NFL WEEK IN REVIEW - WEEK 7

Week 7 - NFL Week In Review

Week 7 REVIEW - Final Score: Kansas City 30, Miami 20

Miami, FL - (MySportsbook.com) - Priest Holmes and Larry Johnson combined for 183 yards rushing and three touchdowns to power the Kansas City Chiefs to a 30-20 victory over Miami at Dolphins Stadium. This game was originally scheduled for Sunday, but the threat of Hurricane Wilma hitting South Florida forced the NFL to move the game up to Friday. Despite the approaching storm, conditions for Friday's game were relatively dry. Holmes ran 18 times for 90 yards and two touchdowns, while Johnson carried the ball 23 times for 93 yards and one score. Trent Green finished with 289 yards passing for the Chiefs (4-2), who have won two straight games. Ronnie Brown rushed for 95 yards and a touchdown on just eight attempts for the Dolphins (2-4), who have dropped three straight contests.

Gus Frerotte connected on just 11-of-29 passes for 125 yards with an interception for Miami. Sage Rosenfels replaced Frerotte late in the game and threw just one pass -- a 77-yard TD strike to Chris Chambers. The Chiefs gained 462 yards of total offense and compiled 24 first downs compared to just nine for Miami. "We didn't look quick, we didn't look fast and we didn't play with the same energy level that we've been used to," said Dolphins head coach Nick Saban.

The Chiefs received the kickoff to start the game and embarked on an eight- play, 80-yard touchdown drive. Green hooked up with Chris Horn on a 50-yard pass to key the drive and Holmes would give Kansas City a 7-0 lead with a five-yard TD run with 10:28 left. The teams then traded a series of punts before Miami reached the scoreboard on Olindo Mare's 33-yard field goal with 7:22 remaining in the second. However, the Chiefs extended their edge to 14-3 with a touchdown on their next drive. Johnson carried the ball eight times for 30 yards and capped it with a two-yard run with 1:56 left. "It was good old-fashioned Chiefs football," said Kansas City head coach Dick Vermeil. Miami responded with a sustained march of its own, but the drive stalled on the five-yard line and Mare kicked a 23-yard field goal to make it 14-6 just five seconds before the half. The Dolphins cut the score to 14-13 on the first play from scrimmage in the second half, as Brown ran 65 yards for a touchdown.

Kansas City would answer right back though when Holmes broke out with a 35- yard touchdown run to make it 21-13 with 13:59 still remaining in the third quarter. Tynes booted three more field goals to make it a 30-13 contest. He kicked a 30-yarder with 3:37 left in the third before making attempts from 51 and 52 yards out early in the fourth. The Dolphins cut the deficit to 30-20 on the TD pass to Chambers with 2:35 left, but Kansas City recovered the on-side kick try and ran the clock out.

Game Notes

The Chiefs didn't stay in a hotel, but instead arrived in Miami on Friday and flew back immediately after the game...The Dolphins lost for just the second time in seven meetings with Kansas City...Brown's run was the second-longest ever by a Dolphins rookie. Leroy Harris holds the franchise record with a 77- yard run in 1977...Tynes set a personal best with his 51-yard kick and then broke it with a 52-yarder...Miami cornerbacks Tebucky Jones (pectoral muscle) and Sam Madison (hip) left the game with injuries in the second quarter and neither returned.

Week 7 REVIEW - Final Score: Detroit 13, Cleveland 10

Cleveland, OH - (MySportsbook.com) - Jason Hanson booted a 50-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter to help Detroit pull out a 13-10 victory over the Cleveland Browns. In his first start of the year for the Lions (3-3), Jeff Garcia was 22-of-34 for 210 yards and scored the team's lone touchdown on a one-yard run in the second quarter. He led Detroit to its highest offensive output of the year with 329 total yards. Garcia replaced Joey Harrington, who had struggled during Detroit's first five games. The former first-round pick has completed 76-of-143 passes for 798 yards and just four touchdowns, while throwing eight interceptions. He also has the league's lowest quarterback rating at 55.6. Garcia who played the 2004 season with Cleveland was ecstatic about the win. "It was a great feeling to be back, and to be able to do it in Cleveland made it extra nice," said Garcia. "I'm not going to hold anything back. I play the game with a certain passion."

Kevin Jones rushed for 74 yards on 21 carries in the win. Rookie Mike Williams had a solid game, catching five passes for 95 yards. Trent Dilfer was dismal, going 10-of-19 for just 73 yards with three interceptions in the loss. The lone bright spot for Cleveland (2-4) was Reuben Droughns. He rushed for 100 yards and had two catches for nine yards. The lone Browns touchdown came on a 90-yard kickoff return by Josh Cribbs. With the win, Detroit has beaten Cleveland four out of the last five meetings. Detroit opened the second-half scoring and tied the game at 10-10 after Hanson nailed a 47-yard field goal at 9:29 of third quarter. The Lions put together the eight-play, 29-yard drive after a poor Cleveland punt of only 19 yards on the previous drive. Cleveland would force a fumble and recover it at the Detroit 48-yard line with 7:02 left in the third quarter, as linebacker Matt Stewart stripped Williams after a catch and Orpheus Roye fell on the ball.

The Browns weren't able to capitalize off the turnover, and on the next Lions possession, they would take a 13-10 lead on a solid 12-play, 48-yard drive that took up six minutes. The drive ended with Hanson splitting the uprights from 50 yards away at 14:07 of the fourth quarter to put Detroit ahead for good. Dilfer was picked off on Cleveland's next series and the Browns were forced to punt on their final two possessions. "We just fell apart," said Droughns. "We all took our turn making mistakes," added Dilfer. Cleveland opened the scoring on its first possession of the game with a Phil Dawson 30-yard field goal. The Browns put together a nine play, 44-yard drive that was highlighted by Droughns rushing five times for 34 yards.

Early in the second quarter, Dre Bly intercepted Dilfer at the Detroit 40-yard line after stepping in front of wide receiver Antonio Bryant with 11:38 on the clock. On the ensuing drive, Detroit was able to take a 7-3 lead on a Garcia one-yard touchdown run on 4th-and-goal. Garcia faked the hand off and ran a bootleg to the right side, diving into end zone for the score with 5:26 on the clock. "The play was designed as a pass for the tight end, but I ran out of outlets, so I found enough room to get into the end zone," explained Garcia. Cleveland would respond immediately and take a 10-7 lead on the next play, as Cribbs returned the kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown. Cribbs flew up the left sideline and only needed to get past the kicker for the score with 5:14 remaining in the first half. Droughns finished the first half with 83 yards rushing and one catch for four yards.

Game Notes

Detroit wide receiver Kevin Johnson left the game in the second quarter with a leg injury and did not return...Bly also left late in the third quarter with an arm injury, but did return to action in the fourth quarter...Cleveland rookie Braylon Edwards was active after being on the injury report and caught three passes for 30 yards...Dilfer completed only four passes to his wide receivers.

Week 7 Review - Final Score: Indianapolis 38, Houston 20

Houston, TX - (MySportsbook.com) - Peyton Manning threw for two touchdowns and Edgerrin James added a pair of scores on the ground, as the Indianapolis Colts used a dominant second half to remain the lone unbeaten team in the NFL with a 38-20 victory over the winless Houston Texans. Manning completed 21-of-27 passes for 237 yards with an interception for the Colts (7-0), who scored 24 unanswered points in the second half after the game was tied at 14-14. Indianapolis has won its first seven games for the first time in franchise history and gave head coach Tony Dungy his 100th NFL victory. "It gives you a sense of consistency," said Dungy. "What it really means is that you've been blessed to be around some really good teams, and good players and good coaching staffs."

James, meanwhile, chewed up 139 yards on 21 carries to lead an Indianapolis ground attack that finished with 205 yards. Manning actually chipped in 12 yards on six attempts and Dominic Rhodes added 50 rushing yards. The Indianapolis defense also came up with a touchdown and limited the woeful Texans (0-6) to 139 total yards -- minus-four in the second half. Houston is the lone winless team in the NFL. "We can't do anything about these first six games," said Texans head coach Dom Capers. "But we sure can do something about these next 10 games." David Carr had another rough outing, completing 6-of-9 passes for just 48 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He was also sacked five times and lost a fumble. Domanick Davis ran for 98 yards and a touchdown in defeat. Houston has lost all seven meetings with the Colts.

The Texans scored a pair of touchdowns in the final 3:15 of the first half to send the game to the intermission tied at 14-14, but the Colts scored on their first three possessions of the second half and added a defensive score to blow it open. "We gave them some momentum there in the second quarter, then we started the second half with a lot of energy and put the game away," said Manning. Manning needed just seven plays to march his team 77 yards on the first series of the third quarter to give the Colts the lead. Consecutive 18-yard completions to Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne keyed the series, which ended with a nine-yard touchdown run by James. Houston, after a 35-yard kickoff return, reached the Indianapolis 47 on its first possession of the second half before punting the ball away and the Colts followed with a 16-play drive that ate up nearly 7 1/2 minutes. The time- consuming march ended in a 36-yard field goal by Mike Vanderjagt.

Carr was then sacked on three straight plays to lose 19 yards and the Texans were forced to punt it away again. The Colts took over at midfield and needed just four plays to again find the end zone. James started it with a 30-yard run and Manning finished the quick strike with a seven-yard scoring toss to Harrison for a 31-14 cushion. Houston's next series ended in disaster as Carr was sacked by Robert Mathis and lost the ball. Montae Reagor scooped up the fumble and returned it 37 yards for a score. Jerome Mathis returned the ensuing kickoff 89 yards for a Houston touchdown, but the two-point conversion attempt failed, leaving the Texans down 38-20 with 7:56 remaining. It was the first kickoff return for a touchdown in Houston's short history.

It was also the last time the Texans saw the ball, as the Colts ran out the remaining time. Indianapolis finished with 437 yards, or 298 more than Houston. The Texans held the ball for just 9:12 in the second half. "Once they got it to 14-14, we responded and got the game under control," said Dungy. "Now, we've got a little break and I think we can get rested up." The Colts will head into their bye week with extra time to prepare for a Monday night showdown with their perennial nemesis, the New England Patriots. "We're not as obsessed with New England as everybody else is," Dungy added. "We want to beat them and there will be time to prepare, but we'll treat it for what it is. We'll get the guys off and we'll get the coaches off."

The Colts took their first possession 88 yards in 11 plays for a touchdown. Manning completed all five of his passes for 56 yards and James carried six times for the remaining 32, bulling into the end zone from a yard away for the 7-0 lead. Manning lost a fumble on the next Indianapolis series, but the stingy Colt defense got the ball back on the next play when Nick Harper picked off a Carr pass. The Colts took over at the Houston 47 and needed just three plays to find the end zone. Manning capped the quick series with a 31-yard touchdown pass to Dallas Clark for a 14-0 lead with 11:22 remaining in the first half and it appeared as though the rout was on. The Texans, however, followed with a 79-yard drive for a touchdown. After Davis lost four yards on the first two plays, Carr found Marcellus Rivers for 16 yards to keep the march alive. Carr also converted 4th-and-2 with a six- yard run and Davis finished the series with 11 carries for 44 yards, punching it into the end zone from eight yards out to make it a 14-7 game with 3:15 left before the break. Manning was then picked off by Dunta Robinson on the first play after the kickoff and the Texans turned it into another score, as Carr hit Jabar Gaffney with an eight-yard touchdown strike in the final minute of the half. "When it was 14-14, everybody was excited," said Gaffney. "After halftime, the game just got away from us."

Game Notes

Dungy has an overall record of 100-63, including 44-17 with the Colts...Robert Mathis has a sack in each of the first seven games this season to set a Colts record. The previous mark of a sack in six straight games was set by Dan Footman in 1997...James has five 100-yard games this season and 45 for his career. The Colts are 39-6 when he reaches the century mark...The Colts have outscored the Texans 48-0 in the first quarter of their seven meetings.

Week 7 Review - Final Score: St. Louis 28, New Orleans 17

St. Louis, MO - (MySportsbook.com) - Kevin Curtis scored the go-ahead touchdown on a five-yard reverse with 5:58 left to play and St. Louis amassed 21 fourth- quarter points to rally for a 28-17 victory over New Orleans at the Edward Jones Dome. Curtis added a team-best 90 receiving yards on four catches while Steven Jackson rushed for 97 yards and two touchdowns for the Rams (3-4), who battled back from an early 14-0 deficit and halted a three-game losing streak. St. Louis emerged despite missing head coach Mike Martz, starting quarterback Marc Bulger and star wide receiver Torry Holt. "Just somehow being able to get a win, that's huge with all those guys out," said quarterback Jamie Martin, who replaced Bulger.

Acting head coach Joe Vitt earned his first victory in his second game subbing for Martz, who continues to recover from a bacterial infection in his heart valve. "I think it is a credit to our players on how they hung in there," said Vitt afterward. "We were down 14-0 and they knew it was going to be tough, but they hung in there and didn't abandon anything." Bulger sat out after spraining the AC joint in his right shoulder during Monday night's loss at Indianapolis. Martin completed 18-of-29 throws for 198 yards in his place, and was not intercepted. New Orleans' Aaron Brooks finished just 18-of-39 for 230 yards with a pair of first-quarter touchdowns and had an interception returned 67 yards by Mike Furrey, which sealed the win with under two minutes to play.

Az-Zahir Hakim compiled 100 yards and a touchdown on six receptions for the Saints (2-5), who were dealt their third consecutive defeat. "We had chances to make plays and we didn't step up and make enough plays," said Saints head coach Jim Haslett. "They made plays when they had to and we didn't." New Orleans was clinging to a 17-14 advantage with under nine minutes remaining when Donte' Stallworth was stripped by Dexter Coakley and Adam Archuleta recovered the loose ball at the Saints' 42-yard line. The Rams would take advantage, as Jackson caught an eight-yard pass from Martin for a first down and later reeled off a 19-yard run to the New Orleans five. Curtis then ran around the right side on a double-handoff and dived into the end zone for his first career rushing touchdown, giving St. Louis its first lead of the day. The Saints moved into Rams' territory heading into the two-minute warning, but had their fate sealed by a controversial turnover.

Brooks found Ernie Conwell over the middle, but the tight end had the ball ripped away by Furrey on the way down to the ground. Furrey raced untouched into the end zone to put St. Louis up 28-17, and New Orleans wasn't able to mount a challenge because it had no more time outs left. "I thought (Conwell) was down," said Brooks. "That is not my call whether he is down or not. I said last week that we shouldn't let ourselves be put in a position to where the official has to make a call. We had an opportunity and it didn't happen for us." Brooks tossed touchdown passes on each of New Orleans' first two possessions as the Saints built a 14-0 lead after one quarter. New Orleans marched 72 yards in seven plays following the opening kickoff, highlighted by a 34-yard catch-and-run by Hakim to the St. Louis 11 in a 3rd- and-7 situation. Stallworth then made a diving grab of a Brooks pass in the end zone on the next play to put the visitors in front less than 3 1/2 minutes into the contest.

The Saints went up 14-0 on Brooks' 17-yard scoring strike to Hakim with five minutes to go in the first quarter. The Rams had New Orleans seemingly stopped twice during the drive but committed costly penalties in each case. Damione Lewis received a personal foul and an ejection for hitting Saints' center LeCharles Bentley after Brooks was sacked on third down, and cornerback Dejuan Groce was later flagged for holding on a third-down incompletion. St. Louis failed to mount any offense on its first three series before finally getting on track midway through the second quarter. After a 42-yard pass interference call by the Saints' Steve Gleason put the ball on the six-yard line, Jackson powered into the end zone to bring the Rams within 14-7 at the half. John Carney's 22-yard field goal less than two minutes into the fourth quarter extended the Saints' cushion to 10 points. Brooks hooked up with Hakim for a 27-yard gain to give New Orleans a 1st-and-goal, but Aaron Stecker was stopped twice and Brooks misfired on an end-zone pass for Devery Henderson to force the kick.

The Rams answered with an eight-play, 58-yard drive capped by Jackson's one- yard scoring burst on fourth down with 9:33 left to play. Curtis set up the touchdown with an acrobatic 42-yard reception four plays earlier.

Game Notes St. Louis defensive back Travis Fisher aggravated a groin injury in the first half and did not return...Holt was inactive because of a knee bruise, while Rams defensive end Leonard Little missed while attending his younger brother's funeral on Saturday...New Orleans had won the last three meetings between the teams in the Edward Jones Dome, including a 28-25 overtime triumph last season...Hakim replaced Joe Horn, who sat out for the third time in four weeks with a hamstring injury, in the starting lineup...Right tackle Jammal Brown (ankle) and strong safety Dwight Smith (knee) were also inactive for New Orleans...The 35-year-old Martin made just his fourth NFL start.

Week 7 Review - Final Score: Philadelphia 20, San Diego 17

Philadelphia, PA - (MySportsbook.com) - Matt Ware returned a blocked field goal 65 yards for a touchdown late in the game to give the Philadelphia Eagles a 20-17 victory over the San Diego Chargers at Lincoln Financial Field. The Eagles failed on 4th-and-1 trailing 17-13 with 3:37 left and gave the Chargers the ball at the Philadelphia 30-yard line. After moving the ball eight yards the Chargers lined up for a 40-yard field goal attempt. The kick was blocked by Quintin Mikell and Ware scooped up the ball and took it 65 yards the other way to give the Eagles the lead with 2:25 left in the game. "I was just thinking go, score, end zone. It's been a long time since I had the ball in my hands," said Ware. San Diego had one more possession to either tie or go ahead, but Reche Caldwell fumbled the ball after a reception to kill the team's last chance.

Donovan McNabb went 35-for-54 with 287 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions for the Eagles (4-2), who were coming off a bye and rebounded from their Week 5 blowout loss in Dallas. Terrell Owens had seven catches for 53 yards and a touchdown, and Philadelphia came up with three turnovers in addition to the blocked kick to stymie the San Diego offense. Drew Brees, overcoming a 5-for-15 first half, came alive in the second half and finished the day 23-for-40 with 299 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions for San Diego (3-4), which had won three of its previous four games. "Obviously a very disappointing loss for us," said Chargers head coach Marty Schottenheimer. "It's really unfortunate for us having the ball blocked and returned for a touchdown. My hat's off to the Eagles, they were able to make a play and beat us."

LaDainian Tomlinson managed just seven yards rushing on 17 carries for the Chargers after becoming the fifth player in the Super Bowl era to run, catch and throw for a touchdown in one game. He also had 26 yards on four catches but the Eagles defense keyed on him all day and his mark of 18 straight games with a touchdown was stopped. "They played real good defense. They got to Drew and really controlled the line of scrimmage," said Tomlinson. "He (Tomlinson) was getting frustrated and it turned the tide in our favor," said Brian Westbrook. Both teams had a rough start on the offensive side of the ball and wound up playing a field position game. On the third Eagles possession, after each team exchanged punts twice, they got the ball at the Chargers' 43-yard line. But after getting into field goal range, McNabb was sacked for a 13-yard loss to push them out and they were forced to punt. The first quarter ended scoreless.

The start of the second quarter saw the teams exchange a pair of interceptions. Brees overthrew his intended target and Lito Sheppard picked off the ball and took it 33 yards to the San Diego 25-yard line. But the Eagles gave the ball right back. Greg Lewis made a nice catch but was immediately popped by Bhawoh Jue and the ball came out right into the hands of Donnie Edwards. But, the Chargers were unable to move and punted the ball away. On their next possession the Eagles got the first score of the day on a McNabb touchdown pass to Owens. They took the ball 86 yards on 12 plays and were helped by a pair of 15-yard penalties, one of which negated a fumble recovery by the Chargers. McNabb hit Owens in the back of the end zone on a bullet four-yard strike with 4:47 left in the half. The Chargers were forced to punt again on their next possession as their offense could not get into gear. The Eagles had a nice drive to finish the half but were unable to come up with any points. McNabb hit Lewis over the middle to the San Diego four-yard line. But, with the clock running out, the Eagles took an illegal formation flag. The remaining time on the clock was allowed to tick off and the teams went into the half with the Eagles up 7-0.

San Diego started the second half with the ball but went three-and-out. Philadelphia then took the ball on a 10-play, 61-yard drive, but was unable to move the ball after having 1st-and-goal from the San Diego five-yard line, and had to settle for a 23-yard Todd France field goal to go up 10-0. McNabb was 6-for-9 on the drive for 61 yards. The Charger offense finally came out of hibernation on their next possession. Brees went 7-for-9 on a 13-play, 74-yard drive that ate up 6:21 of the clock. He capped the series with a 19-yard touchdown strike to Keenan McCardell to pull the Chargers within three. After a 22-yard punt by Dirk Johnson, the Chargers took over at the Eagle 43- yard line and needed just seven plays to move in front. Brees hit Antonio Gates from eight yards out to give San Diego its first lead at 14-10.

The Chargers increased their lead to 17-10 after an Eagle turnover. McNabb was attempting to hit Owens on a crossing pattern, but Jamar Fletcher cut in front of Owens and picked the ball off. With a 19-yard run after the pick he gave the Chargers the ball at the 14-yard line. San Diego reached the one-yard line, but after a 10-yard holding penalty and a sack of Brees, the Philadelphia defense held the Chargers to a Nate Kaeding 34-yard field goal. The Eagles were again held to a three-and-out series and had to punt the ball away, but the Eagles defense came up big again. Mark Simoneau hit Brees right as he was throwing and the ball popped up into the air to Jeremiah Trotter for his first interception of the season. "We just wanted to keep fighting. Thank God I was in the right place at the right time. The ball went so high in the air I was able to get to it," said Trotter. The Philadelphia offense was only able to move the ball one yard and had to settle for a 40-yard France field goal that glanced off the right upright to make it 17-13 with 6:24 left in the game.

Game Notes

Fletcher's interception was the first by a Charger cornerback this season...A false fire alarm temporarily disrupted the game in the fourth quarter...Owens' touchdown catch was the 100th of his career...Tomlinson shares the NFL record of 18 straight games with a touchdown, a mark set by Lenny Moore 40 years ago...Kaeding was a perfect 11-for-11 on field goal attempts until the block...The Eagles are 7-0 the week after a bye under Andy Reid, and 10-0 with the playoffs included...Chargers cornerback Sammy Davis left in the second quarter with a rib injury and did not return...The Eagles travel to Denver next week...The Chargers will host the Chiefs in a division matchup.

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