NFL WEEK IN REVIEW - WEEK 8

Week 8 - NFL Week In Review

Week 8 REVIEW - Final Score: Dallas 34, Arizona 13

Irving, TX - (MySportsbook.com) - Marion Barber rushed for 127 yards and scored the first two touchdowns of his career, both on the ground, to lead the Dallas Cowboys over the Arizona Cardinals, 34-13, at Texas Stadium. Barber continued to produce in place of the injured Julius Jones, who missed his third straight game with an ankle injury. Last week against Seattle, the rookie back rushed for 95 yards on 22 attempts. "I thought he played well," Cowboys head coach Bill Parcells said of Barber. "He came in and did a good job. The kid will run, block and can catch. He will do all three for you."

Drew Bledsoe was 19-of-24 passing for 220 yards and one touchdowns for the Cowboys (5-3), who have won three of their last four games and bounced back nicely from their heartbreaking 13-10 loss against the Seahawks. Jason Witten led Dallas in receiving with 71 yards on five catches, while Keyshawn Johnson added 54 yards through the air with a touchdown catch. Josh McCown ended 16-of-33 for 161 yards with one touchdown and a pair of interceptions for the Cardinals (2-5), who have lost two out of their last three. Anquan Boldin paced the passing game with three receptions for 69 yards before leaving in the third quarter with a twisted right knee. Larry Fitzgerald added 36 yards receiving and Marcel Shipp rushed for only 44 yards on 12 carries in the loss. Neil Rackers continued to be a bright spot for Arizona, as the kicker was 2- for-2 in field goal attempts in the game, making him a perfect 22-of-22 on the season.

Tied at 10, the Cowboys would gain the lead for good after Bledsoe's five- yard touchdown pass to Johnson made it 17-10 with 3:11 left in the half. Bledsoe was brilliant on the drive, going 7-for-7 passing for 73 yards, including a big 32-yard pass to Terry Glenn. "We did a good job and came out with a win," said Johnson. "Our defense played extremely well. We have the bye and we have Philadelphia coming up." Dallas wasn't done in the second quarter, as Barber found the end zone after a 10-yard run with 1:03 remaining. His second touchdown of the game culminated a six-play, 59-yard drive that came two plays after Arizona linebacker James Darling committed a face mask penalty during a Barber run that put Dallas on the visitor's 10-yard line.

The Cowboys had the ball to open up the second half, but Bledsoe would fumble on the third play of the drive, giving the Cardinals the ball at the Dallas 38. Arizona would only move nine yards though, and Rackers' 47-yard field goal split the uprights, making it 24-13. Dallas responded on its next drive after Shaun Suisham's 21-yard field goal ended a 14-play, 68-yard drive that used up 8:10 of clock, making it a 27-13 game. Bledsoe kept the drive alive after a 12-yard pass to Johnson on 3rd- and-11 late in the sequence. Anthony Henry capped the scoring with 11:54 remaining in the fourth quarter after a 58-yard interception return for a touchdown. Dallas outgained Arizona in net yardage 348-to-213 in the game. "I was happy to get that one. We started a little slow on defense, but we picked up and finished strong. Overall we played pretty good and a solid game," added Parcells.

The Cardinals jumped to an early 3-0 lead just over five minutes into the game after Rackers converted a 52-yard field goal, capping off a 10-play, 43-yard drive. The Arizona kicker has made all three of his 50-plus yard field goal attempts this season. However, Dallas would respond as it needed only three plays to move 80 yards on its opening drive. The Cowboys' march began at their own 20 and Barber got things started with an 18-yard scamper. Bledsoe then hit Witten for a 34-yard gain through the air before Barber broke off a 28-yard touchdown run up the right side for a 7-3 advantage. A Suisham 21-yard field goal, the first of his career, put the Cowboys up 10-3 with 2:57 left in the opening stanza. Dallas drove 54 yards on 10 plays and was helped along by a 20-yard pass from Bledsoe to Glenn that setup the kick. Arizona would battle back to tie it at 10 just over two minutes into the second quarter. McCown culminated the 11-play, 77-yard sequence with a 44-yard touchdown pass up the left sideline to Boldin. Aside from Jones' problem, Dallas was plagued by another injury on Sunday. Veteran strong-side linebacker Al Singleton fractured his right clavicle midway through the game, and could be out for the rest of the season. "(We) got a few guys nicked up, but we have a little time to get well maybe and see where we go," Parcells said. "Singleton broke his shoulder/collar bone. He will probably he done. I'm not sure about that, but he probably will be."

Game Notes

Cowboys' rookie running back Tyson Thompson added 19 yards rushing on four carries, while Anthony Thomas did not have a carry...Barber recorded his first career 100-yard rushing game...Glenn finished with three catches for 65 yards...Dallas punter Mat McBriar punted three times for a 53.3 average... Cardinals' defensive end Bertrand Berry had two sacks in the game giving him seven on the year...Parcells recorded his 170th career win, tying him for ninth with Paul Brown in NFL history...Johnson now has a catch in 143 consecutive games, currently the second-longest active streak...Henry had to leave with a groin strain.

Week 8 REVIEW - Final Score: Chicago 19, Detroit 13 (OT)

Detroit, MI - (MySportsbook.com) - Charles Tillman's 22-yard interception return for a touchdown in overtime put the Chicago Bears in first place in the NFC North with a 19-13 win over the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Rookie quarterback Kyle Orton threw for a career-high 230 yards and a touchdown on 17-of-31 passing in the victory. Thomas Jones ran for 72 yards before leaving the game in the fourth quarter with a rib injury. Rookie Cedric Benson ran for 35 yards in overtime for the Bears (4-3), who have won three straight and play New Orleans next Sunday. Mark Bradley had five catches for 88 yards for Chicago, but left the game with a strained knee in the second quarter. Jeff Garcia, starting again in place of Joey Harrington, was 23-of-35 for 197 yards and the key interception for the Lions, and Kevin Jones ran for 66 yards and a touchdown.

Scottie Vines, filling in for a depleted Lions (3-4) receiving corps, had five catches for 61 yards. Detroit, which has lost two of its last three contests, will play at Minnesota next Sunday. Brian Urlacher had nine tackles for the Bears, who held Detroit to 278 total yards and only 93 yards rushing. The Bears had 333 total yards and averaged 5.4 yards per play. In overtime, on 3rd-and-5 from the Detroit 18-yard line, Garcia was chased to his right and threw the ball across his body toward tight end Marcus Pollard. Tillman stepped in front of the pass for the interception and raced down the left sideline to give the Bears the victory 6:17 into the extra stanza. The cornerback credited his teammates for forcing Garcia into a difficult throw, and he stepped in front to make the play.

"(Defensive tackle) Alfonso Boone did a great job. Garcia was going outside and Boone pulled him up so Garcia had to come back inside and he just kind of floated it," explained Tillman. "He was kind of off balanced and he tried to throw across his body. The ball was floating and I stepped in front of it and took it." Overtime was set up by an evenly-played game between the two division rivals. The Bears had a 13-3 lead at the half, but Detroit got on the board first thanks to the leg of Jason Hanson. On the Lions' initial drive, Garcia hit Vines for 27 yards to set up a 46-yard yard field-goal attempt that Hanson hooked wide left. The next Detroit possession, a 12-play, 56-yard march, ended in Hanson connecting from 32 yards away with 4:11 left in the first quarter. Kevin Jones ran for 23 yards on four carries and Vines caught a third-down pass to keep the drive alive. The Bears drove 99 yards on 10 plays to take a 7-3 lead with 9:29 left in the first half. On 2nd-and-13 from the 13-yard line Orton hit Bradley on a skinny post for 54 yards, the longest pass completion of the year for Chicago, to move the ball to Detroit's 33-yard line.

Muhsin Muhammad caught his second touchdown of the season to cap the march, catching a perfectly thrown post route in between two Lion defenders for the 23-yard score. A 13-play, 69-yard drive increased the Bears' lead. Orton hit Bradley twice on the drive, including a 13-yard completion to the Detroit 33-yard line. Then, on 4th-and-2, Orton hit Marc Edwards for 13 yards to the Lions 21-yard line. Robbie Gould's 38-yard field goal with 1:51 left made the score 10-3. Gould was later successful on a 20-yard field goal with 17 seconds left for a 13-3 halftime score. Orton, a Purdue product, was 12-of-17 for 181 yards and a touchdown in the first half, while Thomas Jones ran for 47 yards. The Bears outgained the Lions, 216-104, and held Kevin Jones to 27 yards rushing after 30 minutes of play.

Chicago amassed 206 total yards in the second quarter, the most in a quarter since December 7, 1986. Orton credited such success to the Lions defense making adjustments in defending the running game since their first meeting in mid-September, giving he and his receivers the opportunity to excel in the passing game. "We were going to try and run the ball on them like we did last game and they stuffed it up pretty good," said Orton. "They gave us a lot of room in the passing game to throw the ball and we had some big plays." Detroit cut into the lead late in the third quarter. Garcia threw a strike to Pollard to open the drive, and Kevin Jones ran for 28 yards on the possession including his 6-yard scamper off right tackle to make the score 13-10 with 3:15 left in the third quarter. It was only the second touchdown the Bears had allowed this season in the red zone, and more significantly, it was the first rushing touchdown the Bear defense gave up this year.

Hanson's 30-yard field goal with 13:20 left in the game tied the score at 13. Garcia hit rookie Mike Williams for a 10-yard gain over the middle, then scrambled and found Vines on a deep corner route for 23 yards to the Chicago 28-yard line. An Urlacher personal foul penalty put the Lions inside the Bears 15-yard line, but they had to settle for Hanson's third make of the day. Jerry Azumah's kickoff return and a subsequent personal foul penalty put the Bears in great field position at the Detroit 43-yard line. However, after getting down to the 18-yard line, a holding penalty and a Thomas Jones fumble ended any chance to take the lead.

Game Notes

With the victory, the Bears are the first team with 650 regular-season wins...Muhammad's touchdown catch came during his homecoming. He was a high- school standout at Waverly in Lansing, Michigan and played collegiately at Michigan State...Lions wide receiver Roy Williams did not play with a quadriceps injury...Detroit defensive tackle Shaun Rogers also was inactive, as was cornerback Dre' Bly, who had wrist surgery this week.

Week 8 Review - Final Score: Houston 19, Cleveland 16

Houston, TX - (MySportsbook.com) - Kris Brown's 40-yard field goal with 2:45 remaining in the fourth quarter lifted the Houston Texans to their first win of the season, a 19-16 victory over the Cleveland Browns at Reliant Stadium. David Carr finished 10-of-20 passing for 138 yards and one touchdown for the Texans (1-6), who also beat Cleveland for the first time in franchise history. Domanick Davis rushed for 91 yards on 28 attempts, while Jabar Gaffney caught five passes for 64 yards. Jerome Mathis caught Houston's only touchdown of the game. Brown finished 4-of-5 on field goal attempts and none was bigger then his last one. "I'm proud of our team and the way they hung in there today and battled," said Texans head coach Dom Capers. "This was a close hard fought game. It's been far too long since we've had that feeling these guys have down there in the locker room."

Trent Dilfer was 12-of-25 passing for the Browns (2-5), who lost their third game in a row. Reuben Droughns rushed for 99 yards on 20 carries, while William Green added 48 yards on the ground. "We did some good things," said Dilfer. "We played hard; we made some plays in the passing game. We didn't execute in those crucial situations. We kept them in it and obviously let them win it." Antonio Bryant led Cleveland in receiving with 98 yards on four catches in the loss. Down 13-7, Houston made it a three-point game with just 10 seconds left in the first half after a Brown 38-yard field goal finished off a 12-play, 40-yard march. Brown would then connect on a 37-yard field goal with 3:48 left in the third to tie the game at 13. The Texan kicker's second field goal tied the game and came at the end of a 12-play, 53-yard drive that featured a 29-yard completion by Carr to Gaffney on 3rd-and-19 early in the drive.

Brown's third straight field goal in the contest put the Texans up 16-13 less then one minute into the fourth quarter. The scoring drive came after Droughns fumbled at his own 35, which was recovered by Antwan Peek at the 32-yard line. The Browns tied it at 16-16 after Phil Dawson's 37-yard field goal with 5:06 remaining capped an 11-play, 52-yard drive, but Mathis returned the ensuing kickoff 63 yards to the Cleveland 40. Houston then moved the ball 18 yards on six plays to set up Brown's game-winning field goal. Cleveland then took over at its own 27 yard-line and William Green rushed twice for 13 yards to move the Browns to the 40 at the two minute warning. After a false start penalty, Dilfer found Braylon Edwards for a 26-yard completion that moved Cleveland past midfield. After a short run by Green and an incomplete pass, Dilfer was sacked by Gary Walker for a loss of eight, knocking Cleveland out of field-goal range and setting up a 4th-and-17 situation. Houston then secured its first win after Dilfer's pass to Bryant fell incomplete. "I just wanted to go out and play and help the guys out," said Walker, who finished with two sacks in the game.

"We didn't make enough plays here at the end of the second half," said Browns head coach Romeo Crennel. "We were one play away, and if we made one play we could win the game, but we can't make one play." Houston got on the board early in the game when Carr found Mathis for a 34- yard touchdown pass to finish off the five-play, 60-yard opening drive. Carr's only other pass during the sequence, a 15-yard strike to Davis, moved the Texans across midfield. It was the first time Houston led in a game this season. "Mathis has really given us a spark in terms of field position," Capers said. "We've had an awful hard time coming up with any big plays in the passing game and he gave us one there for our first touchdown." Cleveland would tie it up 5:50 later after Dilfer hit Aaron Shea with an eight-yard TD pass on a 4th-and-1 with 5:05 left in the first quarter. The pass culminated a 10-play, 69-yard march.

A 28-yard field goal by Dawson put Cleveland up 10-7 with five seconds left in the first quarter, as the Browns drove 44 yards on eight plays after Carr's pass that was intended for Marcellus Rivers was intercepted by Leigh Bodden at the Cleveland 46-yard line. The Browns would drive to the Houston 10-yard line as Dilfer hooked up with Steve Heiden on completions of 17 and 14 yards respectively during the march, but had to settle for Dawson's short kick. Heiden finished with 43 yards receiving on the day. Dawson's 29-yard field goal increased the Browns' lead to 13-7 with 4:14 left in the first half. The five-play, 55-yard sequence began with a 54-yard catch- and-run by Antonio Bryant. However, Cleveland could only manage to move one more yard before Dawson's field goal.

Game Notes

Texans' wide receiver Andre Johnson missed the game with an ankle injury. It was the third straight game he has missed this season...Walker now has 47.5 sacks in his career...This was the sixth time in his career that Brown has made four or more field goals in a game. It was the third time in a Texans uniform...Carr threw a touchdown pass for the sixth game in a row. It is the second time he has done that in his career...Davis also caught two passes for 25 yards... Mathis averaged 35.4 yards per kickoff on five returns...Cleveland was only penalized once for five yards.

Week 8 Review - Final Score: Cincinnati 21, Green Bay 14

Cincinnati, OH - (MySportsbook.com) - Carson Palmer threw for 237 yards and three touchdowns and T.J. Houshmandzadeh had 77 yards receiving and a score, as the Cincinnati Bengals defeated the Green Bay Packers, 21-14, at Paul Brown Stadium. Rudi Johnson had 22 carries for 72 yards and Chad Johnson caught five balls for 62 yards for the Bengals (6-2), who won for the second time in their last three games. Brett Favre was 26-of-39 for 279 yards with a touchdown and a regular-season career-high five interceptions for the Packers (1-6), who have lost two straight. Bubba Franks had seven catches for 62 yards with a touchdown and Tony Fisher carried the ball 17 times for 51 yards and a score in defeat.

"First place. It's on us," said Bengals cornerback Tory James. "It's in our hands. We don't have to worry about anybody else. It's all on us." Cincinnati got on the scoreboard on its opening possession, marching 60 yards in 11 plays for a four-yard touchdown pass from Palmer to Chris Perry. Rudi Johnson helped set up the score, amassing 24 yards on five carries on the drive. Green Bay tied the game early in the second quarter after Fisher slammed in from one-yard out to cap an 11-play, 66-yard drive. Favre, who completed just three passes prior to the series, was a crisp 5-of-6 for 50 yards. But five of the next six Packers' possessions would end in Favre interceptions. Odell Thurman and Deltha O'Neal picked off two passes each and Tory James added another for Cincinnati.

The Bengals converted their first interception into points after Palmer found Houshmandzadeh for an eight-yard TD pass to make it 14-7 late in the first half. That capped a 12-play, 73-yard march in which Palmer completed 6-of-10 passes for 47 yards. After Thurman intercepted his second pass of the game early in the fourth quarter, the Bengals took one play to extend their lead. Palmer hit Jeremi Johnson over the middle for a 27-yard touchdown strike with 13:17 left to give Cincinnati a 21-7 lead. Green Bay got back within seven after Favre connected with Franks for a one- yard touchdown pass with 3:11 remaining in the fourth quarter to cap a 13- play, 88-yard drive. Favre was 9-of-12 for 87 yards on the drive. The Packers drove into Cincinnati territory with under a minute left in the game, but since Favre had no timeouts left, he raced to the line of scrimmage to get another play off, but it was blown dead as a fan ran onto the field. As Favre turned around to see the reason for the whistle after he took the snap, the fan stole the ball from him and raced down the field about 50 yards before he got tackled by security. The Packers got as far as the Bengals' 26- yard line before time ran out.

"I don't think the situation helped us," Favre said of the fan. "I am not going to sit here and make excuses. I am a firm believer that you make your own breaks - your own luck - to a certain extent. I will say we have not had a whole lot of breaks this season, especially injury breaks, and they are not in our favor. We have had a chance to win every game we have played in, and we have only won one of those."

Game Notes The Bengals' five takeaways upped their NFL-leading total to 28 and they are a plus-20 in turnover differential for the season. The team improved to 6-0 when having a positive turnover margin...Favre started his 212th consecutive game...Green Bay receiver Donald Driver has at least one catch in 55 straight games...Franks became the third Packer tight end to catch 200 passes with the team...The Bengals hosted Green Bay for just the third time since 1976...Cincinnati has won seven in a row against NFC opponents...Palmer leads the NFL with 16 TD passes...Favre moved into second place on the NFL's all- time passing yards and pass attempts lists, surpassing John Elway. He trails only Dan Marino in both categories...It was Favre's first career loss to Cincinnati...Cincinnati has three games this season in which it has had five interceptions.

Week 8 Review - Final Score: St. Louis 24, Jacksonville 21

St. Louis, MO - (MySportsbook.com) - Steven Jackson ran for a career-high 179 yards and caught a 19-yard touchdown pass from Jamie Martin for the go-ahead score in the fourth quarter, as the St. Louis Rams earned a 24-21 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars at the Edward Jones Dome. The Rams (4-4) played without quarterback Marc Bulger and receivers Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce because of injuries, but posted their second straight win under interim head coach Joe Vitt. Vitt was given the reins for the remainder of the season earlier this week when it was learned Mike Martz would not return because of health issues. The interim coach is now 2-1 as the Rams head into their bye week. "This was a great win for us," said Vitt. "For our football team, we set a goal to be at 4-4 at this time. Emotion, character and passion were on display today. Everyone got a game ball. When guys are backed into a corner they step up."

Bulger, sidelined with a shoulder injury, could return after the bye when the Rams visit the NFC West-leading Seattle. Martin threw for 200 yards and two touchdowns in his second start, completing 13-of-21 passes, but he was also intercepted three times. The Jaguars (4-3), meanwhile, were coming off their bye and had a two-game win streak stopped. Fred Taylor ran for 165 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries in defeat, while Byron Leftwich completed 18-of-31 passes for 213 yards with two touchdowns and one key interception. The Jaguars held a 21-17 lead after three quarters and had possession near midfield after a 27-yard pass from Leftwich to Ernest Wilford. The two tried again on the first play of the fourth quarter and Leftwich threw a perfect pass that Wilford couldn't handle.

The ball skipped out of the receiver's hands and into the waiting arms of St. Louis defensive back Mike Furrey, who raced 37 yards the other way with the interception to the Jacksonville 30. The Rams needed just four plays to reach the end zone. After three carries by Jackson, Martin found the running back with a 19-yard touchdown pass to give St. Louis a 24-21 advantage with 12:45 remaining. Leftwich went right back to Wilford on Jacksonville's next series and the result ended in a 37-yard completion to the St. Louis 32. The Ram defense forced the Jaguars into a field-goal try and Josh Scobee's 44-yard attempt sailed wide right with 9:25 to play.

The Rams then took nearly five minutes off the clock before punting the ball back to the Jaguars, who reached the St. Louis 45 before a fourth-down pass fell incomplete with 1:21 to play. Jackson, who carried 25 times, followed with a 51-yard run to seal the contest. "He is a special back," Vitt added. "He was getting stronger as the day went on." The teams combined for three touchdowns in just over four minutes to start the game. The Rams opened the fast and furious scoring with a blocked punt for a touchdown just 2:13 into the contest. Drew Wahlroos broke through the line to block Chris Hanson's punt and Brandon Chillar raced 29 yards with the ball into the end zone.

It took the Jaguars just two plays from scrimmage to tie it, as Taylor broke free off left tackle and raced 71 yards to paydirt. Back came the Rams on their third play after the kickoff, as Martin found Kevin Curtis in the middle of the field for an 83-yard touchdown pass to make it 14-7 just 4:06 into the game. The teams then traded turnovers, as Jacksonville's Alvin Pearman fumbled near midfield after a reception and Martin's throw to the end zone was picked off by Rashean Mathis. The Jaguars followed with a march from their own 20 to the St. Louis 25, but the 11-play drive came to an end when Leftwich went to the end zone for Jimmy Smith on 4th-and-1 and the pass fell incomplete.

A series of punts allowed the Jaguars to gain the field position battle and a 17-yard return from Pearman set up a first down at the St. Louis 33 in the second quarter. The Ram defense surrendered just two yards and forced a 49- yard field goal try by Scobee that faded wide right. Mathis then picked off another Martin pass and returned the interception 20 yards to the Jacksonville 37-yard line. This time, the Jaguars converted the good field position into points. Leftwich capped the seven-play drive with a 20-yard touchdown pass to Wilford, who made the catch in the back of the end zone after the ball was tipped, to tie the game at 14-14 with just over two minutes left in the half. The Rams, despite three consecutive penalties to offensive tackle Alex Barron, answered with a 41-yard field goal by Jeff Wilkins as time expired in the first half to take a three-point edge to the break. St. Louis also got the ball to start the second half, but Martin had a pass intercepted by Deon Grant deep in Jacksonville territory. The Jaguars took their first lead of the game late in the third quarter when Leftwich found Matt Jones with a 15-yard touchdown pass to make it 21-17. A 45-yard run off a direct snap to Pearman keyed the five-play series.

Game Notes

Jackson also had two catches for 21 yards to finish with 200 yards from scrimmage. He had a string of four straight games with a rushing touchdown halted...St. Louis running back Marshall Faulk had six carries for 23 yards and now has 12,129 yards for his career, surpassing Franco Harris (12,120) for 10th place all-time...The Rams improved to 15-1 at home against AFC teams since 1998...St. Louis has won both meetings with Jacksonville, also notching a three-point win (17-14) on October 20, 1996...The Jaguars lost for the first time in 10 games when Leftwich throws at least two touchdown passes...Scobee had made seven consecutive field goal attempts...The Jaguars had been the only team in the NFL to not allow a point in the first quarter...Mathis has seven interceptions in his last 10 games.

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