All our week 16 content

New York Giants 8, Dallas Cowboys 20

What you need to know

New York Giants - The New York Giants struggled mightily in this contest to move the football as the offense was only able to amass 218 yards while scoring a paltry six points. Eli Manning finished the night 18 of 35 for 191 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions. Contributing to the quarterback's struggles was a persistent Dallas pass rush that recorded eight sacks.

Coming into the game leading the league in rushing yards per game, the Giants rushed for only 72 yards on 17 attempts for an average of 4.2 yards per attempt. They were missing Brandon Jacobs who was out with injury. Leading the way for New York on the ground with 64 yards was Derrick Ward while backup Ahmad Bradshaw was only able to net eight yards. The two running backs did combine to catch two passes that went 18 yards.

Giants' wide receivers combined to catch 14 passes that went for 151 yards. Domenik Hixon led all New York pass catchers in targets, catches, and yards as he turned the 11 passes thrown his way into six catches that went for 60 yards. Steve Smith caught five passes for 59 yards while Amani Toomer hauled in three catches that went for total of 32 yards. Tight end Kevin Boss had the team's longest pass reception of the night when his catch and run went for a pickup of 23.

Dallas Cowboys - Despite facing a pass rush that knocked him around and kept him on the move for the majority of the night, Tony Romo had a good game as he helped lead the Dallas Cowboys to their ninth win of the year. Romo finished the game 20 of 30 for 244 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. The signal caller's touchdown tosses to WR Patrick Crayton and FB Deon Anderson were his 23rd and 24th of the season.

Marion Barber was active for the game and got the start, but he did not look to be himself. He had a tough time picking up yards against a New York defense known for its stinginess. Barber finished the night with only two yards on eight rushes, but he was able to add 24 yards on two pass receptions. Backup running back Tashard Choice was the star of the game as he totaled 143 yards on 13 touches and his 38 yard scoring rush in the fourth quarter put the Cowboys up 20--8.

Patrick Crayton had only two catches in the game, but the wide out led all Dallas wide receivers with 49 receiving yards. His second quarter touchdown grab was his fourth touchdown of the year and put the Cowboys up 7--0. Terrell Owens only caught three passes for 38 yards while TE Jason Witten turned his team high nine targets into five catches that went for 44 yards.

Terrell Owens was booed by the home crowd as he ran onto the field and again when he dropped what would have been a tough catch early. The crowd warmed up to him later as he made a nice play running after the catch.

DeMarcus Ware recorded three sacks in the game to give him the league lead at 19.

What you ought to know

QB Eli Manning, Pass: 18 - 35 - 191 - 0 TD / 2 INT - Manning got off to a slow start as he finished the first half completing only 50% of his 14 passes for 74 yards as the Giants were only able to muster three points through quarters one and two. Things didn't start off too hot for the quarterback in the third quarter when on the team's first drive of the half; he threw an interception on a short pass that gave the Cowboys the ball at the Dallas 46 yard line. Manning was only able to lead the team to another field goal in the second half and the signal caller threw his second pick near the end of the game.

RB Derrick Ward, Rush: 14 - 64 - 0, Rec: 1 - 2 - 0 (2 targets) - Ward had his most rushing yards in the fourth quarter when he picked up 24 of 64 yards on rushes of seven, 12, and five yards. Despite having longer pickups of 12, nine, nine, and seven, half of the running back's carries went for gains of three yards or less.

RB Ahmad Bradshaw, Rush: 3 - 8 - 0, Rec: 1 - 16 - 0 (2 targets) - Bradshaw only got three rushes in the game, but he did catch a pass while split out wide that he took for a gain of 17 yards. In addition to his touches on offense, he also averaged 24 yards on two kickoff returns.

WR Domenik Hixon, Rec: 6 - 60 - 0 (11 targets) - Hixon's first target of the game fell to the ground incomplete, but on the play he was able to draw a 32 yard pass interference penalty. Three of his six catches, including his long gain of 19 yards, came with less than eight minutes remaining as the Giants were trying to play catch up. Hixon was the intended receiver on QB Eli Manning's first interception of the game.

WR Steve Smith, Rec: 5 - 59 - 0 (10 targets) - Smith was second on the team in targets, catches, and yards and four of his five grabs went for ten yards or more. The wide receiver picked up 14 yards on a third and 11 play in the second quarter that continued a drive that ultimately led to a field goal. Smith's game could have been better, but he had a 19 yard reception negated when he was called for an offensive pass interference penalty.

WR Amani Toomer, Rec: 3 - 32 - 0 (7 targets) - Toomer's first reception came in the second quarter and went for a pickup of 13, while his other two catches came in the fourth quarter and totaled 19 yards. All of Toomer's grabs went for first downs and he was the intended receiver on QB Eli Manning's second interception.

WR Mario Manningham, Rec: 1 - -1 - 0 (1 targets) - Manningham's only grab came in the fourth quarter and it went for a loss of one yard.

WR Sinorice Moss - It was reported in the fourth quarter that Moss was out for the remainder of the game, but no reason was specified. Though he had no catches on offense, he did average 19 yards on two kickoff returns.

TE Kevin Boss, Rec: 1 - 23 - 0 (3 targets) - All of Boss' targets came on the same second quarter drive with his only catch coming while he was split out wide.

PK John Carney 2 - 2 FG, 0 - 0 XP, 6 points - Carney made good on his first field goal attempt from 34 yards and then later connected from 47. He had no point after attempts in the game.

NYG Rush Defense - The New York rush defense gave up 100 yards on 21 carries for an average of 4.8 yards per rush. RB Tashard Choice had longer runs of 22 and 38 yards with the longer run going for a fourth quarter score that put Dallas up 20--8.

NYG Pass Defense - The New York pass defense allowed Dallas QB Tony Romo to complete 20 passes for 244 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Despite the Cowboys' success through the air, the Giants did recorded four sacks including a safety in the fourth quarter that made the score 14--5.

QB Tony Romo, Pass: 20 - 30 - 244 - 2 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 4 - 7 - 0 - Under duress for most of the night, Romo used his legs and athleticism a number of times to buy himself time to make big plays. An example of this came in the first quarter, when the quarterback threw a pass off his back foot to WR Terrell Owens that went for a pickup of 25 yards. On his scoring pass to WR Patrick Crayton in the second quarter, Romo extended the play by rolling to his right and then he threw a perfect ball on the run for the 35 yard touchdown. His second touchdown of the game came in the fourth quarter when he connected on a one yard scoring pass to FB Deon Anderson. Romo was slow to get up after a number of plays (it was reported in the first quarter that the he suffered a lower back contusion), but the quarterback gutted it out and was able to play the entire game.

RB Tashard Choice, Rush: 9 - 91 - 1, Rec: 4 - 52 - 0 (5 targets) - Choice was bottled up through the first three quarters, but the backup running exploded in the fourth as he racked up 79 of his 91 yards in the final period. His four, fourth quarter runs included gains of 23, 17 and 38 and on the 38 yard pickup, the running back took a hand off from a shotgun snap, made one cut, and darted to the end zone for the score that put Dallas up 20--8. In addition to his big game on the ground, Choice also three long receptions that went for gains of 22, 16, and 14. His night could have been even better, but he was stuffed for a no gain on a goal line rush from the New York one yard line.

RB Marion Barber, Rush: 8 - 2 - 0, Rec: 2 - 24 - 0 (2 targets) - Barber made the start at running back for the Cowboys but did not look to be himself. He had a disappointing night rushing the football. Through the first two quarters, Barber had minus six yards on three carries and his rushing yard total didn't get on the positive side of zero until the fourth quarter. Despite the struggles, Barber did have a big rush on a third and three play in the fourth quarter that picked up nine yards and helped the Cowboys run out the clock.

RB Deon Anderson, Rec: 1 - 1 - 1 (1 targets) - Anderson's only touch in the game went for a one yard touchdown reception that put the Cowboys up 14--3.

WR Terrell Owens, Rec: 3 - 38 - 0 (6 targets) - Owens' night got off to a rough start when the wide-out was unable to haul in a third down pass that would have moved the sticks. It was a catchable ball but not an easy catch. His long reception of 25 yards came near the end of the first quarter and brought the ball to the New York 43 yard line. Owens was targeted on a deep throw in the second half, but the ball fell to the ground incomplete. He was booed by the home crowd as he ran onto the field during pre game introductions. And again after he failed to pull in the catch early in the game on third down. They warmed up to him as the game went on.

WR Patrick Crayton, Rec: 2 - 49 - 1 (3 targets) - Crayton's first catch came near the end of the first quarter on a third down play that went for a gain of 15 yards and a first down. His only other grab went for a 34 yard touchdown pass that put the Cowboys up 7--0 in the second quarter. Crayton also averaged eight yards on four punt returns.

WR Roy Williams, Rec: 1 - 5 - 0 (4 targets) - Williams caught his only pass for a gain of five on the team's second drive of the game. He was also the intended receiver on Dallas' fourth quarter, two point conversion attempt.

WR Miles Austin, Rec: 1 - 23 - 0 (1 targets) - Austin's only catch came near the end of the third quarter and went for a gain of 23 yards. In addition to his plays on offense, he also averaged 25 yards on three kickoff returns.

TE Jason Witten, Rec: 5 - 44 - 0 (9 targets) - Witten was targeted six times in the first half, but those six attempts went for two catches that picked up only eight yards. The tight end did haul in the last three passes thrown his way in the second half as he helped seal the victory for the Cowboys. Witten had a 13 yard catch and run on a fourth quarter play that took the ball down to the Giants' one yard line and helped set up the team's second touchdown. He also extended a drive in the fourth quarter with Dallas attempting to run out the clock when on a third and nine play, he fought his way for a pickup of 11 yards.

TE Martellus Bennett, Rec: 1 - 8 - 0 (1 targets) - Bennett had his only reception on a screen pass in the third quarter that went for a gain of eight yards.

PK Nick Folk 0 - 0 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 2 points - Folk had no field goal attempts in the game, but he did make both of his extra point attempts.

DAL Rush Defense - The Cowboys run defense surrendered only 72 yards on 17 attempts for an average of 4.2 yards per rush. Dallas gave up their longest rush in the fourth quarter when RB Ahmad Bradshaw picked up a gain of 12.

DAL Pass Defense - New York QB Eli Manning completed 18 of 35 passes for 191 yards. The Cowboys did record eight sacks that went for a total loss of 45 yards and CB Terence Newman intercepted two passes in the game.

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San Francisco 49ers 9, Miami Dolphins 14

What you need to know

San Francisco 49ers - Shaun Hill did a good job of moving the San Francisco offense against a tough Dolphins defense during the game. Hill threw for an efficient 233 yards for the game. Hill was not able to find the end zone and had many of his long drives stalled in Dolphin's territory and had to settle for field goals instead of touch downs.

DeShaun Foster was the starter for the injured Frank Gore who was nursing a tender ankle. Foster was solid in relief and mustered over 100 yards of total offense.

Kicker Joe Nedney was the entire offense scoring for San Francisco and contributed nine points of three field goals.

Miami Dolphins - Chad Pennington had a decent game as he was able to hit big plays for two touchdowns to his tight ends. He accounted for only 156 yards passing as the 49ers dominated the time of possession stat and kept the Dolphins off of the field.

The time of possession also affected running back Ronnie Brown as he only had ten carries and 67 yards. The 6.7 average per carry was impressive but he didn't see enough carries to make for a huge day yardage wise by any means. The Dolphin's appeared to be focusing on the pass with some drives that displayed a hurry-up style offense.

The biggest play of the game went to tight end David Martin who ended up scoring a 61 yard touchdown as he ripped the ball away from the San Francisco defender who was in good position to defend to the play.

What you ought to know

QB Shaun Hill, Pass: 30 - 46 - 233 - 0 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 3 - 17 - 0 - Hill's recent string of strong fantasy outings came to an end with this game. He moved the team well and positioned the team to be in scoring positions. However, Hill and the offense were not able to capitalize with anything other then field goals. Also of note, the winds were gusting at close to 20 MPH and this played a factor in the passing game. Hill did struggle with accuracy at times as he under threw or over threw receivers depending on which direction the wind was. Hill was under pressure all game and was dropped five times for Miami sacks. The rapport and timing with veteran receiver Isaac Bruce continued in this game. It is obvious that Bruce represents Hill's go to guy.

RB DeShaun Foster, Rush: 18 - 76 - 0, Rec: 5 - 25 - 0 (7 targets) - Foster had a steady game and got the yards that were there from his blockers. Rarely was Foster stopped for a loss or no gain. He ran reasonably well between the tackles and chipped in with five catches for 25 yards on top of the 76 rushing yards. Foster ran a play out of the Wildcat formation and kept the ball for a solid gain.

RB Michael Robinson, Rush: 5 - 8 - 0, Rec: 4 - 33 - 0 (4 targets) - Robinson was not able to find much running room and only amassed eight yards on five carries. He was used more successfully in the passing game and had 33 receiving yards including a couple of plays that converted third down situations for his club.

WR Isaac Bruce, Pass: 0 - 1 - 0 - 0 TD / 0 INT, Rec: 7 - 71 - 0 (12 targets) - Bruce was San Francisco's top receiver on the day as he caught seven balls for 71 yards. His strong rapport with Hill continued and he often made clutch catches and helped his quarterback out by coming back for the ball when Hill faced pressure. Great route running more then made up for any speed issues the aging receiver has.

WR Bryant Johnson, Rec: 5 - 41 - 0 (9 targets) - Many of the receptions and targets for Johnson were of the short variety. They appear to be using his size to run slant and out routes. Johnson also had a drop on the day.

WR Jason Hill, Rec: 2 - 14 - 0 (4 targets) - Hill was used in three wide sets and did not see the field very much in this game. He was able to catch two balls 19 yards.

WR Josh Morgan (1 targets) - Morgan was not able to catch his lone target.

TE Vernon Davis, Rush: 1 - 11 - 0, Rec: 5 - 31 - 0 (8 targets) - Davis is still being used relatively close to the line of scrimmage and rarely being used to stretch the field. He had five receptions on the day, one was a nice crossing route that he took up the field and unsuccessfully tried to hurdle a Miami defender. The other interesting play was Davis getting a carry while lined up in the backfield. The carry went for positive but modest yardage. If Davis wants to be a bigger part of the offense he needs to eliminate his drops. He had a drop while he was wide open which negated a potentially big gain.

TE Sean Ryan, Rec: 1 - 8 - 0 (1 targets) - Ryan caught his only target of the game for eight yards.

TE Delanie Walker, Rec: 1 - 10 - 0 (2 targets) - Walker runs very nice routes for a larger guy and appeared to be giving his defenders a challenge. Walker made a single catch for ten yards and was also targeted on a deeper pattern later in the game.

PK Joe Nedney 3 - 3 FG, 0 - 0 XP, 9 points - Nedney was the entire offense for the 49ers. Nedney was able to hit from 38, 23 and 28 yards respectively.

SF Rush Defense - They were able to keep the Dolphins to 93 yards and relatively quiet especially early in the game. Most of the yards came late in the fourth quarter with the Dolphins trying to bleed the clock.

SF Pass Defense - The difference in this game was big plays. The Dolphins were able to come up with two big plays that resulted in touchdowns. They gave up the two scores on only a 150 total passing yards.

QB Chad Pennington, Pass: 12 - 19 - 156 - 2 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 3 - 4 - 0 - Pennington and the Dolphins were intent on running a fair amount of the hurry-up offense to dictate the early tempo and it paid fast dividends with a 61 touchdown to tight end David Martin. Pennington did a masterful job of looking off the secondary and threw a long pass to a Martin who was ale to score. Pennington had no turnovers and took very few chances or anything that resembled a risky play. Most of Pennington's completions were within ten yards of the line of scrimmage. With his accuracy and lack of arm strength, this formula is working well for Miami.

RB Ronnie Brown, Rush: 10 - 67 - 0, Rec: 1 - 9 - 0 (3 targets) - Brown had a tough first three quarters of this game. Late in the fourth quarter the Dolphins started to find running lanes when they tried to run out the clock. Brown only used the Wildcat formation one time in the game and it led to a decent gain. It was followed up by a misdirection back side toss that Brown hit for 18 yards. The Dolphins were not in the red zone, so there were not scoring opportunities for the Miami running backs.

RB Ricky Williams, Rush: 7 - 23 - 0, Rec: 1 - 11 - 0 (2 targets) - Williams was utilized in the run game to attack the 49ers edges of their defense. He had sweeps, tosses and a couple of other runs that went off tackle. His biggest play went for eight yards on an end around. Williams saw a couple of balls in the air, but wasn't able to make much of those opportunities. He also had a drop.

RB Lousaka Polite, Rush: 2 - 4 - 0 - Saw short yardage situations and had four yards on the game.

WR Davone Bess, Rec: 3 - 25 - 0 (3 targets) - The rookie Bess made the most of his three targets by catching them all for 25 yards. He caught a very quick hitch on a one step drop. With his good speed he was able to make a defender miss on the way to a nice gain for a first down.

WR Ted Ginn, Rec: 2 - 6 - 0 (4 targets) - Ginn was not a factor in this game. He was targeted deep once and also had a drop. He had one reception for six yards and another reception for no gain on a crossing route.

TE David Martin, Rec: 2 - 66 - 1 (3 targets) - Martin scored a 61 yard touchdown to open the scoring. On the play, he was well covered but made a determined effort to steal the ball away from the defender at its highest point. He plucked the ball away from the defensive back and ran uncontested the rest of the way to the end zone.

TE Anthony Fasano, Rec: 2 - 20 - 0 (3 targets) - Fasano had the first catch of the game but other then that was a non factor.

TE Joey Haynos, Rec: 1 - 19 - 1 (1 targets) - His lone target was the winning touchdown for the Dolphins. Haynos was able to score from 19 yards out when linebacker Patrick Willis dropped his coverage of Haynos. Willis decided to chase another receiver who he followed on a corner route. Haynos simply ran a seam route straight up the field uncovered and made an easy catch for the winning score.

PK Dan Carpenter 0 - 1 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 2 points - Carpenter score two points on extra points. He also missed a 49 yard attempt that he clanged off of the cross bar. The miss gave San Francisco an opportunity for one more drive to try and take the lead.

MIA Rush Defense - The defense won the game for the Dolphins. They held the 49ers and their running backs to 79 yards. San Francisco was able to drive the ball and dominant the time of possession, but convert any of these drives into touchdowns. This was the difference in the game.

MIA Pass Defense - The Dolphins were able to put up five sacks including the game clinching sack by Joey Porter who dropped Shaun Hill on fourth down to end the game. This group had a great game. Nate Jones was able to get two sacks from blitzing out of the slot. Shaun Hill was only able to pass for 233 yards.

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers 10, Atlanta Falcons 13

What you need to know

Tampa Bay Buccaneers - The Buccaneers started the game sloppy, and with poor offensive play, especially on third down. With their inability to run the ball effectively, they found themselves down 10-0 in the first quarter. The offense continued to struggle until finally, after their second interception of a Matt Ryan pass, Tampa Bay was able to get on the scoreboard on a Brian Griese to Antonio Bryant touchdown pass from 20 yards out to cut the lead to 10-7.

After the Bryant score, Tampa Bay went back to their ineffective offense, but luckily for them, the defense was able to put together a few stops to keep Atlanta from adding to their lead. A Matt Bryant field goal tied the game up in the fourth quarter and sent the game into overtime. In the extra session, Tampa Bay punted away the opening possession, and in effect, the game. Atlanta took their first overtime possession and marched right down the field, on the back of RB Michael Turner and a key third down scramble from Matt Ryan that set up the winning field goal.

Atlanta Falcons - The Falcons started off the scoring in the first half on a Jason Elam 26 yard field goal and added to their lead when Michael Turner took in a one yard run to give the team a 10-0 lead. Turner carried the offense throughout most of the game as he finished with 152 yards rushing, and after a few Matt Ryan turnovers helped Tampa Bay come back to tie the game, the teams went into overtime.

Atlanta's defense came up big on the opening drive in overtime, when DE John Abraham sacked Tampa Bay QB Brian Griese on third down and forced the Buccaneers to punt. Turner and the Falcons drove the ball down the Buccaneers' throat, and Ryan had a big three yard scramble on third down and three that helped keep the drive alive. Jason Elam won the game with a 34 yard field goal that ended the drive, and the game, and put Atlanta right back in the wild card mix.

What you ought to know

QB Brian Griese, Pass: 26 - 37 - 269 - 1 TD / 1 INT - Griese filled in for the injured Jeff Garcia and completed 26 of 37 passes for 269 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Griese was efficient in Gruden's offense and he completed passes to eight different receivers. His touchdown pass came in the second quarter on a 20 yard scoring pass to WR Antonio Bryant.

RB Warrick Dunn, Rush: 12 - 40 - 0, Rec: 7 - 50 - 0 (7 targets) - Dunn finished with 12 attempts for 40 yards rushing and added another 50 yards on seven receptions as he caught every pass thrown his way in the passing game. Dunn made his way into the record books as he became the sixth player in NFL history with 10,000 rushing yards and 500 receptions.

RB Cadillac Williams, Rush: 14 - 59 - 0, Rec: 1 - 0 - 0 (1 targets) - Williams led Tampa Bay in rushing with 14 rushes for 59 yards and had one reception for no gain on his only target in the passing game. While his numbers weren't huge, he made another step forward in his comeback from injury.

WR Antonio Bryant, Rec: 8 - 108 - 1 (12 targets) - Antonio Bryant's hot play continued against the Falcons as he finished with eight receptions for 108 yards on 12 targets that included a touchdown reception from 20 yards out on Tampa Bay's first score of the game. At times, Bryant seemed to be impossible to cover for anyone in the Falcons secondary.

WR Michael Clayton, Rec: 3 - 41 - 0 (6 targets) - Clayton was targeted six times and finished with three receptions for 41 yards. He was targeted twice on third downs, and one pass thrown his way was picked off by Atlanta.

WR Ike Hilliard, Rec: 3 - 29 - 0 (3 targets) - Hilliard caught all three passes thrown his way for 29 yards.

TE Jerramy Stevens, Rec: 2 - 27 - 0 (3 targets) - Stevens was targeted three times and finished with two receptions for 27 yards. Two of his targets came on third downs.

PK Matt Bryant 1 - 2 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 4 points - Bryant made good on a 38 yard attempt but pushed a 53 yard attempt wide left that proved to be big considering how the game ended and the margin of defeat for Tampa Bay. Bryant hit his only PAT attempt and finished with four points in the game.

TB Rush Defense - For the second week in a row, the Buccaneers rush defense was torn apart by an opposing offense. Coming off a short week and coming into the game without DT's Chris Hovan and Jovan Haye was not a good combination considering Tampa Bay was facing Atlanta and workhorse Michael Turner. The Buccaneers allowed 175 yards rushing on 43 attempts, for a 4.1 ypc average and gave up a short one yard touchdown in the running game. More critically for Tampa Bay, they could not slow down Turner and the Atlanta rushing attack on the final drive of the game in overtime, and it led to the game winning field goal attempt.

LB Barrett Ruud led the way defensively with nine solo tackles and five assists and DB Jermaine Phillips chipped in with nine solo tackles and three assists.

TB Pass Defense - Tampa Bay played well against the pass as they limited Matt Ryan's opportunities down field, kept red hot Roddy White under control and did not allow a passing score. They nearly did on the Ryan pass to TE Jason Rader, but Tampa Bay was able to strip the ball at the goal line and take the score off the board following a Buccaneers challenge. The Buccaneers had just one sack, but were able to pick off two Ryan pass attempts. DB's Ronde Barber and Aquib Talib were responsible for the turnovers.

DB Tanard Jackson registered the only Tampa Bay sack of the game and Ronde Barber had five solo tackles and one assist to go along with his interception.

QB Matt Ryan, Pass: 15 - 23 - 206 - 0 TD / 2 INT, Rush: 6 - 19 - 0 - While Matt Ryan's stat line didn't show big numbers, he displayed the poise and promise so many observers have seen in the rookie quarterback. He finished 15 of 23 for 206 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions, but showed his strong arm and creativity in the passing game throughout the game. Ryan also contributed 19 yards rushing on six attempts, including a big three yard scramble on third and three that helped keep the game winning drive alive in overtime. Ryan did have two fumbles, but both were recovered by the Falcons.

RB Michael Turner, Rush: 32 - 152 - 1, Rec: 2 - 30 - 0 (2 targets) - Turner was a monster in the rushing attack for the Falcons as he ran the ball 32 times for 152 yards and caught two passes for 30 yards on two targets in the passing game. He was also able to get into the end zone on a one yard touchdown run in the first quarter, and throughout the game he just seemed to wear down the Tampa Bay front seven.

RB Jerious Norwood, Rush: 4 - -7 - 0, Rec: 2 - 24 - 0 (3 targets) - Norwood could not get much going on the four rushing attempts he had, as he finished with -7 yards rushing, but did have two receptions for 24 yards on three targets in the passing game. As usual, he contributed in the return game, but was held in check for the most part.

WR Roddy White, Rec: 4 - 61 - 0 (7 targets) - White led the team in targets with seven, and finished with four receptions for 61 yards. He was targeted three times on third downs and had Tampa Bay defenders beat on a few plays that could have turned into big gains, but the passes either fell incomplete or were picked off. Two passes intended for White were intercepted.

WR Michael Jenkins, Rec: 3 - 55 - 0 (4 targets) - Jenkins was targeted four times and finished with three receptions for 55 yards. Two of his receptions netted first downs, and he was targeted twice on third downs.

TE Jason Rader, Rec: 1 - 26 - 0 (1 targets) - Rader caught the only pass thrown to him for what appeared to be a 26 yard touchdown reception. The ball was stripped almost simultaneously to Rader crossing the goal line and was challenged by Tampa Bay. The call was reversed to a lost fumble, and the ball was turned over to Tampa Bay.

PK Jason Elam 2 - 2 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 7 points - Elam connected on field goal attempts from 26 and 34 yards out and added an extra point to finish with seven points in the game. Most importantly, Elam hit the 34 yard attempt in overtime to win the game for Atlanta.

ATL Rush Defense - The Falcons played well against the run as they allowed just 99 yards on 26 attempts for a 3.8 ypc average. They kept Tampa Bay out of the end zone on the ground and allowed just five rushing first downs for the game.

DB Lawyer Milloy had nine solo tackles and three assists and LB Keith Brooking added six solo tackles and four assists to lead the Falcons.

ATL Pass Defense - Atlanta's pass defense was tested against the Buccaneers, and while they did give up some big plays, they made plays when they had to. For the game they allowed just 226 net passing yards, sacked Tampa Bay QB Brian Griese four times and held Tampa Bay to three of 14 on third downs. They did give up a passing score and allowed WR Antonio Bryant to have a big game, but their ability to stop the run and hold on third down went a long way in helping the Falcons come away with the win.

DL John Abraham had three sacks for Atlanta and DB Dominique Foxworth had Atlanta's only interception of the game.

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Tennessee Titans 12, Houston Texans 13

What you need to know

Tennessee Titans - Kerry Collins was unable to connect with any of his receivers on a consistent basis due to a number of factors. He was sometimes forced to throw the ball away early due to pressure, sometimes his receivers dropped the ball, or he was way off target. Correcting any one of these deficiencies during the course of the game would have gone a long way toward changing the outcome, but it was all for naught as he would only show flashes of coming out of his funk and then would go back to making the same mistakes. Even with all of Collin's mistakes the Titans had an opportunity to win the game with a 49 yard field goal with two minutes left. They did not get to attempt the field goal as Jeff Fisher gambled and went for it on a fourth and three play, failing to make the first down.

The Titans leaned on Chris Johnson early as Fisher was trying to take some of the pressure off of Collins and the passing attack by establishing the run. Johnson had some success early, but during the middle parts of the game the Texans were able to string out the plays horizontally and keep him from breaking off big gains.

Houston Texans - Steve Slaton came into the game with confidence as he has been the only back to run for 100 yards against the Titans this season, gaining 116 yards during their week three defeat. Slaton also gained 100 yards against the Titans in this game, but they were hard earned yards. He earned yards the hard way as he refused to go down when met by a group of defenders, at least twice gaining extra yards when it appeared that his momentum had been stopped.

The running of Slaton helped feed into the confidence of the entire offense as Matt Schaub benefited the most from the respect given to the Texans rushing attack. The Texans were able to successfully run draws and used the running game to set up play action passes. Schaub would use the delay caused by the play action to hit his receivers deep downfield.

Andre Johnson had a career, and team record, game receiving. One week after Schaub set the record for most passing yards in a game, Johnson set the team record for most receiving yards. Johnson was able to get open deep often against a secondary that chose to play in man to man coverage against the Texan receivers. Johnson's 65 yard reception early in the second quarter seemed to change the entire momentum of the game, and led to the game's only touchdown four plays later.

What you ought to know

QB Kerry Collins, Pass: 15 - 33 - 181 - 0 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 2 - 5 - 0 - Kerry Collins had a trouble getting into any type of comfort zone against a strong defensive front. The Texans were unable to record a sack, but pressure up the middle disrupted Collins' timing on passes to his receivers. The threat of the rush was bad enough that he was often rushing his throws or throwing off of his back foot. Two consecutive plays on the opening drive illustrated the type of day that Collins had. On a second and eight play he rolled out to his right and failed to connect with a wide open Justin McCareins along the sideline. On the next play he was forced to throw the ball early due to a good pass rush and threw an inaccurate pass into the end zone that was intercepted. Later, he missed a wide open Alge Crumpler that would have been a touchdown had it been thrown with a little more touch.

RB Chris Johnson, Rush: 13 - 65 - 0, Rec: 2 - 2 - 0 (2 targets) - Chris Johnson started like gangbusters, gaining 27 yards on his first two carries. The going got tough after that as the Texans began to combat the running game by sending linebackers on blitzes into the gaps and cutting off Johnson's cutback lanes. This caused Johnson to be met by tacklers close to the line of scrimmage, and he was often met by more than one tackler. The Texans were able to take away the running game with Kerry Collins being ineffective, which also served to limit his effectiveness. Johnson was able to break off a couple of longer runs during the second and third quarter as the defense was clearly in pass coverage, but the defense was able to keep him pinned along the sidelines and prevent him from cutting back into the middle of the field for extra yards.

RB LenDale White, Rush: 8 - 26 - 0 - White saw action in small doses as the Titans chose not to rotate their backs. He filled in on occasion to give Chris Johnson a breather, but did not stay in the game for either an entire series or see action on consecutive series.

RB Ahmard Hall, Rec: 1 - 5 - 0 (1 targets) - Ahmard Hall was the target on the first pass attempted by Collins that he was able to turn into a five yard gain.

WR Justin McCareins, Rush: 1 - 4 - 0, Rec: 3 - 36 - 0 (12 targets) - McCareins was looked to early and often, but was unable to come up with the ball due to being just slightly out of position on most throws. He was the intended receiver on most of the throws by Collins that were just slightly off target. McCareins could not catch a break on some of the passes he did catch. On his first reception he promptly fumbled the ball away when he was hit as soon as he turned around.

WR Justin Gage, Rec: 3 - 76 - 0 (5 targets) - Justin Gage started, but was not the receiver that Collins was most often looking for when he was taking shots downfield. He appeared to be the second option in the passing game, as Collins appeared to prefer to take what the defense gave him and tried to connect with the other receivers. He was the most reliable receiver and made the tough catches when asked. Of his two missed targets, one was a pass interference penalty on the Houston defender who prevented a potential touchdown by tripping up Gage on the five yard line just before half time.

WR Brandon Jones, Rec: 3 - 51 - 0 (5 targets) - Brandon Jones did his damage as the third receiver, playing primarily from the slot position. Despite seeing limited action, he was able to contribute to the scoring by catching a 40 yard bomb from Collins during the two minute drill at the end of the first half. The reception helped set up a short field goal by Rob Bironas.

TE Bo Scaife, Rec: 3 - 11 - 0 (7 targets) - Scaife was able to come up with some of Collins' passes, despite being well covered. He was also the target on some of Collins' worst passes as most balls thrown in his direction were badly overthrown.

TE Alge Crumpler (4 targets) - Alge Crumpler was unable to make any receptions due to being overthrown on all of the passes thrown in his direction. On his first target he was wide open deep downfield, but Collins overthrew him by a couple of yards and he was not even able to get a finger on the ball.

PK Rob Bironas 4 - 4 FG, 0 - 0 XP, 12 points - Rob Bironas scored all of the Titans points by connecting on four field goals, the longest from 51 yards out. It will be the one opportunity that he did not have that will have fans second guessing the coach as Jeff Fisher decided to forgo a game winning attempt from 49 yards out and go for a first down instead.

TEN Rush Defense - The Titans run defense performed well, giving up only their second 100 yard game by a running back this season. They were able to keep Slaton in check for most of the game, but were unable to keep him from gaining first downs at the end of the game when it counted.

TEN Pass Defense - The pass defense was able to get some pressure on Schaub, but they were done in by penalties and a failure to cover the best receiver on the field. Despite having trouble covering Johnson, the pass defense kept two scoring drives alive with either roughing the passer or pass interference penalties.

QB Matt Schaub, Pass: 23 - 39 - 284 - 1 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 4 - 7 - 0 - Coming off of a career game last week, Schaub played another excellent game. He was able to stand in the pocket and throw the ball away at the last minute despite being under pressure. He did not get rattled until late in the game despite absorbing three roughing the passer penalties. Schaub did make some questionable decisions that could have hurt the team as he chose to throw the ball away to the feet of a potential receiver on three occasions in order to avoid getting sacked. On the first attempt he was his with an intentional grounding penalty, but he was able to get away with it on the other instances as the official ruled that either the receiver was close enough to the ball or was behind the line of scrimmage. He only turned the ball over once, on a sack where he did not see the pass rusher coming and had the ball knocked away. The turnover was in Texans territory and led to the first points of the game.

RB Steve Slaton, Rush: 24 - 100 - 0, Rec: 3 - 15 - 0 (6 targets) - Steve Slaton is the only player this season to have rushed for 100 yards against the strong Titans defense, and he has accomplished this feat twice. He ran with determination, refusing to stop even when met with two or three defenders. One more than one play he appeared to have had his forward progress halted after a short gain, but he refused to go down and was able to get extra yardage just on his shear will. He was at his best in the fourth quarter as he was called upon to run the clock out with two minutes left. Slaton showed the skill of a veteran when he gained the game's final first down and he decided to take a knee close to the sideline to keep the clock going instead of taking a chance of getting knocked out of bounds.

RB Cecil Sapp, Rush: 1 - 0 - 0 - Sapp's only action came when he failed to convert a third and one play during the second quarter.

RB Vonta Leach (1 targets) - Vonta Leach's only target was on a second and goal play from the seven yard line in the third quarter. He bobbled the ball and dropped it despite being wide open.

WR Andre Johnson, Rec: 11 - 207 - 1 (15 targets) - Andre Johnson set a team record for receiving yards with 207. He provided the spark that the offense needed with a 65 yard reception in the second quarter where he just ran by the defender into the open field. That one play seemed to fire up a dormant offense and would lead to the game's only touchdown four plays later. He caught passes despite being well covered, on two plays he just simply out jumped the defender for the ball and on another play Schaub was somehow able to thread the pass between three defenders to get it to him.

WR Kevin Walter, Rec: 2 - 8 - 0 (4 targets) - The Texans did not have to look to Walter often with Andre Johnson being so effective. He was only able to catch two passes, but was able to draw a pass interference penalty to give them first and goal late in the third quarter.

WR David Anderson, Rec: 1 - 4 - 0 (2 targets) - Anderson's only reception was a short four yard catch off of play action on the first scoring drive.

WR Andre Davis (1 targets) - Davis was the intended target on only one play, but that play was wiped out due to a roughing the passer penalty.

TE Owen Daniels, Rec: 4 - 41 - 0 (8 targets) - Daniels was the secondary option on most pass plays, and the player that Schaub looked to when an important play involving tough yards was needed. He did most of his damage on crossing routes over the middle and was able to get the offense into manageable third down situations.

TE Joel Dreessen, Rec: 2 - 9 - 0 (3 targets) - Joel Dreessen saw limited action when Owen Daniels needed a rest. He has good hands and was able to catch passes despite being well covered.

PK Kris Brown 2 - 3 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 7 points - Kris Brown was almost the goat of the game when he missed a 26 yard field goal attempt wide left during the third quarter that would have given the Texans a four point lead. He was able to come back shortly after and connect on a 24 yard attempt that would prove to be the game winning score.

HOU Rush Defense - The Texans rush defense was outstanding, limiting Titans backs to a total of 100 yards on the ground. They were effective by blitzing their linebackers and taking away Chris Johnson's cutback lanes.

HOU Pass Defense - Even though the Texans did not record a single sack they were able to disrupt Kerry Collins by getting some pressure on him with their front four. The pressure applied helped rattle Collins and was a key factor in limiting the Titans to 181 yards passing.

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Pittsburgh Steelers 13, Baltimore Ravens 9

What you need to know

Pittsburgh Steelers - Hines Ward proved he can do it against tough competition like the Ravens. He was able to catch the ball and get yards no matter how many people covered him or how hard he took a hit.

Ben Roethlisberger faced the second best defense and did not throw an interception. It wasn't a big day statistically but it was very good considering he faced the Ravens.

The Steelers went ahead for good on a very controversial touchdown to Santonio Holmes late in the fourth quarter. On third and goal, Roethlisberger scrambled and found Holmes at the goal line. The play was originally ruled not a touchdown and Holmes down short of the goal. The call was challenged and reversed and ruled a TD.

Baltimore Ravens - RB LeRon McClain was the feature back and he earned all his yards the hard way. He didn't break any big runs but he still was able get the job done.

QB Joe Flacco was inconsistent. At times he looked like Troy Aikman with his precision only to follow it up with a bad pass. He looked like a rookie against the intense Steelers pass rush.

What you ought to know

QB Ben Roethlisberger, Pass: 22 - 40 - 246 - 1 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 4 - 21 - 0 - Ben Roethlisberger passed against the second best pass defense. He was still able to get over 200 yards and threw the game winning score. It wasn't a great day but it was all you could expect from a quarterback playing Baltimore. Roethlisberger relied on Hines Ward heavily down the stretch as he was the only receiver not dropping passes. He used his legs sparingly and took slides or the sideline to avoid hits. It was a smart run game by Roethlisberger and he exceeded expectations.

RB Willie Parker, Rush: 14 - 47 - 0, Rec: 2 - 9 - 0 (4 targets) - It was a tough day for Willie Parker. Through the third quarter Parker's average per rush was under two yards. He was able to only get 47 yards on fourteen rushes. He didn't do much with his pass targets earning nine yards on two receptions. The Ravens defense did not give Parker much room and closed lanes fast. Parker seemed to go down fast and didn't move the pile. His normal "Fast Willie" moves didn't fool anyone. He was caught at the line of scrimmage or in the backfield almost every time he had the ball.

RB Mewelde Moore, Rush: 7 - 16 - 0 - Mewelde Moore had half the touches that Willie Parker did and was not targeted once all day.

WR Hines Ward, Rec: 8 - 107 - 0 (10 targets) - Hines Ward played very well. He was catching balls in triple coverage. Hard hits did not knock the ball loose. He also didn't drop one ball all day. Ward was the only Steeler who was able to get yards after the catch.

WR Nate Washington, Rush: 1 - 6 - 0, Rec: 5 - 76 - 0 (8 targets) - Nate Washington was the second most targeted receiver. Washington was fighting for the ball and coming back to Roethlisberger on busted plays. He was able to end up with 76 yards and it was mostly hard fought. There was a very nice spin move that created another ten plus yards on his longest play of the day.

WR Santonio Holmes, Rec: 3 - 21 - 1 (7 targets) - Although he caught the winning TD, Santonio Holmes did not have a very good day up to that point. He had two crucial drops that cost the Steelers a very important conversion and touchdown. Holmes showed a lack of concentration by not picking up the hot route on a blitz. It would have been an easy touchdown if he had turned at the right time. The drops were from a lack of fighting for the ball and effort more than anything. Holmes also did not secure the ball and fumbled inside the Baltimore red zone. He was lucky that fumble resulted in a field goal. Ben Roethlisberger was not deterred from those actions as Holmes was the recipient of the game winning touchdown. Without that reception it would have been a dismal day. Holmes did make a very nice block on Hines Ward's 30 yard reception. The touchdown catch was very controversial as it was initially ruled not a TD but was challenged and reversed.

TE Heath Miller, Rec: 3 - 26 - 0 (4 targets) - Heath Miller didn't have an impressive day. He was not used in check downs from the Ravens pass rush or blitzes. The hot routes were to wide outs.

TE Sean McHugh, Rec: 1 - 7 - 0 (2 targets) - Sean McHugh had a couple targets and one reception but nothing of note.

PK Jeff Reed 2 - 2 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 7 points - Jeff Reed had two short field goals and did not miss any.

PIT Rush Defense - LeRon McClain chewed up his yards a little at a time. The Steelers did not allow any big running plays. However, the Ravens rushing game was not dismal either. It was a bend but don't break day and there was a lot of bending.

PIT Pass Defense - Both interceptions were not on defensive play. The first was a drop by a rookie WR and the second was on a Hail Mary. However, the Steelers made Joe Flacco look like a rookie. They had constant pressure and it seemed to throw off his rhythm. There were only two sacks as Flacco was alert enough and nimble to get rid of the ball. The Ravens also couldn't seem to get conversion when they needed to. Pittsburgh didn't allow much through the air at all.

QB Joe Flacco, Pass: 11 - 28 - 115 - 0 TD / 2 INT, Rush: 1 - 5 - 0 - Joe Flacco looked very impressive one moment and not so the next. He had a few amazing passes that were with pinpoint accuracy. On one pass Flacco threaded three defenders and hit Todd Heap in stride. He also had a great play on the run and hit Mark Clayton downfield. But, he also had some passes that were not close to the mark. Both interceptions were no fault of his. The first was a drop that should have been caught. The tip went right into the hands Ryan Clark. The second was a desperation Hail Mary at the end of the game. Flacco seemed to struggle with the intense pressure of this game. They did run one option in the first quarter that didn't fool Pittsburgh.

RB LeRon McClain, Rush: 23 - 87 - 0 (1 targets) - LeRon McClain was the feature back. He pounded out all of his yards. There were no big rushing plays of the day but McClain still averaged almost four yards per carry. He didn't have any receptions but was targeted one time. He dropped that pass that hit him right in the hands. It was impressive watching him grind out yards against this tough Steelers defense.

RB Willis McGahee, Rush: 6 - 18 - 0, Rec: 2 - 15 - 0 (5 targets) - Willis McGahee seemed to be a change of pace back. He was in mostly in third down or other obvious passing situations. He did come in a few times to give LeRon McClain some rest but did not stay in the game. McGahee also dropped easy passes that hit him in the hands.

WR Derrick Mason, Rec: 3 - 23 - 0 (8 targets) - Derrick Mason only had three receptions on eight targets. This describes the day very well. Some of the passes were very good but defended better. Mason did not show a lot of effort to get the ball.

WR Mark Clayton, Rec: 3 - 38 - 0 (5 targets) - Mark Clayton did what he could with his targets. It wasn't an impressive performance. This was due to Joe Flacco not having the time to throw the ball.

TE Todd Heap, Rec: 1 - 24 - 0 (4 targets) - Todd Heap was covered very well by Baltimore. He had one very good reception but had a couple drops also.

PK Matt Stover 3 - 3 FG, 0 - 0 XP, 9 points - All three of Matt Stover's field goals were from inside the red zone. It was an easy day for Stover.

BAL Rush Defense - It was impressive to watch the Steelers get stuffed. There was nowhere to run. Lanes closed down very quickly and most of the time there was no lane. The Ravens made you think twice about who has the best run defense in the league.

BAL Pass Defense - It was a very good day for the Ravens until the fourth quarter. Ben Roethlisberger was able to run two scoring drives for the comeback win. Up to that point they had someone in Roethlisberger's face on every play. There were three sacks and one forced fumble that kept the game in Baltimore's hands. But, then they allowed the fourth quarter comeback. There were no interceptions.

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New Orleans Saints 24, Chicago Bears 27

What you need to know

New Orleans Saints - QB Drew Brees did not play his best game and did not put up the gaudy yardage numbers he has for most of the season. He made a couple of untimely interceptions in the game and just wasn't as sharp as he usually is. He did have two touchdown passes, a two yard throw to RB Pierre Thomas early in the game, and an 11 yard pass to WR Marques Colston late in the game. Brees really got off to sluggish start in this game but, looked more like the MVP candidate as the game progressed. Unfortunately, for him and Saints they never got the ball in overtime and never had an opportunity to win the game.

RB Pierre Thomas had a great game and scored two touchdowns, one receiving and one rushing. He ran the ball hard and got the majority of touches in the game. He had a two yard touchdown reception in the first half and a long 42 yard touchdown run in the second half. Thomas finished the game with 146 total yards in the game. RB Reggie Bush reinjured his knee midway through the second quarter, but he did return to the game in the third quarter to try and play, but he only got one carry before leaving the game for good.

WR Marques Colston was targeted often in the first half but, had trouble getting separation against CB Charles Tillman and started very slow. Colston made some big catches late in the game, including an 11 yard touchdown reception that put the Saints ahead late in the game. WR Lance Moore did very little in this game, accumulating only 27 yards receiving.

Chicago Bears - QB Kyle Orton had a kind of shaky game turning the ball over three times but, did run in a touchdown late in the first half and moved the ball down the field late in the game and in overtime to help the Bears win. He almost connected for a big play with WR Devin Hester in overtime but, it did draw a pass interference penalty that lead to the Bears game winning field goal in overtime.

RB Matt Forte was injured on his first carry of the game when Saints DE Will Smith rolled over his foot. It was reported that he injured his toe but, he did return to the game midway through the second quarter. He returned back just in time to cash in on a one touchdown run for the Bears. Forte didn't seem hindered after the injury but, only had 34 yards rushing. He did add 29 yards receiving on five receptions.

Even though WR Devin Hester didn't have a big game statistically, he had only four catches for 46 yards, and he drew a couple of big pass interference penalties. He also caused fits for the Saints secondary all game as he beat double coverage on number of occasions. Hester got behind the defense on a play that would have been a long touchdown in the second half but, QB Kyle Orton overthrew him.

FS Danieal Manning took the opening kickoff 83 yards for a touchdown and he helped set up another Chicago score with a 52 yard return in the second quarter.

What you ought to know

QB Drew Brees, Pass: 24 - 43 - 232 - 2 TD / 2 INT, Rush: 1 - 1 - 0 - Brees had a poor first half to his standards even though he threw for a touchdown. He threw an interception and he completed only ten of 24 attempts for 93 yards. Brees threw a two yard touchdown pass to RB Pierre Thomas out in the flat after a Chicago turnover in the first half. He also threw an interception to S Mike Brown in that that half and had a couple of other passes that probably should been intercepted. Chicago got good pressure on Brees in the first half and forced him into some bad passes. Brees had another big interception in the second half when it looked like the Saints were driving for a score, when he threw the ball to DE Adewale Ogunleye. Brees did drive the Saints late in the game and hooked up with WR Marques Colston on an 11 yard touchdown pass for his second score of the game. Brees looked much sharper late in the game but, he did not get an opportunity to win the game in overtime as the Bears scored on their first possession.

RB Pierre Thomas, Rush: 22 - 87 - 1, Rec: 7 - 59 - 1 (8 targets) - Thomas started the game for New Orleans and was splitting carries with RB Reggie Bush early in the contest. He got off to a good start by catching a two yard touchdown pass for a touchdown in the second quarter. He got the bulk of the work in the first half after Bush left the game midway through the second quarter. He had eight carries for 24 yards in the first half. In the second half, Thomas got almost all of the carries as Bush spent most the second half on the bench. Things got even better for Thomas when he broke off a long 42 yard touchdown run down the left sideline. He was also targeted often out of the back as he caught seven passes for 59 yards in the game. Thomas did not look like a backup in this game; he looked more like a legitimate starting running back who put impressive numbers against a good run defense.

RB Reggie Bush, Rush: 6 - 30 - 0, Rec: 2 - 16 - 0 (2 targets) - Bush looked good early in this game with his normal burst and quickness but, didn't get that many touches as he split carries with RB Pierre Thomas. Bush seemed to have trouble with his footing on the turf at Soldier Field when he tried to break runs to the outside. On one of those outside runs midway through the second quarter, Bush seemed to tweak his injured knee. He sat out the rest of the half. Bush finished the half with 30 yards rushing and 16 yards receiving. Bush returned back to the game in the third quarter but only got one more carry in the game and spent the rest of the game on the sidelines.

WR Marques Colston, Rec: 6 - 84 - 1 (12 targets) - Colston had a lot passes thrown his way in the first half but, had trouble getting separation from CB Charles Tillman in man to man coverage. His biggest play of the first half was a 24 yard catch over the middle of the field on a third and long play. He only caught two passes for 33 yards in the first half. He had a pretty quiet second half until catching a huge 22 yard pass on a critical third down play late in the game. That play helped set up an 11 yard touchdown pass for Colston on a quick crossing route.

WR Lance Moore, Rec: 5 - 27 - 0 (7 targets) - Moore only had two catches for 12 yards in the first half. He added four more passes for 15 yards in the second half. All his completions came on very short routes underneath the coverage. He was not much of factor in this game.

WR Devery Henderson (2 targets) - Henderson had no catches in the first half but, did have a couple of dropped passes.

TE Billy Miller, Rec: 3 - 35 - 0 (3 targets) - Miller was the more reliable tight end in this game for QB Drew Brees as he caught every pass sent his way for 35 yards.

TE Jeremy Shockey, Rec: 1 - 11 - 0 (5 targets) - Shockey did not have a very good game as he dropped a couple of easy passes and caught only one ball for 11 yards.

PK Garrett Hartley 1 - 1 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 6 points - Hartley made a 30 yard field goal in the third quarter.

NO Rush Defense - The Saints did an exceptional job stopping the run holding the Bears' running backs to only 49 yards rushing.

NO Pass Defense - The pass defense was solid for most of the game holding QB Kyle Orton 172 yards passing and zero passing touchdowns. They also intercepted Orton twice but, the pass defense faulted down the stretch and up some big drives late in the game.

QB Kyle Orton, Pass: 24 - 40 - 172 - 0 TD / 2 INT, Rush: 4 - 6 - 1 - Orton didn't do much in the first half until he scored a rushing touchdown with less then a minute left in the first half, bad ankle and all. Orton was 11 for 17 for 76 in the half as the Bears dinked and dunked their way down the field. He did have a costly fumble that help set up the Saints only touchdown in the half. Orton and the offense did little in the second half and struggled to get a first down, forcing the Bears defense to be on the field most of the half. He did move Chicago down into scoring range at the end of the game to kick a game tying field goal. He also led them down the field in overtime for the game winning kick. But Orton was ineffective most the game and did not make many plays with his arm until late in the game.

RB Matt Forte, Rush: 11 - 34 - 1, Rec: 5 - 29 - 0 (5 targets) - Forte got injured on his first carry of the game and had to go to the sidelines to get looked at by the Bears training staff. It looked like DE Will Smith fell on his right foot on the play. It was reported later that he had a toe injury. He did return to the game midway through the second quarter, and was able to score on a one yard touchdown run shorter there after. It was only his third carry of the game to that point. He had only four carries for eight yards in the first half. Forte did not seem hindered by his injury but, he did not do much in the second half. He only had 26 yards rushing in the half and was more effective as a pass catcher, making five receptions for 29 yards.

RB Adrian Peterson, Rush: 5 - 15 - 0, Rec: 1 - 8 - 0 (2 targets) - Peterson got some carries as RB Matt Forte missed about a quarter due to a toe injury. Peterson only got one more carry after Forte returned to the game.

WR Devin Hester, Rec: 4 - 46 - 0 (8 targets) - Early in the game Hester got wide open deep down the field but, QB Kyle Orton overthrew him on what could have been a big play and a touchdown. Hester seemed to be able to get open but, Orton struggled hitting him at times in the firs half. He had two catches for 17 yards in the first half. He only had 29 yards receiving in the second half but, did draw a huge pass interference penalty in overtime. Hester was clearly the Bears best receiver even though his numbers were not overly impressive, as he burned double coverage several times. He opened up the field for Chicago and drew a couple of big pass interference penalties in critical situations.

WR Brandon Lloyd, Rec: 2 - 21 - 0 (4 targets) - Lloyd had one catch for 15 yards in the first half. He only had one catch for six yards as Hester and TEs Greg Olsen and Desmond Clark were QB Kyle Orton's main targets throughout the game.

TE Greg Olsen, Rec: 8 - 45 - 0 (8 targets) - Olsen caught eight passes in this game and most of them were short dump passes in the flat or over the middle as he only racked up only 45 yards receiving.

TE Desmond Clark, Rec: 3 - 11 - 0 (6 targets) - Clark bobbled an easy touchdown catch late in the first half. He had two catches for seven yards in the first half and only one catch for four yards.

PK Robbie Gould 2 - 2 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 9 points - Gould hit a 28 yard field goal with two seconds left to send the game into overtime.

CHI Rush Defense - The Bears struggled stopping the Saints rushing attack and seemed to wear down as the game went on. They gave a big 42 yard run in the second half.

CHI Pass Defense - DE Adewale Ogunleye and S Mike Brown both had interceptions in the game. DE Alex Brown got the team's only sack of the game. The defense did a pretty good job of containing the league's number one pass offense by holding them well below their per game average. The Saints only had 232 yards passing.

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Green Bay Packers 16, Jacksonville Jaguars 20

What you need to know

Green Bay Packers - The Packers were able to move the ball well in the first half, but did not capitalize on that with touchdowns, which turned out to be a factor as they lost a close game. They were less successful moving the ball in the second half, and managed one field goal in that half. Their running game epitomized their play. Ryan Grant ran aggressively and hard at Jacksonville's defenders, but did not break free for any runs of ten yards or more. His production tailed off in the second half as he was stopped at or behind the line of scrimmage on four of his ten second-half rushing attempts, compared to one such carry in the first half.

Aaron Rodgers also mirrored his offense in that he moved his team up and down the field, but only engineered one drive that resulted in a touchdown. Rodgers took some chances downfield, with James Jones being his most targeted receiver on those passes. They connected on three deep passes, and had a good feel for each other on those throws. Conversely, although Rodgers threw deep to Greg Jennings three times, they were unable to connect, although Jennings broke open on two of those pass plays where he was a few yards away from the end zone. Jennings was the recipient of a touchdown pass from Rodgers. Donald Driver was used on mostly short and intermediate routes, and caught each pass thrown his way.

The Packers attempted nine plays on three possessions in the red zone -- none in the second half, and came away with one touchdown and two field goals. Two of these possessions began at or inside the ten yard line, and Green Bay ended those drives with field goals. The Packers ran the ball four times in the red zone, three by Grant and one by Rodgers on a designed play. Rodgers threw five red zone passes, one to Jennings for a touchdown. The only other red zone pass he threw to the end zone was to tight end Jermichael Finley, but it was too high. None of Rodgers other passes in the red zone yielded more than two yards.

Jacksonville Jaguars - The Jaguars scored first but gave up 13 unanswered points as their offense sputtered before making enough adjustments in the second half to take the lead and come away with the victory. Maurice Jones-Drew started in place of Fred Taylor, who was placed on Injured Reserve earlier in the week, but did not find many holes to run through. As a result of the ineffective running game, Jones-Drew just had 12 carries in the contest. He only had one run of over three yards in the first half, while two of his five second half carries gained seven or more yards. He ran with great power and did not go down at the first hit. His power was never more evident than on his touchdown run when a Green Bay linebacker hit him at the four yard line, but Jones-Drew absorbed the blow and dragged him into the end zone. Jones-Drew attempted a run on a two-point conversion play, but was stopped a yard short.

David Garrard was mostly ineffective in the first half, although he did throw a well timed pass to Dennis Northcutt for Jacksonville's first touchdown. At times Garrard threw the ball in an area where the Packers' defenders were able to deflect the ball, and at other times his receivers dropped passes they should have caught. Garrard was more effective in the second half, and he and Northcutt connected on several big plays where Northcutt ran deep routes. Northcutt was the only receiver to be targeted deep, as Garrard threw mostly short passes with a few intermediate routes sprinkled in. He spread the ball around, targeting his tight ends a combined 12 times. Reggie Williams was the second most targeted wide receiver, receiving five targets to Northcutt's eight. Once he settled down in the second half, Garrard threw more accurately, and used his running ability several times to gain important yards on short yardage plays, none more important than on a designed play late in the fourth quarter when he gained a first down, fumbled the ball but recovered it. The Jaguars scored on the next play to take a 20-16 lead.

The Jaguars ran five plays on two red zone possessions -- none in the first half, and came away with two touchdowns. They passed the ball twice, both to Jones-Drew, who turned one of them into a touchdown. Two of the red zone rushes were by Jones-Drew. He scored on a short-yardage run, and was stopped short of the end zone on a two point conversion attempt. Garrard had the other red zone run, which was designed for him.

What you ought to know

QB Aaron Rodgers, Pass: 20 - 32 - 278 - 1 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 5 - 22 - 0 - Rodgers had an uneven game. While he made several good throws and connected with his wide receivers on the majority of them, he did not lead his team to enough touchdowns. He missed receivers at times when they broke open heading towards the end zone, and apart from his touchdown pass to Jennings, his other four red zone passes netted a total of two yards. One of those passes came when it was apparent there was confusion on his teammates' part as to where to line up, and he snapped the ball instead of calling a timeout to avoid a delay of game penalty. The pass resulted in no gain and Green Bay had to settle for a field goal. Rodgers' only interception came on the Packers' last offensive play of the game.

RB Ryan Grant, Rush: 21 - 56 - 0, Rec: 3 - 32 - 0 (4 targets) - Grant ran hard whenever he had the ball, but although he seemed on the verge of breaking loose for big gains a few times, was unable to do so. He showed good power as he gained several yards after being initially hit at or near the line of scrimmage on some of his rushes. The only pass he dropped was just outside the red zone, and he had blockers in front of him, giving him a decent chance of getting into the end zone. His team settled for a field goal on that drive.

RB Brandon Jackson, Rush: 1 - 6 - 0, Rec: 1 - 1 - 0 (2 targets) - Jackson spelled Grant periodically but did not have much of an impact.

RB John Kuhn, Rush: 1 - 0 - 0 (1 targets) - Kuhn's only carry was on a fourth and one play in the fourth quarter, but he was stopped for no gain. Jacksonville took over on downs and scored on that subsequent drive to take a 14-13 lead.

WR Donald Driver, Rec: 5 - 65 - 0 (5 targets) - Driver was asked to run short and intermediate routes and did so well, getting open when his number was called. He ran aggressively after securing the ball, and gained a few yards after his catches.

WR James Jones, Rec: 4 - 132 - 0 (5 targets) - Jones and Rodgers were in sync on several deep pass patterns, with Jones not only getting open deep, but also displaying good hands at the same time. He showed good awareness of where the sideline was on three of his receptions and was the Packers' best home run threat in this game.

WR Greg Jennings, Rec: 3 - 22 - 1 (7 targets) - Jennings ran his routes well, and got open on most of the times he was targeted. However, he and Rodgers only connected on shorter passes, including one for a touchdown. Jennings got open deep three times, but was overthrown twice, although in Rodgers' defense he was under a strong pass rush on one of those pass attempts. Jennings' displayed good speed and route running to get open a few yards outside of the end zone on two of the deep patterns he ran, but he and Rodgers could not connect.

WR Ruvell Martin, Rec: 1 - 9 - 0 (1 targets) - Martin was not involved much in the game.

WR Jordy Nelson, Rec: 1 - 9 - 0 (1 targets) - Nelson had a minimal impact on the game.

TE Donald Lee, Rec: 2 - 8 - 0 (2 targets) - Lee had a small role in the passing game, and one of his two targets, while in the red zone, was a dump off pass as a result of a broken play.

TE Jermichael Finley (2 targets) - Finley was targeted once in the end zone but the pass was thrown too high.

PK Mason Crosby 3 - 3 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 10 points - Crosby made his only point after attempt and all three of his field goals, which were from 22, 23 and 38 yards.

GB Rush Defense - Green Bay's run defense did not allow a lot of yards, but Jones-Drew averaged 4.0 yards per rush and Garrard 6.2 yards pr rush, most of which were designed runs. While they kept a powerfully running Jones-Drew from breaking loose for big gains, they could not stop him from scoring a short-yardage touchdown. They also had a missed opportunity when they stripped the ball from Garrard on one of his designed runs, but could not recover the fumble. Jacksonville only attempted 19 total running plays.

GB Pass Defense - The Packers could not generate a pass rush by their front four, and if not for their secondary, may have allowed more yards in the air. They blitzed more in the second half, and their two sacks came in the second half, one by a linebacker and the other by a safety. However, they could not stop the Jaguars' passing game in the second half, which was mostly short and intermediate passes with some deep passes thrown in. They did not intercept Garrard and surrendered two touchdowns in the air, with players getting open inside the ten yard line and running the remainder of the way for the scores.

QB David Garrard, Pass: 21 - 33 - 238 - 2 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 5 - 31 - 0 - Garrard started slowly, apart from his pass to Northcutt for the first score of the game, but he made good adjustments and benefited from a mediocre pass rush to have a solid game. He relied mostly on short and intermediate passes, and only threw deep to Northcutt. With his reliance on the shorter passing game, Garrard distributed the ball to three tight ends and Jones-Drew, and only threw to two wide receivers. He was more accurate in the second half, and complemented his passing with some timely rushes to help keep his team moving forward for scores. His numbers could have been better had it not been for Northcutt dropping a deep pass that was accurately thrown, and for overthrowing Troy Williamson in the end zone.

RB Maurice Jones-Drew, Rush: 12 - 48 - 1, Rec: 4 - 22 - 1 (7 targets) - Jones-Drew played with great effort. In addition to running with power, he showed excellent change of direction skills, making defenders miss on a few occasions in tight space, including the short pass he caught then ran around some defenders to score his receiving touchdown. Jones-Drew displayed the power on his touchdown run, dragging a defender who hit him at the four yard line, into the end zone. Although he only had 12 carries, Jones-Drew turned in a very productive game.

RB Chauncey Washington, Rush: 1 - 6 - 0 - Washington gained a first down on his only rushing attempt as the new backup running back with Fred Taylor on injured reserve.

WR Dennis Northcutt, Rush: 1 - 9 - 0, Rec: 5 - 127 - 1 (8 targets) - Northcutt showed excellent quickness in getting off the line and in running his routes. He used his quickness to beat his defender and get open deep and connected with Garrard on several deep passes. He could have posted even bigger numbers had he not dropped a pass that hit him in the hands as he got open deep in the first half. Garrard's confidence in him did not wane, and Northcutt benefited from several similar passes in the second half.

WR Reggie Williams, Rec: 4 - 31 - 0 (5 targets) - Williams ran mostly short routes and was able to get open and secure the catch when thrown the ball. He was open on the only intermediate route he was thrown the ball on, but the pass was under thrown.

WR Troy Williamson (2 targets) - Williamson dropped one of the two passes that were directed to him, and the other was too high in the end zone.

TE Greg Estandia, Rec: 4 - 36 - 0 (6 targets) - Estandia ran short routes well and displayed good hands. One of his targets was for a first down but called back due to a penalty on the offensive line, and another one was initially ruled a catch -- for a first down -- but upon challenge and review, overturned.

TE Richard Angulo, Rec: 2 - 15 - 0 (3 targets) - Angulo was utilized on short routes and caught the two passes that were thrown within his reach, with the third pass being too high.

TE Marcedes Lewis, Rec: 2 - 7 - 0 (4 targets) - Lewis was used on short routes and had a minimal impact.

PK Josh Scobee 0 - 1 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 2 points - Scobee made both of his point after attempts, and missed his only field goal attempt, which was from 51 yards, when it hit the upright and bounced backwards.

JAX Rush Defense - Jacksonville's run defense played hard and aggressively, and because of their effort prevented Ryan Grant from breaking any big runs despite Grant's strong efforts. The Jaguars stopped Grant at or behind the line of scrimmage on five of his 21 rushing attempts, and made several other stops just past the line of scrimmage. They stripped the ball from Grant once but did not recover it.

JAX Pass Defense - The Jaguars did not generate much of a pass rush and two of their three sacks could be attributed to good coverage by their secondary. The secondary played fairly well considering they were missing their best cornerback, Rasheen Mathis. Although they gave up close to 300 yards passing, they stiffened in the red zone and only allowed one passing touchdown. A Jaguars' defender dropped a potential interception on the first play of the second half, but the unit redeemed themselves by intercepting Rodgers during the Packers' last possession to seal the victory.

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Buffalo Bills 27, New York Jets 31

What you need to know

Buffalo Bills - QB J.P. Losman struggled with his accuracy, making multiple mistakes which cost the Bills the game. Losman threw three interceptions and lost a fumble, while managing only 148 passing yards and a touchdown. Losman also added a touchdown with his legs in the second quarter when he ran in for the score from eight yards out. The fumble at the end of the game was really more a coaching mistake as there was no reason Losman should have been attempting a pass at that point of the game.

RB Marshawn Lynch didn't find the end zone, but still managed one of his better games of the year. Lynch ran like a madman all game, breaking tackles and bulldozing through the Jets defense. Lynch had 21 carries and three receptions, which he turned into 140 total yards of offense. Fred Jackson only saw seven carries, but he did manage to score a touchdown and rush for 31 yards.

Due to Losman's poor performance, no Buffalo WR was really able to get much going. Jeff Reed was the leading receiver with four receptions for 43 yards, but the next highest receiving total came from RB Fred Jackson, who totaled 24 receiving yards on six receptions.

New York Jets - QB Brett Favre had another subpar day, throwing for 207 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. Although one of the interceptions was a freak play and not Favre's fault, the second one clearly was as he badly under threw Jericho Cotchery on a deep pass attempt. However, once again, Favre managed to do just enough for his team to win.

RB Thomas Jones and RB Leon Washington both had good games once again. Jones saw the bulk of the action, racking up 78 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries. Washington only had one carry, but he turned it into an impressive 47 yard touchdown. He also had one reception for seven yards.

The Jets came into the contest wanting to get their receivers more involved, and although they probably didn't as much as they would have liked to, it was a positive step forward. Laveranues Coles hauled in five receptions for 82 yards, and Jericho Cotchery also managed to bring in 34 receiving yards and a touchdown. TE Dustin Keller also got a bit more involved in the offense once again, hauling in three passes for 35 yards.

What you ought to know

QB J.P. Losman, Pass: 24 - 39 - 148 - 1 TD / 3 INT, Rush: 2 - 17 - 1 - Losman had a terrible day, turning the ball over four times and scoring just twice. His accuracy was awful all game and the Jets' pressure proved to be too much for him as he cost the Bills the game with a late fumble that was returned for a touchdown. Losman only had 148 yards passing, his two scores coming on an eight yard run and a two yard touchdown pass. He'll take blame at the end of the game for the fumble that gave the Jets the win but he should have never been in a pass play at that point of the game.

RB Marshawn Lynch, Rush: 21 - 127 - 0, Rec: 3 - 13 - 0 (6 targets) - Lynch took a handoff and bulled his way through defenders in the first quarter, plowing downfield for a 35 yard gain. It was a sign of things to come, as all game the Jets were unable to tackle him. Lynch continued breaking tackles and making defenders miss throughout the game, and despite not scoring a touchdown, he contributed an impressive 127 yards rushing on 21 carries.

RB Fred Jackson, Rush: 7 - 31 - 1, Rec: 6 - 24 - 0 (6 targets) - In the fourth quarter, Jackson appeared stopped on a red zone carry, but he kept fighting forward and got a little help from behind him, completing the run for an 11 yard touchdown. It was one of his best runs of the afternoon, as he took seven carries for 31 yards. Jackson also played a significant role in the Bills' passing game, finishing with the second highest receiving total of 24 yards. His catches were short dump off passes, and he caught all six of his targets.

WR Lee Evans, Rec: 4 - 22 - 0 (6 targets) - Evans never was really able to get going, being limited to short gains by the Jets' defense. Evans' longest reception of the afternoon came on an eight yard catch, and despite catching as many balls as Josh Reed, Evans only finished with 22 receiving yards.

WR Josh Reed, Rec: 4 - 43 - 0 (8 targets) - Reed was the most targeted Buffalo receiver, and finished with the most receiving yards as a result. Reed caught four of his eight targets, gaining 43 yards.

WR Steve Johnson, Rush: 1 - 6 - 0, Rec: 2 - 13 - 1 (2 targets) - Johnson caught two balls for 13 yards, also adding the sole Buffalo receiving touchdown. Johnson caught a two yard touchdown pass slanting across the middle late in the second quarter, and later in the fourth added an 11 yard gain. It was the only receiving action he saw all game.

TE Derek Fine, Rec: 2 - 23 - 0 (2 targets) - Fine was only thrown to twice in the game, but managed to bring in both receptions, good for 11 and 12 yards.

TE Robert Royal, Rec: 1 - 5 - 0 (3 targets) - Royal only caught one of his three targets, which was good for just five receiving yards.

PK Rian Lindell 2 - 2 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 9 points - There is nothing significant to report in the kicking game, Lindell made all of his kicks.

BUF Rush Defense - The Buffalo rush defense did a poor job containing the Jets' versatile running attack, allowing two touchdowns and 165 yards. Further adding to their embarrassment, in the first quarter Brett Favre managed a 27 yard run, setting the tone for the long day it would be for the Bills.

BUF Pass Defense - The Bills' pass defense did a decent job against Favre, limiting him to just one touchdown and picking him off twice. Favre was only able to throw for 207 yards against them, and they had the team in position to win the game before Losman's costly fumble late in the fourth quarter.

QB Brett Favre, Pass: 17 - 30 - 207 - 1 TD / 2 INT, Rush: 1 - 27 - 0 - Favre disappointed fantasy owners again, throwing for 207 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions in what proved to be a pretty mediocre day. Favre's first interception came on a pass he threw to Laveranues Coles, he threw it behind Coles and as the ball was falling to the ground it bounced off a defenders' helmet, allowing it to be picked off. Later in the game though, Favre was more at fault when he badly under threw Jericho Cotchery on a deep ball. Favre did however, get a chance to show off his wheels in the first quarter as he took a snap and ran down the left sideline for a 27 yard gain.

RB Thomas Jones, Rush: 20 - 78 - 1, Rec: 2 - 4 - 0 (1 targets) - Although Jones didn't have a monster game, he was once again productive, racking up 78 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries. Jones' lone score came in the first quarter, when he took a handoff and made it in the end zone for the two yard touchdown.

RB Leon Washington, Rush: 1 - 47 - 1, Rec: 1 - 7 - 0 (3 targets) - At the end of the second quarter, Washington took a handoff and showed off his amazing speed, making a nice cut and going the distance for a 47 yard touchdown. It was his only carry of the game. He also added one reception for seven yards.

WR Laveranues Coles, Rec: 5 - 82 - 0 (8 targets) - Coles was the most targeted New York receiver, as he was thrown to eight times. Coles managed to bring in five of these targets, picking up a respectable 82 yards. Coles' long reception of the game came on the first play of the game, as he was hit on a deep crossing route across the middle of the field for a 22 yard pickup.

WR Jerricho Cotchery, Rec: 4 - 34 - 1 (6 targets) - In the first quarter, Cotchery caught an 11 yard touchdown pass slanting towards the corner of the end zone. It was his most productive catch of the afternoon, but he did manage to add three more receptions, bringing his total yardage for the day to 34 yards. Cotchery was also targeted deep once, but the ball was badly underthrown, giving him no chance to make a play.

WR David Clowney, Rec: 1 - 26 - 0 (1 targets) - Clowney made a sick catch in the third quarter, bringing in a 26 yard reception with one hand on a crossing route. It was his only reception of the game.

TE Dustin Keller, Rec: 3 - 35 - 0 (5 targets) - Keller saw a bit more action than last week, bringing in three receptions for 35 yards. Keller had a chance to catch a touchdown pass, but had the ball knocked out of his hands by the defender in the end zone.

PK Jay Feely 1 - 1 FG, 4 - 4 XP, 7 points - Feely made his only field goal attempt of the game.

NYJ Rush Defense - The Jets got run over by the Bills, as they seemed unable to tackle Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson. The two totaled 195 yards from scrimmage, making the Jets look very bad in the process. This certainly will be a concern for the Jets going forward.

NYJ Pass Defense - The Jets forced Losman into multiple mistakes, ultimately the difference in the game. The Jets were able to force Losman into four turnovers; the most notable a fourth quarter fumble which they returned for the game winning touchdown. One would have to struggle to think of any way the Jets could have improved in this area of the game.

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Minnesota Vikings 35, Arizona Cardinals 14

What you need to know

Minnesota Vikings - Minnesota only threw 17 times in the game. But QB Tarvaris Jackson had a career high four touchdown passes and got off to a great start passing for three first half touchdowns to give the Vikings a 28-0 lead. He led the Vikings on a 94 yard drive in the second quarter, and looked well in command of the game. He finished 11 of 17 for 163 yards and four touchdowns.

RB Adrian Peterson had a 100 yard game by half time breaking off long runs of 34 and 25 yards against a Cardinals defense that missed many tackles. He finished the game with 28 rushes for 165 yards, yet no scores.

WR Bernard Berrian got the Vikings off to a hot start scoring the team's first two touchdowns, (an 82 yard punt return and a 41 yard catch) in the first quarter alone.

Arizona Cardinals - The Cardinals turned the ball over on two of their first three possessions and gave up a long punt return to fall behind by 28 points in the first half, and could never recover. Arizona only ran seven running plays.

QB Kurt Warner got off to a rough start completing only two of his first five passes and throwing an interception. He finished the first half with only 89 yards passing. Pressured all day long, Warner had little time to throw and was hit often. He finished the game 29 of 45 for 270 yards and one score.

RB Tim Hightower found the running tough all day long finishing with only 20 yards on five carries. The Cardinals had only seven rushing attempts in the game.

WRs Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald were kept in check all game. Neither reached the end zone.

What you ought to know

QB Tarvaris Jackson, Pass: 11 - 17 - 163 - 4 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 3 - 3 - 0 - Jackson had a career high four touchdown game, yet completed only 11 passes on the day. He got off to a good start hitting Bernard Berrian and Sydney Rice for two first quarter touchdowns. He then added a third to Chester Taylor to give Minnesota a 28 point first half lead. In this third quarter, he hit WR Bobby Wade (58 yards) late in the for his fourth touchdown pass. He completed passes to six different receivers. He finished the day 11 for 17 and 163 yards.

RB Adrian Peterson, Rush: 28 - 165 - 0 (1 targets) - Peterson had a 100 yard game wrapped up by halftime and found holes in the Cardinals rushing defense. He finished with 165 yards on 28 carries. He had five runs of more than ten yards on the day. He ran hard and found holes on the perimeter of the Cardinals rush defense. With 168 yards, it was Peterson's fifth career 150+ yard game.

RB Chester Taylor, Rush: 10 - 66 - 0, Rec: 4 - 37 - 1 (6 targets) - Taylor contributed 66 yards on 11 carries and scored on an 11 yard catch in the second quarter. He finished the game with 103 all purpose yards

WR Bernard Berrian, Rush: 1 - 1 - 0, Rec: 1 - 41 - 1 (3 targets) - Berrian had a huge first quarter returning one punt for a touchdown for the Vikings' first score, then catching a 41 yard pass to give the Vikings an early 14-0 lead. It was his only catch on the afternoon.

WR Bobby Wade, Rec: 2 - 67 - 1 (3 targets) - Wade was the Vikings' leading receiver and scored on a crucial 59 yard touchdown catch to end a Cardinals comeback in the second half.

WR Sidney Rice, Rec: 1 - 6 - 1 (1 targets) - Rice caught a six yard touchdown in the first quarter and finished the game with six yards on his only reception.

TE Visanthe Shiancoe, Rec: 1 - 8 - 0 (1 targets) - Shiancoe only had one catch for eight yards.

PK Ryan Longwell 0 - 1 FG, 5 - 5 XP, 5 points - Longwell made all five of his extra point attempts, but had a 32 yard field goal attempt blocked. It was returned for a Cardinal touchdown.

MIN Rush Defense - The Minnesota rush defense yielded only 43 yards on the day, but that was due to the Cardinals abandoning the run game in the second half. In all the Cardinals rushed only seven times in this game.

MIN Pass Defense - Kept Arizona's Boldin, Fitzgerald and Breaston, in check the entire game, but yielded an early third quarter 50 yard touchdown to Jerheme Urban. Urban broke a few tackles on his way to the score. Although they gave up 270 yards to Warner, they did a great job on the afternoon keeping the receivers in front of them, avoiding the big play. They had four sacks on the game, and one interception.

QB Kurt Warner, Pass: 29 - 45 - 270 - 1 TD / 1 INT - Warner had a rough start completing only two of his first six passes for 25 yards and throwing one interception, He looked flustered from the Minnesota defensive scheme which was to blitz often. He soon got on track in the third quarter, hitting Jerheme Urban for a 50 yard touchdown. He was clearly affected by the tenacious Vikings pass rush. Warner also fumbled once on the day.

QB Matt Leinart, Pass: 3 - 5 - 28 - 0 TD / 0 INT - Leinart came in late in the fourth quarter during garbage time. He completed three passes for 28 yards.

RB Tim Hightower, Rush: 5 - 20 - 0, Rec: 5 - 20 - 0 (9 targets) - Hightower was a non-factor in this game and rushed for only 20 yards on five carries. He added five catches for 20 yards, but two of them were in the game's last drive with Leinart hitting him out of the backfield.

RB J.J. Arrington, Rush: 2 - 23 - 0, Rec: 7 - 48 - 0 (9 targets) - Arrington continues to find playing time in this offense as he speed is a plus. Arrington had 71 all purpose yards from scrimmage, and added another 126 yards on kick off returns.

WR Anquan Boldin, Rec: 6 - 34 - 0 (9 targets) - Boldin had only six catches for 34 yards on the day, and lost one fumble. His longest catch was only 11 yards.

WR Larry Fitzgerald, Rec: 5 - 52 - 0 (11 targets) - Fitzgerald found the Vikings' pass defense tough only catching five balls for 52 yards. His longest, 23 yards, came in the fourth quarter with the game well in hand.

WR Steve Breaston, Rec: 4 - 46 - 0 (9 targets) - Breaston caught four balls for 46 yards with a long catch of 23 yards. He was targeted deep once. He added another 32 yards on punt returns.

WR Jerheme Urban, Rec: 3 - 82 - 1 (3 targets) - Urban was the Cardinals' leading receiver with 82 yards on three catches. He scored from 50 yards out in the third quarter to jump start the Cardinals' offense. He broke several tackles on his touchdown run.

TE Ben Patrick, Rec: 2 - 16 - 0 (2 targets) - Patrick had two receptions for 16 yards, one on third down to keep a drive alive.

PK Neil Rackers 0 - 0 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 2 points - Rackers did not have a field goal attempt, but connected on his two extra point attempts.

ARI Rush Defense - The Cardinals rush defense had a horrible game giving up over 200 yards rushing on the day. Adrian Peterson had a 100 yard game in the first half. They were troubled with missed tackles throughout the game. Although they did not give up a score, it was hardly a positive game.

ARI Pass Defense - The Cardinals pass defense had a horrible day giving up four touchdown passes on only 17 passing attempts. They gave up two early scores on the day, but did cause a fumble by Chester Taylor to end another potential scoring drive that would have put them up 28 points. It's worth noting the Cardinals blocked a 32 yard field goal attempt in the third period. It was returned by Arizona's Roderick Hood for the score.

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Cleveland Browns 10, Philadelphia Eagles 30

What you need to know

Cleveland Browns - QB Ken Dorsey was unimpressive. He forced the ball to Braylon Edwards a couple of times and was rewarded by a good play by the former all-pro, but he also failed to read the defenses effectively or show good arm strength.

RB Jamal Lewis continues to struggle and look worn out. He did not hit holes quickly and failed to even show the power he normally is able to display.

WR Braylon Edwards made a few impressive catches against double coverage. His hands looked good for a change. TE Steve Heiden went down with a leg injury and TE Darnell Dinkens dropped what would have been an opening drive touchdown for the Browns.

Philadelphia Eagles - QB Donovan McNabb was crisp on the night, but did not have much success in the red zone. He connected with Kevin Curtis for a touchdown in the red zone but did not have much other success. McNabb spread the ball out as normal.

RB Brian Westbrook looked good but was unable to get into the end zone. He also had fewer receptions than he normally does because the Browns were giving McNabb time to throw the ball down the field.

WR DeSean Jackson looked solid running his routes and making a couple of tough grabs. Jason Avant ended up with 101 receiving yards from McNabb on five catches, none of which were longer than 25 yards. Kevin Curtis was able to make a touchdown catch in the first quarter but did not make much noise following that.

What you ought to know

QB Ken Dorsey, Pass: 11 - 28 - 156 - 0 TD / 2 INT, Rush: 1 - 0 - 0 - Dorsey struggled once again as the Browns quarterback. He had problems getting enough on the ball and even began to lose his accuracy as the game went on. He should have had a touchdown pass on the first drive of the night but Darnell Dinkens dropped a would have been touchdown. He was not moving well in the pocket and really forced the ball to Braylon Edwards for the majority of his passing yards.

RB Jamal Lewis, Rush: 14 - 32 - 0, Rec: 3 - 14 - 0 (3 targets) - Lewis was not able to get going on offense. He had no explosion through holes or defenders.

RB Lawrence Vickers, Rec: 1 - 21 - 0 (4 targets) - Vickers saw a couple of targets out of the backfield but was the fullback for the Browns.

RB Jason Wright (2 targets) - Wright saw a few plays out of the backfield but did not receive any action on offense.

WR Josh Cribbs, Pass: 0 - 1 - 0 - 0 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 5 - 25 - 0 - Cribbs came out of the backfield in the Wildcat formation once again, but only got five snaps from it. He did not attempt a pass but did look quick hitting holes.

WR Braylon Edwards, Rec: 5 - 102 - 0 (5 targets) - Edwards looked good running routes against double coverage and showed great ability to make plays on all of his receptions. He had no problems with his hands against the Eagles. Edwards broke the 100 yard barrier for the third straight time on Monday Night Football this season.

WR Donte Stallworth, Rec: 1 - 13 - 0 (7 targets) - Stallworth was once again very quiet. He managed one reception for 13 yards against his former team. Most of his targets were not catchable.

WR Syndric Steptoe (6 targets) - Steptoe got playing time in garbage time and seemed to have lost the number two wide receiver spot.

TE Darnell Dinkins, Rec: 1 - 6 - 0 (3 targets) - Dinkins dropped an easy touchdown on the Browns' first drive on third down inside the ten yard line. He filled in for Steve Heiden, who left with a leg injury. He caught only one of the three balls thrown his way for a six yard gain.

TE Steve Heiden (1 targets) - Heiden injured his leg blocking early in the game and was unable to produce anything before that on offense.

TE Martin Rucker (2 targets) - Rucker got some playing time late in the game replacing Dinkins as the tight end.

PK Phil Dawson 1 - 1 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 4 points - Dawson made his only field goal of the night on a short kick from 27 yards.

CLE Rush Defense - The Browns were okay against the run but let Correll Buckhalter break a 27 yard run in the fourth quarter when they were down big. Rogers really plugged up the middle and made them run outside for the most part.

CLE Pass Defense - Cleveland could not pressure McNabb consistently and it cost them as McNabb tore them apart. They did intercept three passes on the night -- two in the end zone -- to keep the game from being even more embarrassing.

QB Donovan McNabb, Pass: 26 - 35 - 290 - 2 TD / 1 INT - McNabb had all night to pass the ball and he took advantage by tearing apart the Cleveland defense. He spread the ball around, completing passes to nine different players. He was rested in the fourth quarter and had a huge smile on his face after stepping up for the second straight week after being benched based on performance.

QB Kevin Kolb, Pass: 0 - 2 - 0 - 0 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 2 - -2 - 0 - Kolb came in when the Eagles were up big and immediately threw a pick-6. He handed the ball off in all but one of the remaining plays.

RB Brian Westbrook, Rush: 16 - 53 - 0, Rec: 3 - 14 - 0 (4 targets) - Westbrook looked solid but struggled to put up great numbers fantasy wise. He failed to score on a run from the three yard line and really had no other opportunities. He was not even a big factor in the passing game as the Browns could not force McNabb to dump the ball off.

RB Correll Buckhalter, Rush: 6 - 55 - 0 - Buckhalter served as the backup to Westbrook like usual. He looked solid but not spectacular against the Browns, showing quickness and some evasion. He had one big run for 27 yards.

WR DeSean Jackson, Pass: 0 - 1 - 0 - 0 TD / 1 INT, Rec: 5 - 77 - 0 (6 targets) - Jackson had an interesting night. On one hand, he was productive in catching five of the six passes thrown his way for 77 yards. However, he did throw an interception on his only attempt from the Wildcat formation on a pass into the end zone that he drastically under-threw.

WR Jason Avant, Rec: 5 - 101 - 0 (6 targets) - Avant had his biggest game of his career, eclipsing the 100-yard mark and finishing with a team high 101 yards. He caught five of the six balls thrown his way and all of them were for substantial yards.

WR Kevin Curtis, Rec: 4 - 45 - 1 (5 targets) - Curtis caught the first Eagles touchdown on the night on a 14 yard pass from Donovan McNabb. Curtis was a beneficiary of single coverage on his route and went up and made a play on the ball for the score.

WR Hank Baskett, Rec: 3 - 15 - 0 (6 targets) - Baskett was cycled in as one of many Eagles wide outs. He did see a target in the end zone but it was intercepted at the end of the first half on a great play on a slightly underthrown ball by Donovan McNabb. He was also targeted when DeSean Jackson threw an interception in the red zone. Neither of the interceptions were his fault.

WR Greg Lewis, Rec: 1 - 10 - 1 (3 targets) - Lewis did not see much action on offense but did catch a touchdown from McNabb in the fourth quarter.

TE L.J. Smith, Rec: 2 - 13 - 0 (3 targets) - Smith was part of a tight end by committee with Brent Celek and ended up with two catches for 13 yards.

TE Brent Celek, Rec: 2 - 9 - 0 (3 targets) - Celek split time with L.J. Smith at tight end and was fairly quiet on the night, ending up with only nine yards on two catches.

PK David Akers 3 - 3 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 12 points - Akers made all three of his short field goals.

PHI Rush Defense - The Eagles completely shut down the Browns' rushing attack. They did have some problems when Josh Cribbs was quarterback, but all in all played solid defense.

PHI Pass Defense - The Eagles put a lot of pressure on Ken Dorsey and forced him to make some bad decisions, resulting in a few turnovers and should have been turnovers.

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Seattle Seahawks 23, St. Louis Rams 20

What you need to know

Seattle Seahawks - It was just a matter of time for the Seahawks. After spending much of the first half on the sidelines, the offense, led by QB Seneca Wallace, slowly clawed itself back into the game. Wallace had a first half to forget, but made up for it with a gutsy comeback after the half.

Maurice Morris was the clear starter, and handled 90% of the carries. Leonard Weaver and T.J. Duckett were used as short yardage specialists (and both did well in that role), while Julius Jones was hardly utilized at all.

Rookie TE John Carlson was the only Seattle receiver worth mentioning before halftime. The second half saw Wallace spread the ball a bit more, as Branch, Engram, and Robinson each came up with a big play en route to the victory.

St. Louis Rams - Marc Bulger looked great when he had time to throw, which was most of the time. He found Torry Holt for a 31 yard touchdown on the first drive, and for a short while the offense was reminiscent of the Rams previously high powered attack. Bulger performed less admirably as the game went on, including going three and out (on three incompletions) with the game tied in the final moments.

Steven Jackson was on fire in the first half, with several 10+ gains among his 18 carries, as well as a touchdown. He was also a threat out of the backfield as he caught a handful of passes, too. Kenneth Darby received a few carries also, as did WR Donnie Avery. Jackson fizzled after halftime, with no one carry over three yards.

Torry Holt and Donnie Avery were able to find room against a suspect Seahawks secondary. The passing game took a backseat to Steven Jackson and the running game, however. The two wideouts were the main focus in the air, with the rest of the targets being spread out relatively evenly.

What you ought to know

QB Seneca Wallace, Pass: 15 - 25 - 226 - 0 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 2 - 3 - 0 - Wallace had a horrible first half, then shook it off and led his team to the last minute victory. The Rams blitzed a lot, and got to him a lot. But he showed excellent poise under tons of pressure, especially after making adjustments after the half.

RB Maurice Morris, Rush: 15 - 86 - 0 (1 targets) - Morris not only started the game ahead of backfield mate Julius Jones, but got a workhorse-like number of carries in the second half. The Seahawks offense did not see the field much in the first half, but Morris cranked it up a notch in the second, gaining more yardage each time as he got the ball more.

RB Julius Jones, Rush: 4 - 18 - 0 - Jones barely touched the ball in this contest. He had one seven yard run called back on a penalty, but that hardly adds to his meager total.

RB T.J. Duckett, Rush: 3 - 4 - 1 - Like clockwork, Duckett came in for the goal line work. He needed a couple of tries at it, but eventually scored the TD.

RB Leonard Weaver, Rush: 3 - 14 - 0 (2 targets) - Weaver was targeted in the red zone, and was used situationally. Meaning, he did not touch the ball often, but did get the ball in a few pressure situations. For the most part he responded, converting two thirds of his carries for first downs.

WR Deion Branch, Rec: 5 - 76 - 0 (7 targets) - Like the rest of the receivers, there was not much to see in the first half. Post-halftime, Branch brought his numbers up to respectability, and made a long reception to set up the winning field goal.

WR Bobby Engram, Rec: 3 - 46 - 0 (5 targets) - Engram made a huge 39 yard catch late in the game. Otherwise, it was a forgettable day for him.

WR Koren Robinson, Rec: 2 - 28 - 0 (2 targets) - Both of Robinson's targets came late in the game, and he caught both.

TE John Carlson, Rec: 5 - 76 - 0 (5 targets) - Carlson was a favourite target of Wallace, especially when the blitz was in his face. He did most of his damage early in the game, when he was in fact the only Seahawks receiver that gained any significant yardage.

PK Olindo Mare 3 - 3 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 11 points - Mare kicked the winning field goal, from 27 yards out. He was also good on two others, including a 50 yard attempt.

SEA Rush Defense - The defense had some trouble containing the Rams on the ground; but like the offense it was a tale of two halves. In the first, they struggled, while after the half, they basically shut Steven Jackson down. A fumble recovery by Jordan Babineaux was also responsible for one of the Seahawk touchdowns.

SEA Pass Defense - Marc Bulger and the Rams had all day to pass. There was very little pressure, and their receivers often won the battle against the Seahawks smaller cornerbacks.

QB Marc Bulger, Pass: 19 - 32 - 207 - 1 TD / 0 INT, Rec: 1 - 11 - 0 (1 targets) - Bulger had a decent game (which, given the Rams season so far, is a high compliment). He was able to hook up with Torry Holt a few times on deep routes, while still spreading the ball around. He also made a rare reception (from Dane Looker).

RB Steven Jackson, Rush: 24 - 91 - 1, Rec: 4 - 36 - 0 (5 targets) - Jackson was clearly the focal point of the Rams offense, and for good reason. He was effective as a runner and as a receiver out of the backfield. They used him effectively as a decoy -- drawing defenders as well.

RB Ken Darby, Rush: 4 - 29 - 0 (1 targets) - Darby spelled Jackson a few times in the opening half, with some success. He (and Jackson) saw the ball a lot less after the half.

WR Donnie Avery, Rush: 2 - 11 - 0, Rec: 6 - 61 - 0 (9 targets) - The Rams clearly wanted to get Avery involved in the offense. In addition to being the team's most targeted receiver, they also managed to hand the ball off to him three times.

WR Torry Holt, Rec: 4 - 64 - 1 (6 targets) - Holt only had a few opportunities, but he made the most of them. Despite tight coverage, he hauled in his first catch for a long touchdown, and almost added a fifth catch to his total but was questionably called for offensive pass interference on the play.

WR Dane Looker, Pass: 1 - 1 - 11 - 0 TD / 0 INT, Rec: 1 - 9 - 0 (1 targets) - Looker caught the only pass thrown his way, for a nine yard gain.

WR Derek Stanley, Rush: 1 - 0 - 0 - Staley fumbled on his first and only carry. It was returned for a TD.

WR Keenan Burton, Rec: 1 - 5 - 0 (3 targets) - Burton was not a regular option for Bulger, but one attempt was in the end zone.

TE Joe Klopfenstein, Rec: 2 - 25 - 0 (2 targets) - Fells, Becht, and Klopfenstein were each targeted a couple of times by Bulger. None of the three did anything to distinguish themselves as the receiving TE. Klopfenstein looked good on his two catches, but lost a crucial fumble as well.

TE Anthony Becht, Rec: 1 - 7 - 0 (3 targets) - Fells, Becht, and Klopfenstein were each targeted a couple of times by Bulger. None of the three did anything to distinguish themselves as the receiving TE.

TE Daniel Fells (2 targets) - Fells, Becht, and Klopfenstein were each targeted a couple of times by Bulger. None of the three did anything to distinguish themselves as the receiving TE.

PK Josh Brown 2 - 2 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 8 points - Brown was good on two field goals, of 36 and 48 yards.

STL Rush Defense - While no one will mistake this bunch for the '85 Bears, they did an able job of limiting the Seahawks on the ground. They did, however, lose a goal line battle on the second try, giving up a short TD.

STL Pass Defense - The Rams were very aggressive with the pass rush, which was incredibly effective in the early going. Though the Seahawks were able to overcome the pressure in the second half, the Rams still had no difficulty in getting to the QB all day long.

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Detroit Lions 21, Indianapolis Colts 31

What you need to know

Detroit Lions - Detroit played hard and were even tied with the Colts early in the fourth quarter. While the effort may have been there, the talent, once again, was not. They were unable to prevent the Colts from marching right back down the field for the go ahead touchdown or adding a field goal with under one minute to play to seal the deal.

QB Dan Orlovsky made his first start since having his thumb broken in two places by the Bears in early November but played well enough to win. He completed 23 of 34 for 233 yards and one touchdown, while he avoided sacks, fumbles, and interceptions.

Calvin Johnson had a monster day, and even with double coverage on virtually every play he still picked up 110 yards and a TD off his career high nine receptions. To the Lions' credit, they targeted Johnson throughout the game. RB Kevin Smith is Detroit's' only other big play player. He scored their second touchdown, averaged 4.4 yards per carry, and grabbed six passes for 31 yards.

The Detroit defense did their best to pressure Manning. They sacked him once, knocked him down to the ground half a dozen other times, and even drew a roughing the quarterback penalty. They simply did not have the manpower to shut down the Colts' offense when they needed to.

Indianapolis Colts - Indianapolis did not play an especially crisp game, but managed to keep their playoff hopes alive with their seventh straight victory. Winning that many consecutive games is a great feat, but it's business as usual for these guys. This is the fifth consecutive season that Indianapolis has managed to win at least seven games in a row, an NFL record.

Center Jeff Saturday returned to the lineup after missing two games with a leg injury and the Colts' running game clicked even without Joseph Addai in the lineup. Dominic Rhodes scored two touchdowns on dive plays while rushing for 86 yards on 20 carries. He also caught four passes for 30 yards.

Peyton Manning was his typical methodical self. He posted a QB rating of 110 based on 28 of 37 for 318 yards and one touchdown. More importantly, when the Lions tied the game in the fourth quarter, Manning rallied the Colts to a must win victory.

TE Dallas Clark led all receivers with 12 grabs for 142 yards, while Reggie Wayne added 104 yards on seven catches. The Indianapolis run defense was sloppy without S Bob Sanders and the Colts' pass defense failed to register a sack or an interception.

What you ought to know

QB Dan Orlovsky, Pass: 23 - 34 - 233 - 1 TD / 0 INT - Orlovsky played well enough to win for almost any team but Detroit. He did not throw an interception or fumble the ball and avoided getting sacked by the Colts' lethal passing rushers. His QB rating of 96.8 was legitimate, as he completed 23 of 34 for 233 yards and one touchdown. In early November against the Bears he broke the thumb on his throwing hand in two places but still played the entire game. Hollywood would have made him the winning quarterback but this is the NFL and the Lions lost by four.

RB Kevin Smith, Rush: 20 - 88 - 1, Rec: 6 - 31 - 0 (8 targets) - Smith appears to have all the tools to become a great player in the NFL. He ran for 88 yards, scored a touchdown, and averaged 4.4 yards per carry. His longest run went for 25 yards and was second on the team to Calvin Johnson with six receptions for 31 yards.

Smith has now averaged over 80 total yards in five of the last six games but he is still averaging over four yards per carry for the NFL's 31st ranked rushing offense.

RB Rudi Johnson, Rush: 2 - 2 - 0 - Johnson had two carries for two yards, one in the first quarter and one in the third. While the Lions tried to give him a larger role in this offense earlier this season, Kevin Smith has emerged as the primary workhorse.

RB Aveion Cason - The veteran returned two punts for 14 yards and five kickoffs for a 27.4 average.

WR Calvin Johnson, Rec: 9 - 110 - 1 (16 targets) - His nine catch performance is a career high and his potential seems almost unlimited. He has raw talent but he is also reported to be serious about improving and putting in the necessary work. His 33 yard touchdown catch came on a slant pattern where he quickly beat the corner inside, caught the bullet pass in stride, and split the safeties running full stride. He was hit low around the five yard line, spun around and dove into the end zone.

Last week the 6'5", 239 pound receiver surpassed the 1,000 yard mark for the first time. Although his 65 catches are low for an elite receiver, Johnson has scored in seven of the past nine games. Remarkable numbers when you consider that the Lions' QB committee has been sacked an NFL worst 50 times this season.

WR John Standeford, Rec: 4 - 36 - 0 (4 targets) - The second year undrafted free agent from Purdue caught four passes for 36 yards filling in for the injured Shaun MacDonald.

WR Keary Colbert, Rec: 1 - 9 - 0 (2 targets) - The recently signed free agent was targeted twice in the fourth quarter but only made one catch. He turned the wrong way on the other target and the pass was nearly intercepted.

TE Michael Gaines, Rec: 2 - 39 - 0 (3 targets) - Gaines caught two passes 39 yards, including one play that covered 33 yards.

TE Casey Fitzsimmons, Rec: 1 - 8 - 0 (3 targets) - The veteran caught an eight yard pass in the third quarter, but in the fourth quarter, after Kevin Smith scored a touchdown to make the score 21--19 Indianapolis, FitzSimmons scored the two point conversion to tie the game. On that play the quarterback rolled out to the right and then threw back left as Detroit set up a TE screen. After avoiding one would be tackler Fitzsimmons easily lumbered into the end zone.

PK Jason Hanson 2 - 2 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 7 points - Hanson's 51 yard FG set an NFL record for being the eight straight field made from at least 50 yards away. For his career, Hanson has now kicked 41 field goals from 50+ yards, which moves him ahead of both Morten Andersen and Jason Elam for the most all time. He also was good on a more modest 30 yard field goal and converted both PATs.

DET Rush Defense - The Colts ran 29 times for 109 yards and three touchdowns with their starting running back in street clothes. The Detroit run defense has allowed 15 rushing touchdowns in their last six games.

DET Pass Defense - The good news is they held Peyton Manning to just one TD pass. The bad news is they lost the game anyway as Manning hit 23 of 38 for 318 yards. They did manage to pressure him some, racking up one sack, half a dozen QB knockdowns, and one roughing the passer penalty. They also forced him to demonstrate his signature giraffesque style on a four yard scramble.

The Lions cut ties with veteran CB Brian Kelly, their $8.5 million off-season acquisition. Detroit decided to go with younger players who are paid less and are capable of playing at least as badly.

QB Peyton Manning, Pass: 28 - 37 - 318 - 1 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 2 - 3 - 0 - Peyton Manning was his typical methodical self and posted a ho-hum (for him) QB rating of 110. He passed 37 times and completed 28 for 318 yards and one touchdown. He barely missed a second TD pass when Reggie Wayne caught a 39 yard pass but was tackled at the Lions' one yard line. Manning opened the game with a 14 play drive for a touchdown. When Detroit tied the score in the fourth quarter he responded by leading his team on a seven play 88 yard drive for the go ahead score. As a demonstration of his consistency, Manning called seven passes and seven runs on the Colts' first touchdown drive. On their last touchdown drive he called four passes and three runs.

It has been his improving play over the past seven games, as much as anything, that enabled the Colts to get back into the playoff hunt after their 3--4 start. Through the first seven games Manning had ten touchdown passes and nine interceptions. Over the last seven games he has thrown 13 TDs and just three picks.

RB Dominic Rhodes, Rush: 20 - 86 - 2, Rec: 4 - 30 - 0 (5 targets) - Indianapolis was happy to get Rhodes back under contract after his escapade in Oakland last season. He is well schooled in this offense and is able to step into the number one running back spot and produce quality numbers. His 20 carries and 4.3 yard per carry average were enough to keep the Lions' defense from blitzing every play. The Colts also trust him near the goal line and his two touchdowns came on short dive plays.

If you were one of those fantasy owners needing playoff help at running back you could have done worse than Dominic Rhodes. He scored two touchdowns on dive plays while rushing for 86 yards on 20 carries. He also caught four passes for 30 yards. Rhodes' career numbers have actually been slightly better for the Colts than Joseph Addai. Rhodes has averaged 16.4 carries and 64.1 yards in regular season games, Addai 16.0 and 62.0. Rhodes has also gained over 100 yards seven times, two more than Addai.

RB Chad Simpson, Rush: 7 - 17 - 1, Rec: 1 - 6 - 0 (1 targets) - Simpson was reported to be out of this game with a sprained ankle but took over as backup running back when Addai was ruled inactive. He carried seven times and punched in a short touchdown. He may return to punt return duties because Keiwan Ratliff turned the ball over twice.

RB Najeh Davenport - The veteran running back was signed on Tuesday to add depth to their banged up running back corpse. He returned five kickoffs for a 21.4 yard average.

WR Reggie Wayne, Rec: 7 - 104 - 0 (9 targets) - Another strong game from Reggie Wayne as he caught seven balls for 104 yards. With the game tied in the fourth quarter, Manning tried to hit him with the go ahead touchdown pass down the left sideline. The play covered 39 yards but Wayne was tackled at the one yard line, setting up Rhodes' second touchdown of the afternoon.

WR Marvin Harrison, Rec: 2 - 22 - 0 (6 targets) - Harrison caught a pass on the Colts' opening drive of the game but he saw a few opportunities throughout the game. He obviously was not the focal point of the offense against the Lions. His second catch of the game, however, which kept alive the Colt's critical fourth quarter game winning drive, moved him into third place on the NFL's all time career pass catching list behind only Jerry Rice and Chris Carter. Harrison now has 1,095 receptions and counting.

WR Anthony Gonzalez, Rec: 1 - 6 - 0 (2 targets) - In limited action the second year slot receiver only caught one pass for six yards.

TE Dallas Clark, Rec: 12 - 142 - 1 (13 targets) - After dropping an easy, short pass in the first quarter, Clark caught the next 12 passes thrown his way which set a new career high for catches in a single game. His 142 yards was also a career best. He made a great catch in the back of the end zone, leaping up high between defenders to catch the pass and making sure to come down with both feet in before getting slammed out of bounds. He also made great one handed stab of another pass and just had one of those games where he was playing out of his mind.

TE Gijon Robinson, Rec: 1 - 8 - 0 (1 targets) - There is a buzz around the Indianapolis camp about this undrafted free agent from Missouri Western. He did not put up great numbers in this game but they like his long term potential.

PK Adam Vinatieri 1 - 1 FG, 4 - 4 XP, 7 points - His 31 yard field goal with :44 seconds left sealed the victory, and was perfect on all four PATs.

IND Rush Defense - Kevin Smith took advantage of Bob Sanders not playing to pick up some nice gains as the NFL's 31st ranked rushing offense only gained 90 yards but averaged over four yards per attempt. Playing from behind almost the entire year has affected the productivity.

IND Pass Defense - The Colts did not have a great game and would have been a poor start for your fantasy playoff team. They recorded zero sacks and zero interceptions but they managed to recover two fumbles.

They have allowed five touchdown passes through 14 games and since the NFL went to a 16 game schedule in 1978, no team has allowed fewer than nine. Dwight Freeney still has 9.5 sacks for the year.

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Denver Broncos 10, Carolina Panthers 30

What you need to know

Denver Broncos - The Broncos came into the game needing a win to clinch the AFC West division. Denver took the opening kickoff and marched downfield for a quick 7-0 lead on a seven yard swing pass to running back P.J. Pope. The Broncos scored again on their next drive, taking a 10-7 lead on a 43 yard Matt Prater field goal. However, Carolina took control of the game and scored 23 unanswered points to send Denver into playoff limbo for at least one more week.

Denver struggled to stop the Carolina passing attack. Jake Delhomme passed for 253 yards and one touchdown. Steve Smith shredded the Broncos secondary for with nine catches for 165 yards and one touchdown. Smith could have had well over 200 yards, but Delhomme barely overthrew him on a couple of deep attempts.

Jay Cutler did not have one of his better games. Cutler completed 21 of his 33 attempts for only 172 yards. Cutler threw for one touchdown and had one pass intercepted. However, the Panthers could have easily picked off four more of Cutler's passes. Prior to the game, Cutler had been sacked only seven times all season. The offensive line protected him well early and owned a streak of 150 straight pass attempts without a sack before the Panthers got to him. As the game went on, the Denver offensive line appeared to tire ultimately allowing three sacks.

With five running backs on injured reserve, the Broncos had only three backs active for the game. P.J. Pope was the most effective of the three. Pope ran seven times for 51 yards and caught three passes for 24 yards and a touchdown. Pope displayed soft hands, making his receptions look easy.

Brandon Marshall and Eddie Royal each totaled only 48 receiving yards.

Denver was guilty of some questionable clock management. With 17 seconds to go in the first half, the Broncos called timeout at their own 18 yard line. Selvin Young fumbled after a seven yard gain on the next play, leading to a 44 yard John Kasay field goal to close out the second quarter.

Carolina Panthers - The Panthers, who rushed for nearly 300 yards in a dominating win against the Buccaneers figured to have another big running day against a suspect Bronco defense. However, Carolina came out throwing the ball frequently. Jake Delhomme was able to find his starting pair of receivers for big gains frequently. Delhomme completed 17 of his 26 passes for 253 yards and one touchdown. Delhomme focused the passing attempts on his two starting wide receivers. Steve Smith had a dominant game. Smith caught nine passes for 165 yards and one touchdown. Muhsin Muhammad chipped in four catches for 70 yards. The duo accounted for all but 18 of Carolina's yards through the air.

Carolina, who entered the game with the NFL's fourth ranked rushing offense, struggled to run the football early and gained only 24 yards on the ground in the first half. However, DeAngelo Williams ripped off a 56 yard touchdown run on the fourth play of the third quarter to give the Panthers a 27-10 lead. Carolina would total 123 second half running yards to surpass their season average of 146. After Williams' big run, Jonathan Stewart carried the load. Stewart had 13 second half carries for 43 rushing yards. Stewart scored his ninth rushing touchdown of the season on a two yard run in the first half.

What you ought to know

QB Jay Cutler, Pass: 21 - 33 - 172 - 1 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 2 - 9 - 0 - Cutler had a lackluster game. He completed nearly two thirds of his passes, but averaged only 5.2 yards per attempt with a long completion of 19 yards. Cutler, who was given plenty of time to throw early in the game, still struggled to find open receivers downfield. As the game progressed, he received more pressure than he has been accustomed to. Cutler has a tendency to be overly confident in his arm strength and sometimes forces the ball into tight coverage. He threw one interception and nearly threw four others.

Cutler threw a swing pass and hit P.J. Pope perfectly in stride for an easy seven yard touchdown on Denver's opening drive, but was unable to lead his team to the end zone for the remainder of the game.

Cutler scrambled twice for nine yards.

RB P.J. Pope, Rush: 7 - 51 - 0, Rec: 3 - 24 - 1 (3 targets) - Pope was the most effective of the Denver running backs; he totaled 75 yards from scrimmage and had his first career touchdown. Pope had a long run of 24 yards. He showed the ability to gain yardage after contact. Pope also displayed soft hands; each of his three catches looked effortless.

RB Tatum Bell, Rush: 7 - 43 - 0, Rec: 2 - 7 - 0 (3 targets) - Bell ran seven times for 43 yards. He had a long run of 16 yards. Bell had two receptions for seven yards.

RB Selvin Young, Rush: 6 - 19 - 0 - Young was the least effective of Denver's three healthy running backs. He totaled only 19 yards on his six carries. Young did not get any attempts after he fumbled on the second to last play before halftime.

WR Eddie Royal, Rec: 6 - 48 - 0 (9 targets) - Royal was Denver's most targeted receiver and led them with six receptions. He also returned three kickoffs and a punt.

WR Brandon Marshall, Rec: 5 - 48 - 0 (8 targets) - Marshall had 48 receiving yards on his five catches. He made some bad decisions trying to get extra yardage that turned out either costing Denver yardage or time. Marshall bobbled a pass at the Carolina two yard line that was almost caught for a touchdown by Eddie Royal and was also almost intercepted.

WR Brandon Stokley, Rec: 2 - 20 - 0 (3 targets) - Stokley was questionable with a heel injury. He played with a slight limp and picked up two receptions for 20 yards in the first half. Cutler short-hopped him on his only target after halftime.

WR Darrell Jackson (1 targets) - Jackson dropped his only target and took a big hit on the play. Jackson was called for a holding penalty.

TE Daniel Graham, Rec: 3 - 25 - 0 (3 targets) - Graham caught a screen pass for nine yards and then added a sixteen yard catch on the next play during Denver's opening touchdown drive.

TE Tony Scheffler, Rush: 1 - -1 - 0 (3 targets) - Scheffler did not catch a forward pass; he caught a backward pass and was credited with minus one rushing yard.

PK Matt Prater 1 - 2 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 4 points - Prater hit a 43 yard field goal, but just missed on a 47 yard attempt. He converted his only extra point try.

DEN Rush Defense - The Broncos run defense held Carolina to only 24 yards on the ground in the first half. However, DeAngelo Williams had a backbreaking 56 yard touchdown run right after halftime. In all, Denver allowed 147 rushing yards. Jonathan Stewart also had a touchdown run.

DEN Pass Defense - Jake Delhomme passed for 253 yards and one touchdown. Delhomme hit on five passes of at least 24 yards and just missed a few other big gainers. Denver was unable to stop Steve Smith, who totaled 165 yards on his nine receptions.

Josh Bell had nine solo tackles. Rookie safety, Josh Barrett had his first career interception and tallied five solo tackles and two assists.

QB Jake Delhomme, Pass: 17 - 26 - 253 - 1 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 1 - -2 - 0 - Delhomme had a good game, but it could have been great. Though Delhomme was effective, he just missed a number of receivers on potential big plays. Delhomme focused on his starting wide receivers and frequently found them open downfield. He completed five passes of at least 24 yards to Muhsin Muhammad and Steve Smith.

Delhomme's interception came on a twice tipped ball. He found Steve Smith wide open on Carolina's opening drive for a fifteen yard touchdown. Delhomme overthrew Jeff King on another potential touchdown.

RB Jonathan Stewart, Rush: 16 - 52 - 1 - Stewart split carries with DeAngelo Williams. Thirteen of his rushes came after halftime, when Stewart appeared to be the choice to run down the clock. Stewart did not shy away from contact and fought hard for extra yardage. Stewart's two yard touchdown run was his ninth of the season.

RB DeAngelo Williams, Rush: 12 - 88 - 1, Rec: 3 - 3 - 0 (4 targets) - Williams had a quiet first half. He turned a potential loss into a 56 yard touchdown early in the second half. On the play, Williams started left, but found no hole, so he reversed field and cut up the middle. Suddenly, he saw tons of daylight and outran the defense. Williams had only one other rushing attempt for four yards with about five minutes left in the game.

Williams' three receptions netted only three yards.

Williams now has 13 rushing touchdowns on the season. His sixteen total touchdowns lead the NFL and are tied with Muhsin Muhammad for the Panther single season record.

WR Steve Smith, Rush: 1 - 9 - 0, Rec: 9 - 165 - 1 (11 targets) - Smith was the focus of the Panthers offense and was targeted a game high 11 times. Smith hauled in nine of those passes for 165 yards. He had receptions of 24, 27, and 38 yards, plus a 15 yard touchdown (on Carolina's opening drive). Smith might have topped 200 yards had Delhomme not overthrown him on his other two targets. Smith ran hard after his receptions and frequently gained extra yardage. On one play, he dragged Dre Bly for an extra seven yards before Denver could finally bring Smith down.

Smith also ran nine yards on an end around. He surpassed 500 career receptions during the game. Smith had his fourth straight 100 yard receiving game.

WR Muhsin Muhammad, Rec: 4 - 70 - 0 (8 targets) - Muhammad had gains of 27 and 24 yards among his four catches.

WR Dwayne Jarrett (1 targets) - Delhomme overthrew an open Jarrett on a potential big play. Jarrett dove, but was unable to corral the pass.

TE Jeff King, Rec: 1 - 15 - 0 (2 targets) - King caught a 15 yard pass. Delhomme overthrew King on a play that could have resulted in a touchdown. Instead, the ball glanced off King's fingertips at the two yard line.

King was guilty of a false start penalty.

PK John Kasay 3 - 3 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 12 points - Kasay hit field goals of 39, 44, and 42 yards. He has hit 24 of his 25 field goal attempts this season.

CAR Rush Defense - The Broncos had some success on the ground, but focused more on the passing game. Denver rushed for 121 yards and averaged 5.3 yards per attempt, but struggled to sustain drives. Jon Beason led the unit with nine solo tackles and one assist. Chris Gamble forced a Selvin Young fumble that led directly to a John Kasay field goal.

CAR Pass Defense - Denver attempted 33 passes, but gained only 158 yards through the air. Jake Cutler had been sacked only seven times all season prior to the game, but Carolina was able to take him down three times. Thomas Davis, Charles Johnson, and Tyler Brayton each had sacks. Chris Gamble intercepted a pass. Johnson also had two passes defended (one of them was nearly an interception.)

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Washington Redskins 13, Cincinnati Bengals 20

What you need to know

Washington Redskins - QB Jason Campbell struggled for much of the day after getting off to a frigid start. At no time did he seem comfortable in the passing game and only a TD toss to WR Santana Moss salvaged his day from being a fantasy disaster.

RB Clinton Portis amassed 77 yards, but still had a frustrating day. For much of the contest he was unable to gain significant yards, and was totally ineffective when he was used close to the end zone.

WR Santana Moss was the lone offensive bright spot for the Redskins as he was QB Jason Campbell's favorite target and the recipient of Campbell's only TD toss.

Cincinnati Bengals - QB Ryan Fitzpatrick actually managed to put up some decent fantasy numbers despite an average at best passing performance. Much of this came on the strength of his legs (which carried him to a rushing TD) and the legs of RB Cedric Benson who took a short screen pass for 79 yards.

RB Cedric Benson showed that, when not facing a top defense, he could give the Bengals a real rushing attack. Moreover, he demonstrated that he could do some damage in the passing game as he took a screen pass 79 yards late in the first quarter.

WRs T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Chad Johnson suffered from a passing game that focused on the short ball and combined for a paltry six receptions and 52 yards combined.

What you ought to know

QB Jason Campbell, Pass: 17 - 28 - 167 - 1 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 2 - 21 - 0 - In a must win game against one of the league's worst teams, Campbell came out of the gates ice cold. Through the first quarter of action he completed only two of his passes for a measly 23 yards. The second quarter didn't start much better, but then, with just under five minutes remaining in the first half, Campbell finally managed to generate some offense and hit WR Santana Moss on a ten yard dart for his only TD toss of the game. The remainder of the game was up and down for Campbell. He never seemed to find a rhythm and while he didn't go through a cold stretch to equal that in the first quarter, he never really got hot either.

RB Clinton Portis, Rush: 25 - 77 - 0, Rec: 1 - 6 - 0 (2 targets) - Portis had a very average day in the Redskins backfield, and struggled for much of the game to generate yardage. His first quarter was frustrating as he got plenty of carries, but did nothing with them. It wasn't until Washington's final two possessions in the second quarter that he finally seemed to get on track. While that success carried over into the third quarter, it only did so through the Redskins' first third quarter series. After that, the ineffective Portis of the first quarter returned. Most troubling were his performances inside the ten yard line. On three such carries he ran for only a total of two yards -- including being dropped for losses on two of them. Perhaps this is why FB Mike Sellers got the call on two consecutive rushes from the Bengals' one yard line as the minutes ticked away late in the third quarter (though Sellers fumbled the second carry on the goal line.) Portis did not play a meaningful role in the passing game.

WR Santana Moss, Rec: 7 - 72 - 1 (11 targets) - Despite a mediocre passing day from his QB Jason Campbell, Moss was still able to help his owners with a solid fantasy day. That was a clear result of his being Campbell's favorite target and the fact that it was Moss who finally managed to get the Redskins on the board late in the second half as he pulled down a ten yard dart in the end zone. Overall he was the lone real offensive bright spot on a bad day for Washington.

WR Antwaan Randle El, Rec: 1 - 9 - 0 (3 targets) - As a result of QB Jason Campbell's struggles in the passing game and the fact that Randle El was, by far, the #3 option in that passing game, Randle El was an almost complete non-factor in the this game.

TE Chris Cooley, Rec: 6 - 51 - 0 (8 targets) - Despite finishing second on his team in targets, Cooley's 51 yards on six receptions was average at-best. Both his best and his worst moment in the game came on his first reception. On that play he took a short pass underneath from QB Jason Campbell and turned it up the right side for a gain of 19 yards. Unfortunately, as he was tackled he coughed up the ball and the Redskins' first drive came to a screeching halt.

PK Shaun Suisham 2 - 2 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 7 points - Suisham was two for two on the day, hitting on FGs from 23 and 36 yards.

WAS Rush Defense - The Washington rush defense was strong, if not spectacular, today. While Bengals RB Cedric Benson did manage 73 yards on 21 carries, Washington largely held him to short to medium gains and no big runs. Also, while Washington did give up a rushing TD, it was on a bootleg run by Bengals QB Ryan Fitzpatrick.

WAS Pass Defense - With the exception of a single play, the Washington pass defense played well. They prevented easy passes deep and regularly put pressure on Bengals QB Ryan Fitzpatrick. That single bad play, however, was a whopper. Late in the first quarter, Cincinnati RB Cedric Benson took a screen pass and converted it into a 79 yard gain down the right sideline.

QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, Pass: 16 - 29 - 209 - 1 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 11 - 29 - 1 - While he was the better of the two QBs on the field today and led the Bengals to only their second win, Fitzpatrick wasn't really all that impressive. He barely cracked a 50% completion percentage, and were it not for the fact that RB Cedric Benson turned a first quarter screen pass into a 79 yard gain; Fitzpatrick wouldn't have amassed more than 130 yards. Much of this is due to the fact that the passing game seemed to focus on short routes all day long, and Fitzpatrick rarely had much time to look deep. Even considering the above, however, Fitzpatrick's fantasy numbers ended up respectable. In addition to the 79 yarder to Benson, Fitzpatrick also tossed a 12 yard TD strike to WR Chris Henry. Moreover, Fitzpatrick managed to do a little damage with his legs as he scored his own TD on a first quarter one yard bootleg run right after he had scrambled for 14 yards to get the offense there.

RB Cedric Benson, Rush: 21 - 73 - 0, Rec: 3 - 88 - 0 (5 targets) - After having faced a series of tough defenses in recent weeks, Benson had to be looking forward to seeing a little more running room against the Redskins -- and he did. Benson regularly gained meaningful yards and gave his Bengals a credible ground attack. While his final numbers -- 21 carries for 73 yards -- certainly weren't outstanding, they were definitely an improvement on recent performances, and at no time was any other RB worked into the offense. If his rushing game was decent, Benson's receiving performance was nothing short of spectacular. Tied for third on the team with five targets, the highlight of Benson's day was a short first quarter reception on a screen pass that Benson turned into a 79 yard gain. During the run after the catch, Benson exhibited the speed and strength that made him a first round pick. The only real downside to this play was the fact he didn't score -- and that was the result of ineffective blocking by WR Chris Henry on the sole remaining Washington defender as opposed to anything Benson did wrong.

WR Chris Henry, Rec: 4 - 54 - 1 (6 targets) - Somewhat surprisingly, Henry emerged in this game as the second most targeted receiver in the Bengals' offense. Though he only pulled down four of them, that was sufficient to amass 54 yards, and, more importantly, he was the recipient of QB Ryan Fitzpatrick's only TD toss on the day as he easily corralled the 12 yard pass over his right shoulder on a basic corner route.

WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Rec: 3 - 19 - 0 (5 targets) - Largely as a result of a passing game that seemed focused on short dump-off passes, Houshmandzadeh spent much of the game as a decoy more than anything else. QB Ryan Fitzgerald targeted him only five times and that resulted in a disappointing 19 yard day.

WR Chad Johnson, Rec: 3 - 33 - 0 (8 targets) - Though he was QB Ryan Fitzpatrick's favorite target, Johnson still posted disappointing numbers -- much as he has all season. The Bengals' focus on short passes didn't help, and neither did Fitzpatrick's inability to effectively get the ball deep. On one of the few occasions that Fitzpatrick did throw a catchable ball downfield, Johnson hauled it in for a 23 yard gain. Unfortunately a holding call brought it back. That was the kind of day it was for Johnson.

TE Reggie Kelly, Rec: 1 - 3 - 0 (1 targets) - Though he started the game at TE, Kelly saw only a single target in the game, and while he caught it, it went for only three yards.

PK Shayne Graham 2 - 2 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 8 points - Graham was two for two on the day, hitting on FGs from 32 and 45 yards.

CIN Rush Defense - Through much of the game, the Bengals were able to stymie Washington's Clinton Portis. By far the most impressive part of the game, however, was a third quarter goal line stand that not only kept the Redskins out of the end zone, but generated a turnover inside the one yard line.

CIN Pass Defense - Though they were unable to sack Washington QB Jason Campbell, the Bengals defensive line was able to generate regular pressure and that seemed to keep Campbell from getting comfortable all day long. Downfield the DBs were able to largely contain Washington's receivers, and prevent them from making the type of big plays that they have given up all season long.

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New England Patriots 49, Oakland Raiders 26

What you need to know

New England Patriots - The New England Patriots offense overpowered the Oakland Raiders' defense in every way. They seemed to be able to get first downs at will and scored seven touchdowns in a lopsided victory that was never in question.

QB Matt Cassel connected with his receivers on four touchdowns. He and the rest of the offense never struggled, and outside of the single interception by DB Gibril Wilson, they played flawlessly.

RB Sammy Morris, RB Kevin Faulk, and RB LaMont Jordan ran all over the Raiders and each scored one touchdown. Morris and Jordan alone combined for over 200 yards on the ground. Faulk was a dual threat with over 100 combined yards on the ground and through the air.

WR Randy Moss and WR Wes Welker pulled in a combined three touchdowns and had no trouble catching balls against the weak Raiders defense. WR Sam Aiken played as the fourth wide receiver on the team but nobody else caught a reception from Cassel during the win.

OL Matt Light was injured and went into the locker room. The seriousness of the injury is not known.

Oakland Raiders - The Oakland Raiders were overmatched by the Patriots' offense and the outcome of this game was never in doubt as New England jumped out to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter.

QB JaMarcus Russell exhibited some of the arm strength that made him a first round pick but was let down by his receivers who had a combined three drops during the contest. Russell faced regular pressure and threw on the run when necessary. He also dropped a pass from RB Michael Bush.

RB Justin Fargas continued to be a bright spot for the Raiders offense and RB Darren McFadden had an impressive touchdown run where he stiff-armed a defender as he ran into the end zone.

WR Ronald Curry had a nice over the shoulder touchdown grab but appeared to injure himself on the play. WR Chaz Schilens was targeted six times but only had one catch. TE Zach Miller was the team's most reliable receiver but also appeared to be injured after a reception in the fourth quarter.

The Raiders defense looked unfocused and often inept The Patriots drove the ball against them with ease and punched the ball into the end zone seven times. The Raiders had trouble both against the run and against the pass.

What you ought to know

QB Matt Cassel, Pass: 18 - 30 - 218 - 4 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 7 - 18 - 0 - QB Matt Cassel did not need to spread the ball around against an apparently inept Raiders' defense. Cassel threw 17 of his 18 completions to only WR Randy Moss, WR Wes Welker, and RB Kevin Faulk. WR Sam Aiken was the only other player to catch a pass from Cassel during the romp.

Cassel rarely faced pressure from the Raiders and was very effective throwing the ball from the pocket. He threw the ball away when nothing developed and did not force any passes.

RB Sammy Morris, Rush: 14 - 117 - 1 (1 targets) - RB Sammy Morris was very impressive in the win. He ran with determination and seemed to be able to gain first downs at will.

RB Kevin Faulk, Rush: 6 - 45 - 0, Rec: 6 - 66 - 1 (8 targets) - RB Kevin Faulk compiled over 100 combined yards through the air and on the ground against Oakland. He was versatile, as usual, and found success over the middle of the field often.

RB LaMont Jordan, Rush: 12 - 97 - 1 - RB LaMont Jordan was relatively quiet in the victory outside his 49 yard touchdown scamper in the fourth quarter that put the Raiders down by four touchdowns.

WR Wes Welker, Rec: 6 - 69 - 1 (8 targets) - WR Wes Welker was once again New England's most reliable and effective receiver. Welker was seemingly always open and available for the first down whenever the team needed it. Welker also had a key block on RB Kevin Faulk's touchdown reception.

WR Randy Moss, Rec: 5 - 67 - 2 (7 targets) - WR Randy Moss excelled against his former team by catching two touchdowns during the resounding victory. Moss showboated for the booing fans after his first score.

TE Ben Watson (2 targets) - TE Ben Watson was the target of QB Matt Cassel's pass that was picked off by DB Gibril Wilson. Otherwise, he was not much of a factor in the offense.

PK Stephen Gostkowski 0 - 0 FG, 7 - 7 XP, 7 points - PK Stephen Gostkowski was perfect on extra points and did not attempt a field goal.

NE Rush Defense - The Patriots rush defense let up over 4 yards per carry against the Raiders but went ahead early by a large margin and were not tested much on the ground.

NE Pass Defense - The Patriots pass defense played well against the meager Raiders pass offense as they were able to get regular pressure on QB JaMarcus Russell, picked him off once, and played strong pass defense against a couple of balls that might have been strong gains for Oakland.

QB JaMarcus Russell, Pass: 17 - 31 - 242 - 2 TD / 1 INT - QB JaMarcus Russell showed off his rocket arm by putting some real zip on his passes. Unfortunately, his receivers had three drops on the day and in at least on instance did not appear to be on the same page with him.

Russell threw for two touchdown passes including a nicely-tossed corner of the end zone pass to WR Ronald Curry. His only interception came after Russell changed the play at the line of scrimmage and the receiver appeared to run a different route than expected. DB Jonathan Wilhite caught the ball at the goal line and stopped a promising Raiders' drive.

Russell also dropped a pass thrown to him by RB Michael Bush.

RB Justin Fargas, Rush: 15 - 70 - 0 - RB Justin Fargas continued to be the Raiders most consistent running back. He ran hard and determined but the Raiders fell behind by a lot early on and did not have the leisure of pounding the ball with the running game.

RB Darren McFadden, Rush: 12 - 46 - 1, Rec: 3 - 68 - 0 (3 targets) - RB Darren McFadden handled one snap from the wildcat formation with QB JaMarcus Russell lined up on the left side as a wide receiver. He handed the ball off to RB Justin Fargas.

In the fourth quarter, McFadden showcased some of the skills that made him a first round pick when he scampered into the end zone for the team's final touchdown of the game. He stiff-armed DB Brandon Meriweather as he forced his way in for the score.

RB Michael Bush, Pass: 0 - 2 - 0 - 0 TD / 0 INT (1 targets) - RB Michael Bush attempted two passes but did not connect on either. QB JaMarcus Russell dropped one pass that would have been a first down conversion.

WR Johnnie Lee Higgins, Rec: 3 - 66 - 1 (5 targets) - WR Johnnie Lee Higgins once again showed off his game-changing speed on a 59 yard touchdown catch from QB JaMarcus Russell. Higgins caught the ball, benefited from a solid block by TE Zach Miller and took the ball to the end zone without much of a challenge from the opposition. Unfortunately, the Raiders were already down three touchdowns at the time.

WR Ronald Curry, Rec: 2 - 19 - 1 (5 targets) - WR Ronald Curry made an over the shoulder touchdown grab in the third quarter but appeared to injure himself on the play. He made one more reception in the game but walked gingerly to the sidelines after falling to the ground with the ball.

WR Chaz Schilens, Rec: 1 - 4 - 0 (6 targets) - WR Chaz Schilens only managed one catch for four yards but the reception converted on a fourth down that set up the team's final score of the game.

TE Zach Miller, Rec: 5 - 60 - 0 (7 targets) - TE Zach Miller continues to be the Raiders' most reliable receiver. He had a good block on the touchdown reception by WR Johnnie Lee Higgins that helped set him free for a touchdown but dropped a sure touchdown on first and goal in the second half. Miller also appeared to injure his shoulder in the fourth quarter.

PK Sebastian Janikowski 0 - 0 FG, 2 - 3 XP, 2 points - PK Sebastian Janikowski had an extra point attempt blocked and did not attempt any field goals. The Raiders went for two points after their final touchdown of the day. He also kicked an on-sides attempt in the fourth quarter out of bounds.

OAK Rush Defense - The Oakland Raiders defense did not play well in any facet of the game. All of the Patriots running backs ran the ball well against them, seemingly gaining first downs at will.

OAK Pass Defense - The Raiders were unable to stop the Patriots passing attack at all in week 15. QB Matt Cassel and his offense appeared to move the ball at will with quick, long drives and easy touchdown scores. The Raiders defense appeared unfocused and tired.

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San Diego Chargers 22, Kansas City Chiefs 21

What you need to know

San Diego Chargers - QB Philip Rivers finished with terrific stats after a mostly underwhelming first three quarters. He led the team on two long touchdown drives over the final five minutes of the game to pull out a very improbable victory.

TE Antonio Gates was the primary target early on, but gave way to WR Vincent Jackson later. Jackson caught a long pass and a touchdown reception on the game winning drive to turn a mediocre performance into an outstanding one.

RB LaDainian Tomlinson was very involved both in the rushing game and the passing game (Philip Rivers threw to him a whopping 12 times), but was again unable to do much with it yardage wise. He did score a touchdown to salvage a decent fantasy output.

Kansas City Chiefs - QB Tyler Thigpen was outstanding for much of the game, and the stats don't really indicate just how well he played. He combined very solid passing with terrific athleticism and really kept San Diego defenders off balance with his rushing and passing all game long.

TE Tony Gonzalez has made it a habit of dominating the San Diego defense, and this game was no exception. He had a team high six receptions for 62 yards and a score.

WR Dwayne Bowe scored a touchdown, but had a costly fumble on the onside kick recovery attempt. That gave possession back to San Diego, and they won it on that drive.

What you ought to know

QB Philip Rivers, Pass: 34 - 48 - 346 - 2 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 2 - 12 - 0 - For Rivers, the first three quarters went one way and the fourth quarter went entirely different. On his second pass attempt of the game, Rivers limped off the field after having his leg rolled up on by teammate LaDainian Tomlinson. He checked out okay on the sideline, but his performance was miserable. He turned the ball over three times, none of which were defensible. Rivers fumbled twice, both times coming when he failed to protect the ball from oncoming rushers. His arm was hit and the football was jostled loose on each occasion. Then he tossed a very poor interception to Patrick Surtain, though he did help to keep Surtain out of the end zone by chasing him down and cutting off the angle at the goal line.

Despite all the early bad plays, the Chargers found themselves somewhat within striking distance, down 21-10 with just five minutes left to play. Rivers quickly marched the Chargers 89 yards downfield on 15 plays and took just over three and a half minutes to do it. Rivers was 11-14 for 92 yards on the drive (he was able to throw for 92 yards on an 89 yard drive because they had lost yardage on a fumble). The drive culminated with a touchdown pass to WR Malcolm Floyd, a great effort on a diving catch in the end zone. They were unable to convert the two point try, so they tried an onside kick. The Chargers recovered, and Rivers wasted no time in moving them downfield, hooking up with WR Vincent Jackson for a 42 yard gain on the first play of the possession. Following a dropped pass by Tomlinson, Rivers ran one up the middle for nine yards. On the next play, he floated a pass into the end zone perfectly for Jackson, a play that went for the game-winning score. After the touchdown, Rivers sprinted around the field and was absolutely pumped when he arrived at the sideline. In the fourth quarter alone, Rivers had thrown for 190 yards and two touchdowns.

RB LaDainian Tomlinson, Rush: 15 - 39 - 1, Rec: 6 - 35 - 0 (12 targets) - Fans are going to see that Tomlinson totaled just 74 yards against Kansas City's suspect defense and assume that he was once again shut down. While he didn't dominate the game by any means, he was very close to big numbers. He lost 25 yards on a first quarter screen pass that was negated by a holding penalty. And on the game-winning drive, he dropped what may have been a 20 yard touchdown on another screen. The play was very well set up, there was no one in front of him but two blockers, and Philip Rivers got him the ball in plenty of time. But he tried to run before he had secured the ball, and he dropped it. Tomlinson was very upset with himself immediately following the play, the second time in the game that he let his emotions get to him. The first was on another pass from Rivers a bit earlier. Rivers threw the ball very awkwardly off the wrong foot in Tomlinson's direction, and the ball landed well short of the intended target. Tomlinson began to toss up his hands in disgust and shook his head at the awfulness of the pass. Despite all the negativity, he did find time to score the 123rd rushing touchdown of his career, tying Marcus Allen for second place on the all time list. Interestingly, the score came on a handoff right up the middle -- one play after the team's starting center, Nick Hardwick (who typically blocks up the middle), left the game with a concussion and what appeared to be a neck injury of some sort.

RB Darren Sproles, Rec: 4 - 11 - 0 (4 targets) - For a brief time in the first half, Sproles was the only player doing much of anything to move the football for the Chargers. It wasn't in the offensive gameplan, but rather in the kick return game. He had returns of 40 and 38 yards in the first half, but was uninvolved in the offense save for a short reception. He was a bit more involved in the second half, seeing three more receptions but still no touches on the ground. His last catch of the day ended up costing the team eight yards. He caught a pass for -2 yards, and then fumbled it out of bounds behind him after a big hit.

RB Jacob Hester, Rush: 1 - 9 - 0, Rec: 3 - 24 - 0 (4 targets) - Hester has perhaps found his niche within the team as the fake punt rusher. Two weeks after converting a fake punt for a first down against the Falcons, he did it again against Kansas City. Unfortunately for San Diego, the fake didn't result in any points on the possession.

WR Vincent Jackson, Rush: 1 - 8 - 0, Rec: 6 - 89 - 1 (7 targets) - Through nearly 59 minutes of play, Jackson had four receptions for 37 yards, a lost fumble, and no scores. Then on one drive, he demonstrated his big play ability on two receptions to turn in an outstanding game. The Chargers recovered an onside kick with 1:11 left in the game. On the very next play, Jackson got in deep behind the Kansas City defense for a deep bomb. It could have gone for a touchdown if Rivers had put it out in front of him, but the ball floated a bit and Jackson had to wait for it for quite awhile. Jackson made up for that elusive game winning touchdown three plays later when he hauled in the score off a play-action fake.

WR Malcom Floyd, Rec: 5 - 67 - 1 (6 targets) - Floyd wasn't thrown to once in the entire first half but more than made up for it with a very busy fourth quarter. All five of his catches came during one fourth quarter drive, with the most important of those being his touchdown grab. On a pass that may have actually been intended for TE Antonio Gates, Floyd dove to the ground and cradled the ball to him as he slid to his knees. The only ball thrown his way that he didn't catch was a desperation fourth down pass on his very first target. He appeared to have made a spectacular grab along the sideline, but couldn't maintain possession as he came to the ground and was jarred by a defender.

WR Chris Chambers, Rec: 2 - 28 - 0 (8 targets) - Chambers was thrown to just once before halftime, and despite some more involvement in the second half he didn't really respond with significant stats. He is clearly the fourth (or fifth) option at best in the offense at this point, and wasn't thrown to downfield once. He did receive one look in the end zone, but it was a completely uncatchable pass that bounced well in front of him and may have been nothing more than a throwaway. Chambers did make a very heady play early in the second half. He went over the middle and was drilled by S Jarrad Page. The ball was jarred loose and sat on Chambers' chest. Despite the crushing hit, he managed to regroup and get his hands on the football as he lay on his back to maintain possession and get the reception. He also had a diving reception wiped out by a penalty on the Chiefs. The Chargers opted to accept the penalty call because even though both plays gave them a first down, the penalty yardage (five) was greater than the reception yardage (three).

TE Antonio Gates, Rec: 7 - 78 - 0 (10 targets) - Gates was a very busy man for the better part of three quarters, but was quieter in the fourth quarter as San Diego focused on getting the ball to the receivers more. His long catch and run on the game's first play from scrimmage suggested the Chargers were going to make a conscious effort to get him the football one week after he failed to catch a single pass. He responded with his best game in weeks, though it could have been far better. He dropped a long pass down the sideline early in the fourth quarter that would have put him up over 100 yards for the afternoon. He may have been thrown to once more later in the fourth quarter, but it was tough to tell. Philip Rivers was rolling to his left and fired a pass into the end zone. Gates thought the ball was intended for him and he lunged to make the play, but it was out of his reach. WR Malcolm Floyd slid into the picture from the back line of the end zone to make the diving reception for the score instead.

PK Nate Kaeding 1 - 1 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 4 points - Kaeding didn't have a bad game. He made his only attempt, which was an easy one from 32 yards out. But what was more telling was what he didn't do. The Chargers opted to punt the ball midway through the third quarter rather than attempt a 53 yard field goal that would've made the score 21-13. And due to the uncharacteristic scoring nature of the game, the Chargers scored three touchdowns but kicked just one extra point. The Chargers also opted to have punter Mike Scifres attempt the onside kick rather than Kaeding. San Diego recovered, though it was mostly because Dwayne Bowe couldn't hang onto the ball rather than an extraordinary kick by Scifres.

SD Rush Defense - Against RB Larry Johnson, the Chargers did a fine job. He was unable to break many long runs and most of his rushes were met by a lot of resistance at the line of scrimmage. But against QB Tyler Thigpen, the Chargers had a lot of trouble. Thigpen rushed for 40 yards on ten carries, including a three yard touchdown. They constantly overpursued Thigpen, allowing him to shake free of defenders at nearly every turn. The one time the San Diego run defense really came up huge, though, was late in the fourth quarter when they really needed to. Trailing 21-10, the Chiefs had a third and one situation. RB Larry Johnson took the handoff up the middle, but was stuffed backwards. This proved to be critical because it gave the Chargers the ball with enough time to score twice rather than Kansas City running out the clock. Following the third down, the Chiefs obviously punted the ball and didn't see it again until they were down 22-21. The Chargers have been far better in short yardage situations in recent weeks, and it's probably not a coincidence that NT Jamaal Williams has been getting healthier each week of the season.

SD Pass Defense - Early on, it looked like more of the same from this unit. A lack of a pass rush, combined with terrible overpursuit, and a large dose of missed tackling in the defensive secondary. More often than not, a San Diego defender would have the ball carrier sized up and dead in the water, only to whiff on the tackle and come away with nothing. This went on for the better part of three quarters. Fortunately for San Diego, the Chiefs stopped throwing it in the fourth quarter. They opted to run the ball most of the time in an attempt to drain time off the clock. Until that decision was made, Tyler Thigpen was carving up the San Diego defense. He had thrown one touchdown, RB Larry Johnson had thrown a touchdown, and the Chargers were powerless to stop just about anyone. They had no sacks, which has become a recurring theme for them. And the lone interception they got was the result of a tipped pass in the end zone. So in essence, they were bailed out by the Kansas City decision to take the air out of the ball.

Perhaps the biggest culprit for San Diego was CB Antoine Cason. He dropped a sure interception early in the second quarter, and that wasn't even close to being the worst play he made in the game. Following San Diego's touchdown to make the score 22-21, the Chiefs had one final chance to win it. Following a completed pass over the middle to TE Tony Gonzalez, Cason was whistled for a delay of game penalty when he knocked over the official that was trying to spot the football. That turned a desperate situation for Kansas City into a potentially winnable game. The clock had been running and the Chiefs needed to hustle up and spike the ball. Without the penalty, it's unlikely they'd have had enough time to do that. Even if they had spiked it, it would have been a 55 yard field goal attempt. But what the Cason penalty did was twofold: 1) It stopped the clock, allowing the Chiefs to set up the kick in a normal fashion, and 2) It made it a 50 yard attempt after the five yard penalty was enforced. It was only due to Connor Barth missing the kick that the Chargers' playoff hopes remained alive.

QB Tyler Thigpen, Pass: 19 - 28 - 171 - 1 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 10 - 40 - 1 - Thigpen played a lot better than the statistics indicate. He started off the game exceptionally well, and even the interception wasn't entirely his fault as it was batted up in the air. Thigpen kept the Chargers off balance pretty much the entire game by using his legs to create space and give himself extra time. Head coach Herm Edwards tried all sorts of gadget plays involving Thigpen, even running a college-style option run twice. The first time they tried it, the Chiefs awkwardly picked up a couple of yards on a pitch to Larry Johnson. But on the second one, Thigpen kept the ball and was flattened by 350 pounds Jamaal Williams. They didn't run any more options after that. Williams was also responsible for getting a hit on Thigpen's hand late in the third quarter. He was seen grimacing and shaking the hand, but it was difficult to tell if it affected him much afterwards as he threw just two more passes the rest of the way (both completed for short gains). Thigpen's rushing score came on a draw from the three yard line. The Chiefs had spread out five receivers across the formation, and the call for a draw seemed to be obvious to everyone except the San Diego defenders.

RB Larry Johnson, Pass: 1 - 1 - 4 - 1 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 17 - 55 - 0, Rec: 3 - 18 - 0 (4 targets) - As far as rushing and receiving, Johnson was pretty much held in check by the San Diego defense. His longest run of the day was 17 yards, but he gained just 38 yards on his other 16 carries. And when he had a chance to just about ice the game with a third and one run, the Charger defense clamped down and sent him backwards. But he was involved in a number of gadget plays, among them an option with Tyler Thigpen and a hook and lateral with Tony Gonzalez. Neither of those worked all that well, but the one that did work was a halfback option pass by Johnson. He took a handoff to the right side of the formation, stopped short, and lobbed a pass to the back line of the end zone for TE Tony Gonzalez. Officials initially ruled that Gonzalez had failed to maintain possession of the football but that he was interfered with on the play. That would have given Kansas City a first and goal at the one yard line. But head coach Herm Edwards challenged the call anyway, believing Gonzalez had caught the football. He was right, and the call was overturned. Johnson was credited with a four yard touchdown pass on the play.

RB Jamaal Charles, Rush: 4 - 7 - 0 - Charles was strictly a backup, with just four nondescript rushing attempts and no looks in the passing game.

WR Dwayne Bowe, Rec: 6 - 44 - 1 (9 targets) - Bowe had a mostly solid game. He didn't put up eye-popping numbers, but six receptions and a score would be a good performance for just about any receiver. He also showed great hands on his first reception to lay out for a diving catch against his momentum. But he made two very poor plays that cost his team dearly. The first play seemed innocent enough at the time, and Bowe actually was seen laughing about it immediately afterwards. He caught a quick out that should've gone for an easy first down. But instead of turning upfield to pick up the first down, he turned to the sideline and stepped out of bounds. Following an incomplete pass on third down, the Chiefs were forced to attempt a 34 yard field goal but missed. The kick certainly should have been made, but the drive could have resulted in a touchdown or at least an easier kick had Bowe picked up the extra yardage. His second bad play was far more costly. He was in on the hands team to try and recover San Diego's onside kick attempt. Bowe leapt high in the air to recover the kick, but as he was coming to the ground he was hit hard and the ball popped loose. The Chargers recovered it, drove downfield, and scored four plays later to win the game.

WR Will Franklin, Rec: 3 - 24 - 0 (4 targets) - Franklin caught three passes, but the team's passing game was clearly focused around TE Tony Gonzalez and WR Dwayne Bowe. The rest of the passes were simply scraps.

WR Mark Bradley (1 targets) - Bradley was thrown to just once, on a third down deep ball in the end zone that fell incomplete.

TE Tony Gonzalez, Rec: 6 - 62 - 1 (9 targets) - Gonzalez had another big game against the Chargers. He scored an early touchdown, and was clearly Tyler Thigpen's go to guy throughout the afternoon. Interestingly, the touchdown reception came courtesy of a halfback option pass from Larry Johnson and not from Thigpen. Gonzalez was interfered with on the play (and may have been guilty of a pushoff himself), and the initial ruling on the field was that he dropped the ball. But the Chiefs challenged the call, and it was eventually determined that Gonzalez had indeed gotten both feet to the ground with possession of the ball prior to falling down. The catch pretty well demonstrated that he wasn't feeling the effects of the previous play, when he appeared to have been shaken up on a rough tackle out of bounds by LB Stephen Cooper.

PK Connor Barth 0 - 2 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 3 points - Barth had about as bad a game as any kicker has had this season. First, he missed an easy 34 yard field goal early in the second quarter. Then, with the Chiefs trailing by one and the seconds quickly ticking off the clock, the Chargers committed a costly penalty that turned what would have been a 55 yard attempt into a 50 yard kick. Despite the five yard gift, Barth also hooked the potential game winner to the left, giving the Chargers the narrowest of victories.

KC Rush Defense - All one needs to do is take a look at the statistics to determine who won this aspect of play. The Chargers picked up just 68 yards on the ground, with nine of those coming on a fake punt and eight on a wide receiver run. LaDainian Tomlinson averaged just 2.6 yards per carry and rarely had a lot of room to run. Unfortunately for Kansas City, the one run on which he had the most room was on his third quarter touchdown run up the middle. The fourth quarter involved very few rush attempts for San Diego, as they trailed by eleven going into the final frame. They needed to pass to catch up quickly, which is exactly what they did.

KC Pass Defense - This unit, which played so well for three and a half quarters, was very responsible for costing the team the game. The Chiefs allowed the Chargers to march 89 yards downfield in under four minutes, which cut the deficit to 21-16. Following San Diego's recovery of the onside kick, WR Vincent Jackson took over. After containment all afternoon, Jackson got deep downfield for a 42 yard bomb. Three plays later, he hauled in a nine yard touchdown that proved to be the game winner. S Jarrad Page was beaten by Jackson immediately off the line when he took two steps forward after biting on the play-action fake. In the fourth quarter, the Chiefs allowed Philip Rivers to throw for 190 yards and two scores, which makes it difficult to lay too much blame for the loss anywhere else.

It wasn't bad all game, of course, S Patrick Surtain nearly took an interception back for a touchdown, being chased out of bounds by Rivers at the three yard line. DE Tamba Hali had a huge game, with two forced fumbles on Rivers (which of course means two sacks as well). Both fumbles came on plays where Hali reached out and stripped the ball from Rivers' outstretched arm. The Chiefs had just six sacks for the entire season entering the game, but had three in this game alone.

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