All our week 17 content

San Francisco 49ers 17, St. Louis Rams 16

What you need to know

San Francisco 49ers - QB Shaun Hill was nearly benched, and then led his team to two fourth quarter touchdowns en route to victory. Prior to the comeback effort, Hill was all kinds of awful, throwing interceptions and fumbling the ball.

DeShaun Foster did very little toward proving that he can carry the load for the team. The team was behind for much of the game anyway, so the rushing game took a back seat.

Isaac Bruce was fortunate enough to get his 1,000th career reception in the building that he called home for a number of years. Josh Morgan re-emerged late in the game with a long, game winning touchdown.

St. Louis Rams - Marc Bulger kept the Rams close, but not in a good sense. He played well enough -- very few mistakes, mostly good decision making in the pocket. He was unable to finish off drives as they got into scoring position, which in hindsight, cost them the game

RB Steven Jackson suffered a minor hamstring injury in the second half, but returned shortly after. He went over yards rushing, but wasn't much of a force in the passing game. He carried the ball a whopping 32 times, since the Rams were ahead for most of the game.

WR's Torry Holt and Donnie Avery were hit and miss. At times each of them looked great, and at others, they simply could not beat their coverage. Keenan Burton had a touchdown reception but was a little out of step with Bulger on another play.

What you ought to know

QB Shaun Hill, Pass: 18 - 34 - 216 - 2 TD / 3 INT, Rush: 4 - 45 - 0 - Hill had a pretty rough game, but got the team the win. He battled through three interceptions to rally the Niners to a narrow victory. He was sacked four times and the interceptions were the result of poor decisions under pressure. In the fourth quarter, it appeared that he was nearly replaced, but in the end rewarded the coach's decision to stick with him by putting his mistakes and throwing two TD passes to lead his team to an improbable comeback win. Hill was also the team's leading rusher.

RB DeShaun Foster, Rush: 12 - 36 - 0, Rec: 2 - 17 - 0 (3 targets) - Foster took over Gore's role as the main back, but very little with the opportunity. His biggest play was an 11 yard catch and run in the second half. The 49ers were playing from behind for most of the game, so the running game took a back seat.

RB Michael Robinson, Rush: 1 - 2 - 0 - Robinson had only a single carry; he was the only back other than Foster to carry the ball.

WR Isaac Bruce, Rec: 7 - 61 - 1 (12 targets) - Bruce had a slow start, and then the ex-Ram gave his St. Louis fans what they came for. After only one catch in the first half, he caught six in the second, including his 1,000th career reception in the final quarter, which was also a touchdown. It seemed that once he figured out how to beat the Rams coverage, he then continued to do so at will.

WR Bryant Johnson, Rec: 4 - 60 - 0 (7 targets) - Johnson made his few catches count, as all three were for first downs. Hill didn't look for him much early in the game, but when it counted, he came through.

WR Jason Hill, Rec: 2 - 6 - 0 (5 targets) - Hill worked out of the slot primarily, and was targeted mainly on short routes.

WR Josh Morgan, Rec: 2 - 55 - 1 (2 targets) - Morgan caught both balls thrown his way, the second for a 48 yard touchdown that proved to be the game winner.

TE Vernon Davis, Rec: 1 - 17 - 0 (4 targets) - Davis was targeted early on, but after he fumbled away his only reception, he was only looked to twice the rest of the game.

PK Joe Nedney 1 - 1 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 5 points - Nedney opened the scoring with a 48 yard field goal, and kicked two successful PAT attempts.

SF Rush Defense - They were able to slow down but not stop Steven Jackson, giving up no big plays, but allowing just enough for the Rams to make a few tough first downs.

SF Pass Defense - They pressured Bulger all day; including a big hit on the first play of the game. The game ended on a Tarell Brown interception, just as the Rams were creeping into field goal position in the final minute.

QB Marc Bulger, Pass: 19 - 36 - 227 - 1 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 1 - 3 - 0, Rec: 1 - 6 - 0 (1 targets) - Bulger took a lot of punishment and was wildly inconsistent in his play. He had some success finding his wide receivers, but had trouble getting any really long drives going He also had a six yard reception (from Dane Looker).

RB Steven Jackson, Rush: 32 - 108 - 0, Rec: 2 - 11 - 0 (9 targets) - Though he had no big plays to speak of, Jackson played a good, steady game, consistently the yards needed for the next first down. He saw a whopping 32 carries. As a receiver he disappointed a bit, given the number of targets. He also lost out on about 30 yards on penalties to his teammates.

RB Ken Darby, Rush: 5 - 15 - 0, Rec: 5 - 57 - 0 (5 targets) - Darby turned out to be the Rams leading receiver on the day, and looked impressive in the backfield when spelling Steven Jackson.

WR Donnie Avery, Rec: 5 - 56 - 0 (10 targets) - Avery disappeared in the second half (after a team high seven targets in the first half), until the final two minutes when he made two clutch first down grabs. He was clearly a big part of the game plan for the Rams, and likely heir apparent to Isaac Bruce.

WR Torry Holt, Rec: 4 - 55 - 0 (10 targets) - Holt was steady, and (continuing his routine this year) put up steady numbers. He and Avery split the load pretty evenly, which seemed to work out for each of them, and kept the Niners secondary guessing a tiny bit.

WR Keenan Burton, Rush: 1 - 3 - 0, Rec: 1 - 30 - 1 (2 targets) - Burton's only catch went for a touchdown. The Rams look to be working him into the offense, if a bit slowly.

WR Dane Looker, Pass: 1 - 1 - 6 - 0 TD / 0 INT - Looker had no catches on the day, but did throw a six yard reception -- to QB Marc Bulger.

TE Joe Klopfenstein, Rec: 1 - 6 - 0 (1 targets) - Klopfenstein caught his pass in the first half, and then was not even targeted after that.

TE Daniel Fells, Rec: 1 - 12 - 0 (1 targets) - Fells caught the only ball thrown his way, for long first down.

PK Josh Brown 3 - 3 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 10 points - Brown did most of the scoring for the Rams, successfully kicking three field goals (43, 38, 22) and one extra point.

STL Rush Defense - The Rams were able to shut down the NIners running game. Part of that was San Francisco running DeShaun Foster instead of Frank Gore but the bottom line is that the Rams held the 49ers running game very much in check.

STL Pass Defense - The Rams secondary was formidable, causing three interceptions and a fumble. Yes, you read that right. They looked good.

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Pittsburgh Steelers 14, Tennessee Titans 31

What you need to know

Pittsburgh Steelers - QB Ben Roethlisberger was plagued by turnovers all day. His ball security was poor as evidenced by four fumbles, two of which were lost. He also tossed two interceptions, one coming back for a Titans touchdown. The Steelers offensive game plan was to get the ball deep and Roethlisberger held on to the ball in the pocket to allow his receivers to get downfield. During the second half and playing from behind, he faced a good Titans pass rush which generated five sacks. Aside from the turnovers, Roethlisberger posted great yardage numbers on the day.

RB Willie Parker got the start, sharing time with RB Mewelde Moore. Their roles shifted back to early in the season where Parker was the featured back and Moore played on third down. Parker was bottled up all day by the Titans defense. Moore chipped in on few draw plays, but neither was very effective. Parker's carries came on counter plays and delayed draws and the Titans defense was not fooled. Both backs had low overall yardage numbers.

WR Hines Ward had a quiet first half but in the second half he became Ben Roethlisberger's favorite target in the passing game, hauling in a third quarter touchdown that put the Steelers back in the lead for a brief time. Ward ended up with great numbers, but some of them came late with the Titans in prevent mode.

Tennessee Titans - QB Kerry Collins managed a very efficient passing game early on. He went to his wideouts on shorter passes that acted to supplement the running game. His only deep shot came on a play action pass that resulted in a touchdown. Collins was steady in the pocket for most of the game and was well protected from the Pittsburgh pass rush. In the second half, and with the lead, the Titans were able to run the ball and control the clock.

RB Chris Jackson had only limited success in the first half. When you consider how effective the Titans' running game had been the season, as equally impressive as the Steelers run defense and this was a classic power against power match up. The outcome of that key battle resulted in three yards per carry in the half and close to four yards for the entire game. The game situation gave RB Len Dale White the majority of the running attempts in the second half. Johnson finished with 69 yards on 16 carries and a touchdown.

WR Justin Gage was the best scoring option in the passing game. He made the most of limited opportunities in the Titans conservative game plan, posting over 100 yards and a touchdown on a well executed play action pass in the second quarter. Jones showed good elusiveness and sure hands.

What you ought to know

QB Ben Roethlisberger, Pass: 26 - 40 - 331 - 2 TD / 2 INT, Rush: 3 - 14 - 0 - Pittsburgh wanted to establish a deep passing game and they asked Ben Roethlisberger to hold onto the ball longer to get his starting wideouts downfield. This was a major mistake. His protection, which has been a major question mark this season, did not deliver. He took many big hits from the swarming Titans defense and will likely get a day off next Sunday, in what will be a meaningless game for Pittsburgh. A bright spot was that Pittsburgh rediscovered the tight end position and that resulted in 8 catches today. Ben also did a decent job to keep drives alive by converting close to half of his third down attempts.

RB Willie Parker, Rush: 18 - 29 - 0, Rec: 1 - 2 - 0 (3 targets) - RB Willie Parker's day did not begin very well. He was not able to get much going early and once the Steelers fell behind, they were forced to pass, limiting his carries. Outside of a 13 yard run, he was on a one yard per carry pace. Even on that longer run, his early season speed was not there. Parker has not posted big numbers in the past few games. He is not looked for out of the backfield very much. It is unclear how effective Parker will be going forward and his fantasy potential in is question.

RB Mewelde Moore, Rush: 3 - 28 - 0, Rec: 2 - 20 - 0 (3 targets) - Although he did not get the start due again, RB Mewelde Moore made the most of his opportunities. He posted nearly ten yards per touch. In the running game he broke a few draws for decent yardage. However, he is clearly not able to stay on the field in all situations, so Moore's role is giving way to Parker and may not be a reliable fantasy play going forward.

WR Hines Ward, Rec: 7 - 109 - 1 (10 targets) - Hines Ward had his usual solid game, including a TD on a nice catch in traffic where he held on after a good hit. He caught most of balls in the second half and had a few intermediate passes. Ward remains in good health and still looks to be a solid play most weeks. He is still clearly the focus of the passing game in Pittsburgh. I could see him getting some rest next week; given Pittsburgh has nothing on the line.

WR Santonio Holmes, Rec: 5 - 93 - 1 (8 targets) - WR Santonio Holmes was looked for by Ben Roethlisberger on deep routes early on in the passing game hauling in a second quarter touchdown near the sideline where he beat man coverage. Like most games this season, Holmes's impressive talent shows itself in flashes, but he seems to have trouble staying focused in the game and inconsistent. Today was one of his better performances this season.

WR Nate Washington, Rec: 3 - 38 - 0 (6 targets) - WR Nate Washington did some damage I the second half, helping to keep some drives alive on third down. He did get open but could not connect on any deep passes. He is getting making the most of his limited looks, and is an integral part of the passing game.

TE Heath Miller, Rec: 8 - 69 - 0 (9 targets) - Miller's productive day saw him post a career high for catches, even though he did not have a great yard per catch average. He caught most of his passes in the middle of the field and converted a few third downs. Miller has all the talent to be a top-flight TE, but Pittsburgh does not typically put up big passing numbers on a regular basis to make him a major fantasy threat. This might be a short lived trend.

PK Jeff Reed 0 - 1 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 2 points - Reed missed a 33 yard field goal on his only attempt.

PIT Rush Defense - The Steelers gave up close to four yards a carry to Tennessee rushers. Given how well the Steelers' defense has been playing well all season, that number was a major surprise.

PIT Pass Defense - The Pittsburgh pass rush was absent recording only one sack and had few QB pressures. LB James Harrison got the sack after missing a few snaps due to an injured hip. Kerry Collins's ability to keep his offense out of long yardage situations kept the Steelers at bay. They gave up 300 total yards for the only time all season.

QB Kerry Collins, Pass: 20 - 29 - 216 - 1 TD / 0 INT - Collins played an effective game, with no turnovers and he made the plays when he needed to, moving the chains. He was not under pressure for most of the day, taking just one sack. His most telling statistic was 31 running plays against 30 passing, keeping the noticeable balance that has given the Titans such a great record. The only negative was a low three for fourteen conversion rate on third down, but that was more a by-product of the fact that Collins played with the lead and wanted to avoid any turnovers. All in all, Collins had a very good performance against the league's best defensive unit.

RB Chris Johnson, Rush: 16 - 69 - 1, Rec: 2 - 1 - 0 (2 targets) - Johnson was the featured back early in the game. He was not able to get to the outside and display his great speed that has been his trademark this season. His best run was a 21 yard scamper on a key fourth down call that got him in the end zone. Otherwise, his day was very mediocre. In a closer game, he would have likely posted slightly better numbers.

RB LenDale White, Rush: 15 - 48 - 1 - LenDale White was a significant factor in the second half, once the Titans got the lead. He was able to take advantage his power and was able to break numerous tackles, keeping the clock moving. This was most evident in his only red zone situation, where he broke a tackle and took in a score in the third quarter. His role looks to be shifting back toward a 50-50 split with Johnson. In bad weather games in the post-season, White may be the better play for fantasy owners. White didn't make any friends in Pittsburgh when the camera caught him at the end of the game stomping a Pittsburgh yellow towel on the ground on the sidelines.

WR Justin McCareins, Rec: 6 - 55 - 0 (7 targets) - McCareins was the possession receiver for this contest, making a few catches on shorter patterns underneath the Steelers' linebackers and near the sidelines. One catch in particular was on a third and long and was just inches short of the first down. He did not generate any big plays in the rest of game for that matter. His longest play was 19 yards.

WR Justin Gage, Rec: 5 - 104 - 1 (7 targets) - Gage was able to make the most of his limited opportunities. While one play did get the bulk of his production, he was also able to make a few other athletic catches. His longest reception was 34 yards. Gage seems to be Collins' most capable receiver.

TE Bo Scaife, Rec: 4 - 26 - 0 (6 targets) - Scaife was a security blanket for Kerry Collins. On the drive that the Titans began trailing for the first time, just after the second Steelers TD, Scaife had the bulk of his targets called. He was not a factor in the red zone.

TE Alge Crumpler, Rec: 3 - 30 - 0 (3 targets) - Crumpler showed some flashes of the receiving threat he was a few years ago, moving well with ball in open space. Once the Titans began going to Scaife in the second half, his targets stopped for the most part.

PK Rob Bironas 1 - 1 FG, 4 - 4 XP, 7 points - Bironas connected on a 42 yard field goal and all three extra points. He had no other opportunities.

TEN Rush Defense - The Steelers posted only three rushing yards per play. Tennessee was able to contain RB Mewelde Moore and Willie Parker, who combined for 57 yards on 21 attempts. A telling statistic was six tackles for loss in the running game. Given the loss of two Pro Bowl caliber linemen, this was an outstanding performance

TEN Pass Defense - The Titans' pass rush was able to generate constant pressure, and QB Ben Roethlisberger was sacked five times One of two Pittsburgh interceptions was returned for a touchdown by CB Michael Griffin. Again, another great job on display by the Titans defensive unit.

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Arizona Cardinals 7, New England Patriots 47

What you need to know

Arizona Cardinals - QB Kurt Warner clearly was affected by the snowing and cold weather, as the Cardinals had zero yards in the first quarter. He finished the game with only 30 yards on six of 18 attempts. He was pulled with 3:27 left in the third quarter so Matt Leinart could get some work. RB Tim Hightower was also ineffective with only 17 yards on ten carries. With little threat from the passing game, the Patriots were able to stifle the running game as well.

WR Larry Fitzgerald had 101 yards on three receptions. He dropped several passes, however, his stats were saved by a 78 yard touchdown catch on a hitch and go late in the fourth quarter.

WR Anquan Boldin and RB J.J. Arrington did not play due to injuries.

New England Patriots - QB Matt Cassel had an outstanding game throwing for 345 yards and three touchdowns on 20 of 36 attempts. He was in command of the game from the start.

RB Sammy Morris was the workhorse back as he had 133 yards of combined offense (88 rushing, 45 receiving.)

WR Randy Moss was quiet in the first half but started the second half taking a quick screen 76 yards for a touchdown. He finished with 87 yards in two catches. WR Wes Welker also had a touchdown and finished with 68 yards on seven catches. He also returned punts in this game. WR Jabar Gaffney was the game's leading receiver with a season high 90 yards on five catches.

What you ought to know

QB Kurt Warner, Pass: 6 - 18 - 30 - 0 TD / 0 INT - Warner had just 30 yards passing on six of 18 attempts. He was sacked once. The only positive from this outing was that Warner did not have a turnover. He never looked comfortable in the snowy weather and seemed to be missing WR Anquan Boldin.

QB Matt Leinart, Pass: 6 - 14 - 138 - 1 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 1 - 8 - 0 - Leinart came in with 3:27 to play in the third period, and looked rusty. He missed his first five passes and had two fumbles in his first series. He completed six of 14 passes for 138 yards and one interception. His interception was a deflection off the hands of a Cardinals' receiver. He completed a 78 yard touchdown to Larry Fitzgerald on a hitch and go late in the fourth quarter.

RB Tim Hightower, Rush: 10 - 17 - 0, Rec: 2 - 10 - 0 (6 targets) - Hightower was ineffective in this game and finished with only 17 yards on ten attempts. He caught two balls out of the backfield for just ten yards. Hightower fumbled once on a screen pass.

RB Edgerrin James, Rush: 4 - 19 - 0, Rec: 1 - 6 - 0 (3 targets) - James carried the ball four times for 19 yards. He caught one ball of the backfield for six yards.

WR Larry Fitzgerald, Rec: 3 - 101 - 1 (10 targets) - Fitzgerald's game was saved when he caught a 78-yard touchdown pass late in the fourth quarter. That catch gave him 101 yards on three catches. Otherwise, Fitzgerald had a tough game with several dropped passes due to the weather conditions.

WR Jerheme Urban, Rec: 2 - 36 - 0 (4 targets) - Urban caught two balls for 36 yards, both coming from Leinart.

WR Early Doucet, Rec: 2 - 11 - 0 (4 targets) - Doucet had two catches for 11 yards. He was elevated to playing status due to Boldin sitting out this game.

WR Steve Breaston, Rec: 1 - 6 - 0 (3 targets) - Breaston could only come up with one catch for six yards.

PK Neil Rackers 0 - 0 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 1 points - Rackers had only one extra point attempt.

ARI Rush Defense - The Cardinals' rush defense gave up two short touchdown runs to LaMont Jordan in the first quarter, and never really did anything to stop the Patriots offense all game.

ARI Pass Defense - Gave up a two touchdowns to the Patriots in the first half and several long plays over the middle. The pass defense looked horrid, as many of the Patriot receivers were wide open, including a 76 yard touchdown to Randy Moss where the receiver was untouched on a short quick screen play.

QB Matt Cassel, Pass: 20 - 36 - 345 - 3 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 2 - 19 - 0 - Cassel looked well in control of the offense leading the team to a 31 point first half lead. He also had a key fourth down 16 yard scramble to keep a drive alive en route to the team's fourth touchdown drive. Cassel finished the game with 345 yards on 20 of 36 attempts and three touchdown passes. (11, 15 and 76 yards.)

QB Kevin OConnell, Pass: 1 - 2 - -2 - 0 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 3 - -6 - 0 - OConnell came in at the 14:51 mark of the fourth period. He threw only twice and was relegated to handing off to Morris and Jordan to finish the game.

RB LaMont Jordan, Rush: 20 - 78 - 2 - Jordan had the game's first two touchdowns (two and three yards) to give the Patriots a 14-0 lead. He finished with 78 yards on 20 carries. He was the Patriots go to guy in the red zone.

RB Sammy Morris, Rush: 15 - 88 - 0, Rec: 2 - 45 - 0 (4 targets) - Morris started the game and took a screen pass 44 yards in the first period. He finished the game with 88 yards on 15 carries. He added 45 yards on two receptions. He lost touches in the red zone to Lamont Jordan, and was absent for a few series in the first half, but otherwise played a productive game.

RB Kevin Faulk, Rush: 1 - 1 - 0, Rec: 3 - 27 - 1 (5 targets) - Faulk took a screen play 15 yards for a touchdown in the second period to give the Patriots a 21-0 lead. He had only one rush, but was not needed in the offense on this day.

RB Heath Evans, Rush: 1 - 3 - 0, Rec: 1 - 28 - 0 (1 targets) - Evans took his only reception 28 yards.

WR Wes Welker, Rec: 7 - 68 - 1 (10 targets) - Scored on an 11 yard pass in the second quarter to extend the Patriots lead to 28-0. He also returned punts in this game, and set up New England's first touchdown drive with a long punt return. He finished with seven catches (team high) for 68 yards. Most of Welker's catches were underneath the linebackers.

WR Jabar Gaffney, Rec: 5 - 90 - 0 (7 targets) - Gaffney was the Patriots' main offensive threat in the first half. Gaffney had a 37 yard catch to set up the Patriots third touchdown on the day. He finished the day with 90 yards on five receptions. It was his best output of the season.

WR Randy Moss, Rec: 2 - 87 - 1 (7 targets) - Moss had a sub-par first-half dropping two long passes that could have easily gone for touchdowns. He redeemed himself on the first play of the second half, when he took a quick screen 76 yards for the Patriots' fifth touchdown on the day. It was Moss's 11 touchdown of the year, and the Patriots' longest touchdown pass of the season. He went untouched in the end zone.

PK Stephen Gostkowski 4 - 4 FG, 5 - 5 XP, 17 points - Gostkowski hit a 38 yard attempt to end the first half, and then connected on 35, 24 and 30 yard efforts in the second half. He was perfect on all five extra point attempts.

NE Rush Defense - The New England rush defense was totally in command of this game and dominated the Cardinals offensive line, albeit weather aided. They gave up only 44 yards on the day, and gave up only two first downs via the rush. The longest rush of the day allowed was 12 yards.

NE Pass Defense - Aided by the weather taking the Cardinals out of their strength on offense, the pass defense played well limiting the Cardinals to just 168 yards on the day. They did allow Larry Fitzgerald to score from 76 yards out in the fourth period, during garbage time. They sacked Warner and Leinart twice times, and caused three turnovers, all contributed to Leinart (two fumbles and one interception.)

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Philadelphia Eagles 3, Washington Redskins 10

What you need to know

Philadelphia Eagles - Donovan McNabb and the Eagles blew a chance to take a strangle hold on one of the last wild card spots but McNabb and the Eagles seemingly played without any urgency or passion. The Washington defense kept McNabb uncomfortable with a good mix of zones and man to man coverage. The QB/Receiver timing was off almost the entire night as McNabb was forced to go to his second and third reads. He was held to 230 yards and no scores. The key play of the game was a sack/strip by DE Jason Taylor which gave the Redskins a short field to work with. This is the drive that led to the Clinton Portis winning touchdown.

Running back Brian Westbrook was held reasonably in check by a fired up Washington defense. Westbrook amassed 45 yards on the ground and 71 yards receiving. Oddly, his first target was not until midway through the third quarter. Westbrook left the game a couple of times with minor injuries and was seemingly banged up all game. He did not have his normal burst or ability to separate from the line backers who cover him out of the back field.

DeSean Jackson had a forgettable afternoon with four drops, one of which would have been a game tying score. Jackson was also injured during the game and missed a series while getting x-rays on his ribs. He certainly was Philadelphia's most dangerous option throughout the game, but he and McNabb were not able to hook up.

Washington Redskins - Clinton Portis scored his first touchdown in four games as he was able to get in from one yard out. The score turned out to be the difference in the game. Portis put up 70 yards on 22 attempts as Washington was committed to staying balanced and winning the time of possession stat. Portis had to leave the game with an apparent injury to his left hand but did return.

Jason Campbell posted his first 3000 yard passing season with an additional 144 yards passing. Campbell did just enough through the air to keep the very game Eagles defense from just stacking the box. Campbell moved the team well between the twenties, but never could really finish a drive.

Shaun Suisham had his league leading tenth missed field goal on the year when his 54 year attempt came up about ten yards short. Suisham was able to make one field goal and convert his extra point attempt.

What you ought to know

QB Donovan McNabb, Pass: 26 - 46 - 230 - 0 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 2 - 8 - 0 - Full credit should be given to the Washington defense as it appeared that McNabb did not like what he was seeing. He often had to check the ball down and look for his second and third progression as nobody was open. With some windy weather in play, McNabb really struggled with his control as he skipped numerous attempts into the ground. On the throws that he was getting to his receivers they were often dropping them making for many short drives. The Eagles committed seven drops in total. Of note, the Eagles were without wide receivers Kevin Curtis and Hank Baskett.

RB Brian Westbrook, Rush: 12 - 45 - 0, Rec: 6 - 71 - 0 (7 targets) - The Eagles and Westbrook were not able to establish a running game and became one dimensional as the game went on. It appeared that Westbrook at times was getting a little too cute with his runs. He was trying to bounce everything outside instead of taking the sure yards from North/South running. This cost Westbrook a first down later in the game. It was odd that Westbrook wasn't targeted with a pass until nearly half way through the third quarter. Once they got Westbrook more involved they had a little more success moving the football. His best play of the game was a reception on wheel route with a defensive lineman in coverage. The lineman actually looked like he pulled his hamstring feebly trying to cover Westbrook who took the play up the left sidelines for a 47 yard gain.

RB Correll Buckhalter, Rush: 1 - 2 - 0, Rec: 2 - 18 - 0 (2 targets) - Buckhalter was used sparingly when Westbrook was in need of a rest or out with a temporary injury. He was able to catch both of his targets for a total of 18 yards and was not able to get much done on the ground.

WR Reggie Brown, Rec: 4 - 47 - 0 (6 targets) - Brown made a fabulous reception that was stopped at the half yard in bounds with about five seconds left and no Eagle timeouts remaining. The play was reviewed and ultimately upheld by the officials as Brown was not able to break the plane of the goal line for what would have been the game tying touchdown.

WR DeSean Jackson, Rush: 1 - 7 - 0, Rec: 2 - 14 - 0 (8 targets) - As mentioned above, it was a forgettable game for the rookie. He displayed some good route running and was able to generate some separation on his routes. However, it was his hands that let him down. There was a pair of potential long gains that he was not able to come up with despite being in good position to make the catch.

WR Jason Avant, Rec: 2 - 16 - 0 (6 targets) - Avant was able to catch two of his six targets on the game for a total 16 yards. He was targeted deep one time were he had a step on his defender but was over thrown by his quarterback.

WR Greg Lewis, Rec: 1 - 5 - 0 (1 targets) - Lewis was not a factor in this game.

TE L.J. Smith, Rec: 7 - 49 - 0 (10 targets) - Smith was the leader in targets and receptions for the Eagles. However, he was held to just 49 yards and was not able to do much after the catch. This may have been due to McNabb needing to check the ball down and the late start that Westbrook had in the passing game. Many of Smith's receptions were within five yards of the line of scrimmage were he was immediately tackled. On one play, he was able to run over CB DeAngelo Hall for a decent pick up.

TE Brent Celek, Rec: 1 - 8 - 0 (1 targets) - Celek who had a run of decent games lately was held quiet with only eight yards.

PK David Akers 1 - 1 FG, 0 - 0 XP, 3 points - Akers was able to score the only points for the Eagles on his 22 yard field goal.

PHI Rush Defense - The Eagles were able to keep the game close by holding Clinton Portis to 70 yards and only the one score. In total the Redskins rushed for 122 yards.

PHI Pass Defense - The pass defense was solid and they limited Washington from making any big plays through the air. The defense really kept their team in this game and gave the offense every chance to stage a comeback. Asante Samuels missed a huge opportunity for an interception when he was not able to hang onto an attempted throw away from Jason Campbell. This group held the Washington offense to 144 yards through the air.

QB Jason Campbell, Pass: 18 - 33 - 144 - 0 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 2 - 28 - 0 - Campbell had a solid but unspectacular game. He didn't make any huge mistakes nor did he make any big plays. Many of his yards came from screens, dump offs and short hitch routes. This conservative style was effective at moving his team and eating the clock. Campbell also struggled with his control like McNabb did and perhaps the wind was a factor for both. He led a couple of nice long drives were it looked like he and the team was finding a rhythm, only to have the drives stall out.

RB Clinton Portis, Rush: 22 - 70 - 1, Rec: 1 - 11 - 0 (2 targets) - As we've seen many times this year, Portis did his best running off the left edge. He had a couple of bigger runs that went for 10-15 yards, but was not able to hit a big one. The steady and conservative approach helped the Redskins hold onto the ball for 33 minutes. Portis was able to find the end zone from a yard out following a Jason Taylor sack and strip of Donavan McNabb. This was his first score in four games.

RB Ladell Betts, Rush: 7 - 23 - 0, Rec: 5 - 43 - 0 (5 targets) - Betts made the most of his touches in this game and was strong catching the ball out of the backfield. He was the leading Washington receiver with five grabs and 43 yards. It seemed like every time he caught the ball it was good for five to eight yards and it helped to set up shorter second and third downs. Betts was able to fill in for Portis when he left with his hand injury. He was also able to contribute 23 yards on the ground.

WR Santana Moss, Rec: 5 - 28 - 0 (9 targets) - Moss did get a couple of red zone looks but was not able to make good on either opportunity. His best catch of the day was a leaping snag along the sidelines. He smartly helped out his quarterback Campbell by coming back towards the line of scrimmage for the ball. Moss was held to just 28 and has struggled of late generating much offense.

WR Antwaan Randle El, Rec: 1 - 11 - 0 (5 targets) - Randle El was only able to gather in one of his five targets. Most of his looks are coming on slants and short crossing routes underneath. He paid a penalty for his catch as he was drilled after the making the catch by the Eagles secondary.

WR Devin Thomas, Rec: 1 - 17 - 0 (3 targets) - The rookie had a quiet game with a lone 17 yard sideline catch.

WR James Thrash (1 targets) - Thrash had no catches and was not a factor in this game.

TE Chris Cooley, Rec: 4 - 28 - 0 (5 targets) - The freshly named Pro Bowl tight end was held in check with only four receptions for 28 yards. Campbell really spread the ball out and no one player had more then five receptions. Cooley was used close to the line of scrimmage and rarely stretched the field.

TE Fred Davis, Rec: 1 - 6 - 0 (3 targets) - Davis has been recognized by his coaches as one of the improving players on this team and was rewarded with some targets in this game. He was able to make a short catch and also had a drop.

PK Shaun Suisham 1 - 2 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 4 points - Suisham had four points, a 33 yarder and a converted extra point. He also missed from 54 yards with the wind and came up well short. This has been a recent theme with Suisham over the last four or five games.

WAS Rush Defense - They did a super job of holding Westbrook and company to only 67 yards. The lack of a rush attack made the Eagles one dimensional and easier to defend.

WAS Pass Defense - Defensive coordinator Greg Blanche did a solid job of mixing his blitzes and zones to keep McNabb guessing throughout the game. He never got comfortable and could sustain any drives. He and the Eagles were held to 230 yards, many of which came on the very last drive of the game in prevent mode.

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New Orleans Saints 42, Detroit Lions 7

What you need to know

New Orleans Saints - The story of this football game was how thoroughly the Saints' offense utterly dominated the hapless Detroit defense. New Orleans scored touchdowns on their first six possessions and never faced a fourth down. With 32 first downs and 532 yards of total offense, the Saints offense was so efficient, onlookers must have wondered if the University of Michigan defense would have fared any better. New Orleans had no trouble moving the ball through the air or on the ground. Drew Brees had plenty of time to throw the ball and was able to pick apart the Detroit secondary; Brees completed three fourths of his passes for 351 yards and two touchdowns.

The Saints netted 181 rushing yards and averaged six yards per run. Each of New Orleans' first four drives ended with rushing touchdowns by four different players. Robert Meacham got the scoring started with a 20 yard end around. Deuce McAllister chipped in his fifth touchdown of the season, Mike Bell ran strong for his first touchdown of the season, and Pierre Thomas tallied his sixth rushing touchdown (ninth total) in the last six games.

Marques Colston was the receiving star of the game with nine catches for 99 yards and two touchdowns. Both of Colston's touchdowns came in the third quarter.

Drew Brees entered the game leading the NFL in passing yardage and touchdowns. Brees needs 402 passing yards next week to break Dan Marino's single season yardage mark of 5,084 yards.

New Orleans set a new franchise record and has now scored 53 touchdowns on the season.

Detroit Lions - The Lions are now the first team in the history of the NFL to lose their first 15 games; if they can't find a way to win next week at Green Bay, they will become the only team ever to go 0-16.

Detroit's offense did some things well. Kevin Smith had a strong game. Smith totaled 111 yards on 24 carries and scored the Lions' only touchdown. Smith ran hard and displayed a niftiness that was almost reminiscent of Barry Sanders. Unfortunately for Lions' fans, Smith could not carry the offense all by himself.

Dan Orlovsky made his sixth NFL start at quarterback and played better than his numbers suggest. Orlovsky did not make poor decisions with the football. He threw the ball away three times when he was under heavy pressure, rather than risking an interception or sack. His two interceptions were the products of Detroit's offensive predicaments. The first came on a third and 15 play from the New Orleans' 48. Orlovsky took a shot downfield and tried to hit John Standeford for a big play. Although the pass was intercepted, the result was like a good coffin corner punt, as the Saints took over at their own three yard line. Orlovsky's second interception came on a Hail Mary type pass at the end of the first half.

Calvin Johnson was a focus of the Detroit offense. Although he only caught three passes for 54 yards, Johnson was heavily involved in the game plan, especially on Detroit's scoring drive. Johnson left the game with what was called an ankle injury in the third quarter. He did not return and later was spotted with his knee wrapped in ice.

The Lions defense was abysmal. Detroit did not force a fourth down the entire game and allowed New Orleans to score touchdowns on their initial six possessions before finally forcing a Pierre Thomas fumble while trailing 42-7.

What you ought to know

QB Drew Brees, Pass: 30 - 40 - 351 - 2 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 3 - -3 - 0 - Brees leads the NFL in passing yardage and touchdowns. If he can pass for 402 yards in the season finale, he will break Dan Marino's single season mark of 5,084 yards. Brees had an easy and efficient game against the Lions. He was not sacked and averaged 8.8 yards on his 40 attempts. Brees threw two second half touchdowns to Marques Colston. Brees was credited with negative three yards rushing on three kneel down plays to end the game.

Brees set a career high for passing yards and broke the Saints' record for touchdowns in a season.

RB Pierre Thomas, Rush: 13 - 77 - 1, Rec: 3 - 26 - 0 (4 targets) - Thomas led the Saints with 77 yards rushing and added 26 more receiving yardage. Thomas' two yard plunge in the second quarter marks sixth consecutive game he has scored and is the ninth time he has reached the end zone in that span. Thomas ran hard and was able to gain yards after contact. However, his aggressive style led to a fumble and New Orleans' only turnover.

RB Deuce McAllister, Rush: 9 - 61 - 1, Rec: 1 - 6 - 0 (1 targets) - McAllister showed he still has some gas left in the tank with 19 and 18 yard runs, his two longest runs of the year. He also added a two yard touchdown, which was his fifth score of the year. McAllister caught his only target and picked up six yards on the play. McAllister passed the 6,000 career rushing mark for the year.

RB Mike Bell, Rush: 4 - 26 - 1, Rec: 1 - 14 - 0 (1 targets) - Bell ran with speed and power. He averaged nearly six yards per touch and scored his first touchdown since the 2006 season.

RB Mike Karney, Rec: 1 - -1 - 0 (1 targets) - Fullback, Mike Karney caught his only target, but lost a yard on the play.

WR Marques Colston, Rec: 9 - 99 - 2 (12 targets) - Colston was the focus of the Saints' passing attack. He caught nine of his twelve targets for 99 yards. Colston caught two short touchdown passes in the third quarter. His long reception went for 30 yards. Colston had a chance and could have caught two other passes in the end zone, but the passes were broken up.

WR Lance Moore, Rec: 4 - 36 - 0 (5 targets) - New Orleans' leading receiver had a quiet game. He caught four passes for 36 yards with a long gain of 17. Moore muffed a punt, but the Saints recovered.

WR Devery Henderson, Rec: 2 - 96 - 0 (2 targets) - Henderson caught only two passes, but gained 96 yards. His first reception was a 32 yarder. Brees later found him wide open. Henderson had to wait for the pass, but was able to cut across the field and make it all the way to the Detroit six yard line for a 64 yard gain.

WR Robert Meachem, Rush: 1 - 20 - 1 (1 targets) - Meachem was targeted on a deep pass. He was on of four Saints to score a rushing touchdown on a 20 yard end around.

TE Jeremy Shockey, Rec: 5 - 37 - 0 (7 targets) - Shockey caught five short passes in the first half. His long gain went for 10 yards. He injured his ankle just prior to the two minute warning in the first half and did not return. Shockey was targeted in the end zone on a play action pass from the one yard line, but Brees overthrew the pass slightly.

TE Billy Miller, Rec: 4 - 38 - 0 (6 targets) - After Shockey was hurt, Miller was targeted five times in the second half. He caught four of the passes and had a long gain of 21 yards.

PK Garrett Hartley 0 - 0 FG, 6 - 6 XP, 6 points - Hartley remains perfect as an NFL kicker, nailing all six extra point tries.

NO Rush Defense - Kevin Smith became only the second runnier to rush for more than 100 yards against the Saint defense this season. Smith was effective. However, New Orleans controlled the game from the second quarter onward.

Josh Bullocks led the unit with eight solo tackles and two assists. Scott Fujita chipped in with six solos, and an assist. Roman Harper forced a fumble.

NO Pass Defense - Detroit was able to gain only 126 yards through the air. Jason David and Usama Young intercepted passes. Jeff Charleston and Sedrick Ellis added sacks.

QB Dan Orlovsky, Pass: 10 - 23 - 125 - 0 TD / 2 INT - Orlovsky started for the sixth time in his career. Despite the lopsided score and his lackluster statistics, Orlovsky played reasonably well. Detroit was able to move the ball on their first two drives. Orlovsky had a 43 yard touchdown pass to Calvin Johnson called back by a penalty, then threw an interception on third down. The interception however, was not a bad play; John Standeford had a chance at it and it acted like a punt by pinning New Orleans on their own three yard line. Orlovsky then led the Lions to a touchdown on their second drive. Orlovsky's other interception came on a Hail Mary-like throw to close out the first half. Otherwise, Orlovsky did a good job of protecting the ball. He was willing to throw the football away rather than try to force it into tight coverage.

After Calvin Johnson left the game with an injury, Orlovsky struggled. Eventually, he was replaced by Drew Stanton.

QB Drew Stanton, Pass: 1 - 3 - 12 - 0 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 2 - 16 - 0 - Stanton replaced Dan Orlovsky in the fourth quarter. He hit on only one of his three attempts. He underthrew John Standeford, who ran a nice route to get open in the end zone, then did not see Keary Colbert wide open in the end zone on fourth down. He took off running prematurely and was sacked for a two yard loss. Earlier Stanton was able to run for a 15 yard gain down the middle.

RB Kevin Smith, Rush: 24 - 111 - 1 (2 targets) - Smith was Detroit's biggest bright spot in the game. He was effective throughout the contest, exhibiting a variety of nifty swerving moves that cut into and away from the defense. Although not a large running back, Smith ran hard and was not afraid to fight for extra yardage. Smith lost a 10 yard reception on a screen pass to a penalty. He fumbled once, but the ball went harmlessly out of bounds.

Smith lined up at wide receiver on a play where Calvin Johnson lined up on the backfield.

RB Jerome Felton, Rec: 1 - 5 - 0 (1 targets) - Felton had one reception and gained five yards.

RB Aveion Cason, Rush: 1 - 2 - 0 - Cason had one rushing attempt. He also returned three kickoffs.

RB Moran Norris, Rec: 1 - 3 - 0 (1 targets) - Norris caught one pass for a three yard gain.

WR Calvin Johnson, Rec: 4 - 64 - 0 (9 targets) - All but one of Johnson's targets came in the first half. He hurt his ankle and/or knee early the second half and did not return. Johnson was a difference maker in the Lion offense. He averaged 18 yards per catch and had a 43 yard touchdown reception called back by a penalty. After he left the game, the Detroit offense was not as effective. Johnson's long gain of 28 yards came mostly after he broke a tackle to pick up big yardage; he came very close to breaking the play for a touchdown.

Johnson lined up once in the backfield.

WR John Standeford, Rec: 3 - 46 - 0 (8 targets) - Standeford caught three passes for 46 yards. He also ran a beautiful route and found himself open in the end zone, but Drew Stanton was late delivering the ball and the defense recovered in time to break up the pass. Standeford had a chance for another big gainer. He was double-covered on the play and one of the defenders tipped the ball. However, Standeford had his hands on the football. He then juggled it before

WR Keary Colbert, Rec: 1 - 12 - 0 (2 targets) - Colbert caught one pass for a twelve yard gain. He was uncovered in the end zone on a fourth down play late in the game, but Drew Stanton did not see him and took off running prematurely.

WR Adam Jennings (1 targets) - Jennings was not a factor in the game.

TE John Owens, Rec: 1 - 7 - 0 (1 targets) - Owens caught his only target.

TE Michael Gaines (3 targets) - Gaines did not catch a pass. He was targeted on a fourth and goal play and drew a pass interference call that set up Detroit's sole touchdown.

PK Jason Hanson 0 - 0 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 1 points - Hanson had only one extra point try.

DET Rush Defense - The Saints were effective on the ground. New Orleans ran for 181 yards and averaged six yards per attempt. Four different Saints rushed for touchdowns. Detroit allowed New Orleans to convert all but one of their first down attempts. The only failed third down conversion came on the third consecutive kneel down that ended the play.

DET Pass Defense - Drew Brees had plenty of time to pick apart the Detroit secondary. Brees passed for 351 yards and two touchdowns. Marques Colston caught two third quarter touchdown passes. The Lions were unable to force a punt in the game and allowed touchdowns on the Saints' first six possessions.

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Houston Texans 16, Oakland Raiders 27

What you need to know

Houston Texans - QB Matt Schaub and WR Andre Johnson were held in check by the Oakland defense. They were unable to break the big plays or get into the end zone.

K Kris Brown connected from 53 and 24 yards out in the second quarter to tie the game up at halftime, 13-13.

The Houston defense and special teams both let down to start the second half, and the Raiders took advantage. QB JaMarcus Russell threw a touchdown pass to WR Johnnie Lee Higgins, and Higgins returned a punt 80 yards for a score on the ensuing possession and the Raiders pulled away, 27-13. Brown added an early fourth quarter field goal to cut the lead to 27-16, but that was as close as the Texans would come as they fell to the Raiders.

Oakland Raiders - The Raiders struck first, as QB JaMarcus Russell connected with WR Corey Schilens for a 20 yard touchdown on the team's opening possession. After Houston answered the score with a touchdown of their own, K Sebastian Janikowski nailed two field goals and Oakland took a 13-7 lead into the second quarter.

Houston chipped away at the lead and kicked two second quarter field goals to tie the game up at 13 at halftime. Oakland struck quickly in the second half, and Russell connected with WR Johnnie Lee Higgins on a 29 yard touchdown pass to open the second half scoring. Higgins wasn't done yet, and after the Raiders forced a Texans punt on the next possession, Higgins returned the kick for an 80 yard score to give Oakland a 27-13 lead.

The Raiders shut down the Texans offense for the remainder of the game, and they allowed just a field goal to come away with a 27-16 win.

What you ought to know

QB Matt Schaub, Pass: 19 - 36 - 255 - 0 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 2 - 10 - 0 - Matt Schaub had a tough time coming up with the big plays the Texans needed to beat the Raiders on their home field. He finished 19 of 36 for 255 yards, zero touchdowns and one interception, and two rushes for ten yards on the ground. Schaub struggled to come up with any game changing plays, most notably to his favorite target WR Andre Johnson. The Raiders did a nice job containing Johnson while bringing pressure on Schaub, as they finished with three sacks for the game.

RB Steve Slaton, Rush: 18 - 66 - 0, Rec: 5 - 36 - 0 (7 targets) - Slaton led the Texans in rushing, as he finished with 18 rushes for 66 yards on the ground, and he also added five receptions for 36 yards on seven targets in the passing game.

RB Vonta Leach, Rush: 1 - 1 - 1, Rec: 1 - 3 - 0 (1 targets) - Leach had one rush for a one yard touchdown and also had a three yard reception on his only target of the game.

WR Kevin Walter, Rush: 1 - 13 - 0, Rec: 2 - 17 - 0 (7 targets) - Walter was targeted seven times, twice on third downs and one on fourth down, and finished with just two receptions for 17 yards. He also had one rush for 13 yards.

WR Andre Johnson, Rec: 2 - 19 - 0 (5 targets) - Johnson was held in check all game long against the Raiders, and he received just five targets. He was able to come down with two receptions for just 19 yards, and the inability of the Texans to get the ball in his hands definitely didn't help their cause against a tough Raiders pass defense.

WR David Anderson, Rec: 1 - 65 - 0 (2 targets) - Anderson was targeted two times, and came down with one big reception for a 65 yard gain that helped set up a Houston field goal.

TE Owen Daniels, Rec: 7 - 111 - 0 (8 targets) - Daniels caught seven of the eight passes thrown his way for 111 yards. He led the Texans in targets, and five of his receptions resulted in first downs.

PK Kris Brown 3 - 3 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 10 points - Brown nailed all three of his field goal attempts from 53, 24 and 40 yards out and added an extra point to finish with ten points in the game.

HOU Rush Defense - The Houston defense played well against the run, as they gave up 139 yards on 34 attempts, for a 4.1 ypc average, but they certainly could have played better. They held the Raiders without a rushing touchdown and had three tackles for loss on running plays. For the game, they allowed just five rushing first downs and gave up a long run of just 14 yards.

LB DeMeco Ryans finished with four solo tackles, one assist and a forced fumble for the Texans and fellow LB Morlon Greenwood had five solo tackles of his own.

HOU Pass Defense - The Texans had a tough time figuring out the Oakland passing game, which has struggled throughout most of this year. They allowed 223 net passing yards, finished with just one sack and allowed two passing scores. For the game, they gave up 12 passing first downs and allowed the Raiders to convert seven of 14 third down conversions.

DT Amobi Okoye registered the team's only sack and DB Eugene Wilson finished with eight solo tackles and one assist to lead the secondary.

QB JaMarcus Russell, Pass: 18 - 25 - 236 - 2 TD / 0 INT - Russell had an efficient game passing for the Raiders, as he finished 18 of 25 for 236 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions. Russell's touchdown passes came in the first quarter, when he connected with WR Corey Schilens from 20 yards out, and the third quarter with a scoring strike to WR Johnnie Lee Higgins from 29 yards out. The young QB managed the game nicely for Oakland, and did what he needed to do to help his team pull out the win. Perhaps the only negative for Russell on the game was a lost fumble.

RB Justin Fargas, Rush: 22 - 93 - 0, Rec: 1 - 4 - 0 (1 targets) - Fargas shouldered the load in the running game as he finished with 22 rushes for 93 yards on the ground, and also added a four yard reception on his only target in the passing game. Fargas did have a fumble, but Oakland was able to retain possession on the miscue.

RB Darren McFadden, Rush: 12 - 46 - 0, Rec: 5 - 41 - 0 (6 targets) - McFadden contributed in the running game with 12 rushes for 46 yards, and added five receptions for 41 yards on six targets in the passing game. Two of his targets came on third down situations, and three of his receptions resulted in first downs.

WR Johnnie Lee Higgins, Rec: 3 - 56 - 1 (6 targets) - Higgins had a big game all around for the Raiders, as he finished with three receptions for 56 yards on six targets that included a 29 yard touchdown reception, and also added an 80 yard punt return for a touchdown, both of which came in the third quarter. Oakland was definitely looking to utilize his speed, as he was targeted five times on deep receiving patterns.

WR Chaz Schilens, Rec: 3 - 52 - 1 (3 targets) - Schilens caught all three balls thrown his way for 52 yards, and opened scoring in the game with a first quarter touchdown reception from 20 yards out from JaMarcus Russell.

TE Zach Miller, Rec: 4 - 70 - 0 (6 targets) - Miller led the Raiders in receiving as he finished with four receptions for 70 yards on six targets. Two of his targets came on third down plays, and all four of his receptions resulted in first downs.

PK Sebastian Janikowski 2 - 2 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 9 points - Janikowski connected from 33 and 30 yards out on his only field goal attempts and added three extra points to finish with nine points in the game.

OAK Rush Defense - The Raiders were able to contain the Texans rushing attack, most notably RB Steve Slaton, and they allowed 90 rush yards on 22 attempts, for a 4.1 ypc average. For the game they allowed just five rushing first downs and gave up a long run of 19 yards. They did allow a one yard touchdown run by RB Vonta Leach, but a 14 point third quarter outburst put the Raiders in the driver's seat and took the Houston rushing attack out of the equation for most of the second half.

LB Thomas Howard finished with five solo tackles and a forced fumble to lead the front seven.

OAK Pass Defense - Oakland's defense against the pass continued to show flashes as they allowed a net of 234 pass yards, sacked Houston QB Matt Schaub three times and added an interception, and allowed just three of 13 on third down conversion attempts. Most importantly for the Raiders, they did not allow WR Andre Johnson to get into a groove, and most of that credit can go to talented DB Nnamdi Asomugha.

DB Gibril Wilson led the way with seven solo tackles and one assist, and DB Chris Johnson tallied the team's only interception. DE Derrick Burgess had two sacks to lead the front seven.

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Atlanta Falcons 24, Minnesota Vikings 17

What you need to know

Atlanta Falcons - Matt Ryan had a hard time with the intense pass rush and was unable to put a lot of yardage together. What he was able to do was manage the game and lead his team in a ball control type offense.

Michael Turner also could not get loose and was only able to break a long run of 13 yards. He finished with 70 yards rushing on 19 carries and a touchdown.

Minnesota Vikings - Visanthe Shiancoe was just plain incredible. He fought, jumped and ran for the ball. Plus, no drops which is a big deal for him.

Tarvaris Jackson had a very good game. He was able to produce from the air and ground and threw with precision.

Adrian Peterson was kept relatively in check (for him) with 77 yards on 22 carries. More importantly, he gave up some very damaging fumbles.

Bernard Berrian had a leg injury that should be watched. It wasn't clear whether it was his knee or ankle. He tried to keep playing but it clearly slowed him down.

What you ought to know

QB Matt Ryan, Pass: 13 - 24 - 134 - 1 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 3 - 2 - 0 - This was a ball control game for Atlanta. They didn't need to throw the ball and needed to chew time off the clock. Minnesota lost four fumbles and this provided Atlanta the ability to run the ball. Ryan did miss a few targets today. The Minnesota defensive backs knocked many passes down. Ryan barely achieved above 50% completions. The pressure was very intense and that seemed to be when Ryan would miss the target.

RB Michael Turner, Rush: 19 - 70 - 1 - Michael Turner makes moves that a 240 pound RB should not be able to do. He was not able to break any big plays. He did move the pile and made guys miss. However, the DBs were able to get him down if the LBs didn't. He was not involved in the passing game. The Viking defense is tough to run on but Turner didn't seem to have the burst. He would make one move and then be taken down. He did average over three yards per carry.

RB Jerious Norwood, Rush: 6 - 10 - 0, Rec: 2 - 11 - 1 (2 targets) - Jerious Norwood had some nice opportunities on passing downs. He made the most of draw plays. There were a couple times that the safety was the only one to stop him. But, Norwood was not able to break the big play.

RB Jason Snelling, Rush: 3 - 12 - 0, Rec: 1 - 13 - 0 (1 targets) - Jason Snelling had a couple nice plays. One was a third down reception for thirteen yards. Another was a draw for eight yards. But, he was only used sparingly.

WR Michael Jenkins, Rec: 4 - 61 - 0 (7 targets) - Michael Jenkins tied Roddy White for targets. He made some very good catches and led the team in yards.

WR Roddy White, Rec: 3 - 24 - 0 (7 targets) - Roddy White only had 24 yards on the day. He was covered heavily all game and had many receptions knocked away. He just couldn't find a way to beat the Viking DBs. There was one great pass in his hands that he dropped and stalled a drive.

WR Harry Douglas, Rush: 1 - 4 - 0, Rec: 1 - 4 - 0 (3 targets) - Harry Douglas only had eight total yards today. His one run was an end around.

WR Brian Finneran, Rec: 1 - 13 - 0 (1 targets) - Brian Finneran's only target was for thirteen yards. He wasn't looked at the rest of the day.

TE Justin Peelle, Rec: 1 - 8 - 0 (2 targets) - Justin Peelle was not a main part of the passing attack today. He had a couple dump targets from the pass rush pressure.

PK Jason Elam 1 - 1 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 6 points - An easy day for Jason Elam. He had one field goal from 22 yards.

ATL Rush Defense - They really made it hard for Adrian Peterson to run the ball. The one thing they couldn't do was contain Tavaris Jackson. There were also four fumbles recovered today. That was the stat of the game. Without the fumbles the Vikings probably would have won. The defense contained and hit hard and that is the way it should always work.

ATL Pass Defense - The pass defense was a little porous. Tavaris Jackson was able to pick the defense apart most of the game. The pass rush was okay, but Jackson was able to elude them to either run the ball or get a second chance completion. There were no interceptions partly due to the lack of pressure and Jackson being very precise.

QB Tarvaris Jackson, Pass: 22 - 36 - 233 - 2 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 8 - 76 - 0 - This was a totally different Tavaris Jackson from the beginning of the season. He seemed to know when to run and when to throw. He was also very accurate. Shiancoe's second touchdown pass was a laser under extreme pressure. On the next drive he hit Bernard Berrian while under intense pressure. The very next play was a great connection on a timing route to Chester Taylor. Three plays later he shook off a wrapped tackler and connected to Shiancoe. Then Adrian Peterson fumbled. The only problem was that he showed a young player's impatience and made a few mistakes. But, he did not give up and almost brought the Vikings back for a win. One of his fumbles was just a great play by the Atlanta DL. The other was credited to Jackson but was really Peterson's fumble on the exchange. However, Jackson did not throw one pick and he wasn't even close. He showed good judgment and even threw the ball away to avoid sacks.

RB Adrian Peterson, Rush: 22 - 76 - 0, Rec: 2 - 16 - 0 (4 targets) - Adrian Peterson was stifled. He did not break any big runs. He also fumbled three times. One of his fumbles was credited to Tavaris Jackson but Jackson put the ball in his stomach. Both fumbles were in Atlanta territory on sustained drives. These fumbles probably cost Minnesota the game. Tavaris Jackson matched Peterson in rushing yards. Atlanta kept Peterson contained all day.

RB Chester Taylor, Rush: 1 - 3 - 0, Rec: 5 - 26 - 0 (4 targets) - Chester Taylor was not as involved in the game this week like in past games. He had one rush and four targets.

RB Naufahu Tahi, Rec: 1 - -1 - 0 (1 targets) - Of course Naufahu Tahi had one reception in the game to appear in the box score.

WR Bobby Wade, Rec: 5 - 38 - 0 (8 targets) - Bobby Wade made some very good catches in traffic today. He was used many times on possession receptions. All of his targets were on short routes and his yards were minimal.

WR Bernard Berrian, Rec: 2 - 18 - 0 (5 targets) - Bernard Berrian hurt his leg early in the third quarter. He was out for a while and then tried to play again. The injury is either his knee or ankle but it wasn't clear during the game. He was slowed by the injury when he came back in. He was not effective on deep routes and was not targeted on deep routes the rest of the game.

WR Sidney Rice (2 targets) - Sidney Rice had a few targets out of the endzone today. He was targeted deep once when Bernard Berrian was hurt. However, he did not catch one ball.

TE Visanthe Shiancoe, Rec: 7 - 136 - 2 (8 targets) - Visanthe Shiancoe was amazing. He didn't make a mistake all day. He did whatever he had to, to catch the ball. He also made many yards after the catch. It was fun to watch him play up to his potential. It looked like no one could cover him. One pass reception was between two defenders and Shiancoe held the ball as he was sandwiched.

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

PK Ryan Longwell 1 - 1 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 5 points - A very easy day with nothing to attempt over 30 yards.

MIN Rush Defense - It was another team the Vikings held under 100 yards rushing. Michael Turner put some moves on but the defense swarmed around him. One person would miss and there would be two more to pick up the pieces. Chad Greenway was all over the field. It was another impressive run stopping performance. However, it wasn't enough because Atlanta had a short field much of the day.

MIN Pass Defense - "The Firm" was in Matt Ryan's face all day. He had to deal with a lot of heat and that heat might have kept him from completing many of his passes. Absent from the day was an interception. A couple of tipped passes were close but Ryan didn't give them much to take away. However, the defense kept Atlanta from moving the ball a lot.

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New York Jets 3, Seattle Seahawks 13

What you need to know

New York Jets - In control of their own destiny, the Jets couldn't muster any offense after the opening drive, and lost on the road to fall to third in their own division. The loss means that they need a win next week and a loss by either the Patriots or Ravens to advance to the playoffs. Brett Favre got off to a hot start, but finished just 18 of 31 for 187 yards and two interceptions. Jericho Cotchery led all receivers with six catches for 81 yards, followed by Laverneus Coles with 60 yards on five receptions. Brad Smith added three yards on a pair of catches. Thomas Jones was the only running back to catch a ball out of the backfield, with 29 yards on three receptions. The tight ends were also quiet, with Chris Baker and Dustin Keller pulling in one ball each for twelve and two yards respectively.

Thomas Jones had limited opportunities in the second half with the team trailing, but picked up 67 yards on the ground on 17 carries, but was held out of the end zone. Leon Washington only got three touches in the offensive portion of this game for fourteen yards, and actually saw fullback Tony Richardson receive more carries, with five attempts for 34 yards.

Seattle Seahawks - In Mike Holmgren's last game in Seattle, he went out a winner. In the snow, the Seahawks were effective on the ground, with Maurice Morris gaining 116 yards on 29 carries. Leonard Weaver added five yards on three attempts while TJ Duckett added two yards on a single carry. Officially, Seneca Wallace lost three yards on three attempts.

Through the air, Seneca Wallace limited turnovers, and finished 18 of 25 for 175 yards and a touchdown. Bobby Engram led all receivers with six catches for 65 yards. Multiple receivers were active in this game, with Koren Robinson pulling in three receptions for 38 yards. Courtney Taylor and Deion Branch each caught two balls, with Taylor picking up 35 yards, while Branch added just six yards on his catches. Wallace also spread the ball to his tight ends, with Will Heller catching two balls for 18 yards and John Carlson ten yards on two catches, including the lone touchdown in this game. Leonard Weaver added a single one yard reception.

What you ought to know

QB Brett Favre, Pass: 18 - 31 - 187 - 0 TD / 2 INT - Favre started out the game eight of nine, but completed just ten of his next 22 passes, including two interceptions and zero points on the board. Favre finished with a passer rating of just 48.7 in this game by virtue of completing 58 percent of his passes for an average gain of just 6.0 yards per attempt. Favre was misfiring frequently in the snow, but also saw his receivers drop passes, including a long pass dropped by Laverneus Coles that could have tied up the game. Favre did however hold onto the ball too long, taking too many sacks and made a few ill-advised throws in this game.

RB Thomas Jones, Rush: 17 - 67 - 0, Rec: 3 - 29 - 0 (4 targets) - Jones averaged 4.0 yards per carry, but saw his attempts limited in the second half with the Jets trailing for all of it. Jones did receive 85 percent of the tailback carries, with a 17 to 3 advantage in terms of carries. Additionally, Jones received all of the catches out of the backfield, averaging 9.7 yards per reception.

WR Jerricho Cotchery, Rec: 6 - 81 - 0 (10 targets) - Cotchery was the most active of the Jets receivers in this game in terms of receptions, averaging 13.5 yards per catch. Both interceptions in this game were on passes intended for Cotchery where Favre was trying to make a play that wasn't there.

WR Laveranues Coles, Rec: 5 - 60 - 0 (11 targets) - Coles picked up 12.0 yards per reception, but had a couple of key drops in this game, including a deep pass that Brett Favre had put on target to tie up this game in the right corner of the end zone. Coles argued pass interference on the play, but was not awarded a flag. On the Jets final play of the game on fourth and four, Favre put another deep pass on target down the left side, but Coles saw the ball swatted away before he could gain possession of it.

TE Dustin Keller, Rec: 1 - 2 - 0 (2 targets) - Keller had a quiet day, and actually saw Chris Baker outgain him from the tight end position, though both tight ends only caught one pass. Both targets came in the first quarter, as the tight ends spent much of the time trying to slow down the Seahawks pass rush in the slippery snow.

PK Jay Feely 1 - 1 FG, 0 - 0 XP, 3 points - Feely connected on his only opportunity from 20 yards out, though his afternoon could have gone much differently. The field goal came on the Jets opening drive when the Jets decided to put the points on the board despite being fourth and inches from the three yard line. Later in the game, the Jets lined up to kick a 45 yarder in the snow, but a false start pushed them back and forced the Jets to punt. Feely had kicked the original attempt through the goal posts with plenty of extra leg.

NYJ Rush Defense - The Jets struggled to shut down Maurice Morris, who picked up 116 yards on the ground, though they kept Leonard Weaver or TJ Duckett from picking up any long runs in short yardage situations.

NYJ Pass Defense - The secondary only gave up one passing touchdown and 175 yards through the air, but combined with an effective ground game, the Seahawks kept the Jets off-balance in the snow. The Jets failed to get pressure on Seneca Wallace as they did not register a sack all game.

QB Seneca Wallace, Pass: 18 - 25 - 175 - 1 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 3 - -3 - 0 - Wallace completed 72 percent of his passes and an average gain of 7.0 yards per attempt en route to a 91.3 passer rating. In the win, Wallace did not throw any interceptions, though faced limited pressure from the Jets pass rush for much of the afternoon.

RB Maurice Morris, Rush: 29 - 116 - 0 (1 targets) - Morris averaged 4.0 yards per attempt in the snow, but kept the chains moving, and the Jets offense off the field. Teammate Julius Jones was active, but did not receive any carries in this game, though Leonard Weaver and TJ Duckett saw action in one-back sets as well.

WR Bobby Engram, Rec: 6 - 65 - 0 (7 targets) - Engram was the busiest of all the Seahawks receivers in this game, and averaged 10.8 yards per reception.

WR Deion Branch, Rec: 2 - 6 - 0 (4 targets) - Branch had a quiet afternoon, averaging just 3.0 yards per reception and catching half of his targets.

TE John Carlson, Rec: 2 - 12 - 1 (2 targets) - Carlson caught both targets thrown his way, including a two yard pass for a touchdown with a nice stretch on a ball thrown up in the air to the corner of the end zone.

PK Olindo Mare 2 - 2 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 7 points - Mare connected on field goals from 31 and 38 yards out, as well as his lone extra point attempt.

SEA Rush Defense - The Seahawks contained Thomas Jones, though in large part due to the fact that they knew the Jets abandoned the run in the second half of the game. With the Jets mixing in Tony Richardson and Leon Washington, gave up 115 yards on 25 carries; similar numbers to what Maurice Morris put up on the other side of the ball.

SEA Pass Defense - The Seahawks were picked apart in the first quarter of this game, but quickly bucked down and forced a pair of Favre interceptions as well as keeping the Jets off the scoreboard after the initial drive.

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Green Bay Packers 17, Chicago Bears 20

What you need to know

Green Bay Packers - QB Aaron Rodgers played really well in the first half as he had lot of time to throw and he finished the half with 176 yards and two touchdowns. He hit WR Greg Jennings on a seven yard touchdown pass and threw his other score to RB Ryan Grant on a screen pass. But Rodgers and the Packers offense faded down the stretch of the game as they were only able to score three points in the second half.

RB Ryan Grant scored on a 17 yard screen pass in the second quarter on play where he was able to break a tackle and crash into the end zone. That would be the only highlight for Grant who struggled to run the ball against the Bears. Grant averaged less then two and half yards a carry on 25 carries in the game.

WR Greg Jennings caught a seven yard pass early in the game but did very little after that, including only catching one pass for two yards in the second half. WR Donald Driver led the Packers with six receptions for 63 yards in the game. The Bears pass defense did a good job of taking away Jennings and Driver in the second half, limiting them to only three catches for 24 yards.

Chicago Bears - Despite leading his team to a last minute touchdown and win in overtime, for most of the game prior to that, QB Kyle Orton did very little in making plays and moving the offense. He hit TE Greg Olsen on a three yard touchdown pass early in the second half after a Packers' turnover. He would hit Olsen again on 17 yard pass in overtime to help set up the game winning field goal, but Orton was shaky all game and threw two bad interceptions. He completed only 14 of 27 of his pass attempts for 142 yards in this game.

The Bears struggled getting any running game going in this game and RB Matt Forte, who has been Chicago's best offensive player, did very little until the end of the game when he broke a big 28 yard run and scored on a two yard run with three minutes left in the game. Forte carried the offense late in the game and was probably the difference maker for a Bears who really struggled in the passing game.

TE Greg Olsen had the best game of the all Chicago receivers as he caught a team high five catches for 49 yards in the game, including a three yard touchdown reception. Fellow TE Desmond Clark and RB Matt Forte finished behind Olsen in receiving as the Bears wide receivers were practically a non-factor in this game and combined for only three catches for 28 yards.

What you ought to know

QB Aaron Rodgers, Pass: 24 - 39 - 260 - 2 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 2 - -6 - 0 - The Packers had more success passing the ball in the first half as Rodgers was 16 for 24 for 176 yards. Rodgers led Green Bay on a long drive and finished it off with a nice seven yard touchdown pass to WR Greg Jennings. Rogers played very well in the first half, despite having an interception off a deflected pass. The Bears didn't get much of a pass rush early in the game. He almost connected on a big pass deep down the field late in the first half with WR Donald Driver, but Driver could not hold onto the ball. Rogers' second touchdown pass came on little screen pass to RB Ryan Grant on a play in which Grant broke a tackle and scampered into the end zone. Rodgers and the Packers faded again in the fourth quarter and simply did not make plays when they needed too late in the game, specifically when they had the ball inside the five yard and a first down midway through the fourth quarter.

RB Ryan Grant, Rush: 25 - 61 - 0, Rec: 3 - 20 - 1 (3 targets) - Grant had a very nice first half as he carried the ball 12 times for 40 yards and added two receptions for 23 yards, including a 17 yard touchdown pass. Grant caught a short screen pass from QB Aaron Rodgers and he turned up field and broke the tackle by rookie safety Craig Steltz. Steltz had replaced an injured S Mike Brown two plays earlier. Grant did very little in the second half as he had 13 carries for 21 yards.

WR Donald Driver, Rec: 6 - 63 - 0 (13 targets) - Driver got off to a very good start in this game catching four passes for 41 yards. He almost caught a deep pass late in the first half but, was unable to bring the ball in. He injured his leg on the play and had to be helped off the field. Driver did return to the game a few plays later. He was QB Aaron Rodgers' favorite target in this game but only caught two more balls in the second half for 21 yards.

WR Greg Jennings, Rec: 6 - 38 - 1 (8 targets) - Jennings had a nice first half as he caught five passes for 36 yards including a short touchdown pass in the second quarter for the Packers first score of the game. Jennings wasn't targeted deep down the field in this game and caught all his passes short or medium range routes. The Bears secondary completely took Jennings out of the game in the second half by holding him to one catch for two yards.

WR James Jones, Rec: 2 - 27 - 0 (2 targets) - Jones had one catch for 18 yards in the first half. His second catch came on a huge third and long conversion in which he caught a nine yard pass to give Green Bay a first down deep in Chicago territory late in the game.

WR Jordy Nelson, Rec: 2 - 27 - 0 (4 targets) - Nelson had one catch for 15 yards in the first half and had another catch for 12 yards in the second half.

TE Donald Lee - Lee did not have a target in this game.

PK Mason Crosby 1 - 3 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 5 points - Mason had a rough night missing a 46 yard kick and then having a potential game winning kick blocked with 18 seconds left in the game. He did make a 28 yard kick earlier in the fourth quarter.

GB Rush Defense - The run defense did a real good job of shutting down the run game for three quarters but, faltered in the fourth quarter giving up most of rushing yards in that quarter including a two yard rushing touchdown late in the game.

GB Pass Defense - The defense pass defense did its job in this game, holding the Bears to only 142 yards passing and forcing two interceptions.

QB Kyle Orton, Pass: 14 - 27 - 142 - 1 TD / 2 INT, Rush: 1 - -1 - 0 - The Bears offense looked terrible in the first half as Orton was only four for eight for 36 yards and no touchdowns. The offense was only able to get two first downs in the half. Orton threw for a three yard score to TE Greg Olsen early in the second half after a Packers' turnover. He would throw a costly interception late in the third quarter and another midway through the fourth quarter. Despite not playing well, Orton was able to lead the Bears down the field late in the game thanks to the running of RB Matt Forte and get a game tying touchdown. Orton made a clutch 17 yard pass to Olsen and then a 14 yard completion to Forte in overtime to set up the game winning field goal.

RB Matt Forte, Rush: 23 - 73 - 1, Rec: 2 - 28 - 0 (2 targets) - Like the passing game, Forte and the run game struggled mightily in the first half as he only had 14 yards on eight carries in the first half. Forte had two opportunities inside the five yard early in the second after a Green Bay turnover but, he was stuffed on both carries. Forte was spelled at times to backup RB Adrian Peterson in the second half, and his injured toe may or may not have been the reason Forte gave up some playing time. Forte, who is the Bears leading receiver this season, didn't catch a pass or have a pass thrown to him until there was ten minutes left in the game. He did break a long 28 yard run late in the game and followed that up with a two yard score. Forte was much more effective late in the game and gained most of his yards with about ten minutes left in the game.

RB Adrian Peterson, Rush: 2 - 2 - 0 - Peterson only had two carries for two yards in the game but did replace Forte on two series in the second half.

WR Devin Hester, Rec: 2 - 12 - 0 (7 targets) - Hester had one catch for nine yards in the first half and one catch for three yards in the second half. CB Charles Woodson and Al Harris shut down Hester in this game and he was well covered all game.

WR Brandon Lloyd, Rec: 1 - 16 - 0 (2 targets) - Lloyd had one catch for 16 yards in the first half; it was the Bears longest play from scrimmage in the half. It was his only catch of the game.

WR Marty Booker (1 targets) - Booker had only one pass throw to him and he dropped it.

TE Greg Olsen, Rec: 5 - 49 - 1 (5 targets) - Olsen had one catch for seven in the first half. Olsen did catch a three yard touchdown pass after a Packer turnover early in the first half. He caught a big 17 yard catch in overtime and drew a 15 yard horse collar penalty on the same play. It was a critical play because it put the Bears into field goal range.

TE Desmond Clark, Rec: 4 - 37 - 0 (7 targets) - Olsen had one catch for four yards in the first half and three catches for 33 yards in the second. The Bears continue to target there tight ends early and often in the passing game.

PK Robbie Gould 2 - 2 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 8 points - Gould made a 31 yard field goal in the first quarter. He would make a 38 yard game winning field goal in overtime.

CHI Rush Defense - The Bears held the Green Bay running backs to only 71 yards rushing and did not give up a rushing touchdown.

CHI Pass Defense - DE Alex Brown had an interception in the first quarter off a pass deflection for the Bears only interception of the game. Chicago did not get a sack in this game and struggled to stop the Packers passing game early in the game. The pass defense made some big stops late in the game as Green Bay was unable to put away the Bears.

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Buffalo Bills 30, Denver Broncos 23

What you need to know

Buffalo Bills - The Bills completed their sweep of the AFC West as they rallied back from an early 13--0 deficit to win 30--23 in the second coldest game in Denver history. After gaining a total of minus 17 yards on their first two drives Buffalo managed to score either a touchdown or a field goal on each of their next six possessions.

Trent Edwards returned to the lineup and threw one TD pass as he completed 17 of 25 for 193 yards. More importantly, he did not commit a turnover. Marshawn Lynch ran for one touchdown as he gained 34 yards on 11 carries, but was sidelined in the third quarter with a bruised shoulder. Fred Jackson took over and also scored a TD as he rushed for 43 yards and added another 70 yards as a receiver. Josh Reed led the Bills with nine receptions for 79 yards while Lee Evans struggled to gain 19 yards on two grabs.

The Bills played a bend but don't break style of defense as they gave up 532 yards but only surrendered two touchdowns to the second best offense in the NFL. Late in the game with Denver trailing by a seven points, Cutler was intercepted LB Kawika Mitchell at the goal line. On the Broncos' final drive rookie CB Reggie Corner broke up a fourth down pass to Brandon Stokley in the back of the end zone to seal the improbable win.

All pro left tackle Jason Peters was inactive with a knee injury although he was seen standing on the sideline throughout the game.

Denver Broncos - Denver's loss cost them the AFC Western Division title. They must now beat the Chargers in San Diego next week to advance to the playoffs. P.J. Pope, Denver's sixth starting running back this season, injured his hamstring in their second series and did not return. Selvin Young stepped in and by the middle of the second quarter the Broncos had already posted their best rushing total of the season, 147 yards. In the third quarter, after Young left the game with a pinched nerve making Tatum Bell their only back still standing, the Broncos all but abandoned the running game.

Jay Cutler completed 25 of 45 for 359 yards and swept left end for both Denver touchdowns. Brandon Marshall caught ten balls for 129 yards, and Eddie Royal, who was leading all rookie receivers coming into this game, caught five passes for 57 yards and gained another 71 yards on a reverse.

While the Broncos' offense is ranked second in the NFL, their defense is ranked near the bottom in four separate categories. They could not hold a 10 -- 0 lead in the first quarter or a 20 -- 16 lead in the fourth. They allowed six successive scoring drives to the Bills, and even when Marshawn Lynch was knocked out the game with an injury they could not contain his backup, Fred Jackson.

What you ought to know

QB Trent Edwards, Pass: 17 - 25 - 193 - 1 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 2 - 10 - 0 - Edwards got off to a rocky start. Champ Bailey sacked him on the second play of the game and later was the victim of a roughing the passer penalty. Buffalo lost a total of 17 yards on their first two drives but Edwards settled down and directed scoring drives on their next six possessions. On the first play of the fourth quarter, with Denver leading 20--16, Fred Jackson broke open on a wheel route down the right sideline. Edwards hit him and the play covered 65 yards which led to the go ahead touchdown. Edwards led Buffalo to a second fourth quarter touchdown and finished the game with a QB rating of 104.2.

RB Fred Jackson, Rush: 10 - 43 - 1, Rec: 3 - 70 - 0 (4 targets) - Jackson proved once again to be a strong compliment to Marshawn Lynch. Jackson led the Bills in rushing with 43 yards on ten carries, but made the play of the game for Buffalo on the first play of the fourth quarter just after Denver had gone ahead 20--16. Jackson beat LB Jamie Winborn on a wheel route, and was finally tackled at the three yard line setting up a touchdown. Later in the quarter he closed out the Bills' scoring with an eight yard TD run.

RB Marshawn Lynch, Rush: 11 - 34 - 1 (1 targets) - Like the rest of the team, Lynch had trouble getting started, but late in the second quarter he ran two yards for a touchdown to bring Buffalo back to within a field goal. In the third quarter he injured his shoulder and did not return to the game. He stayed on the sidelines, however, with his arm in a sling. Late in the fourth quarter, when the Bills called a timeout, Lynch accompanied the trainers out on the field. He was seen talking to Fred Jackson, encouraging him, slapping him on the shoulder pads with his good hand. On the next play Jackson dashed eight yards for a touchdown. Lynch, a former number one draft choice, respects Jackson the hard work it took to make it all the way to the NFL as an undrafted free agent from tiny Coe College.

RB Xavier Omon, Rush: 2 - 0 - 0 - Early in the fourth quarter, with Lynch sidelined and Jackson winded from a 65 yard pass play in the thin Denver air, the 5' 11", 227 pound rookie from Northwestern Missouri State got two cracks at the goal line from the three yard line but could not score.

WR Josh Reed, Rec: 9 - 79 - 0 (9 targets) - The Bills' veteran possession receiver, Reed averaged 8.8 yards per catch with the longest covering 16 yards. He's often the hot read, and Edwards gets rid of the ball quickly when he is pressured. Reed led the Bills with 79 receiving yards and caught all nine passes thrown to him.

WR Lee Evans, Rec: 2 - 19 - 0 (5 targets) - Denver used the same defensive game plan most NFL teams have found successful: Double team Evans and let another Buffalo WR try to beat you. He only caught two passes but also drew a 22 yard interference penalty on Dre Bley in the third quarter.

Evans needs 46 yards to reach 1,000. His best season was 2006 when he gained 1,292 yards.

WR Roscoe Parrish, Rush: 1 - 0 - 0, Rec: 1 - 14 - 0 (3 targets) - Parrish continues to get playing time but he has yet to find his niche in this offense. He has shown tremendous open field running ability as a kick returner, but the Bills seem to have no clue on how to get him the ball in space.

WR Steve Johnson, Rec: 1 - 3 - 1 (1 targets) - Johnson, the 6'2 and 200 pound rookie out of Kentucky, scored his second TD of the season early in the fourth quarter. He beat the shorter Dre Bley on a three yard pass which put the Bills ahead 23--20.

TE Robert Royal, Rec: 1 - 8 - 0 (2 targets) - Royal had a tough time finding holes in the secondary but caught one pass for eight yards.

PK Rian Lindell 3 - 3 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 12 points - Another clutch day for Lindell who booted field goals from 37, 49, and 28 yards. He was also good on all PATs.

BUF Rush Defense - Denver already had rushed for a season high 147 yards midway through the second quarter, but injuries to Pope and Young encouraged them to abandon the running game to keep at least one RB healthy. Eddie Royal gained 71 yards on a reverse, and Jay Cutler added 30 yards and scored both Denver rushing touchdowns.

BUF Pass Defense - Kawika Mitchell intercepted Cutler on the goal line late in the game to stop one drive. Rookie Leodis McKelvin also intercepted Cutler but DT Marcus Stroud was flagged for holding. Really. Denver went after another rookie, Reggie Corner, who was credited with four passes defended. None were bigger than knocking the ball away from Brandon Stokley in the back of the end zone to preserve the victory.

Cutler threw for 359 yards. Up until this game, Chad Pennington was the only other quarterback to throw for more than 300 yards against the stingy Bills' pass defense this season.

QB Jay Cutler, Pass: 25 - 45 - 359 - 0 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 8 - 30 - 2 - Early in the fourth quarter Cutler broke the franchise record for most passing yardage in a single season. Obviously, the original record was set by the legendary Broncos' quarterback Jake Plummer. Even though Cutler probably helped a few fantasy owners nail down a championship, he didn't do Denver any favors. The problems seemed to start when his helmet receiver began acting up and he couldn't get the calls. He had to jog over to the sideline after every whistle to get the next play. Unfortunately, he was not mature enough to keep his focus. He kept wasting time arguing with officials and he was eventually flagged twice for delay of game. The first penalty was especially costly and came with about two minutes left in the half. It meant Prater had to attempt a FG from 54 yards away instead of 49 and the ball sailed just under the crossbar. Buffalo took over at their own 44, marched down to score a touchdown just before the half, and put the Bills right back into the game. Cutler also overthrew a wide open Eddie Royal down the sidelines and again in the end zone.

On the positive side Cutler ran for both Denver touchdowns on QB sweeps around left end, one from the six yard line and the other from the two. He threw for 359 yards and there were times when he seemed unstoppable. When Buffalo tried to blitz Cutler took advantage of their man coverage. When they played zone and only rushed four he had time to find the open receiver. Down near the goal line, however he was only able to score two touchdowns on six trips inside the red zone.

RB Selvin Young, Rush: 7 - 16 - 0 (1 targets) - Young replaced Pope and carried seven times for a 2.3 yard average. Young was sidelined in the third quarter with a pinched nerve and did not return to the game. Young's fumble late in the first half against Carolina earned a second half benching, but with so many injured Denver running backs he kept his job. Now the trainers will be working hard to get him back on the field.

RB Tatum Bell, Rush: 5 - 20 - 0, Rec: 1 - 3 - 0 (2 targets) - Bell averaged four yards per carry in limited duty, but by the end of the game he was the only healthy running back left on the Denver sidelines. Look for the Broncos to make moves during the week to bolster the position, but you have to wonder who in their right mind would agree to take a job as a running back for the Broncos. They already have five runners on IR and that number will probably grow.

RB P.J. Pope, Rush: 6 - 44 - 0 - On Denver's impressive eight play opening drive for a touchdown Pope carried six times. Unfortunately, he suffered a hamstring injury on their second series and did not return. If he is hurt severely he could become the sixth Denver running back to be placed on IR.

WR Brandon Marshall, Rec: 10 - 129 - 0 (17 targets) - Marshall is a beast of a receiver who is almost impossible to cover. As the Denver coaches like to point out, he's still learning and getting better. He has 98 receptions with one game to go should make this his second straight 100 catch season. He also has over 1,200 yards this season and six touchdowns.

WR Eddie Royal, Rush: 1 - 71 - 0, Rec: 5 - 57 - 0 (10 targets) - While Royal was open for two potential touchdowns but the passes were overthrown. He still caught five for 57 yards and an 11.4 yard per catch average. He also took a reverse around left end for 71 yards to the Bills' nine yard line which set up Denver's first field goal.

Coming into this game Royal led all NFL rookies with 75 receptions and 847 yards and could become the first Broncos rookie to top 1,000 yards.

WR Brandon Stokley, Rec: 3 - 32 - 0 (7 targets) - Stokley made some tough catches but took some big hits. He had the game tying TD pass in his hands on fourth down and less than a minute to play, only to have the ball knocked away by a Buffalo defender.

WR Darrell Jackson, Rec: 1 - 30 - 0 (1 targets) - Early in the game Jackson caught a 30 yard pass but then wasn't heard from again.

TE Daniel Graham, Rec: 3 - 52 - 0 (3 targets) - Graham caught three passes in the second half when the Broncos decided to air it out. He has pretty good hands and knows how to get open.

TE Tony Scheffler, Rec: 2 - 56 - 0 (3 targets) - The Broncos like to use Scheffler as a downfield threat. He gained 56 yards on two receptions in this game which only bolstered his 15.6 yard per catch average that was already best in the NFL among tight ends.

PK Matt Prater 3 - 4 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 11 points - Prater was good on field goals from 23, 30, and 43 yards, but missed his first 50+ yard attempt of the season. Ironically, he had only made four of ten from the 40 to 49 yard range so he increased his average there. The rookie apparently has the support of coach Shanahan who pointed out that Jason Elam also had some struggles as a rookie

DEN Rush Defense - The Broncos were able to limit Lynch to just 34 yards and a 3.1 yards per carry, while Fred Jackson carried ten times for 43 yards. Both Lynch and Jackson had rushing touchdowns, but as a team the Bills only ran for 87 yards.

DEN Pass Defense - Trent Edwards only threw for 193 yards and 65 of those came from RB Fred Jackson who picked up most of the yards after the catch. The Broncos were unable to force any turnovers and only sacked Edwards once, although they blitzed him throughout the game. They were penalized for roughing the passer once and could have been flagged for least one more.

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Indianapolis Colts 31, Jacksonville Jaguars 24

What you need to know

Indianapolis Colts - QB Peyton Manning had one of his best games of the season. He didn't make a single mistake all game long, picking the Jacksonville defense apart with pinpoint precision.

TE Dallas Clark was Peyton Manning's favorite target, grabbing a game high eight receptions and tallying 105 yards and a touchdown. He consistently was able to get open and beat the Jaguars in a myriad of ways.

WR Reggie Wayne caught an early 41 yard touchdown in the first half and finished up as the high man in yardage for either side with 108 yards through the air on seven receptions.

Jacksonville Jaguars - RB Maurice Jones-Drew earned the start and played very well, though he failed to get into the end zone. More importantly, he was injured on his final touch of the game late in the fourth quarter as Jacksonville was driving for the potential game tying touchdown.

QB David Garrard played almost flawlessly in the first half, but had a somewhat rough second half. He was intercepted once, should have been intercepted on another handful of occasions, and missed a wide open receiver in the end zone for what would have been the game tying score. He was sacked as time expired on the next play.

WR Dennis Northcutt has emerged as David Garrard's go to receiver in the absence of Matt Jones (who is currently serving a suspension). He led the team with eight receptions for 101 yards and added a score as Garrard looked his way in just about every critical situation.

In a non fantasy football related story, Jacksonville OL Richard Collier went out with the team prior to the game for the coin toss. Collier was seriously injured during the preseason when he was shot multiple times, eventually requiring surgery to amputate his left leg. It was an emotional scene on the field as Collier laughed and smiled with players from both squads prior to kickoff.

What you ought to know

QB Peyton Manning, Pass: 29 - 34 - 364 - 3 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 2 - 1 - 0 - It's tough to play any better than Manning did in this game. He opened up by completing his first 17 passes of the game, just five shy of the league record for consecutive completions to open a game (a record shared by Mark Brunell and David Carr). Even his first incomplete pass was a situation where the receiver broke off the route and not necessarily a bad pass by Manning. For much of the first half, the Colts attacked the Jacksonville defense with short passes over the middle. But as is often the case, the Jacksonville deep secondary was softened up just enough for WR Reggie Wayne to streak by them and get open deep. Manning easily found him for a 41 yard scoring strike for the Colts' first touchdown of the game. In addition to the score, Manning made a number of passes within drives that were truly remarkable. He was putting the football into such tight spaces and displayed remarkable awareness in the pocket, moving exactly when he needed to and releasing the football at precisely the correct time. It was vintage Manning all the way, and Jacksonville was almost helpless to try and do anything about it. His second touchdown was a short inside screen to Dominic Rhodes, who did most of the work on the play. The third score was a play-action fake where he found TE Dallas Clark wide open in the back of the end zone. Rhodes had actually appeared to score two plays earlier, but officials ruled him down and Manning's no huddle offense left no time to challenge the play. No word yet on whether Manning is playing against the Dominic Rhodes owner in his fantasy league championship game.

RB Dominic Rhodes, Rush: 14 - 27 - 0, Rec: 6 - 62 - 1 (6 targets) - There was absolutely nowhere for Rhodes to run at any point in this game. The Jaguars completely bottled up the middle of the field, leaving Rhodes to fight for whatever he could find on the outside. Since his strength is not on turning the corner, this didn't work out very well for him. On three different occasions, the Colts attempted to stuff it up the middle on third and short. And on three different occasions, they were turned away. In fairness to Rhodes, Peyton Manning mishandled the snap on one of the runs and the timing of the play was way off. On another play, he was given a handoff up the middle in an attempt to get into the end zone but he was stopped just short. Replays seemed to suggest that Rhodes had gotten the ball over the end zone prior to his knee touching down, but Manning ran a no huddle offense and didn't give his team a chance to review the play. He tossed a touchdown pass to TE Dallas Clark two plays later. Clearly, Manning has himself and Clark on his fantasy team and is playing against the Rhodes owner in his league's championship game.

While he lost out on the potential score there, he did get into the end zone earlier in the game when he took a short inside screen up the middle for a ten yard touchdown capped by a dive into the end zone. He also had a nice 21 yard first quarter run negated by a holding penalty.

WR Reggie Wayne, Rec: 7 - 108 - 1 (8 targets) - Wayne wasn't thrown to in the first quarter, but that was mostly because the Jaguars controlled the ball nearly the entire time. He made up for lost time in a hurry, as the first ball thrown in Wayne's direction was a 41 yard touchdown bomb from Peyton Manning. Most of his other receptions after that point came on quick slants, out routes, and curls with nothing else downfield. But they were all very effective, as he picked up an additional 67 yards through the air on his other six catches.

WR Anthony Gonzalez, Rec: 4 - 38 - 0 (6 targets) - With WR Marvin Harrison out with an injury, many people expected Gonzalez to have a breakout game. He made a few nice catches, but didn't come anywhere close to a breakout performance. Gonzalez showed terrific hands on a diving reception along the sideline on a catch midway through the second quarter, but that was offset by being the target on Peyton Manning's first incomplete pass of the game (he had opened up by completing 17 of 17).

TE Dallas Clark, Rec: 8 - 105 - 1 (10 targets) - Despite Reggie Wayne's long touchdown grab, it was clear that Clark was Manning's favorite target in the game by far. He found him on a number of different passes -- across the middle, down the seam, down the sideline, off play-action. If there was a play in the Indianapolis playbook designed for Clark, chances are the Colts used it in this game. On one reception in particular late in the third quarter, Clark streaked past the cornerback down the sideline and made a terrific fingertip grab with his arms fully outstretched. What made the catch particularly remarkable is that Clark was absolutely drilled on the play by the safety coming over the top, yet he never lost possession of the football. He was rewarded later in the fourth quarter with an easy one yard touchdown grab off play action, his sixth score of the year.

TE Gijon Robinson, Rec: 4 - 51 - 0 (4 targets) - As was mentioned by NFL Network analyst Cris Collinsworth, with all of the skill position players the Colts feature, it makes sense that Robinson would be the guy you'd leave open. That suited him quite well in this game, as he was able to take advantage of the extra attention being paid to Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark to turn in a nice performance of his own. His long gain on the day went for 23 yards and while he didn't show a ton of speed or ability to make anyone miss, he did appear to have soft hands and good strength to pick up a couple of yards after contact.

PK Adam Vinatieri 1 - 2 FG, 4 - 4 XP, 7 points - Vinatieri inexplicably hooked a 30 yard field goal attempt wide left early on, but made up for that miss with a 45 yard boot that tied the game up late in the fourth quarter.

IND Rush Defense - The Colts did a very good job of hitting their gaps and getting to the line of scrimmage, but they had a lot of trouble containing the run once they actually made the hit. RB Maurice Jones-Drew, in his first start of the season, consistently picked up large chunks of yardage after first contact, often dragging three or four defenders along the way. In addition to Jones-Drew, the Colts were unable to stop either David Garrard or Montell Owens on either of their short yardage touchdown runs. At times, the Jaguars seemed to be specifically targeting S Bob Sanders, running right in his direction on the field. It didn't help that he was playing well off the line and often wasn't able to make contact until Jones-Drew was a good four or five yards upfield.

IND Pass Defense - Interestingly, on an evening when Peyton Manning played one of his best games of the season, it was the defense that turned the tide in this game. With Indianapolis trailing by three early in the fourth quarter, the Colts came up with a key three and out defensive stop of Jacksonville. That stop eventually led to an Adam Vinatieri field goal to tie the game. On Jacksonville's ensuing possession, Keiwan Ratliff disguised his coverage perfectly to goad David Garrard into making a very bad pass. Ratliff faked like he was going over the middle to cover his man, but instead dropped off to the deeper slant and stepped in front of Reggie Williams for the interception. From there, it was smooth sailing as he received a convoy down the sideline and into the end zone for the game winning score. The Colts had very nearly gotten an earlier pick six courtesy of Tim Jennings, but he dropped a pass that was right in his hands just before halftime. There was nothing but field ahead of him, and it would've been an easy score.

To that point, the Colts had had a lot of trouble containing David Garrard. His final passing stats (68% completion percentage) bear that out. But they made the stops when they needed to the most. On Jacksonville's last gasp drive, Garrard again was driving the Jaguars into scoring range. They got to the Indianapolis seven yard line. After misfiring on his first pass, Garrard was sacked by DE Dwight Freeney and a bevy of Colts defenders soon piled on. With Jacksonville out of timeouts, the clock continued to run and the game ended with the Colts as seven point winners.

QB David Garrard, Pass: 28 - 41 - 329 - 1 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 3 - 9 - 1 - For most of the first half, Garrard matched counterpart Peyton Manning pass for pass. At one point, in fact, his numbers were even better than Manning's. He made a perfect pass to Dennis Northcutt on the first Jacksonville touchdown and made a number of crisp throws the rest of the first half as well (most of those going to Northcutt too). He was also getting the job done with his feet, fighting for extra yardage on a fourth down run on a drive that culminated with another Garrard run -- this one a two yard touchdown up the middle. He wasn't without fault, nearly throwing a costly interception to CB Tim Jennings just before halftime (a play that would have likely resulted in a Colts touchdown as well had Jennings not dropped the football).

The faults grew a lot more costly in the second half, particularly in the fourth quarter. He made a bad read on an interception that actually was returned for a touchdown, this one by Keiwan Ratliff midway through the fourth quarter. Garrard thought Ratliff was going to shift to the middle of the field, but at the last moment he dropped straight back into the passing lane on a ball intended for Reggie Williams. He easily picked it off and took it the other way for an easy score. Garrard wasn't finished being careless with the football after that pick, nearly getting intercepted by Antoine Bethea on the ensuing drive. He would have turned it over too, had it not been for a nice play by TE George Wrighster to break it up at the last moment. And on Jacksonville's final possession, Garrard made to inexcusable errors. The first was when he missed a wide open Reggie Williams in the end zone for what would have been the game-tying score. Williams broke loose (and TE Marcedes Lewis was open too) but Garrard's pass sailed way too high for Williams and fell incomplete. And with the Jaguars out of timeouts and just twelve seconds left on the clock, he took a sack on the following play. There was no chance for Jacksonville to regroup and get another play off, and the game abruptly ended.

RB Maurice Jones-Drew, Rush: 20 - 91 - 0, Rec: 7 - 71 - 0 (8 targets) - Despite not getting into the end zone, Jones-Drew was enjoying a fantastic game with 162 total yards from scrimmage by the end of the game. But he was tackled awkwardly on his final reception of the game and remained on the ground injured. After the game, the injury was being referred to as a sprained knee, so we'll obviously update you throughout the week if/when any more news comes of it. In what could be promising or could be irrelevant, he was still on the field after the game congratulating members of the Colts for their win. As we've seen with the Tom Brady injury, being able to walk doesn't necessarily mean a player escaped major injury -- but it's unquestionably better than being in the locker room or on crutches.

As for his performance on-field prior to the injury, he looked phenomenal. The Jaguars offensive line was giving him some nice blocks early on, but he quickly proved that he didn't really need the blocking. He simply ran through guys. He consistently gave a strong second effort to come away with many more yards than he probably should have had. By the second half, he was just dominating on the ground as the Colts needed four or five players at a time just to slow him down let alone tackle him to the ground. He came close to scoring late in the third quarter, but fumbled the ball at the doorstep of the end zone. There was no reason to challenge the play since Jacksonville recovered the ball, but it did look as if Jones-Drew's arm was down prior to the ball coming loose. In any case, it was his third tough run in a row and he came out of the game in favor of Montell Owens. Owens took the next handoff up the middle and plunged into the end zone for the short touchdown.

RB Montell Owens, Rush: 1 - 2 - 1 - Owens had just one offensive touch in the game, but it happened to be a touchdown. Owners of Maurice Jones-Drew might be concerned to check the box score and see that Owens vultured a two yard touchdown from him, but Owens did not suddenly lay claim to the goal line job in Jacksonville. It was simply a case of Jones-Drew rushing three times in a row and getting banged around on the drive. Owens was likely only in to spell him for the one play, and he just happened to score on it.

WR Dennis Northcutt, Rec: 8 - 101 - 1 (13 targets) - With Matt Jones out of the lineup with a suspension, it is clear that Northcutt has become David Garrard's favorite target. He was thrown to a game high thirteen times and responded with his second straight huge game. He made a great grab on the touchdown pass, reaching out and catching the ball with only his fingertips with full extension. Northcutt also displayed decent moves in the open field, consistently picking up yards after contact.

WR Reggie Williams, Rec: 1 - 22 - 0 (4 targets) - Williams caught just one pass for 22 yards, but he was involved in two of the most critical plays that led to Jacksonville's loss. He was the target of the interception that went for a Colts touchdown late in the fourth quarter, though there was clearly nothing he could have done on the play to prevent it. He was also targeted on the team's last gasp drive to try and tie the game up. Williams got wide open in the end zone for what should have been the game tying touchdown pass, but QB David Garrard badly overthrew him and the pass sailed well over his head for an incompletion.

TE Marcedes Lewis, Rec: 6 - 55 - 0 (7 targets) - Inconsistency again plagued Lewis, as he caught six balls for 55 yards but dropped the one pass that would have really gone for big yardage on his second target of the game. It was a perfectly-thrown pass that just went right through his hands. It should be noted, however, that David Garrard never stopped looking to him despite the early drop.

TE George Wrighster, Rec: 2 - 35 - 0 (3 targets) - Wrighster caught David Garrard's first pass of the game and then wasn't thrown to again until the fourth quarter. There, he hauled in a 27 yard reception down the sideline. He was again targeted down the seam on a deep ball that was well overthrown. S Antoine Bethea had it sized up for the interception, but Wrighster lunged into him at the last moment to break it up for an incompletion.

PK Josh Scobee 1 - 1 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 6 points - Scobee connected on his only field goal try of the game, a 44 yarder just before half time.

JAX Rush Defense - Any time a team runs for just 32 yards against a defense, you know that defense did a good job of containing the running game. In this case, the Jaguars strangled the life out of the Indianapolis running game. Everywhere Dominic Rhodes turned, there were Jacksonville defenders waiting for him. There were no holes opening up for him, and on the rare occasion that they did, they closed up extremely quickly. On one short yardage run in particular, Rhodes turned the corner to the outside and appeared headed for a first down. But S Gerald Sensabaugh blew up that idea, flying off the edge and driving Rhodes into the backfield for the stop. Jacksonville had two other critical third and short stops of Rhodes in the second half, which was likely the only reason they were able to stay in the game as long as they did. They also came up with two stops inside the five yard line; the first was a run by Dominic Rhodes that got them to the goal line and the second was a quarterback sneak attempt by Peyton Manning. Of course, they sold out so hard on the run on third down that it enabled Manning to go over the top to TE Dallas Clark for the score.

JAX Pass Defense - Despite all the team's success at stopping the run, they never did figure out a way to slow down Peyton Manning and company. The Colts opened up by attacking the Jaguars with a variety of short passes, mostly to the tight ends and running backs. And just when Jacksonville got comfortable with that, Manning struck quickly with a deep ball to Reggie Wayne for a 41 yard touchdown. S Reggie Nelson had cheated up a bit on the play, only to have Wayne go right by him. Manning would go on to complete his first 17 pass attempts of the game, which tells you all you really need to know about Jacksonville's defense. There were times when Jacksonville's defenders got in the vicinity of Manning, but his pocket presence was so off the charts that they never seriously challenged for a sack. And no matter who they focused on in coverage, Manning always seemed to have a way to find the open guy whether it was Wayne, Clark, Gonzalez, or even Gijon Robinson.

Nelson left the game looking a bit dazed after a fourth quarter collision with Indianapolis running back Chad Simpson.

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Miami Dolphins 38, Kansas City Chiefs 31

What you need to know

Miami Dolphins - The Miami Dolphins braved a game time temperature of ten degrees Fahrenheit and barely managed to leave Kansas City with a victory and the division title in sight.

QB Chad Pennington skillfully diced up the Chiefs secondary and led his team on a series of scoring drives. Pennington's sole interception game at the end of the first half, and otherwise he was nearly flawless in execution despite the gusting winds.

RB Ricky Williams and RB Ronnie Brown split duties in the backfield, as usual. Williams carried the ball four more times but Brown also took three snaps out of the wildcat formation. RB Patrick Cobbs and RB Lousaka Polite also ran the ball well in limited action against the struggling Kansas City Defense. WR Ted Ginn Jr. took an end around handoff for a 31 yard touchdown on the first snap of the game.

Ginn and WR Davone Bess were the only wide receivers to catch balls for Miami in the absence of WR Greg Camarillo. Both are speedy and quick but are not big, sturdy targets for Pennington. TE David Martin caught a beautifully thrown ball in the back of the end zone for an early touchdown and TE Anthony Fasano added two more scores.

The Dolphins defense struggled to stop the Chiefs offense. They were unable to tackle well as a team and if not for the multitude of turnovers by Kansas City -- they may not have pulled out the road win. The Dolphins also benefited from a fumble called back due to penalty and another that was ruled down by contact and upheld by the official's review but could have gone either way.

Kansas City Chiefs - The Kansas City Chiefs saw another late lead evaporate and suffered a tough home loss in very cold temperatures. The Chiefs had chances to win this game but could not stop themselves from turning over the ball relentlessly.

QB Tyler Thigpen played with a determined vigor but tossed three interceptions including a late one at the Dolphins' five yard line. His passes appeared to be affected by the howling winds as they seemed to sail away from his targets. He often missed his receivers but again proved to be able to gain first downs and serious yardage with his legs.

RB Larry Johnson looked the running back of old by piling-up over 100 yards on the ground against a suddenly lackluster Miami defense. RB Jamaal Charles was impressive again in limited action and took a screen pass from Thigpen 75 yards to set up a Johnson score.

WR Mark Bradley and WR Dwayne Bowe did the best they could with Thigpen's inaccurate throws. They were often missed outright by the throw or the ball was knocked away by a Miami defender. TE Tony Gonzales was solid in the loss, continuing to show grit and determination despite another disappointing season in Kansas City.

The Chiefs defense had trouble stopping Miami on both the ground and through the air. The team received a lucky break with just two minutes to go in the game as RB Ricky Williams fumbled the ball at the seven yard line and the Chiefs recovered. However, the team was unable to capitalize and eventually turned the ball over again.

What you ought to know

QB Chad Pennington, Pass: 26 - 34 - 235 - 3 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 2 - -2 - 0 - QB Chad Pennington was nearly flawless in the victory. The Chiefs were unable to get even a semblance of a pass rush and Pennington picked apart the Chiefs defense for three touchdown passes. Pennington spread the ball around by connecting on at least three completions to five different receivers.

Pennington's accuracy was on-point all day despite the howling winds that plagued both kicks and passes all game long.

RB Ricky Williams, Rush: 12 - 34 - 1, Rec: 6 - 50 - 0 (8 targets) - RB Ricky Williams nearly cost the Dolphins the victory. With two minutes left in the game and Miami holding onto a touchdown lead, Williams fumbled on the Chiefs' seven yard line. The Chiefs recovered but were unable to score and the Dolphins held on to win. Williams led all of the team's running backs in carries out of the backfield. His touchdown was set up by a long run by RB Patrick Cobbs. Williams also grabbed six balls as a receiver.

RB Ronnie Brown, Rush: 8 - 32 - 0, Rec: 5 - 21 - 0 (5 targets) - RB Ronnie Brown only carried the ball eight times out of the backfield but took three snaps from the wildcat formation. He also grabbed five passes from QB Chad Pennington but RB Ricky Williams carried the ball more frequently.

Brown did not appear to be injured or hindered and looked capable carrying the ball even leaping right over a head on defender.

RB Patrick Cobbs, Rush: 2 - 44 - 0, Rec: 1 - 5 - 0 (1 targets) - RB Patrick Cobbs was the team's leading rusher despite only taking two handoffs. He racked-up 44 yards on an end around handoff from RB Ronnie Brown out of the wildcat formation that set up RB Ricky Williams' four yard touchdown run. Cobbs also had two strong kick returns in the first quarter to give the team good field position.

WR Davone Bess, Rec: 6 - 57 - 0 (8 targets) - Rookie WR Davone Bess continues to fill in effectively for injured WR Greg Camarillo. Bess was a frequent target of QB Chad Pennington and exhibited great speed and hands throughout the game.

WR Ted Ginn, Rush: 1 - 31 - 1, Rec: 4 - 44 - 0 (5 targets) - WR Ted Ginn scored on the first play from scrimmage in the game as he took an end around handoff from QB Chad Pennington 31 yards for a touchdown. Ginn also contributed some clutch receptions as the Dolphins pulled off the come from behind victory in the fourth quarter.

TE Anthony Fasano, Rec: 3 - 47 - 2 (4 targets) - TE Anthony Fasano refused to go down on both of his touchdown grabs. He shed tacklers and simply forced his way past the goal line for each score.

TE David Martin, Rec: 1 - 11 - 1 (1 targets) - TE David Martin's only catch was a touchdown reception from a beautifully placed QB Chad Pennington toss in the back of the end zone.

PK Dan Carpenter 1 - 1 FG, 5 - 5 XP, 8 points - PK Dan Carpenter was perfect on the day for field goals and extra point attempts but the wind nearly killed his 34 yard field goal before it went over the uprights.

MIA Rush Defense - The Dolphins' defense had trouble stopping both RB Larry Johnson and QB Tyler Thigpen on the ground. The defenders on Miami had trouble bringing down anyone carrying the ball for Kansas City.

MIA Pass Defense - The Dolphins did not manage much of a pass rush against QB Tyler Thigpen but did pull down three interceptions which essentially kept them in the game. Miami had trouble tackling and stopping the Chiefs' suddenly potent offense. If not for the turnovers and general inaccuracy by QB Tyler Thigpen the Dolphins may have ruined their playoff chances with a loss. The Dolphins also deflected a number of passes and could have added another interception or two to their tally if the defenders had held on to the ball.

QB Tyler Thigpen, Pass: 20 - 41 - 320 - 2 TD / 3 INT, Rush: 6 - 57 - 1 - QB Tyler Thigpen played hard but was very inaccurate and threw three interceptions in the loss. Thigpen's passes seemed to be drifting and sailing which could have been a consequence of the gusting winds inside the stadium but he under threw his deep receivers regularly and threw into double coverage too often.

Thigpen also continued to demonstrate his exceptional running ability. He runs well but may take too much of a beating from it. He also muffed a snap and a handoff to RB Larry Johnson but was able to turn both into gains on the ground himself.

One of Thigpen's interceptions came at the Dolphins' five yard line at a critical point in the second half.

RB Larry Johnson, Rush: 12 - 108 - 1 (4 targets) - RB Larry Johnson finally put up another 100 yard rushing game. He ran well and looked determined against a Miami team that was struggling to tackle anyone. His touchdown run was set up by RB Jamaal Charles' 75 yard reception off of a screen pass.

RB Jamaal Charles, Rush: 3 - 15 - 0, Rec: 3 - 102 - 0 (3 targets) - RB Jamaal Charles has clearly been relegated to back-up duty with the return of RB Larry Johnson but he continues to show a lot of skill and quickness. He took a screen pass from QB Tyler Thigpen 75 yards to set up a two yard touchdown run by Johnson.

WR Mark Bradley, Rec: 4 - 57 - 0 (11 targets) - WR Mark Bradley was missed by QB Tyler Thigpen five times in the first half but also managed to pull down a jump ball between two defenders later in the game despite taking a shot to the chest.

WR Devard Darling, Rec: 3 - 69 - 1 (7 targets) - WR Devard Darling showed great hands and catching ability during the loss. He pulled down one sensational catch along the sidelines where he managed to keep both feet in bounds while catching the ball with his gut in the air.

WR Dwayne Bowe, Rec: 3 - 28 - 0 (7 targets) - WR Dwayne Bowe had trouble getting anything going in the loss. He was a regular target for QB Tyler Thigpen but did not receive many well-thrown balls. Bradley was the most targeted wide receiver in the game.

TE Tony Gonzalez, Rec: 7 - 64 - 1 (12 targets) - TE Tony Gonzalez continues to be a favorite target of QB Tyler Thigpen. Gonzalez looks as strong and reliable as ever coming off of the line to receive. He caught a reception on fourth and one in the first half and simply battled his way into the end zone for a touchdown.

PK Connor Barth 1 - 1 FG, 4 - 4 XP, 7 points - PK Connor Barth was perfect on the day for field goal and extra point attempts.

KC Rush Defense - The Kansas City rush defense allowed five different runners to put up a combined 170 yards on the ground. Needless to say, they did not have much success in stopping the run -- either out of standard formations or the famed wildcat with RB Ronnie Brown at the helm.

KC Pass Defense - The Chiefs were unable to stop the precision passing of QB Chad Pennington. They had no discernible pass rush and despite the wind and cold were only able to pull in a single interception. The Chiefs were also called for a roughing the passer call that negated a potential fumble recovery by the team in the first quarter. They also had another potential fumble recovery that was whistled down and the coach's challenge upheld the call after the official's review.

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Carolina Panthers 28, New York Giants 34

What you need to know

Carolina Panthers - In a game that determined which team would receive home field advantage in the NFC playoffs, Jake Delhomme finished the game 11 of 19 for 185 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions.

Facing a New York Giants run defense that came into the contest allowing opponents to rush for just over 90 yards per game, the Carolina Panthers were able to amass 158 yards on the ground. DeAngelo Williams was a scoring machine and finished with over 100 yards and four touchdowns. The scores marked the ninth consecutive game that Williams scored a touchdown.

Carolina wide receivers combined to catch 11 passes that went for 185 yards. Leading the way was Muhsin Muhammad who turned his six targets into four catches that went for 80 yards. Steve Smith was fairly quiet with only four receptions for 37 yards.

New York Giants - In what turned out to be a battle of the running backs, the Giants were able to pull out a victory in overtime. Though listed as questionable heading into the game because of a knee injury, Brandon Jacobs got the start at running back for the Giants and helped jump start an offense that struggled in Week 15. The duo of Derrick Ward and Jacobs helped seal the victory. Ward broke off a number of long runs and finished the game with over 200 yards rushing. And Jacobs' three touchdowns, his third in overtime were crucial to the win.

Like Delhomme, Eli Manning did not have a spectacular game. He finished with 17 completions out of 27 attempts for 181 yards. He did complete a touchdown pass to TE Kevin Boss in the third quarter.

What you ought to know

QB Jake Delhomme, Pass: 11 - 19 - 185 - 0 TD / 0 INT - Delhomme had a fairly quiet game; he did not turn over the ball. Throughout the game he looked long to his receivers, and he found Muhsin Muhammad for 60 yards.

RB DeAngelo Williams, Rush: 24 - 108 - 4 (1 targets) - Williams got going early as he picked up 19 yards on four rushes on the team's first series and he capped the drive with a 13 yard touchdown right through the middle of the New York defense. On a second quarter run, Williams started to his right, came all the way back to his left, and was able to pick up a big gain of 16 yards. He scored his second rushing touchdowns of the game on a five yard run that put the Panthers up 14--10. His third touchdown of the first half was a one yard plunge that came with 4:45 left in the second quarter.

RB Jonathan Stewart, Rush: 9 - 29 - 0, Rec: 2 - 28 - 0 (3 targets) - Stewart got his first carry on the Panthers' second drive. He stayed down on the field after a second quarter run, but he was able to walk off under his own power. It was later reported that he suffered a head injury and that his return was questionable. Stewart did return to action in the third quarter. He received two receiving targets and gained 15 yards on a third down play that went for a third down.

WR Steve Smith, Rush: 2 - 21 - 0, Rec: 3 - 47 - 0 (6 targets) - Smith's first touch came on a third down, backward pass for a gain of 23 yards and a first down. His first catch came on a deep pass and he took the ball down to the New York 11 yard line. On his second catch, Smith hauled in a pass near the side line that brought the ball down to the New York three yard line. He received a second back ward pass in the second quarter that he took for a two yard gain down inside the Giants' one yard line. His third backward catch went for a loss of two yards.

WR Muhsin Muhammad, Rec: 4 - 80 - 0 (7 targets) - Muhammad took a 60 yard pass and catch down to the New York four yard line. On the very next play he caught a pass for a gain of one yard. His fifth target came near the end of the third quarter and went for a first down.

TE Jeff King, Rec: 1 - 11 - 0 (1 targets) - His only catch went for a ten yard gain and a first down as he took the ball down to the Giants' 37 yard line.

PK John Kasay 0 - 1 FG, 4 - 4 XP, 4 points - Kasay missed his lone field goal attempt, it was a 50 yard attempt. He did convert four extra points.

CAR Rush Defense - The Carolina run defense gave up an astounding 306 yards on 41 attempts. They did give up three rushing touchdowns to Brandon Jacobs, the final in overtime.

CAR Pass Defense - Eli Manning finished the game completing 17 passes for 27 yards and one touchdown. The team also recorded three sacks.

QB Eli Manning, Pass: 17 - 27 - 181 - 1 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 1 - -1 - 0 - On the team's first drive, he escaped the pass rush moved to his right and hit WR Domenik Hixon for a 40 yard gain. He threw a touchdown pass to Kevin Boss in the third quarter and a two point conversion attempt to Domenik Hixon in the fourth quarter.

RB Brandon Jacobs, Rush: 24 - 87 - 3, Rec: 1 - 5 - 0 (2 targets) - Jacobs was busy on the team's first two drives as he received 11 carries that he took for 40 yards and a two yard touchdown. He took a third quarter run down to the Carolina two yard line. Had a rush from the two yard line, but Jacobs lost two yards on the play. His touchdown rush in overtime sealed the Giants' victory. Jacobs also made once reception for five yards.

RB Derrick Ward, Rush: 15 - 215 - 0, Rec: 1 - -5 - 0 (2 targets) - Ward rushed for an amazing 215 yards. He had a number of long rushes, his longest of 51 yards in overtime set up the Brandon Jacobs touchdown. He dropped his first pass on a third down play. His second target went for a catch for a loss of six yards. His first carry came on a third and three play where he gained nine yards.

RB Madison Hedgecock, Rush: 1 - 0 - 0, Rec: 1 - 13 - 0 (1 targets) - Hedgecock received a carry on a third and one play, but he was stopped for a no gain. He also took a catch for a first down and down to the Panthers' eight yard line.

WR Domenik Hixon, Rec: 4 - 71 - 0 (10 targets) - Hixon was the most targeted Giants' receiver. He caught a pass on the team's first play from scrimmage that went for nine yards. He hauled in his second target that went for a gain of 40 and took the ball down to the Carolina 18 yard line. Third target fell to the ground incomplete. His fifth target went for a pickup of ten yards and a first down.

WR Steve Smith, Rec: 3 - 24 - 0 (3 targets) - Smith's first grab came on the team's second series and went for a gain of 10 and a first down. His second catch also came on the second drive and went for another first down. His third pass also came on the second drive and went for a first down.

WR Amani Toomer, Rec: 2 - 27 - 0 (4 targets) - Toomer's first target came in the second quarter with just over eight minutes remaining. His first catch came in the third quarter and went for a first down.

TE Kevin Boss, Rec: 5 - 46 - 1 (6 targets) - Boss's first catch came near the end of the second quarter and went for a first down. He caught a four yard touchdown pass in the third quarter that brought giants within one point.

PK John Carney 2 - 2 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 8 points - Carney made his first field goal attempt from 32 yards out and then later was good from 35 yards. He also made all of his point after attempts.

NYG Rush Defense - The New York rush defense gave up 148 yards on 35 carries. They were unable to keep DeAngelo Williams out of the end zone and gave up four touchdowns.

NYG Pass Defense - The New York pass defense held Jake Delhomme to 11 receptions for 185 yards. They did not record any sacks.

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San Diego Chargers 41, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24

What you need to know

San Diego Chargers - QB Philip Rivers, fresh off his Pro Bowl snub, almost singlehandedly led the Chargers to victory. In a must-win game for the Chargers, he played perhaps his finest game of the season, and tossed a career high four touchdowns without turning the ball over.

TE Antonio Gates made two very nice plays to grab a pair of touchdowns, the second one giving the Chargers a lead they would never give up.

RB LaDainian Tomlinson didn't get into the end zone, but he was very effective running the football, especially early on. Establishing the run early may have opened up some of the passing lanes Philip Rivers got to work with all afternoon.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers - QB Jeff Garcia carried the Bucs as far as he could, but he made some costly errors late in the contest. He had a very up and down game, but in fairness he had very little help from anyone around him.

WR Antonio Bryant had three costly errors early on (two drops, lost fumble) but made up for it with a 71 yard touchdown reception in the second half. He actually broke free on several occasions for long passes, but twice was overthrown by Jeff Garcia.

The Tampa Bay rushing game couldn't really get much going. Primary rushers Warrick Dunn and Cadillac Williams could never establish a rhythm, combining for just 47 yards on 17 carries.

What you ought to know

QB Philip Rivers, Pass: 21 - 31 - 287 - 4 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 3 - -3 - 0 - Rivers played one of the finest games of his career, setting a career high with four touchdown passes and making every play his team needed him to make. His first touchdown went to TE Brandon Manumaleuna on a screen where Manumaleuna was the second option. He did most of the work after the catch to get into the end zone. Rivers threw another touchdown on a screen pass to RB Darren Sproles and Sproles too did the majority of the damage. But on each of the touchdown passes to TE Antonio Gates, Rivers made perfect passes through coverage for the score. On the first one, he was rolling to his left and threaded a perfect pass just beyond the reach of CB Ronde Barber to Gates on the back line of the end zone. It was an absolutely perfect pass that needed to be put in a very tight space, and it was. On the next Gates score, Rivers tucked the ball away as if he was going to run it, only to loft one perfectly behind CB Philip Buchanon to Gates for six points. Time and time again, Rivers came up with huge plays to keep his team in the game and he was in complete control the entire time.

RB LaDainian Tomlinson, Rush: 21 - 90 - 0, Rec: 2 - 20 - 0 (4 targets) - Tomlinson failed to find the end zone, but he looked very good running the ball. The offensive line had a rare solid performance, opening holes where they hadn't for most of the season. Tomlinson took advantage by hitting the hole hard and generally moving the pile after first contact was made. There were at least two occasions where he appeared to slip in the backfield without being hit which obviously didn't help the numbers any. What was interesting is that despite leading for most of the fourth quarter, Tomlinson got only two rush attempts when they were trying to salt away the lead. Part of that is due to the fact that they scored too quickly (a 32 yard touchdown reception and a defensive touchdown) and also because Tampa had the ball for roughly ten minutes. But backup Darren Sproles matched Tomlinson with two rushes of his own and added two receptions, one of which went for a score.

Also Tomlinson, who has had an issue with drops this season, made a nice grab on a pass over his shoulder that went for a 22 yard gain.

As milestones go, Tomlinson reached a significant one late in the third quarter. On a six yard rush, he became the third running back in league history to record at least 1,000 rushing yards in each of his first eight seasons. The other two are Barry Sanders and Curtis Martin.

RB Darren Sproles, Rush: 2 - 3 - 0, Rec: 3 - 46 - 1 (3 targets) - Sproles had just one offensive touch from scrimmage through the first three quarters, but did a lot of damage in the return game. He had a 44 yard kick return and a 43 yard punt return before getting involved late in the offense. He caught a short screen late in the fourth quarter and soon darted up the right sideline for a 32 yard score that put San Diego up by ten.

WR Vincent Jackson, Rec: 7 - 111 - 0 (9 targets) - Jackson had a number of key catches, perhaps none moreso than a 25 yard grab over the middle just before halftime. The Bucs had cut the deficit to seven points and seemingly had all the momentum. With just ten seconds left until the half, QB Philip Rivers found Jackson over the middle for a quick 25 yard pass. That helped set up a long field goal try, which Nate Kaeding connected on. Jackson generally abused CB Philip Buchanon for much of the afternoon, getting open basically at will. All of the stats he put up were compiled in just three quarters, as he didn't see a single passing target in the final frame (the Chargers threw the ball just three times in the fourth quarter).

WR Chris Chambers, Rec: 2 - 27 - 0 (3 targets) - Chambers started off well enough with two early receptions. Apparently, head coach Norv Turner had told the CBS announcers prior to the game that he expected Chambers to have a 'big game' and finish with somewhere around seven or eight receptions. That never materialized, as the final pass thrown in Chambers' direction was a deep bomb in the second quarter.

WR Legedu Naanee, Rec: 2 - 29 - 0 (2 targets) - Naanee had two receptions over a six play span in the second quarter. The second catch came on a third and eight and went for 11 yards. Naanee made a terrific grab on the pass that was thrown slightly high. He dove to his left and reached back up to the right to snag the pass.

TE Antonio Gates, Rec: 4 - 43 - 2 (5 targets) - Gates didn't compile huge numbers, but he did record three of the most important and most difficult receptions of the afternoon. Early in the second quarter, QB Philip Rivers was flushed from the pocket. While rolling out to his left, Gates made his way across the back line of the end zone while moving in tandem with Rivers. The pass was hoisted up over the front line of the defense but low enough for Gates to haul it in. He did so while managing to keep his feet just inbounds for the touchdown. Late in the third quarter, Rivers found him in the flat on a screen pass. Rather than catching the ball the conventional way with two hands, Gates snatched the ball out of the air with one hand. He didn't even bother securing it with his other hand because he managed to get it under complete control with just the one. That play helped set up his fourth quarter touchdown reception, a play on which he reached behind CB Philip Buchanon to make a very nice grab of a touchdown. That score gave the Chargers a lead they would never relinquish.

The first touchdown was the 50th of Gates' career in just his 92nd career game. He broke Jerry Smith's league record for the fastest tight end to reach fifty career scores. Smith had done it in 100 games.

TE Brandon Manumaleuna, Rec: 1 - 11 - 1 (2 targets) - Manumaleuna was only thrown to twice, but he made the most of the opportunity by scoring on his lone reception. It was on a screen pass, but QB Philip Rivers actually appeared to look to Manumaleuna as his second option. Whatever the case, after the reception Manumaleuna followed a blocker to the near corner of the end zone where he reached the ball across the line for the easy score.

PK Nate Kaeding 2 - 2 FG, 5 - 5 XP, 11 points - On a day when the San Diego passing game will receive most of the credit, Kaeding connected on perhaps the biggest field goal of his career. With San Diego leading by seven just before halftime, the Chargers got into position to attempt a 57 yard field goal. Kaeding, whose main criticism has come because of his lack of leg strength, blasted the kick through the uprights with room to spare. He had also earlier connected on a chip shot from 28 yards away.

SD Rush Defense - Aside from QB Jeff Garcia, the Tampa running game was almost entirely shut down by the Chargers. The combination of Warrick Dunn and Cadillac Williams combined for just 47 yards on 17 carries (2.8 YPC), though B.J. Askew did manage to get into the end zone when he leapt over the pile. But it was Garcia who did most of the damage with a team high 45 yards and a touchdown on just six rushes. He consistently avoided pressure in the pocket and turned it upfield, more often than not just getting enough to pick up the first down. Finally, the Chargers appeared to have enough of Garcia running all over the place. They began really delivering some big hits and Garcia wasn't helping himself much by diving headfirst on just about every play. Late in the fourth quarter, CB Quentin Jammer came up to make a stop on Garcia and absolutely drilled him. The audio replays of the hit make you wonder how long the average person would last in an NFL game before they were definitely killed. Garcia got up from the ground a bit dazed and bleeding all over his face, and it was his last rush of the game.

SD Pass Defense - San Diego did a good job early on statistically speaking, but they were greatly helped along by WR Antonio Bryant's two costly drops and a lost fumble. Had it not been for those, it's pretty likely that Tampa would have had some more prolonged drives and quite possibly some more points. In the second half, Bryant started hanging onto everything. And the stats started piling up against the Charger defense. The safeties in particular had a lot of trouble, allowing Bryant to get behind them on multiple occasions. They were actually fortunate that he only caught one 71 yard touchdown! As usual, the San Diego defensive front had a lot of trouble getting any meaningful pressure applied to Jeff Garcia. And when they did get close to him, it usually wasn't on his blindside so he was able to get rid of the football prior to being sacked.

Late in the fourth quarter, Garcia started making some mistakes. It wasn't really that San Diego did anything particularly well; it's just that Garcia's passes were off. He badly misfired an attempt over the middle to WR Ike Hilliard that was easily intercepted by LB Stephen Cooper. On Tampa's next possession, Garcia missed a wide open Bryant deep downfield before taking a sack on the very next play. Later in the fourth quarter, he again tried to fit one into a tight space to Hilliard. This time, it was batted in the air by CB Quentin Jammer and intercepted by CB Antoine Cason. Cason did the rest of the work, taking it back the other way for a 59 yard touchdown return.

QB Jeff Garcia, Pass: 21 - 34 - 232 - 1 TD / 2 INT, Rush: 6 - 45 - 1 - Garcia either looked outstanding or downright terrible, and there was no rhyme or reason as to which guy would show up on a given play. He looked outstanding just about every time he ran the football, totaling a team high 45 yards on the ground and adding a touchdown off a rollout to his left. He very nearly scored in the first quarter on a scramble but was tackled down at the two yard line. Through the air, he had trouble putting his deep passes where he wanted them. On a second quarter deep ball to WR Antonio Bryant, the ball was overthrown in the end zone on what should've been an easy touchdown. Even his long third quarter touchdown bomb to Bryant was far from a perfectly-thrown ball. Garcia did a great job of rolling out and buying time, but the 71 yard touchdown pass floated in the air for a long time and Bryant sat waiting for it to come out of the air for what seemed like ages. The announcers even mentioned that it looked more like Bryant was waiting for a punt rather than a pass. Still, he caught the pass and took it the rest of the way for the score. But then later in the contest, Garcia again had Bryant open deep for what should have been an easy 68 yard touchdown pass. But once again, like in the first quarter, the pass was overthrown. He was sacked on the following play, and the Bucs had to punt the ball away.

The two interceptions were both clearly Garcia's fault. The first pick was thrown well to the left of its intended target Ike Hilliard. LB Stephen Cooper simply sat in the passing lane and had the ball delivered right to him. The second pick, also thrown to Hilliard, was batted up in the air by Quentin Jammer. CB Antoine Cason snatched the football out of the air and took it the other way for a 59 yard score.

Just prior to that second interception, Garcia had taken off on a scramble to the right side of the field. All day, he had been diving for extra yardage at the end of each run and coming away from it intact. But on this play, CB Quentin Jammer came up and laid a vicious hit on Garcia. It banged his facemask off the bridge of his nose, opening a nasty cut. Garcia remained in for the remainder of the series despite blood flowing down his face and into his mouth and chin strap. Following the interception, he gave way to Luke McCown for the team's final possession.

QB Luke McCown, Pass: 0 - 1 - 0 - 0 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 2 - 16 - 0 - McCown filled in late in the fourth quarter for Jeff Garcia after Garcia was knocked from the game with a bloody face. McCown had a nice 12 yard run eluding two tacklers along the way, but didn't throw a pass.

RB Warrick Dunn, Rush: 9 - 20 - 0, Rec: 4 - 19 - 0 (6 targets) - Dunn may as well have stayed home because his impact on this game couldn't have been any more minimal. Dunn was unable to take advantage of a porous San Diego defense and didn't have a single touch that went for more than nine yards. The offense revolved mainly around the passing connection between Jeff Garcia and Antonio Bryant, with very few scraps left over for the running backs. And when Tampa Bay got to the goal line, it was Cadillac Williams and B.J. Askew who saw the handoffs.

RB Cadillac Williams, Rush: 8 - 27 - 0 - Williams had a quiet 27 yards on just eight carries, with his long gain going for 11. Most of his carries were nondescript, but he nearly scored midway through the first quarter. Williams took a handoff from the two yard line and appeared to get the ball over the goal line for the touchdown. However, officials ruled that he was down at the one yard line. Perhaps because the play resulted in a first down and goal from the one yard line, head coach Jon Gruden opted to not challenge the play. Instead, FB B.J. Askew leapt over the pile and scored on the next play.

RB B.J. Askew, Rush: 1 - 1 - 1, Rec: 1 - 5 - 0 (1 targets) - Askew's lone rush ended up being just his second touchdown of the season. Following a run by Cadillac Williams right to the goal line, Askew went over the pile for the short score. If he did get into the end zone, he barely put the ball over the goal line. Still, it was ruled a touchdown and never questioned.

WR Antonio Bryant, Rec: 6 - 127 - 1 (10 targets) - It was a tale of two games in one for Bryant. He had about as bad a first half as he has had all season long, but he dominated thereafter. He fumbled the ball away to the Chargers on his very first reception, leading to a San Diego touchdown. He then dropped two of the next three passes thrown to him, both of which were very catchable passes. Then, through no fault of his own, he was overthrown on a deep ball in the end zone by QB Jeff Garcia. Bryant had shaken free of coverage and was wide open, but the pass was well beyond his reach. In the second half, however, Bryant came alive. He only caught two passes, but one of them went for a 71 yard touchdown. He got by the defense once again and this time Garcia connected with him. The ball actually hung up for quite some time as Bryant waited seemingly forever for the pass to land. Unfortunately, Garcia's next pass didn't hang up quite long enough. He again overthrew a wide open Bryant, who had gotten in behind the defense, for what would have been a 68 yard touchdown if the pass had been on-target. As it turned out, despite the long touchdown he did get, it was more of an afternoon of missed opportunities than anything else.

WR Ike Hilliard, Rec: 4 - 24 - 0 (7 targets) - Hilliard caught four very short passes that had little impact on the game, with the long pass going for just eleven yards. More importantly, he was the target on each of Jeff Garcia's interceptions. On the first one, Garcia simply threw the ball in the wrong place. On the second one, Hilliard had the ball batted up in the air just in front of him and intercepted by Antoine Cason who returned it for a San Diego touchdown.

WR Michael Clayton, Rec: 2 - 23 - 0 (4 targets) - Clayton had a modest two receptions, neither of which made a terribly significant impact on the outcome of the game.

TE Jerramy Stevens, Rec: 2 - 21 - 0 (4 targets) - Stevens is the first receiving tight end in quite awhile that failed to take advantage of San Diego's propensity to give up big numbers to the opposing tight end. Stevens caught a 19 yard first quarter reception and had a short one in the fourth quarter, but nothing in between. He was not a focal point of the offense.

PK Matt Bryant 1 - 1 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 6 points - Bryant perfectly nailed a 49 yard field goal midway through the second quarter on his lone field goal attempt of the afternoon.

TB Rush Defense - Early on, LaDainian Tomlinson had some decent running lanes as his offensive line was doing a good job of opening up holes. The Chargers also kept feeding Tomlinson the ball as he was consistently moving the pile after first contact. As the game went on, the Chargers took to the air more and more. Tomlinson didn't break any huge gains (his long went for just thirteen yards) but he kept them honest with a four or six yard run here and there during the second half. Tampa appeared to be focused on not letting the Chargers gouge them like the Panthers and Falcons have done in recent weeks. It appears they succeeded in accomplishing that goal, but instead they allowed nearly 300 yards and four touchdowns through the air.

TB Pass Defense - Tampa had a lot of trouble containing the San Diego receivers over the middle or in the red zone. They mostly kept the Chargers in check on deep passes downfield but they were bludgeoned in most other aspects. CB Philip Buchanon in particular looked completely lost. No matter who he was covering, that player got open. He couldn't stay with either Vincent Jackson or Chris Chambers, and he seemingly didn't see the ball thrown right by him on Antonio Gates' second touchdown of the afternoon. The Buccaneers sacked Rivers only once and never came close to intercepting him. And almost every time the Chargers got in the red zone, they came away with a touchdown.

This game featured the most point allowed by a Tampa Bay defense since they lost 45-0 to the Oakland Raiders on 12/19/99.

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Baltimore Ravens 33, Dallas Cowboys 24

What you need to know

Baltimore Ravens - QB Joe Flacco was asked to protect the ball and the Ravens did a good job of keeping Dallas off balance with their play calling. With a floundering running game in the first half, Flacco was called upon to move the offense through the air. He was efficient in leading them to three first half field goals despite being sacked five times in the half. Playing with a lead during the second half, they were able to pick their spots passing in order to pick up needed first downs.

The rushing attack was led by LeRon McClain, who played both fullback and tailback in the offense. McClain had little success against the strong Cowboy defense during the first half, as his longest run of the half came from the fullback position. McClain was the primary ball carrier for most of the game, until the fourth quarter when he split carries with Willis McGahee.

Derrick Mason seemed to be in the right place at the right time when an important play was needed. He was able to reel in passes despite playing with a severely injured left shoulder. His biggest play was not the touchdown reception but his fumble recovery six plays earlier. The fumble recovery came at a time when Dallas was trying to get back into the game.

Dallas Cowboys - Tony Romo seemed to be bothered by his sore back and was unable to move the offense. The lack of a passing attack limited the offense as they were only able to get five first downs in the entire first half. Dallas was only able to score a first half touchdown due to a fumble recovery inside the ten yard line.

Tashard Choice was given the bulk of the work with Marion Barber being limited due to his toe injury. Choice showed that he is capable of being a back that is able to pick his way through holes on the inside and contribute to the offense by catching screen passes in the open field.

Dallas receivers were hurt by Romo's inaccurate passes. The receivers were not able to make plays due to balls being thrown just out of reach. There were three separate instances where, if the ball had been thrown better, the receiver could have scored an easy touchdown on a deep pass.

What you ought to know

QB Joe Flacco, Pass: 17 - 25 - 149 - 1 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 4 - 4 - 0 - The Ravens relied on the running game to keep the pressure off of the rookie quarterback. Flacco performed well, despite being under heavy pressure for most of the first half. He was able to complete 11 of his 15 attempts during the half, but the pressure did cause some problems as he was sacked five times. Flacco had a problem holding on to the ball while being sacked, as his fumble deep in Raven territory on their first series led to an early Dallas score. He shook off the error and led the Ravens to three first half field goals. In the second half the Ravens relied on the running game and Flacco was limited in his passing opportunities with the Ravens trying to run out the clock.

QB Troy Smith - Troy Smith entered the game for a total of two plays. On each of the plays he lined up at quarterback and Joe Flacco lined up at receiver. Each play turned out to be a handoff, with Smith running the option on the first play.

RB LeRon McClain, Rush: 22 - 139 - 1, Rec: 1 - 4 - 0 (1 targets) - McClain was the game's leading rusher and showed his versatility by lining up at both fullback and tailback. He started and was on the field for the majority of the plays. He played tailback in the one back set, and sometimes when they were in the "I" formation. When Lorenzo Neal needed a break he would move to the fullback position and either block for Willis McGahee or get the ball in short yardage situations. His constant pounding took a toll on the Dallas run defense as he had limited success in the first half, but began to see some holes open in the second half against a defense that was beginning to wear down. McClain's touchdown was the final nail in the Cowboys coffin, as the Cowboys had just scored to get within two points for the second time late in the fourth quarter. He took a handoff and slipped through some tackles on the right side of the line and broke into the open field for an 82 yard score.

RB Willis McGahee, Rush: 8 - 108 - 1, Rec: 3 - 21 - 0 (3 targets) - Willis McGahee only saw action in the first half when LeRon McClain was being given a rest. His first action was when the Ravens decided to put Troy Smith in at quarterback to run an option. He would see his first extensive action toward the end of the first half when the Ravens got the ball in excellent field position following an Ed Reed interception. He took a screen pass for 21 yards on the first play to put the team in field goal position. In the second half he began to see more work as the team tried to keep McClain fresh. The plan worked well as they were able to keep the ball on the ground and away from the Dallas offense. McGahee made one of the game's biggest plays when he took a handoff up the middle for a 77 yard score, the longest of his career, after Dallas had just scored to pull within two points.

RB Lorenzo Neal, Rush: 1 - 5 - 0, Rec: 1 - -1 - 0 (3 targets) - Lorenzo Neal's value is as the blocking back in the Ravens offense. His only carry was in a short yardage situation, where he gained more than enough yards for the first down. His targets were the result of Flacco trying to get rid of the ball while facing a heavy rush.

WR Derrick Mason, Rec: 6 - 66 - 1 (7 targets) - Derrick Mason deserves an award for the toughness on display. His left shoulder was clearly hurting as he was lying on the turf in pain after landing on the shoulder while making two catches in the first half. They could not keep him off of the field as he would come right back and seemed to make big plays, when needed. The biggest play was on McClain's fumble recovery. The recovery was an instance of being in the right place at the right time as the ball just bounced right into his arms. He caught an easy touchdown to close out the drive as Flacco found him open in the front of the end zone and he was able to catch the ball with only one good arm.

WR Mark Clayton, Rec: 4 - 35 - 0 (6 targets) - Mark Clayton started at one wide out position and was the main target of the passing game while Derrick Mason was out injured for a short period in the first half. Clayton was able to get open against a defense that played mostly zone coverage, and was a reliable target with one of his missed opportunities on a play where the defender had to make an excellent play to knock the ball out in the end zone, preventing a touchdown.

WR Marcus Smith (1 targets) - Smith's only target came when he was on the field in relief on an injured Derrick Mason.

TE Todd Heap, Rec: 2 - 24 - 0 (8 targets) - Todd Heap seemed to run into a bit of bad luck as his first two targets were wiped out due to Dallas penalties. The second target was the most frustrating as only the defender holding him prevented him from catching the ball and scoring a touchdown. He did get a bit of revenge on his next target as Flacco found him open in the middle of the field and hit him in stride, getting the ball down to the five yard line and setting up their second field goal.

PK Matt Stover 4 - 4 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 15 points - Stover was successful on all four of his field goal attempts.

BAL Rush Defense - The Ravens rush defense was able to hold the Cowboys backs to a total of 92 yards rushing and only one touchdown. The rushing touchdown was a direct result of Dallas having a short field to work with on their second series. The defense clogged the middle of the field and took away the cutback lanes to keep Tashard Choice from breaking runs to the outside.

BAL Pass Defense - The pass defense was able to keep Tony Romo in check for three quarters by sending a strong pass rush up the middle and playing Ed Reed deep against the threat of a deep pass. Reed was able to get two interceptions in the first half by playing the deep ball; his second interception gave the Ravens excellent field position just before halftime and led to a field goal that would give them the lead for good.

QB Tony Romo, Pass: 24 - 45 - 252 - 2 TD / 2 INT, Rush: 2 - 2 - 0 (1 targets) - Tony Romo had one of his worst games in recent memory. It was not apparent if his back injury, suffered last week, was the cause of his problems or something else was wrong. His passes seemed to hang up in the air, giving the defensive back plenty of time to make a play on the ball. Other times he was just off target as he overthrew his receivers on deep pass plays twice, passes that would have gone for touchdowns had he been able to connect with the receivers. His inability to connect with his receivers would haunt him as the Ravens blitzed him up the middle to create pressure and try to rattle him more. It took three quarters before Romo was able to connect with his receivers with any consistency, but that was when the game appeared to be well in hand and the Ravens were giving the receivers plenty of cushion, allowing them to catch the ball underneath and not giving up the big play.

RB Tashard Choice, Rush: 17 - 90 - 1, Rec: 7 - 25 - 0 (10 targets) - Choice got the start and did well as the main back. On runs up the middle he waited until a hole developed before running through the line, and seemed to not want to just plow directly into the line and pick up the hard earned yards. His big plays happened when he slipped through holes between the guard and tackle and was able to get into the second level of the defense. The offense was not successful in getting him the ball outside, where he could use his speed to outrun the defenders. Romo was forced to rely on him in the passing game as he was unable to connect with any of his receivers downfield for the first three quarters.

RB Marion Barber, Rush: 2 - 0 - 0, Rec: 1 - 7 - 0 (1 targets) - It was reported before the game that Barber was healthy and would start. He did not start and only saw one series of action, the fourth series. He seems to be bothered by his toe injury as he lacked any burst and seemed hesitant in running the ball between the tackles.

WR Terrell Owens, Rec: 5 - 63 - 1 (11 targets) - Owens was frustrated on multiple fronts during the entire game. The Ravens defense played in a combo coverage that was designed to take him out of the offense and Romo was very inconsistent during the first three quarters. Owens was targeted deep downfield on two consecutive passes toward the end of the first half, the first pass was badly overthrown and the second ball was thrown into double coverage that resulted in an interception. Owens finally was able to get open during the fourth quarter as the Ravens played in softer coverage underneath and Romo was able to connect with him on shorter routes.

WR Patrick Crayton, Rec: 3 - 58 - 0 (5 targets) - Patrick Crayton was the third receiver in the Dallas offense and did not see any passes thrown in his direction until the fourth quarter when the Cowboys were in the process of mounting their comeback. He made some big plays, gaining first downs on his first two receptions and coming up two yards short on a third and twenty play on his third one.

WR Roy Williams, Rec: 3 - 12 - 0 (7 targets) - Williams started but was a non-factor in the offense. He was the target on Romo's first interception, a pass into double coverage that was picked off at the Ravens eight yard line and would lead to the first Cowboys touchdown when Joe Flacco fumbled the ball away on a sack two plays later.

WR Miles Austin (1 targets) - Miles Austin only saw one target, on a deep pass that was overthrown. Had Austin been able to come up with the ball he had a clear patch to the end zone.

TE Jason Witten, Rec: 5 - 87 - 1 (6 targets) - Witten was the only receiver that Romo was able to connect with, but he was only targeted during drives toward the end of each half. He made tough catches in traffic and took some good hits from the defenders, but was able to hold onto the ball each time. On his final reception he was injured and could be seen limping off of the field. Early reports after the game showed that he had a knee sprain.

PK Nick Folk 1 - 1 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 6 points - Folk connected on his only field goal attempt and was perfect on all three of his extra points.

DAL Rush Defense - The Dallas rush defense did an excellent job keeping the Raven backs in check until the final five plays of the game. Until that point the Ravens had only gained 116 yards on 31 carries and were having troubles running the ball successfully enough on their own to keep the clock moving. All that changed on back to back plays that resulted in long touchdown runs that broke the Cowboys back. On each play the long run was the direct result of the back breaking through the line and Dallas having nobody in the defensive backfield that stop either back after he broke free.

DAL Pass Defense - During the first half the pass defense was able to get some pressure on Joe Flacco, sacking him five times and causing one fumble. During the second half they were not able to get much pressure on him as the Ravens did an excellent job of mixing up the plays and keeping the defense off balance.

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Cincinnati Bengals 14, Cleveland Browns 0

What you need to know

Cincinnati Bengals - QB Ryan Fitzpatrick did not look impressive but he did not have to. He did throw for one touchdown but only threw the ball nine times on the day. He almost threw two interceptions but the Browns could not capitalize, and then the Bengals stuck on the ground behind Cedric Benson.

RB Cedric Benson had a great day, rushing for 171 yards. He was moving the chains and allowing the Bengals' defense to rest for long stretches of time. He did however fumble the ball on a 46 yard run when he was caught from behind early in the game.

WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh got only one target from Fitzpatrick, who only threw the ball nine times. No receiver was especially successful, but Chris Henry did catch a 20 yard touchdown pass from Fitzpatrick.

Cleveland Browns - QB Ken Dorsey played very poorly. He looked like he had no clue what he was doing out there passing the ball. He threw into coverage often and gave up a touchdown on an interception on his first passing attempt. He was benched in the fourth quarter for Brad Gostkowski, who did not look much better.

RB Jamal Lewis methodically rushed for 76 yards, but really was not all that consistent. He did not move the pile and it did not seem like he was getting that extra half yard every rush that is so important in the NFL.

WR Braylon Edwards was targeted ten times, but only caught four passes. Three of those ten targets were intercepted, and none of them were his fault. The balls were thrown into coverage.

What you ought to know

QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, Pass: 5 - 9 - 55 - 1 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 5 - 10 - 0 - Fitzpatrick did not look good but did make one good throw on the day that ended up being a 20 yard touchdown pass to Chris Henry. He only threw the ball nine times, and really did not do much with those passes with the exception of the Henry touchdown. A couple of his passes could have been intercepted but were not.

RB Cedric Benson, Rush: 38 - 171 - 0 - Benson was extremely effective running the ball against the Browns. He carried the bulk of the offense -- getting 38 carries and accumulating 171 yards. He did not receive any targets but he was able to move the ball consistently against the Browns who have been decent against the run this year.

RB James Johnson, Rush: 3 - 10 - 0, Rec: 3 - 27 - 0 (3 targets) - Johnson came in to give Benson a rest and the Bengals were willing to throw the ball to Johnson, who caught all three balls thrown his way.

WR Chris Henry, Rec: 1 - 20 - 1 (2 targets) - Henry caught the only offensive touchdown of the day for either team. He had single coverage and beat his guy on a stutter-step go route. Fitzpatrick's pass was right on and they scored a touchdown. Henry was only targeted one other time.

WR Andre Caldwell, Rec: 1 - 8 - 0 (1 targets) - Caldwell caught one of the two receptions by Bengals' wide receivers for eight yards. He split time with Glenn Holt as the third receiver.

WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh (1 targets) - Houshmandzadeh saw only one target on the day as the Bengals were able to dominate the Browns via the run and felt there was no reason to pass the ball. Houshmandzadeh suffered because of this, but the Bengals ended up winning regardless. The Browns did shade their safeties to his side and cut off most of the underneath routes on press coverage due to safety help. Chad Johnson being sidelined may have been part of the reason Houshmandzadeh did not see more targets.

WR Glenn Holt (2 targets) - Holt saw time as the third receiver for the Bengals, but was unable to catch either of the passes thrown his way.

TE Nate Lawrie (1 targets) - Lawrie was the only tight end for the Bengals to receive a target.

PK Shayne Graham 0 - 1 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 2 points - Graham missed his only field goal attempt, which was from 48 yards.

CIN Rush Defense - The Bengals were not amazing against the run, but they did not need to be. The Browns gained 138 yards on the ground but they could not move the ball through the air. Most of their runs were for short gains combined with a couple of longer runs that boosted the Browns yardage total but not really their offensive consistency.

CIN Pass Defense - The pass defense for the Bengals was good, but mostly because Ken Dorsey was terrible. Dorsey panicked and threw floaters often and really just had no shot of being productive.

QB Ken Dorsey, Pass: 10 - 17 - 68 - 0 TD / 3 INT - Dorsey was abysmal against the Bengals. He threw three interceptions including a pick-6 on his first attempt of the game. He could not do anything with the offense and really was inaccurate and did not have enough power on his passes. It was not a pretty sight.

QB Bruce Gradkowski, Pass: 2 - 5 - 8 - 0 TD / 1 INT - Gradkowski came into the game for the Browns when they benched Dorsey in the fourth quarter. He was not effective either, throwing an interception and two completions on five attempts.

RB Jamal Lewis, Rush: 16 - 76 - 0 - Lewis managed to gain 76 yards on the game, but he failed to impress as he could not consistently move the chains. He did gain his 10,000th yard of his career in the game. After the game he said he was happy he got it because it was one of his goals all year. Lewis did not seem too disappointed that the Browns lost, though. He has not been moving piles like he used to and it seems like he has lost a step. There were good holes for him to hit and that is why he gained as many yards as he did on the day.

RB Jason Wright, Rush: 7 - 30 - 0, Rec: 6 - 33 - 0 (8 targets) - Wright caught six passes out of the backfield -- most on dump down passes from Ken Dorsey who did not go downfield often. Wright showed decent running ability on the day as he weaved through the defense for 66 total yards on the day.

RB Jerome Harrison, Rush: 1 - -1 - 0 - Harrison did not see many plays and only received one rushing attempt on the day.

WR Josh Cribbs, Rush: 5 - 32 - 0 - Cribbs ran the ball from the wildcat formation five times and was quarterbacking it a handful of other times. He did not attempt a throw. It seems like he has lost his role as a third or fourth receiving option for the Browns.

WR Braylon Edwards, Rec: 4 - 35 - 0 (10 targets) - Edwards caught all the balls he could on Sunday. The ball was often forced to him on well covered routes. He did not have any drops. Three of the passes thrown to Edwards ended up as interceptions, but none of them were really his fault.

WR Donte Stallworth, Rec: 1 - 4 - 0 (2 targets) - Stallworth did not have any success against the Bengals, yielding only two targets and making only one catch for four yards.

TE Darnell Dinkins, Rec: 1 - 4 - 0 (2 targets) - Dinkins split time with Martin Rucker at tight end, and ended up being targeted twice with one reception for four yards.

TE Martin Rucker (1 targets) - Rucker had only one target on the day and was unable to bring it in. He split time with Darnell Dinkins.

PK Phil Dawson 0 - 0 FG, 0 - 0 XP, 0 points - Dawson had no extra point attempts or field goal attempts as the Browns could not move the ball.

CLE Rush Defense - The Browns could not stop Cedric Benson. It seemed like they gave up on the season or something because allowing 171 yards to Cedric Benson is a very poor performance. They did hold the Bengals to only one touchdown but really allowed the Bengals to control the game with field position as Benson strung together many first downs.

CLE Pass Defense - Cleveland's passing defense was okay on the day, holding Fitzpatrick to 55 yards passing and one touchdown. They missed a couple of opportunities to intercept Fitzpatrick.

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