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 16 at Carolina 13 Arizona Cardinals: WR David Boston continued his early season funk, with a 3 catch, 43-yard effort. Most disturbing were his 4 dropped passes, all of which should have been caught. RB Damien Anderson did an admirable job filling in for Thomas Jones and Marcel Shipp. He finished with 97 total yards, most of them were tough against a strong Carolina defense. While the run blocking for Arizona was okay, the pass blocking was weak. The Panthers only recorded one sack all day, but it was mostly due to the scrambling ability of Jake Plummer. Arizona at one time had 7 three-and-outs out of 9 possessions, and only had 33 total yards in the second half with 10:00 left on the clock. Much of the offensive production was in "garbage time." Carolina Panthers: RB Lamar Smith lost two huge fumbles. One gave Arizona the ball on the Carolina 30 and the other was in the Redzone as the Panthers were driving. He was ineffective running the ball as well. Keep a close eye on the availability of DeShaun Foster. The coaching staff in Carolina had QB Rodney Peete on a short leash all afternoon, rarely attempting a throw of over 15 yards. Most of his completions were for short gains. WR Muhsin Muhammad did not play once again with a hamstring injury. WR Isaac Byrd filled in nicely, with a 5 catch, 77- yard (8 targets) effort including Carolina's only touchdown of the game. WR Steve Smith was Rodney Peete's go-to guy once again, with 8 targets for the day, hauling in 5 of those passes. The announcers for Fox said during the game that they watched the Carolina offense practice on Friday, and did not see Rodney Peete throw to any other receiver besides Smith. Every day that Muhammad misses practice, Peete gains a better rapport with Steve Smith. TE Wesley Walls played through pain with a broken finger suffered earlier in the week, but did not even have a pass thrown to him until the third quarter. Washington 31 at Tennessee 14 Washington Redskins: The story of the game was QB Patrick Ramsey, who came in for an injured Danny Wuerffel and proceeded to torch the Titans pass defense for 268 yards and two touchdowns. The Titan pass defense is weak, but he may have locked up the starting job for the rest of the year. Inside the redzone today, the Redskins spread the ball around to all different receivers. Once they got inside the 5 (they were there only once), they used Davis to power the ball in. RB Stephen Davis had a solid game (104 totals yards and two touchdowns), even though he only played three quarters due to an ugly second-quarter knee sprain. Owners should note that he left in the late 4th quarter with a noticeable limp. Watch closely. RB Kenny Watson filled in for Davis while he was out and did a very impressive job, rushing for 62 yards on eight carries. He got huge holes from the line and was able to break into the secondary regularly. Three Redskins receivers caught at least four balls with WRs Rod Gardner and Kevin Lockett scoring touchdowns. Lockett also threw for a touchdown. Washington's pass defense was spectacular, intercepting Steve McNair three times and sacking him four times. Tennessee Titans: RB Eddie George looks done. Only 10 carries for 26 yards and he gave way to John Simon at the goalline. QB Steve McNair threw for one touchdown and ran for another but was under pressure all day and forced several throws. He still managed to throw for 245 yards but threw three interceptions. TE Frank Wycheck was McNair's go-to guy today, catching nine balls for 79 yards. The pass defense continues to get lit up. Despite playing them pretty tight, Washington's bigger, more physical receivers had better position on Tennessee's DBs all day. San Diego 9 at Denver 26 San Diego Chargers: The absence of Junior Seau and the early groin injury to Marcellus Wiley left the Charger defense weak. Denver scored 26 points and moved the ball well both on the ground and in the air. RB LaDainian Tomlinson could not get it going against the front seven of the Broncos. Only one of his 14 carries came in the second half. Showed he can also be a pass threat out of the backfield. Having two rookie starters on the San Diego offensive line (Toniu Fonoti and Jason Ball) was too much to overcome. QB Drew Brees had his typical game in the first half by playing conservatively and throwing the ball away when needed. However, he did throw an ill-advised lob into end zone traffic for a costly interception early. Handled the Bronco pressure well when forced to throw after falling behind. Threw the ball 33 times in the second half. Second interception came on a poor decision while avoiding the blitz. When the Chargers fell behind and abandoned the run, Drew Brees did not have what it takes to carry his team to victory. With LB Junior Seau out, the Chargers' defense looked vulnerable. The Broncos threw the ball well early, thus opening up an effective running game. Denver Broncos: QB Brian Griese came out and picked the Charger defensive backfield a part. His first pass of the game went for a 69-yard touchdown to Ed McCaffrey. He continued to hit underneath crossing routes throughout the first half. At halftime, he was 18-22 for 226 yards and two touchdowns. That included two intentional incomplete spikes to stop the clock and an interception caused by a Rogers Beckett stick on Patrick Hape. Is this the beginning of the Clinton Portis Era in Denver? More importantly, is this the end of the Running Back by Committee Era? The rookie was clearly the featured back. Portis carried the ball on the Broncos' first 11 running plays, including a seven yard carry that was called back on a holding call. Portis scored his first receiving touchdown on an eight-yard shovel pass. Even missing Seau and Wiley, the fact Portis put this together against the Charger Defense is impressive. Mike Anderson did not play with an ankle injury. Olandis Gary came in as a third-down back and only had 4 carries. This seemed mainly to give Portis an occasional rest as Portis showed he is a fine receiver as well. Cornerback Deltha O'Neal not only led the Broncos in tackles, he had both interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown. The Denver defense showed they are one of the best units in the league by shutting down LaDainian Tomlinson and subsequently putting pressure on Drew Brees. Kansas City 29 at New York Jets 25 Kansas City Chiefs: PK Morten Andersen pulled his right hamstring during warm-ups, and it showed from his first kick. Despite the injury, he stayed in the game for field goals and finished 3 for 3 on the game. The Chiefs are really hurting on defense. Early in the game, they pressured Pennington, but the Jets were able to run with success, which hurt their pass rush. RB Priest Holmes saw the ball early and often in this game, staying involved both running and catching the ball. He continued to show the same burst he has all season and shows great field presence and patience on his runs. He remains the key to the Chiefs' offense. Trent Green had a workmanlike day, but rallied the Chiefs when it counted leading a touchdown drive at the end of the fourth quarter. Green was efficient throughout this game, and made a number of nice throws. Johnnie Morton, Eddie Kennison, and Dante Hall were all involved in the passing game. Morton had a couple of effective reverses on the day. Hall looked good during the game and showed good field vision on his touchdown catch. He stayed on the field throughout the game, and looks like he may steal some looks from the other wide receivers. New York Jets: New QB Chad Pennington made a couple of "rookie" throws in the game, but overall looked very good. He played with a lot of energy, didn't make many mistakes, and most importantly found a way to get the Jets in the end zone. RB Curtis Martin looked to be his old self during this game. For the first time this season, Martin didn't show any signs of his ankle injury and made his cuts with confidence. WR Laveranues Coles also looked good during the game, and the announcers even noted that QB Pennington has admitted Coles is his favorite target. Coles made a couple of terrific catches over the middle, and Pennington looked his way on a number of deep routes that were incomplete. TE Anthony Becht caught his touchdown at the very end of the second quarter deep in the red zone. He was also targeted in the back of the end zone later in the game. Though he finished the game with only one catch, he continues to be a primary red zone target for the Jets. St. Louis 13 at San Francisco 37 St. Louis Rams: The Rams looked and played flat. They couldn't get anything going offensively, and the defense could not contain the 49er offense running or passing. QB Jamie Martin is not a savior. If your fantasy team is struggling and banking on him being a waiver wire gem, you're out of luck. He struggled today just as Kurt Warner has been struggling all of September. The receivers weren't open very often, and they're never wide open. Remember (back in the day) when you'd see streams of St. Louis hi-lights where a WR would simply trot into the endzone? Those days look to be no more As bad as the offense is right now, the defense is no better. They were physically beat at every position. The 49ers offense line overpowered the defensive line. The 49ers backs took it to the linebackers. The 49ers WRs pushed around the DBs. It was a sad sight. RB Marshall Faulk left the game in the 3rd quarter after a pile up. He had bad back spasms afterwards, but returned to play a few series later in the game and then left for good with 6 minutes left in the game. San Francisco 49ers: The 49ers dominated a very flat Rams team on both sides of the ball. Garcia threw the ball well (18/26 for 214 yards, 1 passing TD, 1 rushing TD) and had no interceptions. The offensive line did a great job protecting Garcia and opening holes for RBs Garrison Hearst and Kevan Barlow. The San Francisco defense put more speed on the field than did the St. Louis offense. They played far more aggressively and seemed to want it more. RBs Garrison Hearst ( 13/116 rushing 1 TD, 4/17 rec) and Kevan Barlow (10/50, no TD's) ran all over the hapless Ram defense, especially in the second half of the game. Hearst was especially effective averaging almost 9 yards a run. Don't get too down on QB Jeff Garcia just yet. Garcia had a good day, picking apart the Rams secondary in the first half and going 18/26 for 214 yards and 2 TD's (one rushing) in the game with no interceptions. WR Terrell Owens had a good day receiving, going 7/89 but no TD's. He dominated the undersized Rams secondary, especially Dre Bly, who was matched up on him all day. Tampa Bay 20 at Atlanta 6 Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The defensive line was dominant. Often rushing only four, the Bucs still pressured Atlanta QBs all day and knocked Michael Vick out of the game. Brad Johnson was efficient on the day, but not special. He finished the day with 261, 1 td and 1 int. He didn't go down the field at all, everything was short to intermediate. Keyshawn Johnson scored his first TD of the season on a play where he was single covered by cornerback Juran Bolden. It was a 76 yard TD. He finished the day with 6-131-1 TD. Tampa's leading rusher on the day was Michael Pittman and he was average at best. He shows good power, but no elusiveness or vision. He ran for 62 yards. Atlanta Falcons: Michael Vick was inaccurate and out of rhythm early and was eventually knocked out of the game on a Simeon Rice sack. He has an AC sprain in the shoulder and could miss week 6. Stay tuned. TJ Duckett was the superior running back today showing the speed, power, and quickness that made him a first round draft choice for the Falcons. He carried the ball 11 times for 52 yards while Warrick Dunn ran 9 times for 14 yards. Brian Finneran was the Falcons' leading receiver today which isn't a great feat. He caught 5 balls for 61 yards. Pittsburgh 29 at New Orleans 32 Pittsburgh Steelers: QB Tommy Maddox looked solid. He finished 22/38 for 268 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 1 interception. He made a few bad decisions but all in all he had a very good day and looks ten times as good as Kordell Stewart has looked in this offense all year. RB Jerome Bettis put up good numbers averaging 4.4 yards per carry (19 rushes for 84 yards) with the longest rush being 13 yards so it's not like he padded the ypc number. But he still appears slow and didn't seem to look quite as good as his numbers indicate. The Pittsburgh pass defense is dreadful. They put little pressure on Aaron Brooks. The secondary looked pathetic and wide receivers are often wide open. New Orleans Saints: Aaron Brooks looks very comfortable in the pocket and is looking much more to throw than to run. He attempted only 3 rushes and had 0 yards rushing. He was very efficient but New Orleans seemed content to run the ball down the Steelers' throats. Brooks probably could have thrown for many more yards in this game had he needed to. Deuce McAllister was the keystone of the Saints' offense. He rushed 23 times for 123 yards (2 TDs) and looked fast. Moreover he gained a lot of yards up the middle and ran with strength as well. Sometimes his speed makes it easy to forget that he is 6'1' and 222 pounds. Jerome Pathon caught only two balls one of them was a 15 yard touchdown. The other was a 64-yarder in which he was wide open and taken down at the 1 yard line. New York Giants 21 at Dallas 17 New York Giants: QB Kerry Collins continues to tally strong numbers when he gets time to throw the ball. His three TD passes today could have been four but for an under thrown ball to Amani Toomer that was intercepted. He looked comfortable in the pocket and has two excellent WR's to throw the ball to. He did fumble twice, one of which was lost. WR Amani Toomer had another good game. He failed to crack the 100-yard (5-98) barrier but he did get the touchdown. He would have had another TD but Collins under threw the ball. Ike Hilliard also scored but was lacking in the yardage department (3-38). RB Tiki Barber ran hard all afternoon (17-94) and is clearly the focus of the running game. He was very active in the passing game with 4 catches for 29 yards and a terrific blitz pickup to give Collins time to hit Toomer on the long TD. TE Jeremy Shockey left the game in the 1st quarter with turf toe and didn't return. He had just one catch for 11 yards. CB Will Peterson also re-aggravated his ankle injury. Dallas Cowboys: QB Quincy Carter had solid numbers on the day (23-42, 262) with no interceptions. He's not worth starting but he might worth keeping an eye on in deeper leagues. RB Emmitt Smith had one or two mid-nineties flashbacks but was held in check for most of the day. He broke three tackles and outran the defense on his 30-yard touchdown run but was mostly stopped for small gains today. Troy Hambrick isn't getting enough carries to be considered a vulture, either. WR Joey Galloway has as firm a hold on the #1 WR job as any receiver in football. He finished with 8 catches for 109 yards, but also saw as many balls thrown to him as the rest of the team combined. Safety Darren Woodson injured his ankle and did not return. Woodson's replacement, Tony Dixon, also left the game with an injury just 2 plays later. New England 13 at Miami 26 New England Patriots: QB Tom Brady had 240 yards and two touchdowns but gave up two costly interceptions as he tried to force the ball upfield instead of using the short passing game that had been so successful earlier in the season. Brady and this Patriot team have clearly come back to Earth. Despite Coach Belichick's comments about getting RB Antowain Smith more involved in the offense, he never got started and got only 9 rushes for 14 yards in his worst performance of the season. Kevin Faulk led the team in rushing yards with 17 on only two carries. WR Troy Brown (knee) missed his second game in a row. Deion Branch started in his place again but was held to 61 yards. For the first time this year, Brady looked at David Patten more than any other receiver and he responded with 102 yards and two TDs. The Patriots defense appeared to have improved against the run, largely because the Dolphins commitment to the run (over 60% of their offensive snaps were runs) forced the Pats to keep eight men in the box for much of the game. Despite allowing over 100 yards on the ground, they looked better than they had in previous weeks. It appears that the Patriots are more susceptible to smaller cutback runners than big backs like Ricky Williams. Miami Dolphins: QB Jay Fiedler ran a conservative passing game, spreading the ball to eight different receivers for 190 yards and 2 TDs. He also ran in a score from eight yards out. With this rushing attack, Fiedler won't be asked to do much more than this. RB Ricky Williams is the focal point of an offense that ran 44 running plays and threw only 27 passes. He had over 100 yards per game, his fifth straight with over 100 total yards. He also fumbled for his third straight game, however, and failed to get in the end zone for the first time this season. WR Chris Chambers ran his routes well, running a couple of nice out patterns and ending up with 6 catches for 62 yards. He had one touchdown catch. WR Oronde Gadsden had only two catches for 27 yards but almost added a 7 yard touchdown, using his size to out position Ty Law in the end zone. TE Randy McMichael looked like the real deal, catching three passes for 26 yards, including a one yard TD. He was able to manhandle and out jump defenders. The Miami defense shut out the Patriots in the first half and was able to keep Brady off balance in the second when the Patriots had to abandon the run. Philadelphia 25 at Jacksonville 28 Philadelphia Eagles: QB Donovan McNabb had a good day today as far as statistics go. He threw for 230 yards and 2 touchdowns. He ran for another 100 yards and a touchdown on a designed quarterback run, up the middle, for 4 yards. He was sacked 5 times and under pressure most of the game. He had at least 2 long throws that could have been touchdowns, dropped by his receivers. He may have been under the weather, or maybe the humidity got to him, because he "left everything on the field" (literally) during the final drive of the game. RB Duce Staley was used as the primary back. He had 13 rushing attempts compared to 3 for Dorsey Levens and 1 for Brian Westbrook. Staley gained 82 yards on the ground and 35 through the air. Even though he didn't score, it was his best rushing day of the season. Special Teams killed the Eagles. There were 13 men on the field during a punt return, which kept a Jacksonville drive alive in the 2nd quarter that resulted in a touchdown. The special teams also allowed Bobby Shaw to return a punt for a 69-yard touchdown. Jacksonville Jaguars: RB Fred Taylor had his least effective outing this season. He gathered only 48 yards on the ground and no touchdowns. Do not worry, he didn't look hurt, the Eagles run defense played tough today. He's now officially been replaced at the Goal line with Stacey Mack and that puts a major dent in his value. RB Stacey Mack is definitely the featured back at the goal line. He rushed up the middle 3 consecutive times, inside the Eagles 2 yard line, before getting his touchdown. Mark Brunell played a mistake free, heads up game. He threw for 197 yards, a touchdown, and no interceptions. He avoided Eagles rushers well and was only sacked once. He looked like the veteran that he is out there. Bobby Shaw returned a punt for 69 yards in the 4th quarter that sealed the game for Jacksonville. It was his first touchdown as a Jaguar. Jimmy Smith became the 26th player in NFL history to grab 600 receptions. Baltimore 26 at Cleveland 21 Baltimore Ravens: RB Jamal Lewis was a workhorse again. He didn't look hesitant or shy away from contact at all. Knee injury? You can't tell from watching him. The Baltimore offensive line pushed around the Cleveland front four in the second half after wearing them down early. Lewis was explosive with several long runs in the second half. QB Chris Redman managed a great ball control offense on national TV two weeks in a row. Baltimore looks content to smash away with their O-line and Jamal Lewis giving Redman few chances to make plays downfield. TE Todd Heap is still the #1 option in the passing game for the Ravens. 7 of his 8 targets were in the first half including a deep ball down the sideline. When the game was in hand, the Ravens choose to pound the ball with Lewis to chew up the clock. All World LB Ray Lewis watched much of the 2nd half from the sidelines with an injured shoulder. He reportedly would have been able to play if necessary but the coaches held him out. Obviously, watch this closely as he's the heart of this terrific defense. Cleveland Browns: QB Kelly Holcombe almost brought the Browns screaming back to victory after a Tim Couch concussion. The Ravens were content to play prevent defense and let Holcombe sit back and survey the field even though he was limping noticeably. The fans were yelling for Holcombe even before Couch was injured. RB Jamel White continues to show flashes while William Green makes Cleveland fans cringe. Green was given two carries early in the game. One gets the feeling that they will continue to give Green chances to shine even if he doesn't produce. Oakland 49 @ Buffalo 31 Oakland Raiders: QB Rich Gannon is matched only by Donovan McNabb in Fantasy Football excellence. "All" Gannon did was throw 23 for 38 and 357 yards with three TDs. He's got great weapons. The Oakland defense is almost always playing with a lead, and that results in the Oakland defense relaxing a bit. This unit makes up for that with the big play, though. Whether its punt returns for TDs or interception returns for TDs, the Raider defense seems to come through every week with a big play. This game could be a sign of big things to come for WR Jerry Porter. Porter had a big day and caught seven balls for 117 yards and one TD. Rookie CB Philip Buchanon is something special. When Charles Woodson gets healthy, this duo will be scary. Buffalo Bills: QB Drew Bledsoe had a huge game again (32 for 53 for 417 yards and two TDs), but his three interceptions show that Bledsoe is trying to do too much. Bledsoe is clearly carrying this team. A huge day for Buffalo WRs. Peerless Price had seven catches for 126 yards and a TD. It appears as though Bledsoe looks for Price first since Moulds is often double-covered. Eric Moulds also did well with eight catches for 112 yards. This defensive unit is young - and it shows. Gannon torched the Bills' DBs for 357 yards and did not get any turnovers. The Bills also had trouble pressuring Gannon and Oakland's offensive line dominated the Bills' young defensive front. Cincinnati 21 at Indianapolis 28 Cincinnati Bengals: Jon Kitna was the starter, and he looked to WR Chad Johnson as his first read most of the day. Clearly Kitna is very comfortable with Johnson, and if he remains the starter as Coach Dick Lebeau has stated he will, Kitna looks to go to Johnson often. Kitna threw three interceptions, the last of which deflected off Chad Johnson's hands on a drive that could have tied the score in the closing seconds. Corey Dillon got loose today, rushing for 164 yards. "They gave me the opportunity to get out there and run a little bit," Dillon said. "Am I disappointed? Yes. But this game gives us something to build on." Indianapolis Colts: The Bengal's did everything in their power to stop James, daring the Colts to beat them in the air. James only scored once on his 3 opportunities within the Red Zone, getting stopped twice. James only averaged 2.7 yards a carry as his cut back lanes collapsed all day. It was James's first score in 34 quarters of Football, but it was the first time he didn't gain at least 100 yards in the last 11 games. After 4 weeks of play, it seems that James can no longer be automatically counted on to punch the ball in from close range. Tony Dungy said that the key to the game was big plays and the first 10 minutes of the game. The Colts answered that call jumping out to a 21 point lead. After that point, the Colts reverted to the conservative play calling of the last few weeks, and allowed the Bengals to get back in the game. The Bengals actually had the opportunity to tie the game in the closing seconds. "We've got to learn how to play when we're ahead," Dungy said. "We didn't do a good job of that today, but I think we'll learn from this." The Colts have displayed this conservative play calling and game planning all season. It is a far cry from the more explosive Colts of just a year ago. Green Bay 34 at Chicago 21 Green Bay Packers: RB Ahman Green looked ok but was held in check for most of the game but did have a 43-yard run to up his numbers on the day to 27 rushes for 107 yards. QB Brett Favre had plenty of time to sit back and find the open receiver. He then quickly zipped a pass usually resulting in gains. Favre hit Driver on a deep pass early in the game for a long 85-yard TD. WR Terry Glenn led the Packers in receiving with 8 receptions and 154 yards. Donald Driver also had a good week with the longest touchdown play of the season, 85 yards. He finished the night with only 4 receptions but had 133 total yards. Glenn still was complaining of severe headaches so watch this. DE Vonnie Holiday, SS Antuan Edwards, and Mike McKenzie did not play. Tyrone Williams and Duane Sharper left the game with hamstring injuries. Chicago Bears: QB Jim Miller struggled in the first half but as the Bears started passing deeper to catch up more yards came his way including a 52-yard pass to David Terrell. WR Marty Booker was targeted 19 times during the game and is still the clear go to guy for Miller. Booker finished with 12 catches for 141 yards and a TD. RB Anthony Thomas had a rough game. Chicago trailed in the game from the first quarter on and was forced to pass more than usual. Thomas only had 1 reception but was the target of 4 more. One of them was a screen pass for 20 yards that was called back for offensive pass interference. TE John Davis was a strong red zone target getting open for 4 passes in his direction with 2 leading to TDs. DT Ted Washington and LB Warrick Holdman were out on defense. Holdman was placed on IR earlier in the week. OT Rex Tucker was carted off the field with a dislocated left ankle.