Editor: Joe Bryant. Game Recap Contributors: Mike Anderson, Michael Brown, Chris Burtt, J.D. Caldwell, David Dodds, 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. Indianapolis 23 at Houston 3 Indianapolis Colts: The Colts continue now to the third week of conservative play calling. It's affecting the production and scoring opportunities of Manning, Harrison, and James. The Colts (Especially James) were unable to move the ball in the Red Zone against the Texan's Defense. 2nd week in a row James has struggled there. Stopped for no gain on two back to back carries at the 11, and then again later for no gain on a 3rd and 1 opportunity. WR Qadry Ismail only had a single reception, and from the box score, Reggie Wayne looks to have been used as the #2 WR. But Ismail was clearly the #2 WR target. Although he only had one reception, Ismail could have ended the day with 4 receptions for 95 + yards and 2-3 TDs. The potential is there for him. TE Marcus Pollard was back in the line up this week. He started slow, and was very rusty, missing the first two passes thrown to him. As the game wore on, Pollard regained some of his timing, making his two receptions towards the end of the game. Did have a 6 yard reception on 1st and Goal at the 10 that was called back on a holding penalty. DB/S Corey Bird twisted his left knee and had to be helped off the field. Backup SS Jason Doering, in for Bird laid injured on the field for awhile, but was able to get up and eventually walk off on his own power. He was replaced by Backup FS Brian Leigeb who is playing out of position. No news on either Bird or Doering was available during game time, but this could be a crushing loss to the Colt's pass defense. Houston Texans: The Texan's running game struggled behind James Allen for much of the game. Coming in for an ineffective Allen, Jonathan Wells ran with power and hit the holes aggressively. He was quite successful against the Colt's Run Defense averaging 6.6 ypc (14 for 93 yards including a 37 yarder) Keep a very close eye on this one as we've been expecting Wells to take over. This is the second straight week the Texans have failed to score a touchdown. At one point, they had the ball at a 6 yard line and were only able to come out with a field goal. After 15 sacks in the 1st two games, the play calling for David Carr has changed dramatically. Gone are the 7 step drop passes, replaced with quick 3 and 5 step passes, and Shotgun formations in their place. This worked very well for most of the game, with the first of Carr's sacks coming in the second half, and only 4 on the day as compared to 7 last week. Carr was able to stay on his feet much better this week. LT Tony Boselli, out with double shoulder surgery, is still sorely missed in Carr's protection. QB David Carr was held under 100 yards passing for the second time in as many weeks . After throwing two touchdowns in the first game, Carr has gone two games without a touchdown pass. The WRs had 3 drops in the first half. Carr is not afraid to take off and run with the ball and was effective picking up a couple of 3rd down conversions while running. Washington 10 at San Francisco 20 Washington Redskins: QB Shane Matthews spread the ball around well on short routes, but was pressured and ineffective on deep passes. He doesn't seem to be confident in the pocket. He was pulled in favor of Danny Wuerffel in the 4th quarter after being shaken up on a vicious late hit. Wuerffel was no better. He didn't get much playing time as San Francisco had the ball for the final 8 minutes of the game. He finished 1 for 2 with one interception. He forced the ball to Rod Gardner in double coverage in the endzone, and was picked off. The Patrick Ramsey Watch is on. RB Stephen Davis ran very well, but was only given 13 carries. He had a costly fumble at the beginning of the game. TE Zeron Flemister was a bigger part of the passing game this week catching 3 passes for 57 yards and a TD. LB Jesse Armstead had 17 solo tackles while Champ Bailey and Fred Smoot limited the 49er wide outs to only short routes. San Francisco 49ers: QB Jeff Garcia was suffering from a stomach virus / flu and played a poor game. He was replaced by Tim Rattay in the 3rd quarter. There is zero QB controversy. Announcers said the move was strictly due to Garcia feeling the effects of the flu. RB Garrison Hearst and Kevan Barlow both ran very well. Hearst seems to be running better than he had been. Both are outstanding talents. Does not appear that Hearst is any danger of losing more time to Barlow. The team seems to like this combination and workload split. WR Terrell Owens was shut down on deep routes but did have an incredible 38 yard touchdown run. He did drop a long pass that would have been a TD. San Francisco won the game with their defense. San Francisco had better field position and was +2 on turnovers. Dallas 13 vs. Philadelphia 44 Dallas Cowboys: The Cowboy's offense was less than thrilling today. They looked like the team that was beaten by Houston, not the Cowboys of last week. Jimmy Johnson on Fox called Quincy Carter an "interesting" QB. I'm not sure that's the word I'd use. At the very least, Carter was extremely inconsistent. The lone Dallas touchdown came on a 100 yard kick-off return by Reggie Swinton. After going up 10-3 in the first quarter, the Cowboys only made one more visit to Philadelphia's red zone. RB Emmitt Smith was on his way to a nice day with 11 carries for 52 yards. Unfortunately, the Cowboys fell behind quick and Dallas was forced to the air. Philadelphia Eagles: QB Donovan McNabb was simply amazing for the second week in a row. He threw to eight different receivers for 287 yards and 3 touchdowns. The Cowboys put extreme pressure on him by blitzing often in the first quarter rushing his throws and sacking him twice. McNabb countered by breaking runs of 26 and 25 yards. From the second quarter on he had all the time in the world. Philadelphia had plenty of trick plays up their sleeves. James Thrash ran a double reverse for 32 yards. David Akers ran 10 yards on a fake field goal formation. Brian Westbrook threw a 25 yard touchdown to Todd Pinkston on a half back option. RB Duce Staley got the bulk of the carries. The Eagles are a pass first team and playing any of their running backs is a risky decision. WR Antonio Freeman broke out with his first 100 yard performance and touchdown as a Philadelphia Eagle. The defense was strong once again. They allowed no offensive touchdowns for the second week in a row. Kansas City 38 at New England 41 Kansas City Chiefs: The vulture days of Tony Richardson may be over. RB Priest Holmes was used exclusively at the goal line, including the one-yard TD run as time expired. Holmes continues to be a rushing machine. He finds holes where there are none and bulls for positive yards when he appears stopped for a loss. He showed again that he's a terrific receiver and led his team in catches this week. He scored twice on the ground and once in the air. QB Trent Green is not playing as well as the stats indicate. He overthrew wide open receivers and threw jump balls into traffic. All of the receivers struggled as a result of his inconsistency. He did throw three touchdowns but added two interceptions and a measly 149 yards to them. A sub-par effort. Contrary to reports he wouldn't need it, TE Tony Gonzalez played with a cast on his right wrist. He was a very minor part of this game plan and the cast likely was a factor. Eddie Kennison is clearly the go to WR in the passing game. Kennison was called down at the one-yard line on the second to last play of the game, and could have easily ended up with 3 TDs. Johnnie Morton still does not appear to be able to handle the #1 receiving role. Trent Green did overthrow him when he was wide open for a touchdown, but he not capitalized on the opportunities. New England Patriots: QB Tom Brady is a starter in your FF league until the Patriots decide to move from an offense that has him throwing 50+ times each week. His passes were crisp and accurate often leading his receivers downfield for more yards after the catch. Threw an interception when he got hit releasing the ball. He completed passes to nine different receivers. New England's Offensive Coordinator Charlie Weis appeared to use all of his running backs at first, and then decided on Antowain Smith during the second half. Smith scored on a 42-yard run that accounted for almost half of his yards on the day. Benefited from New England wearing down the Chiefs defensive front with a no-huddle offense early in the game. Troy Brown had a huge day with 16 catches for 176 yards and a score. He's definitely the number one guy in Brady's playbook. He gets a lot of help from the other WR's and TE's drawing coverage away from him. Cleveland 31 at Tennessee 28 (OT) Cleveland Browns: Tim Couch got the start over backup Kelly Holcomb. Couch looked sharp early with quick decision-making and release of the football, despite the Titans penetrating the makeshift Cleveland line. The Browns' offensive line was missing two starters (center Dave Wohlabaugh and right tackle Ryan Tucker) due to injury. Shaun O'Hara and Roger Chanoine were their replacements, respectively. Titans maintained the pressure throughout the game and Couch adjusted, making only one glaring mistake on the Andre Dyson interception for a touchdown. Couch was the leader of the Brown comeback after being down 28-14 with five minutes left in the fourth. He spread the ball to nine different receivers with Kevin Johnson and Jamel White having nine catches each. The Brown running game is still non-existent. White got the start at running back in the spread formation. William Green fumbled twice while only gaining 26 yards off eight carries and did not play in the fourth quarter with the game on the line. The Cleveland defense played well containing the run and not allowing the Titans to throw deep because of the pressure of the defensive line. Tennessee Titans: The running game was mediocre while the passing game could not get in gear. The Titans finished with only 86 yards rushing and 107 through the air. Steve McNair did not look downfield to a wide receiver in the first quarter and did not complete a pass to a wide receiver until 4:40 left in the third quarter. McNair did not have the protection to look deep most of the game. When he did, his passes were well off the mark. Eddie George's foot was not a factor, although he did have his right ankle re-taped after the opening drive. It was his left foot that was bothering him early this week. Cornerback Andre Dyson left the game late in the first half with a hip injury. He came into the game nursing his hamstring. Couch attacked his rookie backup Mike Echols and the Dyson injury may have been the difference in the game. New York Jets 3 at Miami Dolphins 30 New York Jets: The Jets offense is in complete disarray. Outside of Wayne Chrebet, no one seemed able to do much of anything today against Miami. Testaverde is dealing with constant pressure, and the running game was again a non-factor and didn't alleviate any pressure for the passing game. The Jets made an effort to get the ball to Curtis Martin, who showed no effect of the ankle sprain. Still, the holes were few and far between and Martin was again pretty much a non-factor with just 43 yards on 16 carries. Wayne Chrebet appeared to be the #1 receiver for today at least. He caught 5 passes and was targeted on over 10 for the game. Meanwhile, Laveranues Coles and Santana Moss combined for just 14 yards on 2 receptions. Coles also dropped 2 passes, one of which would have given New York a first down. Miami Dolphins: Though he has done it against less-than-impressive run defenses, Ricky Williams appears well on his way towards that huge breakout season we've all been expecting from him. Williams ripped the Jets for 151 yards, including a career long 53 yard touchdown run late in the 4th quarter. Williams consistently wore down the Jets and even at 20 pounds lighter than last year, still delivers bruising hits to defenders in his way. Rookie TE Randy McMichael looks like the real deal. Not only did he make a number of big plays (5 receptions, 79 yards, 1 TD), but he was looked to in the key spots. Twice Fiedler looked his way on third down and McMichael was the recipient of the first pass attempt by Fiedler when they got in the red zone. Robert Edwards came in for Williams on every third down situation. Though Edwards did not have a huge impact, it is worth noting this�just in case Williams owners were expecting another 60 catch season out of him. The Dolphins defense was tremendous, forcing 4 Jets turnovers (though one was a garbage time INT against Pennington that was just heaved downfield). Zach Thomas did not have many tackles, but he demonstrated his uncanny ability to cover the field east to west and always find the ball carrier. Carolina 21 at Minnesota 14 Carolina Panthers: RB Lamar Smith dominated the game. He pounded out 5-6 yard runs between the tackles to control the clock in the first half, and ran over the Minnesota defense for a pair of TD runs in the fourth quarter. He finished runs especially well, regularly dragging the tackler for an extra yard or two. Doesn't always look pretty, but you can't argue with the results. WRs Muhsin Muhammad left the game with a hamstring injury in the third quarter. He was hurt on a simple cut on a post pattern, but actually caught a pass on the play for a 24-yard gain. He was seen on the sidelines in the fourth quarter, but did not re-enter the game. WR Steve Smith became the primary receivers when Muhammad left the game, utilizing his blazing speed for 81 yards and a TD. His best play came on a fantastic sliding catch in coverage for a 32-yard gain, setting up the go-ahead TD. The Carolina pass rush produced five sacks (three by Michael Rucker), and the constant pressure clearly rattled Daunte Culpepper, who threw four Interceptions and fumbled twice. Minnesota Vikings: The "Randy Ratio" fell off considerably this week The Vikings called 39 pass plays (including plays that resulted in penalties, scrambles, sacks, and fumbles). WR Randy Moss was targeted just 11 times as a receiver for a "Randy Ratio" of just 28.2 percent. Moss was frustrated all day, never caught a pass downfield (just four catches for 16 yards), pouted, and drew at least one verbal tirade from Culpepper on the sidelines. You've probably seen the highlight but Culpepper was scary mad. (more in the "ought to know" section). QB Daunte Culpepper had his worst game of a shaky season so far, and would have had his worst game as a pro if it weren't for a 7-for-7 drive in the fourth quarter capped with his only TD pass. He never had any rhythm or connection with his receivers. Culpepper threw four interceptions, fumbled twice, and was also to blame for a botched handoff to Bennett. No RB ran the ball well. Michael Bennett had just 9 carries for 23 yards, Moe Williams 4 for 16, Doug Chapman 1 for 2. TE Bryon Chamberlain was a late scratch and did not play. Chamberlain's absence, coupled with the injury of TE Jim Kleinsasser, hurt the offense considerably. The Vikings missed Chamberlain as a bailout option when Moss was covered, and missed Kleinsasser's blocking in both the running and passing game. Green Bay 37 at Detroit 31 Green Bay Packers: The Packer defense played somewhat sloppy. They stopped the Lion run attack, and although they intercepted Joey Harrington four times, they did allow Harrington to throw two nice touchdown passes and failed to pressure him in any significant way. They also committed a couple costly penalties, including one pass interference in the endzone that set up a Lion TD and allowed them to stay in the game. The Packers defense remains questionable against a strong offense. Brett Favre had an excellent game, going 31/47 for 357 yards and 3 TD's against the Lions porous secondary. He spread the ball out well, throwing to ten different receivers in the game, although his favorite targets seemed to be TE Bubba Franks and WR Donald Driver. Favre also was intercepted once on a poorly thrown pass and fumbled once, which was recovered by the Lions. The Lion defense did manage to pressure Favre, but he handled it very well. TE Bubba Franks had a very good day, going 9/62 with one TD. He was Favre's favorite target throughout the game. RB Najeh Davenport got most of the Packers carries in the game, which was somewhat of a surprise as most expected Rondell Mealey to handle the running in place of the injured Ahman Green who did not play. Davenport ran the ball well, going 22/84 rushing and 4/31 receiving. The Packer special teams had a bad day, letting the Lions have good field position on nearly every kick, giving up one touchdown on a spectacular reverse on a punt return, and getting called offsides twice in a row on their last kickoff in the game which resulted in the Lions nearly taking away the game from them. This was an injury plagued game for both teams, with several players on each side leaving the game including Packers WR Javon Walker. (TE David Martin and FB William Henderson also left the game due to injuries for the Packers) Detroit Lions: QB Joey Harrington (15/35, 182 yards, 2 TD's, 4 int's) showed some nice flashes in an otherwise mediocre (at best) performance. He was intercepted four times - once on a tipped pass, but the other three were just poor throwing decisions. He did throw two nice TD passes. The potential is definitely there, but Harrington needs time to develop. The Lion special teams were for the most part outstanding, perhaps giving the best performance of the Lions game. Az-Zahir Hakim scored on an excellent surprise reverse on the Packers first punt of the game. Larry Foster almost scored on a 50 yard kickoff return, with the TD being saved by the last Packer defender. The Lion running game was a bit better in this game, with James Stewart going 14/88 rushing and adding another 56 receiving and a TD. The Lion offense is still shaky at best, showing flashes of good play but still performing very sloppily for the most part. The offensive line played better this week after last weeks terrible performance, giving Harrington time to set and throw on most passing plays. The Lions rushing attack is still hampered by poor execution. The Lions pass defense still proves to be horrendous, giving up 357 yards to Brett Favre. Favre picked the Lion secondary apart, throwing to ten different receivers. The Lions also lost several players in this injury filled game. Travis Kirschke (left leg), Brian Walker (toe), and Brian Williams (right ankle) all left the game due to their injuries. Cincinnati 3 at Atlanta 30 Cincinnati Bengals: Gus Frerotte looked really bad in this game before getting the hook. He was replaced by Jon Kitna who fared only slightly better. Corey Dillon continues to rush while facing defenses that crowd the line. It is truly amazing that he gets the yardage that he does. On the bright side, Dillon stayed involved in the passing game, and it is clear that the Bengals are comfortable throwing the ball to him more often than prior years. The Bengals wide receivers didn't look very good and dropped a number of passes. Michael Westbrook was shut down in this game, and Peter Warrick did not do anything to impress. TJ Houshmandzadeh continues to get looks in the offense and looks poised to emerge as a threat. However, a large part of the WR problems is the result of bad QB play and until that improves, it is buyer beware. The Bengals defense was under pressure from the start because the offense was so ineffective. If the offense continues to struggle, expect the defense to struggle as well as a result of fatigue and opponents field position. Atlanta Falcons: Mike Vick is flat out good. While he is occasionally inaccurate, Vick has an incredibly strong arm and throws well on the run. He also calls his own number running the ball, so you will continue to see good rushing statistics. This guy is very dangerous and every bit as good as advertised. Doug Johnson replaced Vick late in the fourth quarter after the game was in hand. Running backs Warrick Dunn and TJ Duckett split carries in this game with Duckett getting 10 more carries this time. ESPN's Joe Thiesman indicated that the Falcons have implemented specific packages where Duckett plays. Duckett was a little slow to scrimmage in the first half, but ran with much more authority in the second half. Warrick Dunn looked fine, and was able to turn a couple of runs into gains from nothing. However, his numbers will obviously suffer if Duckett continues to touch the ball more, so monitor the situation. Brian Finneran looked good in this game and was a primary target of Vick. Finneran worked hard to get open on plays when Vick bought more time with scrambling. Willie Jackson also saw passes thrown his way, but had some bad luck connecting. PK Jay Feely was 3/3 on FGs but should have had another. He made a 48 yard FG but it was called back due to a holding penalty and the Falcons punted. Buffalo 23 at Denver 28 Buffalo Bills: QB Drew Bledsoe is the unquestioned leader of this team. He is in full command of the offense and the huddle and consistently hits receivers in stride allowing for good run after the catch. He was at the top of his game today. RB Travis Henry ran hard and looked better than his statistics indicate (12-35-1TD). He is a frequent target for Bledsoe in the passing game (4-33). WR Eric Moulds is the go to receiver getting targeted a whopping 16 times. He caught 9-96-1TD. Denver Broncos: QB Brian Griese was average at quarterback today, not making any huge mistakes but often missing open receivers with overthrows. Right now, he lacks the accuracy to make it to the next level. Unlike Bledsoe, he didn't give his receivers a chance to run after the catch as the throws were often behind the receiver. RB Clinton Portis handled the majority of the carries today as Olandis Gary left the game early with an ankle injury. He rushed 18 times for 103 yards and a TD. He showed flashes of brilliance with lightning quickness, good vision, and nice speed. Most importantly, he secured the ball well with both hands and did not fumble in the game. RB Mike Anderson rushed 7 times for 28 yards but this game was about Clinton Portis. The Denver offensive line was dominant; opening nice lanes for the running backs and giving Griese plenty of time to survey the field. WR Rod Smith is still the go to receiver on this team and looked impressive in his 7-94-1td performance. His stats would have been better with more accurate passing from Griese. San Diego 23 at Arizona 15 San Diego Chargers: LaDainian Tomlinson is the foundation of this offense and he's San Diego's goal line option. The Chargers ran four plays inside the 10-yard line. All four were Tomlinson carries, and he scored on two of them. Drew Brees is being put in easy situations. He's definitely not the guy that has to carry this team (that would be Tomlinson). Brees looks good at times and seems to have everything it takes to someday be a successful NFL QB. He's a good guy to have in dynasty leagues but won't be a difference-maker this season. Stephen Alexander was finally being utilized more underneath and out in the flats. Alexander dropped a 22 yard TD pass that could have been caught. Curtis Conway is the only quality WR in San Diego. If he can stay healthy, he's almost a lock for a 1200-yard season. Why? Who else will catch the ball? One thing to keep an eye on here is the status of All-Everything Junior Seau. Seau suffered a non-contact injury while defending a pass play on Arizona's next to last possession. He looked extremely upset while on the ground and was helped back to the locker room. Looked like a knee injury to me but the early word is they are calling it a mild ankle sprain. Stay tuned. Arizona Cardinals: Jake Plummer just isn't a consistent QB. He doesn't seem to be improving as he ages. He still makes some good plays but follows them up with poor decisions. Plummer is truly a fantasy gamble. Freddie Jones came alive during the game as Plummer showed confidence in him by throwing the ball his way 9 times and appeared to be a focal point of the offense. Plummer seemed to look at Boston then Jones and then scramble for an open receiver. The Cardinals openly talked about getting Jones more looks and this was definitely the case Sunday. Thomas Jones carried 17 times for 73 yards including one 27 yarder. He's definitely not a Stud-RB, but he's not bad. As expected, he was nothing like the RB he was against the weak defense of Seattle last week, but he was pretty decent against the Chargers. David Boston is in a bit of a funk right now with the 2nd game in a row that he was limited. Never did you see Boston look electric. Never did you see Boston get much separation. He just looked like an average NFL WR. New Orleans 29 at Chicago 23 New Orleans Saints: QB Aaron Brooks seems intent on living up to that new contract he signed. Down 20-0 at one point, it was obvious the Saints were never out of the game and that was primarily because of Brooks. The WR situation is more crowded than it appears on the box score. Each WR caught a TD but the targets were more even than it appears. WR Joe Horn "only" had 42 yards on 6 catches. Horn saw 10 passes come his way. Rookie sensation WR Donte' Stallworth is becoming a bigger part of this offense each week. He was targeted with 8 passes and caught 4. And Jerome Pathon had 9 passes thrown his way catching 5. RB Deuce McAllister had a pretty quiet day with just 45 yards on 17 carries but he added another 42 yard receiving. Don't worry, he's still as good as you think he is. Chicago Bears: RB Anthony Thomas will be the workmanlike, grind it out RB that doesn't look especially effective while the game is on but the next thing you know he's 27 for 111 yards like he was yesterday. QB Jim Miller put up another solid day with 236 yards on 26 of 42 attempts. Plus 2 TDs. He's not flashy but he gets the job done. As expected, WR Marty Booker was the go to guy. He caught 8 passes for 97 yards and 1 TD. That's twice as many receptions as any other receiver for Chicago. Dez White wasn't far behind in opportunities though as he saw almost as many passes thrown his way including several on the last drive. TE John Davis came from nowhere to grab 4 passes for 34 yards. Considering he caught 11 passes in all of 2001, that's big news. New York Giants 9 at Seattle 6 New York Giants: The New York play calling in the red zone is very clear - It's all about Tiki Barber and Jeremy Shockey. Their first trip they looked at Shockey 3 consecutive times before going to Barber. Their second trip they featured Barber 3 consecutive times before settling for the field goal. The Giants opted not to pound the weakness of the Seattle defense by running the ball up the middle and paid the price (9 points and only 94 yards rushing). One has to wonder if they simply lack confidence in their running game. New York won the time of possession battle (37 to 23 minutes) by chipping away with a short passing game. In the second half New York ran 46 plays compared to 17 by Seattle. Kerry Collins was frustrated early by great CB coverage from Seattle and frequent LB blitzes. He checked down to Barber and Shockey from the second quarter inflating their target numbers (Shockey 9 and Barber 10). Somebody forgot to tell the Giants that first year tight ends are not supposed to be impact players. Jeremy Shockey is looked to constantly in this Giant offense. He dropped the first pass thrown to him and that didn't phase him, Collins, or the Giants. He was targeted 9 times in the game and multiple times in the red zone. They are putting him in motion, having him line up in the backfield and doing everything possible to get him involved in the offense. He also is commanding coverage by the cornerbacks and clears out zones for Toomer and Hilliard. He was tackled at the Seattle 1 yard line on a play he might have scored on. Seattle Seahawks: Trent Dilfer moved the ball in the first half but did not get his team in the end zone. He and Seattle did absolutely nothing in the second half. Really. They did absolutely nothing. They got 1 first down in the 3rd Quarter. They had the ball for only 8:15 seconds in the entire second half. Shaun Alexander's performance was very disappointing. He had little room to run and did nothing with what he did have. He finished with 45 total yards (a full third of Seattle's offensive output) and only 2.6 yards per carry. You can call us officially worried. The Seattle defense covered their deficiencies by throwing blitz after blitz at New York regardless of down or distance. Darrell Jackson reinforced that he is the primary target in the passing game with 7 catches on 7 targets. Koren Robinson is still not close to overtaking Jackson. Of Robinson's 4 targets, one was a drop and another was the only INT in the game. The much-maligned Seattle defense clamped down on the Giants rushing game. They did a much better job containing Tiki Barber (2.4 yards per carry) than Ron Dayne (4.4 yards per carry). Thus they appear much more vulnerable to a big bruising back. They held the Giants to just 35 rushing yards in the first half and only 94 for the game. Considering the Giants had the ball for nearly 22 minutes in the second half this was an outstanding effort. St. Louis 14 at Tampa Bay 26 St. Louis Rams: Two big stories for the Rams: #1) Marshall Faulk left with an injury in the second quarter and did not return. Team doctors say that it's a strained neck. Faulk will have an MRI on Tuesday. No word on Faulk's status for next Sunday's game. #2) Trung Canidate got seven touches in relief of Faulk and was largely ineffective. So rookie RB Lamar Gordon replaced Canidate and fared much better with 44 yards and a TD. In an extraordinary post game interview, Coach Mike Martz seemed EXTREMELY upset with Canidate singling him out like few coaches will ever do. All indications at this point are that if Faulk cannot go next week, Gordon will start. But remember, it was just a couple of weeks ago and Mike Martz was saying that Gordon wasn't even close to Canidate for the backup RB job. So this is anything but a settled situation. The Rams' offense is not showing any signs of improvement. Martz may be a great offensive coordinator, but it remains to be seen if Martz is a good head coach. Martz knows that Warner is getting pummeled in the pocket, but does little to protect Warner. Martz has the best RB in football, and yet Martz continues to abandon the running game. Kurt Warner was harassed all night - and his performance reflects it. Warner rarely had any time to throw. Warner did put up good yardage, but his four interceptions and zero TDs are obviously worrisome to fantasy owners. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: John Gruden is obviously an effective head coach, but his conservative ways are limiting the Tampa Bay offense. Tampa has only scored four offensive TDs in three games. The problem? Every pass is about 15-20 yards or less - often much less. Brad Johnson was able to throw the deep ball in Minnesota and Washington, but Gruden clearly doesn't like to air it out. The result is that defenses KNOW that the Buccaneers won't go deep, and that allows the defense to cheat the line of scrimmage. Defenses will continue to limit Tampa's offense until Gruden gets more aggressive. Michael Pittman is clearly a very good RB, but his numbers will continue to be limited until the passing game improves. Yes, Alstott gets the ball in some goal-line formations, but Pittman's breakaway speed and bruising power would surely net some TDs if Tampa's offense wasn't so bland and predictable. The Tampa Bay Defense won this game. The Tampa secondary tackled well and picked off Warner four times. Tampa also scored a big defensive TD to seal the game with Derrick Brooks' interception return.