San Francisco 49ers 17, St. Louis Rams 16
What you need to know
San Francisco 49ers - San Francisco trailed for most of the game and gained less than half of the yardage of St. Louis (186 - 392 yards) and they had only eight first downs to the Rams' twenty first downs, but they were in the lead at the end, when it really mattered. They did it by a superior effort when it was needed, by making fewer mistakes, and by taking advantages of the errors made by the Rams.The defense allowed a lot of yards for St. Louis but they got to Bulger for six sacks, while repeatedly shaking him up with hits and hurries. Defense and special teams contributed greatly to this victory. San Francisco recovered three St. Louis fumbles at critical points in the game. The pivotal play of the game came late in the fourth quarter when Dante Hall muffed a 49ers' punt and San Francisco recovered. San Francisco soon converted the play into the game winning field goal, a 40 yarder by Joe Nedney.
The 49ers offense was basically Frank Gore. Gore collected 81 yards on 20 carries and had two touchdowns. One of the scores came when he somehow squeezed through the Rams run-stacked defense and took off for 43 yards and the goal line. It put the 49ers on top for their first lead of the game. No other San Francisco offensive players stood out.
Gore who was visibly shaken by the loss of his mother last Wednesday, played inspired football, letting it be known he was playing for her. He left immediately after the game for Florida to attend her funeral. He will return to the team Wednesday.
St. Louis Rams - The Rams put up great stats, piling up nearly 400 yards, while limiting San Francisco to less than half as much. However, when it was all over, they were left with their second defeat in two games. They usually stopped San Francisco, but gave up a couple big plays. They appeared to stop their own momentum constantly with fumbles, penalties, or by allowing crunching sacks on quarterback Marc Bulger. Bulger often looked shell shocked and played the game with sore ribs. Bulger finished with a fantastic 368 yards and one touchdown on 24 of 41 completed passes, but he was sacked six times and often hurried. Steven Jackson had another subpar performance for him, gaining only 60 yards on 21 carries. He also had three catches for 36 yards but never reached the end zone. Seven different receivers were beneficiaries of Bulger's passes, but the favorite was Isaac Bruce who caught eight passes for 145 yards.With the good statistics for the offense, the story of this contest was the mistakes. The usually sure handed Torry Holt was good for 74 yards and one touchdown on five catches, but a drive that might have put the Rams securely in the lead was killed when Holt had the ball stripped from him and saw it bounce thru the end zone and out of bounds.
The Rams did still have a chance to win this contest as they drove down one last time, but a 56 yard field goal attempt by Jeff Wilkins was short with one minute left.
One final important note that helps explain a lot of Bulger's problems for this game, left tackle and offensive line stalwart Orlando Pace was placed on injured reserve prior to this contest and is lost for the season. That was a severe blow for the Rams in this contest and it will probably hurt them for the entire year.
What you ought to know
QB Alex Smith, Pass: 11 - 17 - 126 - 0 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 2 - -1 - 0 - Smith did not have a good day. He occasionally showed athletic glimpses of his potential, but still looked like he is not close to being a top ten quarterback. He only gained 126 yards on 11 of 17 passing and he fumbled the ball away one time. He gained no ground yardage despite his acknowledged ability to scramble.RB Frank Gore, Rush: 20 - 81 - 2, Rec: 2 - 4 - 0 (4 targets) - Gore played excellently but with a heavy heart. He played inspired in honor of his mother who passed away this past week. During the game he gained 81 yards on the ground while scoring two touchdowns. After the game he left for Miami to attend his mother's funeral. He is scheduled to be back Wednesday.
RB Maurice Hicks, Rush: 2 - 10 - 0, Rec: 2 - 21 - 0 (2 targets) - Hicks did a nice job filling in for Gore with two catches and two runs for 31 yards total. He also gained 101 yards on five kickoff returns.
RB Moran Norris, Rush: 2 - 4 - 0 - Fullback Norris saw spot relief with a couple carries during the contest.
RB Michael Robinson, Rush: 1 - 3 - 0 - Robinson did not see much time on the field except during special teams' play. He had only one carry out of the backfield.
WR Darrell Jackson, Rec: 3 - 61 - 0 (5 targets) - Jackson was Smith's most reliable target. He had the most catches although he only had three. They were for good yardage as he accumulated 61 yards.
WR Arnaz Battle, Rec: 2 - 17 - 0 (5 targets) - Battle was only able to corral two of the five passes that came his way. As Smith was limited in his passing, the receivers did not see much action either.
WR Taylor Jacobs, Rush: 1 - -8 - 0 - Jacobs was never targeted during this contest, but he received the ball on one ill-fated end around. He finished with the one run for negative yardage.
TE Vernon Davis, Rec: 2 - 23 - 0 (2 targets) - Davis seemed to be underused considering his exceptional athleticism. He caught both of the passes thrown his way for 23 yards. He looked impressive carrying tacklers after his first catch. Usually he was needed to stay in and help block.
PK Joe Nedney 1 - 1 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 5 points - Nedney had a perfect game, hitting both extra points he attempted and hitting a game winning 40 yard kick late in the contest.
SF Rush Defense - San Francisco's rush defense was very effective. They limited one of the great running backs in the NFL to 60 yards on the ground for 21 carries. Limiting the Rams to 61 ground yards is almost unheard of.
SF Pass Defense - The 49ers pass defense had very mixed results. On one hand they gave up 368 yards as Marc Bulger completed 24 out of 41 passes, while he had one touchdown throw. Yet with that kind of yardage, allowing only one score is amazing. They accomplished that by repeatedly getting into Bulger, hitting him over and over, hurrying him constantly, and sacking him six times. They gave up a lot of yards but made Bulger pay for them and came away with the win. QB Marc Bulger, Pass: 24 - 41 - 368 - 1 TD / 0 INT - Considering the makeshift offensive line the Rams had and the constant harassment of the 49er's defense, Bulger had an incredible game. He finished with 368 yards on 24 of 41 passing. He had one touchdown and no interceptions. This was especially impressive considering that he was sacked six times and was hit or hurried repeatedly. He was slow to get up many times and seemed to often be in visible pain. It was reported that he finished the game with sore ribs. Not having left tackle Orlando Pace for this game or for the rest of the year could make it more difficult for Bulger.RB Steven Jackson, Rush: 21 - 60 - 0, Rec: 3 - 36 - 0 (4 targets) - Jackson was obvious in his disappointment late in the game in not being given the ball more often. He had a hard time making progress as he gained only 60 yards on 21 carries. He almost accumulated 100 yards as he also gained 36 yards through the air. He is still well behind last year's totals and the totals he had set his sights on for this year.
RB Brian Leonard, Rec: 2 - 23 - 0 (2 targets) - Rookie Brian Leonard caught both passes Bulger threw his way, gaining 21 yards. He was not utilized out of the backfield. It still appears that he has the potential to be a strong talent in coming years.
RB Travis Minor, Rush: 1 - 4 - 0 - Minor saw limited regular game action. He was used briefly while giving some relief to Jackson. He only carried the ball one time.
WR Isaac Bruce, Rush: 1 - -3 - 0, Rec: 8 - 145 - 0 (13 targets) - Bruce was Bulger's favorite target. Bulger looked for him early and often. He was targeted 13 times and pulled in eight of the passes for an incredible 145 yards. The only thing he missed out on was that he did not score any touchdowns during this contest.
WR Torry Holt, Rec: 5 - 74 - 1 (6 targets) - Holt looked like his usual brilliant self for most of the contest. He collected five of the six passes thrown his way for 74 yards and one touchdown. Unfortunately he lost a fumble when the ball was stripped away from him inside the 49ers ten yard line. The Rams were driving and appeared to be heading toward a commanding lead when that play shifted momentum to the 49ers.
WR Drew Bennett, Rec: 3 - 42 - 0 (8 targets) - Bennett was targeted often. He had eight passes sent his way, but he only pulled in three of them for 42 yards. It does seem that he will be a nice complement to the other outstanding members of the Rams' receiving corps.
WR Dante Hall - Hall was not utilized as a receiver. He was effective as a kickoff and punt returner until late in the contest when he had an extremely uncharacteristic mistake. He mishandled a punt late in the fourth quarter and it was recovered by the 49ers. They drove it in for a late score that proved to be the winning margin over the Rams.
TE Randy McMichael, Rec: 2 - 40 - 0 (6 targets) - McMichael caught two of the six passes targeted toward him for a healthy 40 yards. He appeared to be in pain at one point when he limped to the sidelines after a catch. He did come back into the contest though.
TE Aaron Walker, Rec: 1 - 8 - 0 (1 targets) - Walker was targeted one time and made the most of it gaining eight yards on the catch.
TE Joe Klopfenstein (1 targets) - Klopfenstein was only targeted one time and did not catch it. He had no yardage for this contest.
PK Jeff Wilkins 3 - 4 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 10 points - Wilkins has an exceptional history and reputation as an NFL kicker. He is known for his tremendous kicking ability and dependability. For this game he connected on his first three field goal tries, the third one for a kick of 53 yards that gave the Rams their last lead of the contest. He also hit on his only extra point attempt. Sadly for him, his part in this game will be remembered mostly for missing his last field goal attempt of the game. It came up just short on a 56 yard attempt. That would have been his second longest kick ever, but instead it left the ball in the hands of the 49ers with one minute left and with San Francisco in the lead.
STL Rush Defense - The Rams' rush defense was effective almost the entire game. However they came up short twice and it cost them immensely. They gave up a one yard second quarter touchdown to Frank Gore that should not be counted against them too much. That would have been a difficult one to stop. However in the middle of the third quarter, San Francisco had a fourth and one and elected to go for it. St. Louis packed the box, yet allowed Frank Gore to break through and escape for a 43 yard touchdown run.
STL Pass Defense - The St. Louis Rams' pass defense was strong throughout this contest. They only allowed San Francisco's Alex Smith to complete eleven passes for 126 yards. They did not collect any interceptions, but they sacked Smith four times.New York Jets 13, Baltimore Ravens 20
What you need to know
New York Jets - Second year signal caller Kellen Clemens made his first NFL start against the vaunted Baltimore Ravens defense, and it was a trial by fire. Clemens started the game showing understandable nerves, getting picked off on his second attempt by Baltimore safety Ed Reed. He rallied though, showing great courage under intense pressure (he was sacked four times and harassed many more) and grew more confident and comfortable throughout the game. He led the Jets on an valiant fourth quarter comeback, falling short of tying the game only on a tipped pass (that should have been caught) that was snagged by Ravens' star linebacker Ray Lewis for an interception. Clemens struggled with his accuracy, barely completing 50% of his pass attempts and frequently forcing his receivers into tough catch situations. The Baltimore pass rush was in his face all day, and he was frequently picking himself up off the ground after suffering a hard hit. Despite the unique challenge the Ravens defense proved to be, Clemens showed great resolve by playing through moments of obvious pain. As the dust settled on the game, it became clear that the Jets have a viable number two quarterback and possibly a QB controversy.Running back Thomas Jones ran the ball frequently and with great strength and power, but the holes just weren't there against the stout Baltimore defense. He had no double digit rush gains and wasn't much of a factor in the red zone. Jerricho Cotchery had a great game lining up wide, snagging seven receptions and displaying impressive tackle breaking and rush after the catch skills on his way to 165 yards receiving. On the less impressive side of things, third receiver Justin McCareins had a performance he would certainly want back. He dropped two key late game would-be touchdown passes, including the game deciding ball that he tipped into the arms of a diving Ray Lewis.
Despite the loss, and the relatively ugly performance of their first three quarters, the New York Jets have quite a few positives to take away from the game. While not causing any turnovers, their defense tightened significantly in the second half, at the same time as their offense started to click. Clemens showed the potential to develop into a worthy starter one day, and showed impressive intangibles like heart and decisiveness that likely can't be coached. Both Coles and Cotchery look capable of putting up number one receiver numbers any given week, while Thomas Jones ran the ball with conviction, if not terribly great production.
Injury notes: kick off and punt returner Justin Miller left the game in the first half and did not return; Clemens appeared a bit shaken up after a hit or two, but stayed in the game and his performance was not affected.
Baltimore Ravens - There likely isn't a quarterback controversy in Baltimore, although Kyle Boller played well enough to justify one in relief duty for the injured Steve McNair (groin). Boller played a sharp game, distributing the ball to eight different receivers while completing 65.7 % of his passes. Most importantly, he protected the football, leading the Ravens to a no-turnover game after the six-turnover debacle in Cincinnati in week one.After building a seemingly safe halftime lead on the strength of two Boller touchdown passes and a 28 yard Matt Stover field goal, the Baltimore defense had to fend off a furious fourth quarter rally by the New York Jets offense. The defense was up to the task, holding off a last ditch effort when Ray Lewis intercepted a tipped pass in the end zone, giving Baltimore the ball with the ability to run out the clock. The defense was aggressive as always, and frequently took advantage of first-time starter Kellen Clemens. The pass rush sacked him four times although the number could have been much higher---it seemed as though there were several Ravens defenders in the New York backfield nearly every time Clemens dropped back. In addition to Ray Lewis' late game interception, safety Ed Reed had an interception in the game's early going.
Running back Willis McGahee was a workhorse, carrying the ball 26 times for 97 yards. He didn't show much explosiveness though, as his longest run was for nine yards. McGahee did a great job of running with consistency and protected the ball well. He also caught his first ever receiving touchdown on a two-yard pass from Boller in the first quarter.
Todd Heap had a great game, characteristic of the All-Pro tight end. His touchdown reception at the end of the first-half was highlight reel worthy, as he made a one handed grab while simultaneously concentrating on keeping both feet in bounds. The play was initially called an incompletion, but a booth review overturned it into a score.
Injury notes: Trevor Pryce left the game with a reported broken right wrist; left tackle Jonathan Ogden missed the game with his injured toe; Demetrius Williams left the game late in the fourth quarter after landing hard on his shoulder after an attempted catch.
What you ought to know
QB Kellen Clemens, Pass: 19 - 37 - 260 - 1 TD / 2 INT, Rush: 3 - 2 - 0 - Clemens' first NFL start was as shaky as expected but ultimately full of promise. He started with an apparent case of nerves, which was totally understandable given the situation and the caliber of the defense he was facing. After shaking off his nerves (and an early interception), Clemens slowly found his groove until he found himself leading his team on a potential game tying drive at the end of the fourth quarter. Had he not been twice failed by the hands of Justin McCareins, the Jets would have tied the game and had a great chance to win, considering momentum and the way each team was performing at the end of the game. Clemens did everything he could to will his team to victory, but it just wasn't quite enough. His favorite targets were his starting wide receivers, Coles and Cotchery. Clemens found Chris Baker for a four yard touchdown strike in the fourth quarter to bring the Jets within seven of Baltimore. He struggled with his accuracy, barely completely 50% of his passes while frequently putting his targets in positions where they had to stretch to make catches, placing them in danger of missing the ball and/or taking a big hit for even attempting to snag the ball. Clemens' second interception wasn't truly his fault, although the ball could've been placed lower where it would have been easier for McCareins to haul in. He averaged 7.0 yards per attempt.RB Thomas Jones, Rush: 24 - 67 - 0, Rec: 2 - 20 - 0 (4 targets) - Jones ran with power throughout the game, hitting the hole hard and driving into defenders. The holes just weren't really there for him though, as he had no double digit yardage gains, and only averaged 2.8 yards per carry. To his credit, Jones wasn't an effective part of the offense due mostly to game situation and the strength of the offense, as he clearly ran with a conviction that was very impressive. He had a nice 21 yard reception in the first quarter on a dump off pass from Clemens. He bobbled a pass in the third quarter that center Nick Mangold caught for a loss of three yards; it was the second year player Mangold's first NFL catch. Jones fumbled early in the fourth quarter, but a teammate on the offensive line quickly pounced on it for the recovery.
RB Leon Washington (1 targets) - Washington primarily participated on special teams after Justin Miller left the game, but also had one fourth quarter target on the Jets' final drive of the game.
WR Jerricho Cotchery, Rec: 7 - 165 - 0 (11 targets) - Cotchery had a great game, and only got better as the quarters and minutes ticked by. His 165 yards were 41 yards better than his previous career high. He showed great toughness in multiple runs after the catch where he simply refused to be tackled, including a very impressive run where he held his would-be tackler at bay for an extra 15 yards or so. Clemens clearly developed a rapport with Cotchery, as his targets increased in each of the four quarters. He did all of his damage in the second half, catching seven of his eight targets during the Jets' rabid comeback attempt.
WR Laveranues Coles, Rec: 6 - 57 - 0 (12 targets) - Coles led the team in targets, but also seemed to bear a disproportionate brunt of Clemens' inaccurate passes. He was frequently trying to either scoop a low pass off the turf or snag a high target out of the sky. Coles was the target on Clemens' first interception of the game. He was thrown to eight times in the fourth quarter (including one look in the end zone), but many of these were off the mark.
WR Brad Smith, Rec: 1 - 8 - 0 (2 targets) - Both of Smith's looks came in the third quarter, although the second looked a lot more like a throw away out of bounds by Clemens.
WR Justin McCareins, Rec: 1 - 10 - 0 (6 targets) - McCareins can be nothing but disappointed in his performance, as he twice dropped potential game tying touchdown receptions on the Jets last drive of the game. Despite his drops, Clemens continued to target him in situations requiring clutch hands, although this apparent trust was misplaced. The game essentially ended on McCareins second touchdown drop (although it was definitely a tough pass above his head) which was popped into the welcoming arms of Ray Lewis who secured the ball for an interception and downed it for a touchback. McCareins likely isn't going to be the most popular guy in New York this week.
TE Chris Baker, Rec: 1 - 3 - 1 (1 targets) - Baker made the most of his only target, tiptoeing into the right side of the end zone for New York's only touchdown, midway through the fourth quarter.
TE Sean Ryan (1 targets) - Ryan saw one look in the passing game in the first quarter, but otherwise wasn't a factor.
PK Mike Nugent 2 - 3 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 7 points - Nugent made his only PAT and field goals of 50 and 21 yards. He gave Jets' fans a scare when he hobbled off the field after making a touchdown saving play on Baltimore's Yamon Figurs long second quarter kick off return. Nugent missed a 53 yard attempt in the second quarter wide left, although it wasn't clear if his apparent injury affected his kicking technique. The injury likely wasn't an issue, as Nugent had no difficulty punching in a 21 yard field goal early in the fourth quarter.
NYJ Rush Defense - New York's rush defense gave up 118 yards on 34 attempts for an average of 3.5 yards per attempt. They allowed no touchdowns and their longest allowed run was a 12 yard scramble by Baltimore quarterback Kyle Boller. They gave up seven rushing first downs and failed to create any turnovers.
NYJ Pass Defense - New York's pass defense gave up 185 yards on 23 of 35 passing for an average of 5.3 yards per attempt. They allowed two touchdowns but created no turnovers. The pass rush didn't generate any pressure or sacks on Kyle Boller. QB Kyle Boller, Pass: 23 - 35 - 185 - 2 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 3 - 7 - 0 - Boller took full advantage of his starting opportunity, leading the Ravens' offense effectively and efficiently while throwing for two scores and producing no turnovers. He had a great deal of chemistry with veteran receiver Derrick Mason and All-Pro tight end Todd Heap, passing to each at least four targets more than any other Raven. Both of Boller's scoring strikes came in the first half; the first went to McGahee near the goal line, and the second was a perfectly executed pass to Heap at the end of the first half. He directed the Ravens' offense with confidence and made good decisions. Boller targeted and completed passes to eight different receivers. He was protected well by his offensive line and didn't suffer a single sack or big hit. Boller completed 65.7% of his passes for 5.3 yards per attempt.RB Willis McGahee, Rush: 26 - 97 - 0, Rec: 2 - 6 - 1 (2 targets) - McGahee's second game as a Ravens was very consistent, although not explosive. He ran the ball for 26 times (seven more than in week one), but didn't have a double digit gain. McGahee ran with a good mix of power and speed, but didn't break many tackles and didn't have quite enough burst to ever get past the Jets' secondary. He scored the first receiving touchdown of his career on a two yard swing pass late in the first quarter. McGahee had a 3.7 yards per carry average and caught both of the passes thrown his way.
RB Musa Smith, Rush: 3 - 8 - 0, Rec: 1 - 10 - 0 (1 targets) - Smith infrequently spelled McGahee and saw some action on third downs in obvious passing situations. His one catch was good for a first down on Baltimore's first scoring drive. Smith appears to be the clear number two back on the depth chart.
RB LeRon McClain, Rush: 2 - 6 - 0, Rec: 1 - 9 - 0 (1 targets) - McClain primarily served as a blocking fullback, but found himself the target of a nine yard pass on the Ravens third drive of the game. He had two short yardage carries in the first half.
WR Derrick Mason, Rec: 8 - 54 - 0 (11 targets) - Mason was Boller's security blanket in the first half, in which he received ten of his 11 looks for the game. He showed very good hands and at times very nimble moves as he worked various quick patterns for short gains. Mason's longest catch of the game was 12 yards, but his true value lied in his dependable catches that moved the ball and the chains. He made a few exceptional plays, including a nice snag while falling down and an open field move that made a Baltimore defender completely whiff. Mason was only targeted once in the second half, although the game situation (Baltimore had a comfortable lead) dictated having only 11 passes attempted in the second half, compared to 24 in the first.
WR Mark Clayton, Rec: 1 - -1 - 0 (2 targets) - Clayton was rarely targeted and proved to be a non-factor in the game. He was questionable earlier in the week with his injured ankle, but it was unclear if the injury was the cause of his low numbers. Clayton was targeted twice; he lost a yard on a wide receiver screen that was easily sniffed out by the New York defense and had no chance on a late game pass that was tipped halfway between Boller and himself.
WR Demetrius Williams, Rec: 1 - 13 - 0 (5 targets) - Williams was Boller's favorite downfield target, although the two only managed to hook up one time for a 13 yard gain. Williams' last target ended with an apparent injury, but no further details were released during the game.
TE Todd Heap, Rec: 7 - 76 - 1 (9 targets) - Heap's sure handed play made him Boller's second favorite target. Heap didn't have any looks until after the end of the first quarter, but then proceeded to have eight balls come his way over the course of the second and third. His touchdown catch near the end of the first half was proof-positive of his credentials as a Pro Bowl tight end; he made a one handed snag while keeping both feet in bounds at the left side of the end zone. It was a spectacular play sure to be on all the highlight shows for the week and likely the year. Heap led the Ravens in receiving yards.
TE Quinn Sypniewski, Rec: 2 - 18 - 0 (2 targets) - Sypniewski had the first multiple target and multiple catch game of his young career. On the downside, he was also flagged for a false start penalty.
PK Matt Stover 2 - 3 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 8 points - Stover connected on both of his PATs and made field goals of 50 and 43 yards. He missed a 46 yard field goal in the second half that he shanked right of the goal posts.
BAL Rush Defense - Baltimore's rush defense played excellently, only giving up 2.6 yards per rush (27 attempts for 69 yards) while allowing no touchdowns. They gave up only three rushing first downs and allowed no run longer than nine yards.
BAL Pass Defense - Baltimore's pass defense stifled Kellen Clemens with four sacks, multiple pressures, and two interceptions. They allowed 260 yards for an average of 7.0 yards per attempt. They allowed one late touchdown, a great catch at the side of the end zone by Jets' tight end Chris Baker.Green Bay Packers 35, New York Giants 13
What you need to know
Green Bay Packers - The Packers offense was the story of this game racking up 368 yards and amassing 25 first downs. Quarterback Brett Favre was sharp, completing over 76%of his passes and leading the Green Bay offense to five touchdowns. Eight different Packers receivers had receptions in this game and Bubba Franks, Donald Lee and Donald Driver all caught second half touchdown passes.Despite a 38 yard touchdown run late in the game by DeShawn Wynn, the Packers really struggled to rush the football against the Giants defense. Running backs Brandon Jackson and Wynn could only muster 85 yards on 27 rushes and the running back tandem had 18 rushes that went for less than two yards. Wynn and Jackson did contribute toward the offense by combining to catch six passes for a total of 42 yards.
Donald Driver was Favre's favorite target during the game as he hauled in eight passes for 73 yards. Three of Driver's catches went for first downs and a fourth went for his first touchdown of the year.
Running back Vernand Morency and Wide Receiver Greg Jennings were inactive for the second consecutive game.
New York Giants - Reports earlier in the week had Eli Manning missing four games, but Manning started this contest and seemed to show no ill effects of the injured shoulder he endured during last week's game. Using play action pass to keep the Packers defense off balance, Manning completed ten first half passes for 143 yards and threw a perfect pass to Plaxico Burress that resulted in a 26 yard touchdown. The Packers defense tightened down in the second half, allowing Manning to complete only six passes for 68 yards.Derrick Ward had a nice game filling in for the injured Brandon Jacobs. Ward found success rushing the football and catching passes out of the backfield as he totaled 125 yards of offense on 19 touches.
The Giants offense could not get into a rhythm in the second half. New York was able to get a field goal on their first drive of the third quarter to pull within one point of the Packers, but turnovers and pressure by the Packers defense frustrated Eli Manning and kept the Giants from putting any more points on the board.
What you ought to know
QB Brett Favre, Pass: 29 - 38 - 286 - 3 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 2 - -2 - 0 - With the Packers struggling to run the football, Favre was able to keep the offense moving with his arm. Favre caught fire after half time, completing his first 14 passes of the second half and throwing for three scores. His first touchdown pass came on a two yard toss to Bubba Franks that put the Packers up 14--10. Favre's second scoring strike was a ten yard laser that found Donald Driver in the back of the end zone. He showed some touch on his third touchdown pass, laying the ball out perfectly to Donald Lee for the three yard score. His only interception of the game came on a deflected ball early in the second quarter that was picked off by Gibril Wilson.RB Brandon Jackson, Rush: 17 - 35 - 0, Rec: 4 - 24 - 0 (5 targets) - Jackson was the primary ball handler for the Packers, but he had a tough time picking up yards on the ground. On the Packers' first play from scrimmage, Jackson took the handoff and carried the ball for an eight yard gain. Unfortunately for him, that would be his longest run of the day. On his next 16 carries, Jackson was only able to average 1.7 yards per rush. Despite his rough day rushing the ball, Jackson did haul in four passes for 24 yards including a 15 yard reception in the third quarter.
RB DeShawn Wynn, Rush: 10 - 50 - 2, Rec: 2 - 18 - 0 (3 targets) - Spelling Jackson in the Packer backfield, Wynn accumulated 68 yards of offense and rushed for two touchdowns. His first touchdown of the game came on a second and goal play in which Wynn took the handoff from the shotgun snap and scampered in for the six yard score. Wynn's second rushing touchdown came from 38 yards out with a little over four minutes left in the game. In addition to the yards he gained on offense, Wynn also had a kick off return for 15 yards.
RB Ryan Grant, Rec: 1 - 21 - 0 (1 targets) - Grant caught his only target for a 21 yard gain that led to the Packers' first touchdown of the game.
WR Donald Driver, Rec: 8 - 73 - 1 (12 targets) - Driver was looked at often by Favre and he finished the game with the most targets of any Packer receiver. The touchdown catch came from ten yards out and was his first of the year. On the play, Driver did a good job snatching the Favre fastball and getting both feet down in the back of the end zone. Four of Driver's catches went for less than seven yards, but he did have longer pass receptions of 15 and 19 yards. The only Packers turnover of the game came on a pass to Driver that deflected off of his shoulder pad that was picked off by the Giants secondary.
WR James Jones, Rec: 4 - 75 - 0 (4 targets) - Jones was able to haul in all four passes that were thrown his way. The first came on the Packers' second drive and went for seven yards. His next completion came on the Packers' third scoring drive and went for 46 yards. Jones beat Corey Webster down the sideline and was able to haul in the Favre pass for the big gain. The last two completions came on consecutive plays in the third quarter that netted a total of five and 17 yards respectively.
WR Ruvell Martin (2 targets) - Martin failed to catch a pass in this game, but both of his targets resulted in pass interference penalties on the Giants. His first target came late in the first quarter and resulted in a 22 yard penalty on Corey Webster. Martin's second target came early in the third quarter and resulted in a nine yard penalty on Sam Madison that resulted in a first and goal from the New York two yard line.
TE Donald Lee, Rec: 4 - 35 - 1 (6 targets) - Lee got involved on the first Packers series of the game, catching two passes for 18 yards. Though targeted two times in the second quarter, he did not catch his next pass until he snagged a 14 yard reception with less than three minutes remaining in the third quarter. Lee followed that up later in the game by scoring the Packers' third touchdown of the game on a three yard pass from Favre.
TE Bubba Franks, Rec: 4 - 20 - 1 (5 targets) - Franks' first catch of the game didn't come until the third quarter, but he made it count by scoring on a two yard touchdown pass. After the touchdown grab, Franks grabbed three more Favre passes for a total of 18 yards.
PK Mason Crosby 0 - 1 FG, 5 - 5 XP, 5 points - Crosby missed wide left on a 43 yard field goal attempt in the first quarter. A low snap may have contributed towards the miss. Crosby did make all five of his extra point attempts.
GB Rush Defense - The Packers held the Giants to 94 yards on the ground. The defense did not give up any rushing touchdowns, but Derrick Ward did have a couple of big gains. Ward picked up 19 yards on a first quarter run and added a 26 yard rush later on in the third quarter.
GB Pass Defense - The pass defense looked a little shaky in the first half, giving up ten completions for 143 yards and a touchdown. Charles Woodson fell down on a play that resulted in a 40 yard catch and run by Amani Toomer. On the touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress, it appeared that safety Atari Bigby was a little late in getting back to defend the play. The pass defense picked things up in the second half recording two sacks, forcing a fumble, and intercepting an Eli Manning pass. Cornerback Al Harris was flagged for a three yard pass interference penalty as well as a five yard illegal contact infraction. Linebacker A.J. Hawk was flagged for two illegal contact penalties, one of which was declined. QB Eli Manning, Pass: 16 - 29 - 211 - 1 TD / 1 INT - Manning looked good in the first half completing over 62% of his passes and hitting Plaxico Burress on a nice 26 yard touchdown throw. The ball was placed perfectly over the top of the safety and in front of the corner and allowed Burress to go up and secure the pass. In addition to the scoring play, Manning also hooked up in the first half with Jeremy Shockey on two separate 19 yard gains and also completed a second quarter pass to Amani Toomer that went for 40 yards. In spite of his good start, Manning struggled in the second half. He completed only six of 13 passes for 68 yards and threw a bad fourth quarter interception. On the play that resulted in the turnover, Manning tried to throw the ball away in the field of play and the pass was intercepted by defensive tackle Corey Williams. Down by 22 points with a little over four minutes remaining, the Giants' coaching staff decided to take Manning out of the game.QB Anthony Wright, Pass: 1 - 6 - 12 - 0 TD / 0 INT - Wright entered the game on the Giants' final series after Jared Lorenzen left the game. Wright was only able to complete one pass for 12 yards, but a pass that would have been a touchdown was knocked out of the hands of Anthony Mix before Mix could get his feet down in the end zone.
QB Jared Lorenzen, Pass: 3 - 5 - 21 - 0 TD / 0 INT - Lorenzen replaced Manning for the Giants' last series of the game. He appeared to sustain a left-leg injury on the first or second play of the drive, but stayed in the game and was able to complete three passes. Lorenzen gave way to Anthony Wright just before the two-minute warning. Later on in the game, Lorenzen was shown limping back to the Giants' locker room.
RB Derrick Ward, Rush: 15 - 90 - 0, Rec: 4 - 35 - 0 (6 targets) - Ward did a solid job in his first NFL start by carrying the ball 15 times and averaging six yards per rush. On his first carry of the game, Ward took the handoff and was able to pick up 19 yards. He ended the first half with 45 yards on eight attempts and also hauled in a pass that went for six yards. Ward followed that up in the second half with another 45 yards on the ground including a run over the left side that went for 26 yards. He also caught three more passes for 29 yards in the second half and finished the game with 125 yards of total offense.
RB Reuben Droughns, Rec: 1 - 4 - 0 (1 targets) - Droughns hauled in the only pass thrown his way for a four yard gain on the Giants' second drive of the game. He also averaged over 21 yards on three kick-off returns.
RB Ahmad Bradshaw, Rec: 1 - 11 - 0 (1 targets) - Bradshaw caught the only ball thrown his way in the third quarter and was able to pick up 11 yards on the play. Bradshaw also returned two kick offs for a total of 43 yards, but did have a costly fumble on a return that was recovered by the Packer's kick off team. Following the fumble, Bradshaw left the game with an elbow injury.
WR Plaxico Burress, Rec: 2 - 32 - 1 (4 targets) - Despite the fact that Burress had a relatively quiet game in which he caught two passes for 32 yards he did catch his fourth touchdown of the year. The play came in the second quarter when Manning hooked up with Burress in the end zone for the 26 yard strike. His only other catch of the game came just before the two-minute warning of the first half and went for six yards. Following the play, Burress was seen limping to the locker room prior to the end of the first half, but did return in the third quarter. His only target of the second half resulted in a three yard pass interference penalty on Green Bay cornerback Al Harris.
WR Amani Toomer, Rec: 2 - 48 - 0 (7 targets) - Despite being targeted seven times, Toomer was only able to make two catches. His first reception came in the second quarter with a little over eight minutes to play. The corner fell down on the play and Toomer was able to break a tackle and gain 40 yards. His only other catch also came in the second quarter and went for eight yards. In the third quarter, Toomer found himself open in the end zone, but a less than perfect throw by Manning resulted in an incomplete pass. Though it has no fantasy implications, Toomer was flagged later on in the third quarter for an un-sportsmanlike penalty that turned a Giants' third and goal from the Packers eight yard line into a third and goal from the 23.
WR Sinorice Moss, Rush: 1 - 4 - 0 (3 targets) - Moss was targeted on three passing plays, but all three passes fell incomplete. Moss did have a four yard rush on an end around.
WR Steve Smith, Rec: 1 - 10 - 0 (1 targets) - Smith's only catch of the game came on a third and two play that went for ten yards. Smith was hurt on the play and left the game for good due to what was reported as a scapula injury.
TE Jeremy Shockey, Rec: 5 - 60 - 0 (13 targets) - Giants quarterbacks targeted Shockey early and often. On the Giants first play of the game, Manning hooked up with Shockey for 19 yards. His next catch came late in the second quarter and went for another 19 yards. On that same drive Shockey hauled in a pass that went for 14 yards, but the play was nullified after Shockey was flagged for delay of game when he batted the ball after the play was over. On the very next play Shockey was wide open near the goal line, but Manning's pass hung in the air too long and that allowed a Packers defender to close and Shockey couldn't hang on. On the Giants' last drive of the game, Shockey hauled in two Jared Lorenzen passes for a total of 15 yards.
TE Anthony Mix, Rec: 3 - 39 - 0 (5 targets) - Mix's first reception came with less than eight minutes left in the fourth quarter, and he hauled in the Eli Manning pass for a 21 yard gain. He went on to catch a six yard pass from Jared Lorenzen and then a made a 12 yard gram on an Anthony Wright pass. On the Giants' final offensive play of the game, Mix had a touchdown catch knocked out of his hands before he could get his feet down in the end zone.
TE Michael Matthews, Rec: 1 - 5 - 0 (2 targets) - Matthews' reception came on the Giants' second drive of the game and went for five yards. His only other target came in the second quarter and fell incomplete.
TE Kevin Boss (1 targets) - Boss' only target came on a short Anthony Wright pass late in the fourth quarter that fell incomplete.
PK Lawrence Tynes 2 - 3 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 7 points - Tynes' first field goal attempt of the game sailed wide left. A poor snap by Jay Alford may have factored into the missed kick. Tynes did later connect on field goals of 48 and 32 yards, and he also converted his only extra point attempt.
NYG Rush Defense - The Giants' rush defense kept the Packers running backs in check. The Giants surrendered only 83 yards on the ground but did allow touchdown runs of six and 38 yards to DeShawn Wynn. On the Packers' first driver of the game, Fred Robbins stuffed DeShawn Wynn on a third and one play at the Giants 25 yard line that forced a Packer field goal attempt that sailed wide left.
NYG Pass Defense - Despite the success defending the run, the Giants defense could not seem to stop the Packers passing attack. In addition to giving up 29 completions for 286 yards and three touchdowns, the Giants secondary committed two pass interference penalties that cost the defense a total of 31 yards. Safety Gibril Wilson did intercept a Brett Favre pass in the second quarter that stopped a Packer drive that was operating from the Giants' 30 yard line. Defensive end Osi Umenyiora did play in this game despite reports that he could miss some games due to his knee injury.Minnesota Vikings 17, Detroit Lions 20
What you need to know
Minnesota Vikings - There's looking bad, and then there's what Tarvaris Jackson looked like in this game. His passing was bad enough, but it was his decision-making that really doomed his team. It's worth noting that Brooks Bollinger replaced an injured Jackson late in the contest and looked far more comfortable in the pocket.The Lions defense clearly made it a point to stop Adrian Peterson and force the passing game to beat them. Despite that, Peterson still managed to lead Minnesota in both rushing and receiving yardage en route to a productive 118 hard fought yards.
The receivers on the Vikings were never able to get much separation. This is clearly one of the league's poorer wide receiver corps, evidenced by the fact that running backs were responsible for ten of the team's seventeen completed passes.
Detroit Lions - QB Jon Kitna was absent for roughly half the game with a concussion. He replaced a mostly ineffective J.T. O'Sullivan late in the game and led an inspired game-winning drive. He looked outstanding in the game, and just as importantly the Lions offense as a whole looked far worse without him in the game.The Detroit wide receivers are as good a group as any in the league. On any given play, any number of players are open and at times this offense looks every bit as good as the old Martz offense used to in Saint Louis.
RB Tatum Bell has been given a golden opportunity to stake his claim as a featured back in this offense with Kevin Jones still recuperating from injury, but Bell has yet to seize the chance. He gave a very lackluster performance here, and topped it off with some very poor blocking on blitz protection.
What you ought to know
QB Tarvaris Jackson, Pass: 17 - 33 - 166 - 0 TD / 4 INT, Rush: 5 - 16 - 1 - Jackson opened the game by completing his first four passes for 31 yards. And then he fell apart. His fifth pass was intercepted, and he was just 13-29 the rest of the way with four interceptions (each one a worse decision than the one preceding it). It got so bad that Detroit started sending blitzers on every down in an effort to rush Jackson's passes and force him into poor decisions. It would appear at this point that he is not very adept at recognizing the blitz and knowing what to do, because he was never able to sustain drives for his team. Far too often, he simply put the ball in traffic for the sake of avoiding a sack, but the turnovers give a pretty clear indication of how wise those decisions were. He did manage to score a touchdown by lunging in from a yard out after a screen pass to Adrian Peterson put the Vikings at the one yard line. Jackson left the contest late in the game with an apparent groin injury, and he'll be re-evaluated later this week.QB Brooks Bollinger, Pass: 3 - 4 - 26 - 0 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 1 - 0 - 0 - Bollinger filled in for an injured Tarvaris Jackson during the overtime period. Taking over at his own 20 yard line, Bollinger quickly completed three passes to get the Vikings near midfield. However, he fumbled the snap on the next play, which eventually led to the game-winning field goal for Detroit. It's worth noting that Bollinger looked much more comfortable and confident in the pocket than Jackson looked at any point in the game.
RB Adrian Peterson, Rush: 20 - 66 - 0, Rec: 4 - 52 - 0 (5 targets) - Though it won't show up in the statistics, Peterson actually had an outstanding game. Considering he was the only legitimate weapon on the field for Minnesota, it's a wonder he was able to muster up 118 yards from scrimmage. He very nearly made it an outstanding day with a near-touchdown midway through the second quarter. Peterson took a short screen pass from Tarvaris Jackson 24 yards down to the one yard line. He came out of the game on the next play, and Jackson took it in himself for the short score. Peterson had made a great play on the screen by breaking a tackle that enabled him to get as much yardage as he did. The biggest roadblock for Peterson (something he may have to deal with all season) is that Detroit had so little respect for the passing game that they simply keyed on Peterson all game long.
RB Mewelde Moore, Rush: 6 - 50 - 0, Rec: 4 - 36 - 0 (4 targets) - With Chester Taylor out and Adrian Peterson a fairly inexperienced receiver, there was a definitive role to be played by Moore in this game. He filled it well, with 86 total yards from scrimmage on 10 touches. It could have been even more, but he had a 40 yard screen pass reception negated by an offensive holding penalty. Moore wasn't simply in as a backup to Peterson, either. He was in on several critical possessions, and it was actually his 20 yard reception that helped set up Ryan Longwell's missed field goal attempt near the end of regulation.
WR Bobby Wade, Rush: 1 - -9 - 0, Rec: 5 - 34 - 0 (7 targets) - Wade is the de facto number one receiver in Minnesota, but that number one status is certainly a relative term. As long as Tarvaris Jackson plays the way he did in this game, the number one receiver from this team is going to have a tough time doing enough to even make himself roster-worthy, let alone starting lineup-worthy. Wade turned seven targets into five receptions for 34 yards, and was never put in a position to make a game-breaking play.
WR Robert Ferguson, Rec: 3 - 29 - 0 (9 targets) - Ferguson was the most heavily-targeted player on Minnesota, most of the targets coming on deep balls. Unfortunately for him, most of the passes in his direction weren't catchable and two of them actually resulted in interceptions. On most other teams, nine targets in a game would be cause to give him a look on the waiver wire. But if nine targets against a defense like Detroit is only going to result in 29 yards, then when would Ferguson ever be able to put up fantasy-relevant statistics?
WR Troy Williamson, Rec: 2 - 23 - 0 (5 targets) - Williamson did very little early on and eventually left the game with a hamstring injury.
TE Visanthe Shiancoe (2 targets) - Shiancoe saw just two balls his way, and caught one of them. Unfortunately for him, it was negated by penalty and he finished with zero receptions officially.
TE Jim Kleinsasser (1 targets) - The only ball thrown Kleinsasser's way was an ill-advised, off-balance toss from Tarvaris Jackson that was intercepted on his fifth pass of the game.
PK Ryan Longwell 1 - 2 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 5 points - Longwell connected on his first field goal attempt of the game, but it was the second one that will get all of the air time on television. He lined up for a 52 yard field goal late in regulation with a chance to win the game for Minnesota. His kick had plenty of leg and would've likely been good from a much further distance, but it bounced off the upright to send the game into overtime. The Vikings would eventually lose when Longwell's counterpart, Jason Hanson, connected on a 37 yard kick.
MIN Rush Defense - It's difficult to say if the Vikings run defense played well, or if the Lions simply didn't care about running the football. The stats say Minnesota was good against the run, allowing the Lions just 56 rushing yards on 21 carries. But Detroit was enjoying so much success throwing the ball that it almost didn't matter whether they ran or not. In fact, coming out of the locker room at halftime, Lions HC Rod Marinelli was asked what he was planning on doing to improve the running totals. His response was, "We're going to throw more. I don't care if we have to throw on every play." It's also important to note that despite the good stats for the Vikings defense, they were unable to stop the Detroit running game on successive plays in the overtime at moments when they really could've used a stop. With the ball on their own 42, Detroit got a six yard scramble from QB Jon Kitna and a 17 yard scamper by Brian Calhoun that helped set up the eventual game-winning field goal.
MIN Pass Defense - It'll look nice on the stat sheet that the Vikings intercepted the Detroit quarterbacks three times in the game, but the reality is that they also allowed Detroit to complete 63% of its passes for nearly 400 yards through the air. Jon Kitna looked dynamic, and J.T. O'Sullivan looked pretty decent considering he had never thrown an NFL pass prior to this game. CB Cedric Griffin had a lot of problems early on with Roy Williams, and every defensive back on Minnesota seemed to have trouble with Calvin Johnson at one time or another. Detroit receivers were open all over the place, as Shaun McDonald and Mike Furrey did a masterful job of getting open and finding soft spots on the underneath and intermediate routes. One bright spot for Minnesota was the play of S Darren Sharper, who intercepted two passes (one of them a tip-toe job on the sideline in the end zone to save a touchdown). The biggest play made by the Minnesota pass defense was late in the third quarter when Pat Williams came bursting through the line to disrupt the handoff exchange between QB J.T. O'Sullivan and RB Tatum Bell. Ray Edwards scooped up the loose ball and took it in for a touchdown from nine yards out that tied the score at 17. QB Jon Kitna, Pass: 22 - 33 - 245 - 1 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 3 - 13 - 0, Rec: 1 - 9 - 0 - Without going overboard, there aren't enough words to describe the heart shown by Jon Kitna in the latter stages of this game. Kitna, who had earlier been knocked from the game with a concussion, stood and cheered on the sidelines for the better part of two quarters as the Lions established a lead. But when turnovers and spotty play allowed Minnesota back into the game, Kitna convinced the coaching staff to let him go back in. He immediately sparked the offense and greatly improved the passing game as if he had never left. Kitna then helped get the team into position for a late game field goal try that went awry. After Minnesota's own kicker also missed a potential game-winner, Kitna took over possession in the overtime session and really proved his mettle to the Detroit fans. He threw a pass that was batted in the air at the line of scrimmage, and actually caught it when it got back to him. Rather than dropping to the ground, Kitna took off up the right side looking for the first down marker. He later took off on a scramble for six yards on a third down play. On both occasions, Kitna sought out the marker rather than sliding and protecting himself, and on both occasions the extra yardage he fought for proved crucial. On one of the plays in particular, he seemed to be doing his best John Elway impersonation as he was upended and spun around in mid-air as the tackle was made. It was a very inspired effort by a player who was thought to be finished for the day. If nothing else, it really solidified the fact that Kitna is clearly the leader of this offense as well as the one player who makes everything work. Of his 33 pass attempts, there was really only one bad one. Granted, the outcome was an interception in the end zone that could have been very costly, but he directed this offense with Kurt Warner or Marc Bulger-esque efficiency. The Lions came out with four receivers while running a no-huddle offense, and marched downfield as if there were no defenders. Aside from a handful of plays where he took some big hits, the offensive line generally gave him ample time to find his guys and hook up for some big gains.QB J.T. OSullivan, Pass: 13 - 23 - 148 - 1 TD / 2 INT, Rush: 2 - -9 - 0 - O'Sullivan entered the day having never thrown an NFL pass in his life. The former NFL Europe MVP was called upon when starter Jon Kitna left in the second quarter with a concussion. O'Sullivan asserted himself fairly well early on considering his lack of experience, and did a decent job of moving the ball. For the most part, he stayed within himself and simply dropped the ball off to the receivers and allowed them to make plays. On the few rare occasions he did try to make something happen, it usually backfired (as was the case on the two interceptions, both of which were on deep balls). The fumble and ensuing touchdown recovery by the Vikings will be charged to O'Sullivan, but clearly wasn't his fault. He was attempting to hand the ball off, but DL Pat Williams was already in the backfield and disrupting the exchange before O'Sullivan even knew he was there. It was a good opportunity for O'Sullivan to get in-game experience without costing his team a victory. It could prove to be important should he ever need to be called upon again due to a Kitna injury (and with Kitna's history, that's a pretty good bet).
RB Tatum Bell, Rush: 9 - 14 - 0, Rec: 4 - 25 - 0 (7 targets) - Bell was active in the passing game, but then again so was every player in a Lions uniform. It's his rushing duties that are supposed to separate him from the pack, but he did little to distinguish himself in this game. He was given a chance to show off late in the first half on a third and one carry, but he was stuffed for no gain. To that point, Detroit had made very little effort to establish the run and things didn't change after that. Bell also did a poor job in pass protection, often allowing blitzers to come through with very little resistance. He did have a nice reception in the third quarter, but it was his only worthwhile play of the game. It could be telling, or it could be meaningless, that all seven of his passing targets came when J.T. O'Sullivan was in the game. Jon Kitna seemed to far prefer throwing to his wide receivers over the running backs.
RB Brian Calhoun, Rush: 5 - 22 - 0, Rec: 3 - 19 - 0 (3 targets) - It was just one game, and a very tiny sample size, but Calhoun looked every bit as effective as Tatum Bell with the ball in his hands. Calhoun wasn't overly impressive, though he did have a very nice 17 yard scamper in the overtime that set up the eventual game-winning field goal. Calhoun's role increased as the game went on (and as Tatum Bell grew more and more ineffective).
WR Roy Williams, Rush: 1 - 9 - 0, Rec: 7 - 111 - 1 (16 targets) - Williams was, at times, unstoppable. Even losing his helmet during a long reception didn't seem to deter him. After hauling in a 42 yard bomb down the seam, he broke a tackle on which his helmet popped off his head. Rather than retreating to the ground, Williams simply regained his composure and took off down the sideline for another 18 yards or so after the catch -- without a helmet on. Williams had earlier made a nice snag on a touchdown across the back line of the end zone in the first quarter. It wasn't all good for Williams, as he lost what could have been a costly fumble during a catch and run in red zone during the fourth quarter. He displayed excellent moves after the catch and even added a nine yard run. In fact, that run could have easily been a huge pain and possibly a touchdown had lineman Domanick Raiola been able to hold his block rather than almost completely miss. Williams was the intended target on a pass in the end zone from Kitna on the Lions' opening possession that was intercepted by Darren Sharper.
WR Shaun McDonald, Rec: 7 - 71 - 0 (10 targets) - McDonald had another relatively big day, finishing with a game-high seven receptions and tied for the same number of looks as Calvin Johnson (second to Roy Williams' 16). Four of his targets came on the opening possession of the game, either suggesting that Minnesota wasn't paying attention to him or that Detroit wanted to make sure he was getting looks early on. Either way, it's good news for McDonald's prospects the rest of the way. Unless one player clearly separates himself between McDonald and Furrey, each player will have the opportunity to have a nice game on a weekly basis.
WR Mike Furrey, Rec: 5 - 60 - 0 (5 targets) - Furrey did what he does best -- get open and make catches. He didn't wow anyone with the stat sheet, but at the end of the day he's sitting there with five more receptions and 60 more yards. He also makes the most of his opportunities, as he caught all five balls that headed his way. While the addition of Calvin Johnson is certain to eat into Furrey's production, there is no reason to think he can't still be a reliable source of points as the third option in this offense.
WR Calvin Johnson, Rush: 1 - 7 - 0, Rec: 4 - 61 - 1 (10 targets) - Assuming he is able to remain healthy, there is very little reason to think Calvin Johnson won't make a huge impact during his first season in the league. His targets steadily increased throughout the game after a very quiet beginning, but there were no shots of him pouting or giving up on plays. He simply kept working, getting open, and eventually making some plays. There was a designed play for him in the end zone on a corner fade that was knocked away at the last moment, and he eventually did score on a similar fade pass to the front corner. He may have gotten away with a push-off on his touchdown reception, but either way it appeared like he was toying with the defender. QB J.T. O'Sullivan simply dropped back and lobbed up a jump ball, which Johnson easily came down with for his second career NFL touchdown. He was also targeted on several different kinds of passes, meaning he wasn't simply used as a deep threat exclusively or a red zone target exclusively. He is as involved as anyone else out there for Detroit, and his skill set is becoming more and more evident with each game. And if nothing else, it would appear that at the very least, he is going to play a very significant role in the red zone and near the goal line.
TE Casey Fitzsimmons, Rec: 1 - 10 - 0 (1 targets) - Fitzsimmons caught one ball in the game replacing the injured Dan Campbell.
TE Dan Campbell - Campbell hurt his elbow early in the contest and did not return. He wasn't thrown to prior to the injury.
PK Jason Hanson 2 - 3 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 8 points - It's not even a kicker will be a hero on the day he misses a potential game-winning field goal in the fourth quarter of a game. But that's what happened to Jason Hanson. He lined up for a 48 yard field goal with less than a minute remaining and the score tied at 17. The kick was hooked wide, and the Vikings marched downfield for their own game-winning attempt. When their kick bounced off the upright, the game was sent into overtime. After a turnover by Minnesota, the Vikings regained possession and quickly marched back into field goal territory. This time, Hanson's 37 yard try was true, and gave Detroit the win. Hanson had earlier connected from 30 yards out.
DET Rush Defense - The Lions made an effort to make sure Adrian Peterson wasn't going to beat them. The plan worked, despite Peterson still managing 66 yards on 20 carries. That perhaps speaks more to Peterson's abilities than anything Detroit did wrong necessarily. The only real blemish for Detroit came when they allowed QB Tarvaris Jackson to lunge into the end zone for the score from a yard out, but that was actually set up by a pass down to the one yard line. Late in the game, Shaun Rogers hurried off the field with his arm dangling by his side. It was unclear if he had suffered a significant injury or if it was just hit the wrong way.
DET Pass Defense - The Detroit pass defense did almost nothing wrong against Tarvaris Jackson the Minnesota passing game. They pretty much allowed him to dink and dunk whenever he wanted to, but whenever he tried moving the ball downfield the Lions made him pay. Jackson was intercepted four times by Detroit defenders, many times the result of added pressure on the young QB. Essentially, the Lions gameplan was to cover the Minnesota receivers straight up downfield while attacking inside the box. Whether they got pressure on Jackson or bottled up Adrian Peterson, the result would be the same -- force Jackson to beat you off the blitz by making plays downfield. He couldn't do it, and instead he repeatedly turned the ball over. And that, more than anything, ended up being the difference in the game.Buffalo Bills 3, Pittsburgh Steelers 26
What you need to know
Buffalo Bills - The Bills came into the game last in the NFL in total yards on offense after week one. They did little to improve on that mark. After gaining only 184 yards against the Denver Broncos in the opener, Buffalo managed only 223 yards against the Steelers defense. The Bills were especially ineffective in the first half. They mustered only a single first down and 58 total yards before halftime. The offense played better after halftime, but only was able to put points on the board after Terrence McGee returned the second half kickoff to the Pittsburgh 32 yard line.Rookie Marshawn Lynch had a respectable effort in his second NFL game. He carried 18 times for 64 yards. Lynch exhibited a mix of power and speed that should serve him well in his career. His long run went for 12 yards, but he just missed breaking a couple of his carries into really big gains.
J.P. Losman struggled to move the chains and put points on the board. Losman completed 60 percent of his passes for 154 yards, but was unable to lead any drives into the end zone. In his defense, Losman faced a heavy rush throughout the game and was usually forced to hurry throws or scramble.
After a breakout season last year, Lee Evans has struggled so far this year. He caught only two passes for 17 yards. For the season, he now has only four receptions for 22 yards.
Buffalo's defense played without starters Ko Simpson, Jason Webster, and Coy Wire and tried its best to bend but not break, but finally succumbed to the Pittsburgh attack. The Bills held the Steelers to four field goals in the first half despite almost no help from the offense. After the Bills closed the game to 12-3, the defense finally broke and allowed the Pittsburgh offense to go on a nine play touchdown drive to effectively seal the game.
Pittsburgh Steelers - The Steelers beat up on an opponent for the second straight week to open the season. Pittsburgh dominated Buffalo, especially in the first half when the Steelers ran 44 plays to the Bills' 16 and outgained Buffalo 239-58. Pittsburgh totaled 14 first downs prior to halftime while holding Buffalo to one. The only thing the Steelers struggled to do in the first half was to reach the end zone. They came close twice, but had to settle for four Jeff Reed field goals and a 12-0 lead. After allowing the Bills to score a field goal on the opening possession of the second half, the Steelers answered with their first touchdown drive of the game to make the score 19-3.Ben Roethlisberger ran an efficient game plan and spread his 21 completions to nine different receivers. When pressured, Roethlisberger was able to buy time and avoid the rush. He finished the game completing 21 of his 34 passes for 242 yards and one touchdown. Roethlisberger was intercepted once when he tried to hit Santonio Holmes on a bomb. He underthrew the pass just enough to allow safety Jim Leonhard time to close and pick it off. With the game in hand, Roethlisberger was relieved by Charlie Batch for the last few minutes of the game.
Willie Parker was effective throughout the game. He ran for 70 first half yards and finished the game with 126 yards and a touchdown. Most of Parker's big gains came on runs to the outside, but he did have a couple of strong power runs through the middle of the Bills defense. Parker is off to a quick start and has opened the season with consecutive 100 yard games.
Pittsburgh's defense played aggressively until late in the game and put consistent pressure on J.P. Losman, sacking him four times and forcing him to scramble numerous others. The Steelers have allowed only ten points in their first two contests and have outscored their opponents by 50 points.
What you ought to know
QB J.P. Losman, Pass: 15 - 25 - 154 - 0 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 4 - 38 - 0 - Losman opened the season passing for only 97 yards with a 57.0 rating. He completed 60 percent of his passes against the Steelers, but totaled only 154 yards passing for the game. In two games, he has passed for just over 250 yards with no touchdowns. Losman had only five pass attempts in the first half. He completed two of them for 23 yards. He was better in the second half completing 13 of his 20 throws for 131 yards. Losman throws a nice deep pass and nearly connected for touchdowns twice with Lee Evans. Both passes were well thrown. Evans should have been called for offensive pass interference on the first occasion, but then failed to hang on to the pass anyway. On the second attempt, Evans was able to get only one hand on the ball due to what could have been a defensive pass interference penalty. Most of Losman's other passes came on short routes and dump-offs. The Steeler defense blitzed often and pressured Losman frequently. Losman was sacked and fumbled once. He was able to scamper for 38 yards on four scrambles, finishing second on the team in rushing yardage.RB Marshawn Lynch, Rush: 18 - 64 - 0, Rec: 1 - 21 - 0 (1 targets) - Rookie running back Marshawn Lynch had another solid game considering that Pittsburgh is a tough defense to run on and Buffalo's offense did little to support him, especially in the first half. Lynch averaged just over 3.5 yards per carry, but narrowly missed breaking off a couple of long runs. He also nearly had a touchdown run, but knee his touched down at the Pittsburgh five yard line. On the play Lynch called upon his arsenal of skills to make tacklers miss and break tackles to make what looked like a short game into a near touchdown. After pirouetting and seemingly breaking a tackle, his knee was correctly ruled down. A Losman incompletion followed on third down and Buffalo had to settle for a field goal.
Lynch caught his only target and turned it into a 21 yard gain.RB Anthony Thomas (1 targets) - Thomas' only rushing attempt was a three yard gain that was called back due to a penalty. Thomas played mostly on passing downs because he is better at pass protection than Marshawn Lynch. He was targeted once as a safety valve. He also recovered a Losman fumble on a fourth down play, but was not able to get past the line of scrimmage.
WR Roscoe Parrish, Rec: 6 - 56 - 0 (9 targets) - Parrish benefited from the injury to Josh Reed and played more extensively in this game. He was Buffalo's most targeted receiver and led them in receptions and yardage. Despite his big play ability, Parrish was targeted mostly on short routes.
WR Peerless Price, Rec: 3 - 33 - 0 (5 targets) - Price recorded receptions of two and 22 yards. He was used as Buffalo's third receiver in the game.
WR Lee Evans, Rec: 2 - 17 - 0 (7 targets) - Evans has not been able to get on track so far this season. He recorded only catches of nine and eight yards on seven targets and now has only four receptions for 22 yards on the season.
Evans was targeted on deep routes twice in the end zone. On the first play, he appeared to get away with pushing Ike Taylor, but still was unable to hold the well thrown Losman pass. On the second occasion, Evans appeared to be the victim of pass interference and was able to get only one hand on the pass. Visibly upset, Evans yelled at the referee and received an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for the second consecutive play.TE Ryan Neufeld, Rec: 1 - 8 - 0 (1 targets) - Neufeld's only target resulted in an eight yard reception.
TE Robert Royal, Rec: 1 - 5 - 0 (1 targets) - Royal caught one five yard pass.
TE Michael Gaines, Rec: 1 - 14 - 0 (1 targets) - Gaines, who was recently signed off waivers from the Panthers, caught his only target and converted a first down.
PK Rian Lindell 1 - 1 FG, 0 - 0 XP, 3 points - Lindell made good on his only chance, a short 24 yard field goal.
BUF Rush Defense - The Bill defense allowed Pittsburgh to control the line of scrimmage and dominate time of possession. The Steelers rushed for 184 yards and averaged 5.6 yards per attempt. Willie Parker rushed for 126 yards and reeled off a handful of big gains including an eleven yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. Parker ran up the middle and was barely touched.
BUF Pass Defense - Ben Roethlisberger attempted 29 passes in the first half. He was successful on 16 of them and spread the ball around as the Steelers ran a balanced offense and controlled the clock. Buffalo allowed the Steelers to dominate the clock, but was able to keep them out of the end zone until the second half, when Roethlisberger hit rookie tight end Matt Spaeth for a one yard touchdown on a play action pass. QB Ben Roethlisberger, Pass: 21 - 34 - 242 - 1 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 1 - 10 - 0 - The Steelers mixed the run and the pass effectively and dominated for most of the game. Roethlisberger threw often in the first half, completing 16 of 29 passes for 155 yards. Roethlisberger was mostly sharp enough and efficient. He spread his 21 completions to nine different receivers. He did throw one interception on a deep attempt to Santonio Holmes on the first play of the Steelers' second possession. Holmes was well covered and Roethlisberger slightly underthrew the ball, which allowed safety Jim Leonhard enough time to range over and make the interception. Roethlisberger had a couple of other errant throws that could have resulted in interceptions. He also threw low to a wide open Dan Kreider on a swing pass that might have gone for a touchdown. Roethlisberger had a perfect second half, completing all five of his passes for 87 yards. He hit rookie tight end Matt Spaeth for a one yard touchdown on a play action pass to open the Pittsburgh scoring after halftime.QB Charlie Batch, Rush: 2 - -2 - 0 - Batch replaced Roethlisberger for the Steelers' final possession. He handed the ball off to Najeh Davenport five straight times and then was credited with two yards lost on two kneel down plays to end the game.
RB Willie Parker, Rush: 23 - 126 - 1, Rec: 2 - 7 - 0 (2 targets) - Parker has rushed for over 100 yards in both games this season. He used his speed to get outside for big gainers, but also was able to use his power to gain yardage in the middle of the line. Parker had six runs of at least nine yards, including an eleven yard touchdown run, where he was barely touched. Parker caught two passes. He gained eight yards on the first and lost a yard on the second.
RB Najeh Davenport, Rush: 6 - 46 - 0, Rec: 2 - 11 - 0 (2 targets) - Davenport had one carry for no gain early in the third quarter. During the Steelers' final possession, he took five consecutive handoffs and gained 46 yards to close out the game. He caught two screen passes for eleven yards.
RB Carey Davis, Rush: 1 - 4 - 0, Rec: 1 - 0 - 0 (1 targets) - Davis had one carry for four yards in the first half. He caught a screen pass on the next play, but couldn't find any room to run.
RB Dan Kreider (1 targets) - Kreider was open in the flat and had plenty of room to run on a third and two play from the Buffalo ten yard line, but Roethlisberger's pass fell short and the Steelers settled for a field goal.
WR Hines Ward, Rec: 5 - 55 - 0 (9 targets) - Ward was Roethlisberger's favorite target in the game. He led Pittsburgh with five receptions. Ward had a long gain of 21 yards. Ward nearly had a diving touchdown catch in the first half, but the ball touched the ground before he had complete control.
WR Nate Washington, Rec: 3 - 60 - 0 (4 targets) - Washington was targeted four times, mostly downfield. He had a pretty leaping catch on a high throw in heavy traffic, but also dropped a pass.
WR Santonio Holmes, Rec: 3 - 53 - 0 (6 targets) - Holmes caught half of his targets for gains of nine, 21, and 30 yards. The Steelers sent Holmes deep on the first play of their second possession, but he was well covered and the pass was intercepted.
WR Cedrick Wilson, Rec: 1 - 12 - 0 (2 targets) - Wilson caught one pass for a 12 yard gain. He made another nice grab along the sideline, but Roethlisberger threw the ball a little too wide for Wilson to get his feet down in bounds.
TE Heath Miller, Rec: 2 - 34 - 0 (3 targets) - Miller had receptions for five and 29 yards.
TE Matt Spaeth, Rec: 2 - 10 - 1 (2 targets) - Spaeth had a nine yard reception and added a one yard touchdown catch for the Steelers' first touchdown of the game. He now has two touchdowns among his three career receptions.
PK Jeff Reed 4 - 4 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 14 points - Reed had a perfect day. He hit field goals of 34, 28, 39 and 31 yards and converted both of his extra point tries.
PIT Rush Defense - The Steelers limited Marshawn Lynch to 64 yards on 18 attempts. Lynch was barely stopped on a couple of plays that could have gone for big gains. J.P. Losman was able to scramble four times for 38 yards to bring Buffalo's total rushing yards to 102. Overall, the Steeler defense was very effective. Buffalo had only one first down and 58 yards in the first half. James Farrior led the team with eight solo tackles and two assists.
PIT Pass Defense - The Steelers held J.P. Losman to two completions (for 23 yards) on five attempts in the first half. The defense was very aggressive for most of the contest and put pressure on Losman throughout the game. The Steelers registered four sacks and forced Losman to run numerous times. James Harrison, Larry Foote, Brett Keisel, and LaMarr Woodley each had sacks. Foote's forced a Losman fumble. Deshea Townsend contributed seven solo tackles and an assist.Losman had a better second half, but was still limited to 154 passing yards for the game. The Steelers have held their opponents to ten points in two games, lowest in the NFL. James Harrison was injured on the final play of the first half and was taken from the field on a backboard. He later returned to the sideline and was walking around with no trouble.
Seattle Seahawks 20, Arizona Cardinals 23
What you need to know
Seattle Seahawks - The offense came out of the gates slowly. Former League MVP Shaun Alexander did not have any one rush attempt that went for more than three yards in the first half. He struggled enough that Holmgren sat him down for a short while. In the end he did just enough to redeem himself, but it was enough to make one worry.Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck displayed patience and poise galore, and finally had his way with the Arizona defense (to the tune of 281 yards and a single TD), but it wasn't enough for the win. A flubbed handoff late in the game led to the Cardinals final drive, ending what was up to that point a brilliant comeback.
Hasselbeck's receivers, Bobby Engram, Deion Branch, and Nate Burleson, all played well, and Branch really came on in the second half (95 of his 122 yards), showing that what he is capable of after the catch is as exciting as any receiver in the league. When it came to crunch time, Hasselbeck made it clear that he had found his go-to guy.
In the first half, this team looked very, very bad. A late score and some evident adjustments at halftime had them back in the game. It is encouraging that they committed to finding a way to get the ball to the heavily covered Deion Branch, rather than give up and throw it elsewhere.
Arizona Cardinals - Matt Leinart threw for nearly 300 yards with one touchdown. Coach Ken Whisenhunt's well documented commitment to the running game appears to have helped the passing game as well, as the Seattle defense was unable to key on the pass or run. Leinart was calm and composed in the face of a persistent pass-rush, often holding on to the ball until the last possible second. Despite throwing his only touchdown to tight end Leonard Pope, he showed a good rapport with his two elite wide receivers.Edgerrin James made it look very easy, as he pounded the ball again and again, until finally something gave. His total of 128 yards is all the more impressive given his slow start. He clearly got stronger as the game went on.
Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald dominated the Seattle secondary at times. The stat line doesn't tell you that, of course. Both went without a touchdown and ended with just over 80 yards each. Leinart threw to them often, but also made a point of spreading the ball around, meaning no one receiver had a big day.
The Cardinals were without starting center Al Johnson, but the line did an excellent job of protecting Leinart and blocking for the running backs.
The special teams players were the unsung heroes of this game; time and again, the Cardinals would have great field position, and the Seahawks would not. A tipped punt (causing a 7-yard punt) and a downed punt (at the Seahawks one yard line) ensured that their opponents would not have anything handed to them.
What you ought to know
QB Matt Hasselbeck, Pass: 22 - 36 - 281 - 1 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 2 - 6 - 0 - Hasselbeck showed outstanding patience and incredible poise in the first half of this game, as very little went well. His top receiver, Deion Branch, was in blanket coverage; the running game was going nowhere. Down by 17 and nearing half time, Hasselbeck found WR Nate Burleson with a quick strike inside the ten yard line that Burleson trucked into the end zone. As evidenced by Hasselbeck's total of 281 yards passing, things improved in the second half. They found a way to get the ball to Branch, and the running game found its legs, allowing a little more freedom in the air. Typically, he spread the ball around (to nine different players), but also showed strong chemistry with Branch in the second half. On the down side, he and Shaun Alexander also teamed up to botch a handoff late in the game. Gerald Hayes broke through before Hasselbeck was able to hand off the ball, resulting not only in a lost fumble, but on the ensuing drive the Cardinals kicked the game winning field goal.RB Shaun Alexander, Rush: 18 - 70 - 1, Rec: 2 - 5 - 0 (2 targets) - Alexander's 70 yards and a touchdown on the day make him look better than he really was. In the first half, he was simply abysmal, with his largest gain going for a grand total of three yards. He was pulled briefly in the second quarter, but Coach Mike Holmgren did not give up on him. In the third quarter, he took the ball in from the Cardinals 16 yard line (his longest rush of the day) on a fourth and one play, and seemed to garner some momentum from that.
RB Mack Strong, Rush: 3 - 10 - 0, Rec: 3 - 30 - 0 (3 targets) - Strong will never be mistaken for a fantasy threat, but he is valuable to the Seahawks. He caught all three balls thrown his way, two of which went for first downs.
RB Leonard Weaver, Rush: 1 - 6 - 0, Rec: 1 - 7 - 0 (1 targets) - Weaver came into the game briefly in the first half, as Holmgren pulled the under-performing Shaun Alexander. He had one carry and one catch.
RB Alvin Pearman, Rec: 1 - 1 - 0 (1 targets) - One catch for one yard. As the unofficial backup to Alexander (while Maurice Morris is out), he did not see much action.
WR Deion Branch, Rec: 7 - 122 - 0 (11 targets) - Branch played a Jekyll and Hyde game. In the first half, he did have three catches -- all for first downs -- but was covered very well and was not able to do much with the balls thrown his way. Second half: different story. The Seahawks obviously made some adjustments and had Branch run a few comeback routes, which paid off immediately, as he absolutely robbed Arizona of what looked like three very ordinary catches, turning them each into big gains (37, 22, 27). He clearly has the confidence of his quarterback and coaching staff going forward.
WR Bobby Engram, Rec: 5 - 71 - 0 (7 targets) - Engram filled the possession receiver role, hauling half of his catches for first downs. Hasselbeck looked to him often on third downs. He and Burleson see roughly the same amount of looks; unfortunately for fantasy purposes, that dulls both of their values slightly.
WR Nate Burleson, Rec: 2 - 39 - 1 (6 targets) - Burleson took over the number two receiver slot from the injured D.J. Hackett and though his end of day numbers were not stellar, he did prove that he belonged, and pulled in a highlight reel touchdown pass in which he fought with the defender after the catch, taking him the six yards needed to get into the end zone. He was used as a deep threat, which accounts for his low percentage of catches/target. Burleson is also a consistent threat as the main punt returner.
WR Courtney Taylor, Rec: 1 - 6 - 0 (1 targets) - Yes, the Seahawks do have a fourth receiver. He saw very limited playing time.
TE Marcus Pollard (2 targets) - He was pretty much invisible. He dropped a pass in the first quarter, and then had to wait until late in the third to see another one. It was a red zone look, for what it's worth, but Hasselbeck simply did not look his way often.
PK Josh Brown 2 - 2 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 8 points - He was two for two, both 28 yard kicks.
SEA Rush Defense - They did not contain the run entirely, but kept Edgerrin James in check for most of the day. What the Seahawks did that was most impressive was strike a balance between covering the pass and the run.
SEA Pass Defense - Similar to the run defense, they did not shut down the passing game. They were clearly overmatched against Boldin and Fitzgerald, but did not give up any huge gains. Lofa Tatupu's interception gave them excellent field position and set up their second touchdown. QB Matt Leinart, Pass: 23 - 37 - 299 - 1 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 1 - -4 - 0 - Leinart was calm and composed under pressure, often waiting until the last possible before letting go of the ball. He seems to know his receivers capabilities well, and uses them wisely. He often throws high to Fitzgerald, for example, who usually outreaches whoever is covering him and comes down with the catch. He was one yard shy of 300, with one TD and one interception. Most impressive was his willingness to throw to the open man when his two wideouts were covered.RB Edgerrin James, Rush: 24 - 128 - 1, Rec: 2 - 22 - 0 (2 targets) - James was rock steady, starting off very slowly and waiting for an opportunity to break one. Near the end of the half, he had lulled the Seahawks defense into a false sense of security when he ran for a 17 yard score. Overall, James played well. He was missing his usual starting center, and even so still surpassed a hundred yards rushing. He was not used much in the passing game (he was often spelled on third downs by Arrington or Shipp) but when called upon, caught both balls thrown to him, turning one short catch into a first down. One important note: his gains got consistently larger as the game went on.
RB J.J. Arrington, Rush: 1 - 8 - 0, Rec: 4 - 24 - 0 (4 targets) - Former top draft pick J.J. Arrington has become a forgotten man in fantasy circles. He came in to spell James occasionally, and the Cardinals were not afraid to put the ball in his hands. He saw considerably more time than the supposed backup, Marcel Shipp.
RB Marcel Shipp (1 targets) - Shipp saw very limited action. J.J. Arrington seemed to be getting all the love on third downs.
WR Larry Fitzgerald, Rec: 7 - 87 - 0 (10 targets) - At first, he and Boldin were being targeted equally, but in the second half, Leinart locked onto Fitzgerald a bit more. His only big gain (40 yards) came in the first half, and two of his three second half catches were of the extremely short variety. Considering how dominant he looked on some of his catches, it is surprising that he was used that way in the latter stages of the game.
WR Anquan Boldin, Rec: 4 - 83 - 0 (5 targets) - Boldin was a first down machine in the first half, and a threat to break out anytime he touched the ball. Unfortunately, after his 48 yard first half, he only got one look in the second half (which he turned into a 35 yard gain). Leinart looked for him on slant and crossing patterns over the middle, which he then turned up field for big gains. All of his catches went for first downs.
WR Sean Morey, Rec: 2 - 23 - 0 (4 targets) - Morey seemed to have taken over Bryant Johnson's usual role, and caught two passes for first downs. He also dropped one late in the game that could have shortened the distance for Rackers' ensuing field goal attempt (he made the 52 yard attempt anyway). He also tipped a punt in the first quarter; creating a seven yard punt and setting the stage for the Cards first score of the game.
WR Bryant Johnson, Rec: 2 - 23 - 0 (2 targets) - Johnson caught both balls thrown to him for first downs, both also in the first half. He doesn't appear to get any looks until third down, as either Boldin or Fitzgerald are the intended targets more often than not.
TE Leonard Pope, Rec: 1 - 30 - 1 (2 targets) - Pope made the most of his limited looks, showing soft hands on a play action catch that he easily ran into the end zone.
PK Neil Rackers 3 - 4 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 11 points - Was three of four, with the only miss being from 52 yards out (he also made a 52 yard attempt). Won the game with his last-second 43 yard boot.
ARI Rush Defense - They shut down Alexander, plain and simple. Yes, they allowed a touchdown, but other than that lapse, they controlled the ground game.
ARI Pass Defense - The Cardinals secondary is better than you think. They did an admirable job of shutting down the Seahawk receivers when playing man to man coverage. Burleson's touchdown catch was the result of Hasselbeck taking advantage of their zone, and late in the game, most of Branch's yards came after the catch on comeback patterns.Indianapolis Colts 22, Tennessee Titans 20
What you need to know
Indianapolis Colts - The Colts came into this game with three extra days rest since their resounding victory on opening night victory over the New Orleans Saints.QB Peyton Manning threw for 312 yards with a single touchdown pass and a single interception. The interception was not his fault as WR Reggie Wayne simply stopped running on the play due to apparent leg pain.
The Colts made their way into the red zone on five separate occasions but only mustered a single touchdown on RB Joseph Addai's eight yard run. The other four trips ended up with FG attempts by PK Adam Vinatieri, who went three for four on the tries. One kick was blocked but still bounced off the crossbar and through the uprights; another kick missed wide left.
QB Peyton Manning targeted his tight ends a total of 15 times for 12 receptions. The Titans' defense was determined to stop the deep routes and Manning took what they gave him. His only touchdown pass was for 22 yards to TE Dallas Clark.
RB Joseph Addai averaged just over four yards a carry and ended up with 87 yards and a touchdown on 20 attempts.
Tennessee Titans - The Titans managed a last second upset of the Colts last year and they were able to keep this match-up close but failed to come away with a victory.
QB Vince Young was once again elusive running the ball. As usual, he was very adept at causing defenders to miss tackles seemingly every time he stepped past the line of scrimmage. Young tried to spread the ball out with seven different players catching the ball. WR Roydell Williams pulled in four receptions for 72 yards and a touchdown.
RB Chris Brown failed to come close to his eye-popping Week one totals only carrying the ball 12 times for 34 yards. RB LenDale White picked up the slack managing 64 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. CB Cortland Finnegan caught an interception deep in the Colts end which resulted in a touchdown from RB LenDale White.
WR Eric Moulds caught two balls early but wasn't heard from in the second half. WR Brandon Jones had a great chance to keep the Titans' last drive going but he let a ball bounce of his hands on third down.
What you ought to know
QB Peyton Manning, Pass: 28 - 42 - 312 - 1 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 1 - -2 - 0 - Manning spread the ball among his wide receivers and tight ends, generally taking what the Titans' defense would give. His only INT came on a play where targeted WR Reggie Wayne stopped running with some apparent leg pain. Manning targeted his tight ends a total of 15 times as the Titans tried to focus on stopping the deep routes. He took a hard hit from Albert Haynesworth on the first play of the second quarter but appeared fine for the duration of the game. The Colts made five trips to the red zone but only came away with a single touchdown which was the touchdown run by RB Joseph Addai. The other four trips ended up in FG attempts by PK Adam Vinatieri. In the red zone in the third quarter, Manning overthrew WR Reggie Wayne in the endzone.RB Joseph Addai, Rush: 20 - 81 - 1, Rec: 2 - 6 - 0 (3 targets) - Addai put up solid numbers versus the Titans' defense. He was targeted by Peyton Manning three times, but had a nice eight yard touchdown run in the first quarter. In the second quarter, he took a hard hit from Keith Bullock and was not on the field during the next play. He eventually returned to action.
WR Marvin Harrison, Rec: 6 - 87 - 0 (12 targets) - Harrison was targeted 12 times but only reeled in six of those passes. Late in the second quarter, QB Peyton Manning was drastically off target to Harrison as the two were uncharacteristically not in tune with each other.
WR Reggie Wayne, Rec: 5 - 70 - 0 (6 targets) - Wayne was targeted six times and hauled in five of those passes. In the third quarter, with the Colts deep in their own zone on a 3rd and eight, Wayne pulled up limping after some potential illegal contact. The pass ended up being picked off by the Titans, but Wayne returned on the next drive and did not miss any time.
WR Anthony Gonzalez, Rec: 3 - 49 - 0 (3 targets) - Rookie Gonzalez made the first catch of his career during the Colts' drive at the end of the first half. He held on to the ball despite being in the middle of some tight double coverage. His only other two receptions came during that same drive. He was not targeted in the second half.
TE Dallas Clark, Rec: 7 - 69 - 1 (10 targets) - Manning took what the Titans' defense gave him and targeted Clark ten times for seven receptions, 69 yards and a touchdown.
TE Ben Utecht, Rec: 5 - 31 - 0 (5 targets) - Utecht benefited from the Titans' focus on stopping the long ball. He was targeted five times and caught them all.
PK Adam Vinatieri 3 - 4 FG, 1 - 2 XP, 10 points - Vinatieri was good from 22, 39, and 20 on FG attempts, but was wide left on a 36 yard FG attempt in the fourth quarter. The 20 yard attempt was blocked but bounced off the crossbar and fell through the uprights. His first XP attempt in the first quarter was blocked, as well.
IND Rush Defense - The Titans 'offense managed 166 yards on the ground against the Colts defense. QB Vince Young proved elusive on a handful of plays causing numerous defenders to flat out miss tackles.
IND Pass Defense - The Colts held QB Vince Young to under 200 yards passing. The Titans averaged only 10.8 yards per reception. S Bob Sanders came up with 2.5 sacks and seven solo tackles. QB Vince Young, Pass: 17 - 27 - 184 - 1 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 5 - 53 - 0 - Young ran and threw the ball effectively throughout the game. On their final drive of the game, he ran twice and completed two passes but the drive ended after Brandon Jones let the ball tip off his hands on third down. On the final offensive play of the game, QB Vince Young was swarmed by defenders. He tossed the ball back to OL Jacob Bell who fumbled while trying to lateral it. Young also pulled off a 21 yard run in the second quarter. He made three defenders miss tackles before going down. On the Titans' second possession, he took a hard hit and laid on the ground for a few moments while holding his head before popping up and trying to fire up his team. With less than two minutes left in the first half, he ran out of bounds in the Colts end of the field. After the play he lightly tossed the ball at the gut of a Colts defender and was assessed a 15 yard penalty that effectively killed the drive.RB LenDale White, Rush: 15 - 64 - 1 - White rushed for the bulk of the yards for the Titans. He averaged 4.2 yards a carry and rushed for one touchdown. He was the featured back on the opening drive of the game.
RB Chris Brown, Rush: 12 - 34 - 0, Rec: 1 - 2 - 0 (1 targets) - Brown did not repeat his week one performance. Instead, he rushed 12 times for 34 yards and was out gained and outshone by RB LenDale White. He added one catch for two yards.
WR Brandon Jones, Rec: 5 - 57 - 0 (7 targets) - Jones was targeted seven times by Vince Young. He ended up with five catches for 57 yards. On the last drive of the game for the Titans, Jones had the ball bounce of his fingers on a critical third down with time ticking away. The Titans ended up turning the ball over on downs and losing the game.
WR Roydell Williams, Rec: 4 - 72 - 1 (5 targets) - Williams hauled in four catches for 72 yards and a touchdown. His touchdown catch came on a nice diving effort on the side of the endzone as he came down with the ball before falling out of bounds.
WR Chris Davis, Rush: 1 - 5 - 0, Rec: 3 - 17 - 0 (4 targets) - Davis pulled down three balls but only mustered 17 total yards. He also fumbled the ball along the sideline after a catch in the third quarter when the defender's helmet dislodged the ball from his grasp.
WR Eric Moulds, Rec: 2 - 18 - 0 (2 targets) - Moulds caught two passes in the first quarter against the Colts but was not targeted again for the rest of the game.
TE Bo Scaife, Rec: 1 - 8 - 0 (3 targets) - Despite all of the talk that Scaife is QB Vince Young's favorite receiving target, Scaife only pulled down a single catch for eight yards over three targets.
TE Ben Troupe (1 targets) - Troupe was targeted only once during the loss and finished the game with no receptions.
PK Rob Bironas 2 - 2 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 8 points - Bironas was two for two on both FGs and XPs.
TEN Rush Defense - The Titans held Joseph Addai to just 36 yards in the second half, even stopping Addai for a loss on a key 3rd and one late in the game. Addai averaged just over four yards per carry against the Titans defense for the game.
TEN Pass Defense - The Titans managed one interception against QB Peyton Manning on a play where WR Reggie Wayne stopped running due to apparent leg pain deep in their own zone. CB Cortland Finnegan was waiting for the ball and gave the Titans superb field position.
The Titans defense was determined to stop the deep passes from QB Peyton Manning to his receivers. Instead of throwing deep, Manning targeted his tight ends 15 times for 12 catches and a touchdown. DL Albert Haynesworth and DL Kyle Vanden Bosch each had a sack.
Kansas City Chiefs 10, Chicago Bears 20
What you need to know
Kansas City Chiefs - Kansas City came out trying to control the clock and keep the Bears defense on the field. They attempted to control the game by keeping the ball on the ground and completing short passes. The inability to consistently move the ball on the ground led to four consecutive three and outs in the first half. They were able to move the ball in the air on the next to last drive of the half, scoring a touchdown to make the score 17-7 before halftime.The second half saw Kansas City attempting to capitalize on Bears' turnovers. They were able to convert one Rex Grossman interception in Chicago territory to a field goal to make it 20-10 in the third quarter. Another Grossman interception almost led to a Kansas City touchdown in the fourth quarter, but Damon Huard threw an interception in the end zone, ending one scoring threat. The last Kansas City threat ended late in the fourth quarter on a Michal Bennett fumble when he was trying to gain extra yardage.
Kansas City was able to move the ball through the air, despite the absence of Eddie Kennison, their leading receiver. Kennison's absence led to an increased role for Sammie Parker and Dwayne Bowe in the offense. Bowe was able to catch three passes for 22 yards, including a 16 yard touchdown in the first half. Parker finished with three catches for 20 yards and was the target of the Huard interception in the end zone. The Bears defense was able to wear down the Chiefs offensive line in the fourth quarter, getting consistent pressure on the quarterback and managing 3 sacks in the final period.
Chicago Bears - Chicago established the running game early, using a combination of Cedric Benson and