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      Cowboys smoke Giants in Jason Garrett’s debut

      November 14, 2010 /

      Jerry Jones would have fired Wade Phillips a month ago if he knew the Cowboys would have played as well all season under Jason Garrett as they did in New York on Sunday.

      The Cowboys routed the Giants 33-20 in Garrett’s debut. Even though Dallas’ win was only by a 13-point margin, I use the term “routed” because many believed that this New York team was the best in the NFC coming into this game. (Not to mention the Cowboys have looked like an utter train wreck for most of the season.)

      There really was no secret to how the Cowboys dismantled the Giants: they stayed balanced offensively, they won the turnover battle and they produced some big plays. The Giants turned the ball over three times, including once at the goal line as Bryan McCann picked off Eli Manning and returned the gift 101 yards for a touchdown. It was the longest interception return for a score in franchise history for the Cowboys.

      Jon Kitna, who clearly located a genie sometime this week and cashed in one of his three wishes, threw for 327 yards and three touchdowns. Rookie Dez Bryant caught three passes for 104 yards and a score, while Felix Jones (who saw a lot of playing time after Marion Barber was benched) caught three passes for 85 yards and one touchdown.

      Outside of Mario Manningham (10 receptions, 91 yards, 1 TD), it was a day the Giants would like to forget. Dallas punched them in the mouth from the opening bell and New York had no response. They tried to make it close at the end, but a Hakeen Nicks touchdown was wiped off the board because of a holding penalty and then Manning turned the ball over twice on the Giants’ next two possessions to ice the game for the Cowboys. (Although a botched snap was part of the blame for one of Manning’s turnovers.)

      It’s not completely shocking that a divisional rival was able to walk into the New Meadowlands (a dark New Meadowlands at that, as the stadium suffered a couple of power outages during the game) and beat the Giants. What’s shocking is that the divisional rival was a Dallas team that had just fired its head coach earlier in the week and had played like crap in its previous three games. If I’m Tom Coughlin, I don’t even watch the reply from this loss. Just pitch the tape in the trash and look ahead to next week.

      External Sports, NFL

      Cassel, Orton combine for 765 yards & eight touchdowns; Seahawks back in first

      November 14, 2010 /
      Denver Broncos starting quarterback Kyle Orton throws against the Kansas City Chiefs in the first quarter in their NFL football game in Denver November 14, 2010. REUTERS/Rick Wilking (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL)

      In a game only an Area Football fan could be proud of, the Broncos hammered the clueless Chiefs 49-29 on Sunday.

      Matt Cassel threw for a career-high 469 yards and four touchdowns, while Kyle Orton threw for 296 yards and four scores. Neither quarterback was picked off, although it’s important to note that they were playing against air.

      Dwayne Bowe’s assault on defensive backfields continued, as he caught 13 passes for 186 yards and two scores. He now has eight touchdowns in his last five games, which is enough to make any fantasy owner who dropped or traded him earlier in the year when he was laying goose eggs want to take a bath with a toaster.

      With Kansas City’s loss, the AFC West is now up for grabs. The Chiefs and Raiders are now tied for first place at 5-4, while the Chargers (who we all know will win this juggernaut of a division with a 9-7 record when it’s all said and done) are 4-5. At 3-6, even the Broncos aren’t totally out of the picture if they can string a couple of wins together, and this is a team that gave up 59 points to Oakland three weeks ago.

      Speaking of bad football, the Seahawks crushed the Cardinals 36-18 on Sunday. The win, coupled with a Rams’ loss to the 49ers (23-20 in overtime), puts Seattle back in first place at 5-4 in the NFC West. If you can find a worse division in football, let me know.

      Sam Bradford put together a nice drive late in the fourth quarter to push the game into overtime. Of course, had St. Louis’ defense held on to a 7-point lead with about six minutes remaining in the game, the Rams wouldn’t had needed Bradford’s heroics. The Rams remain winless on the road this year.

      Troy Smith has given the 49ers new life at quarterback. He completed 17-of-28 passes for 356 yards and one touchdown, while compiling a 116.7 QB rating. He also had a couple of touchdowns wiped off the board because of penalties. Despite their back-to-back wins, San Francisco remains a poorly coached team and Mike Singletary’s in-game management should continue to draw criticism from the media.

      External Sports, NFL

      Hot seat gets warmer for Childress as Bears dump Vikings

      November 14, 2010 /
      ST. LOUIS, MO - OCTOBER 11: Head coach Brad Childress of the Minnesota Vikings looks on against the St. Louis Rams at the Edward Jones Dome on October 11, 2009 in St. Louis, Missouri. The Vikings beat the Rams 38-10. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)

      Zygi Wilf still isn’t considering a coaching change in Minnesota, but he can’t be too pleased with the effort his team gave in Chicago on Sunday.

      With their 27-13 loss to the Bears, the Vikings are now 3-6 on the year but Wilf is still reluctant to make a coaching change at the moment. That’s not to say that he won’t change his mind, but Childress’ job seems safe at the moment.

      Wilf endured another turnoverfest in Chicago, as the Vikings committed four turnovers in the loss. The Bears let them hang around for a while, but Brett Favre wanted nothing to with the opportunities he was given and Minnesota eventually succumbed to defeat.

      Devin Hester had himself a game, as he scored on a 19-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter, returned a punt 42 yards later in the quarter and also returned a 68-yard kickoff in the third. He wanted to be more of a factor in the return game this season and he has been.

      Somehow Jay Cutler wasn’t sacked the entire game, which is an embarrassment for the Vikings. The Bears’ offensive line has been horrendous all season, but they came up big against a Minnesota pass rush that has suddenly disappeared. Granted, Cutler moved around the pocket well and kept plays alive with his feet, but Chicago’s O-line deserves credit for coming to play.

      With the win, the Bears are tied for first place in the division with the Packers, who were idle this week. The two teams will square off in Green Bay on the final week of the season, so things are shaping up for a great finish in the NFC North.

      External Sports, NFL

      Bengals hold Manning without touchdown pass, still lose

      November 14, 2010 /
      Indianapolis Colts defensive back Kelvin Hayden (26) scores a touchdown after intercepting a pass while Colts defensive back Jerraud Powers (25) blocks Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Jordan Shipley during the first quarter of their NFL football game in Indianapolis November 14, 2010. REUTERS/Brent Smith (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL)

      Imagine what the Bengals could do if they bothered to show up for 60 minutes.

      For the third time in four weeks, the Bengals spotted their opponent a sizable lead before coming back in the second half. And for the third time in four weeks, their comeback attempt fell short.

      Cincy held Peyton Manning to 185 yards passing and zero touchdowns, but Carson Palmer gift-wrapped a 23-17 win for the Colts by throwing three interceptions (one of which was returned for a 31-yard touchdown by Kelvin Hayden). All told, the Bengals finished with five turnovers on the day and despite outgaining the Colts and holding Manning in check, Cincinnati lost its sixth game in a row.

      For Indianapolis, tight end Jacob Tamme continues to blossom into a nice young player for the Colts. He caught seven passes for 73 yards, which was good for a 10.4 yards-per-catch average. He was targeted 10 times by Manning, more than any other Colts’ receiver.

      Next Sunday makes for an interesting matchup in Foxboro, as Indianapolis travels to New England to take on the Patriots. Depending on what happens Sunday night in Pittsburgh, the Pats could be looking to avoid a three-game losing streak when the Colts come to down. (Monday morning update: Uh, or maybe not.)

      External Sports, NFL

      Randy Moss held to just one catch in his Titans’ debut

      November 14, 2010 /
      EDEN PRAIRIE, MN - OCTOBER 7: Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Randy Moss answers questions from the media during a press conference at Winter Park on October 7, 2010 in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. (Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images)

      Somewhere in Pittsburgh right now, Patriots’ coach Bill Belichick just read Randy Moss’ stat line from his first game as a Titan and said, “Suck it, Randy.”

      After being a malcontent in his previous two stops, Moss is now working on his third team this season and he’s already 0-1. While he was targeted four times in the Titans’ 29-17 loss to the Dolphins on Sunday, he caught just one pass for 26 yards in his Tennessee debut.

      And that catch didn’t come until the Titans’ final drive in the fourth quarter.

      Moss spent most of the day riding the bench and he even admitted after the game that he wasn’t as good as he could be.

      “My debut, man, it was actually a bad game for me. I think I just tried to be as much help to them as I could, just try to play within the offense. So I felt comfortable out there, but I don’t think that I had a very good overall game. I think that my blocking really wasn’t that good, where I wanted it to be. So I’ll just go back at the drawing board and come back again next week.”

      As for the players who did factor into the game, Chad Henne completed 19-of-28 passes for 240 yards with one touchdown and an interception. The only reason Henne was in the game was because Chad Pennington (who’s season, if not career, is likely over with) hurt his shoulder just two snaps into the first quarter. Then Henne injured his knee in the second half and had to be replaced by Tyler Thigpen, who completed 4-of-6 passes for 64 yards and a touchdown.

      Henne, who was on crutches following the game, will have an MRI on his knee Sunday night. If he can’t go, Thigpen would get the nod against the Bears next week.

      The win was big for the Dolphins, who remain two games behind the Jets in the division. The loss drops the Titans a game back of the Colts in both the win and loss columns, and into a tie with the Jaguars at 5-4.

      External Sports, NFL

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