WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Atlanta Falcons

The Tampa Bay defense brought Mike Vick back to earth.� A fierce rush did not allow Vick to look downfield to his wide receivers and the best spy in the league (Derrick Brooks) contained the scramble.�

Warrick Dunn did not play due to an ankle injury.� Atlanta badly missed Dunn as a receiver and breakaway threat.� TJ Duckett was not effective.

With Vick contained, the WRs came up small.�� Brian Finneran wan not a factor and Shawn Jefferson was ineffective as well.���

The Atlanta tight ends became a target for Vick on short patterns.� Alge Crumpler had a screen pass deflected away and was overthrown on an out.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Brad Johnson had a huge day and is starting to make this offense click.� Johnson hit pass after pass underneath against the man coverage.� Tampa Bay took advantage of the size of the their receivers to get the ball against the smaller Falcon defense.������

Mike Alstott got most of his yards late, after the game was in hand and the Falcon defense was worn down.� He angled outside for a nice 27-yard gain in the first half.��

Joe Jurevicius turned in his best game of the season by out-muscling the injured Ray Buchanan.� Johnson could throw the ball into traffic knowing Jurevicius would come down with the ball.� He started showing some pain in the knees late.�

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

QB: Michael Vick - The Tampa Bay defense brought Vick back to earth.� A fierce rush did not allow Vick to look downfield to his wide receivers and the best spy in the league (Derrick Brooks) contained the scramble.�

RB: Warrick Dunn - Did not play due to an ankle injury.� Atlanta badly missed Dunn as a receiver and breakaway threat.

T.J. Duckett - Did not get many touches, considering that Dunn was not available.� Several times he tried to get outside which is a near impossible task against the Buc defense.

Bob Christian - Could not do much moving the ball.� Vick missed him in the flat on a pass attempt.

WR: Brian Finneran - Was not a factor as Vick did not get time to throw deep.� Vick missed him low on a crossing pattern and under threw him on a desperation pass down the sideline.� Vick was hit as he threw a pass high off of Finneran's hands on the sideline.� Finneran slipped as he turned up field for only two yards on a play that he may have been able to gain 10.

Shaun Jefferson - Vick was unable to get the ball to Jefferson either.� Simeon Rice deflected a screen to Jefferson.� He also had a pass go off of his hands on an out route.

Trevor Gaylor - The deep threat for the Falcons was covered and a little under thrown at the goal line from the 45.� Vick missed him on a deep post in which he was also covered.

TE:� Alge Crumpler - The Atlanta tight ends became a target for Vick on short patterns. Crumpler had a screen pass deflected away and was overthrown on an out.

Falcons Pass Defense: The bend-but-don't-break defense finally broke.� The Falcon undersized front line could not get pressure on Johnson while the man coverage was picked a part by underneath routes.� Buchanan played hurt and could not defend Jurevicius. Bolden did a solid job in coverage.

Falcons Rush Defense: The line was exploited late after being worn down.�

Falcons Special Teams: Return man Allen Rossum broke a punt for 32 but was otherwise held in check.� A controversial fair catch interference call on Kevin McCadam cost the Falcons over 30 yards of field position.� Jay Feely was solid on his 30-yard field goal.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

QB: Brad Johnson - Had a huge day and is starting to make this offense click.� Johnson hit pass after pass underneath against the man coverage.� Tampa Bay took advantage of the size of the their receivers to get the ball against the smaller Falcon defense.

RB: Mike Alstott - Got most of his yards late, after the game was in hand and the Falcon defense was worn down.� He angled outside for a nice 27-yard gain in the first half.

Michael Pittman - Provided a change of pace to Alstott and a receiver coming out of the backfield, but only had one decent run to the outside.

Aaron Stecker - Got a few carries late in the game after the Falcons were already beaten.

WR: Joe Jurevicius - Turned in his best game of the season by out-muscling the injured Ray Buchanan.� Johnson could throw the ball into traffic knowing Jurevicius would come down with the ball.� He started showing some pain in the knees late.

Keyshawn Johnson - Did not get too many looks as Juran Bolden did a solid job in coverage.� Bolden deflected a pass away from Johnson in the back of the end zone and also on a deep crossing route.

Keenan McCardell - Almost had a third touchdown but was overthrown in the end zone from the 26-yard line.

TE:� Ken Dilger - The starting tight end was a big target underneath the man coverage.

Rickey Dudley - The deep tight end option had a pass deflected away in the corner of the end zone.

Buccaneers Pass Defense: The pass rush was too much for Vick to look downfield.� Safety John Lynch left the game early with a neck strain.� Backup John Howell filled in admirably, including a sack.�

Buccaneers Rush Defense: Rice and Brooks were able to run down Vick effectively.� The Falcons had no outside threat allowing the Bucs to stuff the middle.

Buccaneers Special Teams: Kicker Martin Gramatica was solid on his field goals but sent a kickoff out of bounds.� A 25-yard punt return by Karl Williams was negated by a block to the back penalty.

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WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Denver Broncos:

Brian Griese looked very good for most of the game.� He was very accurate, completing 28-37 for 266 yards and a touchdown.� He also showed an uncanny ability to avoid the sack, as he appeared to be on his way down a number of times but fought out of it.� He came up limping a couple of times so the knee is a concern still but he hung in there..

Clinton Portis went over 100 yards for the 6th time this season and went over 1,000 yards for the season.� Considering how good the Jets run defense has been lately, this is quite an accomplishment.� He carried the ball 24 of the 26 times Denver RBs rushed.�� Olandis Gary did have a goalline carry but did not score.��

Anyone who had any fears about putting Shannon Sharpe back into their lineup can rest easy now.� He caught 9 balls for 100 yards and was Griese's outlet every time he got into trouble.� Sharpe also said he was more worried about the elbow giving him problems blocking; he wasn't concerned about his ability to catch the ball, and he showed it today.

New York Jets:

New York got constant pressure on Brian Griese all day.� They did register two sacks, but could have had many more if not for some shoddy tackling by them and some incredible strength by Griese.

Laveranues Coles is, at this point, a must-start.� Week in and week out, he just puts up great numbers.� Regardless of the opponent, Coles gets his numbers.� A lot of people talk about passing targets.� Coles does get a good share of targets, but more importantly, it seems like every time he's targeted, he comes up with a big play.�� Made a very nice TD catch where he �log rolled� into the endzone.

Curtis Martin was stifled for the most part, gaining just 57 yards on 18 carries.� Still, the quick cuts and great moves were very evident today.� He did score a touchdown in the game, and went over 10,000 career yards for his career.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Denver Broncos:

QB:� Brian Griese played well up until his last pass of the game.� He was leading Denver on a potential game-winning drive when the Jets John McGraw intercepted him.� Griese was smart and efficient all game long, and even the pick may not have entirely been his fault (John Abraham was wrapped around his ankles and appeared to throw his balance and timing off).�� The knee had people scared all game as he came up limping a couple of times but he hung in there.�� His mobility seemed to be about normal and he did a good job avoiding the pass rush.

RB:� Clinton Portis is making a case for being one of the top RBs picked next year.� Portis carried 24 times for 103 yards and added another 22 yards on 3 receptions.��� Bronco RBs only rushed 26 times so Portis was clearly the man again.�� Was stuffed a few times in short yardage but it was more the fault of the OL being pushed back.

Mike Anderson and Olandis Gary are token backs.�� Gary did see one goalline carry (unsuccessful) but most of the work went to Portis.

WR:� Rod Smith was involved in the offense in that he caught 6 passes.� But the passes only went for 38 yards, and since he did not find the end zone---again---it was a very poor day.�

Ed McCaffrey was also very quiet.� He did have a great grab on a third down play on the last drive, but he was conspicuously absent from most of the game.� The Jets appeared content to cover the wideouts and let Shannon Sharpe have his way.� Denver was happy to oblige, and focused on Sharpe much more than anyone else.

Ashley Lelie caught a nice touchdown pass, the only one of the game for Denver.

TE:� Shannon Sharpe returned from his injury in a big way, catching 9 balls for an even 100 yards.� He ran wild over the middle of the field all day, and Griese seemed to not want to throw to anyone else.

Denver Pass Defense:� Got some decent pressure on Pennington at times, but couldn't do much for the most part after the early goings.� Pennington continuously was able to find Laveranues Coles and Wayne Chrebet for big gains over the middle of the field.� Denver had two great opportunities for interceptions, but as has been the case all year long, the linebackers (Ian Gold and Al Wilson) dropped the ball.

Denver Rush Defense:� Held Curtis Martin in check overall, except for that one drive (including the Martin TD).� The Jets saw they were having more success throwing the ball, and aired it out more than usual.

Denver Special Teams:� Jason Elam didn't have the benefit of the Mile High atmosphere today.� Instead, he had to deal with classic New York swirling winds.� Each of his 2 missed field goals can at least be partially attributed to the wind.� As it turned out, the missed kicks were huge but Elam is one of the better kickers in the league so it shouldn't affect him mentally.

New York Jets:

QB:� Chad Pennington continued his fine season.� One of the question marks about him early on was that he was having success against some shoddy teams.� With his recent performances against Miami, San Diego, Oakland, and now Denver, I think it's safe to put that argument to rest.� He threw for 244 yards and a touchdown, and did a great job of managing the offense.� He just seems like he never makes mistakes.

RB:� Curtis Martin was quiet from a yardage standpoint, but his owners will certainly be happy with a touchdown any time.� He also went over 10,000 yards for his career.�

WR:� Laveranues Coles is having a tremendous season since Chad Pennington took over. The past two weeks, Coles has 16 receptions for nearly 300 yards.� He is a must-start every single week and appears to really be heating up in time for fantasy playoffs.� We talk a lot about wanting to find consistency from our players.� On a game-by-game basis, you'd be hard-pressed to find a more consistent wide receiver than Coles has been this year.

Wayne Chrebet saw his role in the offense increase after a few weeks of complaining.� That seemed to work, as Chrebet caught 5 balls for 69 yards and saw about as many passes come his way as Coles.

Santana Moss caught 1 ball for 9 yards.� A non factor.��

TE:� Anthony Becht was very close to being the Jets goat for the season.� He dropped a sure touchdown from Chad Pennington in the late stages that would have given NY a 10-point lead.� Even though they still won the game, it makes you wonder if Pennington will again be looking Becht's way in a big spot like that.

Jets Pass Defense:� John Abraham and company put a ton of pressure on Brian Griese.� Every time Griese made a pass, it seemed like the announcers were saying he took a big shot or was knocked down again.� The Jets managed just 2 sacks, but it should have been much more as Griese was able to fight off would-be tacklers numerous times.�

Jets Rush Defense:� Didn't allow anything big to Portis, as his longest run went for just 10 yards.� But Portis did "nickel and dime" the Jets all game long, totaling 103 yards on 24 carries.� New York has been outstanding against the run recently, and giving up 111 total yards on the ground isn't awful.� In addition, New York came up with 2 huge stops of Denver.� Once on a 4th and 1 sneak by Griese, and once on a 3rd and 1 run by Portis.

Jets Special Teams:� John Hall would have joined Anthony Becht as goats of the year if New York had lost.� The Jets led Denver by 6 on the last Denver drive, but Hall had earlier missed an extra point when it was blocked.� Usually, kickers go years between missed extra points but Hall has now missed 2 this season.� Add in his 4 blocked field goals and you see that he clearly has a problem with height that needs to be corrected.� He did make both of his field goal attempts, however, so it's not a problem all the time.

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WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

New York Giants

Kerry Collins had a solid but unspectacular game, passing for 212 yards and two touchdowns.

Tiki Barber was held in check except for a 43 yard run but still finished with 96 yards and a touchdown.

TE Jeremy Shockey and WR Amani Toomer were Collins� favorite targets.�� Both were effective against a pretty tough Washington defense.��

Washington Redskins

The Redskins offense was plagued by turnovers, which ultimately, cost them the game. Danny Wuerffel had an interception on an ill-advised pass, and Derrius Thompson, Darnerien McCants, Champ Bailey and Wuerffel all had fumbles.

Wuerffel was very shaky before leaving in the second half because of injury.�� Even without the injury, he�d have likely been pulled.��

Patrick Ramsey came in and was impressive, throwing for 204 yards and a touchdown.�� Everyone seems to see that Ramsey is the future.

Stephen Davis only had 12 carries, but ran for 70 yards and a touchdown.�� He�s still underutilized in this offense.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

New York Giants

QB: Kerry Collins had a solid game. He threw for 212 yards two touchdowns and no interceptions. He had a two yard touchdown pass to FB Charles Stackhouse, and a 29 yard touchdown pass to Amani Toomer. Toomer and Jeremy Shockey were his top two targets.�� Solid but unspectacular.�� This was a huge pressure game.

RB: Tiki Barber also had a solid game. Barber ran for 96 yards and a TD. He was the Giants� top redzone target today. He also had a very nice run for 43 yards that set up a touchdown.�� Repeatedly came up short on goalline rushes though.

WR: Amani Toomer had four catches for 60 yards. He also had a nice touchdown where he beat CB Champ Bailey with a juke fake. Toomer was one of Collins� favorite targets.

Rookie Daryl Jones matched his reception total for the entire season with three today. He had 41 yards.

TE: Jeremy Shockey didn�t quite match the numbers he put up last time the he played the Redskins (11 rec., 111 yards), but still had a respectable game with five receptions for 89 yards. He had a touchdown called back because of an offensive pass interference call on him.

Rush defense: Struggled against Davis, allowing him 70 yards on only 12 carries (5.8 avg.).

Pass defense: Was able to get enough pressure on Wuerffel to make him uncomfortable. They sacked him five times and picked him off once. Their secondary was hurting without Peterson and Allen. Both Rod Gardner and Derrius Thompson had big games.

Washington Redskins

QB: Danny Wuerffel couldn�t get anything going for the Redskins today. He was very inaccurate under pressure, and made some bad decisions throwing. His one interception occurred when he was scrambling and tried to throw to the opposite side of the field. The offensive line didn�t help him very much. He was sacked five times. Wuerffel left the game in the third quarter with an injury.

Patrick Ramsey came in for Wuerffel and looked good. He threw for 204 yards and a touchdown.��� Even if Wuerffel hadn�t been injured, Ramsey probably would have seen time as Wuerffel looked bad.�� Ramsey might be the starter for Washington next week.��� Receivers will get a definite boost if Ramsey is the QB.

RB: Steve Spurrier said during the week that he would run less and pass more. Stephen Davis got only 12 carries, but made the most of his limited opportunities. He rushed for 70 yards and a touchdown. Davis is still the top target for the Redskins on the goal line.�� Davis is still under utilized in this offense.��

Rookie RB Ladell Betts came in on passing downs and had 4 catches for 53 yards.

WR: Rod Gardner had a good game today with five receptions for 76 yards. He also had a 13 yard touchdown reception from Ramsey.��

Derrius Thompson had a career game with six receptions for 122 yards.�� With the unstable QB situation, it�s honestly tough to say which receiver will produce each week.

Darnerien McCants had a huge fumble toward the end that killed a possible winning drive.

TE: As always, Walter Rasby had a limited role in the passing game. He had two catches for 24 yards.

Rush defense: Allowed Barber to break a 43 yard run in the first half, but other than that, they did a good job containing him.�� Very tough at the goalline.

Pass defense: Had trouble containing Shockey because of his size.�� Toomer was fairly effective but they didn�t let him go crazy.

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Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles took advantage of a bad and injured Seahawks� secondary as AJ Feeley connected with Todd Pinkston for 88 yards and a touchdown.� Pinkston also had a highlight reel catch in the late second for a touchdown, keeping his feet in bounds but the referees were not convinced on the review that he maintained possession.� It could have been ruled a touchdown.

AJ Feeley played well in place of McNabb / Detmer.� He was a bit inconsistent in the first half but still managed to lead the Eagles to 20 points.� In the second half, he played nearly flawless football though they didn�t score much.� He finished with 190 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in a nice relief effort.� The Eagles can win with Feeley.���

Duce Staley looked good running the ball totaling 100 yards on the ground, and Levens also contributed periodically.�

The Eagles defense played a terrific game, recording four sacks and three interceptions.� CB Bobby Taylor had two interceptions in the first half, as many catches as any Seahawk receivers in the period.� He did not return in the second half because of neck spasms and a mild concussion.�

Seattle Seahawks

Seattle took another blow to the secondary when Ken Lucas was shaken up in the first quarter.� The injury was costly as the Eagles abused his replacement CB Harold Blackman all afternoon.� DL Anton Palepoi also went down in the second quarter and was helped off the field.

Matt Hasselbeck was very inconsistent in this game.� Though he showed flashes periodically, there was more bad than good.� He threw three interceptions versus two touchdowns on the day, with one touchdown coming during garbage time.� His receivers didn�t do anything to help as there were numerous dropped balls.�

Shaun Alexander looked good on the day even though he didn�t have much room to work with.� He broke a 58-yard sprint up the middle at the end of the third quarter, showing great burst through the hole.� He was bothered by back spasms late in the game, but did return to action.

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WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Philadelphia Eagles

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QB: A.J. Feeley started off shaky but settled down.��� Feeley completed his first pass to Chad Lewis for a short gain and the next pass was dropped.� The drive was three and out.� On the second series, Feeley made a bad pass over the middle that was almost intercepted.� He settled in and completed some short passes.� He touchdown pass to Thrash showed good communication with the WR.� His receivers weren�t helping him much as there were a lot of drops. �Feeley was efficient enough to put up 20 first half points, but didn�t look great doing it.� His first interception in three games came at the end of the second quarter when he overlooked part of the coverage.� In the second half, Feeley looked very comfortable under center and in complete control of the game.� He finished the game with 190 yards and 2 touchdowns, and would have done better were it not for all the dropped passes.�

WR: James Thrash ran a nifty route for his touchdown at the end of the first quarter.� It was a fake stop route turned slant route.�� Thrash played second fiddle to Pinkston in this game, as the Eagles abused back up CB Harold Blackman.� Thrash finished with 5 catches for 23 yards, one touchdown and a couple of drops.�

Todd Pinkston took a nasty shot to the midsection early in the game but was fine.� In the second quarter, he dropped an easy catch.� Pinkston had a highlight reel catch in the late second for a touchdown, keeping his feet in bounds but the referees were not convinced on the review that he maintained possession.� It probably could have been ruled a touchdown.� The Eagles threw to Pinkston on the next play in the end zone before kicking a field goal. Pinkston continued to take advantage of CB Harold Blackman and got a touchdown in the third quarter.�� He finished with 88 yards and a touchdown.

Antonio Freeman had a 7-yard reception in the late first quarter, the first catch by a WR.� He had a questionable catch on an overturned call, but a nice job to keep his hands under the ball.� Freeman had just 24 yards.��

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RB: Duce Staley�s first carry of the game was for a loss of three.� He continued to struggle to find room early, but got going towards the end of the first quarter.� Had a good one-handed stab catch for a gain of seven.� Staley capitalized on a Hasselbeck interception with a nice counter play to the corner of the end zone for a touchdown.� It was an easy run.� Staley finished the first half with 68 yards and a touchdown.� The Eagles continued to run Staley in the second half as they tried to kill the clock, and he finished with 106 total yards and a touchdown.�

Dorsey Levens came in on third down on the second possession and caught a dump off pass for a first down.� Levens had an open receiver on the half back option, but under threw the ball.� He continued to see limited time periodically throughout the game and finished with 49 total yards.�

Brian Westbrook saw his first action late in the first quarter and was explosive for a six-yard gain up the middle.� Westbrook went down on a punt return play in a lot of pain with an ankle injury and was helped off the field.� He did not return.�

TE: Chad Lewis was the target of the first two passes thrown, but dropped one he should have had.� He finished with 19 yards on three receptions.�

K: David Akers made a 33-yard attempt and a 40-yard attempt in the first half.� He also saved a touchdown with a tackle on a kickoff as time ran out on the first half.� Akers missed a 39-yard attempt late in the game.�

Special Teams: Brian Mitchell continued his good play with a 31-yard return.� The Eagles also completely smothered Seahawks punter Jeff Feagles on a punt block.�

Eagles Pass Defense: The Eagles defense tightened up when they needed to in the red zone on the first series, allowing just three points on the drive.� CB Bobby Taylor had a nice interception on a jump ball in the second quarter.� He got another in the second quarter on a bad pass by Hasselbeck.� His two receptions were as many as any Seahawk player in the first half.� Taylor didn�t return in the second half because of neck spasms and a mild concussion.� The Eagles pressured Hasselbeck all day, forcing 3 interceptions and recording 4 sacks.��

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Eagles Rush Defense: The Eagles held Alexander to only 28 yards rushing in the first half, but did allow Hasselbeck to scramble for 36 yards.� In the second half, Alexander found some room, and broke a 58-yard run straight up the middle.� Without the long run, the Eagles held Alexander to 65 yards on the ground. �

Seattle Seahawks

QB: Matt Hasselbeck completed his first pass from scrimmage, picking up where he left off last week.� He was very sharp on the first drive, hitting Jackson on a perfect pass along the sidelines and making a big scramble for a first down.� He continued to move the ball during the first quarter.� His interception in the second quarter was an ill-advised deep throw that was essentially a jump ball.� His scrambling ability was surprisingly good though, and drew comparisons to Favre by the announcers.� Then Hasselbeck began to struggle mightily.� His second interception was simply a bad throw into coverage.� Hasselbeck opened up the third quarter with another interception on the drive.� He finally moved the Seahawks towards the end of the quarter, and threw a strike to Robinson in the back of the endzone for a touchdown.� He threw another touchdown to Jerramy Stevens late in the game.� Overall, it was a very inconsistent day for Hasselbeck, with more bad than good.�

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WR: Koren Robinson was targeted early in the game in the end zone, but wasn�t really open.� His first catch in the game came midway through the second when the Seahawks needed a first down badly on a long third down play.� Robinson�s touchdown in the third quarter was a strike from Hasselbeck in the back of the endzone.� He finished with 44 yards and a touchdown.�

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Darrell Jackson made a nice grab early in the game on a sideline route, but it was his only catch in the first half.� He was targeted periodically throughout the remainder of the day, but didn�t do much from a fantasy perspective because of Hasselbeck�s problems.�

Bobby Engram played in three WR sets ahead of James Williams and was used on short routes primarily.� He saw a fair amount of action and led all Seahawks with 48 yards receiving.

RB: Shaun Alexander got carries early in the game as Seattle formed a balanced attack.� He looked fine rushing the ball early, but nothing spectacular.� He looked very good on a ten yard run in the second quarter, his best run in the game at that point.� He was held in check for most of the game, but did break a 58-yard sprint up the middle at the end of the third quarter, showing great burst through the hole.� He was bothered by back spasms late in the game, but did return to action.� He finished with 123 yards.�

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TE: Itula Mili caught a pass on the first play of the game.� He added another catch in the fourth quarter.� Jerramy Stevens finished with a couple of catches as well and a late touchdown reception in the back of the end zone.�

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K: Rian Lindell connected on a 34-yard field goal on the first series of the game and a 43-yarder on the second possession.� The Seahawks began to struggle on offense, limiting Lindell�s production.�

Special Teams: Punter Jeff Feagles took a shot to the head in the second quarter on a blocked punt and stayed down on the field for a long time.� He finally walked off and later returned.�

Seahawks Pass Defense:� The Seahawks started the game with only three active CBs, and Ken Lucas was shaken up in the first quarter, leaving the secondary under manned.� Harold Blackman struggled as his replacement.� LB Anthony Simmons made a nice interception on AJ Feeley when he stepped in front of a pass over the middle.� Overall, Seattle didn�t do much to stop Philadelphia and didn�t record a sack on the day.�

Seahawks Rush Defense:� DL Anton Palepoi went down in the second quarter and was helped off the field.� This unit continued to struggle as Philly opened up large holes for Staley and company.� They allowed a total of 126 yards on the ground.� Safety Marcus Robertson led the Seahawks on defense with 12 tackles.�

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WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

New Orleans Saints:

QB Aaron Brooks started the game despite suffering from a shoulder injury.� Once it became apparent that he was unable to make certain throws, Jim Haslett pulled him from the game with 11:00 left in the third quarter.�� Jake Delhomme played well in replacement.

RB Deuce McAllister ran hard again, finishing with 127 yards on the ground from 32 carries (3.9 ypc).� It took him awhile to warm up, but he finished strong.� He ran 3 touchdowns in from within 6 yards, and the last two he was untouched.�

WR Donte� Stallworth continues to impress, with a 3 catch, 57 yard performance that included a 28 yard touchdown.� When this kid is healthy, he is something special.�

The Saints blocked two punts, and forced 4 Baltimore turnovers.

Baltimore Ravens:

RB Jamal Lewis showed that he is back to full speed when he galloped 77 yards for a touchdown on a little screen pass.� He outran everyone on the field.� He was held in check on the ground, but finished with 156 total yards and 2 touchdowns.

WR Travis Taylor finished with 83 yards, but he also had 4 drops.� If he could concentrate more he would turn into a fantasy force.�

TE Todd Heap made one of the catches of the day, but was not rewarded as he fell just short of the goal line.� He is Baltimore�s #1 passing option, and he leads the team in receptions this year.�

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

New Orleans Saints:

QB:� Aaron Brooks started the game, despite obvious pain in his shoulder.� While he won the respect of his teammates, his fantasy owners had to be disheartened when he left the game with 11:00 left in the third quarter.� He only completed 9 passes, and after he was not able to reach a wide open Jerome Pathon it became a necessity to take him out.

Backup QB Jake Delhomme filled in admirably for Brooks, and moved the offense surprisingly well.� Had a chance to connect with Joe Horn for a touchdown but threw it just behind the receiver.�

RB:� Deuce McAllister had another gritty performance, rumbling for 127 yards and 3 touchdowns, all of less than 6 yards.� What is nice to see is that generally if he gets the ball at the goal line, he has the drive to get it in.� It�s almost automatic.� He was still running basically just north and south due to the ankle injury, but when he did cut back he broke some long runs.�

WR:� It took Joe Horn awhile, but he finished strong with a 7 catch, 87 yard performance.� He and Jake Delhomme looked to be in sync, although they just missed connecting on a touchdown pass, with Delhomme throwing slightly behind him.�

Donte� Stallworth had his best overall game as a pro, with 57 yards and of course another touchdown.� Not bad for a rookie who was being covered by Chris McAlister for most of the game.� He even got in a little scuffle with McAlister where the Raven defender did his best Kyle Turley imitation.�

Jerome Pathon�s grip as the #2 receiver is slowly slipping, and it is only a matter of time before Stallworth cracks the starting lineup.� He was held to just one catch.�� Pathon, in reality, is the #3 WR here already from a FF angle.

Jake Reed had a nice 54 yard reception which he was caught from behind just in time to give McAllister another easy touchdown.

TE:� David Sloan is hardly used in this offense, as his 1 catch, 7 yard performance tells the story.� After scoring 7 td�s with the Lions last year, more was expected of him.

Pass Defense:� The secondary did a mediocre job on the day.� Most of the problems in the Raven passing attack were due to the dropped balls.� CB Fred Thomas had 2 interceptions, one off of a deflection from Todd Heap.� They did an awful job of covering the screen pass.� Lewis had 108 yards on 4 receptions.� (and will see Michael Bennett next week.)

Rush Defense:� The big New Orleans front won the battles all day, and Jamal Lewis could not establish the run to keep the explosive Saint offense off of the field.� They held Lewis to 48 yards rushing.� Grady Jackson and Norman Hand supply a lot of beef up front.

Special Teams:� The Saints blocked two punts, and John Carney was 7/7 on his kicks.� Probably NFC Pro Bowl return man Michael Lewis fumbled a kickoff return.

Baltimore Ravens:

QB:� Jeff Blake finished with pretty good fantasy numbers, 18/39 for 316 yards with 2 touchdowns.� He also finished with 2 interceptions.� One was an ill-advised throw right into the hands of Fred Thomas.� Blake was the victim of 6 dropped passes by Raven receivers, including 4 by Travis Taylor.� He continues to move the offense.

RB:� Any questions if Jamal Lewis� speed would ever return were answered today on his 77 yard touchdown reception in which he scampered past every player on the field.� He found it rough between the trenches, but did manage to punch a touchdown in from the 1 yard line.� He finished with 48 yards on 17 carries.� Usually, Lewis needs about 25 to do the real damage.� He is becoming more and more of a factor in the passing game, evidenced by his 4 catch, 108 yard performance.

WR:� Travis Taylor is the #1 wide receiver on this team, but is still not the #1 passing option.� He had 4 dropped balls, but still finished with 83 yards on 5 catches. (9 targets.)�� Taylor also was used twice on endarounds,� garnering 44 yards on the two runs.� Baltimore is finding more ways to get him involved.�

Rookie Ron Johnson started alongside Taylor, and finished with 0 catches for 0 yards (2 targets, 2 drops.)� After the first two throws, Blake never looked his way again.

TE:� Todd Heap made all of the highlight reels with a spectacular 43 yard catch over 2 Saint defenders.� He fell just short of the end zone, and Jamal Lewis punched it in on the next play.� Heap is becoming one of the league�s premier tight ends, and will surely be at the top of the tight end cheatsheets come next year.� His final stats � 5 catches, 87 yards, and an eye-popping 11 targets.�

Run Defense:� Without Ray Lewis, this young unit could only hold McAllister down for so long.� His ypc average was only 2.3 in the first half, but he finished strong after the big New Orleans offensive line wore them down.� McAllister walked in untouched on his last two touchdown runs.

Pass Defense:� The Saints pressured Aaron Brooks, and all three of their sacks were pretty much due to good coverage.� Chris McAlister should have been ejected after throwing Donte� Stallworth�s helmet, but was not.� They could not stop backup Jake Delhomme when needed late in the game.

Special Teams:� The Saints beat the Ravens at their own game, blocking two of their punts.� It looked like Zastudil was trying to make a throw on the first punt, but there was nobody open so he tried to punt it.� A very poor performance by this normally impressive unit.

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WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Oakland Raiders

Rich Gannon set the NFL record with ten 300 yard games in a season. He just keeps getting better with age.

All three Oakland running backs (Garner, Wheatley, and Crockett) scored a touchdown but only had 58 yards rushing between them.

Doug Jolley had the best game of his career and was second only to Jerry Rice in production on the day. He is looking more and more like the future for the Raiders at tight end.

The Oakland defense shut down LaDainian Tomlinson on the ground and dominated Drew Brees.

San Diego Chargers

Drew Brees did his best Ryan Leaf imitation in a very poor effort against the Raiders. He is not ready to carry the offense yet at this stage in his career.

LaDainian Tomlinson was contained by the Oakland defense. The Chargers lost the war in the trenches and thus lost the game.

WR Eric Parker had his career best game and led the Chargers in receptions. He only has value as long as Conway is out, but could be earning himself future playing time.

Rookie Cornerback Quentin Jammer covered Jerry Rice much better this time around for most of the game and he and Linebacker Donnie Edwards led the team in tackles. Jammer is showing signs of future greatness while Edwards is earning his first trip to the Pro Bowl.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Oakland Raiders

QB: Rich Gannon set a NFL record by throwing for his 10th 300 yard game in one season. He completed 26 of 41 passes for 328 yards. He didn�t turn the ball over, but he didn�t throw for a touchdown either. The Raider game plan was throwing the ball to get to the red zone and then run it in from there. Gannon wasn�t pressured that much and was only sacked once. He had several passes knocked down by defenders, but didn�t throw bad enough passes to get intercepted. He played a good game, but it wasn�t a great fantasy game because all three of the Raider touchdowns were run in. He is the most important part of this high powered offense and is a frontrunner for NFL MVP.

RB: Charlie Garner carried the ball 11 times for 24 yards and he gained another 43 yards on 4 receptions. The holes just weren�t there in the middle of the field for Garner to run through. The Raider line only opened holes in the red zone and Garner watches most goal line plays from the sidelines. He did have a few nice runs after the catch on short passes and he did score the games first touchdown on a 4 yard run.

Tyrone Wheatley had 9 carries for 28 yards and 2 catches for 15 yards. He also scored a 4 yard touchdown. Wheatley gives the Raiders a combination of speed and power. He had several nice runs on the day. If Garner gets hurt, Wheatley could be a very valuable player to own.

Zack Crockett had 4 carries for 6 yards and a 1 yard touchdown dive. He is the pure power back that comes in when the Raiders need 1 or 2 yards. He probably only has value in TD only leagues.

WR: Jerry Rice caught 7 passes for 113 yards. He is the main target in this offense. What can I tell you that you don�t already know? He�s still one of the best receivers in the game.

Tim Brown caught 3 passes for 23 yards. With the emergence of Jerry Porter and Doug Jolley, Brown is the forgotten man in this offense. He looks to be getting frustrated with his reduced role. He is being used more as a decoy to use up a top corner back in coverage which gives other player better match-ups. He is a risky player to put in your lineup.

Jerry Porter caught 2 passes for 16 yards. Porter was lost in the shuffle a little as well. Doug Jolley was the recipient of the looks that Porter has been getting lately. Porter is showing signs that he can become one of the greats, but right now he�s not high enough on the food chain to be a reliable starter.

TE: Roland Williams is the starting tight end, but was slowed by turf toe and had only 1 catch for six yards. Williams has to be worried about job security as Jolley looks like the future tight end in Oakland.

Doug Jolley got plenty of playing time and set a career high with 6 receptions for 104 yards. Most of the catches were balls in the flat that he turned up field and punished the defensive backs trying to tackle him. He could be a good guy to pick up in dynasty leagues as he appears to be the future tight end in Oakland.

Pass Defense: The Oakland pass defense did a good job of pressuring Drew Brees and forcing bad passes. The two sacks were shared by defensive tackles Rod Coleman (1.5) and John Parrella (0.5). They held the Chargers to 226 passing yards and intercepted Brees 3 times (safety Rod Woodson and cornerbacks Terrance Shaw and Tory James). It should be noted that Curtis Conway, the Chargers top receiver and Brees� favorite target, was injured and did not play.

Rushing Defense: The Oakland rushing defense was top notch. Few teams have been able to slow down LaDainian Tomlinson, but this unit did it well. They won the battle in the trenches and held the Chargers to 64 rushing yards often making first contact with Tomlinson behind the line of scrimmage. Linebackers Eric Barton (10 solo tackles) and Bill Romanowski (6 solo and 3 assists) led the charge to stop Tomlinson.

San Diego Chargers

QB: Drew Brees completed 22 of 41 passes for 239 yards. Brees did not throw for a touchdown and was intercepted 3 times. He threw many bad passes and reminded Charger fans of the Ryan Leaf years with his play. In Brees� defense, the line didn�t protect him very well and his top receiver Conway was out with a bad shoulder, but it was still a very poor effort. It was proven once again that Brees can not carry the Charger offense by himself at this stage of his career. If Tomlinson gets stopped, the Chargers are in serious trouble.

RB: LaDainian Tomlinson only had 18 carries for 57 yards, but he did score a touchdown on an over the top of the pile dive at the goal line. He also added 22 yards receiving on 4 catches. The line lost the battle in the trenches and Tomlinson often was greeted in the backfield by a defender. Only twice did the line open a big hole up the middle that Tomlinson has become accustomed to running through. Tomlinson did a good job of fighting for every yard, but he didn�t get enough touches and he didn�t get enough blocking to have a good fantasy day. Being that he is the focal point of the offense, he is still a must start every week.

WR: Curtis Conway is still out with a bad shoulder and did not play.

Tim Dwight caught 3 passes for 26 yards and is back to returning punts where he is very dangerous. It doesn�t seem to matter what the situation is, Dwight gets 2-5 passes a game. Brees just doesn�t think of him as a go to guy. He is only worth owning is the deepest of leagues.

Reche Caldwell was the target of several passes but didn�t catch one. He seemed to be an afterthought in the Charger game plan.

Eric Parker was the leading receiver with 7 catches for 96 yards. He was the biggest benefactor from Conway�s absence. The rookie from Tennessee ran very good routes to get open and made the catches. He became Brees� go to guy this week and Parker didn�t let him down. He made several tough catches due to Brees� wild arm. The kid looked good and probably earned himself future playing time.

TE: Stephen Alexander made 4 catches for 24 yards. He was a good safety valve and made a couple of tough catches. Alexander�s biggest asset is his blocking, which unfortunately, you don�t get credit for in fantasy leagues.

Josh Norman is the backup tight end and had 1 catch for 26 yards. With the Chargers only having 3 wide receivers active for the game, Norman was worked into the receiver rotation and lined up wide on several plays.

Pass Defense: The Chargers pass defense was mostly poor with a few highlights. Defense tackle Jason Fisk had the only sack and they did a poor job of pass rushing. Cornerback Quentin Jammer made several nice plays covering Rice like a blanket most of the first half, but the coverage usually broke down and left Gannon multiple open targets to choose from.

Rushing Defense: The Charger rushing defense was solid even with the absence of defensive tackle Jamal Williams. The unit held the Raiders to 67 yards rushing, but failed at the goal line, allowing 3 rushing touchdowns from within the 5 yard line. Linebacker Donnie Edwards led the charge with 10 solo tackles and 2 assists, while cornerback Quentin Jammer added 7 solo tackles and 3 assists. The biggest enemy to the Charger defense was field position. With Oakland�s 3 interceptions and a couple of long kick returns, the Charger defense often started with their backs against the wall.

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WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

San Francisco 49ers

QB Jeff Garcia played a great game with a strong second half.�� He led the team on the game winning drive and finished with 326 combined yards, including 3 passing TDs and 1 rushing TD.�

Terrell Owens continued to be the most dominant WR in the NFL.��� Owens finished with 12 catches for 123 yards and two TDs.�� Amazingly, he saw single coverage a good bit � but it�s hard to believe that will continue.

Finally, TE Eric Johnson is healthy enough to contribute, and that paid big dividends for the 49ers. Johnson was a very important part of this win.

Dallas Cowboys

QB Chad Hutchinson only went 11 for 28 with 147 yards and two interceptions. Hutchinson's day could have been much better had he not overthrown Joey Galloway on a streak pattern on what looked to be a TD.

�

Emmitt Smith didn't have a monster day, but ran hard and showed good quickness. The Dallas offensive line gave Smith lots of big holes.

The Dallas rush defense played well - allowing zero rush TDs. But the pass

defense was abysmal.��� Not only did Garcia throw for 276 yards, but Terrell

Owens was only single-covered on BOTH of his TD catches. Whether this was by design or by execution, this was completely inexcusable.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

San Francisco 49ers

QB: This is the kind of game that reminds us that Jeff Garcia is one of the better QBs in the NFL. ��Garcia finished with an amazing 326 combined yards, three passing TDs and a running TD. Even more amazing is that Garcia did most of that damage in the second half. Garcia rebounded from a tough first half that saw Dallas put a lot of pressure on him to finish with a superb day.

RB: Dallas has a stout rush defense, so Garcia was the 49ers' leading rusher with 50 yards.

Garrison Hearst started the game with Barlow out, and struggled. Hearst was only able to gain 35 yards on 9 carries before being knocked out of the game with an injury.

Paul Smith filled in for Hearst and had an ok game with 57 combined yards.

Fred Beasley was a valuable help in the passing game and had 3 catches for 28 yards.

WR: First thing's first: Terrell Owens is the most impactful WR in the NFL. Owens finished with 12 catches for 123 yards and two TDs.�� Owens made a spectacular catch for the first TD.�� Garcia threw the ball very high, Owens leaped and tapped the ball down with one hand, juggled the ball, and stayed in bounds. ��

Tai Streets contributed with 6 catches for 36 yards and a TD.�� He continues to be a big help to Owens by demanding attention from the secondary.

J.J. Stokes is an afterthought in this offense and had 2 catches for a pathetic 3 yards.

TE:� The lack of an effective TE had been a huge problem for the 49ers earlier this year - especially since their WR corps is thin. Finally, Eric Johnson is healthy enough to contribute, and that paid big dividends for the 49ers. Johnson was a very important part of this win and had a big day with 8 catches for 60 yards.

Pass Defense Notes: Though Dallas is not a good passing team, the 49er secondary has been brutalized over the last few games. San Francisco finally showed they can play good coverage and only allowed 147 yards in the air and intercepted Hutchinson twice.

Rush Defense Notes: This unit did not fare as well. The 49ers front seven allowed 110 rushing yards and two rushing TDs.

Dallas Cowboys

QB:� Had Chad Hutchinson been just a little better, Dallas could have easily won this game. As noted by Jimmy Johnson, Hutchinson's feet may be too slow to make it in the NFL. Hutchinson only went 11 for 28 with 147 yards and two interceptions. Hutchinson's overthrew Joey Galloway on a streak pattern that looked like a sure TD.

RB: Emmitt Smith didn't have a monster day, but he showed some flashes of the Emmitt Smith of old. Smith ran hard and showed good quickness. The Dallas offensive line gave Smith lots of big holes, and Smith knows what to do with the ball when he gets blocking this good. Smith finished with 19 carries for 66 yards and two TDs.

Despite the talk that Troy Hambrick would be getting more carries, Hambrick only had eight touches for a combined 28 yards.

WR: Hutchinson's troubles obviously didn't help the Dallas WR corps. Antonio Bryant, Joey Galloway, Ken-Yon Rambo had only three catches for 23 yards. Galloway could have had a big TD catch had Hutchinson not overthrown him.

TE: Tony McGee is often used as a blocker in this offense, but he had a huge play in this game.�� McGee had a nice catch and run for 58 yards and almost broke that run for a TD.�� He finished with 73 yards receiving.

Pass Defense Notes: Abysmal. Not only did Garcia throw for 276 yards, but Terrell Owens was only single-covered on BOTH of his TD catches. Whether this was by design or by execution, this was completely inexcusable.

Rush Defense Notes: The Dallas rush defense is the best part of this unit, and they continued to play well - allowing zero rush TDs.

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WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Cleveland Browns:

Never count out the Browns. The 50-yard game winning TD took place just two plays after Couch was sacked. It was an awesome finish for the Browns. However, the reason they won the game today was a 96-yard TD drive to open the 2nd half.

RB William Green looks very good when he powers straight ahead. He looks very average when he dances around trying to find a hole. Today, he powered. It appears that he finally understands how he should play the game.

Quincy Morgan is a big-play guy.

Kevin Johnson is not.

Phil Dawson missed two FGs (one was blocked) today. He�s having a solid year, but he was horrible today.

Jacksonville Jaguars:

It�s never easy to lose a game, but to lose like this could deflate the Jaguars for the remainder of the season.� This marks the fifth game they�ve lost by three or less points.

A healthy Fred Taylor is an impressive specimen. He ran very well today and single-handedly kept his team in the game. The only down side for him today was that he was given three straight goal-to-go carries near the game�s end and failed to convert.��� A great sign for Taylor owners that Coach Coughlin kept Stacey Mack on the bench, but it sure looks bad that Taylor didn�t score.� Even worse, that Jacksonville settled for the FG and ultimately lost by a point.

Defense tackle John Henderson should be nicknamed Gigantor. He�s huge.

�

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Cleveland Browns

QB: Tim Couch (21/35 for 264 / 2 TD / 2 INT) was erratic at best. At times, he led his offense down the field in impressive fashion. At times, he missed open receivers badly and tossed horrible picks. In the end, he connected on a 50-yard TD to Quincy Morgan as time expired. It was an amazing finish and should give Couch a boost of confidence.

RB: William Green (26 for 119 / 3 rec for 25 / 1 TD)� This was a great game for Green.� He is very good when he picks a direction and runs hard. When he starts dancing around, he looks very much like a rookie. Today, he pretty much ran hard. He was impressive on first down for most of the game and barreled over a few defenders for his TD.��

Jamel White (4 for 22 / 4 rec for 25) had spot duty and showed good hands out of the backfield.

James Jackson (1 for 11) got a carry. Good for him.

WR: Quincy Morgan (3 for 118 / 2 TD) was the big play threat today. On his first TD, Jason Craft tried to jam him but fell down. Morgan was wide open and easily scored from 60 yards out. His second score was on the last play of the game on a 50-yard hail mary. Other than those two plays, Morgan was practically invisible. But those two plays were huge.

Kevin Johnson (2 for 29) just doesn�t seem to have it this year. This was another ho-hum effort from him.

Andre Davis (3 for 20 / 1 rush for 9) made a few catches and also returned kicks. He had a 92-yard kick-off return for a TD called back for an illegal block.

Dennis Northcutt did not play.

TE: Mark Campbell (1 for 26) was missed by Couch early in the game on what would have been an easy score. They hit the same play later for Campbell�s lone catch.

Steve Heiden (5 for 21) was a nice security blanket today. On his two third down catches, Heiden converted each for 1st downs.

Rush Defense: The Browns were poor in rush defense today. They allowed Taylor to accumulate nice sized gains quite often and gave him an enormous hole on his 44-yard TD.

Pass Defense: Cleveland allowed only 73 passing yards today. That�s outstanding no matter how you slice it. They pressured Brunell very well (3 sacks) and kept big plays from occurring. Each of the three sacks was caused by excellent coverage by the secondary. The only knock is the lack of INTs.

Jacksonville Jaguars

QB: Mark Brunell (10/14 for 73 / 1 TD) was efficient but was never able to hit the big play. For the most part, his WRs were covered very well, but the pitiful yardage total is inexcusable.

RB: Fred Taylor (23 for 145 / 2 rec for 12 / 1 TD) looked like the Fred Taylor that deserves to be selected in the first round. He sliced through the Browns defense and displayed excellent quickness, speed, and power. His offensive line opened up a massive hole for him on the 44-yard TD. Once he was in the secondary, his speed burst notified everyone that he would not be caught from behind.

Stacey Mack (4 for 6 / 1 rec for 4) didn�t look very good and didn�t even replace Taylor on one series inside the ten.

WR: Jimmy Smith (2 for 23) was blanketed most of the day and didn�t accomplish very much at all. Of course it would help if Jacksonville had another WR that could take just a little coverage away from him.

Bobby Shaw (1 for 13) isn�t a starting caliber WR.

TE: Kyle Brady (3 for 16 / 1 TD) was a game-time decision but performed well with his sore ankles. He did get away with a push-off on his TD catch.

Jaguars Rush Defense: The Jaguars were unable to contain the Cleveland ground game as William Green rushed for 119 yards. The 1st down performance was abysmal as it seemed Green was able to take 5-8 yards on every 1st down carry.

Jaguars Pass Defense: Jacksonville was decent for the most part (had three sacks) but allowed far too many big pass plays. The two INTs were caused by poor throws by Tim Couch. On one TD, a defender fell down at the line of scrimmage. On the final TD, Quincy Morgan simply made the better play.

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WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

Detroit Lions:

Joey Harrington threw his 12th TD pass of the season, becoming the first Lions rookie QB to do so. Harrington looked decent enough in the game, but wasn't spectacular.� He completed 20/37 passes for 152 yards and a TD. The absence of Az-Zahir Hakim (out for season with broken hip) appears to have greatly affected Harrington�s passing game, as RB James Stewart and FB Cory Schlesinger had a total of 9 catches between them while the FIVE WR's Harrington threw to in the game had a total of just SIX receptions combined.

James Stewart rushed only 13 times for 52 yards. Stewart ran well, but his production once again was hampered as the Lions relied on the pass to keep them in the game. Stewart also almost cost the Lions a scoring opportunity when he threw the ball to the ground in disgust after tripping on his own player while trying to run the ball into the endzone from the one. The Cardinals pounced on the ball since no defender had touched Stewart before he threw the ball down. It was ruled a fumble and recovery, but the Lions challenged and the play was ruled an incomplete forward pass upon review. The Lions ended up only getting a FG.

The Lion defense was bad, allowing Jake Plummer, who has not been playing well lately and was throwing to a patchwork WR corps, to look good and Cardinal RB Marcel Shipp to run for 85 yards on 25 carries and to gain another 45 yards on 4 receptions. The Lion pass rush did sack Plummer 6 times though, and the secondary intercepted Plummer once.

The special teams both helped and hindered the Lions... Eddie Drummond returned the Cardinals first punt of the game for a TD then later dropped a punt deep in Lion territory which the Cardinals recovered and later scored a TD. Jason Hanson, normally very accurate, missed a FG attempt in the 2nd quarter from 33 yards out

Arizona Cardinals:

Jake Plummer looked so-so in the game. His numbers were decent (24/43, 228 yards, 2 TD's, 1 INT) but he threw some really bad passes in the game. Plummer looks like he's really forcing the ball. The fact that he was throwing to a very patchwork WR corps didn't help him either.

RB Marcel Shipp had a decent game against a normally stingy Lion run defense. He gained 85 yards on 25 carries and added 45 more on 4 receptions. The Lions did hold him out of the endzone though.

The Cardinal defense was pretty good against both the run and the pass... however, the Cardinal special teams, specifically the kicking teams, let up some big returns (including a TD on a punt). Bill Grammatica had a nice outing, hitting 3 of 3 FG attempts and both extra point attempts.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW:

Detroit Lions:

QB: Joey Harrington was unspectacular in the game... he completed 20/37 passes for just 152 yards and one TD. He was not intercepted. It was apparent in the game just how much Harrington misses injured WR Az-Zahir Hakim... Harrington completed 9 passes to RB James Stewart and FB Cory Schlesinger combined, while completing just 6 passes to the 5 WR's he threw to in the game. None of the healthy Lion WR's has been able to fill the void left by the injured Hakim... bad news for the Lions, since they often have to rely on the passing game to play catch up in games.

RB: James Stewart gained 52 yards on 13 carries and added 34 yards on 3 receptions. Stewart can be effective running the ball if given the chance.��� However, the Lions struggle to utilize him properly in games at times.�� (or at least the way his FF owners think he should be used�)

WR: Germane Crowell led the Lion WR's in yardage with one catch for 19 yards....� The Lion WR's were non-existent in this game. None were able to get open down the field, all ran horrible routes. By far the ugliest performance of the year by the Lion WR's.

�

Bill Schroeder had 2 catches for just 16 yards in the game and was not a factor.

���

Scotty Anderson, Larry Foster, and Eddie Drummond each had one catch for 10, 7, and -1 yards respectively. None of them were factors in this game. The Lion passing game was ugly... Az Hakim, where are you?

TE: Mikhael Ricks had a good outing, catching 4 passes for 29 yards and a TD. Ricks was targeted a lot by Harrington, and may be the Lions only legitimate red zone receiving threat left. Ricks saw more targets in this game than previous games, and may see increased use in the last few games of the season.

John Owens had one catch for 13 yards... he wasn't a factor in this game.

Run Defense: Not horrible, but not good either. They let up 85 yards in 25 carries to Marcel Shipp, but held him out of the endzone.

Pass Defense: The secondary made Jake Plummer look like a decent QB, allowing him 24/43 passes for 228 yards and 2 TD's. They did intercept Plummer once. The pass rush actually put decent pressure on Plummer, forcing him out of the pocket a lot and sacking him 6 times... however DT Robert Porcher committed a costly mistake early in OT. Porcher hit Plummer as Plummer was throwing a pass, and the pass was intercepted by Lion LB Chris Claiborne, who returned it 30 yards.... but Porcher was called on a facemask penalty while Cardinal TE Freddie Jones was hit with another face masking penalty on a Lion player on the same play. The penalties offset, resulting in a replay of the down. The Cardinals then went on to march down the field and kick the winning FG.

Special Teams: Went to both extremes in the game... The Lions had several big returns on punts and kick offs, including Eddie Drummond returning the very first Cardinal punt for a TD. Drummond went on to call a fair catch and drop the ball on a later punt deep in Lion territory, resulting in a Cardinal TD a few plays later. The normally dependable Jason Hanson missed a 33 yard FG attempt.

Arizona Cardinals:

QB: Jake Plummer's numbers look good (24/43, 228 yards, 2 TD's, 1 INT), but they�re misleading. Plummer threw a bunch of horrible passes, and really looks like he is forcing many throws... though he did spread the ball around pretty evenly to his receivers. The Cardinals missing several top receivers didn't help the situation either. Don't expect Plummer to post numbers like this against a better defense.

RB:� The Lions run defense isn't all that bad, so Marcel Shipp's performance (25 carries for 85 yards plus he added 4 rec. for 45 yards)� was pretty respectable...� However, he was held out of the endzone.

John Makovicka had two carries for 27 yards, including a nice 22 yarder, plus 2 catches for 3 yards and a TD. Besides these four touches, Makovicka didn't see much other action.

WR: Nathan Poole seemed to be Plummer�s favorite target in the game, though Plummer really did spread his targets pretty evenly between his receivers. Poole had six catches for 41 yards in the game, including a nice grab in the endzone for a TD. With the cardinals WR corps depleted , Poole may be someone to keep an eye on.

Rookie James McAddley played well and had 5 catches for 48 yards. Plummer gave McAddley a fair amount of looks in the game, and McAddley may get some increased action also with the Cardinals top WR's out with injury.

Kevin Kasper led the Cardinal WR's in yards with 49 on 3 receptions., including a nice 23 yarder. Kasper didn't get as many looks as Poole and McAddley, but Plummer threw several deep balls his way during the game. Just remember that Poole, McAddley, and Kasper were playing against a very poor Lion secondary.

TE: Freddie Jones got a little bit more involved in the passing attack than he has been, catching 4 passes for 42 yards. This was against a very poor Lions secondary, and Jones has not been productive against better defenses this year.

Run Defense: The Cardinal run defense didn't get tested too much in this game, but Lion RB gained 52 yards on 13 carries... 4 yards per carry.

Pass Defense: The Cardinal secondary played well... they didn't give up any long balls to the Lions, and covered the Lion WR's well all game. They did let up a six yard TD pass QB Joey Harrington to TE Mikhael Ricks. The pass rush really didn't pressure Joey Harrington at all in the game, and they were not able to sack Harrington at all in the game. Not a bad performance, but the Lions pass attack was severely hampered by the absence of WR Az-Zahir Hakim.�

Special Teams: Not very good... they let up several big returns on both kick-offs and punt returns, including a TD on a punt return by Lion WR Eddie Drummond. They did recover a dropped fair catch by Eddie Drummond, which set up a Cardinal TD. Bill Grammatica hit 3 of 3 FG's (including the game winner in OT) and both extra point attempts in the game.

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WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

St. Louis Rams

The offensive line for the Rams is in disarray, opening no rushing lanes for Marshall Faulk and allowing Jamie Martin to be sacked 6 times on the day.

QB Jamie Martin can be accurate when given time, but under intense pressure he threw 2 interceptions and only one TD.

Marshall Faulk was not 100%; but even if he were, the rushing lanes just weren�t there. He did lead the team in rushing attempts with 10 (only managing 13 yards); while Lamar Gordon ran 5 times for 14 yards.

The score would indicate that the Rams defense was horrific, but they weren�t. The Chiefs scored 21 points with special teams/defense.

Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs found a lot of different ways to score today. They scored through the air (Green - Boerigter), on the ground (Holmes/Cloud), with their defense (Clemons), on a punt return (Hall), and on a kickoff return (Hall). It was an impressive display of �Ram like� fire power.

Priest Holmes continued his quest for NFL MVP with another breathtaking performance. He accumulated 148 total yards and 2 TD�s in about 3 quarters of play; averaging his usual �Marshall Like� 5.5 yards/carry.

Trent Green was efficient, but didn�t need to throw much. He completed 10/15 for 100 yards and a TD.

The Chiefs� special teams were that today; with Dante Hall averaging 44.7 yards on kickoff returns including an 88 yard TD; and 47.5 yards on punt returns including a spectacular 86 yard TD.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

St. Louis Rams

QB: Jamie Martin is an average NFL quarterback. He has decent accuracy without much arm strength or zip. However, the Rams� offensive line played so poorly today that he never had a chance. The Chiefs sacked him 6 times; and pressured him countless more. Let�s just say he�s no going to make people forget about Kurt Warner; or Marc Bulger for that fact.

RB: Marshall Faulk � had nowhere to go today. There were no rushing lanes due to poor offensive line play. It didn�t help things that Marshall didn�t look 100%; and lacked that fire in the eyes. He could only manage 13 yards on 10 carries and 35 yards on 4 receptions. Not exactly the numbers Faulk owners are used to.

Lamar Gordon � didn�t fare much better than Faulk. He rushed for 14 yards on 5 carries and added 11 yards on 1 reception.

WR: Isaac Bruce � led wide receivers on the day with 5 catches for 47 yards and a TD. He looked good on a dismal day for the Rams. He still has sure hands and runs some of the finest routes in the league. He often kept drives alive.

Torry Holt � had a slow day at the office with 4 catches for 45 yards.�

TE: Ernie Conwell � is turning into one of the finer receiving tight ends in the game. He has sure hands and runs well after the catch. He had a slow day statistically with 17 yards on 3 catches.

Brandon Manumaleuna � is slowly becoming a part of the Rams� attack. He caught 2 balls for 25 yards.

Pass Defense: The pass defense wasn�t really tested today as Trent Green only passed 15 times.

Rush Defense: Priest Holmes can make any run defense look bad, so all things considered, the Rams were average. The safeties were intricate in stopping the run, with Herring and Archuleta leading tacklers with 7 and 5 solos respectively.�

Special Teams: Coverage was just downright silly allowing Kansas City to score on 2 returns. Terrence Wilkins looked good returning the ball as well averaging a very respectable 31.3 yards on punt returns.

Kansas City Chiefs

QB: Trent Green � started the game 0/4 and looked out of rhythm. He then went on to complete 10/11 for 100 yards, a TD, and no interceptions. The Chiefs didn�t need to throw more than that since they had command of the game for nearly 4 full quarters.

RB: Priest Holmes � continued his bid for NFL MVP. He looked great. There isn�t a back in the league that runs with more vision and patience. He rips off 10 and 15 yard runs with freakish frequency. In a pre game interview with Jamal Anderson Priest named the bishop as his favorite chess piece which makes sense because of his �slashing� running style. Holmes IS the Chiefs� offense from within the 10 yard line and he�s unstoppable in short yardage and goal line situations. You can�t talk about Priest Holmes without using the word �wow�. He finished with 24 carries for 132 yards and 2 TDs. He added 2 receptions for 16 yards.

��

WR: Eddie Kennison � led Chief wide receivers with 1 catch for 29 yards. Never start him on your fantasy squad. Holmes is option number 1 and 2 and Gonzales is option number 3.� Kennison is 4a..

Johnnie Morton � is option 4b. He caught 1 ball for 20 yards.�

TE: Tony Gonzales � still has amazing skills but doesn�t get the chances he used to with the emergence of Priest Holmes. He caught 5 balls for 38 yards.

�

Pass Defense: The Chief pass rush was relentless, sacking Jamie Martin 6 times. They also had 2 interceptions. This was perhaps their best performance of the season.

�

Rush Defense: The Rams averaged 1.8 yards per rush today. Although most of the blame for that can be assigned to bad offensive line play; it�s still an impressive show by the Chiefs� defense.

Special Teams:� Dante Hall was fantastic today with over 200 return yards and 2 TDs (86, 88). He can score from any place on the field.

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What you need to know:

Buffalo Bills

Drew Bledsoe struggled in his first game back in New England, throwing four interceptions including one in the end zone and two in consecutive drives in the fourth quarter.� He did put up great FF numbers though as he threw a pair of touchdowns to Eric Moulds and picked up 328 yards on the day.

Travis Henry's day was ended early by the Bills falling behind and by his own fumble on the goal line.

Eric Moulds caught 8 passes for 63 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and Peerless Price caught 9 passes for 105 yards.� They continue to perform as top receivers despite the cold weather.�

New England Patriots

Tom Brady opened up the vertical passing game and connected on three passes of 30+ yards.� He also overthrew his receivers on several other passes.� He ended the day with just 183 yards and two TDs, but was not intercepted.� He also caught a touchdown pass from Kevin Faulk but had the play called back on an illegal shift penalty.�

Antowain Smith had a solid day with 77 total yards and a touchdown.� He does a great job of falling forward for the extra yard, but does not break a lot of big�� runs.�

The Patriots defense really seems to have gelled the past several games.� They forced five turnovers while pressuring Bledsoe all day.�

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Buffalo Bills

QB: Bledsoe was picked off four times, including twice in the fourth quarter as the Bills tried to come from behind 20-0 in the first half.� He ended up with over 300 yards and a pair of TDs, but 70 of those yards came in an 18 play drive at the end of the game.�

RB: Travis Henry had an off day with just 15 carries for 60 yards.� There were two reasons for this.� First, once the Bills got behind, Henry was replaced by Larry Centers.� Second, Henry fumbled on the one yard line.� Although it was recovered, Henry did not get a red zone carry after that (3rd quarter).�� The Bills had been tolerating Henry�s fumbles early in the year but this looked worrisome Sunday.

WR: Peerless Price had nine catches for 105 yards, but did not get into the end zone although he was pushed out at the 1 on one play.� Eric Moulds, on the other hand, had just 63 yards receiving but was the main target in the end zone and had two touchdowns.� Rookie Josh Reed had a 42 yard catch and run and had a solid day with three catches for 68 yards.

TE: Jay Riemersma caught four passes for 39 yards but was not targeted in the end zone.� Eric Moulds and Josh Reed are both too good in goal to go situations for Riemersma to be a big scorer.

Pass Defense: The Bills pass defense allowed three pass plays of more than 30 yards, and could have been burnt several more times if Brady had not overthrown his receivers.�

Run Defense: The Bills held the Patriots to less than 100 yards rushing as a team, but they let Antowain Smith average 4 yards per carry against them and let him into the end zone.�

New England Patriots

QB: Tom Brady stretched the defense early and often, one to David Givens that went 30 yards in the air. Brady just overthrew Patten on a 50 yard pass in the

second quarter.� He's throwing more 20+ yard passes as well.�

RB: Antowain Smith had 19 touches for 77 yards and a score, and was used in the second half to run the ball out.� With the Patriots' pass oriented offense, however, he does not seem to get a lot of touches even when the Patriots have a big lead.�

Kevin Faulk had only two official touches for 10 yards.� However, he had two touchdowns called back by penalties, including a 27 yard run and a nifty halfback pass to Tom Brady for a touchdown that was called back for an illegal shift.�

WR: Deion Branch made a 41 yard catch to start out the game and appeared to score but was knocked out on the play.�

Donald Hayes replaced him as the third receiver and caught a short TD pass while Branch was out.

Troy Brown had just three catches for 27 yards but added a nifty 21 yard run on a reverse.�

David Patten had just two catches for 14 yards, but one of those receptions was a 10 yard TD.�

TE: Christian Fauria was targeted in the end zone on a 15 yard post and a 1st and goal pass, but both were overthrown by Brady.� He is still Brady's first target in the end zone.� Although he did not score, he did make a nice 33 yard catch.

Pass Defense: The Patriots got four interceptions and recovered a Peerless Price fumble, but their biggest interception was by Ty Law, who picked off Bledsoe in the end zone.� They got a lot of pressure on Bledsoe, accounting for a sack and at least one of the interceptions.�

Run Defense: The Patriots held Henry in check in the first half and caused him to fumble on a goal line carry, but did allow him to average 4 yards per carry. The Patriots run defense seems to have fixed the problems it had earlier in the year in consecutive games against backs such as Priest Holmes, LaDainian Tomlinson, and Ricky Williams.

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What You Need To Know

Cincinnati Bengals:

Corey Dillon was stopped cold most of the day from Carolina getting so much penetration in the line. Dillon had 18 carries for 55 yards and 4 catches for 30 yards.� Had an ugly fumble at his own 1 yard line plus a safety.

QB Jon Kitna had an excellent game going 25 of 37 for 295 yards and 2 TDs and a rushing TD. Kitna is focused on getting the ball to Chad Johnson and Peter Warrick but still hits the other receivers when needed.

Chad Johnson had a solid game getting 6 catches for 114 yards and showed very good footing and the ability to fake out defenders to pick up yards after the catch.

Peter Warrick had 3 catches for 52 yards and 2 TDs and got good separation for defenders. Warrick left the game after being clobbered by a safety.

Carolina Panthers:

Steve Smith had a stellar game getting 5 catches for 144 yards and a TD. Smith busted deep for a 31 yard TD. Smith also returned two punts for touchdowns.

Rodney Peete was nearly unstoppable as he went 21 of 29 for 319 yards and 3 TDs and an INT. Peete threw some bad passes due to the injury on his hand. Peete was clearly looking at Smith and Muhammad, as they could not be stopped.

Muhsin Muhammad had 8 catches for 106 yards and a TD and was a huge target for Rodney Peete.

Wesley Walls came out with 2 catches for 29 yards but made a perfect fake for a 2-yard TD.

What You Ought To Know

Cincinnati Bengals

QB: Jon Kitna - had a very good game going 25 of 37 for 295 yards and 2 TD�s and a rushing TD. Kitna was spreading the ball all around hitting 8 different receivers. Kitna seemed to focus on both Peter Warrick and Chad Johnson before looking elsewhere.

RB: Corey Dillon - had a rough day getting pounded by Carolina. Carolina�s defensive line was just blowing up the offensive line and gave Dillon nowhere to run. Dillon had 18 carries for 55 yards and 4 catches for 30.� Also an ugly fumble at his own 1 yard line.

WR: Chad Johnson - had an excellent game with 6 catches for 114 yards and was a solid target for Kitna. Johnson showed very good footing and ability to fake out defenders to pick up yards after the catch.

Peter Warrick - was the other target for Kitna getting 3 catches for 52 yards and 2 TDs. Warrick was the goto guy in the red zone when not running with Dillon. Warrick left the game after being clobbered by a safety and did not continue much longer.

Ron Dugans and T.J. Houshmandzadeh - filled in for Warrick and did a decent job with Dugans getting 4 catches for 28 yards and Houshmandzadeh getting 3 catches for 43 yards.

TE: Matt Schobel - had 2 catches for 9 yards and wasn�t a factor.

Run Defense: did a good job of holding Dee Brown to 45 yards and Goings 23. But without a pass defense, very few runs were needed.

Pass Defense: was horrible allowing Rodney Peete to go 21 of 29 for 319 yards. The defensive back were constantly out of position and allowed seams to open up. The only bright spot was the strong pass rush of Justin Smith but he didn�t even record a sack.

Carolina Panthers

QB: Rodney Peete - had a stellar game going 21 of 29 for 319 yards and 3 TDs and an INT. Peete threw a few horrible passes resulting from the injury to his hand. Peete was totally in synch with Muhsin Muhammad and Steve Smith as they lit the field up. Peete threw a perfect pass to hit Smith in stride for a 31 yard TD between defenders.

RB: Dee Brown - was just ok but didn�t get the touches because of Peete�s success. Brown had 17 rushes for 45 yards and a TD. Brown bulled his way through the defense at the goal line for the TD.

Nick Goings - took over for Brown and did not much better with 4 rushes for 23 yards. Most of his yards came from a 14-yard scamper.

WR: Steve Smith - was the star of the game. Smith had 5 catches for 144 yards and a TD. Smith was all over the field making big plays. He busted into a seam for a 31-yard TD strike from Peete. Smith also added 2 punt return TDs from the Bengals poor punting.

Muhsin Muhammad - also had a solid day getting 8 catches for 106 yards and a TD. Muhammad�s TD was a quick 2 yard pass. Cincinnati had no answer on stopping Muhammad as he made several key catches.

TE: Wesley Walls - did very little but came out with only 2 catches for 29 yards and a TD. Walls is rarely looked at until in the red zone. Walls made a perfect fake to get open for a 2 yard TD.

Run Defense: was all over Dillon holding him to 55 yards rushing. Carolina was pushing back Cincinnati�s offensive line and gave Dillon nowhere to run. Carolina recovered a fumble in the end zone for a TD and tackled Dillon for a safety.

Pass Defense: was very poor allowing Kitna to hit everyone in view. Kitna threw for 295 yards and lit the field up. Carolina had 3 sacks without Julius Peppers and played plenty of pressure upon Kitna.

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WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Minnesota Vikings:

Michael Bennett continues to impress as a feature RB. He ran hard all night and gained a minimum of 2 yards on his first 17 carries. The bulk of these yards came in the third quarter when it was clear that Culpepper was having problems throwing the ball.

Dante Culpepper did not complete a ball in the entire second or third quarter, but Minnesota still had a 13-point lead early in the third. Culpepper seemed to have problems gripping the ball and was not accurate. Oddly enough, Favre didn�t seem to have a problem at all.

Randy Moss and D�Wayne Bates were both targeted 9 times. Each saw 32% (9 of 28) of the ball from Culpepper. Can we call it the D�Wayne & Randy ratio now? The two had a combined 7 catches for 80 yards after the first quarter. Bates had one catch for 16 yards from that point on and Moss didn�t make another grab during the rest of the game.

Green Bay Packers:

�Tony Fisher filled in admirably for Ahman Green, but his doesn�t possess the ability to make tacklers miss or the ability to break longer runs. Green Bay appears confident enough in Fisher that the playbook was unchanged with Fisher in the game instead of Green.

A tailbone injury kept Terry Glenn from playing. This gave Javon Walker the chance to start. An early deflection off the hands of Walker led to an opportunity for Robert Ferguson to shine. Donald Driver is still the #1 WR in Green Bay, but its going to be difficult in the next few weeks trying to determine who can be counted on as a consistent #2 WR.

Brett Favre still has a cannon on his shoulder. While Culpepper was throwing ducks Favre was dealing bullets. Home field advantage for Green Bay in January is going to be huge if they can finish the season strong. However, their next three regular season games are @ SF, Buffalo at home, and @ NY Jets. Bledsoe seemed to do just fine in the snow during week 13.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Minnesota Vikings:

QB: Daunte Culpepper: 15-28-136 yards passing (TD, 1 INT), 4-26 yards rushing (TD). Culpepper wasn�t as jittery in the pocket as in recent weeks, but nearly half of his completions were right at the line of scrimmage.� Culpepper had issues gripping the ball in the damp cold weather. This shouldn�t be an issue for the rest of this season as his last three games are all indoors. Culpepper still made plays with his legs, but didn�t complete a ball during the entire second or third quarter. Culpepper did make some awful throws, but was able to avoid the turnovers that has plagued him all season until the last play when he had his Hail-Mary intercepted.

RB: Michael Bennett: 19-120 yards rushing, 3-8 yards receiving (3 targets). Bennett looks more like an every down feature RB each week. He has superior speed and is churning out the tougher yards. If Minnesota decides to start giving Bennett goal line opportunities his value might soar. It was just a bit odd seeing him lead a sweep to the right for Culpepper at the goal line.

Moe Williams: 2-45 yards rushing. Williams broke a 44-yard run - he had a huge hole at the line of scrimmage, and Randy Moss sealed off the cornerback to make room downfield.� If Williams were 100%, he would have scored on the play.�� Williams was able to practice on a limited basis this past week due to injury.

WR: Randy Moss: 3-25 yards receiving (TD and 9 targets). Moss was held without a catch after the first quarter. He made a great diving grab on a horribly thrown ball by Culpepper on the sideline, but was way out of bounds in the third quarter.

D�Wayne Bates: 5-71 yards receiving (9 targets). Bates was a definite part of the game plan at the beginning of the game. He was targeted 5 times in the first quarter and produced with 4 grabs for 55 yards.�� Bates makes the catch when his defender makes a mistake, but lacks the skill to shake tight coverage.�

TE: Byron Chamberlain (1-5, 2 targets) & Jimmy Kleinsasser (2-10, 3 targets). Neither was relied upon to produce consistently through the game. Of note, Kleinsasser continues to be used as a blocking FB.

Pass Defense: The Viking pass rush got a fumble off of a sack that lead to the Moss TD. They also got an INT early in the second quarter of a ball that hit Javon Walker in the hands and deflected into the hands of a LB. Other than those two plays they didn�t put pressure on Favre through the night. The defensive backfield kept Donald Driver under control, but allowed Robert Ferguson to torch them with two TDs.

Rush Defense: Minnesota did a fair job of keeping Fisher and the Green Bay run game in check. Other than the three carries Fisher had of 10+ yards (including the game winner of 14 yards at the end of the game) they were able to keep Green Bay from moving the sticks consistently on the ground. They looked stout on a nice goal line stand at the end of the first half and only gave up a FG instead of the TD.

Special Teams: The return game was nondescript for both teams. A blocked extra point would have loomed large had Green Bay only managed a FG on their last drive, but the TD made it a moot point. Anderson was 2 for 2 in the game (22 & 37 yards).

Green Bay Packers:

QB: Brett Favre: 22-32-214 yards passing (2 TD, INT), 1-8 yards rushing. Favre rebounded well from two early turnovers and led his team back from yet another deficit for a fourth quarter win.�� The second Robert Ferguson TD was a work of art � Favre evaded the pass rush, scrambled left, sidestepped the pass rush again, then threw back to the middle to Ferguson, who by then was wide open.����

RB: Ahman Green: Green suffered a knee bruise in last week's game and did not practiced all week. He was a game-time decision and did not play. He was replaced by Tony Fisher.

Tony Fisher: 25-96 yards rushing (TD), 5-19 yards receiving (8 targets). Tony Fisher ran hard in replacing Ahman Green. Fisher doesn�t have the ability to make as many people miss and can�t be expected to break the longer runs, but he lowers his shoulders and plows to help move the pile. Green Bay tried to get Fisher involved in the passing game, but only netting 19 yards in 8 targets speaks volumes. Fisher is not able to make tacklers miss like Green can in open space. Even after Fisher netted 0 yards in his first four carries in the fourth quarter, Green Bay kept going to him and that fifth carry was the 14 yard game winning TD.

WR: Donald Driver: 2-25 yards receiving (5 targets), 1-17 yards rushing. Driver injured an elbow in the first half and had it X-rayed. He returned in the second quarter and made a 15 yard catch and was also targeted in the endzone. Driver had a catch called back by penalty early on and also may have been robbed of a catch in the third quarter. Green Bay kept Driver involved by getting him a carry for 17 yards as well. Ferguson had the bigger night, but Driver is still the #1 WR in Green Bay.

Javon Walker: 3-33 yards receiving (6 targets). Walker started the game, but he had a ball hit him in the hands in the first quarter than turned into an interception. He did rebound well in the fourth quarter. On the game winning drive Favre completed 3 balls, 2 of those went to Walker for 22 yards.

Robert Ferguson: 6-105 yards receiving (2 TD on 9 targets). Javon Walker�s early mistake may have lead to an opportunity for Ferguson. Favre is not picky about who he is throwing the ball to as long as that guy is open. Ferguson did a great job of making plays and got to have the big night. It�s going to be difficult to predict who can be counted on in the next few weeks as the consistent #2 WR behind Driver.�� Ferguson did not reach the end zone on his second TD.� He reached forward as he went down, but his knee hit the ground (and foot touched out of bounds) before the ball crossed the goal line.� The Vikings did not ask for a review, presumably because they had a challenge fail just three plays earlier, and if the challenge succeed, Green Bay would have had first and goal from the two-yard line anyway.�

Terry Glenn: Glenn was pronounced out just before the game.

TE: Bubba Franks: 2-15 yards receiving (2 targets). Franks had only 2 targets in the same drive during the second quarter. Other than that Franks was nonexistent in the Green Bay passing game.

Pass Defense: It was hard to know whether the Green Bay defense was blanketing the WRs, or perhaps Culpepper just couldn�t grip the ball correctly in the damp cold. The pass rush didn�t bother Culpepper significantly. They were credited with two sacks, but one was off a ball that Culpepper dropped. The interception was off a Hail-Mary at the end of the game. Sharper decided to run around the field after the interception trying to score when he only had to take a knee to end the game. Any way you slice it, if you hold the opposing QB to 136 yards passing and keep them from completing a pass during two entire quarters, you did something right.

Rush Defense: Green Bay gave up 191 yards rushing. During the third quarter they gave up well over 100 yards rushing while it was obvious that Culpepper was having problems throwing the ball. Things looked bleak for Green Bay after Minnesota took a 13 point lead early in the third quarter. Also of note, Gilbert Brown was inactive. When Green Bay can stuff the interior with Brown they do a much better job of shutting down the run on early downs.

Special Teams: Longwell was 2 for 2 (33, 19) and the special teams blocked an extra point, which almost had an impact at the end. The return teams did nothing noteworthy.

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WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Houston Texans

Don�t let the final score fool you, David Carr was totally ineffective in this game.� 3 for 10 for 33 yards will not win many ballgames.

Both Jonathan Wells and James Allen were completely smothered my the swarming Pittsburgh defense.� Allen carried 13 times for 19 yards.� If you take his 10 yard run out of the equation his remaining 12 carries got him just 9 yards.� Wells carried 10 times for 12 yards.� If you take his 7 yard run out of the mix his remaining 9 carries were for 7 yards.� It was that ugly.

Billy Miller caught all 3 of Carr�s completions for 33 yards.�

Texan Pass Defense:� This group was incredibly effective and very well prepared.� They seemed to know Pittsburgh�s plays and had Maddox�s timing down.� They accounted for the only 3 touchdowns of the game 2 coming off interceptions and one coming off of a Maddox fumble on a scramble.� They had 6 sacks on the day with 2 of those coming at crucial situations.� However they did give up nearly 300 yards passing that does not include the 8 to 10 dropped passes by Pittsburgh receivers or the errant passes by Tommy Maddox.� Receivers were open much of the day.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Tommy Maddox looked rusty completing just 30 of his 57 passes.� Several of his balls were overthrown or behind the receivers and both his interceptions were well-deserved.� He nearly threw 2 other interceptions.� He also had 8 to 10 dropped balls that didn�t help his stats.

Jerome Bettis played the game with a broken nose and looked slow and was mostly ineffective.� Take away his long run of 8 yards and he totaled only 22 yards on his remaining 13 carries.�

Amos Zereoue came into the game in the second quarter and gave the Steelers an immediate boost.� He carried only 11 times but for 69 yards.� He had a tremendous red zone 15 yard run down to the 1 yard line called back on a holding penalty.� He got the first carry in Pittsburgh�s other trip to the red zone.

Plaxico Burress was open nearly all day long but dropped 6 passes and had Maddox miss on 3 others where he was wide open.� He still totaled 83 yards on the day.

Hines Ward made a few nice catches and caught 9 passes for 76 yards but also had a couple drops.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Houston Texans

QB:�� Don�t let the final score fool you, David Carr was totally ineffective in this game.� 3 for 10 for 33 yards will not win many ballgames.

RB:� Both Jonathan Wells and James Allen were completely smothered by the swarming Pittsburgh defense.� Allen carried 13 times for 19 yards.� If you take his 10 yard run out of the equation his remaining 12 carries got him just 9 yards.�

Wells carried 10 times for 12 yards.� If you take his 7 yard run out of the mix his remaining 9 carries were for 7 yards.� It was that ugly.

WR:�� There is no reason to even discuss the Texan wide receivers as they caught zero passes on the day.

TE:�� Billy Miller caught all 3 of Carr�s completions for 33 yards.�

Texan Pass Defense:� This group was incredibly effective and very well prepared.� They seemed to know Pittsburgh�s plays and had Maddox�s timing down.� They accounted for the only 3 touchdowns of the game 2 coming off interceptions and one coming off of a Maddox fumble on a scramble.� They had 6 sacks on the day with 2 of those coming at crucial situations.� However they did give up nearly 300 yards passing that does not include the 8 to 10 dropped passes by Pittsburgh receivers or the errant passes by Tommy Maddox.� Receivers were open much of the day.

Texan Rush Defense:� Gave up quite a bit of rushing yards despite Pittsburgh trailing much of the game and all of the second half.� Had Pittsburgh gotten a lead or not fallen behind they likely would not have been able to stop the Steeler running game.

Texan Special Teams:� Kris Brown drove a stake through the Steelers� hearts with a 43 yard, 4th quarter field goal at the end of the stadium that he had all kinds of problems with last year.� It would have been good from 55 yards out.

Pittsburgh Steelers

QB:�� Tommy Maddox looked rusty completing just 30 of his 57 passes.� Several of his balls were overthrown or behind the receivers and both his interceptions were well-deserved.� He nearly threw 2 other interceptions.� He also had 8 to 10 dropped balls that didn�t help his stats.

RB:�� Jerome Bettis played the game with a broken nose and looked slow and was mostly ineffective.� Take away his long run of 8 yards and he totaled only 22 yards on his remaining 13 carries.�

Amos Zereoue came into the game in the second quarter and gave the Steelers an immediate boost.� He carried only 11 times but for 69 yards.� He had a tremendous red zone 15 yard run down to the 1 yard line called back on a holding penalty.� He got the first carry in Pittsburgh�s other trip to the red zone.

WR:�� Plaxico Burress was open nearly all day long but dropped 6 passes and had Maddox miss on 3 others where he was wide open.� He still totaled 83 yards on the day.

Hines Ward made a few nice catches and caught 9 passes for 76 yards but also had a couple drops.

TE: Mark Bruener was targeted only once in the game.

Steeler Pass Defense: Granted, this was against an expansion offense but this unit finally looked like the dominating team of last season.� They allowed just 33 yards passing and totaled 4 sacks.� They did not get an interception but the Texans only managed 10 passes.

Steeler Rush Defense:� This unit played like men against boys.� For Houston to have a lead all game and manage just 31 rushing yards from their running backs is just incredible.�

Pittsburgh Special Teams:� Antwaan Randal El muffed a crucial 4th quarter punt.

Jeff Reed missed a 33 yard field goal but connected on 2 others.

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WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

�Indianapolis Colts:

Manning had some swelling in his right knee after the game. He said he will have it checked by the team doctor.

James Mungro is the Colt�s Goal Line and Red Zone Running Back.� He replaced James at almost every opportunity in Scoring positions.

For the third game in a row, Manning looks for Wayne over Ismail, the trend from the start of the season has reversed.

Tennessee:

McNair completed 14 consecutive passes at one point, and he kept drives alive by scrambling for 49 yards despite turf toe on his right foot.

Eddie George was not replaced by Holcombe in scoring positions, negating a trend that was starting to develop in the last few games.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Indianapolis

QB: Peyton Manning �� 26 of 42 for 297 Yards with a TD and 3 INTs.� 2 Rushes for 10 Yards.� Fumbled but recovered the ball. Tough game for Manning, who once again, struggled in a big game.� His third interception came in the end zone in the third quarter. His three interceptions tied his season high. He had been intercepted only twice in 133 attempts during the Colts' winning streak.

RB: Edgerrin James �� 18 Carries for 70 Yards.� 4 Receptions for 25 Yards.� Ran well with his opportunities.� James is clearly no longer a Fantasy Stud, as he is now replaced at the Goal Line and Red Zone by James Mungro.

James Mungro� -� 4 Carries for 12 Yards and a TD.� 2 Receptions for 16 Yards.� The new Leroy Hoard of the NFL.� After James helps take the Colts down the Field, Mungro gets the opportunities at the Goal Line in scoring chances.

WR: Marvin Harrison� -� 9 Catches for 76 Yards.� Another great game, still the first read for Manning.�

Qadry Ismail �� 3 Receptions for 30 Yards.� Once again, not much of a factor in the game.

Reggie Wayne �� 5 Receptions for 103 Yards.� Becoming more and more of Manning�s read after Harrison, a trend that has changed from the start of the season when Ismail was that read.

TE: Marcus Pollard ��� 3 Receptions for 47 Yards and a TD.� Before the game, Manning stated that getting the ball to Pollard was a Key to the game.� Unfortunately, Manning was unable to go to Pollard much, which might have been part of his poor play.

Colts Pass Defense �� Dwight Freeney Sacked McNair and Forced 2 Fumbles. Outside of that, McNair had no problems with the NFL's second-best pass defense, who couldn�t seem to get any pressure on him.

Colts Rush Defense �� Although the Colt�s Run Defense did hold the Titans to just 66 Yards from the Running Backs, McNair made up for it, both in the air and on the ground with 49 rushing yards himself.

Colts Special Teams -�

K:� Mike Vanderjagt� -� 1 of 2 FGs, hitting a 48 Yarder, and missing a 44 Yarder.� 2 of 2 XPs.� Unbelievably the Missed 44 Yarder that sailed wide right was attempted on 1^st down at the Titian�s 26 Yard line.

Tennessee:

QB:� Steve McNair� -� 19 of 23 for 237 Yards with a TD.� 5 Carries for 49 Yards.� Fumbled twice.� Missed practice all week with sore ribs and Turf Toe. McNair completed 14 consecutive passes at one point, and he kept drives alive by scrambling for 49 yards despite the bad toe. McNair had no problems with the NFL's second-best pass defense.� He was 12 of 14 for 160 yards in the first half alone, overcoming the Colts, who were only allowing 160 yards a game in the air.

RB:� Eddie George� -� 22 Carries for 51 Yards and 2 TDs.� George struggled with the ball against the Colt�s Run Defense.� From a fantasy perspective, George was still the man, as the Titans handed him the ball in short yardage and at the Goal.

Robert Holcombe� -� 4 Carries for 15 Yards.� 2 Receptions for 18 Yards.� Was not used as a Vulture to George breaking a trend that had been developing.

John Simon� -� 1 Reception for a 46 Yard TD.� Rookie out of LA Tech.� Long TD came on broken coverage.

WR: ��Derrick Mason� -� 6 Receptions for 77 Yards.� Lost a Fumble.� Primary read for McNair, moved well with the ball in traffic.� The Colts Defenders keyed on him all game, forcing McNair to take off running more than normal.

Sean Bennett� -� 2 Receptions for 46 Yards.� Starting for an Injured Dyson.� Didn�t seem to be much of the game plan, and McNair didn�t look to him.

TE:� Frank Wycheck� -� 5 Receptions for 40 Yards.� McNair safety valve, although he was the primary read on a number of 3^rd down plays.

Titan�s Pass Defense� -�� Keith Bulluck, Tank Williams, and Lance Schulters each Intercepted Manning.� Manning seemed to have all day to throw, the 3 Interceptions were more a result of Manning poor play than the Titan�s great play.

Titan�s Rush Defense� -� Did a good job holding the Running game in check, but it was really more of a result of the Titans getting out in front on the scoreboard, forcing the Colts to the air.

Titan�s Special Teams:�

K:� Joe Nedney� -� 2/2 FGs, and 3/3 XPs.