All our week 12 content

Tennessee Titans 24, Jacksonville Jaguars 14

What you need to know

Tennessee Titans - The Titans overcame an 11 point deficit -- their largest of the season -- and made several big plays in the passing game to take the lead by scoring two touchdowns in the first eight minutes of the third quarter. Once they took the lead, their defense shut the Jaguars offense down and Tennessee escaped Jacksonville with a victory to remain unbeaten. Although the big scoring plays came in the passing game, the Titans' running game was effective. Chris Johnson shouldered the load in the first half, as LenDale White left early with a hand injury. While he only had one run of over ten yards, Johnson ran with great determination against a hard hitting defense, and gained at least four yards on ten of his 17 rushing attempts. Johnson was also targeted eight times in the passing game, and would have posted better numbers, but dropped two passes after getting open. White returned in the third quarter and ran powerfully to help the Titans keep their lead. Nine of White's 12 second half rushes were for four or more yards, and he proved to be very effective at moving the chains and eating up the clock.

Kerry Collins made the big plays in the passing game that resulted in Tennessee's three touchdowns. While he targeted Johnson the most, he looked for Justin Gage when trying to make big plays. The two of them proved successful, setting the tone with the first play of the game on a 47 yard play. Gage caught all but one of the passes thrown his way, including two for the touchdowns that gave the Titans a 17-14 lead and subsequently extended their lead to 24-14. Collins looked comfortable while directing the offense, and displayed good touch on both intermediate and deep passes. He was mostly accurate, only missing his intended receivers three times, one of which was intercepted. Three of his incompletions were as a result of his receivers dropping passes.

The Titans attempted six plays on two possessions in the red zone, and came away with one touchdown and one field goal. They ran three times, with Johnson having two of the carries and White the other, and passed three times. Collins connected with Brandon Jones for a touchdown, and threw his other two red zone targets to Johnson, who caught one and dropped the other.

Jacksonville Jaguars - The Jaguars ran well in the first half, but could not sustain their rushing attack in the second half. Maurice Jones-Drew and Fred Taylor had a combined seven rushes of four or more yards in the first half and just three such rushes in the second half. Jones-Drew added two short yardage touchdowns in the first half. The two running backs were stopped at or behind the line of scrimmage four times in the second half, and not at all in the first half. Both ran hard and with power, attacking the Titans' defenders successfully in the first half, but were unable to do so in the second half in large part due to Tennessee's defense. Due to a combination of falling behind quickly in the third quarter and their offensive line's inability to open many holes, both running backs had limited opportunities in the second half.

David Garrard was under siege throughout the game by a very aggressive Titans' pass rush. He completed five of his first six passes for 43 yards, and eight of his remaining 24 passes for 87 yards. As a result of the relentless pressure he faced, Garrard was unable to step into most of his throws, which affected his accuracy greatly. He was sacked four times and would have been sacked more if not for his mobility and throwing the ball before he wanted to. His interception was as a result of a pass rusher affecting his pass, which he threw errantly. Garrard's top receiver this season, Matt Jones, did not play due to a high injury, and as a result he targeted Dennis Northcutt and Jerry Porter the most, with seven targets apiece. Neither player was able to distinguish himself, as they both had just two receptions.

The Jaguars ran six plays on two red zone possessions, both in the first half, and came away with two touchdowns. They ran four times, three by Jones-Drew, including two for short yardage touchdowns. Both of Garrard's red zone passes were errant due to the pass rush. One pass was uncatchable, and the other in Porter's direction, but too wide for him to get his hands on.

What you ought to know

QB Kerry Collins, Pass: 13 - 23 - 230 - 3 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 2 - -2 - 0 - Collins was solid in this game. He made good decisions in terms of who to throw to, and was decisive when going for big plays. Collins displayed a strong arm on several intermediate and deep passes, along with good touch. The team seemed to rally around him, and when he threw the touchdown pass that extended their lead, the first player to greet him was an exuberant Vince Young.

RB Chris Johnson, Rush: 17 - 64 - 0, Rec: 4 - 24 - 0 (8 targets) - Johnson ran hard and while he did not have a chance to display his speed, did show very good running ability inside the tackles, using his elusiveness to gain additional yards. He took some shots in the game but bounced back up and continued playing each time he was hit hard. He was the most targeted player in the first half, but dropped two passes that could have resulted in significant gains.

RB LenDale White, Rush: 14 - 52 - 0 (1 targets) - White left early in the game with a hand injury but showed no ill effects when he returned in the third quarter. He ran hard and showed good power, refusing to be stopped at the point of impact, and gained yards after first contact on most of his rushes.

WR Justin Gage, Rec: 4 - 147 - 2 (5 targets) - Gage made the most of his opportunities, catching several deep passes and running well after the catch on each of his receptions. He was able to get open deep by running excellent routes and using his size to ward off the defenders and gain yards after securing the passes. The only ball thrown to him that he did not catch was thrown too high and intercepted.

WR Brandon Jones, Rec: 2 - 23 - 1 (4 targets) - Jones ran mostly intermediate routes, catching one of his targets for a touchdown. He did a good job of getting open on these routes, and dropped a pass that he could have caught easily.

WR Lavelle Hawkins (1 targets) - Hawkins dropped the only pass thrown to him.

TE Bo Scaife, Rec: 2 - 28 - 0 (2 targets) - Scaife had a limited role, but showed good running ability after one of his receptions to gain good yards in traffic.

TE Alge Crumpler, Rec: 1 - 8 - 0 (1 targets) - Crumpler had a very limited role in the offense.

PK Rob Bironas 1 - 1 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 6 points - Bironas made all three of his point after attempts and his lone field goal, which was from 32 yards.

TEN Rush Defense - Tennessee's run defense gave up a combined 4.27 yards per carry average to Jacksonville's running backs and allowed two short yardage rushing touchdowns. They did not allow many big runs, and limited Taylor and Jones-Drew to just two carries of over seven yards in the second half. While they did not make many stops behind the line of scrimmage, they did not allow many long runs, but did have some difficulty stopping short-yardage running plays in the first half.

TEN Pass Defense - The Titans played the pass aggressively and did so both with pressure just from their front four defensive linemen as well as with blitzes. They knocked Garrard down most of the time he attempted a pass, and disrupted his timing with his receivers constantly. The secondary also did a good job of staying with Jacksonville's receivers, which helped contribute to a dominant effort by their pass defense.

QB David Garrard, Pass: 13 - 30 - 135 - 0 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 3 - 16 - 0 - Garrard never got into a rhythm. Due to the constant pressure he faced from the Titans' pass rush, he was unable to step into most of his throws, and as a result misfired a lot. He and his receivers were unable to make any adjustments, in large part to not having time to set his feet and look for an open receiver. Several times during the game, Garrard threw passes that had no chance of being caught by one of his receivers due to pressure up the middle that prevented him from stepping into his throws.

RB Maurice Jones-Drew, Rush: 17 - 66 - 2, Rec: 3 - 27 - 0 (3 targets) - Jones-Drew played well, running with his combination of power and elusiveness, and using those attributes to score two rushing touchdowns. He did not have many opportunities to showcase his speed as Tennessee's defenders got to him before he could get into the open field, but he was still able to put together a very good game both running and receiving.

RB Fred Taylor, Rush: 12 - 58 - 0, Rec: 1 - 2 - 0 (1 targets) - Taylor had a very good first half, running with excellent power and using his speed and mobility to gain positive yards out of plays where he could have been stopped for a loss or no gain. However he had just one run of over three yards in the second half.

RB Greg Jones, Rec: 1 - 6 - 0 (1 targets) - Jones was used mostly for his blocking.

WR Mike Walker, Rec: 2 - 15 - 0 (5 targets) - Walker was pressed into duty due to Matt Jones and Reggie Williams not playing, and was used mostly on short routes. His impact was minimal.

WR Dennis Northcutt, Rec: 2 - 28 - 0 (7 targets) - Northcutt was unable to produce much despite being targeted the most. He was unable to get open quickly enough and several of the passes thrown his way were errant as a result of not having enough time to get open.

WR Jerry Porter, Rec: 2 - 24 - 0 (7 targets) - Porter was targeted five times in the first half but apart from a good catch made while being tightly covered, did not do much to distinguish himself. He was targeted once in the end zone, but the pass was too wide for him to catch it.

TE Marcedes Lewis, Rec: 1 - 19 - 0 (2 targets) - Lewis could have had a slightly bigger impact as he caught a pass that would have picked up a first down but his left foot was out of bounds as he caught the ball.

TE Richard Angulo, Rec: 1 - 14 - 0 (1 targets) - Angulo's participation in the game was limited, but did run well in traffic after securing his lone target.

PK Josh Scobee 0 - 0 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 2 points - Scobee made both of his point after attempts, and did not have any field goal attempts.

JAX Rush Defense - Jacksonville's run defense played hard and aggressively, but did not come up with any game changing plays. Although they did not allow any big gains on the ground, they were inconsistent. They stopped Tennessee's running backs at or behind the line of scrimmage a combined seven times, yet allowed a combined 21 rushes of four or more yards, including six of seven or more yards.

JAX Pass Defense - The Jaguars gave up several big plays in the passing game, and could not generate pressure on the relatively immobile Collins. They had given up 17 points in the third quarter all season, and allowed 14 points in the third quarter of this game, both in the air. The inability to generate a pass rush was compounded by the secondary allowing receivers to get open for big plays several times during the game.

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Arizona Cardinals 26, Seattle Seahawks 20

What you need to know

Arizona Cardinals - The Cardinals were in a giving mood in Week 11 as they turned the ball over three times and almost squandered a 19 point fourth quarter lead, yet held on to defeat Seattle 26-20. Capitalizing on Arizona miscues, Seattle's last three scoring drives were 19, 11 and 14 yards.

QB Kurt Warner had his fourth consecutive 300 yard game and finished the day 32 of 44 for 395 yards and one touchdown (a six yard pass to J. J. Arrington). Warner completed passes to seven receivers and started the game 19 of 21.

RB J. J. Arrington had his best game of the year scoring a career high two touchdowns and figured prominently in the Cardinal offense. Arrington scored on a four yard run in the first half, and then added his second on an eight yard reception out of the backfield to give the Cardinals a 26-7 lead. WRs Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald both had 100 yard games, but were kept out of the end zone. Boldin had a career high 13 receptions for 186 yards. Fitzgerald added ten catches for 131 yards. Both had room to run and Seattle had no answer for these two.

K Neil Rackers booted four field goals including a 54 yarder late in the second quarter. He was perfect on the day with the 54 yarder plus 38, 48, and 26 yard efforts.

Seattle Seahawks - QB Matt Hasselbeck looked rusty returning after a six week hiatus and threw three interceptions on the day. He finished the game 17 for 29 for 170 yards with one touchdown pass to RB Maurice Morris for 13 yards. He fumbled once.

RB T. J. Duckett had two short touchdown runs (1, 2 yards) in the fourth quarter that help Seattle get within six.

WR Deon Branch was Seattle's leading receiver with 54 yards on four catches.

What you ought to know

QB Kurt Warner, Pass: 32 - 44 - 395 - 1 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 3 - -3 - 0 - Warner had his fourth consecutive 300 yard game and is putting up an MVP type season. He hit seven different receivers and continues to run the offense with precision. His touchdown throw was to running back JJ Arrington. He was pressured often and sacked twice. He led the Arizona offense on scoring drives of 60, 89, 65 and 27 yards in the first half; then led drives of 59 and 82 yards in the second half. He had good rhythm especially with Boldin and Fitzgerald.

RB J.J. Arrington, Rush: 8 - 40 - 1, Rec: 3 - 21 - 1 (5 targets) - Arrington had a career best two touchdown game (one run, one catch) and continues to find a place in the offense mainly as a third down back. Arrington scored Arizona's first touchdown, a four yard run, in the first quarter, then added his second to give Arizona a 19 point led in the third quarter. He ran hard and was elusive at times. His longest run was for eight yards.

RB Tim Hightower, Rush: 11 - 35 - 0 - Hightower started the game and found the Seattle rush defense difficult. He finished the game with 11 rushes for 35 yards and no touchdowns. His longest run was 14 yards. Hightower ran hard and made additional yards after the first hit. He looks like he could break a long run at any moment.

WR Anquan Boldin, Rush: 1 - 3 - 0, Rec: 13 - 186 - 0 (16 targets) - Boldin had a career high 13 receptions and had no trouble getting open against the Seattle secondary. His longest catch was for 45 yards. His lone rush came on a direct snap with Boldin playing the quarterback position. This was Boldin's third 100 receiving day on the year.

WR Larry Fitzgerald, Rec: 10 - 151 - 0 (14 targets) - Fitzgerald recorded his fifth 100 yard game and also found the Seattle secondary of little resistance. Fitzgerald's longest catch was a 33 yard effort over the middle. He made several grabs while well covered and was looked upon for crucial third down plays. He was targeted several times deep against the Seattle secondary.

WR Steve Breaston, Rec: 2 - 15 - 0 (3 targets) - Breaston had an unusually quite game with only two receptions for 15 yards. He continues to return punts and kick offs for the Cardinals offense.

PK Neil Rackers 4 - 4 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 14 points - Rackers was perfect on the day connecting on all four of his field goal attempts including a 54 yard effort late in the second quarter. Rackers' other kicks were 48, 38 and 26 yards. He was perfect on both extra points.

ARI Rush Defense - The Cardinals rush defense held the Seattle offense to 43 yards rushing on the day, but did give up two short touchdowns (two and one yards) to T. J. Duckett. At times the rush defense looked dominant over a listless Seattle rushing attack.

ARI Pass Defense - Held the Seattle offense to only 170 yards passing and had three interceptions on the day, two by rookie CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and another by linebacker OLB Karlos Dansby. The lone touchdown pass given up was to running back Maurice Morris for 13 yards. The pass defense sacked Hasselbeck twice on the day.

QB Matt Hasselbeck, Pass: 17 - 29 - 170 - 1 TD / 3 INT, Rush: 4 - 17 - 0 - Hasselbeck looked rusty returning from a six week layoff and missed a lot of his receivers. He was pressured often and sacked twice on the day. His touchdown pass came on a first and ten at the 13 yard line when he hit Maurice Morris out of the backfield. Seattle's points were scored on offensive drives of 14, 19 and 11 yards.

RB Julius Jones, Rush: 10 - 19 - 0, Rec: 1 - -5 - 0 (1 targets) - Jones finished the game with only 19 yards on ten carries with a long run of only six yards. Jones found the Cardinal front line difficult to penetrate. Jones fumbled once which led to an Arizona field goal.

RB Maurice Morris, Rush: 3 - 2 - 0, Rec: 3 - 27 - 1 (3 targets) - Maurice had a 13 yard touchdown catch in the second quarter for Seattle's first score. He only had two yards on three carries.

RB T.J. Duckett, Rush: 5 - 5 - 2 - Duckett had two touchdown runs in the fourth quarter of one and two yards. He finished the day with five yards on five carries.

WR Deion Branch, Rec: 4 - 54 - 0 (9 targets) - Branch was Seattle's most prominent offensive weapon with only four catches for 54 yards. His longest catch was 33 yards over the middle.

WR Bobby Engram, Rec: 2 - 30 - 0 (4 targets) - Engram caught two balls for 30 yards, with a long catch of 18 yards.

TE John Carlson, Rec: 3 - 39 - 0 (5 targets) - Carlson contributed 39 yards on three catches with a long reception of 25 yards over the middle.

PK Olindo Mare 0 - 0 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 2 points - Mare was perfect on both fourth quarter extra point attempts.

SEA Rush Defense - On the day, Seattle held the Cardinals rushing attack to 79 yards on the day, but did give up one touchdown. The low yardage was more of a result of the Cardinals only having 24 rushing plays on the day.

SEA Pass Defense - The pass defense was porous giving up 395 yards and one score. They gave up 337 yards to two receivers alone. They did have one interception, but didn't have an answer for the Cardinals offensive attack.

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Chicago Bears 3, Green Bay Packers 37

What you need to know

Chicago Bears - Simply put, the Bears didn't show up to this game. The rush defense, which had been so good last week against the Titans, got absolutely shredded by Ryan Grant. The pass defense was no better, allowing Aaron Rodgers to throw all over them. When it came to offense, the Bears were only able to gain 242 total yards, and were unable to score any touchdowns.

QB Kyle Orton returned from injury and played until late in the fourth quarter when the game was out of hand. He didn't appear to be himself. Orton only completed half of his pass attempts, only gaining 133 yards. Orton also had a fumble, which led to a Green Bay touchdown. His mobility was clearly limited due to his ankle, and it definitely affected his play.

RB Matt Forte was the only Bears player who managed to put together any kind of decent fantasy day, rushing for 64 yards and receiving another 40 yards. Forte's 104 total yards was clearly the only bright spot for the Bears in a game that they will want to put behind them as quickly as possible.

Green Bay Packers - RB Ryan Grant dazzled in this game from the start, racking up over 100 yards rushing in the first half and finishing the game with 145 yards rushing and a touchdown. Grant had multiple long gains against the Bears, his longest coming on his second carry of the game when he took the hand off for 35 yards.

QB Aaron Rodgers had a great game, completing 23 of 30 passes for 227 yards and two touchdowns. Rodgers benefited from Grant's ability to run the ball, as the run set up the pass for the Packers later in the game. Rodgers touchdowns both came on short routes, as he hit Jennings in the first quarter on a short slant and in the third quarter, he found Lee wide open in the end zone for his second touchdown throw.

The Green Bay defense was spectacular in this game, completely shutting down the Bears offense. In the fourth quarter, the defense had an interception wiped out due to a penalty, but on the very next play the Packers recovered an Orton fumble and returned it for a touchdown, virtually locking up the win.

What you ought to know

QB Kyle Orton, Pass: 13 - 26 - 133 - 0 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 1 - 0 - 0 - Orton's return was not what he had hoped for, as he completed just 13 of 26 passes for a mere 133 yards. Orton struggled to move around all game due to his ankle, which caused the Packers' pressure to force him into more bad throws. On a fourth down play, Orton had an interception wiped out by a defensive offside penalty, however the very next play he fumbled the snap and the Packers turned it into a touchdown. Orton came out of the game in the fourth quarter once the game was out of hand, probably to protect him from further injury.

QB Rex Grossman, Pass: 4 - 7 - 26 - 0 TD / 0 INT - Grossman played for a short time in the fourth quarter, completing four of seven passes for 26 yards. Most of Grossman's work came inside of two minutes in the fourth quarter, but he wasn't able to get the Bears into position to score before time ran out.

RB Matt Forte, Rush: 16 - 64 - 0, Rec: 6 - 40 - 0 (7 targets) - Early in the second quarter, Forte made a clutch catch for the Bears on a key third down for a gain of 18 yards, racking up some nice yards after the catch. Aside from that, he had a solid but not spectacular day, gaining a total of 104 yards on 22 touches. Like the rest of the Chicago team, Forte had no scores.

RB Adrian Peterson, Rush: 1 - 7 - 0, Rec: 2 - 10 - 0 (2 targets) - Peterson got a little playing time in the fourth quarter when it became clear the Bears were not going to win, and he racked up 17 yards on three touches.

WR Brandon Lloyd, Rec: 2 - 17 - 0 (3 targets) - Lloyd returned from injury, but did not see much action in this game. He caught two of his three targets for 17 yards.

WR Devin Hester, Rec: 1 - 7 - 0 (6 targets) - In the first quarter, Hester made a remarkable one handed catch down the sideline, but he was called for pass interference and the play came back. Hester finished the game with only one catch for seven yards.

WR Rashied Davis, Rec: 1 - 36 - 0 (2 targets) - In the fourth quarter, Davis caught a short pass and turned it into a big gain, making moves in the open field and picking up 36 yards. It was the longest play the Bears had all game, and also Davis' only catch.

WR Marty Booker (3 targets) - Booker's streak of goose eggs continued against the Packers, as he was unable to haul in any of his three targets.

TE Greg Olsen, Rec: 4 - 45 - 0 (4 targets) - Olsen finished as the Bears' leading receiver, catching all four of his targets for 45 yards. He continues to be one of Orton's most reliable targets, although he is still getting just as many looks as Clark.

TE Desmond Clark, Rec: 1 - 4 - 0 (4 targets) - Clark only caught one of his four targets, gaining only four yards on the catch.

PK Robbie Gould 1 - 1 FG, 0 - 0 XP, 3 points - Gould made his lone attempt of the afternoon.

CHI Rush Defense - The Chicago rush defense got absolutely destroyed in this game. Ryan Grant ran for 145 yards against them, and Brandon Jackson also added 50 yards of his own. The Bears also allowed Grant to score from four yards out in the second quarter.

CHI Pass Defense - The Bears' pass defense was also unable to do much to stop Rodgers, as he threw for two touchdowns against them and racked up 227 yards. The Green Bay offensive line simply dominated all game, as the Bears were unable to get anywhere near Rodgers to pressure him. The lone bright spot of the game for the Bears was when Brian Urlacher intercepted Aaron Rodgers in the second quarter.

QB Aaron Rodgers, Pass: 23 - 30 - 227 - 2 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 1 - 1 - 0 - Rodgers had a good game, despite not being asked to do too much due to the success of the running game. Rodgers' throws were on mark for the most part, as he completed 23 of his 30 passes for 223 yards and two touchdowns. His lone blemish was on a deep pass that Brian Urlacher intercepted, aside from that he was magnificent. Rodgers' first touchdown pass came in the first quarter on a short slant route to Greg Jennings, and he later threw a second touchdown in the third quarter to Donald Lee.

RB Ryan Grant, Rush: 25 - 145 - 1, Rec: 1 - 6 - 0 (1 targets) - Grant had an unreal first half, running for 105 yards on just 13 carries, scoring a touchdown in the process. Grant looked early on, breaking loose for a 35 yard gain on a halfback draw on his second carry. Late in the second quarter, Grant continued his dominance as he ran for eight yards, 18 yards, and a 4 yard touchdown on three consecutive plays. Grant finished the afternoon with 145 rushing yards on 25 carries.

RB Brandon Jackson, Rush: 10 - 50 - 0, Rec: 1 - 5 - 0 - Jackson benefited from great play by his offensive line, as he gained 50 yards on ten carries. Jackson looked quick and explosive, finding holes and darting through them, usually for healthy gains. Jackson's longest gain of the game was for 19 yards.

WR Greg Jennings, Rec: 5 - 64 - 1 (6 targets) - Jennings' first reception of the game was a short slanting route into the end zone, good for a three yard touchdown. He also had a 29 yard reception in the third quarter, his longest of the afternoon. Jennings finished with 64 yards and a touchdown, good enough to be the Packers' leading receiver.

WR Donald Driver, Rec: 4 - 60 - 0 (5 targets) - Driver had four catches for 60 yards against the Bears. At one point, Driver hobbled off of the field after making a catch, looking like he was in significant pain. However, he later returned to the game and continued to play.

WR James Jones, Rec: 2 - 26 - 0 (2 targets) - Jones got wide open on a third down play late in the third quarter, making a catch for an 18 yard gain. He finished the game with two receptions for 26 yards.

WR Jordy Nelson, Rec: 1 - 19 - 0 (2 targets) - Nelson made a sliding catch late in the first quarter for a 19 yard gain, putting the Packers in the red zone. It was his only catch of the game.

TE Donald Lee, Rec: 6 - 33 - 1 (7 targets) - Late in the third quarter, Lee found himself wide open in the end zone and caught a five yard pass from Rodgers for the touchdown. Lee also caught five of his other six targets, racking up an additional 28 yards in the process. He finished the afternoon with 33 yards and a touchdown.

PK Mason Crosby 3 - 3 FG, 4 - 4 XP, 13 points - Crosby made all of his kicking attempts, including a 54 yard field goal, impressive in the cold weather.

GB Rush Defense - The Packers' rush defense did a pretty good job shutting down Forte, allowing him to only gain 62 yards on 16 carries. The run defense was not asked to do much in the second half, mostly due to the Bears' having to pass the ball to try to get back in the game.

GB Pass Defense - The Green Bay pass defense did a great job pressuring Orton, forcing him into bad throws all game long. The defense also recovered an Orton fumble for a touchdown, putting the game away for the Packers. The Bears were unable to get much going through the air, particularly to their wide receivers, who the Packers shut down all game. All together, it was a great effort from the Green Bay defense.

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Oakland Raiders 15, Miami Dolphins 17

What you need to know

Oakland Raiders - Oakland now hasn't scored an offensive touchdown in three straight games. Against Miami they were out gained 186 yards to 382, could only convert two of eleven third down opportunities, but still nearly pulled a huge upset in south Florida.

JaMarcus Russell returned to the lineup after missing one game with a knee injury. He looked more confident under center and completed 15 of 22 for 156 yards. He left the game for one series after being sacked late in the first quarter but returned to the game with his right ankle heavily taped. Ronald Curry was the only wide receiver involved in the passing game and perhaps his days in the Raiders' doghouse are over. He caught six balls for 73 yards and was targeted on two deep passes that fell incomplete. TE Zach Miller is still their leading receiver, and added 67 yards on four catches. Unfortunately, the most effective Raider offensive play went for 41 yards when Ashley Lelie drew an interference penalty in the second quarter.

Justin Fargas found limited success running against the Dolphin 3-4 defense, picking up 57 tough yards on 17 tries. His longest run went for 15 yards, but the line of scrimmage will remain crowded until Darren McFadden gets healthy and/or the Raiders passing attack begins to actually threaten anyone. McFadden made his first appearance in four games, and while he did not appear to run with any difficulty he only carried three times for 13 yards.

Jay Richardson sacked Pennington for a safety in the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, special teams scored a TD when Johnny Lee Higgins returned a punt 93 yards to grab the lead, 15--14. Unfortunately, the defense could not prevent Miami from driving for the winning field goal with 38 seconds left.

Miami Dolphins - This game was a statistical blowout, but Miami fell behind in the fourth quarter and needed a long nail biting drive and a late field goal from rookie Dan Carpenter to nip the Raiders 17-15. The Dolphins out gained Oakland 382 yards to 186.

Chad Pennington managed the conservative game plan effectively. While he spread the ball around to seven different receivers the running game was rolling for 222 yards. When Miami fell behind in the fourth quarter, however, Pennington put the ball in the air. With the game on the line he completed a fourth and five pass to keep the drive alive that led to the winning field goal.

Even though Oakland limited the so-called wildcat offense to 52 yards on ten carries, the Miami rushing attack still picked up 222 yards and scored two touchdowns. Ronnie Brown gained 101 yards on 16 attempts while Ricky Williams carried 13 times for 49 yards. Patrick Cobbs scored on a 10 yard run in the third quarter.

Ted Ginn led all Miami receivers with four balls for 51 yards and scored their first TD on a 40 yard reverse. He also caught a first down pass on fourth and five to keep the critical winning drive alive near the end of the game. Greg Camarillo did not have a pass thrown his way until the fourth quarter. His first reception was made on an under thrown pass that was deflected and then tipped before he caught it near the sideline. The play looked like volleyball practice.

Quarterback coach David Lee served as the offensive coordinator at Arkansas last year where he installed the wildcat offense. Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams are currently playing the roles of Darren McFadden and Felix Jones in the Miami version.

What you ought to know

QB JaMarcus Russell, Pass: 15 - 22 - 156 - 0 TD / 0 INT - JaMarcus Russell returned after missing one game with a knee injury and had his right ankle heavily taped after missing a series early in the second quarter. Consistency is still an issue, but there were moments when the Raiders got a glimpse of their franchise quarterback's potential. While 15 of 22 for 156 yards is modest, he did not throw an interception even though he was sacked five times and faced plenty of pressure all afternoon.

QB Marques Tuiasosopo - While Russell was having his ankle taped, Tuiasopopo got into the game for one exciting series. He was sacked once, fumbled (Oakland recovered), and the Raiders punted on fourth and 21 from their own 15 yard line.

RB Justin Fargas, Rush: 17 - 57 - 0 (1 targets) - Fargas started and played the entire game. He primarily ran between the tackles, averaging 3.4 yards per carry and was targeted once in the third quarter but the pass fell incomplete. While he is a quality NFL running back, this offense needs a home run hitter, someone to make something out of nothing.

RB Darren McFadden, Rush: 3 - 13 - 0, Rec: 2 - 1 - 0 (2 targets) - After missing four games McFadden made a brief appearance against Miami. He averaged over four yards per carry in limited duty, but he did not appear to be running with an injury. This offense could clearly use a healthy Darren McFadden.

RB Luke Lawton, Rec: 1 - -2 - 0 (2 targets) - The 240 pound lead blocker caught one slowly developing screen pass that lost two yards.

WR Ronald Curry, Rec: 6 - 73 - 0 (9 targets) - Two passes that Curry missed were thrown deep into double coverage. The other was an overthrown pass near the sidelines in the fourth quarter. He caught everything else, and should have earned his way out of the Oakland doghouse. He was knocked earlier this year for dropping too many passes. If he can become a possession receiver again, with Walker supposedly out for the rest of the season, Curry may have a wisp of fantasy value after all.

WR Johnnie Lee Higgins - Higgins was not targeted during the game, but gave Oakland the lead in the fourth quarter with a 93 yard punt return for a touchdown.

WR Chaz Schilens (1 targets) - Schilens only target came in the fourth quarter but he could not make the catch.

WR Ashley Lelie (1 targets) - Lelie made the most of his one target, drawing a questionable pass interference penalty that resulted in a 41 yard gain. While he is often sent on deep patterns, Curry took over that duty at least in this game.

TE Zach Miller, Rec: 4 - 67 - 0 (6 targets) - Still the Raiders leading receiver, Miller made some tough catches and has developed a nice rapport with his QB. He seems to like working in the seams and when he makes his cut Russell only has a split second to get the ball to him. Miller's 27 yard catch was the longest completion in the game for Oakland.

TE Tony Stewart, Rec: 2 - 17 - 0 (2 targets) - He was targeted in the third quarter and he caught them both for 17 yards. He also set up as a H back in the first quarter and totally missed a block that led to a sack of Russell.

PK Sebastian Janikowski 2 - 3 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 7 points - He hit field goals from 21 and 37 yards, but a 46 yard attempt to take the lead bounced off the right upright. He also converted one PAT.

OAK Rush Defense - While the wildcat may have been tamed, the entire rushing attack gained 222 yards and scored two touchdowns. Besides Ronnie Brown picking up 101 yards, Ricky Williams gained 49, Ted Ginn 42, Patrick Cobbs 23, and Chad Pennington added seven yards.

OAK Pass Defense - The Raiders held Pennington to 174 yards and zero touchdowns. They also sacked him three times including once in the end zone for a safety by Jay Richardson. With the Miami running game gaining over 200 yards there weren't too many passes thrown.

QB Chad Pennington, Pass: 16 - 22 - 174 - 0 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 1 - 7 - 0 - Chad Pennington managed the conservative game plan effectively and spread the ball around to seven different receivers. While he did an overall good job of managing the game he was also sacked in the end zone for a safety. When Miami fell behind in the fourth quarter, however, Pennington went to work. He marched his team down the field, along the way completing a fourth and five pass to keep the drive alive, to set up the winning field goal.

RB Ronnie Brown, Rush: 16 - 101 - 0, Rec: 1 - 11 - 0 (1 targets) - Brown gained over 100 yards but was held out of the end zone. Miami ran the wildcat offense ten times but the Raiders made some big stops and actually stripped the ball from Brown and recovered the fumble. He gained 18 meaningless yards with :03 left in the first half when the Raiders dropped eight men deep and Brown ran a delay as time expired. He gained some tough yards against a defense keyed to stop him, however, and is the catalyst of this offense.

RB Ricky Williams, Rush: 13 - 49 - 0, Rec: 2 - 6 - 0 (2 targets) - The Dolphins believe that Williams is rounding into the best shape of his career at just the right moment. While Williams only picked up 49 yards on 13 carries and caught two passes for six yards, there were a few times when he had just one man to beat to break off a long run. He is running very hard and shows no signs of slowing up.

RB Patrick Cobbs, Rush: 3 - 23 - 1, Rec: 3 - 16 - 0 (3 targets) - You never know how involved or uninvolved Cobbs will be in the offense. In this game, he caught three passes for 16 yards and carried three times for 23 yards including a ten yard TD run. He is also a big contributor on special teams and made two key solo tackles.

RB Lousaka Polite (1 targets) - In limited action Polite did not catch the one pass thrown his way.

WR Ted Ginn, Rush: 2 - 42 - 1, Rec: 4 - 51 - 0 (5 targets) - Ginn had a triple threat day, running a 40 yard reverse for a touchdown in the first quarter, leading the team in receiving with four balls for 51 yards, and also returning punts and kickoffs.

WR Davone Bess, Rec: 3 - 50 - 0 (5 targets) - The rookie from Hawaii saw a little more time. They like his speed and his role in this offense should continue to increase. He was second on the team with three grabs for 50 yards and returned two punts for 13 yards.

WR Greg Camarillo, Rec: 2 - 34 - 0 (2 targets) - Nnamdl Asomugha had to cover somebody and Camarillo drew the short straw. He managed to earn points toward his varsity letter in the fourth quarter, however, when he caught two passes for 34 yards.

TE David Martin, Rec: 1 - 6 - 0 (2 targets) - Martin managed to catch one pass for six yards.

TE Anthony Fasano (1 targets) - Fasano did not make the stat sheet.

PK Dan Carpenter 1 - 1 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 5 points - The free agent rookie from Montana had a dramatic day, hitting the game winning 38 yard field goal with 38 seconds left in the game for a 17 -- 15 victory.

MIA Rush Defense - With the Raiders having a limited passing attack Miami was able to crowd the line of scrimmage and fill all the gaps. Justin Fargas averaged 3.4 per carry and the Raiders rushed for only 70 yards. Channing Crowder led the Dolphins with six solo tackles.

MIA Pass Defense - Joey Porter had 1.5 of the Dolphins six total sacks as the Raiders only managed to pass for 156 yards and no touchdowns.

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Philadelphia Eagles 13, Cincinnati Bengals 13

What you need to know

Philadelphia Eagles - QB Donovan McNabb once again got off to a very cold start, and while he eventually passed for a TD and over 300 yards, his completion rate was under 50% and he tossed three bad interceptions.

RB Brian Westbrook seemed poised for a good day early on, but the Eagles decided to focus on the passing game throughout the contest and thus Westbrook saw his opportunities to excel inexplicably limited.

WR Kevin Curtis continued to be McNabb's favorite target, but spent most of his time running short or medium routes while WRs Hank Baskett and DeSean Jackson played the roles of deep threats.

Cincinnati Bengals - QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, despite being under intense pressure all day, chipped in an efficient and effective performance that saw over 260 passing yards, a TD and no interceptions.

RB Cedric Benson had difficulty making big plays against a tough Eagles defense, but showed that he is the clear number one running back for the Bengals as he was used all day and in virtually all situations.

WR T. J. Houshmandzadeh was far and away the number one target in the receiving game and was responsible for well over half of all Cincinnati production through the air. Unlike fellow WR Chad Johnson, he was able to get open regularly and make plays with the plentiful opportunities Fitzpatrick provided him.

What you ought to know

QB Donovan McNabb, Pass: 28 - 58 - 339 - 1 TD / 3 INT, Rush: 1 - 2 - 0 - If one just looks at the final statistics, and if you play in a league that doesn't penalize your QBs all that much for interceptions, it would be easy to think McNabb had a good day. The problem is that the statistics lie. In a cold and windy Cincinnati, McNabb yet again got off to a frigid start going one of five in the first quarter for zero yards and added a lost fumble for good measure. While the yardage totals improved dramatically in the second quarter (largely due to a great 44 yard run by RB Correll Buckhalter after he took a short screen pass), these were offset by the first two of McNabb's three interceptions on the day. On the first INT, McNabb simply seemed to overlook Bengals LB Brandon Johnson who was playing a shallow zone and leaped up to grab a pass intended for TE L. J. Smith. On the second, McNabb threw a pass well behind WR Kevin Curtis, and while Curtis was able to get a hand on it, that only resulted in a tip that the Bengals' Jonathan Joseph was able to haul in. McNabb's second half was only slightly better, and were it not for consecutive plays where he a) hit WR Hank Baskett with a 15 yard pass that the receiver converted into a 57 yard gain and b) tossed an easy four yard TD to Smith, McNabb's stat line might have more accurately reflected his overall poor performance. McNabb's third interception came in the waning minutes of the third quarter when he under-threw Smith and the Bengals' Chris Crocker made the easy INT. All in all, McNabb ended up completing less than half of his personal record 58 pass attempts, and was most responsible for his team tying the lowly Bengals.

RB Brian Westbrook, Rush: 14 - 60 - 0, Rec: 3 - 11 - 0 (8 targets) - What could have been a big day for Westbrook against a mediocre Bengals defense instead turned into a thoroughly average one due to his team's over-reliance on the passing game. Westbrook enjoyed success on the ground when given the opportunity, including a late third quarter 22 yard scamper, but he was allowed only 14 total rushes in a full five quarters of action. In the passing game, Westbrook also played a much smaller role than usual, receiving only eight targets and converting only three receptions despite QB Donovan McNabb dropping back to pass 58 times. In short, Westbrook's average performance was, more than anything else, a product of questionable play calling by his coaching staff.

WR Kevin Curtis, Rec: 7 - 64 - 0 (13 targets) - Even though QB Donovan McNabb spread the ball around today, completing passes to ten different receivers, the sheer volume of McNabb's pass attempts still allowed Curtis to see 13 targets. Unfortunately, Curtis was unable to turn those targets into big plays. While he led the Eagles with seven receptions, none were for more than 14 yards and he seemed to play the role of possession receiver all day long, allowing fellow WRs DeSean Jackson and Hank Baskett to take over as the deep targets.

WR DeSean Jackson, Rush: 2 - 3 - 0, Rec: 4 - 66 - 0 (8 targets) - The dynamic Jackson was again given numerous and various opportunities to use his speed and elusiveness to make plays. In the rushing game he received two touches that he failed to do anything with (one actually appeared to be a play designed to allow him to throw the ball downfield.) In the passing game, however, he made much more of an impact as he converted on half of his targets and ended the day as the Eagles second highest gainer in receiving yards. The highlights of Jackson's day ware a pair of second quarter receptions. On the first he found a hole in the defense to gain 17 yards on third and 11. On the second, Jackson hauled in a 25 yard reception at the right sideline and stepped out of bounds to stop the clock. Jackson was targeted on a long pass early in the fourth quarter, and it would have been a TD had Bengals DB Leon Hall not made an impressive defensive play to break it up.

WR Hank Baskett, Rec: 2 - 74 - 0 (4 targets) - Despite QB Donovan McNabb launching a career high 58 pass attempts, Baskett was targeted on only four. Even so, he ended the day with more receiving yards than any other Eagles receiver -- mostly as a result of a single huge play. Early in the third quarter, Baskett took a fifteen yard pass from McNabb, spun away from his immediate defenders and raced down the left sideline for a 57 yard gain. Only the last Bengal DB with a shot at him prevented Baskett from going in for the score and he was knocked out of bounds at the four yard line.

WR Reggie Brown, Rec: 1 - 0 - 0 (4 targets) - Brown was the definition of a non-factor in this game as he was targeted only four times, caught only one pass, and on that single reception gained zero yards.

TE L.J. Smith, Rec: 3 - 15 - 1 (8 targets) - Smith received the start at TE for the Eagles, but only received slightly more attention in the passing game than his backup Brent Celek. What action Smith did see was concentrated in the second and third quarter, and was on primarily short routes. Fortunately, one of Smith's receptions was the Eagles' sole TD on the day -- a third quarter four yard toss that found Smith wide open on the goal line.

TE Brent Celek, Rec: 3 - 25 - 0 (6 targets) - Though he didn't start, Celek nearly managed to match fellow TE L. J. Smith in targets, and actually ended the game with more yards. Unfortunately, QB Donovan McNabb spent much more time looking for his WRs than his TEs, and, as such, Celek really never had much of an opportunity to shine.

PK David Akers 2 - 2 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 7 points - Akers was called upon to make two FGs in the cold and wind, and he connected on both -- a 42 yarder and a 27 yarder.

PHI Rush Defense - The Eagles' rush defense was stifling all day, and despite the Bengals' game-long commitment to attempting to gain yards on the ground, Philadelphia never allowed them to do so -- even stuffing a first and goal from the one yard line late in the first quarter. Whether the running play was up the middle or to the outside, a swarm of Eagles defenders met the RB before he could get very far downfield. The longest run given up all game was a 13 yarder, and by the end of the contest, the Eagles had allowed a stingy 1.9 yards per rush on 30 Bengals attempts.

PHI Pass Defense - The Eagles' pass rush was nearly unstoppable all day long. More often than not, Bengals QB Ryan Fitzpatrick was faced with the choice of scrambling out of the pocket or taking the sack. While Fitzpatrick did display decent mobility, the Eagles still managed to drop him eight times for a loss, including on a second and goal from the one yard line on the first play of the second quarter. Behind the defensive line, however the pass defense was not quite as stalwart. While the LBs and DBs didn't give up any huge plays, they did struggle to contain Bengals WR T. J. Houshmandzadeh and gave up a 26 yard score late in the first half.

QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, Pass: 29 - 44 - 261 - 1 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 5 - 9 - 0 - Despite facing cold and windy conditions all day long, as well as a vicious Eagle pass rush that sacked him eight times, Fitzpatrick actually managed to put together a solid performance. Despite the pressure he faced, Fitzpatrick showed decent mobility, avoided any interceptions and his sole TD came on a 26 yard bullet after a convincing pump-fake to a streaking WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh late in the second quarter. One odd thing about Fitzpatrick's performance was a tendency to lock on a particular WR target for stretches at a time. At various points throughout the game, each of Houshmandzadeh, Chad Johnson and Chris Henry were targeted on at least three consecutive passing plays.

RB Cedric Benson, Rush: 23 - 42 - 0, Rec: 6 - 37 - 0 (6 targets) - Any doubts about whether Benson is now the solid number one RB for the Bengals were dispelled in this game. This was not so much due to his statistics, which were average, at best, against a solid Eagles defense, but rather a result of the fact that he was used throughout the entire game despite his failure to make many big plays, and in all situations -- including passing downs where he saw a half dozen targets and caught every one. As a result of this extensive usage, and the fact that the game went a full five quarters, Benson actually managed a respectable 79 combined yards against a tough defense.

RB Chris Perry, Rush: 1 - 5 - 0, Rec: 1 - -4 - 0 (2 targets) - There was no doubt on the day that Perry was the second option at RB behind Cedric Benson, and even when Benson struggled against the Eagles defense, Perry still saw almost no action.

WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Rec: 12 - 149 - 1 (16 targets) - There was no doubt that the first (and sometimes only) place QB Ryan Fitzpatrick was interested in looking when he dropped back to pass was Houshmandzadeh's way -- and the WR took advantage of all that attention. Houshmandzadeh was consistently successful in gaining separation and nothing the Eagles tried seemed able to stop him. By the end of the day, Houshmandzadeh had seen over a third of Fitzpatrick's targets, was responsible for just under 40% of Fitzpatrick's completions, and over half of his Fitzpatrick's passing yards. Houshmandzadeh's longest reception was also his single TD of the day -- a late second-quarter 26 yard strike where he got easily got open behind the defense.

WR Chad Johnson, Rec: 4 - 34 - 0 (8 targets) - Johnson was clearly the second option in the Bengals' passing game downfield and struggled to make plays all day. Part of this was undoubtedly because QB Ryan Fitzpatrick was regularly under siege in the backfield and thus was constantly looking to dump the ball off to RB Cedric Benson or receivers running shorter routes. In the end, Johnson's mediocre season continued with only four receptions and 34 yards.

WR Chris Henry, Rec: 1 - 8 - 0 (5 targets) - Henry only managed to haul in a single eight yard reception during the game, and thus was not much of a factor. He likely discouraged QB Ryan Fitzpatrick from looking his way more often when he dropped an easy pass that would have kept Cincinnati's second drive of the game alive.

TE Ben Utecht, Rec: 1 - 2 - 0 (3 targets) - Targeted only three times, Utecht was not a factor in the Bengals' passing attack today.

PK Shayne Graham 2 - 3 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 7 points - While he made his first two field goals from 20 and 41 yards, respectively, it will be Graham's miss on his third attempt that everyone will remember from this game. On that FG attempt, Graham pushed right a 47 yard try with seconds left in overtime that, in all likelihood, would have given his team the upset win. Instead, the miss resulted in the NFL's first tie in just over six years.

CIN Rush Defense - While the Bengals defense didn't allow Eagles RB Brian Westbrook to run all over them, and only gave up a single big play to him, they were hardly a stone wall. Even so, the Eagles only chose to run the ball a total 18 times, and thus the run defense was not called upon to do all that much.

CIN Pass Defense - If there was a single word to describe the Bengals pass defense against the Eagles, it would be inconsistent. While they were occasionally able to generate a bit of a pass rush (and did record two sacks) more often than not they were unable to do so and gave Philadelphia QB Donovan McNabb plenty of time in the pocket. Fortunately for them, McNabb seemed off all day and was only able to use the extra time to make a few big plays. Similarly, the defensive backfield was up and down all day. While they were largely unable to stop the Eagles passing attack when McNabb was on target, giving up some long plays, they were able to take advantage of those instances when he wasn't and snagged a total of three interceptions.

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New Orleans Saints 30, Kansas City Chiefs 20

What you need to know

New Orleans Saints - The Saints escaped Kansas City with their first road win of the season thanks largely to an impressive all around game by running back Pierre Thomas and a couple of key defensive stands.

Thomas filled in admirably for the injured Reggie Bush and compiled 144 total yards and a touchdown in the game. He was effective both as a ball carrier with 88 yards on 16 runs and as a receiver with four catches for 56 more yards. In all, Thomas averaged better than seven yards per touch and rendered Deuce McAllister mostly an afterthought.

The Saints' defense twice forced short Connor Barth field goals after Kansas City had first and goal, once from the one yard line late in the first half and another time from the three yard line in the third quarter.

Lance Moore led New Orleans receivers with eight receptions and 102 yards, including a 47 yard touchdown grab.

Drew Brees entered the game leading the NFL in pass attempts and yardage and is on pace to throw more than 600 passes. The Saints, however, were a bit more balanced against Kansas City. Brees threw 36 times and passed for 266 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

Kansas City Chiefs - The Chiefs once anemic offense has shown signs of life since Tyler Thigpen's second NFL start. Kansas City hoped to continue that trend with the return of Larry Johnson. Johnson had missed the last four games after being suspended by the NFL for one game and being deactivated by the Chiefs for three others. In games with Johnson this year, Kansas City had averaged 138.5 rushing yards and 4.9 yards per carry. Without Johnson, they gained only 86.4 yards per game and an average of 4.0 yards per attempt. Against New Orleans, the Chiefs totaled 124 yards rushing and averaged 5.2 per attempt. However, that figure was inflated by a 32 yard run from Thigpen. Johnson totaled 67 yards on 19 attempts. He ran hard, but did show a bit of rust. Nevertheless, Johnson brings balance to an offense that has now netted at least 330 yards in four straight games.

In his previous three games, Tyler Thigpen threw for 710 yards with six touchdowns and no interceptions (a 104.6 rating). Thigpen, the first ever player drafted from Coastal Carolina, completed 19 of his 38 passes for 235 yards and two touchdowns. He was intercepted on his final attempt, when he had to take a chance on a fourth and ten play. Prior to the play, Thigpen had thrown 161 straight passes without an interception.

Dwayne Bowe led the Chiefs with seven receptions. Thigpen looked for him often and found him twice in the end zone. Bowe now has five touchdowns on the season.

What you ought to know

QB Drew Brees, Pass: 25 - 36 - 266 - 1 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 3 - -2 - 0 - Brees averaged 40 pass attempts in his first nine games. He threw slightly less often against Kansas City. He completed 69 percent of his passes in the game. Brees benefited from good pass protection and an anemic Chiefs pass rush and was not sacked in the game. His prettiest throw was a bomb down the right sideline that Lance Moore snagged in stride for a 47 yard touchdown. Brees had one pass intercepted. Devery Henderson slipped while Jarrad Page read the route and picked the pass off.

RB Pierre Thomas, Rush: 16 - 88 - 1, Rec: 4 - 56 - 0 (5 targets) - Thomas was the offensive star of the game for the Saints. He was effective in both the running and passing games and totaled 144 yards from scrimmage. Thomas had 20 touches compared to eight for Deuce McAllister. Thomas had runs of 16 and 15 yards and caught passes for 24 and 21 yards. He also plunged in for a one yard touchdown. With the return of Reggie Bush on the horizon, it will be interesting to see how Thomas factors in the Saints' offense.

Thomas dropped one pass that was slightly behind him.

RB Deuce McAllister, Rush: 8 - 18 - 1 - Against a weak Kansas City run defense, McAllister figured to be a major factor. He was overshadowed, by Pierre Thomas, however. McAllister ran eight times for only 18 yards. His fourth touchdown of the year was the Saints' first touchdown of the game. The Saints' all time leading rusher tied Dalton Hilliard for first place with 53 career touchdowns.

RB Aaron Stecker, Rec: 1 - 12 - 0 (1 targets) - Stecker caught one 12 yard pass. He had no rushing attempts.

WR Lance Moore, Rec: 8 - 102 - 1 (9 targets) - Moore, New Orleans' leading receiver led the team in targets, receptions and receiving yardage. Moore made a nice grab on his fifth touchdown reception of the year. He now has a touchdown reception in each of his last three games.

WR Marques Colston, Rec: 3 - 30 - 0 (7 targets) - Colston had a relatively quiet game with three receptions for 30 yards. He dropped a pass inside the five yard line after a flea flicker. Colston was double covered on the play, but could have hauled it in. Colston was targeted in the end zone on another occasion.

WR Devery Henderson, Rush: 1 - -1 - 0, Rec: 2 - 22 - 0 (5 targets) - Henderson caught only two passes for 22 yards. He was targeted on Drew Brees' interception. Henderson slipped on the play, but Jarrad Page had a good jump on the pass and may have picked it off anyway. Henderson was guilty of one drop.

The Saints tried an end around to Henderson early in the game, but Kansas City was not fooled; the play lost a yard.

TE Jeremy Shockey, Rec: 6 - 39 - 0 (8 targets) - Shockey was New Orleans' second most targeted receiver. However, he was on the sideline in some notable passing situations. Nevertheless, he contributed six receptions for 39 yards. Shockey dropped his other two targets, one of which was not well thrown, but was catchable.

Shockey had his 400th career reception in the game. Among tight ends, only Kellen Winslow, Sr. took fewer games to reach 400 catches than Shockey.

TE Mark Campbell, Rec: 1 - 5 - 0 (2 targets) - Campbell caught one pass for five yards. He was injured on the play as the cornerback barreled into his legs and hyper extended his knee. The extent of the injury remains to be seen.

PK Garrett Hartley 3 - 3 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 12 points - In two games, Hartley has nailed all ten of his kicks (five extra points and five field goals).

NO Rush Defense - Kansas City rushed for 124 yards. However, 44 of those came on a 32 yard draw by Tyler Thigpen and a 12 yard draw play by Jamaal Charles that both occurred in passing situations. Larry Johnson was held in check and was stopped four times from inside the five yard line during the game. The Saints forced field goals of 20 and 21 yards on two key defensive stands.

Roman Harper led the unit with nine solo tackles and an assist. Scott Fujita chipped in with eight solos, an assist, and a forced fumble.

NO Pass Defense - Tyler Thigpen completed only 50 percent of his passes. However, he threw for 232 yards and two touchdowns. Usama Young sealed the game with an interception late on a fourth down play. The saints did a good job of pressuring Thigpen throughout the game and sacked him four times. Jeff Charleston had two sacks, while Will Smith and Bobby McCray each had one.

QB Tyler Thigpen, Pass: 19 - 38 - 235 - 2 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 3 - 45 - 0 - After struggling in his initial start earlier in the season, Thigpen has emerged as a reliable player since he took over in week eight. In his three previous starts, he threw for 710 yards and six touchdown passes with no interceptions. Thigpen kept that interception free streak alive until his final pass of the game on a fourth and ten play. He was forced to throw the ball up in the direction of Dwayne Bowe, but the pass was short and picked off by Usama Young. Thigpen had thrown 161 passes without an interception prior to that play.

Thigpen completed only 50 percent of his passes in the game, but still threw for 235 yards and two touchdowns. He was also effective with his feet, running three times for 45 yards, including a 32 yard scamper on a well executed quarterback draw. The play set the Chiefs up at the Saints' three yard line. Two plays later, Thigpen found Dwayne Bowe for a touchdown to cut the Saints' lead to seven points. Thigpen also twice set up big plays by rolling out and throwing on the run. In the first half, he bought time and found Will Franklin open for a 42 yard gain. Later, on a very similar play, he hit Mark Bradley for a big gain.

RB Larry Johnson, Rush: 19 - 67 - 0, Rec: 1 - 20 - 0 (1 targets) - Johnson returned after missing four games. He fought hard for extra yardage, but may have been somewhat rusty. Johnson was stopped four times from inside the New Orleans' five yard line, including just outside of the goal line in the second quarter. At times, it appeared Johnson was slow to the hole, while other times, he showed good burst. Johnson fumbled twice, but Kansas City retained possession both times. Johnson lined up frequently in what is called the "pistol" formation, which is essentially an I formation without the fullback. He also took direct snaps a few times in the game.

Johnson caught a screen pass and reeled off a 20 yard gain.

RB Jamaal Charles, Rush: 2 - 12 - 0 - Charles gained 12 yards on a draw play. He did a nice job to make a defender miss, regain his balance and break a tackle to pick up the first down.

WR Dwayne Bowe, Rec: 7 - 53 - 2 (16 targets) - Bowe was targeted a game high sixteen times. He led the Chiefs with seven receptions and had his first two touchdown game. On both touchdown plays, Thigpen threw the ball high and allowed Bowe to use his size and strength in jump ball situations.

Bowe was targeted two other times in the end zone and also on two other deep passes. He was guilty of three drops, though one would have been a tough catch. Another on a screen attempt probably would have lost yardage.

WR Mark Bradley, Rec: 3 - 54 - 0 (8 targets) - Bradley caught three passes for 54 yards and looks to be an effective complement to Bowe. One of his catches was a short pass. On the play, Bradley was able to spin out of a tackle to gain a first down. However, Bradley dropped a key third down pass late in the game that forced Kansas City to punt. The pass, which would have picked up the first down, hit Bradley right in the numbers.

WR Will Franklin, Rec: 1 - 42 - 0 (2 targets) - Franklin was targeted deep twice in the first half. He had a 42 yard reception that helped set up a short field goal.

WR Devard Darling, Rec: 1 - 8 - 0 (1 targets) - Darling caught his only target for an eight yard gain.

TE Tony Gonzalez, Rec: 5 - 39 - 0 (10 targets) - Gonzalez had five catches for 39 yards. Gonzalez was stopped inside the one after a grab. He was also targeted on a stop and go near the end zone. The pass was incomplete, but drew a penalty flag. He twice left the game with injuries, but was able to return each time. When he was in the game, Gonzalez and Dwayne Bowe drew Thigpen's focus.

Gonzalez has now caught a pass in 125 consecutive games. Only Ozzie Newsome had a longer streak among tight ends

TE Brad Cottam, Rec: 1 - 19 - 0 (1 targets) - Cottam made a good catch on a low throw early in the game for a 19 yard gain.

PK Connor Barth 2 - 2 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 8 points - Barth hit two short field goals and remains perfect on his five attempts this season.

KC Rush Defense - Kansas City held Deuce McAllister in check, but Pierre Thomas averaged 5.5 yards on his 16 carries. Maurice Leggett led the team with seven solo tackles.

KC Pass Defense - The Chiefs gave ups 266 passing yards on the game. They were unable to get consistent pressure on Drew Brees and finished with no sacks.

Kansas City's last ranked defense had only six sacks in its first nine games. No team since 1982 has gotten to the opposing passer so infrequently. As you might expect, the Chiefs registered no sacks against New Orleans either.

Despite the lack of pressure the unit has generated, the Chiefs led the NFL with 21 takeaways coming in. Jarrad Page added to that number with an interception.

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Houston Texans 27, Indianapolis Colts 33

What you need to know

Houston Texans - The Texans came into their week 11 meeting with the Colts on a two game losing streak and were seeking their first road win of the season. Their game plan was to keep the ball on the ground and try to keep the ball out of the hands of the Colt offense. In the first half the Texans ran the ball on two-thirds of the offensive plays, and ran the ball just less than sixty percent of the time the entire game. The game plan worked in the first half as they ran out to a four point lead at half time. They came out and scored their second touchdown on the third play of the second half as Steve Slaton found a small crease in the line and burst through on a 71 yard touchdown run, the longest in Texan history. That was their last score until midway through the fourth quarter as the Colts were able to hold onto the ball for over 19 minutes of the second half, limiting their scoring opportunities.

Starting his second consecutive game in relief of an injured Matt Schaub, Sage Rosenfels was not called upon to throw the ball a lot. He attempted a total of 18 passes, but was able to connect on most of them as his receivers were able to get open against the Colts secondary.

Leading the way for the receivers was Andre Johnson with four receptions. Johnson was limited in his targets by design, as they only threw the ball a total of eight times in the first half. In the second half, with the Texans trialing by as much as ten points, they began to move the ball through the air instead of the ground.

The ground game was led by Steve Slaton, who got the majority of the carries between the twenties. The Texans, in an effort to limit Slaton's workload, gave the ball to Ahman Green the majority of the time when they got down close to the goal line.

Indianapolis Colts - The Colts, winners of their last two games, were needing to win in order to stay in second place in their division and try to stay within four games of first place. The going was tough early as they had to settle for field goals on three of their four possessions in the first half. The Colts got the ball down close to the twenty yard line on their first two possessions, but were unable to get any closer as the receivers had trouble hanging onto the ball.

Peyton Manning was hindered by his receivers in the first half. Six of his ten incompletions in the opening period were the direct result his receivers dropping passes that they were able to get at least one hand on. Things were better in the second half as the receivers were able to hang on to the ball and the Colts maintained possession on a seven minute scoring drive in the fourth quarter to put the game away.

Joseph Addai was the most effective offense player, gaining a total of 153 yards and two touchdowns. Addai managed to gain over 100 yards, even though his carries were limited by the substitution pattern with Dominic Rhodes in the second half as Tony Dungy rotated both backs in to keep them fresh.

What you ought to know

QB Sage Rosenfels, Pass: 13 - 18 - 192 - 0 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 2 - 4 - 0 - Rosenfels was not asked to do much through the air as the Texans kept the ball on the ground to try and limit the number of opportunities the Colts had to score. He was on target with the majority of his passes and was able to connect with his receivers as he did not face a lot of pressure from the Colt front four. Late in the game, with the Texans behind by ten points, he was forced to abandon the running game and move the offense through the air. He proved that he was more than up to the task by only throwing two incomplete passes the entire half, one of which was the result of him being hit just before he released the ball. The second incompletion will be the one that people remember because it occurred on the final play of the game. The pass was his only bad throw of the game, but it resulted in the game's only turnover as he threw the ball way short of its intended target and it was picked off on the Colt 35 yard line.

RB Steve Slaton, Rush: 14 - 156 - 1 - The Texans tried to limit Slaton's touches to keep him fresh for the entire game. The plan seemed to work, as he was clearly the most effective back in the lineup. In the first quarter he ripped off consecutive runs of seven and 23 yards to move the ball close to midfield on the opening drive. He hit his holes with quickness and assurance, sometimes only needing a small crease to run through for a five or six yard gain. His 71 yard run came on a third and one play in the third quarter as he slipped through a small hole in the line and got into the open field and simply outran the defenders on the way to the end zone.

RB Ahman Green, Rush: 9 - 17 - 2, Rec: 1 - 7 - 0 (1 targets) - Ahman Green saw limited action as he only saw a few carries in relief of Steve Slaton between the twenties. But Green was able to make the most of his touches as he scored two of the three touchdowns on short runs where he just bulled his way into the end zone on both runs, refusing to be stopped. He did not have as much success on his other short yardage carry as the Colts were able to penetrate through the line and stop him well short of the first down marker.

WR Andre Johnson, Rec: 4 - 55 - 0 (6 targets) - Andre Johnson was the leading receiver for the Texans, catching four of the six passes thrown in his direction. He did drop one catchable pass, on a first and ten play that could have resulted in a first down on their third drive, which was the only non scoring drive of the first half.

WR Kevin Walter, Rec: 3 - 79 - 0 (3 targets) - Walter's yardage totals were inflated by the biggest play of the first half for either team. On the first play of their second offensive series Rosenfels rolled out to his left after executing a play fake and hit a wide open Walter down the left sideline for a 61 yard gain down to the Colts 11 yard line. Unfortunately they could not capitalize on the excellent field position and were only able to come away with a field goal.

WR David Anderson, Rec: 2 - 26 - 0 (3 targets) - Anderson did not see many passes thrown his direction as the Texan slot receiver. He was the target on the first incomplete pass thrown by Rosenfels, and managed to haul in his other two chances late in the fourth quarter as the Texans were marching down the field on their final drive.

TE Joel Dreessen, Rec: 2 - 11 - 0 (2 targets) - Joel Dreessen was the recipient of two dump off passes where all of the other options were well covered.

TE Owen Daniels, Rec: 1 - 14 - 0 (4 targets) - Daniels was never able to get on track against the Colts as he was asked to help his linemen block. He did suffer from some bad luck as he was unable to come down with a high pass on his first target, but they came right back to him on the next play. He hauled that pass while running a crossing route, but was tripped up by the defender or else he would have had an excellent chance to score. His two targets in the second half were also both of Rosenfels incompletions.

PK Kris Brown 2 - 2 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 9 points - Brown benefited from the inability of the Texans to punch it into the end zone on two possessions in the opening half as they had to settle for short field goals.

HOU Rush Defense - The Texans rush defense did an average job as they were able to hold the Colts backs in check for the opening half. They were able to limit the Colts to 37 yards rushing as they were effective in pursuit and closed off the outside runs of Addai. However, in the second half they were unable to stop the Colts when the game was on the line as the Colts were able to move the ball on the ground on the final seven minute drive to put the game away.

HOU Pass Defense - The final numbers of the Texans pass defense look good, considering they were facing the high octane Colts offense. But the numbers are somewhat misleading as they were unable to get any type of pressure on Peyton Manning, and they were helped by six dropped passes in the first half.

QB Peyton Manning, Pass: 30 - 46 - 320 - 2 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 2 - 1 - 0 - Manning threw for over 300 yards, with almost 200 coming in the second half, as the Colts overcame a four point half time deficit to beat the Texans. He was limited in his ability to lead the offense in the first half by an uncharacteristic six dropped passes by his usually sure handed receivers. Each of the passes was catchable, and most of them would have resulted in first down plays that would have kept drives going. The dropped passes were partially responsible for the Colts having to settle for three field goals instead on touchdowns in the opening half. The second half started better as Manning opened up by completing 11 of his first 13 passes, including two touchdowns. The second touchdown pass would not have occurred if it was not for the second effort of Marvin Harrison, who somehow managed to keep his balance and forced his way into the end zone after appearing to be stopped on the two yard line.

RB Joseph Addai, Rush: 22 - 105 - 1, Rec: 4 - 48 - 1 (8 targets) - Joseph Addai saw a lot of work in the opening half, but had little to show for it as the Texans were able to shut down the outside running game. To compensate for the ineffectiveness of the running game, he became involved in the passing game as he saw six of his eight targets in the first half. As the second half opened the Colts made adjustments to open up the running lanes and Addai benefited by scoring touchdowns on the first two possessions. His first touchdown was on a route where Manning looked off the defensive backs and found him alone on the right side of the field and the defenders had no chance to get him before he made it to the end zone. His rushing touchdown, on the next series, was on a simple read play where he found a hole in the left side of the line and burst through it.

RB Dominic Rhodes, Rush: 10 - 48 - 0, Rec: 3 - 26 - 0 (3 targets) - Rhodes saw the majority of his action in the second half as the Colts were trying to keep Addai fresh. The two backs almost split their carries evenly in the second half as they rotated into the lineup in order to keep the offense on the field for over 18 minutes of the second half. Rhodes showed his versatility by catching passes by either lining up in the backfield or as a receiver.

WR Marvin Harrison, Rec: 9 - 77 - 1 (13 targets) - Marvin Harrison and Peyton Manning showed that they are still on the same wave length even though he may have lost a step over the years. After only catching one pass in the first half, due to a pass interference penalty on the defense on one play and being overthrown in the end zone on another, they were able to light it up by catching eight passes in the second half. The most important reception of the game was not the game winning touchdown pass where he somehow managed to keep his balance and twist into the end zone, but on a third and nine play from the Texan 25 late in the fourth quarter. Harrison caught the ball just past the third down maker, but the official originally ruled that he was just short of the first down. Tony Dungy correctly challenged the ruling on the field and the Colts had a key first down deep in Texans territory and were able to run another minute off of the clock and kick a field goal with just under two minutes left in the game.

WR Reggie Wayne, Rec: 7 - 90 - 0 (11 targets) - Reggie Wayne led all Colts receivers in yardage gained with 90 yards, but could have had an even better game if it was not for two plays in the first half. On the first play he let a ball bounce off of his hands on a deep post route that would have been gone for a big gain. The second play came late in the second half when he had a 22 yard completion wiped out by a holding penalty. He was able to make corrections and step up his play in the second half as he not only was able to get open, but also gain some extra yards by putting moves on the defensive backs and breaking through tackles.

WR Anthony Gonzalez, Rec: 2 - 35 - 0 (3 targets) - Gonzalez saw limited action as the third wide receiver in the Colt offense. He was only able to catch two of the three passes thrown in his direction, but he did get one hand on the ball on his third target but was unable to bring it in.

TE Dallas Clark, Rec: 5 - 44 - 0 (9 targets) - Dallas Clark had a good game exploiting the middle of the middle of the field. He was able to make good catches in traffic, but will probably be remembered for pulling up short on a pass thrown to the middle of the field as he expected to get hit.

PK Adam Vinatieri 4 - 4 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 15 points - Vinatieri was busy in the first half with three field goals as the Colts were unable to punch the ball in during three trips deep into Texans territory.

IND Rush Defense - The rush defense did a good job of holding the Texans running backs in check, with the exception of a couple of long runs by Steve Slaton that totaled 94 yards. The linemen were able to get some penetration on short yardage carries and turn the ball carrier back into the heart of the defense.

IND Pass Defense - The pass defense only allowed a net of 179 yards passing as the Texans only attempted a total of 18 passes. They were able to get some pressure on Rosenfels, sacking him twice. Their only interception came on a poorly thrown pass on the final Texans offensive play.

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New York Jets 34, New England Patriots 31

What you need to know

New York Jets - Brett Favre had a good fantasy line and was instrumental in the Jets winning this game. The Jets offense kept just enough of a run game to make the Patriots respect it. It was clear however that Favre wanted to attack by spreading the defense out, staying balanced and making quick throws. Favre started and finished the game with impressive drives. On the opening drive, Favre went five for five with a touchdown to Leon Washington and was five for six in over time that lead to the winning field goal from Jay Feely.

Thomas Jones had another solid fantasy week following his huge performance last week against the Rams. He broke 100 yards yet again while carrying the load 30 times. Jones scored a key touchdown late in the fourth quarter to give the Jets lead once again after the Patriots had tied the game.

Leon Washington was an integral part of the Jets win. He picked up yards through the air and on the ground. He caught a TD pass to cap off the opening drive of the game and give the Jets an early lead. In the second quarter, Washington took a Patriots kickoff 92 yards untouched for another New York touchdown.

New England Patriots - Matt Cassel showed a lot of moxie in this game and he ended with a gaudy stat line. He became the first Patriots QB to ever throw for 400 yards and also run for greater then 50 yards in the same game. Cassel spread his three passing touchdowns to Ben Watson, Jabar Gaffney and Randy Moss.

The Patriots featured a three headed monster at running back during this game. None of Ellis-Green, Faulk, or Morris established any type of consistent running attack. In fact, Matt Cassel was the Patriots best rusher at 62 yards. The Jets front four certainly deserves some of the credit as there was little room to run between the tackles.

Randy Moss was one second away from having a poor game. His improbable 16 yard TD catch with a single second left on the clock salvaged both his stat line and the Patriots hopes of winning the game. This clutch catch forced the game to overtime.

What you ought to know

QB Brett Favre, Pass: 26 - 33 - 258 - 2 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 3 - 1 - 0 - Favre started the game five for five with a touch down to Leon Washington and was highly impressive with his typical strong arm and great zip on the ball. The offense featured many plays with one or three step drops. The Jets also showed a fair amount of empty sets with four or five wide. Favre did a super job of looking off linebackers and he also used pump fakes to manipulate the Patriots defenders and help his intended receivers get open. Favre struggled some during the middle of game when the defense dialed up more pressure and made him throw out of sync. Overall, he avoided giving up turnovers and helped manage the game beautifully. The drive in over time was impressive in the fact that the Jets sideline looked dejected after the Patriots tied the game with one second left in the game. Favre was on point in the final drive and used Keller to help keep the chains moving.

RB Thomas Jones, Rush: 30 - 104 - 1, Rec: 2 - 15 - 0 (3 targets) - Jones ran hard and got plenty of opportunities in this game carrying the ball 30 times. He followed his blockers well and got the yards he should. Jones was not able to break off any longer runs as his biggest rush went for 13 yards. His lone touchdown came on a one yard dive late in the game to give the Jets the lead. Also of note, Jones did receive some red zone targets as well.

RB Leon Washington, Rush: 5 - 18 - 0, Rec: 2 - 17 - 1 (4 targets) - Washington made the most of his limited action in this game. He was targeted just the four times and only ran the ball five times. On his touchdown, he lined up as a wide receiver and was matched up on a linebacker. Jones caught the wide receiver screen pass and sped to the end zone from ten yards out. This capped an impressive opening drive for the Jets. Washington also had a huge impact on the D/ST by taking a kick off 92 yards for an impressive score.

WR Laveranues Coles, Rec: 5 - 38 - 0 (5 targets) - Coles seems to be targeted on shorter routes with the hopes of him making defenders miss after the catch. His best catch of the game came on a key third down play that was originally ruled incomplete. Jets head coach Eric Mangini prudently challenged the play and it was over turned to a completion. This reversal of fortune for Jets gave them a first down instead of having to punt and eventually to a touch down. Coles has been nursing leg injuries and he limped off the field when he got his rolled up on by fellow teammate Thomas Jones. Coles returned a couple of plays later.

WR Jerricho Cotchery, Rec: 5 - 87 - 1 (8 targets) - With Coles catching the shorter stuff, this has freed up Cotchery on the other side to vertically stretch opposing defenses. He had a couple of very nice catches on the day including a circus one handed catch with a Patriots defender draped all over him. His touchdown was impressive by making a defender miss on a tackle attempt and then extended the ball with his full reach to break the plane of the goal. Cotchery was targeted in the red zone one occasion other then the touchdown. Also, of note he had a ball stripped away and fumbled early in the fourth quarter.

WR Brad Smith, Rush: 1 - 17 - 0 - When the Jets used the wildcat formation inside the red zone, he ran the ball off tackle with having an option toss to Thomas Jones. They play was well run and went for 17 yards and almost a score.

WR Chansi Stuckey, Rec: 1 - 3 - 0 (1 targets) - Stuckey made a key catch on a third and two late in the fourth quarter. This was his only target in the game.

TE Dustin Keller, Rec: 8 - 87 - 0 (11 targets) - He and Brett Favre certainly have a rapport with other. He was the most targeted Jets receiver. Many of his plays were seam routes as well as simple stop routes where he found the soft spots in the Patriots zone coverage. Of note, Keller dropped a sure TD that was thrown slightly behind him, although he should have made the catch. He was targeted often in red zone situations and was impressive by catching many balls over the middle and in heavy traffic.

TE Chris Baker, Rec: 3 - 11 - 0 (4 targets) - Baker made three catches that were all short gains. It was apparent that Baker is more of a short yardage type of receiver and Keller is used more in medium to deep routes.

PK Jay Feely 2 - 2 FG, 4 - 4 XP, 10 points - Feely scored ten points and was four for four on extra points. He was good on two field goals, one from 22 yards and the game winner in overtime from 34 yards.

NYJ Rush Defense - They did a good job of limiting the Patriots running attack and none of the running back got untracked. With playing a lot of man coverage, they gave up a lot of yards to QB Matt Cassel who escaped the pocket frequently and picked up 62 yards on his various scrambles.

NYJ Pass Defense - It was a great performance for the secondary. There were times where they looked stout and were giving the Patriots trouble. However, Cassel and company started to take what the Jets were giving them and they went on to rack up 400 passing yards. The Jets were able to sack the quarterback twice and one of them was on fourth down late in the first half deep in Jets territory.

QB Matt Cassel, Pass: 30 - 51 - 400 - 3 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 8 - 62 - 0 - Cassel showed excellent scrambling abilities and was often able to run for more then ten yards at a time. During the first half he seemed a little stiff and like he was afraid to mistakes. All of his throws were conservative, and thrown only where his receivers had a chance to catch the ball. This led to a few poor early throws. As the game progressed he made better reads and took advantage of single coverage when possible. The signature play of the game for Cassel was out routes all based on timing. They ran variations of this play to both Gaffney and Watson and probably had success in the neighborhood of about ten times. He did a great job of distributing the ball to various targets and run the hurry up offense extremely efficiently. Cassel struggled to find rapport with Randy Moss on his deep throws throughout the game and missed some opportunities for potential easy scores.

RB Kevin Faulk, Rush: 8 - 38 - 0, Rec: 4 - 49 - 0 (5 targets) - Faulk was being utilized by running outside as well as some delayed draws especially from the shotgun. As usual, Faulk enjoyed more success catching the ball. He had a good gain up the sideline as he ran over a few Jets defenders.

RB Sammy Morris, Rush: 5 - 14 - 0 - Morris returned from injury to run the ball five times. He ran hard and helped the Patriots in short yardage situations.

RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Rush: 2 - 9 - 0 - Green-Ellis had a one or two decent runs early in the game where he picked up solid yards usually from power running formations. The constant rotation may have hurt his feel for the game and he did not see much action in the second half. The Jets do deserve some credit for limiting yards between the tackles and this where Green-Ellis seems to thrive.

RB Heath Evans, Rush: 2 - 2 - 0 - The FB had a couple of quick hitter type runs.

WR Wes Welker, Rec: 7 - 108 - 0 (8 targets) - It was a typical Welker performance in that he ran great routes, found soft parts in the defense and was effective after the catch. No real high lights for him, however by the end of the game he racked up over 100 yards and was a good fantasy start.

WR Jabar Gaffney, Rec: 7 - 86 - 1 (12 targets) - Gaffney was working primarily out of the slot. When the Jets doubled Moss and Welker, Gaffney got single coverage and took advantage of it. He also benefitted from two prevent situations both at the end of the half as well at the end of the game. This is where a lot of his yards came from. Gaffney caught his touchdown at the end of the half where he simply ran past the Jets defender for an easy score. Also of note, Gaffney had one dropped ball and caught a two point conversion.

WR Randy Moss, Rec: 3 - 26 - 1 (8 targets) - Moss did not make a reception until the first play of the third quarter. He and Cassel struggled with their deep routes as he was often over thrown. Moss drew double cover the entire game was being jammed at the line of scrimmage and this effective. On the last play of the game for some reason the Jets gave Moss a free release and single coverage. It cost them a clutch 16 yard touchdown catch from Moss. This last play rescued Moss owners from a potentially poor stat line.

WR Sam Aiken, Rec: 1 - 43 - 0 (2 targets) - Aiken caught a WR screen and went untouched for 43 yards and on his other target he had a drop.

TE Ben Watson, Rec: 8 - 88 - 1 (15 targets) - Much like Gaffney, Watson was busy because the Jets game plan was to double Moss and Welker for much of the game. He made a couple of really nice catches during the game including catch over the middle that he was mauled by a Jets defender. He received three red zone looks during the game. A bizarre play for Watson was him losing a fumble on the opening possession in the third quarter. It was odd because he wasn't even hit on the play, he simply dropped the ball while trying to his arms to protect the ball.

PK Stephen Gostkowski 3 - 3 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 11 points - Gostkowski was perfect on the day and scored 11 points. This included three extra points and three field goals from distances of 42, 31 and 47 yards.

NE Rush Defense - They grinded it out against Thomas Jones all game and made him work for every yard they did not get gashed for any big plays. In total the Jets ran for a touchdown and 140 yards.

NE Pass Defense - The pass rush came alive during the middle of the game and the pair of Vince Wilfork and Richard Seymour registered sacks. The secondary also forced a fumble from Jets receiver Jerricho Cotchery. The linebackers had some trouble with Dustin Keller and perhaps the key play of the game came in over time. The Jets were facing a third and 15 and for the Patriots blew their coverage assignment on Keller and he ran uncovered for 16 yards to convert the first down and keep the winning drive alive.

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Minnesota Vikings 13, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 19

What you need to know

Minnesota Vikings - The Vikings used a run heavy offense in the first half, where RB Adrian Peterson racked up 71 rushing yards, to control the clock and limit the opportunities Tampa Bay had offensively. Along with Peterson's steady running, QB Gus Frerotte was able to connect with WR Bobby Wade for a four yard passing score to help the Vikings take a 13-6 lead into halftime.

The second half was a different story for Minnesota. Tampa Bay controlled the clock, finished off their opening second half possession with a rushing score and added a few Matt Bryant field goals to seal the deal. The Vikings had two chances to come back, but turned the ball over on downs and lost the ball on a Chester Taylor fumble on their last possession of the game. Peterson had just 14 second half rushing yards and Minnesota ran just eight fourth quarter plays, none of which included Peterson.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers - The Buccaneers used their normal game plan; keep it close offensively and rely on stingy defense to keep putting them in position to score and shut down the opposition when it counts most. Tampa Bay mustered just two first half field goals and were torn apart by the Minnesota rushing attack, but turned it around in the second half.

QB Jeff Garcia led an opening second half drive of 80 yards that was capped off by a B. J. Askew score from one yard out that tied the score at 13. They added two fourth quarter field goals by kicker Matt Bryant that extended the lead to six. Their missed opportunities that forced them to settle for field goals instead of touchdowns almost came back to haunt them, however. Minnesota had the ball twice trailing by just six points, but lost the ball on downs and a lost fumble that sealed the victory for Tampa Bay.

What you ought to know

QB Gus Frerotte, Pass: 14 - 20 - 138 - 1 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 2 - 3 - 0 - Frerotte had a mediocre game against Tampa Bay, where he completed 14 of 20 passes for 138 yards and a four yard touchdown pass to WR Bobby Wade. Frerotte did have a fumble that he recovered and did not throw any interceptions, but he was sacked five times and converted just five of 12 on third downs, and zero of two on fourth down conversions.

RB Adrian Peterson, Rush: 19 - 85 - 0, Rec: 1 - -3 - 0 (3 targets) - Adrian Peterson had a big first half, where he ran the ball 13 times for 71 yards, but was neutralized in the second half, where due to great ball control by Tampa Bay, he received just six rushes for a total of 14 yards. Peterson was targeted three times, but caught just one pass for a three yards loss in the passing game.

RB Chester Taylor, Rush: 5 - 11 - 0, Rec: 2 - 15 - 0 (2 targets) - Taylor had just five rushes for 11 yards on the ground and two receptions for 15 yards receiving. Unfortunately for Taylor and the Vikings, he fumbled on an 11 yard reception on the team's last drive and the Buccaneers recovered, ending any comeback hopes for Minnesota.

WR Sidney Rice, Pass: 0 - 1 - 0 - 0 TD / 0 INT, Rec: 2 - 22 - 0 (3 targets) - Rice received three targets in the passing game, where he came down with two receptions for 22 yards. He also attempted a pass on a reverse play, but threw the ball away into the end zone.

WR Bernard Berrian, Rec: 3 - 46 - 0 (4 targets) - Berrian was targeted four times and finished with three receptions for 46 yards. He was targeted one time on third down and three of his receptions resulted in first downs.

WR Bobby Wade, Rec: 2 - 12 - 1 (5 targets) - Wade was targeted five times and finished with two receptions for 12 yards, including a four yard touchdown reception on a third and goal play.

TE Visanthe Shiancoe, Rec: 2 - 41 - 0 (4 targets) - Shiancoe was targeted four times and finished with two receptions for 41 yards. Both of his receptions resulted in first downs.

PK Ryan Longwell 2 - 2 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 7 points - Longwell connected from 43 and 37 yards out on his only two field goal attempts and added an extra point to finish with seven points for the game.

MIN Rush Defense - Minnesota gave up 108 yards on 33 attempts, just a 3.3. ypc average, stopped Tampa Bay on a fourth and short play and knocked RB Ernest Graham out of the game early. The only negative on their rush defense was the short rushing score they allowed to RB B. J. Askew.

LB Chad Greenway had a big game defensively with 16 tackles and LB Napoleon Harris chipped in with eight solo tackles and one assist.

MIN Pass Defense - The Vikings allowed QB Jeff Garcia to throw for an efficient 255 yards on 23 of 30 passing, and did allow a score through the air that was called back, but they came up big when it mattered most and did a great job of keeping the game within reach for their offense. They forced Tampa Bay to settle for five field goal attempts instead of touchdowns and while they only recorded one sack, they put enough pressure on the Buccaneers offense that forced them to keep making adjustments throughout the game.

LB Chad Greenway had the team's only sack and DB Antoine Winfield added seven solo tackles and one assist to lead the secondary.

QB Jeff Garcia, Pass: 23 - 30 - 255 - 0 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 6 - 21 - 0 - Jeff Garcia was on his game against Minnesota. He finished 23 of 30 for 255 yards and added six rushes for 21 yards on the ground. Throughout the game he made play after play on the move and extended numerous plays for the Buccaneers. Garcia did have a touchdown pass called back on a holding penalty, but aside from that, the only negative for he and the Buccaneers was their inability to convert in the red zone, where Tampa Bay had to settle for five field goal attempts that they failed to convert into touchdowns. Garcia also showed his toughness after being drilled by Minnesota DL Ray Edwards on a late hit that would have put many players out of the game by shaking it off and not missing a play for the Buccaneers.

RB Warrick Dunn, Rush: 20 - 53 - 0, Rec: 4 - 65 - 0 (6 targets) - Dunn carried the load for the Buccaneers after the Graham injury and finished with 53 yards rushing on 20 carries and added four receptions for 65 yards receiving on six targets. Dunn made a nice adjustment on an extended play by QB Jeff Garcia, as he turned and ran by a Minnesota LB for a 36 yard gain.

RB B.J. Askew, Rush: 1 - 1 - 1, Rec: 2 - 9 - 0 (2 targets) - Askew scored a one yard touchdown on his only rush of the game and added two receptions for nine yards on two targets in the passing game.

RB Earnest Graham, Rush: 1 - 3 - 0 - Graham had just one rush for three yards before he left the game early in the first quarter with an ankle injury. He came into the game with a sore knee, but had his leg and ankle rolled on while being tackled on his only carry and did not return.

WR Antonio Bryant, Rush: 1 - 9 - 0, Rec: 5 - 59 - 0 (8 targets) - Bryant was the most targeted Tampa Bay receiver with eight, and he finished with five receptions for 59 yards. He could have had a much bigger day, but had a 27 yard touchdown reception called back for a holding penalty. Bryant was also used on a reverse and gained nine yards on the play.

WR Michael Clayton, Rec: 3 - 36 - 0 (5 targets) - Clayton received five targets and finished with three receptions for 36 yards.

WR Ike Hilliard, Rec: 1 - -1 - 0 (1 targets) - Hilliard caught the only pass thrown to him for a one yard loss on a third down play.

WR Joey Galloway - Galloway was active for the game but was on the sideline for the majority of it. He did get some reps in the second half, but was not targeted.

TE Jerramy Stevens, Rec: 6 - 84 - 0 (7 targets) - Stevens had a busy game for Tampa Bay as he was targeted seven times and came down with six receptions for 84 yards. Three of his receptions resulted in first downs, and Stevens was brought down on the one yard line on one of his catches, just missing a touchdown.

PK Matt Bryant 4 - 5 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 13 points - Bryant had a busy afternoon kicking for Tampa Bay, converting field goals of 39, 26, 29 and 26 yards but missing a 46 yard attempt. He also added an extra point to finish with 13 points for the game.

TB Rush Defense - The Buccaneers had a tough time shutting down the Minnesota rushing attack in the first half, where Minnesota racked up 85 yards on 20 attempts, but they got some help by their offense in the second half, and with ball control offense and finished tackles defensively, they were able to limit the offensive plays for the Vikings and take their most dangerous weapon, Adrian Peterson, virtually out of the game.

LB Barrett Ruud led the way defensively with six solo tackles and two assists and LB Derrick Brooks added four solo tackles and two assists to lead Tampa Bay.

TB Pass Defense - Tampa Bay did give up a score through the air, but played well against the pass, as they allowed just 111 net pass yards, totaled five sacks and held the Vikings to five of 12 on third downs. Most importantly, they came up big on Minnesota's final drive of the game, forcing a Chester Taylor fumble on a reception that iced the game.

DB Tanard Jackson had five solo tackles and an assist and DL Jimmy Wilkerson forced the Taylor fumble that was recovered by DB Ronde Barber. Sacks were recorded by Barber, Ruud, Wilkerson, Chris Hovan and Kevin Carter.

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Cleveland Browns 29, Buffalo Bills 27

What you need to know

Cleveland Browns - QB Brady Quinn did not have a great game as the Bills got pretty good pressure on him and forced him to complete less then fifty percent of passes, and held him to 185 yards passing and no touchdowns. He did do a good job of protecting the ball and did not make any turnovers in the game. He certainly favored receivers WR Braylon Edwards and TE Kellen Winslow, as 26 of his 36 targets went to these two players. Quinn did show some scrambling ability as he ran for 18 yards in the game.

RB Jamal Lewis had 65 yards on 18 carries as the Bills did a good job containing Lewis most of the night. His best scoring opportunity came in the second quarter when he broke off a 16 yard run but, was pushed out of the bounds on the two yard line. WR Josh Cribbs ran the ball in on the next play. Backup RB Jerome Harrison broke a big 72 yard touchdown run in the second half for the game's biggest play.

WR Braylon Edwards had just his second hundred yard receiving game of the year when he hauled in eight passes for 104 yards. Edwards didn't score a touchdown and never had a real great scoring opportunity in the game. He was Quinn's favorite target as he finished with 16 targets in the game.

Buffalo Bills - Despite rushing for one touchdown and throwing for another, QB Trent Edwards did not look good in this game and played poorly. He threw three interceptions in the first quarter and seemed to lose some confidence. Ten of his sixteen completions went to RB Marshawn Lynch on short passes. Edwards had trouble finding receivers down the field and seemed to hang on to the ball too long. He only completed four passes to his wide receivers. He had a one yard touchdown run and an 18 yard touchdown pass to Lynch in the game.

RB Marshawn Lynch had his best game of the season as he topped hundred yards for the first time this season with 119 yards on the ground. Lynch was also the Bills, leading receiver as he had a game high ten catches, including a short dump off pass that he took 18 yards for a touchdown on a brilliant run through the Cleveland defense. Lynch almost scored a second touchdown on another impressive run for 28 yards but, he fell just short of the goal line, and QB Trent Edwards scored on a quarterback sneak on the next play.

The Bills leading receiver this season, WR Lee Evans, was all but invisible as he did not catch a pass or even get a target in the game. Rookie CB Leodis McKelvin had a 98 yard kick return in the fourth quarter for Buffalo.

What you ought to know

QB Brady Quinn, Pass: 14 - 36 - 185 - 0 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 4 - 18 - 0 - Quinn didn't come out quite as sharp in this game as he failed to capitalize on three Buffalo interceptions in the first quarter, and only lead the team to six points off the turnovers. He faced a lot more pressure then he did last week, which was his first career start. The Bills usually don't blitz a lot but, did a lot more then usual in this game and played man-to-man mostly throughout the game. Quinn did heat up in the second quarter as he lead the Browns on a 95 yard touchdown drive and hooked up with WR Braylon Edwards three times for 48 yards on that drive. He finished the half six for 15 for 78 yards but had no turnovers, and did a good job of protecting the ball. Quinn didn't much in the second half but, did make some plays late in the game to get the Browns into field goal range. He didn't make any costly mistakes despite pretty good pressure by the Bills. He also added 18 yards rushing off of four carries.

RB Jamal Lewis, Rush: 18 - 65 - 0 (1 targets) - Lewis ran the ball pretty well in the first half and had his best run of half on a play down the right sideline for 16 yards to the Bills' two yard line before being run out of bounds in the second quarter. He did not get a chance to punch it in as Cleveland scored on the next play on a run to WR Josh Cribbs. He had 40 yards rushing on ten carries in the first half. He would add 25 more yards in the second half on eight carries and didn't have much room to run as the Bills did a pretty good job against Lewis, despite giving a big run to RB Jerome Harrison.

RB Jerome Harrison, Rush: 3 - 80 - 1, Rec: 1 - 21 - 0 (1 targets) - Harrison had the play of the game on the first play of the fourth quarter when broke a 72 yard touchdown off the left side of the line. He used his speed to out run the secondary and literally doubled the Browns rushing yard total to that point. Harrison only had more carry after that play but, did have a 21 yard pass reception. He had over 100 yards total offense in the game, not bad for a guy who only touched the ball four times in the game.

WR Braylon Edwards, Rec: 8 - 104 - 0 (16 targets) - Edwards got off to a slow start by dropping his league leading twelfth pass in the first quarter deep in Buffalo territory. He came back productive second quarter when he caught three balls for a total of 48 yards in a 95 yard touchdown drive early. He caught a 20 yard pass deep down the middle for his first catch of the game and then came back one play later with an 18 yard pass down the left side. He finished the first half with four catches for 53 yards. Edwards was Quinn's favorite target and despite man-to-man coverage most of the night, he was covered pretty well most of the night and struggled to get good separation from defenders. He finished with pretty nice game catching another four passes for 51 yards in the second half, but never really had a good scoring opportunity in the game.

WR Josh Cribbs, Rush: 1 - 2 - 1 - Cribbs scored on a two yard run when the Brown's ran a reverse to him near the goal and he was able to dive in for the touchdown.

WR Donte Stallworth, Rush: 1 - -4 - 0 (3 targets) - Stallworth had only one catch for negative four yards in the game as Stallworth seems to be an after thought in the offense. Almost all the passes go to WR Braylon Edwards and TE Kellen Winslow.

TE Kellen Winslow, Rec: 3 - 40 - 0 (10 targets) - Despite being targeted five times, Winslow only had one catch for 14 yards in the first half. He would get another five targets in the second half, but only caught two passes for 26 yards in the half. Buffalo did a good job of covering Winslow all game and limiting him to only three catches.

PK Phil Dawson 5 - 5 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 17 points - Dawson made a 30 yard kick in the first quarter. He had a 43 field goal in the third quarter and then nailed a game winning 56 yard kick with less then two minutes left.

CLE Rush Defense - DT Shaun Rogers is still a force in the middle and dominated at times in this game. The Bills had more success running away from Rogers or trapping him. The Buffalo running backs seemed to wear down the Browns in the second half of the game.

CLE Pass Defense - LB Kamerion Wimbley got his first career interception on a deflected pass on the first play of the game. LB Andra Davis got a pick on the next drive of the game for the Browns' defense. CB Brandon McDonald got Cleveland's third interception of the first quarter deep in Buffalo territory. The Browns pass defense did a good job containing QB Trent Edwards and the passing offense.

QB Trent Edwards, Pass: 16 - 26 - 148 - 1 TD / 3 INT, Rush: 3 - 7 - 1 - Edwards got off to a horrible start as he threw three interceptions in the first quarter as he went three for seven for 25 yards, and only led the offense to one first down. The Browns played a lot zone early in this game and Edwards tried to force the ball into some receivers he should not have. Edwards did lead the Bills down the field for a 70 yard touchdown drive in the second quarter and got an 18 yard touchdown pass to RB Marshawn Lynch to cap the drive. The pass was short dump pass in the flat and Lynch made a great run to get into the end zone. He finished the first half eight for 15 for 75 yards. Edwards seemed to hang on the ball too long and by time he tried to throw the ball to a receiver, the defense was able to react to the pass. He was indecisive and had trouble reading coverage, as he did have wide open receivers throughout the game. He did get a touchdown on one yard quarterback sneak after Lynch carried the ball to the goal line on a 28 yard run. Edwards longest pass of the game came to TE Robert Royal late in the game as the Bills tried to drive down the field on 22 yard reception down the middle of the field. Despite the win, Edwards looked unimpressive most of the game, and ten of his 16 receptions went to Lynch on short passes.

RB Marshawn Lynch, Rush: 23 - 119 - 0, Rec: 10 - 58 - 1 (10 targets) - Lynch got off to a slow start but, started to heat up as the game went on, and had his best game of the season, topping a hundred yards rushing for the first time this season. Lynch caught a short pass about two yards past the line of scrimmage and made a couple of great cutbacks and powered his way into the end zone. The 18 yard touchdown reception was all on Lynch's ability and poor Cleveland tackling, as he made several defenders miss and got some nice down the field blocks. Lynch only had 36 yards on 11 carries but, led the team in receptions and receiving yards at halftime with five receptions for 36 yards.

QB Trent Edwards threw to his check down receiver a lot in the game as he had trouble finding receivers down the field and was probably a little gun shy after tossing three picks in the first quarter. Lynch caught another five passes in the second half for 22 yards and 83 yards on the ground as the Browns run defense wore down in the second half. Lynch had a 28 yard run that almost lead to a second touchdown on a powerful run but, he fell just short of the goal line. Edwards punched the ball in on the next play with a quarterback sneak. Lynch led the Bills in receiving as ten of Edwards completions went to him.

RB Fred Jackson, Rush: 12 - 60 - 0 - Jackson had pair of big runs late in the second quarter on runs of 19 and 17 yards as he made some nice cutbacks and hit the open hole, something that Lynch doesn't always do as well. He seemed to hit the hole quicker then Lynch and he had some really nice runs late in the first half. Jackson led the Bills in rushing at halftime with 48 yards on only six carries. He would get six more carries for 22 yards in the second half as the Jackson and RB Marshawn Lynch combined for almost 180 yards on the ground.

WR Steve Johnson, Rec: 3 - 41 - 0 (5 targets) - The rookie Johnson led all Buffalo receivers not named Marshawn Lynch in receiving with three catches for 41 yards.

WR Roscoe Parrish, Rec: 1 - 21 - 0 (3 targets) - Parrish got a 21 yard catch early in the game when he found a hole in the zone defense and QB Trent Edwards made a nice throw to him. It was his only catch of the game.

WR Lee Evans - Evans was all but invisible in the first half as he didn't even have a target in the first half. QB Trent Edwards really struggled early in the game and stuck to short passes after his third interception in the first quarter and may have lost some confidence. Evans amazingly didn't get a look in the second half as well and was total non-factor in this game.

TE Robert Royal, Rec: 1 - 22 - 0 (4 targets) - Royal did not catch a pass in the first half. His first catch of the game came on a big catch for 22 yards over the middle late in the game as Buffalo tried to rally from a two point deficit.

PK Rian Lindell 2 - 3 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 9 points - Lindell hit a 26 yard field goal late in the first half. He made a 31 yard kick in the third quarter but missed a 47 yard kick that potentially could have won the game.

BUF Rush Defense - The Bills run defense actually didn't play that badly but, did give up a 72 yard touchdown run to Jerome Harrison that was a big reason the Bills lost this game.

BUF Pass Defense - Buffalo lost one of their best secondary players CB Jabari Green left the game in the second quarter with a knee injury but, it didn't seem to effect the pass defense too much as they did a pretty good job. They gave up couple of big drives including one at the end of the game that led to a game winning field goal.

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Detroit Lions 22, Carolina Panthers 31

What you need to know

Detroit Lions - QB Daunte Culpepper had a promising start but failed to impress throughout the game. He ended up throwing a touchdown on the opening drive, and running for one later in the game, but also fumbled the ball and threw two interceptions.

RB Kevin Smith looked great again this week, running for 112 yards. He failed to get into the end zone after running the ball four times from the 13 yard line on one drive. Smith showed the ability to be elusive and was impressive against the Panthers.

WR Calvin Johnson had three catches and a 29 yard touchdown reception on the opening drive, but only caught three additional passes the remainder of the game.

Carolina Panthers - QB Jake Delhomme did not need to do much more than hand the ball off against the Lions. He only threw the ball 19 times, and completed an unimpressive ten passes for 98 yards.

RB DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart split carries, but both produced relevant fantasy games as they combined for 250 yards rushing and three touchdowns. They tore apart the Lions and burst through holes like they were playing against a practice squad.

WR Steve Smith was targeted ten times of Delhomme's 19 passes. It was clear that Carolina designed plays to get Smith the ball as usual. TE Jeff King caught a touchdown pass in the red zone.

What you ought to know

QB Daunte Culpepper, Pass: 20 - 35 - 207 - 1 TD / 2 INT, Rush: 5 - 13 - 1 - Culpepper started off the game quickly, leading the Lions to a touchdown by completing a 29 yard pass to Calvin Johnson. He was not able to consistently get the ball downfield however, as he only threw for 207 yards on 35 attempts. Culpepper struggled late in the game when he tried to force some things and ended up throwing a late interception and losing a fumble. Culpepper also ran for a touchdown from the one yard line.

RB Kevin Smith, Rush: 24 - 112 - 0, Rec: 2 - 23 - 0 (4 targets) - Smith ran the ball often and fairly effectively on the day. He made a couple of defenders miss tackles, showing some level of elusiveness. Smith racked up 112 yards, but failed to get into the end zone, despite one series running the ball four consecutive times from the 13 yard line and getting a first down.

RB Rudi Johnson, Rush: 5 - 5 - 0, Rec: 1 - 5 - 0 (1 targets) - Johnson saw little action on the day, serving as the second running back behind Kevin Smith. He was not successful running the ball when he was in though, as he only got five total yards on five carries.

WR Calvin Johnson, Rec: 6 - 65 - 1 (10 targets) - Johnson had a solid game, but was fairly quiet after getting out of the gates with a 29 yard touchdown reception. He only caught three more passes after the opening drive. The Panthers seemed to focus on stopping Johnson rather than worrying about the run and it ended up shutting Johnson down for the most part.

WR Shaun McDonald, Rec: 3 - 30 - 0 (6 targets) - McDonald was targeted the second most among Detroit players, yielding six targets, three catches, and 30 yards. He served as the second wide receiver, but was unable to create space from his routes against the Carolina secondary.

WR John Standeford, Rec: 2 - 48 - 0 (4 targets) - Standeford saw targets late in the game and seemed to gain some trust from Culpepper, getting targeted on three straight plays. He only caught two balls, but one of them went for 32 yards.

TE Casey Fitzsimmons, Rec: 3 - 11 - 0 (4 targets) - Fitzsimmons was the fullback and snuck out of the backfield a couple of times to bring in three catches for 11 yards.

TE Michael Gaines, Rec: 2 - 21 - 0 (2 targets) - Gaines caught both of the balls thrown his way for a total of 21 yards, but one of the two balls he caught he turned the ball over to the Panthers via a fumble.

TE John Owens, Rec: 1 - 4 - 0 (3 targets) - Owens seemed to be target on check downs and while Culpepper was pressured, catching only one pass. The other two targets thrown his way were Culpepper's two interceptions.

PK Jason Hanson 3 - 3 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 10 points - Hanson made three field goals including an impressive 56 yard kick.

DET Rush Defense - The Detroit run defense was a sad sight, giving up 264 yards on the ground and allowing both DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart to have over 120 yards rushing apiece.

DET Pass Defense - The Lions held Delhomme to 96 yards passing, but that was largely because they could not force the Panthers to have to pass the ball.

QB Jake Delhomme, Pass: 10 - 19 - 98 - 1 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 2 - -2 - 0 - Delhomme had a quiet day passing the ball because the Panthers were so successful running the ball. He only threw the ball 19 times for 96 yards. He made no mistakes, but it was not a pretty game for Delhomme.

RB Jonathan Stewart, Rush: 15 - 130 - 1, Rec: 1 - 4 - 0 (1 targets) - Stewart split carried with DeAngelo Williams on the day, but that did not stop him from producing a monster game of 130 yards and a touchdown on a measly 15 carries. He hit holes hard and fast and had no problems getting into the secondary as he averaged eight yards per carry. He had a 22 yard touchdown run that put his day over the top, however it was against a weak run defense.

RB DeAngelo Williams, Rush: 14 - 120 - 2 - Williams split time with Jonathan Stewart in the backfield. He was still able to gain 120 yards and score two touchdowns, one of them coming on an impressive 56 yard run where he looked to be an elite back. The Lions have a way of making running backs look like that though, as Williams produced those numbers on only 14 carries.

WR Steve Smith, Rush: 1 - 16 - 0, Rec: 6 - 59 - 0 (10 targets) - Smith was the only receiver for the Panthers to see the ball more than three times, and he saw it ten so that shows you how much they want to get him the ball. He also ran the ball on an end around once. He did not score, but he did haul in six catches and ended with 75 all purpose yards.

WR Muhsin Muhammad, Rec: 1 - 16 - 0 (2 targets) - Muhammad was not a beneficiary of the weak Lions' run defense, as he only received two targets from Delhomme and ended up the game with one catch for 16 yards.

TE Jeff King, Rec: 2 - 19 - 1 (3 targets) - King caught the lone passing touchdown for the Panthers on a 15 yard pass from Delhomme. He had the second highest target total on the team with three targets.

PK John Kasay 1 - 1 FG, 4 - 4 XP, 7 points - Kasay made a 29 yard field goal and four extra points for a solid, unexciting day.

CAR Rush Defense - The Panthers gave up a lot of yards to Kevin Smith, but it was mainly because they focused on not letting Calvin Johnson beat them. The allowed 112 yards to Smith on 24 carries, but made a couple of key stops against the Lions.

CAR Pass Defense - Carolina looked great against the pass after the first drive, getting three sacks, two interceptions, and a forced fumble against Culpepper.

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Denver Broncos 24, Atlanta Falcons 20

What you need to know

Denver Broncos - The Denver Broncos, despite a depleted offense, managed to outlast the Atlanta Falcons and pull out a key road victory.

QB Jay Cutler played smart and did not throw any interceptions. He hit TE Daniel Graham deep in the end zone with a low pass on an apparent busted play for the game winning score in the fourth quarter.

RB Peyton Hillis shouldered most of the load for the Broncos and ended up with two scores on the day. RB Tatum Bell and RB P.J. Pope also split carries with Hillis. Pope was effective with his limited carries reeling off two rushes of fifteen yards. WR Eddie Royal also took three handoffs in the first half.

WR Brandon Marshall was the go-to guy for Cutler, hauling-in a crucial 47 yard catch in the fourth quarter that led to the game winning score for the Broncos. WR Eddie Royal was also a key part of the offense and returned kicks. TE Tony Scheffler was held without a catch and outside of Graham's touchdown the Denver tight ends did not do much as a group.

The Broncos defense outperformed expectations against a potent Falcons offense. They typically stacked seven defenders in the box to limit RB Michael Turner and managed to pick off QB Matt Ryan once. The Falcons still had a chance to win the game but WR Roddy White could not hold onto a touchdown catch on third and eighteen with under a minute to go in the game.

Atlanta Falcons - The Atlanta Falcons suffered their first home loss of the season but played well in the loss in all aspects of the game.

QB Matt Ryan continues to play well in his rookie season. He looks poised and makes good decisions from the pocket. He nearly hit WR Roddy White on third and eighteen with less than a minute left in the end zone but White could not reel the ball in. Ryan threw one interception and nearly had another picked off by LB Jamie Winborn on the team's final drive of the game.

RB Michael Turner was forced to deal with seven defenders in the box for most of the game but still managed strong numbers on the day. His 28 yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter was a thing of beauty as he evaded defenders with his speed and outran them to the end zone.

Despite his one miscue, White played well and put together another 100 yard receiving game. WR Michael Jenkins continues to be a consistent second option and WR Brian Finneran was key for the Falcons on third down situations. No tight ends showed up for Atlanta in the loss.

The Falcons defense played decently in the loss. They were unable to secure any turnovers but generally managed to hold the Broncos running game in check as the Falcons dominated time of possession.

The entire Falcons team played well enough to win but missed a couple of key opportunities that could have sealed the victory for them, both on offense and defense.

What you ought to know

QB Jay Cutler, Pass: 19 - 27 - 216 - 1 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 1 - 4 - 0 - QB Jay Cutler played well and led his team to victory on the road despite a depleted offensive line-up. Cutler did not turn the ball over and found TE Daniel Graham in the end zone in the fourth quarter to give the team the lead and the win. He hit WR Brandon Marshall for a big 47 yard gain in the fourth quarter that helped set up that game wining score but otherwise did not go deep very often.

RB Peyton Hillis, Rush: 10 - 44 - 2, Rec: 3 - 26 - 0 (3 targets) - RB Peyton Hillis was the featured back for the Broncos in week 11, but did not receive an over-abundance of carries. He hauled-in three catches and carried the ball fourteen times in the win. He scored two touchdowns but was not overly dominating.

RB Tatum Bell, Rush: 7 - 34 - 0 - RB Tatum Bell saw a good amount of playing time despite only being re-signed earlier in the week. He split carries with RB Peyton Hillis and RB P.J. Pope, although Hillis saw the most carries. Bell failed on a fourth and one conversion attempt early in the game.

RB P.J. Pope, Rush: 4 - 35 - 0 (1 targets) - RB P.J. Pope was promoted from the practice squad last week and saw limited action in week 11. Two of his four carries went for fifteen yards each and all of his attempts came in the second half.

WR Eddie Royal, Rush: 3 - 7 - 0, Rec: 4 - 34 - 0 (5 targets) - WR Eddie Royal made a nice full-stretch catch for four yards in the first quarter but did not haul-in any big receptions in the win. He also returned kicks and had some nice returns of 58 yards and 40 yards. Royal took three handoffs in the first half which was tied for most attempts for the team going into halftime.

WR Brandon Marshall, Rec: 6 - 89 - 0 (9 targets) - WR Brandon Marshall was once again the leading receiver for Denver. He hooked up with QB Jay Cutler for a 47 yard reception on a third and seven in the fourth quarter that helped set up the game winning score.

WR Brandon Stokley, Rec: 3 - 26 - 0 (3 targets) - WR Brandon Stokley was not much of a factor in the win for the Broncos.

TE Nate Jackson, Rec: 2 - 32 - 0 (2 targets) - TE Nate Jackson caught two passes in the victory and outside of TE Daniel Graham's touchdown he was the most effective tight end for Denver.

TE Daniel Graham, Rec: 1 - 9 - 1 (2 targets) - TE Daniel Graham dove to catch the game winning touchdown pass from scrambling QB Jay Cutler in the fourth quarter in the back of the end zone on an apparently busted play. It was his only catch.

TE Tony Scheffler (2 targets) - TE Tony Scheffler was held without a catch. He was only targeted twice including once in the end zone where he was overthrown by QB Jay Cutler but he was able to get a hand on it.

PK Matt Prater 1 - 2 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 6 points - PK Matt Prater missed a 49 yard field goal in the second quarter but was otherwise perfect on the day.

DEN Rush Defense - The Broncos held RB Michael Turner to a slow start by piling-up on the line of scrimmage but the Falcons committed to the run and Turner still ended up with 81 yards and two scores on the day.

DEN Pass Defense - DB Dre Bly managed one interception off of QB Matt Ryan and LB Jamie Winborn nearly sealed the victory earlier in the fourth quarter with an interception but he was unable to hold onto the ball. The Broncos were able to come up with the stops they needed late in the game to hold on to the win.

QB Matt Ryan, Pass: 20 - 33 - 250 - 0 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 5 - 18 - 0 - QB Matt Ryan continues his impressive rookie campaign despite the home loss. Despite the one interception, he played well and scrambled successfully when necessary. Ryan has a good feel for the pocket and when to move to avoid defenders. He nearly hit WR Roddy White for a score on third and eighteen on the team's last drive but White was unable to hold on and the team failed to make the comeback.

RB Michael Turner, Rush: 25 - 81 - 2 - RB Michael Turner faced a stacked line of scrimmage from the Denver Broncos but still managed to put up some solid numbers in the loss. Turner used his speed and evasiveness to avoid a series of defenders on a 28 yard scoring scamper in the fourth quarter. The Falcons committed to the run and Turner was able to use his speed and toughness to score twice.

RB Jerious Norwood, Rush: 4 - 18 - 0, Rec: 3 - 25 - 0 (6 targets) - RB Jerious Norwood was unavailable for a good portion of the game because of some bruised ribs that he suffered during the game but he was able to return in the second half.

WR Roddy White, Rec: 5 - 102 - 0 (9 targets) - WR Roddy White had a strong outing in the loss. On a third and eighteen late in the fourth quarter, White dropped a surefire touchdown pass from QB Matt Ryan and the team went on to lose. If he had caught the ball the Falcons would have likely won the contest.

WR Michael Jenkins, Rec: 5 - 55 - 0 (6 targets) - WR Michael Jenkins continues to be a reliable target for QB Matt Ryan but lacks the big yardage numbers that fellow WR Roddy White can put up.

WR Brian Finneran, Rec: 4 - 44 - 0 (5 targets) - WR Brian Finneran was a key target for QB Matt Ryan. He converted on three third down receptions. He also returned punts.

WR Laurent Robinson - WR Laurent Robinson left the game with a hamstring injury and did not return.

TE Justin Peelle (1 targets) - TE Justin Peelle did not make any catches in the loss.

PK Jason Elam 2 - 2 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 8 points - PK Jason Elam was perfect on field goals and extra points.

ATL Rush Defense - The Falcons rush defense was not overwhelmed by the multi-pronged rushing attack of the Denver Broncos but they did manage to let up just over 100 yards on the ground and two rushing scores.

ATL Pass Defense - Overall, the Falcons did a decent job against the Broncos pass offense. The game winning touchdown pass appeared to be on a broken play but QB Jay Cutler was able to hit TE Daniel Graham with a low pass deep in the end zone. The Falcons were unable to intercept any passes and only sacked Cutler once.

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Dallas Cowboys 14, Washington Redskins 10

What you need to know

Dallas Cowboys - QB Tony Romo returned and played well enough to win. It was obvious that he was still being hindered by the splint on his pinky. He had a couple of throws come out a little bit funny and wobbly. On the first interception he threw he woefully under threw Owens and it went right to the awaiting arms of DeAngelo Hall. For the most part though, the Cowboys team looked like an improved offensive unit and kept the Washington defense respecting both the run and pass. The Cowboys had averaged under 200 yards of total offense in their games while Romo was out. On the night, Romo put up a modest stat line but was reasonably effective at moving the team.

Marion Barber had a good game and was a big factor in the outcome. He scored a touchdown, racked up 114 yards on the ground and helped run out the clock late in the game and Dallas nursing a small lead. Barber was much more active in the passing game then usual and hauled in six grabs and was the Cowboys leading receiver as well.

Miles Austin appears to be getting more playing time then Patrick Crayton. He was often on the field for three wide sets with both Williams and Owens. The targets for Austin were four to Crayton's one. This could signal a change in how the Cowboys run their offense and bears watching. Austin provides more speed and has really improved his pass catching abilities. He made a key third down catch in the fourth to set up the winning touchdown later on the very next play.

Washington Redskins - Jason Campbell was under fairly heavy pressure for most of the game. He was sacked three times on the game and struggled to get the ball down field. There were very few deep attempts in the game. Campbell did throw a touch down pass to his FB Mike Sellers to cap an impressive opening drive that gave the Redskins an early lead.

Clinton Portis played after most sources had him as not likely to go. It would appear that Portis and head coach Jim Zorn perhaps bent the truth about the severity of his Week 9 knee injury. During the lead up to the game it was being called a grade two MCL sprain. In any event, Portis showed no ill effects and ran the ball effectively right out of the gate.

Santana Moss has been a Cowboy killer in past games against Dallas. Not so, this time. The Cowboys defense and especially Terrance Newman did a solid job of limiting his catches and his after the catch abilities.

What you ought to know

QB Tony Romo, Pass: 19 - 27 - 198 - 1 TD / 2 INT, Rush: 2 - -3 - 0 - Not a bad first start back for Romo. He had a mixed game with some errors and also with some signs that he is capable of making all of the necessary throws. The Cowboys seemed content with throwing lots of check downs to Barber early on. This was likely done to get Romo some feel for the ball early on in the game. There were signs of rust and that the pinky is still bothering him some. He was picked by Hall to halt a drive deep in Redskins territory, he under threw Owens badly after double pumping. Romo had two interceptions on the day. On a positive note, he seems to be developing a good chemistry with newly acquired Roy Williams. The two hooked up for some decent gains. The high-light of the game for Romo was his shovel pass in the fourth quarter to Miles Austin after successfully avoiding the Redskins pass rush. It was very Favre like. On the very next play he hit a streaking Martellus Bennett for the winning touchdown.

RB Marion Barber, Rush: 24 - 114 - 1, Rec: 6 - 39 - 0 (7 targets) - Barber had six catches on the day on top of his 114 yards running. Needless to say, Barber was a difference maker. Early in the game he caught a lot of short catches out of the backfield. He also had a fumble early on in the game that he luckily recovered himself. Barber was running hard and getting some decent blocking. It was apparent the Cowboys were attacking the Skins on the edge throwing multiple sweeps and toss plays. In the second quarter he powered in for a score from two yards out which was challenged by the replay officials and the touchdown was upheld. Late in the game Barber and the Cowboys used lots of power run sets with two full backs and hammered away at a tired Washington front seven . Barber showed his smarts on one run where he fell to the ground to avoid going out of bounds and stopping the clock. It was a big gain and his decision saved the Cowboys an additional 35 seconds.

RB Tashard Choice, Rush: 1 - 6 - 0 - Spelled Barber for a couple plays during the course of the game. He only got the one carry for six yards. He showed some speed and wiggle on his lone run.

WR Terrell Owens, Rush: 1 - 0 - 0, Rec: 5 - 38 - 0 (9 targets) - Owens was the most targeted player for the Cowboys. He also ran a double reverse that netted maybe one yard. Of note, both of Tony Romo's interceptions were in Owens' direction. The first was a poorly throw ball by Romo and the second was the result of Owens batting the ball in the air in an effort to make a catch in traffic. The Cowboys did a much better job motioning Owens to allow him a free release off of the line of scrimmage. This allowed Owens to beat the press coverage and have some success catching passes while running crossing patterns. His best catch of the game came on a deep cross route over the middle, which he almost scored on. This reception set up the Marion Barber two yard touchdown run right before the half. Owens also had two drops in this game.

WR Roy Williams, Rec: 3 - 36 - 0 (3 targets) - Williams and Romo seem to have a good rapport and feel for each other in the couple of throws that they hooked up on. Williams showed good after the catch abilities on a one step drop quick hit pass. The play went for ten yards. The other action Williams saw was a quick slant and a deep out pattern, both receptions went for first downs.

WR Miles Austin, Rec: 2 - 26 - 0 (4 targets) - During this game Austin saw the field a little more then in past games so far. He made some clutch possession type receptions on third down. The first one was a well run corner route where he showed nice hands to make the reception. His last catch of the game on a third and seven set up the eventual winning touchdown. It is possible that he may see more playing time going forward and may have passed Crayton on the depth chart. It will be worth watching.

WR Patrick Crayton (1 targets) - Miles Austin cut into Crayton's playing time. He was targeted only once on a deep sideline pass that was over thrown by Tony Romo.

TE Jason Witten, Rec: 2 - 34 - 0 (3 targets) - His first catch of the game came at the two minute warning for 28 yards. He dropped what would have been a big gain in the fourth quarter. His ribs are likely still a factor in his stat line although he did block quite well for Marion Barber.

TE Martellus Bennett, Rec: 1 - 25 - 1 (1 targets) - A couple of plays following a rare Jason Witten drop, the rookie Bennett made a tough catch in traffic for a 25 yard touchdown. It was a pretty play.

PK Nick Folk 0 - 0 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 2 points - Folk converted both of his extra point attempts.

DAL Rush Defense - After a shaky start where Portis and the Redskins moved the ball at will, the Cowboys defense settled in. Portis and the Redskins were held to just 92 yards.

DAL Pass Defense - The pass rush was able to generate good pressure throughout the game and this netted three Dallas sacks. Two of the sacks were by Jay Ratliffe and one by DeMarcus Ware. The Redskins were held to just 136 passing yards.

QB Jason Campbell, Pass: 22 - 34 - 162 - 1 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 1 - 22 - 0 - Campbell was under constant pressure when he dropped back to pass and he also had a couple of his passed deflected. Many of his passing plays were designed roll outs to the right to avoid Ware. These plays almost always went to tight end Chris Cooley. Campbell had an excellent gain on a third and long draw that went 23 yards before he ran over Pat Watkins of the Cowboys. He and receiver Santana Moss never really got untracked and were bogged down. Most of the success the Redskins had was with dump offs and screens.

RB Clinton Portis, Rush: 15 - 68 - 0, Rec: 2 - 6 - 0 (2 targets) - Despite not practicing and being expected to miss the game, Portis showed no signs of any injury. He was running with speed and in power running formations. The sweeps were working very well early in the game. Many of his most successful runs were to the left side of his line.

RB Ladell Betts, Rush: 1 - 1 - 0, Rec: 2 - 27 - 0 (2 targets) - Betts was not able to gain much on the ground in limited action. He did have a couple of nice receptions where he made some defenders miss in the open field and he punished the eventual players who tackled him.

RB Mike Sellers, Rec: 2 - 15 - 1 (2 targets) - Sellers capped off the opening drive with a two yard touchdown reception. He scored on a play action fake where Campbell rolled out to the right and Sellers beat Bradie James to the flat. Easy pitch and catch for the score.

RB Shaun Alexander, Rush: 1 - 1 - 0 - Alexander had one carry for one yard when Portis came out of the game after appearing to be banged up. Portis returned on the next series.

WR Santana Moss, Rec: 5 - 29 - 0 (11 targets) - The game plan for the Redskins seemed similar to the first time these two teams played. The plan seemed to be very simple, run the ball with Clinton Portis and attack corner Terrance Newman. Newman and Moss battled all night long with Moss losing more then he won. Moss caught five of his 11 targets for only 29 yards. Most of his catches on the day were slant routes and wide receiver screens. Campbell threw a deep to Moss were he had Newman by a half step but the ball was dropped.

WR Devin Thomas, Rec: 3 - 14 - 0 (5 targets) - Thomas made a couple of nice short catches, one of them for a first down. He seemed to replace Randle El when he came out. Thomas also had a dropped a third down pass.

WR Antwaan Randle El, Pass: 0 - 1 - 0 - 0 TD / 0 INT, Rec: 1 - 24 - 0 (3 targets) - It was not the best night for Randle El, it started with a drop on third down. His next action was an end around where he then passed the ball. The play was much like his touchdown from the Super Bowl. This pass however was just thrown out of bounds. Later in the game he left the game with an injury. Cameras caught him receiving some treatment on his left ankle from the trainers.

TE Chris Cooley, Rec: 7 - 47 - 0 (9 targets) - Cooley was the leading Redskins receiver with seven balls and 49 yards. Many of his catches were on plays with rolls outs and play action. He and Campbell had some solid gains with screen plays.

PK Shaun Suisham 1 - 2 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 4 points - Suisham scored four points with a successful extra point and 40 yard field goal. He did miss short from 46 yards into the wind.

WAS Rush Defense - In past meetings they have had lots of success against Marion Barber and the Cowboys. Not so in this game. The Cowboys ran at the ends all game with the help of pulling their guards. The Cowboys were able to run effectively and late in the fourth quarter this group couldn't get off the field and stop the clock. The Cowboys rushed for 117 yards in total.

WAS Pass Defense - It was a good outing as Tony Romo only threw for one touchdown and 198 yards. The group also had two interceptions from Rocky McIntosh and newly acquired DeAngelo Hall.

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San Diego Chargers 10, Pittsburgh Steelers 11

What you need to know

San Diego Chargers - Through 12,837 NFL games, there had never been a game with the final score 11-10. For the 2008 Chargers, that pretty much tells the story about how they find a new way to lose almost every week. This week, it was a combination of all the issues that have plagued them all season -- untimely turnovers, inability to establish the run, inability to stop the run, inability to apply pressure on the opposing quarterback, inability to connect on important field goals, the list goes on and on.

RB LaDainian Tomlinson's numbers are about as good as anyone could have hoped considering the opponent. The team utilized him perfectly in the passing game with screens, and his early touchdown turned what could have been a forgettable game into a surprisingly good one.

QB Philip Rivers was under pressure for a lot of the game, and never looked comfortable. In addition to being sacked twice, he threw two interceptions (including only the second red zone interception of his career). He also gave up a safety.

The Chargers suffered a number of injuries to a defense that is already not very good. CB Quentin Jammer and Antonio Cromartie, DL Luis Castillo and Jacques Cesaire, and LB Stephen Cooper all left the game at various points for different ailments. Castillo and Cesaire failed to return. Cromartie was shaken up on the next to last play of the game.

Pittsburgh Steelers - On a day when he failed to lead his team into the end zone, QB Ben Roethlisberger still played an outstanding game. He completed 76% of his passes for over 300 yards, didn't make a single costly mistake, and made good reads and smart decisions from the opening snap to the final whistle.

WR Hines Ward was Roethlisberger's go-to guy, as the wintry conditions prevented the team from looking too far down the field. Ward was the perfect possession receiver, hauling in a game high eleven passes for 124 yards.

RB Willie Parker grinded out 115 tough, hard fought yards against a San Diego defense that appeared ready to go at the outset. However, Parker wore them down throughout the game and was picking up large chunks of yardage by the end of the game.

What you ought to know

QB Philip Rivers, Pass: 15 - 26 - 164 - 0 TD / 2 INT, Rush: 1 - 5 - 0 - From the outset, Rivers never really looked all that comfortable. The Steelers didn't give him a lot of time in the pocket (though they only sacked him twice) and the weather conditions prevented him from looking too far downfield anyway. His first interception wasn't really his fault, as Vincent Jackson was unable to hang onto the pass. It deflected in the air, and S Troy Polamalu made a remarkable play to control the ball and intercept it. The second turnover was clearly Rivers' fault. He tried forcing a weak pass to Jackson in the front corner of the end zone, but failed to see LB James Harrison sliding across the coverage. He easily picked it off, only the second red zone interception of Rivers' career. His other costly mistake was a second quarter safety. Announcers Phil Simms and Jim Nantz praised Harrison for his quickness in getting to the ball, but the reality is that Rivers held the ball for far too long in the end zone. They put a clock on him, and he had it for over three seconds before Harrison knocked it free. Fortunately for San Diego, LT Ryan McNeill fell on the football and recovered it for a safety rather than a Pittsburgh touchdown. Rivers' third glaring mistake of the afternoon came during the drive that would eventually lead to the go-ahead field goal. On a second down pass late in the fourth quarter, he tried forcing the ball to Jackson once again. This time, it wasn't intercepted but CB Ike Taylor had his hands all over it for a near-pick. Following an incomplete fade pass to TE Antonio Gates on third down, the Chargers kicked a field goal that gave them a brief lead.

RB LaDainian Tomlinson, Rush: 18 - 57 - 1, Rec: 3 - 45 - 0 (4 targets) - While the final stat line will look good (97 total yards and a touchdown), it was actually a very frustrating game for Tomlinson. He looked good early on and moved the chains late, but in between the Chargers could get nothing going on the ground. With their inability to establish a solid ground game, their defense was on the field for far too long and was simply worn out by the end of the game. Tomlinson's touchdown run was a sneaky run, as he shiftily maneuvered in from four yards out while being helped along by some solid blocking up-front. It was his first rushing touchdown in 93 rushing attempts. The Chargers also utilized Tomlinson perfectly on several screen passes, one of which went for 26 yards. He was coming around on the ground late in the contest as well, and hit yet another milestone in going over 15,000 career yards from scrimmage. But just as he was starting to establish a rhythm, the Steelers got the ball back. They proceeded to run 6:30 off the clock and regain the lead, leaving the Chargers with just eleven seconds remaining. Near the end of the game, Tomlinson was very visibly frustrated on the sidelines and yelling at someone. He looked healthy and the offensive line did a job that was better than expected; it's just that the quality of the opponent got in the way of him turning in a legitimately big game.

RB Darren Sproles, Rush: 1 - 0 - 0, Rec: 1 - 9 - 0 (1 targets) - Sproles, whose game is predicated on speed and quick cuts, was ill-suited to do much damage in a game with these field conditions. The surface was very slick, with several players losing their footing at times. And with just three offensive touches for nine yards, it appears the Chargers' staff felt the same way.

WR Chris Chambers, Rec: 3 - 21 - 0 (4 targets) - Very quickly, Chambers has dropped from the number one receiving option in the offense to the fourth option at best. He caught a pass early in the first half, then didn't catch another until the fourth quarter. To make matters worse, his longest reception of the game was just eleven yards. To make matters the worst, the San Diego offense is unable to sustain drives lately. And the defense can't get off the field. So with so many outstanding skill position players on the Chargers, they simply don't have enough time or enough footballs to go around to make all of those players relevant fantasy-wise. And lately, the player suffering the most from that is clearly Chambers.

WR Vincent Jackson, Rec: 2 - 25 - 0 (9 targets) - Jackson had a key reception on third and ten late in the fourth quarter that put the Chargers on the six yard line. He also drew a very questionable pass interference penalty in the end zone. That was pretty much the extent of the positives for his afternoon. Besides those two plays, he dropped a pass that resulted in a Troy Polamalu interception, he was the target of the other Pittsburgh interception, was the target of a third pass that was very nearly intercepted, and generally had a difficult time gaining separation from the Pittsburgh defensive backs.

WR Malcom Floyd, Rec: 2 - 29 - 0 (2 targets) - Floyd saw the fifth most targets on the team, yet was second in receiving yardage. That should tell you all you need to know about how productive the big guys were. That is, not very productive. Floyd's first reception of the game was actually ruled an incomplete pass initially. It was inside of two minutes in the first half, so replay officials called for a review. It was determined that Floyd had slid and got his knee down inbounds prior to going out. His second grab was a huge 15 yard connection on third and nine early in the fourth quarter. That reception extended the drive and led to what was almost the game-winning field goal.

TE Antonio Gates, Rec: 2 - 10 - 0 (5 targets) - Gates had one of the quietest games of his career, and failed to catch a single pass after halftime. He was targeted in the end zone on a corner fade, but the pass should have actually been thrown short. The defender was behind Gates and if the route had been a quick stop or a curl, he'd have likely beaten his man very easily.

TE Brandon Manumaleuna, Rec: 1 - 17 - 0 (1 targets) - Manumaleuna caught just one pass, but it was a very nice grab on a ball thrown behind him as he was moving across the field.

PK Nate Kaeding 1 - 2 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 4 points - Kaeding was called upon to hit a 42 yard field goal late in the third quarter, but he pushed it wide right. The miss wasn't very costly, as San Diego drove downfield on their next possession and Kaeding connected on a chip shot from 22 yards out.

SD Rush Defense - Things looked promising early on for San Diego when they were able to stuff Willie Parker on a third and one carry. They later made a huge momentum swinging goal line stand when they held up Mewelde Moore at the goal line on a fourth down carry. But after that, the Chargers run defense fell apart. Somehow, the defensive line played very well but the team was still run all over. Much like what happened to this team last year against the Vikings when DE Luis Castillo left with an injury (that was the game Adrian Peterson broke the single-game rushing record), in this game when Castillo left with an injury to his groin, Willie Parker picked up large chunks of yardage at a time, finishing with 115 on the ground. To make matters worse, little used backup Gary Russell came in for two short yardage carries and easily converted both of them. One of the conversions allowed Pittsburgh to pick up a much-needed third down to extend a drive that eventually led to a field goal.

In addition to the Castillo injury, DL Jacques Cesaire also limped off late in the fourth quarter with an injury of his own.

SD Pass Defense - All of the problems that have plagued the Chargers in this aspect were in full effect in this game. They got good pressure on Ben Roethlisberger in the first half, sacking him three times. They even added a fourth sack early in the fourth quarter, a very timely play that knocked the Steelers out of field goal range. But those pressure plays were very far between. When they didn't sack Roethlisberger, they were actually nowhere near him. The defensive coverage didn't fare much better. CB Quentin Jammer did a fine job on WR Santonio Holmes, twice knocking away deep balls down the sideline. But the rest of the secondary apparently took the afternoon off, allowing both Hines Ward and TE Matt Spaeth plenty of room to roam for all the underneath passes they could handle. The duo of Ward/Spaeth combined to catch 17 passes for 179 yards on almost exclusively short curls and slants. Basically, the defense under new coordinator Ron Rivera looked an awful lot like the one under Ted Cotrell, with a handful of extra sacks here and there.

CB Antonio Cromartie appeared to have been hurt on a lateral attempt during the last kick return of the game. No update was given on his condition, as it was the next to last play of the game.

QB Ben Roethlisberger, Pass: 31 - 41 - 308 - 0 TD / 0 INT - Despite failing to get his team into the end zone, Roethlisberger played nearly a perfect game. He made good, quick reads on just about every pass and never came close to turning the ball over. The Pittsburgh plan of attack was to use quick routes and short curls to move the ball, very similar to what Denver employed to beat the Chargers back in Week 2. He just took what the defense gave him, which on most plays was a lot. He had to fight off some early pressure from the San Diego defense, which sacked him three times in the first half. They got to him just once after halftime, however, and Hines Ward and Matt Spaeth found the soft spots in the defense almost at will. The one time he was asked to make a big play downfield was on a pass to Hines Ward that went for thirty yards. He had to thread the needle between three defenders to get the ball to Ward, and he was able to do just that. Roethlisberger was unable to pick up a touchdown pass, and the closest he came to one was on a seven yard completion to Nate Washington from the eight yard line. Obviously that means Washington fell a yard shy of the end zone, a drive that resulted in Mewelde Moore being stuffed for a one yard loss on fourth down and goal from the one.

At one point, it appeared he slightly tweaked his knee after slipping and then being twisted awkwardly to the ground, but he remained in and showed no ill effects.

RB Willie Parker, Rush: 25 - 115 - 0, Rec: 1 - 4 - 0 (1 targets) - There were a number of gaping holes made available to Parker all game long, and he did well to take advantage of those opportunities with a lot of nice runs. His long gain went for just 13 yards, yet he still got to 115 yards on his 25 carries -- evidence of just how consistently he ran the football. He also had a four yard touchdown on Pittsburgh's final possession get nullified by a penalty.

One troubling item was that Mewelde Moore was brought in at the goal line for an attempted touchdown run on fourth down late in the first quarter. He wasn't successful. Parker himself had converted a third and one run earlier in the quarter, so it didn't seem to be a huge concern that he wasn't in on the goal line play. However, Parker was stuffed on a third and one attempt later in the second quarter. And on the following two short yardage runs, it was Gary Russell who got the call -- converting both of them into first downs. It could be a big ado about nothing, or Russell could have just thrown his hat into the ring to see a greater share of short yardage and goal line work. Either way, it's something for Parker owners to keep an eye on. One of the biggest reasons for his turnaround this season has been that he is getting the goal line work, and losing that could prove detrimental to his fantasy value going forward. It should be noted as a reminder that he did get the call on the aforementioned run from the four yard line late in the fourth quarter.

RB Mewelde Moore, Rush: 1 - -1 - 0, Rec: 5 - 33 - 0 (5 targets) - Moore saw a handful of touches out of the backfield as a receiver mostly on third down, and had just one rushing attempt in the game. It came on a fourth down handoff late in the first quarter. He was stuffed on the play and actually knocked backwards one yard. He didn't get another carry in the game, and third stringer Gary Russell converted two short yardage rushes later on.

RB Gary Russell, Rush: 2 - 10 - 0 - Russell may have worked himself into the mix for the role of short yardage back with this game. After Willie Parker and Mewelde Moore were stuffed in short yardage situations in the first half, Russell converted two third and one carries in the third quarter to help preserve drives. He hit the hole hard and picked up much more than what was needed, gaining six on his first carry and four on the second.

WR Hines Ward, Rec: 11 - 124 - 0 (12 targets) - Ward was consistently the favorite target of Ben Roethlisberger, evidenced by his game high eleven receptions for 124 yards. Ward, and the entire Pittsburgh passing game for that matter, attacked the Chargers with a lot of short, quick passes. Ward's entire afternoon consisted mainly of running ten yards upfield, stopping for a quick curl, making the catch, and turning upfield for a few more yards. He wasn't targeted on any deep balls, nor was he thrown to in the end zone (Pittsburgh never got close enough to the end zone to actually put a ball in the end zone), but he proved that he's still the key to the passing game in any weather conditions. He did the majority of his damage with CB Antonio Cromartie covering him, and the way he was utilized was very similar to the way the Broncos utilized Brandon Marshall back in Week 2. So if you've got any tough, physical receivers who like to pick up yardage after the catch, it might be a good idea to start them when they play San Diego.

WR Santonio Holmes, Rec: 5 - 63 - 0 (10 targets) - On a day when the snow and wind made throwing the ball downfield very difficult, Holmes' bread-and-butter was missing. The deep ball wasn't a large feature of the Steeler playbook, though they did take two shots downfield to Holmes. However, both attempts were broken up at the last moment by CB Quentin Jammer, and neither was all that close to being completed. Holmes did have a solid afternoon working the middle of the field, but if he doesn't pull in that one deep ball per game he's going to be second fiddle to Hines Ward more often than not. He was involved in a crucial play late in the first half when he caught a short pass along the sideline. The clock was running and Pittsburgh had no timeouts left. Holmes needed to get out of bounds, which he did, but it appeared that he was actually lunging for the end zone and got knocked out of bounds by a defender. If he went out on his own, it was an intelligent play to set up a field goal (points the Steelers would obviously go on to badly need). If he was trying to get in for a touchdown, it was a selfish, foolish play that could have very easily cost his team a victory.

WR Nate Washington, Rec: 2 - 14 - 0 (5 targets) - Washington has made a habit of turning very little opportunity into very large production, but that was missing in this game. Not only did he fail to catch a deep ball, he wasn't even targeted on a deep ball. He didn't catch a pass after halftime, and he had a dropped pass to boot. He nearly scored on a third down reception late in the first quarter, but despite breaking a couple of arm tackles he was still a yard shy of the goal line. Mewelde Moore was then stuffed on a fourth down carry as Pittsburgh came away with nothing.

TE Matt Spaeth, Rec: 6 - 55 - 0 (7 targets) - Spaeth performed extremely well in the absence of starter Heath Miller, who missed the game due to injury. It comes as no surprise that Spaeth had a career day against San Diego, considering the success opposing tight ends have enjoyed all season long against this team. He got dinged up after his first reception, was briefly replaced by Sean McHugh, and came back in to carve up the middle of the field. Spaeth was constantly open underneath, which meshed perfectly with Pittsburgh's plan of attacking San Diego with the short passing game. Therefore, his long gain of the afternoon went for just eleven yards but he did plenty of damage with his six receptions.

PK Jeff Reed 3 - 4 FG, 0 - 0 XP, 9 points - Reed badly hooked a 51 yard field goal well to the left on his first attempt, and his 41 yarder to give Pittsburgh the lead barely snuck in around the left upright. The weather conditions were far from ideal, with snow in the air and a driving wind for most of the game. Still, Reed is now 9-9 in his career on field goals in the final two minutes of the game or overtime.

PIT Rush Defense - Pittsburgh opened the game looking a bit lethargic to contain the run. LaDainian Tomlinson looked quicker than the Pittsburgh defenders, and was consistently getting to the second level of the defense. He wasn't busting huge runs, but he was moving the chains. After his first eight carries, he had 35 yards and a touchdown. Over the next quarter and a half, he had just four carries for minus five yards as San Diego was having a lot of difficulty moving the ball. On a fourth quarter drive that eventually ended with a field goal, Tomlinson had four carries for 27 yards, and looked as good as he had all day. But it was too little, too late, as Pittsburgh's offense immediately grinded out a six and a half minute drive and a game-winning field goal. Tomlinson didn't see another carry, as San Diego had just eleven seconds left in the game. A key aspect for Pittsburgh's solid job against the run was that their own running and passing game performed so efficiently. The Steelers controlled the ball for 36:31, leaving the Chargers with just 23:29 to try and establish a rushing attack. They couldn't.

PIT Pass Defense - The Steelers applied just enough pressure on Philip Rivers to make him very uncomfortable all game long. They only sacked him twice, hardly an outrageous total. But one of them went for a safety that was very nearly a touchdown. And they were in his face a number of times just as he released the ball, narrowly avoiding the sack. He turned the ball over twice, though one was more a product of a great play than Rivers making a mistake. S Troy Polamalu turned in one of the best individual highlights of the season, or any season. After WR Vincent Jackson had a pass bounce off his hands, Polamalu fully extended himself and reached out his hand to try and intercept the deflection. As the ball got within an inch or two of the ground, Polamalu (still falling, mind you) cradled the ball in his hands, maintained possession as he jarred against the ground, and had the presence of mind to then get up and actually run with it a bit. He slipped and fell on the wet field during the return, otherwise it may have gone for a touchdown. Polamalu actually had a touchdown stolen from him by the officials on the final play of the game. The Chargers trailed by one point with only seconds remaining, and tried a series of laterals to get downfield. Polamalu, however, blew up the play by deflecting the ball away. He picked it up and ran into the end zone for a touchdown to make the score 17-10. Officials convened several times before deciding to disallow the score. Afterwards, they acknowledged their mistake and said that the score should have counted.

CB Ike Taylor nearly iced the game even earlier. With San Diego driving for the go-ahead field goal, Taylor had a ball thrown right in his hands in the end zone that he dropped. Had he held on, he had no one in front of him for a potential score.

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Baltimore Ravens 10, New York Giants 30

What you need to know

Baltimore Ravens - The game soon turn one sided as Flacco and the Ravens could not keep up with the Giants, falling behind early en route to a 20 point defeat. Flacco battled for a full 60 minutes and often found himself in on all of the Ravens' offense, finishing the game as Baltimore's leading rusher.

Flacco led the way through the air as he accounted for the only Ravens touchdown when he hit LeRon McClain out of the backfield for a 10 yard score. It was pretty much a struggle for the rest of the way as they could only claw their way to 275 total yards while turning the ball over twice, to which the Giants were able to turn into a game clinching 50 yard return by Aaron Ross for a touchdown.

Defensively the Ravens were physically handled. They gave up big play after big play as they were unable to stop Manning and company, giving up a total of 207 yards on the ground. Baltimore had no answer for the three headed attack that New York sent on the ground, allowing Brandon Jacobs to find pay dirt twice on the day while giving up huge gains in the 20 point defeat.

New York Giants - The NFC East leading Giants looked to move one step closer to the post season as they welcomed the Ravens to the Meadowlands for a cold mid-November tilt. Eli Manning worked an efficient game on a windy day, completing 13 passes for 153 yards while tossing his 15th touchdown pass of the season. The touchdown pass came easy as Manning hit Darcy Johnson off of play action on a short one yard out.

The Giants again made their mark on the ground as they rolled to 210 rushing yards on only 31 attempts. The pounding was done early by Brandon Jacobs as he got nine first half carries, turning out impressive yards per carry while finding the end zone on back to back first quarter drivers. With a comfortable lead and Brandon Jacobs suffering from a minor undisclosed injury, the Giants relied on Ahmad Bradshaw and Derrick Ward to close out the game on the ground. Ward pitched in with just under 100 yards while Bradshaw ripped off a 77 yard fourth quarter run, capping another impressive rushing display.

Defensively, New York dominated for the full four quarters, holding all running backs under 20 yards rushing while only allowing 10 points. Leading by only 10 points in the third quarter, Giants cornerback Aaron Ross picked off his second Joe Flacco pass of the day and took it 50 yards for the score, sealing the defending Super Bowl champions' ninth victory of 2008.

What you ought to know

QB Joe Flacco, Pass: 20 - 33 - 164 - 1 TD / 2 INT, Rush: 6 - 57 - 0 - Flacco provided much of the Baltimore offense as he ended the day leading the Ravens in rushing. He performed well in a hostile environment and made some key throws when the Ravens needed him to. He connected on 20 of 33 passes and was able to find LeRon McClain out of the backfield for their only score of the day.

RB Ray Rice, Rush: 8 - 19 - 0, Rec: 4 - 18 - 0 (5 targets) - Rice was much more involved in the passing game, however struggled on the ground like his fellow running-mates. Carrying nine times for 18 yards Rice showed good elusiveness when handling the ball in the open field. He saw five targets come his way which he was able to turn into four catches.

RB Willis McGahee, Rush: 9 - 18 - 0, Rec: 2 - 7 - 0 (2 targets) - McGahee was bottled up like all Baltimore rushers, carrying only 9 times for 18 yards. He added two catches for minimal gains before getting his ankle rolled up on, forcing him out of the game. McGahee was replaced in the lineup by rookie running back Ray Rice.

RB LeRon McClain, Rush: 2 - 10 - 0, Rec: 3 - 31 - 1 (6 targets) - McClain again played a complimentary role and performed well as he totaled 41 total yards, scoring the only touchdown of the game for the Ravens. He was actively used in the passing game as he caught half of his six targets while chipping in 10 yards on two carries. His touchdown came on a short pass out of the backfield that he was able to take ten yards for the touchdown, cutting the New York lead to ten points.

WR Derrick Mason, Rec: 7 - 82 - 0 (11 targets) - Mason, who suffered a shoulder injury last week, started and saw a team high 11 targets. He turned out another impressive day as he grabbed seven balls for 82 yards. Mason was again Flacco's favorite targets and first option when he dropped back. He caught many balls in the 10-15 yard range, converting six of his receptions for first downs.

WR Mark Clayton, Rush: 1 - 17 - 0, Rec: 1 - 10 - 0 (3 targets) - Clayton was a non factor for most of the day as he only grabbed one ball for ten yards.

TE Todd Heap, Rec: 3 - 16 - 0 (6 targets) - Heap continued being an option in the Ravens passing attack as he saw six targets on the day and was able to bring in half of those targets for 16 yards.

PK Matt Stover 1 - 2 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 4 points - Stover had his first field goal attempt blocked and was successful in converting his second try of 38 yards.

BAL Rush Defense - Baltimore's rush defense could not stop any back that carried the ball for New York. Jacobs, Ward and Bradshaw all gained at least 40 yards on the ground as the Giants rolled to another big day on the ground. Two quick rushing scores by Brandon Jacobs set the tone early in the first quarter as New York made it a point to run the ball and chew up the clock on a windy day in the Meadowlands. The Ravens had no answer as each of the three backs were able to break runs of twenty-plus yards, with Bradshaw's 77 yard scamper being a highlight play.

BAL Pass Defense - The Ravens pass defense was stout when Eli Manning had to throw. They were able to apply pressure in the pocket forcing an errant throw, and picking off Manning as the Giants were going in for what was looking like another six points. They recorded one sack and were able to limit the damage through the air, however the Giants focus was running the ball as Manning only dropped back 23 times in total.

QB Eli Manning, Pass: 13 - 23 - 153 - 1 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 2 - -3 - 0 - Manning put in a solid days work as he completed 13 of 23 passes for 153 yards and a score. It was his 15th passing touchdown of the season and came from the one yard line as Manning faked a handoff and hit a wide open Darcy Johnson in the corner of the end zone.

RB Derrick Ward, Rush: 11 - 41 - 0, Rec: 4 - 54 - 0 (6 targets) - Ward was used as an all around weapon, contributing in both the rushing and passing attacks, totaling just under 100 yards on 15 touches. Ward was successful in keeping the Ravens aggressive defense on their toes, slipping out of the backfield and leading the Giants in receptions. He caught four balls for 54 yards, however failed twice when given two straight goal line carries in the second quarter.

RB Brandon Jacobs, Rush: 11 - 73 - 2 - Jacobs started the game off strong and then spent most of the second half watching as the Giants never trailed and Jacobs suffered from what announcers called an "undisclosed injury". Jacobs ran 11 times for 73 yards and punched in two first quarter scores as he helped the Giants jump out to a quick 13 point lead. Running with power and mainly off tackle, Jacobs ate up big chunks of yardage on the first couple drives before giving way to Ward and Bradshaw in the second half.

RB Ahmad Bradshaw, Rush: 9 - 96 - 0 - Bradshaw did most of his damage in the second half, on one huge run, putting to rest any idea of a Baltimore comeback. On the first offensive play of the fourth quarter, Bradshaw took a handoff and used some great vision to scamper 77 yards before getting caught at the Baltimore two yard line.

WR Plaxico Burress, Rec: 3 - 47 - 0 (9 targets) - Burress saw a team high in targets but was only able to come up with three catches for 47 yards. He was targeted on all sorts of routes but the physical play of the Baltimore secondary limited his production. He has remained Manning's first option in his progressions, despite putting up lackluster stats to start the second half of the season.

WR Steve Smith, Rec: 2 - 17 - 0 (3 targets) - Smith had a quiet day through the air, catching two of his three targets for 17 yards.

WR Amani Toomer, Rec: 1 - 9 - 0 (3 targets) - Toomer only saw three looks his way and was able to haul in one catch for nine yards.

TE Kevin Boss (2 targets) - Boss was held without a catch although was targeted twice with one being a deep ball that sailed just over his head.

PK Lawrence Tynes 1 - 1 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 6 points - Tynes made his first start of the year, filling in for the injured John Carney. He connected on his only field goal attempt, a chip shot from 19 yards while converting all three extra point attempts. A botched snap in the first quarter prevented him from adding another PAT.

NYG Rush Defense - The Giants rush defense was stellar yet again, letting Flacco scramble for a team high 57 yards while allowing no Raven's running back to eclipse 20 yards. They shut down the run and forced the rookie quarterback from Delaware to beat them, stacking defenders in the box and shutting down many rushing plays in the backfield.

NYG Pass Defense - Through the air, the Giants were stout yet again, bending but not breaking as they kept the big play off the board and forcing Flacco into two interceptions. Feeling pressure from both inside and out, Flacco was picked off twice by Aaron Ross who was able to return one of the two interceptions 50 yards for a touchdown, capping another impressive victory for the host Giants.

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St. Louis Rams 16, San Francisco 49ers 35

What you need to know

St. Louis Rams - St. Louis dominated time of possession in the first quarter, but the game quickly unraveled for the Rams after a flurry of second quarter turnovers. The offense played decently at times in the second half, but by then the game was out of reach.

QB Marc Bulger finished with okay numbers due to his garbage time production, but three consecutive turnovers in the second quarter put his team in a hole they could never climb out of.

Subbing for the injured RB Steven Jackson, RB Antonio Pittman put up good rushing stats and was also somewhat involved in the passing attack. RB Kenneth Darby also showed some flash and was the Rams' second leading receiver.

WR Donnie Avery was the most targeted Ram receiver by far, and five balls were of the deep variety. WR Torry Holt once again finished with average numbers. WR Dane Looker caught a short TD pass.

PK Josh Brown converted three of his four field goal attempts. The Ram defense was steamrolled in the second quarter before stiffening up a bit in the second half. What killed the Rams in this game were turnovers (three in one quarter) and the big play (five receptions for 20+ yards and six rushes for ten+ yards).

San Francisco 49ers - The 49ers had a huge second quarter and never looked back, though the offense sputtered in the second half.

QB Shaun Hill managed the game well and did enough good things early to put the game out of reach. Hill threw the ball accurately, avoided turnovers, evaded the pass rush, and took advantage of terrific field position to direct five first half scoring drives. He threw two TD passes and also ran for a score. Despite a scoreless second half, it was evident from this game at least that head coach Mike Singletary made a good choice naming Hill the starter.

RB Frank Gore busted off several good runs and scored two short TDs. Unfortunately his longest run (37 yards) ended with a fumble. DeShaun Foster had a couple of nice catches and subbed for Gore in the second half.

The 49ers had little need to throw the ball after halftime, and no receiver was targeted more than four times. WR Isaac Bruce had a quiet game. WR Bryant Johnson came up with a couple of big catches, including a second quarter TD grab that put the game away. WR Jason Hill got a little involved and had a nice 22 yard reception in the second quarter. TE Vernon Davis had just one reception, a two yard TD grab.

PK Joe Nedney made all five extra points and was not called upon to kick a FG. At times, the San Francisco defense put decent pressure on QB Marc Bulger, and they also came up with three turnovers.

What you ought to know

QB Marc Bulger, Pass: 34 - 53 - 295 - 1 TD / 2 INT, Rush: 2 - 5 - 0 - Bulger spread the ball around and did a good job throwing it short, but he did not seem comfortable in the pocket and was not very effective throwing the long ball. After a disastrous string of turnovers (one fumble and two INTs) in the second quarter led to three 49ers TDs, the game was essentially over. Bulger had eyes especially for rookie WR Donnie Avery, who was open all day. He kept WR Torry Holt involved, and also threw often to RBs Antonio Pittman and Kenneth Darby, especially during garbage time.

RB Antonio Pittman, Rush: 14 - 95 - 0, Rec: 3 - 4 - 0 (5 targets) - Pittman started for the injured Steven Jackson and ripped off a 24 yard gain on his first carry. He also had a 22 yard run later in the first quarter. Unfortunately the Rams fell way behind, and Pittman had only four carries in the second half. He ran with good power and obviously could have had a big game if the Rams had not become so one dimensional after halftime.

RB Ken Darby, Rush: 7 - 26 - 0, Rec: 8 - 83 - 0 (8 targets) - Bulger looked often to Darby swinging out of the backfield, and Darby for his part caught every ball thrown his way. Most of his receiving production came at the end of the first half when the 49ers were playing deep and conceding the short pass. Darby did run effectively with limited carries, as in the fourth quarter when he broke loose for a 13 yard gain.

WR Donnie Avery, Rec: 9 - 93 - 0 (13 targets) - Avery was by far Bulger's favorite target. The 49ers secondary allowed him a big cushion that usually left him open underneath. The strategy to contain Avery was mostly successful, as he got loose for only one deep pass, a disputed sideline play.

WR Torry Holt, Rec: 5 - 60 - 0 (8 targets) - Holt was fairly involved in the passing attack, but his final stats once again disappointed his fantasy owners, who were hoping for more when they drafted him. Holt was not targeted in the fourth quarter, as the Rams gave more playing time to their younger receivers.

WR Derek Stanley, Rec: 3 - 21 - 0 (7 targets) - The second year receiver got most of his chances late, after the game was out of reach.

WR Keenan Burton, Rec: 2 - 13 - 0 (4 targets) - The rookie Burton got some chances in this game, especially during garbage time in the second half.

WR Dane Looker, Rec: 2 - 8 - 1 (7 targets) - Looker was active during garbage time and caught a short TD pass in the fourth quarter.

TE Anthony Becht, Rec: 1 - 8 - 0 (1 targets) - Becht was an afterthought in this game and had just one short catch.

PK Josh Brown 3 - 4 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 10 points - Brown missed one FG, a 48 yard attempt to conclude the opening drive. He came back to drill two 40+ yard FGs in the third quarter, and also added a 24 yarder in the second quarter.

STL Rush Defense - The Rams were not able to contain Frank Gore and did a poor job overall defending the run. LB Will Witherspoon led the team with nine solo tackles and three assists.

STL Pass Defense - The Seahawks pass rush put only sporadic pressure on Shaun Hill and dropped him only twice. CB Jason Craft collected both sacks and also recovered a Frank Gore fumble. Coverage in general was not very good, as was obvious from Shaun Hill's 142.3 passer rating.

QB Shaun Hill, Pass: 15 - 20 - 213 - 2 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 3 - 5 - 1 - Hill was sacked two times (not a bad game for a 49ers QB), and he kept his cool, showed some elusiveness, and came up with a number of big plays. More importantly, he did not throw an INT or fumble the ball away. He didn't need to throw the ball much after the second quarter, but while the passing attack was still relevant, he did a good job spreading the ball around, keeping his top three WRs (Isaac Bruce, Bryant Johnson and Jason Hill) involved in the game. Johnson had a huge 42 yard catch, and RB Michael Robinson had a 36 yard reception that set up the 49ers with a first and goal from the one. Hill didn't scramble very often, but he scored a rushing TD on a quarterback draw.

RB Frank Gore, Rush: 18 - 106 - 2, Rec: 2 - 8 - 0 (3 targets) - Gore ran explosively and had four runs of over ten yards. His two rushing TDs came in the first half and helped salt away the game for the 49ers. Gore had seven red zone touches, and he would have finished with even better numbers if Foster had not received so many carries. Gore was pulled early in the fourth quarter after the game was essentially decided.

RB DeShaun Foster, Rush: 10 - 17 - 0, Rec: 2 - 40 - 0 (2 targets) - Foster had a nice 31 yard catch, and an 11 yard run. He mopped up for Frank Gore in the fourth quarter and fumbled the ball away on a busted play.

RB Michael Robinson, Rush: 3 - 11 - 0, Rec: 2 - 54 - 0 (3 targets) - Robinson had six touches in this game, and he contributed a ten yard run and two catches for 54 yards. He was also dropped for a loss trying to punch in the ball from the one yard line.

WR Bryant Johnson, Rec: 4 - 56 - 1 (4 targets) - Johnson caught every pass thrown his way, including a two yard TD reception in the second quarter that capped the 49ers scoring. He also broke loose for a 42 yard catch and run that set up the second 49er TD.

WR Jason Hill, Rec: 3 - 33 - 0 (4 targets) - Hill had a 22 yard catch, and for the second straight game had an expanded role in the offense.

WR Isaac Bruce, Rush: 1 - -3 - 0, Rec: 1 - 20 - 0 (4 targets) - As the numbers show, Bruce was not a big factor in this game. He was not targeted in the second half, mostly because the 49ers weren't throwing the ball much.

TE Vernon Davis, Rec: 1 - 2 - 1 (1 targets) - Davis caught only one pass, for a short TD.

PK Joe Nedney 0 - 0 FG, 5 - 5 XP, 5 points - Nedney made all of his PATs and wasn't asked to kick a FG.

SF Rush Defense - The 49ers rush defense was not very strong, though this was partly due to their focusing on the Rams' passing attack in the second half. Backup RB Antonio Pittman ran effectively in relief of the injured Steven Jackson, and RB Kenneth Darby also had a few nice runs in limited action.

SF Pass Defense - The 49ers pass rush was effective at times, and they sacked Bulger four times. The secondary came up with a couple of INTs in the second quarter that set up two 49ers TDs.

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