Browns 27, Texans 17
For the first time all season, the Browns could thank their defense for a victory. The job rookie cornerback Brandon McDonald did covering Andre Johnson was remarkable. McDonald held Johnson to only 37 yards and no touchdowns on three receptions, plus added an interception that led to Jamal Lewis’s game-sealing one-yard touchdown run. While Cleveland’s defense was solid, it can’t take all the credit for the victory. Lewis (134 yards, 1 TD), Derek Anderson (253 yards, 2 TDs), Kellen Winslow (10 rec., 107 yards, 1 TD) and Braylon Edwards (4 rec., 57 yards, 1 TD) were all fantastic again for a 7-4 Browns team that is very much in the AFC playoff hunt.
Vikings 41, Giants 17
So much for pimping Eli Manning’s season. Four interceptions for Manning today, three of them were returned by the Vikings for touchdowns. Manning and the Giants could chalk this up to a bad day, but when you’re 7-3 and at home playing against an inferior opponent, you’ve got to come away with a win. The Vikings appear to be underrated, but still, they haven’t played well on the road and they were without rookie phenom Adrian Peterson. The G-Men have to be scratching their heads after this loss and at least a little bit concerned that Manning’s confidence has been shaken.
Bucs 19, Redskins 13
This was a tale of two halves. After Jeff Garcia was knocked out of the game with a back injury on the first possession of the game, backup quarterback Bruce Gradkowski guided the Bucs to a 19-3 halftime lead. It appeared that they were going to run away with the game, but Washington came out of the locker room a completely different team. The defense shut the Bucs out in the second half and Jason Campbell led a nice rally before finally throwing an interception in the end zone to seal the game for Tampa. With a win next week over the Saints, the Bucs could damn near clinch the hapless NFC South.
Seahawks 24, Rams 19
Scary game for the Seahawks. The Rams had built a 19-7 halftime lead – even with Marc Bulger leaving the game due to a concussion – and were completely dominating on both sides of the line of scrimmage. Then the Seahawks decided to run the no huddle offense for much of the second half and Matt Hasselbeck guided them to 17 unanswered points. The effort almost went for naught, however, as St. Louis drove 60-plus yards to Seattle’s one-yard line. After a drama-filled final drive, the Rams’ faithful were treated to a Gus Frerotte fumbled snap on fourth and one at the goal line. Game over – thanks for coming out.
Jaguars 36, Bills 14
Buffalo actually kept this contest pretty close until the Jags scored two late touchdowns to put the game away. Jacksonville is now pummeling teams by playing great defense and keeping the ball on the ground. When everything is clicking for this team (like now), this is one of the most physical teams in the NFL. Huge, huge, huge game next week in Indy. With how vulnerable the Colts appear due to injuries, a win could catapult the Jags to a division title…Hey Dick Jauron, have you seem enough of J.P. Losman yet?
Saints 31, Panthers 6
The Panthers are a clear example of what can happen when a team doesn’t have a capable quarterback. Obvious statement alert: Without even a decent signal caller, an offense can’t score, the defense is out on the field too long and field position becomes even more important than it already is. David Carr is running out of chances. The guy obviously is having trouble getting it done and even Joey Harrington is more productive at this point. As far as the Saints are concerned, give them credit for not throwing in the towel. With the Bucs winning today as well, New Orleans has an uphill battle returning to the playoffs. But at least they put themselves in position to get within one game of the division if they can beat Tampa next week.
Bengals 35, Titans 6
The Bengals let out a season worth of frustrations in this game, opening up a serious case on the Titans. Chad Johnson (12 rec., 103 yards, 3 TDs) was amazing but seriously, what’s with the camera celebration? Your team is 3-8 and you’ve done nothing for 11 weeks – forget the antics and just play ball. The real story here, however, is the continued collapse of the Titans. The Titans’ offense could only manage six points against the Bengals’ defense? What? Plus, in their first eight contests, the Titans’ defense gave up an average of 15.5 points a game. In the last three contests, they’ve yielded just over 32 points a game. There’s no excuse to give up 32 points a game period, but it speaks volumes for how important Albert Haynesworth is to that defense.
49ers 37, Cardinals 31
This was an exciting game, but what’s with Arizona? The 49ers haven’t scored in three weeks and the Cardinals give up 37? They had absolutely no desire to stop Frank Gore, who rushed for over 100 yards for the first time this season and also scored two touchdowns. Although Larry Fitzgerald’s touchdown right before half was unbelievable and they deserve credit for mounting a last minute field goal to push over time, maybe this game proved that Arizona just isn’t there yet (how many times has the media and fans said that over the years?).
Bears 37, Broncos 34
Say what you want, but Rex Grossman played very well in crunch time today. His fourth quarter and overtime performance was outstanding and his touchdown pass to Benard Berrian on fourth and goal with under a minute to play in regulation was a perfect. Berrian might have made the catch of the day on that play too, hanging onto the ball after slamming to the turf and keeping both feet in bounds. Chicago’s defense still has major issues stopping the run and not giving up the big plays, but at least this win keeps their slim playoff hopes alive. And oh-by-the-way, Devin Hester (75-yard touchdown return, 88 yard kickoff return) is freaking sick. The Broncos might have won this game by two touchdowns if they hadn’t inexplicably kicked the ball straight at Hester twice in the second half. If you’re going to kick the ball at him, at least put it on an angle to give your return team a chance. Mike Shanahan and his coaches blew what probably would have been a nice victory had they not kicked right at Hester not once, but twice.
Chargers 32, Ravens 19
Warrick Dunn is by far one of the most underrated running backs in the NFL. In the Falcons’ 31-13 loss to the Colts on Thursday night, Dunn rushed over the 10,000 yard mark for his career. It took Dunn 11 seasons to accomplish the great achievement. Today, LaDainian Tomlinson also rushed for his 10,000th yard – and he’s only in his seventh season. That isn’t a shot at Dunn because once again, he truly doesn’t get enough credit for how good he is. No, this is more in astonishment of what LT has done thus far in his career. It’s amazing and it kind of puts everything into perspective. As for the game – the Chargers offense finally looked good again, but they’ve done this before to us. They’ll play one good game, then two bad. Baltimore just isn’t that good, so I’ll hold off on showering San Diego with a ton of praise.
Raiders 20, Chiefs 17
Congratulations to the Raiders, who won thief first AFC West contest since Abraham Lincoln was President. They owe a ton to Justin Fargas (139 yards, 1 TD) and Jerry Porter; the latter making two fantastic catches along the sideline in the second half. People like to talk about Denver striking running back gold, but how about KC? Priest Holmes, Larry Johnson and now Kolby Smith (150 yards, 2 TDs)? Obviously it’s a little early to say that Smith is the real deal, but he certainly looked great today, even if it was against Oakland.
