Editor: Joe Bryant. Game Recap Contributors: Mike Anderson, Michael Brown, Chris Burtt, J.D. Caldwell, David Dodds, Bobby Elder, Jim Enochs, Joel Faulhaber, Michael Flynn, Kevin Goldblum, Clayton Gray, Bob Harris, Fred Hebert, Jesse Hilsenrad, Drew Kendall, Jeff Lewis, Joey Matusek, Justin Oliver, Steve Prosapio, David Shick, Cody Smith, Scott Smith, Jeffrey Stout. Arizona 28 at St. Louis 30 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Arizona Cardinals: Marcel Shipp finished the game with three touchdowns, including a screen pass which he took 80-yards for a score. The announcers constantly discussed the lack of Shipp's speed, but it sure didn't seem to be an issue at all in this game. He appears to be the real deal. Jake Plummer played an average first half and a great second half. He does not give the impression that he is going to win many games without a lot of help from the supporting cast, though he is very elusive under pressure, which is a very nice attribute. His future in Arizona is very questionable after this season. To give you an idea on the WR situation in Arizona, Kevin Kasper started the game opposite of Jason McAddley. He is playing for his third team in a month after being released by both Denver and Seattle. McAddley made a number of nice grabs in this game. For the third straight week, the Cardinals gave up a touchdown on a punt return. It was the difference in the game. St. Louis Rams: Marc Bulger was back in the starting lineup and auditioning for next year. He continued to demonstrate a very nice release and spiral, but did make a couple of damaging throws when he hung onto the ball too long before throwing. Overall, Bulger looked good on the day and brought the Rams back in the fourth quarter with under two minutes left, demonstrating some intangibles as well. Marshall Faulk did not start and was held to limited duty. He had a touchdown called back for an illegal formation penalty on a nice run and didn't show any problems with his injury. He split time with Lamar Gordon thereby limited the stats of both backs. Though Gordon didn't manage many yards on the day, the back is simply fast and has lots of potential in the right situation. Special teams played a big part in this game. Dre Bly broke the game open with a 78-yard punt return in the second quarter. He benefited from great blocking and a weak Cardinal coverage team. Bly returned punts in place of Terrence Wilkins, who was inactive as the coaching staff has not been pleased with his performance. Trung Canidate returned kick offs and did a nice job doing it. K Jeff Wilkins was 3-3 including the 26-yard game winner. However, the announcers pointed out repeatedly that Martz is unhappy with Wilkins. The WR combination of Torry Holt, Isaac Bruce, and Ricky Proehl is impressive, but tough to predict from a numbers perspective. Holt led the trio this week with 141 yards and a touchdown. TE Ernie Conwell is a favorite target of QB Marc Bulger, and his fantasy value is increased with Bulger behind center. WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW Arizona Cardinals QB: Jake Plummer's first two drives stalled and he did nothing really to note. On his next drive, Plummer made a bad throw and was lucky to avoid an interception. He rallied the Cardinals in the second quarter for a touchdown, but was only able to record 88 yards passing in the first half. The second half saw Plummer rally the Cardinals to take the lead in the fourth quarter on a touchdown pass to TE Steve Bush. He played a terrific second half. Though he does not give the impression that he is going to win many games without a lot of help from the supporting cast, he is very elusive under pressure, which is a terrific attribute. The announcers pointed out that his future in Arizona is very uncertain. WR: Jason McAddley made a great catch in the first quarter, but his second foot was out of bounds. He was wide open for a 17-yard gain in the second quarter. He made a few nice grabs in the game and finished with 57 yards on 3 catches. Kevin Kasper is playing for his third team in a month after being released by both Denver and Seattle. He started at WR for the Cardinals in this game and also returned kicks. Kasper had a 41-yard return in the first quarter but the Cardinals couldn't do anything with the good field position. Nate Poole played and dropped a ball in the first quarter. He made a very nice catch in the second quarter and was pushed out at the five-yard line. Poole finished with just two catches. Arnold Jackson returned punts for the Cardinals. RB: Marcel Shipp got a carry on the first play of the game but went nowhere. It was a sign of things to come early in the game. In the second quarter, Shipp found some room and made a nice move outside for a 5-yard touchdown. Shipp took a screen pass 80-yards for a touchdown in the third quarter, and had another touchdown run in the third quarter. The announcers constantly discussed the lack of Shipp's speed, but it sure didn't seem to be an issue at all in this game. Shipp had 96 yards rushing on the day. He appears to be the real deal. TE: Freddie Jones was not targeted frequently in this game and didn't have a catch. The Cardinals used a two TE set and therefore Steve Bush also played. He scored a touchdown in the fourth quarter. K: Bill Gramatica didn't have a field goal attempt. Cardinals Special Teams: For the third straight weak, the Cardinals gave up a touchdown on a punt return. It was the difference in the game. Cardinals Pass Defense: The Cardinals pass defense was bending but not breaking in the first half. They did not pressure Bulger much in the half, but did manage to keep the powerful Rams offense in check. In the third quarter, the Cardinals got to Bulger for a sack on a corner blitz and forced the Rams out of field goal range. The Cardinals blitzed very frequently in the second half and put serious pressure on Bulger, allowing them to nab two ill-advised throws by Bulger. They couldn't stop the Rams from a nice day through the air though. Cardinals Rush Defense: Despite holding the Rams to only three points in the first quarter, the Cardinals did not look good on defense. They allowed 46 yards rushing in the first half, though it could have been much more if Bulger didn't get hot. The second half saw the Rams abandon the run for the most part. CB Duane Starks led the defense with eight tackles and an interception. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/** St. Louis Rams QB: Marc Bulger was back in the starting lineup this week, and led the Rams to a field goal drive out of the gate. He continued to demonstrate a very nice release and spiral. In the second quarter, Bulger threw an interception into coverage on an ill-advised pass. He looked very good on two drives at the end of the first half, and capped off both drives with a touchdown pass. Bulger tossed his second interception on another late throw. He made a terrific throw in the face of a lot of pressure in the early fourth quarter and led the Rams on a game winning drive with under two minutes left. Overall, he played a very nice game. WR: Torry Holt had a big gain in the first quarter called back because he pushed off. He was somehow wide open in the back of the end zone for a touchdown at the end of the first half. The Cardinals forgot to cover Holt in the fourth quarter and he made a big gain on the play. His long catch at the end of the game put the Rams in position to win the game. He finished with 141 yards and a touchdown. Isaac Bruce caught a 24-yarder on the first Rams pass of the game. He was targeted in the corner of the end zone in the second quarter but couldn't connect. He dropped what would have been a nice gain in the third quarter and another in the fourth quarter. Bruce caught just two balls in the game. Ricky Proehl came in and played throughout the game. He couldn't hang on to a Bulger throw behind him at the end of the first quarter. In the second quarter, Proehl made a stabbing catch for a big gain on a post route. He finished with 53 yards. Troy Edwards came into the game as a fourth wide receiver and got a touchdown at the end of the second quarter. RB: Marshall Faulk did not start and was held to limited duty. He came in the game towards the end of the first quarter and he looked fine. Faulk had a touchdown called back for an illegal formation penalty. He made the run look easy and showed some patience waiting for the hole to open. Faulk looked good on the day and in good health, though his numbers were not impressive. Lamar Gordon started the game in place of Marshall Faulk and the best way to describe him is simply fast. He didn't manage many yards on the day, though, and split time with Marshall Faulk. TE: Ernie Conwell was targeted in the end zone in the first quarter, but the ball was thrown out of bounds. He made a nice 19-yard catch and run later in the quarter. He was a favorite target of Bulger early in the game. K: Jeff Wilkins connected on a short 26-yard field goal on the first drive of the game and connected on a 37-yarder in the fourth quarter. He made the game winning 26-yarder with 20 seconds left. However, the announcers pointed out repeatedly that Martz is unhappy with Wilkins. Rams Special Teams: Dre Bly broke the game open with a 78-yard punt return in the second quarter. He benefited from great blocking and a weak Cardinal coverage team. Bly returned punts in place of Terrence Wilkins, who was inactive for the game as the coaching staff has not been pleased with his performance. Trung Canidate returned kicks and looked good. Rams Pass Defense: The Rams put pressure on Jake Plummer throughout the game, but Plummer is elusive and difficult to sack. DE Leonard Little finally got to Plummer and knocked the ball out of his hands for a turnover. The Rams recorded one sack and one interception. Rams Rush Defense: The Rams shut down Marcel Shipp early in the game and absolutely dominated the line of scrimmage. They allowed 39 yards in the first half. In the second half, Shipp found some room and the Rams allowed 96 total rushing yards from Shipp and another 33 from Plummer. Baltimore 23 at Houston 19 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Baltimore Ravens: Baltimore is still alive for a playoff spot. As long as they have hope, they'll play a bit harder. That normally translates to better fantasy stats. Jamal Lewis (while struggling a bit today) is running amazingly well after missing last season with the knee injury. The Ravens WRs corps consists of Travis Taylor and no one. If you need proof of that, Randy Hymes started today. Todd Heap is a complete TE. He should be high on everyone's list next season. Yeah, that's a no-brainer, I know. Houston Texans: Houston had more yards in the 1st quarter (70) than in all of last week's game (47). David Carr has the ability to be a good NFL signal-caller. He needs more talent around him though. Billy Miller was catching passes all day long. He is obviously Carr's preferred target. WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW Baltimore Ravens QB: Jeff Blake (18/30 for 228 / 2 TDs / 0 INT / 7 run for 10) had a good outing and made few mistakes. The lack of mistakes is what keeps Chris Redman on the bench. He should thank his offensive line for keeping the Houston rush at bay. He was not sacked and was rarely pressured. RB: Jamal Lewis (20 for 49 / 4 rec for 12) ran hard but had very little room to roam. He also was the recipient of several dump-off passes from Blake. It's amazing how well he has performed this season after having knee surgery last year. Alan Ricard (2 for 4) has now hit the 10-carry mark for the season. Hooray for him. Chester Taylor (2 for 4 / 3 rec for 40 / 1 TD) relieved Lewis at times and had a productive day. WR: Travis Taylor (5 for 96 / 1 TD) is the only decent WR in Baltimore. His first three catches occurred on his TD-scoring drive. The TD catch was outstanding. Taylor has come on well this season and should be a force at WR in the future. Randy Hymes (1 for 11) caught his first ball today. Congrats. TE: Todd Heap (3 for 34 / 1 run for 15) has excellent hands, is a good blocker, and even excels on the end around. On one reception, he lowered his shoulder absolutely bowled over a Houston linebacker. Terry Jones (2 for 35) did well but he'll never surpass Heap in this offense. Ravens Rush Defense: The Ravens were a little soft against the run today as they allowed the less than stellar combo of Jonathan Wells and James Allen rush a bit more than 4 yards per carry. That's not a bad day when you're facing the likes of Priest Holmes, but Wells and Allen should be defended better than that. Ravens Pass Defense: Baltimore did pick off a couple of David Carr passes and sacked him twice. They defended Houston extremely well except for Billy Miller. Miller was able to find a ton of room in the middle of the Ravens' pass defense. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/** Houston Texans QB: David Carr (19/34 for 196 / 0 TD / 2 INTs) started off poorly. In his first two series, he was sacked once, threw behind his targets often, and tossed an INT. On the third series, he did settle down and led the Texans on an impressive 91-yard TD drive. His second INT was a questionable call and occurred during Houston's final drive. This rookie is showing signs of being able to become a quality starting QB. However, it's doubtful Houston will have enough talent next season to make Carr fantasy-worthy. RB: Jonathan Wells (14 for 48 / 1 rec for 9 / 1 TD) fumbled (recovered by Billy Miller) on his first carry and was immediately replaced by Allen. Wells did return fairly quickly though and ran well for the most part. Still, he does not appear to be the long-term answer at starting RB. James Allen (8 for 46 / 2 for 10) ran hard on every carry, but he's just not talented enough to be the starting RB for an NFL franchise. WR: JaJuan Dawson (3 for 38) quietly picked up his three receptions as I do not recall any of them. Corey Bradford (3 for 28) had a few more opportunities than the other WRs but simply did not make a few difficult grabs. Jabar Gaffney (1 for 10) had his only catch during Houston's second series. He was invisible for the remainder of the game. TE: Billy Miller (8 for 77) is the obvious target of choice for David Carr. He was excellent over the middle. He is very good catching the ball. Jabari Holloway (1 for 24) took his one catch to the one yard line. Wells rolled in on the next play. Texans Rush Defense: Houston did very well against Jamal Lewis and the Baltimore ground game. Of course, with the Ravens lack of talent at WR, it's easy to sell-out to stop the run. Houston did just that. Texans Pass Defense: The Texans were unable to put any pressure on Jeff Blake for the entire game. As a result, the Baltimore receivers had plenty of time to run their routes, and Blake had plenty of time to go through his progression of reads. When no one was open, the ball was generally dumped to the RB out of the backfield. Throughout the game, Houston seems intent on stopping the run. They did so but lost the game in the air. Carolina 14 at Pittsburgh 30 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Carolina Panthers: Rodney Peete did not fare well against the Pittsburgh defense. He completed just 14 of his 27 passes for 112 yards. He left the game in the second quarter after being shaken up by a Steeler sack. Chris Weinke was even less effective than Peete. He was sacked twice on his first series and looked tentative after that. He completed just 3 of 7 passes for 14 yards. Dee Brown could get no room to run the ball versus the vaulted Steeler run defense. He had one run for 12 yards and averaged one yard per carry on his remaining 7 carries. He did manage one catch for a touchdown. Pittsburgh Steelers: Tommy Maddox immediately showed improvement from last week on the opening drive which culminated in an 11 yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress. However, most of the day Maddox didn�t look as crisp as he had earlier in the year. He completed 20 of 33 passes and threw an interception that wasn�t his fault. Burress fell down on the pass and it resulted in the throw going right to the defender. Maddox later threw a couple passes that easily could have been intercepted but were dropped. 47 of his 209 passing yards came on a pass to Burress that was severely under thrown. Burress made a great adjustment to make the catch. Jerome Bettis looked like �The Bus� of old in this game. He rumbled, bumbled and stumbled for 73 yards on 18 carries. He scored 2 touchdowns and left the game after the first when he hyper-extended his knee. He came back in the game later and clearly gave the offense a boost. Plaxico Burress came up huge in this contest. He made a couple nice catches on the first drive and scored a touchdown. He caught 6 passes for 120 yards. His biggest contribution was the 47 yard reception in the 4th quarter on 3rd and long that completely shifted the momentum of the game. Hines Ward clearly played this game less than 100% with his hamstring injury. His stats of 3 catches for 39 yards don�t come close to showing his contribution. He made a fantastic catch during the first Pittsburgh drive in double coverage and his blocking on running plays and on Burress� touchdown was exceptional. He was targeted and open for a touchdown pass but the ball was slightly underthrown. The Steeler Pass Defense again looked like the dominating team of last season. They allowed just 126 yards passing despite Carolina trailing and throwing most of the game. They totaled 6 sacks and got an interception as well. WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW Carolina Panthers QB: Rodney Peete did not fare well against the Pittsburgh defense. He completed just 14 of his 27 passes for 112 yards. He left the game in the second quarter after being shaken up by a Steeler sack. He came back in the second half and was no more or less effective. Halfway through the 3rd quarter, Carolina had managed just 8 total yards! Chris Weinke was even less effective than Peete. He was sacked twice on his first series and looked tentative after that. He completed just 3 of 7 passes for 14 yards. RB: Dee Brown could get no room to run the ball versus the vaulted Steeler run defense. He had one run for 12 yards and averaged one yard per carry on his remaining 7 carries. He did manage one catch for a touchdown. WR: Steve Smith lead Carolina�s receivers with 57 yards. He had one catch for 23 yards which accounted for nearly half of that. Muhsin Muhammad was fairly active with 5 catches for 39 yards but most of his catches were for very little gains. His biggest play of the day came on a reverse in which he rushed for 20 yards. TE: Wesley Walls left the game with a foot sprain on the 2nd play and did not return. Panther Pass Defense: This unit missed Julius Peppers as Maddox had a lot of time to throw and was only sacked twice on the day. They came up with only 1 interception despite having a couple additional passes that could have been picked off. Panther Rush Defense: They could not stop the Bus. Pittsburgh got 129 yards rushing and averaged 3.4 yards per carry on them. Panther Special Teams: Steve Smith could not follow up his incredible performance last week. He got very few return yards and fumbled a punt in the 3rd quarter which lead to a Pittsburgh touchdown. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/** Pittsburgh Steelers QB: Tommy Maddox immediately showed improvement from last week on the opening drive which culminated in an 11 yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress. However, most of the day Maddox didn�t look as crisp as he had earlier in the year. He completed 20 of 33 passes and threw an interception that wasn�t his fault. Burress fell down on the pass and it resulted in the throw going right to the defender. Maddox later threw a couple passes that easily could have been intercepted but were dropped. 47 of his 209 passing yards came on a pass to Burress that was severely under thrown. Burress made a great adjustment to make the catch. RB: Jerome Bettis looked like �The Bus� of old in this game. He rumbled, bumbled and stumbled for 73 yards on 18 carries averaging over 4 yards per carry. He scored 2 touchdowns and left the game after the first when he hyper-extended his knee. He came back in the game later and clearly gave the offense a boost. Amos Zereoue did not look anywhere near as sharp as he has earlier in the year. He carried 14 times for 40 yards but slipped quite a bit in the turf. He did help the passing game catching 6 balls for 31 yards. WR: Plaxico Burress came up huge in this contest. He made a couple nice catches on the first drive and scored a touchdown. He caught 6 passes for 120 yards. His biggest contribution was the 47 yard reception in the 4th quarter on 3rd and long that completely shifted the momentum of the game. Hines Ward is an unsung warrior in the NFL. He clearly played this game less than 100% with his hamstring injury. His stats of 3 catches for 39 yards don�t come close to showing his contribution. He made a fantastic catch during the first Pittsburgh drive in double coverage and his blocking on running plays and on Burress� touchdown was exceptional. He was targeted and open for a touchdown pass but the ball was slightly underthrown. TE: Jeremy Tuman caught only one pass. Steeler Pass Defense: This unit again looked like the dominating team of last season. They allowed just 126 yards passing despite Carolina trailing and throwing most of the game. They totaled 6 sacks and got an interception as well. Steeler Rush Defense: This unit overwhelmed a well-respected offensive line, allowing only 50 yards rushing. Considering 20 of those yards came on the Muhammed reverse, this unit gave up only 2 yards per carry other than that play. They also forced and recovered a couple fumbles on defense and one on special teams. Dallas 7 at NY Giants 37 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Dallas Cowboys: If QB Chad Hutchinson is to be Dallas' quarterback of the future, the Cowboys must make sure that Hutchinson HAS a future. If he keeps taking a pounding like he did today, he won't last too long in this league. Hutchinson was only sacked 3 times but he was hit on nearly every single play, no exaggeration. RB Emmitt Smith and WR Joey Galloway have been the Cowboys only offensive threats this whole season, but today they combined for 62 yards. My advice would be to steer clear of all Dallas players through the fantasy playoffs. The Cowboys were 0-12 on third down at one point in the game. RB Troy Hambrick carried 10 times for 42 yards (as opposed to 13 and 32 for Smith). Also, backup RB Michael Wiley provided somewhat of a spark late in the game, with 49 total yards. New York Giants: Is "Thunder and Lightning" back? Maybe not to the extent it was during the 2000 season, but for today at least, both Giants RBs had much success running the football. Amani Toomer and Jeremy Shockey are where the Giants passing offense begins and ends. No one else even had 3 balls thrown their way, meanwhile Shockey and Toomer combined for nearly 20 targets. Kerry Collins came out late, but he didn't get hurt. The Giants were up 30-0 and Fassel wanted to rest his stars. Will Peterson, Michael Stahan, Michael Barrow, and Delvin Joyce all suffered various injuries and had to leave the game for stretches of time. Strahan's has the most significance from a fantasy standpoint so I should note that he appeared to be in a lot of pain but eventually returned to the game. WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW Dallas Cowboys QB: Chad Hutchinson may be the QB of the future for Dallas, but it is very difficult to get a read on his ability because he never has any time to do anything. Today, Hutchinson was battered and bruised by New York all game long. He finished just 16-40 for 161 yards and a TD, and it's a minor miracle he lasted the entire game. He did come up hobbling late after having his left knee rolled up on, but he stayed in the game. Early on, he showed a decent scrambling ability. This will be important if Dallas doesn't upgrade their pass protection in the off-season. RB: Just when this situation gets slightly clearer, one game muddies it all up again. Fantasy owners cannot afford to start a back who might get 25 carries but also might get 13, as was the case today with Emmitt Smith. For those who are unaware, Smith is not a viable option as a starting fantasy RB. He carried 13 times for 32 yards today. Troy Hambrick had 10 carries for 42 yards, a solid 4.2 yards per carry average. It is worth noting, however, that 17 of the yards came on one run. Michael Wiley saw extensive action late in the game. He caught 4 balls for 31 yards and carried twice for 18 more. He was the only Dallas offensive player who did anything worth mentioning, so you can see how awful the Boys' were today. WR: Every once in awhile, Joey Galloway will turn in a monster game. Then he'll turn around and catch 1 ball for 30 yards. With Hutchinson's inexperience and the overall malaise of the Dallas offense, no one has any business starting Galloway unless it is an absolutely PRIME matchup. He could have at least dived for a catchable deep ball thrown by Hutchinson, but instead he pulled up short. The ball wasn't thrown past him, it was next to him and he made almost no effort for it. Antonio Bryant was pretty quiet most of the game, but he managed to score a garbage touchdown with Dallas down 37-0. TE: Dallas has a tight end??? Dallas Pass Defense: Had no answers for Kerry Collins and the Giants passing game really. It's not that New York was great, but whenever they needed a play they usually got it. Registered zero sacks and zero interceptions. CB Derek Ross was especially picked on by New York with Amani Toomer. LB Day Nguyen should have picked off a Collins pass in his hands, but he dropped it. Dallas Rush Defense: This has actually been a fairly decent unit this season but not so today. Barber and Dayne combined for 171 yards and 3 touchdowns as the Giants steamrolled Dallas from the opening. Dallas Special Teams: One bright spot for Dallas is the play of return man Woody Dantzler. Last week, he had one of the most spectacular return touchdowns I've ever seen. This week, he didn't break any enormous returns, but he definitely showed promise as a return man. He almost never goes down with the first hit, and he has great moves to boot. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/** New York Giants QB: Kerry Collins wasn't incredible, but he was fairly solid. He completed just 13-27 for 190 yards and no scores, but he put the Giants offense into position to score all day. Most importantly, he didn't make any mistakes. There was a pass play to Amani Toomer on which the receiver fell down, got up untouched, and scampered to the end zone for an apparent touchdown but the refs incorrectly ruled him down. This would have added about 40 yards and a TD to Collins' numbers for the day. However, he was nearly picked by Dallas LB Dat Nguyen, but the ball was dropped. Collins came out because the game was out of reach, not because of an injury. RB: The early-season struggles of the Giants running backs are long forgotten. Tiki Barber has become one of the best backs in the league over the second half of the season. Today, he shared the wealth with teammate Ron Dayne. Barber finished up with 11 carries for 81 yards, including a tremendous 60-yard scamper to set up Dayne's first TD. Ron Dayne had a big game. He carried 19 times for 80 yards, and recorded the first 2-touchdown game of his career. He actually looked pretty good running the ball too. WR: Amani Toomer saw nearly all of the Giants receiver targets, and responded with 6 catches for 99 yards. He should have had much more yardage and a TD, but the refs incorrectly ruled him down on a play where he dove to make a spectacular grab, got up, and raced towards the end zone. Daryl Jones saw 2 targets and caught 1 ball for 12 yards. With the injuries to Hilliard and Dixon, and the retirement of Herman Moore, the Giants WR corps consists solely of Amani Toomer. TE: Jeremy Shockey saw a fair amount of targets and did ok with 3 catches for 28 yards. He wasn't too boisterous today, either. Basically did his job and even got involved in the run blocking, springing Barber for a couple of big gains. Giants Pass Defense: Got outstanding pressure on Chad Hutchinson all game long. S Shaun Williams intercepted a pass late when the game was already out of reach, and the team also collected 3 sacks. Really had the key play of the game in the first quarter. Michael Barrow came in untouched and drilled Hutchinson, jarring the ball loose. DL Kenny Holmes scooped up the ball and took it in for a TD, making it 14-0. The Giants never looked back. DE Michael Strahan left for a significant amount of time and appeared to be in a lot of pain after aggravating an earlier injury, but he returned to the game. CB Will Peterson was hurt on the game's opening drive and it was speculated he might have suffered another concussion. Giants Rush Defense: Did a solid job of shutting off the Dallas running game. The Giants were up big early on (21-0 after the first quarter) so Dallas had no choice but to throw the majority of the time. Giants Special Teams: Delvin Joyce did a solid job on punt returns, and he had a lot of practice today with how much the Cowboys had to punt. K Matt Bryant enjoyed another solid day, connecting on all 3 of his field goal attempts and each of his 4 extra point tries. Green Bay 20 at San Francisco 14 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Green Bay Packers: Most important news here is that Ahman Green looked to be almost 100% and took the majority of carries for the Packers today. He finished with 90 yards and a TD on 24 carries. Brett Favre continues to be one of the league's best quarterbacks; and rebounded from a 50 yard first half to finish the game with 200 yards and a TD. The weather was not conducive to passing today as it was wet and extremely windy. Green Bay's defense was very effective today holding a potent 49er offense to 263 total yards and 1 TD. Donald Driver continues to be Favre's go to receiver with 42 yards and a score, however Brett really spread the ball around today hitting 8 different receivers; 6 of them catching 3 balls or more. San Francisco 49ers: Terrell Owens didn't seem himself for MOST of the first half as he has been hampered by a groin injury. He didn't catch a ball until after the two minute warning, when he caught 5. However, they were all short completions equaling a total of 20 yards. Then, in the third quarter he caught a pass from Garcia that he took 45 yards for the score. Mike McKenzie tried to tackle him at about the 10, but Owens drug him 7 yards and then stepped on him. McKenzie is not a small DB. Terrell then took some pom poms from a cheerleader and did a dance. Garrison Hearst looked healthy; displaying his usual quickness and burst but didn't get many chances as Green Bay dominated time of possession. He finished with 12 carries for 51 yards. Kevan Barlow also looked healthy; but also didn't get many chances. (6 for 24). If you're in a league that requires IDPs, take a good hard look at Derek Smith, because he is a stud at middle linebacker. He's one of those players that's always around the ball. He had 13 solo tackles in the game. In fact; the whole linebacker core was impressive. Peterson had 9 tackles and Ulbrich had 8 with 4 assists. WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW Green Bay Packers QB: Brett Favre - Brett Favre continues to be one of the league's best quarterbacks; and rebounded from a 50 yard first half to finish the game with 200 yards and a TD. The weather was not conducive to passing today as it was wet and extremely windy. Brett hasn't lost any zip on his balls at all, and he may actually be more accurate now than he was earlier in his career. His knee looks healthy, although he is as slow as molasses at this point in his tenure. He spread the ball around well today; hitting 8 different receivers - 6 with at least 3 balls a piece. RB: Ahman Green - looked to be about 90%, running well without any visible pain. He took the majority of the carries, finishing with 90 yards on 24 attempts. He also caught 3 balls but they went for 0 yards. If Ahman wasn't 100% this week; he probably will be next week as he looked almost there. He did have one fumble on the day that he recovered himself - he was untouched on the play. WR: Donald Driver - continues to be Favre's go to receiver with 42 yards and a score. He beat Mike Rumph badly on a slant to score from 5 yards out. Driver is a very agile receiver with great hands. Terry Glenn - led the team with 46 receiving yards today. He looked to be completely healthy. Javon Walker - only had one catch on the day for 6 yards. TE: Bubba Franks - was often the checkdown for Favre today. He has sure hands and caught 4 balls for 37 yards. Tyrone Davis - vultured two catches from Bubba Franks and made the most of them with some nice RAC. He ended up with 34 yards. Pass Defense: The Packer secondary did a good job containing Owens today allowing him only 75 yards and 1 td. They had one good play where Hardy Nickerson got good pressure on Garcia forcing him to rush his throw. His pass hit one of his offensive linemen in the back and was plucked out of the air by Vonnie Holliday. Rush Defense: Isn't the strongest area of the team with Gilbert Brown out with injury. They weren't really tested as their offense dominated time of possession. They allowed 4.65 yards per carry. Special Teams: Ryan Longwell is a dangerous weapon, hitting 15 of his last 16 field goals. He was 2/3 on the day. J.J Moses; signed this week off of the practice squad was not good in the return game. He tried to field a punt that had already hit the ground inside the 10. He bobbled it and luckily for him, the Packers recovered. By the way; he's 5'6. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/** San Francisco 49ers QB: Jeff Garcia had a below average day in the passing game, mostly because of bad weather, and a gimpy Terrell Owens. He was having a good day on the ground with 32 yards rushing, until on one scramble he ended up running into a brick wall on the sidelines named Gilbert Brown. His ankle was hurt on the play, but the 49ers taped it up and he finished the game without another rush. His final stats were 19/34 for 156 yards - 1 td - 1 int. RB: Garrison Hearst - looked healthy; displaying his usual quickness and burst but didn't get many chances as Green Bay dominated time of possession. He finished with 12 carries for 51 yards. Kevan Barlow - also looked healthy; but also didn't get many chances. (6 for 24). WR: Terrell Owens - didn't seem himself for MOST of the first half as he has been hampered by a groin injury. He didn't catch a ball until after the two minute warning, when he caught 5. However, they were all short completions equaling a total of 20 yards. Then, in the third quarter he caught a pass from Garcia that he took 45 yards for the score. Mike McKenzie tried to tackle him at about the 10, but Owens drug him 7 yards and then stepped on him. McKenzie is not a small DB. Terrell then took some pom poms from a cheerleader and did a dance. Tai Streets - was the only other San Francisco receiver to have a catch and it went for 1 yard. TE: Eric Johnson - was Garcia's go to receiver today, with T.O. being slowed by injury. He consistently got open and caught everything thrown his way. The former wide receiver finished with 8 catches for 66 yards. Pass Defense: The pass rush has 1 sack over the past 5 games. They had none today although they did come close once or twice. The entire secondary is beat up; but Mike Rumph is the weakest link. He got beat badly by Donald Driver on a slant pattern for 5 yards out for the major. Rush Defense: If you're in a league that requires IDPs, take a good hard look at Derek Smith, because he is a stud at middle linebacker. He's one of those players that's always around the ball. He had 13 solo tackles in the game. In fact; the whole linebacker core was impressive. Peterson had 9 tackles and Ulbrich had 8 with 4 assists. Special Teams: Jeff Chandler was 2/2, hitting from 47 and 42. Indianapolis 28 at Cleveland 23 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Indianapolis Colts: Manning has taken control of the offense, and his mastery of it shows. Manning called audibles on four plays that all turned into touchdowns. Twice, the Colts quarterback checked off to plays featuring Harrison that went for scores. After being held to just 3 receptions in the first half, Harrison finished with nine catches for 172 yards and set the all time league record for receptions in a season and still has 2 more games to add to his new record. Edgerrin James spent most of the second half on the Colts' bench. A team spokesman refused to say whether the running back was hurt, but the announcers speculated that it was a concussion. James Mungro shined in his absence, but did have two fumbles. Cleveland Browns: Quincy Morgan caught a 78-yard TD on the first play of Sunday's contest, but did not catch another pass until late in the fourth quarter. William Green has a clear lock on the starting running back job, but Jamel White was a key contributor on passing downs. Jamel finished with 6 receptions for 73 yards and converted a lot of third downs for the Browns. WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW Indianapolis Colts QB: Payton Manning - 20 of 34 for 277 yards with 2 TDs and an INT. 6 Carries for 24 yards. Struggled to get going in the first half, but came out of the half running a "No Huddle" offense, and took control of the game, zoning in on Harrison. Manning became the second fastest player behind Marino to go over 20,000 career yards. RB: Edgerrin James - 10 Carries for 42 yards. 3 Receptions for 20 yards. Edgerrin James took a big hit and went to the sideline with his helmet off. CBS Sports announcers speculated that he had a concussion. RB James Mungro replaced him. James Mungro - 14 carries for 75 yards and 2 TDs. 2 receptions for 8 yards. Fumbled twice. Ran explosively up the middle in traffic. Mungro took himself out of the game after taking a big hit and RB Ricky Williams replaced him. Mungro was back in almost immediately as Williams limped off the field. Ricky Williams - 3 Carries for 2 yards. Came in after Mungro came out injured, ran his 3 plays (Losing yards on two of them), and then hobbled off the field, never to return. WR: Marvin Harrison - 9 receptions for 172 yards with 2 TDs. The focal point of the Colt's attack in the second half, as Manning called his number time and time again while running a "No Huddle" Offense. Set a new Receptions record for a single season. Harrison became the first player to have more than 1,500 yards in consecutive seasons. Quadry Ismal - 3 Receptions for 14 yards. As the Offense got going in the second half, the entire focus was on Harrison, as Ismail was ignored. TE: Marcus Pollard - 2 Receptions for 41 yards. Made 2 Key receptions, but was a situational player, and not the focus at any point. Joe Dean Davenport - 1 Reception for 22 yards. Looked to a few times in the first half, but hardly on the field in the second half as the offense got going. Colts Pass Defense - MLB Rob Morris, Dwight Freeney, and Chad Bratzke each sacked Tim Couch. Both Browns' TDs in the first half were "Jump Ball" passes that the Colt's lost out on defending. Came up big on the last Browns' drive of the game, assuring the Victory. On third down, Colts linebacker Josh Williams batted down Couch's pass at the goal line, and Couch's last shot was thrown slightly behind Davis in the back of the end zone. Colts Rush Defense - Solid game against a solid, but unspectacular, William Green. Colts Special Teams - K: Mike Vanderjagt - 4 for 4 on XPs. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/** Cleveland Browns QB: Tim Couch - 21 of 35 for 287 yards with 2 TDs. 4 Carries for -1 yards. Fumbled twice. 78 Yard TD to Morgan on the first play of the game. Couch seemed to own the game during the first half, scoring at will, and driving the ball with ease. Unfortunately for the Brown's, the Colts came alive in the second half. Out of timeouts, quarterback Couch moved Cleveland to the Colts' 10 with 1:23 left, but the Browns couldn't score the go-ahead TD as Couch's fourth-down pass from the 5-yard line went off Andre Davis' hands. RB: William Green - 22 Carries for 69 yards with a TD. 3 Receptions for 24 yards. Solid but unspectacular running. Moved the chains. Jamel White - 3 Carries for 19 yards. 6 Receptions for 73 yards. Very effective in 3rd down conversions. A large part of the Brown's air attack. Not really given the ball in running situations. Picked up 8 yards on a 3rd down draw play in the final drive to give the Browns a chance to win the game. WR: Quincy Morgan - 3 Receptions for 90 yards with a TD. 78 yard TD from Couch on the first play of the game. After scoring a 78 yarder on the first play from scrimmage, disappeared from the game. Did not catch another pass until deep into the 4th quarter. Andre Davis - 1 Reception for 2 yards. The go ahead 4th down pass that would have been a TD, was thrown behind him, and went through Davis' hands. Kevin Johnson - 5 Receptions for 70 yards. Couch's first read on most passing plays. TE: Mark Campbell - 2 Receptions for 15 yards. Dump off receiver, not a factor. Brown's Pass Defense: DT Gerard Warren sacked Manning. OLB Darren Hambrick Intercepted Manning. Held Harrison to just 3 receptions in the first half, but then got destroyed by the Colt's No Huddle in the second half. Brown's Rush Defense: Held the Colt's running game in check in the first half, not allowing James any running room. Was ineffective in the second half, as the Colt's Air attack was successful, and Mungro began to run without resistance up the center of the Brown's defensive front. Brown's Special Teams - K: Phil Dawson - 29 yards FG, and 2/2 Xps. Missed the extra point on the First TD of the game, but it was ruled a non attempt, and does not count against Dawson. Jacksonville 29 at Cincinnati 15 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Jacksonville Jaguars: Mark Brunell finished with some fine numbers, once the Jaguars neutralized the blitzing Bengals. Against the blitz, Brunell effectively found Jimmy Smith in single coverage or Fred Taylor on the screen. Fred Taylor had a solid game rushing and received several dump passes from Brunell. Stacey Mack got his carries late with the game in hand. Jimmy Smith took advantage of the Bengals' banged up secondary. Drew a holding call when he was overthrown going down the sideline. The ball was deflected away on comeback pattern. He caught everything else thrown his way. Kevin Lockett broke several tackles on a screen pass for a touchdown. He also dropped a wide-open deep sideline pass that Brunell had placed right in the breadbasket. Bobby Shaw caught the only two passes thrown to him. Cincinnati Bengals: Jon Kitna played an efficient game. A lot of the incompletions came late as the Bengals tried to come back from a two-touchdown deficit. The Bengals were 6-9 on third-down conversions in the first half, but only 1-8 the rest of the way. Kitna had five passes knocked down by defensive linemen. Corey Dillon worked hard against the tough defensive front of the Jaguars, with modest results. Was given the ball three consecutive times in a goal-to-go situation without a payoff. Dropped a two-point conversion pass attempt. Chad Johnson got a lot of opportunities but only came out with four catches. He short-armed a catchable attempt and was out-positioned on another out route. Was underthrown on a medium hitch. He could not come down with a diving catch that Kitna led too much and on a quick out attempt. He lost his footing on a route at the goal line and dropped another one in the end zone. He also drew a pass interference penalty on a 14-yard crossing route. Peter Warrick did not play due to a chest injury. Ron Dugans did not adjust to the ball on his first attempt while wide open 25 yards downfield. Kitna came back to him often for six completions. He was underthrown on the deep interception and was missed on a medium hitch. Dugans was called for a controversial offensive pass interference in the end zone and was then mugged in the end zone a couple of plays later, but no call. WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW Jacksonville Jaguars QB: Mark Brunell - Finished with some fine numbers, once the Jaguars neutralized the blitzing Bengals. Against the blitz, Brunell effectively found Smith in single coverage or Taylor on the screen. RB: Fred Taylor - Had a solid game rushing and received several dump passes from Brunell. Stacey Mack - Got his carries late with the game in hand. WR: Jimmy Smith - Took advantage of the Bengals' banged up secondary. Drew a holding call when he was overthrown going down the sideline. The ball was deflected away on comeback pattern. He caught everything else thrown his way. Bobby Shaw - Caught the only two passes thrown to him. Kevin Lockett - Broke several tackles on a screen pass for a touchdown. He also dropped a wide-open deep sideline pass that Brunell had placed right in the breadbasket. TE: Kyle Brady - Had a pass deflected away from him at the goal line. Pete Mitchell - Dropped an outlet pass in the red zone. Jaguars Pass Defense: The inside rush led by Marcus Stroud swatted away five passes. The shaky corner play opposite Jason Craft was exposed by Kitna. Jaguars Rush Defense: John Henderson stuffed the middle, forcing Dillon to the outside where Wali Rainer and the rest of the linebackers took care of him. Jaguars Special Teams: Danny Boyd was inconsistent on his kickoffs. On occasion he barely got it inside the 20. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/** Cincinnati Bengals QB: Jon Kitna - Played an efficient game. A lot of the incompletions came late as the Bengals tried to come back from a two-touchdown deficit. The Bengals were 6-9 on third-down conversions in the first half, but only 1-8 the rest of the way. Kitna had five passes knocked down by defensive linemen. RB: Corey Dillon - Had another frustrating day. He worked hard against the tough defensive front of the Jaguars, with modest results. Was given the ball three consecutive times in a goal-to-go situation without a payoff. Dropped a two-point conversion pass attempt. Brandon Bennett - Had a pass tipped away in the end zone and another broken up on fourth and two. Lorenzo Neal - Made a couple catches and had a dump pass to him knocked down at the line. WR: Chad Johnson - Got a lot of opportunities but only came out with four catches. He short-armed a catchable attempt and was out-positioned on another out route. Was underthrown on a medium hitch. He could not come down with a diving catch that Kitna led too much and on a quick out attempt. He lost his footing on a route at the goal line and dropped another one in the end zone. He also drew a pass interference penalty on a 14-yard crossing route. Peter Warrick - Did not play due to a chest injury. T.J. Houshmandzadeh - Did not get many looks. Made some nice moves to get to the one-foot line on a 15-yard gain. Had a 34-yard punt return. Ron Dugans - Did not adjust to the ball on his first attempt while wide open 25 yards downfield. Kitna came back to him often for six completions. He was underthrown on the deep interception and was missed on a medium hitch. Dugans was called for a controversial offensive pass interference in the end zone and was then mugged in the end zone a couple of plays later, but no call. TE: Matt Schobel - The rookie is starting to become part of the offense. Had a ball deflected away on a short hitch. Bengals Pass Defense: Starting cornerback Artrell Hawkins was out with a thigh injury. Kevin Kaesviharn was inconsistent in his place. Justin Smith provide a solid pass rush along with the blitzes. Bengals Rush Defense: Played well to contain Taylor. Takeo Spikes played his usual inspired game. Bengals Special Teams: Neil Rackers was solid on his field goals, including a 51-yarder. However, he did not show a strong leg on kickoffs. Houshmandzadeh had one nice return of 34. Kansas City 24 at Denver 31 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Kansas City Chiefs: Priest Holmes left the game with a right hip strain in the 4th quarter. He did not return. It looked eerily similar to the play Bo Jackson was injured on that revealed the condition that ended his career. If you're counting on Holmes to carry you in the fantasy playoffs you shouldn't be reading this, you should be on the phone to your commissioner trying to get Mike Cloud, who took Holmes' place in the lineup. Other key KC injuries include: Johnnie Morton who was a late scratch and did not play, Tony Richardson who left the game with a shoulder injury in the second quarter and did not return, and Marc Boerigter who started for Morton left in the second half with a shoulder injury and did not return. Dante Hall took advantage of the extra playing time the injuries created and produced a career game. He finished with 5 catches for 143 yards and two touchdowns, the second of which was a 49-yard Barry Sanders impression. He shook two Bronco defenders out of their shoes and then ran by them for the touchdown. Hall is one to watch, especially if the Chiefs' injury report gets any longer. Think of him as a Kansas City version of Az Hakim. Denver Broncos: We all knew there would be a huge fantasy RB day in this game but we figured it would be Holmes. Clinton Portis was the huge one with 3 scores rushing and 1 receiving. His day could have been bigger but he fumbled twice, once at the K.C. goal line and once at the K.C. 24. He gashed the K.C. defense for 130 yards on 21 carries and added another 75 yards on three receptions. Brian Griese didn't need big numbers because the rushing game was doing so well. He finished with 297 passing yards and 1 touchdown pass. WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW Kansas City Chiefs QB: Trent Green threw for 310 yards and 2 scores on just 18 of 42 passing. He had poor yardage numbers until hooking up with Dante Hall for two long scores in the second half. The Broncos showed lots of different coverage looks at Green and he seemed confused at times. Part of the poor showing has to be attributed to his #1 receiver, J Morton, not playing and then having that players' replacement, M Boerigter, also leave the game injured. That let the defense double Gonzalez and effectively take him out of the game. RB: Priest Holmes took the NFL rushing lead with a 56-yard run in the second half but was injured on the play. It's being called a right hip strain. He did not return. He also did not score in the game leaving many fantasy owners out in the cold. He finished with 18 carries for 161 yards and 2 catches for 22 yards. Tony Richardson was carted off the field early in the second quarter with a shoulder injury. He did not return. Mike Cloud replaced Priest Homes in the game and proved that it is clearly not the system that makes Holmes so great. He finished with just 5 carries for 15 yards but he did score. WR: Dante Hall took advantage of the extra playing time the injuries created and produced a career game. He finished with 5 catches for 143 yards and two touchdowns, the second of which was a 49-yard Barry Sanders impression. He shook two Bronco defenders out of their shoes and then ran by them for the touchdown. Hall is one to watch, especially if the Chiefs' injury report gets any longer. Think of him as a Kansas City version of Az Hakim (Kay-Cee Ay-Zee). Eddie Kennison was the only other regular Kansas City receiver to finish the game healthy. He wasn't much of a fantasy factor, however, and finished with 4 catches for 69 yards. Marc Boerigter started in the place of an injured Johnnie Morton but left the game in the second half with a shoulder injury. He did not have a catch but was targeted frequently in the first half. Johnnie Morton did not play. TE: Tony Gonzalez's suffered the most from all of the other K.C. injuries. With a lack of dangerous targets the Broncos simply double-teamed Gonzalez the whole game. He finished with 4 catches for 58 yards. Kansas City Pass Defense: The Chiefs gave up most of their yards on two plays: a screen pass that Clinton Portis turned into a 66-yard touchdown and a 46-yard pass to Rod Smith. The dominant Denver rushing attack really opened up the K.C. defense to long passes, which the Broncos exploited ruthlessly. Kansas City Rush Defense: Clinton Portis gashed this group for 130 yards and another 59 by Mike Anderson. This was a poor showing for a defense that had made great strides in recent weeks. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/** Denver Broncos QB: Brian Griese threw for 297 yards on 18 of 26 passing with most of his yards coming on big plays. Unlike the dink-and-dunk of Rich Gannon's Raiders the Bronco passing attack used the run to set up the long pass. Clinton Portis kept the safeties up in run support and left the long zones vulnerable. Griese had just the one scoring pass and also an interception. The INT looked like a case of the receiver reading the defense differently from the QB and making the wrong break. RB: Clinton Portis put on a one-man show. He scored 4 touchdowns, 3 rushing and 1 receiving. The catch was a simple screen pass that he broke for 66 yards. Two of his rushing scores were less than 3 yards and the other was a 51-yard blast through the middle of the K.C. defense. He did have two drive-stopping fumbles that almost cost the Broncos the game, though. One was at the K.C 3-yard line and the other was at the K.C. 20. Mike Anderson got 12 carries in the game, which I thought was an unusually large amount. I think part of that has to be attributed to the fumbles. Coach Shanahan, like every other coach in the league, hates a fumbler. Portis did get the bulk of the carries and all of the goal line carries so I wouldn't assign the 'vulture' tag to Anderson, but it's important to note that Shanahan isn't afraid to limit Portis' opportunities if he's not taking proper care of the ball. WR: Rod Smith had just 3 catches but he squeezed 83 yards out of them. The Broncos were having such success running the ball that the passing game suffered from limited opportunities. The success of the rushing attack also opened up the deep zones of the K.C. secondary. Ashley Leile had just 2 catches but they went for 68 yards. Again, the running game opened up the deep pass for the Broncos. Ed McCaffrey's patented crossing routes, however, were not deep enough to exploit the adjusted K.C. coverage. He had just 11 yards on 2 receptions. TE: Shannon Sharpe led all Denver receivers with 5 catches but only totaled 31 yards. Denver Pass Defense: Trent Green's poor completion percentage was more reflective of bad passes than pressure from the Bronco pass rush. They had just one sack and no interceptions. They had success when they threw odd alignments and cover schemes at Green but they didn't get a lot of hits on him. Denver Rush Defense: Priest Holmes tallied 161 rushing yards in just under three quarters of play against this highly touted group before leaving with a hip injury. Granted, Holmes is the NFL's leading rusher but this was a top-10 rated rush defense. They did not live up to that ranking today. Minnesota 32 at New Orleans 31 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Minnesota Vikings: After scoring a TD with 5 seconds left in the game to cut New Orleans's lead to 31-30, the Vikings went for two and the win, rather kick the PAT and risk a third overtime loss. On the 2-point play, QB Daunte Culpepper bobbled a bad snap, but picked it up and ran up the middle to make the conversion and win the game. QB Daunte Culpepper rewarded fantasy owners that rode his rollercoaster year with his best performance of the season. Culpepper looked confident running and passing, finishing with 4 TDs (2 passing, 2 rushing) and 385 total yards (312 passing, 73 rushing). He also did not fumble or throw an interception. WR Randy Moss also turned in one of his top games of the season. Moss caught 11 passes for 113 yards and 2 TDs, plus a 25-yard reverse run on the Vikings' first play from scrimmage. He was targeted four times in the end zone on the last drive of the game before finally hauling in the touchdown. RB Michael Bennett ran well in space, picking up yards on draws and counters out of the shotgun, hitting big holes early in the game, and catching three passing for 61 yards. Bennett's final rushing numbers were unimpressive (just 46 yards on 15 carries), thanks to getting stuffed four times in short-yardage situations and getting tackled in the backfield on two other plays. Special Note: Going for two with five seconds left and trailing by one may not be what 2-point basic strategy says to do, but after seeing the Vikings blow five games on the last possession and/or OT this season, it was their best chance at the win. Anyone who says Tice saved his job with today's win is inaccurate. We believe McCombs won't fire Tice because 1) Tice is inexpensive, 2) Tice's open-door, open-book policy is a welcome change from the last days of the Denny Green Bunker, and 3) you never fire the coach when you're trying to sell the team. Red will let the new owner get rid of Tice and bring their own staff. New Orleans Saints: RB Deuce McAllister had a much better game than the stat sheet indicated. He struggled on most first down runs, but still gained 69 yards on the ground. He was also smooth catching passes, including a great 17-yard swing pass for the go-ahead TD in the fourth quarter. If his 78-yard TD run in the third quarter were not called back on a holding penalty, his fantasy numbers would have been spectacular. QB Aaron Brooks's passes lacked the zip they usually have when he is fully healthy, but he made good decisions and hit receivers in stride most of the day. He seemed reluctant to run for yardage, but spread the ball around effectively in the passing game, despite not always having a lot of time to throw. KR Michael Lewis was a huge factor, scoring on a 97-yard kickoff return in the second quarter, getting excellent field position on two other kickoff returns. Fred McAfee took a handoff from Lewis on the opening kickoff, and took the reverse across midfield. WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW Minnesota Vikings QB: Daunte Culpepper rewarded fantasy owners that rode his rollercoaster year with his best performance of the season. Culpepper looked confident running and passing, finishing with 4 TDs (2 passing, 2 rushing) and 385 total yards (312 passing, 73 rushing), and no turnovers. The offensive line pushed the pass rush outside most of the game, opening the passing and running lanes up the middle, where Culpepper is most effective. Culpepper's two rushing TDs were on a 4-yard designed QB draw, and a 6-yard scramble, both out of the shotgun. Culpepper also ran in a 2-point conversion to win the game, running up the middle after bobbling a bad shotgun snap. RB: RB Michael Bennett got the bulk of the RB carriesran well in space, picking up yards on draws and counters out of the shotgun, hitting big holes early in the game, and catching three passing for 61 yards. Bennett's final rushing numbers were unimpressive (just 46 yards on 15 carries), thanks to getting stuffed four times in short-yardage situations and getting tackled in the backfield on two other plays. Moe Williams played very little, and hardly ever saw the ball - just one rush for 2 yards, and one catch for six yards. He did not play in most goal-line situations. WR: Randy Moss turned in one of his top games of the season. Moss caught 11 passes for 113 yards and 2 TDs, plus a 25-yard reverse run on the Vikings' first play from scrimmage. He was used mostly on quick hitches and short routes across the middle. His first TD was a 33-yard go route out of the slot - on the play, the DB lined up over him blitzed, and a LB rolled over to cover him and was burned deep. Moss was targeted four times in the end zone on the last drive of the game (including one TD catch nullified when he pushed off on the play) before jumping over double coverage to haul in the touchdown. Kelly Campbell caught two passes for 42 yards, including a 32-yarder that set up the second Vikings TD. He was only targeted on one other play. D'Wayne Bates caught three passes for just 20 yards. He was invisible most of the game. TE: Bryon Chamberlain emerged from a long slump to catch four passes for 50 yards, including an impressive 17-yard catch and run on the final drive that got the Vikings down to the Saints' 3. Jim Kleinsasser got a lot of playing time at both TE and FB, but caught just two passes for 20 yards, and ran just one carry for no gain. Kleinsasser stayed in on protection on most pass plays. Pass Defense: gave up most of the yardage on short and medium routes. Though the secondary yielded just one pass play longer than 20 yards, they did not come close to an interception. The pass rush did generate four sacks, two by Lance Johnstone. Rush Defense: did a good job stopping McAllister on first down plays. DT Chris Hovan commanded double-teams on most plays, leaving fewer blockers to open holes. Special Teams: gave up several long kickoff returns, including a 97-yard TD to Michael Lewis. The three-week streak of having a placekick blocked was snapped, as K Gary Anderson made all four of his kicks. PR Nick Davis fumbled a fair-catch punt, but recovered it after a mad scramble. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/** New Orleans Saints QB: Aaron Brooks's passes lacked the zip they usually have when he is fully healthy, but he made good decisions (21-for-33 passing, zero INTs, 2 TDs, 255 yards) and hit receivers in stride most of the day. He seemed reluctant to run for yardage, but spread the ball around effectively in the passing game, despite not always having a lot of time to throw. RB: Deuce McAllister had a much better game than the stat sheet indicated. He struggled on most first down runs, but still gained 69 yards on the ground. He was also smooth catching passes, including a great 17-yard swing pass for the go-ahead TD in the fourth quarter. If his 78-yard TD run in the third quarter were not called back on a holding penalty, his fantasy numbers would have been spectacular. The other Saints RBs were not factors - James Fenderson had just one carry for four yards, Terrelle Smith caught one pass for 10 yards. WR: Joe Horn caught five passes for 60 yards, and also scored a 2-point conversion in the fourth quarter with another reception. Horn received extra attention from the Vikings secondary, but still shook loose on short routes across the middle. Jerome Pathon caught four passes for 57 yards, including back-to-back catches in the second quarter that got New Orleans inside the Minnesota 10. He committed an offensive holding penalty that nullified a 78-yard TD run by Deuce McAllister. Jake Reed caught three passes for 53 yards, including a 25-yard post pattern for a TD late in the first half. Replays indicated Reed pushed off on the play, though Vikings DB Corey Chavous was flagged for pass interference. Donte' Stallworth caught four passes for 42 yards, all on short passes. Stallworth was targeted seven times, but was never open deep. TE: Boo Williams caught one pass for six yards. The Saints tight ends were used almost exclusively as blockers, and were often pulled in favor of four-WR sets on third downs. Pass Defense: threw a variety of blitzes at Culpepper, but could not force an interception, and allowed Culpepper to slip away when the pass protection broke down. CB Dale Carter looked lost on many pass plays, though he did recover to make several tackles. Rush Defense: stuffed Michael Bennett in short-yardage situations, but gave up over 100 rushing yards (Bennett and Culpepper combined) when the Vikings lined up in the shotgun. LB Darrin Smith had a great game against the run. Special Teams: KR Michael Lewis was a huge factor, scoring on a 97-yard kickoff return in the second quarter, getting excellent field position on two other kickoff returns. Fred McAfee took a handoff from Lewis on the opening kickoff, and took the reverse across midfield. K John Carney made all five of his kicks - 3 FGs, 2 PATs. NY Jets 13 at Chicago 20 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW New York Jets: RB Curtis Martin had his best day of the season, clawing for 127 yards on the ground and adding 33 yards through the air. He looks to be fully healthy for the first time this season. Almost scored as he was brought down inside the 5 yard line on a 35 yard run. Lavernues Coles continues to be the Jets' best receiver. He grabbed 5 balls for 71 yards. Unfortunately, Coles could not take advantage of a depleted Bears secondary that was missing both of their starting cornerbacks in the second half. Chad Pennington had a disappointing fantasy day against a soft Chicago pass defense. He only scored on touchdown through the air, and finished with just 207 yards passing. Chicago Bears: WR Marty Booker is still the man. He is a stud in a reception league, finishing with 9 catches for 62 yards. (a whopping 6.9 ypc.) Five of his nine receptions were for 1st downs. Leon Johnson and rookie Adrian Peterson split time in the backfield, and were both very effective. They combined for 95 yards on the ground and each had a touchdown. The Jets could not stop either one in the waning minutes of the game. K Paul Edinger has been a bright spot on this team, nailing two field goals of 53 and 48 yards. If the Bears could get their offense scoring more, he would be a top 10 kicker. WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW New York Jets QB: Chad Pennington had a disappointing fantasy day, throwing for only 207 yards and a touchdown. He was a little off on many of his throws, and the Bears' pass rush kept on him led by rookie DE Alex Brown. He and Lavernues Coles will continue to be one of the leagues better quarterback/wide receiver duos. RB: While he did not find the end zone, Curtis Martin had his finest day of the year, finishing with 160 total yards. He finally his healthy this year, and should produce in the last few weeks. He almost scored on a 35 yard scamper. He was brought down at the 5 yard line. He could be a steal next year in many drafts, due to his unproductive year (by his standards). LaMont Jordan did not play. WR: Lavernues Coles is still Pennington's favorite target. He finished with 5 catches for 71 yards. Was not used in the red zone, as Pennington looked to Chrebet. He is one of the hottest receivers in the NFL right now. CB Jerry Azumah left the game in the 3rd quarter, and surprisingly Coles could not get open when covered by the physical rookie Roosevelt Williams. Wayne Chrebet experienced both ends of the spectrum, hauling in a touchdown pass, but also giving up a costly fumble with little over a minute to go in the game. He and Pennington finally seem to have a rapport together, something that they both had admitted was not there before. Santana Moss continues to be a boom or bust player, and today was a bust. He just missed a long bomb down to the goal line as he was out of bounds. He is still not a dependable fantasy receiver, partially because there are just two many skill players and only one ball. Yes, this is the Jets. TE: Anthony Becht had a poor outing, finishing with just 1 catch for 6 yards. Rush Defense: Got eaten alive by Leon Johnson and Adrian Peterson. Needed to stop the Bears to regain possession at the end of the game, and could not do it until there was less than two minutes left in the game. Pass Defense: Because the Bears do not throw any passing routes over 10 yards, it is tough to tell how well the Jets' secondary played. They did not get much pressure on Chandler, only sacking him two times. Special Teams: Just killed New York. Pro Bowler to be Chad Morton had a 97 yard kickoff return to open the second half called back due to holding. Gave the Bears great field position all day. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/** Chicago Bears QB: Chris Chandler had his best passing day of the year, with 177 yards and no interceptions. He is not fantasy starting material, but as long as he is playing WR Marty Booker is. With Chicago having nothing to play for, it should be questioned why project QB Henry Burris is not seeing more time. RB: Leon Johnson shredded the Jets' defense for 56 yards and a touchdown. He also hauled in 3 passes for 22 yards. Played with a fire in his eyes against his old team. The classic revenge game. Rookie Adrian Peterson saw his first significant playing time, and was fairly impressive. He rushed for 39 yards and a tough 5 yard touchdown. From the sound of HC Dick Jauron, he will be touching the ball plenty of times in the final two games, limiting Leon Johnson's fantasy value. WR: Marty Booker had another great game, if you're in a reception league. He finished with just 62 yards, but on 9 catches (10 targets.) Five of his nine receptions were for 1st downs. As long as Chandler is the quarterback, Booker should be a suitable play for the rest of the season. Dez White only caught 4 balls for 28 yards. At this point in the season he should not be on a fantasy roster. TE: John Gilmore was the "Tight End Of The Week" in Chicago. He's a young player that Jauron loves. Also included in that category are John Davis, Dustin Lyman, and Fred Baxter. Gotta love a tight end by committee. Gilmore finished with 3 catches for 28 yards. Rush Defense: The Bears gave up huge chunks of yards to Curtis Martin, but toughened up in the red zone. This defense is depleted, but not defeated. It's a tribute to the coaching staff and players that this team still plays their hearts out every week. Don't forget about the Chicago defense next year, especially when they are all healthy. Pass Defense: R.W. McQuarters did not play, and the other CB, Jerry Azumah, left the game in the 3rd quarter, yet the secondary buckled down and limited the Jets' air attack. CB Roosevelt Williams was especially impressive in his first extensive action, smothering Lavernues Coles. DE Alex Brown is raw, but you can tell the talent is there. Could be a Pro Bowler in two or three years. Special Teams: His technique may be weird, but results are what matter and Paul Edinger is one of the best kickers in the NFL. Chicago surely does not regret spending a high draft pick on him. PR Ahmad Merritt continues to put the Bears in great field position. They did give up a kickoff return to Chad Morton, but it was called back due to a holding penalty. Oakland 17 at Miami 23 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Oakland Raiders: Rich Gannon dissects defenses when he has time to throw, and credit Miami for pressuring Gannon all day. Gannon did get 204 yards and a TD pass, but he was under constant pressure. Gannon's throws were almost always hurried. The WR unit had a rough day. Jerry Porter's numbers weren't impressive, but his TD catch gave further evidence that he is one of the primary Oakland red zone threats. Doug Jolley continues to impress. Though Jolley isn't as big as Baltimore's Todd Heap, he has great hands and appears to have the potential to be a big play maker in the NFL. Miami Dolphins: Oakland loaded up to stop Ricky Williams, and Jay Fiedler responded well. Oakland was without their two starting CB, so Norv Turner leaned on Fiedler a lot Sunday. Fiedler finished 21 for 32 with 237 yards and a TD throw. Fiedler was accurate and smart. Chris Chambers had a huge game with 7 catches for 138 yards. Even though the Oakland CBs covered Chambers closely all afternoon, Chambers was able to get enough separation in single coverage to burn Oakland constantly. Ricky Williams started slowly, but that was more of a product of the game plan. Miami chose to throw early, and that affected Williams' touches. Once Miami had a comfortable lead, Williams was able to break through the Oakland front seven several times for substantial chunks of yards. WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW Oakland Raiders QB: Rich Gannon dissects defenses when he has time to throw, and credit Miami for pressuring Gannon all day. Gannon did get 204 yards and a TD pass, but he was under constant pressure. Gannon's throws were almost always hurried. Gannon's interception came in the last minute of the game when he threw an ill-advised pass to a double-covered Jerry Rice. WR: This unit had a rough day. The Oakland WR corps saw it's numbers hurt by Miami's pressuring of Gannon. But in defense of Gannon, Oakland receivers dropped a few catchable balls. Jerry Porter's numbers weren't impressive (2 catches for 36 yards), but his TD catch gave further evidence that he is one of the primary Oakland red zone threats. Tim Brown had 3 catches for 30 yards. Not only did Brown drop a few balls, but his fumble in the 4th quarter basically ended Oakland's chances at a comeback. Jerry Rice was shut out in the first half and finished with 3 catches for 30 yards. RB: Charlie Garner had an off day with only 59 yards of offense and no TDs. Tyrone Wheatley had only 4 rushes, but he was very effective and gained 33 yards. What's baffling is that Oakland saw that Wheatley was effective and did not choose to utilize him further. While Miami's speedy defense is well-equipped to stop a smaller back like Garner, the larger Wheatley looked good against Miami's defense. TE: Doug Jolley continues to impress. Jolley had 3 catches for 62 yards. His most impressive catch was a 25 yarder where he had to leap to get the ball. Though Jolley isn't as big as Baltimore's Todd Heap, he has great hands and appears to have the potential to be a big play maker in the NFL. Pass Defense Notes: This unit was missing starting CBs Charles Woodson and Tory James, and it showed. Fiedler picked apart the Oakland secondary and that's the story of this game. Oakland dared Fiedler to beat them and he did. Rush Defense Notes: Though the Oakland front seven did a good job containing the Miami running game early, the Oakland offense was so ineffective that the Oakland defense wore down from so much time on the field. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/** Miami Dolphins QB: Oakland loaded up to stop Ricky Williams, and Jay Fiedler responded well. Oakland was without their two starting CB, so Norv Turner leaned on Fiedler a lot Sunday. Fiedler finished 21 for 32 with 237 yards and a TD throw. Fiedler was accurate and smart. This display bodes well for Miami during the regular season and the playoffs, as a good passing game makes Ricky Williams even more dangerous. WR: Chris Chambers had a huge game with 7 catches for 138 yards. Even though the Oakland CBs covered Chambers closely all afternoon, Chambers was able to get enough separation in single coverage to burn Oakland constantly. This is the game Chambers owners have been waiting for. Chris Carter only caught three balls, but one of them was for an important TD. Carter's hands remain reliable, but his impact as a fantasy player will most likely be minimal - especially in yardage leagues. RB: Ricky Williams started slowly, but that was more of a product of the game plan. Miami chose to throw early, and that affected Williams' touches. Once Miami had a comfortable lead, Williams was able to break through the Oakland front seven several times for substantial chunks of yards. Though Williams didn't find the end zone, he did well with 140 yards of total offense. TE: Randy McMichael didn't get many looks and only had 2 catches for 12 yards. Pass Defense Notes: This unit played very well. Gannon was able to connect for 17 completions and a TD, but when Raider receivers were able to make catches, the Miami secondary almost always made solid tackles. Rush Defense Notes: This unit only allowed 46 rushing yards, but Oakland doesn't like to run the ball. San Diego 13 at Buffalo 20 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW San Diego Chargers: Drew Brees had another bad outing and was benched in favor of Doug Flutie in the 4th quarter. Flutie looked bad and was probably only put in because it was against his former team. Brees' job appears to be safe. LaDainian Tomlinson had what appeared to be an off day, but still rushed for over a hundred yards and a score. He is officially a top tier running back. Curtis Conway was back for the first time in three weeks. His biggest function was to draw the attention of the defense which allowed Tim Dwight to get open. The Charger defense did a great job of limiting the feared Bill passing attack, but gave up way too many ground yards to Travis Henry and made too many mistakes in the form of penalties. Buffalo Bills: Drew Bledsoe had an off day and did not handle the Charger pass rush well at all. Travis Henry carried the offense to victory on his shoulders by breaking tackle after tackle. Moulds and Price were both held in check by the Charger corners. The Bill defense did not stop Tomlinson, but they contained him while dominating the Charger passing attack with blitzes and punishing hits. WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW San Diego Chargers QB: Drew Brees completed 13 of 24 passes for 148 yards. He did not score and he did not turn the ball over. He missed a few passes and didn't deal well with the heavy pressure of the Bills pass rush. He was sacked 3 times. He looked bad again this week and got benched in the 4th quarter in favor of Doug Flutie. Hopefully, your playoff success does not depend on Drew Brees. Doug Flutie completed only 3 of 11 passes for 64 yards. He was put in to replace Drew Brees in the 4th quarter to be a spark plug against his old team. He looked rusty and did basically nothing. Brees' job is safe. RB: LaDainian Tomlinson had 28 carries for 110 yards and made 3 catches for another 13 yards. He did score 1 rushing touchdown that was set up by a nice catch from Stephen Alexander. He also had an 18 yard run called back by penalty. He ran well but did not dominate the game like we are used to seeing. He is the main focus of this offense and is a must start every week. WR: Curtis Conway is a much needed part of the Charger passing attack. He had 3 catches for 58 yards, but failed to score. He is the veteran presence that knows how to get open and often finds the weakness in the defense to exploit. Tim Dwight was the team leader with 5 catches for 81 yards. He ran good routes to get open and was the biggest part of the game plan he has been this year and was the target of several other passes. With the defense focused on Conway, Dwight was left open to move the chains. TE: Stephen Alexander had another good game catching 3 balls for 28 yards. He is a good target with good hands and limited opportunities. Pass Defense: The Charger pass defense held Buffalo to 101 yards passing. They pressured Bledsoe well and blanketed Price and Moulds. Defensive tackle Jason Fisk had the only solo sack while linebacker Junior Seau and defensive tackle Leonardo Carson shared the other one. Rushing Defense: The Charger rushing defense was not as good. They gave up 155 total rushing yards. Linebacker Junior Seau led the Chargers with 5 solo tackles and 5 assists while fellow linebacker Donnie Edwards made 5 solo tackles and 4 assists. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/** Buffalo Bills QB: Drew Bledsoe completed 11 of 33 passes for 107 yards and no touchdowns. He was under fairly heavy pressure all day and had trouble finding his target. The sting of not moving the ball threw the air was slightly lessened by the ease of moving the ball on the ground. RB: Travis Henry ran the ball 22 times for 144 yards and 2 touchdowns. He had big holes to run through and broke tackle after tackle. This was a very good effort by Henry and the line against a defense that historically is tough against the run. WR: Eric Moulds caught 5 passes for 61 yards. He led the team in receptions and is Bledsoe's favorite target on shorter passes. He was covered well by the Charger corners and had several passes knocked out of his hands by the defense, but he did draw a couple of pass interference calls. Peerless Price had 3 catches for 31 yards. He is Bledsoe's favorite deep threat, but failed to hook up on a bomb today. The Charger corners kept him from busting the big play, but he also drew a couple of pass interference calls. TE: Jay Riemersma had only 1 catch for 3 yards. He is an afterthought in this offense. Pass Defense: The Bills pass rush sacked the QB three times (linebacker London Fletcher, safety Cory Wire, and defensive end Aaron Schobel). They got Brees sent to the pine by supplying heavy pressure and blitzing often. Then, they shut down the veteran Flutie even better. Rushing Defense: The Bills rushing defense left something to be desired. They let Tomlinson run for 110 yards and score a touchdown. Linebacker London Fletcher did a good job of plugging the holes and finished with a team high 9 solo tackles and 4 assists. They did make Tomlinson fight for every yard, but they sometimes lost the fight and missed several tackles. Seattle 30 at Atlanta 24 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Seattle Seahawks: Matt Hasselbeck showed accuracy and poise in executing the west coast offense well. Seattle moved the ball throughout the game, when they weren't shooting themselves in the foot (3 fumbles lost and two drives came up short on 4th and inches) that is. Only two their drives ended with a punt in this game. Shawn Alexander put up great numbers again while fighting through some nagging injuries. Seattle gave 6 carries in the game to Mack Strong and Heath Evans to try and give Alexander a break. Seattle wanted to be able to get some work in for Maurice Morris, but he was still out with a hamstring injury. Koren Robinson is taking more strides towards becoming the #1 WR in Seattle. He was held without a catch in the first half, then erupted for 143 yards through the rest of the game hauling in 9 balls on 10 second half targets. Jerramy Stevens is officially the #1 TE now in Seattle. He was targeted 7 times in the game compared to only 1 for Itula Mili. Stevens has also grabbed 3 TDs over the last 4 weeks since returning from an ankle injury. Atlanta Falcons: Michael Vick brought the Falcons roaring back in the 4th quarter yet again. He seemed cool and confident during their final drive of regulation. Early in the game Vick missed several open WRs with terribly inaccurate passing including 2 first half INTs. He added a second quarter fumble totaling 3 first half turnovers. Late in the game in goal line situations Atlanta called two Vick running plays. Warrick Dunn totaled 101 rushing yards against the worst rushing defense on only 20 carries (5.05 ypc). TJ Duckett was only given 2 carries in the second quarter and didn't see the field otherwise. Trevor Gaylor was the WR de-jour today for Atlanta, but trying to determine which Atlanta WR will produce on a week-to-week basis is a massive gamble from a fantasy perspective. Alge Crumpler looks to be the only consistent target for Michael Vick. WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW Seattle Seahawks QB: Matt Hasselbeck: 22-31-298 (TD). Matt Hasselbeck is putting Mike Holmgren into a tough situation in the off-season. Holmgren is going to have to decide how early he wants to grab a QB in what will likely be a QB rich draft. Hasselbeck has run the Seattle offense with a high level of efficiency during the past 4 weeks. He's showing enough mobility to evade a strong pass rush. He's showing plenty of arm strength and accuracy to get the ball to Jackson and Robinson down field. On top of all this, Hasselbeck barely practiced this week with a sprained ankle. RB: Shawn Alexander: 28-127 yards rushing (2 TD), 1-15 yards receiving (1 target). Alexander put up great numbers once again despite being nicked up with some nagging injuries. Local radio announcers predicted an early exit for Alexander and some possible use of Heath Evans (second year FB) in the tailback spot today, but Alexander toughed it out through the whole game. Alexander had his one catch on the last play of the first half. He was non-existent in the Seattle passing game today. Maurice Morris: Morris was held out this week with a hamstring injury. WR: Koren Robinson: 9-143 yards receiving (10 targets), 1-10 yards rushing. Robinson was targeted one time in the first half. The pass wasn't complete, but it drew a long pass interference flag on Big Play Ray Buchanon (his first of the year according the the tv announcers). Robinson showed great explosion out of his breaks today and racked up lots of yards after his catches. Darrel Jackson: 7-99 yards receiving (11 targets). Jackson was mostly targeted on underneath routes across the middle. He dropped one ball that hit him in the hands in the first quarter. Jackson took a monster hit on an incomplete ball down the sideline in the third quarter that had to make his family cringe, especially after what happened earlier this season with his concussion that led to a locker room seizure. Bobby Engram: Out this week. TE: Itula Mili: 1-5 yards receiving (1 target) Jerramy Stevens: 3-19 yards receiving (TD & 7 targets). The targets tell the story. Stevens missed most of the season with a high ankle sprain. Stevens is back. Seattle worked extensively with Stevens in the red zone during the preseason. It's starting to show. Stevens has scored a TD three of the last four weeks. Pass Defense: Seattle sacked Vick only one time in the game which yielded a fumble return for a TD. Shawn Springs may have got away with a push on a deep ball in the third quarter. Ken Lucas picked off two first quarter balls. One was a horribly thrown ball by Michael Vick, the other was a great play by Lucas when he jumped a deep out on the sideline. Rush Defense: Seattle may have been handed a win by the Atlanta coaching staff. Dunn had 12 carries at half time, but was only given 4 in the entire second half. Seattle still can't stop the run. Mike Holmgren may want to consider sending a thank you note to Dan Reeves for not pounding TJ Duckett in the game. Special Teams: The onslaught of injuries to the Seattle defense is affecting the special teams. The players that were making plays on the special teams earlier this year are now having to start on the defensive side of the ball. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/** Atlanta Falcons QB: Michael Vick: 21-38-240 yards passing (2 TD, 2 INT), 13-40 yards rushing (1 fumble lost). Michael Vick makes a 12 yard run that drops your jaw, then throws a terrible pass that makes you shake your head. During the first half he was terribly inaccurate, but down the stretch with the game on the line Vick was on fire completing laser beams as well as touch passes. It was obvious that Vick was in control in the fourth quarter and overtime. If Feeley had hit his overtime FG attempt the legend of Vick would have grown even more this week. RB: Warrick Dunn: 20-101 yards rushing, 6-45 yards receiving (8 targets). Warrick Dunn was the workhorse RB today. He had 84 yards at half time. Folks are going to question Reeves pretty hard on why Dunn was not more involved in the second half. TJ Duckett: 2-9 yards rushing. Duckett had only two carries in the second half. Other than this, Duckett was no where to be seen. Given that Seattle had given up more than 5 yards per carry all season (mostly up the gut), it was a surprise that Duckett was not given more carries. WR: Brian Finneran: 4-45 yards receiving (7 targets). Brian Finneran is not a #1 WR. Truth is he may not even be a decent #2 WR. His size helps in the red zone, but his lack of athleticism keeps him from making plays all over the field. Trevor Gaylor: 4-60 yards receiving (TD & 9 targets). Gaylor is Vick's preferred deep threat, but lacks great hands. He had a deep ball from Vick pass right through his arms. He was targeted 7 times combined in the 4th quarter and overtime. Shawn Jefferson: 2-15 yards receiving (5 targets). Jefferson was targeted early and often. All five of his targets were in the beginning of the game. In his defense it was a play that flag may have been warranted on. TE: Alge Crumpler: 5-75 yards receiving (TD & 6 targets). Crumpler has established himself as Vick's favorite target. Vick tends to run around in the backfield trying to keep his eyes downfield. Atlanta is running red zone plays specifically for Crumpler. Crumpler's TD this week was on a misdirection. Everybody goes left except for Alge who stands wide open to the right. Pass Defense: Matt Hasselbeck picked apart the Atlanta defensive backfield throughout the game. The defensive pass rush yielded two sacks including a fumble, but Hasselbeck was mostly able to sit in the pocket and make plays downfield. Rush Defense: Atlanta gave up 166 yards on the ground, but the front seven was tough in short yardage situations. Seattle was stopped on 4th and short twice. Atlanta also forced a fumble at the goal line. Special Teams: Alan Rossum swung the early tide after a Seattle TD with a kickoff return TD. Jay Feeley had the opportunity to end the game with a 36 yard FG in overtime, but pushed it wide right. Tampa Bay 23 at Detroit 20 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The Lion offensive line handled the Buccaneer defensive line pretty well, and the Buccaneers run defense looked soft as they gave up 143 rushing yards to the Lions RB committee of Aevion Cason, Raphael Cooper, and Cory Schlesinger. The pass defense held the Lions to just 158 passing yards and held the LIon WR's out of the endzone. They also intercepted Lion QB Mike McMahon once while the Lions were driving in Buccaneer territory. Brad Johnson (24/41, 253 yards, no TD's, no INT's) looked OK, but not spectacular. The Lion pass defense played relatively well in this game, covering the Buccaneer receivers well and holding the WR's out of the endzone. The Lion's also put decent pressure on Johnson with their pass rush. The Buccaneer special teams gave up several good returns to Lion rookie returner Eddie Drummond, including a 91 yard kick off return after a Buc TD. The Buccaneer special teams almost lost this game for the Buccaneers, giving the Lions very good field position often in the game. KeyShawn Johnson caught 6 passes for 90 yards, but was held out of the endzone. He seemed to be Johnsons favorite target in the game, and got many looks throughout. The Lion pass defense was very tough in the redzone, and stopped several pass attempts in the endzone. Mike Alstott and Michael Pittman both had 11 carries for 47 and 46 yards respectively and a TD each. Aron Stecker added another 28 yards on 4 carries. Both Alstott and Pittman looked Ok, but neither was particularly impressive in the game. Both TD's were short yardage. Detroit Lions: QB Joey Harrington left the game very early in the game for what turned out to be an irregular heartbeat. He was rushed to the hospital, where it was reported his heart rhythm had returned to normal, btu he was to be held over night for observation. The seriousness of Harrington condition and effects on his role on the team are not known. Mike McMahon replaced him for the remainder of the game. QB Mike McMahon replaced Joey Harrington early in the game and looked pretty good despite passing for just 158 yards and completing 10/21. The Lions played ball control and ran the ball between the tackles very often in the game. When McMahon did pass, he looked pretty good and had several nicely placed passes to his WR's. He also ran in a TD on a naked bootleg. The Lions went with the dreaded runningback-by-committee approach in the absence of James Stewart. Aevion Cason, Raphael Cooper, and Cory Schlesinger all ran the ball very well against one of the best defenses in the league. All had several nice runs, and Cason broke one for 40 yards. Very impressive performance by the Lion RB's and the Lion offensive line. The Lion defense showed some signs of life in this game, holding KeyShawn Johnson and the rest of the Buccaneer receivers out of the endzone. The Lion DT was especially impressive in the redzone, keeping the Buccaneers from scoring a couple TD's and making them settle for FG's instead. Really, a surprisingly good performance from a defense that has been a disappointment all year. The Lion special teams put on a great performance, with rookie Eddie Drummond contributing several big returns including a 91 yard kick return in answer to a Buccaneer TD. Unfortunately Drummond left the game after that return with a concussion. (K) Jason Hanson missed a 57 yard FG attempt that could have sent the game to OT. WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB: Brad Johnson (24/41, 253 yards, no TD's, no INT's), who has been on a hot streak lately, was basically held in check by the Lions often questionable pass defense. While Johnson didn't look bad at all, he was not very effective in the redzone and unspectacular overall. RB: Mike Alstott had 11 carries for 47 yards and a TD, plus another 23 yards on 3 receptions. Alstott was his usual bruising self, rumbling for a 23 yard gain on one play. Alstotts 1 yard TD run also featured a nice seal block by none other than Warren Sapp. Michael Pittman also had 11 carries and gained 46 yards, plus a TD. He showed good speed and some nifty moves on his TD run. Pittman also added 5 receptions for 47 yards for a total of 93 all purpose yards. Neither Pittman nor Alstott were overly spectacular, but both go their job done. Aaron Stecker had 4 carries for 28 yards and 2 receptions for 4 yards. WHile he wasn't a large factor on offense, he did have a nice return on the opening kick-off (67 yards). WR: KeyShawn Johnson was Brad Johnsons favorite target in the game, catching 6 passes for 90 yards. However, Johnson was held out of the endzone as the Buccanners faltered several times in the redzone. Johnson also dropped a 3 & 4 pass from Johnson that would have given them a needed first down. Keenan McCardell had 3 catches for 25 yards, including a very nice 19 yard grab on the sidelines. However, he was not a factor in the game. Joe Jurevicius did not have a reception in the game, and was targeted only twice. TE: Ken Dilger had 3 receptions for 35 yards, two of which came on the same drive (which led to what turned out to be the game winning FG). Besides his three receptions, Dilger did not see many othe looks from Johnson. Ricky Dudley had 3 receptions for 29 yards, but was not a factor in the game. Pass Defense: Held Lions QB Mike McMahon to just 158 yards passing. The secondary seemed to do well enough, but the Lions really did not test them often in this game, preferring to stick with a more ball control oriented running attack. They did let up an 18 yard TD pass from McMahon to WR Bill Schroeder. Rush Defense: Looked surprisingly soft and vulnerable to the Lions running back-by-committee approach in the absence of starting RB James Stewart. The Buccaneer run defense allowed Aevion Cason, Raphael Cooper, and Cory Schlesinger to gain 143 yards combined on the ground. Special Teams: The return squads hurt the Buccaneers in the game, allowing Lion rookie returner Eddie Drummond several long returns, including a 91 yard kick-off return that led to a Lion TD. Martin Grammatica was very accurate, and kicked what turned out to be the game winning FG with 3 min left in the fourth quarter. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/** Detroit Lions QB: QB Joey Harrington left the game early due to what turned out to be an irregular heart beat. He was rushed to the hospital where it was found that his heartbeat had regained rhythm. He was kept overnight for observation. No word as to what the cause of his irregular heartbeat was, nor how this will affect his role as the Lion's starting QB. Back-up QB Mike McMahon replaced Joey Harrington in the game. He ended up going 10/21 for 158 yards, 1 rushing TD, and one INT. McMahon actually looked pretty good in the game, although the Lions basically stuck with a ball control oriented running game. McMahon threw several very nice passes, including an 18 yard TD pass to Bill Schroeder, who one handed the catch. His INT came on a ball that was batted at the line of scrimmage. McMahon's TD came on a naked bootleg form the Buccaneer 2 yard line. RB: The Lions used a running back-by-committee in the absence of starting RB James Stewart. It proved to be pretty successful against a normally stingy Buccaneer defense. Aevion Cason led the committee with 10 rushes for 62 yards and 2 receptions for 38 yards. Cason ran the ball very well, and showed good speed and moves. One of his receptions was a picture perfect 37 yard pass form Mike McMahon on a fly route by Cason. Raphael Cooper had 8 rushes for 50 yards in the game, including a couple nice runs up the middle. He showed surprising strength and broke many tackles. The Lions ran the ball primarily between the tackles... right up Cory Schlesingers alley. Schlesinger showed his usual downhill power, gaining 31 yards on 6 carries and 6 more yards on one reception. The Lions used all three RB's with good results. The three RB's combined for 187 all-purpose yards. However, all three RB's were held out of the endzone. WR: Bill Schroeder was Mike McMahons main target in the game. He caught 4 passes for 96 yards and a TD. Schroeder displayed some good ability on the TD, one handing the catch. He also caught another 46 yard toss from McMahon. Germane Crowell and Scotty Anderson each caught one pass for 7 and 2 yards respectively, and were not factors in the game. TE: Mikhael Ricks had one reception for 9 yards and was not a factor in the game. Pass Defense: The Lions pass defense performed surprisingly well, pressuring Brad Johnson all game, and covering the Buccaneer receivers well enough to prevent them form scoring. The LIon defense was exceptional in the redzone, forcing several FG's in situations that could have easily been TD's. Nice job (for once). Rush Defense: Somewhat soft, allowing TD's to both Mike Alstott and Michael Pittman, though both were short yardage. Special Teams: Outstanding, excepting the opening kick-off. Eddie Drummond had a great day returning the ball, nearly going for a TD on more than one occasion. Drummond suffered a concussion on his 91 yard kickoff return following a Buccaneer TD. Jason Hanson failed to make a 57 yard FG to tie the game with less than 2 minutes remaining. Washington 21 at Philadelphia 34 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Washington Redskins: Patrick Ramsey started the game at QB, and played great. He finished with 213 yards and three touchdown passes. He had TD passes to Chris Doering, Rod Gardner, and Derrius Thompson. Stephen Davis was hurt on his second carry of the game and never returned. Ladell Betts came in for Davis and wasn't impressive. Derrius Thompson led the Redskins with seven receptions for 70 yards. He was Ramsey's top target. Rod Gardner had 58 yards and a touchdown. Philadelphia Eagles: A.J. Feeley had a solid game with 220 yards and two touchdowns. Duce Staley took a screen pass 38 yards for a touchdown. Other than that, he was quiet. Cecil Martin led the Eagles with three catches for 59 yards. WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW Washington Redskins QB: Patrick Ramsey had a great performance, completing 71% of his passes, throwing for three touchdowns and 213 yards. He had TD passes to Chris Doering (15 yds.), Rod Gardner (30 yds), and Derrius Thompson (21 yds). He seemed to lock on to Thompson. RB: Stephen Davis injured his shoulder on the second play of the game and never returned. Ladell Betts struggled with only 49 yards on 16 carries. The Redskins were down for the entire game, so they were forced to pass the ball more. Keep an eye on how he does during the remainder of the season. He could be the starter next year if the Redskins cut Davis because of salary cap reasons. Rookie FB Rock Cartwright had three catches for 15 yards. WR: Derrius Thompson was Ramsey's favorite target today. He had seven receptions for 70 yards as well as a 21 yard touchdown reception. Rod Gardner was relatively quiet with three receptions for 58 yards. He had a nice 30 yard touchdown reception. TE: Zeron Flemister had only catch for eight yards. Rush defense: Did a good job with Staley, holding him to only 62 yards. Weren't as successful against Dorsey Levens. He had 43 yards on only eight carries. Pass defense: Fred Smoot had a nice interception, but that was about it. They missed a lot of tackles on Duce Staley, allowing him to take a screen pass 38 yards for a TD. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/** Philadelphia Eagles QB: A.J. Feeley was solid. He threw for 220 yards, two touchdowns, and had one interception. Feeley had touchdown passes to Duce Staley and Antonio Freeman. His interception occurred when he was trying to hit Todd Pinkston on a fade route, but underthrew the ball. Post-game reports indicate that if he is healthy, Koy Detmer will be the starter next week at Dallas. RB: Duce Staley had 62 yards on 20 carries. The highlight of his day was a screen pass that he took 38 yards for a touchdown. Staley was very inconsistent. Sometimes he would break decent runs into the secondary, but often he would get held up at the line. WR: Todd Pinkston had five catches for 49 yards. He looked good today. Cecil Martin led the Eagles with three catches for 59 yards. Antonio Freeman's only catch of the day was a six yard touchdown pass in the third quarter. TE: Chad Lewis only caught two passes, but he had 44 receiving yards. Rush defense: Contained Betts well. They allowed him to rush for only 49 yards. Pass defense: Wasn't able to get much pressure on Ramsey, only sacking him twice. They allowed him to pass for three touchdowns, and 213 yards. New England 7 at Tennessee 30 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW New England Patriots: The running game never got going. The Patriots fell behind so quickly that they had to abandon it. Antowain Smith rushed 6 times for 31 yards. One of those runs was for 23 yards. Kevin Faulk tried to help but only managed 15 yards on 5 carries. It was a dominating performance from the Titans run defense. Tom Brady completed 14 passes for 134 yards. 8 of those completions went to Troy Brown. He had very little room to throw and tossed an interception for a touchdown to Rich Coady. The coolest play of the day was a rocket that Brady threw into a ref's head cam. The ball bounced straight up in the air after it hit him. We got to see the replay of the ball coming straight at us and knocking the camera to the ground. Pretty cool stuff. The ref was lucky, that ball could have broken his nose. Terrell Buckley intercepted a Steve McNair pass on 3rd down and then proceeded to fumble it. Then Robert Holcombe recovered it for the Titans. Tennessee Titans: Steve McNair has proved once again that practice is unnecessary for him. His passing numbers were mediocre with 136 yards and an interception but there were several dropped long passes that would have easily put him over the 200-yard mark. The Titans crushed the Patriots with ball control. Eddie George and Robert Holcombe we're a huge part of that. George rushed 31 times for 101 yards. It was George's 3rd 100-yard rushing day this season. Holcombe stole 10 carries for 85 yards and looked great doing it. Derrick Mason was McNair's main target. He caught 6 passes for 86 yards. He got hit hard several times but bounced right up each time. The Titan's defense was suffocating. The Patriots were 2-11 on 3rd down. They sacked Tom Brady twice and intercepted him once. The only score they allowed was a Brady run for a touchdown. WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW New England Patriots QB: Tom Brady completed 14 passes for 134 yards. 8 of those completions went to Troy Brown. He had very little room to throw and tossed an interception for a touchdown to Rich Coady. He almost threw a second one, but after review the replay showed that the ball had hit the ground. He ran for a 10-yard touchdown to provide the Patriots only touchdown of the game. He didn't look like the same quarterback that won a Super Bowl last year. RB: Antowain Smith had very little to do today. The Patriots fell behind so quickly that they abandoned the running game. He rushed 6 times for 31 yards and caught 2 passes for 41 yards. One of his rushes was for 23 yards and one of his receptions was for 35 yards. Neither of these big plays resulted in a score. Kevin Faulk saw a little action too. He had 5 carries for 15 yards. WR: Troy Brown was the Patriots only reliable receiver. He caught 8 passes for 73 yards, but failed to score. Davis Patten was blanketed all game. He had 1 catch for 5 yards. The Coady interception for a touchdown bounced off of Patten. TE: Daniel Graham caught 2 passes for 8 yards. Cam Cleeland caught 1 pass for 10 yards. New England Pass Defense - They played a strong game. They held McNair to 134 yards and Buckley intercepted one his passes. The Titans could have easily had two more touchdowns. The defenders were beat in both cases, but the ball wasn't caught. New England Rush Defense - They we're nonexistent. The Titans racked up 238 yards on the ground and 2 touchdowns. New England Special Teams - Kevin Faulk had a 35 yards kick return. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/** Tennessee Titans QB: Steve McNair has proved once again that practice is unnecessary for him. His passing numbers were mediocre with 136 yards and an interception but there were several dropped long passes that would have easily put him over the 200-yard mark. Since McNair's receivers had trouble making catches, he took matters into his own hands by rushing for 49 yards and 2 touchdowns. He probably won't be practicing again this week. RB: Eddie George had a fine day. He wasn't stellar, but ate a ton of clock on 31 runs for 101 yards. It was his 3rd 100-yard rushing day this season. George also added 2 receptions for 16 yards. Robert Holcombe was actually the better back tonight. He rushed for 85 yards on 10 attempts including a 39-yard run on the 3rd play of the game. He also stripped the ball from Buckley after the interception. Holcombe recovered it for a first down. WR: Derrick Mason made tough catches all day. He caught 6 passes for 86 yards. Drew Bennett was the only other wide receiver to catch a pass. He caught 1 pass for 16 yards. Justin McCareins had a lousy day. He dropped a catchable ball that would have been a touchdown. TE: There was no offensive production by any of the tight ends. Tennessee Pass Defense - They held Brady to 134 yards and sacked him twice. Coady intercepted a deflected pass and returned it for an interception. They didn't allow a single touchdown. Tennessee Rush Defense - Dominating. Except for the 10-yard run by Brady for a touchdown, they held the Patriots down. Smith and Faulk combined for 46 yards on the ground. Tennessee Special Teams - Joe Nedney kicked a 28-yard field goal but missed a 45-yarder on the opening drive.