San Francisco 49ers 19, Detroit Lions 13

San Francisco 49ers - San Francisco won its second game in a row with a 19-13 victory at Ford Field. Frank Gore opened the scoring when he took a handoff 61 yards on a third and 16 draw play on the team’s first drive. Gore rushed for a career high 159 yards before leaving the game in the third quarter with a reported concussion.

Alex Smith completed 14 of 20 pass attempts for 136 yards without a touchdown or an interception. Arnaz Battle led the 49ers with six catches for 55 yards.

Detroit Lions - The Lions came out of the gates flat in the contest and an early fumble by Kevin Jones led to a 49er field goal. Jones on the day had 115 total yards with 44 yards rushing and nine catches for 71 yards.

Roy Williams led the Lions’ receivers with five catches for 81 yards while Dan Campbell scored the team’s lone touchdown on a scramble and throw by Jon Kitna. Kitna had an opportunity late in the game to put his team ahead but was intercepted at the goal line and finished 19 of 30 for 202 yards.

What you ought to know

QB Alex Smith, Pass: 14 - 20 - 136 - 0 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 8 - 15 - 0 - Smith was efficient and safe with the football completing 14 of 20 attempts without an interception. He just missed on a long toss to Antonio Bryant but the ball tipped off the receivers’ fingertips in the end zone.

RB Frank Gore, Rush: 22 - 159 - 1, Rec: 2 - 14 - 0 (2 targets) - Gore had his career performance interrupted by a reported concussion in the third quarter. On the afternoon Gore rushed 22 times for 159 yards and a touchdown. His touchdown came on the 49ers first possession of the game when he took a third and 16 draw play 61 yards to pay dirt. Gore completed the first half with 18 carries for 148 yards. He added two catches for 14 yards to his total.

RB Maurice Hicks, Rush: 9 - 20 - 0, Rec: 2 - 18 - 0 (2 targets) - Hicks spelled the injured Frank Gore and carried nine times for 20 yards while catching two balls for 18 yards. Hicks was unable to enjoy the success of starter Gore who left with a reported concussion.

RB Michael Robinson, Rush: 5 - 4 - 0 - Robinson carried the ball five times for four yards and was used almost exclusively in short yardage situations.

WR Arnaz Battle, Pass: 0 - 1 - 0 - 0 TD / 0 INT, Rec: 6 - 55 - 0 (9 targets) - Battle led the 49ers with six catches and 55 yards as he converted a number of key first downs for the 49ers.

WR Antonio Bryant, Rec: 2 - 42 - 0 (7 targets) - Bryant caught only two of the seven balls thrown his way for 42 yards. He did have a long toss go off his fingertips in the end zone.

TE Eric Johnson, Rec: 2 - 7 - 0 (2 targets) - Johnson caught both balls thrown his way for a total of seven yards. Both catches were out of a scramble by Alex Smith as he was a secondary option on both completions.

PK Joe Nedney 4 - 4 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 13 points - Nedney was perfect on the afternoon kicking four field goals including a 47 yarder in the fourth quarter. He was also successful on his lone extra point attempt.

SF Rush Defense - The 49ers’ rush defense held the Lions’ run game in check limiting Kevin Jones to 44 yards on 13 carries. Brandon Moore led the team in tackles with seven including two sacks of Jon Kitna.

SF Pass Defense - The 49ers’ pass defense allowed 202 yards and a touchdown but did have a critical interception in the fourth quarter by Keith Lewis to preserve the victory. Lewis also forced a Kevin Jones fumble in the first half that led to a 49ers’ field goal.

QB Jon Kitna, Pass: 19 - 30 - 202 - 1 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 4 - 27 - 0 - Kitna spent most of the afternoon holding on to the ball for extended periods of time as the 49ers’ defense confused him with coverage. He finished with 202 yards and a touchdown as well as an interception. He completed 19 of 30 attempts and had an opportunity to put the team ahead in the fourth quarter but threw a key interception that sealed the team’s fate.

RB Kevin Jones, Rush: 13 - 44 - 0, Rec: 9 - 71 - 0 (11 targets) - Jones struggled running the ball as he was held to 44 yards on 13 carries versus the 49er front seven. He did catch nine of the 11 balls thrown his way for 71 yards but his fumble in the first quarter led to a 49ers’ field goal.

WR Roy Williams, Rec: 5 - 81 - 0 (9 targets) - Williams led the Lions’ receivers with five catches for 81 yards, as he was double and triple teamed all afternoon. Williams was the victim of some tough bumps and some questionable calls as he was constantly bumped and had a couple of balls just out of reach in the end zone.

WR Mike Furrey, Rec: 2 - 13 - 0 (4 targets) - Furrey had two catches for 13 yards.

TE Dan Campbell, Rec: 2 - 32 - 1 (2 targets) - Campbell caught both balls thrown his way for 32 yards and the team’s lone touchdown. Campbell alertly headed towards the end zone on a Kitna scramble and caught the short pass for the quarterback.

TE Marcus Pollard, Rec: 1 - 5 - 0 (3 targets) - Pollard caught one pass for 5 yards.

PK Jason Hanson 2 - 2 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 7 points - Hanson was perfect on the afternoon with two field goals and an extra point. His longest field goal on the afternoon came from 33 yards.

DET Rush Defense - Frank Gore gashed the Lions’ rush defense as the second year back seldom went down on first contact including breaking tackles on a 61 yard touchdown jaunt on the 49ers’ first possession. Terrence Holt led the Lions with five tackles.

DET Pass Defense - The Lions’ pass defense did not allow a touchdown and held Alex Smith to 136 yards. Corey Redding had two sacks for the Lions as well as a forced fumble.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 10, Carolina Panthers 24

Tampa Bay Buccaneers - The Buccaneers led 7-0 at the half after frustrating the Panthers’ offense. Bruce Gradkowski found Ike Hilliard for a six yard touchdown on the Buccaneers’ third possession but he also threw two interceptions to end the last two possessions of the first half. The Buccaneers produced very little on offense in the second half and were held to a field goal.

Cadillac Williams did not have much success running the football. He was held to 44 yards on 15 carries and also lost a fumble.

Joey Galloway and Michael Clayton saw eight and seven targets respectively, but Galloway was the most impressive receiver for the Buccaneers. All of his five catches went for a first down.

The defense shut out the Panthers in the first half and almost totally closed down the running game. They were responsible for two first half turnovers. Steve Smith proved to be too much to handle in the second half as the defense gave up 24 points.

Carolina Panthers - The Panthers looked dreadful on offense in the first half but turned the game around after the interval. Jake Delhomme found Keyshawn Johnson to give the Panthers the lead, and he finished the game off with a 36 yard touchdown pass to Steve Smith.

The running game did not look very convincing. DeShaun Foster and DeAngelo Williams both struggled. Brad Hoover was used in short yardage situations and ended the game with the only rushing touchdown.

Steve Smith had three first half receptions for a total of 32 yards but he exploded in the second half. He ended with eight receptions for 149 yards and a touchdown. Keyshawn Johnson also caught a touchdown pass.

The Panthers’ defense did a great job all night. Julius Peppers had three sacks and caused trouble throughout the game, despite being double-teamed. The defense created four turnovers.

What you ought to know

QB Bruce Gradkowski, Pass: 17 - 32 - 173 - 1 TD / 2 INT, Rush: 5 - 22 - 0 - Gradkowski led an encouraging opening drive and narrowly overthrew Joey Galloway on what would have been a 50 yard touchdown. Galloway was heavily involved on the Buccaneers’ third drive. He slipped and then recovered to catch a 27 yard pass for a first down, and then had a seven yard first down reception later in the drive to set up a score. Gradkowski struggled later in the half as Julius Peppers penetrated the line for two sacks. He managed to find Ike Hilliard for a 17 yard gain on third and 12, but then threw a pick to Ken Lucas when looking deep for Joey Galloway. Gradkowski made an error on the following drive when throwing deep for Michael Clayton and the pass was intercepted by Shaun Williams. Gradkowski started the second half badly by fumbling the ball away to Peppers on the opening possession. He had very little success after that until the fourth quarter when he hit Galloway for gains of 26 yards and 19 yards on consecutive plays. The drive ended in a field goal for Tampa Bay’s only points of the second half. Gradkowski was sacked by Peppers again on fourth and ten with two minutes remaining.

RB Cadillac Williams, Rush: 15 - 44 - 0 (2 targets) - Williams was not impressive in this game. He carried 15 times for a total of 44 yards but only had three gains over five yards with a high of 11 yards. The line did not open many holes and he was regularly stopped for short gains. Williams fumbled away possession in the second half after running into his own lineman. He did not catch either of the passes thrown his way.

RB Mike Alstott, Rush: 2 - 3 - 0, Rec: 2 - 16 - 0 (3 targets) - Alstott was used twice in short yardage situations, converting one on a one yard run. He was targeted three times in the passing game, catching one for a loss and another for an 18 yard gain before dropping the final pass.

RB Michael Pittman, Rec: 1 - 0 - 0 (2 targets) - Pittman was used to return kicks. He caught one pass for no gain from his two targets. He did not carry the ball during the game.

WR Joey Galloway, Rec: 5 - 87 - 0 (8 targets) - Galloway was the most heavily targeted receiver for the Buccaneers, and also the most dangerous. He was overthrown on the opening possession for what would have been a 50 yard touchdown. He was a factor on the third drive as he slipped and then recovered to make a 27 yard reception. Galloway then converted a first down with a seven yard reception and the drive led to a touchdown. Gradkowski targeted Galloway deep later in the first half, but the pass was intercepted by Ken Lucas. The Buccaneers struggled in the second half and it was Galloway that gave the team a spark. He caught consecutive passes of 26 yards and 19 yards to set up a field goal and also had a nine yard reception for a first down on Tampa Bay’s final drive of the game. Galloway ended with five receptions for a total of 87 yards, and each catch brought up a first down.

WR Ike Hilliard, Rec: 4 - 30 - 1 (4 targets) - Hilliard was only targeted four times in the game, but he caught every ball thrown in his direction. He gave the team the lead by catching a six yard touchdown pass on the Buccaneers’ third possession of the game. Hilliard made a 17 yard reception on third and 12 later in the first half. His other two receptions were for small gains.

WR Michael Clayton, Rec: 2 - 22 - 0 (7 targets) - Clayton dropped a pass on the opening play of the game. He did manage to convert a third down on the opening drive, catching a 16 yard pass. Clayton had another short gain and was targeted five times in the first half. The last came when Gradkowski looked deep for Clayton, but the pass was overthrown and intercepted by Shaun Williams. Clayton was only targeted twice in the second half. The first pass was uncatchable and Clayton dropped the second. He also got into a fight with Chris Gamble at one point but no action was taken against either player.

TE Alex Smith, Rec: 3 - 18 - 0 (5 targets) - Smith caught three of his five targets for a total of 18 yards.

PK Matt Bryant 1 - 1 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 4 points - Bryant made his extra point attempt and converted a 28 yard field goal and was perfect on the night.

TB Rush Defense - The Buccaneers did not allow the Panthers to make significant gains on the ground, holding them to 78 net rushing yards on 30 attempts. With LB Shelton Quarles and DT Ellis Wyms inactive, the feat was even more impressive. They did allow Brad Hoover to score on a five yard run however.

TB Pass Defense - The pass defense did an excellent job in the first half, holding Steve Smith and Keyshawn Johnson to three receptions each for a total of 50 yards. Ronde Barber stripped the ball from Johnson on one occasion and Dewayne White recovered for the Buccaneers. Barber was again involved at the end of the half when intercepting a pass intended for Drew Carter. The second half was a different story as the defense could not stop Steve Smith. They surrendered a four yard touchdown to Keyshawn Johnson before blowing coverage and allowing Smith to score on a 36 yard reception.

QB Jake Delhomme, Pass: 22 - 34 - 240 - 2 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 3 - 2 - 0 - Delhomme was not very effective in the first half. He started well by connecting on a 22 yard pass to Steve Smith but every Panthers’ drive stalled. Delhomme was intercepted by Ronde Barber on the Panthers’ final drive of the half when trying to find Drew Carter. The second half was a complete contrast as Delhomme threw for 166 yards and two touchdowns and was error free. Delhomme found Steve Smith for a 43 yard gain on the Panthers’ opening possession of the second half. He was fortunate not to be intercepted later in the drive but was able to lead the team into field goal range. Delhomme almost hit Keyshawn Johnson for a 29 yard touchdown on the following drive when Johnson appeared to make the catch in the end zone, but the pass was ruled incomplete. Delhomme responded by finding Steve Smith for a 21 yard gain and completed the drive with a four yard touchdown pass to Keyshawn Johnson. Delhomme finished strongly when the Buccaneers’ defense blew coverage allowing Steve Smith to get open for a 36 yard score.

RB DeShaun Foster, Rush: 13 - 48 - 0, Rec: 2 - 9 - 0 (3 targets) - Foster did not impress and was held to 48 yards on 13 carries. He converted on second and ten with a 13 yard run; his longest gain of the night. Brad Hoover was used in short yardage situations in the second half and was given the ball at the five yard line for the Panthers' only rushing touchdown of the game. Foster also saw DeAngelo Williams carry seven times. Foster was targeted three times, catching two passes for a total of nine yards.

RB DeAngelo Williams, Rush: 7 - 19 - 0, Rec: 1 - 11 - 0 (1 targets) - Williams almost fumbled on his first carry but his knee was ruled down before the ball came out. Four of his carries went for no gain or a loss. He did manage a 15 yard gain at the end of the game. Williams was targeted once, making the catch for an 11 yard gain on third and 17. The team also used him on kick returns.

RB Brad Hoover, Rush: 5 - 14 - 1, Rec: 3 - 18 - 0 (3 targets) - Hoover was given his first carry with the Panthers near their own goal line. He was used in short yardage situations in the second half, converting three times for a first down and also running in a five yard touchdown. Hoover caught all of his three targets for a total of 18 yards.

WR Steve Smith, Rush: 2 - -5 - 0, Rec: 8 - 149 - 1 (12 targets) - Smith had a quiet first half after making a 22 yard reception on the Panthers’ first passing play of the game. Torrie Cox was trying to cover Smith one on one and Delhomme exploited the situation with an accurate pass. Smith was far more effective in the second half. He converted on third and six by catching a deep ball for a 43 yard gain on the Panthers’ opening drive of the half. He followed that with two first down receptions of eight yards and 21 yards on the next drive. Smith’s biggest play came towards the end of the game when the Bucs blew their coverage allowing Smith to get wide open for a 36 yard touchdown reception. The Panthers tried to get Smith involved in the running game by running him on the reverse. He gained two yards on one and lost seven yards on the other. Smith announced earlier in the season that he no longer wished to return punts, but he was seen returning one in this game. Smith was ill during the game and vomited into a garbage can between drives.

WR Keyshawn Johnson, Rec: 6 - 37 - 1 (10 targets) - Johnson was very involved in the passing game. He made a ten yard reception for what would have been a first down, but Ronde Barber stripped the ball and the Buccaneers recovered. Johnson had gains of five yards and 13 yards later in the first half, but the drives were not productive. Johnson did well to catch a tipped pass on the Panthers’ opening possession of the second half, and the drive led to a field goal. On the following drive, Johnson stretched to make a 29 yard catch in the end zone. He landed on his elbow and appeared to be just inside the line, but the pass was ruled out of bounds. Delhomme found Johnson for a four yard touchdown pass later in the drive. Johnson became the first man to score touchdowns for four different teams on Monday Night Football.

WR Drew Carter (1 targets) - Carter was only targeted once in the game and the pass was intercepted by Ronde Barber.

WR Keary Colbert (1 targets) - Colbert was targeted once in the end zone but the ball was uncatchable.

TE Michael Gaines, Rec: 1 - 6 - 0 (1 targets) - Gaines was targeted once in the game. He caught the pass for a six yard gain.

TE Kris Mangum, Rec: 1 - 10 - 0 (1 targets) - Mangum saw one target in the game. He made the reception for a ten yard gain and a first down.

PK John Kasay 1 - 1 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 6 points - Kasay was perfect on the night, making a 28 yard field goal and converting three extra points.

CAR Rush Defense - The Panthers held the Buccaneers to 69 net rushing yards. Cadillac Williams gained just 44 yards on 15 carries and Mike Minter also recovered a Williams' fumble. Bruce Gradkowski scrambled on several occasions and was stripped of the ball by Chris Draft for Julius Peppers to recover another fumble.

CAR Pass Defense - Julius Peppers had a huge game, registering three sacks as well as a fumble recovery. He was double-teamed, but managed to pressure Gradkowski regularly. Ken Lucas and Shaun Williams each had an interception as Gradkowski threw two inaccurate deep passes. After surrendering a touchdown in the first half, the Panthers’ defense stepped things up after the break. Gamble and Draft were both shaken up during the game but quickly returned.

New York Jets 17, New England Patriots 14

New York Jets - The Jets played a very aggressive game. They just seemed to want the game more than the Patriots. Pennington played well, allowing the Jets to control the ball and limit mistakes and the receivers came up with extra yards after the catch to pick up key first downs. The defense blitzed very effectively, at times throwing off Brady’s timing and grabbing an interception. A second interception was negated by a roughing the passer penalty.

Chad Pennington completed 66% of his passes for 168 yards and one touchdown. While Pennington didn’t throw for many yards, he was able to keep the chains moving with short passes. He led the Jets on three drives of ten or more plays.

Kevan Barlow ran the ball well; gaining 75 yards on 17 carries. Barlow had a second quarter touchdown run that gave the Jets a 7-3 lead. He was the workhorse of the drive, carrying nine times for 42 yards and the touchdown. Leon Washington also added 35 yards.

Jerricho Cotchery led the Jets with six catches for 70 yards and a touchdown. He made a great play on a Pennington pass in the end zone. He caught it right along the side of the end zone out jumping a Patriots’ defender.

New England Patriots - New England was outplayed by the Jets in this game. The Patriots scored a late touchdown to make it close and did get a final possession with a chance to tie it with a field goal. That drive ended with the Jets’ defense coming up big with a sack of Brady and caused a fumble.

Tom Brady was 25 of 37 for 255 yards. He threw one touchdown late in the game but was also picked off once and fumbled to end the game. He threw a second interception but that was called back when he was driven into the turf by the Jets’ defender. Brady spread the ball around to nine different receivers.

Corey Dillon led the Patriots with 98 yards rushing, including a 50 yard run. Maroney added 37 yards on the ground and Heath Evans carried a couple of times, picking up first downs on both carries. Even with Dillon’s 50 yard run, the Patriots were only able to get a field goal on the drive.

Reche Caldwell had a career day, catching nine balls for 90 yards and a touchdown. His touchdown came on a tipped ball that he was able to bring in and then break a couple of tackles. Eight other players caught passes from Brady but none had more than three catches. Doug Gabriel had two catches for 30 yards but he had a big fumble on a catch and run of 22 yards. At the end of the run he had the ball knocked loose and recovered by the Jets. The fumble came with the Patriots leading 3-0. The Jets took the ball and drove the field for a touchdown and never looked back.

Rodney Harrison was out with a broken shoulder blade and the Patriots could have used him. They just didn’t seem to have the usual intensity that they bring to the game on defense. The Jets just seemed to want this one and wouldn’t be stopped. The loss gives the Patriots consecutive losses for the first time in 57 games. San Francisco holds the record with 60 games from 1995-1999.

What you ought to know

QB Chad Pennington, Pass: 22 - 33 - 168 - 1 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 2 - 4 - 0 - Pennington managed the game very well on a day when the weather was nasty and the field was even worse. Pennington was 22 of 33 for just 168 yards. He completed a lot of short passes and was able to move the Jets down the field on a couple of long scoring drives. He led them on a 16 play touchdown drive and a 15 play drive for a field goal. He also hit Cotchery in the end zone in the fourth quarter. It was a slightly ill advised pass but Cotchery went up and made a great play on the ball and managed to keep his feet in bounds on the side of the end zone.

RB Kevan Barlow, Rush: 17 - 75 - 1, Rec: 1 - 7 - 0 (1 targets) - Barlow ran hard and picked up 75 yards and a touchdown. He carried nine times on the drive he scored the touchdown. He also picked up three fourth quarter first downs on the ground to extend the three New York drives. It allowed the Jets to chew up a lot of time in the fourth quarter. His only catch came in the fourth quarter. He picked up seven yards and then got the first down on the next play with a four yard run. Jets leaned on him to extend drives and keep the Jets’ defense off the field.

RB Leon Washington, Rush: 9 - 35 - 0, Rec: 2 - 1 - 0 (3 targets) - Washington carried nine times for 35 yards. He also caught a couple of very short passes that gained one total yard. Most of his carries came in the second half when the Jets switched up the running style from Barlow’s tough running to Washington finesse runs.

RB B.J. Askew, Rec: 2 - 9 - 0 (2 targets) - Askew was thrown to a couple of times, picking up nine yards. He was used as a change of pace. He did pick up a first down on his first catch. That drive led to a field goal.

WR Jerricho Cotchery, Rush: 1 - 3 - 0, Rec: 6 - 70 - 1 (8 targets) - Cotchery caught six passes for 70 and a touchdown. The TD was the catch of the game for the Jets. With the Jets up just 10-6, Cotchery made a great play on the pass and got both feet down in the end zone. It put the Jets up 17-6 and was the deciding score of the game. Including the touchdown, six of Cotchery’s receptions went for a first down.

WR Laveranues Coles, Rec: 5 - 29 - 0 (11 targets) - Coles made five catches for 29 yards. Pennington looked his way most often and tried hitting him deep on a few passes but to no avail. All of Coles’ completions came on short passes and he was able to pick up a couple of first downs on two of the New York scoring drives.

WR Justin McCareins, Rec: 3 - 31 - 0 (3 targets) - McCareins caught all three passes thrown his way. He made a nice play on a 23 yard catch in the first quarter. He caught a short pass and added extra yardage after the catch. The drive ended in a punt though.

WR Tim Dwight, Rec: 2 - 14 - 0 (3 targets) - Dwight was used sparingly on the offensive side of the ball. He was thrown to three times, catching two passes for 14 yards.

TE Chris Baker, Rec: 1 - 7 - 0 (3 targets) - Baker caught just one pass for seven yards. His catch came in the first quarter. Pennington went right back to him on the next play for an incomplete pass. He didn’t get another look until the final New York drive of the game. That was incomplete too.

PK Mike Nugent 1 - 1 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 5 points - Nugent made his only field goal try of the game from 34 yards. He also made both extra points. With the sloppy field, neither team was quick to trot out the kicker, instead going for it on fourth down or punting.

NYJ Rush Defense - The Jets gave up a 50 yard run to Dillon in the first quarter. After that they were solid, giving up just 58 yards in the final three quarters. They gave up a short run on fourth and one. It extended the drive for the Patriots and led to field goal. With the field being muddy and the ball wet, being able to control the ground game was a key factor in the Jets winning the game.

NYJ Pass Defense - The Jets’ pass defense bent but rarely broke. They gave up yardage to Brady but they forced a couple of big turnovers and recorded four sacks. They blitzed effectively and forced Brady into some errant throws. With the Patriots up 3-0 and driving, the Jets stripped the ball from Gabriel after a 22 yard pass play down to the Jets 15 yard line. It was the turning point of the game because the Jets drove the field for the go ahead touchdown right after the fumble. They got an easy interception on a poorly thrown ball over the middle. They had a second interception against Brady but it was nullified due to a rougher the passer penalty. The defense made up for it on the final play of the game with the Patriots trying to drive down the field. The Jets got to Brady and forced a fumble with time running out.

QB Tom Brady, Pass: 25 - 37 - 255 - 1 TD / 1 INT - On a day when the field was sloppy, Brady was forced to throw 37 times. He completed 25 passes for 255 yards. He threw a touchdown and an interception. His touchdown throw was tipped at the line and Reche Caldwell made a nice catch and broke a couple of tackles to get to the end zone. Brady’s interception was not a good pass, thrown behind his receiver over the middle. He was also picked off again but was given a reprieve after Victor Hobson drove him into the turf and got flagged for a penalty. Brady took advantage and led the Patriots to a field goal on that drive. Brady tried to lead the Patriots to a game tying field goal with time running out. He ended up getting sacked and fumbled the ball. The Patriots recovered but time had expired.

RB Corey Dillon, Rush: 11 - 98 - 0, Rec: 1 - 5 - 0 (1 targets) - Dillon carried 11 times for 98 yards. He had a 50 yard run in the first quarter. It was the first 50 yard run of the Bill Belichick era in New England. Also, it was Dillon’s longest run since 2002 when he was with the Bengals. The Corey Dillon of old would have likely scored but the 2006 version ran out of gas and was caught by the defense. Dillon picked up five first downs. The Patriots brought Maroney in when they got into the red zone so Dillon never really got close to scoring.

RB Laurence Maroney, Rush: 12 - 37 - 0 (1 targets) - Maroney carried 12 times for 37 yards. The Patriots like to use him as they get into the red zone, taking away scoring chances from Dillon. He had a carry from the Jets’ four yard line but lost a yard. On the next play Brady got sacked. The only pass thrown to him was picked off by the Jets in the fourth quarter. It was a poor pass by Brady with Maroney never really having a chance to catch it.

RB Kevin Faulk, Rec: 3 - 23 - 0 (3 targets) - Faulk was only used in the passing game. He caught all three passes thrown his way for 23 yards. He made a really nice one handed grab by the sideline but came up just short of a first down.

RB Heath Evans, Rush: 2 - 8 - 0 - Evans had a couple of carries, both resulting in first downs. One of the carries was a fourth and one try. The drive continued and resulted in a field goal.

WR Reche Caldwell, Rec: 9 - 90 - 1 (13 targets) - It was a career day for Caldwell. He caught nine passes for 90 yards and a touchdown. He came back for the ball after it was tipped at the line. He made a nice move to avoid a couple of New York defenders and sprinted to the end zone. His touchdown put the Patriots right back in the game. He then caught a pass to convert the two point conversion, leaving the Patriots just three points behind with 4:22 to go in the fourth quarter.

WR Jabar Gaffney, Rec: 3 - 65 - 0 (5 targets) - Gaffney made three catches for 65 yards. His big catch came with the Patriots down 17-6 in the fourth quarter. Gaffney got behind the defense and pulled in the long pass for 33 yards. Three plays later the Patriots got the touchdown from Caldwell and used only 31 seconds on the drive.

WR Troy Brown, Rec: 2 - 15 - 0 (5 targets) - Brown caught two passes for 15 yards. Brady tried hitting him deep a couple of times. One was incomplete and one was intercepted. He had a 13 yard catch on the Patriots’ quick scoring drive in the fourth quarter

WR Doug Gabriel, Rec: 2 - 30 - 0 (2 targets) - Gabriel caught two passes for 30 yards. He made a nice catch and run but was caught from behind and fumbled the ball by the side line. The Jets recovered at their own 15 yard line. He didn’t see another pass after the fumble early in the second quarter.

WR Chad Jackson, Rec: 2 - 5 - 0 (2 targets) - Jackson caught just two short passes for five yards. He really wasn’t a factor in this game.

TE Ben Watson, Rec: 2 - 16 - 0 (5 targets) - Watson caught two passes for 16 yards. Brady looked his way five times including on a fourth and three in the fourth quarter. It went for six yards. The drive eventually ended in a punt. All five of his looks came in the second half, with four of them in the fourth quarter.

TE Daniel Graham, Rec: 1 - 6 - 0 (3 targets) - Graham had just one catch for six yards. Brady threw to him deep late in the third quarter but it was incomplete.

PK Stephen Gostkowski 2 - 2 FG, 0 - 0 XP, 6 points - He made both field goals with a long of 31 yards. The Patriots went for a two point conversion in the fourth quarter so he had no extra point attempts.

NE Rush Defense - The Patriots’ rush defense gave up 110 yards to the Jets’ rushing tandem of Barlow and Washington. They allowed a rushing touchdown to Barlow in the second quarter. On the Barlow touchdown drive, the Patriots gave up a fourth down conversion for the first time this year. Pennington picked up three yards on fourth and one from the Patriots 23 yard line. New England just didn’t seem to be their usual aggressive, attacking defense.

NE Pass Defense - New England’s pass defense only sacked Pennington once and intercepted him once. Pennington picked them apart with short range passes. The New England defense gave up scoring drives of 15 and 16 plays. The Patriots didn’t play aggressive enough in this game. Too many times the Jets receivers caught passes and were able to gain yards after the catch to pick up the first down. The Jets picked up 11 first downs via the pass, five of those on third down.

Green Bay Packers 23, Minnesota Vikings 17

Green Bay Packers - QB Brett Favre had one of his best games in the Metrodome in what has been a very difficult place for him and the Packers to win in the past. Favre was only 4-10 lifetime in Minnesota coming into this game. He finished the game with 347 yards and two touchdowns, and played one of best games of the year by side stepping pressure and making big plays in crucial moments. Favre and the pass game were especially effective in converting on third down, especially in key situations. He also protected the ball as the Packers had no turnovers. The Packers’ young offensive line did a good job of protecting Favre and giving him time to find his receivers.

Favre’s favorite target in the first half of the game was WR Donald Driver who had a huge half. Driver had the play of the game as he took a quick slant down the middle of the field 82 yards for a touchdown with less then a minute left in the first half. Driver finished the half with 151 receiving yards. The Vikings secondary was able to do a better job of covering Driver in the second half but not before he added another 40 more yards. He finished with a career high 191 receiving yards and one touchdown.

RB Ahman Green and the Packers’ running game didn’t fare as well as the passing game did against a Vikings’ defense that was ranked number one against the run coming into this game. DT Pat Williams caused havoc for the rush game and made it very difficult for the Packers to run between the tackles. Green was often meet with defenders in the back field and only managed 55 yards rushing on 22 carries.

Minnesota Vikings - Brad Johnson had a decent game statistically going 18 for 30 for 257 yards and one touchdown, but he also had trouble protecting the ball again. He had a fumble and interception as he and the Vikings lost their third consecutive game. Johnson almost had a second touchdown when he hit RB Chester Taylor on 15 yard pass, but he fumbled right before crossing the goal line when he was hit by a Packer defender. The ball was recovered in the end zone by WR Billy McMullen. Johnson was less productive in the second half as the Vikings’ offense only managed three points and was unable to convert third downs. He was harassed most of the game as the Vikings struggled on pass coverage when the Packers blitzed. Johnson also struggled with his pass accuracy and decision making in the second half.

RB Chester Taylor had a workman like performance of 75 yards on 20 carries. The Packers’ run defense did not make it easy for Taylor all day and he was never able to break off a big play, as his longest run of the day was only 11 yards. Taylor’s best scoring opportunity was a 15 yard reception over the middle, but he fumbled the ball before crossing the goal line.

It was the Vikings’ back up receivers that made plays in this game. WR Bethel Johnson and WR Billy McMullen combined for 139 receiving yards. McMullen caught the Vikings’ only touchdown pass on a play in which the Packers had a total breakdown in there pass coverage and left him wide open along the left sideline and it led to an easy touchdown pass. The score snapped a ten quarter offensive scoreless touchdown streak for the Vikings. McMullen got Minnesota’s other touchdown when he fell on Chester Taylor’s fumble in the end zone.

What you ought to know

QB Brett Favre, Pass: 24 - 42 - 347 - 2 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 2 - -2 - 0 - Favre had a magnificent performance against what has been one of the better defenses the first half of the season. He had a big first half as he had 189 passing yards with two touchdowns. His first touchdown pass came as the result of the Packers inability to score inside the five yard line running ball. That led to a five yard touchdown pass to running back Noah Herron out of the backfield on third down. Favre’s second touchdown in the first half came with less then a minute left as he hit wide receiver Donald Driver on a quick slant up the middle and he took it 82 yards for a touchdown.

Favre was well protected by a young, inexperienced line throughout the game as they did not give up a sack. The Green Bay line had done a solid job of protecting Favre most of the season so far only giving up nine sacks coming into this game. Favre did not lead the Packers to a touchdown in the second half, but did put up 158 yards of passing and led them to two field goals. Favre’s success in the passing game was the difference to the game since they struggled running the ball against Minnesota.

RB Ahman Green, Rush: 22 - 55 - 0 (2 targets) - Green had 41 yards on 14 carries in the first half against Vikings run defense that ranked number one coming into this game. He did have some scoring opportunities in the first half. He had a couple of goal line carries in the first quarter, but was stopped by a tough Vikings run defense. Green also missed a catchable ball thrown to him from Brett Favre in the first quarter in the end zone.

The yards came a lot harder in the second half as he only had 14 yards on eight carries as the Minnesota run defense stepped it up. He had a couple of scoring opportunities in the third quarter when he had a run and a pass thrown to him inside the Vikings’ ten yard line, but otherwise it was a very quiet half for Green.

RB William Henderson, Rec: 6 - 26 - 0 (6 targets) - Henderson had two pass receptions for ten yards in the first half of the game. He had another 16 yards receiving in the second half with four more receptions.

RB Noah Herron, Rush: 2 - -6 - 0, Rec: 2 - 11 - 1 (3 targets) - Herron’s biggest play of the game was a five yard touchdown he caught on a swing pass from Brett Favre in the first half. Herron added one other catch for six yards, but was held to negative yardage in the running game on two carries.

WR Donald Driver, Rec: 6 - 191 - 1 (11 targets) - Driver had a huge first half as he had 151 receiving yards and one touchdown. He caught three big passes on third and long on the on the Packers first scoring drive totaling 69 receiving yards on the drive. Driver’s biggest play was when he caught an 82 yard pass with less then a minute left in the first half as Favre hit him quick slant up the middle and he took it all the way.

The Vikings did a much better job covering Driver in the second half. He had 40 yards receiving in that half including a 30 yard play when fellow wide receiver Greg Jennings threw a lateral to Driver after a reception. It was one of the bigger plays of the second half because it set up the Packers’ first field goal of the half.

WR Ruvell Martin, Rec: 3 - 47 - 0 (8 targets) - Martin had a nice second half as he had all of his 47 receiving yards in the second half. He had a 13 yard catch on third down play for a first down in the third quarter. He made a nice 14 yard reception when he made the catch back across his body on a ball thrown behind him in the fourth quarter. Martin made another nice 20 yard reception up the middle of the field and took a big hit after the catch, but he held onto the ball. Martin seems to make a nice third receiver in this offense and Favre’s confidence in him as a reliable receiver seems to be growing.

WR Greg Jennings, Rec: 3 - 38 - 0 (5 targets) - Jennings started this game despite dealing with a sprained ankle. Jennings had a big catch in the third quarter for 12 yards and tossed a lateral pass to Donald Driver who took it another 30 yards and brought the ball to the Minnesota 15 yard line. He also had an important 14 yard reception on a third down play in the third quarter to keep a drive alive.

TE Bubba Franks, Rec: 2 - 22 - 0 (2 targets) - Franks finally made a return to the stat line for the Packers by catching two passes for 22 yards in this game.

TE David Martin, Rec: 2 - 12 - 0 (5 targets) - Martin only had two catches for 12 yards but was targeted five times by Brett Favre in the game.

PK Dave Rayner 3 - 3 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 11 points - Rayner was three for three for field goals in the game and all of his attempts were within 30 yards. His first was a 20 yard field goal on the Packers’ second drive of the game. His second field goal game in the third quarter when he almost missed a 24 yard attempt by hitting the left upright, but the ball bounced through the uprights. His third field goal came with about two minutes left when he hit a 29 yard attempt that helped seal the Packers win.

GB Rush Defense - The Packers’ rush defense did a pretty good job of holding Chester Taylor to 75 yards on 20 carries. The longest run the Packers gave up in this game was a 15 yard carry to Mewelde Moore. Rookie linebacker A.J. Hawk was the star of the defense for the Packers as he was in on 13 tackles, he had one and half sacks, and forced a fumble.

GB Pass Defense - The Packers’ pass rush harassed Brad Johnson most of the game as they had four sacks and forced him to get rid of the ball much sooner then he wanted several times. They also had one interception in the game. This was a good performance by a pass defense that was ranked last coming into this game.

QB Brad Johnson, Pass: 18 - 30 - 257 - 1 TD / 1 INT - Johnson had a good first half as he was ten for 14 for 165 yards and one touchdown, but he did have a costly turnover in the half. On the first play of the Vikings second drive of the game, Johnson was sacked and lost the football. The Packers recovered the ball and turned it into a touchdown eventually. The Vikings’ line didn’t have its best game as they gave up four sacks and had trouble picking up the blitz. After the turnover Johnson came back by leading the Vikings on a 72 yard touchdown drive that was finished off with 40 yard pass to Billy McMullen. Johnson almost had a second touchdown pass in the second quarter to Chester Taylor, but he fumble just before crossing the goal line and wide receiver Billy McMullen fell on the ball for six points. Johnson’s other big play in the half was a deep pass to Bethel Johnson for 40 yards in which he hit him in full stride down the right sideline.

Johnson and the Vikings’ offense struggled in the second half as they only managed to score three points. He had an interception on a deep ball thrown down the left sideline on a pass to Bethel Johnson who appeared to quit on the route. Johnson and the offense were not able to make any big plays in the second half and struggled to make first downs.

RB Chester Taylor, Rush: 20 - 75 - 0, Rec: 2 - 20 - 0 (3 targets) - Taylor had 12 carries for 38 yards in the first half as the Packers did a good job of containing him in the half. Taylor caught a 15 yard pass and it appeared he would go in for a touchdown, but was hit by a defender just before he crossed the goal line and fumbled. His teammate Billy McMullen fell on the ball for his second touchdown of the game. That turned out be Taylor’s best and only real scoring opportunity of the game. He did remain the focal point of the Vikings offense as he racked up 95 total yards of offense, although Mewelde Moore got the majority of balls thrown to him out of the backfield in this game.

RB Mewelde Moore, Rush: 3 - 15 - 0, Rec: 5 - 57 - 0 (8 targets) - Moore’s biggest play of the game was 27 yard reception toward the end of the game that set up the Vikings only field goal of the game. He also had a team high eight targets in the game, but he was not much of factor in the running game as he had three carries for 15 yards.

RB Tony Richardson, Rec: 3 - 13 - 0 (2 targets) - Richardson failed to pick up a blitzing Packer linebacker in the first quarter that resulted in a sack and lost fumble. He did make a big third down catch for 14 yards because of a good second effort to break a tackle on the Vikings second touchdown drive of the game.

RB Artose Pinner - Pinner’s biggest impact in the game was an illegal block to the back that nullified a 105 kick return by Bethel Johnson to start the second half. He also had an offside penalty on an onside kick that the Vikings recovered at the end of the game. The Vikings were unsuccessful on there second onside attempt.

WR Billy McMullen, Rec: 3 - 64 - 1 (4 targets) - McMullen had his biggest game of the year scoring both of Minnesota’s touchdowns in the game. He caught a 40 yard touchdown pass from Brad Johnson on the first play of the second quarter. It appeared the Packers blew the coverage as McMullen ran down the left side of the field wide open and Johnson was able to find him all alone for the score. McMullen got his second touchdown in the first half after Chester Taylor fumbled at the goal line and he jumped on the ball in the end zone. He also had 18 yard catch late in the game and finished with 64 yards receiving.

WR Travis Taylor, Rec: 3 - 28 - 0 (5 targets) - Taylor had another unspectacular game as he had three catches for 28 yards. He simply has trouble getting open and got an offensive pass interference penalty on a key third down play in the game trying to get separation from the defender. This is a penalty he seems to get called for quite often.

WR Bethel Johnson, Rec: 2 - 75 - 0 (3 targets) - Johnson made a beautiful one handed catch with a defender draped on him for 35 yards in the second quarter that helped set up the Vikings second touchdown of the game. He had another big catch for 40 yards in the first half but was pretty much a non-factor in the passing offense after that play as he had no more receptions and only one more pass thrown his way. In what turned out to be a very big play in the game, Johnson had a 105 yard kick return for a touchdown to start the second half called back on an illegal block by Artose Pinner.

WR Troy Williamson (1 targets) - Williamson didn’t have any catches in the game and seems to have lost his confidence. He also seems to have lost the confidence of his quarterback because of his inability to catch the ball or run good routes. The second year receiver continues to be a big disappointment.

TE Jermaine Wiggins (2 targets) - Wiggins and the rest of the Vikings’ tight ends made no impact in the passing game as none of them made any receptions and Wiggins was the only one to have any passes thrown to him. Tight ends as pass receivers seem to be an after thought in this offense and hold little, if any value.

PK Ryan Longwell 1 - 1 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 5 points - Longwell made a 34 yard field goal with less then two minutes as the Vikings tried to make up nine point deficit. He also added two extra points earlier in the game.

MIN Rush Defense - The defense came up with a big play early in the game by stopping the Packers on the Minnesota two yard line on a third down and inches play that forced Green Bay to kick a field goal. The Vikings’ defensive tackle, Pat Williams, dominated the Packers’ interior offensive linemen and made it very difficult for them to run the ball. Williams finished with a team high nine tackles. The Packers were held to only 47 total yards of offense in the game.

MIN Pass Defense - For as good as the Vikings’ run defense was in the game, the pass defense proved to be the Achilles heal of the defense. They allowed Bret Favre to throw for 347 yards and two touchdowns. The pass defense gave up several big plays on third down in the first half to Donald Driver. The biggest play was an 82 yard touchdown they gave up with less then one minute left in the first half. The pass defense also failed to make plays as they had no turnovers or sacks in the game against young, inexperienced Packers’ line.

Cleveland Browns 17, Atlanta Falcons 13

Cleveland Browns - Opening up a fourteen point lead early, Charlie Frye completed 16 of 22 passes for 165 yards and a touchdown. The Browns struggled on third downs in this game, and did not sustain many long drives, limiting the rhythm which Frye could establish with any receiver. Kellen Winslow tied for the team lead in targets and caught five passes for 90 yards. With tight ends active in the Browns’ offense, Steve Heiden caught four balls for 24 yards. Wide receiver Braylon Edwards caught a nineteen yard touchdown strike on an otherwise quiet afternoon where he netted three catches for 31 yards. With two catches, Joe Jurevicius gained just four yards starting opposite Edwards. Dennis Northcutt added a six yard reception and Josh Cribbs caught one pass for ten yards. Reuben Droughns was not targeted out of the backfield in this game.

Though they remained focused to a balanced attack, the Browns struggled in the rushing game. On 21 carries, Reuben Droughns gained just 54 yards. With Jerome Harrison inactive, Jason Wright served as the backup, but did not receive any touches in this game. Charlie Frye scrambled for 28 yards on four attempts. Dennis Northcutt added seven yards on an end around.

Atlanta Falcons - Michael Vick struggled in this game, throwing two interceptions, and fumbling the ball away in the red zone in the final minutes of the game. Though he suffered from drops by his receivers, Vick was also responsible for some of the missed attempts due to the velocity at which he was attempting to force the ball to his wide receivers. Vick completed just 16 of 40 for 197 yards with one touchdown. With a nice 55 yard catch on the Falcons’ final drive, Roddy White led Falcons receivers with five catches for 99 yards. Michael Jenkins was the beneficiary of a nice play action fake by Michael Vick, as Jenkins was wide open in the flat for a touchdown. Jenkins caught just one other pass on the afternoon, for a total of two balls for 17 yards. Ashley Lelie dropped a potential touchdown pass, and caught just one ball for nine yards against the Browns. Alge Crumpler was active in the pass game, but well defended, and finished with four catches and 37 yards on thirteen targets. Crumpler was the intended target on both of Vick’s interceptions. Warrick Dunn added 35 yards out of the backfield on four receptions.

With Jerious Norwood inactive, Warrick Dunn carried the load for the Falcons. Dunn carried the ball 21 times for 73 yards, but was outpaced by Michael Vick, who gained 74 yards on seven attempts, though the Browns dedicated a player to spying Vick and preventing him from beating them by himself.

What you ought to know

QB Charlie Frye, Pass: 16 - 22 - 165 - 1 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 4 - 28 - 0 - Frye finished with a passer rating of 109.1 by completing 73% of his passes for an average of 7.5 yards per attempt against the Falcons. This was the first game this season that Frye has gone without throwing an interception. Frye has thrown one touchdown in the last four games, and has only one multi-touchdown game this season, against Oakland in week four, but picked up his third win of the season against the Falcons. Frye continued to show confidence in his tight ends, and showed great touch down the left sideline on a timing pattern to Kellen Winslow to set up a field goal and put the Browns ahead by a 17-13 lead with under six minutes remaining in the game.

RB Reuben Droughns, Rush: 21 - 54 - 1 - Droughns failed to average three yards per carry for the fifth time in eight games this season, and has yet to break the four yard per carry mark in any game yet. Though he found the end zone and had a respectable first half, Droughns gained just eleven yards on ten carries in the second half and was unable to help the Browns sustain drives. Droughns’ fumble came in the first half of the game on Atlanta’s side of the field. Droughns was not targeted out of the backfield at all in this game, despite extensive playing time on all three downs.

WR Braylon Edwards, Rec: 3 - 31 - 1 (6 targets) - Edwards found the end zone for the second week in a row on a nice crossing pattern. The Browns continue to use Edwards as a deep threat, and have established a pattern of trying to get him behind the defense on their opening drive, though without success in this game and in recent weeks. Edwards was targeted deep in the red zone on the scoring drive which culminated in a Reuben Droughns touchdown.

WR Dennis Northcutt, Rush: 1 - 7 - 0, Rec: 1 - 6 - 0 (2 targets) - In his two weeks back from a rib injury, Northcutt has more touches and yards in the punt return game.

WR Joe Jurevicius, Rec: 2 - 4 - 0 (3 targets) - Jurevicius had a quiet afternoon, though was targeted once in the red zone, and was utilized primarily on short passes.

TE Kellen Winslow Jr, Rec: 5 - 90 - 0 (6 targets) - Winslow made a number of very good catches in this game, including a forty yard touchdown to set up Droughns’ touchdown, and a thirty six yard catch to set up a field goal by Phil Dawson late in the game.

TE Steve Heiden, Rec: 4 - 24 - 0 (5 targets) - Heiden remained an active part of Jeff Davidson’s offensive game plan, and was targeted primarily rolling off the line.

PK Phil Dawson 1 - 1 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 5 points - Dawson connected on his only field goal attempt from 43 yards.

CLE Rush Defense - Leading most of the game, the Browns did not have to focus too much on stopping Warrick Dunn, though they did struggle somewhat in containing Michael Vick despite a concerted effort to limit him from beating them with his feet. Overall, the Browns gave up 149 yards on the ground, but forced a key fumble late in the game to help seal the victory.

CLE Pass Defense - With two interceptions, one sack, and limiting the Falcons’ passing attack to less than 200 yards, it was a pretty good afternoon even without their top cover cornerback in Leigh Bodden.

QB Michael Vick, Pass: 16 - 40 - 197 - 1 TD / 2 INT, Rush: 7 - 74 - 0 - By completing just 40% of his passes and averaging less than five yards per attempt with two interceptions, Vick’s passer rating was just 43.4. More costly than dropped passes and inefficiency in the passing game was Vick’s late fumble as the Falcons had driven inside the red zone with over two minutes remaining while trailing 17-13. After going through his initial progression, Vick did not find an open receiver and took off to his left, carrying the ball in one hand below his knee. He seemed to trip and had the ball bounce off his leg as he was taken down hard, losing the ball and the game. Vick had exited briefly in this game after taking a hard shot and was replaced on one passing play by Matt Schaub.

RB Warrick Dunn, Rush: 21 - 73 - 0, Rec: 4 - 35 - 0 (7 targets) - Dunn combined for over 100 yards rushing and receiving but did not play a significant role in this game, carrying the ball just once on the three Falcons scoring drives. Dunn played more effectively in the first half of this game, and may have missed rotating in and out with Jerious Norwood, who was inactive in this game.

WR Roddy White, Rec: 5 - 99 - 0 (5 targets) - White nearly brought the Falcons all the way back in this game with a nice 55 yard catch on a deep ball where Roddy made a good adjustment in the air to make the catch. White caught every ball thrown his way, and made a case for playing time in additional two wide receiver sets for the Falcons.

WR Michael Jenkins, Rec: 2 - 17 - 1 (9 targets) - Jenkins benefited from a great play action fake to find himself wide open in the left flat and just barely got into the end zone to bring the Falcons back into the game at the end of the third quarter. Jenkins was guilty of dropping the ball again this week.

WR Ashley Lelie, Rec: 1 - 9 - 0 (5 targets) - Lelie dropped a catchable pass in the end zone and drew the ire of the Falcons fans at the end of the first half in a 14-0 game. Vick gave him another opportunity early in the third quarter with a deep ball down the left side, but Lelie failed to come up with a very catchable ball again.

TE Alge Crumpler, Rec: 4 - 37 - 0 (13 targets) - Crumpler drew plenty of coverage from the Browns defense, and was the target on both interceptions. On the first interception, the defender made a nice diving catch, though on the second one, the ball was underthrown and Crumpler failed to come back to the ball.

PK Morten Andersen 2 - 2 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 7 points - Andersen was utilized in the kicking game, and connected successfully from 41 and 44 yards out.

ATL Rush Defense - The Falcons shut down Reuben Droughns, and forced a pair of fumbles. Including yardage on scrambles by Charlie Frye and end arounds, the Falcons gave up just 91 yards on the ground on 27 carries.

ATL Pass Defense - Though they gave up just 165 yards through the air and limited the Browns to a third down efficiency of 14%, they were unable to slow down Charlie Frye, Kellen Winslow and Braylon Edwards.

Buffalo Bills 16, Indianapolis Colts 17

Buffalo Bills - The Bills had a solid game plan to beat the Colts. Pound the ball with Anthony Thomas, control the ball and the clock, and play nickel defense all game shutting down the deep pass, allowing everything underneath. Except for a goal line stand, the Bills even played nickel in the red zone. The Bills came in doing everything to slow the Colts’ offense down, and it worked as the Bills were in position to win this game.

Anthony Thomas, playing for the injured Willis McGahee, was a work horse with 28 carries for 108 yards. He was never targeted in the passing game, in fact, J.P. Losman only threw the ball 14 times in the contest (one pass was ruled a non play). The Bills continued to pound with Thomas throughout the game to control the clock, and keep the Colt’s offense off the field. The Bills’ coaches showed complete confidence in Thomas.

The Bills started the game throwing to Lee Evans, who was targeted 80% of the time in the first half, and caught three passes in the first series. After that first series, the Bills went to the ground exclusively, only attempting two more passes in the first half, where both were incomplete. After the early scripting that benefited Evans, the Bills abandoned the pass. In the second half, when Losman found himself needing to move the ball in the air, WR Peerless Price was his security blanket. Price caught four of the five competitions in the second half. All of the Price receptions were short, but it was clear that Losman favored Price as a dump off receiver as the Colts pressure increased.

Indianapolis Colts - The Colts’ running backs were used in polar opposite ways on the field. As the Bills pinned the Colts deep in their own territory on every possession, Dominic Rhodes was the work horse in Colts’ territory. Rhodes took every running back opportunity except one Addai reception and one carry on the Colts’ side of the field. Addai took every single opportunity on the Bills’ side of the field as Manning worked the ball into scoring position. Rhodes brought the ball out of danger, and Addai got every opportunity available to produce big fantasy points. Rhodes fumbled the ball early in the fourth quarter, and never saw the field again. Addai took six carries for 39 of his total yards at the end of the game when the Colts were running out the clock. Without the fumble, those carries might have gone to Rhodes.

Given that the Bills were allowing all short underneath passes, the running backs and tight ends had a much better game on the day. 21 receptions were brought in by RBs and TEs compared to six by the wide receivers. The biggest beneficiary of this was TE Ben Utecht. At 6’6”, 251 pounds, Utecht was the perfect large target underneath just five yards from the line of scrimmage. He responded with seven receptions for 66 yards. Utecht could become a valuable TE should other teams opt to game play the Colts in the same fashion.

With Harrison double teamed, this was the sixth consecutive week that Manning targeted Wayne more than Harrison. What should be noted is that 75% of the passes to Wayne were planned timing plays where Wayne was clearly the only read on the play. These passes were highly successful, with one resulting in a score. Harrison on the other hand had no plays seemingly designed to go to him. Manning looked for Harrison in tough spots and in the two minute offense. Wayne’s plays were scripted, Harrison’s looks came when Manning needed a big play.

What you ought to know

QB J.P. Losman, Pass: 9 - 13 - 83 - 0 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 1 - 0 - 0 - There wasn’t much passing offense for the Bills. Losman only threw the ball 14 times, with nine completions. One third of those completions came in the first series following the offensive script. The rest of the completions were sack saving short passes to WR Peerless Price in the second half. Losman was sacked four times, and fumbled the ball in the back field. The Bills weren’t looking to pass the ball in this contest; Losman was mostly on the field to hand off to Thomas.

RB Anthony Thomas, Rush: 28 - 109 - 0 - Thomas carried the ball 28 times for 109 yards as he pounded the ball forward all game. He ran with power and showed speed breaking off a 19 yard run. Thomas took the ball on almost 70% of the offensive plays and responded with a great game. He was dropped to a crawl as the Bills moved anywhere near the Colt’s end zone. The Bills had 11 plays in the Colt’s red zone for a net negative eight yards. Thomas enjoyed great success out in the middle of the field. Thomas had a ten yard run negated early in the game on an offensive holding penalty.

RB Shaud Williams, Rush: 1 - 0 - 0 - Williams' only carry in the game came in the first series. He gained nothing on his only attempt.

WR Lee Evans, Rec: 5 - 70 - 0 (7 targets) - Evans was game planed into the offense in the first series, targeted four times in the first possession, and caught three passes. From there, Evans wasn’t even looked at for the rest of the half as Thomas ran the ball. Evans was targeted three times in the second half catching only one pass. Peerless Price was certainly the go to receiver as the game wore on. Evans had a hot start as the first series was scripted to him, from there, he was virtually non existent.

WR Peerless Price, Rec: 4 - 13 - 0 (6 targets) - There really was no passing offense in this game. As the game wore on, and Losman needed to move the ball, he targeted Price over 55% of the second half passes. With game planning focusing on the run in the first half, Losman didn’t look to Price until there was two minutes left in the half, and the Bills needed to move the ball. Price didn’t catch that only look at him in the first half. In the second half, Losman looked for Price on almost every passing play as a first read, and he responded by catching four of the five balls thrown his way. It seemed like Price was not part of the game plan out of the gate, but was certainly Losman’s go to receiver in the second half.

TE Robert Royal (1 targets) - Royal was targeted on the Colts’ 12 yard line in the red zone, but failed to make the catch.

PK Rian Lindell 3 - 4 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 10 points - Lindell made three out of four field goals in the game and converted one extra point attempt.

BUF Rush Defense - Given the Bills' game plan, there wasn’t much in the way of rush defense. With the Bills playing in the nickel package, it left four linemen up front. With the larger rushing lanes given away by the Bills, Rhodes and Addai were able to advance the ball well. The Bills were attempting to strip the ball away on almost every stop.

BUF Pass Defense - The Bills played nickel the entire game, working to take away the Colts’ ability to pass. In almost every way, it worked to perfection. Manning was able to attempt three down field passes, as the Bills left the short passes open. Harrison was double teamed all game, and finished with two receptions. Wayne was taken out by man-to-man defense from McGee. All the Colts could do was dump off underneath, exactly what the Bills were giving them. With a four man defensive line, Manning had all day to make throws and completed 27 passes, but none of them were quick strike or dangerous competitions, just short underneath passes.

QB Peyton Manning, Pass: 27 - 39 - 236 - 1 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 2 - -2 - 0 - Manning took what the defense gave him. He was never pressured, didn’t take a sack, no interceptions, and had all day to throw the ball. With the Bills playing in a five man back field nickel package, there was nothing down field to throw to. Harrison was double teamed all game, and Terrence McGee played very strong man-to-man defense on Wayne. Manning was given the underneath throws, and had no pressure against a four man front. Manning took advantage and moved the chains. He was able to throw to Wayne on fade slant timing patterns, where his throw had to be perfect, and it was every time. Manning played a smart game, but it wasn’t anywhere near the explosive fireworks he is capable of.

RB Joseph Addai, Rush: 13 - 78 - 1, Rec: 7 - 46 - 0 (8 targets) - Once Rhodes brought the ball out of danger, Addai took over in Bills territory in every series. Addai was patient with the ball, and made good one move cut backs. The running lanes were bigger as the Bills played a four man front, and Addai took advantage. He made the most in the passing game catching seven of the eight balls thrown to him. This was a perfect game for Addai to excel in as passes to running backs went unchallenged and there was room to run from the line of scrimmage. Addai built up an even half of his rushing yards in the fourth quarter after Rhodes fumbled away the ball and didn’t take the field again. Addai lost a four yard carry on an illegal crack back penalty.

RB Dominic Rhodes, Rush: 14 - 72 - 0, Rec: 3 - 20 - 0 (5 targets) - Rhodes carried the ball every time the Colts were deep in their own territory, which was every series due to Moorman’s booming punts. As soon as the Colts got to mid field, Rhodes was replaced by Addai every single time. Rhodes did not have a carry or target in Bills territory. Most of Rhodes’ carries were draw plays. Rhodes fumbled the ball away early in the fourth quarter, and never saw the field again as Addai took every snap left to finish out the game. Addai took six carries for 39 yards to finish out the game. Given the flow of the game, it is reasonable to assume that those carries might have gone to Rhodes had he not fumbled, giving him over 100 yards on the day (Using his average per carry). Rhodes lost a 12 yard reception on an illegal formation penalty.

WR Reggie Wayne, Rec: 4 - 42 - 1 (4 targets) - As well as CB Terrence McGee was covering Wayne, it’s almost amazing that he caught a ball, much less every single ball thrown his way. Three of Wayne’s receptions were fade slant passes that had to be a perfect throw from Manning, and they were every time. Wayne was completely covered up for the game, and couldn’t find many ways to get clear of McGee’s physical play. Wayne’s touch down was an over the shoulder catch of a fade pass to the left side of the end zone with every other player on the right to clear out the area. The play was clearly a designed play to get Wayne the ball.

WR Marvin Harrison, Rec: 2 - 21 - 0 (7 targets) - Harrison was double teamed all game as the Bills played nickel defense all game, allowing them to roll two defenders on Harrison at all times. The coverage was very tight, and Harrison was taken out of the game. Manning did look for Harrison as a first read in the two minute offense with 1:39 left in the half. Harrison was only targeted twice in the first half, as Manning couldn’t get a good look at him. He caught one ball in each half, but was targeted five times in the second half as Manning was trying to push the ball around.

TE Ben Utecht, Rec: 7 - 66 - 0 (9 targets) - Utecht was arguably the best offensive weapon for the Colts in the game. Given his size, and that the Bills were allowing short passes, Utecht was able to shine. Many plays were designed to go to him. A great example is the double screen that was run three times. The Colts would load to the right side for a screen to Clark; Manning would fake the pass, and go to Utecht on the left with a small screen set up. Utecht was able to use his body to pick up lots of underneath work. Utecht had the ball striped by OLB Angelo Crowell resulting in the McGee return for a touchdown.

TE Dallas Clark, Rec: 3 - 28 - 0 (5 targets) - As Clark is more of a stretch the offense type tight end, he was not as effective as Utecht on the game. Manning did take one deep strike to Clark, resulting in a 23 yard reception. Clark’s other two receptions were short underneath work. Clark was thrown to in the red zone, and had a ball slip through his hands on the four yard line that was then almost picked off.

TE Bryan Fletcher, Rec: 1 - 13 - 0 (2 targets) - Fletcher’s only reception came with 1:39 left in the half, and Manning was throwing the ball around to everyone attempting to score before they went into the locker room. His other target was at mid-field. Fletcher left to the locker room under his own power in the second half, but did not return to play.

PK Adam Vinatieri 1 - 1 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 5 points - Vinatieri made a 31 field goal attempt and converted two extra point attempts.

IND Rush Defense - The Colts' rush defense allowed Anthony Thomas a lot of yards out in the center of the field as the Bills just kept pounding the ball. They stiffened up as the Bills would try and drive into scoring position. The Bills had 11 plays in the Colt’s red zone for a net negative eight yards.

IND Pass Defense - The Colts came away with four sacks from great pressure. However, there wasn’t much passing offense from the Bills to stop. The Bills ran the ball 31 times compared to 14 pass attempts. Although he recorded his first sack on the year, DE Dwight Freeney was completely handled well by Jason Peters, and rarely applied any pressure.

Kansas City Chiefs 10, Miami Dolphins 13

Kansas City Chiefs - The Kansas City Chiefs arrived in Miami riding a three game winning streak and favored to keep that streak intact. Their defense accepted the challenge and was able to limit the Dolphins’ offense. However the Chiefs’ offense never got untracked. They were consistently confused and stopped by the Miami defense. The most significant measure of this game was that the Chiefs’ offense went three plays and punt on each of their first five possessions.

Kansas City quarterback Damon Huard managed only 201 yards while completing 15 out of 38 passing attempts. He also lost yardage while being sacked three times. With Trent Green in uniform and on the sidelines the poor performance by Huard could have influence on how quickly and if Green gets the starting job back.

Star running back Larry Johnson managed one touchdown and 75 yards rushing. This will be viewed as a victory for the Dolphins’ defense that kept Johnson from reaching 100 total yards. Tight end Tony Gonzalez was one of the brighter spots for the Chiefs’ offense as he is again becoming more targeted in the Chiefs’ game plan. Gonzalez was injured late in the game and was wearing a sling on his left arm after the game.

Defensive end Jared Allen was one of the brightest stars for the defense, making many impressive plays to stop the Dolphins, including recovering a fumble and returning it 20 yards to set up the Chiefs’ lone touchdown.

Miami Dolphins - The Dolphins have been one of the stingiest defenses in the league this year during the first quarter. They continued that trend as they prevented the Chiefs from scoring until the fourth quarter. The Dolphins’ defense dominated this contest. They prevented Chiefs’ quarterback Huard from settling in. He was hurried often and sacked three times. The defense also held running back Johnson under 100 total yards. Ronnie Brown managed 89 yards on 25 carries and tallied one touchdown. He was not dominant, but he and quarterback Joey Harrington were able to generate just enough offense to allow the Dolphins’ defense to win this game.

The lone touchdown of the game for Miami resulted after a trick play. Harrington handed the ball to Ronnie Brown who took a step forward and then turned to lateral the ball back to Harrington. Harrington then successfully completed the flea flicker by sending the ball downfield to a wide open Chris Chambers who went out at the one yard line. Ronnie Brown then took the next play in for the touchdown.

The Dolphins now have a two game winning streak, having beaten the Chicago Bears the previous week in Chicago. It looks like this team could belong to Harrington for the rest of this season in place of the injured Daunte Culpepper.

What you ought to know

QB Damon Huard, Pass: 15 - 38 - 201 - 0 TD / 0 INT - Huard has lately been receiving a vote of confidence from the fans, the media and the Chiefs’ brain trust for his performance. He was rated second in the AFC to Peyton Manning in quarterback rating. There was even talk that he might stay in as the starting quarterback after Trent Green is fully healthy and ready. With Trent Green finally back in uniform on game day and standing on the sideline, Huard had one of his worst days as a starting quarterback. He could not get untracked or mount a sustained attack against the Dolphins. He managed only 201 yards on 38 attempts and was sacked three times. With Green possibly ready, this performance will undoubtedly have people thinking it is time for Huard to sit again. It should be noted that it was the entire Kansas City offense that was having problems in Miami and not just Huard.

RB Larry Johnson, Rush: 18 - 75 - 1, Rec: 2 - 14 - 0 (6 targets) - Johnson had fair statistics for an average running back compiling 75 yards on 18 carries while scoring one touchdown. However that was way below expectations for him. It is necessary and expected that Johnson will produce at a much higher level for the Chiefs to succeed.

RB Michael Bennett (1 targets) - Bennett was brought in only a few times to spell Larry Johnson and did not ever carry or catch the ball.

WR Dante Hall, Rec: 3 - 32 - 0 (5 targets) - Hall caught three of the five passes thrown towards him to help out some on offense. He did have problems with returns. The Dolphins’ special teams kept him from any large gains on kickoff or punt returns.

WR Eddie Kennison, Rec: 3 - 58 - 0 (8 targets) - Kennison had a few good catches for decent yardage but needs the ball coming his way more often to help open up the field for the Chiefs’ offense to score. He captured three of the eight passes thrown his way.

WR Samie Parker, Rush: 1 - 5 - 0, Rec: 1 - 13 - 0 (5 targets) - Parker was targeted often by Huard but with Huard constantly under-protected, the passes were not the best and Parker only caught one of the five meant for him.

TE Tony Gonzalez, Rec: 6 - 84 - 0 (14 targets) - One of the brightest spots for this contest was that the game plan had more plays featuring Tony Gonzalez. He was targeted 14 times. He would have had seven catches except one catch did not count due to a Chiefs’ penalty. The Chiefs really need production from the dominant Gonzalez. They will have to wait and see about his upcoming availability. He was injured late in the game during a pass and was wearing a sling on his left arm after the game.

PK Lawrence Tynes 1 - 2 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 4 points - Tynes missed a 49 yard attempt late in the first half that turned out to be the margin of defeat for the Chiefs. In the second half, he converted on both opportunities he had, one field goal and one extra point.

KC Rush Defense - The Kansas City rush defense limited Dolphins’ back Ronnie Brown to 89 yards rushing on 25 attempts, 3.56 yards per carry. They did give up one rushing touchdown to Brown. Overall, the Chiefs’ defense would have had reason to be pleased with their performance if not for the lackluster efforts of the Kansas City offense.

KC Pass Defense - The Chiefs’ pass defense held Joey Harrington to 201 yards through the air and did not allow a Dolphins’ touchdown. They bent a little, but turned in another strong performance. They could have used a bit more pressure on the quarterback as they only sacked Harrington once during the contest.

QB Joey Harrington, Pass: 19 - 35 - 201 - 0 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 4 - 6 - 0 - Harrington is holding firmly onto the starting quarterback job for the time being, despite the fact that he did not do anything impressive during this contest. He completed 19 of 35 passes for 201 yards, was never picked off, but also never threw for a touchdown. His performance was uninspiring, even if for this occasion, it was enough to record a win. Except for a trick play, a flea flicker to Chris Chambers, Miami may not have been able to win this game.

RB Ronnie Brown, Pass: 0 - 1 - 0 - 0 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 25 - 89 - 1, Rec: 1 - -3 - 0 (2 targets) - Brown struggled but was persistent enough to gain 89 yards on the ground and score the only touchdown for the Dolphins. His versatility was a prime reason Miami won. He was in there to help protect Harrington and also participated in the flea flicker that set up the lone Miami touchdown.

RB Sammy Morris, Rush: 6 - 20 - 0, Rec: 2 - 17 - 0 (3 targets) - Morris was a nice change of pace back for the Dolphins occasionally spelling at running back to provide a nice rest for the heavily used Ronnie Brown. He also provided a nice passing outlet for Harrington.

WR Chris Chambers, Rush: 1 - 2 - 0, Rec: 3 - 66 - 0 (12 targets) - Chambers is established as the favorite target for Harrington. With often poorly thrown passes, he only corralled three of the twelve passes thrown his way. He did come down with the flea flicker pass that set up the one yard touchdown run by Ronnie Brown.

WR Wes Welker, Rec: 3 - 46 - 0 (4 targets) - Welker provided quite a bit of the excitement for the Dolphins. He was electrifying on kickoff and punt returns almost breaking free for huge returns. He also was one of the most sure handed members of the Miami team. He caught three of the four passes thrown his way for 46 yards. He should probably be more featured in the Miami game plan.

WR Marty Booker, Rec: 2 - 16 - 0 (7 targets) - Booker only pulled in two of the seven passes targeted his way. He provided small production in a limited passing attack.

WR Derek Hagan, Rec: 1 - 11 - 0 (1 targets) - Hagan saw limited attention as the extra wide receiver. He caught the only pass thrown his way.

TE Randy McMichael, Rec: 5 - 34 - 0 (5 targets) - McMichael provided a large and dependable target for Harrington. He successfully brought in each of the five passes Harrington directed to him. He was slow to get up a couple times, seemingly suffering after some hard hits, but he kept coming back as an excellent outlet for the Miami quarterback.

TE Justin Peelle, Rec: 2 - 14 - 0 (2 targets) - Peelle was primarily used as a blocking tight end, but did catch both passes intended for him.

PK Olindo Mare 2 - 3 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 7 points - Mare converted on two of his three field goal attempts including one from 40 yards. He was also successful on his only extra point attempt. His only miss was a 50 yard attempt. It left the Chiefs in good field position but they were unable to convert it to points.

MIA Rush Defense - The Miami rushing defense limited the powerful running game of Larry Johnson to just 75 yards. Johnson managed one score but he was prevented from taking over this game. The Miami defense kept Kansas City from scoring until the fourth quarter and forced the Chiefs to go three and out on their first five offensive series.

MIA Pass Defense - The Dolphins’ pass defense held the Chiefs in check the entire game. They limited Huard to 201 yards total passing offense on 38 attempts. They did not allow a touchdown through the air and they sacked Huard three times. They dominated the Chiefs’ offensive line, pushing them aside and getting in consistently to harass and hurry Huard.

Chicago Bears 38, New York Giants 20

Chicago Bears - Chicago looked hapless over nearly the entire first half of the game. Their fortunes changed on one play, a draw by Thomas Jones that earned a first down on a third and 22 late in the second quarter. The Bears responded with 35 points, including 28 in the second half, to dominate the New York Giants and claim the top of the NFC for themselves.

Quarterback Rex Grossman started poorly. He threw an interception on his second pass of the game that led directly to New York’s first score. He settled into an excellent groove in the second half, and threw three touchdown passes. His favorite targets were receivers Muhsin Muhammad and Mark Bradley. Bradley saw extensive playing time with starter Bernard Berrian out with sore ribs. Both receivers scored a touchdown. Grossman’s other touchdown went to tight end Desmond Clark.

Thomas Jones proved to be the Bears’ offensive workhorse with his 33 touches providing the offensive spark the team needed to get out of their first half funk. He finished the game with 123 total yards and one touchdown rushing.

The Bears’ defense gave up most of their points in the first half, and tightened up in the second. They intercepted Eli Manning twice, sacked him twice, and forced two fumbles, one of which they recovered.

Kicker Robbie Gould lived up to his name, remaining perfect on the year. He was made his lone field goal attempt of 49 yards and all five of his PATs.

Devin Hester tied teammate Nathan Vasher’s record with a 108 yard missed field goal return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.

New York Giants - Despite appearing to dominate the game throughout the first half, the Giants gave up a decisive victory to the Chicago Bears. After effectively shutting down the Bears’ offense for the first 28 minutes of the game, they proceeded to give up 35 points over the last 32—an amount they couldn’t overcome.

Eli Manning had a rough game, as he completed less than 50% of his passes and threw two interceptions and no touchdowns. He frequently fired the ball high and off target. With wide receiver Amani Toomer out for the year with a torn ACL, Manning heavily targeted Plaxico Burress and David Tyree. No Giants’ player had more than four catches or 48 yards.

Tiki Barber had another excellent game running the football, although he went through a rough stretch through the middle parts of the game after he sprained a ligament in his right thumb. He had a long run of 46 yards, but no touchdowns. Brandon Jacobs had a good game in his short yardage duty, running for touchdowns on both of his carries.

The Giants’ defense shut down the Bears over the majority of the first half of the game, and then proceeded to implode. They came into the game with several injuries affecting key portions of their starting defense, and seemed to be handling them well. Sam Madison was the next Giants’ defender to get hurt, as he left the game in the first half. The lack of depth eventually caught up to the Giants, as they gave up 35 points over the last 32 minutes of the game. Cornerback Corey Webster had a particularly rough game, as he was regularly abused by Rex Grossman and the Bears’ receivers.

Kicker Jay Feely had a tough game, missing two field goals, including one that was returned 108 yards for a score.

What you ought to know

QB Rex Grossman, Pass: 18 - 30 - 246 - 3 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 3 - -2 - 0 - Grossman had a rough start, but overcame it to have an excellent overall performance. He preferred his wide receivers as primary targets, throwing touchdowns to both Muhsin Muhammad and Mark Bradley. Grossman didn’t target tight end Desmond Clark as much as usual, but did hit him for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. His lone interception was targeted for Rashied Davis but was intercepted by defensive lineman Mathias Kiwanuka. It led directly to the Giants’ first touchdown. Grossman was sacked twice and fumbled the ball once, but it was recovered by a teammate.

RB Thomas Jones, Rush: 30 - 113 - 1, Rec: 3 - 10 - 0 (3 targets) - Jones turned around what looked to be a poor rushing day on one play. With the Bears deep in their own territory with a third and 22, he took the handoff on a draw play and scampered left for 26 yards. Jones proceeded to be the Bears’ offensive workhorse, finishing with 123 total yards and one rushing touchdown on 33 touches. Jones had a touchdown called back on a offensive holding penalty. He was stripped of the ball late in the first quarter, which led to a Giants’ field goal.

RB Cedric Benson, Rush: 6 - 7 - 0, Rec: 1 - -1 - 0 (1 targets) - Benson didn’t do anything with his handful of touches. His longest run was seven yards, but he had several runs for losses as well.

RB Jason McKie, Rec: 1 - 7 - 0 (2 targets) - McKie was targeted by Grossman as a check down option out of the backfield in the first half.

WR Muhsin Muhammad, Rec: 7 - 123 - 1 (12 targets) - Muhammad was far and away Grossman’s favorite target. He led the Bears in receptions and receiving yards, and scored a ten yard touchdown in the third quarter. Muhammad had another chance to score but fumbled the ball at the Giants’ one yard line.

WR Mark Bradley, Rec: 4 - 79 - 1 (7 targets) - Bradley had season highs in targets, receptions, yards, and touchdowns (one). He was Grossman’s second favorite targets, and was thrown to deep on several occasions.

WR Rashied Davis, Rec: 1 - 26 - 0 (5 targets) - Davis’ only catch came late in the third quarter. Additionally, he ran back kickoffs for the Bears.

TE Desmond Clark, Rec: 1 - 2 - 1 (2 targets) - Clark was only targeted twice, but his second look was good for a two yard touchdown.

TE John Gilmore (1 targets) - Gilmore didn’t catch a pass. He was called for offensive holding that negated a Thomas Jones touchdown run. The drive ended in a Muhsin Muhammad receiving touchdown.

PK Robbie Gould 1 - 1 FG, 5 - 5 XP, 8 points - Gould remained perfect for the season, connecting on his lone field goal attempt of 49 yards. He made all five of his PATs.

CHI Rush Defense - Chicago’s rush defense gave up 150 yards and two rushing scores. They didn’t contain Tiki Barber and Brandon Jacobs, but they also didn’t allow them to dictate the game.

CHI Pass Defense - The Bears’ pass defense was spectacular, limiting Eli Manning to only 121 yards on 44% passing. They allowed no touchdowns and had two interceptions. Additionally, the pass rush sacked Eli Manning twice, forcing three Manning fumbles, one of which they recovered.

QB Eli Manning, Pass: 14 - 32 - 121 - 0 TD / 2 INT, Rush: 1 - 0 - 0 - Manning had an off game. His accuracy was wildly inconsistent, and contributed heavily to his 44% completion rate. Manning threw no touchdowns and two interceptions. The interceptions were deep passes to Plaxico Burress and Tim Carter, but both were off target. He threw double-digit looks to both Burress and wide receiver David Tyree. Manning fumbled the ball three times, but only lost one of them. He was sacked twice. It was by far Manning’s worst performance of the year.

RB Tiki Barber, Rush: 19 - 141 - 0, Rec: 3 - 16 - 0 (4 targets) - Barber started the game red hot, gaining 40 yards on the Giants’ opening drive, including runs of 18 and 21 yards. It was the reported that he had sprained his right thumb, and he suffered a cold spell as he appeared uncomfortable both holding and running with the ball. Barber got back on track in the second half, but left the game for good about half way through the fourth quarter. He still managed to have a excellent game, even without scoring a touchdown. Barber gained 141 yards on his 19 carries for an average of 7.4 yards per carry.

RB Brandon Jacobs, Rush: 2 - 9 - 2 - Jacobs has two rushes for two touchdowns. He was basically untouched on both plays, and is proving to be a very capable goal line back.

WR Plaxico Burress, Rec: 4 - 48 - 0 (13 targets) - Burress was the most targeted receiver for the Giants. Unfortunately, a lot of the balls that came his way were off target. Despite his low number, Burress led the Giants in receptions and receiving yards. He was the target on Manning’s first interceptions.

WR David Tyree, Rec: 4 - 38 - 0 (11 targets) - Tyree had a season high number of targets, but could only catch four of them.

WR Tim Carter (1 targets) - Carter’s only target was Manning’s second interception.

TE Visanthe Shiancoe, Rec: 2 - 4 - 0 (2 targets) - Shiancoe caught both of his looks but only managed four total yards.

TE Jeremy Shockey, Rec: 1 - 15 - 0 (2 targets) - Shockey didn’t receive any targets until the second half. His first catch of the game temporarily sparked the Giants’ offense, leading to their only score of the second half. Shockey appears to have the ability to be an emotional leader for the Giants.

PK Jay Feely 2 - 4 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 8 points - Despite making two field goals of over 40 or more yards, it is Feely’s two misses that hurt the Giants. He missed a 33 yard field goal on the opening possession of the game, making the Giants come up empty-handed on a promising and productive first drive. His second miss, from 52 yards, turned into a NFL record-tying touchdown return by rookie return man Devon Hester.

NYG Rush Defense - The Giants shut down Thomas Jones in the early part of the game, but ended up giving up 118 total yards and one touchdown. Once Chicago went up in the second half, they consistently gave up rushing first downs that allowed the Bears to control the pace and style of the game. They did force one fumbled by Thomas Jones, as Corey Webster stripped him of the ball.

NYG Pass Defense - The pass defense was solid in the early going, but eventually gave way to three touchdowns and 246 yards. Defensive lineman Mathias Kiwanuka made the only interception of the game, which led to the Giants’ first touchdown. They sacked Grossman twice and forced a lost fumble by Muhsin Muhammad near the goal line.

Dallas Cowboys 27, Arizona Cardinals 10

Dallas Cowboys - Whatever problems were ailing the Cowboys prior to this game seemed to vanish in the desert air. The offense moved the ball, scored, and did not turn the ball over. The defense pressured the quarterback, caused turnovers, and only gave up ten points.

Tony Romo showed remarkable poise, completing 20 of 29 for two touchdowns and zero interceptions. His mobility enables him to scramble away from the pass rush, buy some time, and find the open receiver. It’s the difference between keeping drives alive and punting, a skill that veteran quarterback Drew Bledsoe sorely lacks.

Julius Jones and Marion Barber combined for 29 carries, 110 yards and one touchdown. The Cardinals were forced to bring down secondary help, which opened up the passing lanes, allowing Dallas ultimately to amass over 400 yards of offense.

Patrick Crayton caught five passes for 104 yards and a touchdown, while Terrell Owens added 96 yards and another score. Jason Witten continued his workhorse ways with five more balls for 58 yards.

On the downside, the Cowboys came into this game leading the league in penalty yardage. While those blunders have burned them in the past, they were able to overcome eight flags and 69 more penalty yards in this contest.

Terry Glenn sat out this game with a knee injury. Dallas took another hit when DE Greg Ellis had to leave the game with what was initially called an Achilles injury. Ellis leads the team with 4.5 sacks.

Arizona Cardinals - Since becoming head coach of Arizona, Dennis Green is 2–0 coming off bye weeks, and was hoping to turn around this disastrous season with a win against the Cowboys. As a team, the Cardinals enjoyed a four game home winning streak over Dallas dating back to November 15, 1998. But since Mike Kruczck replaced Keith Rowan as Offensive Coordinator following the Chicago collapse, the Cardinals’ attack has struggled.

On Arizona’s first possession, at their own 42 yard line, they elected to go for it instead of punting. Matt Leinart managed to sneak for the first down on second effort.

Leinart completed 20 of 38, which is an improvement over his previous two games in which he only completed 40% of his attempts. He was intercepted twice, threw no touchdowns, and had to hurry many of his passes. In the fourth quarter, trailing 27–3, he scrambled for Arizona’s only touchdown.

Larry Fitzgerald returned to the Arizona lineup after missing three games with a hamstring injury and managed to catch six balls for 80 yards. He seemed to inject a little electricity into the Offense, but one player can’t do everything.

Edgerrin James averaged a little over four yards per carry on 15 attempts but had to fight for every inch he got. He has yet to post a 100 yard rushing game this season. Anquan Boldin added five receptions for 53 yards but had trouble getting open and took a few hard shots from the Cowboys’ secondary.

The Arizona defense had few answers for the Cowboys’ attack. They gave up over 300 passing yards and another 100 yards on the ground. The Cardinals were considered playoff contenders, but at 1–8 they now have the worse record in the NFL.

What you ought to know

QB Tony Romo, Pass: 20 - 29 - 308 - 2 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 2 - 7 - 0 - He again showed remarkable poise, completing 20 of 29 passes for 308 yards and two touchdowns. His mobility enables him to scramble away from the pass rush to either buy some time until a receiver gets open or to run for a first down on his own. He nearly led the Cowboys back against the Redskins, and put up 35 points against Carolina. After this performance, Romo gives the Cowboys real hope at making a playoff run in these remaining games.

RB Marion Barber III, Rush: 14 - 65 - 1, Rec: 1 - 8 - 0 (2 targets) - Barber accounted for the only rushing touchdown. He shows exceptional vision, and his cuts make some defensive backs look awkward. He continues to split carries with Jones, though Barber carried more in the second half.

RB Julius Jones, Rush: 15 - 45 - 0 (1 targets) - Jones started the game and continues to be the feature back. In the second half, with Dallas leading 20–3 and then 27–3, Jones found himself on the bench.

RB Keylon Kincade, Rush: 4 - 9 - 0 - On the Cowboys’ final possession, the SMU rookie got the ball on four straight carries until they ran out of downs.

WR Terrell Owens, Rec: 5 - 96 - 1 (11 targets) - Despite dropping the first pass thrown to him, Romo feels comfortable looking for Owens early and often despite the elaborate defensive coverages. Owens’ 51 TD reception is his longest as a Cowboy. He easily beat Eric Green in single coverage down the sideline and Romo hit him in stride. Romo seems to actively be looking for ways to get Owens the ball.

WR Patrick Crayton, Rec: 5 - 104 - 1 (6 targets) - Taking advantage of his increased role with the injury to Terry Glenn, Crayton scored the first Dallas touchdown. The third year receiver will have an increased role in this offense if Glenn misses substantial playing time.

WR Sam Hurd, Rec: 4 - 42 - 0 (8 targets) - The rookie free agent credits making the team with the amount of time Terrell Owens spent with him in training camp. He also took most of his reps with Romo on the second team, which helps both players at this point. Hurd was forced into action because of the injury to Terry Glenn, and had his first touchdown pass of his career called back on an interference penalty.

WR Terry Glenn - Glenn sat out with a knee injury.

TE Jason Witten, Rec: 5 - 58 - 0 (6 targets) - With Owens drawing so much attention in the secondary, the middle of the field is often wide open. Witten is a monster when he can catch a pass in space and turn up field and Romo is clearly comfortable looking for him.

PK Mike Vanderjagt 2 - 2 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 9 points - Vanderjagt hit field goals from 24 and 38 yards and was three for three on PATs.

DAL Rush Defense - Edgerrin James was held to 68 rushing yards, and when Dallas extended their lead in the second half Arizona had to all but abandon the run. Leinart scored the only Cardinal touchdown on a three yard run around left end in the fourth quarter.

DAL Pass Defense - Trailing the entire game, Arizona was forced to attempt 38 passes. Fitzgerald and Boldin caught their share but they were both held out of the end zone. DeMarcus Ware recorded a sack, while Akin Ayodele and Pat Watkins each intercepted a pass.

QB Matt Leinart, Pass: 20 - 38 - 216 - 0 TD / 2 INT, Rush: 4 - 18 - 1 - Leinart completed 20 of 38 for 216 yards but no touchdown passes. He was intercepted twice and had to hurry many of his throws. Gone from earlier games is his cool demeanor when he was able to keep finding open receivers all over the field. The Cowboys were able to limit the Cardinal ground game and concentrate on bringing pressuring. In the fourth quarter, trailing 27–3, Leinart ran around left end for Arizona’s only touchdown. At 6’4 and 225, Leinart’s athleticism is often overlooked, but he registered a 37” vertical at the combine. On his TD run he was able to freeze Roy Williams with a pump fake and then beat him to the flag.

RB Edgerrin James, Rush: 15 - 68 - 0, Rec: 2 - 11 - 0 (6 targets) - James averaged 4.5 yards per carry, better than his 2.8 average coming into this game, but only carried 15 times. He added two catches for 11 yards.

RB J.J. Arrington, Rush: 1 - 0 - 0, Rec: 1 - 4 - 0 (1 targets) - Arrington saw limited duty on offense, but averaged 19.5 yards on five kickoff returns.

RB Marcel Shipp, Rush: 1 - 0 - 0, Rec: 1 - 7 - 0 (3 targets) - Shipp spelled James but was a non factor.

WR Larry Fitzgerald, Rec: 6 - 80 - 0 (13 targets) - The Cardinals went to Fitzgerald frequently, and he made some great catches, but he was coming off a hamstring injury. Reports before the game indicated that he would not play the entire game. He energizes the offense, however, and it must be difficult to leave him on the sidelines if he is able to play.

Fitzgerald said the hamstring did give him some trouble. "The hamstring was getting so tired," said Fitzgerald, who also said that he didn't expect to miss time this week. "It didn't feel the same way when I did it against the Chiefs, but it didn't feel good. I didn't want to be down for a couple more weeks without being there with my teammates

WR Bryant Johnson, Rec: 2 - 24 - 0 (2 targets) - Johnson’s role has been reduced because Fitzgerald is back in the lineup and he has dropped too many passes.

WR Anquan Boldin, Rec: 2 - 53 - 0 (7 targets) - With Fitzgerald returning to the lineup, Boldin was more of a number two receiver. He made some difficult receptions, but Leinart didn’t have time to seek out his second and third reads.

TE Adam Bergen, Rec: 5 - 30 - 0 (5 targets) - Bergen has good hands but he needs to work on his blocking. He caught every pass thrown to him for 30 yards.

TE Leonard Pope, Rec: 1 - 7 - 0 (2 targets) - The rookie from Georgia caught one pass for seven yards.

PK Neil Rackers 1 - 1 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 4 points - Rackers hit a 29 yard FG and his only extra point.

ARI Rush Defense - Jones and Barber combined for 110 yards with Barber getting the touchdown. The Cardinals appeared over matched at the line of scrimmage, and while they averaged just less than four yards a carry, the Cowboys converted nine of 14 third downs.

ARI Pass Defense - Arizona was unable to either sack Romo or record an interception. They gave up over 300 yards through the air, with Owens, Witten, and Crayton doing the most damage. Even when they tried to blitz, Romo was able to scramble out of trouble.

Denver Broncos 17, Oakland Raiders 13

Denver Broncos - RB Tatum Bell started for Denver in Week 10 against the Raiders, as last week’s starting RB Mike Bell was on the inactive list even though he was health