Cowboys 28, Redskins 23
Say what you will about Terrell Owens’ (8 rec., 173 yards, 4 TDs) attitude and cockiness, but the dude is still usually the best player on the field in most games. I kind of feel bad for Jason Campbell and the Redskins though. Campbell played really well, but his interception with just over three minutes left in the game killed Washington. This was actually a closer game than a lot of people expected. Give the Skins credit for playing well in a tough environment.
Browns 33, Ravens 30
What an amazing, nauseating-filled season for Browns fans. Imagine, you’re watching the game and when the refs waive a 51-yard Phil Dawson field goal no good, you’re heart broken that the Browns gave up a 27-13 second half lead. Oh wait, the replay shows that Dawson’s field goal actually went past the cross bar and then bounced back, making the field goal good. After throwing up from all the excitement, you return to the action and your Browns end up winning in overtime. There’s nothing else to say about this game. This is the greatest season in Cleveland Browns history. Okay, maybe not, but what an amazing ride for Browns fans.
Packers 31, Panthers 17
Great quarterback? Check. Solid defense? Check. Good special teams? Check. That’s it – the Packers have it all going this season. Tramon Williams’ 94-yard punt return for a touchdown might have been the play of the day – although if Koren Robinson had taken the second half kickoff to the house, he might have one-upped Williams. Oh yeah, and Brett Favre was amazing again. It seems that every one of his passes is right on the money and the receivers aren’t dropping a thing. Green Bay is a well-oiled machine right now…the Panthers…uh, not so much.
Jaguars 24, Chargers 17
This was a great win by Jacksonville. Not only does it help them keep pace in the AFC, but also it was such a hard-fought victory that it might wind up defining their season. Maurice Jones-Drew’s first quarter touchdown run was great, but putting Shawne Merriman on his ass on a David Garrard touchdown pass in the second half was even better. Rookie Reggie Nelson had a great day too, intercepting Philip Rivers and laying the wood on a couple of real nice hits (one that was flagged for helmet to helmet, but it looked like shoulder-to-helmet to me). This has to be a disappointing loss for San Diego, who had gained a lot of momentum from last week’s win over the Colts, but they’re still in great shape for the long term. Chris Chambers made two spectacular catches in this game too.
Giants 16, Lions 10
Due to Wild Card implications, this was a huge win for the G-Men. He didn’t tear up the stat sheet, but Brandon Jacobs (54 rush yards, 49 receiving, 1 TD) had a couple of hard runs and he absolutely ran over a defender on the way to a receiving touchdown right before halftime. The Lions had some opportunities to put points on the board, but they just couldn’t convert. Jon Kitna was intercepted three times, although 1.5 of them weren’t his fault. Shaun McDonald’s drop-turned-interception with under a minute left to play was brutal.
Colts 13, Chiefs 10
Peyton Manning has thrown seven interceptions in the past two games. Adam Vinatieri missed his first two field goals in this game, which made five misses in two games for him. Wow. Nevertheless, Manning led the Colts down the field in the final minutes and Vinatieri kicked the game-winning field goal. A win like this was very unlike the Colts, but hey, sometimes you have to win ugly.
Jets 19, Steelers 16 OT
If you’re the Steelers, there’s just no excuse to lose to the Jets. I don’t want to take anything away from the Jets, but this was a garbage performance by Pittsburgh. Just like their first loss at Arizona earlier in the year, the Steelers obviously thought that the Jets were just going to lie down for them. New York played with more fire, was more aggressive and overall, they deserved this win.
Seahawks 30, Bears 23
No last second miracles for the Bears today. As much people want to hang losses on Rex Grossman, he wasn’t the problem today – the defense was. Chicago’s secondary is just banged up and simply can’t match up against decent passing offenses. It doesn’t help that the front seven can’t stop the run either, which helps open lanes in the passing game. Great game by Matt Hasselbeck (337 yards, 2 TDs) – his leadership really shined through with Shaun Alexander out. It’s weird to say, but Seattle’s offense looked like it ran smoother without Alexander in the lineup. That’s a testament to how well Hasselbeck played today.
Cardinals 35, Bengals 27
Did anyone let Carson Palmer know before the game that Antrel Rolle isn’t one of his receivers? Palmer threw five touchdown passes today, but unfortunately for him three of them went to Rolle, who had the best game of his somewhat underachieving career. Palmer was absolutely brutal. Where he was throwing some of those passes today, I have no idea. Give credit to Rolle, Karlos Dansby and the rest of the Cards’ defensive though, because they came to play today. Larry Fitzgerald and Kurt Warner were outstanding as well. Warner had some unorthodox completions during one drive in the second half. With defenders draped over him on both occasions, Warner threw one pass with his left hand and one underhanded. Hey, whatever works.
Bucs 31, Falcons 7
Tampa is clearly the class of a terrible NFC South. What the Bucs are doing so well right now is swarming to the football on defense and not turning the ball over on offense. Backs and receivers simply can’t bust big plays because Tampa defenders are always right there ready to make tackles. And opposing teams can’t catch breaks because Jeff Garcia and the rest of the offense aren’t handing them out…Bobby Petrino is going to get lambasted by the media because he made the switch to Byron Leftwich at quarterback after Joey Harrington won two straight, but hindsight is always 20/20. Petrino didn’t know Leftwich was going to play like a one-handed Ryan Leaf.
Texans 23, Saints 10
Think Houston needs Matt Schaub (293, 2 TDs) and Andre Johnson (6 rec., 120 yards, 1 TD) healthy? Not even five minutes had ticked off the clock and Schaub hit Johnson for a 73-yard touchdown pass. By the way, where was the Saints’ defensive backfield on that play? There was nobody within 20 yards of Johnson…of Andre Johnson! Not 20 yards! Stick a fork in the Saints – they’re done, even in a terrible NFC. The defense is bad and the offense can’t avoid mental mistakes.
Eagles 17, Dolphins 7
This win spoke volumes to how important Brian Westbrook is to the Eagles. Donovan McNabb goes down with an injury early in the game and all Westbrook does is carry the rock 32 times for 148 yards. Although, other than a couple of longer runs by Westbrook and a 87 yard punt return for a touchdown by rookie Ted Ginn Jr., not much happened in this game. Rookie John Beck was so-so in his debut, throwing for 109 yards on 9 of 22 passing. As expected, he looked cautious.
Vikings 29, Raiders 22
Adrian Peterson who? No, I’m just kidding – Peterson is a mega stud. But, how good was Chester Taylor today? He finished with 22 carries for 164 yards and three scores, which was huge for a Minnesota offense that was expected to struggle without Peterson in the backfield…How ironic that people are calling for JaMarcus Russell, and Daunte Culpepper goes out and throws for 344 yards and a touchdown. Just the luck of Raiders fans, I guess.
Rams 13, 49ers 9
Rams 13, 49ers 9 pretty much sums this game up.
