All our week 11 content

San Francisco 49ers 24, Arizona Cardinals 29

What you need to know

San Francisco 49ers - QB Shaun Hill looked decent on the night, making a lot of good decisions early in the game. However he did break down and threw four interceptions (two were called back on penalties) and lost a fumble in the second half. He was able to avoid pressure and get rid of the ball when nothing was available as it seemed like the Cardinals were all over the 49ers' receivers all night.

RB Frank Gore put forth a solid effort, but failed to get into the end zone. He was unable to cross the goalline on his one goalline run, but his number was called often by Mike Martz. He ran the ball 23 times, however Michael Robinson got the last carry of the game as the time ticked off the clock and failed to get into the end zone from the one yard line to secure the victory for the 49ers.

WR Jason Hill had a big game, catching seven balls for 84 yards. He was Shaun Hill's favorite target late in the game. Isaac Bruce struggled to get separation and only caught one of the eight balls thrown his way. Josh Morgan and Vernon Davis both caught impressive touchdowns. Davis did have an unsportsmanlike for taking his helmet off after his though, and that was his only catch.

Arizona Cardinals - QB Kurt Warner tore apart the 49ers, throwing for 328 yards and three touchdowns. He made no real mistakes on the night and was moving around the pocket nicely to buy some extra time. He was extremely accurate and looked like a premier quarterback, albeit it being against the 49ers.

RB Tim Hightower started again, but failed to impress. He could not get anything going and ended the game with only 22 yards on the night. He was involved in the passing game though, catching six passes from the backfield for 38 yards.

WR Anquan Boldin proved once again that he can find the end zone with the best of them, sneaking in twice inside the red zone. Larry Fitzgerald also found the end zone, but could not get much going downfield as he was mainly utilized as a short yardage receiver. Steve Breaston also looked very good early on, benefiting from the defense focusing on Boldin and Fitzgerald.

What you ought to know

QB Shaun Hill, Pass: 19 - 40 - 217 - 2 TD / 2 INT, Rush: 2 - 12 - 0 - Hill started the game off extremely well and it looked like he was going to continue his success. However, in the second half he forced a couple of balls in that got intercepted, including two that were returned for touchdowns but called back for encroachment penalties. He likely noticed the encroachment and tried to make something happen, but failed. He was very good at moving around the pocket and showed great heart out there -- particularly on a run where he fought through three defenders for three extra yards to get a first down while losing his helmet.

RB Frank Gore, Rush: 23 - 99 - 0, Rec: 1 - 6 - 0 (6 targets) - Gore had success running the ball and Mike Martz gave him the ball 23 times out of the backfield. However, they did not give him the ball on the last play where they ran Michael Robinson up the middle from the one yard line. He also dropped two easy passes that were thrown his way, not including one that he intentionally dropped behind the line of scrimmage.

RB Michael Robinson, Rush: 3 - 8 - 0 - Robinson lined up in the wildcat formation a few times. He ran the ball three of the four times, the other being a direct snap to Frank Gore. Robinson surprisingly got a call on the goal line with no time left on the clock and failed to get into the end zone.

WR Jason Hill, Rec: 7 - 84 - 0 (10 targets) - Hill was a surprise for the 49ers, coming in and catching seven balls to lead the team with 84 yards receiving. He showed up big late in the game and seemed to have good chemistry with Shaun Hill, catching three straight balls on the final drive. He broke a tackle on the that drive of the game for the 49ers to gain 14 yards and end up at the one yard line.

WR Josh Morgan, Rec: 4 - 54 - 1 (8 targets) - Morgan had a good game, bringing in four catches for 54 yards. One of those catches was a very good catch down the sideline for a touchdown where the Cardinals defender was called for pass interference but Morgan brought it in anyways.

WR Bryant Johnson, Rec: 3 - 17 - 0 (4 targets) - Bryant Johnson had a fairly quiet game, catching three balls for 24 yards. He only garnered four targets from Shaun Hill while the other three receivers were targeted 26 times.

WR Isaac Bruce, Rec: 1 - 12 - 0 (8 targets) - Bruce had a tough night shaking the Arizona secondary. He only caught one of his eight targets and two of the balls thrown his way were intercepted. He garnered no respect from the Cardinals and it showed on the stat sheet as he could not make them pay for it.

WR Dominique Zeigler, Rec: 1 - 22 - 0 (1 targets) - Zeigler saw one target and brought it in for a 22 yard gain. He was not involved in the offense.

TE Vernon Davis, Rec: 1 - 18 - 1 (3 targets) - Davis continues to be an enigma for the 49ers. On his touchdown catch he made a brilliant play by jumping and grabbing the ball from the other side of the defense on what looked to be an interception. However, he was called for unsportsmanlike conduct when he took his helmet off. He also failed to bring in the other two targets he received, ending the night with only one catch for 18 yards and a touchdown.

TE Delanie Walker, Rec: 1 - 4 - 0 (1 targets) - Walker was not involved in the passing game and caught the only ball thrown his way for a four yard gain.

PK Joe Nedney 1 - 1 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 6 points - Nedney was perfect, making his only field goal attempt and all three extra points.

SF Rush Defense - The 49ers stopped Tim Hightower from running the ball, only allowing 22 yards on 13 carries. They were not moved around by the Cardinals' offensive line and there were seldom any holes.

SF Pass Defense - The pass defense struggled against the powerful Cardinals passing attack. They allowed 328 yards, 3 touchdowns, and failed to force a turnover all night. They had a tough time matching up with all three guys and Warner picked apart their defense all night, completing 76% of his passes.

QB Kurt Warner, Pass: 32 - 42 - 328 - 3 TD / 0 INT - Warner had an excellent night. He was moving around the pocket to buy a couple of extra seconds and proved he is still accurate as ever -- completing 76% of his passes. He spread the ball around and seemed to exploit the same match-up over and over on particular drives, leading to a string of targets for each of the big receivers.

RB Tim Hightower, Rush: 13 - 22 - 0, Rec: 6 - 28 - 0 (8 targets) - Hightower did no have success running the ball, often getting hit behind the line of scrimmage and rarely making people miss. Not counting his long run of 12 yards, he rushed for ten yards on 12 carries. On a bright note he did catch six balls for 28 yards and did show the ability to get around people in the open field a couple of times.

RB Edgerrin James, Rush: 2 - 4 - 0 - James saw only two carries and was not involved in the passing game at all.

RB J.J. Arrington, Rush: 1 - 1 - 0 - Arrington ran the ball once and was uninvolved in the offense.

WR Anquan Boldin, Rush: 3 - 19 - 0, Rec: 7 - 92 - 2 (12 targets) - Boldin had a huge game, catching seven balls for 92 yards and two touchdowns. He has a knack of working his way into the end zone when catching balls in the red zone -- both of his touchdowns were from within the 20. He was utilized in different ways also, running the ball three times -- including once from the wildcat formation.

WR Larry Fitzgerald, Rec: 8 - 49 - 1 (11 targets) - Fitzgerald had a very solid game, but was rarely utilized downfield. His long catch on the night was nine yards. As usual, Fitzgerald drew a lot of attention throughout the game, but he was able to escape the coverage for a touchdown that Warner called an audible on specifically because he saw Fitzgerald was getting single coverage close to the goalline.

WR Steve Breaston, Rec: 7 - 121 - 0 (8 targets) - Breaston was targeted early and often when the 49ers were focusing on Fitzgerald and Boldin. He caught seven of the eight balls thrown his way for 121 yards including a beautiful deep catch for 46 yards. Kurt Warner seemed to target him to soften the coverage for the other receivers, and Breaston proved he could handle the load and soften the secondary.

WR Jerheme Urban, Rec: 4 - 38 - 0 (5 targets) - Urban had a solid game, working across the middle of the field and bringing in four catches for 38 yards.

PK Neil Rackers 3 - 3 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 11 points - Rackers made three short field goals and both of his extra points. All of his kicks looked well kicked and accurate.

ARI Rush Defense - The Cardinals did a solid job against Frank Gore and the 49ers' rushing attack. They allowed 99 yards to Gore on 23 carries, one of those being a 20 yard gain. They did not cave in the red zone and made the 49ers work for their yards through the air for the most part.

ARI Pass Defense - The pass defense played well, but also made a lot of mistakes. Most of these mistakes were in the form of penalties, as they had two interceptions called back that were returned for touchdowns. They did not get any sacks on Shaun Hill but they did pressure him often. They had solid coverage through the game and ended up with two interceptions and a forced fumble off of Shaun Hill.

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New York Giants 36, Philadelphia Eagles 31

What you need to know

New York Giants - Facing a defense known for its stinginess, Eli Manning led a New York offense that amassed 401 yards while picking up 26 first downs and scoring 36 points. Utilizing a lot of play action pass, the Giants' signal caller finished the night 17 of 31 for 191 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Manning's scoring strikes to WR Plaxico Burress and TE Kevin Boss were his 13th and 14th of the year.

New York running backs combined to total 217 yards on 44 carries for an average of 4.9 yards per rush. Brandon Jacobs led the way with 126 yards and two touchdowns, but his second quarter fumble was turned into an Eagles touchdown that brought Philadelphia within three points. Serving as the backup, Derrick Ward finished the game with 53 yards on the ground while third stringer Ahmad Bradshaw added another 38 rushing yards.

Kevin Boss was Eli Manning's favorite option in the passing game as the tight end turned his team high nine targets into six catches for 69 yards and a touchdown. This marked the third consecutive game in which Boss caught a scoring toss. Giants' wide outs combined to catch seven balls for only 82 yards, but Plaxico Burress hauled in a 17 yard touchdown in the first quarter that tied the game at seven.

Philadelphia Eagles - Despite throwing three short touchdown passes, Donovan McNabb struggled in this contest as he completed only 47% of his passes for 194 yards and one interception. The Philadelphia quarterback misfired on a handful of throws and wasn't helped out when a number of catchable balls fell to the ground incomplete. In addition to his numbers through the air, McNabb was also the team's leading rusher with 35 yards on three attempts.

The Eagles' running backs were held in check in this game as Brian Westbrook and Correll Buckhalter combine to rush for only 47 yards. Westbrook averaged only two yards per rush on his 13 carries but he did contribute in the passing game by adding 33 yards on three receptions. Buckhalter got only a couple of rushes in the game, but he totaled 21 yards on those two carries.

DeSean Jackson led all Philadelphia pass catchers with ten targets that resulted in four catches that went for 61 yards. In addition to catching passes, the wide out also scored on a nine yard rush in the first quarter that put the Eagles up 7--0. Wide receivers Jason Avant, Hank Baskett, and Kevin Curtis all caught short touchdown passes.

What you ought to know

QB Eli Manning, Pass: 17 - 31 - 191 - 2 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 1 - 2 - 0 - Manning's night got off to a bad start as he was intercepted on his second pass attempt when a batted ball was hauled in by an Eagles' defensive tackle and returned down to the New York nine yard line. The quarterback heated up though on the team's second series as he led the Giants' down the field on a ten play 80 yard drive that he capped with a 17 yard touchdown pass to WR Plaxico Burress. Later on in the first half, Manning connected with TE Kevin Boss for a one yard touchdown that put the Giants up 17--7. Though that scoring toss marked his last touchdown pass of the night, the quarterback helped lead New York on four more scoring drives that included two rushing touchdowns and two field goals

RB Brandon Jacobs, Rush: 22 - 126 - 2 - Jacobs got off to a good start in this contest as he rushed for 32 yards on his first three carries which included a 20 yard pickup that took the ball down to the Philadelphia 18 yard line. The big back finished the first two quarters with 68 yards on nine carries, but his second quarter fumble was turned into a touchdown by the Eagles. On New York's first series of the second half, Jacobs got three consecutive rushes that he turned into 21 yards. He ended that drive by plunging into the end zone from three yards out to put the Giants up by three. Earlier in the fourth quarter, Jacobs added another rushing score when he scored again from three yards out. The rushing scores were the running back's eighth and ninth scores of the year.

RB Derrick Ward, Rush: 17 - 53 - 0, Rec: 3 - 27 - 0 (5 targets) - Ward showed good effort on his first couple of carries when after appearing to be stopped; he bounced to the outside and was able to pick up extra yards. He finished the first half with 36 yards on nine carriers and added another 27 yards on three receptions. Ward's second half was not as productive as his first though as he averaged slightly over 2 yards per rush on eight carries. In addition to his work on offense, he also returned one kickoff 21 yards.

RB Ahmad Bradshaw, Rush: 5 - 38 - 0 - Bradshaw's first rush didn't come until late in the third quarter, but the third string running back made the most of his opportunities as he averaged 7.6 yards on his five attempts. In addition to his touches on offense, he also averaged 19 yards on three kickoff returns.

RB Madison Hedgecock (1 targets) - Hedgecock was targeted on a third and six play with the Giants operating from the Philadelphia nine yard line, but the pass fell incomplete.

WR Amani Toomer, Rec: 5 - 53 - 0 (5 targets) - All of Toomer's targets came in the first quarter and all four of his catches resulted in first downs. His long play of the game came when he hauled in a 20 yard reception that took the ball to the New York 47 yard line.

WR Plaxico Burress, Rec: 1 - 17 - 1 (5 targets) - Burress' only catch of the game came on the Giants' second drive when he caught a 17 yard pass for a touchdown. He was targeted a second time in the end zone in the fourth quarter, but the ball was overthrown. Burress was also the targeted receiver on a two point conversion attempt, but the pass was knocked down.

WR Steve Smith, Rec: 1 - 12 - 0 (3 targets) - Smith's first pass his way was catchable, but a hit dislodged the ball and it fell to the ground incomplete. Smith's only grab came on a third and four play that resulted in a first down.

WR Domenik Hixon (1 targets) - Hixon's only target in the passing game came in the third quarter, but the pass fell incomplete. He had a 73 yard punt return for a touchdown negated because of a holding penalty, but did finish the night averaging 22 yards on his punt returns.

TE Kevin Boss, Rec: 6 - 69 - 1 (9 targets) - Four of Boss' six catches went for longer gains of 12, 13, 17, and 22 yards and his one yard touchdown catch in the second quarter put the Giants up 17--7. He had another target in the end zone later in the game, but the tight end dropped a catchable pass. Boss showed his athleticism on his final reception when after catching the ball, he hurdled a would be tackler, and picked up another six yards.

TE Michael Matthews, Rec: 1 - 13 - 0 (2 targets) - Matthews only catch of the game came in the second quarter and went for a pickup of 12 yards.

PK John Carney 3 - 3 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 12 points - Carney made good on field goal attempts from 26, 27, and 28 yards out. He also made all three of his extra point attempts.

NYG Rush Defense - The New York rush defense gave up 106 yards on 21 carries for an average of 5.0 yards per rush. The Giants' also allowed Philadelphia WR DeSean Jackson to score on a nine yard rush that put the Eagles up 7--0.

NYG Pass Defense - The New York pass defense allowed Philadelphia QB Donovan McNabb to complete 17 passes for 194 yards with three touchdowns. Though the pass rush was unable to record a sack, CB Sam Madison had a second quarter interception that gave the Giants the ball deep in Eagles territory.

QB Donovan McNabb, Pass: 17 - 36 - 194 - 3 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 3 - 35 - 0 - McNabb started the game zero completions for six attempts and his first completion didn't come until just over eight minutes were left in the second quarter. Despite the poor passing numbers over the first two quarters, he did throw a ten yard touchdown pass to WR Jason Avant that brought the Eagles within three points. McNabb's second half saw him complete eight more passes for 109 with two more scoring tosses to WR Hank Baskett and WR Kevin Curtis. The quarterback was the team's leading rusher and got down near the goal line using his legs when he took an 11 yard rush down to the New York two yard line.

RB Brian Westbrook, Rush: 13 - 26 - 0, Rec: 3 - 33 - 0 (6 targets) - Westbrook's first touch of the game didn't come until there was 6:35 left in the first quarter and then he didn't see another one until the start of the second quarter. He finished the first half with eight touches that went for a total of 42 yards, but he really struggled to get going in the second half as he rushed for 11 yards on seven carries and caught only one pass that went for eight yards. Westbrook was shown leaving the field in the fourth quarter with what appeared to be an injury to his groin, but the running back did return to the field a few plays later.

RB Correll Buckhalter, Rush: 2 - 21 - 0 (1 targets) - Buckhalter's first touch came near the beginning of the third quarter when took a rush for a gain of 20 yards. For the remainder of the game the running back received one more run and was the intended receiver on an incomplete pass.

WR DeSean Jackson, Rush: 3 - 24 - 1, Rec: 4 - 61 - 0 (10 targets) - Jackson lined up at quarterback on the team's second play from scrimmage and took a direct snap to the outside for a nine yard touchdown run that put the Eagles up 7--0. Later on in the first half, the wide out received a couple of more rushes on end around plays that went for a combine total of 15 yards. In addition to his success rushing the ball, Jackson was also the team's leading receiver and had longer receptions of 17, 17 and 32 yards. He was the intended receiver on QB Donovan McNabb's only interception of the game.

WR Kevin Curtis, Rec: 3 - 25 - 1 (7 targets) - Curtis caught a two yard touchdown pass that was his first scoring reception of the year. His long reception of 17 yards came on the Eagles final drive and set Philadelphia up at their own 31 yard line.

WR Jason Avant, Rec: 2 - 25 - 1 (4 targets) - Avant's first catch went for a first down gain in the second quarter that set the Eagles up at the New York 25 yard line. Later on in the drive, he caught his first touchdown of the year when he hauled in a ten yard pass that brought Philadelphia within three at 17--14. Avant was targeted again in the end zone in the fourth quarter, but the pass fell incomplete.

WR Reggie Brown, Rec: 1 - 7 - 0 (1 targets) - Brown caught the only ball thrown his way for a pickup of seven yards.

WR Hank Baskett, Rec: 1 - 7 - 1 (1 targets) - Baskett's only catch of the night was a seven yard touchdown catch that put the Eagles up 24--20.

TE L.J. Smith, Rec: 3 - 36 - 0 (5 targets) - Smith's first two targets fell to the ground incomplete, but his third target came near the end of the second half and went for a pickup of 20. On one of his incompletions, the crowd booed heartily as they wanted Brent Celek in the game. Smith caught the final two passes thrown his way for a total of 16 yards.

TE Brent Celek (1 targets) - Celek's only target of the game came in the fourth quarter.

PK David Akers 1 - 1 FG, 4 - 4 XP, 7 points - Akers made good on his only field goal attempt from 29 yards out. He also made all four of his extra point attempts.

PHI Rush Defense - The Eagles run defense was gashed by the New York running game as they gave up 219 yards on 45 carries for an average of 4.86 yards per rush. In addition to the rushing yardage, Philadelphia also surrendered two short touchdown runs of three yards to RB Brandon Jacobs.

PHI Pass Defense - New York QB Eli Manning completed 17 of 31 passes for 191 yards and two touchdown passes. The Eagles did record one sack and did intercept Manning once when a batted ball was intercepted by DT Mike Patterson.

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Green Bay Packers 27, Minnesota Vikings 28

What you need to know

Green Bay Packers - Aaron Rodgers was sacked four times and suffered from really poor protection. He didn't have time to throw the ball and barely time to hand it off.

Ryan Grant looked very good considering he didn't have any holes to run through. He dug deep and kept pumping his legs for yards. He looked like his burst might be back.

LB Nick Barnett was sidelined in the second half. He had ice on the front and back of his knee and it is unknown how serious his knee injury is.

Minnesota Vikings - The Minnesota defense was punishing and relentless. Green Bay scored a TD on special teams and an interception. Without those scores, this game would not have been close.

Adrian Peterson once again gained most of his yards in the second half. He put the Vikings on his back to a win.

Bernard Berrian won't show up in the box score because Al Harris was all over him and had some help many times. He was targeted a few times but couldn't get the ball.

What you ought to know

QB Aaron Rodgers, Pass: 15 - 26 - 142 - 0 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 1 - 1 - 0 - Coming back from on the commercial breaks during the fourth quarter was a highlight reel of all the hits that Aaron Rodgers took today. And, the game was not over yet. Aaron Rodgers did not have time to throw the ball at all. There were a few big plays for first down and one touchdown called back because of offensive line penalties. The offensive line was the reason for the Packers offense struggling. In the first half they were showing footage of Rodgers bicep bruise. Rodgers was very frustrated but he played hard and never gave up. Twice he was tackled for safeties but Rodgers can't be blamed. Rodgers didn't have breathing room and on one play he passed to a receiver but the official ruled it an illegal forward pass.

RB Ryan Grant, Rush: 16 - 75 - 1 - Ryan Grant actually looked like he had his burst back. One play was one guy away from going all the way. The safety got him around the legs to stop him. Grant did not have many holes but he worked hard and still got yards. He had more than one run for a first down and they were not untouched. Two long runs were called back on penalties. He would have had a great day if his offensive line could have blocked for him.

RB Brandon Jackson, Rec: 2 - 18 - 0 (2 targets) - Brandon Jackson had a couple of short passes but he was not the primary receiver. Aaron Rodgers did not have time to throw the ball downfield and had to dump it to Jackson. Jackson did not do much with the ball once he had it and went down easily.

WR Donald Driver, Rush: 1 - -2 - 0, Rec: 5 - 46 - 0 (11 targets) - Donald Driver had two passes that he lost due to a penalty and being barely out of bounds. The longest target of the day was very close to being in bounds and a huge play. Some of the passes were not on target due to the pressure all day long and Driver could not be expected to catch them. It was a tough day with lots of coverage pressure and very little time to pass. Many times when Driver would break on his pattern Aaron Rodgers was already on his back. The first play of the game Donald Driver played from the RB position next to Aaron Rodgers and got the toss. He was stuffed for a two yard loss.

WR Greg Jennings, Rec: 3 - 37 - 0 (7 targets) - Greg Jennings had a great touchdown pass called back on an offensive line penalty. It could have been a great day with better offensive line play. Jennings was not targeted very often because the plays did not have time to develop. Jennings was on many deep patterns and most of time the ball was dumped or Aaron Rodgers was on the ground before he was ten yards down the field.

WR Jordy Nelson, Rec: 2 - 17 - 0 (4 targets) - Jordy Nelson had some gutsy possession receptions once again, but it wasn't a great day for any of the Packers WRs. Nelson went the wrong way on one route and it could have been a big play for the Packers.

TE Donald Lee, Rec: 1 - 6 - 0 (1 targets) - If Aaron Rodgers had more time he could have thrown the ball to Donald Lee. However, Rodgers didn't even have time to dump the ball most of the day.

TE Tory Humphrey, Rec: 1 - 13 - 0 (2 targets) - Tory Humphrey was not a factor and was a target when Aaron Rodgers was trying to escape.

PK Mason Crosby 2 - 3 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 9 points - Mason Crosby had a 47 and 40 yard field goal and missed a 52 yarder. He didn't miss the 52 yarder by much.

GB Rush Defense - What rush defense would be the summary. It was Adrian Peterson they were facing but even Chester Taylor took Green Bay to the task. You cannot depend on this defense against the run. LB Nick Barnett experienced a knee injury that should be looked at later this week. His replacement Desmond Bishop did a decent job filling in.

GB Pass Defense - The pass defense was not too bad. But, one huge part of it was missing. There was no pass rush or pressure on Gus Frerotte. The defensive backs did all the work and made it almost impossible for any passes to Bernard Berrian. The interception return for a touchdown was a bad pass by Frerotte and great coverage by the defensive backs. Three interceptions is testament to today's coverage.

QB Gus Frerotte, Pass: 15 - 28 - 151 - 2 TD / 3 INT, Rush: 1 - -1 - 0 - Gus Frerotte had two touchdowns but three interceptions against one of the league's best pass defenses. He wasn't pressured as much as Green Bay usually applies. There were only two sacks and Frerotte did not have to take many hits. The defensive backs made it hard for Frerotte and he had three interceptions. There were no targets over twenty yards in the game. The two touchdowns were one short pass to Sidney Rice and one great play by Chester Taylor. Overall, it was not an impressive day at quarterback but it was enough for the win.

RB Adrian Peterson, Rush: 30 - 192 - 1, Rec: 3 - 33 - 0 (4 targets) - Adrian Peterson is Adrian Peterson. It was impressive to watch him wear the Packers down. Peterson literally took the Vikings on his back to victory in this one. Peterson recorded his tenth run this season for over 20 yards. He asked for the ball on a fourth down conversion and the whole stadium knew he was going to get the ball. He would have converted but Green Bay stripped the ball. Peterson only seemed to be more determined after the fumble. He had two big receptions and one huge run for a touchdown on the next possession. That won the game. This was Peterson's fourth straight 100 yard rushing performance.

RB Chester Taylor, Rush: 10 - 29 - 0, Rec: 4 - 84 - 1 (5 targets) - Chester Taylor made an amazing reception for a touchdown. He caught the ball then made a move that put Desmond Bishop on his face. He actually outran the defensive backs the rest of the way for a score. The leading third down receiving RB made a couple great reaching catches. He still wasn't used much like always but he did make it count on that play.

RB Naufahu Tahi, Rec: 1 - 3 - 0 (1 targets) - Naufahu Tahi once again earned one reception just so he could appear in the stat lines.

WR Bobby Wade, Rec: 3 - 24 - 0 (9 targets) - Bobby Wade was the most targeted by he also had the most drops today. He seemed to catch Visanthe Shiancoe's bug today and made some crucial drops. He only caught three balls and should have easily had twice as many. He did have one nice catch that he had to reach up to get.

WR Sidney Rice, Rec: 1 - 3 - 1 (2 targets) - On only his fifth reception of the year, Sidney Rice caught a touchdown. That makes three touchdowns on five receptions. Both of his targets today were in the end zone.

WR Bernard Berrian (4 targets) - The double coverage and single coverage by Al Harris was too much for Bernard Berrian or Gus Frerotte. The defense kept him reception poor today.

TE Visanthe Shiancoe, Rec: 3 - 4 - 0 (4 targets) - The most important stat that many miss on Visanthe Shiancoe is drops. Shiancoe had no drops Sunday. But, all of his targets were short drop offs with no one around. He didn't have to catch a pass down the sideline or crossing the middle.

TE Jim Kleinsasser (1 targets) - Kleinsasser was targeted on a check down only.

PK Ryan Longwell 1 - 2 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 6 points - Ryan Longwell had a 54 yard field goal. His 47 yard misses was not by much. He also remained perfect for extra points this season.

MIN Rush Defense - The rush defense did what they could to stop the Packers running the ball. On the first two possessions Green Bay had negative three yards. Ryan Grant found a way to make his own holes. The yards Grant was able to get was on second efforts and waiting to find a place to run to. The Vikings did not give many running lanes all day. Again the held a team under 100 yards rushing.

MIN Pass Defense - "The Firm" was once again amazing. There was so much pressure on Aaron Rodgers that he couldn't function. This front four made the Packers offensive line look like a high school JV line. It was amazing how these defensive linemen could man handle the Green Bay protection. The Vikings did not use many blitzes because they didn't have to. When they did it was devastating. There were two sacks for safeties. This was a show by the Vikings defense on how it is done.

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Tennessee Titans 21, Chicago Bears 14

What you need to know

Tennessee Titans - The Titans running game was unable to get going in this game, with Chris Johnson and LenDale White gaining only 20 yards combined. White did manage to score a one yard touchdown, but regardless, it was a sub par fantasy day for both backs. The Bears' defense was keyed in on them all game, and neither back was able to make it out of the backfield without first getting hit very often.

Since the running game couldn't get the job done, the game became the Kerry Collins show. Collins threw for a season high 289 yards, completing 30 of his 41 passes and scoring two touchdowns. Collins' throws were crisp and accurate all game, as he often targeted his tight end Bo Scaife or wide receiver Brandon Jones when he needed a big reception.

The two most targeted Titans WRs in the game were Justin Gage and Brandon Jones. Gage caught Collins' second touchdown pass in the third quarter as he was slanting across the middle of the field, and finished the game with 47 yards receiving. Jones saw most of his targets on third down plays, and came up with big catch after big catch to keep Titans' drives alive. He finished with eight receptions for 82 yards.

Chicago Bears - Rex Grossman was up and down against the stout Tennessee defense, throwing an interception and only racking up 173 yards passing. Grossman did manage to find the end zone a couple times, throwing for one touchdown and running in for the other.

RB Matt Forte didn't have an explosive game, but he still produced. Forte racked up 126 total yards, also scoring a five yard touchdown in the first quarter on a Rex Grossman pass. So, despite only running for 3.6 yards per carry, Forte still had a productive day.

WR Devin Hester was the most targeted Bears' receiver, catching four of his seven targets for 54 yards. He had a chance to make a big play on one occasion when he beat his defender deep, but Grossman overthrew him, squandering what would have been a sure touchdown.

What you ought to know

QB Kerry Collins, Pass: 30 - 41 - 289 - 2 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 4 - -1 - 0 - Collins was allowed to beat the Bears with his arm when the running game failed to produce. Collins completed 30 of his 41 passes for a season high 289 yards and two touchdowns. Collins looked in command all game, often finding ways to convert on third and long plays. Collins first connected with TE Bo Scaife in the second quarter to tie up the game for the Titans. When Tennessee took the ball on their first drive in the second half, Collins also ended that drive with a touchdown by connecting with WR Justin Gage across the middle for a 12 yard touchdown.

RB Chris Johnson, Rush: 14 - 8 - 0, Rec: 2 - 15 - 0 (2 targets) - With the Bears focusing on stopping the run all afternoon, Chris Johnson understandably struggled to find running room. It appeared he might be on track for a good day when he opened the game with a seven yard run, but as the first half concluded Johnson found himself with negative rushing yards. In the second half Johnson did manage to get himself into positive yardage, finishing the day with eight yards rushing and 15 yards receiving.

RB LenDale White, Rush: 10 - 14 - 1, Rec: 1 - 6 - 0 (1 targets) - White did what he does best in this game, pounding in a two yard touchdown run for the Titans in the fourth quarter. Starting from when the Titans reached the Bears' 17 yard line, White touched the ball five plays in a row, showing that the Titans are still committed to giving him the red zone action. White finished the afternoon with 14 yards rushing and a touchdown.

RB Ahmard Hall, Rush: 1 - -1 - 0 (1 targets) - Hall received a goal line carry in the first quarter and would have scored, but he fumbled the ball and the Bears recovered.

WR Brandon Jones, Rec: 8 - 82 - 0 (8 targets) - Jones' first reception for positive yardage came on a third down play, where he caught a ball deep middle for a 25 yard gain and a first down. Jones was frequently targeted on third down plays, bringing in all eight of his targets for 82 yards. Throughout the game Jones seemed to be able to find holes in the Bears' defense, and was a large part of the Titans' passing success due to his ability to help keep drives alive.

WR Justin Gage, Rec: 4 - 47 - 1 (10 targets) - Although Gage was the most targeted wide receiver for the Titans, he only managed to catch four balls for 47 yards and a touchdown. Gage caught what would have been a touchdown in the first quarter, but he was flagged for offensive pass interference and the play was called back. The Titans' first drive of the second half, Gage caught a 12 yard touchdown pass slanting across the middle to give the Titans the lead.

WR Lavelle Hawkins, Rec: 2 - 26 - 0 (3 targets) - Hawkins caught two of his three targets, gaining 26 yards on the afternoon. Hawkins' long reception of the game came in the second quarter when he brought in a pass for 19 yards.

WR Justin McCareins (3 targets) - McCareins was targeted three times, but was unable to haul in any receptions.

TE Bo Scaife, Rec: 10 - 78 - 1 (11 targets) - Scaife was the most targeted player on the Titans in this game, with Collins throwing his way eleven times. Out of these eleven targets, Scaife caught ten of them for 78 yards and a touchdown, the only failure being on a ball he dropped. Scaife had two red zone receptions in a row in the first quarter, but was unable to make it into the end zone either time. However, Scaife later scored a touchdown in the second quarter to tie up the game.

TE Alge Crumpler, Rec: 3 - 35 - 0 (3 targets) - Crumpler caught all three of his targets for 35 yards against the Bears. Most of his action came in the first half of the game, and his last target was early in the third quarter. His long reception of the afternoon came in the first quarter when he caught a pass from Collins for 20 yards, setting the Titans up in the red zone.

PK Rob Bironas 0 - 1 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 3 points - Bironas attempted one field goal all game, a 49 yarder, missing it well short. He was however kicking into the wind, probably why it was nowhere close.

TEN Rush Defense - The Titans did a pretty good job of containing the Bears' rushing attack in this contest. Forte only managed to grind out 72 yards on 20 carries, only a 3.6 yards per carry average. Although Tennessee managed to keep Forte out of the end zone, Grossman ran in for one in the fourth quarter.

TEN Pass Defense - The Tennessee pass defense did an outstanding job in this game, constantly pressuring Grossman and forcing him into bad throws. The defense came up with an interception as well on an impressive play where one defender tipped the ball up, allowing another to finish the interception. As the Bears were going for a key fourth down play to try to keep their hopes alive, Tennessee did what they had done all day, breaking up Grossman's pass, thus securing the win.

QB Rex Grossman, Pass: 20 - 37 - 173 - 1 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 1 - 1 - 1 - Grossman struggled against the tough Tennessee defense all game, throwing for only 173 yards and a touchdown. Grossman's only interception of the day came on a throw to the sideline into coverage, a defender tipped the ball into the air and another Tennessee defender was there to complete the interception. In the first quarter, Grossman found Forte for a five yard touchdown, and he also ran a touchdown in himself in the fourth quarter of the game. However, Grossman never seemed able to complete a big throw to keep Chicago drives alive, forcing many punts and resulting in many unhappy fans.

RB Matt Forte, Rush: 20 - 72 - 0, Rec: 7 - 54 - 1 (7 targets) - Forte never really got going against the Tennessee defense, taking 20 carries and only getting 72 yards off of them. However, he did add a valuable aspect to the passing game as he brought in all seven of his targets for 54 yards and a touchdown. Forte capped off the Bears' first drive by catching a five yard touchdown as he was slanting inside the cut back outside to get open.

WR Devin Hester, Rec: 4 - 54 - 0 (7 targets) - Hester made his first catch in the first quarter when he made a leaping catch on the sideline for an 11 yard gain for a first down. In the third quarter, Hester was targeted deep, but was overthrown despite having his man beat. The play likely would have resulted in a touchdown had the throw been on mark. In the fourth quarter as the Bears were trying to come back, Hester caught a ball deep across the middle for a 29 yard gain. He finished the game with 54 yards receiving.

WR Rashied Davis, Rec: 1 - 15 - 0 (5 targets) - Davis' only catch came on a slant in the first quarter for a 15 yard gain.

WR Marty Booker (5 targets) - Despite being targeted five times, Booker was unable to make any catches.

TE Greg Olsen, Rec: 5 - 40 - 0 (5 targets) - Olsen brought in all of his targets for 40 yards against the Titans. In the fourth quarter, Olsen barely missed scoring a touchdown as he was tackled down at the one yard line.

TE Desmond Clark, Rec: 3 - 10 - 0 (5 targets) - Clark caught short routes all game, hauling in three receptions for ten yards.

PK Robbie Gould 0 - 1 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 2 points - Gould attempted one field goal, but had it blocked. He made both of his extra points.

CHI Rush Defense - The Chicago rush defense did an amazing job against the versatile Tennessee rushing attack, holding the Titans to a total of 20 rushing yards. Chicago clearly came in the game focusing on stopping the run, as they were constantly hitting Tennessee's running backs in the backfield and tackling them for losses. Their only blemish of the day was when LenDale White managed to score a one yard touchdown against them.

CHI Pass Defense - When the Tennessee rushing attack wasn't working, they decided to test the Bears with Collins' arm. The Bears seemed unable to do anything to stop Collins, as he threw for a season high 289 yards against them. Collins also threw for two touchdowns, and came up with many key third down conversions.

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Buffalo Bills 10, New England Patriots 20

What you need to know

Buffalo Bills - Buffalo is now a team free falling and their 4--0 start is a distant memory. They struggled all afternoon to grind out ten first downs and 180 yards of total offense. Their offensive line wasn't able to open holes and the Bills' runners weren't fast enough to get outside. Their rushing attack was held to 60 yards and failed to pick up a first down until the third quarter. Marshawn Lynch, who still hasn't gained one hundred yards in a game this season, managed to pick up 46 yards mostly on his own. Fred Jackson added 14 yards on four carries and 11 more yards on two pass receptions.

Buffalo receivers didn't have time to get deep because of the wicked pass rush. The longest completion went for 15 yards and Trent Edwards wound up with only 120 passing yards on the day. He was sacked twice, intercepted twice, and pressured into several bad passes. With less than two minutes in the game, following New England's final TD, Leodis McKelvin returned the ensuing kickoff 85 yards. Edwards then threw a 14 yard pass down the right sideline to James Hardy for Buffalo's only score. Lee Evans didn't catch a pass in the first half and was held to two grabs for 22 yards. Roscoe Parrish led the Bills with four catches for 31 yards.

The inept Bills' offense meant the defense had to fend for itself. By the fourth quarter they were so worn out that the Patriots were able to sustain a 90 yard, 19 play drive that ate up over nine minutes that resulted in the proverbial nail in the coffin touchdown.

New England Patriots - The Patriots' balanced attack was relentless. They picked up 11 first downs rushing, 11 first downs passing, and controlled the ball for over 37 minutes. As a team, New England generated 144 rushing yards as rookie BenJarvus Green-Ellis averaged four yards per carry and topped 100 yards for the first time in his career.

The basic game plan involved Randy Moss going deep to pull defenders downfield while Wes Welker cut across the field through the vacated area. When Cassel didn't find either of them open he was often presented with a soft Bills' secondary. He scored the game's first touchdown on a 13 yard scramble up the middle and later picked up key first downs the very same way. Cassel is developing poise and is starting to look more comfortable in the pocket. He completed 23 of 34 for 234 yards, and while he failed to throw a TD pass he also failed to throw an interception. In the fourth quarter and only up by ten points, he directed a 90 yard, 19 play drive that ate up over nine minutes and led to their final touchdown.

Welker caught ten passes for 107 yards - which set an NFL record for catching at lease six passes in nine straight games to start a season - while Moss added 53 yards on five balls. The key to success was pass protection. Cassel wasn't touched in their last game against the Colts, and he was only sacked once in this game.

The New England defense pressured Trent Edwards all afternoon, sacking him twice and pressuring him into two interceptions and several bad throws. They played physically against Lee Evans, rolled coverage to his side, and limited him to just two receptions. One of their interceptions was a pass intended for Evans.

What you ought to know

QB Trent Edwards, Pass: 13 - 23 - 120 - 1 TD / 2 INT - Edwards is not getting much help from his offensive line. The Buffalo running game has been anemic lately and when he tries to pass he doesn't have much time to find receivers downfield. His lone TD pass came late in the game after New England had gone up 20--3. Rookie Leodis McKelvin returned the ensuing kickoff 85 yards and Edwards connected with another rookie, James Hardy, for the touchdown. Edwards is intelligent, young, and still learning, but based on recent games he seems to be regressing. Or maybe the entire team is sliding and he is just along for the ride. Edwards earned a QB rating of 49.2.

RB Marshawn Lynch, Rush: 14 - 46 - 0 (2 targets) - New England was determined to shut down the Bills' rushing attack so Lynch had to gain his 46 yards the hard way, literally inch by inch. So far this season, Lynch has failed to gain 100 yards in a game while averaging 3.6 yards per carry. He was expected to have an expanded role in the passing attack but was only targeted twice in this game and failed to catch either one.

RB Fred Jackson, Rush: 4 - 14 - 0, Rec: 2 - 11 - 0 (3 targets) - While Jackson is usually the quickest player on the field he couldn't shake any Patriot defenders. His role was limited in this game because the offense was only on the field a little more than 22 minutes.

WR Roscoe Parrish, Rec: 4 - 31 - 0 (4 targets) - Parrish was only targeted in the first half but led all Buffalo receivers with four grabs for 31 yards. Buffalo seldom had time to send him on deeper patterns, but he was able to catch short underneath passes and pick up additional yardage.

WR Lee Evans, Rec: 2 - 22 - 0 (3 targets) - The Patriots decided to take Evans out of this game by playing him physically at the line and rolling a safety to his side. The first pass thrown to him, an intermediate range slant pattern, was over thrown and intercepted by Ellis Hobbs. If Edwards had been given time to find other receivers, or if the running game had been more effective, losing Evans like this would not have been so devastating.

WR James Hardy, Rec: 2 - 21 - 1 (4 targets) - Hardy's development has been disappointing so far this season. The injury to Josh Reed was supposed to be opportunity knocking but he has been slow to take advantage. With less than two minutes in this game, however, Edwards found him down the right sideline in single coverage. The ball was thrown a little short but Hardy caught it around the two yard line and stepped into the end zone for the Bills only TD.

WR Steve Johnson, Rec: 1 - 15 - 0 (1 targets) - Buffalo's seventh round draft pick from Kentucky caught the only pass thrown to him, a 15 yard sideline route in the second quarter.

TE Robert Royal, Rec: 1 - 6 - 0 (3 targets) - Royal managed to catch one of the three hurried passes that came his way.

TE Derek Schouman, Rec: 1 - 14 - 0 (1 targets) - While New England was busy packing eight defenders in the box and double Evans, Schouman was one of the Buffalo receivers who were ignored. He caught the only pass thrown to him for a 15 yard gain.

PK Rian Lindell 1 - 1 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 4 points - Lindell hit a 15 yard field goal and converted his only extra point.

BUF Rush Defense - The Bills defense was handled pretty well by the now healthy Patriots offensive line. Green-Ellis averaged four yards per carry and scored a touchdown and Matt Cassel also scrambled 13 yards for a score.

BUF Pass Defense - Buffalo tried various blitz packages but rarely got within sniffing distance of Cassel. They were probably most successful when 6'7" DE Ryan Denney, filling in for Aaron Schobel, batted down two passes at the line of scrimmage.

QB Matt Cassel, Pass: 23 - 34 - 234 - 0 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 9 - 22 - 1 - Cassel is developing poise and is starting to look more comfortable directing the Patriot offense. He completed 23 of 34 for 234 yards, and while he failed to throw a TD pass he also failed to throw an interception. With New England clinging to a ten point lead in the fourth quarter, he directed a 90 yard, 19 play drive that ate up over nine minutes and led to their final touchdown.

RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Rush: 26 - 105 - 1 (1 targets) - The rookie who is jokingly referred to as "the law firm" by his team mates broke 100 yards for the first time in his short career and scored a TD in his fourth straight game. He shows great patience setting up his blocks but also knows when to hit a hole quickly. With the New England offense line healthy again Green-Ellis has to be accounted for by opposing defensive coordinators and he certainly has a nose for the end zone.

RB Kevin Faulk, Rush: 5 - 9 - 0, Rec: 1 - 9 - 0 (4 targets) - One of the many unsung Patriot heroes in this game, Faulk's numbers don't jump off the page at you. He only picked up nine yards on the ground and another nine yards on a pass play. He saw lots of work on passing plays. Faulk understands pass protection assignments as well as anyone in the league.

RB Heath Evans, Rush: 1 - 3 - 0 - In limited duty, Evans picked up a key first down on a third and one play in the third quarter.

WR Wes Welker, Rush: 1 - 7 - 0, Rec: 10 - 107 - 0 (11 targets) - Most passes to Welker are thrown under the coverage and he leads the league in yards after the catch. Buffalo had no answer for Welker. His longest reception went for 27 yards, but he only got one foot down on the play and was juggling the ball as he went out of bounds. Dick Jauron threw the red flag to challenge the call but officials didn't' see it and New England scored the first touchdown of the game two plays later.

Welker set an NFL record by catching at least six passes in the first nine games to start a season.

WR Randy Moss, Rush: 1 - -2 - 0, Rec: 5 - 53 - 0 (9 targets) - Not a particularly productive game by Moss standards but he continued to stretch the field all afternoon. Two passes were defended in the end zone and another drew a personal foul penalty. He is always a threat to score and helped to open up the field for Welker and other receivers.

WR Jabar Gaffney, Rec: 4 - 36 - 0 (5 targets) - Gaffney has a situational role in this offense which sees his production fluctuate from game to game. Three of his five targets came in the fourth quarter and finished the game with four balls for 36 yards.

WR Sam Aiken, Rec: 2 - 22 - 0 (2 targets) - The former draft choice of the Buffalo Bills who was cut from the team got some pay back in this game. Aiken, a special teams standout, caught both second half passes thrown to him for 22 yards.

TE Ben Watson, Rec: 1 - 7 - 0 (2 targets) - Watson only managed one catch for seven yards.

PK Stephen Gostkowski 2 - 3 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 8 points - A terrible game for Gostkowski as he missed his second field goal of the season, a 49 yard attempt. He was good from 32 and 37 yards and also converted the PAT.

NE Rush Defense - The Bills were limited to just 60 rushing yards as New England was determined to shut them down. Buffalo fell behind and all but abandoned the run in the second half.

NE Pass Defense - Lee Evans became a non entity in this game and didn't catch a pass until the second half. Trent Edwards was sacked twice, intercepted twice, and was hurried into many bad throws. While Buffalo passed for a touchdown with less than 2:00 in the game, they only gained 120 yards through the air.

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Indianapolis Colts 20, Pittsburgh Steelers 24

What you need to know

Indianapolis Colts - QB Peyton Manning was unable to sustain any drives early in the game, connecting on less than half of his passing attempts in the first half. This was directly related to how effective the Steelers' pass rush was. However, the Colts made significant adjustments at half time and Manning was able to avoid any sacks in the second half. His overall numbers were quite good, and could have been much better had WR Marvin Harrison held on to two likely touchdown passes. The lack of any real running game also hurt Manning by taking away his play action passes; where he usually forces defenses cover more of the field.

RB Joseph Addai had little impact in this game due to an effective Steelers' run defense. He did not show much of a burst returning from a hamstring injury, and had less than three yards per carry. Backup RB Dominic Rhodes proved to be more effective as a replacement, with 28 yards on seven carries and a touchdown receiving. He ended up with only 52 total yards to Addai's 47 on five less touches. This game further clouded the Colts' backfield situation.

WR Reggie Wayne led all Colt pass catchers with over 100 yards. He, along with TE Dallas Clark, was the focal point of the pass offense for much of the game. Wayne did come up with some clutch catches including two off of tipped balls, one of which resulted in a spectacular 65 yard touchdown in the first half.

Pittsburgh Steelers - QB Ben Roethlisberger was unable to protect the football, tossing three interceptions leading to two Colts scores. The Indianapolis defense kept both safeties deep in the cover two scheme and took away most of the deep plays and the sideline patterns. Roethlisberger was able to work the middle of the field with the tight end and running backs. In the second half, the Colts' pass rush intensified and Roethlisberger could not get much time to make any big downfield throws, getting sacked twice. RB Mewelde Moore, continuing a string of starts in place of injured Pittsburgh running backs, was held in check for most of the game. He was held to just 31 rushing yards in the first half and was only slightly better in the second stanza. Moore ended up with two touchdowns, but had barely more than two yards a carry. Ben Roethlisberger was able to get him the ball out of the backfield where they connected six times, with several being on third down.

WR Hines Ward played a very effective game working the middle of the field. Ben Roethlisberger was able to find Ward nine times for over 100 yards. The most notable play was a 41 yard flea-flicker in the first half that set up a short TD run. On more than a few occasions, Ward was not able to make any significant yards after the catch, but this was due to the Colts' defensive scheme and some sure tackling by SS Bob Sanders.

What you ought to know

QB Peyton Manning, Pass: 21 - 40 - 240 - 3 TD / 0 INT - Manning was not his usual self in the game, despite posting good overall numbers. Two of his three TDs came off a short field following Pittsburgh interceptions and the other was off a fortunate tipped ball play where WR Reggie Wayne avoided two tacklers and raced 65 yards. Manning was hurt by some key drops by WR Marvin Harrison and overall his completion percentage was quite low for him, barely over 50%. On the plus side, he was able to avoid the turnovers and made Pittsburgh make long drives when forced to give up the ball.

RB Joseph Addai, Rush: 12 - 34 - 0, Rec: 2 - 13 - 0 (4 targets) - Addai was limited all day. The Colts' running game has been poor all season, averaging a league low 70 yards a game. The team's trademark stretch play sweep was well defended by the Steelers' rush defense, Addai had multiple tacklers in his face, saw no real cutback lanes and could not make anyone miss. He had only a limited role in the passing game.

RB Dominic Rhodes, Rush: 7 - 28 - 0, Rec: 2 - 24 - 1 (2 targets) - Dominic Rhodes proved again to be a factor as a replacement runner. He had a solid four yards per carry against the league's top run defense, and turned a broken pass coverage into a game winning touchdown catch. Rhodes owners have been used to seeing valuable performances this season and as long as Addai struggles, he is well worth a roster spot.

WR Reggie Wayne, Rec: 6 - 114 - 1 (11 targets) - Wayne produced for QB Peyton Manning for most of the game. His longest reception was 65 yards and he did show some run after the catch ability. He was used a few flanker screens and despite a nagging knee injury, was effective. The drawback in this game was high number of incomplete passes, but that was more a function of Manning's low accuracy than Wayne's hands. He remains after ten weeks a top flight WR.

WR Anthony Gonzalez, Rec: 4 - 26 - 0 (7 targets) - Gonzalez was able to work the middle of the field a few times from his slot receiver position. He also drew a pass interference penalty in the red zone that set up another score. He was unable to display any run after the catch. A key third down drop after a big hit stopped a Colts drive.

WR Marvin Harrison, Rec: 3 - 37 - 0 (6 targets) - Harrison was involved in the first half, making all three of his catches. His two major mistakes were dropped passes. In the first half, he beat single coverage on a deep post and would have scored. In the second half, he got down the sideline but the ball was off his hands. On the play he got a neck injury and spent some time on the bench and was unable to get anything going in the second half. The lack of another dynamic threat to Wayne is a contributor to the Colts' offensive decline this season.

TE Dallas Clark, Rec: 3 - 24 - 1 (8 targets) - Clark connected on a 2 yard TD catch right before the end of the first half. He was a major target for Manning for much the game despite low overall numbers. The Steelers were able to use their athletic linebackers and safeties to break up a number of plays to Clark. He seems to be regaining his role in the offense from last season.

PK Adam Vinatieri 1 - 1 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 6 points - Vinatieri connected on a 36 yard field goal and all three extra points. He had no other opportunities.

IND Rush Defense - The Steelers posted just over two yards rushing per play. Indianapolis was able to contain RB Mewelde Moore all day. A key goal line stand held Pittsburgh to a field goal and that was the difference in the final score. The Colts are unique in that they often play more than two safeties at the same time, but that does not show up in a weaker run defense. The return of S Bob Sanders made a big impact.

IND Pass Defense - The Colts' pass rush was ineffective early and the Steelers' passing game moved the ball in the first half. Things changed in the second half, especially after the Colts got the lead. DE Dwight Freeney registered the team's two sacks, but had more pressures and forced Pittsburgh into some dump off passes on the final drive. They ended up with three interceptions.

QB Ben Roethlisberger, Pass: 30 - 42 - 284 - 0 TD / 3 INT, Rush: 1 - -1 - 0 - Pittsburgh wanted to establish a short and intermediate passing game early due to a shoulder injury to Roethlisberger. He was able to move the ball effectively during the first quarter and was in a passing rhythm for most of the first half, getting ample time and able to spread the ball to his wideouts and tight end. The most significant play was a flea flicker pass where he was able to find WR Hines Ward down to the one yard line. The Colts took away Roethlisberger's deeper and outside passes, so he went to the tight ends and slot receivers underneath. His patience was tested and two of his interceptions were when he tried to force the ball in to tight coverage. On the positive side, he was able to avoid most of the sacks and serious hits that have been a constant for him this season.

RB Mewelde Moore, Rush: 24 - 57 - 2, Rec: 6 - 48 - 0 (8 targets) - Moore got another start after RB Willie Parker's shoulder was injured last game. Moore ended up with 105 total yards and two touchdowns, but the numbers were deceiving. He logged a significant number of carries but was mostly bottled up and had no gains over ten yards. The Colts defense is smaller and faster than most teams and they seemed to surprise the Pittsburgh back, denying him outside runs several times. Moore was involved in the passing game as usual. He could be the long term starter if Parker's injury is as serious as it seems. Moore had been effective on the ground this season up to this game.

WR Hines Ward, Rec: 9 - 116 - 0 (13 targets) - Hines Ward had several balls thrown his way and caught nine mostly short and intermediate passes across the middle, the exception being a 41 yard flea-flicker. He did not get any targets in the red zone. He made several catches in traffic and kept the chains moving most of the second half. Ward is still a solid play most weeks and remains the most consistent option in the passing game in Pittsburgh.

WR Santonio Holmes, Rush: 1 - -1 - 0, Rec: 4 - 29 - 0 (9 targets) - Holmes was the second most targeted player for Roethlisberger, but unlike Hines Ward, he is not totally in synch with his QB. Two of the three Pittsburgh interceptions came on passes to Holmes and he was outfought by Colt defensive backs for the ball. Despite impressive speed, he was limited to mostly short gains, outside a 23 yard pass in the first half. Holmes draws most of the defense's attention throughout of the game and has had uneven success beating that this season. Off-field issues have also been a problem.

WR Nate Washington, Rec: 3 - 30 - 0 (4 targets) - WR Nate Washington has done most of his damage on deep patterns this year, but not today. The Colts' secondary took Washington away for much of the game. He nearly reeled in a circus catch on the on the final drive Hail Mary, but the ball went off his fingertips.

TE Matt Spaeth, Rec: 6 - 53 - 0 (6 targets) - An ankle injury to starting TE Heath Miller made Matt Spaeth a major factor in the passing game. The Colts often vacated the middle of the field and Spaeth took advantage. Linebackers were unable to cover him and his catches some drives alive. His five catches eclipsed the three he had in the first eight games. The downside is his skills are more suited for blocking and his ability to gain significant yards in limited. If Miller missed more time, Spaeth is a decent play with limited upside

PK Jeff Reed 2 - 2 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 8 points - Reed hit a 42 yard field goal and another 24 yarder in and two XP's. He had no other FG opportunities. He is very reliable despite getting a new holder just this week.

PIT Rush Defense - The Steelers held the Colts rushers to about three yards a carry and 62 yards total. Some of that can be attributed to the struggles of the Indy offensive line this year, but the Steelers' run defense has been playing well all season, leading the league.

PIT Pass Defense - The Pittsburgh pass rush was a factor in the first half recording two sacks and several other QB pressures, mostly from OLB James Harrison. The absence of OLB Lamar Woodley to a lower leg injury was noticeable. The Colts did adjust and protected Manning much better in the second half. The weakness of the Steelers' pass defense was despite getting a hand on many balls, but did not generate any interceptions. Ironically the only Colt deep pass play all night came off a tipped ball.

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Carolina Panthers 17, Oakland Raiders 6

What you need to know

Carolina Panthers - In what could clearly be defined as an ugly win, the Panthers beat the Raiders 17-6 despite just 72 yards passing and four interceptions by QB Jake Delhomme. After Oakland lost a fumble on the opening kickoff, Delhomme connected with WR Muhsin Muhammad for a three yard score on a short field. However, Delhomme completed just six more passes throughout the game as the Panthers let the Raiders hang around.

RB DeAngelo Williams ran for 140 yards and added a 69 yard touchdown run for the team's only other touchdown of the game and K John Kasay knocked in a field goal from 32 yards out late in the fourth quarter to seal the deal for the Panthers.

Oakland Raiders - This was an ugly game for Oakland from beginning to end. WR Johnnie Lee Higgins fumbled the opening kickoff of the game and the Panthers turned it into an early first quarter touchdown.

The Raiders offense didn't fare much better than the special teams as QB Andrew Walter threw for 143 yards and two interceptions and was unable to get anything going at all offensively for his ball club.

K Sebastian Janikowski kicked two third quarter field goals that made up all of Oakland's scoring for the game, but a combination of sacks, turnovers and penalties pushed the Raiders further away from the end zone throughout the game.

Oakland wasted a good performance from their defense, which picked off four passes, had two sacks and gave up just 57 net passing yards.

What you ought to know

QB Jake Delhomme, Pass: 7 - 27 - 72 - 1 TD / 4 INT, Rush: 1 - 0 - 0 - Jake Delhomme had a game to forget against the Raiders, but luckily for both he and the Panthers, Carolina was able to do enough to hold on for the win. Delhomme finished just seven of 27 passing for 72 yards, a three yard touchdown pass to WR Muhsin Muhammad and four interceptions for what has to be one of the worst outings of his career. He never seemed to be out of sync with his receivers and looked flustered throughout the game.

RB DeAngelo Williams, Rush: 19 - 140 - 1, Rec: 1 - 3 - 0 (1 targets) - DeAngelo Williams got the bulk of the work running the ball for the Panthers and responded for Carolina with 19 rushes for 140 yards and a touchdown and also added one reception for three yards on his only target of the game. For the game, Williams averaged over seven yards a carry -- which was helped by his touchdown run of 69 yards.

RB Jonathan Stewart, Rush: 7 - 21 - 0 (2 targets) - Stewart's playing status was up in the air, but the rookie was able to go and chipped in with seven rushes for 21 yards on the ground. DeAngelo Williams clearly got most of the work in the running game though.

WR Muhsin Muhammad, Rec: 3 - 38 - 1 (6 targets) - Muhsin Muhammad was targeted six times and finished with three receptions for 38 yards. He scored a first quarter touchdown on the team's first possession as he caught a three yard touchdown from QB Jake Delhomme.

WR Steve Smith, Rec: 1 - 9 - 0 (7 targets) - Smith led Carolina with seven targets, but was only able to manage one reception for nine yards. Two passes thrown his way were picked off by the Raiders. Despite the meager stat line, Smith was open on a number of occasions -- his day was hampered by Delhomme's inaccuracy.

WR D.J. Hackett, Rec: 1 - 13 - 0 (4 targets) - Hackett received four targets, all on third downs, and came down with one reception for 13 yards.

TE Jeff King, Rec: 1 - 9 - 0 (3 targets) - King was targeted three times and finished with one reception for nine yards.

PK John Kasay 1 - 2 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 5 points - Kasay connected on a 32 yard field goal with less than two minutes left to put the game out of reach and added two extra points to finish with five points.

CAR Rush Defense - The Panthers gave up 147 net rushing yards on 36 attempts, for a 4.1 ypc average. They did allow a few runs of over ten yards, but Oakland's inability to convert on second and third and longs made the little success they had running the ball irrelevant.

LB Jon Beason led the way with 11 solo tackles and four assists and LB Thomas Davis added eight solo tackles and two assists to lead the defense.

CAR Pass Defense - Carolina was able to shut down the mediocre Oakland passing attack as they allowed just 112 yards passing, recorded five sacks, forced five fumbles and intercepted QB Andrew Walter two times. They held Oakland to just two of 17 on third downs for the game.

DB's Chris Gamble and Richard Marshall each had interceptions for Carolina and DL Julius Peppers had a huge game with seven solo tackles and three sacks to lead the defense.

QB Andrew Walter, Pass: 14 - 32 - 143 - 0 TD / 2 INT, Rush: 4 - 19 - 0 - Walter started the game with starter JaMarcus Russell out with injury and finished 14 of 32 for 143 yards, zero touchdowns and two interceptions. He added 19 yards rushing on four carries. Walter also fumbled three times, but lost none, and had to leave the game for a brief amount of time with an ankle injury, but later returned and played through it.

RB Justin Fargas, Rush: 22 - 89 - 0, Rec: 1 - 9 - 0 (3 targets) - With Darren McFadden missing the game due to injury, Fargas shouldered the load in the running game for the Raiders and finished with 22 rushes for 89 yards and added on reception for nine yards on three targets in the passing game.

RB Michael Bush, Rush: 8 - 30 - 0, Rec: 5 - 43 - 0 (10 targets) - Bush ran the ball eight times for 30 yards on the ground and caught five balls for 43 yards on a team high ten targets in the passing game. However, of those ten targets, five came on the club's last drive in their hurry up offense.

WR Javon Walker, Rec: 2 - 27 - 0 (6 targets) - Walker was the only Raiders WR with a catch. He received six targets and came down with two receptions for 27 yards.

TE Zach Miller, Rec: 3 - 42 - 0 (5 targets) - Miller was targeted five times and finished with three receptions for 42 yards.

PK Sebastian Janikowski 2 - 3 FG, 0 - 0 XP, 6 points - Janikowski connected on field goal attempts from 38 and 45 yards out and missed a 58 yard attempt with 13 seconds to go to finish with six points in the game. Janikowski passed George Blanda for the Raider all time scoring record with his 45 yard field goal, perhaps the only bright spot of the game for Oakland.

OAK Rush Defense - For the game, the Raiders allowed 162 net yards rushing on 28 attempts, for a 5.8 ypc average, but 69 of those yards came on the Williams touchdown run.

LB Kirk Morrison led the way with six solo tackles and two assists.

OAK Pass Defense - The Raiders were all over the place defensively against the pass as they allowed just 57 net passing yards, recorded two sacks and four interceptions. They did allow one passing touchdown on a short field in the first quarter, but that was the only success Carolina had in the passing game.

DB Rashad Baker picked off two Delhomme passes and LB Sam Williams and DB Nnamdi Asomugha each recorded one interception for the Raiders.

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Seattle Seahawks 19, Miami Dolphins 21

What you need to know

Seattle Seahawks - The Seahawks were again without their QB and leader, Matt Hasselbeck. In a close game like this, he is the type of player who may have changed the outcome. Seneca Wallace played capably all day, but failed to come through in the clutch, coming up just short -- first on a two point conversion attempt, and then again on the final drive, in which he had the opportunity to move the Seahawks into field goal position but fell short.

Maurice Morris was nowhere to be seen for most of the day, as Julius Jones was given a feature back role in this game. Morris showed up briefly in the second half, as did T.J. Duckett, but the Seahawks were content to rely on Jones, who got better as the game went on.

No single receiver shone for the Seahawks. Bobby Engram was the most reliable option, and TE John Carlson was a favourite target of Wallace, though inconsistent. Koren Robinson scored a touchdown, but only caught short passes and was unable to stretch the field. Seneca Wallace did spread the ball out, but the lack of any real deep threat clearly hurt.

Miami Dolphins - The Dolphins dominated in the early going, and by all appearances were going to rout the Seahawks. Pennington then made a rare mistake and had an interception returned for a touchdown. Other than that, he was his usual reliable self, favoring no one and simply finding the open man. He spread the ball out to nine different receivers, but was also content with a lot of short gains. The lone exception was a highlight reel flea flicker to Ginn in double coverage for a 39 yard touchdown.

The usually more productive Ronnie Brown gave way to Ricky Williams, who had his best day yet as a Dolphin. Williams reached 100 yards rushing while adding a touchdown and two receptions. The Dolphins did not use the Wildcat formation often, but when they did, it often worked. The Wildcat produced two scores, one by Williams and one by Brown. Their bag of tricks was responsible for all three scores (the other TD coming on a flea flicker play).

Ginn had the big play in the first quarter, but other than that it was a ho hum day for all Dolphins receivers. With Pennington spreading the ball out well, it meant that no other receiver stood out.

What you ought to know

QB Seneca Wallace, Pass: 21 - 38 - 185 - 1 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 2 - 9 - 0 - Wallace was quite sharp for much of the game. He appeared very comfortable dropping back into the pocket and firing away. Too often his receivers dropped his passes, however, killing drives before they began. He played a smart game, and almost became the hero with the clock ticking down, but he overthrew a wide open Bobby Engram, which brought up fourth down. He then threw a pass that TE John Carlson couldn't bring in, effectively ending the game. There were reports of a minor leg injury that apparently affected Wallace's mobility in the second half.

RB Julius Jones, Rush: 16 - 88 - 0, Rec: 2 - 2 - 0 (4 targets) - Jones got stronger as the game went on. He was given nearly all of the carries and though he did not have much success in the first half (7-15-0), in the second half, five of his nine carries went for first downs, which included his longest of the season, a 33 yard scamper that took the Seahawks to the Miami five yard line.

RB Owen Schmitt, Rush: 3 - 19 - 0, Rec: 1 - 6 - 0 (1 targets) - Schmitt took over for the injured Leonard Weaver, carrying the ball three times and adding a reception.

RB Maurice Morris, Rush: 1 - 11 - 0, Rec: 1 - 6 - 0 (1 targets) - Morris did not see the ball until late in the game. His one carry was a crucial first down run of eleven yards.

RB T.J. Duckett, Rush: 1 - -1 - 0 - Duckett was brought in for the first time late in the game and got a goal line carry, which was promptly stuffed by the Miami defense.

RB Leonard Weaver, Rec: 1 - 5 - 0 (2 targets) - Weaver had no carries on the day and only one catch. He suffered an apparent rib injury early in the game.

WR Bobby Engram, Rec: 5 - 63 - 0 (10 targets) - Engram was clearly the most reliable Seahawks receiver on the field, but did not see the ball much in the second half. He was wide open on the final drive on what could have been a long touchdown, but the ball was overthrown. Each of his receptions were for over ten yards.

WR Koren Robinson, Rec: 5 - 38 - 1 (8 targets) - Robinson was somewhat effective, but did not provide the deep threat that the Seahawks so badly needed. He dropped one pass in the end zone, but made up for it a short while later by scoring on a three yard strike.

WR Keary Colbert, Rec: 1 - 11 - 0 (4 targets) - Colbert was looked to more in the second half, where he was able to pull in his single catch for an 11 yard first down.

TE John Carlson, Rec: 5 - 54 - 0 (10 targets) - Carlson was a favorite target of Wallace, but the results were mixed. He did gain three first downs for the Seahawks, but could have had an even better day had he been able to pull in a couple more that were right on the money. He was targeted in the red zone, on the two point conversion, and on the final play of the game, an incompletion on fourth down. Encouraging that he is relied on in clutch situations, but again, none of them converted successfully.

PK Olindo Mare 2 - 2 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 7 points - Mare connected on 27 and 37 yard field goals, as well as making his two PAT attempts.

SEA Rush Defense - The rush defense could not stop Ricky Williams, but had no problem (for most of the game) holding off Ronnie Brown.

SEA Pass Defense - The pass defense improved gradually. They got burned early but really turned things around in the end. The pass rush gave Pennington tons of trouble in the second half, and earlier they returned an interception for a touchdown -- a crucial play in that it represented Seattle's only score of the first half.

QB Chad Pennington, Pass: 22 - 36 - 209 - 1 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 2 - 1 - 0 - Pennington was his usual accurate self. He worked on finding the open man, favoring no one. His one interception was costly; it was returned for a touchdown. He looked great early on, airing it out to a double covered Ted Ginn in the back of the end zone for a 39 yard score. He also proved very capable under pressure, on one play eluding multiple pass rushers and finding the open man while scrambling. With few exceptions, he seemed to be content with a number of short gains.

RB Ricky Williams, Rush: 12 - 105 - 1, Rec: 2 - 21 - 0 (2 targets) - Williams had a big day, rushing for over a hundred yards, including a 51 yard touchdown. He also caught two passes that gave the Dolphins first downs. Yardage totals aside, what really impressed was how he fought hard for (and got!) a few more yards on each carry.

RB Ronnie Brown, Rush: 10 - 39 - 1, Rec: 4 - 27 - 0 (4 targets) - Brown took a back seat to Ricky Williams, though both were featured in the overall game plan. With limited touches, Brown still managed a touchdown carry (yes, out of the Wildcat formation) and three receptions.

RB Lousaka Polite, Rush: 2 - 4 - 0, Rec: 2 - 17 - 0 (2 targets) - Polite was used as an occasional runner and receiver, gaining crucial first downs on third and short and fourth and short plays.

RB Patrick Cobbs, Rec: 2 - 10 - 0 (2 targets) - Cobbs had two receptions in succession late in the game, each of five yards.

WR Greg Camarillo, Rush: 1 - 6 - 0, Rec: 4 - 21 - 0 (8 targets) - Camarillo was targeted a good amount of times, but keep in mind his yardage log per reception (6, 5, 5, 3, 8).

WR Ted Ginn, Rec: 4 - 67 - 1 (8 targets) - Ginn made a spectacular end zone TD catch in double coverage to start off the scoring. He was also productive later on, catching the ball for 13 and eight yard first downs. Ginn began the game with a kick return that would have been a touchdown, but it was called back on a penalty.

WR Davone Bess, Rec: 2 - 25 - 0 (3 targets) - Bess was used in three WR sets, and made the most of his short time on the field - a couple of nice catches for first downs.

TE David Martin, Rec: 1 - 4 - 0 (4 targets) - Martin had only one short catch, for a Dolphins first down.

TE Anthony Fasano, Rec: 1 - 17 - 0 (3 targets) - After his only catch, Fasano was not looked to often. He and David Martin saw roughly equal time on the field.

PK Dan Carpenter 0 - 0 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 3 points - Carpenter had no field goal attempts, and was good on all three PAT attempts.

MIA Rush Defense - The Dolphins were able to shut down the Seahawks ground game in the first half, but eased up in the 2nd, allowing Julius Jones to run slightly wild (9-71-0).

MIA Pass Defense - The pass rush and secondary were just effective enough to hurry Seneca Wallace repeatedly, forcing a number of incompletions.

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Kansas City Chiefs 19, San Diego Chargers 20

What you need to know

Kansas City Chiefs - QB Tyler Thigpen has really come on strong recently, and is staking his claim as the long term answer in Kansas City. He put up big numbers in a tough road environment against a divisional opponent, and has now thrown over 100 consecutive passes without an interception.

TE Tony Gonzalez took the lead of many other tight ends who have put up huge stats against San Diego's defense. Gonzalez simply couldn't be covered all game long.

Starting RB Jamaal Charles aggravated an ankle injury on his first carry. He didn't return until after halftime, but by that point the Kansas City passing game was so effective that they never really tried to establish the run. Dantrell Savage filled in for Charles but was mostly unimpressive.

San Diego Chargers - QB Philip Rivers posted his fourth 300 yard passing game of the season (second in a row) while tossing touchdowns number 20 and 21. Despite a pair of costly interceptions, he was mostly effective.

RB LaDainian Tomlinson had perhaps his best matchup of the season on paper, but the results weren't entirely there. He did tally 117 total yards from scrimmage, but he failed to reach the end zone and he averaged just 3.5 yards per carry against what was one of the league's worst run defenses coming in.

The passing numbers were distributed fairly evenly amongst WRs Vincent Jackson and Malcolm Floyd and TE Antonio Gates. Each player had at least four receptions and at least 66 yards receiving, with Gates and Floyd finding the end zone.

What you ought to know

QB Tyler Thigpen, Pass: 27 - 41 - 266 - 3 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 2 - 26 - 0 - Thigpen did just about all that was asked of him and more in this game, and very nearly pulled off a shocking upset on the road against the defending division champs. Trailing by seven, he led the Chiefs downfield on a sixty yard touchdown drive that would have tied the game if they had opted to kick the extra point. Instead, head coach Herm Edwards chose to borrow a page from the Denver Broncos playbook and go for the two point conversion and the win. Thigpen's pass, with LB Shaun Phillips in his face, was batted down in the end zone by S Clinton Hart and the Chargers escaped with the victory by the thinnest of margins. Thigpen's afternoon started off with a long touchdown pass to WR Mark Bradley, a play that was aided by CB Quentin Jammer stopping in his tracks while in coverage. When Jammer stopped, Bradley ran right by him and easily scored the 30 yarder. Thigpen's entire afternoon was aided by the fact that San Diego, despite changing defensive coordinators over the bye week, still is unable to apply pressure to the quarterback. That gave him more than enough time to repeatedly find TE Tony Gonzalez, WR Dwayne Bowe, and the aforementioned Bradley (those three accounted for 38 passing targets in the game). Thigpen's second touchdown pass was a short look to Gonzalez, who then got a great block from Bradley before turning upfield for the score. The third touchdown was likewise a great individual effort from Gonzalez, who had to fight for the ball in traffic. In addition to the passing numbers, Thigpen also had a long run to close out the first half that was the result of an aborted Hail Mary attempt. Thigpen dropped back to heave a long bomb towards the end zone, but thought better of it and pulled the ball down. He took off for a 22 yard scamper because the majority of the San Diego defense was fifty yards away guarding the end zone.

RB Dantrell Savage, Rush: 12 - 44 - 0, Rec: 2 - 0 - 0 (2 targets) - Savage took over for the injured Jamaal Charles, who was starting in place of the suspended Larry Johnson, early on. Savage didn't look great running the ball, but he didn't look completely lost, either. The line was opening holes for him when needed, but the Chiefs were having a lot of success through the air (as most teams do against San Diego) and opted to attack that way. One bright side for Savage was that he converted two third and short runs, the latter of which helped keep a drive alive late in the fourth quarter on third and one. Charles returned for the second half and saw limited work throughout the rest of the game. With Larry Johnson's status going forward still in question and the injury to Charles, it's unknown at this point how much value Savage will have the rest of the way.

RB Jamaal Charles, Rush: 3 - 8 - 0 - Charles injured an ankle on his very first carry of the game, and saw very limited work after that point. He returned to play in the second half, but by that time the Chiefs were already well into their passing game and enjoying a ton of success. Rather than mess with a good thing, they opted to keep Charles mostly on the bench.

WR Mark Bradley, Rec: 9 - 81 - 1 (13 targets) - Bradley was the beneficiary of a wide open 30 yard first quarter touchdown bomb from Thigpen, but was fairly quiet afterwards. He was the most heavily targeted wide receiver, but the majority of his action came on quick slants and curls. On the touchdown, CB Quentin Jammer was in coverage but simply cut off his coverage while looking into the backfield. By the time Jammer realized Bradley was still running, it was too late to recover and it resulted in one of the easiest touchdowns Bradley will ever score. His other critical reception came on the potential game-winning drive when he hauled in a low liner on fourth and eight. Late in the game, he nearly added a second touchdown when he beat Jammer in the end zone, but the ball was a bit overthrown.

While it won't affect his stat line any, it's still noteworthy that Bradley also threw a great block that helped spring TE Tony Gonzalez for his first touchdown of the afternoon in the second quarter. The more positive things he can do on the field, the more his playing time will remain high.

WR Dwayne Bowe, Rec: 6 - 72 - 0 (9 targets) - Bowe was heavily targeted early on for the Chiefs, but didn't make as big an impact as it seemed he would. After catching three passes on the opening drive, he caught just three the rest of the way. He made a nice grab in the fourth quarter and picked up a lot of yards after the catch when San Diego defenders didn't wrap him up. He appeared to add one last reception on the team's final touchdown drive, but was ruled to have stepped out of bounds. Replays suggested that he may have gotten his second foot down inbounds, but the play was never challenged by the officials (even though it happened inside of two minutes).

TE Tony Gonzalez, Rec: 10 - 113 - 2 (16 targets) - Gonzalez simply dominated the San Diego defense from start to finish. En route to passing Jimmy Smith for tenth place on the all-time NFL receptions list, he did damage in every way possible. He was so heady, finding all the soft spots in the defense. It was almost like he knew where the San Diego defenders would be before they even got there, which allowed him to go and get open somewhere else. On his first touchdown, he caught a short cross pass over the middle and immediately headed for the sideline. A great block by Mark Bradley sprung him down the sideline, which enabled him to get into the end zone. His second touchdown grab was a phenomenal catch in traffic with defenders hanging all over him. The ball was being dragged as he fell to the ground, but amazingly he managed to keep control of the ball while being pulled to the ground. He was targeted on the potential game-winning two point conversion, but S Clinton Hart made a nice play to tip the ball away and into the arms of CB Quentin Jammer at the last moment.

PK Connor Barth 0 - 0 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 1 points - Through no fault of his own, Barth was involved in one of the more critical plays that cost his team the victory. On an extra point attempt, the snap was botched and came out low. Kansas City was unable to recover for the PAT, and ended up losing the game by a single point.

KC Rush Defense - Despite the game remaining close throughout and LaDainian Tomlinson apparently 100% healthy coming in, the Chargers were never able to establish a solid ground attack. Tomlinson's big gain went for 17 yards, but he had just 61 yards on his other 21 rushes. Most of the time, he tried to hit the hole but it closed up just in time. Or he would try and stretch a play to the outside but would find a waiting linebacker there. They did a very good job at pushing the San Diego offensive line back at the point of attack, and never allowed the Chargers to get into a good rhythm. In order to get the ball back, they contained Tomlinson on two late rushes with San Diego trying to run out the clock. The Chiefs stifled him and regained possession for their offense, which nearly pulled out the victory. LB Donnie Edwards briefly left the game after injuring his right knee, but he would later return.

KC Pass Defense - Kansas City had a tough time keeping up with the Chargers much bigger receivers. Philip Rivers was putting a number of passes high in the air where only his guys could get to it. The Chiefs got pressure on Rivers at times, sacking him twice and also managing two interceptions. Both interceptions were poor passes by Rivers, with one being a telegraphed look to WR Vincent Jackson in the end zone and the other a duck that came out awkwardly as Rivers was hit. That's not to say everything was good for Kansas City. Besides the turnovers, they also allowed Rivers to throw for over 300 yards, including two second half touchdowns to give San Diego the lead - a lead they would never relinquish.

QB Philip Rivers, Pass: 27 - 36 - 316 - 2 TD / 2 INT, Rush: 1 - -1 - 0 - In this game, when Rivers was good he was very good. And when he was bad he was VERY bad. His long completion to Malcolm Floyd for 31 yards was a very nice pass. As was his touchdown strike to TE Antonio Gates. The touchdown to Floyd was a nice team effort where the blitz was perfectly picked up; Rivers stepped forward in the pocket, and floated a pass that only Floyd could get to. But it was hardly all good for Rivers. He misfired a pass to a wide open LaDainian Tomlinson in the flat early in the second quarter, suggesting his timing or accuracy was a bit off. Later that same quarter, he zoned in on WR Vincent Jackson for so long that the safety easily read the play and jumped the route at the goal line for an interception. Rivers would add a second interception in the third quarter when he tried heaving a pass down the sideline to Gates despite intense pressure in his face. He stepped on a lineman's foot, regained his footing, and was hit as he threw. The end result was a duck that was easily intercepted by John McGraw. He also missed a wide open Vincent Jackson in the back corner of the end zone on a fourth quarter pass play, though they did go on to score later in the possession. In all, it was a very up and down performance for a guy who has been one of the top scorers at his position this season and going up against a very porous defense.

RB LaDainian Tomlinson, Rush: 22 - 78 - 0, Rec: 4 - 39 - 0 (6 targets) - Tomlinson looked very quick and showed a very nice ability to shake the defender loose with cut-backs and stops. Yet despite looking completely healthy for a second consecutive game, he failed to put up the big stats his owners were expecting against the porous Kansas City defense. On a day when he passed Corey Dillon and Eric Dickerson to move into 15th place on the all time rushing list, his offensive line failed to open enough holes for him to dominate the game against a far inferior opponent (statistically speaking). He had to fight for every last yard he got. He broke a 17 yard run midway through the third quarter and looked to be heading for a strong fourth quarter, but the Chiefs controlled the ball for much of the time and prevented him from doing much of anything. He had a chance to pad his stats a bit with some late carries, but he was unable to gain enough yardage to pick up any first downs on the drive to run out the clock. The key issue for Tomlinson owners heading into the season's second half was his health. That should no longer be an issue. But the offensive line issue still hasn't resolved itself, which could prevent him from enjoying the second half resurgence his owners might expect.

RB Darren Sproles, Rush: 3 - 15 - 0, Rec: 3 - 15 - 0 (3 targets) - Sproles wasn't heavily involved in the offensive game plan, but he got a bit more action than he's seen in recent weeks. He had a nice ten yard burst up the middle in the red zone where he showed great explosiveness in hitting the hole. His value lies mostly in his special teams work, but he was utilized as a receiver out of the backfield on several occasions.

WR Vincent Jackson, Rec: 5 - 83 - 0 (10 targets) - If there's a way to quietly lead your team with 83 receiving yards, Jackson did it. He did drop a first half pass, but the two biggest potential plays to him went unfulfilled due to errors by Philip Rivers, not Jackson. First, Rivers saw Jackson streaking towards the end zone down the right sideline late in the second quarter. Unfortunately for both players, Rivers locked onto him for far too long and telegraphed the pass. S Bernard Pollard read the play and stepped in front of Jackson for the interception. Later, Jackson got wide open in the back corner of the end zone but Rivers never saw him.

WR Malcom Floyd, Rec: 4 - 76 - 1 (4 targets) - Floyd made the most of his limited opportunities, hauling in a 31 yard bomb on the first drive of the game. It was an amazing grab with the defender hanging all over him. Not only did Floyd maintain control, but he also managed to keep himself inbounds as he came down. Floyd added a touchdown reception off a floater later on to complete a fine fantasy performance.

WR Chris Chambers (1 targets) - Chambers was the intended target on a sideline fade pass in the second half that fell incomplete. He was well covered on the play and it fell incomplete out of bounds. Though he was on the field, he wasn't really involved very much in the game plan and didn't look to be recovered from his injury.

TE Antonio Gates, Rec: 8 - 66 - 1 (10 targets) - Much like fellow tight end Tony Gonzalez did in the first half, Gates used the second half as his own personal show. He consistently got open downfield, hauling in six second half passes (including a touchdown). By forcing the Chiefs to account for him, it took extra pressure off of QB Philip Rivers and opened up passing lanes to other receivers.

TE Brandon Manumaleuna - Manumaleuna wasn't targeted in the offense, but displayed good hands in coming up with the onside kick recovery to preserve the victory.

PK Nate Kaeding 2 - 2 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 8 points - Kaeding connected on his only two field goal attempts, relative chips shots from 34 and 26 yards out.

SD Rush Defense - The Chiefs were unable to establish the running game they wanted when Jamaal Charles went out of the game early on. When replacement Dantrell Savage came in, Kansas City moved the ball at times but failed to really take advantage of San Diego in this facet of the game. The Chargers were exploited twice on third and short situations, one of which extended the potential game-tying touchdown drive. The only time they were able to hold the Chiefs was when they came up with a stop of the unfortunately-named Mike Cox on Kansas City's last drive. They held him on second down, though TE Tony Gonzalez eventually went on to score through the air several plays later. The 22 yard run allowed to QB Tyler Thigpen was not a case of poor defense; it was simply a case of the Chargers sitting back in prevent defense awaiting a Hail Mary pass that never came. Instead, Thigpen pulled the ball down and took off on a 22 yard scamper before running out of bounds to close out the half.

SD Pass Defense - Continuing a theme that has plagued the Chargers all season long, they were unable to muster much of a pass rush on Tyler Thigpen. They didn't create any turnovers, and their only sack came when Thigpen stepped out of bounds while on the run. CB Quentin Jammer was beaten twice in the end zone by WR Mark Bradley, though only one of them resulted in a score. And there was no one on the defensive side of the ball who could contain TE Tony Gonzalez. Opposing tight ends have put up great numbers all season long against San Diego, so it would stand to reason that an all time great would do so as well. San Diego displayed very shoddy tackling, both on the first Gonzalez touchdown and on a fourth quarter pass play to WR Dwayne Bowe. Yet despite all of the problems, it was the pass defense that went on to make the play that eventually won the game for the Chargers. Kansas City drove downfield on a sixty yard drive to cut San Diego's lead to 20-19. The drive was capped with a phenomenal touchdown grab by Gonzalez, and aided by a questionable pass interference penalty against S Clinton Hart three plays earlier. The Chiefs opted to go for the two point conversion, a decision that Denver used with success in Week 2 of this season against the Chargers. The result was different this time, as Hart went high in the air to knock the conversion attempt away from Gonzalez. Jammer, who was on the ground, cradled the ball in and the Chargers had held on for a one point victory. LB Shaun Phillips, who had earlier been shaken up, applied nice pressure on the play to force the pass out a bit earlier and more off target than Thigpen wanted it to be.

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Denver Broncos 34, Cleveland Browns 30

What you need to know

Denver Broncos - QB Jay Cutler had a monster game as he threw for 447 yards passing and three touchdowns. The Broncos lost their top two running backs in this game and had to turn to the passing game exclusively to move the ball in what was a high scoring game against a weak Cleveland defense. Cutler had plenty of time all night and this was key in the game since the Broncos struggled running the ball after RB Ryan Torain left the game with an injury. But Cutler carved up the Browns defense most of the game despite a lack of running game. In particular, Cutler dominated the fourth quarter throwing for 203 yards and three touchdowns. Cutler made some good decisions and stayed poised despite being down most of the second half.

RB Ryan Torain lived up to the hype early in this game as he rushed for 68 yards on 12 carries and scored a touchdown through less than a quarter and half of play. Unfortunately, his left knee got injured in the second quarter on run where it looked like he pulled down in an awkward way. Early reports were that knee injury could be serious. Torain did not return after that play but, looked pretty good in limited action and busted off some nice runs. RB Selvin Young reaggravated his groin injury on his only carry of the game and did not return after that play, leaving the running back duties to seventh round draft pick RB Peyton Hillis, who handled running back duties the remainder of the game.

WR Eddie Royal had the play of the game as he caught a pass from Cutler early in the fourth quarter in which he shed a tackler to take the ball 93 yards for touchdown on what was a game changing play for the Broncos. Royal finished with big numbers thanks to that play as he had six catches for 164 yards to lead the game in receiving. WR Brandon Marshall had a nice game also with six catches for 89 yards, including a late touchdown pass that put Denver up for good in the game. Marshall may have had a bigger game but, he had some drops in this game including one in the end zone in the first half of the game.

Cleveland Browns - QB Brady Quinn made his first start and despite losing the game, he looked very good throughout the contest and finished with solid numbers with 239 yards passing and two touchdowns passes. Quinn did a good job of moving around in the pocket and making good decisions to his checkdown receivers when things were not open down the field. He hit most of his receivers underneath the coverage and did a good job of moving the ball around as he hit eight different receivers in the game. Despite the loss, it's safe to say the Brady Quinn era in Cleveland is off to a good start as he looked confident and poised throughout the game, and did not make any big mistakes, having no turnovers in the game.

RB Jamal Lewis had a great match up this week against Broncos run defense that has struggled against the run all season but, he only managed 60 yards on 19 carries, and 29 of yards came on one carry. Lewis did get a touchdown late in the game and did add two catches for 24 yards.

TE Kellen Winslow had a huge night finishing with two touchdowns and 111 yards receiving on ten receptions. He was clearly Quinn's favorite target in this game as a lot of the Browns' passes were short throws underneath the coverage or on checkdowns. WR Braylon Edwards was big disappointment in this game as he caught only one pass for 15 yards and was a non-factor.

What you ought to know

QB Jay Cutler, Pass: 24 - 42 - 447 - 3 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 7 - 29 - 0 - Cutler played a great game as threw for 447 yards passing and three touchdowns, and 203 of those yards and all three touchdowns came in the fourth quarter. He got good protection all game and did a pretty good job of protecting the ball. He did have one interception but that appeared to be the receiver's fault when he ran the wrong route. Cutler did have a few passes that came close to being picked off and he seemed willing to try and throw the ball in tight spaces. His biggest play came early in the fourth quarter when he hit WR Eddie Royal for 93 yard touchdown pass. He came back on the next drive and found TE Daniel Graham for 28 yard score and scored with less then two minutes left when he threw an 11 yard touchdown pass to Brandon Marshall.

RB Ryan Torain, Rush: 12 - 68 - 1 - Torain got his first NFL start as RB Michael Pittman and RB Andre Hall were both put the IR this week with season ending injuries. The rookie Torain looked a little rusty early but got some nice runs as the game went on. He scored a touchdown in the first quarter on a one yard carry where he was able to stretch the ball over the goal line. His best carry came on a run to the left for 19 yards as he showed some burst. Unfortunately, Torain hurt his left knee on a carry in the second quarter and did not return. He may have had a very good game had he not got injured.

RB Peyton Hillis, Rush: 8 - 24 - 0 (1 targets) - Hillis came in as the third string running back but became the main ball carrier after both RB Ryan Torain and RB Selvin Young went down with an injury. The rookie from Arkansas had eight carries for 24 yards. His best carry came on run to left side for ten yards late in the game in which he got a first down.

RB Selvin Young, Rush: 1 - 2 - 0 - Young has been battling a groin injury for several weeks and game into this game backing up RB Ryan Torain. He reaggravated his groin injury on his only carry of the game and he did not return to the game.

WR Brandon Marshall, Rec: 6 - 89 - 1 (14 targets) - Marshall was targeted 11 times in the first half as Cutler looked to him a lot. He dropped some very catchable passes including one in the end zone in the first half. He and Cutler seemed to be off the same page at times as he appeared to run the wrong route on the only interception of the game. Marshall did not do much in the second half until the very end when he caught an 11 yard touchdown pass late in the game.

WR Eddie Royal, Rec: 6 - 164 - 1 (7 targets) - Royal had the biggest play of the game in the fourth quarter as he caught a pass in one and one coverage and broke a tackle to take it 93 yards for a touchdown. He wasn't targeted as much as WR Brandon Marshall but, he was definitely more reliable, catching six of the seven balls thrown his way. He finished with a game high 164 yards receiving.

WR Brandon Stokley, Rec: 2 - 16 - 0 (4 targets) - Stokley only had two catches for 16 yards in this game.

WR Darrell Jackson - Jackson did not catch a pass in this game.

TE Tony Scheffler, Rec: 4 - 92 - 0 (6 targets) - Scheffler game up big in this game making a couple of big plays for the Broncos. He caught a 39 yard pass deep down the middle on Denver's first play of the game that kind of set the tone for the Broncos' passing attack for this contest. He caught a 24 yard pass deep down the left side in the second quarter and another 24 catch over the middle in the third quarter in which he got injured again. He did not return to the game.

TE Daniel Graham, Rec: 3 - 50 - 1 (5 targets) - Graham had a very nice game and had a big 28 yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter where he broke a tackle and got into the end zone. He got a lot more targets in the second half after TE Tony Scheffler went down with an injury.

TE Nate Jackson, Rec: 3 - 36 - 0 (5 targets) - QB Jay Cutler targeted his tight ends early and often, and that included Jackson who had three catches for 36 yards.

PK Matt Prater 2 - 3 FG, 4 - 4 XP, 10 points - Prater made fields goals of 30 and 35 yards in the game, and missed a 38 yard kick on the first drive of the game.

DEN Rush Defense - The run defense held RB Jamal Lewis to only 60 yards but gave up 96 yards to RB Jerome Harrison and WR Josh Cribbs on eight carries. The Denver run defense didn't look good as they gave up many big plays.

DEN Pass Defense - The pass defense did not force a turnover but did not give up any big passing plays either. The Broncos did not have any sacks even though they got some pressure on QB Brady Quinn at times.

QB Brady Quinn, Pass: 23 - 35 - 239 - 2 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 1 - 3 - 0 - The Browns made a major change this week by going with Quinn this week as their starter and he made a very solid debut. He took what the defense gave him making most of this throws underneath the Broncos coverage on shorter routes or on checkdowns and not trying to force the ball deep. A departure from how the Browns ran their offense with QB Derek Anderson as the starter. Quinn's passes seemed more accurate, especially the shorter one's then those of Anderson's. He had no turnovers in the game and made good decisions even when under pressure and used his second and third options often in the game. Quinn's first touchdown came in the first quarter when he found TE Kellen Winslow over the middle for a five yard score. He would go back to Winslow in the third quarter on 16 yard strike for his second touchdown of the game.

RB Jamal Lewis, Rush: 19 - 60 - 1, Rec: 2 - 24 - 0 (2 targets) - Lewis only average three yards a carry on 19 attempts despite breaking off a nice 29 yard run early in the game. A bit of disappointment considering Denver has one of the worst run defenses in the league. Lewis still has a little burst as showed in one and only long carry of the game but, he just didn't seem to get into a grove. He did run hard and made a big first down on a fourth and short situation in the second half where it looked like he'd be tackled for loss. His ability to break tackles paid off toward the end of the game where Lewis was able to record a touchdown after stretching the ball over the goal line.

RB Jerome Harrison, Rush: 5 - 48 - 0, Rec: 1 - 9 - 0 (1 targets) - Most of Harrison's carries came in one series late in the first quarter and early in the second quarter as he relieved RB Jamal Lewis. He speed on edge was very effective against a poor Denver rush defense as he had five carries for 48 yards. He also added one catch for nine yards in the game.

WR Donte Stallworth, Rec: 4 - 48 - 0 (4 targets) - Stallworth made his biggest plays, catches of 18 and 19 yards, both on short crossing routes where he was able to use his speed and turn up field. He still seemed like an after thought most of the game as the Browns rarely threw the ball deep in the game.

WR Josh Cribbs, Rush: 3 - 48 - 0 - Cribbs made his biggest contribution as a kick returner and as a runner via some very successful reverses or misdirection plays.

WR Braylon Edwards, Rec: 1 - 15 - 0 (6 targets) - Edwards made only one reception for 15 yards on his six targets.

WR Syndric Steptoe, Rec: 1 - 7 - 0 (1 targets) - Steptoe had one catch for seven yards in the game but there were few targets to wide receivers outside of WR Braylon Edwards and WR Donte Stallworth.

TE Kellen Winslow, Rec: 10 - 111 - 2 (14 targets) - No one benefited more from QB Brady Quinn's start then Winslow as he had a season high ten catches and career high two touchdowns. He was clearly Quinn's favorite target in the game and they seemed to have good chemistry right away. His first touchdown came early in the game as Quinn squeezed the ball into Winslow over the middle of the field for a short five yard score. His second touchdown came in the second quarter when Quinn found Winslow open down the left side of the field for 16 yard score. Winslow looked like a star receiver again in this game as he made some very tough catches.

TE Steve Heiden, Rec: 3 - 24 - 0 (4 targets) - Because the Browns threw under coverage most of the game, Heiden some looks despite fellow TE Kellen Winslow's 14 targets in the game. He caught three of the four passes that went his way for 24 yards.

PK Phil Dawson 3 - 3 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 12 points - Dawson had three field goals in the game from ranges of 24, 52, and 33 yards in the game.

CLE Rush Defense - The Browns rush defense did not look great early in the game as they gave up 68 yards to rookie RB Ryan Torain in the first 20 minutes of the game before he went out with an injury. The Broncos didn't really run the ball much after that since they were very thin at the position.

CLE Pass Defense - The Browns gave up 447 yards passing including 203 yards in the fourth quarter. They only forced one interception and had only one sack off of 42 pass attempts by Denver. Quite simply the poor pass defense of Cleveland late in the game cost them a win.

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Jacksonville Jaguars 38, Detroit Lions 14

What you need to know

Jacksonville Jaguars - The Jacksonville Jaguars dominated the Detroit Lions in all facets of the game. They ran the ball well, passed it well, and played strong defense. They managed to avoid losing to winless teams in consecutive weeks in a convincing fashion.

QB David Garrard played very well under a consistent stream of pressure from the Lions' defensive line. He spread the ball among his receivers and was then able to rest for the final quarter of the game as the score was out of reach for the Lions. He was replaced by QB Cleo Lemon.

RB Maurice Jones-Drew scored three times in the second half. Jones-Drew and RB Fred Taylor both ran and caught the ball well out of the backfield.

WR Matt Jones was by far the most effective wide receiver for the Jaguars until he injured his thigh late in the game. WR Reggie Williams, WR Troy Williamson, and WR Jerry Porter were all fairly quiet despite Williamson and Porter each catching a touchdown from Garrard. TE Marcedes Lewis was a frequent target of Garrard and the leading receiver by yardage.

The Jaguars defense played well against the quarterback carousel of the Lions. Neither QB Daunte Culpepper or QB Drew Stanton managed much against Jacksonville, although Stanton did mount a garbage time scoring drive. RB Kevin Smith nearly put up 100 yards on the ground but was the sole effective runner for Detroit.

Detroit Lions - QB Daunte Culpepper started his first game as a Lion despite only signing earlier this week. He was eventually benched for QB Drew Stanton but neither quarterback was able to do anything to stop the Jaguars from piling on the points and making this one a blowout. Considering Culpepper's incredible situation of being thrust into the lineup, he actually looked good at times showing promise.

Stanton replaced Culpepper in the red zone in the first quarter and he connected with TE John Owens for a touchdown. In the third quarter, Stanton replaced Culpepper for good and led the team on a meaningless scoring drive in the fourth quarter.

RB Kevin Smith was impressive in the loss. He nearly managed 100 yards on the ground and tacked on a late touchdown. He ran well throughout the game and showed no signs of quit despite the lopsided score.

WR Calvin Johnson made two long catches but those were the highlights of the passing game for Detroit. WR Shaun McDonald and WR Brandon Middleton were not very effective but they did not have a familiar quarterback throwing to them. Owens touchdown was the first of his career.

The Lions' defense was simply unable to stop the Jaguars either on the ground or through the air. They did manage to get some consistent pressure on QB David Garrard but the quarterback was still able to make plays against the weak Lions secondary.

What you ought to know

QB David Garrard, Pass: 18 - 25 - 238 - 2 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 2 - 10 - 0 - QB David Garrard had a very mediocre first half stats-wise but lit up the Lions with two second half touchdown passes. He was afforded the opportunity to rest after the team went up 38-7 in the second half. Garrard stayed in the pocket and managed to let off a few completed passes under pressure. He even had a defender grabbing him as he hit WR Jerry Porter for a touchdown in the third quarter.

QB Cleo Lemon, Pass: 0 - 2 - 0 - 0 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 2 - -3 - 0 - QB Cleo Lemon came into the game after the Jaguars had established an insurmountable lead.

RB Fred Taylor, Rush: 18 - 80 - 0, Rec: 1 - 17 - 0 (1 targets) - RB Fred Taylor ran the ball well all game for the Jaguars. Taylor and RB Maurice Jones-Drew continue to be a formidable tandem in the backfield. Taylor was kept out of the end zone as Jones-Drew ran it in three times in the second quarter.

RB Maurice Jones-Drew, Rush: 11 - 70 - 3, Rec: 2 - 21 - 0 (2 targets) - RB Maurice Jones-Drew scored three second quarter touchdowns and led the way for the Jaguars to blow out the hapless Lions. He ran the ball well and made very smooth cutbacks to avoid the Lions' defenders.

WR Matt Jones, Rec: 5 - 62 - 0 (5 targets) - WR Matt Jones left the game in the second half with a bruised thigh but before that he was a reliable target for QB David Garrard.

WR Jerry Porter, Rec: 2 - 33 - 1 (4 targets) - WR Jerry Porter only caught two passes but one of them was a touchdown pass from QB David Garrard.

WR Dennis Northcutt, Rec: 1 - 20 - 0 (1 targets) - WR Dennis Northcutt only hauled in one catch in the win.

WR Reggie Williams, Rec: 1 - 6 - 0 (1 targets) - WR Reggie Williams was not much of a factor in the win only managing six yards receiving.

WR Troy Williamson, Rec: 1 - 10 - 1 (2 targets) - WR Troy Williamson only managed to catch one pass but it was a ten yard touchdown reception that essentially iced the game for the Jaguars by putting them up 38-7 at the time.

TE Marcedes Lewis, Rec: 4 - 64 - 0 (8 targets) - TE Marcedes Lewis was one of QB David Garrard's favorite targets in the win.

PK Josh Scobee 1 - 1 FG, 5 - 5 XP, 8 points - PK Josh Scobee was perfect on the day.

JAX Rush Defense - Despite the lofty running numbers from RB Kevin Smith, the Jaguars defense held the Lions to only 103 yards on the ground. The Lions ran often despite falling behind early because they could not get much going through the air.

JAX Pass Defense - The Jaguars pass defense did not have much trouble dealing with the combination of QB Daunte Culpepper and QB Drew Stanton. They managed seven sacks and an interception.

QB Daunte Culpepper, Pass: 5 - 10 - 104 - 0 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 1 - -1 - 0 - QB Daunte Culpepper made his first start of the season despite only being signed by the team earlier in the week. Culpepper's second pass was picked off by the defense and he was sacked twice. He completed a 51 yard bomb to WR Calvin Johnson but overall, he struggled as expected. He did show some nice flashes and promise for the future. Considering his situation, it wasn't a bad performance at all.

He was replaced by QB Drew Stanton in the first quarter when the team made it into the red zone. Stanton threw a touchdown pass to TE John Owen but Culpepper returned for the next drive. He was finally lifted for good in the third quarter.

QB Drew Stanton, Pass: 6 - 8 - 94 - 1 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 1 - 4 - 0 - QB Drew Stanton relieved QB Daunte Culpepper in the second half. He was sacked five times but managed to lead the team on a garbage time scoring drive that culminated in a one yard touchdown by RB Kevin Smith.

Stanton also replaced Culpepper in the first quarter for two plays in the red zone that culminated with a touchdown pass to TE John Owen.

RB Kevin Smith, Rush: 23 - 96 - 1, Rec: 1 - 27 - 0 (2 targets) - RB Kevin Smith ran surprisingly well against the Jaguars' defense. He played and ran hard throughout the game and was the most impressive players for the Lions on the offensive side of the ball.

RB Rudi Johnson, Rush: 2 - 4 - 0 - RB Rudi Johnson was not used much in the loss. RB Kevin Smith was the featured back.

WR Shaun McDonald, Rec: 4 - 37 - 0 (5 targets) - WR Shaun McDonald was quiet in the loss. He had one sure touchdown pass bounce off his hands but the team eventually scored on that drive.

WR Calvin Johnson, Rec: 2 - 92 - 0 (7 targets) - WR Calvin Johnson only reeled-in two catches but they were both long bombs. It does not appear like he has a quarterback that can get him the ball consistently and accurately. Johnson also recovered an onsides kick.

TE Michael Gaines, Rec: 2 - 18 - 0 (2 targets) - TE Michael Gaines, like most of the Lions receivers, did not have very good productivity in the loss.

TE John Owens, Rec: 1 - 1 - 1 (1 targets) - TE John Owens caught the first touchdown of his career in the first quarter from QB Drew Stanton.

PK Jason Hanson 0 - 1 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 2 points - Hanson had his only field goal attempt blocked. The Jaguars recovered the ball on their own 41 yard line. Hanson also converted a successful onsides kick that was recovered by WR Calvin Johnson.

DET Rush Defense - The Lions did not have much luck stopping the two-headed attack of RB Fred Taylor and RB Maurice Jones-Drew. They allowed three rushing touchdowns and were unable to come up with any big stops when needed.

DET Pass Defense - The Lions' pass defense did not give up much in the first half but they were exploited by QB David Garrard in the second half. The Lions let up two second half passing touchdowns and fell behind 38-7 very quickly. They did manage to get good pressure on Garrard but he stood his ground and delivered some impressive throws under duress. The Lions also lost DE Dewayne White and DE Jared DeVries to injury in the loss.

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New Orleans Saints 20, Atlanta Falcons 34

What you need to know

New Orleans Saints - The Saints came into the game coming off their bye week and battling to stay out of the cellar in the NFC South. They found the going tough on offense during the first half, having a hard time getting into the end zone when they moved the ball into the red zone. They had to settle for a field goal on their first trip into the red zone and had to settle for another one two possessions later as they drove all the way to the Atlanta 26.

The rushing attack was unable to get going against the tough Falcon defensive front seven. Pierre Thomas and Deuce McAllister split the bulk of the workload, but neither back was able to break a carry for more than nine yards. The inability to sustain a running game forced the Saints to go to a pass heavy attack and turned the offense into a one dimensional unit.

Drew Brees' performance can not be viewed solely through his final statistics. He barely completed over 50% of his attempts while throwing for 422 yards. He was forced to complete passes while under a heavy rush and had to scramble around in the pocket to bye some extra time.

Marques Colston had his best game of the season despite being well covered by Falcon defensive backs. Colston teamed with Lance Moore to form an excellent one two punch of receivers for Drew Brees. With Colston taking care of the deep routes, Moore provided Brees with a solid target on shorter routes and came up the big catches when needed.

Atlanta Falcons - The Falcons dominated the Saints by controlling the line of scrimmage to earn their sixth victory of the season, and move into at a tie for second place in the division. The defense and special teams units were able to provide the offense with excellent field position, with four of the ten offensive series starting either at midfield or in Saints territory. However, the offense was only able to score a total of seven points off of those drives.

Matt Ryan took advantage of the defense playing in soft coverage against his receivers to complete 70% off his passes, most of them being quick out patterns that his receivers caught in front of the defensive back before going out of bounds.

The offense relied on Michael Turner to carry the load, and he responded with a 96 yard effort on the ground. Turner was up to the challenge, and did the majority of the work in the second half as the Falcons were content with trying to run out the clock.

Roddy White was the favorite target of Matt Ryan, seeing six targets in the first half as the Falcons built a 17--6 halftime lead. All but 11 of his yards were compiled in the opening half as his second half workload was limited to helping the offense gain first downs to keep the clock moving and the Saints offense off of the field.

What you ought to know

QB Drew Brees, Pass: 31 - 58 - 422 - 2 TD / 3 INT, Rush: 2 - 10 - 0 - The final numbers will show the Brees had an excellent day, but the statistics do not tell the entire story. Brees had to create his own opportunities as he was facing a strong pass rush that was constantly in the backfield. The pressure applied had an effect on him, with two of three interceptions the result of him trying to rush his throws and force passes into areas where his receiver was double covered. The other interception, on the opening play of the game, was entirely his fault as he had plenty of time to throw but threw the ball deep downfield to a well covered receiver. Most of his yards came in garbage time when the Falcons were playing in a prevent style defense with a two score lead for most of the second half. He was able to lead the team to two second half scores, but the final score came on a fluke play where Lance Moore was able to catch a tipped Hail Mary pass in the end zone.

RB Pierre Thomas, Rush: 6 - 26 - 0, Rec: 5 - 34 - 0 (9 targets) - Filling in for Deuce McAllister, Thomas had a team high six carries. His workload out of the backfield was limited due to the Saints having difficulty rushing the ball and having to go to a passing attack. Thomas proved to be a valuable asset out the backfield as he functioned as a safety net for Drew Brees to rely on if all of his other options were covered.

RB Deuce McAllister, Rush: 5 - 18 - 0, Rec: 2 - 23 - 1 (2 targets) - McAllister started and received the majority of the carries in the first quarter and caught one pass in the second quarter before leaving the game until the final period. He did not appear to be injured. He found the going tough on the ground during his limited time as he had trouble escaping defenders. His only action in the final period was on an occasional third down play when he gave Pierre Thomas a breather. In the fourth quarter he was able to take a screen pass from Drew Brees into the end zone to bring them within 14 points with less than ten minutes left. That would be as close as they would get until the final score.

RB Aaron Stecker, Rush: 3 - 21 - 0 (1 targets) - Aaron Stecker saw limited action in relief of Deuce McAllister and Pierre Thomas. All of his carries and lone target came in the first half, generating the longest run from scrimmage by a Saints back when he bounced to the outside on a run designed to inside. That rush gave them a key first down on their first scoring drive.

WR Marques Colston, Rec: 7 - 140 - 0 (14 targets) - Marques Colston got the start and proved that he is fully back from his thumb injury that had limited him in the previous two games. He provided Brees with an excellent target downfield and was able to use his great hands and size to haul in passes that were thrown to spots where he had an excellent chance to catch the ball. However, his numbers were hindered by the excellent coverage skills of the Falcon defensive backs. He had four potential receptions that seemed to be in his grasp but was knocked away at the last second. One of those instances was on a pass in the end zone that he was able to get both hands on but had the ball knocked out by the defender before he could get both feet down in the end zone.

WR Lance Moore, Rec: 6 - 76 - 1 (12 targets) - Lance Moore did not start but was a key contributor to the passing attack. He made several key receptions and appeared to be on the same wavelength with Brees. Four of his six receptions resulted in either a first down or a touchdown. His touchdown reception was more due to luck than any type of pass catching skill as he was in the right place to catch a Hail Mary pass that was tipped up in the air by the group of players to his right.

WR Devery Henderson, Rush: 1 - 30 - 0, Rec: 2 - 33 - 0 (5 targets) - Henderson had a frustrating game. He started and was the target on the opening play, but was unable to come up with the pass due to being double covered. He was also the target on the interception return for a touchdown on Brees' final interception. In between he had the longest run from scrimmage by a Saints player on an end around in the first quarter and contributed a key first down reception on a touchdown drive in the fourth quarter.

WR David Patten, Rec: 2 - 35 - 0 (4 targets) - Patten only saw action during the fourth quarter, but played a key role in fueling the attempted comeback. His two receptions in the fourth quarter both resulted in first downs on the same drive as the Saints were driving to get within a touchdown. His final reception was on a fourth and five play from midfield that got them to within field goal range.

TE Billy Miller, Rec: 5 - 65 - 0 (6 targets) - Billy Miller was the most reliable of the tight ends employed by the Saints. He saw all of his action in the fourth quarter after Jeremy Shockey dropped a couple of passes and got into an animated discussion with Drew Brees on the sideline. Miller is an excellent receiver and knows where to find the open areas in the field against the defensive coverage. His only non-reception was on a pass that was thrown a little low and late.

TE Jeremy Shockey, Rec: 2 - 16 - 0 (5 targets) - Shockey started and produced little positive results for the offense. He was removed from the game during the fourth quarter after he dropped two consecutive passes that would have given the Saints either a first down or put them in a short yardage situation. After the first drop, on a third down play, he was seen on the sideline getting an earful from an animated and clearly upset Drew Brees.

PK Garrett Hartley 2 - 2 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 8 points - Hartley made his NFL debut and was a perfect two for two on field goals. He did botch two attempted onside kicks during the fourth quarter.

NO Rush Defense - The Saints only allowed a total of 113 yards on the ground, but they were not able to stop the Falcons when the game was on the line. The Falcons used the second half to keep the ball on the ground and run out the clock. The game plan was designed to keep the Saints offense off of the field. The plan worked during the third quarter when they had the ball for 11 minutes. In the fourth quarter the defense stiffened up and they only allowed 19 yards rushing on the final offensive series.

NO Pass Defense - The pass defense was abused early on quick out routes as the defensive back decided to play off of the receivers. Ryan accounted for 145 of his total yards in the first half against the soft coverage. In the second half the Falcons chose to keep the ball on the ground and rarely attempted any passes. The majority of the yards in the second half came on a screen pass to Jerious Norwood that he took down the sideline for a 67 yard touchdown.

QB Matt Ryan, Pass: 16 - 23 - 248 - 2 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 2 - -2 - 0 - Matt Ryan was efficient against the Saints defense, completing ten of 13 passes in the first half against a depleted front seven. He faced little pressure from the Saints linemen, not getting sacked and having ample time to find his open receivers. The Falcons used a balanced attack to keep the defense off balance and did not put Ryan into any difficult situations where he could make mistakes. He concentrated on getting the ball to his receivers early as five of his first six attempts went to wide outs.

RB Michael Turner, Rush: 27 - 96 - 1, Rec: 1 - 0 - 0 (1 targets) - Michel Turner was used effectively to gain tough yards to try and keep the Saints offense off of the field. He is a tough inside runner who is not afraid of contact and gets the yards necessary. His touchdown run in the first quarter was on a play in which the offensive line opened up a good hole in the line and he burst through it. In the third quarter he was used as a tool to grind out the clock as the Falcons kept the ball for 11 minutes of the quarter.

RB Jerious Norwood, Rush: 6 - 17 - 0, Rec: 2 - 88 - 1 (3 targets) - Norwood split carries with Michael Turner through the early stages of the third quarter as the Falcons built a three touchdown lead. He used his speed on runs to get to the outside corner and gain positive yards. His speed was evident on his touchdown reception in the fourth quarter when he took a simple screen pass and sprinted down the right sideline and simply outran the defense to give the Falcons a 21 point lead.

WR Michael Jenkins, Rec: 6 - 72 - 0 (6 targets) - Starting opposite of Roddy White, Jenkins got his fair share of targets during the first half as the Saints decided to concentrate their coverage on White. Jenkins worked primarily on the right side of the field and was able to get open on short out patterns against a coverage that was designed to keep him from getting open deep.

WR Roddy White, Rush: 1 - 2 - 0, Rec: 5 - 68 - 1 (9 targets) - White is an explosive receiver who is the favorite target of Matt Ryan. Helped out by Michael Jenkins getting open, which caused the defense to respect both receivers instead of concentrating on him, he was able to use his speed to get open on medium range routes. His lone touchdown pass was on a skinny post route where he split two defenders and Ryan hit him in stride in the end zone.

WR Brian Finneran, Rec: 1 - 6 - 0 (2 targets) - Finneran was only able to catch one target thrown in his direction.

TE Justin Peelle, Rec: 1 - 14 - 0 (1 targets) - Peelle was only targeted one time but served as an occasional lead blocker in the backfield for both Turner and Norwood.

PK Jason Elam 2 - 2 FG, 4 - 4 XP, 10 points - Elam made both of his field goal attempts from short range and was perfect on his four extra point tries.

ATL Rush Defense - The Falcons rushing defense totally shut down the Saints running game, limiting them to 105 total rushing yards. 30 of the yards came courtesy of an end around by Henderson as the Falcons front seven was able to clog up the running lanes inside and stop the backs from getting to the outside.

ATL Pass Defense - The pass defense played well despite giving up 422 yards passing. The defense backs played the receivers tight and knocked away numerous passes that were close to being completed. They intercepted Brees three times, returning the last one for a game clinching touchdown.

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Baltimore Ravens 41, Houston Texans 13

What you need to know

Baltimore Ravens - QB Joe Flacco got off to a fantastic start, putting up some of his best numbers of the season in the first half, but then became a victim of his own success as the Ravens focused more on the run in the second half to protect their lead. Still, it was an impressive outing for the rookie with almost 200 yards and two TDs.

RB Willis McGahee dominated the running rotation for the Ravens and torched the Houston defense for 121 total yards and two rushing TDs as he regularly bulled over defenders.

TE Todd Heap made a splash as he hauled in five big receptions for 58 yards and a pair of TDs. He showed good speed and the ability to get open -- a marked contrast to his performances earlier in the season.

Houston Texans - QB Sage Rosenfels, in for injured starter Matt Schaub, racked up almost 300 yards, but his day was anything but a success as he regularly shot himself in the foot with bad decisions. While he did throw a 60 yard TD to WR Kevin Walter, this was more than offset by four bad interceptions.

Rookie RB Steve Slaton was a non-factor in the game as he received only four carries. While he might have been able to salvage his day with a 58 yard TD off a screen pass, that score was unfortunately called back due to a penalty.

WR Andre Johnson was the most targeted receiver on the day, but was unable to make a big impact as QB Sage Rosenfels was off target early and the Ravens defense seemed focused on keeping the talented WR contained.

What you ought to know

QB Joe Flacco, Pass: 15 - 23 - 185 - 2 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 2 - 8 - 0 - At the end of the year, as we look back over Flacco's rookie season, this outing will probably be listed as one of his best games. No, he didn't put up big yardage numbers, but that wasn't because of any shortcomings on his part, but rather was a result of the Ravens focusing on the running game to protect their lead in the second half. In the first half, Flacco was 10 for 15 for 143 yards through the air and a beautiful 43 yard TD pass to a streaking WR Yamon Figurs. Not bad at all. Certainly some of this success was due to the Texans' abysmal pass defense, but even a bad NFL defense is more talented than anything Flacco faced in college. While he amassed only 42 yards in the second half, Flacco did add a second passing TD in the fourth quarter on a one yard toss to TE Todd Heap at the goal line. One negative thing that has unfortunately continued for Flacco, however, is his penchant for putting the ball on the ground. While he only did it once today and the fumble wasn't lost to Houston, it still marks the continuation of what became a trend for Flacco in the first half of the season.

RB Willis McGahee, Rush: 25 - 112 - 2, Rec: 1 - 9 - 0 (1 targets) - Back in the mix after spending last week's game on the sidelines, McGahee punished the Texans' rush defense all day long. McGahee looked impressive as he smashed through tacklers, hit the holes with speed and converted on key downs and in short yardage situations. His success in these situations clearly encouraged the Ravens' coaching staff to continue giving McGahee the goal-line carries that earlier in the season had gone to fellow RB Le'Ron McClain, and he rewarded their faith in him with his two TDs from the one and four yard lines respectively. If there was any shortcoming in McGahee's performance, it would be in the passing game as rookie teammate Ray Rice was used in more passing situations. Given McGahee's final numbers, however, that really wasn't a big deal.

RB Ray Rice, Rush: 7 - 17 - 0, Rec: 2 - 2 - 0 (2 targets) - After the best day of his career last week, the return of fellow RB Willis McGahee relegated Rice to the backup position. While he was given seven rushes and used regularly in the passing game (including an end zone target), he was not able to convert those limited chances into any meaningful stats. With McGahee finding success, the coaches stayed with the hot hand in McGahee.

RB LeRon McClain, Rush: 4 - 19 - 0, Rec: 1 - 6 - 0 (2 targets) - McClain was the third option on the ground for the Ravens, so while he did see time on the field, it was not enough to make much of an impact. Moreover, it was fellow RB Willis McGahee who received the Ravens' goal line carries, so McClain didn't even get a chance to vulture some easy points.

WR Derrick Mason, Rec: 3 - 41 - 0 (6 targets) - While he started the game, Mason suffered a left shoulder injury early on that took him out of the action for significant stretches, and thus limited his targets to only a half dozen. While he managed to convert half of those looks, Mason only contributed one significant play -- taking a short pass on the last play of the third quarter, spinning away from the covering DB, and dashing up the right sideline for 21 yards. Mason might have contributed a second big play early in the first quarter as he looked ready to haul in a long TD pass in the end zone, but Houston Jaques Reeves managed to break up the play at the last moment.

WR Mark Clayton, Rec: 3 - 40 - 0 (6 targets) - While Clayton ended the day with a thoroughly pedestrian three receptions for 40 yards, Clayton was only one fantastic defensive play away from notching a score. Late in the third quarter Clayton had a 38 yard TD at his fingertips, but the Texans' Eugene Robinson, streaking across the field, arrived just in time, and disrupted Clayton just enough, to send the ball bouncing to the turf.

WR Yamon Figurs, Rec: 1 - 43 - 1 (4 targets) - Due to an early injury to fellow WR Derrick Mason, Figurs saw more action than usual this week. While he was only targeted four times, Figurs was used almost exclusively to go deep and so when he pulled down his single reception of the day, it was a big one. At the end of Baltimore's second drive of the game, Figurs got behind the defense and was able to hold on to QB Joe Flacco's 43 yard TD strike.

TE Todd Heap, Rec: 5 - 58 - 2 (6 targets) - Through much of the season Heap has been a massive disappointment, but that was not the case in this game. Heap was regularly targeted throughout the game and was tied for the team lead by the end of the day. Most importantly, however, Heap was regularly getting open and making plays when given the chance. That included long receptions downfield, such as his second catch where he took a short pass at the line of scrimmage and turned up the field for a gain of 20, as well as a short yardage catch at the goal-line for a score. One TD wasn't enough for Heap, however, and he added a second in the fourth quarter as he hauled in an easy 14 yard pass after he managed to get wide open at the goal line.

PK Matt Stover 0 - 1 FG, 4 - 4 XP, 4 points - Despite all of the points scored by his Ravens, Stover's contributions were limited to extra points as he missed the single field goal attempt he was given (from 50 yards). While the Ravens did attempt a second field goal, it was fellow Baltimore kicker Steve Hauschka who was given the chance to make that 54 yarder, and he did. Of note, Stover's final extra point on the day tied the NFL record for most consecutive extra points made (371).

BAL Rush Defense - For the most part, the Ravens defense against the run was stifling. While they gave up some medium length runs to Houston RB Ahman Green, this was the exception and not the rule. As the game wore on, the combination of stiff defense and a growing Baltimore lead forced Houston to largely abandon the run, and so the Baltimore rush defense was called upon to do less and less.

BAL Pass Defense - While the Texans were able to rack up almost 300 passing yards on the day, that was the only measure by which the Ravens pass defense could be said to have been soft. For the most part Baltimore (and in particular DT Haloti Ngata) was able to put consistent pressure on Houston QB Sage Rosenfels, and this pressure directly contributed to Rosenfels tossing four interceptions, including two to Raven LB Ray Lewis.

QB Sage Rosenfels, Pass: 23 - 38 - 294 - 1 TD / 4 INT, Rush: 1 - 15 - 0 - Rosenfels took over the potentially explosive Houston offense from the injured Matt Schaub and he showed both why he is considered one of the better backup QBs in the game and why he's a backup to begin with. While Rosenfels was able to spread the ball to his talented receivers and rack up passing yards, he also demonstrated an alarming tendency to place the ball in the Ravens' hands as well. Rosenfels' single TD of the day (which came on a 60 yard play to WR Kevin Walter) was more than offset by four bad interceptions. The first came late in the first quarter as Houston had a first and goal at the Baltimore one yard line. While Rosenfels saw an open TE Owen Daniels in the back of the end zone, he didn't see the Ravens' Haloti Ngata between them. On his second interception Rosenfels threw the ball directly at Ravens LB Ray Lewis. There was no Texan receiver nearby, and the pick was a direct result of the pressure Rosenfels was facing from the Ravens' pass rush. Rosenfels' third pick also went to Lewis, and again it appeared as if Rosenfels intended to toss the ball to him. Finally, Rosenfels delivered the ball to Baltimore's Samari Rolle in the flat on the very next drive. All in all, a very uneven day for the man who will be the Texans' starting QB for the next few weeks.

RB Steve Slaton, Rush: 4 - 7 - 0, Rec: 2 - 17 - 0 (2 targets) - Houston's dynamic rookie running back was held to virtually no impact on the day by two separate factors. First was the Ravens' defense which made gaining yards on the ground difficult for any of the Texans' backs and then later helped stretch the Ravens' lead far enough that Houston had to basically abandon the running game. Second was a holding call on Slaton's teammate TE Owen Daniels. Daniels' penalty robbed Slaton of a 58 yard TD reception on a screen pass early in the second quarter, and any chance of a productive fantasy day.

RB Ahman Green, Rush: 4 - 19 - 0, Rec: 2 - 4 - 0 (3 targets) - Though he split carries evenly with fellow RB Steve Slaton, that didn't mean much since they each only received four carries. On those four carries, Green was effective, but between Houston's preference for the passing game, and the increasing need to resort to the pass as Baltimore took a bigger and bigger lead, Green was never given a real chance to make an impact.

WR Andre Johnson, Rec: 7 - 66 - 0 (12 targets) - Johnson was QB Sage Rosenfels' favorite target by far against the Ravens, and as a result ended the day with the most receptions. Unfortunately, none of those was for longer than 20 yards and none ended up in a TD. The single biggest reason for this was the focus that the Baltimore defense placed on covering Johnson, but he also suffered from the fact Rosenfels struggled early on in getting him catchable balls. By the second half, the duo seemed to click much better, and so Johnson's performance improved as a result.

WR Kevin Walter, Rec: 4 - 85 - 1 (6 targets) - Despite the fact that QB Sage Rosenfels was slinging the ball all over the field for much of the game, Walter was not a regular target, receiving only two looks in the first half and six for the day. Fortunately for Walter's owners he still ended up the target of the biggest Texans offensive play of the day. On the only play of Houston's second third quarter drive, Rosenfels hit Walter streaking across the field and the receiver was off to the races getting his six points 60 yards later.

TE Owen Daniels, Rec: 1 - 13 - 0 (6 targets) - While Daniels wasn't QB Sage Rosenfels' favorite target overall, he certainly seemed to be Rosenfels preferred option once the Texans managed to get in the red zone. While that might bode well for Daniels in future games while Rosenfels fills in for the injured Matt Schaub, it unfortunately didn't do much for Daniels today. None of those red zone targets ended in completions, and Daniels only pulled down one catch all day for a measly 13 yards.

PK Kris Brown 2 - 2 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 7 points - Two field goal attempts turned into six points as Brown connected on both of his opportunities -- from 23 and 48 yards.

HOU Rush Defense - The Houston rush defense was virtually nonexistent throughout much of the game. No matter who was carrying the ball for the Ravens, they were able to gobble up chunks of yardage due, primarily, to poor tackling. The inability to stop the run resulted in Baltimore's being able to chew up plenty of time and rob the Texans of any chance to get back into the game once they fell behind.

HOU Pass Defense - One word would describe the Houston pass defense against Baltimore -- inconsistent. On some plays the defensive line was able to generate intense pressure on Ravens QB Joe Flacco (and actually registered three sacks), but on the others they gave Flacco a day and a half to make a play. Similarly, in the defensive backfield, while some near Raven TD passes were broken up by outstanding defensive plays, Houston also allowed more than its share of long plays and open touchdowns.

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St. Louis Rams 3, New York Jets 47

What you need to know

St. Louis Rams - The entire offensive unit struggled to find anything that resembled an attack. The Jets were able to get pressure with their blitz packages and caused St. Louis to commit four first half turnovers. The Rams offensive line struggled with blocking and getting much room for any of their running backs. The Rams were without running back Steven Jackson.

None of the Rams stood in a positive light and it is very difficult to put a silver lining on this wretched performance.

New York Jets - You would assume that when a team scores 47 points and sets a franchise record for the biggest margin of victory that the quarterback had a big day. Well, that was not the case in this game. Favre was very ordinary and had a modest stat line in part due to the large lead the Jets enjoyed. The story of the game was the New York run game and defensive performance.

Those fantasy owners who have been patient with Jones so far this year were rewarded with a monster performance. Jones had a personal best three touchdowns and was over 100 yards by the half. Jones led the opening drive by personally covering 53 of the 80 yards the Jets marched. His first score was a beauty as he cut back the run to the outside on his way to the end zone. This was only a peek of what was to come.

The Jets defense was a major factor in this game. They abused both Bulger and Green causing two interceptions, forcing three fumbles, scoring a TD and only allowing three total points. It was simply a dominating performance in every aspect.

What you ought to know

QB Marc Bulger, Pass: 6 - 13 - 65 - 0 TD / 1 INT - Bulger was under consistent pressure and was not afforded time from his offensive line. It is hard to scold Bulger with the combination of the Jets early lead, other Ram turnovers and the team not having anything resembling a running game. It was a painless death as the Jets efficiently dismantled the Rams. Bulger was relieved of his duties to start the third quarter with the Rams facing a 40-0 score.

QB Trent Green, Pass: 5 - 10 - 70 - 0 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 1 - 3 - 0 - Green had a little more success moving the ball. However, it was much of the same with the offense. Inconsistency, bad throws and a poor run game. The only controversy that is likely for next week is who wants to go back in.

RB Antonio Pittman, Rush: 13 - 28 - 0, Rec: 2 - 38 - 0 (2 targets) - Pittman was the starter for the injured Steven Jackson. In the passing game, Pittman had a couple of nice scampers on check downs. In the running game, Pittman was not able to gain yards consistently and was held relatively ineffective.

RB Ken Darby, Rush: 4 - 32 - 0 (1 targets) - Darby was used sparingly during the game. He had some decent runs on the perimeter of the Jets defense. He showed good speed to the corner and finished his runs well.

RB Samkon Gado, Rush: 2 - 4 - 0, Rec: 1 - -1 - 0 (1 targets) - Gado made his debut for the Rams and was not effective running the ball with any consistency. The Jets interior line collapsed almost every play to the middle.

WR Donnie Avery, Rush: 1 - 13 - 0, Rec: 2 - 29 - 0 (7 targets) - Avery has emerged as the go to receiver with the Rams and represents a true deep threat. He showed a nice double move for a sizable reception on one play. Otherwise, the Jets rolled coverage his way to limit his impact.

WR Dane Looker, Rec: 2 - 21 - 0 (4 targets) - Looker was a non factor in the game only grabbing a couple of balls on the day. He was primarily working out of the slot when the Rams used three wide receiver sets.

WR Torry Holt, Rec: 1 - 5 - 0 (5 targets) - Despite the fact that his team was trailing throughout this contest Holt was only targeted five times during the entire game. Holt looked tired, slow and sloppy. He was also called for a holding penalty. In an all too familiar manner, Holt was not effective again.

WR Derek Stanley, Rec: 1 - 12 - 0 (1 targets) - Stanley caught his only target of the game.

WR Keenan Burton, Rec: 1 - 28 - 0 (2 targets) - Burton made one catch on his two targets. On the play, he made a nice move to make a Jets defender miss and he went for 28 yards prior to having the ball stripped away.

TE Anthony Becht, Rec: 1 - 3 - 0 (1 targets) - Becht caught his one target for a three yard gain.

TE Joe Klopfenstein (1 targets) - No catches and a non factor.

PK Josh Brown 1 - 1 FG, 0 - 0 XP, 3 points - Josh Brown connected from 37 yards and accounted for all of the Rams offense on the day.

STL Rush Defense - The Jets offense dictated what they wanted to do the entire game. The front seven of the Rams defense was pushed around and with the help of their secondary whiffed on many tackling attempts. Jones ran for three touchdowns on the ground and had hit 100 yards rushing by the half.

STL Pass Defense - They only gave up 164 yards on the day. This had much more to do with the Jets not needing to pass and nursing a monster lead. Favre was not intercepted or sacked.

QB Brett Favre, Pass: 14 - 19 - 167 - 1 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 1 - 0 - 0 - You would expect a stronger line for the starting QB when you see 47 points on the board. To be fair, Favre really didn't play all that well. He had some early misses and two near interceptions that should have been caught by St Louis defenders. On a positive note, Favre and Dustin Keller continued to develop their rapport. They were able to hook up on a couple of deep routes as well as a short touchdown pitch and catch. Favre really showed excellent patience as he had to wait for the route to develop.

QB Kellen Clemens, Rush: 3 - -3 - 0 - Clemens didn't have any game stats; however he did relieve Favre with about 11 minutes left to play. He simply handed the ball to the pair of Jones and Washington to kill the remaining few minutes.

RB Thomas Jones, Rush: 26 - 149 - 3 - Jones had a career day and tied the Jets record for three rushing touchdowns in a game. From the opening drive, Jones and the Jets offensive line began to impose their will on the hapless Rams. Throughout the day Jones showed determination by keeping his legs moving and he also had nice cutbacks. Every one of Jones carries was for positive yards and he seemed to be aided by some shoddy Rams tackling. The second touchdown of the game for Jones was very reminiscent of a rugby play. Jones nearly had his forward progress stopped by the Rams prior to both Tony Richardson and other Jet lineman arriving on the scene. They helped carry Jones the last two yards before breaking the goal line.

RB Leon Washington, Rush: 12 - 54 - 0, Rec: 4 - 14 - 0 (5 targets) - Washington was active in the game and was targeted in the red zone on a pair of occasions. Most of his yards came late in the game with Clemens under centre. He also received a carry in the red zone early on. It was a draw play and he got absolutely stoned on the play. It may have been the only Rams high light.

RB Tony Richardson (1 targets) - Richardson dropped his only target on the day.

WR Brad Smith, Rush: 1 - 6 - 0, Rec: 2 - 14 - 0 (2 targets) - The versatile wide out was used in a variety of looks in this game. He caught balls in a traditional manner, ran an end around and also took a snap in the Wildcat formation. It was a rather ugly play that looked disorganized. Smith was able to show his athletic abilities and struggled for a short gain of six yards.

WR Laveranues Coles, Rec: 1 - 14 - 0 (3 targets) - Coles had a quiet day. He was targeted once on a deep route and the other chances were both short slants.

WR Jerricho Cotchery, Rec: 1 - 18 - 0 (1 targets) - Cotchery caught his only target for an early third down conversion. The Jets running game gave the receivers the day off.

TE Dustin Keller, Rec: 6 - 107 - 1 (6 targets) - Aside from Thomas Jones, he was the next most effective player. It was obvious that the Jets had game planned to send Keller on deeper routes to take advantage of various match ups. The strategy worked throughout the game and Favre found him a couple of times for big gains. This was Keller's first career 100 yard game.

PK Jay Feely 4 - 4 FG, 5 - 5 XP, 17 points - Jets kicker Jay Feely had a busy day. He was able to convert all five of his extra point attempts. Feely was also perfect on his four field goal attempts hitting from 22, 46, 49 and 55 yards to cap off a 17 point day.

NYJ Rush Defense - The Jets really dominated the interior of the line of scrimmage with stud tackle Kris Jenkins. The Rams could not run up the middle with any consistently and to attack the edges instead. Strong pursuit and solid tackling helped the Jets limit St Louis to only 80 yards.

NYJ Pass Defense - Abram Elam had the signature play of the game. He came on a delayed blitz after Orlando Pace had already blocked down. Elam proceeded untouched to Marc Bulger and drilled him causing a fumble that linebacker Calvin Pace recovered on his way to another Jets touchdown. The Rams only passed for 135 yards and their quarterbacks were dropped two times for sacks.

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