Month: September 2008 (Page 7 of 61)

Larry Johnson rumbles as Chiefs shock Broncos 33-19

September 28, 2008 / Anthony Stalter

Kansas City running back Larry Johnson totaled 198 rushing yards and two touchdowns as the Chiefs dropkicked the previous undefeated Broncos 33-19 on Sunday.

The poor play of Denver’s defense finally caught up with them today as the Chiefs had a ton of success moving the ball offensively. Damon Huard returned to the starting lineup after missing last week’s loss to Atlanta and was efficient, completing 21 of 28 passes for 160 yards and a touchdown.

But the story was obviously Johnson, who has looked like the LJ of old the past two weeks. Tight end Tony Gonzalez also made a hell of a catch on a 10-yard touchdown pass from Huard to give KC a 23-13 lead early in the fourth.

Aside from Johnson’s monster day, the Broncos shot themselves in the foot with four turnovers. Quarterback Jay Cutler finished with good numbers (29 of 49, 361 yards, 1 TD), but threw two costly interceptions as well. Cutler also lost a fumble, as did wide receiver Brandon Marshall (7 rec., 77 yards, 1 TD).

The Chiefs’ defense deserves a lot of praise for holding the Broncos to only 19 points. Denver was averaging over 30 points a game coming into Sunday, but KC was able to force turnovers and hold the Broncos to field goals most of the game. It was an impressive first win for Herm Edwards and the Chiefs.

Fantasy Football, NFL

Brandon Marshall Damon Huard Denver Broncos Jay Cutler Kansas City Chiefs.Larry Johnson

Favre throws six TDs as Jets rout Cardinals 56-35

September 28, 2008 / Anthony Stalter

Brett Favre threw six touchdown passes and the Jets’ defense caused seven turnovers in New York’s 56-35 rout of the Cardinals on Sunday.

Favre had touchdown passes of 12, 34 and 2 yards as the Jets hung 34 points on Arizona in the second quarter. Favre then connected on scores of 17, 40 and 24 in the second half while announcers across the country tripped on themselves to utter the words, “That’s just classic Favre isn’t he? He always looks like he’s having fun!” (Seriously, I must have heard that line 42 times today.)

Laveranues Coles hauled in eight passes for 105 yards and three touchdowns while Jerricho Cotchery caught four passes for 67 yards and two scores. The Jets did absolutely whatever they wanted against a hapless Cardinals’ secondary, which had no clue on how to defense any New York receiver. The Jets improved to 2-2 on the year.

Despite completing 40 of 57 passes for 472 yards and two touchdowns, Kurt Warner’s poor play killed Arizona all day. Facing only a two-man rush midway threw the second quarter, Warner managed to throw an interception to Darrelle Revis, who baited him like a trout and returned the pick for a 32-yard touchdown pass. No-thumbs Warner also lost four fumbles, which means he contributed to six of Arizona’s seven turnovers.

In a scary moment late in the fourth quarter, Cards’ WR Anquan Boldin (10 rec., 119 yards, 1 TD) was crushed in between two defenders and appeared to lose conciseness for a moment. He was carted off the field, but it’s unclear at this point how serious the injury is. Arizona is now 2-2 on the season.

Fantasy Football, NFL

Anquan Boldin Arizona Cardinals Brett Favre Jerricho Cotchery Kurt Warner Laveranues Coles New York Jets

Panthers dominate Falcons to capture NFC South lead

September 28, 2008 / Anthony Stalter

Why did Muhsin Muhammad leave Carolina for Chicago a few years ago? Oh yeah, money. Well he’s back in Carolina now and the Panthers couldn’t be more thrilled. Muhammad torched the Falcons for eight receptions, 147 yards and a touchdown as the Panthers rolled to a 24-9 victory.

The Panthers lost both of their offensive tackles during the game, but Atlanta still couldn’t get any pass rush. Jake Delhomme (20 of 29, 294 yards, 2 TDs) had all day to throw and while the running game wasn’t dominant by any means, it was good enough to keep Carolina balanced offensively. And the job the defense did against the Falcons’ rushing attack, which led the NFL coming into the game, was impressive. The Panthers’ front seven has been outstanding against top backs LaDainian Tomlinson, Adrian Peterson and Michael Turner so far this year.

As for the Falcons, they’re just a different team on the road than they are at home. And while that might be the case for most teams, it’s incredibly accurate for Atlanta, who can’t run (Turner had just 56 yards), play defense (Carolina racked up over 400 yards of offense) or get the ball in the end zone (three field goals, no touchdowns) on the road. And I have no idea why offensive coordinator Mike Murlarkey and the Falcons’ coaching staff abandoned the no-huddle offense after it worked so well early in the first half. Rookie Matt Ryan looked comfortable running the hurry up and Carolina’s defense was back on their heels, yet Mularkey ditched the approach until after the game was out of reach in the fourth. (Writer’s note: Head coach Mike Smith said in his post game press conference that the one series the Falcons used the no-huddle was scripted out before hand. Therefore, they weren’t comfortable allowing Ryan to run the no-huddle after that unscripted.)

The Panthers (3-1) are now cruising in the NFC South and they didn’t even play as well as they’re capable of today. With how well Delhomme and the defense is playing, Carolina looks like a legitimate contender in the NFC.

Fantasy Football, NFL

Atlanta Falcons Carolina Panthers Jake Delhomme Matt Ryan Michael Turner Muhsin Muhammad NFC South

Jaguars edge Texans 30-27 in overtime

September 28, 2008 / Anthony Stalter

It wasn’t pretty, but the Jaguars squeezed past their division rivals on Sunday, beating the Texans 30-27 thanks to Josh Scobee’s 37-yard game-winning field goal in overtime.

For the second week in a row, Jacksonville had to rally late to claim victory. After Houston took the lead 24-20 on Matt Schaub’s 8-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Walter midway through the fourth quarter, David Garrard led the Jags down to the Texan 8-yard line before facing a 4th and 8. Garrard then scrambled up the middle for a first down and after the two-minute warning, ran for a 5-yard touchdown to give Jacksonville a 27-24 lead.

Schaub then hit Andre Johnson for a 32-yard pass on the ensuing possession, which set up a Kevin Brown 47-yard field goal to tie it. But Houston’s defense couldn’t stop Garrard from finding Matt Jones on a big passing play in overtime, which set up Scobee’s game-winner.

Not many people figured that Jacksonville would be 2-2 right now and barely beating teams like the winless Texans, but the main thing is that the Jags appear to be getting back on track. The defense didn’t play as well today as it had in previous weeks, but the running game (139 yards today) has looked good the past two games and Garrard has been clutch. Don’t write off the Jags just yet.

Fantasy Football, NFL

Andre Johnson David Garrard Houston Texans Jacksonville Jaguars Matt Schaub