field, marking his seventh consecutive 100 yard rushing performance against Cincinnati. He set the tone by breaking two tackles on his first carry of the game (a 32-yard gain), and continued running over Bengals throughout the game. With Todd Heap (sprained ankle) and Travis Taylor (groin) out of action, the Ravens passing attack leaned heavily on third year receiver Randy Hymes, who came through with four catches for 61 yards and a 38-yard touchdown. Hymes, who is listed third on the team's wide receiver depth chart, got the start in place of Taylor and never looked back, except to make a fine one-handed catch of a ball that Kyle Boller threw behind him. Rookies Devard Darling and Clarence Moore each contributed with the first receptions of their pro careers, while Kevin Johnson was held without a catch in the game and targeted only twice. Kyle Boller had a good game in that he did not throw an interception, but he did have two costly fumbles, including one on the Cincinnati 2 yard line as he was streaking into the end zone. Boller was not asked to do very much passing in the game, with Jamal Lewis proving unstoppable on the ground, but still completed 11 passes for 126 yards and a touchdown, on only 18 attempts. He also added a touchdown on the ground, the first of his career. The Baltimore defense was brutal, sacking Carson Palmer four times and intercepting three of his passes. Despite allowing more than 400 yards of total offense, Baltimore held the Bengals out of the end zone for the entire game, surrendering only 3 field goals. Deion Sanders (hamstring) and Peter Boulware (knee - on PUP list) were both inactive for the game. Cincinnati Bengals Carson Palmer threw for 316 yards despite being assaulted by the Ravens' pass rush throughout the game, but also gave up three costly interceptions, two of them occurring inside the Baltimore 20-yard line. While he showed nice flashes in hitting his receivers in stride and making some very difficult throws, Palmer looked very much like a quarterback making his third career start while making the bad decisions which led to all three picks. While the final reception numbers look fairly even among his top three receivers, Palmer was locked on to Chad Johnson for much of the game, directing 21 of his 52 passes at Johnson, including all three of the interceptions. While Chad Johnson got most of the looks, T.J. Houshmandzadeh wound up with the better numbers, hauling in 7 receptions for his first career 100 yard receiving performance. Johnson was not far behind, with 8 catches for 99 yards, and second-year receiver Kelley Washington added 5 receptions for 58 yards. Peter Warrick, who was listed as probable with a shin injury, did play, but left early on after re-injuring his shin, and did not have a target in the game. Rudi Johnson ran for 98 yards on 23 carries, excellent totals against one of the best run defenses in the league, and had three runs of 10 or more yards each in the game. However, the Bengals red zone play calling was heavily biased in favor of the pass, and as the game progressed the score dictated an even more pass-oriented attack. The Bengals defense proved unable to do much of anything right in the game, giving up huge chunks of yardage to Jamal Lewis on the ground and missing tackles throughout the game. Even when they were able to stop Lewis and put Baltimore into a third & two situation, Cincinnati gave up a completion over the middle to Randy Hymes, and then allowed him to run more than 20 additional yards into the end zone. The day got even worse for the Bengals near the end of the game, as starting middle linebacker Nate Webster was carted off the field with what appeared to be a serious injury to his right leg. The offensive line also suffered a blow when starting left tackle Levi Jones left the game with a twisted knee. Safeties Kim Herring (foot) and Rogers Beckett (concussion) were both inactive for the game, which no doubt contributed to the poor tackling effort. WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW Baltimore Ravens QB: Kyle Boller (11-18-126, 1 TD, 2 fumbles lost, 4-24, 1 TD rushing) has been responsible for all 5 of Baltimore's offensive turnovers this season with 2 interceptions and 3 fumbles, including the two fumbles he lost today. The fumbles aside, though, Boller had a decent outing, completing 61% of his passes and smartly throwing the ball away rather than taking a sack or risking an interception. His first fumble was a heartbreaker, coming when he was stripped of the ball by a diving Nate Webster on the Bengals' 2-yard line. Boller had already run for 17 yards on the play and had no defenders between him and the goal line. The second fumble came when Boller attempted to tuck the ball away before running with it and simply dropped the football. From a passing standpoint, Boller was not asked to do very much with the running game working and the defense holding Cincinnati in check. Boller was also missing two of his top targets in the game, with tight end Todd Heap sitting with a sprained ankle, and wide receiver Travis Taylor still out with a thigh injury. In the interim, Boller appeared to find a new target that he liked in wide receiver Randy Hymes, whom he connected with for four of his completions, totaling 61 yards and the touchdown. Boller's rushing touchdown was the first of his career. RB: Jamal Lewis (18-186 rushing, 1 TD, 1-46 receiving on 1 target) bounced back after two sub par (for him) outings, ripping the Bengals defense for over 200 yards of total offense and looking like the same back who ran for over 2,000 yards last year. Lewis ran over, through, and around tacklers for the entire game, and ran away from the entire Bengals' defense on the 75-yard touchdown run which locked up the win for Baltimore. In addition to the 75 yarder, Lewis broke runs of 32, 18, 18, and 12 yards in the game, and was only stopped for a loss on one carry. His 46-yard reception came on a screen play, when Boller dumped the ball off just before taking a hit, and Lewis broke a tackle and then outran several defenders down the sideline. Charles Taylor (8-27 rushing, 1 for -7 receiving on 1 target) assumed his normal role in the Ravens' offense, spelling Jamal Lewis when the starter needed a breather, and manning the backfield in passing situations. Taylor also chipped in 3 tackles on special teams in the game. Alan Ricard (3-9 rushing, 1-8 receiving on 1 target) is the team's starting fullback, and tied a career high for touches in a game with his 4 on Sunday. B.J. Sams (1-8 rushing) got his only carry of the game on an end around, after lining up at wide receiver, but is normally used only as a return specialist. WR: Randy Hymes (4-61, 1 TD receiving on 4 targets) filled in for Todd Heap as the team's possession receiver, and did so admirably. Hymes' first catch of the game can on a third and four play midway through the first quarter, and was a very nice one-handed grab after Kyle Boller threw behind him on a crossing route. Hymes' touchdown came on a medium slant across the middle, when he caught the ball in stride, made his cover man miss on the tackle, and then beat the safeties to the sideline and dove into the end zone for a 38-yard score. Hymes was also targeted on a two point conversion attempt late in the game, but the pass was broken up nicely by a defender. Clarence Moore (1-6 receiving on 1 target) is a big (6'6", 211) rookie wide receiver, who saw action primarily because of the injuries to Heap and Travis Taylor. Devard Darling (2-5 receiving on 2 targets) was used as the third receiver in Baltimore's offense, the spot normally occupied by Randy Hymes. Darling fumbled on his second reception, but the ball was recovered by Baltimore. Kevin Johnson (0-0 receiving on 2 targets) did play in the game, but was not able to make any catches. Johnson was the intended target of Kyle Boller's only deep throw in the game and got two hands on the ball, but the play was broken up by cornerback Deltha O'Neal. Travis Taylor did not play while recovering from a thigh injury, and is currently described as questionable for the Ravens' week 4 game against Kansas City. TE: Terry Jones (1-7 receiving on 2 targets) is normally used in two tight end sets with starter Todd Heap, but was thrust into the mix as the sole receiving tight end in this game. As his stat line indicates, Jones was not a factor. Todd Heap did not play while recovering from an ankle sprain, and is expected to miss another 1-3 weeks. K: Matt Stover (2 XP, 1-1 FG) hit a 21-yard field goal to open the scoring in the game. Leading 17-3 early in the third quarter, the Ravens passed on what would have been a 52-yard field goal try, opting to punt the ball instead. Even if they had tried the field goal, however, it would likely have been attempted by kickoff specialist Wade Richey. Pass Defense: Baltimore allowed 316 yards through the air in this game, but that number is deceptive, as much of that yardage occurred late in the game, with Baltimore laying off while protecting a large lead. Additionally, that yardage came on 52 attempts by Carson Palmer, and does not factor in the three interceptions which Baltimore had. Safety Ed Reed had a huge day in the secondary, picking off two of Palmer's passes, and the pass rush was brutal, tallying four sacks (two by linebacker Terrell Suggs), 14 hurries, and 9 knockdowns of Palmer. Cornerback Chris McAlister did struggle at times in covering receiver Chad Johnson, allowing 8 receptions for 99 yards to the All Pro. Run Defense: Rudi Johnson and the Bengals gave the Ravens a challenge on defense, as Baltimore allowed over 100 total rushing yards for the first time this season. Johnson was able to total 98 yards on 23 carries in the game, including runs of 16, 19, and 11 yards. But the Ravens stiffened up where it counted, holding Cincinnati out of the end zone for the entire game. Ray Lewis was held mostly in check during the game, managing just four tackles and three assists, while cornerback Gary Baxter led all Ravens with 10 solo tackles in the game. Cincinnati Bengals QB: Carson Palmer (25-52-316, 3 INT, 1-2 rushing) looked like a first-year starting quarterback in this game, showing his undeniable talent at times while hitting receivers in stride, but then making horrible decisions which led to turnovers. Palmer looked most comfortable in the two minute offense, completing 6 of 10 passes for 68 yards in leading the Bengals on a field goal drive to close the second quarter, but couldn't match his last-minute comeback victory of week 2. All three of Palmer's interceptions came after very poor decisions, the two by Ed Reed basically being on balls that Palmer threw up for anyone to catch, while the final pick by Chad Williams was on a ball that Palmer tried to force to a receiver along the sidelines. In Palmer's defense, however, he was under a tremendous amount of pressure in the game by the Ravens' pass rush, and took several very hard hits besides the four official sacks. Palmer was slow to get up after taking one shot to the rib area, but did get back on his feet after several seconds and returned to the huddle, not missing a single play. While he completed 5 or more passes to each of his wide receivers in the game, Chad Johnson was clearly his favorite target, with 21 of his 52 passes directed towards Johnson. RB: Rudi Johnson (23-98 rushing, 0-0 receiving on 1 target) had a tremendous game, considering the opposition. Johnson broke through the middle of the line on his first run of the day, which wound up as a 16 yard gain, and followed that up with two more runs of more than ten yards. When there was a hole open for him, Johnson showed good vision in getting to it, and probably would have run through a Ray Lewis tackle had another defender not hit him as he pulled his ankle free on one play. However, the Bengals appeared to concede the running attack in the red zone, giving Johnson only two carries from inside the Baltimore 20 in the game, on 11 offensive plays. Kenny Watson (1-10 rushing, 2-15 receiving on 5 targets) was used as the third down back in the game. One of his five targets was actually a pass thrown at his heels as Carson Palmer was about to be sacked. WR: T.J. Houshmandzadeh (7-116 receiving on 12 targets) had his finest effort as a pro Sunday, notching the first 100 yard receiving effort of his career as he filled in for an injured Peter Warrick. Houshmandzadeh looked like Palmer's co-go to guy late in the game as the Bengals tried to rally from a 23-9 deficit, as 4 of his targets came on the two drives following Jamal Lewis' long touchdown run. Houshmandzadeh was shaken up after a vicious (but legal) hit by Ed Reed to his rib area, but hung on to the ball for the reception and came back into the game on the following series. Chad Johnson (8-99 receiving on 21 targets) was a very busy man on Sunday, as his 21 targets for the game show. Johnson was able to beat All Pro cornerback Chris McAlister on several plays, and was actually running alone behind the defense on a Carson Palmer bootleg late in the third quarter. Had Palmer not overthrown him on the play, Johnson would likely have had an 80-yard touchdown. Johnson did record the longest play from scrimmage for the Bengals in the game, on a 23-yard reception two plays after the overthrow. All three of Palmer's interceptions in the game came on passes intended for Johnson. Kelley Washington (1 for -1 rushing, 5-58 receiving on 8 targets) was used often in three receiver sets, which was most of the time for the Bengals once Baltimore had built up a two score lead. Washington's speed was very apparent, but he was not able to get open with any regularity in the secondary, and did not fare well in run after catch yardage when he did get the ball. Peter Warrick did play in the game, but re-injured his shin early and left, not to return. No further update was offered by the CBS announcing team. TE: Matt Schobel (3-28 receiving on 6 targets) got his share of looks in the game, and performed about as well as can be expected by a lower-tier fantasy tight end. Schobel did drop one pass, and had another target deflected at the line of scrimmage. K: Shayne Graham (3-3 FG) converted on kicks of 26, 27, and 47 yards in the game. His 47-yard field goal appeared to travel directly over the right upright, but was ruled good and not challenged. Pass Defense: While it's normally considered a good effort when a team holds an opposing quarterback to 126 yards through the air, in this case it was far more due to the Ravens not needing to pass the ball than to anything that Cincinnati did on defense. The Bengals were able to exert some pressure on Kyle Boller, and were credited with one sack, but were not able to finish the job against the second-year quarterback, as Boller was often able to sidestep the pressure and run with the ball or throw it away. Add on the fact that Baltimore, a team which normally doesn't throw it very much, was also missing its top two receivers in the game, and this performance looks very uninspiring. Rushing Defense: The punch line would go "What rushing defense?", and wouldn't be too far off the truth. Jamal Lewis was able to run through, over, and around the Bengals defense, and the times where he was brought down by the first defender were the exception, rather than the rule. Lewis is a tough back to tackle, but the Bengals were very sloppy in their attempts, often flailing at him with their hands as he was running by. In all, the Bengals allowed 254 yards on the ground to the Ravens. Even more troubling for Cincinnati, middle linebacker Nate Webster was carted off the field after injuring his right leg with just 2:29 left in the game. Jacksonville Jaguars 15 at Tennessee Titans 12 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Jacksonville Jaguars Byron Leftwich did not have much time to attempt passes in the first half and had to settle for short and intermediate pass attempts. Leftwich did not complete a pass for over 10 yards until about halfway through the third quarter. Jacksonville was able to run the ball more effectively in the second half, which enabled them to pass more efficiently. Leftwich finished with modest passing numbers, completing 14 of 20 attempts for 124 yards and 1 touchdown. Leftwich also completed a 35-yard pass in the 4th quarter to rookie wide receiver Ernest Wilford who caught the ball in the end zone, but he was ruled out of bounds. Jacksonville did not gain many yards in the first half, but were more successful in the second half. Fred Taylor finished with 17 attempts for 81 yards and 1 rushing touchdown. He gained 25 yards on one run, and had a 12-yard run called back due to holding on an offensive lineman. On the game winning drive, Jacksonville was 1st and goal at the 1-yard line. The first play called for rookie 250 pound running back Greg Jones to pound it up the middle, but he was stopped for no gain. On the next play, Taylor ran the ball to the right side, bounced a little further outside and scored untouched. Jacksonville's wide receivers did not put up very good numbers. Jimmy Smith had the most targets with 8 and caught 3 of them for 58 yards. The other 4 wide receivers caught a combined 5 passes for 25 yards. Smith and Wilford were the only two receivers who had passes thrown to them that were over 15 yards. The player who caught the most passes was reserve tight end George Wrighster who caught 5 passes for 30 yards and 1 touchdown. Kyle Brady was not active for the game. The CBS television reporters Brady's finger that he had surgery on, may be infected and could set his return back even further. Tennessee Titans The Titans' offense was effective at times, but not consistently enough to score touchdowns. Steve McNair threw more short to intermediate passes, and did not test the Jacksonville secondary deep very often. He did attempt a 45-yard pass to Drew Bennett that was just outside Bennett's reach. That play would have resulted in a touchdown if the ball was not overthrown. McNair displayed his knack for making plays during the drive that gave Tennessee a 12-7 lead in the 4th quarter. On a 3rd and 10 play, McNair evaded a strong Jaguars' pass rush and ran for a first down. Later, on 3rd and 2, he ran for another first down. He did however take a vicious hit from Jaguars defensive tackle Marcus Stroud. After Tennessee scored and McNair returned to the sideline, McNair took his uniform top off and sat on the bench while Jacksonville had the ball. McNair had a bruised sternum and did not return to the game. He was admitted to the hospital for evaluation Sunday night with a bruised sternum. Chris Brown continued to show why the Titans expressed faith in his running abilities when they released Eddie George. Brown became the first running back in 18 games to gain over 100 yards against Jacksonville's top-ranked run defense. He displayed good power, moves and speed and was used in a variety of ways. He ran between the tackles, outside, and was used on screen passes. He scored the Titans' only touchdown with a 26-yard run. When Tennessee was in the red zone, they featured the pass. McNair threw to tight end Erron Kinney once, but the pass was incomplete. He targeted Derrick Mason twice in the red zone, once on an incomplete 2-point conversion attempt. Gary Anderson was 2 for 2 on his field goal attempts, including a 40-yard attempt that he made easily. WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW Jacksonville Jaguars QB: Byron Leftwich (14-20-124 yards 1 TD, 3-5 rushing) Leftwich did not appear comfortable when he dropped back to pass. His offensive line did not give him much time to throw and as a result he threw underneath to his receivers. Leftwich did not attempt any deep passes until the second half, when he tried to connect with Jimmy Smith a few times and Ernest Wilford once. When given time in the second half, Leftwich looked comfortable throwing deep, and displayed a strong and accurate arm on the few long passes he attempted. He seemed to have a lot of confidence in tight end George Wrighster on the shorter throws. RB: Fred Taylor (17-81 rushing 1 TD, 1-11 receiving on 2 targets) Taylor got off to a slow start. But he displayed the combination of speed and power he is known for in the second half. He had several runs in the second half where he gained extra yards after being tackled. Taylor also had a run for 25 yards, where he outran several defenders before being run out of bounds by the Titans' secondary. LaBrandon Toefield (7-43 rushing) Toefield was effective as the change of pace back and had one nice 16-yard run up the middle for a first down. Greg Jones (2-7 rushing) The powerfully built Jones was given the ball on two short yardage plays. He displayed great power on his first rushing attempt, dragging several defenders for a couple of extra yards. He failed to score on his other rushing attempt at the goal line. WR: Jimmy Smith (3-58 receiving on 7 targets) Smith was Leftwich's favorite target. He was targeted once during the first half, but was targeted 6 times in the second half. Though he dropped a catchable ball with just over 1 minute left in the game, Smith caught a couple deep passes, including a 25-yard reception while being defended by Pro Bowler Samari Rolle. Troy Edwards (2-11 receiving on 2 targets) Edwards was not much of a factor and did not see a ball thrown his way in the second half. Ernest Wilford (1-6 receiving on 3 targets) Wilford caught a 35-yard pass in the end zone, but was ruled not a catch as one of his feet landed out of bounds. It was a very tough, leaping catch and he continues to be one of Leftwich's favorite targets in the red zone. Jermaine Lewis (1-4 receiving on 1 target) Lewis was only targeted on one screen pass. Reggie Williams (1-4 receiving on 2 targets) Williams was the first option on the successful 2-pt conversion pass play, using his height and leaping ability to advantage on a jump ball throw. TE: George Wrighster (5-30 receiving on 6 targets, 1 TD) Wrighster was targeted on short throws, with a long of 9 yards. He displayed nice athleticism on his touchdown reception, catching a 4-yard pass from Leftwich, turning toward the end zone, leaping a defender at the 2-yard line and extending his arm so the football crossed the goal line before he landed. K: Josh Scobee (1 XP, 0/0 FG) Scobee was not very busy during this game. Pass Defense: The Jaguars' pass defense was aggressive, and applied pressure to McNair consistently. They relied on the blitz and were able to record 3 sacks. The Jaguars' defensive backs played very well. They recorded only 1 interception, but managed to deflect a few other passes and did not allow Tennessee's receivers to beat them deep except on one play where Drew Bennett was overthrown. Rush Defense: The Jaguars had their 17 game streak of holding opposing ball carriers to under 100 yards rushing broken by Chris Brown. The Jacksonville run defense was still very good, as if not for a 26-yard run by Brown, he would have been held to 75 yards on 22 rushing attempts. Tennessee Titans QB: Steve McNair (16-26-143 yards, 1 INT, 3-18 rushing) McNair was bothered by the Jacksonville defense, and as a result most of his passes were of the short variety. Of his 26 pass attempts, 17 were directed to Derrick Mason and Drew Bennett, but he did not attempt many deep passes to them. McNair only looked to run when necessary, and 2 of his 3 rushing attempts resulted in first downs. As a result of taking a hit from Marcus Stroud, McNair suffered a bruised sternum. He finished the drive, which resulted in a touchdown, but did not return for the next series. Billy Volek (0-1-0 yards) Volek came in for the last play of the game due to McNair's injury for one Hail Mary pass that fell incomplete. RB: Chris Brown (23-101 rushing 1 TD, 3-30 receiving on 4 targets) Brown ran very well against the top-ranked Jaguars' run defense. He ran with power, speed and displayed an ability to cut and make defenders miss. He proved to be a playmaker, scoring on a 26-yard run after a holding penalty had set the Titans back. Brown had a 20-yard run called back due to holding penalty. And he averaged 10 yards per reception. Robert Holcombe (1-4 receiving on 1 target) FB Holcombe was not a factor running or catching the ball. WR: Drew Bennett (6-55 receiving on 8 targets) Bennett was targeted often by McNair and displayed sure hands. One of the two passes he did not catch was a 45-yard pass that was overthrown. Bennett did not gain many yards after the catch, hence his 9.17 yards per catch average. Derrick Mason (4-43 receiving on 9 targets) Mason was targeted often, but he was defended very well by Jacksonville. Mason left the game briefly due to an injury, but returned shortly afterwards. He was the option on a 2-point conversion play in the 4th quarter, but the pass fell incomplete. Mason also returned the many Jacksonville punts. TE: Erron Kinney (1-11 receiving on 3 targets) Kinney was used more as a safety valve in the passing game than anything else. K: Gary Anderson (2-2 FG) Anderson made both of his field goals easily, including a 40 yarder. Punter Craig Hentrich continued his role of doubling as the kickoff specialist, enabling Anderson to focus exclusively on field goals. Pass Defense: The Titans were very aggressive, and applied pressure on Byron Leftwich most of the game. While they only recorded 2 sacks they knocked Leftwich to the ground on many occasions. The Titans' defensive backfield gave up some lengthy passes in the second half, but overall held the Jaguars in check. Rush Defense: Jacksonville was able to run the ball successfully in the second half, as the Titans' defenders appeared to tire. San Diego Chargers 13 at Denver Broncos 23 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW San Diego Chargers Drew Brees looked as bad, perhaps worse than his final numbers indicate. He was heavily pressured much of the day; however he had several opportunities to hit open receivers in stride and misfired nearly every time. Going into the half, Brees had more receiving yards (38) than he did passing yards (16). LaDainian Tomlinson was stifled much of the day by a swarming defensive line and linebackers that were obviously keying on him. He averaged just 2.7 yards per carry, and 3.3 yards per reception. He finished with 60 yards on 22 rushes and 10 yards on 3 receptions. Four Charger wide receivers combined for 6 catches for 81 yards. TE Antonio Gates was able to play with his injured foot and caught 4 passes for 30 yards. Denver Broncos Jake Plummer took command of the Bronco offense in this game. He likely could have passed for many more yards and touchdowns if he needed to. He was extremely sharp and efficient. He once again threw all passes in this game right-handed. Quentin Griffin's fumbling is no laughing matter. He has now fumbled in three straight games. The fumble in this game could have been avoided. After catching a short reception, he turned and as he started to run, the defender hit him on the non-football carrying side and his arm inadvertently grazed the ball, easily knocking it free. Griffin's low numbers may have been caused in part by a lack of confidence as he does not seem to be hitting holes or bursting with much confidence. Ashley Lelie was more involved in the offense than his stats indicate. Despite only catching 4 passes, Lelie was targeted 10 times in key situations and made a dramatic touchdown reception on 4th down to put the Broncos up by 10 points. Rod Smith caught 4 passes for 65 yards and a touchdown in the first half and looked to be en route to a huge game, however he disappeared in the second half and caught only 1 more pass. WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW San Diego Chargers QB: Drew Brees (14-29-121, 5-16 rushing, 1 TD, 1-38 receiving on 1 target) was just bad as a quarterback. His stats at halftime were 3-8-16 yards. He nearly managed to finish as the leading receiver on this team with 38 yards; however his tight end finished up with 39 yards. While Brees often did not have ample time to throw, he twice had Tim Dwight wide open on long passes and both times overthrew him. RB: LaDainian Tomlinson (22-60 rushing, 3-10 receiving on 5 targets, 1-1-38 passing) added a new element to his game. He passed a perfectly targeted, but a bit wobbly, pass to a wide open Drew Brees for a 38 yard play. It was San Diego's biggest play of the game and the only play longer than 17 yards. The defense swarmed on his rushes and even occasionally double teamed him in the receiving game where he was unusually quiet. As effectively as Denver shut him down, one would expect other teams to try and mimic their strategy. WR: Reche Caldwell (3-39 receiving on 7 targets) for what it was worth, was the go to receiver for the Chargers today. During the week when asked about Champ Bailey, he told the San Diego North County Times, "I look at it like he's another player. He can be beaten like anyone else. I don't care about all the hype about Champ Bailey." Bailey seemed to take great pleasure playing a very physical game against Caldwell virtually shutting him down. Eric Parker (1-17 receiving on 3 targets, 1-3 rushing) seemed to be a forgotten man in the offense today. Tim Dwight (1-8 receiving on 4 targets) twice had two strides on the Denver defense only to be overthrown both times. Kassim Osgood (1-17 receiving on 4 targets) appeared out of sync with the offense and was not even looking at Brees when he threw the ball at him during a blitz. His major impact on this game was when he roughed the punter when San Diego was set to get the ball down only by 3 points. Later on a passing route, he slipped and appeared to sustain a leg injury late in the 4th quarter and left the game. TE: Antonio Gates (4-30 receiving on 5 targets) caught 4 of the 5 passes thrown to him. Most were short, dump off passes and he never really got into the flow of the game. K: Nate Kaeding (1 XP, 2-2 FG) hit a 51-yard field goal that had plenty of distance and was right down the middle. Pass Defense: Other than sacking Jake Plummer once, the Charger's pass defense was virtually nonexistent. Denver receivers had plenty of time to get open and took advantage of this unit. Rush Defense: They did hold the Broncos to just 37 yards rushing. The Broncos did not completely abandon the run for the pass, rushing the ball 21 times for only 1.8 yards per carry. Denver Broncos QB: Jake Plummer (25-36-294, 2 TD, 2-1 rushing) took control of this game when it became clear that the Chargers were not going to allow much on the ground. Plummer looked confident and poised and rarely was pressured. When he was pressured, he rolled out and hit the open receiver. He seemed to play conservatively in the second half rather than try and run up the score on a suspect secondary. He was 15 of 20 for 170 yards in the first half, but completed only 3 passes in the second half to his top weapons Lelie and Smith as he chose to spread the ball around. RB: Quentin Griffin (12-7 rushing, 3-23 receiving on 3 targets, 1 fumble lost) did not see any open running room in this game. To put in perspective how often he was stuffed at or behind the line of scrimmage, note that his long run of the day was 6 yards; if you take that out of his stat line he ran the ball 11 times for 1 yard. Griffin's stats may have been caused in part by a lack of confidence as he does not seem to be hitting holes or bursting with much confidence. His stats after the fumble were 6-7 rushing, 1 for -2 receiving on 1 target. It should be noted that San Diego's defense did not appear to be stacking the line to stop the run. Garrison Hearst (3-13 rushing) spelled Griffin but except for an 11-yard gain through a massive hole, was not particularly effective. Though he was the leading rusher for the Broncos with his 13 yards. Hearst was also not utilized in the passing game being targeted only one time. Tatum Bell did not play due to injury. WR: Rod Smith (5-75, 1 TD receiving on 7 targets) took a 2nd possession crossing pattern pass and turned it into a 33-yard gain. Later that drive, he was wide open for a touchdown reception on a similar route when Sammy Davis fell down. Smith disappeared in the second half catching only 1 pass for 10 yards. Ashley Lelie (4-67, 1 TD receiving on 10 targets, 2-6 rushing) made the impact play of this game with his leaping catch over Quentin Jammer on a 4th down play in the 3rd quarter. He also was targeted in the red zone for another touchdown but couldn't make the catch. Plummer looked his way often in this game in key situations and they ran two end around plays to get Lelie involved. One went for 8 yards while the other lost a couple. Darius Watts (4-42 receiving on 4 targets) managed to snag his share of passes. The rookie appears to be running good routes and gets decent separation from the defenders. He is mostly seeing playing time on passing downs. TE: Jeb Putzier (5-66 receiving on 5 targets) caught all the passes intended for him. Plummer appears comfortable looking in his direction Putzier is delivering. K: Jason Elam (2 XP, 3-3 FG) as usual had a perfect day. Pass Defense: Sacked Drew Brees the last two consecutive plays to give them four on the day, but that number is low considering how much pressure they put on him. He rarely had more than a couple seconds to make decisions as they blitzed often and rarely allowed Charger receivers to get open. Rush Defense: Holding LaDainian Tomlinson to 2.7 yards per carry is a major accomplishment. Philadelphia Eagles 30 at Detroit Lions 13 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Philadelphia Eagles In the only battle of undefeated teams this Sunday, QB Donovan McNabb continued to display the talents that have made him the league's top rated quarterback through Week 2. McNabb led a surgical passing attack in the first half, completing 17 of 23 passes for 211 yards and 2 touchdowns. McNabb had his 7th career 300+ yard passing game. The Eagles attacked Detroit's secondary, as both starting corners Andre' Goodman and Dre' Bly were unable to play due to injury. Philadelphia amassed 343 net yards passing as McNabb connected with eight different receivers. WR Terrell Owens led all receivers with 107 yards and a touchdown, while RB Brian Westbrook had 20 touches for 76 all-purpose yards. For Owens, it was his 26th career game with over 100+ yards receiving. Late word from after the game had the Eagles suffering some injuries. FB Jon Ritchie (knee) left the game in the first half and did not return. Tight end L.J. Smith left the game in the third quarter, and after the game word came out that right guard Jermane Mayberry had suffered a torn biceps tendon. Detroit Lions RB Kevin Jones left the game early in the first half due to an ankle injury and did not return. After quickly falling behind 21-0 in the first half and without their first-team rusher, Harrington's numbers were respectable, going 21-38-199 and 2 touchdowns while being under constant pressure from the Eagles' blitzing defense. His only miscue was a fumble during a scramble in the first quarter. Rookie WR Roy Williams touched the ball often with 9 receptions for 135 yards for the Lions. Harrington's favorite target, almost to a fault, saw the ball thrown his way 17 times. Williams answered the call in career record fashion, recording his first-ever 100+ yard receiving day. Williams added both touchdowns for the Lions, and he also attempted a pass in the second half on an end-around. RB Artose Pinner filled in adequately for Kevin Jones in the backfield, but did not significantly produce with only 30 all-purpose yards). WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW Philadelphia Eagles QB: Donovan McNabb (29-42-356, 2 TD, 5 for -2, 1 TD rushing) continued to show why he is the top-rated QB in the NFL. McNabb, who has yet to throw an interception, added two more passing touchdowns and a rushing TD to his impressive 2004 totals. McNabb dissected the Detroit secondary, operating the West Coast Offense to perfection. McNabb connected with eight different receivers, seven of which had at least two catches. Most of his impressive day was turned in the first half, as he ran for a score and threw for two more. McNabb reached halftime with numbers of 17-23 for 211 yards as the Eagles amassed a 21-7 lead. RB: Brian Westbrook (13-44 rushing, 7-32 receiving on 9 targets) touched the ball often, amassing a total of 76 yards. With the efficiency displayed in the Philadelphia air game, the running game was de-emphasized by the Eagles until late in the game to kill the clock. Westbrook was also able to draw pass interference in the end zone to set up the first touchdown. RB Reno Mahe (1-17 rushing) had one solid carry for 17 yards and a first down. Mahe also was splitting time returning punts and kickoffs with J.R. Reed. WR: Terrell Owens (6-107, 1 TD receiving on 10 targets) was McNabb's favorite target, getting two or three targets in every quarter. McNabb's balancing of the air attack allowed Owens to get open throughout the game, and Owens made much of each opportunity. Owens scored on a 29-yard strike in the first quarter, and added another long catch of 55 yards in the fourth. Freddie Mitchell (3-71 receiving on 5 targets) caught three balls on five targets. All 3 catches gave the Eagles first downs, including a long catch of 48 yards that setup a first-and-goal at the 9 which led to the first touchdown of the game. One of Mitchell's targets was on one of two attempted Hail Mary passes at the end of the first half. Todd Pinkston (3-22 receiving on 6 targets) caught three balls on 6 targets, none of which went past 10 yards. Pinkston was able to draw pass interference in the end zone to set up the first touchdown. Another of Pinkston's targets was on one of two attempted last second long passes at the end of the first half. Greg Lewis (1-13 receiving on 1 target) caught one lone pass in the second
quarter for 13 yards and a first down. L.J. Smith (4-74 receiving on 4 targets) helped the Eagles to keep the chains moving, making four catches on all of his targets and three first downs. Three of his four catches were for over 10 yards (25, 16, 27 yards). Smith was injured after his last catch in the third quarter (shoulder) and did not return to the game. Mike Bartrum (2-18, 1 TD receiving on 2 targets) the third TE for the Eagles, caught a 1-yard touchdown in the third quarter. He also contributed a 17-yard catch in the fourth quarter on a busted play. K: David Akers (3-3 XP, 3-3 FG) connected on all his attempts, making field goals of 26, 47, and 39 yards. Akers was the lone Eagle to score in the second half. Pass Defense: The Eagles, led by Jevon Kearse, kept constant pressure on Detroit QB Joey Harrington. While they did not force an interception, they did collect 4 sacks (3 by Kearse) and one fumble recovery. Harrington was only able to connect on just one pass over 20 yards, and was held to less than 200 yards passing. Rush Defense: Once Detroit fell behind 21-0 and without RB Kevin Jones, the running game fell to a distant second option for the Lions. Aside from a few "change of pace" carries by RB Artose Pinner and RB Shawn Bryson, the running game was abandoned. Bryson had the lone carry over 10 yards, a 25-yard dash in the fourth quarter. Detroit managed just five first downs rushing. Detroit Lions QB: Joey Harrington (21-38-199, 2 TD, 3-10 rushing, 1 fumble lost) Harrington was being constantly pressured from the Eagles' blitzing defense. His only miscue was a fumble during a scramble in the first quarter. Roy Williams has become his favorite target and Harrington connected with him in the 2nd and 4th quarters for touchdowns. RB: Kevin Jones (4-8 rushing) suffered an ankle injury in the first quarter after only four carries. Jones was forced from the game due to the injury and did not return. Artose Pinner (6-16 rushing, 4-14 receiving on 4 targets) split backfield duties with Shawn Bryson after Jones' injury, but only carried the ball six times. Pinner also added four catches on all his looks, but none of his catches were for over 10 yards. Shawn Bryson (5-43 rushing, 1 for -1 receiving on 3 targets) split backfield duties with Artose Pinner after the Jones injury, but only carried five times. His lone reception was for a loss on a pass to the right flat. Bryson's biggest impact came in the fourth quarter as he ran for 25 yards and a first down, but it was long after the game had been decided. WR: Roy Williams (9-135 receiving, 2 TD on 17 targets, 0-1 passing) was the most targeted receiver by a wide margin. Williams set personal bests with his nine catches and 135 yards. Detroit tried to get the ball in Williams' hands as much as possible, even allowing him to attempt a pass to WR Tai Streets, which fell incomplete. Towards the end of the game, Williams was able to add to his totals against what seemed to be a softer defense employed by Philadelphia, but that should not diminish his performance. Williams was Harrington's clear preference, yet the two were still able to connect seemingly at will in the second half. Tai Streets (3-23 receiving on 9 targets) was targeted often in the fourth quarter, getting 6 looks after the outcome was already decided. His three catches (11, 4, 8 yards) were not a major impact in the passing game. Streets was the intended recipient of WR Roy Williams' pass attempt, but they did not connect. Az-Zahir Hakim (1-13 receiving on 2 targets) contributed just one catch for 13 yards and a first down in the second quarter. TE: Stephen Alexander (3-15 receiving on 6 targets) had three catches for 1, 4, and 10 yards respectively. Alexander was the only TE employed by the Lions' passing game. Two of his three targets were deflected by the defense. K: Jason Hanson (1-1 XP) connected on his lone extra point attempt. Pass Defense: QB Donovan McNabb had a field day against the depleted Detroit secondary. Without starting corners Dre' Bly and Andre' Goodman, McNabb completed 29 passes for 356 yards and two scores, both in the first half. McNabb did not seem under pressure during most of the game, and was able to go to his second and third receivers as he felt necessary. The Lions managed just two sacks and no interceptions. Rush Defense: Philadelphia had a mediocre run game performance, but that was partly due to the excellence in the passing game. RB Brian Westbrook had only 13 carries for 44 yards and the Eagles managed only 4 rushing first downs (one of which was McNabb's TD), but this did not inhibit Philadelphia. The single goalline carry scored easily on the first try on a QB sneak from the 1-yard line. Chicago Bears 22 at Minnesota Vikings 27 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Chicago Bears The Chicago offense is continuing to take shape. The Bears' players appear to be getting their timing down, and they are showing the ability to regularly move the ball up and down the field. The area that seems to be weakest is moving the ball in the red zone. The Bears had a number of appearances there but with penalties and a costly fumble, they did not have much to show for them. The Bears defense entered the game with a number of their key defensive starters out of action. Rex Grossman left the game with a knee injury he suffered as he dove for the end zone and scored. The MRI revealed a torn ACL and he's out for the year. Grossman was beginning to look like a quality, young pro quarterback. He made a number of throws with a great touch. He showed that he is able to move around in the pocket and buy time, and generally made good decisions. Thomas Jones continued to prove that he is far from an NFL bust with another big rushing and receiving game. The Bears young receiving core had a decent game, dropping very few balls and making many athletic plays. Their inexperience still shows however and no more clearly then when rookie Bernard Berrian elected to run toward the sideline and get tackled, when a desperately needed first down was only steps away up field. The Bears did not appear to be interested in using their tight ends in this game. Minnesota Vikings The Vikings offense generally seemed to be able to move the ball well, but somewhat sporadically - with short gains and losses overshadowed by long pass plays. The offense did not experience a single three-and-out series until the last two minutes of the game when they were trying to run out the clock. The Vikings' defense played well-enough to win the game, but had a hard time containing Thomas Jones and the Bears' passing attack. Daunte Culpepper appeared comfortable and in control, running the offense smoothly, and frequently bought time to find receivers open deep on 3rd-and-long plays. He was able to find the mismatches and holes in the Bears depleted secondary. Onterrio Smith had a great game both rushing and receiving. He was quick and showed great vision and elusiveness, leaving tacklers grabbing air. Smith did have a few negative runs, but generally got harder to tackle as the game wore on. The Viking receivers were of course led by Randy Moss who had two short TD catches and a number of other longer ones throughout the game. He was the number one target, and did not have much trouble getting open against the Bears' smaller defensive backs. Both Nate Burleson and Kelly Campbell also made big game contributions. Richard Owens was the only tight end to catch a pass. WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW Chicago Bears QB: Rex Grossman (21-31-248, 1 fumble lost, 3-20, 1 TD rushing) Grossman continued to show that he can play at this level. He was able to buy time when needed, able to hit receivers at any distance, and showed good accuracy and decisions. He looked especially sharp late, when trying to pass the team back into the game. With the exception of his fumble, Grossman ran effectively, even scoring a touchdown at the two-minute warning. Unfortunately he injured his right knee on the play. Jonathan Quinn (0-3-0) Quinn came in when Grossman was hurt with two-minutes left in the game. All three of his passes were poor, thrown high or into coverage. RB: Thomas Jones (22-110 rushing, 1 TD, 8-71 receiving on 11 targets) Jones was again the focal point of the Bears offense, both running and catching the ball. He was also frequently the target on third-down and red zone plays. He displayed good quickness, and ran through arm tackles. He got many of his longer runs on delayed running plays. Anthony Thomas (2-2 rushing) Anthony Thomas was hardly used this week. He only came in twice to give Jones a play to rest. Bryan Johnson (1-10 receiving on 2 targets) FB Johnson had a nice catch in the first quarter, but was primarily used as the lead blocker for Thomas Jones. WR: Bobby Wade (4-71 receiving on 5 targets, 1-14 rushing) Bobby Wade is continuing to develop as a young receiver. This week he caught the balls that hit his hands, and had a nice gain on a reverse. David Terrell (2-25 receiving on 5 targets) It's hard to say who the Bear's best WR is. Terrell was frequently targeted and showed great athletic ability with two leaping catches, and a third one off his fingertips in the end zone that Grossman was probably just trying to throw away. Terrell's two most athletic catches were nullified by penalties. He also drew two defensive pass interference calls, but one flag was later picked up due to a phantom tipped pass call. Bernard Berrian (2-12 receiving on 6 targets) Berrian was looked for on a few plays and once on a deep pass. He was also the primary kick returner, but did nothing noteworthy in that role. Justin Gage (1-32 receiving on 5 targets) Gage made a nice deep catch and tried to stretch the ball into the end zone (it was spotted at the one). He also was the target on a two-point conversion attempt. Gage was Jonathan Quinn's only target on his three passes. TE: Dustin Lyman (2-16 receiving on 2 targets) The Bears barely used their tight ends as receivers. Lyman's second catch was a great shoe-top grab. John Gilmore (1-11 receiving on 1 target) Gilmore made the most of his one target, pulling it in for 11 yards. K: Paul Edinger (1 XP, 3-4 FG) Edinger missed his longest attempt of the day. Disturbingly, that attempt was from only 39 yards away. Pass Defense: The pass defense was spotty, without a number of their key starters. Safety Bobby Gray also went out with an injury during the second quarter. The Bears were able to pressure Culpepper frequently, and even managed three sacks. The defense seemed to lose focus in the fourth quarter after an obvious offside call was missed on a two-point conversion that would have brought the Bears to within a field goal. The following two Viking completions were a 63-yard catch and run, and a blown assignment with Randy Moss left uncovered in the end zone. Rush Defense: Even with the Bears' defense without Urlacher and with two rookie tackles seeing heavy playing time, they were able to hold the Vikings to 41 yards in the first half and Onterrio Smith to 27 yards. The defense seemed to wear down some in the second half, letting Smith have a few bigger gains. Overall they still held the Vikings to under 100 yards net rushing. Minnesota Vikings QB: Daunte Culpepper (19-30-360, 2 TD, 6-13, 1 TD rushing) Daunte Culpepper did a great job of finding his receivers, and staying poised in the pocket even with frequent pressure. He was especially effective on screen plays getting the passes off just before being hit, usually resulting in big gains. When presented with a play from inside the one, he called his own number on the QB sneak. Culpepper did fumble twice, but both were recovered by his team. Gus Frerotte (0-1-0) Frerotte attempted a pass after mishandling a snap for a field goal attempt. He threw the ball away. RB: Onterrio Smith (17-94 rushing, 6-104 receiving on 9 targets, 1 Fumble lost) Smith had a strong day and was the only RB that the Vikings used. He frequently made defenders miss and showed good power running through tackles. He had a big day receiving and gained large chunks of yardage on screen plays. He suffered an injured shoulder in the third quarter, but was able to get back into the game without missing any plays and with no noticeable change in his running or receiving. WR: Randy Moss (7-119, 2 TD receiving on 10 targets) Moss' first touchdown was on a leaping, jump-ball over a smaller Bear defender. This play looks unstoppable with Moss if the defender does not jam him at the line of scrimmage. Moss had his usual all-pro type day, making catches all over the field. He was frequently the first target when the Vikings got near the end zone. Kelly Campbell (2-50 receiving on 2 targets, 1 for -14 rushing, 1 fumble lost) Campbell displayed great potential, making a couple of longer catches and looking good returning kicks. He had a 95-yard return for a touchdown called back due to an illegal block. Nate Burleson (2-71 receiving on 7 targets) Burleson was frequently targeted, but only managed two catches. His second reception included about a forty yard run after the catch. Marcus Robinson (0-0 receiving on 2 targets) Robinson was not much of a factor during most of the game. His best contribution was recovering the Bears' onside kickoff with two-minutes left (even though a penalty gave the Vikings the ball). During the second half, Robinson was seen on the sideline with trainers, and he appeared to be nursing his hamstring. TE: Richard Owens (2-16 receiving on 2 targets) Daunte Culpepper did not look for his tight ends much all day. Owens' first catch was for eleven yards. Sean Berton (0-0 receiving on 1 target) Berton did not see much receiving action. K: Morten Andersen (3 XP, 2-3 FG) Andersen's missed field goal was from 46 yards away. Andersen broke George Blanda's record for the most NFL games played in a career. Andersen had one additional chance for a field goal, but due to what appeared to be a mishandled snap, the play became a pass attempt. Pass Defense: The Vikings' pass defense looked pretty average, allowing Rex Grossman to put up 248 passing yards. They were able to hold them to 69 yards in the first half, but were unable to stop the Bears when they had to throw more to get back into the game. The Vikings did put some pressure on Grossman, but with the exception of one sack for -2 yards, he was able to elude the heat. The line did produce a 7-yard sack on QB Jonathan Quinn on the Bears' last play. Rush Defense: The Vikings' rush defense was also pretty average allowing the
Bears to gain 146 yards. The Bears gained positive yardage on almost every rush,
with Thomas Jones getting some big gains on draw plays. Houston Texans 24 at Kansas City Chiefs 21 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Houston Texans "Scissors Watch" is now in effect in Houston as the Texans defeated the Chiefs 27-21. QB David Carr has vowed to not cut his hair until the Texans win two games in a row, something the Texans franchise have never accomplished, either in preseason or the regular season. The Texans will have a chance to win their second game of the season next week in Houston against the Oakland Raiders. Carr did limit himself to one turnover (one interception) against the Chiefs that unfortunately ended the Texans' opening drive in the Chiefs' endzone. Carr did complete two long passes that led to Texans' scores in the fourth quarter, a 37-yard completion to Andre Johnson that led to the touchdown that tied the game at 21, and again on the game-winning drive to Derick Armstrong of 35 yards. Carr also completed a 46-yard pass to Johnson in the second quarter that resulted in a Texans' field goal. Along with leading the Texans to the game-tying and game-winning drives, he also led the Texans' on a 64-yard drive in the final two minutes of the first half that resulted in a Texans' field goal. Carr continues to mature as a quarterback, and improved his care of the football in comparison to his play against San Diego and Detroit. RB Domanick Davis was held to 12 rushing yards on only 10 carries in the game, but along with Carr, took much better care of the football in Week 3 as Davis did not have a fumble. Davis injured his ankle and was replaced by RB Jonathan Wells in the third quarter. Tony Hollings (knee) was not active for the game. WR Andre Johnson continues to be David Carr's favorite target, collecting four receptions for 96 yards including receptions of 37 and 46 yards. WR Corey Bradford left the game with an injury on the final play of the third quarter. TE Billy Milner made his first appearance on the stat sheet with his first reception of the year. Milner made three receptions in the game for 39 yards. If you have a TE that you are considering starting, see if he is playing against the Texans. The Texans have yielded big games to two TEs in three games this year-in Week 1, Antonio Gates, 8 receptions for 123 yards; in Week 3, Tony Gonzalez, 8 receptions for 106 yards and 1 TD. Kansas City Chiefs WR/KR Dante Hall played a significant role in the Chiefs offense from scrimmage in place of injured Eddie Kennison (hamstring, designated as not active), catching five passes for 32 yards and rushing three times for 22 yards. TE Tony Gonzalez and QB Trent Green finally put together the fantasy performance we've been expecting from them. Gonzalez was easily Green's most productive receiver with 12 targets. RB Priest Holmes carried a huge workload with 32 carries. He totaled 1374 yards
rushing. However, he was not his "normal" unstoppable self as he did
not find the endzone and did not catch a pass. Now, how do the Chiefs lose to the Texans 27-21? Several reasons including some of the following: At the two minute warning in the first half, the Chiefs are 4th-and-2 at the Texans' 6-yard line. The Chiefs decline the field goal attempt and run Priest Holmes to the right for only one yard. The Texans take over possession and drive 64 yards for a field goal. The Chiefs go into halftime with only a 7-6 lead. Late in the third quarter, Chiefs leading 14-6, and are inside the Texans' 5-yard line, looking to take a commanding lead. On second down, Trent Green throws an out-pass that is intended for Tony Gonzalez when Texans' FS Marcus Coleman stepped in front of for an interception and returned the pass 102 yards for a Texans touchdown. The Texans tied the game at 14 on a 2-point conversion. The Chiefs committed nine penalties for 85 yards. WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW Houston Texans QB: David Carr (13-25-233, 1 TD, 1 INT, 5-26 rushing) Carr limited his mistakes to one interception on the opening drive, and led key drives at the end of the first half and twice in the fourth quarter to lead the Texans to victory. Carr also was the Texans second leading rusher on the day with 26 yards on 5 carries. These carries were a result of both the Texans designed rollouts for Carr, and evading the Chiefs' pass rush which was solid throughout the game. Carr was sacked three times for 13 yards, and was flagged for two intentional grounding calls (one enforced and one nullified on offsetting penalties). RB: Domanick Davis (10-12 rushing, 1-10 receiving on 1 target) Davis was a non-factor in the game as he collected only 12 yards rushing and 10 yards receiving. On Davis' ten carries, he had very little running room as the Chiefs defense was committed to not allow Davis to break big runs into the their secondary, which was commonplace in the previous two games. In his limited activity, Davis did not fumble, again reversing his results from the first two weeks. Davis did leave the game in the third quarter with a twisted ankle. Jonathan Wells (10-37 rushing, 1-10 on 3 targets) Wells was Davis' rest replacement
at the end of the first half and again when Davis was injured in the second
half, and ended up being the most productive Texan running back in the game. Derick Armstrong (2-55 on 3 targets) Armstrong's key contribution to the Texans' victory was a 35-yard receptions that brought the football to the Chiefs' 30-yard line setting up Kris Brown's game-winning field goal. Jabar Gaffney (1-9 receiving on 6 targets, 1 TD) Gaffney collected the Texans' only offensive touchdown of the game. Gaffney was also the intended receiver on David Carr's interception in the endzone to end the Texans' first drive of the game. Corey Bradford (1-9 receiving on 3 targets) Bradford left the game at the end of the third quarter and did not return to the game. TE: Billy Milner (3-39 receiving on 3 targets); Mark Bruener (0 receptions
on 1 target) Rush Defense: The Texans gave up their second 100-yard rushing day of the season-Week 1 to the Chargers' LaDainian Tomlinson and Week 3 to the Chiefs Priest Holmes. Holmes had plenty of running room throughout the game as the Chiefs' offensive line gave him plenty of room to run. The Chiefs rushed for 116 yards in the first half, but only 52 yards in the second half. The Chiefs averaged 4.7 yards per rushing play in the game. Kansas City Chiefs QB: Trent Green (21-30-224, 3 TD, 1 INT) In a solid three touchdown, 111.0
QB rating game, Trent Green made one very costly mistake--throwing an interception
inside the Texans' five-yard line that resulted in a 102-yard touchdown return
for the Texans' Marcus Coleman. Green was sacked three times for 26 yards of
losses. WR: Dante Hall (5-32 receiving on 6 targets, 3-22 rushing) Along with his responsibilities
on the return teams, Hall was the most active WR in the Chiefs' passing game.
Hall was also targeted in the running game as he carried the ball three times. Chris Horn (2-16 receiving on 3 targets, 1 TD) Horn collected his first touchdown of the 2004 season, and also collected his first career reception and touchdown as he was activated off the practice squad for this game. WR Eddie Kennison was listed as inactive for the game (hamstring). TE: Tony Gonzalez (8-106 receiving on 12 targets, 1 TD) Gonzalez was dominant throughout the game as he was Trent Green's favorite target. This game is why Gonzalez is generally taken as the first TE in a fantasy football draft, and is frequently taken in the 3rd-4th round. Gonzalez was also the intended receiver on Green's ill-fated endzone pass that resulted in a 102-yard interception return for the Texans. Jason Dunn (1-5 receiving on 1 target, 1 TD) More activity for the Chiefs' TEs in today's game. K: Lawrence Tynes (3 XP, 0-0 FG) Lawrence Tynes was perfect on three XP attempts. Tynes did not attempt a field goal in the game. Pass Defense: The Chiefs yielded three pass plays of 35 yards or more, two to Andre Johnson (46 and 37) and one to Derek Armstrong (35). All three plays resulted in Texans' scores. The Texans' averaged 7.9 yards per pass play. The Chiefs interception in the first quarter was Eric Warfield's third of the season. The Chiefs also sacked David Carr three times for a total of 13 yards lost. Rush Defense: The Chiefs seemed committed to stopping the Texans' running game, specifically Domanick Davis, and they were successful. Davis collected only 12 rushing yards before leaving the game in the third quarter with an injury. Jonathan Wells, Davis' replacement, was more successful, rushing ten times for 37 yards, with a Texans' long run of 13 yards. The Texans' were held to an average of 2.9 rushing yards per carry. San Francisco 49ers 0 at Seattle Seahawks 34 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW San Francisco 49ers QB Ken Dorsey was responsible for four turnovers (two lost fumbles, two interceptions). He was precise with his throws of ten yards and less, but was unable to accurately deliver the ball downfield. He missed several opportunities in the game due to this inadequacy. WR Brandon Lloyd did not play due to a groin injury. WRs Cedric Wilson and Curtis Conway started at WR. Conway saw a flurry of targets during one stretch in the second quarter, but Wilson was the only WR consistently targeted throughout the game. Rookie WR Rashaun Woods saw four targets, but two of them resulted in interceptions. More than fifty percent of the 49er offense was directed at RB Kevan Barlow in the first quarter (eight of fifteen plays). However, Barlow had no openings to run to and the 49ers were unable to move the sticks. Barlow appeared to be fine after undergoing an MRI earlier in the week on his knee. However, due to the blowout nature of the game, Barlow sat out the second half after two carries early in the third quarter. Seattle Seahawks QB Matt Hasselbeck was sharp and efficient leading the Seahawks to scores on six of their first nine possessions. He did a nice job of avoiding the rush by moving around in the pocket and threw only one ball in the game that had the potential of being intercepted. The 49ers did a good job of shutting down the running game, but Hasselbeck kept drives alive with his arm. The Seattle defense held an opponent to 7 points or less in three consecutive games for the first time in franchise history. Their ability to consistently stuff the run on first down set up multiple opportunities for the Seahawks to bring blitzes from various directions forced QB Ken Dorsey into four turnovers. RB Shaun Alexander found the endzone three times, even though he had a rough time finding running room. His halftime stat line read nine carries for four yards and two rushing touchdowns. It wasn't apparent whether or not he was still bothered by the knee injury he sustained in week one, but he was seen on the bench at the end of the game with an ice pack strapped to an ankle. Even though WR Koren Robinson only had one reception, he was still targeted seven times in the game. Robinson dropped two balls that he got his hands on, but one would have been a great catch. Robinson missed practice on Friday with the flu. It was unclear what affect this might have had on him in the game. WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW San Francisco 49ers QB: Ken Dorsey (19-32-153 2 INT passing, 2 lost fumbles) Dorsey completed nearly sixty percent of his passing attempts, but his longest pass was only fifteen yards until he hit reserve TE Aaron Walker for a twenty two yard gain in the fourth quarter. Dorsey badly missed WR Curtis Conway on a deep ball after CB Ken Lucas stumbled. Conway was several yards beyond the nearest defender. Both of Dorsey's interceptions came on longer passes intended for rookie WR Rashaun Woods. It looked as if Dorsey doesn't have the arm to be a successful NFL quarterback. Dorsey was under heavy pressure through the game. He was sacked three times, but fumbled on two of those sacks. Both fumbles came on plays where Dorsey was just starting to raise his arm to throw the ball, but wasn't quite in the act of passing. RB: Kevan Barlow (10-22 rushing, 2-14 receiving on 2 targets) Barlow's six carries in the first quarter went for: 1, 2, 1, 0, 2, and 2 yards. He was hit before the line of scrimmage several times and had nowhere to run. However, the 49ers did get the ball to Barlow twice on screens that each picked up seven yards early in the game. After quickly falling behind 17-0 in the first quarter the 49ers abandoned the run. Barlow had only four total touches in the second and third quarters. He had none in the fourth quarter. The game quickly became out of reach and San Francisco opted to rest Barlow. Jamal Robertson (5-24 rushing) Robertson had all of his carries in fourth quarter garbage time. He did have one nice fifteen yard run off the right side. It was the last positive play for San Francisco before QB Ken Dorsey fumbled and Seattle ran out the clock. Terry Jackson (2-2 rushing, 1-3 receiving on 1 target) Jackson had two early carries in the first quarter. His reception came in the second quarter. After that Jackson was a non-factor. WR: Cedric Wilson (6-57 receiving on 8 targets) Besides their rush defense, Wilson was the only other bright spot in the game for San Francisco. He pulled in each of his first five targets accounting for nearly half of the 49ers offensive in the opening half. Dorsey leaned on Wilson early. Wilson ran exclusively short outs and slants. Wilson made two errors in the game. The first was a false start penalty in the second quarter putting San Francisco in third and long. His other was a drop in the fourth quarter. Curtis Conway (3-14 receiving on 7 targets) Conway was riddled with six targets during the second quarter. The TV announcer (former Bear DT Tim Ryan) commented that Conway was now their go-to WR. Conway pulled in three of these targets and was wide open deep down field on another, but completely disappeared through the rest of the game. He was on the field, but wasn't being targeted. Rashaun Woods (0-0 receiving on 4 targets) Woods was targeted on a twenty-yard slant in the first quarter. The ball was poorly thrown behind him and Woods reached back with one arm. The ball glanced off his arm and glanced to CB Ken Lucas for an interception. Late in the game Woods was targeted deep down the sideline into the endzone. The ball was under thrown and late, but Woods didn't appear to fight for the ball or make much of an attempt to break up the play. Brandon Lloyd (Did not play: groin) TE: Eric Johnson (5-39 receiving on 7 targets) Johnson worked underneath and crossing patterns. He was targeted in every quarter, but split time with backup TE Aaron Walker late in the game. Walker caught two balls for twenty-six yards in the fourth quarter. K: Todd Peterson (0 XP, 0-1 FG) Peterson's only attempt (forty-four yards) was straight, but came up short and hit the cross bar bouncing back. Pass Defense: LB Julian Peterson could be a one man wrecking crew. He had several nice pass rush attempts that almost resulted in sacks or disrupted plays. He combined with DE John Engelberger for the lone 49er sack. As a unit they were able to put some pressure on QB Matt Hasselbeck, but the 49er defensive backs weren't able to provide sufficient coverage to keep the Seattle WRs under wraps. They gave the Seattle WRs plenty of cushion all over the field. Rush Defense: San Francisco did a great job of bottling up RB Shaun Alexander. They hit Alexander in the backfield on nearly half of his carries. The two short rushing touchdowns they allowed are not indicative of how they fared versus the run in this game. Seattle Seahawks QB: Matt Hasselbeck (21-30-254 2 TD passing, 1- -1 rushing) Hasselbeck compensated for a lack of a running game in the first half by converting first downs through the air. He was under decent pressure through most of the game, but was only sacked one time. Hasselbeck did a nice job of stepping forward into the pocket and getting rid of the ball. His ability to get through his progression of receivers has become remarkably quick. Observers are able to watch his head snap into position as he checks down from one receiver to the next working across the field. Hasselbeck had three potential TD passes that didn't materialize. The first was to FB Heath Evans on the goal off of play action, a deep ball to WR Darrell Jackson that was dropped (but slightly off-line as well), and another to Jackson that drew a pass interference penalty. RB: Shaun Alexander (19-52 2 TD rushing, 4-22 1 TD receiving on 4 targets) Alexander found little to no room to run during the first half of the game. His first carry went for seven yards, but the rest of his carries in the first half looked like this: -1, 1, -3, 1, -1, 3, 2, 1. Two of those carries resulted in touchdowns. The Seahawks did a nice job of keeping Alexander involved in the passing game using screens. They used the same throw back to the right screen after a fake to the left that Alexander scored on in week one. Alexander could be seen on the sideline in the third quarter lobbying for more carries. He had two more carries into the fourth quarter before being taken out for good. Its unclear whether Alexander was just "icing up" after the game while sitting on the bench, or trying to reduce swelling from an unseen injury. Maurice Morris (8-43 rushing, 1-5 receiving on 1 target) Morris saw the bulk of his work during garbage time late in the fourth quarter. He ran hard and picked up three consecutive first downs that wound down the last five minutes of the clock. Mack Strong (1-1 rushing, 0-0 receiving on 0 targets) Mack Strong suffered a knee injury during the first half. He was seen riding an exercise bike on the sideline during the second quarter, but was standing on the sidelines in street clothes during the second half. Heath Evans (6-21 rushing, 1-9 receiving on 2 targets) Evans replaced FB Mack Strong in the second quarter and was targeted on the goal line. Evans saw an abnormally increased number of carries due to Strong's injury and the score of the game. WR: Darrell Jackson (7-97 receiving on 10 targets) Jackson's first target of the game was on a deep ball up the seam where he was completely alone. The cornerback tripped at the line of scrimmage and Jackson had a slight stumble getting away. This stumble caused him to be slightly farther to the outside while the pass was thrown as more of a post. This should have been an easy touchdown. Jackson rebounded to make several nice grabs during the game. He was also targeted in the endzone on an overthrown ball, but was able to draw a pass interference flag setting up a one-yard Alexander touchdown. Koren Robinson (1-12 receiving on 7 targets) Koren Robinson had two drops that hit him in the hands, but in his defense one would have been a tough catch. This was on an out that he had to half-dive for. The other was on a quick in route that he should have caught. Robinson was targeted on a deep ball down the right sideline that the cornerback made a nice play on. Robinson did a good job of fighting for the ball, and then making sure it wasn't intercepted. Robinson also caught another one of his targets (three-yard gain), but it was nullified due to an offensive line penalty. Bobby Engram (4-95 receiving on 5 targets) Engram and QB Matt Hasselbeck hooked up on a sixty-yard connection straight up the seam between the cornerback and safety. They barely missed on this play last week. Engram had an uncharacteristic drop in the second quarter on third down that would have kept a drive alive. TE: Jerramy Stevens (3-22 receiving on 3 targets) Stevens continues to start ahead of Itula Mili and was targeted twice early in the game. His second target came inside the five-yard line. Itula Mili (1-1 TD receiving on 2 targets) Mili's only reception was off play action at the goal line. He was alone for the easy score. Mili's first target came in the first quarter, but was a ball that QB Matt Hasselbeck was throwing away more than looking to complete. K: Josh Brown (4 XP, 2-2 FG: 35, 28) Brown was perfect in the game kicking field goals, but several of his kick offs were noticeably short, barely reaching the twenty-yard line. Pass Defense: Seattle hit and hurried QB Ken Dorsey throughout the game. All four San Francisco turnovers were a direct result of a persistent pass rush. Two sacks resulted in fumbles. Two interceptions came on plays where Dorsey had bodies flying all around him. RDE Chike Okeafor in particular was quick around the corner and recorded his team high fourth sack. Also of note was how quickly the defensive backs and linebackers as a whole were able to put receivers on the ground limiting 49ers to yards after receptions. Rush Defense: DTs Cedric Woodard and Rashad Moore are quickly building a reputation as being tough against the run. They have bought into defensive coordinator Ray Rhodes philosophy and are maintaining excellent gap discipline limiting openings for RBs to quirt through. As they continue to do their job well it's allowed the speed on the outside to run to the ball and clean up. The 49ers only gained one first down rushing in the game. New Orleans Saints 28 at St. Louis Rams 25 OT WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW New Orleans Saints Aaron Stecker filled in admirably for the injured Deuce McAllister rushing 18 times for 106 yards and a TD. Stecker scored the Saints first rushing touchdown of the year on a draw play. The Rams blitzed and the Saints did a great job picking it up. Stecker took the run up the middle and outran the defense for the score. Aaron Brooks threw for 316 yards and a touchdown. He did have a few miscues in this game overthrowing wide open receivers. In crunch time however, Brooks had no trouble moving the offense. Brooks completed 11 of 18 passes in the 4th quarter and overtime leading the Saints to the go ahead score, a tying field goal with no time left and the game winner in overtime. Joe Horn was a true warrior in this game. Despite being hobbled by a badly bruised knee that had him limping off the field several times, Horn managed to catch 7 passes for 91 yards, including the go ahead touchdown in the 4th quarter. Horn's TD was a fantastic grab as he reached backwards while falling down to catch a pass that went through CB Aeneas Williams' hands. John Carney proved that he hasn't lost any range despite being 40 years old, hitting 5 of 6 field goals including kicks of 52 and 53 yards. Carney kicked a 38 yard field goal with three seconds left to send the game into overtime. In overtime, Carney hit from 31 yards out to win the game for the Saints. St. Louis Rams Mike Martz will surely be second guessed this week for some of the decisions he made in this game. Against a Saints squad with the 2nd worst rushing defense in the National Football League, Martz choose to run the ball only 15 times. After the Rams scored the go ahead touchdown with 28 seconds left on the clock, Martz elected for a squib kick in order to keep the ball away from dangerous KR Michael Lewis. The poorly executed squib kick gave the Saints the ball on their own 42 yard line, giving them a short field to drive toward the tying score. In overtime, on 4th and 1 at their own 41 yard line, Martz decided to go for it. While Marshall Faulk was able to convert the attempt, it was an unorthodox call. Marc Bulger appeared to win the game for the Rams when he couldn't find an open receiver from the Saints 19 yard line and ran up the middle to take the lead with 36 seconds left. Bulger completely 32 of 49 passes for 358 yards and a score on the day. Bulger often had plenty of time to find the open receiver, despite being sacked five times. Bulger did have a drive killing fumble when he was tackled by DE Darren Howard on the Saints 25 yard line. Marshall Faulk was effective out of the backfield catching 8 passes for 46 yards. However, Faulk was given only 12 carries in this game, despite playing a Saints defense that is soft against the run. Faulk punched in a 3 yard score early in the 3rd quarter. Isaac Bruce was Bulger's favorite receiver this day catching 8 passes for 134
on 12 targets. Bruce's 1st down catch on 3rd and 6 setup Faulk's TD. Torry Holt
also had a solid outing, catching 6 passes for 65 yards and a TD. On the TD
catch, Holt was double covered, but Bulger's pass was under thrown. Holt slammed
on the breaks as the defenders sailed past him and went up in the air for the
TD grab. WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW New Orleans Saints QB: Aaron Brooks (24-41-316, 1 TD, 5-27 rushing) Aaron Brooks came up big late in the fourth quarter and in overtime for the Saints, but had several gaffes earlier in the game. In the first half, Brooks threw the ball low and behind Joe Horn as Horn was streaking down the middle of the field wide open. Two plays later, Brooks overthrew Jerome Pathon who was completely uncovered down the right sideline. Brooks almost stalled the Saints first drive of the second half when he scrambled and slid just short of the first down marker, when he easily could have gained another yard or two. When it counted though, Brooks gave the New Orleans offense what it needed. Brooks completed 11 of 18 passes in the 4th quarter and overtime. Brooks caught a break in the fourth quarter when a pass thrown right toward CB Aeneas Williams went through Williams' hands and Horn was able to make a fantastic grab for the go ahead score. In the final 24 seconds, Brooks was able to complete two clutch throws to setup Carney's tying field goal as time expired. In overtime, Brooks drove the team 54 yards. Brooks called his own number and rambled 12 yards on a bootleg to setup Carney's game winner. RB: Aaron Stecker (18-106 rushing, 1 TD, 4-20 receiving on 8 targets) Stecker was an excellent replacement for Deuce McAllister in this game. Chris Meyers said that Stecker could be "the Saints' Ace in the hole in this game". That proved to be true as Stecker made several big plays throughout the course of the game. Stecker didn't look like a game breaker, but provided a rushing threat that Ki-Jana Carter could not. In this game Stecker picked up the Saints first rushing touchdown of the season early in the second quarter on a 42 yard scamper up the middle. Stecker was given the ball on a draw play and the Rams blitzed. The Saints did a great job of picking up the blitz and Stecker ran up the middle through a giant hole for the score. Stecker was thrown to often out of the backfield being targeted 8 times, a role he has become accustomed to having been used as a 3rd down/change of pace back most of his career. Ki-Jana Carter (7-12 rushing) It appeared early on that Carter and Stecker would split the rushing workload for the Saints, but as Stecker had more success and Carter struggled, Carter saw fewer carries. Carter was hit for no gain on his first carry. Two plays later Carter attempt to pick up a 1st down on a 4th and short and was stuffed again. Carter received a few more carries up until Stecker broke his long touchdown run. After that, Carter was used on only one more drive getting two carries for no gain a loss of a yard respectively. Carter didn't see the field again after that drive. Mike Karney (1-5 receiving on 1 target) The fullback picked up five yards on his only target of the game. Despite the lack of rushers for the Saints, Karney didn't receive a carry. Deuce McAllister did not play due to a high ankle sprain. WR: Joe Horn (7-91 receiving on 11 targets, 1 TD) Joe Horn fought through the pain of a badly bruised knee to have a big game for the Saints. On his first catch of the game, Horn landed on his knee and limped off the field. He was shown on the sidelines wincing in pain. However, Horn was back in the game on the Saints next series. After that, he played as if he had never been injured for most of the game until again landing hard on his knee early in the fourth quarter. After that grab, Horn got up off the turf and was limping badly off the field. Horn came back to catch the go ahead TD for the Saints a few plays later. On the TD catch, Horn was the intended target, but the ball was thrown directly to Rams CB Aeneas Williams. The ball went right through William's hands and started falling behind Horn. Horn reached behind him with one hand and secured the ball, keeping both of his feet inbounds in the back of the end zone for the score. Donte' Stallworth (5-65 receiving on 7 targets, 1-4 rushing) Stallworth had
a good game for the Saints, although he played second fiddle to Joe Horn in
this contest. Stallworth caught a 17 yard pass on the first play of the Saints
first drive in overtime. He also drew a short pass interference call early in
the first quarter. Stallworth had one rush on an end around picking up 4 yards. Michael Lewis (1-25 receiving on 1 target) Lewis did most of his damage as a kick returner in this game, but his one catch as a receiver was a big one. Lewis caught a 25 yard pass from Brooks that helped setup the field goal that sent the game to overtime. Talman Gardner (1-23 receiving on 1 target) Gardner caught one ball for 23 yards before being carted off the field in the fourth quarter with a high ankle sprain. TE: Boo Williams (3-38 receiving on 5 targets) Williams was invisible for most of this game, but came up big in both the fourth quarter and overtime. Williams had not been targeted until catching a pass on the Saints first drive of the fourth quarter. Williams caught a 13 yard pass to setup Carney's game tying field goal. He also caught a 17 yard strike on the Saints game winning drive in overtime. Williams was the intended target on a failed two point conversion after Joe Horn's score. Ernie Conwell was not targeted in this game despite the Saints sometimes using both he and Williams in some two tight end sets. K: John Carney (1 XP, 5-6 FG) Carney had a monster day, hitting kicks that sent the game into the extra period and the game winner in overtime. Carney also nailed kicks of 52 and 53 yards, proving that he still has good length strength despite being 40 years old. Even though he had a big day, Carney almost ended up the goat in this game. His one miss was a 51 yard try late in the fourth quarter that would have iced the game for the Saints. Instead, the Rams got great field position and drove downfield for a TD. Pass Defense: Despite sacking Marc Bulger five times, the Saints passing defense had a lackluster day, letting Bulger throw for 358 yards. Receivers were often getting open, and despite the five sacks, Bulger often had little pressure on him and was finding those open receivers. The two best defensive performances for the Saints were turned in by DE Charles Grant and CB Ashley Ambrose. Grant was all over the field sacking Marc Bulger three times on the day. On the first sack, Grant went right around Pro Bowler Orlando Pace to get a clean shot at Bulger. Grant also gave Bulger a hard shot as he released a throw, and Bulger got up looking a little woozy. The announcers commented that Ambrose, despite being 34, was in the "best shape of his career" and he played like it, racking up 9 tackles and defending several passes. Rush Defense: The maligned Saints defense came into this game giving up 173.5 yards a game, ranking them next to last in rushing defense. However the Saints held the Rams to only 78 yards rushing in this game through five quarters, but the Saints most effective weapon in stopping the run might have been Mike Martz. Rams running backs carried the ball only 14 times during the game. St. Louis Rams QB: Marc Bulger (32-49-358, 1 TD, 1-19 rushing, 1 TD, 1 fumble lost) Marc Bulger spread the ball around and effectively moved the Rams offense. Had the Rams been able to hold on after gaining the lead with 36 seconds left, Bulger would have been remembered as the hero in this game. On 3rd and 4 from the Saints 19 yard line, Bulger tucked the ball after not being able to find an open receiver and raced up the middle for a 19 yard TD, as the fans in the Edward Jones Dome erupted in celebration. Bulger did a nice job of distributing the ball to all of his receivers, but Isaac Bruce was clearly his favorite target on the day. Torry Holt caught Bulger's lone TD, a 32 yard bomb, early in the first quarter. Bulger had a costly fumble as he dropped the ball while getting wrapped up by DE Darren Howard on the Saints 25 yard line. Bulger also struggled to get up after taking a hard hit by DE Charles Grant while completing a pass to Bruce, but shook it off and played well the rest of the game. RB: Marshall Faulk (12-44 rushing, 1 TD, 8-46 receiving on 11targets) Despite facing the 2nd worst rushing defense in the league, Faulk was given only 12 carries in this game. Many of Faulk's carries were crucial ones however, as he moved the chains on two fourth down tries. The second of those was on a 4th and 1 from the Rams 41 yard line in overtime. Faulk took the hand-off, dodged a tackler in the backfield and slid through a small crease in the line for a big first down. Faulk played a bigger role as a receiver, catching 8 passes for 46 yards. In the 3rd quarter, Faulk took a hand-off straight up the gut on a draw play for a score. Faulk was targeted into the end zone early in the 2nd quarter, but got his feet tangled up with the defender and fell down and the pass sailed out of bounds. Stephen Jackson (2-15 rushing) Stephen Jackson carried only twice on the day, but had the Rams longest run by a running back on a 13 yard carry. Jackson took a delayed hand-off up the middle and made several nice cuts for the big gain. Joey Goodspeed (1-13 receiving on 1 target) Joey Goodspeed's 1st NFL catch was a good one. Goodspeed caught a screen on 2nd and 13 and ran over a defender and then bulled his way for 13 yards and a 1st down. WR: Isaac Bruce (8-134 receiving on 12 targets) Marc Bulger looked for Bruce
early and often as he caught 8 passes for 134 on 12 targets. Bruce made a crucial
1st down catch on a crossing route, setting up Faulk's TD. Bruce made a critical
mistake when he dropped an easy catch on 3rd and 3 with 3:30 left, forcing a
punt. Torry Holt (6-65 receiving on 9 targets, 1TD) Holt made a great leaping TD for the first score of the game. Holt went deep and Bulger purposely under threw him. Holt made a quick stop and leaped into the air for the touchdown. Later on, Holt was open deep for what possibly could have been another score, but Bulger overthrew him. Dane Looker (5-69 receiving on 8 targets) Looker made a critical catch on the Rams last drive in regulation. On 3rd and 10 with 1:37 left, Looker caught a pass by the sidelines right at the first down marker. Looker was hit hard by CB Fakhir Brown and flipped head over heals out of bounds. The officiating crew ruled that Looker came up just short of the 1st down, but after a replay, Looker and the Rams were awarded the first down. Late in the game, Looker caught a pass near the sideline and looked like he might score, but lost his balance and stepped out of bounds. Kevin Curtis (1-13 receiving on 1 target) Kevin Curtis was only targeted once in this game, but made a great diving catch on a two point conversion after Bulger's score. The play was reviewed by the officiating crew but ruled a score. Shaun McDonald (1-10 receiving on 4 targets) Shaun McDonald found himself wide open streaking toward the sideline late in the game, but lost track of his feet as he eyed the ball and stepped out of bounds. He lost a chance for the reception and a possible score. TE: Brandon Manumaleuna (2-8 receiving on 2 targets) Manumaleuna's 3 yard grab in the third quarter was the first reception by a Rams tight end this year. The tight end is clearly an afterthought in this offense. K: Jeff Wilkins (2 XP, 1-1 FG) Wilkins 53 yard field goal was his 1000th career point. Pass Defense: Without cornerbacks CB Travis Fisher and CB Jason Craft the Rams secondary was badly overmatched in this game. Because of those injuries, Aeneas Williams was forced to play cornerback for the first time in ages. The Rams front four were able to get good pressure on Aaron Brooks early, forcing him out of the pocket and leading him to some errant throws. The defense was able to sack Brooks twice. The Rams defense was able to stop New Orleans when they went for it on 4th and 4. On that play, the defense got pressure on Aaron Brooks and he was forced from the pocket making a last ditch pass for a receiver out of bounds. MLB Robert Thomas was shaken up early on, but later reentered the game. Rush Defense: The Rams gave up 149 rushing through five quarters in this game. The defense looked good against the run early until Aaron Stecker broke a long TD run on a draw play. From that point on, the Stecker seemed to find more running room. The Rams defense stuffed Ki-Jana Carter on a 4th and 1 on the Saints first drive. Cleveland Browns 10 at New York Giants 27 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Cleveland Browns It appears as if it's going to be a long season for QB Jeff Garcia. While his final numbers may not indicate it, Garcia had a rough game. He was hassled all game long by New York, and didn't begin posting respectable numbers until the game was out of hand and New York softened up its defense. RB William Green made the most of his opportunity in place of the inactive Lee Suggs. Green's day would have been even better had he not lost a 49-yard touchdown run that was called back on an Aaron Shea holding penalty. Sometimes, when a guy's touchdown is called back to penalty you can justify it by saying had it not been for the penalty, he probably wouldn't have scored. But in this case, Green was already past the penalty area when it occurred, so he likely would have scored anyway. The Browns defense was really missing its big guns today. With Courtney Brown, Gerard Warren, and Anthony Henry out due to injury (and Daylon McCutcheon not starting), the Browns were overmatched by the New York offense. New York Giants QB Kurt Warner must have felt like it was 1999 over again. He was given loads of time to throw, his receivers got open consistently deep and short, his running back was effective, and he was accurate with nearly every pass. Most importantly, not only was there no Eli Manning sighting but there was barely even an Eli Manning mention. The Giants offensive line was the biggest difference seemingly, as they allowed Warner ample time to do what he needed to do. RB Tiki Barber took advantage of Ron Dayne being inactive to post some excellent numbers. Barber displayed his trademark shiftiness and burst, particularly on the runs to the outside. Mike Cloud garnered much of the short-yardage work. WR Amani Toomer and TE Jeremy Shockey enjoyed their most productive games of the season. Each had been in the news recently about their respective roles in the offense, but today each was heavily involved from the outset, and each produced very well. WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW Cleveland Browns QB: Jeff Garcia (21-31-180, 1 TD, 1 INT, 1 Fumble lost passing, 3-9 rushing) had a rough game. His final numbers look decent enough, but much of that was accomplished late in the game on 'dink and dunk' passing when the game was out of reach. How bad was it for Garcia? He didn't complete a pass until there was 7:44 remaining in the first half. It appears the loss of TE Kellen Winslow will be a bigger blow than most thought. Garcia's receivers did a horrible job of getting open, and even when they did he almost always had a Giant in his face. No time plus the inability to get open equals disaster of a game for the Browns offense. His lone interception came on a Hail Mary to end the first half so that's excusable. But Garcia's costly fumble when it was still a relatively close game was all on him. RB: William Green (15-91 rushing, 0-0 receiving on 1 target) is really taking advantage of Lee Suggs' inactivity. His good stats could have been outstanding, had it not been for a holding penalty on TE Aaron Shea. Green was already beyond the play and likely would have scored, but the play was called back. Green looked good, and the announcers said that earlier in the week, Head Coach Butch Davis said that Green was running as hard as any back he's had. Could be lighting a fire under Suggs to return a little quicker by putting that out there. Or he could truly be leaning back towards Green as the feature runner. Either way, games like this aren't likely to quell the controversy any. WR: Dennis Northcutt (9-50 receiving on 11 targets) was the primary recipient of Jeff Garcia's passes, but as you can see from the stat line, he didn't do much with them. He was targeted consistently from the beginning of the game to the end, but most of them were on WR screens or short passes over the middle. They never tried to connect deep, and despite the 9 catches, had a very ordinary day. Quincy Morgan (3-44 receiving on 6 targets). Morgan wasn't quite as active as Northcutt, but made more out of the ones that were thrown his way. He made a nice grab on the touchdown, going up and over a Giants DB to haul in the score. Andre Davis (3-33 receiving on 6 targets) wasn't very active, though he did lose 16 yards on a reception early in the game that was called back due to penalty. TE: Aaron Shea (0-0 receiving on 2 targets). It's difficult to get a read on who is the primary fill-in for Kellen Winslow, but if this game was any indication, his receptions will be distributed amongst the WR corps. K: Phil Dawson (1-1 FG, 1 XP) hit a 49-yard field goal, his only kick attempt of the day, with plenty to spare. Pass Defense: Really had no answers for Kurt Warner or the Giants skill position guys. With Courtney Brown out for the year, Gerard Warren out 2-4 weeks, CB Anthony Henry out with vertigo, and CB Daylon McCutcheon not starting due to an injured finger, you would have expected the Browns to be undermanned. You would have been correct. Run Defense: With so many players missing both up front and in the back, it was tough for them to do much of anything. While it doesn't appear they allowed a ton of total yards, the per carry average for Barber was very good and they also gave up three scores on the ground. New York Giants QB: Kurt Warner (19-27-286 passing, 3-(-2) rushing, 1 TD). Warner looked like the Warner we once knew. His passes were crisp, he stood tall in the pocket, when the rush was there he didn't crumble, his long passes had that 'touch' we remember seeing. All in all, an extremely impressive performance. Announcer Phil Simms complimented Warner's excellent decision-making all game long, and specifically noted Warner's mobility. That observation was key, because Warner never seemed to be in a ton of trouble at any point. When the rush was there, he merely sidestepped it and did what he needed. He was also given a TON of time by what appears to be an improving offensive line. Granted, it was against a banged-up Cleveland defense, but still, Warner made all of the throws and then some. Every receiver was hit in stride and he didn't make too many mistakes. There were a few throws that could have been picked off by Browns defenders, but nothing that was a glaring error. One of the big concerns with Warner has been his concussion history, but if this game was any indication, he at least isn't concerned about it. He challenged Cleveland on a bootleg touchdown run in which he lowered down and banged his way into the end zone for his first rushing score since the last Super Bowl he played. His game could have been even better from a fantasy perspective because Tiki Barber came up just a yard short of what would have been a touchdown pass from Warner. Barber was tackled at the 1. Warner escaped potentially serious injury late in the game when his leg was bent at an awkward angle. He was noticeably limping for a few minutes, but shook it off and remained in the game. The leg wasn't an issue the rest of the way. RB: Tiki Barber (23-106 rushing, 1 TD, 3-48 receiving on 4 targets) took advantage of an inactive Ron Dayne to hog nearly all of the carries himself. He looked great all game long, especially on the outside runs. Barber took a carry from the 8 and scored on a nice run up the middle early in the contest, and nearly added another touchdown later. He caught a pass from Warner up a seam in the defense and after a series of moves, seemed to score another touchdown but was ruled down at the 1. The only negative from this game is that Mike Cloud did, in fact, get short-yardage and goal line carries and converted one of them into a touchdown. WR: Amani Toomer (5-126 receiving on 6 targets) was the beneficiary of Warner's regained accuracy. Twice, he hooked up with Toomer on deep balls in which the ball was placed just about perfectly into Toomer's outstretched arms. Of course, Toomer had to get open in the first place, which he did an excellent job of. He wasn't targeted in the red zone, but the Giants seemed to go with more of a run-first approach close to the goal line. Tim Carter (3-45 receiving on 5 targets) had a relatively productive day and is firmly established as the Giants' number 3 option. Ike Hilliard (3-26 receiving on 4 targets) was quiet, but still managed to haul in a few passes. TE: Jeremy Shockey (5-41 receiving on 7 targets). Perhaps in an effort to directly involve him, the first two pass plays of the game were both passes to Shockey. He was at least seen and heard from, and came up with several key grabs early on to keep drives alive. He didn't do much late in the contest, but that may have had as much to do with the Giants' fairly conservative plan in the second half. K: Steve Christie (2-2 FG, 3 XP) hit his only 2 field goal attempts, with a long of 43. There was only one angle shown of the 43-yarder, but it appeared to barely cross the crossbar. Pass Defense: Michael Strahan had a monster game. He recovered two fumbles, and registered two sacks. He led the charge to attack and pressure Jeff Garcia from all sides, which worked to perfection. What's more, the defensive backs actually held up their end of the deal by limiting the amount of space given the Browns receivers. No Brown receiver got open past the defensive backs, and not many got open in front of them, either. Run Defense: William Green didn't seem to be having a big game, and then suddenly he ends up with 91 yards and over 6.0 yards per carry. It wasn't a terrible job by the Giants defenders on Green, though it should be noted that the stats against them could have been much worse if not for Green losing 49 yards and a score on a holding penalty. Green Bay Packers 31 at Indianapolis Colts 45 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Green Bay Packers Sometimes you get exactly what you wish for, and it costs you. Prior to the game, DC Bob Slowik stated that the Packers were going to stop the run and take their chances against Manning and the passing game. Considering that the Colts never attempted a single run until late in the 1st quarter, you could say they stopped the run. However, the Colts put up 5 TD passes in the first half, which was probably more than the Packers had bargained for. QB Brett Favre did not finish the game. As the game was winding down, Favre took a hit to his left Hamstring from RDE Dwight Freeney. From that point on, Favre had trouble moving in the pocket. He didn't scramble, threw quick passes, and held his leg after every throw. He was replaced by Doug Pederson. The injury does not appear to be serious and he'll be evaluated Monday. Indianapolis Colts LT Tarik Glenn couldn't keep up. He was never beat, but that is because he was holding on play after play to protect Manning, and the offensive attack. He was called for offensive holding 3 times for a total loss of 39 yards of offensive gains. There were a number of holds that he was not called for. The Colt's weakest player in the game became the hero in the end. Rookie LCB Jason David was abused by Brett Favre all game, giving up play after play. With the game winding down, and the Packers threatening, David striped the ball from Javon Walker after a reception, with the subsequent fumble was recovered by LCB Nick Harper. It set up a James TD, icing the game for the Colts. Colts safety Idrees Bashir left the game in the third quarter with a groin injury and did not return. With WR Marvin Harrison facing multiple coverage throughout the game, and Stokley and Wayne facing young inexperienced CBs, Stokley and Wayne put on a show. Although Harrison caught far fewer balls than the other two, he was still targeted 13 times, and is the main offensive weapon in the passing game. Fantasy Owners should remember that this is the 3rd year in a row that Harrison has been out played by other receivers early on. In the last two years, Harrison came on, and was one of the top receivers in the league statically at the end of the season. WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW Green Bay Packers QB: Brett Favre (30-44-360, 4 TDs) Favre was in an absolute shoot-out with Manning all day. Manning came right out with the Colts and scored time after time, pushing Favre to score on every drive as well. At the end of the game, Favre took a hit to his hamstring and continued to play, but not very effectively. As the Colts scored yet again, Favre was held of the field as a precaution, with Doug Pederson taking the snaps. Doug Pederson (4-6-34, interception) Pederson came in at the end of the game in place of a limping Brett Favre. Pederson took some snaps in a two-minute drive until Walker had a reception stripped, sealing the victory for Indianapolis. RB: Ahman Green (17-67, 4-34 receiving, 4 targets) The Packers spent most of the fist downs in the game trying to establish the run with Green. Green was consistently not allowed to get going early in the game, forcing the pass. Later in the game, the Packers were forced to pass to play catch-up. Najeh Davenport was not active for the game. Tony Fisher (1-5, 4-16 receiving, 4 targets) Fisher's only official carry was at the start of the second half. He ran off left tackle for 5-yards bringing the Packers just inside the red zone. He had another carry for 1 yard that was negated due to an offensive holding call. Nick Luchey (1-2) Luchey was not a factor in the game. William Henderson (2-20 receiving, 2 targets) Henderson returned 2 Kickoffs, one for 10 yards, and the other for a loss of 2 yards. WR: Javon Walker (11-200, 3 TDs, lost fumble, 14 targets) After the Colt's second score, Favre brought the team onto the field, and immediately unloaded a 79 yard TD strike to Walker. Late in the game, after a 6 yard reception in midfield, Walker had the ball stripped, with LCB Nick Harper recovering. Walker had an injury scare where he laid on the field after a hit from Strickland, he later returned to the game. Donald Driver (6-64, TD, 13 targets) Driver's TD was a circus catch along the sideline where he used every bit of control to stay in bounds for the score. He was heavily targeted by Favre as well. Antonio Chatman (2-14, 5 targets) Chatman lost an easy score when he was open in the end zone, however, Jim Nelson tipped the ball up after Favre threw it. Chatman was used on Kick off returns, bringing 3 back for an average of 29.7 yards. He also returned 2 punts. Chatman dislocated his pinkie, and it was graphically displayed on TV. He continued to play, but failed to catch the next 3 balls thrown to him. The announcers made a number of duct tape jokes at his expense. Robert Ferguson (1-11, 3 targets) With the passing game wide open, and balls flying everywhere, Ferguson was an after thought in the offense, and wasn't even targeted until deep in the second half. Ferguson had a Kick off return for 71 yards. TE: Bubba Franks (4-35, 5 targets) As always, Franks caught everything thrown his way, missing only one reception. He wasn't the focus of the offensive attack, but he kept the chains moving. David Martin (2 targets) The Packers took the field on the opening drive with a two TE, 1 WR set making Martin a game starter. Given the fast paced offensive show that both teams put on, David was quickly put on the bench in favor of more WR sets. He had a total of two targets, both late in the game, and both were failed competitions. K: Ryan Longwell (4-4 XP, 1-2 FG) Pass Defense: QB Peyton Manning put on a Show against the Packers, especially in the first half. Manning was never sacked, intercepted, or fumbled in the pocket, and was the picture of perfection dissecting the pass defense. Rush Defense: FS Darren Sharper (8 tackles, 1 assist) led the team in stops. Indianapolis Colts QB: Peyton Manning (28-40-393, 5 TDs, 2 for -2 rushing) Manning became the first QB to throw 5 TDs in the first half since Tommy Kramer did it for the Vikings back in 1986. There's not a lot more to say as the numbers speak for themselves. He missed a few passes but overall, managed the game nearly flawlessly and executed the Colts game plan against the Green Bay defense. RB: Edgerrin James ( 21-62, TD, 1-17 receiving, 1 target) James had a single carry, with no receptions in the entire first quarter. That carry would have been for 4 yards, but it was called back as Green Bay was called for 12 men on the field. James lost another 5 yards on an offensive holding call. With the Colts up 35-17 after the first half, Indianapolis settled into more of a ball control offense with James running the ball. James ran well with the opportunities he got, but barely being used in the first half impacted his overall stats. Dominic Rhodes (1-0) Rhodes only carry was at the goal line at the end of the first half. He ran the ball off the right guard for no gain from the 1. He was a non-factor in the game. James Mungro (1-1 receiving, receiving TD, 1 target) Mungro's only offensive touch in the game was with a minute left in the first half. He caught a 1-yard TD pass on second down. Mungro also fielded 2 Kick off returns for an average of 15.5 yards. WR: Marvin Harrison (5-65, TD, 13 targets) Harrison faced double coverage most of the day, limiting his production, and allowing Wayne and Stokley to put on a display working against inexperienced defensive backs. Harrison lost a TD when Manning just overthrew him in the end zone. Harrison hurt his finger in the game but he continued to play. Brandon Stokley (8-110, 2 TDs, 12 targets) Stokley's second TD came on an out route run right after the exact same play was overthrown to Harrison. Stokley took the inside line, and moved to the sideline as the safety mistakenly followed Harrison inside, leaving Stokley wide open for the TD. Stokley had a reception of 28 yards negated on an offensive holding call. Reggie Wayne (11-184, TD, 16 targets) Wayne spent most of the day working against inexperienced CBs as Harrison faced better coverage. Wayne lost a 6 yard catch on an offensive holding call. Wayne lost a second TD. On second and long, the packers dropped into man-to-man, with Wayne seeing the ball coming his way in the end zone. Inexperienced RCB Jason Horton was called for contact, effectively taking the TD from Wayne, and setting up the 1-yard pass to Mungro. Wayne lost yet another TD that would have gone for some 60-yards when Manning just overthrew him. TE: Dallas Clark Clark started the game in a 2 TE set, but was never a factor. Marcus Pollard (2-16, 2 targets) Without officially stating it, after the last two games, the Colts look like a 3 WR base set team. Pollard caught both balls thrown his way, but the offense was concentrating on the WRs. K: Mike Vanderjagt (6-6 XP, 1-1 FG) In a wild turn of events, Vanderjagt made the extra point after the first score of the game, only to have it called back on a penalty. Vanderjagt then re-kicked 15 yards further back, and missed wide left. However, LCB Michael Hawthorn made contact with the kicker for another 5 yard penalty. Vanderjagt then made the extra point. Pass Defense: MLB Rob Morris (5 tackles, 1 assist) sacked Favre. LOLB David Thornton intercepted Favre, and LCB Nick Harper recovered a Javon Walker fumble after a reception. Harper had an interception of Favre, but couldn't hold onto the ball. Rush Defense: LOLB David Thornton (8 tackles, 2 assists) led the team in stops. Arizona Cardinals 3 at Atlanta Falcons 6 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals extended their league-worst road losing streak to 15 games with an excruciating 6-3 loss in the Georgia Dome. In a game that featured nine fumbles (seven lost), the Cardinals final miscue was the most costly. Trailing 6-3 late in the 4th quarter, WR Karl Williams collected a first down inside the Falcons 10-yard line on an end around, only to cough up the ball after a hit by Falcons LB Chris Draft. By then, QB Josh McCown was already out of the game. Despite playing well most of the game, McCown repeatedly fumbled the ball away in key situations. His last fumble ended a nice drive to start the 4th quarter, with the Cardinals trailing 6-0. On 2nd and goal from the Falcons 8-yard line, DE Brady Smith blindsided him on a rollout to the right, forcing and recovering the fumble. McCown was replaced to start the next series by backup Shaun King. Cardinals quarterbacks spread the ball around well all day long. WR Karl Williams led the team with 6 catches for 90 yards before his costly miscue, and Bryant Johnson caught 6 passes for 53 yards. Rookie WR Larry Fitzgerald got involved as well, with 5 receptions for 37 yards. RB Emmitt Smith rarely found running room, although he did improve as the game wore on. Smith finished with 56 total yards on the day. The Cardinals attacking defense was very encouraging, racking up five sacks and forcing three fumbles and an interception. DE Peppi Zellner led with two sacks and rookies Karlos Dansby and Darnell Dockett both showed promise in extended action. Atlanta Falcons QB Michael Vick was held in check until the final two minutes of the game, when he took off on the game-clinching 58-yard bootleg keeper. Prior to then, Vick had done little, as he finished with 68 yards rushing, 115 passing and was responsible for three turnovers, including two fumbles. He completed just three passes to wide receivers for 36 paltry yards as he faced constant pressure from the Arizona defensive line. Both of Vick's fumbles came on plays that started in the red zone, thwarting scoring chances. Warrick Dunn ran for 117 yards on 20 carries, with 60 yards coming on his first carry of the day, setting up a Falcons field goal. He would later fumble at his own 19-yard line while fighting for extra yardage on an 11-yard run. Still there was no sign of RB T.J. Duckett, as Dunn helped Vick run the clock out on the game's final drive. The Falcons wide receivers were ineffective. Peerless Price failed to come back for the ball on Vick's lone interception and Dez White had just one catch in 6 targets, although he was responsible for three Arizona penalties. The Falcons needed an excellent defensive effort to survive against the Cardinals, and they got it. DT Rod Coleman had two sacks, forcing fumbles both times. DE Patrick Kerney had three sacks, and Chris Draft came up with the big hit on Karl Williams to secure the win. WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW Arizona Cardinals QB: Josh McCown (20-26-198, 0 TD, 3 Fumbles lost, 6-10 rushing) played perhaps his best game as a pro, with one exception: his three fumbles. His first fumble came near the end of the first half, and only failed to result in points for the Falcons because Michael Vick fumbled three plays later. His second fumble occurred at the Atlanta 10-yard line. His third came in the red zone as well. In between his fumbles, McCown showed poise and efficiency, spreading the ball around the field and picking up third down conversion, but his third fumble caused his exit in the 4th quarter. Shaun King (5-6-40, 0 TD) played well in relief of McCown, but was unable to drive the Cardinals to victory due to the fumble by Karl Williams. RB: Emmitt Smith (18-45 rushing, 0 TD, 2-11 receiving on 2 targets) ran hard but had a tough time finding open running lanes. He improved as the game went on, but was never a real threat to make a big play. WR: Karl Williams (6-90 receiving on 7 targets, 0 TD, 1-3 rushing, 1 Fumble lost) might have been the difference for the Cardinals had he not fumbled away his end-around late in the 4th quarter. Prior to his fumble, he played well. Bryant Johnson (6-53 receiving on 10 targets, 0 TD) was McCown's first look right from the beginning. Johnson caught everything that he had a chance to catch and showed the ability to be a go-to receiver with the Falcons focusing their coverage on Fitzgerald. Larry Fitzgerald (5-37 receiving on 6 targets, 0 TD) caught five of six balls thrown his way. Atlanta made a priority of preventing him from beating them, and succeeded. TE: Freddie Jones (2-11 receiving on 4 targets, 0 TD) was not a factor in this game. K: Neil Rackers (0 XP, 1-1 FG) made his only kick, a 30-yard field goal that cut the Falcons lead to 6-3 in the 4th quarter. Pass Defense: The Cardinals harassed Vick and his receivers all game long. They sacked Vick five times and Adrian Wilson had an interception. Dennis Green could hardly have hoped for a better performance. Rush Defense: Warrick Dunn managed one big play, but other than that the Cardinals run defense was tough. Atlanta averaged 6.5 yards/carry, but Dunn's 60-yard run and Vick's scramble for 58 yards skewed the reality that they stuffed Atlanta's running game most of the day. Atlanta Falcons QB: Michael Vick (10-21-115, 0 TD, 1 INT, 9-68 rushing, 2 Fumbles lost) was held in check until the final minutes of the game when he finally was able to break off a big run. Late in the first half, Vick fumbled the ball away at the Cardinals 8-yard line. In the 3rd quarter Calvin Pace sacked Vick and forced a fumble at his own 18-yard line, resulting in Arizona's lone score. RB: Warrick Dunn (20-117 rushing, 0 TD, 2-20 receiving on 2 targets, 1 Fumble lost) had one big play, his 60-yard run on his first carry. After that he was not a factor, until an 11-yard run in the 4th quarter where he broke a tackle and ran loose for a 1st down before fumbling after a strong shot by Darnell Dockett. WR: Peerless Price (2-16 receiving on 6 targets, 1-9 rushing) was not a factor and helped cause Vick's interception by failing to come back to the football. Price never seemed to get any separation. Dez White (1-20 receiving on 6 targets) only had one catch but was responsible for three defensive penalties by Arizona in his six targets. TE: Alge Crumpler (2-34 receiving on 4 targets) received two targets in the red zone, but Vick missed him each time. He ran hard after the catch both times he had the opportunity. K: Jay Feely (0 XP, 2-2 FG) made field goals from 23 and 25 yards out, supplying the Falcons only points. Pass Defense: The Falcons played soft coverage, especially on third downs, allowing the Cardinals to convert a number of third down passes, but whenever Arizona got in the red zone, the defense came up big. Coleman and Kerney won this game for them. Rush Defense: Atlanta limited the Cardinals to 2.3 yards per carry, and Arizona was never able to get any rhythm established running the ball. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20 at Oakland Raiders 30 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Tampa Bay Buccaneers RB Charlie Garner fell to the ground in the 2nd quarter on a non-contact knee injury. During the game, it was being described as a knee sprain, later tests determined that Garner has torn his patella tendon and will be out for the season. RB Mike Alstott took most of the remaining carries in Garner's absence and was mostly ineffective. Don't forget, that the Buccaneers get suspended RB Michael Pittman back next week. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers again had problems moving the ball on offense. The Buccaneers scored their first offensive touchdown of the season on a pass to WR Tim Brown with 10:45 to go in the 4th quarter. WR Bill Schroeder led the Buccaneers offense with 4 catches for 126 yards and a TD. WR Tim Brown became only the fourth WR in NFL history to snag 100 career TD receptions. QB Brad Johnson's final numbers were not too shabby fantasy wise, but they do not resemble how he played on the field. The offensive line struggled to protect Johnson most of the night, even though only 2 official sacks were registered. A majority of Johnson's production came in garbage time. Johnson had 151 of his 304 passing yards in the final frame as the Raiders defended a 30-6 lead. On a somewhat surprising note, head coach Jon Gruden did not turn to QB Chris Simms at any point during the game. Oakland Raiders QB Rich Gannon was injured on a scramble in the 1st quarter. Further testing revealed that Gannon suffered a vertebrae injury in his back and will miss an "extended" period of time. Initial reports are saying 6 weeks but it could be longer. QB Kerry Collins took over in his stead. Although rusty, Collins was effective enough to lead the Raiders over the Bucs. RB Tyrone Wheatley finished with 102 yards on 18 carries with a TD and a long run of 60 yards. WR Jerry Porter was a fingertip away from a big night, as CB Brian Kelly got his fingertips on a pass in the endzone targeted for Porter. Porter led all Raiders in targets with 10. The Raiders offensive line played very well, allowing only one sack and giving Collins plenty of time and room to step up and throw in the pocket. The ground attack was also effective, netting 173 yards on 31 (5.6 YPC). WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB: Brad Johnson (22-36-309, 2 TD, 1 INT, 3-13 rushing, 2 point conversion) Johnson had an under whelming performance. Without a number of weapons and with Raiders in his face all night long, Johnson struggled to keep the chains moving. His sole interception was a poor pass that was telegraphed and returned for a defensive TB by CB Phillip Buchanon. Head coach Jon Gruden, somewhat surprisingly, did not pull him at any point in the game for Chris Simms. RB: Charlie Garner (6-11 rushing, 2-34 receiving on 2 targets). Garner was injured in the second quarter with a knee injury. He was carted off later tests revealed he tore his patella tendon and will be out for the season. While in the game, he was ineffective running the ball, as the Buccaneers offensive line struggled run blocking and in pass protection. Mike Alstott (12-65 rushing, 4-30 receiving on 4 targets). Alstott took all but one carry after Garner's injury. Alstott also struggled to produce anything on the ground, his numbers were misleading due to a 32 yard carry on the final play of the game. The Buccaneers get RB Michael Pittman back next week, so it is doubtful that Alstott would continue to carry the load. WR: Bill Schroeder (4-126 receiving on 6 targets, 1 TD). Schroeder caught passes of 54 and 41 yards to lead the Buccaneers. He also led the team in targets, tied with rookie WR Michael Clayton. His TD pass was a nice over the shoulder grab. With the litany of injuries to the Buccaneers receiving core (Galloway, Jurevicius), Schroeder should have an opportunity to continue to produce. Tim Brown (4-41 receiving on 4 targets, 1 TD). Tim Brown was targeted four times during the game, all on the same drive. Brown managed to catch his 100th career TD in the 4th quarter. Michael Clayton (2-35 on 6 targets). Rookie WR Michael Clayton was a non-factor catching just two passes. TE: Ken Dilger (2-14 receiving on 3 targets, 2 point conversion). Dilger was targeted in the red zone once and also on both attempted 2 point conversions (1 successful). K: Martin Gramatica (2-3 FG) Gramatica missed a 44 yard FG in the 4th quarter, converting from 30 and 36 yards earlier in the game. Pass Defense: The Buccaneers pass defense was respectable, yielding only 226 yards passing, but had difficulty manufacturing a pass rush against the formidable Raiders offensive line. The Buccaneers only managed to get 1 sack and did not get a lot of knockdowns on the Raiders' QBs. Rush Defense: The rush defense was gashed for 173 yards on 31 carries (a whopping 5.6 YPC). The defense displayed poor tackling on Wheatley's 60 yard run, failing to wrap him up 4 times before finally tracking him down from behind. Oakland Raiders QB: Rich Gannon (2-4-10 yards, 1-2 rushing). Gannon was injured in the 1st quarter on a hit by LB Derrick Brooks. He was taken to training room with a back injury. He's out for an "extended" period of time according to coach Norv Turner. Initial reports have him missing 6 weeks but it could be longer. Kerry Collins (16-27-228 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT). Collins looked rusty coming out of the gate, but settled down and was solid. Behind great protection Collins had plenty of time to throw and threw well. He wasn't spectacular but the starting job is his. RB: Tyrone Wheatley (18-102 rushing, 1 TD, 1-3 receiving on 1 targets). Wheatley's numbers are nice, but his performance wasn't quite as convincing. He ran hard and his 60 yard run was solid, but he didn't seem to have the burst through the hole required for consistent success. Take away his long run and he only had 42 yards on 17 carries (2.5 YPC). That said, he got the majority of the carries and looks to be a big part of the rushing attack for the foreseeable future. Justin Fargas (6-28) was solid in limited time. Amos Zereoue (6-41, 1-9 on 1 target) had 4 carries in the 4th quarter. WR: Jerry Porter (5-84 on 10 targets). Porter led the team in receptions, yards and targets. Porter just missed a TD catch as the ball was tipped away at the last second. Porter probably played better than his numbers suggest and should continue to get the lion's share of targets in the passing game. Ronald Curry (1-19 on 1 target, 1 TD). Curry took a WR screen pass in for the TD with an assist to Jerry Rice for a terrific block. Curry was only targeted once though. Jerry Rice (2-27 on 4 targets). Rice was overthrown by 2 inches in Bucs territory, just missing a TD pass. Otherwise, he had a quiet night. Doug Gabriel (1-30 on 3 targets). Gabriel was not targeted in the second half, but did haul in a 30 yard pass in the second quarter. TE: Doug Jolley (1-4 on 1 target). It was a quiet night for Raiders' tight ends. K: Sebastian Janikowski (3 PATs, 3-4 FGs). Janikowski missed a 46 yard field goal in the second quarter. He converted on tries of 23 yards, 40 yards and 39 yards. Pass Defense: The Raiders surrendered 297 yards passing, but those numbers are slightly misleading. The Buccaneers picked up over half of that in the 4th quarter with the Raiders protecting a 30-6 lead. The Raiders got consistent pressure on Brad Johnson, even though they only officially notched 2 sacks. CB Phillip Buchanon had the Raiders only interception returning it for the game breaking TD. Rush Defense: The Raiders held the Buccaneers to 92 rushing yards on 22 caries (4.2 YPC). Take out the final play of the game where Alstott ran for 32 yards, the Raiders only gave up 60 yards on 21 carries (2.9 YPC). The Buccaneers could not consistently gain yards as the Raiders got a nice push at the point of attack and closed on the holes all night. Pittsburgh Steelers 13 at Miami Dolphins 3 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Pittsburgh Steelers In a game that was rescheduled due to Hurricane Jeanne, QB Ben Roethlisberger made his first start of his career in place of injured QB Tommy Maddox. Playing in horrible weather conditions on a sloppy, rain soaked field, Roethlisberger threw an interception on his very first pass attempt. He rebounded nicely to play quite efficiently and avoided any more costly mistakes. Midway through the fourth quarter, he hit WR Hines Ward in the corner of the end zone for a 7-yard TD strike for the only TD of the game. With the poor playing conditions putting a premium on the running game, RB Duce Staley started the game and was ineffective, only mustering 18 yards on 10 carries in the first quarter. Staley did not see the field in the second quarter, replaced by the duo of RBs Jerome Bettis and Verron Haynes. Haynes was the more effective of the two, running hard and picking up 35 yards on 6 carries by halftime. Bettis only managed a meager 3 yards on 3 carries. However, Staley returned to start the third quarter and ran much better in the second half against a worn out Miami defense. Staley finished with 102 yards on 22 carries. WR Hines Ward caught everything thrown his way. He led all receivers with 9 catches for 96 yards and made a diving catch in the end zone for the only TD in the game. The Steelers defense battered the Miami offense like Hurricane Jeanne battered the Miami residents. With lightning speed and punishing hits, Pittsburgh caused 3 Miami turnovers on their first 3 possessions. The Steelers intercepted QB A.J. Feeley twice and forced 5 Dolphin fumbles, recovering 2 of them. At the end of the first quarter, DB Chris Hope tackled RB Lamar Gordon and knocked him out of the game with an apparent left shoulder injury. The Steelers defense shut down the inept Dolphins offense, only allowing a field goal and 169 total net yards. They forced 4 turnovers and sacked Feeley 3 times. Miami Dolphins As dreadful as the weather and field conditions were, the Miami offense was worse. The Dolphins sloppy play resulted in three turnovers in the first quarter. QB A.J. Feeley had trouble gripping the wet ball and threw erratically, resulting in 2 interceptions and 1 lost fumble. Miami was unable to move the ball against a hard hitting Pittsburgh defense and their only visit to the red zone resulted in a 34-yard field goal, late in the fourth quarter. Feeley was under constant pressure and never looked comfortable as he consistently made bad decisions and poor throws. The Dolphins rushing attack came into the game averaging 45 yards per game, last in the NFL. They did not fare much better against Pittsburgh, rushing for only 52 yards on 29 carries. RB Lamar Gordon had a 102-degree temperature in pregame warm-ups and was given IVs. He gained just 10 yards on 4 carries, before a bone jarring hit caused him to leave the game with a left shoulder injury late in the first quarter. Miami was forced to turn to RB Leonard Henry and he was bottled up, just managing 41 yards on 21 carries. WRs Chris Chambers and Marty Booker were able to get open, but Feeley's inaccuracy hampered their production. They combined for 4 catches for 34 yards. TE Randy McMichael had the greatest success of the Dolphin receivers, hauling in 5 receptions for 51 yards on 8 targets. The Miami defense played well, bailing out the mistake prone Dolphins offense time and time again. CB Patrick Surtain intercepted QB Ben Roethlisberger's first career pass and the defense buckled down to only allow a field goal after 3 consecutive turnovers by the Miami offense in the first quarter. Missing several key players on the defensive line, the defense was unable to generate much of a pass rush and recorded only one sack. With little help from the bumbling offense, the defense wore down and surrendered a TD late in the fourth quarter. WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW Pittsburgh Steelers QB: Ben Roethlisberger (12-22-163, 1 TD, 1 INT, 1-2 rushing) played well given the terrible conditions. Despite throwing an interception on his first pass, Roethlisberger recovered and showed good composure under pressure. He demonstrated his spectacular arm strength by making several throws across his body and while on the run. One of those throws was to Hines Ward for a 7-yard TD pass while he was rolling right after being flushed from the pocket. Roethlisberger looked like a seasoned veteran on that pass, rifling the ball low and allowing only his receiver a chance to make a play on the ball. Roethlisberger made excellent decisions and allowed his defense to give the offense excellent field position all game long. RB: Duce Staley (22-101 rushing) was smothered by the gang tackling Miami defense and managed just 18 yards on 10 rushes in the first quarter. Staley sat out the entire second quarter and watched the duo of Verron Haynes and Jerome Bettis split his carries. Staley returned to start the third quarter and showed why he is the starter. He reeled off 83 yards rushing in the second half, including a 38-yard scamper down the sideline late in the fourth quarter that all but ended the Dolphins chances. Verron Haynes (7-34 rushing, 1 target) did a competent job replacing Staley
in the second quarter and provided a nice change of pace for the Steelers ground
attack. Haynes only had one carry in the second half for a 1-yard loss. WR: Hines Ward (9-96 receiving on 10 targets, 1 TD) was Roethlisberger's favorite target and the two were on the same page all game long. The only pass Ward did not haul in that was thrown in his direction was negated due to a defensive holding penalty. Ward made several shoestring catches and seemed to glide across the sloppy field, leaving defenders slipping and sliding in his wake. His diving 7-yard TD catch at the side of the end zone put the game out of reach. Plaxico Burress (2-60 receiving on 5 targets) was wide open on his first catch and made a great grab as he was falling down on a badly under thrown pass from Roethlisberger. That 42-yard reception set up the Steelers first field goal. Antwaan Randle El (1-7 receiving on 3 targets, 1-4 rushing) had his only catch in the first quarter, but it was good for a third down conversion and helped set up Pittsburgh's first field goal. TE: Jerame Tuman (1 target) received his only target of the game early in the first quarter K: Jeff Reed (1 XP, 2-4 FG) kicked extremely well given the difficult field conditions. Reed converted on attempts from 40 and 51 yards, missing from 44 and 45 yards. In his defense, the 44-yard attempt was kicked off the muddy baseball infield and a false start penalty took away a successful 40-yard attempt. Reed missed from 45 yards after the penalty was marched off. Pass Defense: Pittsburgh's pass defense put heavy pressure on QB A.J. Feeley all game long. They recorded 3 sacks, 2 INTs, and 2 fumble recoveries. LB Joey Porter led all Steelers defenders with 4 tackles and 3 assists, 1 sack, and 1 forced fumble. The pass defense limited Feeley to just 137 yards passing and won the battle of field position. Rush Defense: The Steelers rush defense was tremendous only allowing the Dolphins a total of 52 yards for the game and a measly 1.79-yard per carry average. They knocked out RB Lamar Gordon early and bottled up his replacement, Leonard Henry, by swarming to the ball. The defense stopped Feeley's QB sneak on fourth and inches early in the third quarter. LB James Farrior had several hard hits and finished with 3 tackles, 3 assists and 2 fumble recoveries. Miami Dolphins QB: A.J. Feeley (13-27-137, 2 INT, 4-1 rushing, 1 fumble lost) played horribly.
He had trouble gripping the wet footballs and his passes were consistently under
thrown or overthrown. Feeley made poor reads and tried to force balls into double
and triple coverage. His only success came when he hit his receivers on quick
outs. Feeley had three fumbles, losing one as LB Joey Porter swiped the ball
from his hand. Feeley had little time to throw and was battered by a hard charging
pass rush. Lamar Gordon (4-10 rushing) had trouble getting past the defensive line and was shut down by the swarming Steelers' linebackers. Gordon left the game late in the first quarter after taking a hard blow to his left shoulder. He did not return and it looks like he'll be questionable for their next game. FB Doug Easlick (1 target) was not a factor in the game. Marty Booker (2-19 receiving on 6 targets) seemed to be open several times during the game, but Feeley was consistently off target. Booker made a nice catch on an out route for a third down conversion on Miami's only scoring drive of the game. Chris Chambers (2-15 receiving on 6 targets) was Feeley's target when he threw both his interceptions. Chambers was targeted in the end zone but he was double covered and the pass was well overthrown. His numbers suffered due to a stifling defense and the inaccuracy of Feeley. TE: Randy McMichael (5-51 receiving on 8 targets) has emerged into Feeley's favorite target and his size gives Feeley a big advantage. McMichael was able to get open at will, but he was also a victim of poor throws. Donald Lee (3-16 receiving on 3 targets, 1 fumble lost) fumbled the ball away on the first play of the game after taking a hard shot from DB Chris Hope. K: Olindo Mare (1-1 FG) converted on his only field goal attempt from 34 yards out. Pass Defense: The Miami pass defense got off to a terrific start when CB Patrick Surtain intercepted QB Ben Roethlisberger's first pass from scrimmage. They had trouble generating much of a pass rush and given time, WR Hines Ward was able to light them up for 96 yards and a TD. The secondary allowed a respectable 163 yards passing and recorded 1 sack. Rush Defense: Although the rush defense ended up surrendering 153 yards on the ground, much of that came late in the second half after they had been worn down by Pittsburgh's formidable offensive line. The defense was able to overcome several costly mistakes by the offense and fought hard to give the Dolphins a shot at winning the game. The defense did not lose this football. LB Zach Thomas was all over the field, recording 4 tackles and 7 assists. |
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