NFL WEEK IN REVIEW - WEEK 2

Week 2 - NFL Week In Review

NFL GAME BY GAME SUMMARIES - NFL WEEK IN REVIEW - WEEK 2

NFL Game Summary -

Week 2 - Final Score: Tampa Bay 19, Buffalo 3

Nashville, TN (MySportsbook.com) - Steve McNair threw for 195 yards with a touchdown and the Tennessee defense played a dominant first half, as the Titans cruised to a 25-10 victory over the Baltimore Ravens at The Coliseum.

The Titans (1-1) held the Ravens without a first down in the first half on the way to a 13-0 lead and linebacker Brad Kassell helped seal the contest with a 21-yard interception return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. Jamal Lewis managed just nine yards and 10 carries as the Baltimore offense struggled mightily for the second straight game. Last week, the Ravens (0-2) scored only in the final minute in a 24-7 loss to Indianapolis and on Sunday Anthony Wright couldn't do much starting for the injured Kyle Boller.

"We got a lot of work to do plain and simple," said Ravens head coach Brian Billick, whose team heads into a much-needed bye. "This bye week didn't look to be in a good spot when it first came out, but obviously right now it's what we need because we have a great deal of work this next two weeks." In addition to the interception, Wright completed 25-of-40 passes for 212 yards with a fourth-quarter touchdown. Most of those yards came in the second half, as the Ravens mustered just 23 total yards in the opening 30 minutes. "All week we stressed the importance of maintaining gaps and attacking downhill and controlling the line of scrimmage," said Titans linebacker Keith Bulluck about the defensive play.

The Tennessee defense stuffed Baltimore's opening possession and forced a punt after three plays. The Titans then came up with a turnover on the next Ravens series as Andre Woolfolk forced a Lewis fumble and recovered the loose ball at the Baltimore 25. McNair needed just three plays to put his team in the end zone, as he followed a 22-yard run by Chris Brown with a two-yard scoring toss to Troy Fleming for a 7-0 lead. "They gave us the ball a couple times and actually scored and that's always a plus for the offense," McNair commented about the Titan defense. "Pretty much for the most part of the game we worked on their side of the field." After another Baltimore punt, the Titans drove 47 yards on 13 plays for a 39- yard field goal from Rob Bironas early in the second quarter. McNair keyed the series with a trio of third-down conversions, including a 12-yard strike on 3rd-and-11 and a 16-yard connection on 3rd-and-9. Tennessee was marching toward another score on its next possession after a 24- yard pass from McNair to Courtney Roby and an 18-yard toss to Fleming. Brown, though, fumbled inside the Baltimore 20 and Will Demps returned it 22 yards.

The Baltimore offense continued to stumble, as Wright was sacked on each of the first two plays and the Ravens punted after a 13-yard run by Lewis. The Titans tacked on another field goal by Bironas, a 29-yarder just one second before the intermission, to take a 13-0 lead to the break. The Ravens finally picked up a first down on their initial play of the second half when Wright found Derrick Mason with a 12-yard pass. Wright connected on each of his next six throws before a pair of incompletions led to a 30-yard field goal by Matt Stover with 8:54 left in the third quarter. A 59-yard kickoff return by Roby set up a 47-yard field goal by Bironas to make it 16-3. Kassell's interception return with 11:53 left in the contest made it 23-3.

Wright then guided the Ravens to their lone touchdown, finishing a 14-play, 88-yard drive with a 12-yard scoring pass to Mason. The Titans tacked on a safety late with a blocked punt for the final margin. "It was very frustrating," Wright said about his team's performance. "We just have to come back and keep working. It's still early in the season and we've just got to keep chugging and see how everything turns out."

Game Notes

Wright's last start was an AFC wild card loss to Tennessee after the 2003 season...Baltimore finished with just 14 yards rushing...Mason, a former Titan, had eight catches for 60 yards...Tennessee rookie safety Vincent Fuller injured his ankle on the opening kickoff. He was able to walk off the field...Tennessee defensive lineman Albert Haynesworth injured his left knee in the third quarter and had to be carted off the field...Roby injured a toe during his long kickoff return in the third quarter, while Brown suffered a mild concussion.

Week 2 - Final Score: Chicago 38, Detroit 6

Chicago, IL (MySportsbook.com) - Thomas Jones ran for 139 yards and two touchdowns, leading the Chicago Bears to a 38-6 rout of the Detroit Lions in an NFC North showdown at Soldier Field. Rookie quarterback Kyle Orton threw his first career NFL touchdown pass and was 14-of-21 for 150 yards, as Chicago (1-1) rebounded from last weekend's season-opening loss to Washington.

"We have a great offensive line and Thomas (Jones) played big," Orton said after the game. "It feels good to get my first NFL win. Right now I think this is my team." Bobby Wade had a 73-yard punt return for a touchdown and Mike Brown returned an interception 41 yards for a score in the win. The Bears were all over Detroit quarterback Joey Harrington, who threw five interceptions. Chicago will host Cincinnati next weekend, while the Lions have a bye. Harrington finished just 19-of-37 for 196 yards and a score, but Detroit (1-1) couldn't carry its success into Sunday's game after a big Week 1 victory over conference-foe Green Bay. Roy Williams caught five passes for 96 yards and a touchdown for the Lions, who had won the last three meetings with Chicago.

Harrington's first interception led to a Chicago touchdown early in the opening quarter. After Bears lineman Ian Scott batted a Harrington pass and picked it off, Chicago marched 43 yards in seven plays and took a 7-0 lead on Jones' three-yard TD run at 10:10 of the quarter. Harrington redeemed himself on Detroit's next series and heaved a 51-yard touchdown pass to Williams at the 9:54 mark. Kicker Remy Hamilton had his PAT kick blocked and the score was 7-6. Detroit's starting kicker Jason Hanson was inactive with an injured right hamstring and Hamilton was promoted from the practice squad before the game.

The Bears then scored 31 unanswered points to open the floodgates.

Chicago kicker Doug Brien split the uprights from 48 yards out minutes later to extend Chicago's lead to 10-6. Wade then gave the Bears a 17-6 advantage with a 73-yard punt return for a score with 11:34 remaining in the first half. "It was a big kick, the guys did an exceptional job holding the gunners up," Wade said of his return. "It was a big play." Nathan Vasher picked off an errant Harrington throw in the end zone late in the second quarter, leading to Orton's first NFL touchdown pass. The 28-yard TD strike to Muhsin Muhammad capped a seven-play, 80-yard drive and gave Chicago a 24-6 cushion. The Lions got the ball back and Harrington was at it again, throwing an interception to Brown, who returned the pick 41 yards for a score and a 31-6 lead with 57 seconds to go before halftime. It was Brown's sixth career TD on an interception return. Vasher's second interception of the day led to Jones' second touchdown run of the game -- a 16-yard scamper that completed the scoring at the 12:13 mark of the fourth quarter.

Game Notes

The last time Detroit posted two straight wins against Chicago at Soldier Field dates back to the 1972-1973 seasons...Muhammad had 81 yards and a score on six receptions...Lions running back Kevin Jones ran for 22 yards on eight carries...Chicago had 336 yards of offense to Detroit's 234 yards...Vasher has eight interceptions in 18 career games...Bears DE Adewale Ogunleye left the game with an ankle injury, while Detroit CB Fernando Bryant (shoulder), TE Marcus Pollard (head) and DE James Hall (groin) exited Sunday's game.

Week 2 - Final Score: Cincinnati 37, Minnesota 8

Cincinnati, OH (MySportsbook.com) - Carson Palmer threw for 337 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Cincinnati Bengals to a 37-8 rout of the Minnesota Vikings at Paul Brown Stadium. Palmer competed 27-of-40 passes and was intercepted just once to lead the Bengals (2-0), who have won the first two games of the season for the first time since 2001. Chad Johnson added seven catches for 139 yards with a TD and T.J. Houshmandzadeh scored twice for Cincinnati, which scored 27 points off seven Minnesota turnovers. "We weren't perfect today, but we did a lot of really good things," said Palmer. "Offensively it was easy. When the defense gets you the ball that many times in a row, that many times on their side of the 50 and a couple of times in the red zone it really makes it easier for you offensively."

Daunte Culpepper continued his horrid start to the 2005 campaign for the Vikings (0-2), completing 21-of-37 passes for 236 yards with five interceptions. In two games, Culpepper has been picked off eight times and has turned the ball over a total of 10 times. Michael Bennett also lost two fumbles in this one for the Vikings, who have allowed 48 points off 12 turnovers this season. Last week, five turnovers led to all 24 points for Tampa Bay in an 11-point loss. Culpepper did have a rushing touchdown for Minnesota (0-2), which last dropped its first two games of the season in 2002 when it began 0-4.

"Any time you lose, it feels bad whether it is by one point or by 20 points," said Culpepper. "You think about all the things that happened throughout the game. The turnovers, they are really sticking out in my head right now. Turnovers are going to happen, but we must minimize them. We must get back to the fundamentals. We have a veteran group of players on this team that has a lot of pride. We are embarrassed by the way we are playing. We put forth the effort, but we are just making too many mistakes. We need to fix these things and I am determined to fix them." The Bengals wasted little time scoring as they got a touchdown on the second play of the game. After a two-yard run, Palmer hit Johnson with a 70- yard touchdown pass for a 7-0 lead. Johnson outran the Minnesota secondary and caught a nicely placed pass from Palmer at the Minnesota 25-yard line and ran it in for the score. Then, after Bennett fumbled the ball over to Cincinnati on the Vikings' next possession, Palmer connected on his second TD pass of the day by hitting Houshmandzadeh. The Bengals took over the possession on the Minnesota 48-yard line and needed eight plays to go ahead 14 points. In the second quarter, Cincinnati went ahead 20-0 courtesy of 40 and 29-yard field goals by Shayne Graham. The second field goal was set up by Bennett's second lost fumble of the contest.

Bennett ended with 36 rushing yards on three carries. The Bengals then went ahead 27-0 going into halftime. Palmer ended an eight- play, 53-yard drive with an eight-yard touchdown pass to Matt Schobel. The scoring drive was started when Culpepper was intercepted by Tory James. Cincinnati had 337 yards of total offense in the first half compared to just 110 for the Vikings. Palmer connected on 20-of-27 passes for 266 yards, while Culpepper went just 6-of-11 for 52 yards. In the third quarter, Houshmandzadeh ran in from 16 yards out to make it a 34- point contest. The play was the first after Culpepper was picked off by Deltha O'Neal and returned 27 yards. Houshmandzadeh ended with five catches for 55 yards. He also had 24 rushing yards. In the fourth quarter Culpepper was again intercepted by O'Neal, this time in the end zone. It led to a Graham 30-yard field goal for a 37-0 cushion. O'Neal ended with three picks to tie a team record. Minnesota finally scored its first offensive touchdown of the season with 3:17 left in the contest when Culpepper ran in from five yards out. Culpepper hit Marcus Robinson to complete the two-point conversion.

Game Notes

The last time the Bengals had five picks in a game was on December 12, 1976 at New York against the Jets...The seven takeaways were the most since November 6, 1983 at Houston...Minnesota's Antoine Winfield left the game with a foot injury...Darren Sharper left the game for the Vikings with a knee ailment...Rudi Johnson had 90 rushing yards for the Bengals...Carl Powell's sack of Culpepper with 4:34 remaining in the first quarter was the first for the Bengals this season...Bengals wide receiver Kelley Washington was inactive...Minnesota starting linebacker Sam Cowart was inactive after being listed as questionable all week with a calf injury. Rod Davis started in his place...Vikings wideout Koren Robinson missed his second straight game after being signed late in training camp...This was the first meeting between these two teams in Cincinnati since December 24, 1995 when the Bengals won 27-24...Minnesota rookie wide out Troy Williamson recorded his first two catches of the year, totaling 44 yards...Travis Taylor led the Vikings with 75 yards receiving.

Week 2 - Final Score: Philadelphia 42, San Francisco 3

Philadelphia, PA (MySportsbook.com) - Donovan McNabb threw for 342 yards and a career-high tying five touchdowns, including two long bombs to Terrell Owens, as the Philadelphia Eagles rolled past the San Francisco 49ers, 42-3, at Lincoln Financial Field. The Eagles (1-1) were coming off a loss in Atlanta on Monday night, but rebounded nicely with a big win in their home opener. McNabb started the game despite suffering a bruised chest against the Falcons and completed 23-of-29 attempts for a passer rating of 155.4. Owens, who was playing against his former team for the first time, hauled in five passes for 143 yards. "Every week it's going to be different," McNabb said of the Eagles offense. "Some days, you have to pass to open up the run, (other times) you have to run to open up the pass. I think that keeps the defense guessing a lot." L.J. Smith had career highs with nine catches and 119 yards in the win and also hauled in a TD pass.

Brian Westbrook, who caught a touchdown pass as well, led Philadelphia with 89 yards rushing. Tim Rattay connected on 13-of-26 passes for 107 yards with three interceptions for the 49ers (1-1), who earned a home victory over St. Louis in last week's season opener.49ers rookie quarterback Alex Smith, the No. 1 overall pick in this year's draft, made his NFL debut, playing the last series. He failed to complete his only pass attempt. The Eagles gained 583 yards of total offense to set a new team record. Meanwhile, Philadelphia's defense held San Francisco to just 142 yards of offense. The Eagles scored on just the third play of the game when McNabb connected with Owens on a 68-yard touchdown strike to grab a 7-0 lead 53 seconds in. Dhani Jones then intercepted a Rattay pass to set up the second Philadelphia touchdown of the game. The turnover gave the Eagles the ball at their own 30 and they went on a seven-play, 70-yard drive that ended with a six-yard TD pass from McNabb to Smith with 7:15 remaining in the first.

McNabb and Owens hooked up on another long TD connection early in the second quarter to give the Eagles a 21-0 cushion. On 3rd-and-7, McNabb lofted a nice pass over Owens' shoulder and the receiver rumbled down the left sideline for the 42-yard score. The Eagles got the ball right back on the 49ers next play from scrimmage, as Lito Sheppard picked off a Rattay pass and returned it all the way to the two- yard line. McNabb quickly found Westbrook for the two-yard touchdown pass to stake Philadelphia to a 28-0 edge with 11:22 left. Reserve linebacker Mark Simoneau had to kick the extra point for the Eagles because kicker David Akers was on the sideline with a hamstring injury. Akers would later return to the game. "He looked like a linebacker kicking," said Eagles head coach Andy Reid of Simoneau's kicking form. Philadelphia gained 355 total yards on offense in the first half and compiled 17 first downs. San Francisco, on the other hand, amassed just 62 yards and two first downs. The 49ers reached the scoreboard with 4:08 left in the third quarter on a 32- yard field goal by Joe Nedney. McNabb's fifth TD pass of the contest came on a six-yard toss to Greg Lewis with 58 seconds left in the third quarter to make it 35-3. Lamar Gordon's six- yard TD run with 3:43 remaining in the fourth quarter completed the scoring.

Game Notes

The 49ers suffered their first loss in Philadelphia since November 30, 1975...Owens notched his 25th game with two or more touchdown receptions. He also became the 22nd player in NFL history to surpass 10,000 receiving yards. Owens now has 10,027 career yards...The victory was the most lopsided for Philadelphia since a 52-10 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on November 18, 1981...Philadelphia posted 30 first downs, while limiting the 49ers to eight...The Eagles previous record for total yards in a game was 582 set against the Cleveland Browns on November 7, 1965.

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