San Francisco 49ers 15, New York Giants 33
What you need to know
San Francisco 49ers - The 49ers came into their showdown with the New York Giants a game under .500 and desperate to make up some ground in the NFC West. Instead they turned the ball over four times and lost the time of possession battle en route to a 33-15 loss at the hands of the Giants and their suddenly emerging defense.Trent Dilfer had a tough day at the office as the Giants put constant pressure on the veteran quarterback, forcing him into two big interceptions. He finished the day with 209 yards and two touchdown passes, while spreading the ball around to eight different receivers. Frank Gore and company found some running room against the Giants' bend but don't break defensive front, amassing 103 yards on the ground, however they were unable to find the end zone.
The 49ers defense was mediocre today, by air and land, giving up a total of 279 yards and causing only one turnover. They applied little pressure to Giants quarterback Eli Manning and gave Brandon Jacobs and crew plenty of holes to run through.
New York Giants - The New York Giants brought their four game winning streak home to the Meadowlands and walked away from this crucial home game with another victory, their fifth in as many games. Riding on the coat tails of their inspired defense, the Giants controlled both sides of the ball to send a struggling San Francisco team home with a 2-4 record.
Eli Manning did another impressive job by just managing the game and putting the Giants in great offensive positions. He completed over 50 percent of his passes for 146 yards and two touchdowns, while allowing only one interception, the Giants' only turnover in the game. The rushing attack proved to be a vital part in controlling the clock and Brandon Jacobs rumbled for 107 yards and a score.
This game however, belonged to and was dictated by the New York Giants defense that has been rock solid during this run of five straight wins. They forced four turnovers and sacked 49ers quarterback Trent Dilfer a total of six times en route to allowing only 15 points. NFL sack leader Osi Umenyiora sacked Trent Dilfer, stripped him of the ball, scooped up the fumble and raced 75 yards for a touchdown. It was the third longest in Giants history and put the game out of reach for good.
What you ought to know
QB Trent Dilfer, Pass: 23 - 38 - 209 - 2 TD / 2 INT, Rush: 3 - 11 - 0 - Dilfer was put under constant pressure for most of the day being forced into two interceptions and fumbling the ball twice as well. He completed 23 of 38 passes for 209 yards and two touchdowns. His second touchdown of the game came in the final seconds of the game as he hooked up with Darrell Jackson to make the score a little more respectable.RB Frank Gore, Rush: 14 - 88 - 0, Rec: 3 - 23 - 0 (5 targets) - Gore posted some decent numbers as he gained 111 total yards of offense, 88 of which were on the ground. He ran hard and was finding holes, however the 49ers were forced to abandon the run early as they found themselves behind on the score board.
RB Michael Robinson, Rush: 1 - 4 - 0, Rec: 2 - 13 - 0 (2 targets) - Robinson spelled Gore once in the game, for a gain of four yards. He also added two catches for 13 yards.
WR Arnaz Battle, Rec: 6 - 57 - 1 (10 targets) - Battle was targeted a team high ten times, bringing in six of them for 57 yards and a score. He scored the first points of the game for the 49ers on a 17 yard strike from Trent Dilfer in the first quarter.
WR Darrell Jackson, Rec: 2 - 6 - 1 (5 targets) - Jackson, who was targeted five times, was only able to bring in two passes for six total yards and a score. He managed to find the back of the end zone as time was expiring in the fourth quarter, on a pass from Trent Dilfer.
WR Ashley Lelie, Rec: 2 - 52 - 0 (6 targets) - Lelie was targeted deep most of the day as he brought in two of his six targets for a total of 52 yards. He is nothing more than a deep threat however Lelie did find good separation on his routes, however was unable to bring in more than two of his targets.
WR Bryan Gilmore, Rec: 1 - 20 - 0 (2 targets) - Gilmore caught one of his two targets for a 20 yard gain.
TE Vernon Davis, Rec: 4 - 22 - 0 (6 targets) - Davis returned to action against the Giants and was targeted six times, bringing in four of them for 22 total yards.
TE Delanie Walker, Rec: 1 - 4 - 0 (2 targets) - Walker caught one pass for four yards
PK Joe Nedney 0 - 0 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 1 points - Nedney had no opportunities for a field goal and drilled his lone extra point attempt, splitting the uprights.
SF Rush Defense - San Francisco's run defense allowed 140 yards on the ground, 107 of which came on the strong running from Brandon Jacobs. They seemed to have no answer for the downhill attack that Jacobs sent their way, as he consistently gained positive yardage and found the end zone once.
SF Pass Defense - The 49ers pass defense held strong allowing less than 150 yards through the air, however, they were responsible for two touchdown passes. The red and gold had a difficult time pressuring Eli Manning and were on the field for much of the first half. They forced one interception on the day, however could not find that big game changing play. QB Eli Manning, Pass: 18 - 31 - 146 - 2 TD / 1 INT - Manning put up solid numbers today as he completed 18 of 31 attempts for 146 yards and two touchdowns, while allowing one interceptions. He managed the game well and found his open targets hooking up with Amani Toomer and Jeremy Shockey on his two passing scores for the day.RB Brandon Jacobs, Rush: 18 - 107 - 1, Rec: 3 - 16 - 0 (5 targets) - Jacobs returned to form today and hand an impressive 107 yards and touchdown on the ground. He averaged almost six yards per carry and also saw five targets come his way, as he snatched three of the five for 16 yards.
RB Derrick Ward, Rush: 7 - 27 - 0, Rec: 2 - 12 - 0 (8 targets) - Ward had a modest day today only carrying the ball seven times for 27 yards and adding two catches for 12 more yards. He was targeted a team high eight times on the day however dropped his first two targets on the Giants very first drive, the second, which would have been good for a touchdown.
WR Plaxico Burress, Rec: 5 - 43 - 0 (6 targets) - Burress was held without a touchdown today for the first time all season as he caught five of his six targets for 43 yards. He was blanketed most of the day which allowed quarterback Eli Manning room to find his other receivers underneath and out of the backfield.
WR Amani Toomer, Rec: 3 - 36 - 1 (5 targets) - Toomer benefited from the attention given to Burress, scoring a touchdown in his second straight game. His four yard touchdown grab in the first quarter gave him the all time New York Giants touchdown record, surpassing Kyle Rote's previous record of 48. He finished the day catching three of his five looks for 36 yards.
TE Jeremy Shockey, Rec: 5 - 39 - 1 (6 targets) - Shockey caught the other Manning touchdown pass as he hauled in five of his six targets for 39 yards. He was open much of the day as the middle of the field was very soft allowing the Giants bruising tight end to find enough space to be effective.
TE Michael Matthews (1 targets) - Matthews saw one target, which fell incomplete.
PK Lawrence Tynes 2 - 2 FG, 3 - 4 XP, 9 points - Tynes connected on both of his field goal attempts however did miss an extra point on the first Giants touchdown of the game. He did make four other extra point attempts.
NYG Rush Defense - The Giants rush defense containing Frank Gore for much of the game, holding him to under 90 yards and no scores. They got constant push from their front while the linebackers and secondary assisted in stopping the running game.
NYG Pass Defense - The New York Giants pass defense played a vital role in the win by shutting down the 49ers and causing some important turnovers. They recorded six total sacks and caused 49ers quarterback Trent Dilfer to throw two interceptions. The big defensive play of the game came from Osi Umenyiora, as he sacked Dilfer, forcing a fumble, recovered it and rumbled for the touchdown. This was the crucial play of the game, and one that solidified another Giants' victory.Tampa Bay Buccaneers 16, Detroit Lions 23
What you need to know
Tampa Bay Buccaneers - For those who were concerned that the addition of Michael Bennett to the offense would cause a reduction in touches for Earnest Graham, that concern was answered emphatically. Graham touched the ball on 29 of Tampa's 74 offensive plays and totaled 191 yards from scrimmage in the process. Bennett had three total touches.QB Jeff Garcia was very efficient, at one point completing a team record eighteen consecutive passes.
Ike Hilliard was the main beneficiary in the receiving game. Detroit appeared content to take Joey Galloway out of the action as much as possible, and really gave Tampa a lot of underneath options (which is where Hilliard excels more than Galloway).
Detroit Lions - Mike Martz and Rod Marinelli really decided to focus on establishing the running game. RB Kevin Jones responded with the best game by a Detroit running back this season, going for 110 total yards and a touchdown.WR Calvin Johnson showed off some of the impressive skills that made him a high pick in April's draft. He wasn't utilized very often, but he showed great hands on each of his two receptions, and outstanding open-field moves on a 32 yard touchdown run late in the contest.
QB Jon Kitna has done a fantastic job of reducing his turnovers from earlier in the season, but in the process he may have cost himself some of his effectiveness for fantasy owners as well. He didn't do a very good job of sustaining drives or leading the offense, and appeared far too willing to take a sack at key moments.
What you ought to know
QB Jeff Garcia, Pass: 37 - 45 - 316 - 2 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 6 - 10 - 0 - Garcia's afternoon started off very auspiciously, as he was saved from what should have been an early fumble recovered by Detroit. The Buccaneers challenged the call, and the play was ruled an incomplete pass (despite the fact that if Garcia was actually throwing the ball, it would've been a lateral attempt to the halfback in the flat). Regardless, that saved him from one turnover -- but it couldn't save him from the rest. He fumbled a handoff exchange on one play, and then fumbled the snap at the most critical of junctures at the two yard line with Tampa driving for a potential touchdown. Those two turnovers turned out to be probably the two biggest plays of the game, and certainly the two biggest mishaps. Those two plays notwithstanding, Garcia actually was extremely efficient and looked good all game. He was under a lot of pressure from the Detroit defensive front, but he was able to buy a lot of time with his feet and looked good throwing on the run. At one point, he completed 18 passes in a row to tie the Tampa Bay team record. Most of those passes were short dump-offs over the middle, and for awhile it appeared as if Tampa was almost too conservative with their passing attack. Still, they managed to move the ball enough for Garcia to throw two touchdown passes. Unfortunately for him, when the Lions needed to clamp down defensively, they usually did. Late in the game, it seemed as if Garcia was flipping the ball away sideways and underhanded more often than not in a futile attempt to avoid taking the sack.RB Earnest Graham, Rush: 19 - 92 - 0, Rec: 13 - 99 - 0 (18 targets) - As if it wasn't evident in the stat line, Graham truly did it all in this game. The entire offense essentially ran through him, and he responded by performing like a workhorse. His 32 touches were more than the rest of the team had combined (28), and he looked outstanding in compiling his 191 yards from scrimmage. Graham picked up chunks of yards at a time, consistently moving the pile and picking up first down after first down. He was very physical, and picked up a lot of tough yards running inside between the tackles. He was consistently open on the underneath dump-offs, and it was evident that he knew what to do with the football in his hands. Take it with a grain of salt since it was against the Detroit defense, but on this day at least, Graham looked every bit a featured back. About the only negative one can find with his performance is that he failed to find the end zone. He had an opportunity early in the second quarter, but was stuffed at the five yard line after a nine yard reception. WR Ike Hilliard caught a wide open touchdown on the following play.
RB Michael Bennett, Rush: 3 - 22 - 0 - Many people expected that Bennett was brought it from the Chiefs to try and become Tampa's featured back. While that could still be a long-term goal, it was clear in this game that for now at least, Bennett is nothing more than insurance. He had just three carries on the entire afternoon, none until midway through the first quarter. And after that run, he was promptly taken out. Of course, he did nearly make a big impression on a nice 18 yard scamper in the fourth quarter. He took the handoff up the middle and was spun down at the two yard line, just shy of a touchdown. Unfortunately for him, QB Jeff Garcia fumbled the ensuing snap and Tampa lost possession of the football.
WR Ike Hilliard, Rec: 9 - 92 - 1 (10 targets) - Hilliard picked up the slack in the short passing game, as the Lions really took away anything downfield. The Buccaneers targeted Hilliard a lot on the short stuff, which suited him well because he does his best work on the underneath routes anyway. Hilliard hauled in nine receptions for 92 yards, which would have been enough to lead the team on most days. But being second to Earnest Graham's 13-99 is nothing to criticize, however. Especially considering Hilliard also added a five yard touchdown reception to his stat line. The play came one play after Graham was tackled down at the five yard line, and Hilliard was wide open on the score.
WR Joey Galloway, Rec: 5 - 46 - 0 (5 targets) - Galloway had a very quiet day, as most of the deep routes were eliminated by Detroit defenders. The one time Galloway actually did get open deep downfield, QB Jeff Garcia didn't see him and instead checked off to someone underneath. Despite the quiet afternoon, it was a milestone game for Galloway as he went over 10,000 yards receiving for his career.
WR Maurice Stovall, Rec: 1 - 4 - 1 (1 targets) - Stovall was nothing if not efficient. The only ball thrown to him the entire game resulted in a four yard touchdown reception. His name wasn't mentioned before or after that catch.
TE Jerramy Stevens, Rec: 4 - 19 - 0 (5 targets) - Stevens turned in the quietest four reception game a player can have. His four catches went for a total of just 19 yards, with the longest going for eight. Each play he was involved with was entirely forgettable.
PK Matt Bryant 1 - 2 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 4 points - Bryant misfired on a 40 yard field goal attempt late in the first half that he hooked to the left. He later connected from 48 yards out as the Bucaneers were attempting a fourth quarter comeback.
TB Rush Defense - Even if one wishes to disregard the 32 yard touchdown run by WR Calvin Johnson on a WR reverse as a fluke, the Buccaneers still did a poor job of containing Detroit's other 23 rushes (115 yards). Whether it was Kevin Jones showing a lot of elusiveness inside, T.J. Duckett running over people, or Jon Kitna diving head-long into a pile of defenders and coming out with the first down, the Buccaneers clearly didn't do a very good job of slowing the Lions down. It really appeared that Detroit was making a concerted effort to run the ball more, and they did that from the first series of the game all the way to the end. The problem for Tampa Bay is that at no point in between did they do anything to stop or slow it down. The only reason they didn't give up even more yardage on the ground was because the Buccaneer offense was on the field so much that Detroit barely had the football (and thus, couldn't pick up yardage if they weren't on offense).
TB Pass Defense - The Buccaneers did a solid job in this aspect of the game, but then again they weren't really tested much. For seemingly the first time all season, the Lions opted to employ a specific run-first strategy, which they worked perfectly. Detroit attempted just 20 passes all game long. And while the Lions failed to score through the air, the Bucs also failed to create a turnover against Detroit's offensive passing game as well. Not only that, the Buccaneers never really came very close to forcing a turnover against Jon Kitna either. The one time they appeared to have caused a turnover turned out to actually be an incomplete pass. The play was originally ruled a fumble and a 79 yard touchdown return, but replays clearly showed that the ball was a forward pass and it was changed to an incompletion. QB Jon Kitna, Pass: 16 - 20 - 147 - 0 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 4 - 9 - 0 - Once again, Kitna failed to put up eye-popping statistics for his fantasy owners. But what he did do for his real team was win another ballgame. One truly gets the sense that Kitna leads the team in every conceivable way. There he was again in this game, lunging for a first down and being spun around like a helicopter after a head-first dive. Another play that will go largely unnoticed in the stat sheet was on a simple handoff to Kevin Jones. Typically, a quarterback will hand the ball off to his running back and follow through by continuing to run away from the play. After Jones' run, the replay angle showed that Kitna handed the ball to Jones and immediately spun around back towards the line of scrimmage to seek out any potential tacklers. It's that kind of commitment to team that really typifies Kitna, and it shouldn't go unnoticed. As for the mediocre stat line, a lot of that has to do with the fact that Tampa Bay was on the field for far more time than the Lions were. The Buccaneers marched up and down the field very methodically, completing over 80% of its passes and rushing for five yards at a clip. Those sorts of numbers lend themselves to sustained drives, and it really prevented Detroit from putting much of anything together. One noticeable issue with Kitna was that he appeared too willing to take a sack at key moments. When he would take a deep drop, he often had a lot more time to throw and would usually find someone downfield. But when he is forced to step up in the pocket, you may as well call it a sack or an incomplete pass. Because far more often than not, that sort of play resulted in zero gain. Kitna was bailed out of a fumble early in the game that went for a touchdown the other way. The Lions challenged the original call, and replays confirmed that it was in fact, an incomplete forward pass.RB Kevin Jones, Rush: 15 - 76 - 1, Rec: 6 - 34 - 0 (7 targets) - All week, we heard about how the Lions wanted to focus more on the running game. Specifically, we heard that they wanted to make Kevin Jones a big focus of it. After Detroit's first two possessions, it was obvious that they were serious about it. Jones carried the ball on the first four plays of the game for the Lions, and on seven of the first nine (including his third touchdown of the season, this one from a yard out). He finished up averaging over five yards per carry, and was the team's leading receiver with six catches. He looked to be healthy, and was very shifty and elusive in the hole. He had no problems getting open in the flat or over the middle on short dump-offs, and caught everything he could get his hands on.
RB T.J. Duckett, Rush: 4 - 30 - 0 - Duckett didn't make a huge impact on the game aside from one sequence of runs where he basically ran roughshod over the Tampa Bay defense. And it wasn't just that Duckett looked very good running the football (which he did), it was the fact that it was his number that was called upon when Kevin Jones needed a temporary breather. Tatum Bell didn't see the field all game long, and it is apparent at this point that Duckett is the primary backup.
WR Roy Williams, Rec: 3 - 23 - 0 (3 targets) - Williams was nearly as absent from the offense as the rest of the receivers on the squad. The first pass thrown to him bounced off his hands and straight up in the air, but Williams was able to find it and regain possession before being tackled. Aside from that odd reception, however, he didn't do anything that distinguished himself from anyone else. What's more, he wasn't thrown to even once in the entire second half (though it should be noted that the Lions only threw the ball eight times after halftime).
WR Calvin Johnson, Rush: 1 - 32 - 1, Rec: 2 - 37 - 0 (3 targets) - Johnson showed terrific hands in reaching low for his first reception of the game, a 19 yard pickup. His second catch of the afternoon was even more impressive, as it featured a similar route but with a dive at the end for the highlight reels. But his biggest highlight came on a reverse run. After a shifty move to get away from one would-be tackler, he employed a dynamite stiff-arm to get rid of Cato June. As he scampered up the right sideline, he quickly cut back to the middle of the field to avoid yet another tackler. And finally, he shook off Barrett Ruud at the five yard line before spinning his way into the end zone for the 32 yard score. We have heard all week that Detroit wants to get Johnson more involved in the offense. He had just three total touches in this game, but after such an impressive display of his talents, that number may increase significantly in the coming weeks.
WR Mike Furrey, Rec: 2 - 24 - 0 (2 targets) - Furrey was typically inconspicuous. It appears at times that Detroit is vastly underusing several players, perhaps none more than Furrey. He caught the only two balls thrown his way, one for 18 yards and the other for six (and both resulting in first downs). He wasn't thrown to after the 8:37 mark of the third quarter.
WR Shaun McDonald, Rec: 2 - 17 - 0 (3 targets) - McDonald had yet another extremely quiet game. All of his yardage came on one 17 yard reception, and his other catch went for no gain. Even his other passing target wasn't actually a pass thrown to him. It was supposed to be a pump fake, but Jon Kitna dropped the ball as it was coming forward and it fell to the turf for an incompletion. McDonald got credit for the target, but it was a target in name only.
TE Casey Fitzsimmons, Rec: 1 - 12 - 0 (2 targets) - Fitzsimmons was hardly an option whatsoever, catching just one ball late in the fourth quarter on the drive that led to the Calvin Johnson touchdown run. He did, however, make one of the game's critical plays when he recovered Tampa's last-ditch onside kick attempt.
PK Jason Hanson 3 - 3 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 11 points - Hanson connected on all three of his field goal attempts, none coming from further than 42 yards so they were all very makeable kicks.
DET Rush Defense - Plain and simple, the Lions didn't do a very good job on Earnest Graham and company. They allowed 124 yards on the ground, and it's not like that total was skewed by one long 50 yard gain or anything. It was more of the consistent five, six, seven yards at a clip that wore down the Lions defense for long stretches at a time. One crucial moment for the Lions defense, however, came after a Michael Bennett run. He was fortunately tackled down at the two yard line, setting up a first and goal for the Bucs. QB Jeff Garcia fumbled the snap on the next play, however, and the Lions recovered. Calvin Johnson scored a touchdown on the ensuing Detroit possession, and the Bucs never really seriously threatened again.
DET Pass Defense - The stats will show that Detroit was awful and that they allowed Jeff Garcia to complete over 80% of his passes and throw for over 300 yards with two touchdowns. And the stats may be right, to an extent. But the vast majority of the game, the Lions bent but didn't break. For all of the yardage, the fact remains that the Bucs averaged just over seven yards per attempt, which isn't all that spectacular. What's more, they averaged just 8.5 yards per completion. For a frame of reference, Bruce Gradkowski averaged 9.4 yards per completion in 2006. That's not trying to take anything away from Garcia's performance, but it was clear that the passes he completed didn't really hurt Detroit all that much. Ike Hilliard and Earnest Graham did the majority of the damage on dump-offs and quick curls, and neither of those guys are gamebreaker types who will turn a short gain into a big play. The Lions seemed content with giving the Buccaneers a lot of the short stuff, and instead focused on ensuring they didn't allow the big play. That could be a big reason why Joey Galloway was stifled, and managed just 46 yards on five receptions. What's more, the Lions actually got a lot of pressure on Garcia up front. He did well to avoid it for the most part, but Detroit certainly forced him to move his feet and run around quite a bit more than he probably wanted to. Towards the end of the game, it seemed as if every other pass thrown by Garcia was simply flung away sideways or underhanded in order to avoid taking the sack. DE Dewayne White had a particularly big game, recording the only three sacks on the day for the Lions. Perhaps most importantly for Detroit, Garcia fumbled the football away twice. Each time was more a mistake by Garcia than anything the Lions did right, but one thing they did do was pounce on the loose ball each time. Of course, the day wasn't without its miscues for Detroit. The occasional defensive lapse allowed more than a few players to roam completely free along the sideline or underneath, and those lapses occasionally led to some big yardage (and the Hilliard touchdown). Another negative for the Lions was the rash of injuries suffered by defensive players. At various points, Ernie Sims, Paris Lenon, Shaun Rogers, and Idrees Bashir were shaken up. None of those injuries were mentioned in the postgame recap.New York Jets 31, Cincinnati Bengals 38
What you need to know
New York Jets - QB Chad Pennington went deep on the first two passes of the day, and hit Sean Ryan for 22 yards and Laveranues Coles for a 57 yard touchdown pass. The Jets seemed to try to repeat this success. Pennington was clearly targeting Coles more than anyone else with 15 targets. He made no visible mistakes until the fourth quarter, where he fumbled a snap and threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown.RB Thomas Jones struggled for the majority of the game, failing to make a significant impact running the ball. He had one run of 12 yards, but only 55 yards on 18 other attempts.
WR Laveranues Coles looked on top of his game on Sunday, but one has to remember it is against the Cincinnati Bengals. He caught two touchdowns in the first half: a 57 yard touchdown on the opening drive by the Jets, and then a 36 yard touchdown on a short crossing route where he busted through two defensive tacklers. Jerricho Cotchery was not involved in the game like he usually is, but he did catch a crazy garbage time Hail Mary pass while time expired.
Cincinnati Bengals - QB Carson Palmer allowed Kenny Watson to carry the team, and got the victory. He only threw the ball 21 times, the least number of attempts for him since week one last year.RB Kenny Watson was featured often on the day, and had huge success. He scored three touchdowns in goalline situations, producing big fantasy numbers. He also ran the ball consistently, gaining 130 yards on 31 attempts.
WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh had the wind knocked out of him on the third play of the game, but came back on the next drive and got involved in the offense, eventually lengthening his touchdown streak. Chad Johnson had 102 yards receiving on three receptions, but he failed to get into the end zone yet again.
What you ought to know
QB Chad Pennington, Pass: 20 - 31 - 272 - 3 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 3 - 7 - 0 - Pennington started off the game sizzling, but had another rough fourth quarter. He fumbled a snap and threw a game changing interception that was returned for a touchdown. He threw too many out patterns and finally a Cincinnati corner jumped the route.RB Thomas Jones, Rush: 19 - 67 - 0 - Jones could never get going, and the Jets gave up on the run game with Thomas Jones in the third quarter, giving Leon Washington most of the remaining playing time since Washington is also a pass threat.
RB Leon Washington, Rush: 3 - 11 - 0, Rec: 2 - 21 - 0 (5 targets) - Washington saw more playing time late in the game, but started as the backup running back. He replaced Thomas Jones for the majority of the fourth quarter, possibly because the Jets needed an additional passing option.
WR Laveranues Coles, Rec: 8 - 133 - 2 (15 targets) - Coles had a huge day against Cincinnati. He was targeted 15 out of 34 times Pennington threw the ball. Coles showed his ability to split defenses by splitting two defenders after he caught a short pass and going for a touchdown.
WR Jerricho Cotchery, Rush: 1 - -1 - 0, Rec: 6 - 60 - 1 (6 targets) - Cotchery was not involved much in the offense, but did produce a touchdown reception on a Hail Mary at the end of the game, making his game look better than it should have been. Pennington seemed to prefer to go to the speedy Coles against Cincinnati.
WR Brad Smith, Rec: 1 - 12 - 0 (2 targets) - Smith was the third wide receiver for the Jets. He caught his only real target, with his other coming on a desperation pass by Pennington.
TE Sean Ryan, Rec: 3 - 46 - 0 (4 targets) - Ryan stretched the defense for Pennington, catching a long pass on a deep out on the first play of the game for the Jets for 22 yards.
PK Mike Nugent 3 - 3 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 11 points - Nugent made all of his kicks.
NYJ Rush Defense - The Jets could not stop Kenny Watson, who consistently moved the chains by getting just past the first down mark. They were stretched out by the deep passes by Carson Palmer, causing them to choose what they wanted to do, so they decided they would make Watson beat them because they were up early, but Watson got the job done.
NYJ Pass Defense - The Jets failed to pressure much pressure on Carson Palmer, so even though their pass coverage was very good, they allowed some big plays. They sacked Palmer two times. QB Carson Palmer, Pass: 14 - 21 - 226 - 1 TD / 1 INT - Palmer threw an interception in the second quarter that was a great play by Hank Poteat wrestling the ball away from T.J. Houshmandzadeh. Palmer did not throw the ball much because Kenny Watson was running over the Jets, which allowed him good play action fakes to throw down the field. He managed the game well and this was a classic case of taking what the defense gave him.RB Kenny Watson, Rush: 31 - 130 - 3, Rec: 3 - 27 - 0 (5 targets) - Watson replaced Rudi Johnson once again this week, but had much more success this week than last. He scored his first touchdown from the three yard line on a cutback play after a penalty on a play action pass the previous play. Watson was extremely effective, chipping away for yards on first and second down very often. Cincinnati had been terrible on third down the previous two games, but this week they were able to convert on third down seven out of ten times.
RB DeDe Dorsey, Rush: 7 - 23 - 0 - Dorsey served as the backup to Watson and showed good moves as he looked quick. He made a juke move and a spin move to avoid runners on separate occasions.
WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Rush: 1 - 8 - 0, Rec: 4 - 43 - 1 (7 targets) - Houshmandzadeh got winded early in the first quarter, but he came back and continued to run routes over the middle without fear. He was held in the end zone in the second quarter on what would have been a touchdown catch; instead it ended up being a short touchdown run by Kenny Watson. Houshmandzadeh caught a short touchdown pass in the red zone, extending his touchdown streak to six straight games.
WR Chad Johnson, Rush: 1 - 15 - 0, Rec: 3 - 102 - 0 (4 targets) - Johnson saw his targets go significantly down, but he had no problems getting over 100 yards, hitting the century mark on just three catches.
WR Glenn Holt, Rec: 4 - 54 - 0 (8 targets) - Holt did a great job of drawing penalties against the Jets. He drew two pass interference calls. He was targeted more than any other receiver by Palmer, yielding five of them in the second half.
TE Reggie Kelly (1 targets) - Kelly was targeted on a deep out. He was mostly used for blocking when he was in, but Glenn Holt took a lot of his playing time.
PK Shayne Graham 1 - 1 FG, 5 - 5 XP, 8 points - Graham was sketchy in the kicking game, almost missing several kicks. He managed to overcome this and make all of his kicks, though.
CIN Rush Defense - The Cincinnati rush defense was solid, holding the Jets running backs to 78 yards. They forced Pennington to try to beat their secondary.
CIN Pass Defense - Cincinnati's pass defense has been terrible all year, and the first three quarters were no different. However, in the fourth quarter they stopped the Jets momentum by finally putting serious pressure on Chad Pennington and jumping one of the out routes.Tennessee Titans 38, Houston Texans 36
What you need to know
Tennessee Titans - Rob Bironas not only won the game on his last second field goal but, he kicked his way into the NFL record book by making his eighth field goal of the game. He connected on all eight of his field goal attempts and broke the previous record of seven field goals held by four other players. Bironas hit his last one with two seconds left to give the Titans a 38-36 victory as time expired. He clearly benefited from Tennessee's inability to finish drives but, Bironas' consistency saved the Titans from a complete collapse as they gave up a 25 point lead in the fourth quarter.QB Kerry Collins started the game for the injured QB Vince Young. Collins played a very solid game going 25 for 42 for 280 yards but, he had no passing touchdowns and struggled to get the ball in the end zone. The Titans gave up a 25 point lead in the fourth quarter, and found themselves trailing by one point with 57 seconds left in the game. Collins methodically moved the ball 63 yards down the field by making some exceptional passes, putting Tennessee in position to kick a 29 yard game winning field goal with two seconds left in the game.
LenDale White had a big game rushing for 104 yards on 27 carries, including a one yard touchdown. Tennessee tried to pound the ball on the Texans' defense as they had an overwhelming advantage in time of possession and had built a big lead in the first three quarters of the game. RB Chris Henry added 57 yards on 11 carries and scored his first NFL touchdown on a four yard run.
WR Roydell Williams had very good game by leading all receivers with 124 yards on five receptions. His biggest catch was a 46 yard reception with about a half minute left in the game that set up a short game winning field goal for Tennessee.
Houston Texans - Matt Schaub was knocked out of this game late in the first half and replaced by backup Sage Rosenfels. Neither quarterback did much for three quarters but, Rosenfels led a spirited comeback in the fourth quarter by scoring 29 points off of four touchdown passes. It was an amazing comeback considering how much the Texans' pass offense struggled to that point, and that they were down by 25 points going into the fourth quarter. After recovering an onside kick, Rosenfels hit WR Andre Davis on a 53 yard touchdown with 57 seconds left in the game to give Houston a 36-35 lead. Rosenfels finished the game with 290 passing yards and four touchdowns but, he did have four turnovers in the game.The Texans rushing game continued to struggle as they had only 39 yards rushing in the game. Starter RB Ahman Green got all 11 carries as there were was very little running room against a tough Titans rush defense.
WR Andre Davis and WR Kevin Walter led the team in receiving as they combined for 185 yards receiving. Davis' biggest play was a 53 yard touchdown reception that gave the Texans a brief lead with less then a minute left. Davis finished the game with 88 yards. Walter did not have a catch until the fourth quarter and then had four catches for 77 yards on Houston's second touchdown drive in the quarter. Walter caught a six yard pass for touchdown to cap off the drive. He finished as Houston's leading receiver with 97 yards.
What you ought to know
QB Kerry Collins, Pass: 25 - 42 - 280 - 0 TD / 0 INT - As expected, Collins got the start for the injured QB Vince Young in this game. The game got off to a rocky start for Collins as he was sacked and fumbled. The ball was returned for a touchdown by Houston in the first quarter. Collins did lead the team to two fields in the first quarter as he went six for 11 for 58 yards in the first quarter. On the first play of the second quarter, Collins threw a bullet to WR Roydell Williams on a 39 yard pass over the middle. It was his best pass of the first half and Tennessee's biggest play of the half as well. The play would set up the Titans' third field goal of the game. Collins showed his good arm strength on another pass to WR Justin Gage for 24 yards later in the second quarter. He had a nice first half finishing 17 for 26 for 188 yards. Collins did everything but get the ball in the end zone in the first half. Collins wasn't as sharp in the second half only completing five of 12 attempts for the first 29 minutes of the second half but, he played well when the game was on the line at the end of the contest. The Titans built a big lead by halftime and tried to run the ball a lot in the second half to run down the clock. But the Texans made an improbable comeback in the fourth quarter and Titans were one point down with 57 seconds left. Collins calmly led his team 63 yards down the field for a game winning field goal. The 13 year veteran was unflappable at the end of the game as he made some amazing throws on that last drive, putting his team in easy field goal range with two seconds left in the game.RB LenDale White, Rush: 27 - 104 - 1, Rec: 4 - 22 - 0 (6 targets) - White did not split carries with RB Chris Brown in this game because Brown did not play because of an ankle injury. He got a lot of carries in the first quarter of the game. He had nine carries in the first quarter but, only had 23 yards against a tough Texans run defense. But his fortunes changed in the second quarter when he got a one yard touchdown plunge. He continued to get lots of carries in the first half as the Titans dominated the time of possession. He finished the first half with 16 carries for 50 yards. Tennessee continued to pound the ball in the second half and White broke a 28 yard run in the fourth quarter, the longest run of the day by the Titans. RB Chris Henry was mixed into the rushing game a little more in the second half, but White still had 11 carries for 57 yards. It was big day for White who finished the game with 27 carries and 107 yards, including a touchdown.
RB Chris Henry, Rush: 11 - 57 - 1, Rec: 2 - 12 - 0 (2 targets) - Henry only had two carries for eight yards in the first half but, did catch two passes for 12 yards. He did have a long run of 24 yards off the right tackle in the third quarter. He followed that up a few plays later with a four yard touchdown run, his first score in the NFL. He played a bigger role in the second half as he had nine carries for 49 yards rushing in the second half.
WR Roydell Williams, Rush: 1 - -6 - 0, Rec: 5 - 124 - 0 (9 targets) - Williams got off to a good start catching an 18 yard pass on the first play of the game. He would catch a 39 yard pass that would set up the Titans third field goal of the game early in the second quarter. He led Tennessee with 61 yards receiving at halftime. Williams came up with his biggest catch of the game by going up and getting a 46 yard catch with 31 seconds left to help set up a last second field goal. He finished with two catches for 63 yards in the second half.
WR Justin Gage, Rec: 5 - 48 - 0 (8 targets) - Gage used his exceptional height in making a leaping catch for 24 yards over the middle of the field in the second quarter. He drew a questionable interference penalty in the end zone that put the ball on the Texans one yard line and set up Tennessee's first touchdown. He had a nice first half catching four balls for 40 yards. Gage bobbled a big catch out of bounds for an incompletion late in the game as the Titans were driving to get in field goal range with less then a minute left. He only had one catch for eight yards in the second half.
WR Chris Davis, Rec: 1 - 13 - 0 (1 targets) - Davis caught a 13 yard pass for a first down on the second play of the game for his only catch of the game.
WR Eric Moulds (1 targets) - Moulds was not a factor in this game as he made no receptions and had only one pass thrown his way.
TE Bo Scaife, Rec: 6 - 49 - 0 (8 targets) - On Scaife's first catch of the game he fumbled the ball, turning it over deep in the Texans territory. But he would be targeted the most in the first half for Tennessee as he had six balls thrown his way. He had four catches for 38 yards in the first half. Scaife would have two catches for 11 yards in the seconds half but, would finish as the Titans second leading receiver and had a team high six catches for the Titans.
TE Ben Hartsock, Rec: 2 - 12 - 0 (5 targets) - Hartsock, the backup tight end, had one catch for six yards in the first half. He would add another catch for six yards in the second half.
PK Rob Bironas 8 - 8 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 26 points - Bironas had a huge first half kicking five field goals in the first 30 minutes of the game. He nailed his first on a 52 yard field goal in the first quarter. It was the first time this year that the Titans scored on the first drive of the game. Bironas would hit a 25 yard field goal later in the first quarter. He would add field goals of 21, 30, and 28 yards in the second quarter. He tied a franchise record for number of field goals by halftime of the game. Bironas benefited the most from the Titans inability to finish drives.
Bironas would hit his sixth field goal on a 43 yard attempt early in the third quarter. He just barely made a 29 yard field goal in the fourth quarter, becoming only the fifth player in history to kick seven field goals in a game. He got a chance to make history and win the game on his eighth attempt of the game with two seconds left in the game on a 29 yard attempt. He made the kick to win the game and became the first player in NFL history to kick eight field goals in a game.TEN Rush Defense - The rush defense played an excellent game holding RB Ahman Green and the Houston rush offense to only 39 yards in the game.
TEN Pass Defense - The pass defense played very well for three quarters, but gave up four passing touchdown in the fourth quarter to QB Sage Rosenfels. The Titans did intercept Rosenfels three times in the game. QB Sage Rosenfels, Pass: 22 - 35 - 290 - 4 TD / 3 INT, Rush: 1 - 0 - 0 - Rosenfels came in after QB Matt Schaub was shaken up the first time, and promptly threw an interception. He would play one more series before Schaub returned to the game. Schaub would get knocked out the game again late in the first half, and Rosenfels would come in and fumble the ball on his first play back. Schaub would not return to the game, and Rosenfels would play the rest of the game for Houston. He threw his second interception of the game on the first drive of the second half. The offense did nothing until late in the third quarter. He did lead the Texans on a 70 touchdown drive early in the fourth quarter. He hit WR David Anderson on a seven yard touchdown pass and converted the two point conversion by throwing a short pass to WR Andre Davis. He had a big 53 yard pass completion negated after a penalty in the fourth quarter but, he did come back a couple of plays later and hooked up with WR Kevin Walter for 40 yards. He would come back to Walters four more times in that drive, including a six yard touchdown pass to cap it off. Rosenfels hit Walters five times for 77 yards on that drive. Rosenfels' big fourth quarter continued as he drove his team down the field on a 75 yard drive and hit TE Jeb Putzier on a seven yard touchdown pass. It was Rosenfels third touchdown pass of the quarter. The Texans got a huge break late in the game as the special teams unit recovered an on-side kick with a minute and half left in the game. This set up another big pass play as Rosenfels threw up a prayer of more then fifty yards into the end zone and Davis came up with the ball for a 53 yard touchdown with 57 seconds left in the game. This was the fourth touchdown for Rosenfels in the fourth quarter as he led them to 29 points in the fourth quarter.QB Matt Schaub, Pass: 5 - 9 - 23 - 0 TD / 0 INT - Schaub injured his ankle midway through the first quarter after a sack. He limped to the Texans locker room shortly after the play. It was reported as a left ankle sprain but, he did return to the game after getting the ankle taped. Schaub would get knocked out of the game again when DT Albert Haynesworth was penalized for a helmet-to-helmet hit and drove him into the turf. He would not return to the game after being knocked out a second time. Schaub and QB Sage Rosenfels had a bad first half as both combined for only 29 yards passing and they mustered only one first down in the first half.
RB Ahman Green, Rush: 11 - 39 - 0, Rec: 5 - 32 - 0 (5 targets) - The Texans' rush game struggled again early in the game as Green only had four yards on three carries in the first quarter. He would break off an 11 yard run in the second quarter on a third and long play, but he finished the first half with only 15 yards rushing and two catches for nine yards. Things didn't go much better for Green rushing the ball in the second half, as he only had 24 yards in the half. He had three catches for 23 yards in the second half.
RB Ron Dayne, Rec: 1 - 10 - 0 (1 targets) - Dayne didn't get into the game until the last two minutes of the fourth quarter. On his first play in he caught a ten yard pass for a first down. It was his only touch of the game as he did not have a carry in the game.
WR Kevin Walter, Rec: 6 - 97 - 1 (7 targets) - After having a big game in week six, Walter was all but invisible in the first three quarters of the game. But he would have a huge fourth quarter. He finally caught his first pass early in the fourth quarter for 11 yards. His second catch was a deep 40 yard reception up the middle of the field on the next drive. He would add two more catches of 23 and eight yards later in the drive. He would catch a six yard touchdown to cap off that drive. He had four catches for 77 yards on the drive. Walter had a catch for big yards late in the game but, the official ruled he did not have both feet in bounds. After not having a single pass thrown in his direction for three quarters, he finished the game with a team high six receptions for 97 yards.
WR Andre Davis, Rec: 4 - 88 - 1 (12 targets) - Even though Davis was targeted five times in the first half, he only caught one pass for nine yards. He would have a much bigger second half. He would catch a pass for a two point conversion early in the fourth quarter. Davis had a long 53 yard pass reception negated on a penalty in the fourth quarter. He would come up with an even bigger play as he caught a 53 yard touchdown pass with 57 seconds left in the game to give Houston an improbable lead late in the game. Davis had a game high 12 targets.
WR David Anderson, Rec: 4 - 45 - 1 (5 targets) - Anderson got his first NFL touchdown in the fourth quarter on a seven yard reception. He would have a costly fumble on a punt return late in the game as Houston was making a comeback. His biggest play came on a 24 yard catch to the Tennessee seven yard line.
WR Jacoby Jones, Rec: 3 - 11 - 0 (3 targets) - On the Texans' second offensive play of the game, Jones fumbled the ball and the Titans recovered it. Jones would catch a 12 yard pass over the middle for a first down in the first quarter on what would be his biggest play of the game. He had three catches for 11 yards, all in the first half.
TE Owen Daniels, Rec: 2 - 20 - 0 (4 targets) - Daniels didn't catch his first pass until late in the fourth quarter and didn't really factor into the passing game. He had two receptions for 20 yards.
TE Jeb Putzier, Rec: 1 - 7 - 1 (1 targets) - Putzier's first and only catch was a seven yard touchdown with less then two minutes left in the game.
PK Kris Brown 0 - 0 FG, 4 - 4 XP, 4 points - Brown did not get a field goal attempt in this game but, did have four extra points.
HOU Rush Defense - The Houston rush defense played well early in the game but, got wore down as the game went on. Houston's offense had trouble making first downs, forcing the defense to stay on the field a lot. They gave up 155 yards rushing, including over a hundred yards to starting Titans' RB LenDale White.
HOU Pass Defense - LB DeMeco Ryans sacked QB Kerry Collins and forced a fumble. Ryans then picked up the ball and returned it 27 yards for his first NFL touchdown. The Texans did not give up a passing touchdown but, did give up 280 yards of passing to QB Kerry Collins, including a 63 yard winning field goal drive with less then a minute left in the game.Minnesota Vikings 14, Dallas Cowboys 24
What you need to know
Minnesota Vikings - The Vikings were hampered by not being able to get anything going at all on offense the entire day. They could not sustain drives, due largely to their inability to convert third downs, and they could not make any plays in the passing game. RBs Chester Taylor and Adrian Peterson were effective with their carries, but did not get enough touches to put up significant yardage.Tarvaris Jackson was ineffective again in his second start since returning from injury. He was inaccurate all afternoon, took too long to locate receivers, and generally failed to provide any spark in the passing game. Jackson completed a grand total of two passes to wide receivers all day, so no Vikings WR put up any numbers of note.
Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor both played nicely but just didn't get enough opportunities. Each had big gains running the ball. Each also had a nice yards per carry average, but they split 22 carries and four receptions.
The Vikings defense played well. They held the team in the game for most of the afternoon, until a late Peterson fumble gave Dallas great field position and they started to pull away. The Vikings scored once on defense, and had another fumble return called back due to penalty.
Dallas Cowboys - The powerhouse Dallas offense was held in check most of the afternoon by the Vikings defense. They finished with nice numbers, but most of their damage was done on a clock grinding first drive, and a clock eating final drive.Tony Romo spent most of the afternoon passing the ball. He was efficient completing 31 of 39 passes, and was the main reason the Cowboys were able to dominate the time of possession. He did not throw an interception, but did have one fumble.
Marion Barber and Julius Jones spent most of the afternoon rotating series. The number of series, as well as the number of touches each back received was fairly even until the fourth quarter. When the Cowboys had command of the game, Barber was again the back to grind out the final minutes and gained 50+ yards on the final drive.
Terrell Owens lead the Cowboys in receiving yards, and had several big plays, including the one touchdown reception. Jason Witten was Romo's most frequently targeted receiver and led the team in receptions.
What you ought to know
QB Tarvaris Jackson, Pass: 6 - 19 - 72 - 0 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 4 - 20 - 0 - Jackson failed to provide any spark to the Vikings passing game. He completed less than a third of his passes, and completed only two passes to players other than his running backs. He consistently took too long to make decisions, resulting in his once open receivers being covered, or in getting sacked. He did not show any lingering effects from his groin injury and scrambled four times for 20 yards.RB Adrian Peterson, Rush: 12 - 63 - 1, Rec: 1 - 12 - 0 (2 targets) - Peterson played well in his limited opportunities. He was no where near the offensive force he was the week before, but he ran hard, and made plays. He finished with 5.3 yards per carry, but did have one crucial fumble that gave Dallas excellent field position. He did break a few longer runs, but was bottled up much better by the Dallas defense. Being limited to only 12 carries on the day hurt his chances for a bigger day.
RB Chester Taylor, Rush: 10 - 47 - 0, Rec: 3 - 19 - 0 (4 targets) - Taylor again was the starter for the Vikings, but had fewer carries than did Adrian Peterson. Taylor finished with ten carries and added three receptions. However, his touch total was hurt by the Vikings inability to maintain ball control. He finished with 4.7 yards per carry.
WR Bobby Wade, Rec: 1 - 16 - 0 (4 targets) - Wade finished with just 16 yards on his lone receptions. Like all Vikings receivers, Wade was hurt by Tarvaris Jackson's inability to accurately throw the ball downfield.
WR Troy Williamson, Rec: 1 - 25 - 0 (4 targets) - Williamson finished with a lone 21 yard reception. He added five more yards on a last second lateral play. He was targeted a couple of times deep down field, but Tarvaris Jackson was unable to connect.
PK Ryan Longwell 0 - 1 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 2 points - Longwell hit both of his extra points, but had his only field goal attempt blocked.
MIN Rush Defense - The Vikings rush defense held Jones and Barber in check most of the afternoon. Dallas did not try to test them consistently, until the fourth quarter when Dallas put together a drive comprised solely of Marion Barber runs.
MIN Pass Defense - As one would expect, the Dallas offense picked apart the Vikings' pass defense. Romo, while occasionally hurried, had ample time all afternoon to find wide open receivers. He completed almost 80% of his passes, and did not throw an interception. QB Tony Romo, Pass: 31 - 39 - 277 - 1 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 1 - 4 - 0 - Romo had an excellent afternoon throwing the ball. He was extremely efficient completing almost 80% of his passes. He had ample time for most of the afternoon to find receivers, who were more often than not, wide open. His lone touchdown pass was to Terrell Owens on the first drive of the game. He looked to Jason Witten most often, using the short passing game in place of the running game. He did not throw an interception.RB Marion Barber III, Rush: 19 - 96 - 1, Rec: 4 - 9 - 0 (5 targets) - Barber displayed good strength and determination on all of his carries. Every time he touched the ball, he ran with purpose. However, the Vikings stout rush defense caused the Cowboys to not spend much time establishing the running game. Nine of his 19 carries, and 64 of his 96 yards came on the Cowboys' final drive running out the clock.
RB Julius Jones, Rush: 9 - 28 - 0, Rec: 4 - 30 - 0 (4 targets) - Jones started the game, but did not get the majority of work. He started strong with four carries on the first drive, but managed just 5 more the rest of the game. He did catch all four of his passes and added 30 yards. However, the Cowboys seemed to go with Barber in crucial situations, and Barber again was the back used to run out the clock. With the Cowboys disregarding the running game, Jones' opportunity was limited.
WR Terrell Owens, Rec: 7 - 103 - 1 (7 targets) - Owens dominated the Vikings' secondary, and got open with ease. He caught all seven of the passes thrown in his direction. On his touchdown, the Vikings defense left him open and Romo found him alone in the back of the end zone.
WR Patrick Crayton, Rec: 2 - 19 - 0 (4 targets) - Crayton had a relatively quiet afternoon, catching two of the four passes thrown his way. Crayton was the third option for Romo most of the time, after Owens and Witten. Crayton's first reception was a crossing route on the first drive and Crayton was wide open for twelve yards. His only other reception of the game was near the end of the first half. Crayton caught a seven yard pass and was hit almost immediately, fumbling the ball. The Vikings picked up the fumble and returned it for a touchdown. He did not receive a target in the second half.
TE Jason Witten, Rec: 10 - 86 - 0 (13 targets) - Witten was Tony Romo's most frequently targeted receiver. The Vikings had no answer to cover Witten who was open most of the afternoon. Most of his receptions were short to mid range routes down the middle of the field. Dallas used the short passing game in place of the running game, and Witten was the prime benefactor catching ten of his 13 targets.
PK Nick Folk 1 - 2 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 6 points - Folk hit all of his extra points, converted one 45 yard field goal and missed a 50 yard attempt.
DAL Rush Defense - When they ran, the Vikings were able to run consistently on the Dallas rush defense. The end of the game totals would have been more impressive, but the Vikings simply did not get enough chances to run the ball, failing to put together any sustained drives.
DAL Pass Defense - It was hard to tell if the Dallas pass defense was dominant, or if Tarvaris Jackson just played ineptly. The Cowboys gave up just 65 yards through the air and sacked Jackson three times.Indianapolis Colts 29, Jacksonville Jaguars 7
What you need to know
Indianapolis Colts - In a key AFC South matchup before a fired up Jacksonville crowd, the Colts dominated the Jaguars and earned a decisive victory.QB Peyton Manning led an efficient Indianapolis attack, throwing for 259 yards and directing five scoring drives. He threw the ball accurately, kept the chains moving, and accounted for two scores, including a one yard TD run. Manning was sacked twice and did toss one INT.
RB Joseph Addai ran with determination and showed no lingering effects from his recent shoulder injury. He was also fairly involved in the passing attack. The only downside of Addai's performance, at least from a fantasy perspective, was having to share the ball with Kenton Keith. Keith finished with only one less carry than Addai, though he averaged fewer yards per attempt (3.7) than his counterpart (5.3 for Addai). Keith ran hard and showed some power, and he also scored a rushing TD.
WR Reggie Wayne was by far the most targeted Colts receiver, and he finished with over 100 receiving yards. He did most of his damage in the first half (was targeted only twice in the second half), and he and Manning hooked up on a great deep pattern in the second quarter to set up the second Colt TD. WR Marvin Harrison was limited by his knee injury and had a quiet game. TE Dallas Clark was also having a quiet night until he hauled in a 35 yard TD reception late in the final period.
PK Adam Vinatieri was stellar as usual, converting all of his place kicks and planting four of his six kickoffs in the end zone. Except for the opening drive of the second half, the Colts defense contained the Jaguars rushing attack, and they throttled their pass offense, especially after David Garrard left the game due to injury.
Jacksonville Jaguars - The strength of the Jacksonville offense is their rushing attack, but strangely, the Jaguars did not make a serious effort to establish the run until they were seventeen points down. Once the clock became an issue in the second half and they needed to throw the ball more, their passing attack was too weak to mount a comeback.Starting QB David Garrard was unable to lead a scoring drive in the first half. Early in the second period, he sprained his left ankle on a sack by rookie DT Ed Johnson. Garrard was obviously limited by the injury, but he eventually returned and finished the half; however, he did not play in the second half. Backup QB Quinn Gray was ineffective, accounting for only 56 passing yards and two INTs in two plus quarters of action.
RB Maurice Jones-Drew ran impressively at times and finished with slightly more carries than Fred Taylor. Jones-Drew was targeted by Quinn a few times during garbage time, but overall he was not an important part of the passing attack. Taylor was not involved much in the passing game, either, but he ran with power and quickness and finished with more rushing yards than his teammate.
It was an unproductive night for the Jaguars passing attack. WR Earnest Wilford led all Jaguars receivers with six receptions; no other Jaguars receiver finished with more than three catches or 22 receiving yards.
PK John Carney did not have a field goal attempt and finished with one PAT. The Jaguar defense did not defend the run as well as expected, and their pass rush did not harass Peyton Manning enough to knock him out of his rhythm. They did manage an INT and a couple of sacks by DE Paul Spicer.
What you ought to know
QB Peyton Manning, Pass: 23 - 37 - 259 - 1 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 2 - 0 - 1 - Manning had a very solid game, even though his final stats were not exactly spectacular--at least not for him. The Colts emphasized the rush, which allowed them to control the clock against a very fine Jaguar defense that had been extremely stingy versus the run in recent weeks. When asked to throw, Manning picked apart the Jaguar secondary with mostly short passes, and he had eyes especially for Reggie Wayne. With WR Marvin Harrison still hampered by a knee injury, the Colts moved Wayne all over the field to create opportunities, and they obviously succeeded. Harrison was actually pretty active in the first quarter (three targets), but Manning threw to him only twice more after that. Manning threw his only TD pass with about four minutes remaining, hitting a wide open TE Dallas Clark from thirty five yards out for the final Indianapolis score. Manning also ran in a TD in the second quarter on a one yard quarterback sneak. Manning did have a few shaky moments in this game. He was stripped of the ball on one of the two Jacksonville sacks, and he threw an INT in the fourth quarter when Jacksonville still had a chance to get back in the game. He also misfired on a few passes. All things considered, though, he put in a masterful performance on the road in a critical game against a very good defense.RB Joseph Addai, Rush: 16 - 85 - 0, Rec: 4 - 22 - 0 (4 targets) - Addai averaged a gaudy 5.3 yards per rushing attempt against the very stout Jaguar front seven. He ran with power and elusiveness, and he did not seem hindered at all by the shoulder injury that had sidelined him since late September. Addai had three red zone carries and just missed scoring a TD in the second quarter when he ran the ball to the goal line (Manning sneaked it in on the next play). He was also involved in the passing game and caught every pass thrown his way. It's hard to tell whether the heavier work load assigned to Kenton Keith in this game was due to concerns about Addai's health, or if was a sign of things to come, or maybe both. Certainly it was not due to Addai's performance, which was rock solid.
RB Kenton Keith, Rush: 15 - 56 - 1, Rec: 2 - 16 - 0 (5 targets) - Keith ran hard and with good toughness, and he finished with only one less rushing attempt than Addai. In the first quarter, he got in the end zone on a three yard run for the first Indianapolis score. Keith was also involved in the passing attack (including one red zone target), though he mishandled a couple of short passes that probably could have been caught. If the Colts are contemplating a time share situation at RB, the one issue Keith may need to work on is to gain Manning's trust.
WR Reggie Wayne, Rec: 9 - 131 - 0 (13 targets) - Wayne was the offensive star of this game, especially in the first half (eleven of his targets came in the first 30 minutes). The Colts moved him all over the field to find different ways to get him the ball, and it worked. Wayne had one red zone target, a nine yard reception to the three that set up the first Colt TD. He also set up the second Colt TD with a 31 yard catch to the ten. It's obvious Manning trusts this guy big time, as several passes were thrown into tight coverage, with Wayne coming up with the catch more often than not.
WR Marvin Harrison, Rec: 3 - 16 - 0 (5 targets) - Harrison was active early, but after the first quarter, he didn't see the field as much and was targeted only twice. Apparently he is still bothered by his knee injury (Tony Dungy mentioned after the game that he knew Harrison's availability would be limited). Harrison did have one red zone target (an incompletion) near the end of the first half.
WR Anthony Gonzalez - Gonzalez got on the field at least, especially in the second half, but Manning did not throw a pass his way.
WR Aaron Moorehead (1 targets) - Moorehead was targeted once in the first series of the game, and Manning never threw to him again.
TE Dallas Clark, Rec: 4 - 66 - 1 (6 targets) - Clark was frequently open over the middle, and his 35 yard TD catch late in the fourth quarter salted away the Colt victory. He might have had a huge game if the Manning had had more need to throw the ball.
TE Ben Utecht, Rec: 1 - 8 - 0 (1 targets) - Like Moorehead, Utecht was targeted once in the first series of the game and was never thrown to again.
PK Adam Vinatieri 2 - 2 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 9 points - Vinatieri was perfect on the night, converting both of his field goal attempts and all of his extra points. He did a superior job with his kickoffs, too, booting four of six into the end zone.
IND Rush Defense - The Colts did a decent job containing the Jaguars rushing attack. Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew collected over 100 yards between them, but one gets the sense that if the Jaguars had committed to running the ball earlier in the game instead of waiting until they were 17 points down, things might have turned out differently. FS Bob Sanders (4 solo tackles, 1 assist, 1 INT, 2 PD's) often helped in run support and made a huge midfield stop of Jones-Drew on fourth and one late in the second quarter.
IND Pass Defense - The Colts pass rush kept steady pressure on the Jaguar QBs all night. They finished with only three sacks, but all were significant. The first came in the second quarter and resulted in an ankle injury to Garrard that knocked him out of the game; the second sack, by Dwight Freeney, came in the third quarter and resulted in a safety; the third resulted in a fumble that ended the final Jacksonville drive. The Colts secondary did a solid job in coverage and came up with two INTs, one by FS Bob Sanders and the other by CB Kelvin Hayden. QB Quinn Gray, Pass: 9 - 24 - 56 - 0 TD / 2 INT, Rush: 2 - 8 - 0 - Gray entered the game in the second quarter after Garrard's injury, and he played the entire second half after Garrard was unable to continue. His passes were often erratic, and he frequently overthrew his receivers. His first pass went for negative yardage, and his second was intercepted by Bob Sanders, which set up Manning's second TD drive. Gray dropped back to pass only two times in the third quarter, the first one resulting in an incompletion, and the second resulting in a Dwight Freeney sack in the end zone for a safety. His three fourth quarter drives ended in an INT, a failed fourth down attempt, and a sack/fumble.QB David Garrard, Pass: 8 - 12 - 72 - 0 TD / 0 INT - Garrard threw the ball pretty effectively while he was in the game, though he was unable to engineer any scoring drives. Three of his first five passes were directed to Ernest Wilford, but after that, Garrard spread the ball around and did not seem to favor any particular receiver. He did a good job taking care of the ball and had no turnovers, though obviously in limited action. The one time he was sacked resulted in the ankle sprain that knocked him out of the game, and the Jaguars passing attack nosedived after that.
RB Maurice Jones-Drew, Rush: 13 - 52 - 1, Rec: 3 - 17 - 0 (3 targets) - Jones-Drew broke off a few nice runs, but he was also stopped for one yard or less on six occasions (though one was for a TD). On his TD run, it appeared at first that he fumbled the ball away, but replays confirmed the he broke the plane of the end zone before dropping the ball. Jones-Drew had only three pass targets, two of them coming in the final drive of the game.
RB Fred Taylor, Rush: 11 - 55 - 0, Rec: 1 - -2 - 0 (1 targets) - Taylor ran with conviction and looked really quick. He did not have any red zone carries, as Jones-Drew received all the rushing attempts every time the Jaguars got close to the Indianapolis goal line. Taylor did not receive much attention in the passing game, either.
RB Greg Jones, Rush: 1 - 2 - 0 - Jones had only one carry in this game--a red zone attempt.
WR Ernest Wilford, Rec: 6 - 53 - 0 (8 targets) - David Garrard looked for Wilford early (three of his first five passes), and then the Jaguar WR disappeared until the fourth quarter, when Quinn Gray began looking for him again (five pass targets in the last fifteen minutes, including one in the red zone).
WR Dennis Northcutt, Rec: 3 - 20 - 0 (7 targets) - The first four passes directed to Northcutt came from Garrard in the first 18 minutes of the game. Gray then threw his first INT on a pass to Northcutt, and like Wilford, Northcutt then disappeared until the fourth quarter, when Gray began looking for him on the final Jacksonville drive of the game. One of the fourth quarter attempts came in the red zone.
WR Reggie Williams (3 targets) - Williams did not have a reception, but he was thrown to three times, twice by Gray during the final drive of the game.
TE Marcedes Lewis, Rec: 2 - 13 - 0 (3 targets) - Lewis caught two of the three passes thrown to him.
TE George Wrighster, Rec: 1 - 5 - 0 (3 targets) - Wrighster caught two of the three passes thrown to him.
TE Greg Estandia, Rec: 1 - 22 - 0 (4 targets) - Estandia received more attention than the other Jaguars TE, which is worth a mention.
PK John Carney 0 - 0 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 1 points - Carney had one PAT attempt, which he converted. Neither of his kickoffs went into the end zone.
JAX Rush Defense - The Jaguars defense came into this game on a hot streak, having shut down the running attack of four consecutive opponents. The Colts challenged conventional wisdom, attacking their opponent where they were considered strong, with the net result that they rushed the ball very effectively. Addai ran extremely well, as did Jones-Drew, and their effectiveness moving the ball on the ground allowed Manning and the Colts to dominate the clock and the game.
JAX Pass Defense - Peyton Manning was harassed at times by the Jaguars pass rush, especially by Paul Spicer, who collected two sacks for his team. When he had time to throw, though, Manning picked apart the Jaguars secondary with relative ease.Pittsburgh Steelers 28, Denver Broncos 31
What you need to know
Pittsburgh Steelers - Pittsburgh came into this Sunday night contest with a perceived match up advantage in nearly all phases of the game. They struggled in the first half, leading to a 14 point deficit at halftime which they erased by the fourth quarter. By that time, though, the Broncos offense was clicking, and was able to drive down the field for a game winning, last second field goal. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger had an up and down game, as he threw for four touchdowns but also committed three costly turnovers that ultimately might have been the difference in the game.Roethlisberger preferred his three leading targets: Hines Ward, Santonio Holmes, and Heath Miller. Miller in particular had a great game, as the Steelers' game plan featured lots of passing in the middle of the field, particularly in the red zone. Miller had two touchdown catches and 50 yards. Ward and Holmes also had good games, finishing one and two on the team in receptions and yardage, respectively, while Holmes added a score. The other touchdown toss went to tight end Matt Spaeth.
Willie Parker displayed his impressive quickness on three runs of 20 plus yards, but was also met at or behind the line by Denver's rush defense on several occasions. He lost a couple of looks, including one near the goal line, to second string running back Najeh Davenport. Overall, though, he had a solid game with 97 yards on 21 carries with a long of 27. Roethlisberger contributed a few timely scrambles that kept the chains moving and tightened up the soft zone Denver was running most of the game.
The Steelers' defense was not as stout as expected, giving up three passing touchdowns. They had a below average game defending the run, although they still only gave up 90 yards at a 3.75 average clip. Larry Foote had a great game with both an interception and a forced fumble, while Anthony Smith also had a pick. The pass rush got to Cutler twice, although for the most part weren't able to hit the Broncos' signal caller. Defensive end Aaron Smith injured his knee early in the game and did not return.
Denver Broncos - Denver earned their third victory of the year and again it came in dramatic fashion. Once again, the win came down to the sure-footed Jason Elam, whose 49 yard field goal as time expired snapped Denver's three game losing streak. His game winning score was set up by Jay Cutler's third fourth quarter game winning drive of the season. Cutler showed great poise and presence in effectively leading the Broncos downfield with only 90 seconds remaining in the game. Overall, it was Cutler's best game as a professional, earning him his best ever rating of 107.9 while throwing three touchdowns. It wasn't all great for Cutler, who displayed too much confidence in him arm in some situations, which resulted in two interceptions which should have never been thrown. Despite those turnovers, Cutler showed an impressive amount of accuracy, arm strength, confidence, escapability, and all around good quarterback play. If he can eliminate the turnovers, he might just make the leap into the game's best quarterbacks club.The Broncos running game never really got on track, but was used enough to prove a balancing counterpoint to the passing game. Starter Travis Henry had 51 yards on 17 carries with a long of 8, which is about par for the course when it comes to the Broncos against a tough 3-4 defense. Henry left the game in the third quarter with bruised ribs and did not return. Jay Cutler provided a spark with his scrambles out of the backfield, including a 31 yard scamper on a scoring drive in the second half. In all, the running game earned 90 yards on 24 carries for an average of 3.75 yards.
Denver's defense, which was supposed to be man handled on the ground passed on the match up, playing admirably, especially in the first half. They were focused, emotional, and effective, especially in taking advantage of turnover opportunities and rushing the passer. Both Dre Bly and D.J. Williams caught interceptions, while the defensive line accounted for four sacks, including two by second-year starting end Elvis Dumervil. One Dumervil sack forced a Roethlisberger fumbles which rookie lineman Tim Crowder scooped up and returned for a 50 yard touchdown. The running defense gave up several long runs to Willie Parker, but also stuffed him for minimal gains on just as many occasions. The pass defense struggled a bit without Champ Bailey (quadriceps), although their opportunism led to the two aforementioned interceptions. Fill in starting cornerback Dominique Foxworth led the team in tackles with ten. Dry Bly injured his shoulder on his first half interception, but continued to play.
What you ought to know
QB Ben Roethlisberger, Pass: 24 - 35 - 290 - 4 TD / 2 INT, Rush: 3 - 20 - 0 - Roethlisberger's four touchdowns were nice, but his three turnovers were costly. His fumble that was returned for a touchdown was in particular was hard to swallow, as he admitted after the game he should have called time out when he saw what the defense was about to run. Roethlisberger three mostly to his three favorite targets: Ward, Holmes, and Miller. He connected with Miller for two short touchdowns, found tight end Matt Spaeth wide open for a second half score, and hit Holmes on a six point strike as well. Roethlisberger was under consistent and heavy pressure for the Denver pass rush, and was sacked four times. He avoided several potential sacks as well, and used his elusiveness and big frame to escape pressure. Roethlisberger scrambled effectively a few times, and also used his feet to buy him time to find open receivers. It was an up and down game for Roethlisberger, but it was still his best fantasy performance of the season.RB Willie Parker, Rush: 21 - 93 - 0, Rec: 2 - 34 - 0 (3 targets) - Parker had a rough time running the ball early on, but got on track thanks to three 20 plus yard gains. His speed is unmatched, and he is very hard to catch once he gets past the first two levels of the defense. Despite the good match up, he didn't perform as well as expected. Denver clearly focused on stopping the run in this game, and while he did gain 127 total yards, he didn't find the end zone. Backup Najeh Davenport spelled him a couple times, including one down near the goal line.
RB Najeh Davenport, Rush: 2 - 6 - 0 - Davenport had his lowest output of the season, only earning two carries and seeing no targets in the passing game.
RB Carey Davis, Rec: 1 - 9 - 0 (1 targets) - Davis had one look out of the back field on the Steelers' last drive of the game.
WR Hines Ward, Rec: 7 - 78 - 0 (13 targets) - Ward came back after the Steelers' bye week and a nagging injury to lead the team in targets, receptions, and yards. He was Roethlisberger's safety valve target, and as such was frequently targeted after a Roethlisberger scramble to avoid the Denver pass rush. Ward sat down in front of the soft zone Denver was running and produced several middle length receptions, including several for first downs. He had a 12 yard reception called back on a penalty. Ward had a few drops in the first half.
WR Santonio Holmes, Rec: 6 - 54 - 1 (10 targets) - Holmes was second on the Steelers in targets, and also finished second in receptions and yards. Roethlisberger looked to him more in the first half, although there were less total passes in the second half. Despite being a deep threat, his longest catch was 16 yards. Holmes caught a 13 yard touchdown pass on the Steelers' first drive of the second half.
WR Cedrick Wilson, Rec: 1 - 12 - 0 (1 targets) - Wilson had a nice second half catch for a clutch third down conversion.
WR Nate Washington, Rec: 1 - 40 - 0 (1 targets) - Washington had one catch, and it was a big one. He caught a deep ball over the Denver defense on Pittsburgh's first third down of the game.
TE Heath Miller, Rec: 5 - 50 - 2 (5 targets) - Miller was Pittsburgh's third most targeted receiver, and was especially effective in the red zone. He caught two short touchdown passes from Ben Roethlisberger.
TE Matt Spaeth, Rec: 1 - 13 - 1 (1 targets) - Spaeth made the most of his one target, converting a wide open look into a 13 yard touchdown that brought the Steelers to within one touchdown during the fourth quarter.
PK Jeff Reed 0 - 1 FG, 4 - 4 XP, 4 points - Reed made all four of his PATs, but missed a 65 yard field goal attempt at the end of the first half. It would have been an NFL record, but was short.
PIT Rush Defense - Pittsburgh's rush defense allowed 90 total yards. They contained Travis Henry, holding him to 51 yards on 17 carries with no scores. 41 yards came on Jay Cutler scrambles. They allowed no touchdowns and while forcing one Henry fumble, didn't make any turnovers.
PIT Pass Defense - Pittsburgh's pass defense gave up 248 yards on 22 of 29 passing for an average of 8.455 yards per attempt. They allowed three touchdowns and had two interceptions. They sacked Broncos' quarterback Jay Cutler two times. QB Jay Cutler, Pass: 22 - 29 - 248 - 3 TD / 2 INT, Rush: 3 - 41 - 0 - Cutler had his best game yet as a professional, despite throwing two interceptions. He showed his strong arm, quick release, accuracy, elusiveness, and determination throughout the game. Cutler's three touchdowns were spread among the three offensive receiving positions: wide receiver Brandon Stokley, running back Cecil Sapp, and tight end Tony Scheffler. His favorite targets were Brandon Marshall, Stokley and Scheffler. The two interceptions Cutler threw should have never been thrown; they were examples of a young quarterback placing too much faith in his arm. His performance down the stretch was clutch, as he calmly and efficiently led his offense down the field with only 90 seconds remaining in the game for Jason Elam's victorious field goal kick. Overall, it was Cutler's best fantasy performance of the 2007 season.RB Travis Henry, Rush: 17 - 51 - 0 - Henry had a decent game considering the tough match up, but was forced to leave the game in the third quarter with bruised ribs. He had a hard time finding holes in Pittsburgh's tough 3-4 alignment. The new faces on the offensive line didn't seem to either help or hurt him.
RB Selvin Young, Rush: 2 - 1 - 0, Rec: 1 - 16 - 0 (1 targets) - Young had a couple of ineffective rush attempts, and a nice screen pass for a 16 yard gain for a first down.
RB Cecil Sapp, Rush: 1 - 3 - 0, Rec: 1 - 1 - 1 (1 targets) - Sapp's one touch was a good one, going for a one yard first half touchdown pass. He also had one rushing attempt
WR Brandon Stokley, Rush: 1 - -6 - 0, Rec: 5 - 70 - 1 (6 targets) - Stokley took advantage of his starting role by catching all but one of his looks, securing a first half touchdown, and generally being Cutler's go to receiver in the first half. He was second on the team in receiving yards and finished tied for second in receptions.
WR Brandon Marshall, Rec: 6 - 77 - 0 (10 targets) - Marshall was the de facto number one wide receiver with Javon Walker out with his injured knee, and he responded by leading the team in targets. He suffered from some poor accuracy from Cutler and less than stellar catch attempts early on, but settled in to lead the team in receptions and yardage. Marshall continued to show excellent run after the catch ability, as he rarely went down on first contact and showed good vision and moves in the open field.
WR Brian Clark, Rec: 2 - 14 - 0 (2 targets) - Clark caught both of his looks, and both went for seven yards.
WR Glenn Martinez, Rec: 1 - 11 - 0 (2 targets) - Martinez was targeted deep in the end zone but was well covered. His other look was an 11 yard gain.
TE Tony Scheffler, Rec: 5 - 50 - 1 (6 targets) - Scheffler continued his comeback from a nagging foot injury by having his best game yet of the season. He caught a third quarter touchdown, and seemed to show the chemistry that he started to develop with Jay Cutler at the end of the 2006 season. He appeared to re injure his foot near the end of the game.
TE Daniel Graham, Rec: 1 - 9 - 0 (1 targets) - Graham had the last target and catch of the game. It was a play that was reviewed because it was rule incomplete, but in fact he caught the ball and had it knocked out but was already down by contact. It was an important catch, as it set up Jason Elam's 49 yard game winning field goal.
PK Jason Elam 1 - 1 FG, 4 - 4 XP, 7 points - Elam made all four of his PATs and most importantly, kicked the 49 yard game winning field goal straight through the uprights. It would have been good from ten yards further out.
DEN Rush Defense - Denver's rush defense showed some improvement, especially in the first half. The worst rush defense in the league prevented Willie Parker from breaking the 100 yard barrier, gave up only 119 total yards, and kept the Pittsburgh rushing game out of the end zone.
DEN Pass Defense - Denver's pass defense gave up 290 yards on 24 of 35 passing for 8.29 yards per attempt. They allowed four touchdowns, including three in the first half. Three of the scores went to Pittsburgh's tight ends. They also intercepted Roethlisberger twice, sacked him four times (including a fumble that rookie defensive end Tim Crowder returned for a touchdown), and hurried him repeatedly. It was a winning performance, especially given the absence of Champ Bailey.Kansas City Chiefs 12, Oakland Raiders 10
What you need to know
Kansas City Chiefs - The Kansas City Chiefs survived a hard fought defensive battle and came away with their ninth straight win over the Oakland Raiders. Eight of those wins have come by seven points or less. Except for a few big plays on both sides of the ball, this was a contest of field position provided by special teams and the defenses. Both teams saw excellent punting and repeated defensive stops. There were only 24 total first downs in this match up, but there were 17 punts. Darren Colquitt was tremendous punting the ball while helping the Chiefs maintain field position.This game saw the incredible return of Kansas City running back legend Priest Holmes. He had not played since sustaining a serious neck injury on a hit from San Diego's Shawne Merriman on Oct. 30, 2005. After trading Michael Bennett to the Buccaneers during the past week, Holmes participated in the Chiefs' practices and then was activated for the game. He was serviceable in his first game back providing limited relief for Larry Johnson. It remains to be seen how much he still can provide the offense but it was amazing that he was out there at all. In addition to being out of football for two years, he turned 34 a couple weeks ago.
Larry Johnson is definitely back to being the mainstay of the offense for Kansas City. He accumulated 112 yards and one touchdown rushing the ball while catching six short passes. He started slow but was producing better as the game wore on. He had one extra long run of 54 yards.
The addition of Dwayne Bowe, who had 84 yards receiving, continues to provide the Chiefs with the extra offensive threat they have long needed. Bowe's presence has really helped Larry Johnson and Tony Gonzalez, who captured four passes for 66 yards. Damon Huard basically played the game to keep it close and not make any serious mistakes. His statistics were nothing special.
Oakland Raiders - The Oakland Raiders lost a tough one at home. They are suffering through a long losing streak of nine games against Kansas City. Their defense performed very well except for a couple of big plays, a 58 yard pass play and a 54 yard run given up. Otherwise the defense did everything it could to keep the offense within reach. Shane Lechler led the way for the special teams as he had an incredible day punting the ball, helping the defense keep it close.The Raiders' rushing game never got untracked finishing with only 55 yards. The trio of Lamont Jordan, Dominic Rhodes, and Justin Fargas was stopped by the Chiefs' defense, finishing well under three yards per carry.
Daunte Culpepper had a rough start as Jared Allen harassed him many times and sacked him twice. He started opening up and getting some nice passing stats late in the game, but he threw an interception for the Raiders' last offensive play of the game. That ended Oakland's hopes for this game.
What you ought to know
QB Damon Huard, Pass: 16 - 31 - 177 - 0 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 2 - -2 - 0 - Huard has this game on his record as a win. He played conservatively and did enough to keep close while not making too many mistakes. He did throw one interception, while completing 16 of 31 passes for 177 yards. It was not an inspiring effort from him. It sometimes seems like he plays as well as he is allowed to. He needs to open up more than he did in this contest.RB Larry Johnson, Pass: 0 - 1 - 0 - 0 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 24 - 112 - 1, Rec: 6 - 21 - 0 (10 targets) - Johnson continues his way back from a poor showing early in the season. He again had a slow start, but picked it up as the contest wore on. He finished with 112 yards on the ground on 24 carries, scoring one touchdown. He caught six short passes and he even got to throw one option pass which went high and wide past the receiver in the end zone.
RB Priest Holmes, Rush: 4 - 9 - 0, Rec: 1 - -6 - 0 (1 targets) - Welcome back Priest. Holmes made a remarkable return to active status as a running back in the NFL. He had been completely out for two years since taking a vicious hit from Shawn Merriman in October of 2005. In his first action in two years, he had limited chance but he was able to provide occasional relief for Larry Johnson. That was an acceptable first game back from a serious injury.
WR Dwayne Bowe, Rec: 3 - 84 - 0 (5 targets) - A case could easily be made for rookie Dwayne Bowe as the most exciting player on the field. He has fantastic ability hauling in throws anywhere near him. He caught three passes for 84 yards, but his most impressive feat was stripping the ball from a defender on an overthrown pass, thus preventing an interception.
WR Samie Parker, Rush: 1 - 2 - 0, Rec: 1 - 5 - 0 (1 targets) - Parker caught the only ball thrown in his direction and also was utilized on one run for positive yardage. He is not producing serviceable fantasy numbers, but he is a nice extra option for Kansas City.
WR Jeff Webb (2 targets) - Jeff Webb did not catch either pass thrown to him. He provided no yardage totals in this game and had no fantasy value.
TE Tony Gonzalez, Rec: 4 - 66 - 0 (11 targets) - Gonzalez was Huard's favorite target during this match. He only collected four of the ten passes thrown for him by Huard, but he gained 66 yards as he hauled defenders with him before being tackled. He was also the end zone target for Larry Johnson's wide and high pass. Gonzalez provided a scare when he went down hard after a hit and took time to walk off the field, but he was back later with no reported problem.
TE Kris Wilson, Rush: 1 - 5 - 0, Rec: 1 - 7 - 0 (4 targets) - Wilson was in on a lot more plays than the statistics show. He is starting to show more ability as a lead blocker and his presence is helping Johnson and Huard.
PK Dave Rayner 2 - 3 FG, 0 - 0 XP, 6 points - Rayner had one blemish on his statistics. He made two of the three field goals he attempted, connecting on 41 and 31 yard kicks, but missing a 30 yard attempt. He connected on his only extra point attempt.
KC Rush Defense - The Chiefs rush defense was exceptional. They never let the Raiders develop any ground game. Thy held Oakland to only 55 yards on the ground from 24 carries and did not allow a score. It was an excellent defensive performance.
KC Pass Defense - The Kansas City pass defense had a very good performance. Jared Allen has established himself as one of the premier defensive ends and as one of the best pass rushers in the NFL. Allen did limp off the field after a play in the first half, but he was soon back showing no ill effects. His two sacks gave him eight sacks for the year which leads the league. They harried Daunte Culpepper throughout the contest. They did have one costly letdown during the game. After the Chiefs' kicker, Dave Rayner, had missed on a third quarter field goal attempt, the Chiefs allowed Culpepper to then complete his next two passes in a row for 80 yards and a touchdown. That breakdown in coverage provided Oakland with its only lead during the game. Jarred Page sealed the victory by intercepting Culpepper on the final Oakland series of the game.QB Daunte Culpepper, Pass: 18 - 29 - 228 - 1 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 3 - 4 - 0 - Culpepper had a slow start as he was harassed by an effective Chiefs' pass defense. His final statistics of 228 yards on 18 of 29 passing was buoyed by 80 yards and a touchdown on one two play series in the third quarter. That proved to be the only real letdown of the game by the Chiefs' defense. Culpepper still does not look like the Daunte Culpepper of old days when he was a Minnesota Viking, but he is showing progress toward regaining respectability as an NFL passer.
RB LaMont Jordan, Rush: 11 - 29 - 0, Rec: 4 - 40 - 0 (4 targets) - Jordan seems to be holding on to the starting running back role. He had a tough time gaining yards on the ground against Kansas City, only collecting 29 yards, but he was his typical very effective self as a receiver out of the backfield. He caught all four passes sent his way for a nice 40 yards.
RB Dominic Rhodes, Rush: 9 - 21 - 0, Rec: 1 - 10 - 0 (2 targets) - Rhodes was not able to produce on the ground any better than the other Raiders' rushers. He finished the contest with 31 total yards on nine runs and one catch.
RB Justin Fargas, Rush: 1 - 1 - 0, Rec: 3 - 19 - 0 (3 targets) - Fargas only had one rushing attempt, but he caught all three passes thrown his way. He seems to be number three on the running back depth chart.
RB Justin Griffith, Rec: 1 - 7 - 0 (1 targets) - Fullback Justin Griffith had no carries and caught the only pass intended for him.
WR Ronald Curry, Rec: 4 - 45 - 1 (8 targets) - Curry appears to be the favorite wide receiver for Oakland. He caught four of the eight passes Culpepper aimed at him, accumulating 45 yards and one touchdown. Curry had a couple drops where he could have picked up substantial game breaking yardage. He also received a delay of the game penalty after getting upset and spiking the ball.
WR Jerry Porter, Rec: 1 - 59 - 0 (2 targets) - Porter had only one catch for the day but it was the longest play from scrimmage for the Raiders. He pulled in a 59 yard pass from Culpepper but seemed to hurt his leg on the play. He took a bit extra time to get up and off the field, but he was back soon afterwards.
WR Mike Williams (1 targets) - Williams was pretty much out of the mix. He was targeted only once and did not have a reception.
TE Zach Miller, Rec: 4 - 48 - 0 (9 targets) - The big rookie tight end, Zach Miller, was Culpepper's favorite target. He was thrown to nine times, pulling in four of those passes. He totaled 48 yards receiving and seems to be a dependable outlet for the Oakland quarterback.
PK Sebastian Janikowski 1 - 1 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 4 points - Janikowski did all that was asked of him. He connected on his only field goal attempt, for 37 yards, he kicked his only extra point successfully, and he kept the Chiefs penned deep with his kickoffs.
OAK Rush Defense - The Oakland rush defense had a good start for the contest and often bottled up Larry Johnson, but eventually they broke down and gave up 112 yards to Johnson and one touchdown to him. That yardage included allowing Johnson to break free on a 54 yard run.
OAK Pass Defense - The Raiders had a good game plan for pass defense. With the exception a couple mid range passes, and one long breakaway for 58 yards, the Raiders had an excellent time stopping the Chiefs' pass attack. They held Huard to 177 yards, picked off an interception and did not allow a score through the air.
Chicago Bears 19, Philadelphia Eagles 16
What you need to know
Chicago Bears - Brian Griese was able to get the Bears in position to kick five field goals, four of which were successful, before leading Chicago on a 97 yard game winning TD drive. Griese connected with WR Muhsin Muhammad on a 15 yard score with seconds left to win the game. Until that point, Griese repeatedly led efficient drives that they just could not get into the end zone, but he came through when they needed it the most.Cedric Benson was unspectacular rushing the ball, totaling 46 yards on 17 attempts with his longest carry just nine yards.
Muhsin Muhammad led the Bears with five receptions for 79 yards and came through with the club's biggest play of the game, hauling in a game winning touchdown pass from 15 yards out that proved to be the difference in the game.
Philadelphia Eagles - Donovan McNabb was able to get the Eagles in position to kick three field goals through the first three quarters before breaking the touchdown drought in the fourth quarter, connecting with TE Matt Schobel to give Philadelphia the lead. Their inability to get in the end zone and settle for field goals came back to haunt the Eagles, who lost the game on a touchdown pass with seconds left that capped off a 97 yard drive.RB Brian Westbrook led Philadelphia with 79 yards, but had a long run of just 12 yards and could not find room to make any big plays we're accustomed to seeing from the talented back.
Kevin Curtis led the way receiving, catching five passes for 62 yards and TE Matt Schobel caught a 13 yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter, but the Philadelphia receivers had a few key drops that ended promising drives and forced them to settle for field goals early in the game, which ended up coming back to cost them in the end.
What you ought to know
QB Brian Griese, Pass: 27 - 41 - 322 - 1 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 1 - 0 - 0 - Griese was having another solid game for the Bears, but up until late in the fourth quarter could only manage to lead the club to four scoring drives that ended in field goals. With his club trailing 16-12, Griese led a 97 yard drive with less than two minutes left and zero timeouts that he capped off with a game winning 15 yard score to WR Muhsin Muhammad. On the drive, he showed his experience and command in the huddle while making big play after big play to set up the winning score. For the game, Griese finished 27 of 41 for 322 yards and a touchdown.RB Cedric Benson, Rush: 17 - 46 - 0, Rec: 1 - 19 - 0 (1 targets) - Benson had another mediocre outing, rushing the ball 17 times for 46 yards (2.7 ypc average) with a long run of just nine yards for the game. Early on, Benson seemed to have a little spring in his step, but seemed to get more tentative hitting the hole as the game went on. He was targeted once in the passing game, catching one pass for 19 yards.
RB Adrian Peterson, Rush: 4 - 21 - 0, Rec: 3 - 33 - 0 (5 targets) - Peterson