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New York Giants 21, Pittsburgh Steelers 14

What you need to know

New York Giants - The Giants dominated the first half of play, yet only found themselves up by two at halftime. This was due to their inability to convert in the red zone, as the Steelers made an impressive goal line stand, stuffing Brandon Jacobs two plays in a row to force a turnover on downs.

QB Eli Manning received great protection from his offensive line, as the Steelers were unable to generate pressure all afternoon. Manning was not sacked, and because of the extra time he had to make his throws he was able to extend plays and find receivers to keep drives alive. Late in the fourth quarter Manning found TE Kevin Boss in the end zone for a two yard touchdown, which wound up being the game winning score.

The Giants' running game struggled against the Steelers' stout defense, gaining only 84 yards on 31 carries. Brandon Jacobs received the bulk of the workload until the fourth quarter, when Ward took over most of the running duties. Jacobs finished with 18 carries to Ward's 13.

Pittsburgh Steelers - QB Ben Roethlisberger struggled under pressure all game, throwing four interceptions. The O-line again failed to protect him, as he often had very little time to complete his throws and was sacked five times. Roethlisberger finished the game with 189 passing yards and a touchdown, the score coming on a 65 yard touchdown pass to Nate Washington.

RB Mewelde Moore had another good game filling in for injured RB Willie Parker, racking up 84 rushing yards and a touchdown. The highlight of Moore's afternoon was a 32 yard score early in the first quarter to give the Steelers the lead. As long as Parker continues to miss games, Moore should continue to see the bulk of the work and experience success.

The absence of Santonio Holmes appeared to hurt the Steelers in this game, as Roethlisberger struggled to find a consistent #2 option to Hines Ward. In Holmes' absence, WR Limas Sweed and TE Heath Miller combined to contribute 80 yards of production. Although Nate Washington also added a 65 yard touchdown reception, he only caught one of his eight targets and had a couple of drops, one which resulted in an interception.

What you ought to know

QB Eli Manning, Pass: 19 - 32 - 199 - 1 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 4 - -1 - 0 - Manning did a good job of controlling the game, completing 19 of 32 passes for 199 yards and a touchdown. Manning had some clutch third and fourth down completions to keep drives alive, particularly a 30 yard completion on fourth down to Amani Toomer to begin the Giants' comeback. Later in the fourth quarter, Manning did a good job of finding a wide open Kevin Boss in the end zone for a two yard touchdown to put the Giants ahead for good.

RB Brandon Jacobs, Rush: 18 - 47 - 0, Rec: 1 - 6 - 0 (2 targets) - Jacobs gained only 47 rushing yards on 18 carries, failing to score a touchdown despite multiple opportunities. Early in the second quarter, Jacobs had a touchdown overturned when it was ruled his elbow was down before the ball crossed the line. The very next play, the Giants elected to go for it on fourth down, and Jacobs was again stuffed on a run up the middle. In the fourth quarter, Jacobs took a hit on a pass interference play and was seen limping a little bit after the play. Although he continued to play, Ward got the majority of the carries; it is not clear whether or not the two events are related.

RB Derrick Ward, Rush: 13 - 37 - 0, Rec: 5 - 43 - 0 (6 targets) - Ward was frequently targeted in the passing game, ending the afternoon with five receptions for 43 yards. He saw the bulk of his action in the fourth quarter, taking the majority of the Giants' carries to close out the game. His long run of the game was for ten yards, and he finished with 37 rushing yards on 13 carries.

WR Plaxico Burress, Rec: 3 - 15 - 0 (5 targets) - Burress did not start the game as he was disciplined for skipping an injury treatment session, missing over a quarter of action. Burress came into the game with about eleven minutes left in the second quarter, but didn't wind up being much of a contributor. He finished the game catching three of his five targets for 15 yards.

WR Steve Smith, Rec: 3 - 45 - 0 (6 targets) - Smith finished the day as the Giants' leading receiver, bringing in three catches for 45 yards. Smith could have easily had more however. Early in the fourth quarter, Manning put a deep ball right in Smith's hands, but the defender delivered a big hit and the ball popped out, costing Smith and the Giants some significant yardage. Smith's longest reception of the game was for 25 yards, coming on a drive late in the fourth quarter which set the Giants up for the eventual winning touchdown.

WR Amani Toomer, Rec: 2 - 39 - 0 (3 targets) - Toomer had just two catches for 39 yards on the afternoon. However, one of his receptions was a key play of the game. In the fourth quarter, Toomer made a clutch over the shoulder catch on a fourth and six play, gaining 30 yards and setting the Giants up inside the ten yard line. The catch led to an eventual field goal, which was the beginning of the Giants comeback.

WR Domenik Hixon, Rec: 1 - 17 - 0 (3 targets) - Hixon's lone catch of the game came early in the first quarter, which went for 17 yards and began a drive that would lead to a field goal. He was targeted twice more, but was unable to bring in either pass.

TE Kevin Boss, Rec: 4 - 34 - 1 (5 targets) - Boss caught four of his five targets, gaining 34 yards in the process. Boss had a long reception of 16 yards early in the fourth quarter on a key third and long play. Late in the fourth, Boss caught a two yard touchdown to put the Giants ahead. Boss was wide open, as the Steelers were probably expecting a running play.

PK John Carney 4 - 4 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 13 points - Carney made all four of his field goal attempts and made his lone extra point attempt.

NYG Rush Defense - It was a tale of two halves for the Giants' rush defense. The Giants' rush defense struggled early, allowing a 32 yard touchdown run to Mewelde Moore and 63 yards on eight carries. In the second half however, the Giants buckled down, allowing only 21 rushing yards on 11 attempts the rest of the way.

NYG Pass Defense - The New York pass defense did a great job generating pressure on Roethlisberger, sacking him five times and forcing four interceptions. The unit only allowed him to complete 13 of his 29 passes, their lone slip up a 65 yard touchdown to Nate Washington. Aside from that, the defense was spectacular and played a big part in the Giants' win.

QB Ben Roethlisberger, Pass: 13 - 29 - 189 - 1 TD / 4 INT, Rush: 1 - 3 - 0 - Roethlisberger had a rough day, throwing four interceptions and only completing 13 passes. Roethlisberger was in a tough spot all game, constantly under pressure from Giants' defenders, and clearly the pressure got to him. Of the four interceptions, only one wasn't Roethlisberger's fault. Early in the second quarter he hit Nate Washington right in the chest, but a big hit on him popped the ball up and allowed it to be intercepted. The lone bright spot of the day for Roethlisberger was when he found Washington wide open deep downfield for a 65 yard touchdown. His day fittingly ended with an interception, on a last minute desperation deep toss.

RB Mewelde Moore, Rush: 19 - 84 - 1, Rec: 2 - 10 - 0 (6 targets) - Moore opened up the day with a touchdown capping the Steelers' first drive. Moore took a handoff and found a hole to the right, then with one man to beat blew by him and took it in for a 32 yard touchdown. By halftime, Moore had racked up 63 rushing yards. However, after the half, the Giants stepped up their defensive efforts, and Moore was only able to gain 21 more yards, finishing the game with 84 yards rushing and a touchdown.

WR Hines Ward, Rec: 3 - 30 - 0 (6 targets) - Ward finished the day with modest numbers, hauling in three balls for 30 yards. His longest catch came in the first quarter, good for 14 yards.

WR Limas Sweed, Rec: 3 - 28 - 0 (6 targets) - Sweed saw playing time due to Holmes being inactive, and caught three balls for 28 yards. His longest reception of the game was for 12 yards early in the third quarter.

WR Nate Washington, Rec: 1 - 65 - 1 (8 targets) - Washington only caught one of his eight targets, but he made that lone catch a big one. Early in the third quarter, Washington got wide open deep and caught a 65 yard touchdown. He caught the ball about 20 yards away from the end zone, but the safety got turned around and had trouble locating him, allowing Washington to get the last 20 yards down the sideline as he ran it in for the score. The Steelers next drive, Washington caught what would have been a 53 yard touchdown pass, but it was called back due to a holding penalty.

TE Heath Miller, Rec: 3 - 52 - 0 (4 targets) - Miller made the most of his limited opportunities, catching three of his four targets. Early in the first quarter he caught a shallow crossing route and made a big gain out of it, gaining 22 yard, about 15 of them after the catch. Late in the second quarter, Miller caught another short slant for a large gain, racking up 19 yards on the play. Miller finished the day with 52 yards.

PK Jeff Reed 0 - 0 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 2 points - Reed made both of his extra point attempts. He didn't attempt any field goals.

PIT Rush Defense - The Pittsburgh rush defense did a superb job against the Giants' rushing attack, holding their running backs to a combined 84 yards on 31 carries. The rush defense also held up very well on the goal line, stuffing Brandon Jacobs on a fourth and inches attempt. The longest run of the afternoon they allowed was just 13 yards.

PIT Pass Defense - The Steelers' pass defense didn't give up hefty numbers, but overall they didn't perform up to their potential. They were unable to generate any pressure on Manning, not sacking him all game, which allowed him to complete many key passes to keep New York drives alive. One key play that began to turn the tide of the game was on a fourth and six, when the Steelers were unable to stop a 30 yard completion. The play set up the Giants for a field goal, beginning their comeback.

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9, Dallas Cowboys 13

What you need to know

Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Tampa started off pretty well with Dallas, scoring field goals on two of their first three drives and forcing Dallas to go three and out on their first two drives. However, problems did start to show themselves on offense during those opening drives as Tampa Bay was unable to use good starting field position, the two scoring drives started on the Dallas 47 and Tampa 48 respectively, to get anything more than field goals.

Jeff Garcia was efficient in leading the Buccaneers offense, but he was not able to lead the team into the end zone. Garcia spread the ball around, getting nine different receivers involved in the passing game. He showed good pocket presence, feeling the rush and moving around in the pocket to buy some time for his receivers to get open.

Antonio Bryant was the featured receiver during the first quarter when Tampa had the most success moving the ball into scoring position. He was targeted six times during the opening quarter as Tampa jumped out to a 6--0 lead. However, he seemed to disappear from the offense until late in the game when they were trying to drive for the winning score.

Earnest Graham did everything that the team asked of him. He played both fullback and halfback, but was unable to get on track running against a tough Cowboys defensive front. Even though the going was tough, Graham showed a willingness to plow into the interior of the line and gain the tough yards needed to keep drives going.

Dallas Cowboys - Dallas never seemed to get on track offensively, and they had to rely on the defense to keep the team in the game until the offense could capitalize on good field position and Tampa Bay defensive breakdowns to score. The lone offensive touchdown drive was aided by four defensive penalties totaling 28 yards at the end of the first half.

Cowboy receivers had a tough time finding openings against the Tampa defense as the defense backs did not have to worry about Brad Johnson throwing any deep passes. Johnson, not being very mobile, was limited to throwing shorter, quick routes to try and keep the pass rush from getting to him.

The focal point of the Cowboy offense was Marion Barber. He was the only back to carry the ball and was targeted many times out of the backfield on screen plays and swing passes. Barber gained 71 hard earned yards on the ground as Dallas attacked the middle of the Tampa defense. He had a hard time getting going early, but was able to break a few runs into the second level during the later stages of the game.

Terrell Owens was the featured receiver in the passing attack as Dallas made it a point to get the ball to their best receiver. Owens' yardage totals were depressed by the Tampa defensive backs tackling him shortly after he caught the ball, limiting him to few yards after the catch.

What you ought to know

QB Jeff Garcia, Pass: 27 - 43 - 227 - 0 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 2 - 7 - 0 - Garcia had a difficult time in finishing Tampa drives. Two of their first three drives started close to midfield, but were only able to turn the good field position into field goals. Garcia was able to move the offense into scoring position using his veteran leadership. His job was made easier with the Dallas cornerbacks playing in soft coverage against the outside receivers and the linebackers concentrating on stopping the run. However, he did make one mistake that potentially could have cost his team a touchdown. While scrambling inside the Dallas 20 he completed a pass to Antonio Bryant on the five, but Garcia was past the line of scrimmage when he threw the ball and the play had to be brought back. Instead of having the ball third and two from the five, Tampa had a third and fourteen from the 18. He was able to move around in the pocket to get away from the pressure and sometimes seeing a hole in the coverage to run for positive yards. He did have some trouble with low throws as the Cowboy line was able to knock down three of his throws at the line of scrimmage, and he almost had two passes picked off on throws behind the intended receivers.

RB Earnest Graham, Rush: 17 - 42 - 0, Rec: 4 - 22 - 0 (6 targets) - Graham was the workhorse of the Buccaneers offense. He played the majority of the game from the halfback position, but was moved to fullback when the offense was faced with short yardage situations. Rarely coming out of the game for a breather, he showed good stamina as he gained half of his total yardage during the final 20 minutes of the game. He showed quickness and toughness as he did not go down on first contact; it usually took a host of defenders to bring him down. Called upon five times when the Bucs needed to gain one yard for the first down, he was successful on three of the carries.

RB Warrick Dunn, Rush: 1 - 0 - 0, Rec: 2 - 8 - 0 (4 targets) - With the pinched nerve in his back, Warrick Dunn saw little action in relief of Earnest Graham. His main contribution was in the passing game, where he turned his four targets into three receptions. However, his first reception will not show up in the final box score as it was negated by a Dallas penalty that Tampa accepted that resulted in a first down.

WR Antonio Bryant, Rec: 6 - 45 - 0 (9 targets) - Antonio Bryant was an integral part of the offense as Tampa was getting out to an early six point lead. He was targeted five times on the first two series, catching four of the passes. He showed good hands and concentration, as he was usually well covered by a defender who would tackle him immediately. His longest reception was on a screen play during the opening drive, where he caught the ball behind the line of scrimmage and followed his blockers for a 12 yard gain. After his good first quarter he was rarely seen until the final stanza as Tampa was driving for a potential winning score. He caught two passes on the final drive, but was not able to convert either reception into a first down as he was well covered on both receptions.

WR Michael Clayton, Rec: 3 - 23 - 0 (6 targets) - Clayton did not make his presence felt until the second half as Garcia looked to other receivers first. During the second half he was able to turn his limited targets into three receptions. Good field presence was shown as he picked a ball out of the air for a short gain on a pass that was batted up by one of the Cowboys defensive lineman.

WR Joey Galloway, Rec: 3 - 38 - 0 (6 targets) - Joey Galloway was used on routes that were intended to stretch the defense. He was unable to connect with Garcia on deep passes in the first half, but was able to find openings in the middle of the field and turn short passes into gains of more than ten yards.

WR Ike Hilliard, Rec: 3 - 23 - 0 (3 targets) - Coming off of a concussion during last week's game against Seattle, Hilliard did not see a target until the fourth quarter. He was able to make the most of his limited targets by turning his first two receptions into first downs, with the second reception coming on a key fourth and six play on the final drive.

TE Jerramy Stevens, Rec: 3 - 16 - 0 (7 targets) - Stevens started the game but was not heavily targeted until the fourth quarter due to the passing game flowing through the receivers. He is an erratic receiver, as he had one pass thrown his direction that almost resulted in an interception as he was not in the correct position to catch the ball. He also dropped a pass on the final drive that would have given the Bucs a key first down.

TE Alex Smith, Rec: 2 - 39 - 0 (2 targets) - Smith saw limited action as the second tight end. He did make an impact in the game by finding open areas in the middle of the field. He was tough to bring down, as it took two players to bring him down on both of his receptions.

PK Matt Bryant 3 - 4 FG, 0 - 0 XP, 9 points - Bryant was good on three of his four field goal attempts, missing wide right from 51 yards.

TB Rush Defense - The Tampa Bay rush defense was strong as they limited Dallas to only 70 total yards on 26 carries. During the early parts of the game, Cowboys backs had little room to run as the front seven closed off the running lanes.

TB Pass Defense - With Dallas not attempting deep passes with Brad Johnson at quarterback the Tampa pass defense was able to focus on the short and medium routes. The defensive players are sure tacklers, and Cowboy receivers were not able make many yards after the catching the ball. Tampa was able to get pressure on Brad Johnson, sacking him three times and forcing him to throw early many other times.

QB Brad Johnson, Pass: 19 - 33 - 122 - 1 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 1 - -1 - 0 - Starting his second game in relief of the injured Tony Romo, Johnson is a good game manager but is limited in his skills. He is unable to throw the deep ball accurately and therefore does not attempt many deep passes. The failure to pose a threat in this part of the game limited the Dallas offense and caused the Tampa defense to concentrate on taking away the short game. Johnson does not move around good in the pocket and must rely on his offensive line to keep the pass rush off of him. He was sacked three times, but that was mainly due to the occasional blitz as his offensive line did a good job in protecting him.

RB Marion Barber, Rush: 25 - 71 - 0, Rec: 6 - 29 - 0 (7 targets) - Marion Barber was given the task of keeping the offense moving with the injury to Tony Romo and he showed that he is more than up to the task, as he was the leading rusher and caught the most passes. He rarely got a breather, only coming out of the game for a single play. During the first two series Dallas tried to establish a running game early to try and take some of the pressure off of Johnson with Barber touching the ball on five of the first ten plays from scrimmage. During the first quarter he found the going tough, but when Dallas started to have success through the air he found more room to run. Barber had his greatest success during the second and third quarters when the offense went to a more balanced attack.

RB Tashard Choice (1 targets) - Choice was unable to come up with a reception on a screen play early in the third quarter.

WR Terrell Owens, Rec: 5 - 33 - 0 (10 targets) - Dallas made a concerted effort to get Owens involved in the offense early, targeting him on consecutive pass plays on their second drive. Owens was well covered by Tampa defenders, but was still able to haul in five receptions. He did not seem to have his timing down with Brad Johnson as he was unable to connect on pass plays where he could have gotten free from coverage for extra yardage. Owens was targeted one time in the end zone at the end of the first half, but the pass was thrown well out of his reach.

WR Roy Williams, Rec: 2 - 10 - 1 (5 targets) - Roy Williams is still in the process of learning the Dallas offensive system after coming over from Detroit. Both of his receptions came in the second quarter and played an important part in the first ten points of the game. His first reception came on the opening play of the second period as Dallas was beginning its drive for their first points. At the end of the half he hauled in a seven yard pass that would have given the Cowboys first and ten on the Tampa 21, but the play was nullified by a defensive pass interference penalty. He would score the game's only touchdown four plays later on a fade route as he was able to come down with the ball while being well covered by the Tampa defender.

WR Patrick Crayton, Rec: 1 - 13 - 0 (4 targets) - Patrick Crayton saw limited action in the offense as he lost some targets to Roy Williams. His only reception was a key one as he caught a pass at the Tampa Bay four yard line with six seconds left in the first half that gave Dallas a first and goal from the two.

TE Martellus Bennett, Rec: 3 - 21 - 0 (3 targets) - Filling in for the injured Jason Witten, Bennett was able to catch all three balls thrown in his direction. His first reception was a ten yard catch on a third and nine play that gave the Cowboys a key first down on their first scoring drive.

TE Jason Witten, Rec: 1 - 8 - 0 (1 targets) - Witten played little as he left the game during the second quarter with a rib injury. He returned for a handful of plays in the third quarter before leaving the game for good.

TE Tony Curtis, Rec: 1 - 8 - 0 (3 targets) - Tony Cutis saw action while filling in at the second tight end spot due to the injury to Jason Witten. His only reception gave the Cowboys a third and one during their final drive as they were attempting to run out the clock in the fourth quarter.

PK Nick Folk 2 - 2 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 7 points - Nick Folk was perfect on both of his field goals attempts.

DAL Rush Defense - The Cowboys rushing defense was effective in stopping the Buccaneers running game, limiting them to 49 yards rushing and only four first downs on the ground. Earnest Graham had little room to run as the defensive line was able to clog up the running lanes in the middle of the field.

DAL Pass Defense - Jeff Garcia was able to find open areas in the middle of the Cowboys defense as Cowboys played soft coverage against the outside receivers. The defense was also hindered by the loss of Anthony Henry to a quad injury during the third quarter. The defensive line was able to get some pressure on Garcia, but he was able to move around in the pocket and get the ball away before getting sacked.

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Cleveland Browns 23, Jacksonville Jaguars 17

What you need to know

Cleveland Browns - The Browns turned in a solid performance in both their passing and running game, and along with a strong effort by their defense, beat the Jaguars in Jacksonville. Cleveland took their lead from Jamal Lewis, who set the tone by running aggressively. Lewis took Jacksonville's defenders head on, and used his power to deliver hits as defenders approached him and gain extra yards after initial contact. Lewis was stopped for a loss just once, and that was on a goal line play where the Jaguars keyed on him. He gained four or more yards on half of his carries, including three of more than ten yards, against a very good defense. Lewis received all of the red zone carries, and was able to score a touchdown on one of those rushes. Despite the effort he put forth, he still ran with excellent power and appeared fresh in the fourth quarter, delivering blows to the defenders in the fourth quarter with the same drive as he did earlier in the game.

Derek Anderson started the game well by taking advantage of the threat Lewis posed in the running game, and connecting with some of his receivers early. Anderson placed a focus on shorter passes earlier, and proved to be accurate, connecting on nine of his first 13 passes, including a pass to Donte Stallworth for the Browns' first touchdown in a first quarter this season. Anderson did miss open receivers at times, overthrowing them four times, including Braylon Edwards in the end zone. However, he did connect on some timing routes well, where he hit his receivers in stride and they were able to gain considerable yards after the catch. Most of Anderson's passing yards came as a result of three such plays. He threw passes to Steve Heiden and Syndric Steptoe who both ran well after securing the passes down to the one yard line. Braylon Edwards caught a deeper pass in stride along the sideline and had open field in front of him but was knocked out of bounds 20 yards from the end zone. Those three plays accounted for 147 of the 246 yards Anderson amassed passing.

The Browns attempted 14 plays on four possessions in the red zone, and came away with two touchdowns and two field goals. They ran six times, with Lewis getting all six carries including one for a touchdown. Of Anderson's eight pass plays, he targeted Edwards and Stallworth the most, with Edwards receiving four targets and Stallworth two, one of which he caught for a touchdown.

Jacksonville Jaguars - The Jaguars could not get their running game going against an inspired Cleveland run defense, despite the return to the lineup of their starting center Brad Meester for the first time this season. Of their 20 combined rushing attempts, Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew only had three carries that gained four or more yards. The vast majority of Jacksonville's running plays were up the middle of the line, and the Browns were very stout in their defense of those plays. Taylor and Jones-Drew both hit the line of scrimmage hard, but were unable to get past the line of scrimmage for any significant gains, and as a result did not have opportunities to use their speed and explosiveness.

As a result of the ineffective passing game, David Garrard had to shoulder most of the responsibility on offense. He was off target initially, as he missed open receivers, but eventually settled down. Garrard's numbers were impacted by some of his receivers dropping passes they should have caught, but he fought through the early inconsistent efforts to post good numbers. In spite of being blitzed frequently, Garrard maintained his poise and showed good touch as well as arm strength on his passes. He led the team in rushing yards, most of which came as he attempted to escape from the Browns' pass rushers. Matt Jones was his favorite receiver by far, being targeted on 15 of Garrard's 42 passes. They were in a good rhythm for most of the game and on a variety of routes, ranging from short, possession-type routes to deep routes. Their numbers and the result of the game would have been even better from Jacksonville's standpoint if Jones had been able to hold onto a deep pass in the end zone. He was defended well, but managed to get his hands on the ball, and while juggling it in an attempt to gain control, was hit by a defender with one second remaining in the game.

The Jaguars ran eight plays on two red zone possessions, and came away with two touchdowns. They passed the ball six times, once to Reggie Williams for a touchdown, and three times to Matt Jones, who caught one of them for a touchdown. Jones-Drew had both of Jacksonville's rushing attempts, but did not score, although he did turn a loss of several yards into a two yard gain.

What you ought to know

QB Derek Anderson, Pass: 14 - 27 - 246 - 1 TD / 0 INT - Anderson was solid in this game. He made good decisions in terms of who to throw to, and although he did not attempt many deep passes, showed good touch on intermediate throws, hitting his receivers in stride and enabling them to gain yards after the catch. He tended to be inaccurate when faced with pressure from the Jaguars' pass rush and missed some receivers as a result. Once given time, he delivered the ball with velocity and improved accuracy.

RB Jamal Lewis, Rush: 20 - 81 - 1, Rec: 1 - 7 - 0 (2 targets) - Lewis ran with a lot of power and showed good acceleration to the hole, attacking defenders as they came to tackle him, and gaining yards after contact on most of his carries. He was stopped for a loss once, and that was on a play at the one yard line and Jacksonville's defense keyed on him. Lewis seemed to remain fresh throughout the game, delivering blows to defenders late in the fourth quarter with the same energy as he did early in the game. He would have gained significantly more yardage had it not been for the fact he was playing against a good defense that was keying in on him.

RB Jason Wright, Rush: 1 - 1 - 0, Rec: 2 - 18 - 0 (2 targets) - Wright was on the field in a lot of third and long situations, and caught both of the short passes thrown to him.

RB Lawrence Vickers, Rush: 2 - 10 - 0, Rec: 1 - 13 - 0 (2 targets) - Vickers was more involved as a blocker but did show good power on his lone reception as he took a short pass and ran through defenders for a first down.

RB Jerome Harrison, Rush: 1 - -1 - 0 - Harrison had little impact in the game, as he did not get on the field much.

WR Donte Stallworth, Rec: 3 - 13 - 1 (4 targets) - Stallworth was only targeted in the first half, and only on short routes. He did get wide open in the end zone for a touchdown thanks to good route running in traffic.

WR Braylon Edwards, Rec: 2 - 64 - 0 (7 targets) - Edwards had his opportunities in the end zone, but was defended well on one play where the defensive back deflected the ball before he could secure it, and was overthrown on another play where he was open. He ran routes well and was able to get open deep several times, but just managed one reception of a deep pass. Edwards had another chance at a touchdown, catching a pass along the sideline, but as he ran towards the end zone, he was forced out 20 yards from the end zone by the only defender who was anywhere near him.

WR Syndric Steptoe, Rec: 1 - 53 - 0 (3 targets) - Steptoe was involved in some exciting plays. He caught an intermediate pass and ran it to the one yard line, displaying good speed, before being hit out of bounds. Steptoe was also involved in a play where he was running another intermediate route and got open, but Anderson's pass hit the umpire who was in the area.

WR Josh Cribbs (1 targets) - Cribbs was not much of a factor in the passing game, with most of his contributions coming on kickoff returns and kickoff coverage.

TE Steve Heiden, Rec: 3 - 73 - 0 (5 targets) - Heiden had a productive game, including a long run after catching a short pass on a 4th and short play. He ran his routes, which were all of the short variety, well and showed good hands after getting open.

TE Darnell Dinkins, Rec: 1 - 5 - 0 (1 targets) - Dinkins was used mostly as a blocker and on special teams.

PK Phil Dawson 3 - 3 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 11 points - Dawson made both of his point after attempts and all three of his field goals, which were from 32, 20 and 43 yards.

CLE Rush Defense - Cleveland's run defense rebounded very well from their abysmal showing against Washington the previous week by turning in an inspired performance, led by their defensive line. They clogged the running lanes quickly and swallowed up Jacksonville's running backs before they could get a head of steam. They held the Jaguars' running backs to a 2.65 yards per carry average. Although Garrard ran for 59 yards, the majority of those yards were a result of him scrambling away from the pass rush.

CLE Pass Defense - The Browns played the pass aggressively by blitzing frequently, causing Garrard to hurry his throws early and sacking him three times. However they were not as effective responding to the adjustments Garrard made, and ended up allowing close to 300 yards and two passing touchdowns to him. Their overall aggressive defense also resulted in them blocking a field goal attempt and stripping the ball from Jacksonville's kickoff returner and recovering the fumble. The resulting possession resulted in Cleveland taking a six point lead, which forced the Jaguars to have to go for a touchdown at the end of the game.

QB David Garrard, Pass: 25 - 42 - 283 - 2 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 7 - 59 - 0 - Garrard started slowly, missing some open receivers, but settled down and posted strong overall numbers. He showed soft touches on shorter plays when the route necessitated that type of throw, and also a strong arm to get the ball downfield quickly. Garrard was forced to exhibit his running prowess several times due to Cleveland's pass rush, and he did so in exemplary manner, making defenders miss and running with speed to get by defenders at times. He was in sync mostly with Matt Jones, and targeted him 11 times in the second half alone, as they tried to rally from being down two scores. He did not force too many throws to Jones, and although he clearly favored him, did not lock onto him immediately. Garrard constantly kept surveying the field looking for the best passing option before invariably coming back to Jones.

RB Maurice Jones-Drew, Rush: 12 - 29 - 0, Rec: 3 - 19 - 0 (5 targets) - Jones-Drew was unable to find any running room and did not fare much better in the passing game. As a result he was unable to generate any big plays.

RB Fred Taylor, Rush: 8 - 24 - 0 - Taylor was also stymied by Cleveland's defense and did not have any big plays as a result

RB Greg Jones, Rush: 1 - 0 - 0, Rec: 1 - 11 - 0 (2 targets) - Jones was used mostly for his blocking.

WR Matt Jones, Rec: 8 - 117 - 1 (15 targets) - Jones was used in a variety of ways and played well. He used his size on shorter slant routes to gain short yardage, and also ran intermediate routes very well, managing to get open on most of those routes. Jones displayed good hands, catching most of the passes thrown near him, and running well in traffic after securing the ball. Four of the incompletions thrown his way were thrown out of his reach. He also came close to another touchdown, as he tried tapping a ball thrown to him in the end zone while being well defended, but as he tried to secure it, another defender hit him with one second remaining in the game.

WR Dennis Northcutt, Rec: 5 - 49 - 0 (6 targets) - Northcutt was very effective playing in the slot, running crisp routes and displaying excellent hands on a couple passes where he was well defended.

WR Reggie Williams, Rec: 3 - 42 - 1 (3 targets) - Williams caught all of the passes thrown to him, including one for a touchdown. He showed good concentration on the first play of the second half, catching a deep pass in traffic.

WR Troy Williamson, Rush: 1 - 1 - 0, Rec: 1 - 6 - 0 (1 targets) - Williamson had very little impact in the game.

WR Jerry Porter (2 targets) - Porter dropped one of the passes thrown his way and did not get enough separation on his other target, which enabled his defender to deflect the ball.

TE Marcedes Lewis, Rec: 3 - 34 - 0 (5 targets) - Lewis proved adept at getting open both for short and intermediate routes. He did however drop a pass that was catchable.

TE Richard Angulo, Rec: 1 - 5 - 0 (1 targets) - Angulo's participation in the game was limited.

PK Josh Scobee 1 - 2 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 5 points - Scobee made both of his point after attempts, had a 38 yard field goal attempt blocked and made one from 53 yards.

JAX Rush Defense - Jacksonville's run defense played hard and aggressively, and because of their effort prevented Jamal Lewis from having a much bigger day running the football. Although the defensive line did not penetrate the backfield on running plays, the linemen and linebackers swarmed to Lewis quickly, although more often than not they gave up some additional yardage after contact. They did have an impressive goal line stand where they forced Cleveland to kick a field goal on a series that began with the all at Jacksonville's one yard line.

JAX Pass Defense - The Jaguars applied pressure to Anderson inconsistently. At times they were able to pressure him into hurried, inaccurate throws, but at other times they were unable to get to him even while blitzing. They also allowed several Browns' receivers to gain significant yards after the catch, in some part due to poor tackling. Overall the pass defense was inconsistent, making great plays at times but allowing some small plays to turn into bigger ones at times. Jacksonville only recorded one sack and did not have an interception, although they did have one called back because of an offside penalty.

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Buffalo Bills 16, Miami Dolphins 25

What you need to know

Buffalo Bills - Buffalo held a 16 -7 lead early in the second half but four fourth quarter turnovers enabled Miami to score 18 unanswered points.

Trent Edwards threw an interception, fumbled trying to sneak for a first down, and fumbled again in the end zone which resulted in a Dolphin safety. He completed 21 of 35 for 227 yards, but failed to throw a TD pass.

Lee Evans continued his outstanding play this season with seven balls for 116 yards, although he was held out of the end zone. Marshawn Lynch carried 13 times for 61 yards and showed great effort when he scored on an eight yard run in the third quarter. He also caught five passes for 34 yards, while Fred Jackson carried ten times for 41 yards.

The Bills defense was able to throttle the Dolphins' rushing attack, but Chad Pennington threw for over 300 yards.

Miami Dolphins - Miami scored 18 unanswered second half points to upset the AFC East leading Bills. Their swarming defense did not allow Buffalo to sustain many drives and caused four turnovers in the fourth quarter.

Chad Pennington hit eight different receivers as he completed 22 of 30 for 314 yards. He threw his only touchdown pass on Miami's first drive of the game, a two yard toss to TE Anthony Fassano, but Ted Ginn, Jr. had a career day, catching seven passes for 175 yards. Greg Camarillo chipped in with five balls for 43 yards.

Ronnie Brown ran 14 times for 43 yards, while Ricky Williams added 16 yards on seven carries and scored on a three yard run in the third quarter. The novelty of the single wing formation is wearing thin. The Dolphins only averaged 1.9 yards per carry, although Williams caught two passes for 43 yards.

Joey Porter recovered a fumbled and recorded two sacks, one in the end zone which resulted in a safety, to lead the inspired Dolphin defense. This was the first Miami win over Buffalo since 2005.

What you ought to know

QB Trent Edwards, Pass: 21 - 35 - 227 - 0 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 4 - 17 - 0 - Trent Edwards had a tough afternoon. He threw a rare interception when Randy Starks hit him as he released the ball and Will Allen picked off the dying quail. Then he fumbled trying to sneak on third down and one yard to go when he extended the ball and Joey Porter took it away. Then Porter sacked him in the end zone for a safety. He completed 21 of 35 for 227 yards but failed to throw a TD pass. Edwards had rallied the Bills three times this season when trailing in the fourth quarter but the magic ran out in Miami.

RB Marshawn Lynch, Rush: 13 - 61 - 1, Rec: 5 - 34 - 0 (6 targets) - While he only had three more carries than Jackson, Lynch scored a touchdown on a nifty eight yard run in the third quarter which staked the Bills to a 16--7 lead. He also caught five passes for 34 yards.

RB Fred Jackson, Rush: 10 - 41 - 0, Rec: 1 - 1 - 0 (1 targets) - Jackson carried ten times for 41 yards but only caught one pass for one yard. Half his carries came in the Bills first drive, but they had to settle for a field goal when he was held out of the end zone on third and short.

WR Lee Evans, Rec: 7 - 116 - 0 (12 targets) - Although held out of the end zone this week, Evans still gained 116 yards on seven receptions. He and Edwards have a nice rapport. Even when he is not the primary receiver, Evans seems to know what to do when his QB is looking for somebody to get open.

WR Josh Reed, Rec: 2 - 19 - 0 (3 targets) - Reed caught two passes in the first half, but he suffered a reported 'Achilles strain' and did not return in the second half.

WR James Hardy, Rec: 2 - 19 - 0 (6 targets) - The 6' 5" Indiana rookie is still adjusting but managed to catch two passes for 19 yards. He appeared to be the primary beneficiary of Josh Reed's injury.

WR Roscoe Parrish, Rec: 1 - 3 - 0 (3 targets) - Parrish is still running underneath routes with the hope that he'll break one for a long gain. He only advanced the ball three yards on the one pass he held onto. With five seconds left in the game he foolishly let a punt hit him which was recovered by Miami.

TE Robert Royal, Rec: 2 - 26 - 0 (4 targets) - A tough afternoon for Royal as he dropped the first two passes thrown to him and then fumbled in the fourth quarter when he was trying to pick up a first down.

TE Derek Schouman, Rec: 1 - 9 - 0 (1 targets) - Schouman lined up in the back field at times and in the fourth quarter caught the only pass thrown to him.

PK Rian Lindell 3 - 3 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 10 points - Lindell hit all three field goal attempts, from 19, 43, and 47 yards, and was perfect on his only extra point attempt.

BUF Rush Defense - Last week, the Ravens found a way to shut down Miami's single wing formation by replacing a safety with a LB. Unfortunately, the Bills have three linebackers on IR. Bryan Scott, a 6' 1" 220 lb. safety helped to hold Miami to a 1.9 yard per carry average.

BUF Pass Defense - On the first play of the game Chad Pennington hit Ted Ginn, Jr. on a 46 yard pass down the right sideline. CB Terrance McGee, in his first game back from a knee injury, was beaten on that play and remained the focus of the Miami passing attack all afternoon. Pennington threw for 314 yards, Ginn picked up 175 yards, and was so wide open on some plays that it looked like he and his QB were in the back yard playing catch.

QB Chad Pennington, Pass: 22 - 30 - 314 - 1 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 4 - -5 - 0 - Pennington had a nearly flawless game, hitting eight different receivers as he threw for 314 yards. He threw his only touchdown pass to TE Anthony Fassano on the opening drive of the game but his ability to stretch the field kept the Bills defense off balance. While the running game was held in check, Pennington kept picking up first downs with precise passing.

RB Ronnie Brown, Rush: 14 - 43 - 0, Rec: 1 - 5 - 0 (1 targets) - While Miami continued to use the single wing its effectiveness seemed to be waning. Brown picked up 43 yards on 14 carries but it was the passing attack that propelled Miami to the upset. Brown is still a good runner, and will more than likely have better games in the future, but it will probably be when he is line up in a more traditional formation.

RB Ricky Williams, Rush: 7 - 16 - 1, Rec: 2 - 43 - 0 (2 targets) - Williams only carried seven times for 16 yards, but he scored a touchdown on a three yard run. He lost yardage on one pass but gained bit on another when he took a screen pass 47 yards down the left sidelines and nearly broke it for a touchdown.

RB Lousaka Polite, Rush: 1 - 3 - 0 - In the first quarter Polite carried once for three yards, but he was an effective blocker all afternoon.

WR Ted Ginn, Rec: 7 - 175 - 0 (8 targets) - It was career day for Ginn, who picked up 175 yards on seven receptions, after having gained just 177 yards through the first six games of the season. The Bills often left Terrance McGee, playing his first game since returning from a knee injury, in single coverage and unable to keep track the former Ohio State standout. There were times when it looked like Pennington and Ginn were in the back yard playing catch.

WR Greg Camarillo, Rush: 1 - -5 - 0, Rec: 5 - 35 - 0 (6 targets) - Camarillo did not have a big game but he caught five passes for 35 yards. He also attempted an ill conceived reverse that fooled nobody and cost Miami five yards. It seemed that the Dolphins were going to target whichever WR Terrance McGee had in coverage which benefited Ginn.

Camarillo and Buffalo QB Trent Edwards were teammates at Stanford.

WR Davone Bess, Rec: 2 - 13 - 0 (2 targets) - The rookie from Hawaii was targeted twice in the first quarter and caught both balls.

WR Brandon London, Rec: 1 - 6 - 0 (1 targets) - London saw action in the first quarter and caught his only target for six yards.

TE David Martin, Rec: 2 - 20 - 0 (3 targets) - Miami likes to involve their Tight Ends - Head Coach Tony Sparano is a former TE Coach -- and Martin chipped in with two passes for 20 yards.

TE Anthony Fasano, Rec: 2 - 17 - 1 (4 targets) - Fasano scored the first touchdown of the game on a two yard pass to cap the Dolphins' opening drive. He caught half of his four targets for 17 yards.

PK Dan Carpenter 3 - 4 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 11 points - Carpenter hit field goals from 43, 45, and 35 yards and had a 46 yard FG attempt blocked by OT Langston Walker. He also converted both PATs.

MIA Rush Defense - Nose tackle Jason Ferguson, who anchors the Dolphins' 3--4 defense, was able to return from injury, but the Bills picked up 119 yards and averaged 4.4 yards per carry. Marshawn Lynch did most of the damage and scored a touchdown from the eight yard line.

MIA Pass Defense - Joey Porter sacked Edwards twice, forced two fumbles, and the Dolphins turned four fourth quarter turnovers into a 25--16 upset. Miami flattened Edwards five times, hurried him seven times, and prevented any Buffalo receivers to score.

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Indianapolis Colts 21, Tennessee Titans 31

What you need to know

Indianapolis Colts - QB Peyton Manning finished with good numbers thanks to three touchdowns, two passing and one rushing touchdown which came very late in the game. The Colts offensive line did a good job of protecting Manning throughout the game against a very good Titans pass rush. But the Tennessee defense did an even a better job of taking away Manning's receivers, limiting all of them to only 68 yards receiving. Manning's was able find TE Dallas Clark for two touchdown passes who had no problem getting open throughout the game.

RB Dominic Rhodes got off to slow start but, had decent numbers against a very good run defense, gaining 70 yards on 17 carries and catching eight passes for 39 yards. Manning threw a lot to Rhodes as Tennessee did an excellent job in coverage down the field. He almost added touchdown late in the game but, he came up about a half foot short of the goal line.

WR Reggie Wayne and WR Marvin Harrison were both shut down in this game as they were held to a combined four receptions for 41 yards. TE Dallas Clark did have a great game as he was able to get open throughout game and take advantage of coverage mismatches. Clark had seven catches for 94 yards, including two touchdown receptions.

Tennessee Titans - QB Kerry Collins who didn't have as good of numbers in this game as Manning, but was able to out duel him by leading his team on critical 14 play, 80 yard touchdown drive late in the third quarter and then converted a two point conversion to tie the game. Collins threw for 193 yards in the game with no touchdown or turnovers, and managed the game well for the Titans. He did have one great opportunity for touchdown when TE Alge Crumpler got open but, Collins overthrew him in the end zone.

RB Chris Johnson played well as he had a combined 96 yards of offense in the game and got a touchdown late in the game on a nice 16 yard run down the right side of the field. He did struggle at times as the Colts speedy defense did a pretty good job of containing him most of the game and his longest play from scrimmage was the 16 yard touchdown run. RB LenDale White did what he does best, scored twice on two goal line touchdowns. Outside of the two scores, White did little in the game as he had only 13 yards on ten carries.

TE Bo Scaife was the Titans' leading receiver with five catches for 44 yards. More importantly, Scaife was targeted a game high 12 times during the game as Collins targeted his tight ends 17 times, three more times then his wide receivers.

What you ought to know

QB Peyton Manning, Pass: 26 - 41 - 223 - 2 TD / 2 INT, Rush: 1 - 1 - 1 - Manning got off to a good start and after getting great field position on there second position of the game, he led the Colts 37 yards down the field for a score. He found an open TE Dallas Clark for a ten yard touchdown pass for his first touchdown pass. But that would be his only highlight of the first half. Manning had an interception in the second quarter after the ball was deflected into the arms of a Titans' defensive back. He would have another pick late in the game. He finished the first half 11 for 17 for 104 yards and one touchdown. Manning would lead Indianapolis down the field on the first drive of the second half and he would find Clark again over the middle for his second touchdown pass of the game. He would add a one yard rushing touchdown late in the game. The Colts line did give Manning time to throw throughout the game but, he had trouble finding his wide receivers down the field. He was forced to either pass underneath the coverage or go to Clark who was able to get open throughout the game.

RB Dominic Rhodes, Rush: 17 - 70 - 0, Rec: 8 - 39 - 0 (8 targets) - Rhodes did very little in the first half until late in the second quarter when he had a few nice carries for positive yards. He had ten carries for only 27 yards in the first half as the Titans did a good job of shutting down most of the running lanes in the first half. He had a much better second half as added 70 more yards in total offense. Rhodes almost had a late touchdown but was stopped just short of the goal line. He did have eight receptions for 39 in the game as QB Peyton Manning had trouble finding his receivers down the field and he was forced to throw down to his check down receiver often in the game.

RB Chad Simpson, Rush: 4 - 23 - 0, Rec: 2 - 24 - 0 (1 targets) - Simpson had a nice run up the middle for nine yards in the third quarter but that was his first carry of the game. He would add a ten yard carry later in the half, but Simpson played sparingly.

WR Anthony Gonzalez, Rec: 4 - 27 - 0 (4 targets) - Gonzalez was not much of a factor in this game and caught most of his passes late in the game as the Colts tried to rally from a deficit. Clearly the Colts passing game to this point is a shell of what it has been in the past, and as the number three wide receiver in this offense, Gonzalez has struggled to make much of impact most weeks.

WR Reggie Wayne, Rec: 3 - 29 - 0 (9 targets) - Wayne only had two receptions for 15 yards in the first of the game as he and all the Colts' receivers had a hard time of gaining separation from the Titans' secondary. QB Peyton Manning tried to go deep to him early in the second half but, the pass was off the mark as the Titans' pass rush forced an inaccurate pass. Wayne got injured at the end of the third quarter but, he returned to the field on the next play. Wayne struggled getting open all game and was doubled team through most of the game.

WR Marvin Harrison, Rec: 1 - 12 - 0 (6 targets) - Harrison had only one catch for 12 yards in the first half as the Tennessee secondary did a great job of taking the Colts' receivers out of the game. The Indianapolis wideouts had only had three catches for 27 yards in the first half. QB Peyton Manning tried to go to him in the end zone early in the second half but, former Colt CB Nick Harper knocked the ball down at the last minute on what would have been a big play. Harrison looked very old in this game and clearly appears to have lost a step.

TE Dallas Clark, Rec: 7 - 94 - 2 (12 targets) - He caught a big 26 yard pass early in the game and then came back two plays later to catch a 10 yard pass for his first touchdown of the game. He finished the first half with four catches for 58 yards. Clark got his second touchdown of the game on the Colts first drive of the second half when he got open again over the middle for a 19 yard reception. Clark seemed like the only Indianapolis receiver who could get open down the field and was able to exploit mismatches against linebackers and safeties who tried to cover him.

PK Adam Vinatieri 0 - 0 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 3 points - Vinatiteri had no field goal attempts in the game but did have three extra points.

IND Rush Defense - In the first half of the game, the Colts defense used a combination of eight men in the box and its speed on defense to bottle up RB Chris Johnson and the Titans' running attack. The Titans did a pretty good job of containing Johnson throughout the game.

IND Pass Defense - The Colts struggled to get a consistent pass rush on the Titans and did not force a turnover and get a sack.

QB Kerry Collins, Pass: 24 - 37 - 193 - 0 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 2 - -2 - 0 - Collins did a good job of managing the offense in the first half even though he only threw for 73 yards. He led the team down the field twice in the first half but, they had to settle for only two field goals. The offense bogged down in the red zone both times as the Colts defense often put eight guys in the box and challenged the Titans' to throw the ball. Collins led the Titans on impressive 14 play, 80 yard touchdown drive in the third quarter and then tied the game with a two point conversion pass to FB Ahmard Hall on a roll out. This drive was the turning point in the game and Collins was able to lead the offense to 17 points in the fourth quarter. Collins over threw a wide open TE Alge Crumpler in the second half for his only real scoring opportunity in the game. His favorite target in the game was TE Bo Scaife who had 12 targets.

RB Chris Johnson, Rush: 19 - 77 - 1, Rec: 4 - 19 - 0 (4 targets) - Johnson was bottled up early in the first half as the Colts team speed did a good job of containing him. He got some good runs in the second quarter as the line opened some holes and the passing game made some plays to keep the Indianapolis defense honest. He had a combined 61 yards of offense in the first half. Johnson would have a quiet second half until busting off a 16 yard touchdown run off the right side late in the game. It wasn't Johnson's best game but he still put good numbers despite the fact it was clear the Colts' defense game planned to stop Johnson and the running game.

RB LenDale White, Rush: 10 - 13 - 2, Rec: 1 - 1 - 0 (2 targets) - White did not see a lot of action in the first half as he had two carries for negative three yards. White got three consecutive goal line carries in the third quarter and finally punched it on his last try for a one yard score. Whit got a second goal line score late in the game as he made a nice lunging play to get the ball over the into the end zone. Aside from his two big goal line scores, White was pretty ineffective in running the ball.

WR Brandon Jones, Rec: 4 - 40 - 0 (5 targets) - Jones had two catches for 20 yards in the first half. Jones almost got into the end zone when he caught a big pass underneath the coverage and took it to the two yard line on a 15 yard play.

WR Justin McCareins, Rec: 2 - 30 - 0 (3 targets) - McCareins, who is coming off a hamstring injury which prevented him from playing last week, didn't catch his first pass until the third quarter but, it was the Titans longest play from scrimmage in the game, a 23 yard catch on a deep out.

WR Justin Gage, Rec: 1 - 6 - 0 (5 targets) - Gage had only one catch for six yards in the game and dropped a big pass on a third down that would have kept a drive alive deep in Indianapolis territory in the fourth quarter.

TE Bo Scaife, Rec: 5 - 44 - 0 (12 targets) - Scaife was QB Kerry Collins favorite target throughout the game and he had nine balls thrown his way in the first half alone. He had four catches for 28 yards in the half and had only one catch for 16 yards in the second half. Scaife was targeted a game high 12 times in the game.

TE Alge Crumpler, Rec: 4 - 35 - 0 (5 targets) - Crumpler got open on pass that would have been a touchdown in the fourth quarter but, he was over thrown by QB Kerry Collins.

PK Rob Bironas 3 - 4 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 11 points - Bironas made a 34 yard field goal on the Titans' first drive of the game. He would add a 44 yard kick in the second quarter but, would miss a 43 yard kick later in the game. Bironas would come back and hit a big 48 yard kick early in the fourth quarter to give the Tennessee the lead late in the game.

TEN Rush Defense - Tennessee did an adequate job on run defense holding the Colts to 94 yards rushing. They did make a couple of big stops in short yardage situations.

TEN Pass Defense - The Titans were without one of their best pass rushers, as DE Kyle Vanden Bosch was out with a groin injury. The Titans did very little blitzing in this game and didn't get a great pass rush on QB Peyton Manning. They did do an excellent job of taking out the Colts' receivers. DB Chris Hope had two interceptions in the game.

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Seattle Seahawks 34, San Francisco 49ers 13

What you need to know

Seattle Seahawks - The Seattle Seahawks took advantage of the 49ers ball control problems and general disarray to grab their second victory of the season.

QB Seneca Wallace filled-in for injured QB Matt Hasselbeck and managed the game well. He did not turn the ball over but outside of two long runs after catches by FB Leonard Weaver, the Seattle offense did not provide any fireworks.

RB Maurice Morris carried the ball the most for the Seahawks but did not have much success as the team only managed 39 total yards on the ground. RB Julius Jones was basically invisible. Weaver caught two short passes from Wallace and turned them into touchdown scores of 43 and 62 yards, inexplicably.

None of the Seahawks' receivers put up notable numbers but WR Koren Robinson did lead the team with four receptions. WR Deion Branch did not play. TE John Carlson was also quiet in the win.

The Seahawks' defense somehow managed to keep RB Frank Gore to under 100 yards on the ground but he still ran well in the loss. Seattle brought their only interception back for a score and also forced four fumbles but only managed to grab one for a turnover.

LB Lofa Tatupu left the game in the first half with an injury and did not return.

San Francisco 49ers - The San Francisco 49ers and new head coach Mike Singletary apparently had enough of QB J.T. O'Sullivan's penchant for turnovers and benched the quarterback at the end of the first half for QB Shaun Hill.

O'Sullivan committed two early turnovers, including an interception that was returned for a touchdown before he was sent to bench. QB Shaun Hill managed to hold onto the ball and did not turn the ball over. He also connected with WR Jason Hill for a touchdown in the back of the end zone late in the game.

RB Frank Gore continues to be the lone bright spot on the 49ers' offense. Gore ran the ball well and even managed to be the team's leading receiver in both catches and yards. RB Michael Robinson took a direct snap in the second half and handed the ball off to Gore.

Jason Hill, Isaac Bruce, Bryant Johnson, Arnaz Battle, and Josh Morgan were all held in check by the Seahawks and outside of Hill's touchdown none of the receivers did anything of note. Battle limped off the field in the second half and did not return. Morgan was held without a catch.

TE Vernon Davis picked up an unnecessary roughness flag at the end of the third quarter. Singletary did not approve of Davis' nonchalant attitude about the devastating call and told the tight end to hit the showers early. TE Delanie Walker was also injured and did not return to the game.

Defensively, the 49ers did not play awful. Outside of the two inexplicable long touchdown catches by FB Leonard Weaver, the team held the generally hapless Seahawks' offense in check. The Seahawks' benefited from good field position and a defensive score.

OL Barry Simms and DB Allen Rossum were also injured for the 49ers.

What you ought to know

QB Seneca Wallace, Pass: 15 - 25 - 222 - 2 TD / 0 INT - QB Seneca Wallace filled in for the injured QB Matt Hasselbeck and managed the team to victory over the struggling San Francisco 49ers. Wallace did not make any mistakes or turn the ball over. He found FB Leonard Weaver for two long scores but otherwise was not lighting the field on fire with his passing.

RB Maurice Morris, Rush: 11 - 16 - 0 - RB Maurice Morris did not have much success running the ball but received the most carries for Seattle.

RB Julius Jones, Rush: 6 - 9 - 0, Rec: 2 - 22 - 0 (1 targets) - RB Julius Jones was not very good but the team was able to overcome the absence of a running game to win. RB Maurice Morris ran the ball five more times than Jones.

RB Leonard Weaver, Rush: 2 - 13 - 0, Rec: 4 - 116 - 2 (6 targets) - FB Leonard Weaver scored on touchdown passes of 43 and 62 yards in the second half. Weaver is not known for his speed so these long scores reflect very poorly on the 49ers' defense. He also lined up as a wide receiver for at least one play.

WR Koren Robinson, Rec: 4 - 31 - 0 (4 targets) - WR Koren Robinson put up better numbers than expected but outside of FB Leonard Weaver's two long scores, the Seahawks' passing game was not very prolific.

WR Bobby Engram, Rec: 3 - 40 - 0 (8 targets) - WR Bobby Engram dropped one pass but made a nice diving effort in an attempt to reel it in. With QB Seneca Wallace at the helm, none of the Seahawks' wide receivers put up big numbers.

WR Keary Colbert, Rec: 1 - 0 - 0 (1 targets) - WR Keary Colbert was not effective in the win. He did not manage positive yardage on his only catch.

TE John Carlson, Rec: 1 - 13 - 0 (2 targets) - TE John Carlson was quiet in the win.

PK Olindo Mare 2 - 2 FG, 4 - 4 XP, 10 points - PK Olindo Mare was perfect on the day.

SEA Rush Defense - The Seahawks' rush defense, like seemingly all other defenses, was generally unable to stop RB Frank Gore on the ground but prevented the bruising back from reaching the end zone.

SEA Pass Defense - The Seahawks' pass defense was able to get regular pressure on both 49ers quarterbacks and also returned their lone interception for a touchdown. The team likely benefited from the troubles that the 49ers' offense has been having recently.

QB Shaun Hill, Pass: 15 - 23 - 173 - 1 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 2 - 20 - 0 - QB Shaun Hill relieved QB J.T. O'Sullivan for the final possession of the first half following O'Sullivan's second turnover of the game. Hill played reasonably well for his first appearance of the season, even leading the team on a late scoring drive which culminated in a touchdown pass to WR Jason Hill in the back of the end zone. Hill did not turn the ball over, which for an entire half is pretty good for the 49ers, but he did have the ball knocked out of his hand but the team recovered. Hill also managed 20 yards on the ground and looked good scrambling for first downs.

QB J.T. OSullivan, Pass: 13 - 21 - 131 - 0 TD / 1 INT - QB J.T. O'Sullivan was benched at the end of the first half in favor of QB Shaun Hill. O'Sullivan's troubling ball control issues continued as he fumbled twice (once for a loss) and threw an interception. He appeared to be oblivious to the defender chasing him down when he lost the fumble and the interception was brought back for a Seahawks' score. QB Shaun Hill came on for the final drive of the first half and played for the rest of the game.

RB Frank Gore, Rush: 18 - 94 - 0, Rec: 7 - 65 - 0 (13 targets) - RB Frank Gore continues to be the best offensive player for the 49ers. Besides being the team's leading receiver in the loss, he ran the ball powerfully and put up solid all-around numbers despite the problems that the rest of the offense was experiencing. Gore had a long run to the one yard line called back because he grabbed a defender's facemask.

RB Michael Robinson, Rush: 3 - 9 - 0, Rec: 2 - 14 - 0 (2 targets) - RB Michael Robinson lined up in the wildcat formation for one play and handed off to RB Frank Gore. He was also returning kicks due to a slew of injuries to the 49ers.

WR Isaac Bruce, Rec: 4 - 49 - 0 (5 targets) - WR Isaac Bruce was the most productive wide receiver for the 49ers but only managed four receptions in the loss.

WR Arnaz Battle, Rec: 3 - 26 - 0 (6 targets) - WR Arnaz Battle limped off the field in the second half and did not return.

WR Bryant Johnson, Rec: 3 - 30 - 0 (4 targets) - WR Bryant Johnson had a quiet game but no 49ers' receiver pulled in more than four receptions on the day.

WR Jason Hill, Rec: 3 - 38 - 1 (5 targets) - WR Jason Hill had his first receptions and touchdown of the season in the loss. He dropped the first pass thrown to him but made two nice catches in the second half including the touchdown grab.

WR Josh Morgan (2 targets) - WR Josh Morgan was held without a catch although he did play. He was overthrown by QB Shaun Hill in the end zone in the second half.

TE Vernon Davis, Rec: 4 - 29 - 0 (2 targets) - TE Vernon Davis was handed a personal foul penalty after making a reception at the end of the third quarter for slapping the defender. 49ers head coach Mike Singletary talked to Davis on the sideline while the fans in the stand applauded. Davis was then sent to the locker room for the rest of the game.

TE Delanie Walker, Rec: 2 - 53 - 0 (3 targets) - TE Delanie Walker was injured in the first half and did not return to the game but he had a big reception for 53 yards in the first half. He also had a pass that was thrown to him at the one yard line deflected away by a defender.

PK Joe Nedney 2 - 2 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 7 points - PK Joe Nedney was perfect on the day.

SF Rush Defense - The 49ers rush defense held the weak running game of the Seahawks to only 39 yards on the ground.

SF Pass Defense - Outside of the two long and inexcusable touchdown receptions by FB Leonard Weaver, the 49ers defense played reasonably well. QB Seneca Wallace did not light up the 49ers but the defense looked unfocused and perhaps tired on Weavers' two long scampers.

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Kansas City Chiefs 24, New York Jets 28

What you need to know

Kansas City Chiefs - Tyler Thigpen looked like a different person Sunday. He had a perfect passer rating through the first half. He looked calm and prepared and ready to be an NFL QB. This was a huge improvement and step in the right direction.

WR Mark Bradley seemed to finally emerge. His TD catch made him look like a long time veteran.

Jamaal Charles did well on very few touches. However, he didn't start and was not given the ball enough to get into a rhythm. Kansas City is still using a rotation with Kolby Smith who was abysmal.

New York Jets - Brett Favre played through some hard hits and three INTs to earn his 40th career fourth quarter comeback. He proved that once again you can never count him out. He gave up some typical Favre interceptions but the team leaned on him and it worked out.

Leon Washington was involved in every part of this game. He scored on the ground and through the air and almost on a kickoff return twice.

Jerricho Cotchery had his first 100 yard game of the season and was targeted thirteen times. He also had a few deep targets that he wasn't able to haul in.

What you ought to know

QB Tyler Thigpen, Pass: 25 - 36 - 280 - 2 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 4 - 20 - 0 - Instead of forcing the ball and making mistakes he took sacks. Passing accuracy was very amazing. There were no passes into double coverage, the grass, or the stands. This was not anything similar to the Tyler Thigpen of past games. There were eight different receivers used in Sunday's action. Last week Thigpen looked like he was running for his life. This week he stayed in the pocket under pressure and only ran when it was designed or coverage dictated. It was a good sign for Kansas City today that Thigpen was actually looking like a quarterback. Thigpen also added 20 rushing yards to his totals.

RB Kolby Smith, Rush: 11 - 15 - 0, Rec: 2 - 15 - 0 (2 targets) - This guy just struggled to run the ball. He was stuffed all game long and there were holes for him to hit.

RB Jamaal Charles, Rush: 5 - 45 - 0, Rec: 1 - 4 - 0 (1 targets) - Jamaal Charles did not start the game again. He did outgain Kolby Smith by twice the yards with half the touches. In passing situations it was almost exclusively Charles. Charles looks like the much better back when he gets the ball, but for some reason Kansas City does not stay with him and keeps using a rotation. Jamaal Charles did leave the game for part of the first half with a knee injury. He returned in the second half with no signs of any lingering problems.

WR Dwayne Bowe, Rec: 6 - 102 - 0 (11 targets) - It was another great day for Dwayne Bowe. He was able to get many yards after the catch. Thigpen's first look seemed to go to him or Tony Gonzalez every time. The Jets were able to keep him out of the end zone but they couldn't keep him from getting the ball and had to chase him down most of the day. CB Darrelle Revis was all over him but Bowe would not be stopped.

WR Mark Bradley, Rec: 5 - 42 - 1 (7 targets) - Mark Bradley seemed like a good #3 option behind Dwayne Bowe and Anthony Gonzalez. He was the second look many times. The TD catch was an amazing veteran move keeping his feet in bounds and catching a tough pass. He was targeted earlier in that same drive in the endzone but couldn't bring that one in.

WR Devard Darling, Rec: 1 - 4 - 0 (1 targets) - Devard Darling was not very active today with the emergence of Mark Bradley.

TE Tony Gonzalez, Rec: 6 - 79 - 1 (7 targets) - Tony Gonzalez made a great TD grab to get the Chiefs going. He had a few other catches where he picked the ball out of the air and made some great veteran moves to gain more yards. On one play he could have went out of bounds after getting the first but made a great move and earned ten more yards. It was a typical Gonzalez day we have seen his whole career.

TE Brad Cottam, Rec: 4 - 34 - 0 (5 targets) - Brad Cottam was very involved in the offense. Tyler Thigpen checked down to him many times. It wasn't a huge day but a good day for a TE. He did have a very nice pass in the endzone that he dropped.

PK Connor Barth 1 - 1 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 6 points - Connor Barth did not get tested today.

KC Rush Defense - The New York Jets took it to the air. The Kansas City defense was not tested on the ground. But, when the Jets ran the ball they got everything they wanted. On 21 rushing attempts the Jets were able to get 136 rushing yards. One of those was a huge run against the nickel by RB Leon Washington. The problems with the rush defense have not been fixed yet.

KC Pass Defense - The three interceptions look impressive but this was against the gunslinger Brett Favre. Favre took back the interception lead among NFL QBs this year with his performance in this game. Two of the throws were deep tosses that were prayers more than passes. The third was a great play by Brandon Flowers when Chansi Stuckey quit on the play. The pass defense didn't stop much. They were able to put pressure on Brett Favre but not enough. Jerrod Page was out most of the second half.

QB Brett Favre, Pass: 28 - 40 - 290 - 2 TD / 3 INT, Rush: 1 - -1 - 0 - Brett Favre proved the gunslinger still lives. The first touchdown was an audible by Favre to the middle screen to RB Leon Washington. His three interceptions were on throws where he put it up hoping his WRs could come down with the ball. On one short pass he threw it right into the hands of LB Derrick Johnson. Johnson dropped it or it would have been run back for six. Favre didn't give up even with those bad throws and ended the game with his third TD and 40th career fourth quarter comeback. He proved that he just won't give up.

RB Thomas Jones, Rush: 14 - 54 - 1, Rec: 1 - 6 - 0 (1 targets) - Thomas Jones had a productive day but not what we expected. He only carried the ball fourteen times. He was very productive on those carries but the Jets relied on passing the ball all day. He did get a short yardage TD. Jones was only used once in the passing game.

RB Leon Washington, Rush: 3 - 67 - 1, Rec: 3 - 34 - 1 (4 targets) - Leon Washington was used in all parts of the game. The first TD was a short screen to Washington and he bobbed and weaved to the endzone. In a passing situation the Jets called a run play against the nickel and it created a 60 yard TD. Washington came close to two scores on kickoff returns. One return was a little comical as Connor Barth jumped on his back and Washington carried him until someone caught the two to finish him off. Washington pumped his legs and worked hard to get every yard he earned. It was a very impressive performance.

RB Jesse Chatman, Rush: 4 - 8 - 0, Rec: 1 - 3 - 0 (1 targets) - Jesse Chatman had a few carries to relieve Thomas Jones.

WR Jerricho Cotchery, Rec: 9 - 102 - 0 (13 targets) - Jerricho Cotchery started slow and then took off. This was his first 100 yard game of the season. He didn't have a TD to show for his efforts but it was a very productive day. With nine receptions on the day it was very impressive. One very deep target was in double coverage and Cotchery really didn't have a chance.

WR Laveranues Coles, Rush: 1 - 6 - 0, Rec: 7 - 64 - 1 (11 targets) - Laveranues Coles made an amazing one handed catch to complete the comeback. Brett Favre laid it up a little short and Coles cut back to make a one handed catch and tip toe through the corner of the endzone. Coles also had eleven targets and was second to Jerricho Cotchery. Coles was also used in an end around and came close to breaking a big play.

WR Chansi Stuckey, Rec: 3 - 43 - 0 (6 targets) - Chansi Stuckey was not the primary target on any play. He had a few check down receptions. The interception that was returned for a TD was on a route that Stuckey did not finish. Stuckey was targeted two times after that route so Brett Favre must still trust him.

TE Dustin Keller, Rec: 4 - 38 - 0 (5 targets) - Dustin Keller was a target on a consistent basis throughout the game. He wasn't used as the check down receiver but the primary target on three receptions. His long reception was a mid-range target that he was able to get some yards after the catch. It wasn't phenomenal but it was an effective day from the tight end.

PK Jay Feely 0 - 1 FG, 4 - 4 XP, 4 points - Jay Feely missed a 36 yard field goal in the beginning of the game. The normal wind of the Meadowlands was not to blame today. It was pretty calm.

NYJ Rush Defense - Kolby Smith was not effective at all and the Jets were able to stuff him whenever he got the ball. However, Jamaal Charles seemed to give them some problems and he amassed 45 yards on just five attempts. Even though the statistics look good it might have been more of a function of the Chiefs giving the ball to Smith instead of Charles. The Jets run defense only looked good when Smith was in the game.

NYJ Pass Defense - This is the 23rd ranked passing defense. It's hard to say if Tyler Thigpen is starting to get it or this was a function of a bad passing defense. Thigpen looked very good today and he was able to pick this defense apart. Last week Thigpen was running scared and this week it was hard to tell which #4 was better. They did get pressure on Thigpen and produce four sacks. But, there were no interceptions and he was able to move the Chiefs down the field very effectively. It wasn't a display of what a passing defense should look like.

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Arizona Cardinals 23, Carolina Panthers 27

What you need to know

Arizona Cardinals - The Cardinals were their own worst enemy as the blew a 14 point lead in the third quarter en route to their third loss of the season, all on the road. The miscues that led to their demise were a botched extra point, a failed fake field goal attempt, two key second half turnovers and several mistackles by the defense.

Statistically QB Kurt Warner's had an outstanding game going 35 for 49 for 381 yards and two touchdowns. Warner completed passes to eight different receivers. He spread the ball around mainly using a five-receiver set. His lone interception was on a tipped ball.

WRs Anquan Boldin, Larry Fitzgerald and Steve Breaston, all had outstanding games, with Boldin getting both touchdown receptions. Fitzgerald was the team's leading receiver with 115 yards on seven catches; Breaston had nine receptions for 91 yards, and Boldin finished with nine receptions for 63 yards. All figured prominently in the game.

Carolina Panthers - Carolina fought back from a 14 point deficit by scoring 21 third quarter points and scoring on four of their five second half possessions. The team held the ball for the last 5 minutes and 57 seconds of the game to notch their sixth victory on the year.

QB Jake Delhomme had two touchdown passes and completed 20 for 28 for 248 yards. Both touchdown passes were thrown to WR Steve Smith (18 and 65 yards). Delhomme did not throw an interception and completed passes to seven different receivers.

RB DeAngelo Williams scored on a 15 yard run in the third quarter and finished the game with 107 yards on 17 carries. He ran hard and punished the Cardinal defenders mainly up the middle.

What you ought to know

QB Kurt Warner, Pass: 35 - 49 - 381 - 2 TD / 1 INT - Warner played an outstanding game going 35 for 49 for 381 and two touchdowns. He spread the ball around completing passes to eight different receivers, mainly when the Cardinals went into their no huddle offense using five receivers. Warner was pressured often and took several hits, but stayed in the pocket and delivered the ball with precision. Both touchdown passes were in the red zone with Warner hitting Anquan Boldin on short out patterns. His lone turnover was a result of a tipped ball off the hands of RB J.J. Arrington.

RB Tim Hightower, Rush: 6 - 3 - 1, Rec: 2 - 18 - 0 (3 targets) - Hightower had the Cardinals' only rushing touchdown a two yard run in the third quarter. Hightower was initially stopped at the line of scrimmage, but reversed his field and scored with second effort. It was Hightower's sixth rushing touchdown of the season, and he leads the team in that department. He caught two balls for 18 yards.

RB Edgerrin James, Rush: 7 - 17 - 0 (1 targets) - James was an insignificant factor in this game having only seven carries for 17 yards. His miniscule stats were more of a result of the Cardinals' operating in a five receiver set for a majority of this game.

WR Anquan Boldin, Rush: 1 - 30 - 0, Rec: 9 - 63 - 2 (13 targets) - Boldin caught both Cardinals' touchdown passes, two and five yards, and finished the game with nine catches for 63 yards. He also ran a reverse early in the first quarter for 30 yards. Boldin seemed to have not missed a beat from his recovery from a face injury. The scores were his sixth and seventh touchdowns of the year.

WR Steve Breaston, Rec: 9 - 91 - 0 (13 targets) - Breaston had a nice game finishing with nine catches for 91 yards, but was also held without a touchdown. Breaston has found a place in this offense and his catches were mainly short out routes or underneath the linebackers.

WR Larry Fitzgerald, Rec: 7 - 115 - 0 (12 targets) - Fitzgerald finished the game with nine catches for 115 yards, with his longest reception being a 30 yard catch over the middle. Although held to no touchdowns, he figured prominently in the offense and was targeted 12 times many of them deep in the secondary.

WR Jerheme Urban, Rec: 4 - 51 - 0 (5 targets) - Urban had his best statistical game of 2008 with four catches for 51 yards. He was used when the Cardinals' went into a five receiver set and caught balls mainly underneath the linebacker coverage. His longest catch was 23 yards.

TE Jerame Tuman, Rec: 3 - 41 - 0 (3 targets) - Tuman caught three balls for 41 yards, mainly up the middle. Tuman got the start because the Cardinals' other TEs Ben Patrick and Leonard Pope were inactive due to injuries.

PK Neil Rackers 1 - 1 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 5 points - Rackers made his only attempt connecting on a 21 yard effort in the first half. The Cardinals faked a field goal attempt in the second quarter. Rackers hit both his extra point attempt and had a third try aborted when the holder Dirk Johnson mishandled the snap.

ARI Rush Defense - The Cardinals rush defense gave up a rushing touchdown to DeAngelo Williams and couldn't stop the Panthers rushing attack in the second half, when they needed it most. They had several mistackles and allowed the Panthers to hold the ball for the last 5:57 of the game.

ARI Pass Defense - The Cardinals' pass defense gave up 248 yards to Delhomme, but also two touchdown passes, including a 65 yarder, that put Carolina up for good. They had only one sack, but forced one fumble. They had several mistackles and allowed Jake Delhomme to complete 20 of his 28 attempts.

QB Jake Delhomme, Pass: 20 - 28 - 248 - 2 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 2 - -2 - 0 - Delhomme had an efficient day throwing including two touchdown passes and amassing 248 yards on 20 for 28 attempts with no interceptions. Delhomme completed passes to seven different receivers, yet both touchdowns were to WR Steve Smith, an 18 yarder and a 65 yard toss. He was sacked once and had one fumble. His passes were on target and he showed good rhythm with all his receivers.

RB DeAngelo Williams, Rush: 17 - 108 - 1, Rec: 2 - 15 - 0 (2 targets) - Williams punished the defense with hard runs up the middle. He finished the game with 17 carries for 108 yards, with a long run of 15 yards. He was instrumental in the fourth quarter when the Panthers held the ball for the last 5:57 of the game getting a first down on a third and 13 with his second 15 yard carry of the day. He scored on a 15 yard run in the third quarter to put the Panthers within seven. He caught two passes for 15 yards out of the backfield.

RB Jonathan Stewart, Rush: 8 - 10 - 0, Rec: 1 - 0 - 0 (1 targets) - Stewart found the running much tougher and had only eight yards on ten attempts. His longest rush was four yards. He caught one ball for no yards. He did have two carries in the red zone, though.

WR Steve Smith, Rush: 1 - -6 - 0, Rec: 5 - 117 - 2 (10 targets) - Smith had a great game scoring both Carolina passing touchdowns, an 18 yarder and a spectacular 65 yard effort both in the third quarter. On that play Smith caught the ball close to the sideline and nearly stepped out of bounds avoiding a tackle before scampering down the sideline.

WR Muhsin Muhammad, Rec: 5 - 38 - 0 (8 targets) - Muhammad had only five catches for 38 yards. His longest reception was 11 yards. Muhammad dropped a sure touchdown pass at the Arizona five yard line in the first quarter.

WR Dwayne Jarrett, Rec: 2 - 25 - 0 (4 targets) - Jarrett had only two receptions for 25 yards, Late in the fourth quarter, he made a 17 yard catch over the middle on a third and ten to help the Panthers hold the ball for the last 5:57 of the game.

TE Jeff King, Rec: 3 - 41 - 0 (3 targets) - King had three receptions mainly up the middle of the Cardinals' secondary for 41 yards. King's longest reception was for 31 yards on a first and ten that led to the Panthers first touchdown.

PK John Kasay 2 - 2 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 9 points - Kasay was perfect on the day converting on both of his field goal attempts a 23 and a 50 yard effort. He was a perfect three for three on his extra point attempts.

CAR Rush Defense - The Carolina rush defense held the Cardinals to a total of 50 total rushing yards on the day, but gave up a two yard touchdown run. The low stats are more of a total of the Cardinals throwing on 49 of the 67 total plays on the day. They forced one fumble.

CAR Pass Defense - The Carolina pass defense gave up 381 yards and two short touchdown passes. Although, the team had one interception, and recorded two sacks, they pressured Warner often. The longest completion given up on the day was 31 yards.

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Oakland Raiders 10, Baltimore Ravens 29

What you need to know

Oakland Raiders - Just when you think they're about to turn it around and get it all together, the Raiders are beaten by 19 points. The score was a bit deceiving though, since the Raiders passing game was without any supplemental running game whatsoever.

QB JaMarcus Russell was impressive, completing nearly half of his passes for 228 yards, one TD, and one interception. With no running game to speak of, the defense was keyed in on Russell for most of the game and he did what he could to try and carry the Raiders to victory.

The Raiders running game was nearly non-existent, with Justin Fargas getting the starting nod after Darren McFadden was pronounced out with an injury. Fargas and fellow running back Michael Bush could get nothing going against the stout Ravens defense, which proved again to be one of the best run defenses in the league.

Besides breakout wide receiver Chaz Schilens and tight end Zach Miller, none of the other Raiders receivers stood out much, although they did contribute. Combined, Schilens and Miller hauled in five passes for 132 yards which ended up being 56% of the Raiders total offensive yardage on the day.

Baltimore Ravens - Following an impressive win over the Dolphins last week, the Ravens did exactly what many expected them to against the Raiders. They shut down the running game, contained the passing game, and scored enough points early on to keep the game out of reach.

QB Joe Flacco completed exactly half of his passes for 140 yards and one touchdown. A la: Exactly what the Ravens needed him to do -- no more, no less.

Running backs Willis McGahee, Ray Rice, and Le'Ron McClain worked well to complement one another, rushing a combined 38 times for 154 yards and one TD. McGahee got the bulk of the carries (with 23) while Rice and McClain had eight and seven, respectively.

None of the Ravens wide receivers had what you could call a standout day, save for Demetrius Williams. Williams' 70 yards and one touchdown all came on just one reception, which was in large part due to a blown coverage by the Raiders' secondary.

What you ought to know

QB JaMarcus Russell, Pass: 15 - 33 - 228 - 1 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 1 - 13 - 0 - Russell did his best to keep the Raiders in the game with his arm, but without any semblance of a running game, the Ravens defense ended up being too tough to overcome. Against such a strong defense, and without any risk of the running game producing, the LSU alum had a very respectable day in the wake of the aforementioned conditions. Although the offense is far from clicking and becoming a consistent, explosive unit, Russell appears to be progressing very well in his first full year as a starting QB.

RB Justin Fargas, Rush: 12 - 24 - 0 - Fargas was held to two yards per carry and was completely ineffective along with Michael Bush. He was only given 12 carries, 11 of which came in the first half. In fact, the Raiders only rushed four times total in the second half of the game. Fargas didn't show much with the carries he was given in the first half, so the Raiders must have realized they weren't getting anywhere in the game by running the ball. Its unlikely Fargas would have cracked fifty yards even if the team continued running in the third and fourth quarter, but that is more of a testament to the Ravens rushing defenses than a detrimental statement about Fargas.

RB Michael Bush, Rush: 5 - 8 - 0, Rec: 1 - 9 - 0 (2 targets) - The "other" Bush was nearly non-existent in the game. He only gained eight yards on just five carries, but also tacked on nine yards with his only reception. You'd be hard pressed to find anything positive from his day, but 17 total yards is better than none.

RB Justin Griffith, Rush: 1 - 2 - 0, Rec: 1 - 2 - 1 (2 targets) - Griffith both ran and caught the ball once, gaining a total of two years on each. However his passing reception was for a touchdown, which made his overall stat line slightly more impressive.

WR Chaz Schilens, Rec: 3 - 76 - 0 (5 targets) - Schilens continued his campaign for the Raiders WR1 spot on Sunday, hauling in three receptions (the most on the team) for 76 yards.

WR Ronald Curry, Rec: 2 - 13 - 0 (4 targets) - Curry only managed to convert half of his targets into receptions, finishing the day with 13 yards and two receptions.

WR Javon Walker, Rec: 2 - 28 - 0 (4 targets) - Walker finished with the third most receiving yards on the team Sunday, tallying up 28 yards on just two receptions. He's still being targeted, but no longer as much as some of the other receivers on the team.

WR Johnnie Lee Higgins, Rec: 2 - 16 - 0 (3 targets) - Higgins played a bit role on offense along with fellow wide out Ronald Curry, hauling in two balls for just 16 yards.

WR Ashley Lelie, Rec: 1 - 23 - 0 (6 targets) - Lelie was the most targeted receiver on the day but managed to finish the day with the least receptions. The one pass he hauled in did go for 23 yards however. He is tied along with tight end Zach Miller for the most targets on the team thus far with 33.

TE Zach Miller, Rec: 2 - 56 - 0 (5 targets) - Although Miller only caught two balls on Sunday, those balls went for a total of 56 yards. He was targeted five times on the day and is tied for most on the team along with Ashley Lelie with 33.

PK Sebastian Janikowski 1 - 1 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 4 points - Janikowski converted both his extra point attempt and 22 yard field goal. The two attempts were his only ones for the day.

OAK Rush Defense - The Raiders rush defense could not stop the Ravens trio of running backs, allowing them to rush for a combined 154 yards and one touchdown. It was definitely not the best day the unit has had to date.

OAK Pass Defense - Although rookie QB Joe Flacco was held to 140 yards, a blown coverage assignment accounted for exactly half of those yards. It also resulted in a total of seven points for the Ravens.

QB Joe Flacco, Pass: 12 - 24 - 140 - 1 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 4 - 23 - 1, Rec: 1 - 43 - 0 (1 targets) - Flacco did exactly what he needed to in managing the game, which in turn opened up the running game. He looks to be progressing steadily and also appears to be more and more comfortable with each and every start. Perhaps the most important stat for the rookie QB was that he threw zero interceptions on the day. He also caught a trick-play pass from backup QB Troy Smith which was a trip up away from a touchdown, and showed his mobility with a 13 yard scamper for a rushing TD.

QB Troy Smith, Pass: 1 - 1 - 43 - 0 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 3 - 13 - 0 - Smith ran three times for 13 yards and completed a trick pass play to Joe Flacco for 43 yards on his only passing attempt. It appears the Ravens are planning on using Smith and his mobility in the Joshua Cribbs (Browns) and Ronnie Brown (Dolphins) mismatched formations mold.

RB Willis McGahee, Rush: 23 - 58 - 1, Rec: 2 - -1 - 0 (3 targets) - McGahee was given the bulk of the overall carries (about 60%) and although he only had 58 yards rushing, he did score one touchdown. He looks healthy and like his former shifty self, and it also appears that the Ravens organization still has full confidence in him as their number one RB.

RB Ray Rice, Rush: 8 - 64 - 0, Rec: 3 - 37 - 0 (3 targets) - After a vanilla start to the season, Rice has really come on during the past few weeks. In Sunday's game against the Raiders he had 64 rushing yards on eight attempts and 37 receiving yards on three receptions. Not a bad day fantasy wise.

RB LeRon McClain, Rush: 7 - 32 - 0, Rec: 1 - 1 - 0 (4 targets) - McClain did what he's done all year on Sunday, and that is run powerfully and downhill. He racked up a 4.6 yards per carry average on seven attempts (32 yards) and apparently showed enough while Willis McGahee was injured to warrant the coaching staff to stick with a three-headed rushing attack. McClain and Rice each bring different things to the table and although a three back RBBC is incredibly uncommon, it is perhaps the perfect complement to their game-managing, rookie QB, Joe Flacco.

WR Derrick Mason, Rec: 1 - 3 - 0 (5 targets) - Despite being targeted the most on the team with five targets, Mason only managed to catch one ball for 3 yards.

WR Mark Clayton, Rush: 1 - 2 - 0 (1 targets) - Clayton was active for week eight despite being listed as questionable. He did not manage to contribute anything and was only targeted once. It is still unclear on whether the reason he was listed on the injury report had anything to do with his poor day.

WR Demetrius Williams, Rec: 1 - 70 - 1 (3 targets) - Williams only caught one of his three targets, and it was quite the doozy. The catch went for 70 yards and a touchdown but was due primarily to a Ravens' defensive backs blown coverage. Still, the catch, yards, and touchdown will all go into the history books.

TE Todd Heap, Rec: 2 - 17 - 0 (3 targets) - Heap caught two passes for 17 yards for the day. His 2008 season is quickly becoming severely disappointing, although his production is expected to increase as rookie QB Joe Flacco learns the ropes as a signal caller.

TE Daniel Wilcox, Rec: 2 - 13 - 0 (2 targets) - Wilcox managed to catch both of his targets for 13 receiving yards.

PK Matt Stover 2 - 2 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 9 points - Stover converted on both of his field goal attempts, including a long one for 38 yards. He also kicked all three of his extra point attempts straight thru the uprights.

BAL Rush Defense - The Ravens rushing defense proved without a doubt that they are the top rushing defense in the league on Sunday. They held all Raiders running backs to just 34 yards and forced the Raiders coaches to completely abandon the game in the second half.

BAL Pass Defense - While the passing defense didn't shut down the Raiders passing attack entirely, they definitely contained it and picked off one of JaMarcus Russell's 33 passes.

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Washington Redskins 25, Detroit Lions 17

What you need to know

Washington Redskins - QB Jason Campbell took advantage of facing the soft Detroit defense to put together a big day with only five incompletions on almost 30 pass attempts, a TD and no interceptions.

RB Clinton Portis went through a roller-coaster day that saw some huge plays, but also some frustration with his playing time that led to a sideline run-in with his head coach.

WR Santana Moss was the primary beneficiary of Campbell's huge day, and he racked up 140 yards and a passing TD. In addition, he added an 80 yard punt return for a score.

Detroit Lions - QB Dan Orlovsky got off to a slow start, but as the game progressed improved his performance. While he only tallied one passing TD and just over 200 yards, he avoided any dumb plays or turnovers.

The Detroit running game never got on track, and while RB Rudi Johnson did notch a score on the ground, neither he nor rookie RB Kevin Smith did much of anything else all game long.

As the Lions' only real offensive weapon, WR Calvin Johnson saw lots of defensive attention. Given his skill set, however, he was able to break free for a couple of big plays including a 17 yard TD reception.

What you ought to know

QB Jason Campbell, Pass: 23 - 28 - 328 - 1 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 3 - -2 - 0 - Any QB who has the Detroit Lions on their schedule has probably circled that date on their calendar. Sunday, it was Campbell's turn and he did not disappoint. Despite dropping back to pass 31 times (that's including those plays called back due to penalty), Campbell finished the day with only five incompletions. Three of those came on a single second quarter drive, but even two of those would have been complete to WR Santana Moss along the left sideline if Moss had been more careful with his feet on the first, and wasn't forced out on the second. The rest of the day Campbell seemed unstoppable as he fired passes all over the field. He always seemed to find the open man and place the ball exactly where it needed to be. His longest single pass was also his single TD throw of the day. It came late in the third quarter as he hit a streaking Moss along the right sideline for a 50 yard score. If there was a downside to Campbell's day, it was his inability to hold onto the ball when hit in the backfield. Two out of the three times that Campbell was sacked, he lost control of the ball, losing it to the Detroit defense on one occasion.

RB Clinton Portis, Rush: 24 - 126 - 0, Rec: 1 - 6 - 0 (1 targets) - Portis owners were likely salivating over this match-up against the Lions' defense, and early on it looked as if Portis was in for a monster day. On his first two carries Portis showed impressive speed as he burst through the line and zig-zagged for 17 yards each time. After these runs, however, the Lions' defense seemed to buckle down and Portis had a much more difficult time gaining ground. While he would sporadically break free for an eight or ten yard gain, these instances were definitely the exception and not the rule. As a result, the Washington coaching staff called QB Jason Campbell's number more and more often as he displayed a hot hand in the passing game and rotated fellow RB Shaun Alexander in regularly. At one point in the second quarter cameras captured a moment of tension between Portis -- who was clearly unhappy with his limited usage -- and his head coach, Jim Zorn. Finally, after almost three quarters of Washington playing from behind, the Redskins took the lead and thus turned back to Portis to chew up yards and the clock. During Washington's only possession in the game's final period, Portis took the hand-off on four consecutive plays, with the last going for 31 yards.

WR Santana Moss, Rec: 9 - 140 - 1 (11 targets) - There are probably high fantasy expectations owners have when they play an NFL team's #1 WR against the woeful Detroit pass defense. Whatever those expectations might be, Moss certainly met them, and it began on the first play of the game as he hauled in a 20 pass along the left sideline. Sixty minutes later, he had ended the game as QB Jason Campbell's favorite target, and not only notched 140 receiving yards and a TD, he added a second TD on an electrifying 80 yard fourth quarter spinning-and-weaving punt return for a score. Up until that return, Detroit had been giving the Redskins a fight -- indeed Washington had only managed to take the lead in the game for the first time with less than 5 minutes remaining in the third quarter. Washington took that lead on Moss' receiving score where he scooped in a 25 yard pass along the right sideline and then outran the pursuing defensive backs to make it into the end-zone.

WR Antwaan Randle El, Rec: 3 - 47 - 0 (3 targets) - While QB Jason Campbell had an impressive day throwing the ball, few of those pass attempts went Randle El's way. While he finished the day as the Redskin's third most targeted pass catcher, it was by a wide margin behind Santana Moss (11) and Chris Cooley (10). Fortunately for his owners, Randle El converted on each of the three passes thrown his way, and even more fortunately, the last of those three was a 31 yard third quarter reception. On that play Campbell hit Randle El on a 20 yard crossing pattern and the receiver added almost a dozen more yards by weaving through the Lions' defenders.

TE Chris Cooley, Rec: 6 - 74 - 0 (10 targets) - Cooley was the red hot QB Jason Campbell's second favorite target on the day as he was regularly able to either get open in Detroit's soft secondary or take short screens and bull through the defense. While the numbers he finished the day with were certainly worthy of one of the league's best receiving TEs, were it not for some unfortunate penalties as the first quarter wound down, Cooley would have added another two receptions an additional 36 yards. That would have been enough to push him over the century mark.

PK Shaun Suisham 4 - 5 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 13 points - Suisham had a busy day as he was called upon to kick five field goals. While he connected on four from the distances of 25, 47, 45 and 42, he missed a second quarter 50 yarder that he pushed wide right.

WAS Rush Defense - The Redskins' run defense was stifling all day long and prevented either Detroit RB from getting anything going. Of the 57 yards given up on the ground almost half came on two scrambles by Lions QB Dan Orlovsky and a reverse to WR Calvin Johnson. Detroit's RBs only gained only 33 yards on 12 carries all day. It was not a perfect performance, however, as the defense did give up an 11 yard TD run to RB Rudi Johnson at the end of Detroit's second drive.

WAS Pass Defense - While Washington registered a sack the second time that Detroit QB Dan Orlovsky dropped back to pass, it would be their only one of the day. While they were able to get some consistent pressure, it was not that intense and so Orlovsky, as the game wore on, was able to get more and more comfortable in the pocket. In the defensive backfield, the Redskins were unable to force any mistakes, and while they did as well as could be expected keeping WR Calvin Johnson under some semblance of control, they did give up plenty of shorter passes to other receivers and RB Kevin Smith. In the end, the Redskins' effort in pass defense could best be characterized as a successful bend but don't break performance.

QB Dan Orlovsky, Pass: 21 - 35 - 223 - 1 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 2 - 17 - 0 - It was clear during the first half of the game that the Detroit coaching staff was not eager to have Orlovsky airing the ball out, and he did little to change their minds on those occasions when he actually did drop back to pass. While he wasn't responsible for any turnovers, by the intermission Orlovsky had completed only three of his nine pass attempts -- though one was a 31 completion on a play-action pass down the left sideline to his team's best offensive weapon, WR Calvin Johnson, that set up Detroit's first TD on the following play, and another went deep over the middle to an open Shaun McDonald. In the second half, especially once Washington took the lead, Orlovsky was allowed a little more lee-way, and he responded reasonably well. While he was unable to do more than engineer three three-and-outs on Detroit's first few second half-possessions, as the game entered its fourth period Orlovsky seemed to find a groove, exploited the Redskins' softening defense and registered his single TD pass of the contest. Truth be told, the 17 yard TD was more a result of Calvin Johnson's play-making to get the ball across the plane than anything else, but Orlovsky does deserve some credit for giving his receiver a chance to make that play.

RB Kevin Smith, Rush: 4 - 12 - 0, Rec: 7 - 50 - 0 (8 targets) - Once again, Smith's value was established not in the rushing game (where he was only given four carries and racked up only 12 yards), but in the passing game. Smith regularly released out of the backfield to set up as QB Dan Orlovsky's safety valve either in the flat or underneath the coverage. In this role he saw plenty of opportunity as he tied for the team lead in targets. Of the eight passes sent his way, he caught seven and converted them into 50 yards.

RB Rudi Johnson, Rush: 8 - 21 - 1, Rec: 1 - 10 - 0 (1 targets) - Despite the fact that the Lions were playing with the lead for almost three quarters of the game, and had QB Dan Orlovsky under center, the inability of the offensive line to regularly open any holes made the passing game the first offensive option for the Lions. As a result, the entire Lions' squad only rushed 15 times on the day, with Johnson getting the call on just over half. Johnson was unable to do much of anything with his eight opportunities. Fortunately, the one time he did break an impact run it went for an 11 yard score as he burst through the line and barely kept his knees off the turf as he stumbled across the goal-line. As usual, Johnson was not a factor in the passing game.

WR Shaun McDonald, Rec: 5 - 68 - 0 (8 targets) - With the Redskins defense focused on stopping fellow WR Calvin Johnson, McDonald ended the day tied with RB Kevin Smith as QB Dan Orlovsky's favorite receiver with eight targets. McDonald caught five of these to lead the team with 68 yards, but more than a third of the yards come on the Lions' first passing play of the second quarter. On that play McDonald was able to find some space between two defenders and make the easy grab.

WR Calvin Johnson, Rush: 1 - 7 - 0, Rec: 4 - 57 - 1 (6 targets) - As the Lions' sole legitimate offensive star, Johnson was the focus of the Redskins defense all day long. As such, his opportunities to make plays were few, and he saw only six targets on the day. When given the chance, however, Johnson did tend to make things happen. In the first half Johnson only saw two passes thrown his way, but he hauled in one of them for 31 yards on a play action pass down the left sideline that set up the Lions' first TD on the following play. On the second pass he just missed hauling in a 24 yard TD toss in the end-zone. In the second half, Johnson was again blanketed much of the time, but midway through the fourth quarter he took a short pass and fought through defenders for 17 yards before stretching out the ball while getting his head-wrenched around with a face mask to get it into the end zone for six points.

WR Mike Furrey (6 targets) - If Furrey was hoping to convince his coaches that he should be given more opportunities in Detroit's post-Roy Williams era, he failed miserably. Despite getting as many targets as fellow WR Calvin Johnson (and only two less than the team leaders) Furrey failed to catch a single one of them.

TE Michael Gaines, Rec: 2 - 28 - 0 (2 targets) - The TE is not a focus in the Detroit offense, and this game was no different. Gaines had the best day amongst Lions' TEs and yet he only received two targets -- both in the fourth quarter. While one of them went for a 21 yard completion, it would be a mistake to consider him a realistic option at his position.

PK Jason Hanson 1 - 1 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 5 points - Hanson made the only field goal he was called upon to kick -- a 43 yarder in the second quarter that gave the Lions a 10-3 lead.

DET Rush Defense - Early on the Detroit rush defense looked like they were in trouble as they gave up 34 yards on Washington RB Clinton Portis' first two carries. After that, however, they stiffened significantly and were able to keep the running game from getting out of hand -- including an impressive goal-line stand on the Redskins' first drive. While the Detroit defense really only gave up one more big rushing play (a 31 yard run late in the fourth quarter) the inability of the pass defense to make any stops meant the Redskins had plenty of opportunities to rush the ball and thus still racked up 135 yards.

DET Pass Defense - While they did notch three sacks of Washington QB Jason Campbell, the Detroit pass rush was sporadic throughout the game. More often than not, they were either unable to generate any meaningful pressure, or Campbell was able to avoid the rush. With all that time to look downfield, Campbell was able to shred the Detroit secondary and only five of his 28 passes fell incomplete with Detroit collecting no INTs.

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San Diego Chargers 32, New Orleans Saints 37

What you need to know

San Diego Chargers - RB LaDainian Tomlinson looked the best he has all season. Right from the outset, he looked like he had his old burst back and it showed up in the statistics. With the team on a bye next week and two full weeks to recover, Tomlinson should be fully back to normal for the stretch run.

QB Philip Rivers played an exceptional game, just about duplicating the stats of opposing QB Drew Brees.

TE Antonio Gates put up his best stats of the season and finally looks to be 100% healthy. He was the guy Rivers looked to most frequently in key spots, much like he has in the past.

New Orleans Saints - QB Drew Brees continued his impressive campaign, putting up his sixth 300 yard game of the season to go along with three more scores - and made it look easy.

Despite the absence of RB Reggie Bush, the New Orleans offense didn't miss a beat out of the backfield. Deuce McAllister, Pierre Thomas, Aaron Stecker, and Mike Karney combined for 153 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns.

TE Jeremy Shockey and WR Marques Colston both played, but the team used a balanced approach. WR Lance Moore and TE Billy Miller were the primary beneficiaries of the approach.

What you ought to know

QB Philip Rivers, Pass: 25 - 40 - 341 - 3 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 1 - -1 - 0 - Statistically, Rivers matched his former teammate and mentor Drew Brees play for play. Rivers threw for just two fewer yards on one fewer pass than Brees, and matched his three touchdown passes. The touchdown passes were all very good throws, and he was given a lot of time by his linemen. He used that time to made good decisions on just about all of his passes, and appeared poised to tie the game up on a drive late in the fourth quarter. Realistically, Rivers needed to make just a few more plays. It was the one interception that proved too costly for the Chargers. Rivers led a comeback that nearly overcame the shoddy play of the defense. San Diego trailed 37-20 in the fourth quarter before two scoring drives cut it to 37-30. Rivers, facing a third and long situation, forced a poor pass into tight coverage to WR Chris Chambers, and had it intercepted by LB Jonathan Vilma off a deflection. He had one last-gasp Hail Mary pass attempt with one second left in the game, but it was batted down in the end zone by the defense.

Rivers' afternoon contained a few near-misses as well. The big comeback may not have been necessary had Vincent Jackson been able to come down with a long touchdown reception early in the second half. Rivers laid a perfect pass right in Jackson's hands that should have gone for a 72 yard touchdown, but Jackson allowed the ball to slip right through his grasp. The Chargers punted on the possession. Rivers later lost a seven yard touchdown pass to TE Brandon Manumaleuna when the play was negated due to a penalty. However, it should also be noted that if it weren't for the holding penalty Rivers wouldn't have had enough time to find Manumaleuna.

RB LaDainian Tomlinson, Rush: 19 - 105 - 0, Rec: 5 - 65 - 1 (9 targets) - From his very first carry of the game, Tomlinson looked to be a different runner than the one we've seen since Week 2. If you haven't traded for him already, it may be too late. He looked very good with the ball in his hands, and made all the moves we've grown accustomed to seeing him make. Perhaps most importantly, he never left the game at any point due to toe issues and he was in the lineup on all of the critical series. He was getting the yardage that the offensive line was opening up for him, and then some. On two occasions, he was hit for a minimal gain but spun out of tackles to pick up extra yards (one of those going for forty yards on a third down and one carry). On his touchdown reception, he caught the pass over the middle and quickly planted to avoid the tackle of LB Jonathan Vilma. He then scampered up the middle before falling into the end zone. It was definitely his best cut-back of the 2008 season to this point. On San Diego's next to last possession, he took a dump-off in the flat and quickly shot upfield for 32 yards, further evidence of his return to full health.

RB Darren Sproles, Rush: 1 - 6 - 0, Rec: 3 - 45 - 0 (1 targets) - With LaDainian Tomlinson looking as close to 100% as he has all season long, it was no surprise that Sproles saw just one carry in the game. He did record three receptions in the passing game on dump-offs over the middle, but his role is clearly that of backup and not complement, going forward. He also had an extremely costly fumble during a kick return, though that won't affect his role in that capacity going forward.

WR Chris Chambers, Rec: 5 - 47 - 0 (9 targets) - Chambers had a very quiet five receptions despite the volume of passes thrown his way. After one reception on one first half target, he was thrown to once on a deep route and once in the end zone early in the second half, though both fell incomplete. He was also the target of an ill-advised Philip Rivers pass late in the fourth quarter that was intercepted to all but end the game. Chambers was triple-covered on the play.

WR Vincent Jackson, Rec: 4 - 60 - 1 (7 targets) - Jackson's performance over the last few weeks didn't do much to earn him very many extra looks in this game. He did put up sixty yards and a score, but his involvement was very irregular. He saw just two passes head his way in the first half. And in the second half, with San Diego throwing on nearly every play, he saw just five more during the furious comeback. His touchdown grab was a terrific effort along the sideline of the end zone when Jackson dove for the pass and managed to get both of his knees inbounds before falling over the sideline. He missed out on a huge play when a perfectly-thrown deep ball from Philip Rivers went right through his hands. He had beaten the defender and was wide open for what would've been a 72 yard touchdown on San Diego's first drive of the second half.

WR Malcom Floyd, Rec: 1 - 21 - 0 (3 targets) - Floyd caught just one pass, but it was a fantastic catch. He used all of his 6'5" frame to out-leap several defenders to make a great catch in a lot of traffic. With Chris Chambers back from injury, Floyd's opportunities will be reduced from this point forward. Still, with Craig Davis still out, Floyd appears to have carved out a niche as the team's third wide receiver option.

TE Antonio Gates, Rec: 6 - 96 - 1 (7 targets) - Gates really looked like himself for the first time this season. While most San Diego receivers had extremely quiet first halves, Gates had four receptions and a score before the end of the first half. He put up two more receptions in the second half, including a critical fourth down reception when San Diego was attempting to tie the game. The touchdown grab was a very nice grab along the sideline. He barely managed to keep his feet in on the play, but he was clearly in. That wasn't even his best catch of the game; his best catch would be the tremendous leaping snag late in the first quarter when he leaped high in the air and snatched the ball away from several defenders. The Saints looked unable to hang with Gates, who beat their defenders off the line and down the field at will. He appeared to be fully healthy, and looks poised to have a big second half now that he is back to form.

TE Brandon Manumaleuna, Rec: 1 - 7 - 0 (3 targets) - Manumaleuna caught just one pass, but what was noteworthy was that he had a five yard touchdown reception negated after a holding penalty was called. The play would not have gone for a score had it not been for the penalty, which gave Philip Rivers enough time to find Manumaleuna.

PK Nate Kaeding 3 - 3 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 12 points - Kaeding connected on all three of his field goal attempts, the longest coming from just 33 yards out. Kaeding has now made 33 consecutive field goals from inside the 40 yard line. Also of note was a perfectly executed surprise onside kick. While that has little fantasy relevance, it's another positive result on his ledger for the afternoon.

SD Rush Defense - Early on, the Chargers did very little to stop Deuce McAllister and company. On most carries, the Saints were able to push the Chargers backward and pick up extra yards. And if the defense didn't get the push up front, they were pushed even further back by some nice wide receiver blocking downfield. As the game went on, it became a true shootout where both teams kept piling on the points. It got to the point where just about every play was a pass play, so even though the Chargers weren't doing much to stop the Saints they Saints kind of stopped running. Late in the game, owners of the San Diego defense caught a large break. With the Saints up by seven, HC Sean Payton opted to have Drew Brees run backwards into the end zone and throw the ball away for an intentional safety rather than punt the ball on fourth down. This not only gave the San Diego defense two extra points for the safety, but it also took 26 rushing yards away from New Orleans' stat line.

SD Pass Defense - As has been the case all season long, San Diego had absolutely no ability to get anywhere near the opposing quarterback. That lack of pressure, in turn, enabled Drew Brees to pick out which open receiver he wanted to throw to on just about every play. From beginning to end, Brees made every play he needed to make and made it look easy for New Orleans to drive for scores from any spot on the field. The San Diego defensive front got close to sacking Brees twice on the opening possession, but whiffed both times. After that, he almost would've needed to telescope to see them. The defensive backs were forced to cover the receivers for so long that eventually, everyone broke free at some point. To make matters worse, the coverage wasn't all that great at the start of the plays, either. They were beaten right off the line, deep downfield, on the sidelines -- pretty much every way a defense can be beaten, the Chargers were. Additionally, a pass interference penalty on Cletis Gordon helped set up a rushing touchdown (which won't necessarily be counted against the passing unit even though it should be).

Even their one big moment, a diving interception by S Eric Weddle, ended up getting overturned after officials determined the ball hit the ground. CB Quentin Jammer was shaken up late in the third quarter and left the game, but no update was given on his condition.

QB Drew Brees, Pass: 30 - 41 - 339 - 3 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 1 - -26 - 0 - Brees played extremely well, but was also given a lot of help by his offensive line. He was nearly sacked twice on the opening drive, but that was the extent of any pass rush mustered by the Chargers. He was afforded tremendous protection, which gave him extra time on every pass to make the best decisions. Brees completed passes to eight different receivers (would have been nine had Pierre Thomas not lost a reception due to a penalty). He never locked onto one player, because he didn't need to. If the Chargers focused on one guy, the Saints simply threw it to someone else that was wide open. His day could've gone even better, but Lance Moore was tackled down at the one yard line following a reception (Deuce McAllister ran one in on the next play). And soon after, Brees badly misfired on a deep pass to Devery Henderson that should have gone for a 49 yard touchdown. Henderson had beaten his defender, but Brees underthrew him and it fell incomplete. That said, Brees caught a couple of breaks along the way as well. There was a ball that deflected off the hands of TE Billy Miller that was seemingly intercepted by Steve Gregory, but the play was ruled an incompletion. Later, S Eric Weddle jumped a route and came up with a diving interception. New Orleans challenged the call, however, and it was ruled that Weddle failed to maintain possession of the ball all the way to the ground.

About the only real negative on the afternoon for Brees was the unfortunate result of a strategic decision by HC Sean Payton. With the Saints leading by seven, Payton opted to have Brees take the snap and run the ball into the end zone before throwing it away for the intentional safety. Since Brees needed to throw the ball backwards, that made it a lateral and Brees was hit with a 26 yard rushing loss and a fumble on the play.

RB Deuce McAllister, Rush: 18 - 55 - 1, Rec: 4 - 30 - 0 (4 targets) - McAllister, filling in for injured Reggie Bush, performed well enough in the running game to help keep the pressure off QB Drew Brees. McAllister was also playing with the knowledge that he may soon be facing a suspension for possibly violating the league's performance enhancer policy. He saw regular action both on the ground and through the air, and caught a break when the Saints were stopped short of scoring on a third down pass play. Sean Payton opted to go for it on fourth and goal from the one yard line, and McAllister pushed his way in off the left tackle

RB Aaron Stecker, Rush: 2 - 9 - 0, Rec: 5 - 27 - 0 (5 targets) - Stecker saw regular work in the passing game, but was clearly nothing more than one of several backups to Deuce McAllister. He did see one reception in the red zone, taking a three yard pass to the five yard line before losing his footing and getting taken down.

RB Pierre Thomas, Rush: 3 - 28 - 0 (1 targets) - Thomas was a distant second option in the rushing game and was all but nonexistent in the passing game. His fantasy value is very tied to the health of Reggie Bush, but if Thomas is only going to get three touches even with Bush out of the lineup, it'll be tough for him to make a fantasy impact going forward.

WR Lance Moore, Rec: 6 - 90 - 1 (10 targets) - Despite a quiet second half (two targets), Moore was the big receiving threat for the Saints in this game. He was wrapped up right on the doorstep to the end zone on a second quarter reception, stopping him just short. Deuce McAllister scored on the next play. But Moore was able to get on the scoreboard later that very same quarter when he beat two San Diego defenders to haul in a diving touchdown catch in the back of the end zone. Despite the lack of action after halftime, Moore was still the most heavily-targeted wide receiver, with only TE Billy Miller seeing more passes head his way (6) in the second half.

WR Devery Henderson, Rec: 3 - 34 - 1 (4 targets) - Henderson's solid fantasy game could have been exceptional if Drew Brees had been able to put a little more air under a deep ball to him late in the second quarter. Henderson beat his man deep downfield for what should have been a 49 yard touchdown pass, but Brees underthrew the ball and it fell incomplete. Henderson wasn't thrown to again the rest of the game and was last seen limping off the field midway through the fourth quarter.

WR Marques Colston, Rec: 2 - 56 - 0 (4 targets) - Colston was surprisingly quiet in his second game back from injury. He caught just two passes, with one of them a quick slant that enabled him to turn upfield for a big 49 yard gain. He was targeted once in the end zone and was actually briefly open, but S Clinton Hart made a very nice play by tipping the ball away at the last moment.

TE Billy Miller, Rec: 7 - 82 - 0 (11 targets) - Miller became the latest in a long line of tight ends who have put up big numbers against the Chargers this season. While he didn't find the end zone, he was looked to on two of the most critical plays of the entire game. He was the target of a fourth down completion early in the third quarter, a drive that eventually led to a Mark Campbell touchdown. And he was also the target of a key third down conversion late in the fourth quarter. After the Chargers had seized the momentum and cut a 17 point lead down to just seven, the Saints faced a third down and five. Miller got open over the middle for a 15 yard pickup. The Saints eventually punted on the drive, but not before another two minutes had run off the clock.

TE Mark Campbell, Rec: 2 - 14 - 1 (2 targets) - Campbell was the recipient of a one yard touchdown off play-action but was quiet other than that.

TE Jeremy Shockey, Rec: 1 - 6 - 0 (2 targets) - It's tough to have a quieter game than Shockey had. He wasn't on the field all that much, only coming in to give Billy Miller a break. Shockey did not start in the game, and the other tight ends performed very well in his stead (9-96-1).

PK Taylor Mehlhaff 1 - 1 FG, 4 - 5 XP, 7 points - Clearly, the Saints haven't got much faith in Mehlhaff. After connecting on an easy 23 yard field goal on the team's opening possession, he banged an extra point off the left upright on the next score. Several possessions later, the Saints had an opportunity to kick a 31 yard field goal that would have put them up 26-17. Instead, they opted to go for it on fourth and two. They converted the play, and went on to score a touchdown on the drive.

NO Rush Defense - The Saints were the unfortunate recipients of LaDainian Tomlinson's first healthy performance in about two months. He was quick and elusive, and showed off many of his trademark moves en route to a 105 yard performance. Fortunately for New Orleans, they established a big lead heading into the fourth quarter and the Chargers were forced to throw the ball a lot. This kept Tomlinson from wearing them down in the run game, something that seemed inevitable at the outset when he was running wild.

NO Pass Defense - New Orleans defenders seemed to have a lot of trouble matching up with the size of the San Diego receivers. Both Malcolm Floyd and Antonio Gates made tough leaping catches in traffic when they were seemingly covered on the play. And both Gates and Vincent Jackson made nice catches in the end zone along the sideline on lob passes that were thrown over the top of the defense. They had a lot of trouble getting pressure on Philip Rivers, evidenced by their zero sacks. And they could have had an even worse stat line had it not been for Vincent Jackson dropping a sure 72 yard touchdown pass in the third quarter. But the Saints pass defense came up big when it mattered most. Using a three-man rush and dropping everyone else back into coverage, they had three players around the football intended for Chris Chambers on San Diego's last drive. The ball was deflected up in the air twice before settling into the waiting arms of LB Jonathan Vilma for an interception that essentially ended San Diego's hopes for a victory.

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Cincinnati Bengals 6, Houston Texans 35

What you need to know

Cincinnati Bengals - The Bengals could never get started against the Texans. They allowed a first quarter punt return for a touchdown and could only put together two field goal scoring drives in the first half, only to get shut out in the second.

QB Ryan Fitzpatrick threw for just 155 yards and turned the ball over three times, and while he does show some athletic flashes with his running ability out of the pocket, he showed again that he's got a long way to go.

Cedric Benson led the team in rushing with 49 yards on 13 carries and Fitzpatrick added 42 yards on seven attempts.

T.J. Houshmandzadeh had a team high eight receptions for 54 yards and Chad Johnson added five receptions for 44 yards in the passing game.

Houston Texans - Houston used the momentum from a first quarter 73 yard punt return from WR Jacoby Jones and built on it on their way to a 35-6 victory.

QB Matt Schaub was nearly flawless, as he completed 24 of 28 passes for 280 yards and three scores, one to WR David Anderson and two to WR Kevin Walter. Schaub was locked in on WR Andre Johnson who finished with 11 receptions for 143 yards, and caught all but one pass thrown his way.

RB Steve Slaton added a 20 yard rushing score and finished with 53 yards on 15 attempts and RB Ahman Green added 41 yards on nine attempts before exiting with a leg injury.

The Texans not only excelled offensively and on special teams, but their defense came up big with two sacks, two interceptions and a fumble recovery against the ailing Cincinnati offense.

What you ought to know

QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, Pass: 20 - 32 - 155 - 0 TD / 2 INT, Rush: 7 - 42 - 0 - Fitzpatrick had a rough outing against the Texans as he completed 20 of 32 passes for just 155 yards, zero scores and three turnovers. Later in the third quarter, Fitzpatrick also lost a fumble that the Texans turned into a Slaton touchdown run. Fitzpatrick did add 42 yards rushing on seven attempts, and showed some athleticism when he was flushed out of the pocket. However, that was the only bright spot in this game for the inexperienced signal caller.

RB Cedric Benson, Rush: 13 - 49 - 0, Rec: 2 - 20 - 0 (2 targets) - Cedric Benson finished with 49 yards on 13 rushes and added two receptions for 20 yards on two targets in the passing game.

RB Kenny Watson, Rush: 1 - 5 - 0 - Watson had just one rushing attempt for five yards.

WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Rush: 1 - 9 - 0, Rec: 8 - 54 - 0 (12 targets) - Houshmandzadeh finished with eight receptions for 54 yards on a team high 12 targets and added one rush for nine yards on an end around play. It seems no matter who the QB is, Houshmandzadeh is still the biggest part of the passing game plan.

WR Chad Johnson, Rec: 5 - 44 - 0 (9 targets) - Johnson was targeted nine times and finished with five receptions for 44 yards. He was targeted three times on third downs, and converted all three into first down plays.

WR Chris Henry, Rec: 1 - 3 - 0 (3 targets) - Henry was only targeted three times and finished with one reception for three yards.

TE Reggie Kelly, Rec: 4 - 34 - 0 (4 targets) - Kelly caught all four balls thrown his way for 34 yards.

PK Shayne Graham 2 - 2 FG, 0 - 0 XP, 6 points - Graham connected on field goal attempts from 43 and 32 yards out to finish with six points.

CIN Rush Defense - Cincinnati allowed just 3.5 yards per rush and a total of 109 yards on 31 attempts on the ground, but did allow one rushing score to Steve Slaton in the third quarter. However, it was clear that the Houston game plan was to attack through the air, and the success they had in their passing game gave them no purpose to lean on the running game until late in the game.

LB Rashad Jeanty led the way with seven solo tackles and two assists filling in for injured Keith Rivers.

CIN Pass Defense - The Bengals got torched by the Texans passing game. QB Matt Schaub carved through their secondary for 280 yards and three scores on 24 of 28 passing and faced hardly any pressure all game long.

DB Dexter Jackson led the secondary with six solo tackles and two assists.

QB Matt Schaub, Pass: 24 - 28 - 280 - 3 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 4 - -2 - 0 - Matt Schaub was in the zone against the Bengals struggling defense. He completed 24 of 28 passes for 280 yards and three scores. Schaub was in complete control of the offense and basically did whatever he wanted, when he wanted to in the passing game. Schaub connected with David Anderson from six yards out for his first score on a 91 yard drive and later added two touchdown passes of seven and 39 yards to WR Kevin Walter. He continued to look very comfortable in the pocket, made the right decision every time, and knows his bread is buttered with WR Andre Johnson, who he's been locked onto. Schaub did have -2 yards rushing on four rushes, but this was a superb outing for the Texans QB.

RB Steve Slaton, Rush: 15 - 53 - 1, Rec: 2 - 13 - 0 (2 targets) - Slaton received the bulk of the rushing load with 15 rushes for 53 yards that included a 20 yard touchdown run in the third quarter. Slaton again shared carried with Ahman Green, but Green left the game with an injury, so depending on his status Slaton could receive some more work in the coming weeks. He was targeted twice in the passing game and caught both passes for 13 yards.

RB Ahman Green, Rush: 9 - 41 - 0, Rec: 1 - 5 - 0 (1 targets) - Green chipped in nine rushes for 41 yards on the ground along with one reception for five yards on his only target, but left the game following a horse collar tackle and seemed to be favoring his thigh and/or groin. He seemed to be in noticeable pain on the sideline, but the scoreboard allowed the Texans to just hold him out for the rest of the game.

WR Andre Johnson, Rec: 11 - 143 - 0 (12 targets) - Johnson continued to have his way with opposing secondaries, as he caught 11 passes for 143 yards on 12 targets for Houston. Johnson converted all three of his third down targets and all in all had nine receptions that resulted in first downs. He's been in the zone lately and seems to be on the exact same page as Schaub on every route.

WR Kevin Walter, Rec: 5 - 70 - 2 (7 targets) - Kevin Walter came up with two big plays for the Texans as he caught scoring passes of seven and 39 yards and finished with five receptions for 70 yards total in the game. On his second score, Walter caught the pass as he fell to the ground, but wasn't touched until he got back on his feet and he sprinted to daylight while the Cincinnati secondary just watched.

WR David Anderson, Rec: 2 - 28 - 1 (2 targets) - Anderson made the most of his two targets as he caught both passes for 28 yards, including a six yard touchdown reception. Both of his receptions came on third down plays.

TE Owen Daniels, Rec: 3 - 21 - 0 (4 targets) - Daniels caught three of the four passes thrown his way for 21 yards.

PK Kris Brown 0 - 0 FG, 5 - 5 XP, 5 points - Brown did not attempt a field goal, but finished five of five on extra point attempts to finish with five points.

HOU Rush Defense - The Texans did allow 105 yards on 22 rushes for a 4.8 ypc average, but allowed a long run of just 12 yards, and the bulk of that average belonged to QB Ryan Fitzpatrick who was able to make some plays with his feet as he was flushed out of the pocket. Houston held Cedric Benson to 13 rushes for 49 yards, but the lead they opened up in the third quarter basically neutralized any rushing attack the Bengals may have tried to utilize.

LB Zach Diles led the way with seven solo tackles and five assists to lead the Houston front seven, but DeMeco Ryans finished with just one solo tackle and two assists.

HOU Pass Defense - The Texans pass defense was everywhere against the Bengals, as they sacked QB Ryan Fitzpatrick twice, picked off two passes and forced and recovered a fumble on their way to the big victory. For the game they gave up just 148 net passing yards.

DB Dunta Robinson led the secondary with seven solo tackles, two assists and an interception and DB Eugene Wilson also added an interception. DL Mario Williams had three solo tackles, one sack and a forced fumble to lead the defense.

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Atlanta Falcons 14, Philadelphia Eagles 27

What you need to know

Atlanta Falcons - QB Matt Ryan played admirably against a very tough Eagles blitzing defense. From the second quarter onwards Ryan was under constant pressure. He continued to have a strong rapport with wide receiver Roddy White. The pair hooked up for a pair of passing touchdowns on the day.

RB Michael Turner was never able to get untracked. The combination of a stout Eagles defense and the Falcons playing from behind led to a modest stat line for the big running back. Of note: he did have a 17 yard carry called backed on a holding penalty.

WR Roddy White had a huge game from a fantasy perspective. He had eight receptions for 113 yards and kept the Eagles secondary very busy.

Philadelphia Eagles - QB Donovan McNabb showed some of his old scrambling skills and ability to make plays with his legs. He was successful scampering away from the on-coming Falcons pass rush which helped keep the chains moving for the Eagles. McNabb also scored on a designed QB draw to tie the game late in the second half.

RB Brian Westbrook despite not being 100% healthy was an absolute force in the game. It was apparent that Westbrook was still favoring his sore ankle. However, his stat line shows that even at less then 100% percent Westbrook is still a dangerous running back both on the ground and through the air. The Falcons had no answer for Westbrook.

L.J. Smith was injured after being hit late by Falcons safety Lawyer Milloy, who drew a 15 yard personal foul penalty. Smith is reported to have a concussion and did not return to the game.

What you ought to know

QB Matt Ryan, Pass: 23 - 44 - 277 - 2 TD / 2 INT, Rush: 1 - 4 - 0 - Ryan had a very good game despite the constant pressure and blitzing. The Falcons did a good job mixing the play calling up with screens and other routes that allowed Ryan to throw on three step drops. Ryan was impressive in leading team back late in the fourth quarter to make a game of it. Ryan and receiver Roddy White continue to work on their comfort level with each other. They obviously had the two touchdowns on the day, but of note, White was the targeted receiver on both of Ryan's interceptions on the day. The second interception was a poor throw by the rookie quarterback as he woefully under threw the fade route in the red zone. It was a costly mistake.

RB Michael Turner, Rush: 17 - 58 - 0 - Turner and his stat line was a victim of the score and some decent play from the Eagles front 7. Turner showed some flashes of speed and vision when he ran North and South. He did not enjoy the same type of success on the outside plays. He did receive one carry from inside the Eagle's five yard line but was not able to score.

RB Jerious Norwood, Rush: 4 - 5 - 0, Rec: 5 - 55 - 0 (6 targets) - It was obvious that the Falcons coaching staff were trying to get the ball in Norwood's hands on the edges and when matched up against linebackers in the passing game. On the ground, Norwood found no room to run and the speedy Eagles linebackers were all over him. In the passing game, Norwood was able to find some room and beat the single coverage he drew.

RB Jason Snelling, Rec: 2 - 20 - 0 (3 targets) - Snelling saw very little action other then a screen pass and a scramble reception. He netted 20 yards on his two receptions.

RB Ovie Mughelli, Rec: 1 - 2 - 0 (1 targets) - The big fullback caught a pass for a short gain on a broken play.

WR Roddy White, Rec: 8 - 113 - 2 (16 targets) - White had a great stat line. His first touchdown was a well thrown ball from Ryan who fit the ball into a very tight space between three defenders. White did the rest and showed some great after catch ability on his way to a 55 score. Many of White's targets throughout the day were of the variety. The Falcons seemed to be attacking the deep middle and trying to prey on the Eagles desire to shut down stub running back Michael Turner. White also made a great catch at the back of the back the end zone while keeping both feet in bounds for his second score. His route running does need some work as he is not always crisp coming out his breaks. His poor running of a deep in route caused one of the two picks for the Falcons.

WR Brian Finneran, Rec: 3 - 20 - 0 (5 targets) - The veteran Finneran was used as a possession type receiver and caught most of his balls on third down. He also was targeted twice in the red zone. Unfortunately, he dropped a sure touchdown late in the fourth quarter just prior to Roddy White scoring his second touchdown of the day.

WR Michael Jenkins, Rec: 3 - 50 - 0 (6 targets) - Jenkins had a mixture of drops and receptions for short gains. His longest reception on the day came on well run deep in route.

WR Harry Douglas, Rush: 2 - 10 - 0 (2 targets) - Douglas was targeted for a deep ball and also ran an end around for a very short gain.

WR Adam Jennings (1 targets) - Jennings dropped his lone target. Also, he appeared to muff a punt late in the fourth quarter that took away any chance of an Atlanta come back. In Jennings defense, it sure looked like he never touched the ball and the Falcons had used all of their timeouts and could not challenge the play.

TE Justin Peelle, Rec: 1 - 17 - 0 (1 targets) - Peelle made a catch for a short gain late in the game.

TE Ben Hartsock (1 targets) - Was a non factor in this game.

PK Jason Elam 0 - 0 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 2 points - Elam was able to convert both of his extra point attempts.

ATL Rush Defense - They started off fairly well, however by the mid way point of the second quarter the Falcons were not able to keep Brian Westbrook under wraps. They gave up a total of 192 yards on the ground and three scores. In the second half the Eagles were picking chunks of yards on every rush.

ATL Pass Defense - They had some limited success in the first half with playing press coverage on the Eagles smaller receivers. They allowed 240 passing yards and no scores for the game.

QB Donovan McNabb, Pass: 19 - 34 - 253 - 0 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 6 - 25 - 1 - McNabb struggled early on in this game. He was over throwing his receivers many of them were wide open. The Eagles struggled to get much going until late in the half. What McNabb lacked early on in accuracy he made up his ability to extend plays with his legs. He scrambled a few times and was able to pick up positive yards and a couple of first downs. McNabb scored a rushing touchdown on a designed QB draw up the middle.

RB Brian Westbrook, Rush: 22 - 167 - 2, Rec: 6 - 42 - 0 (6 targets) - It was Westbrook's first 100 yard game this year. Like the rest of the team Westbrook started a little slowly. By late in the second quarter Westbrook got things going. The right side of his offensive line opened big holes and on some of his runs he went untouched for 10 yards. Westbrook displayed his typical elusiveness with should fakes and spin moves when needed as well. He also bounced off of a would-be Falcons tackler on his way to score his first touchdown. His second touchdown was a thing of beauty as blew through the line and made a great cut to lose the defense.

RB Correll Buckhalter, Rush: 4 - 0 - 0, Rec: 2 - 29 - 0 (2 targets) - Buckhalter was not able to generate much on the ground as he had one sizable gain called back on a penalty. In the air, Buckhalter was quiet as well. His highlight was a catch were he blew past his defender and made a nice catch for a first down.

WR Kevin Curtis, Rec: 3 - 45 - 0 (6 targets) - This was his first game of the year after returning from a sports hernia. Curtis the good route runner was astute at finding the soft spots in the Falcons defense. His big play of the game went for 25 yards.

WR DeSean Jackson, Rec: 3 - 72 - 0 (9 targets) - Jackson was only able to catch three of his nine targets on the day. He was targeted deep on the majority of his looks. His three receptions all went for over 20 yards and he still appears to be the Eagles biggest threat outside of Westbrook.

WR Hank Baskett, Rec: 1 - 8 - 0 (2 targets) - Baskett had a short gain on a crossing route and dropped an easy catch earlier in the game.

WR Greg Lewis (1 targets) - Lewis was targeted one time and was not a factor.

WR Jason Avant (1 targets) - Avant was a non factor in this game

TE L.J. Smith, Rec: 2 - 29 - 0 (5 targets) - The biggest Smith news is that he left game with an apparent concussion after a big hit from the Falcons safety Milloy. Earlier in the game McNabb over threw Smith who was wide open and would have had a huge gain and a possible score on the play.

TE Brent Celek, Rec: 2 - 28 - 0 (2 targets) - The rarely used Celek was targeted twice and made the most of his limited touches by catching them both for 28 yards. He made a nice catch on a seem route.

PK David Akers 2 - 2 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 9 points - Akers was good on his two field goal attempts from 36 and 18 yards respectively. Akers was also able to convert all three of his extra point attempts to give him seven points on the day.

PHI Rush Defense - The front seven did an admirable job of holding on of the top runners in the league Michael Turner and the dangerous Jerious Norwood to only 77 yards on the day.

PHI Pass Defense - The corners had their hands full with speedy Roddy White. They lost some and won some of those individual battles. The key for the Eagles was being able to generate enough pressure to not allow Matt Ryan the time and comfort to wait for deeper routes to open up. The Eagles secondary was able to nab two interceptions.

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St. Louis Rams 16, New England Patriots 23

What you need to know

St. Louis Rams - Marc Bulger had his best game of the season and the Rams still lost. He eclipsed 300 yards passing against the Patriots, in equal parts due to a suspect running game and the continued emergence of rookie wide receiver Donnie Avery.

Torry Holt looks like a possession receiver these days. The deep balls all went to Avery. Only one other receiver, Dante Hall, got any looks worth mentioning, and all of those came on the final drive.

The running game was sub-par but not atrocious. Starter Steven Jackson was inactive, and so Antonio Pittman took most of the carries, while being spelled by Travis Minor often on third downs.

The Rams defense is not as bad as you think they are.

New England Patriots - Matt Cassel appears to have developed some chemistry with his receivers. He was locked on to Wes Welker early, and then found Randy Moss later in the game on a number of short throws that allowed him to gain a good amount of yards after the catch. This is obviously playing more to Cassel's strength than the old Brady-Moss hookup with the deep ball.

The Patriots were also short at running back. With Laurence Maroney already out for the season, they added Lamont Jordan and Sammy Morris to the day's inactive list. Kevin Faulk and BenJarvus Green-Ellis took on most of the carries, with Faulk posting over 100 combined yards. Green-Ellis scored a TD, but otherwise did not make much of an impact.

Moss and Welker got most of Cassel's attention, with a few planned screen plays to Faulk thrown in for good measure. The Patriots used a lot of crossing routes and comeback patterns, and seemed to get better at finding space as the game wore on.

What you ought to know

QB Marc Bulger, Pass: 18 - 34 - 301 - 1 TD / 1 INT - Bulger had his best day of the season statistically, but it wasn't quite enough in the end. Three long passes to Avery counted for nearly half of his total yardage. While he was successful with this newfound connection, he was clearly too locked on to one or two receivers, which eventually worked against him as the Patriots started to figure him out. He also appeared hesitant on too many occasions and was sacked a couple of times for a lot of yards because of it. For the most part, Bulger had time in the pocket, but too often was unable to find an open man.

RB Antonio Pittman, Rush: 19 - 83 - 0, Rec: 3 - 22 - 0 (3 targets) - Pittman took over for the injured Steven Jackson and received most of the carries for the Rams. They gave him the ball early in order to establish the running game, with mixed results. He was able to break off a couple of nice runs (12, 18, 17) but the rest were all for very limited yardage. Late in the game, he had his two receptions, both for first downs.

RB Travis Minor, Rush: 4 - 8 - 0 - Minor played backup to Antonio Pittman and got only four carries on the day. With Jackson out, there was a lot of question as to who would see the carries and it was clearly Pittman in this game.

RB Dan Kreider, Rush: 1 - 0 - 0 (1 targets) - Kreider, the starting fullback, carried the ball once, and dropped the only pass that came his way.

WR Donnie Avery, Rush: 1 - -1 - 0, Rec: 6 - 163 - 1 (11 targets) - Avery was far and away the best receiver for the Rams. Bulger hit him three times for long gains, one of them a 69 yard score. Not to put a damper on his accomplishment, but once the Patriots figured out what they were doing with the deep ball (i.e.: throwing it to Avery) they shut him down, limiting him to a single 12 yard catch in the latter stages of the game.

WR Dante Hall, Rec: 4 - 47 - 0 (3 targets) - Hall was only looked to on the Rams final drive. It was a case of too little, too late, as the Patriots had already figured out -- and shut down -- the Bulger-Avery connection for a while at that point. For what it's worth, Hall did an excellent job of getting open and created two first downs. He also had a 75 yard kickoff return called back on a holding penalty.

WR Torry Holt, Rec: 3 - 28 - 0 (6 targets) - It just keeps getting worse for Holt. He was never a factor and caught only short passes when he was called upon.

WR Keenan Burton, Rush: 1 - 0 - 0, Rec: 2 - 41 - 0 (6 targets) - Burton was targeted three times in each half, but was only able to help out in the first half, with catches of 14 and 27 yards.

TE Daniel Fells (2 targets) - Fells appears to be taking over the role of pass catching tight end. Well, not literally. But he did have two targets, which is two more than any other Rams tight end.

PK Josh Brown 3 - 3 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 10 points - Brown was sharp on field goals of 20, 25, and 44 yards.

STL Rush Defense - Overall, they did a great job of shutting down the run. It's hard to gauge how meaningful that is, however, due to the fact that it was the regular 3rd down back (Kevin Faulk) and some guy who is only a few weeks removed from the practice squad (Green-Ellis).

STL Pass Defense - Their coverage was tight, which meant at first that they were giving up a lot of catches, but no yards after the catch. As the game progressed, the Patriots exploited their coverage for a lot of catch and run yardage.

QB Matt Cassel, Pass: 21 - 33 - 267 - 1 TD / 2 INT, Rush: 7 - 22 - 0 - Cassel had a pretty good day, though his final line shows more interceptions than touchdowns. He was able to find Moss and Welker all over the field, mostly on short routes, and they helped him out by adding yards after the catch. The game plan appeared to be rooted in simplicity; when he tried to do too much, it backfired. He showed good decision making, but poor awareness (for example: scrambling away from the rush, he slid to the ground while in no danger of getting hit, a full two yards short of the first down. While another time, same situation, he had passed the first down marker and took the hit instead of going down).

RB Kevin Faulk, Rush: 13 - 60 - 0, Rec: 4 - 47 - 1 (7 targets) - Faulk had a combined 107 yards and the game winning touchdown. He was used more as the game went on, and he really turned it on in the 4th quarter, rushing for four consecutive first downs (on gains of 4, 14, 7, and 5 yards) and then following it up with a 15 yard TD reception.

RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Rush: 9 - 16 - 1 - Green-Ellis was as advertised: a north-south runner who doesn't do much lateral running. He scored a short TD, but otherwise found no room, which meant that he saw less action as the game went on.

WR Randy Moss, Rec: 7 - 102 - 0 (11 targets) - This is not the Randy Moss we are used to seeing. No jump balls, no real deep attempts of any kind in fact. Moss instead proved adept at taking short passes and turning them into longer gains. Though he went without a touchdown, he was targeted three times in the end zone -- one a glaring drop that was very uncharacteristic -- and five of his seven catches were for first downs.

WR Wes Welker, Rec: 7 - 79 - 0 (12 targets) - In the first quarter, it seemed as if Welker were the only receiver the Patriots had. Cassel eventually evened out the throws between both Moss and Welker, both of whom had productive days but no touchdowns. Like Moss, Welker got first downs with all but two of his catches.

WR Jabar Gaffney, Rec: 1 - 17 - 0 (2 targets) - Gaffney caught one pass early in the game, and then went missing.

TE Ben Watson, Rec: 1 - 13 - 0 (1 targets) - Neither tight end was a big part of the passing game.

TE David Thomas, Rec: 1 - 9 - 0 (1 targets) - Neither tight end was a big part of the passing game.

PK Stephen Gostkowski 3 - 3 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 11 points - Gostkowski hit the mark on field goals of 30, 27, and 42 yards.

NE Rush Defense - Not spectacular, but good enough to stop the Rams backup running backs.

NE Pass Defense - The pass rush, while not scary, was formidable, and kept Bulger on his toes just enough to make a few key mistakes. Richard Seymour was seemingly everywhere. The secondary gave up a few deep balls (all to Avery) but improved as the game went on.

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