NFL WEEK IN REVIEW - WEEK 6

Week 6 - NFL Week In Review

Week 6 REVIEW - Final Score: Atlanta 34, New Orleans 31

San Antonio, TX - (MySportsbook.com) - Todd Peterson booted a 36-yard field goal on a second-chance opportunity with no time remaining to give Atlanta a 34-31 victory over New Orleans in an NFC South thriller at the Alamodome. Peterson missed wide left on his initial 41-yard attempt but the Saints' Tony Bryant was flagged for defensive holding. The veteran kicker then split the uprights on his next try to lift Atlanta (4-2) to its third win in four games. "It's what I get paid to do," said Peterson. "What separates the players that stay in this business is the mental game. From a mental standpoint, my job is to respond to adversity." Warrick Dunn rushed for 100 yards on 22 carries and gave the Falcons a 31-24 lead with a 21-yard touchdown run with 4:37 left to play. The Saints' Aaron Brooks threw for 259 yards on 22-of-33 passing and two touchdowns, including a 15-yard scoring toss to Devery Henderson with 46 seconds to go which tied the game at 31-31. Antowain Smith ran for 88 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while Donte Stallworth had seven catches for 83 yards and a score for the Saints (2-4), who improved off last week's 52-3 dismantling by Green Bay but committed a number of key mistakes which negated a 456-256 advantage in total yards.

The Falcons got two scores from their defense and special teams on the afternoon. DeAngelo Hall returned a Smith fumble 62 yards for a touchdown and Demorrio Williams ran back a blocked field goal attempt 59 yards on the final play of the first half. "I was proud of the team in the way they came back from last week and we played well in a lot of areas," said Saints head coach Jim Haslett. "When you turn the ball over for a touchdown, when you have a blocked field goal for a touchdown and an interception that directly led to a score, we have to eliminate those mistakes. It is a shame because I thought we played well enough to win." Michael Vick returned to the starting lineup for Atlanta and completed 11- of-23 passes for just 112 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He missed last week's loss to New England with a sprained right knee. Vick, however, came through on the deciding drive. After the Falcons got the ball back with 37 seconds to play, he connected with Alge Crumpler for passes of 13 and 16 yards to bring the ball to the New Orleans 39 with 24 seconds left. Atlanta would eventually make it down to the 23-yard line before stopping the clock with six seconds remaining and sending out Peterson, who made good after a reprieve on his first try.

The teams were deadlocked at 24-24 in the fourth quarter when Brooks was picked off by Keith Brooking, who returned the ball 22 yards to the New Orleans 11. After a holding call pushed the Falcons back 10 yards, Dunn took a handoff out of the shotgun and broke free along the right sideline before diving into the end zone with 4:37 left to play. Brooks would redeem himself, however. He completed four straight passes to move the Saints into Atlanta territory with under two minutes left, then later hit Az-Zahir Hakim for 13 yards to the Atlanta 26 on 3rd-and-10. He capped the 13-play, 85-yard possession by finding a wide open Henderson in the back of the end zone to knot the score at 31-31. New Orleans dominated the first half statistically, owning a 221-117 advantage in total yards and producing 14 first downs, but two big plays by the Falcons' defense and special teams helped Atlanta enter the break with a 17-10 lead. With the Saints up 10-3 late in the first half, Smith was stripped by Michael Boley at the Falcons' 34-yard line. Hall scooped up the loose ball and raced 62 yards into the end zone to tie the game with 4:04 remaining before intermission. New Orleans would move deep into Atlanta territory on the ensuing possession, and Hakim hauled in a 17-yard lob from Brooks for an apparent touchdown with 16 seconds on the clock. However, Hakim was called for pushing off Hall on the play. Brooks would then be sacked by Patrick Kerney at the 29-yard line, forcing John Carney to come out for a 47-yard field goal attempt. Boley came up the middle and blocked the kick, and the ball bounced right to Williams, who ran untouched 59 yards for a score on the half's final play.

The Saints would regroup and tied the game at 17-17 with a 10-play, 77-yard drive on their initial possession of the second half. Aaron Stecker and Smith did the bulk of the work, as the pair combined for 54 yards on the series, which ended with Smith plowed across the goal line from a yard out midway through the third quarter. However, the Falcons would answer with a marathon 18-play series, of which 16 were runs, that consumed over 10 minutes off the clock. A 12-yard scramble by Vick brought Atlanta to the Saints' 16. Four plays later, the playmaking quarterback lopped a pass to fullback Justin Griffith for a 12-yard touchdown that put the visitors up 24-17 early in the fourth quarter. Brooks then orchestrated an 83-yard march which culminated with a perfectly- thrown 27-yard scoring pass to Stallworth with just under six minutes to play. He completed all five of his throws for 65 yards on the set. Peterson's 37-yard field goal on the Falcons' first drive of the night accounted for an early 3-0 lead, but the Saints would pull ahead when Smith powered through the line and rumbled 24 yards for a score with 3:40 to go in the first quarter. New Orleans had a 1st-and-goal on their next possession, but Smith was stopped at the one-yard line on third down. Carney then booted a 19-yard field goal for a 10-3 edge with under 10 minutes left in the first half.

Game Notes

Stecker had 86 yards on 16 carries and New Orleans finished with 211 yards on the ground...Hakim had six receptions for 85 yards in the loss...Wide receiver Joe Horn returned to the Saints' lineup after missing two straight weeks with a hamstring injury, but was held without a catch...New Orleans rookie safety Josh Bullocks had his first career interception in the second quarter...Atlanta had lost its previous two meetings with the Saints on the road.

Week 6 REVIEW - Final Score: Cincinnati 31, Tennessee 23

Nashville, TN - (MySportsbook.com) - Carson Palmer threw for 272 yards on 27-of-33 passing with a pair of touchdowns, including the go-ahead score to Chad Johnson, as the Cincinnati Bengals defeated the Tennessee Titans, 31-23, at The Coliseum. Johnson caught eight passes for 135 yards in addition to the score and Rudi Johnson added 80 yards on the ground with a touchdown for the Bengals (5-1), who rebounded from a 23-20 loss at Jacksonville last Sunday night. Chris Perry had a solid game for Cincinnati as well, hauling in nine passes for 45 yards and a touchdown. Kevin Walter added four catches for 65 yards in the win. "I'm not going to say we stole one on the road. I'm going to say we took one on the road," Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis said. "We did what we had to do to get a win on the road. In the NFL, that's hard to do. Everybody played together for four quarters and we were able to pull it out."

Steve McNair finished 26-of-41 passing for 259 yards with two interceptions for the Titans (2-4), who fell to 1-3 in their last four games. "It's very frustrating when you come out and you do 90 percent of the things right and 10 percent costs you the ball game," McNair said. "That's just how the season's been all season." Chris Brown finished with 84 yards rushing and a pair of touchdowns in the loss. Brandon Jones added 82 yards on five catches, while Drew Bennett pulled in seven passes for 61 yards. The Titans went ahead 20-17 on Rob Bironas' 29-yard field goal with 4:54 left in the fourth quarter. The kick finished off an 11-play, 69-yard drive that saw McNair hook up with Jones on two separate 16-yard passes to move Tennessee up the field.

The Bengals responded on their next drive with a short three-play, 65-yard march that was helped out by a pass interference call, giving Cincinnati a 24-20 lead. Palmer opened up the drive with an 11-yard pass to Perry, and then went deep to Chad Johnson on the next play. The pass was incomplete but Pacman Jones was flagged for pass interference, a 34-yard penalty that put Cincinnati on the Tennessee 20. Palmer then found Chris Henry for a five-yard gain through the air before Chad Johnson hauled in a 15-yard TD pass from Palmer with 4:19 left. "I don't want to see it called," Titans head coach Jeff Fisher said of the pass interference penalty. "I don't think it should have been called." McNair was then intercepted on the fourth play of Tennessee's ensuing drive to give Cincinnati the ball back. However, the Titans' defense would force the Bengals to go three-and-out, and Tennessee took possession at its own 20 with 2:38 left in the fourth. McNair completed a pass to Brown on the ensuing drive, but Brown fumbled as he was hit by Tory James. James recovered the loose ball and ran it to the Tennessee one- yard line before Rudi Johnson plunged in for short score with 2:26 remaining.

Tennessee would add a 47-yard field goal by Bironas with 32 seconds left to account for the final score, but the Titans could not recover an on- sides kick. Cincinnati found itself down 10-7 going into the half before both teams turned on the scoring. The Bengals would tie the game at 10 after Shayne Graham's 21-yard field goal on their opening drive of the second half. Midway through the sequence, Palmer hit Walter on 2nd-and-14 for a 15-yard gain. Then, on the next play, Palmer found Chad Johnson with a 35-yard reception to put Cincinnati on the Tennessee 5. Perry would find the end zone after a delay of game penalty, but Matt Schobel was called for holding, nullifying the touchdown and pushing Cincinnati back to the 20 yard-line. The Bengals would get back to the goal line two plays later, but Perry was stopped for a two-yard loss on third down, leading to Graham's field goal. Tennessee took the lead again on its ensuing drive when Brown found the end zone after a nine-yard scamper to finish off the seven-play, 72-yard drive. Cincinnati was forced to punt on its next possession, but McNair was picked off on the subsequent drive by Odell Thurman, who took it 30 yards for the score, tying the game at 17-17 with just over one minute left in the third quarter. Despite combining to score 54 points in the game, both teams managed a total of only 17 of those points in the first half.

Tennessee would find the end zone early in the second quarter when Brown capped off a 10-play, 58-yard drive with a four-yard touchdown run. The Titans would increase their lead to 10-0 with 2:10 remaining in the first half after a 24-yard field goal by Bironas. The kick finished off a 11-play, 54-yard series that included a Jarrett Payton 12-yard run on 3rd-and-1 to keep the drive alive. Cincinnati would get on the board just before half when Palmer hit Perry with a short, one-yard touchdown pass with 37 seconds left. The touchdown came one play after Palmer connected with Walter on a 18-yard pass to get the Bengals to the goal line. Perry's touchdown catch was the first receiving one of his career. Palmer finished the first half 14-of-15 passing for 124 yards and a score.

Game Notes

Cincinnati receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh was inactive for the second straight game with a hand injury...The Bengals are 3-1 on the road, while the Titans fell to 1-2 at home...Palmer finished with a quarterback rating of 121.2. He extended his streak of starts with a passer rating over 100 to nine.. McNair had only thrown three interceptions in his previous 12 games against Cincinnati...The win was Lewis' first against Tennessee as the Bengals' head coach...Jeff Fisher fell to just 12-5 against Cincinnati...Chad Johnson passed Rodney Holman for sixth all-time on the Bengals list for catches.

Week 6 Review - Final Score: Carolina 21, Detroit 20

Detroit, MI - (MySportsbook.com) - Chris Weinke entered the game late in the fourth quarter in place of an injured Jake Delhomme and orchestrated the winning touchdown drive, as the Carolina Panthers edged the Detroit Lions, 21-20, at Ford Field. Weinke, playing in his first game since 2002, went 5-of-7 for 47 yards, and hit Ricky Proehl for the deciding three-yard touchdown pass with 32 seconds left. "It was a perfect situation," said Weinke. "There was a calmness about our football team out there. Everyone kind of said let's go down and score. We picked them apart little by little, and Ricky Proehl came up with some big plays." Steve Smith caught six balls for 123 yards and a score for the Panthers (4-2), who came from behind to win for the second straight week. Delhomme finished 15-of-25 for 236 yards and a pair of touchdowns but also threw three interceptions, two of which were returned for touchdowns.

Joey Harrington completed 17-of-28 passes for 201 yards with no touchdowns and one interception for the Lions (2-3), who have lost two of their last three. "The offense has to pick it up. I don't know when we're going to take that step," said Harrington, who was booed by the home fans. "I thought we took a step two weeks ago. Sooner or later, it's going to fall into place." Trailing by six late in the fourth quarter, Carolina was trying to engineer a game-winning drive when its signal-caller was taken out of the game. Delhomme scrambled out of the pocket and slid with his feet forward after a five-yard gain, but Kenoy Kennedy leveled him on his way down to draw a personal foul and send a shaken-up Delhomme to the sidelines. Weinke came in and the 2000 Heisman Trophy winner drove the Panthers down to the three-yard line before hitting Proehl in the back of the end zone. After Jason Hanson kicked a 52-yard yard field goal late in the third quarter to assume a three-point lead, Detroit made a key defensive stand to turn the momentum in their favor. Carolina, after marching deep into enemy territory on nine plays, opted to go for the first down on a 4th-and-1 from the four-yard line.

However, Delhomme was stuffed on the quarterback sneak to force the turnover- on-downs, and the Lions drove down the field, tacking on three more points courtesy of a Hanson 25-yard field goal that staked Detroit to a 20-14 lead before the Panthers comeback. Carolina struck first in the game after forcing a Harrington fumble, which was recovered on the opposition's 11-yard line. Three plays later, Delhomme connected with Rod Gardner for a four-yard touchdown completion with 54 seconds remaining in the first quarter. On the very first play of their next possession, however, Boss Bailey picked Delhomme off and ran it back 34 yards to pay dirt. The next time Delhomme touched the ball he threw a strike over the middle to Smith, who raced past defenders for an 80-yard touchdown. But again, Delhomme gave the lead right back, as Kennedy intercepted a pass in the middle of the field, sprung to the sideline, and returned it 64 yards to make it 14-14 at the half.

Game Notes

This was the first time Detroit had two interceptions returned for touchdowns since October 24, 1976 against Seattle...Smith now has four 100-yard receiving games this season.ns defensive lineman Shaun Rogers partially blocked a field goal attempt this game, the eighth blocked kick of his career...Carolina running back DeShaun Foster did not play in this because of a knee injury.

Week 6 Review - Final Score: Baltimore 16, Cleveland 3

Baltimore, MD - (MySportsbook.com) - Chester Taylor and Jamal Lewis ran for a combined 151 yards, and Todd Heap caught a touchn pass as the Baltimore Ravens defeated the Cleveland Browns, 16-3, in an AFC North matchup at M&T Bank Stadium. Anthony Wright completed 23-of-31 passes for 213 yards with a touchdown and an interception for the Ravens. Lewis carried the ball 24 times for 59 yards and Taylor broke off a 52-yard run en route to 92 yards rushing on the day for Baltimore (2-3), which won for the second time in three games. Derrick Mason added eight catches for 85 yards for Baltimore. Former Raven Trent Dilfer was 16-of-30 for 147 yards and an interception, and Reuben Droughns had 15 carries for 55 yards for Cleveland (2-3), which lost for the second time in its last three games. Dilfer, who played for Baltimore in 2000 when the Ravens won the Super Bowl, was sacked four times and avens forced three turnovers.

On the Browns' first offensive play of the game, Dilfer fumbled the snap and it was recovered by Ray Lewis. Five plays later, on 3rd-and-goal, Wright found Heap for a three-yard touchdown pass go give Baltimore a 7-0 lead. "To get that win and get some more momentum back on our side was huge for our team," Heap said. "We were moving the ball, and we were taking the pressure off our defense. Offensively, we were able to do some things. There were still some mistakes, penalties hurt us a little bit. But that's all stuff we can fix easily. Overall, I think we're improving offensively, and the defense is still doing what they always do." The Ravens' second scoring drive was set up by a 51-yard punt return by B.J. Sams down to the Cleveland 36. Baltimore's drive stalled at the Browns' 21- yard-line and the Ravens had to settle for a 39-yard field goal by Matt Stover for a 10-0 lead with 3:08 left in the first quarter.

Baltimore upped its lead to 13-0 with 12:38 remaining in the second quarter after embarking on an eight-play, 84-yard drive that was capped by a 27-yard field goal by Stover. During the drive, Taylor broke off a 52-yard run and Mark Clayton had a 15-yard touchdown reception nullified due to a holding penalty. The Ravens ended their lead on the final play of the first half with another Stover field goal, this one from 37 yards out. Baltimore was set up at Cleveland's 36 after Dilfer was sacked and fumbled the ball away. Cleveland finally got on the scoreboard on its first possession of the second half after marching 61 yards in 13 plays , culminating in a 24-yard field goal by Phil Dawson. The Browns penetrated as far as the Ravens' seven but had to settle for three points.

"We thought we would be able to come in here and be more representative of what we were as far as the game was concerned, but we took a step back today," Browns head coach Romeo Crennel said. "And now we have to go to the drawing board and start over and try to dig ourselves out of a hole." The Browns didn't advance further than Baltimore's 46-yard line the rest of the game as the Ravens smothered Cleveland's offense.

Game Notes Wright is the sixth Ravens starting quarterback since 2001...Heap's TD catch was the Ravens' first first-quarter touchdown of the season and was their first touchdown off a turnover this season...Stover went over 1,500 points for his career. He now has 1,503...Baltimore has won four of the past five meetings against Cleveland...Lewis also had an interception, his 21st of his career, tying Ed Reed for the Ravens' all-time record...Reed injured his right ankle, Clayton hurt his ankle and Ovie Mughelli injured his left ankle. None of those players returned and preliminary x-rays were negative for each... Umpire Butch Hannah was carted off the field with an apparent knee injury in the fourth quarter.

Week 6 Review - Final Score: Jacksonville 23, Pittsburgh 17 (OT)

Pittsburgh, PA - (MySportsbook.com) - Rashean Mathis intercepted a Tommy Maddox pass in overtime and returned it 41 yards for a touchdown to give Jacksonville a 23-17 win over Pittsburgh at Heinz Field. Maddox, starting in place of an injured Ben Roethlisberger, had four turnovers. The Steelers were in position to win the game in overtime. Quincy Morgan returned the opening kickoff of the extra session 74 yards and the Steelers had the ball at the Jacksonville 27. However,addox mishandled a snap on third down and Reggie Hayward pounced on the football for the Jaguars. Jacksonville (4-2) was forced to punt on the ensuing possession and the Steelers took over at their own 35. However, Mathis stepped in front of Morgan on Pittsburgh's second play and rumbled 41 yards for the game-winning score 3:36 into overtime. "This is obviously a big win in a big game," said Jacksonville head coach Jack Del Rio. "We've earned our 4-2 record. I'm real proud of our guys."

Roethlisberger was sidelined with a hyperextended left knee, and Maddox had an ineffective day in his place, completing 11-of-28 passes for 154 yards with a touchdown and three interceptions. Also out for the Steelers was wide receiver Hines Ward with a hamstring problem. "Whenever you turn the football over four times, you aren't going to win many football games," said Pittsburgh head coach Bill Cowher. "You have to credit Jacksonville for a great game." Byron Leftwich completed 19-of-35 passes for 177 yards with a touchdown and an interception for Jacksonville. Fullback Greg Jones, who started at running back for the injured Fred Taylor and rad up 77 yards and a touchdown. Rookie tight end Heath Miller hauled in four passes for 72 yards and a touchdown to lead the Steelers (3-2). Antwaan Randle-El had a 72-yard punt return for a touchdown.

Jacksonville was threatening to score on Pittsburgh's 32-yard line with less than a minute to play in the fourth quarter. However, Pittsburgh rookie Bryant McFadden picked off Leftwich in the end zone with 19 seconds left to force the game into overtime. It was McFadden's first career interception. Jacksonville opened the scoring in the first quarter after capitalizing off Maddox's second interception. On 3rd-and-27 on their Pittsburgh's seven-yard line, Maddox threw the ball over the middle and linebacker Mike Peterson jumped up and tipped the ball to himself and returned the ball to the Steelers seven-yard line. On the ensuing play, Jones pounded the ball into the end zone. Pittsburgh tied the game on a 15-yard TD pass from Maddox to Miller on the first play of the second quarter. The Steelers took a 14-7 lead after Randle-El returned a punt for a TD just 62 seconds later. Randle-El fielded the punt, faked right and spun around, then bolted up the left sideline untouched for the score.

Josh Scobee kicked a 23-yard field goal on the final play of the first half for Jacksonville, but the Jaguars wasted a 1st-and-goal at the one before drawing to within 14-10 at the intermission. The Jaguars went ahead 17-14 on a 10-yard TD pass from Leftwich to Matt Jones, who made a one-handed grab in the back of the end zone, 3:14 into the third quarter. The play was challenged by Pittsburgh, but upheld. The 71-yard march was keyed by a 41-yard connection from Leftwich to Reggie Williams. With 9:38 left in the fourth quarter, Pittsburgh tied the score with a Jeff Reed 29-yard field goal after an 11-play, 69 yard drive. Reed had a chance to give Pittsburgh the lead with 3:32 left in the fourth quarter, but he missed a 46-yard field goal wide right.

Game Notes

With the win, Jacksonville leads the all time series against Pittsburgh 9-8...Maddox made his first NFL start since the regular season finale at Buffalo on January 2, 2005...Pittsburgh cornerback Deshea Townsend left the game with a hamstring injury and did not return.

NFL Week In Review - Page 1 - 2 - 3

Game Capsules Used With Permission By Our Sponsor MySportsbook.com

Week 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 5 . 6 . 7 . 8 . 9 . 10 . 11 . 12 . 13 . 14 . 15 . 16 . 17

Top | NFL Weekly Reviews | NFL Football Betting at NFL Sportsbooks