Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20, Carolina Panthers 7
What you need to know
Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Jeff Garcia drove Tampa Bay for a score on the opening drive of the game. He capped the drive with a three yard touchdown run and put the Buccaneers up for good. Garcia completed 15 of 25 passes for 176 yards. He did not throw a touchdown but he also did not throw an interception and was not sacked.Cadillac Williams had a great start to the game rushing for 41 yards on six carries. At the end of an 18 yard run, Williams went down awkwardly on his right knee. He left the game on a cart. Pittman and Graham stepped in and played very well. They combined for 138 yards on 32 carries. Graham scored a touchdown on a short run.
The Panthers were able to shut down Joey Galloway but Ike Hilliard picked up the slack. Hilliard caught seven passes for 114 yards. He made a nice catch on a 56 yard pass play. Galloway only saw two passes thrown his way. He caught one pass for just seven yards. Alex Smith added four catches for 17 yards.
The Tampa Bay defense completely shut down the Carolina offense. They recorded three sacks as well as two turnovers. The defense was looking like it might shut out the Panthers but Carolina scored with just seconds remaining in the game.
Carolina Panthers - David Carr was called on to start the game with Delhomme unable to play. Carr struggled quite a bit against a tough Tampa defense. He completed 19 passes on 41 attempts. Under pressure all day, he threw for 155 yards, one touchdown and one interception.DeShaun Foster carried the ball 15 times for 64 yards and he also caught three passes for 17 yards. DeAngelo Williams only carried the ball two times for five yards. He caught three passes for 37 yards including a 24 yard touchdown pass on a screen play. The touchdown came with just 23 seconds left in the game.
Eight different Carolina players caught passes in the game. Steve Smith caught the most balls with five. Yardage wise the leading receiver was DeAngelo Williams with just 37 yards. David Carr was under a lot of pressure in the game and it definitely affected his ability to get the ball to his receivers.
The Carolina defense was unable to get pressure on Garcia. He threw for 176 yards on 15 pass completions. The Panthers gave up over 4 yards per carry to the combination of Pittman, Graham and Williams. Overall Tampa Bay rushed for 189 yards. Carolina had no sacks and was only able to force one turnover, a fumble by Ike Hilliard.
What you ought to know
QB Jeff Garcia, Pass: 15 - 25 - 176 - 0 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 4 - 10 - 1 - Garcia has seemed to make a big difference in the Tampa Bay offense. He is able to move the team down the field with both his arm and legs. On the opening drive of the game, Garcia passed for 47 yards and then scored a touchdown on a three yard run. He completed 60% of his passes going 15 for 25 for 176 yards and no interceptions. Garcia's only touchdown of the game was on his three yard run.RB Earnest Graham, Rush: 17 - 48 - 1, Rec: 1 - 8 - 0 (2 targets) - Graham split time with Pittman after Cadillac Williams left the game with an injury. Graham ran for 48 yards on 17 carries and scored a touchdown from the one yard line. Tampa had gotten to the Carolina 13 yard line when Graham came into the game. He carried three straight times for the score. Later in the game, with the ball at the Carolina four yard line, Graham got four chances to score. The Panthers defense stepped up and held Graham out of the end zone on four straight plays.
RB Michael Pittman, Rush: 15 - 90 - 0 (1 targets) - Pittman came into the game after Williams got hurt. He ran the ball effectively gaining 90 yards on 15 carries. He got a chance from the Carolina nine yard line but only picked up two yards so Tampa had to settle for a field goal. Late in the third quarter Pittman ran the ball three straight times down to the Carolina four yard line. He then came out of the game in favor of Graham.
RB Cadillac Williams, Rush: 6 - 41 - 0 (2 targets) - Williams was having a very good start to the game before he was injured on an 18 yard run. He went down awkwardly on his knee and had to be carted off the field. Early reports are that it's a season ending injury. Prior to leaving the game, Williams carried the ball six times for 41 yards.
RB B.J. Askew, Rec: 1 - 17 - 0 (2 targets) - Askew caught one pass for 17 yards. His catch continued the drive that led to Tampa Bay's second touchdown. Garcia tried to hit him deep down the field later in the game but the pass was incomplete.
WR Ike Hilliard, Rec: 7 - 114 - 0 (7 targets) - With Carolina aiming to shut down Galloway, Ike Hilliard was targeted seven times by Garcia. He caught all seven passes for 114 yards. On the opening drive of the game, Hilliard caught four passes for 46 yards. His final catch got the ball down to the three yard line. Garcia ran the ball in on the next play. In the second quarter, Hilliard fumbled after trying to gain more yards after the catch. He later redeemed himself with a nice catch for a 56 yard completion. The catch led to a field goal for Tampa Bay.
WR Michael Clayton, Rec: 1 - 13 - 0 (2 targets) - Clayton caught one pass for 13 yards. His only other target was near the Carolina goal line. The pass was incomplete and the drive ended in a Tampa field goal.
WR Joey Galloway, Rec: 1 - 7 - 0 (2 targets) - Galloway was basically shut down the entire game. His first target was not until the fourth quarter. Galloway caught one pass for seven yards.
TE Alex Smith, Rec: 4 - 17 - 0 (6 targets) - Smith caught four passes for 17 yards. Garcia mainly tried to hit Smith on short passes. He got one red zone opportunity but it was just a one yard pass from the Carolina ten yard line.
PK Matt Bryant 2 - 2 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 8 points - Matt Bryant made field goals from 25 and 38 yards. He made both of his extra point attempts as well.
TB Rush Defense - The Tampa rush defense shut down the Carolina running game only allowing the Panthers to gain 99 rushing yards. The Panthers picked up just six first downs on the ground. They forced a DeShaun Foster fumble deep in Carolina territory. The Tampa offense wasn't able to cash in on the turnover when they got stopped on fourth down at the one yard line. Carolina did not get inside the Tampa Bay 45 yard line until the final drive of the game.
TB Pass Defense - The Tampa Bay pass defense put pressure on David Carr all game. They kept him on the run and quite often just forced him to just get rid of the ball. The defense sacked Carr three times and also intercepted him once. They also forced a fumble on a Foster catch but he was able to recover. The defense only allowed 155 passing yards. They had a shut out going until the final 23 seconds when Carr's screen pass to Williams went for a touchdown. QB David Carr, Pass: 19 - 41 - 155 - 1 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 5 - 28 - 0 - Carr filled in for Jake Delhomme but wasn't able to get anything done against a suffocating Tampa Bay defense. He threw the ball 41 times but only completed 19 passes for 155 yards. Carr was under pressure most of the game and it led to one interception. He did have a touchdown right before the end of the game. With Tampa trying for the shut out, Carr hit Williams with a screen pass and he was able to score from 23 yards out. Carr showed his athleticism early in the second quarter when he was scrambling and instead of sliding he pulled a Superman-like dive right over two defenders. It definitely got the crowd back into the game even though Carolina was down 14-0 at that point.RB DeShaun Foster, Rush: 15 - 64 - 0, Rec: 3 - 17 - 0 (6 targets) - Foster rushed for 64 yards on 15 carries. He never quite got on track but did have a nice run of 13 yards. Foster fumbled twice in the game losing one of them. His lost fumble was on a 10 yard run but it gave the ball to Tampa Bay at the Carolina 20 yard line. On their final drive, Foster had an incomplete pass thrown to him at the Tampa 14 yard line. It was his only red zone opportunity.
RB DeAngelo Williams, Rush: 2 - 5 - 0, Rec: 3 - 37 - 1 (6 targets) - Williams scored the only touchdown for Carolina. It came with just 23 seconds left and prevented a shutout. Williams carried the ball just two times for five yards. He also caught three passes for 37 yards. His touchdown reception was on a screen and he picked up 24 yards for the score.
RB Brad Hoover, Rush: 1 - 2 - 0, Rec: 2 - 17 - 0 (2 targets) - Hoover carried the ball one time for just two yards. He also caught two passes for 17 yards. At the start of the second half, he caught a pass that went for 14 yards and got the ball to midfield. The drive stalled after his first down.
WR Steve Smith, Rec: 5 - 32 - 0 (9 targets) - Tampa's defense bottled up Smith and it definitely had Smith frustrated. The cameras picked up Smith yelling into the sideline telephone most likely calling for the ball. Overall Smith had five catches for 32 yards with his longest catch going for 15 yards. All of Smith's catches came on short passes. Carr tried to hit him deep on a couple of plays but they were unsuccessful.
WR Keary Colbert, Rec: 2 - 16 - 0 (5 targets) - Colbert caught two passes for 16 yards. Carr didn't throw to him until the second half. His first catch came right before the two minute warning. His other catch picked up a first down at the Tampa Bay 25 yard line.
WR Drew Carter, Rec: 2 - 16 - 0 (6 targets) - Carter was thrown to six times but he caught just two passes for 16 yards. Carr looked for him on third down a couple of times but both passes were incomplete. Twice Carolina went for it on fourth down and both passes were thrown for Carter. He caught one for a first down and the other was way overthrown. At the end of the game, Carter made a diving catch in the end zone but a holding penalty brought the play back.
WR Dwayne Jarrett, Rec: 1 - 6 - 0 (1 targets) - Jarrett caught his first career pass for six yards. It was his only target of the game.
TE Jeff King, Rec: 1 - 14 - 0 (6 targets) - King caught one pass for 14 yards although he was targeted six times. His only pass came over the middle and he was wide open. King did have a catch for eight yards brought back on a holding call. Carr was targeting King when he was intercepted in the fourth quarter.
PK John Kasay 0 - 0 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 1 points - Kasay had one extra point try and made it. Carolina did not attempt a field goal.
CAR Rush Defense - The Carolina rush defense was unable to stop the Tampa Bay rushing combo of Williams, Pittman and Graham. Tampa Bay gained 189 yards on the ground. It allowed Tampa Bay to control the clock and led to nine minutes more in time of possession. The Carolina defense gave up 12 first downs on the ground and also two touchdowns. Garcia scored on a three yard run and Graham punched one in from the one yard line. The highlight for Carolina was a nice goal line stand. They stopped Graham on four straight runs inside the five yard line.
CAR Pass Defense - The pass defense only gave up 176 yards of passing yards but they did not get any sacks or interceptions of Garcia. They did have a fumble recovery on an Ike Hilliard reception. Besides Kris Jenkins, the Carolina defense just didn't seem to be able to get any pressure on the quarterback. Julius Peppers came out early in the game and was having his wrist checked out. He did return to the game but wasn't very effective. The defense was hurt by the loss of Dan Morgan, who was out with an ankle injury.New York Jets 14, Buffalo Bills 17
What you need to know
New York Jets - Despite having defenses ranked 28th and 34th entering the game, the Jets and Bills played to a scoreless tie in the first half. The Jets were unable to establish a consistent running game. Instead, New York turned to Chad Pennington. Pennington put the ball in the air 39 times and completed 32 of those passes. At one point, he connected on 15 straight attempts. However, Pennington threw two costly interceptions. The first set up Buffalo deep in Jets' territory and resulted in a Michael Gaines touchdown catch. The second pick killed New York's chances of setting up a potential game tying field goal at the conclusion of the contest.Thomas Jones gained only 35 yards on 12 attempts. He generally found the running lanes hard to come by. The Jets mostly abandoned the running game, despite the game being close.
Buffalo Bills - The battered Bills were home underdogs to the 1-2 Jets and many considered their season to already be over. With 12 players out for the game and already with seven players on injured reserve, the Bills could have easily folded and given up. Instead, they were led by two rookies. Quarterback Trent Edwards made his first ever start and outplayed his opponent, Chad Pennington. Running back Marshawn Lynch had another solid effort (23 carries and 79 yards) that including a bruising, hard fought ten yard touchdown run.Edwards played so well for injured starter J.P. Losman that a quarterback controversy may begin brewing in Buffalo. Edwards was calm, cool, and collected throughout the game. He threw the ball with zip and great accuracy, usually leading receivers nearly perfectly. His one interception came on a deep attempt to Lee Evans. The pass was well thrown. Unfortunately, for Edwards, Andre Dyson made a much better play for the ball than Evans.
Buffalo finally was able to get star receiver Lee Evans back on track. After averaging over 80 yards per game last season, Evans had managed only five receptions for 29 yards in the Bills' first three games. Evans led the Bills with six catches for 72 yards.
The Bills entered the game ranked last in all major defensive categories. With seven defensive players either on injured reserve or out for the game, the Buffalo defense figured to continue to struggle. Thomas Jones was expected to get a healthy dose of the football, but the Bill defense never let him get rolling. Jones gained only 35 yards on twelve rushing attempts. Instead, New York moved the ball through the air with success. However, the Bill pass defense came up with two big interceptions, including a game sealing interception by Terrence McGee with six seconds to play.
What you ought to know
QB Chad Pennington, Pass: 32 - 39 - 290 - 1 TD / 2 INT, Rush: 1 - 1 - 0 - Pennington played well during most of the game. He connected on 82 percent of his passes for 290 yards. At one point, he completed 15 consecutive pass attempts. As usual, Pennington displayed a deft touch on most of his passes. His accuracy allows him to get by with less than ideal arm strength. However, his arm sometimes puts his receivers in less than ideal positions. Pennington threw two costly interceptions. The second one came with six seconds left and with the Jets threatening to get into position for a tying field goal. Pennington's pass attempt to Justin McCareins fluttered like a wounded duck before Terrence McGee plucked it out of the air and sealed the Jets' fate. With time running out at the end of the first half, Pennington faked a clock killing spike and instead hit Laveranues Coles for a 16 yard connection to set up a 37 yard field goal attempt by Mike Nugent. Pennington threw mainly short and medium type routes, but did have a few deep attempts. His 28 yard completion to Jerricho Cotchery is his longest pass of the season. Prior to the game, he had not attempted a pass more than 16 yards downfield.RB Thomas Jones, Rush: 12 - 35 - 0, Rec: 2 - 20 - 0 (3 targets) - With Buffalo's defensive woes, Jones figured to have a big game. Instead, he gained only 35 yards on 12 carries. 31 of those yards came on four runs, meaning Jones gained only four yards on his other eight attempts. Although Jones was not having a big game, the Jets abandoned the running game in favor of Pennington passes, even though the game was close. Given more of an opportunity, Jones may have been able to post more respectable numbers.
Jones caught two passes for 20 yards.RB Leon Washington, Rush: 4 - 24 - 1, Rec: 8 - 38 - 0 (9 targets) - Washington was featured prominently when the Jets ran their no huddle and two minute offenses. His four rushing attempts included runs of nine and eight yards. The latter was a quick touchdown burst up the middle of the Bills' defense. The touchdown was the fifth of Washington's career.
Washington was targeted nine times and caught eight short passes. He also returned two kickoffs for a 27 yard average.WR Jerricho Cotchery, Rush: 1 - -2 - 0, Rec: 8 - 106 - 0 (10 targets) - Cotchery led the Jets with eight receptions for 106 yards. His 28 yard reception is Chad Pennington's longest completion of the season.
Cotchery had one carry on an end around. The defense snuffed out the play for a two yard loss.WR Laveranues Coles, Rec: 8 - 65 - 1 (10 targets) - Coles hauled in eight passes for sixty five yards. He caught a short five yard fade in heavy traffic for Chad Pennington's only touchdown of the game. Coles was featured mostly on shorter routes and had a long gain of 18 yards. He made a particularly nice grab on the penultimate play of the first half, when Chad Pennington faked spiking the ball and threw a quick pass to Coles. The pass was slightly off target and Coles had to stretch out over a defender to corral it.
WR Brad Smith, Rush: 1 - 2 - 0, Rec: 2 - 36 - 0 (3 targets) - Smith has been gaining more time as he competes to become the Jets' third receiver. He was targeted only three times, however. Smith caught a swing pass for a ten yard gain. He also had a 26 yard reception.
The versatile Smith took one handoff for a two yard gain.WR Justin McCareins (2 targets) - McCareins has been losing some time to Brad Smith, who is threatening to take over the third wide receiver role. He was not targeted until Pennington tried to hit him on a go route down the sideline late in the fourth quarter. McCareins was the targeted receiver on Pennington's last pass of the game. McCareins never had a chance as the short, fluttering pass was picked off.
McCareins was guilty of an illegal motion penalty.TE Chris Baker, Rec: 3 - 24 - 0 (3 targets) - Baker caught a season high three passes for 24 yards. His final reception came on a short sideline route. On the play, Baker dragged a Bills' defender and was able to reach the ball to get out of bounds and stop the clock. Earlier, he was guilty of a false start penalty.
TE Joseph Kowalewski, Rec: 1 - 1 - 0 (1 targets) - Kowalewski tallied his first career reception, but gained only one yard.
PK Mike Nugent 0 - 1 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 2 points - Nugent hit the right upright from 37 yards on his only field goal attempt. He converted his two extra point tries.
NYJ Rush Defense - The Jets run defense held the Bills to 86 yards rushing on 28 attempts, a 3.1 yard per carry average. Jonathan Vilma led New York with seven solo tackles, one assist, and a forced fumble.
NYJ Pass Defense - The Jets were victimized by Trent Edwards' great performance. Edwards was razor sharp with most of his throws. He completed nearly eighty percent of his passes for 234 yards. Andre Dyson made a nice play on a deep pass attempt for the Jets lone interception. Shaun Ellis and Victor Hobson had sacks. Hobson also recovered a fumble. Rookie cornerback Darrelle Revis looked good and had six solo tackles and two assists. QB Trent Edwards, Pass: 22 - 28 - 234 - 1 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 1 - -1 - 0 - The sixth quarterback taken in the 2007 draft made his first career start due to J.P. Losman's knee injury. It was fitting that Buffalo was playing the Jets, because Edwards had a Chad Pennington-like performance. In fact, he outplayed his opponent. Edwards completed ten of his first eleven throws for 116 yards. He would have been a perfect eleven for eleven, but was victimized by Lee Evans' drop of his third pass. Edwards looked as composed as a wily veteran and had little difficulty going through his progressions. He was also amazingly accurate. Nearly all of his passes were crisp and right on the money. Edward threw one interception. He tried to hit Lee Evans on a bomb from the New York 38 yard line. The pass was well thrown, but Andre Dyson made a great play on the ball for the interception. Edwards calmly found tight end Michael Gaines for a one yard touchdown on a fourth and goal play in the fourth quarter. It was the first touchdown pass of his career. It was a good indication of how much faith the coaching staff has in Edwards as the team was initially lined up for a field goal but after a timeout, decided to go for the touchdown. Edwards was credited with one yard loss on a kneel down play to end the game.RB Marshawn Lynch, Rush: 23 - 79 - 1 - Lynch, Buffalo's rookie running back from Cal, had another solid effort. He averaged 3.4 yards on his 23 rushing attempts. Lynch did not find many huge holes to run through. However, he ran hard and frequently broke tackles for extra yardage. He does a good job of keeping his feet moving and gaining extra yards after contact.
Lynch's best run may have been his touchdown run. On the play, he powered through the middle of the Jet defense for a ten yard score. He was later stopped at the one yard line twice before Michael Gaines scored on fourth down. Lynch lost the football on two occasions, but neither were fumbles. The first time was on his touchdown run after the ball had already crossed the plane of the end zone. On the second occasion, Lynch was already down.RB Anthony Thomas, Rush: 2 - 4 - 0 (1 targets) - Thomas had two rushing attempts for four yards. He was targeted once and muffed the catch. In fact, he looked more like a volleyball player, who was trying to set up a teammate; the pass was batted up and nearly intercepted
RB Dwayne Wright, Rush: 1 - 0 - 0 - Wright had Buffalo's first rushing attempt, but was stopped for no gain.
WR Lee Evans, Rec: 6 - 72 - 0 (8 targets) - Buffalo made sure to get Evans involved in the game early; the first offensive play was a quick pass to Evans for a six yard gain. Evans was targeted a team high eight times and led the Bills in receiving. Trent Edwards' lone interception came on a deep pass attempt to Evans in the end zone. The ball may have been slightly underthrown, but Evans waited for it to get to him (it never did) rather than go up and fight for the ball. Evans also dropped a pass early in the game. He had lots of room to run, if he had caught the pass. Evans later made a pretty leaping catch, where he had to fully extend to reach a high Edwards' pass. It was an encouraging game for Evans after such a slow start to the season.
WR Josh Reed, Rush: 1 - 4 - 0, Rec: 4 - 64 - 0 (6 targets) - Reed caught four of his six targets. He had Buffalo's longest gain on a 27 yard reception. Reed also added a 22 yard catch. Reed was unable to hold onto a third down pass with just under two minutes in the game and the Bills were forced to put their fate in the hands of the defense.
Reed gained four yards on an end around.WR Roscoe Parrish, Rec: 4 - 33 - 0 (4 targets) - Parrish caught all four of his targets for 33 yards. He was used primarily on quick outs or swing passes which give him a chance to make people miss in hopes of using his speed and agility in the open field.
Parrish returned one punt for 12 yards.WR Peerless Price, Rec: 1 - 14 - 0 (1 targets) - Price was targeted only once and had a 14 yard catch.
TE Michael Gaines, Rec: 4 - 20 - 1 (4 targets) - Gaines caught all four of his targets. His one yard touchdown grab was his first touchdown of the season and third of his career.
TE Robert Royal, Rec: 3 - 31 - 0 (3 targets) - Royal caught all three of his targets. He was responsible for Buffalo's first turnover when he lost a fumble after a six yard gain early in the game.
PK Rian Lindell 1 - 1 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 5 points - Lindell nailed a 46 yard field goal on his only attempt. He hit both extra point tries. Lindell is a perfect 14 for 14 on field goal attempts again the Jets.
BUF Rush Defense - The Bills defense held New York to 60 rushing yards, a pretty remarkable feat, considering the unit was rankled dead last in the NFL coming into the game. Angelo Crowell had a strong game with eight solo tackles and three assists.
BUF Pass Defense - Chad Pennington completed 82 percent of his passes for nearly 300 yards against the Buffalo defense. The unit had two key interceptions, though. Jabari Greer's interception set up Trent Edwards' touchdown pass to Michael Gaines. Terrence McGee picked off Chad Pennington's last pass to seal the victory for Buffalo. McGee also broke up a deep pass attempt to Justin McCareins in the fourth quarter. Chris Kelsay had Buffalo's only sack. Buffalo's defense, which has been decimated by injures, lost defensive back, Ashton Youboty, who was taken for x-rays on his ankle.Green Bay Packers 23, Minnesota Vikings 16
What you need to know
Green Bay Packers - Brett Favre played like his old self on the day he broke one of the biggest records in all of pro football. Early in the first quarter, he hit Greg Jennings in the end zone for his 421st career touchdown pass, breaking Dan Marino's old mark of 420. After a brief in game celebration, Favre went on to efficiently carve up the Vikings defense for 344 yards and two touchdowns.Favre hit ten different receivers on this historic day, with the Donald's being the biggest benefactors. Donald Lee was a frequent underneath target finishing with a team high 66 yards on four receptions. Donald Driver lead the Packers with seven receptions that went for 58 yards. James Jones and Greg Jennings caught the touchdown passes.
The Packers never attempted to establish a running game throughout the afternoon. They only had 20 rushing attempts, four of which were Brett Favre scrambles. DeShawn Wynn lead the team with ten rushes for 20 yards.
Minnesota Vikings - The Vikings showed a little more offense spark this week on offense, but more often then not stopped themselves with mistakes before being able to finish a drive. Kelly Holcomb played more efficiently in his second start for the Vikings, finishing with 258 yards, a touchdown and an interception, but he still made numerous mental mistakes that prevented the Vikings from putting together many extended drives.Adrian Peterson was the star of the offense, but surprisingly finished with just 13 touches on the day. He rushed for 112 yards on 12 carries, and added 6 more yards on a reception. Peterson was the primary kick returner on the day, and gave up several plays to Chester Taylor on long returns. Taylor managed 40 yards on eight carries, and had one reception for 11 yards.
Bobby Wade lead the Vikings receivers with 83 yards on five receptions. Sidney Rice had his biggest day as a Viking yet with six receptions for 75 yards and scored his first touchdown.
What you ought to know
QB Brett Favre, Pass: 32 - 45 - 344 - 2 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 4 - 1 - 0 - On the day the Minnesota Vikings wore throwback uniforms, Brett Favre played like a throwback of himself. He repeatedly dissected the Vikings secondary, finishing with 344 yards, two touchdowns and completing 71% of his passes. The Packers never tried to establish a running game all day, as Brett Favre was able to move the Packers up and down the field. As good as Favre numbers were, the lack of running game hurt his final totals as the Packers were unable to convert a handful of short third down conversions that could have potentially given Favre more opportunities to throw the ball.RB DeShawn Wynn, Rush: 10 - 20 - 0, Rec: 2 - 10 - 0 (2 targets) - Wynn was the primary ball carries for the Packers, but the Packers lack of enthusiasm for the running game prevented him from any opportunity for a productive day. He never found much running room, evidenced by the fact that his longest carry on the day was for 3 yards. He also caught two short passes for ten yards.
RB Vernand Morency, Rush: 1 - 2 - 0, Rec: 3 - 33 - 0 (3 targets) - Morency made his return from injury, but did not make much of an impact on the game. He never appeared in the game for any extended length of time, and only touched the ball four times.
WR Donald Driver, Rush: 1 - -1 - 0, Rec: 7 - 58 - 0 (10 targets) - Driver was a frequent target of Favre all afternoon. Most of his targets were quick slants or crossing routes. His longer receptions were the result of being able to make a move on his defender and turning it upfield for yards after the catch.
WR James Jones, Rec: 4 - 49 - 1 (7 targets) - Jones was targeted several times this afternoon, mainly on quick slants and crossing routes. He did make the most of his one deep opportunity of the game, beating his defender up the sideline and was hit by Brett Farve in stride for a 33 yard touchdown.
WR Greg Jennings, Rec: 3 - 43 - 1 (6 targets) - Jennings, like a handful Packers receivers, had many opportunities in the passing game today. Jennings was the most frequently targeted receiver deeper than ten yards, including his 16 yard touchdown. In addition to his six official targets, he was also the intended receiver on Brett Favre's first pass 60+ yards downfield that was intercepted by Darren Sharper. This play was called back on a defensive illegal contact penalty.
TE Bubba Franks, Rec: 4 - 30 - 0 (6 targets) - Franks was a frequent target in the short passing game, his longest reception was 12 yards. He also had two drops of passes that he could have caught and made his final line even better.
TE Donald Lee, Rec: 4 - 66 - 0 (5 targets) - Lee was Favre's most consistent deep threat for the game. Lee caught passes of 27, 27, ten, and two yards. However, he did fumble after his second 27 yard reception.
PK Mason Crosby 3 - 3 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 11 points - Crosby did convert on both extra points, and all field goal attempts. His field goals were of 28, 44, and 33 yards.
GB Rush Defense - The Green Bay rush defense looked porous when Adrian Peterson was on the field, giving up 112 yards on just 12 carries to Peterson. However, they looked much better when Chester Taylor was on the field whom had 40 yards on eight carries, though had 37 of them on just one carry. For the game, the Packers gave up 155 yards on 22 carries (over seven yards per carry).
GB Pass Defense - The Packers pass defense played better than the 258 yards they gave up to Kelly Holcomb. The Vikings receivers were well covered all afternoon, and except for one long pass to Bobby Wade, did not give up anything deep. QB Kelly Holcomb, Pass: 21 - 39 - 258 - 1 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 1 - 0 - 0 - Kelly Holcomb played marginally better with an additional week or work with the first unit. He did make several mental mistakes during the game, including holding the ball far too long in the pocket resulting in four sacks. He also continued to miss several receivers deep, or in one instance, lead Troy Williamson out of bounds. He did hit Bobby Wade deep one pass that went for 40 yards. Otherwise, most of his success was on short passes in long yardage to go situations, or check downs to backs and tight ends.RB Adrian Peterson, Rush: 12 - 112 - 0, Rec: 1 - 6 - 0 (2 targets) - Peterson was the focus of the Vikings offense early in the game, but did not get enough touches for his yardage totals to be as impressive as his play. The Packers did have him bottled up several times, but he always seemed to manage to fall forward to pick up a couple yards on a play that looked to be going nowhere. His best run of the day was off tackle to the right where he made untouched going through the hole. He made a nice cutback on a defensive back and turned on the speed down the middle of the field, but was eventually tackled by Nick Collins after a 55 yard gain. Peterson was the primary kick returner, and came out of the game after a couple long returns. With Chester Taylor in the game, the Vikings were not as successful maintaining drives, so by the time Peterson was ready to get back into the game, the Vikings were almost ready to punt. Peterson was not a factor in the passing game with only two targets. One of which was a throw-away by Holcomb avoiding a sack.
RB Chester Taylor, Rush: 8 - 40 - 0, Rec: 1 - 11 - 0 (4 targets) - Taylor was the official starting running back for the game, but Adrian Peterson was the focus of the offense. Taylor had 8 carries on the game, but had success on just two of them. One was a five yard gain, and the other went for 37 yards. Outside of those two carries, he had six carries for negative two yards. He was targeted four times, but only managed one 11 yard reception.
WR Sidney Rice, Rec: 6 - 75 - 1 (9 targets) - Rice was the most targeted receiver for Holcomb on the afternoon and has started to assert himself as a reliable third down receiver. Rice was targeted deep twice early in the game, but Holcomb failed to hit him both times. Rice then asserted himself on third down, making two big third down conversions. Rice best play of the game was his first touchdown reception of his young career, jumping high in the end zone and reaching over the defensive back for the grab.
WR Bobby Wade, Rec: 5 - 83 - 0 (8 targets) - Wade was the second most targeted receiver for Holcomb on the afternoon. Wade managed to pull in five of his eight targets, including one of the rare successful deep passes for the Vikings on the season. Wade beat his defender and got a step behind him, and Holcomb hit him in stride for a 40 yard gain. Wade also had a nice 18 yard reception late in the game, but otherwise was targeted mostly on short routes. He finished with career highs in both receptions (six) and yards (75).
TE Visanthe Shiancoe, Rec: 4 - 38 - 0 (5 targets) - Shiancoe made several nice receptions, pulling in four of his five targets for 38 yards. He looked like he continued to build chemistry with Holcomb, and while he was not as targeted as much as the receivers, he converted most of his chances.
PK Ryan Longwell 3 - 3 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 10 points - Longwell was perfect on the day, converting on his only extra point and field goals of 44, 35 and 48 yards.
MIN Rush Defense - The Vikings rush defense was stout, but relatively untested for the game. The Packers only attempted 15 rushes by their running backs, with Brett Favre adding four scrambles and Donald Driver trying a reverse. The Packers had good reason not to test the Vikings front four any further, managing just 46 yards on their 20 attempts.
MIN Pass Defense - The Vikings were unable to stop Brett Favre all game long. The Packers used the short passing game as a substitute for their lack of running game, and with few exceptions the Vikings were unable to make plays to stop them. Had the Packers had any semblance of a running game to help convert a few more third downs, the Vikings defense would have been on the field all game.Seattle Seahawks 23, San Francisco 49ers 3
What you need to know
Seattle Seahawks - Led by an aggressive defense, the Seahawks took control of this game early and never relinquished it. Matt Hasselbeck had a good afternoon, spreading the ball around to nine different receivers as he completed 23 of 31 passes for 281 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Deion Branch was his primary target, hauling in seven balls for 130 yards against the 49ers. Bobby Engram caught a seventeen yard touchdown pass in the second quarter, one of four passes he took for 53 yards on the afternoon. Nate Burleson was relatively quiet with two receptions for ten yards. The Seahawks did a good job of getting Seneca Wallace involved in this game, though he caught only pass for eighteen yards.Tight end Marcus Pollard caught Hasselbeck's other touchdown, one of two balls he pulled in for 23 yards. The running backs were very involved in the Seattle passing game, with Leonard Weaver leading the way with four catches for 26 yards. Fellow fullback Mack Strong added a twelve yard reception, while halfbacks Shaun Alexander and Maurice Morris each pulled in one pass, going for five and four yards respectively.
Though the Seahawks led for the majority of the afternoon, they were unable to get the running game completely untracked, with Shaun Alexander gaining just 78 yards on 25 carries. Maurice Morris returned from an injury to carry the ball late in a decided game, pickup up 13 yards on five attempts, while Leonard Weaver added six yards on three carries. Both Matt Hasselbeck and Seneca Wallace finished with negative yards, losing three and one yard each.
San Francisco 49ers - A hard hit on the first series of the game knocked Alex Smith out with a shoulder injury and forced Trent Dilfer into the game after one incomplete pass by Smith. Dilfer found the Seahawks pass rush to be too much as well, completing only 12 of 33 passes for 128 yards and two interceptions. Running back Frank Gore led the team in receiving yards with 42 yards on three catches. Wide receivers Darrell Jackson and Arnaz Battle each caught three balls as well, with Jackson gaining 38 yards to Battle's 19 yards. Taylor Jacobs served as the third receiver and chipped in one catch for 14 yards. The presence of Vernon Davis was clearly missed from this offense, with Delanie Walker catching just one pass for seven yards. Maurice Hicks added an eight yard catch out of the backfield as well.Frank Gore showed great strength in breaking tackles and finding the open hole, but was clearly not given the ball enough, handling it for just sixteen carries for a total of 79 yards. Michael Robinson broke off a 28 yard run, while Maurice Hicks added two yards on two carries. Given the ineffectiveness of the 49ers passing game and aggressive pass rush, it is somewhat surprising that even despite being behind that San Francisco did not attempt to run the ball more in this game.
What you ought to know
QB Matt Hasselbeck, Pass: 23 - 31 - 281 - 2 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 3 - -3 - 0 - Hasselbeck led an efficient game, utilizing all of his resources and finishing with a passer rating of 88.2 with an average gain over nine yards per passing attempt. Hasselbeck's interception came on a sideline route where Nate Clements was blanketing his receiver and Matt made a poor decision.RB Shaun Alexander, Rush: 25 - 78 - 0, Rec: 1 - 5 - 0 (1 targets) - Alexander averaged just over three yards per carry and was kept out of the end zone in the 23-3 win. Alexander had just one carry from inside the five yard line, a third and a goal attempt from the three yard line where he was stuffed for a two yard loss.
WR Deion Branch, Rec: 7 - 130 - 0 (11 targets) - Branch was very active all afternoon, and came up with a 65 yard catch to help setup teammate Bobby Engram on his touchdown catch.
WR Bobby Engram, Rec: 4 - 53 - 1 (7 targets) - With his touchdown catch on the afternoon and multiple catches over fifteen yards, Engram showed his versatility as a receiver to play a position other than the slot and make catches directly over the middle of the field.
WR Nate Burleson, Rec: 2 - 10 - 0 (3 targets) - Burleson was relatively quiet in this game with two short grabs, but was targeted once on a deep ball.
TE Marcus Pollard, Rec: 2 - 23 - 1 (2 targets) - Pollard hauled in his touchdown pass at the three yard line and took it in for his first touchdown of the season. Pollard was only targeted twice in this game, though Matt Hasselbeck did a good job of spreading the ball around all day.
PK Josh Brown 3 - 3 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 11 points - Brown was good from 23, 25 and 31 yards out in addition to two extra point attempts.
SEA Rush Defense - The Seahawks somewhat struggled to tackle Frank Gore at times throughout the game, but working with a lead, limited Gore to just sixteen carries on the afternoon. They forced Gore to fumble twice early in the game, recovering one.
SEA Pass Defense - The pass rush made life difficult for both Alex Smith, forcing him out of the game, and Trent Dilfer, who combined to complete 12 of 34 passes on the afternoon. Between the two, they were sacked six times in the first half of the game, including three times by Julian Peterson. Dilfer also threw two interceptions to Marcus Trufant. QB Trent Dilfer, Pass: 12 - 33 - 128 - 0 TD / 2 INT - Dilfer struggled mightily all afternoon, averaging less than four yards per passing attempt, and completing just 36% of his passes. Dilfer was also sacked five times and fumbled the ball twice (losing one) in addition to his two interceptions. The 49ers did however have three completed receptions called back due to offensive penalties.QB Alex Smith, Pass: 0 - 1 - 0 - 0 TD / 0 INT - Smith was sacked hard on the first series of the game and exited with a shoulder injury.
RB Frank Gore, Rush: 16 - 79 - 0, Rec: 3 - 42 - 0 (5 targets) - Gore fumbled the ball twice early in the game, though recovering one of his own fumbles deep in his own territory. After these mishaps, Gore held onto the ball tight and showed good power in breaking tackles, averaging just under five yards per carry against the Seahawks defense.
WR Arnaz Battle, Rec: 3 - 19 - 0 (9 targets) - Once Trent Dilfer entered the game, Jackson and Battle split targets, though Battle was utilized primarily on underneath routes.
WR Darrell Jackson, Rec: 3 - 38 - 0 (10 targets) - Jackson was the primary target for the 49ers, though he couldn't get behind the defense for any long gains, as Trent Dilfer was frequently forced to get rid of the ball quickly due to the Seahawks pass rush.
TE Delanie Walker, Rec: 1 - 7 - 0 (5 targets) - With Vernon Davis out of the lineup, Walker played the role of the primary receiving tight end. Walker was able to split behind the linebacker down the sideline deep in Seahawks territory, however was just slightly overthrown on a ball that would have gone for a touchdown pass.
PK Joe Nedney 1 - 1 FG, 0 - 0 XP, 3 points - Nedney connected on his only field goal attempt from 43 yards out to extend his league leading streak of eighteen consecutive field goals made.
SF Rush Defense - The 49ers were fairly effective in shutting down Shaun Alexander and the Seahawks rushing attack, especially given that the Seahawks led for the majority of this game. As a group, he Seahawks gained just 93 yards on 37 carries.
SF Pass Defense - The pass defense of the 49ers was not able to consistently keep pressure upon Matt Hasselbeck, who utilized both short passes to his running backs as well as deep passes, spreading it around for 281 yards. The pass rush garnered only two sacks, but came up with one interception on an ill-advised pass in the second half.Pittsburgh Steelers 14, Arizona Cardinals 21
What you need to know
Pittsburgh Steelers - Defense was really the name of the game as the Steelers found it tough to consistently gain yardage via the run against the Cardinals. Despite opening the scoring on a first quarter 43 yard Roethlisberger to Santonio Holmes touchdown, nine out of the next 11 Steelers' possessions ended in either a punt or a turnover. The offense converted on only five of 15 third downs. The Steelers took a 7-0 lead into halftime despite having only 106 yards total offense. At halftime, Willie Parker had just eight yards on nine carries and finished the game with a total of 37 yards on 19 carries.Roethlisberger had a little easier time via the pass finishing the game 17 for 32 for 244 yards and two touchdowns both to Santonio Holmes. However, Roethlisberger's yardage total was helped late in the fourth quarter when the Steelers abandoned the run to play catch up. Holmes finished the game with six catches for 128 yards and two scores.
Two second half miscues hurt the Steelers chances to win the game. The first being with the game tied 7-7 late in the third quarter, when the Pittsburgh defense recovered a Kurt Warner fumble on the Arizona four yard line. After two unsuccessful running plays by Parker, Roethlisberger's pass intended for Heath Miller was intercepted in the end zone for a touchback.
The second miscue was on special teams as the Steelers offense went three and out with 14:10 left in the fourth quarter. On fourth down, the punt team was called for an illegal man down field after tackling Arizona's Steve Breaston for only a three yard return. On the re-kick, Breaston broke a couple of tackles and scampered 73 yards for a touchdown to give the Cardinals a 14-7 lead.
Down 21-7 late in the fourth quarter, Pittsburgh rallied to within seven with 1:54 to play on Holmes' second touchdown reception. The Steelers got the ball back with 46 seconds to play needing to drive 91 yards for the tying touchdown. Roethlisberger hit Holmes for 31 yards to the Pittsburgh 40 yard line, but after two incomplete passes and an eight yard sack, on a third and 18, Roethlisberger was intercepted to end the Steelers' potential comeback.
Arizona Cardinals - Much like Pittsburgh, the Cardinals offense struggled against the tough Steelers defense, especially in the first half. They were held scoreless in the first half. Matt Leinart started the game very slow and was pressured heavily under a Steelers defensive scheme that blitzed often.Leinart was only two for six for 17 yards before being replaced by Kurt Warner early in the second quarter under coach Ken Whisenhunt's two quarterback platoon system. Warner played the rest of the first half and the entire third quarter leading the Cardinals on a nine play, 57 yard touchdown drive to tie the score 7-7. Playing in a no huddle offensive scheme, Warner hit wide receiver Jerheme Urban to tie the score with 7:24 to play in the third. Warner finished the game 14 for 21 for 132 yards with one touchdown pass and a fumble. Urban, who was activated due to all-pro wide receiver Anquan Boldin being inactive with a bruised hip, finished the game with five receptions and 53 yards and a touchdown.
The special teams gave the Cardinals the lead when Steve Breaston returned a punt 73 yards to put Arizona up 14-7 early in the fourth quarter.
Leinart then returned on the next Cardinals possession, and on his first play hit Larry Fitzgerald on a pretty 38 yard strike down the left sideline. That completion was part of a 13 play, 82 yard drive Leinart engineered capped off by a two yard touchdown run by Edgerrin James. Like Parker, James found running against the Steelers' front seven difficult and finished the game with 77 yards on 21 carries. Fitzgerald had his 10th career 100 yard game with 11 receptions for 123 yards. Leinart finished the game seven for 14 for 93 yards.
The Cardinals relied on their defense to squash a Steelers' attempt to tie the game late in the fourth quarter. Cornerback Ralph Brown intercepted a Roethlisberger third down pass with 19 seconds left to give the Cardinals their second win.
What you ought to know
QB Ben Roethlisberger, Pass: 17 - 32 - 244 - 2 TD / 2 INT, Rush: 4 - 26 - 0 - At times, Roethlisberger showed good poise in the pocket against an aggressive Cardinals pass rush. Roethlisberger utilized a shot gun format for most of the game and finished with 17 for 32 for 244 yards and two touchdowns both to Santonio Holmes. He added 26 yards on four scrambles. He completed passes to five different receivers, but had two costly interceptions (one when the Steelers recovered a Arizona fumble on their Cardinals' four yard line, the other on a drive trying to tie the game late in the fourth quarter.) He was sacked four times as well.RB Willie Parker, Rush: 19 - 37 - 0, Rec: 4 - 29 - 0 (4 targets) - Parker had no room to run against the Cardinals defensive front finishing with only 37 yards on 19 carries. His longest run was for 20 yards. He added 29 more yards on four pass receptions. 14 of Parker's 19 rushes went for less than three yards each.
RB Najeh Davenport, Rush: 2 - 15 - 0 (2 targets) - Both Davenport runs came on third and long situations.
WR Santonio Holmes, Rush: 1 - -1 - 0, Rec: 6 - 128 - 2 (11 targets) - Holmes was the Steelers' biggest offensive weapon catching six balls for 128 yards and two scores. His first touchdown came on a third and 26, when Roethlisberger found him deep down the left sideline. His second occurred with 1:54 to play on a leaping grab deep in the end zone. His rush came on a reverse that went for a one yard loss.
WR Nate Washington, Rec: 2 - 18 - 0 (7 targets) - Washington started the game in place of Hines Ward and caught two passes for 18 yards. He did have potential though as he was targeted seven times including twice deep down the right sideline.
WR Willie Reid, Rec: 2 - 23 - 0 (2 targets) - Reid caught both passes thrown his way, and was utilized when Pittsburgh went into a four wide receiver set.
TE Heath Miller, Rec: 3 - 46 - 0 (6 targets) - Miller hauled in three passes for 46 yards mainly up the middle of the Cardinals pass defense.
PK Jeff Reed 0 - 0 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 2 points - Reed converted both his extra point tries, but had no field goal opportunities.
PIT Rush Defense - The Steelers' rush defense began the game strong holding Edgerrin James to just 34 yards on 8 carries and shutting out the Cardinal offense in the first half. However, it appeared that they began to tire late in the second half as they gave up a long 13-play, 82 yard drive capped off by a two yard Edgerrin James touchdown run. That drive consumed seven minutes and 19 seconds of the fourth quarter. The defense held the Cardinal offense to a total of 86 rushing yards for the game, and 302 yards total offense. They forced three fumbles and recovered two of them.
PIT Pass Defense - The pass defense started strong and blitzed starting quarterback Matt Leinart often. They held Leinart to only two for six for 17 yards before being replaced by Kurt Warner. The Cardinals had only 104 yards passing at the half.In the second half, the Steelers' pass defense was hampered when two defensive starters left the game due to injuries. Safety Troy Polamalu (abdominal strain) and nose tackle Casey Hampton (hamstring) both left and didn't return. Without the two starters, the defense gave up one touchdown catch in the third quarter, and were victimize by the play of Larry Fitzgerald, who had eight receptions for 85 yards in the second half alone. In all, the Steelers' pass defense gave up 225 yards in the air. They had no interceptions.
QB Kurt Warner, Pass: 14 - 21 - 132 - 1 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 1 - 0 - 0 - Warner replaced Leinart with 4:56 left in the second quarter under Coach Whisenhunt's two quarterback platoon system. Utilizing mainly a no huddle offense and four receiver sets, Warner completed 14 passes for 132 yards including a six yard touchdown pass to reserve wide receiver Jerheme Urban to tie the game 7-7. He was accurate as he completed passes to three different receivers but showed an affinity for Fitzgerald. Although held scoreless in the first half, Warner displayed good command of the no huddle scheme and provided an offensive spark to the Cardinals leading them on a nine play, 70 yard drive capped off with the Urban touchdown in the third period.QB Matt Leinart, Pass: 7 - 14 - 93 - 0 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 3 - 9 - 0 - Leinart started slowly completing only four of his first ten passes for 39 yards and he was sacked once. He was replaced by Warner with 4:56 left in the first half, and didn't return until the 11:33 mark of the fourth quarter. On his first play in the second half, he completed a pretty 38 yard pass to Larry Fitzgerald. That completion started a 13 play, 82 yard drive that gave the Cardinals' a 21-7 lead. Leinart finished the game seven for 14 for 93 yards with no interceptions.
RB Edgerrin James, Rush: 21 - 77 - 1, Rec: 1 - 7 - 0 (2 targets) - James found the running tough against a strong Steelers' front seven. His longest run of the day was just nine yards. His runs were mainly up the middle and the yardage hard earned. 18 of James' 21 carries came on first and second downs. He scored on a two yard run to tie the score 7-7.
RB Marcel Shipp (3 targets) - Shipp was targeted with three short passes, but did not record a run. He was injured in the second quarter and did not return to the game. It was reported that Shipp had a rib injury.
WR Larry Fitzgerald, Rec: 11 - 123 - 0 (13 targets) - Fitzgerald was the Cardinals' leading receiver with 123 yards on 11 catches. He was more in touch with Kurt Warner than with Leinart, although he did catch a nice 38 yard reception from Leinart in the fourth quarter. Fitzgerald was utilized mainly on crossing routes. He was held without a touchdown. Fitzgerald did have a turnover when the Pittsburgh defense stripped the ball from him after a catch.
WR Jerheme Urban, Rec: 5 - 53 - 1 (6 targets) - Urban had an efficient game with five catches for 53 yards and a touchdown. Urban, a free agent who signed with the Cardinals earlier this year, caught his touchdown from Warner on a third and four from the Pittsburgh six yard line.
WR Bryant Johnson, Rec: 3 - 37 - 0 (7 targets) - Johnson played in place of the injured Anquan Boldin and hauled in three catches for 37 yards. He ran mainly deep routes in the four receiver Cardinal offensive scheme.
WR Steve Breaston - Punt return specialist Steve Breaston had 101 return yards and one touchdown. It was Breaston's first career touchdown and the Cardinals first punt return for a touchdown since 1993.
TE Troy Bienemann (1 targets) - Bienemann also had one pass thrown his way, but in this game the tight ends did not figure into the Cardinal game plan.
TE Leonard Pope (1 targets) - Pope had only one target in the game.
PK Neil Rackers 0 - 1 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 3 points - Rackers missed his first field goal attempt a (52 yard try) to end the first half. He connected on all three of his extra points.
ARI Rush Defense - The Cardinals' rush defense kept Parker in check the entire game, keeping the talented runner to only 37 yards on 19 carries. As a team, the Steelers had only 77 yards rushing with 0 touchdowns. In 2007, no opposing running back has rushed for more than 100 yards on the Cardinals; those runners include Frank Gore, Willis McGahee and Shaun Alexander.
ARI Pass Defense - Although the pass defense gave up 244 yards and two scores, they played well when it counted. Many of Roethlisberger's passing yards came in the fourth quarter when the Steelers abandoned the run to play catch up. Holmes' first touchdown came on a third and 26 play when Holmes got behind the secondary in the corner of the end zone. His second came on a spectacular catch deep over the middle late in the fourth quarter. The passing defense held the Steelers to converting only five of 15 third down opportunities. Among the biggest plays came in the third quarter with the game tied 7-7 when Pittsburgh recovered a Cardinal fumble on the Arizona four yard line. After two unsuccessful runs, the Cardinals' Adrian Wilson picked off a Roethlisberger to Miller pass for a touchback preventing the Steelers' from capitalizing on the turnover. The defense recorded four sacks, three of which went to defensive tackle Darnell Dockett and had two interceptions.Kansas City Chiefs 30, San Diego Chargers 16
What you need to know
Kansas City Chiefs - There may still be hope for Larry Johnson. Although 37 of his 123 yards came on his last run of the day, he looked pretty solid against a run defense that is considered to be one of the league's better units.WR Dwayne Bowe could be this year's Marques Colston, only with a first round pedigree. He made play after play on this San Diego secondary, and already looks like he belongs.
TE Tony Gonzalez tied the all-time record for touchdown receptions by a tight end with 62, but perhaps more importantly he was an integral part of the passing game (especially in the second half).
San Diego Chargers - The team is having major protection issues in the offensive passing game. QB Philip Rivers didn't play well at all, but it would have been difficult for anyone to play well when they have very little time to throw the ball.The pass defense of San Diego still hasn't learned how to stop the short, quick strikes that plagued them in losses to New England and Green Bay. They are proving to be a very porous unit.
San Diego is in disarray on the whole. By the end of the game, fans in the stands were chanting "Marty! Marty!", referencing the fired Marty Schottenheimer, who led the now 1-3 Chargers to a mark of 14-2 a year ago.
What you ought to know
QB Damon Huard, Pass: 17 - 29 - 284 - 2 TD / 2 INT, Rush: 2 - -3 - 0 - Huard didn't look great early on. He was nearly intercepted on a batted ball at the line midway through the first quarter, and wasn't making very many plays to help put his team in a position to score. But he really settled in nicely after halftime. He didn't get rattled despite his team falling behind by ten points, all the while amidst speculation that the team would like to see Brodie Croyle get some game action. So all Huard did was calmly sit back and pick the San Diego secondary apart, much like Tom Brady and Brett Favre did in each of the past two weeks. Huard was given plenty of time to throw, and he beat the Chargers with pinpoint precision and perfect execution. Granted, both of his touchdown passes may have been more a result of superb athleticism by the receiver rather than anything spectacular Huard did, but at least he didn't make many mistakes. His first half interception was the result of a pass that he threw right off the helmet of LB Shawn Merriman and into the waiting arms of S Marlon McCree. And the one poor play he made in the second half was trying to force a pass into tight space to Dwayne Bowe on a slant. The ball was batted away by CB Quentin Jammer right into the hands of S Clinton Hart for the interception. Of course, one must remember that the Chiefs had just connected on a 51 yard touchdown pass on that very same play on the previous possession, so one can't fault him too much for trying it again. Two potential injury notes regarding Huard: late in the first quarter, he was sacked by Shaun Phillips and fumbled the football. Kansas City recovered, but Huard came up holding his right (throwing) shoulder a bit. It didn't seem to bother him after that, however. In the second half, Huard was knocked to the turf on a pass completion to Dwayne Bowe. Huard banged his head off the ground and looked a bit dazed for a moment, but he stayed in the game without any problems.RB Larry Johnson, Rush: 25 - 123 - 0, Rec: 3 - 25 - 0 (5 targets) - Johnson struggled along with the rest of the Chiefs in the first half, but came on a bit more as the game went on. As the final minutes were ticking off the clock, Johnson had compiled 86 yards on 24 carries (an unspectacular 3.6 YPC). But his final burst of the afternoon was a 37 yard gallop up the left side that put him over 100 yards on the ground for the first time all season long. At the end of the day, a 123 yard performance looks a whole lot better than an 86 yard performance, even if the difference is just one isolated play in garbage time. Some of the concerns with Johnson are still present, of course. For example, he was twice stuffed inside the five yard line trying to score (one of those coming from the two yard line). But there were enough positives to take from the way Johnson ran to suggest his fantasy prospects are still very much alive.
WR Dwayne Bowe, Rec: 8 - 164 - 1 (11 targets) - Amazingly, the rookie was the only Kansas City wide receiver to see a passing target in his direction -- and he registered a game high eleven. Not only that, but once the ball came in his direction, he knew what to do with it. He showed great athleticism on a tough leaping catch late in the first half, and some nice footwork after the catch to try and get a few extra yards. And the second half simply belonged to Bowe. He made a tough grab going over the middle and holding onto the ball despite taking a huge shot from the DB, and that was only his second best play of the half. With the teams tied at 16 and Kansas City facing a third down and 19, Huard found Bowe on the slant for a 51 yard scoring strike. It was nearly a carbon copy of the play the Packers used last week from Brett Favre to Greg Jennings that beat the Chargers, except this one came on the right side of the field. If Bowe's performance in Week 3 wasn't enough to alert fantasy owners to his impending impact, this game certainly will.
TE Tony Gonzalez, Rec: 5 - 71 - 1 (8 targets) - Gonzalez was a major factor in the Kansas City passing attack, as the tendency to attack the San Diego defense with short, quick passes suited his receiving style perfectly. Gonzalez did mix it up a bit on his touchdown reception, a gorgeous leaping grab in the back corner of the end zone that tied the score at 16. Gonzalez out-jumped no fewer than three San Diego defenders on the play as he simply refused to come down without a score. The touchdown tied him with Shannon Sharpe for the top spot on the all-time touchdown reception list by a tight end with 62.
PK Dave Rayner 3 - 3 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 12 points - Rayner connected on all three of his kick attempts. Even though none was a particularly difficult kick, just having someone to connect on the chip shots is significant with the way the Kansas City kicking game started the season.
KC Rush Defense - It was a tale of two halves for the Chiefs run defense. In the first half, LaDainian Tomlinson torched them for 116 yards on 14 carries. In the second half, he ran it six times for 16 yards. In the early going of the contest, it really looked like this was going to be Tomlinson's breakout game for 2007. He was picking up chunks of yardage with every touch, and the Chiefs looked like they could do very little to stop him. They were especially powerless on his five yard touchdown run, a run on which he took the ball in practically untouched. He looked on his way to a possible 78 yard touchdown run late in the first half, but had to settle for 37. He had gotten past the last defender, but had to slow down a bit in order to finish off a move. In doing so, he slowed down just enough to be caught from behind. That drive resulted in a Nate Kaeding field goal instead of a touchdown.
KC Pass Defense - Despite some early game struggles, the Chiefs really could do no wrong in this phase of the game. They may have only registered one official sack of Philip Rivers, but there were countless times he had to rush his throws or barely avoid being sacked. Despite typically sending only four pass rushers, Kansas City batted down at least three passes at the line of scrimmage, and that was just in the first half. And they intercepted Rivers twice, including one in the first half when he was hit just as he released the pass downfield. Had he not been hit on the play, there's a good chance it would've gone for a long touchdown pass to Craig Davis. Instead, it was Chiefs' ball. The other interception appeared to be a case of miscommunication between Rivers and Tomlinson, as the latter never saw the pass headed his way. Basically, Rivers never looked comfortable facing a defense that still has not allowed a second half touchdown all season long. This unit made perhaps the play of the day to help seal the victory as well. With the Chargers trailing 23-16, Rivers dropped back to pass but was hit by LB Derrick Johnson. The ball came loose, and was picked up by Tyron Brackenridge who took it the other way 50 yards for the touchdown. It all but sealed the victory for the Chiefs. The only glaring mistake made by the Chiefs was late in the game when they were trying to protect the lead. WR Vincent Jackson got behind the defense for what should have been a 45 yard touchdown pass, but he bailed Kansas City out by dropping the ball. QB Philip Rivers, Pass: 21 - 42 - 211 - 0 TD / 2 INT - Rivers played perhaps his worst game of the season, and arguably one of his worst since becoming the Chargers' starting QB. He started off well enough, as the balanced San Diego offense moved the ball freely and put up 16 first half points. But in the second half, the pressure on Rivers really intensified and he was hurried on nearly every single pass. The offensive line gave him almost no protection, and that was directly responsible for two of his three turnovers. The interception was a case of Rivers being hit as he threw. The announcers speculated that the pass could have and probably should have gone for a long touchdown to Craig Davis, but because Rivers was hit as he attempted the pass, it came out very awkwardly and hung in the air. It was easily picked off by CB Ty Law. Another turnover was the result of a sack and fumble at the hands of Rivers. The fumble was picked up and run the other way 50 yards for the touchdown, and Rivers never really had much of a chance on the play. It wasn't just the pressure on Rivers that caused the poor passes, however. Even when he did have some time to throw, he just looked a bit "off". He never really seemed comfortable in the pocket, as evidenced by three of his passes being batted down at the line of scrimmage in just the first half alone. He also seemed to lock onto his receivers for far too long, allowing the Kansas City defensive backs more than enough time to jump the route and knock the ball away several times. His day could have been salvaged from a fantasy perspective late in the game, but Vincent Jackson dropped a perfectly thrown pass that would have gone for a 45 yard touchdown. Then again, Rivers himself made a critical error later in that drive when he overthrew a wide open Jackson in the end zone on a corner fade pattern. Needless to say, it wasn't a pretty effort by Rivers.RB LaDainian Tomlinson, Rush: 20 - 132 - 1, Rec: 5 - 22 - 0 (7 targets) - Based upon his tone in the postgame press conference, Tomlinson is clearly growing more than a bit agitated with the constant struggles of the team. Based upon his performance in the game, there may be little he can do to avoid them. Tomlinson turned in a vintage first half performance in this game, gaining 116 yards and a touchdown on 14 first half carries. Yet while he was finally able to get himself going, the rest of the team was stalling. Despite the proficient run game, one never got the feeling that San Diego was in complete control of the game. They consistently turned it over, couldn't play defense, and effectively phased the running game out of their playbook after halftime. Tomlinson ran just six times for 16 yards in the entire second half, and never came close to the end zone. His first touchdown run was a simple five yard carry off of the left tackle as he was basically untouched. He nearly added a second score later in the first half but was just tripped up from behind during a 37 yard scamper. But he never saw such success in the second half. There was a pass intercepted that was originally intended for Tomlinson, but he never saw the ball coming as his head was turned the other way. That's not the first time that has happened this season, and it's yet another example of the blatant lack of offensive cohesion and the glaring miscommunication going on between the players right now. On San Diego's final possession, Philip Rivers had a wide open Tomlinson in the flat on third down from the five yard line, but never threw him the ball. There were a couple of defenders near the goal line so it wouldn't have necessarily been a touchdown, but it wouldn't exactly have been the first time Tomlinson made someone miss in the open field. It was very odd to see Rivers not even consider throwing him the ball, despite seeing him twice on the play and then just checking off to someone else.
RB Michael Turner, Rush: 2 - -2 - 0 - Turner was pretty much a non-factor once again. Owners who handcuffed him to Tomlinson were wise in doing so, but unlike last season he hasn't been getting regular work to give him value in his own right. In this game, his biggest play was a negative one as he lost a fumble in his own territory early in the second quarter.
WR Vincent Jackson, Rec: 3 - 52 - 0 (9 targets) - Jackson's owners are going to look at his stats and see that he had a respectable 52 yards and was thrown to a good amount (second on the team in targets to Antonio Gates). What they won't see is how Jackson was inches away from a great fantasy output. He dropped a sure 45 yard touchdown pass from Philip Rivers late in the game that would have made the score 30-23. The ball was thrown perfectly in stride by Philip Rivers, but Jackson just plain dropped it. Adding that catch to his totals would've given him 97 yards receiving and a long touchdown on the day. Early in the game, he hauled in a 39 yard pass that appeared to be going for a lot more, but he stumbled a bit and was caught from behind before he could really go off to the races. Late in the fourth quarter, Jackson again got wide open behind the defense -- this time in the end zone -- but Rivers badly overthrew him on a corner fade.
WR Craig Davis, Rush: 1 - 4 - 0, Rec: 1 - 8 - 0 (4 targets) - Davis will be a more and more of a factor in the San Diego passing game as the season goes on, and this seems evident by the fact that the Chargers have already sought him out in key situations at several points in the team's first three games of the season. Today was no exception, although with just one reception the results are obviously less than desirable. He was the target of a deep ball from Rivers in the second quarter that both announcers said could have very easily been a touchdown. Davis got behind the defense by several strides, and Rivers set himself to throw one deep. But he was hit as he threw, and the ball came out of his hand awkwardly and about 20 yards too short. The pass was intercepted by CB Ty Law.
TE Antonio Gates, Rec: 6 - 79 - 0 (10 targets) - Gates started with a bang, hauling in a 27 yard pass on his first target of the game. Unfortunately for him, that was by far his biggest play of the game. It's not that the team didn't look for him; it was just that the team didn't look for him regularly. He went long stretches of time between seeing the ball thrown his way, and despite his solid receiving totals the Chiefs actually did a very good job in containing him for the most part.
PK Nate Kaeding 3 - 3 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 10 points - Kaeding connected on all three of his kicks, including one from 51 yards out early in the game. Kaeding originally lined up for a 46 yard boot, but a Chargers penalty before the snap backed them up five yards. So, most of his fantasy owners got a one point bonus for a slightly longer field goal due to the team's lack of discipline.
SD Rush Defense - Larry Johnson was averaging 3.6 yards per carry until his final run of the game, a 37 yard scamper up the left side that put him up over 100 yards for the contest. That was by far his longest run of the game, and it skews the final stats somewhat. But then again, it did happen and it does count against the stats so there's no reason to discount it any more than you'd discount his first or second or tenth run of the game. Just because it came last doesn't mean it's any less meaningful, and in fact it might be even more indicative of a San Diego defense that seems to be lacking a lot of the hunger and passion it played with a year ago. The fact that they would allow a struggling runner to come into their building and rip off a 37 yard run when they're supposed to be fighting to regain possession has to be very worrisome for this defense. And it's not going to get much easier against Denver and Oakland the next two weeks.
SD Pass Defense - Somewhat amazingly, the Chargers defense made many of the same mistakes this week that they made in each of the last two weeks. And while a lot of the blame for their poor start is being put squarely on head coach Norv Turner, the fact is that the defense is playing far worse under DC Ted Cotrell than it did a year ago under former coordinator Wade Phillips. LB Shawne Merriman came out of witness protection this week long enough to register eight tackles (including his first sack since Week 1), but that was really where the positives ended. Marlon McCree and Clinton Hart both intercepted passes off of deflections, and the plays were gifts more than anything spectacular done by them. And no one could cover WR Dwayne Bowe or TE Tony Gonzalez. It says a lot about the stats of the San Diego defense that they couldn't cover the only two legitimate weapons the Chiefs have in the passing game. Bowe and Gonzalez combined for 13 of the 17 receptions, 235 of the Chiefs' 274 passing yards, and both passing touchdowns. Kansas City operated by using quick, efficient passing strikes and a ton of slants to pick apart the Chargers secondary. In fact, the eventual game winning touchdown was the exact same play used by Green Bay on their game winning touchdown against the Chargers a week ago. That exemplifies the biggest concern with this defense, and that's the fact that they aren't learning from their mistakes and they clearly aren't getting any better.Chicago Bears 27, Detroit Lions 37
What you need to know
Chicago Bears - At end of the third quarter the inspired Bears held a 13--3 lead and it appeared that their injury riddled defense might carry the day. Then Detroit scored 34 points in the fourth quarter and the Bears' record fell to 1--3. Brian Griese started his first game for the Bears and threw for 286 yards and two touchdowns, but one of his three interceptions was returned for a Detroit touchdown. Griese spread the ball around to seven different receivers but the Lions were able to sack him six times and hurried him most of the afternoon.Bernard Berrian was the target on all three interceptions but two could have been caught by Berrian. The first was a short pass just over the goal line but cornerback Fernando Bryant out fought him for the ball. The second glanced off his hand near the goal line and right to Ernie Sims. In the fourth quarter, the Lions disguised a zone that Griese misread that resulted in a 64 yard interception for a touchdown. Devin Hester answered that score by returning the ensuing kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown. Muhsin Muhammad had a productive game catching five passes including a 15 yard touchdown in the second quarter.
Cedric Benson carried 15 times 50 yards, but was also targeted eight times out of the backfield. Until the passing game becomes more of a threat, however, the Bears will face a never ending parade of defenses playing eight men in the box. TE Desmond Clark was targeted eight times and caught a short touchdown pass late in the game to bring Chicago to within a field goal. When the Bears tried the onside kick, TE Casey Fitzsimmons ran it back for the final Lions' touchdown.
The Bears sacked Kitna six times, but were unable to intercept any passes. Chicago played without injured LB Lance Briggs and both starting cornerbacks. Offensive tackle John Tait left the game in the third quarter with an ankle injury and did not return.
Detroit Lions - This victory may mark a turning point for the Detroit Lions because it was the sort of game you would ordinarily expect them to lose. After three quarters they had only scored three points, but in this game the Lions roared back and scored an NFL record 34 fourth quarter points to defeat the Bears 37--27.Jon Kitna was efficient completing 20 of 24 passes for 247 yards and two touchdowns. Although he was sacked six times and faced a ferocious Chicago pass rush he did not throw an interception. Kevin Jones carried ten times for 38 yards and one touchdown, although 22 yards came on one carry. The Lions offense will become more balanced as Jones works his way back into the game plan. Tatum Bell added 46 yards as the Lions ground game out rushed the Bears 95 yards to 69.
Roy Williams caught six passes for 53 yards and Shaun McDonald caught three for 31 yards and a touchdown. Mike Furrey caught five balls for a team leading 91 yards.
The Lions' defense pressured Griese all day and sacked him six times. Kevin Smith returned one of their three interceptions for a 64 yard touchdown. After the Bears scored a touchdown with 52 seconds left to close to within three points they attempted an onside kick. The ball bounced out of the scrum directly to TE Casey Fitzsimmons who ran down the left sideline for the final Detroit touchdown.
What you ought to know
QB Brian Griese, Pass: 34 - 52 - 286 - 2 TD / 3 INT, Rush: 2 - 8 - 0 - Griese made his first start for the Chicago Bears and his first touchdown came in the second quarter. It was third and nine from the Detroit 15 yard line and the Lions rushed seven. He stood in the pocket and found Muhammad running a slant in the end zone. His second touchdown pass went to Desmond Clark with just 52 seconds in the game. He threw for 286 yards but one of his three interceptions was returned for a Detroit touchdown. Griese spread the ball around but the Lions were able to sack him six times and hurried him most of the afternoon. He hasn't started in two years, however, and had to be a little rusty. He did enough to keep Grossman on the bench, but that may change if the Bears cannot get some of their defensive starters back or their running game untracked.RB Cedric Benson, Rush: 15 - 50 - 0, Rec: 5 - 24 - 0 (8 targets) - Benson only averaged 3.3 yards per carry, but also caught five passes for 24 more yards. If this becomes a trend Benson's value in PPR leagues will improve. Still, he has to improve because Chicago does not have a quarterback who can win games on his own. The Bears are looking to Benson to become the guy who can carry the team on his back.
RB Adrian Peterson, Rush: 2 - 8 - 0, Rec: 3 - 29 - 0 (3 targets) - Peterson only came into the game to spell Benson.
RB Garrett Wolfe, Rush: 3 - 3 - 0 - The rookie from Northern Illinois carried three times in limited relief duty.
RB Jason McKie (1 targets) - The primary blocking back had zero carries and receptions, although he lit up a few linebackers.
WR Bernard Berrian, Rec: 8 - 99 - 0 (13 targets) - Berrian was the most targeted WR for Chicago but he needs to be more consistent. On two of their first three drives he dropped third down passes that would have moved the chains. He was out fought by a corner back in the end zone for one Detroit interception and had another interception glance off his hand. Both would have been tough catches, but with a new quarterback who is bound to be rusty you have to make tough catches.
WR Muhsin Muhammad, Rec: 5 - 49 - 1 (7 targets) - It was nice to see Muhammad involved in the game plan again. He scored Chicago's first touchdown when he caught a 15 yard slant pass in the second quarter, and caught five balls on the day. Through Chicago's first three games he only caught four pass.
WR Rashied Davis, Rec: 5 - 38 - 0 (5 targets) - Davis caught every pass thrown to him for 38 yards. He was a much more reliable target than Berrian.
WR Devin Hester, Rec: 1 - 3 - 0 (1 targets) - Hester had a limited role in the offense, but in the fourth quarter he returned a kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown. That score staked the Bears to their last lead of the game.
WR Mark Bradley (1 targets) - The former Oklahoma Sooner was targeted in the second quarter but did not record a reception.
TE Desmond Clark, Rec: 7 - 44 - 1 (8 targets) - The Bears needed Clark to block much of the afternoon, but he managed to slip off the line and find soft spots in the Lions' zone defense. Overall, Clark had a productive day and scored a touchdown with 52 seconds left to draw the team to within a field goal.
TE John Gilmore (2 targets) - Gilmore was unable to catch either of his targets.
TE Greg Olsen - The rookie from Miami got into the game but was not a factor.
PK Robbie Gould 2 - 3 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 9 points - Gould hit field goals from 49 and 41 yards but had another one blocked. He converted all three extra points.
CHI Rush Defense - Kevin Jones scored on a four yard run and combined with Tatum Bell to gain 96 yards. The Bears were good enough on rush defense but they were not overwhelming.
CHI Pass Defense - Even though the Bears were without S Adam Archuleta and CBs Nathan Vasher and Chares Tillman, the Lions were unable to exploit their inexperienced replacements. The front four put tremendous pressure on Kitna who was unable to set up for long passes. No Detroit receiver was able to gain more than 100 yards. QB Jon Kitna, Pass: 20 - 24 - 247 - 2 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 2 - -1 - 0 - Kitna posted a quarterback rating of 137.3 for this game as he efficiently completed 84% of his 24 passes for 247 yards and two touchdowns. Although he was sacked six times and faced a ferocious Chicago pass rush he did not throw an interception. He stood in as the Bears unleashed a vicious pass rush, took the hit, and found his open receivers. He was sacked six times and lost one fumble.RB Tatum Bell, Rush: 11 - 46 - 0, Rec: 1 - 7 - 0 (2 targets) - In the second quarter, Bell lost a fumble on the Chicago five yard line without being hit. He was used sparingly for the rest of the game. He finished with 46 yards and caught one pass for another seven. His role in the Lions' offense seems to be ebbing as Kevin Jones returns to full strength.
RB Kevin Jones, Rush: 10 - 38 - 1, Rec: 2 - 6 - 0 (2 targets) - Jones gained 38 yards on ten carries although 22 yards came on one run. He scored his second touchdown in his second week back from his foot injury, and it appears that the Lion offense will become more balanced as he works his way back into a feature role Mike Martz' game plan. After the TD, Jones leaped up on the endzone wall and climbed into the arms of the fans.
RB Brian Calhoun - Calhoun returned one kickoff 18 yards.
WR Roy Williams, Rec: 6 - 53 - 0 (6 targets) - Williams drew lots of attention from the inexperienced Bears secondary, was held to 53 yards, but he caught every pass thrown to him.
WR Mike Furrey, Rec: 5 - 91 - 0 (8 targets) - On their first possession, Furrey was standing by the sidelines when Kitna threw him the ball. As he went to catch it, his foot touched the out of bound line negating the reception and the first down. Still, Furrey is tough to cover, Kitna likes to throw to him, and he led the team with 91 receiving yards.
WR Shaun McDonald, Rush: 1 - 9 - 0, Rec: 3 - 31 - 1 (5 targets) - McDonald ran a reverse for nine yards and caught three passes including one for four yards and a touchdown. He filled in for Calvin Johnson and the offense didn't seem to miss a beat.
WR Troy Walters, Rec: 2 - 36 - 1 (2 targets) - Walters scored a key touchdown for Detroit when he capped their five play, 80 yard drive with a beautiful 15 yard reception in the back right corner of the end zone. He had to stretch out to make the catch and somehow was able to get his feet down before crossing the end line. It was initially ruled incomplete, but the play was reviewed and the ruling on the field was reversed. He also returned two punts for eight yards.
TE Sean McHugh, Rec: 1 - 23 - 0 (1 targets) - The big tight end caught his only target in the third quarter for a 23 yard gain.
TE Casey Fitzsimmons - Though not involved in the passing offense, Fitzsimmons scored the final Detroit touchdown. When the Bears tried an onside kick with less than a minute to go in the game, the ball bounced to him near sidelines and he ran 41 yards into the end zone.
PK Jason Hanson 1 - 2 FG, 4 - 5 XP, 7 points - Hanson made 49 yard field goal but had another one blocked. He also had one of five extra points blocked.
DET Rush Defense - The Lions limited Cedric Benson to 50 yards on 15 carries, a 3.3 yard average, and did not surrender a rushing touchdown. They were solid against the rush putting pressure on the Bears passing game.
DET Pass Defense - Griese was sacked six times and intercepted three times. One pick was returned by Keith Smith for a 64 yard touchdown. The Lions allowed Griese to make some plays but they did put pressure on the passer and were very opportunistic with the interceptions taking advantage of mishandled passes.Denver Broncos 20, Indianapolis Colts 38
What you need to know
Denver Broncos - The Denver Broncos came into the game with a plan to keep Indianapolis Colts off the field with a run heavy ball control offense. That plan worked for just about a half before the Colts ran away with the game in the second half.The oft-injured Travis Henry left the game in the third quarter with a minor ankle injury, but returned in the fourth quarter and posted an impressive 131 yards on 26 carries, but registering no receptions and no touchdowns. Undrafted rookie RB Selvin Young did well on his ten touches, posting 81 yards rushing and 19 yards receiving to reach the century mark.
QB Jay Cutler was held to just 131 yards through the air and committed two turnovers, although he did add a one yard QB sneak for a TD in the third quarter.
Indianapolis Colts - The Indianapolis Colts once again looked nearly unstoppable, utilizing a short passing game to set-up the run in the first half, and switching to a more run-centered offense in the second half to stay unbeaten. The Colts had 18 passes in the first half to just 11 rushes. In the second half, The Colts switched it up and ran 23 times with just 11 passes.Marvin Harrison was diagnosed with a 'bruised knee' during the second quarter, and did not play in the second half, posting just one catch for eight yards.
Joseph Addai left the game early in the fourth quarter with a 'bruised shoulder', but could have returned had the game not been in hand. Despite playing just over three quarters, Addai posted 146 total yards from scrimmage and a score.
What you ought to know
QB Jay Cutler, Pass: 13 - 21 - 131 - 1 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 2 - 11 - 1 - Without Javon Walker as a receiving threat, Cutler only had one deep pass attempt, a broken play incompletion towards Brandon Stokley. Cutler had two turnovers to go with his two touchdowns. One score was a seven yard pass to Brandon Marshall, the other a one yard QB sneak. While only in his second season, Cutler looked a little uncomfortable in the pocket, and was quick to check down on most passing plays.RB Travis Henry, Rush: 26 - 131 - 0 - Henry started the game as though he was going to carry the team on his shoulders to victory, carrying the ball nine times in the first quarter and 11 times in the second quarter. His fourth carry in the third quarter saw him hobble off to the sidelines, although he did return in the fourth quarter. Henry was on the bench in the third quarter when Cutler scored on the QB sneak. The ankle injury was considered mild and not a factor going forward.
RB Selvin Young, Rush: 8 - 81 - 0, Rec: 2 - 19 - 0 (2 targets) - Young made a strong case for more carries, posting 81 yards on eight carries and pulling in two catches for ten more yards. Young's biggest run came on a reverse-type play for 32 yards. He came in as the running back whenever Travis Henry went out of the game.
RB Cecil Sapp, Rec: 1 - 10 - 0 (1 targets) - Playing fullback this game, Cecil Sapp was primarily a blocker, although he did post one reception for ten yards, early in the third quarter.
WR Brandon Marshall, Rec: 3 - 23 - 1 (7 targets) - The main focus of the Denver Broncos passing attack in the absence of Javon Walker, Brandon Marshall posted three catches for 23 yards with a seven yard touchdown in the first quarter. Marshall did drop one easy catch and allowed Marlon Jackson to step in front of him for an interception. Walker's hold as the number one option in the Broncos passing game is still secure when he returns from injury.
WR Brandon Stokley, Rec: 2 - 20 - 0 (3 targets) - Stokley was bottled up for most of the day, just registering 20 yards on two catches. Stokley appears recovered from his Achilles injury from last season, but has yet to establish a rapport with Cutler.
WR Nate Jackson, Rec: 1 - 24 - 0 (2 targets) - In terms of yardage, Jackson was the second leading receiver in this game on the Denver Broncos squad, posting 24 yards on his one catch. Both of his targets came in the second quarter, none in the second half.
TE Daniel Graham, Rec: 4 - 35 - 0 (4 targets) - Graham continues to get the lion's share of targets at the tight end position for the Denver Broncos. Graham led the team in receptions this game with four for a modest 35 yards. When the Broncos got behind in the third quarter, Jay Cutler targeted Graham three times, but when the game was getting out of hand in the fourth, Graham had no targets.
TE Tony Scheffler (1 targets) - Scheffler continues to play behind Daniel Graham and only had one target, thrown at his feet by Jay Cutler.
PK Jason Elam 2 - 2 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 8 points - Elam had a solid game this week, hitting both of his field goal attempts and extra points. Elam was seen stretching his hips on the sideline at the trainers table after his longer field goal, 35 yards, but is not thought to be injured.
DEN Rush Defense - The Denver Broncos rush defense was mediocre in the first half, and got ran over in the second half. Joseph Addai posted 136 yards rushing, while backup Kenton Keith added another 80. Throw in fan favorite Luke Lawton's 13 the Bronco's gave up 229 yards on the ground, including two rushing touchdowns.
DEN Pass Defense - To their credit the Denver Broncos pass defense did a fair job on Peyton Manning, holding him under 200 yards passing. Unfortunately they gave up three passing touchdowns and registered no sacks. QB Peyton Manning, Pass: 20 - 27 - 193 - 3 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 4 - -3 - 1 - Manning had a very efficient game, going 20 of 27 for 193 yards. Three short touchdown passes made his outing look strong on the stat sheet, while the biggest smiles came from his one yard rushing touchdown, a QB sneak early in the third quarter. Manning's numbers might have been slightly deflated by not having Marvin Harrison in the second half. Manning did manage to target eight different receivers, completing passes to all eight.RB Joseph Addai, Rush: 19 - 136 - 1, Rec: 3 - 10 - 0 (4 targets) - Addai had some nice slashing runs in the first half, before turning to more of a bulldozing style in the second half. His 136 yards rushing could have been much more if he had carried the ball more than twice in the fourth quarter, but what was reported as a "bruised shoulder" kept him out with Kenton Keith taking over. Addai pulled in three receptions on four targets to give him an extra ten yards of offense.
RB Kenton Keith, Rush: 10 - 80 - 0, Rec: 1 - 4 - 0 (1 targets) - Keith ran very well when given the opportunity, showing why he beat out DeDe Dorsey in the preseason. Keith had 80 yards on ten carries, and had one reception for four yards. Many of Keith's touches came in the fourth quarter when the Colts were running out the clock after Joseph Addai had left the game with a minor injury.
RB Luke Lawton, Rush: 4 - 13 - 0 - Running to cheers of "Luuuuuuke", fan favorite Luke Lawton posted 13 yards on four carries, mostly in mop-up duty late in the fourth quarter when the game was in hand for the Indianapolis Colts.
WR Reggie Wayne, Rec: 5 - 38 - 1 (6 targets) - Wayne posted 38 yards on five receptions, including a five yard fade pattern for a touchdown, early in the fourth quarter. Playing against the Denver Bronco's version of the Tampa Two defense, the Indianapolis Colts chose to work underneath the safeties, not utilizing Wayne's deep threat, leading to his low-yardage game.
WR Anthony Gonzalez, Rec: 1 - 19 - 0 (2 targets) - Gonzalez managed 19 yards on one reception, and was not able to generate more offense in Marvin Harrison's absence in the second half. As a first round draft choice, expectations might be higher for Gonzalez, but Tony Dungy seems to have Gonzalez locked in as only a slot receiver this year.
WR Marvin Harrison, Rec: 1 - 8 - 0 (1 targets) - Posting a meager eight yards on one catch was a product of Champ Bailey's defense and a knee bruise in the second quarter that kept Marvin Harrison out of the second half. No other information was given during the game other than a "bruised knee". The injury happened while Harrison was blocking on a running play and the pile rolled up on the back of his legs.
WR Aaron Moorehead, Rec: 1 - 5 - 0 (2 targets) - Helping to pick up the slack of the injured Marvin Harrison, Aaron Moorehead was able to register one catch for five yards. With the Colts running the ball in the second half, Moorehead was used mostly as a perimeter blocker.
TE Dallas Clark, Rec: 6 - 76 - 2 (11 targets) - In an interesting twist, Dallas Clark lined up many times in the second half as the right wide receiver, a position usually occupied by Marvin Harrison, when Harrison went out with an injury. Clark managed to beat Champ Bailey for a 27 yard gain in a man coverage situation. Clark posted 76 yards on six receptions, including touchdown grabs of nine and three yards.
TE Bryan Fletcher, Rec: 2 - 33 - 0 (2 targets) - Fletcher got a few plays in at TE with Dallas Clark playing more plays split out with the injury to Marvin Harrison. Fletcher managed to put up 33 yards on his two receptions, both in the third quarter.
PK Adam Vinatieri 1 - 1 FG, 5 - 5 XP, 8 points - Vinatieri was his usual steady self, hitting his one field goal attempt from 22 yards and all five extra points.
IND Rush Defense - The Indianapolis Colts run defense did not show up early in the game and was fortunate that the Colts offense posted enough scores in the second half that the Denver Broncos became more one-dimensional, allowing the unit to focus more on pass rush. The Colts allowed 222 rushing yards for the game, forcing just one fumble.
IND Pass Defense - The Indianapolis Colts pass defense held Jay Cutler to just 131 passing yards and had one interception. Employing Tony Dungy's Tampa Two defense, the secondary kept the Denver Bronco receivers in front of them, allowing just one reception over 20 yards.Oakland Raiders 35, Miami Dolphins 17
What you need to know
Oakland Raiders - Daunte Culpepper started this game for an injured Josh McCown and completed five of 12 attempts for 75 yards and two passing touchdowns, with no interceptions. He ran the ball seven times for 28 yards, getting in the endzone three times on the ground. Culpepper didn't need to pass the ball a lot with the Raiders running game so successful, but he took what he was given the entire game, and didn't make any mistakes. Accounting for all five scores in this game, it's clear Culpepper has bought himself at least a few weeks with the starting job. With performances like this from Culpepper, McCown will have a difficult time regaining his job whenever he returns.Lamont Jordan was on his way to another big game, with 74 yards on 15 carries, but was injured late in the second quarter on what appeared to be a regular tackle. He stayed on the ground for a moment before teammates helped him off the field, and was notably not bearing much if any weight. It looked like an ankle issue but there were reports he'd injured his back which has been giving him trouble. He was carted to the locker room, and did not return to this game.
Filling in for injured Lamont Jordan, Justin Fargas blew up for 179 yards on 22 carries. He had a long 48 yard carry in the third quarter, and 32 and 28 yard carries later in the fourth. He looked explosive, and ran with a noted toughness not seen previously. He is used to milking the clock in the fourth quarter when the Raiders had a lead, and he didn't disappoint. He was shaken up on a big hit by Donovin Darius late in the game, but was able to return. With Dominic Rhodes expected to return to the lineup next week, Fargas did a nice job staking his claim at the backup job. And potentially more if it's found Jordan is out for a while.
Jerry Porter found the endzone twice, and totaled three receptions for 52 yards. He was targeted the same amount of times as Ronald Curry, but was able to make much more of an impact with those targets. He looked strong, and likely would have had a much better game if the Raiders didn't commit so much to the run.
Miami Dolphins - Trent Green did not look composed in this game. He made a number of unwarranted throws, and paid for it on two occasions. Once where the Raiders intercepted a pass and took it back to the Dolphins 11 yard line. And later with the Dolphins threatening he threw into tight coverage in the endzone. Most of his yardage came on short passes to Ronnie Brown, and another to Justin Peelle, and did not look down the field a lot in this game. The Dolphins got down early in this game, and Green could not will them back through the air