NFL WEEK IN REVIEW - WEEK 11

Week 11 - NFL Week In Review

Week 11 REVIEW - Final Score: Arizona 38, St. Louis 28

St. Louis, MO - (MySportsbook.com) - Kurt Warner haunted his former team by completing 27-of-39 passes for 285 yards with three touchdowns, as Arizona downed St. Louis, 38-28, at Edward Jones Dome. Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald were the recipients of Warner's big day. Boldin ended with eight catches for 105 yards with a score while Fitzgerald had nine receptions for 104 yards with a touchdown for the Cardinals (3-7), who put an end to a three-game losing streak. Warner, a two-time MVP, played with the Rams from 1998-2003 and led the club to a pair of Super Bowl appearances, which included winning Super Bowl XXXIV. "As special as it was, I'm two years removed now and I don't feel like I'm as much a part of this organization as I did when I first left," Warner said. "You still have a lot of friends, I still love those guys over there and still enjoy competing against them."

Arizona won for only the second time in its last 26 road games and the first since November 7, 2004 against Miami. Marc Bulger was 19-of-24 for 224 yards with two touchdowns before leaving in the fourth quarter for the Rams (4-6), who have dropped two straight games. Bulger was sacked by Adrian Wilson and landed on his right shoulder. He was taken to the locker room for x-rays where it was diagnosed as a bruised shoulder and he is listed as day-to-day. Jamie Martin filled in for Bulger and was 14-of-19 for 161 yards with a score. Torry Holt had 11 catches for 129 yards and added a touchdown, while Kevin Curtis contributed nine receptions for 98 yards and a score in the loss. Steven Jackson was held to only six rushing yards on 12 carries for St. Louis. "Any loss is devastating because you want to get on the winning road," said Jackson. "Losing this game was not very good for our wild card hopes."

Trailing 17-16 after three quarters, the Cardinals took control in the fourth. Arizona went ahead for good as Warner finished off a 10-play, 48-yard drive by finding Adam Bergen for a nine-yard touchdown. The Cardinals then converted the two-point conversion to pull ahead 24-17 with 8:11 remaining. Jeff Wilkins' 32-yard field goal cut the deficit to four points with around 3 1/2 minutes to play, but the Rams fell apart from there. Reggie Swinton returned the ensuing kickoff 90 yards, and on the second play of the series, Warner's seven-yard TD toss to Fitzgerald widened the gap to 31-20. Following a Martin fumble deep in his own territory, J.J. Arrington pushed the lead to 18 points as he scampered in from seven-yards out with 1:54 to go. Curtis' 26-yard score and the ensuing two-point conversion to Arlen Harris just over one minute later capped the scoring. "This was a very disappointing afternoon for our football team," said St. Louis interim head coach Joe Vitt. "We just cannot continue to commit penalties and turnovers and we are not getting turnovers. We just keep shooting ourselves in the foot."

Warner fumbled on Arizona's first possession and the Rams fell on the loose ball at their opponents' 34-yard line. St. Louis picked up only five yards before Jeff Wilkins booted a 47-yard field goal. The Cardinals then tied the game at 3-3 after Neil Rackers kicked a 32-yard field goal with 1:22 left in the first quarter. The Rams quickly countered with a six-play, 80-yard drive that culminated in Holt's 22-yard touchdown reception. The Cardinals, though, answered with a long scoring drive that was capped on Boldin's 13-yard touchdown catch. Rackers' 33-yard field goal with 26 seconds left in the first half sent Arizona into the locker room with a 13-10 lead. Early in the third quarter, Rackers kicked a 51-yard field goal to cap an eight-play, 47-yard march and extend the advantage to 16-10. The Cardinals kicker is a perfect 31-of-31 this year on field goal tries. St. Louis was not down for long, however, as Bulger engineered a six-play, 72- yard drive that resulted in Isaac Bruce's 46-yard touchdown catch.

Game Notes

Rackers has kicked at least two field goals in an NFL-record 11 straight games. Cary Blanchard had gone 10 straight games with at least two FGs in 1996...Arrington had 45 rushing yards...Holt has 37 career 100-yard receiving games...Bruce had 83 receiving yards and is 12 shy of becoming the 11th player in NFL history with 12,000...St. Louis had won six of the last eight games in the series...Wilson had three sacks, a fumble recovery and a forced fumble.

Week 11 REVIEW - Final Score: Chicago 13, Carolina 3

Chicago, IL - (MySportsbook.com) - Kyle Orton threw a touchdown pass and Chicago's defense took advantage of two critical Carolina turnovers, as the Bears downed the Panthers, 13-3, in a key NFC battle at Soldier Field. Orton ended 15-of-26 for 136 yards with an interception for the Bears (7-3), who have won six straight games and have not lost since a 20-10 setback at Cleveland on October 9. "We've waited for a long time to be in this situation, where we played a game in front of our home fans that meant a lot," said Chicago head coach Lovie Smith. "The fans were super today. They really helped us a lot and we definitely had a homefield advantage." Thomas Jones contributed 87 rushing yards in the win.

Jake Delhomme finished 22-of-38 for 235 yards with a pair of interceptions for the Panthers (7-3), who had a six-game winning streak snapped. Steve Smith was Delhomme's favorite target, catching a season-high 14 balls for 169 yards in the setback. Carolina was trying to tie its franchise-best winning streak of seven games, set in 1996. The loss also dropped the Panthers into a first place tie in the NFC South with Tampa Bay, which defeated Atlanta on Sunday. "Well, we're 7-3 and we have another road game against Buffalo next week," said Carolina head coach John Fox. "So, that's where we are." Nathan Vasher, who returned a missed field goal 108 yards for a touchdown in last week's win over San Francisco, was the Chicago defensive spark again as he had two interceptions. In addition, the Bears sacked Delhomme eight times.

Chicago got the game's first big break as Delhomme was intercepted on the Panthers' third play of the game. Vasher picked off the pass and ran it back 46 yards all the way to the Carolina eight. Three plays later, Muhsin Muhammad caught a three-yard touchdown pass to make it 7-0. After each team punted once, Delhomme was then intercepted by Vasher again and the Bears began at their opponents' 18-yard line. Chicago, though, failed to get in the end zone and settled for Robbie Gould's 33-yard field goal to extend the lead to 10-0 with 5:41 left in the first quarter. "I'm playing as well as anybody," Vasher said. "Our defense is playing as good as -- if not better -- than anybody. The Panthers then drove down on their next possession, but John Kasay misfired on a 46-yard field goal attempt. Gould widened the gap to 13-0 on a 39-yard field goal with 7:52 left in the second quarter and neither team scored again until the fourth period.

Carolina finally got on the board with 8:31 left in the game as Kasay booted a 38-yard field goal. The field goal capped an 11-play, 61-yard drive that was aided by 56 yards passing from Delhomme. The Panthers tried to mount one final drive in the waning minutes, but Delhomme was sacked on 4th-and-6 from the Chicago 18. "Any time you go on the road, it is important not to fall behind," said Fox. "We got in a more of a pass mode and, particularly in the fourth quarter, they put their ears back and got after us pretty good. I think our strat had a lot to do with how the day went."

Game Notes

Adewale Ogunleye had three of the sacks, while Alex Brown sacked Delhomme twice...Justin Gage had seven catches for 81 yards in the win...Delhomme is 14 passing yards shy of 10,000 in his career...Smith eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards for the second straight season (1,106)...Carolina's ground game had only 55 yards, led by DeShaun Foster's 41...Carolina middle linebacker Dan Morgan left in the first quarter with a sprained left ankle.

Week 11 Review - Final Score: Dallas 20, Detroit 7

Irving, TX - (MySportsbook.com) - Marion Barber scored two touchdowns and Julius Jones rushed for 92 yards, as the Dallas Cowboys defeated the Detroit Lions, 20-7, at Texas Stadium. Barber added 53 yards on the ground for the Cowboys (7-3), who have now won three straight games and remain tied with the New York Giants for first place in the NFC East. The Giants defeated the Philadelphia Eagles, 27-17, on Sunday. Drew Bledsoe was 12-of-23 for 110 yards and Keyshawn Johnson hauled in five passes for 37 yards in the victory. "It's a great luxury for a quarterback," said Bledsoe about his two running backs. "It's great to having Julius back. He looked like his old self and Marion has really come on. They did a great job today of keeping (the Lions) off-balance."

Joey Harrington completed 17-of-25 passes for 169 yards in Detroit's third loss in its last four games. Kevin Jones added a touchdown for the Lions (4-6), but had only 29 yards rushing. The Cowboys led the entire game and controlled the time of possession, 36:02 to Detroit's 23:58. "I'm happy to win, but I just can't quite get things the way I want right now," said Dallas head coach Bill Parcells. "They still don't all get it. But I don't have time to reflect on that right now. I am happy to win. I'm not going to cry the blues."

Dallas opened the scoring on the game's first drive, marching 84 yards in 14 plays. Barber scored from six yards out to cap the series and give the Cowboys a 7-0 lead with 6:58 remaining in the first quarter. Billy Cundiff, who was signed on Saturday, increased Dallas' lead to 10-0 with a 19-yard field goal with less than seven minutes to go in the second quarter. The Cowboys went 89 yards on the possession, but couldn't score a touchdown from the one-yard line. Detroit's defense stopped Jones on three straight runs for no gain. Kevin Jones got Detroit on the board with a two-yard touchdown run with 2:49 left in the first half, making the score 10-7. Jones took the handoff from Harrington and started to dash up the middle, but bounced it out to the right side and rolled into the endzone, hitting the right pylon for the score. The touchdown was set up by a leaping 30-yard reception by Roy Williams that put the Lions on the two-yard line. Williams finished the game with five catches for 72 yards.

Cundiff then booted a career-long, 56-yard field goal, putting Dallas up 13-7 with only three seconds on the clock before halftime. Barber powered into the end zone from four yards out late in the third quarter, giving the Cowboys a 20-7 advantage with 2:21 to go in the third. The drive took up 6:03 and was kept alive after Bledsoe rushed for a two-yard quarterback sneak on 4th-and-1 at Detroit's 39-yard line. Early in the final quarter, Jason Hanson pushed a 50-yard field-goal attempt wide left, leaving 11:00 to play in the game. The Lions were unable to make anything happen late and turned the ball over, killing any chances to get back into the game. Harrington was hit by Greg Ellis and coughed up the ball and Dat Nguyen recovered on the Dallas 37-yard line with 4:17 left. Dallas took over and ran out the clock with a combination of Jones and Barber grinding it out on the ground.

Game Notes

The Lions committed 17 penalties for 129 yards...Dallas is now 4-1 at home this season...The Lions are 1-4 on the road...Parcells improved his overall record against Detroit to 8-3...Dallas was 6-of-12 on third-down conversions...Detroit defensive end Kalimba Edwards picked up a sack, giving him a career-high seven on the season.

Week 11 Review - Final Score: Jacksonville 31, Tennessee 28

Nashville, TN - (MySportsbook.com) - Byron Leftwich overcame a sluggish start to throw three touchdown passes, leading the Jacksonville Jaguars to a 31-28 victory over the Tennessee Titans at The Coliseum. Leftwich, who misfired on his first seven passes, finished 22-of-38 for 258 yards. He also ran for a score as the Jaguars (7-3) won their third straight game. After going 58 consecutive games without scoring 30 points, Jacksonville has reached that mark each of the past two weeks. The Jaguars did it without much of rushing game, managing just 49 yards on 30 attempts for a 1.6-yard average. Fred Taylor started the game for Jacksonville despite being listed as doubtful all week with an ankle injury, but he was ineffective with minus-eight yards on six carries -- all in the first half.

Steve McNair threw for 208 yards with a pair of touchdowns and one interception for the Titans (2-8), who have lost five in a row. Chris Brown ran for 61 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries and caught four passes for 58 yards with a score in defeat. The game was tied at 21-21 entering the fourth quarter, but the Jaguars were on their way to taking the lead. A 21-yard pass from Leftwich to Jimmy Smith on the final play of the third helped Jacksonville escape the shadow of its own goal line. Leftwich continued the 89-yard march with third-down completions of 10 yards to Alvin Pearman and 28 yards to Matt Jones. The latter also cost Leftwich a play, as he was drilled while making the throw and had to sit out for a moment. After backup quarterback David Garrard ran for 12 yards, Leftwich returned and threw a seven-yard touchdown pass to Jones for the go-ahead score with 9:21 remaining. The Jaguars later tacked on a 31-yard field goal by Josh Scobee with 1:52 left for a 31-21 advantage.

McNair marched the Titans 72 yards on seven plays against a prevent defense and threw an eight-yard touchdown pass to Roydell Williams with 10 seconds remaining to account for the final margin. The ensuing onside kick went out of bounds and the Jaguars ran out the last few seconds to win for just the second time in their last eight meetings with Tennessee. "It's been hard for everyone to win here over the years," said Jacksonville's Marcus Stroud. "This win was huge." The Jaguars still have two games remaining on a three-game road trip, but will get to play NFC doormats Arizona and San Francisco. "Road trips ain't easy," stated Jacksonville defensive lineman and aspiring poet John Henderson. "You gotta have poise for the noise and don't blink."

A trade of punts to start the game gave Tennessee great field position at the Jacksonville 39-yard line for its second possession. McNair, though, threw into double coverage on the first play and was intercepted by Kenny Wright. The punt competition continued into the second quarter until Tennessee marched 57 yards on 12 plays for a touchdown. An offside penalty on 3rd-and-14 gave the Titans new life and McNair made it pay off with a 15-yard pass to Drew Bennett. The series continued until McNair threw a middle screen that Brown turned into a 15-yard touchdown for a 7-0 lead with 7:08 to play in the half. The Jaguars, who did not record a first down and had zero net yards through their first five possessions, followed with an 80-yard march for the tying score.

Leftwich, whose only completed pass until that point was a deflection caught for minus-one yard by an offensive lineman, converted 3rd-and-13 with a 17- yard toss to Smith to ignite the drive. An unsportsmanlike penalty against Tennessee defensive back Pacman Jones also fueled the series, as did a 33-yard catch-and-run by tight end Kyle Brady, who dragged three defenders before being pulled down. Brady then hauled in a one-yard touchdown pass with 1:10 remaining to tie it. Jones atoned for his penalty with an 85-yard return on the ensuing kickoff, giving the Titans the ball at the Jacksonville 11 with just under a minute to play in the half. Brown crashed into the end zone from the one soon after to give Tennessee a 14-7 advantage heading into the break. The Jaguars tied it on their first series of the second half, as Leftwich finished an 11-play, 61-yard drive with a two-yard touchdown run. The Titans were then forced to punt after just three plays on their first possession of the third quarter, but the Tennessee defense came up with the go-ahead score on Jacksonville's first play after the kick.

Kyle Vanden Bosch stripped Leftwich of the ball and Antwan Odom returned the fumble 27 yards for a touchdown to give Tennessee a 21-14 lead. Back came the Jaguars, as Leftwich completed four passes during a seven-play drive and capped the 79-yard march with an 18-yard scoring toss to Ernest Wilford to tie it again with 4:02 left in the third.

Game Notes Jacksonville special teams captain Nick Sorensen suffered a broken ankle on Jones' long kickoff return at the end of the first half and had to be carted off the field...Greg Jones led the Jacksonville rushing attack with 33 yards on 16 carries...Smith left the game with a hamstring injury, but had five catches for 89 yards in the victory...Bennett returned to the lineup for Tennessee after missing four games with a thumb injury and led the Titans with six catches for 55 yards.

Week 11 Review - Final Score: Cleveland 22, Miami 0

Cleveland, OH - (MySportsbook.com) - Reuben Droughns scored on a 75-yard run on Cleveland's first play of the game and finished with 166 rushing yards, as the Browns posted a 22-0 victory over the Miami Dolphins. Trent Dilfer added a touchdown pass and Phil Dawson booted three field goals for the Browns (4-6), who won for the second time in three games. Cleveland held Miami to just 194 total yards and earned its first shutout in nearly four years. The Dolphins (3-7) lost their third straight game and fell for the sixth time in their last seven outings.

Sage Rosenfels got the start at quarterback for Miami because Gus Frerotte was bothered by an injured throwing finger, but the second start of Rosenfels' career was short-lived. He was replaced early in the third quarter after completing just 5-of-10 passes for a mere 14 yards with a pair of interceptions. Frerotte was just as bad in relief, completing only 4-of-18 throws for 53 yards. Miami's ground game fared a little better, as Ricky Williams rushed for 83 yards on 13 carries and Ronnie Brown totaled 56 yards on 12 attempts. "This is as disappointed as I've been, in terms of not necessarily the result, but this is really the first time I felt like we really did not compete in a way that we certainly would expect our players to compete," said Dolphins head coach Nick Saban, who was the defensive coordinator for Cleveland from 1991-94 under Bill Belichick. The Dolphins also lost a key member of their defense, as linebacker Zach Thomas injured his right shoulder in the second quarter while delivering a hit on Cleveland rookie quarterback Charlie Frye. Initial reports indicated a separated shoulder, but Thomas will undergo further tests Monday in Miami.

Frye, Cleveland's third-round pick, saw his first regular-season action with three series of downs and completed 6-of-11 passes for 58 yards with an interception. He also led Cleveland to a second-quarter field goal. Droughns, who finished with 30 carries, reached the 100-yard plateau for the third time in his last five games and for the ninth time in his career. "He gives it everything he has and leaves it all out there on the field," said Browns head coach Romeo Crennel. The Dolphins went three and out to start the game and the Browns followed the Miami punt with a score on their first offensive play, as Droughns broke free for a 75-yard touchdown run. He eluded a pair of tacklers in the backfield, then raced across the field to the left sideline before another cutback to the middle led to the end zone. The extra point attempt by Dawson hit the left upright to leave the score 6-0.

Rosenfels, whose only pass on the initial series fell incomplete, was picked off on his second attempt. He was hurried by a blitzing linebacker and was hit as he threw, enabling Matt Stewart to intercept the floating ball at the Cleveland 40-yard line. Droughns then ran the ball on Cleveland's first four plays and a 28-yard pass from Dilfer to Antonio Bryant put the Browns inside the Miami 10, but the Dolphin defense forced a 23-yard field goal from Dawson that increased the lead to 9-0. The Dolphins appeared to answer with a touchdown when Randy McMichael caught a 23-yard pass along the right sideline for a score, but officials ruled he stepped out of bounds before making the catch and Miami was instead penalized five yards for illegal touching. After a pass lost five yards, the Dolphins were set to try for the first down on 4th-and-15 from the 33, but a delay of game penalty made it five yards farther and Saban elected to punt.

The Browns tacked on another field goal on the final play of the first half when Dawson connected from 40 yards away. The 14-play, 57-yard drive was led by Frye, who completed 4-of-7 passes for 37 yards. Dilfer, who was not hurt, returned to start the second half and threw a six- yard touchdown pass to fullback Terrelle Smith on Cleveland's second series of the third quarter for a 19-0 cushion. A 37-yard punt return by Dennis Northcutt to the Miami 28 set up a short field and Dilfer needed only five plays to put his team into the end zone. "What a great win," said Dilfer. "Defensively, we just came out and dominated the line of scrimmage. Offensively, the best thing we did was stay on the field." Cleveland got the ball right back when Rosenfels was picked off by Chris Crocker on Miami's first play after the kickoff, and the turnover led to a 24- yard field goal by Dawson to make it a 22-0 game with 1:35 left in the third quarter.

Frerotte replaced Rosenfels on Miami's next offensive series and couldn't move the offense, but the Dolphins got the ball back at the Cleveland 36 when Travares Tillman intercepted a Frye pass. Frerotte was unable to take advantage of the field position and lost yardage with a sack on third down to force another Miami punt. The next two Dolphin possessions ended in fourth-down incomplete passes by Frerotte deep in Cleveland territory, as the Browns earned their first shutout since an 18-0 victory over Cincinnati on November 25, 2001. "The players did a good job of working at it," Crennel added about obtaining the shutout. "We had a good game plan and then they don't ever quit. Today, it paid off in a shutout."

Game Notes

The Dolphins hadn't been shut out since a 12-0 loss to New England on December 7, 2003...Miami had won the last six meetings with the Browns, including last year's 10-7 triumph in Florida, but hadn't played in Cleveland since 1993 when Saban was the Browns' defensive coordinator...Dolphins safety Lance Schulters appeared to suffer a head injury during the second quarter when his helmet collided with Thomas' helmet while the two tried to make a tackle. Schulters remained on the field for a few minutes before eventually walking off under his own power. He returned in the second half.

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