Dolphins 24, Panthers 17

  • It’s almost as if both teams tried their best to handicap and
    out-smart themselves in this game. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if
    John Fox and Tony Sparano met before kickoff and decided, “Hey, we run
    the ball really well, right? Let’s fool everyone and pass the ball in
    key situations! Ha! We’ll show em!”

    Early in the game, both teams dialed up long passes on 3rd-and-1 plays.
    Six of Miami’s first nine plays were passes, while Jake Delhomme
    finished with 42 attempts. Under no circumstances should Delhomme ever
    attempt 42 throws. I don’t care if it’s a five-overtime contest and his
    son is safe at home. The Panthers need to run the ball.

    Unfortunately, Fox didn’t get the memo. Delhomme finished 19-of-42 for
    227 yards, one touchdown and a pick. He also nearly tossed two more
    interceptions.

    On one sequence in the third quarter, Delhomme put on a clinic on how
    to be a horrific quarterback. On a 3rd-and-short, the Dolphins were
    caught substituting. Delhomme could have snapped it to give the
    Panthers a first down. When he didn’t, Matt Millen had an aneurysm.
    Delhomme then scanned the field, pointed out the mike linebacker, but
    underthrew his intended target for an interception. It’s been a long
    time since I’ve seen so much fail on one sequence.

  • DeAngelo Williams carried the ball only 13 times, though he
    managed to gain 122 yards. Jonathan Stewart was much less effective on
    his 12 rushes, compiling just 43 yards.

  • Steve Smith came up with seven grabs for 87 yards and a score.
  • Aside from Delhomme’s ineptness, the story for the Panthers
    was their awful tackling and their inability to stop the Dolphins on
    third downs. Miami was 7-of-15 on third downs, while Carolina was just
    3-of-13. One of the Dolphins’ conversions was an 18-yard Lex Hilliard
    draw on 3rd-and-16.

  • The Panthers couldn’t bring down Ricky Williams. He rushed
    for 119 yards on 22 carries, caught two passes for 19 more yards and
    scored three touchdowns.

  • Chad Henne was 17-of-29 for 172 yards and a score. Those
    stats don’t say much, but he did a great job converting those third
    downs.

  • Henne targeted Davone Bess the most, finding his trusted
    target six times for 63 yards. Ted Ginn actually caught four balls for
    32 yards. He came up with some amazing grabs, which had me yelling at
    the TV, “Why the f*** couldn’t you do that against the Saints!?”

  • The Dolphins suffered a barrage of injuries. Center Jake
    Grove limped off with an ankle. Jason Ferguson was carted off with a
    knee injury. Backup center Joe Berger also hurt his ankle. Reserve
    lineman Nate Garner damaged his knee, forcing Berger back into the
    contest. And despite all of this, the Panthers still couldn’t come up
    with a victory.



    Colts 17, Ravens 15

  • Matt Stover had been Baltimore’s most consistent weapon (and
    often times, only consistent weapon) for years. The Ravens decided to
    let him go this offseason in favor of Steven Hauschka, who was just
    cut. Last week, they replaced Hauschka with Billy Cundiff, who actually
    nailed five field goals in this contest, including a 46-yarder.
    However, Cundiff whiffed badly on a crucial attempt from just 30 yards.
    Stover, meanwhile, nailed the decisive kick for the Colts to send the
    Ravens to 5-5. Talk about insult to injury.

  • It was a wasted performance by Joe Flacco, who was 23-of-35
    for 256 yards and a pick where he misread a sly linebacker. Flacco
    played pretty well, but failed to throw a touchdown for the third game
    in a row after compiling 12 in his first seven games.

  • Most of Flacco’s targets went to Derrick Mason (9 catches,
    142 yards) and Ray Rice (7 catches, 64 yards). Rice also had 20 carries
    for 71 rushing yards.

  • Peyton Manning was a pretty solid 22-of-31 for 299 yards and
    a touchdown, but tossed two uncharacteristic interceptions. Manning had
    a chance to throw another score, but tight end Tom Santi Claus fumbled
    inside Baltimore’s 5-yard line.

  • Speaking of Santi Claus, he oddly caught six balls for 80
    yards, giving out coal to Dallas Clark owners everywhere. Clark had an
    impressive one-handed touchdown from three yards out, but that was the
    only reception he made all game.

  • Pierre Garcon led the team with 108 receiving yards off six
    receptions. Reggie Wayne had seven grabs for 89 yards. Austin Collie
    made just one catch (12 yards).

  • Joseph Addai received most of the work, rushing for 74 yards
    and a score on 19 carries. Donald Brown had only four attempts, as he
    was still hampered by a shoulder injury.



    Cowboys 7, Redskins 6

  • The Cowboys were chastised by many, including myself, for not running the ball nearly enough at Green Bay last week.

    It looked like offensive coordinator Jason Garrett listened to his
    critics; seven of the first nine plays in this contest went to his
    running backs. Dallas moved down the field impressively on the second
    drive, but Marion Barber fumbled in the red zone.

    This is notable because the Cowboys didn’t reach the red zone again
    until there were just four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.
    Dallas simply couldn’t put drives together, going 3-of-11 on third
    downs. Tony Romo was just 8-of-19 for 98 yards and a pick prior to the
    game-winning possession late in the contest. Fortunately for Jerry
    Jones’ sanity, Romo was sharp on that sequence (7-of-8, 60 yards).

  • Aside from Barber (20 carries, 99 yards), no one on the
    Cowboys put up solid numbers. Miles Austin-Jones led the squad with 47
    receiving yards on four catches. Jason Witten had five grabs for 43
    yards. Roy Williams, meanwhile, didn’t have a single reception, though
    he had two drops.

  • The Redskins seemed like they were in full control of this
    game. In fact, they would have won if Shaun Suisham didn’t miss two
    field goals from 39 and 50. Suisham was a perfect 12-of-12 on the year
    heading into this contest, but just one of those kicks would have given
    Washington its fourth victory of the year.

  • Jason Campbell was a solid 24-of-37 for 256 yards and an
    interception. Not a great game by any means, but the good news is that
    he once again kept his turnovers down. This has been a solid trend ever
    since Daniel Snyder hired Bingo announcer Sherm Smith about a month
    ago.

  • Ladell Betts got the start for the Redskins, but tore his MCL
    after just four carries for five yards. Rock Cartwright took over and
    finished with 140 total yards (67 rushing, 73 receiving). Get him in
    your fantasy league.

  • Santana Moss had just five grabs for 38 yards. He won’t do
    anything of note as long as this Campbell-Jim Zorn combination resides
    in Washington.



    Lions 38, Browns 37

  • Congratulations to the officials Lions for
    winning their second game of the year. Down 24-3, Detroit battled back
    twice. They had just eight seconds remaining in regulation when Matthew
    Stafford launched a Hail Mary toward the end zone as he got decked. The
    pass was picked off, and the game should have been a Cleveland victory.

    However, that’s when the officials took over. The refs called the
    Browns for a very questionable pass interference on the Hail Mary,
    which I’ve never seen before. Stafford, meanwhile, was down with a left
    shoulder injury. Daunte Culpepper ran onto the field to take the snap,
    but Eric Mangina foolishly called a timeout.

    With the stoppage in play, Stafford was allowed to take the field
    again. On the final play of the game, he rolled out and found Brandon
    Pettigrew in the end zone for the game-winning touchdown. Good job, officials and Mangina Lions!!

  • It’ll be a shame if Stafford is out for a while because he
    just had a great performance, going 26-of-43 for 422 yards, five
    touchdowns and two picks. After that five-interception debaclation at
    Seattle, Stafford has turned it around the past two weeks. The good
    news is that the injury was to his non-throwing shoulder.

  • Stafford’s five scores all went to different targets: Calvin
    Johnson (7 catches, 161 yards), Brandon Pettigrew (6 catches, 72
    yards), Aaron Brown, Will Heller and Kevin Smith. And speaking of
    Smith, he had just 45 rushing yards on 12 carries, but managed 104
    receiving yards off four receptions.

  • Though they lost, I have to congratulate the Browns, who
    discovered the forward pass on Sunday. Despite scoring just five
    offensive touchdowns in the past 15 games, the Browns posted 24 points
    in the first quarter alone. That output was a franchise record for
    Cleveland (including the old Browns) for most points in a first
    quarter. Brian Sipe and Jim Brown have nothing on Brady Quinn!

  • Quinn was really impressive, going 21-of-33 for 304 yards and
    four touchdowns, two of which were long bombs to Mohamed Massaquoi (5
    catches, 115 yards, TD) and Chansi Stuckey (5-76, TD). I’d say this
    gives hope for Browns fans that Quinn can actually develop into
    something, but he did this against the Lions. He’ll need to put
    together a few decent performances against teams that aren’t devoid of
    talent.

  • Jamal Lewis’ numbers were pretty mediocre, as he gained 75
    yards on 24 attempts. However, against the Lions, that’s downright
    horrible. Rookie Chris Jennings took 10 carries for 36 yards. Jennings
    also caught five balls for 38 more yards, but he dropped an easy
    touchdown.





    Packers 30, 49ers 24

  • You really have to feel for everyone who had the Packers in
    this game (especially for -6.5). Green Bay led 23-3 at halftime and
    30-10 in the fourth quarter, but allowed two backdoor touchdowns to
    Alex Smith. The team simply stopped blitzing and started playing
    prevent defense. As they say, sometimes you can have the right side but
    end up with the wrong result.

  • Aaron Rodgers was an impressive 32-of-45 for 344 yards and
    two touchdowns. The big news here is that Rodgers took just two sacks.
    The 49ers don’t have much of a pass rush though, so we’ll find out if
    Green Bay has really solved its pass protection issues in a few weeks
    (we won’t learn anything on Thanksgiving either).

  • With time in the pocket, Rodgers was able to get the ball to
    Greg Jennings, who came up with five grabs for 126 yards and an
    impressive 64-yard touchdown in which he broke three 49er tackles.
    Donald Driver had just five receptions for 40 yards.

  • Ryan Grant ran well, compiling 129 yards and a score on 21
    carries. Grant had just two catches, as he relinquished all third-down
    duties to Brandon Jackson (6 catches, 65 yards).

  • The loser of the 2005 Quarterback Class Bowl, Alex Smith went
    16-of-33 for 227 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. All three
    of those scores came when the game was out of hand, so don’t think that
    Smith had a good performance or anything.

  • Someone who did have a good game was Vernon Davis, who
    managed six grabs for 108 yards and a score. Michael Crabtree,
    meanwhile, had four receptions for 77 yards and his first NFL
    touchdown.

  • Stuck in a huge deficit, the 49ers had to abandon their
    running game. Frank Gore finished with 59 yards on seven carries, most
    of which came on a 42-yard scamper.



    Jaguars 18, Bills 15

  • Jack Del Rio really put on a clinic in this game. For the
    next few decades, people will watch this game to learn how to be a
    crappy NFL head coach.

    With stud defensive tackle Marcus Stroud out for Buffalo’s dead-last
    run defense, you figured that the Jaguars would try to pound the rock
    with Maurice Jones-Drew as much as possible. Well, Jones-Drew didn’t
    receive a single carry early on when the team had 1st-and-goal. The
    Jaguars predictably stalled.

    Right before the Bills went up 15-10, Jacksonville called 22 pass plays to just 10 runs!

    The Jaguars as a whole were disoriented. They surrendered multiple
    first downs on long-yardage situations, including a 3rd-and-15; they
    had careless penalties, including one instance where they had 12 men on
    the field when Buffalo was in the red zone; and they fumbled it three
    times on top of an interception. If I didn’t know any better, I would
    have said that Jacksonville fired its head coach this week; not
    Buffalo.

  • Jones-Drew actually finished with 25 carries because Del Rio
    finally realized that he had to run the ball when Buffalo went up
    15-10. Drew-Jones gained just 66 yards and a touchdown. Not sure why
    Jacksonville couldn’t get him going; it’s as if this team was asleep
    the entire afternoon.

  • David Garrard had a careless pick and fumble, but was
    otherwise pretty solid, going 21-of-30 for 215 yards and a touchdown to
    Mike Sims-Walker (8 catches, 91 yards).

  • As for the Bills, Marshawn Lynch left the game early on with
    a shoulder. He was pretty ineffective (8 carries, 18 yards, 2 fumbles),
    so the injury actually helped new head coach Perry Fewell. Fred
    Jackson, a much more talented player, gained 35 yards on nine rushes
    and also had four catches for 20 more yards.

  • Forum member Leelee pointed out that Fewell’s game plan was
    to have Ryan Fitzpatrick throw the ball to Terrell Owens as much as
    possible. It definitely worked; Owens caught nine balls for 197 yards
    and a score, which was a 98-yard bomb. The Bills may have lost, but you
    know that Owens is thrilled with the result.

  • Fitzpatrick was pretty solid; he was 18-of-31 for 297 yards,
    one touchdown and two interceptions (one was late in the contest on a
    desperation fourth down). Unlike Trent Edwards, Fitzpatrick didn’t
    check it down every play. Still, we’ve seen that Fitzpatrick isn’t the
    answer, so the Bills will be looking for a quarterback this offseason,
    no matter what happens the rest of the year.



    Chiefs 27, Steelers 24

  • This loss doesn’t matter at all for the Steelers, and I’m not
    referring to the fact that every team in the AFC North lost Sunday. The
    only significant thing to come out of this contest was Ben
    Roethlisberger’s injury. Roethlisberger took a knee to the helmet in
    overtime and left the game. Bill Cowher reported that Roethlisberger’s
    injury was “concussion oriented.”

    With all the talk of concussions festering throughout the NFL, there’s
    a chance Big Ben could miss a few games. That’ll be huge with a matchup
    against the Ravens next week.

  • Roethlisberger played very well in this contest, going
    32-of-42 for 398 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions that
    weren’t his fault. On his second score, Roethlisberger did an
    incredible job eluding a Kansas City sack. I know he does this all the
    time, but that particular broken tackle was really impressive.

    Most of Roethlisberger’s targets predictably went to Hines Ward (10
    catches, 128 yards, TD), Heath Miller (7-95, TD) and Santonio Holmes
    (7-86). Rashard Mendenhall, meanwhile, gained 80 yards on 21 attempts.

  • The Steelers dominated the majority of this game. It was 17-7
    at halftime, as the Chiefs’ only score came on a kickoff return. At
    intermission, Kansas City had just 47 total yards and three first
    downs. I’ll give them credit for assembling 91- and 80-yard drives
    toward the end of the contest. It was clear that Pittsburgh really
    missed Troy Polamalu though.

  • Matt Cassel went 15-of-30 for 248 yards and two touchdowns
    without Dwayne Bowe. Cassel did a great job moving the chains in the
    second half. He took only four sacks, which is a low number for him.

  • Chris Chambers led the Chiefs with four receptions and 119
    yards. Chambers caught a pass along the sideline and ran 61 yards in
    overtime to set up Ryan Succop’s decisive field goal.

  • Major dap to Todd Haley for involving Jamaal Charles in the
    offense. Charles rushed for 58 yards on 17 carries, and caught two
    passes for eight more yards and a touchdown. Best of all, no other
    Chiefs running back had more than a single carry. Now, if only Haley
    had realized Charles’ talent earlier in the year…










    Vikings 35, Seahawks 9

  • This game ended 35-9, and it wasn’t even as close as that
    score indicates, which is saying a lot. The Vikings led 28-0 and
    benched Brett Favre at the beginning of the fourth quarter. The
    Seahawks had just two first downs in the first half. They finished
    1-of-10 on third down. It was a disgraceful performance on so many
    levels.

  • Perhaps the one thing Seattle did well was contain Adrian
    Peterson, who rushed for 82 yards on 24 carries. However, they couldn’t
    stop Chester Taylor (11 rushes, 73 yards), so it’s not like the
    contained the run at all.

  • Brett Favre was nearly flawless, going 22-of-25 for 213 yards
    and four touchdowns. As far as I’m concerned, Favre and Peyton Manning
    are the leading candidates for MVP.

  • Sidney Rice didn’t top 200 yards this week, but he made up
    for it with two scores. He finished with six receptions for 89 yards.
    The other three touchdowns (one by Tarvaris Jackson) went to Percy
    Harvin (5 catches, 79 yards), Visanthe Shiancoe (8-78) and Bernard
    Berrian (2-11).

  • While the Seahawks struggled to contain the run, the Vikings
    eliminated it. Justin Forsett managed just nine yards on eight carries.
    He saved his fantasy owners with eight receptions, 80 yards and a
    touchdown.

  • Matt Hasselbeck went 19-of-26 for 231 yards and a pick.
    Hasselbeck had just 63 yards at halftime, so most of his production
    came when the game was out of hand.

  • Nate Burleson led the team with 100 yards on six catches.
    T.J. Houshmandzadeh, who was daydreaming about playing for the Vikings,
    was limited to just four grabs for 36 yards.



    Giants 34, Falcons 31

  • There’s a huge difference between winning and losing as far
    as teams’ psyches are concerned, so even though this game came down to
    a coin flip, this victory was huge for the Giants. Having lost four in
    a row, New York really needed a victory. The Falcons, on the other
    hand, now have to somehow get a win; they’ve dropped four of five.

    This game game down to coin toss because either squad would have scored
    on its first possession in overtime. The Giants allowed Matt Ryan
    (26-of-46, 268 yards, 2 TDs) to put together 65- and 76-yard scoring
    drives in the fourth quarter. Ryan was 7-of-11 for 73 yards and a
    touchdown to Tony Gonzalez on his final possession, which eerily
    resembled Philip Rivers’ game-winning touchdown drive two weeks ago.
    Fortunately for the Giants, Atlanta’s defense is even worse than
    theirs. Eli Manning easily shredded the Falcons in overtime.

  • Manning was great throughout this contest, going 25-of-39 for
    384 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. He heavily utilized
    Mario Manningham (6 catches, 126 yards), Steve Smith (4-79), Kevin Boss
    (5-76, 2 TDs) and Hakeem Nicks (5-65).

  • I was a bit surprised that the Giants couldn’t run the ball
    effectively. Both Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw carried the ball 12
    times, gaining 39 and 34 yards, respectively. Jacobs found the end zone
    in the third quarter.

  • Jason Snelling’s production pretty much mimicked what Jacobs
    and Bradshaw did collectively. He compiled 76 yards and two touchdowns
    on 25 carries.

  • As mentioned, Gonzalez (8 catches, 82 yards) caught one of
    Ryan’s scores. Roddy White didn’t get into the end zone and was limited
    to four grabs for 45 yards.

    Click here to find out more!




    Saints 38, Buccaneers 7

  • Believe it or not, this game was close for a while. The Buccaneers led 7-0, and it was 17-7 at halftime.

    The problem for the Buccaneers, once again, was Josh Freeman’s ball security:

    – At 7-7, Freeman launched a pick in his own territory that set the Saints up with a field goal.

    – Right after halftime, Freeman lost a fumble on a sack in his own territory again, giving Drew Brees a short, 15-yard field.

    – A drive and a New Orleans touchdown later, Freeman had another
    interception at midfield that led to yet another Saints end-zone trip.

    By then, it was 31-7 New Orleans, and three Freeman turnovers were responsible for 17 of those points.

    Freeman finished just 17-of-33 for 126 yards, one touchdown, three
    interceptions and a lost fumble. He made some nice throws at times and
    had two separate scrambles of 15 yards. However, he really needs to cut
    down on the turnovers. They really killed the Buccaneers on Sunday.

  • With Freeman struggling, no Tampa skill player did much. It
    is worth noting, however, that Antonio Bryant caught three balls for 40
    yards. He’ll be more of a factor soon once he’s fully healthy.

  • Other Buccaneers of significance: Cadillac Williams (11 carries, 32 yards), Kellen Winslow Jr. (5 catches, 29 yards).
  • Constantly being handed short fields, Drew Brees didn’t get a
    chance to pad his yardage numbers – he finished with 187 yards – but he
    had three touchdowns in this contest.

  • Marques Colston caught five balls for 74 yards, but didn’t
    get one of those touchdowns. Instead, Robert Meachem had both, though
    he finished with only two receptions for 10 yards. Jeremy Shockey did
    nothing (2 receptions, 17 yards).

  • Pierre Thomas fantasy owners, feel free to toilet paper Sean
    Payton’s house. Thomas had 92 yards on 11 carries, yet relinquished
    both goal-line touchdowns to Mike Bell, who had 75 yards on 13
    attempts. Though Thomas is much more talented than Bell, it looks like
    the latter will continue to be a nuisance. It Payton didn’t have the
    title locked up already, he has officially become the league’s worst
    fantasy villain, taking that distinction from Mike Shanahan.



    Cardinals 21, Rams 13

  • As I said earlier, “Sometimes you can have the right side but
    finish with the wrong result.” Anyone who took the Cardinals and the
    points has the right to be pissed.

    Arizona established a quick 21-3 lead. Kurt Warner was on fire, going
    15-of-19 for 203 yards and two touchdowns. Unfortunately, Warner
    suffered a minor concussion at the end of the second quarter. Matt
    Leinart took over and was pretty mediocre (10-14, 74 yards), failing to
    lead the Cardinals to a single score. The Rams eventually backdoored.

  • Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald fantasy owners weren’t
    hurt by the quarterbacking switch, as they both posted touchdowns early
    on. Boldin and Fitzgerald each caught eight balls for 103 and 87 yards,
    respectively. Steve Breaston didn’t log a single reception.

  • The Cardinals once again ran the ball well. Tim Hightower and
    Chris Wells each had 14 carries for 110 and 74 yards, respectively.
    Wells found his way into the end zone in the second quarter.

  • Another Rams loss, another great Steven Jackson performance.
    Jackson rumbled for 116 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries. He didn’t
    do anything in terms of catching the ball out of the backfield.

  • Marc Bulger was pretty pedestrian. He went 19-of-37 for 215
    yards and an interception. He led some scoring drives in the second
    half, but benefited from some very questionable penalties. Bulger took
    a wicked shot on the team’s final drive and appeared more disoriented
    than usual on the final three plays.

  • The receivers did a pretty good job. Donnie Avery caught four
    passes for 65 yards, while Brandon Gibson finished with five grabs for
    61 yards. Gibson looked decent at times, but made a few blunders,
    including some drops and a misread on an end-zone fade.



    Chargers 32, Broncos 3

  • Four weeks ago, when the Broncos lost to the Ravens, I said
    it was the “beginning of the end for them.” Now that they’ve lost their
    stranglehold on the division, it’s now clear more than ever that their
    6-0 start was a mirage.

    Let’s forget about the quarterbacking quandary for a second. Denver
    simply couldn’t stop the Chargers. LaDainian Tomlinson gained 73 yards
    and a touchdown on 20 carries. The Broncos surrendered 203 rushing
    yards as a whole. Philip Rivers, meanwhile, was 17-of-22 for 145 yards
    and a score.

    The Chargers achieved 21 first downs (compared to Denver’s 14) and was
    5-of-13 on third downs and 1-of-1 on fourth down. They won the
    time-of-possession battle by nearly 16 minutes.

    Denver’s defense, which was once renowned as being one of the league’s
    best, hasn’t been able to stop anyone. The problem is that most of the
    players are too old and worn-down, and because of a poor draft class,
    there are no talented young guys who can step in.

  • And now for the quarterbacks. Chris Simms started this game
    and was abysmal, going 2-of-4 for 10 yards and a lost fumble in the red
    zone. This forced a panicked Josh McDaniels to make the switch to a
    hobbled Kyle Orton, who went 15-of-29 for 171 yards and an
    interception. Orton came out firing, hitting his first three passes for
    58 yards. Unfortunately, Knowshon Moreno fumbled at the goal line later
    on that drive, negating what would have been a touchdown to trim San
    Diego’s lead down to 13-7. Orton’s next throw was picked off.

  • Aside from the fumble, Moreno ran really well, gaining 80
    yards on just 10 carries. One has to wonder why Moreno received only 10
    attempts. Correll Buckhalter was much less effective with his 35 yards
    on seven rushes.

  • No receiver did anything in this contest, including Brandon
    Marshall (3 receptions, 26 yards), Eddie Royal (4-29), Vincent Jackson
    (4-56), Antonio Gates (3-41) and Malcom Floyd (4-38).



    Patriots 31, Jets 14

  • This game wasn’t about any sort of Patriot vindication, as
    Rodney Harrison would lead you to believe. This wasn’t about Bill
    Belichick proving himself either. This was all about Mark Sanchez’s
    futility. The man known as Sanchise was horrific beyond words.

    Sanchez finished 8-of-21 for 136 yards, one touchdown, four
    interceptions and a fumble. Two of the picks were the result of Sanchez
    completely misfiring to a wide-open receiver. The third was tossed
    poorly into double coverage. The last one was a forced late on the
    sidelines when the rookie should have thrown it away. Sanchez actually
    had the same amount of completions to the Patriots and Jets in the
    first half.

  • Sanchez’s score went to Jerricho Cotchery, who had three
    grabs for 84 yards and a touchdown. Braylon Edwards, meanwhile, matched
    Sanchez’s poor play. He caught one 10-yard pass and had two big drops.
    The Edwards from Cleveland that we all knew and loved is back. I
    personally would not re-sign him; if he has trouble concentrating in a
    contract year, how lethargic will he be with a big signing bonus?

  • Other Jets of note: Thomas Jones (21 carries, 103 yards); Dustin Keller (3 catches, 38 yards).
  • On the other side of the spectrum, Tom Brady recorded his
    fifth consecutive 300-yard passing game, going 28-of-41 for 310 yards
    and a touchdown.

  • Brady didn’t have Wes Welker at his disposal in the first
    meeting between these teams, and just by looking at the numbers, you
    can probably speculate that New England would have won that matchup if
    he was in the lineup. Welker caught a whopping 15 receptions for 192
    yards.

  • Darrelle Revis did a great job on Randy Moss, who caught five
    balls for 34 yards and a touchdown, but couldn’t convert a number of
    other targets. Revis notably forced Moss into an offensive pass
    interference call as well.

  • Laurence Maroney fumbled in this game, but made up for it with 77 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries.



    Raiders 20, Bengals 17

  • What a crazy game. A stat that epitomized it was that the
    Raiders scored had more points in the final minute (10) than their
    seasonal per-game average (9.8).

    If you put blank jerseys on both teams and asked people to identify
    each squad in the final few minutes of the contest, you would have
    gotten a lot of wrong answers. Bruce Gradkowski did his best Carson
    Palmer impersonation, torching Cincinnati’s secondary on 5-of-9 passing
    for 79 yards on the game-tying drive. Gradkowski converted a 4th-and-10
    to Chaz Schilens for 16 yards, and then found Louis Murphy for a
    29-yard score.

    Following the touchdown, the Bengals turned the ball over, setting up
    Sebastian Janikowski with a short decisive field goal. Oakland somehow
    won the turnover battle, 4-3.

  • It’s amazing what can happen when your quarterback doesn’t
    turn the ball over every other drive. Gradkowski went 17-of-34 for 183
    yards, two touchdowns, one pick and a fumble.

  • Oakland’s running game was a mixed bag. Justin Fargas had 32
    yards on eight carries. Darren McFadden gained 25 yards on six
    attempts. Michael Bush took his four rushes for 27 yards, but fumbled.

  • Darrius Heyward-Bey was targeted six times, but came up with
    only one catch for seven yards. He shockingly – and I’ll capitalize,
    SHOCKINGLY – had a few drops.

  • The Raiders had major problems stopping Bernard Scott, who
    rushed for 119 yards on 21 carries. Scott also had three catches for 32
    more yards. You may find it interesting that Larry Johnson had five
    yards on two attempts, but I don’t.

  • Carson Palmer was a pedestrian 14-of-22 for 207 yards, an
    interception and two fumbles, though he saved his fantasy owners with
    two short rushing touchdowns. Four of his passes went to Chad
    Ochocinco, who finished with 67 yards.