Bills 17, Redskins 16
Obviously this was a very somber day in Washington as well as throughout the NFL as teams and fans honored Sean Taylor. I’m sure like many, I rooted for the Redskins to come out victorious after such a tragic week, but a win just wasn’t in the cards. At the end of the day, a game is just that – a game. Losing a football game is meaningless in the grand scheme of things. R.I.P. Sean Taylor.
Colts 28, Jaguars 25
What’s remarkable about a team like the Colts is that people don’t give them a free pass when it comes to injuries. It’s like as long as Peyton Manning is healthy, people assume that they should win. This victory over Jacksonville is bigger than most think considering the AFC South implications and how banged up the Colts are. Manning was a surgeon today, dissecting the Jags for 288 yards and four touchdowns on 20 of 29 passing. The Jags kept fighting, but the offense just couldn’t keep pace with the Colts. David Garrard made some key throws, but his fourth quarter interception was a heart breaker.
Cardinals 27, Browns 21
Why can’t a team review whether or not a receiver would have come down in bounds if a defender had not pushed him out in midair? Under NFL rules, a play like that is a judgment call for the refs, which means a team can’t challenge it. Kellen Winslow made a spectacular catch as time ran out in this game, but was pushed out by two defenders in midair and therefore the pass was ruled incomplete. Why is that a judgment call for the refs? It’s certainly not in the same class as other judgment calls like pas interference, false start or holding. In this case, a judgment call cost the Browns a win, although they were beneficiaries of a controversial call in the third quarter when Braylon Edwards caught a pass, appeared to be touched by a defender while he was on the ground, but then he got up and ran for a touchdown. Nevertheless, it was a very gutsy win by the Cardinals as they kept their slim playoff hopes alive.
Vikings 42, Lions 10
It’s official: the Lions are in disarray. After racing to a 6-2 start, they’re now 6-6 and sputtering out of playoff contention. The play calling is bad, the offensive line is bad, they have no running game and the defense can’t stop anyone. It’s officially panic time in Detroit…As a fan it’s great to see Adrian Peterson (116 yards, 2 TDs) back on the field. He’s just so fun to watch. Give credit to Tarvaris Jackson, because he ran an effective offense for the first time all year and it’s amazing to think that Minnesota is now in the NFC playoff hunt.
Bucs 27, Saints 23
I’ll be the first one to admit that with Luke McCown starting for Tampa, I figured the Saints would roll. But other than taking a safety with just under four minutes left to play, McCown was brilliant. He threw for 313 yards, two touchdowns and led the Bucs on a game winning drive with just over a minute left in the game. Not to sound contradicting to what I said about McCown, but New Orleans’ defense is brutal. They just can’t come up with a big stop when they need to. The defense, however, didn’t cost the Saints the game. No, that actually fell on Sean Payton, who decided to call a double reverse with only three minutes left in the game instead of running the clock out. The play backfired when Reggie Bush threw a bad pitch and the Bucs jumped on the loose ball. Stupid call.
Giants 21, Bears 16
Chicago was finally on the other side of one of these games. The Bears had the Giants on the ropes virtually all game, but the G-Men mustered two touchdowns with less than seven minutes left and pulled off the win. Eli Manning was shaky again, but give him credit for engineering the comeback win after the NY defense kept Chicago out of the end zone in the fourth quarter. Derrick Ward was the star for the Giants’ offense, rushing for 154 yards and a touchdown. It’s amazing how bad the Bears’ run defense is this year after how dominant they were last year. How quickly things can turn around for a team in the NFL.
Chargers 24, Chiefs 10
Heads up, San Diego is quietly playing well again. Philip Rivers wasn’t great, but then again he didn’t need to be with LT rushing for 177 yards and two touchdowns. The Chargers just need to keep things simple and put the ball in Tomlinson’s hands every game. It sounds so obvious, but Norv Turner has gotten away from this basic concept in many of San Diego’s losses. Turner has to stop trying to over-coach and just let his best player do his thing.
Seahawks 28, Eagles 24
Lofa Tatupu was an absolute beast in this game. He not only sealed the game with a goal line interception of A.J. Feeley with 23 seconds left, but he also finished with 11 tackles and had two picks at that the offense turned into scores in the first quarter. This isn’t official information, but word is Tatupu also sold raffle tickets and worked at one of the beer stands at halftime. Good to see Shaun Alexander is still alive. He certainly didn’t light up the stat sheet, but he did score a touchdown, which was his first since the second week of the season…How hot is that seat under Andy Reid after a loss like this?
Titans 28, Texans 20
After three straight losses, Vince Young had to step up and carry the Titans to a victory this week and that’s exactly what he did. He completed 21 of 31 passes for 248 yards and two touchdowns, but better yet, he didn’t have to use his feet to win. The Titans defense looked suspect again, which is a major concern after how good they looked earlier in the year. But at least this team is still in playoff contention and after three straight losses, what more could they ask for?
Rams 28, Falcons 16
They almost gave away another game in the second half, but the Rams looked great at times on both sides of the ball. Gus Frerotte (311 yards, 3 TDs) was on fire and Steven Jackson broke off a 50-yard TD run in the final minute. This is how many people thought the Rams would play all season…In two and a half quarters, Joey Harrington led the Falcons to 3 points and was highly ineffective. In two possessions, Chris Redman (the same Chris Redman who knows Bobby Petrino’s offense from playing at Louisville) picked apart the Rams’ defense for two touchdowns, leading me to believe that Petrino’s offense can work in the NFL if it has a competent signal caller running it. Brian Brohm anyone?
Panthers 31, 49ers 14
Trent Dilfer aided the Panthers in notching their first home victory in over a year. Dilfer threw four interceptions, the final one sealing the game for Carolina just before the two-minute warning. Surprised that Carolina scored 31 points after notching just six last week? Don’t be – David Carr didn’t start. Vinny Testaverde (153 yards, 2 TDs) became the oldest quarterback to start in NFL history, and other than throwing two interceptions he played like a 25-year old school boy.
Raiders 34, Broncos 20
How about them Raiders? What an unusual offensive explosion for the Raiders’ offense today, a day in which JaMarcus Russell saw his first NFL action. The rookie looked pretty good too, completing 4 of 7 passes for 57 yards in spot duty. The real story, however, was Josh McCown, who threw for 141 yards and three touchdowns. It was McCown’s annual, “Hey, I can play in this league!” game…There’s not much left to say about the Broncos – they’re just not very good. It’s amazing how bad the defense is with how much talent they have.
Jets 40, Dolphins 13
Poor Dolphins. Coming into this game, they’re thinking, “Hey, we’ve got a chance for a win here.” Then youngster John Beck goes out and turns the ball over five times, while the defense gets torched for 40 points… How underrated is Kerry Rhodes? He’s now got three interceptions in the last three games.
