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. Miami 30 at Kansas City 48 Miami Dolphins: RB Ricky Williams struggled a little early but as the game progressed he started to overpower the defense. After a fumble and with the Chiefs pulling away, Williams became limited and didn't see the ball as much. He just carried the ball 14 times. Although he did score. In the passing game, Williams was quite effective catching passes catching 7 for 60 yards. He was pulled down at the 1 yard line which set up the Fiedler rushing TD. QB Jay Fielder was not particularly impressive and the majority of his 310 yards came playing from behind. He's vulnerable to interceptions on deep balls where he is not accurate. He threw one 1 TD and 4 interceptions. He did play with one finger on his throwing hand taped and that may have affected his performance. WR Chris Chambers is an excellent receiver but he can only go as far as Jay Fiedler takes him and unless Fiedler improves his deep ball accuracy, this will hold Chambers back. The Miami run defense is extremely stout, holding Priest Holmes to only 52 yards on the ground. The pass defense was suspect with Patrick Surtain inactive for the game. Kansas City Chiefs: QB Trent Green was on fire today, throwing for 328 yards and 5 TDs. He didn't throw an interception and he uncharacteristically added 48 yards on 3 scrambles. Tony Gonzalez showed why he is the best tight end in the league this afternoon when he racked up 140 yards and 3 TDs. RB Priest Holmes ran hard and looked much better than his stats would indicate; and 115 total yards and a TD isn't bad for a 'slow day'. There is no clear cut number one wide receiver on this team; Morton and Kennison were both mediocre and are realistically the 3rd and 4th receivers behind Gonzalez and Holmes. New Orleans 21 at Detroit 26 New Orleans Saints: Aaron Brooks had a bit of a rough outing, going 27/48 for 269 yards and 2 TD's. He fumbled once and threw two interceptions, with his fumble being recovered and returned for a TD and one interception leading to a Lion field goal. Brooks played very poorly in the first half. The Detroit secondary covered the Saints receivers well early on. The Lions pass rush also put constant pressure on Brooks almost every pass play, with Robert Porcher almost bringing Brooks down in the endzone for a safety. Brooks looked somewhat better in the second half but seemed out of rhythm for most of the day, colliding with Deuce McAllister in the backfield during a play action pass, and missing his timing with his receivers on several plays. RB Deuce McAllister continued to be a fantasy force with a 128 total yards and a touchdown. Best of all, the staff felt enough confidence in him to keep running him while behind. The Saint secondary looked awful in the first half, letting the Lion receivers get open the whole half. The pass rush was almost non-existent, but the run defense managed to stop the Lions rushing attack. The Saint special teams played badly as well, giving up a 70 yard return on the to Desmond Howard on the opening kick off and letting The Lions have good field position all day. WR Donte Stallworth became the first rookie WR to catch a TD in his first four NFL games since 1982, but left the game late in the 2nd quarter and did not return from what's thought to be a hamstring injury. Keep an eye on this as Stallworth is a big part of the Saint offense. Also be aware that Stallworth struggled with a hamstring injury for much of preseason. Joe Horn left the game with 6 minutes left in the fourth quarter with an injury to his left knee. There was no word on how serious it was. This is another one to keep a close eye on because if it does turn out to be a significant injury it will be a serious blow to the Saint passing attack as Horn is the Saints' number one receiver. Detroit Lions: It was a tale of two halves for rookie QB Joey Harrington but the first half was more than good enough to offset a mediocre second half. Overall, Harrington played extremely well in this game, throwing 20/35 for 267yards with no interceptions and a TD. He showed excellent poise in the pocket, and threw the ball very well. Everything clicked for the Lions offensively, with the offensive line giving Harrington plenty of protection. Harrington's favorite target was Bill Schroeder. Overall an excellent outing for the rookie, and possibly a preview of things to come from the talented young quarterback. Check the availability of WR Bill Schroeder who injured his ankle. James Stewart had a shaky day running the ball, going 18/65 for a 3.6 per carry average and was held out of the endzone. The majority of his yards came on a 36 yard rumble in the final minutes of the game that sealed the Lions victory. Overall, he looked pretty bad. The Lion secondary dominated the Saints in the first half, but they fell a part a bit in the second half, allowing Aaron Brooks to throw two passing TD's. They did put good pressure on Brooks the whole game, intercepting Brooks twice and recovering a Brooks fumble for a TD. They also nearly sacked Brooks in the endzone for a safety. The Saints passed a lot as they were playing catch up the entire game, and this limited Deuce McAllister's carries. However, McAllister did gain 61 yards on only 12 carries, a 5.08 yard average per carry. The Lion defense got the job done, but the run and pass defense remains weak and inconsistent, especially in the second half. Bill Schroeder returned after missing last week's game with bruised ribs to go 7/78 and a TD. He was Harrington's prime target in this game. This was Schroeder's first significant contribution since joining the Lions. He left the game with an ankle injury late in the 2nd quarter. His availability will be key to Harrington's success. Chicago 27 at Buffalo 33 (OT) Chicago Bears: The Bears were slow to implement the three wide receiver set. Once they did, they were more effective. Quarterback Jim Miller threw away a lot of balls in order not to make a mistake. A number of times he threw short of the line-to-gain on third and medium yardage. RB Anthony Thomas was held to 48 yards on 23 carries because they only ran him straight ahead against Pat Williams and the Bills' run-stuff. Rarely ran outside the tackles. It was power vs power and Buffalo won that battle. Watch WR Marcus Robinson. # 2 WR Dez White continues to be less than effective and Robinson could see a much bigger role. The Bills took advantage of Bear injuries on defense. Chicago continued their penchant for stripping the football. They're clearly an opportunistic group. Buffalo Bills: This game wasn't that close. Penalties and fumbles forced this game into overtime. The Bears gained only 26 yards in the first 25 minutes of the game, but only trailed 17-14 at the half. The Bills out gained Chicago 410-240. Chicago safety Mike Brown returned a Travis Henry fumble for a touchdown. Three of the Bears' 15 first downs were from Buffalo penalties. Chicago blocked a 39-yard potential game winning field goal for the Bills at the end of regulation. Drew Bledsoe showed relatively good mobility, a quick release, and heady play avoiding pressure, and while recovering from a bad shotgun snap in his own end zone. Bledsoe put up another game of huge numbers, hitting eight different receivers. The CBS studio crew joked about Bledsoe breaking Dan Marino's single season yardage record. Henry split time with Shawn Bryson in the second and third quarters, after his fumble. Henry recovered well, keying fourth quarter drives and scoring the overtime touchdown on a 26-yard dump and run. Henry nearly scored on a 14 yard run where he was stopped at the 1. The Bills' defense played the run tough, but the secondary looks vulnerable. Dallas 13 at St. Louis 10 Dallas Cowboys: Offensive lineman Larry Allen was back playing this week at the right tackle position instead of his usual position at guard at the start of the game. Allen re-aggravated his ankle injury in the first quarter, and was sidelined for the remainder of the game. Only one offensive lineman lined up in his usual starting position. Quincy Carter's performance today was his best all year. He spread the ball around to nine different receivers, throwing for 204 yards, and rushing for 26 more. His lone touchdown pass was to Darnay Scott on a play where the Rams defense blew the coverage and left him completely open. RB Emmitt Smith was again solid but nothing special with 58 yards. Interesting to note that Troy Hambrick and Mike Wiley played the crucial final series as Dallas drove down the field for the win. Neither Joey Galloway nor Antonio Bryant was able to get anything special going in the game. Tight End James Whalen had a number of targets and is the TE receiving target for the Cowboys. He finished the game with 5 catches and 38 yards. Kicker Billy Cundiff made a clutch 48-yard field goal as time ran out to win the game. He made two field goals in the game. The Cowboys defense played well in this game, but didn't get to the Rams' quarterbacks often. Greg Ellis had a sack and an interception in the game and safety Roy Williams led the team with 10 tackles. St. Louis Rams: The first quarter of the game was not kind to the St. Louis Rams as QB Kurt Warner left the game with a broken pinky finger midway through the quarter. He is expected to miss 8-10 weeks and will have surgery on Tuesday. Jamie Martin came in and couldn't really get the Rams offense going. He made some nice throws and had some flashes but also made a number of bad throws. Martin struggled with the two-minute offense and burned time outs. Marshall Faulk's performance was the lone bright spot for St. Louis. He was helped greatly by the offensive line, even without Orlando Pace. With the holes they were able to open up, Faulk was able to break a few runs into the secondary. He had a 4.05 YPC average. Faulk also caught eight passes for 67 yards. He seemed to be one of Martin's top targets. On his first carry, he ran 15 yards up the middle and fumbled. He was slow getting up, but seemed fine in the rest of the game and showed no effect of last week's neck injury. Tory Holt is clearly the Rams number one wide receiver, but Isaac Bruce received his looks as well. Ricky Proehl played a minor role in the offense, and Terrence Wilkins and Troy Edwards were not factors in the passing game. Holt and Bruce are the only Ram WR options to consider, and their numbers could continue to decline with Martin at the helm. Jeff Wilkins hit the upright and missed a huge field goal that may have won the game with around 1:30 left in the game. The Rams defense played strong in the second quarter. It's tough to say if it was effective defense or a poor Cowboys offense, but they didn't let Quincy Carter move the ball much at all. Linebackers Don Davis and Jamie Duncan each had seven tackles in the contest. Minnesota 23 at Seattle 48 Minnesota Vikings: WR Randy Moss played hard. He did the little things well like blocking and finishing his routes, but he dropped too many passes including 3 in the end zone. Keep an eye on the developing story regarding a possible suspension of Moss by the NFL for substance abuse violations. Moss was placed in the league's Substance Abuse Program last season when he failed a test for marijuana. He was tested again last week after the traffic incident when a small amount of marijuana was reportedly found in his car. If he tests positive this time, he could face a four game suspension. This is developing as I type this so it may already be resolved by the time you read. If not, definitely keep an eye on it and make plans accordingly. QB Daunte Culpepper played better than his stats show. His throws were accurate and he chose his running opportunities wisely, but his receivers dropped too many balls. Of his 2 interceptions, one was a Hail Mary. RB Michael Bennett chewed up the yardage between the 20s and Moe Williams entered the game with the goal line offense to vulture 2 touchdowns. They are a strong combo. Seattle Seahawks: RB Shaun Alexander set a NFL record scoring 5 touchdowns in the first half. However, he looked like a different player in the 2nd half struggling like he did for the first 3 games of the season. QB Trent Dilfer did not take advantage of the Viking's weak secondary. TE Jerramy Stevens appears to have beaten out Itula Mili for the starting spot. At 6' 7" - 265 with athleticism, he's an exciting player. Seattle won the game thanks to being +3 in turnovers. Houston 17 at Philadelphia 35 Houston Texans: WR Corey Bradford supplied most of the offense. He grabbed 7 passes for 97 yards and 2 touchdowns. This is the best effort that any receiver has produced against Philadelphia's stingy secondary this year. RB James Allen got most of the carries early on, but was ineffective. Jonathon Wells looked stronger on the eight carries for 33 yards, which he got towards the end of the game. The Texans defense played a strong game. They picked up two fumbles inside Eagle territory and intercepted a pass. The offense failed to score on any of these turnovers. If a couple of plays go their way, the Texans might have shocked the Eagles with a much closer game. Philadelphia Eagles: Compared to his last two games, QB Donovan McNabb had an "average" day. He threw for 259 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception, and ran for 23. He spread the ball very well, connecting with 9 different receivers. He had to spend most of the day fighting off constant pressure. RB Duce Staley was used as the primary back. He only gained 33 yards on 12 carries, but found the end zone on two goal line carries. Safety Brian Dawkins was everywhere. He became the first player in NFL history to catch a touchdown pass, grab an interception, sack the quarterback, and recover a fumble in one game. The 57 yard touchdown reception came during a punt formation trick play that saw Brian Mitchell toss him the ball. The Eagles have outscored their last 3 opponents by 79 points. They have also scored points in all but two quarters this year (their 2nd half collapse to the Titans in the first game of the year). New England 14 at San Diego 21 New England Patriots: The Patriots still can score a lot of points, but their defense is clearly vulnerable to the run despite the fact that Vrabel, Phifer and McGinest all played. . The Chargers dared the Patriots to stop the run, and the Patriots could not do it. This may provide a blueprint on how to beat the Patriots. . After four games, it appears that backs with moves will have success against the Patriot Defense, while big backs will have less success. Though Tom Brady threw two interceptions, he did throw for 2 TDs and 353 yards. Brady showed that even against a good defense, he can score fantasy points. TE Christian Fauria was solid with 4 catches and a TD. Cam Cleeland was on the inactive list. Daniel Graham left the game early with what appeared to be a wrist or elbow injury. With only three receivers and one tight end on the field, the Patriots were unable to use the 2 TE sets or 4 WR sets that had been their staple through the first three game. This bears watching as Fauria's value rises dramatically if Cleeland and / or Graham isn't there. Without Troy Brown in the game, Deon Branch filled in and had a great day finishing with 13 catches and 128 yards. San Diego Chargers: LaDainian Tomlinson and the Charger offensive line won this game. Tomlinson ran with authority, and racked up big fantasy points. This is no small feat, because it was obvious early on that Coach Schottenheimer intended to run the ball all day, and the Patriots still could not stop Tomlinson. Though Drew Brees' numbers were not impressive statistically, he showed poise. Brees wasn't asked to do much, but looks to be a nice fit in this ball control offense. Definitely has the arm to keep defenses honest though. The Chargers are for real. Before this game, the Chargers' 3-0 record could be dismissed with a weak schedule. But by beating the Patriots, the Chargers proved that they are a force. Carolina 14 at Green Bay 17 Carolina Panthers: Save for a pair of fumbles, Rodney Peete played well enough to win his fourth straight game. Of course, the fumbles were huge. Still, if you are waiting for Chris Weinke to take over after this loss, it's not going to happen. This is Rodney Peete's team. Lamar Smith is scoring TDs simply because this offense is geared that way. His per carry average today was 3.0. That's not going to keep a healthy DeShaun Foster on the bench. If you're a Smith owner, enjoy the ride while it lasts. Muhsin Muhammad was sorely missed as Steve Smith was the only viable receiver. Even Wesley Walls was nonexistent in the passing game. Speaking of Smith, he's a player. You get the feeling he could break away every time he touches the ball. New PK Shayne Graham missed a chip shot 24-yard FG at game's end. Could Carolina be looking for their fourth kicker of the season? Green Bay Packers: Brett Favre is still the most exciting QB in the game. His will to win is unsurpassed. His supporting cast today was far from stellar, yet he was still able to get enough offense to win the game. Ahman Green had decent numbers but was noticeably not at full speed for this contest. Even at less than 100%, Green only lost a few touches to Najeh Davenport so don't worry about a time-share occurring here. Donald Driver picked up the slack for a missing Javon Walker and an in-and-out Terry Glenn. It looks like the Packers are willing to rely upon the young Driver for the big play. He delivered. Head Coach Mike Sherman will probably see a fine for bumping a ref. The Bubba Franks to Donald Driver TD was originally ruled an illegal forward pass (the official incorrectly believed Favre threw forward to Franks on the play). While arguing (actually while forcefully removing his headset), the usually reserved Sherman brushed against the official. It was pretty cool to see a guy like Sherman get so heated. NY Giants 7 at Arizona 21 New York Giants: After a great start to this season, QB Kerry Collins was far from great against the Cardinals. He made bad decisions and followed with poor throws. I hate to bash on one guy, but he killed a lot of drives with overthrows. He overthrew Toomer once on what would have been a sure long TD. Maybe it was the heat. RB Tiki Barber is a million times better than Ron Dayne, but he's still underused. How Barber gets only 13 carries is beyond understandable. Obviously, he's not a 25-carry guy, but he should be handed the ball 20 times (especially when Collins is performing so badly). TE Jeremy Shockey is as talented as everyone says but the production needs to follow. He caught 4 passes for 56 yards. Arizona Cardinals: QB Jake Plummer kept his head and thus (with a lot of help from his defense) kept Arizona from losing. This is the Plummer that makes everyone believe he has the potential to be a very good NFL quarterback. He also completed a pass to himself for a two-yard gain. RB Thomas Jones' ankle didn't let him finish the game, but Marcel Shipp filled in very nicely. The Arizona offense line is a good run blocking unit and wore down the Giants' defense. For his part, Shipp ran hard with every carry. You have to like effort like that. David Boston is frustrating fantasy GMs everywhere. His ankle isn't 100%, but he couldn't get open once against the Giants. Sure, the New York secondary has played well this season, but he's David Boston and more is expected. If the football thing doesn't work out for him, there's always Pro Bodybuilding... Tennessee 25 at Oakland 52 Tennessee Titans: QB Steve McNair threw 4 interceptions on the day but 2 were balls batted in the air and the other 2 were bad decisions/throws by McNair. He finished with a career passing day of 398 yards. His throwing opportunities should continue because the Titan defense will give up a lot of points and their running game is anemic. RB Eddie George's numbers were horrible. He averaged just 2.4 yards per carry on 11 carries and didn't have a run longer than 5 yards. He gave way much of the second half to rookie John Simon who couldn't run much better gaining only 11 yards on 4 carries for 2.8 yards per carry average but did have a touchdown and was very involved in the passing game catching 4 passes for 50 yards. WR Derrick Mason played well catching 6 passes for 99 yards but the big story with him is what looked to be a painful and serious injury to his shoulder. He was hit hard while on the ground with his shoulder pinned under him. He left the game in obvious pain and did not return. The Titans put no pressure on Rich Gannon all day and he kept them at bay with quick timing passes. Worse yet Samari Rolle left the game in the first quarter with what looked to be a serious knee or ankle injury and did not return. Without him Andre Dyson was mismatched and showed no ability to cover Rice or Brown. This unit is in disarray. They even forgot to cover Jerry Porter on a red-zone play that resulted in a 10 yard touchdown. Oakland Raiders: QB Rich Gannon was in complete control and looked like he could score at will on the hapless Titan defense. He was unstoppable at times. He's a perfectionist that kept his focus in this game and didn't let up even with a big lead. He finished 29/39 for 381 yards, 4 TD's and no interceptions. WR Jerry Rice was the story of the day. He not only caught 7 balls for 144 yards and a touchdown pass (and added a 7 yard run), but he passed Walter Payton for most yards from scrimmage by any NFL player. He looks as fast and as strong and as hungry as ever. He also looks to be having fun and inspiring other members of this offense. RB Charlie Garner took the Raider's first play from scrimmage and exploded into the end zone with an impressive 17 yard reception. He looked at times as if no one and nothing could stop him. He's faster to the outside and turning the corner on running plays than he's ever been. He's not counted on carrying this offense but is putting up solid numbers. 117 total yards and a touchdown. Tampa Bay 35 at Cincinnati 7 Tampa Bay Buccaneers: QB Brad Johnson was in total command against an overmatched Cincinnati team. He spread the ball nicely between seven different receivers including two tight ends and two running backs. He showed terrific touch on deeper routes resulting in three touchdown passes of over thirty yards including a 65-yarder to a wide open Keenan McCardell. Did yield to Rob Johnson when the game was out of hand. Michael Pittman rebounded form an early fumble to run the ball well. Not great, but well enough to grab the lion's share of the carries. Was used extensively as a receiver totaling five catches. He was also pulled late in the game and got a 1-yard touchdown run vultured by Mike Alstott in garbage time. Keenan McCardell had a big game thanks to a 65-yard touchdown catch. He broke wide open when the safety bit on Keyshawn Johnson's slant route. Johnson showed nice touch hitting him in stride. Cincinnati Bengals: Akili Smith just might be a decent fantasy starter, next year. He's very mobile and looks comfortable throwing on the move. He just has no chemistry or timing with his receivers, who are not bad. Warrick can be exciting after the catch and Houshmandzadeh and Chad Johnson are fast enough to stretch defenses downfield. I would hesitate to have Smith anywhere near your roster this year, unless you play in a 32-team league. Corey Dillon had no room to run because the passing game was non-existent. Tampa Bay stacked the gaps and flooded the cutback lanes all day. Until the Cincinnati passing attack improves it's difficult to recommend starting him. Cleveland 13 at Pittsburgh 16 Cleveland Browns: William Green cannot run up the middle. Of his 4 carries into the middle of the line, he came away with a total of 1 yard. All 16 of Green's yards came on the far outsides of the field. He doesn't see running lanes, dances behind the line, and hits the holes after they have collapsed. Back up Jamel White was able to run with good success against the middle of the line, with over 80 of his 105 yards going up the middle. There's surely egos and all involved with selecting a player in the draft but one has to wonder how much longer Coach Butch Davis will give Green the carries. Pittsburgh Steelers: Former XFL star QB Tommy Maddox replaced Kordell Stewart to lead a tying touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter, then drove the Steelers to Peterson's winning 31-yard field goal and a 16-13 victory that may have saved the Steelers' season. After the game, Coach Bill Cowher indicated that Kordell was most likely to start next week. "I'm leaning toward starting Kordell," Cowher said. "If we need a lift, I will go to Tommy." Explosive WR Antwaan Randel El was used in all aspects of the game. His Passing attempt fell incomplete. He had 2 rushes for 8 yards, and 5 receptions for 51 yards. He can Pass, Rush, Catch, return Kicks, everything. Was the star of the Pittsburgh overtime win, used repeatedly in the winning drive. Jerome Bettis was ineffective running the ball. He is rumored to be nursing "Hamstring and Butt" injuries. Christian Fuamatu-Ma'afala came in for him and did very little. Amos Zereoue was used as well, and did very little against the Brown's run defense. Fuamatu-Ma'afala was definitely used as the first option after Bettis. New York Jets 3 at Jacksonville Jaguars 28 New York Jets: The Jets are in the midst of a total team breakdown. There was not a single aspect of their team that performed even average today. New York suffered a number of key injuries. QB Vinny Testaverde came out of the game early in the game with what was reported as a bruised shoulder. X-Rays were negative and he was originally supposed to return, but Chad Pennington remained in the game. WR Wayne Chrebet injured his knee and laid on the ground for a long time in a lot of pain. He returned to the game briefly before coming out and having his right knee heavily wrapped. DE John Abraham also was injured, but left the field under his own power. Backup QB Chad Pennington filled in for Testaverde and played very well. He threw one interception that was a communication error by WR Kevin Swayne. Pennington finished up 21 of 34 for 281 yards and will start next week. After Chrebet left the game, Pennington seemed to develop a very good rapport with Laveranues Coles. Curtis Martin was effective running the ball when he got carries (8 carries for 44 yards), but LaMont Jordan had more carries (12) and was the RB of choice on the goal line. Martin also did not have a reception and was only targeted once, so it appears the Jets were trying to take it easy with him. Jacksonville Jaguars: Fred Taylor had an amazing day. He broke off a number of long runs in which he had to shake a few would-be tacklers. On one run in particular, he turned a modest 3 yard gain into a 25 yard scamper by balancing himself on a lineman, regaining his footing, and making a number of Jets defenders miss. He also had a 72-yard reception on the Jaguars first play that would have been a TD, but he was tackled at the 1. Very alarming situation though as Stacey Mack vultured 3 short yardage TDs. Stacey Mack was the short yardage and goal line back all game. He had 3 touchdowns, 2 of which were 1 yard runs. This was the role we'd expected Mack to play taking TDs away from Taylor. A definite worry for Taylor owners and a nice bonus for guys who own Mack if he'll keep it up. Mark Brunell's streak of 14 consecutive games with a touchdown pass ended, but he did a fine job of managing the offense and not making any mistakes. He would have had somewhat better stats if not for 2 dropped balls by Jimmy Smith, but he failed to see Smith wide open in the end zone on one play that would have been an easy 20+ yard TD. Baltimore 34 at Denver 23 Baltimore Ravens: LB Ray Lewis continues to be the most dominate player in the NFL (11 tackles, 7 assists, 1 INT). RB Jamal Lewis looked aggressive running the ball, oftentimes carving through the Denver interior defense and dragging several Bronco defenders with him. He also caught four balls, three of them on screen passes. Out of the ten Baltimore plays in the red zone, Lewis touched the ball four times. The Baltimore offense went three-and-out 6 times. The 34-point outburst was mostly due to great special teams and defense. QB Chris Redman followed Brian Billick's offensive blueprint almost flawlessly. He only completed 13 passes for 152 yards, but most importantly did not throw any interceptions. As long as he continues to stray away from the big miscues, Baltimore will be competitive in many of their games, increasing the use of RB Jamal Lewis. Of the 13 times in the first half that Chris Redman dropped back to pass, 8 of those passes were targeted at TE Todd Heap. Heap made the most of his chances with several outstanding grabs including 2 TDs. He left for short periods of time due to a mild back strain, but came back on the next play each time. Definitely a red zone target. Denver Broncos: The RB situation in Denver is as murky as ever. The bulk of the fantasy football world would like to see Coach Mike Shanahan declare Clinton Portis the feature RB, but the RBBC in Denver is in full swing. Making it even worse, Reuben Droughns was given a goal line carry for a TD. Shanahan appears to be content to drive the fantasy football world completely nuts. Mike Anderson started the game but left with a sprained ankle at the beginning of the third quarter. It looked like Mike Shanahan had chosen Olandis Gary to carry the workload, but then decided that the speed of Clinton Portis was needed in the fourth quarter. Baltimore scored 31 points in the second quarter, which consequently made Denver scrap their offensive game plan. The Broncos only ran the ball 21 times, with two of those runs being quarterback sneaks by Brian Griese. The Denver offense can be called OBC (offense by committee). No single player was featured significantly more than others. Nine different players had at least 3 plays run or targeted at them. The Baltimore offense by comparison only had four players get the same amount of opportunities. QB Brian Griese spread the ball evenly to his receivers. Baltimore played a deep zone for most of the second half and let Griese connect on a lot of underneath throws. The longest passing play of the night for Denver was 24 yards. He did not show any signs of his ankle bothering him. Even though Griese had 3 INTs. It did not appear that Shanahan considered going to Beuerlein at any point. Denver's offense was generally more effective on the evening. They posted 30 first downs compared to only 14 by Baltimore.