Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 621 of 1503)

      Stafford proves his toughness in wild win over Browns

      November 22, 2009 /

      Even though it pitted two, one-win teams against each other, the Browns-Lions matchup on Sunday produced the most thrilling game of Week 11.

      With his team trailing 37-31 with only eight seconds remaining, rookie Matthew Stafford threw a desperation “Hail Mary” pass into the end zone, which was intercepted by Browns safety Brodney Pool. Cleveland started celebrating before Hank Poteat was flagged for pass interference and the ball was placed at the Browns’ 1-yard line for one last un-timed down.

      The wild part is that Stafford was hurt on the “Hail Mary” throw after taking a shot after releasing the ball. Daunte Culpepper came in to run the final play but following a time out, Stafford re-entered the game and threw a touchdown to fellow rookie Brandon Pettigrew for the winning score.

      Stafford, who finished 26-of-43 for 422 yards and five touchdowns, was in clear pain after the touchdown pass as he grabbed his left shoulder. Apparently he re-entered the game against the advice of team doctors and the Lions originally feared that he had fracture his collarbone. But X-rays revealed otherwise and he’ll likely be a game-time decision for Thanksgiving Day.

      For those that haven’t seen Stafford play yet, you’re missing out. He takes tremendous abuse because his offensive line couldn’t block Jabba the Hutt, yet he stands in the face of pressure and delivers passes. He takes lick after lick and continues to get up despite the pounding. If he hasn’t endeared himself to the blue-collar fans in Detroit, I’d be very surprised.

      On a side note from this game, Brady Quinn was outstanding. I’ve been highly critical of his play this season, but I’ll be the first to admit that he torched the Lions today. Granted, Detroit’s defense isn’t very good but a quarterback doesn’t throw for 304 yards and four touchdowns on 21-of-33 passing on accident. It’s too bad Cleveland’s defense couldn’t sustain the lead Quinn got for them, because he was exceptional.

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      Running game powers Chargers over Broncos

      November 22, 2009 /

      For much of the 2009 season, the San Diego Chargers’ running game has been non-existent. But in the past two weeks, it has helped the Bolts recapture first place in the AFC West.

      One week after rushing for 119 yards in a win over the Eagles, the Chargers racked up 203 rushing yards in a dominating 32-3 victory on Sunday. LaDainian Tomlinson was solid, rushing for 73 yards with a touchdown on 20 carries while Mike Tolbert finished with 58 yards and a touchdown on seven totes.

      The Chargers revived another part of their game today too: Their pass rush. They sacked the combination of Kyle Orton and Chris Simms three times and intercepted Orton once when they blitzed a defensive back on the play. If they can get a similar effort from their pass rush moving forward, than this is going to be a tough team to beat over the final month of the season.

      Denver is in a free fall right now. In their current four-game losing streak, they’ve allowed 29.3 points per game after allowing just 11 PPG in their six game winning streak. They couldn’t stop the Chargers’ running game and even when San Diego put the ball in the air, Denver got zero pressure on Philip Rivers.

      Offensively, Simms started but was brutal again. Orton came in and immediately started moving the offense, but the drive stalled when Knowshon Moreno fumbled at the goal line and killed a scoring drive. After that, Orton failed to move the ball the rest of the contest and the Broncos’ offense fell flat.

      Considering Denver is only one game behind with six remaining, I don’t want to overstate things. But San Diego has completely seized control in the AFC West and they look like they’re going to roll to another division title.


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      Packers win, but Kampman and Harris suffer injuries

      November 22, 2009 /

      With their 30-24 win over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, the Green Bay Packers leapt back into the playoff hunt in the NFC. But unfortunately for them, they may be without two defensive starters for the rest of the season.

      According to beat writer Greg Bedard, outside linebacker Aaron Kampman and cornerback Al Harris have torn ACLs and both will likely miss the remainder of the 2009 season.

      At 35, Harris’ could be a career-ender. He was carted off the field Sunday and couldn’t walk in the locker room, and chances are he’ll need reconstructive surgery to repair the damage. Tramon Williams will start at right corner in Harris’ place.

      Kampman was in the midst of having a horrible season while trying to convert from defensive end to outside linebacker. Given that he’s a free agent at the end of the year, it’s doubtful that Green Bay will re-sign Kampman. And even if the team had interest, it’s more doubtful that he’d even be interested in coming back to play outside linebacker. He just isn’t a fit for the 3-4.

      Save for a brutal effort against Tampa three weeks ago, Green Bay’s defense had been playing well over the past month. Given how poorly Kampman was playing, the Packers defense might not suffer much in the long haul. But it remains to be seen how Williams will hold up when teams start attacking his side of the field more frequently.

      As for the game, the Packers held off a late 49ers’ rally to secure victory. Green Bay jumped out to a 30-10 fourth quarter lead, but Alex Smith hit Vernon Davis on a 24-yard touchdown pass with 10:37 remaining to cut the Packers’ lad to 30-17, then running back Frank Gore hauled in a 10-yard touchdown pass with 5:56 to make it a 30-24 game.

      Quarterback Aaron Rodgers had an outstanding game, throwing for 344 yards on 32-of-45 passing and two touchdowns. Ryan Grant rushed for 129 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries.


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      Cowboys’ offense struggles again

      November 22, 2009 /

      For the second straight week, the Dallas Cowboys sputtered offensively. Only this time, they were fortunate enough to notch a victory because their opponents happened to be the Washington Redskins.

      The Cowboys beat the Skins on Sunday in an ugly, 7-6 victory. Dallas rushed for 153 yards, but Tony Romo was ineffective outside of the eventual game-winning touchdown drive that came late in the fourth quarter. In fact, Romo didn’t complete a pass to a wide receiver until the last play of the third quarter because Washington did such a good job of keeping everything in front of them. They didn’t allow Romo to test them vertically.

      This is the wrong time of year for the Cowboys to be struggling offensively. They’ve scored only 14 total points the past two weeks and while their defense is playing well, Dallas needs Romo and the passing game to step up down the stretch.

      Not to get ahead of myself, but if the Cowboys make the playoffs, then they won’t be able to compete with the Saints and the Vikings in the NFC if they can’t move the ball. Obvious statement I know, but it’s worth noting after their brutal effort today. If the Cowboys can only muster seven points against the Redskins, how are they going to do against other postseason teams?

      NFL

      Colts edge Ravens to remain undefeated

      November 22, 2009 /

      The Indianapolis Colts have been flirting with defeat for the past two weeks, but they beat the Baltimore Ravens 17-15 to earn a hard fought victory on Sunday. The win allows them to stay undefeated on the season.

      The keys to this game were turnovers and inefficiency in the red zone. Indianapolis turned the ball over three times to help keep this contest close throughout and Baltimore couldn’t convert in the red zone and had to settle for five Billy Cundiff field goals.

      The turning point came when Joe Flacco threw a crucial interception deep in Indianapolis territory with just three minutes remaining. If nothing else, the Ravens would have came away with a field goal on that drive to give them an 18-17 lead. Granted, Manning would have had the opportunity to lead the Colts to victory even if the Ravens did convert on that drive, but at least Baltimore’s defense would have had the chance to come up with a hold.

      Now the Ravens will probably have to run the table or win at least five of their final six games to make the playoffs. They play the Steelers next week and a loss would almost knock them out of postseason contention.


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