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By: Quin Smyth Senior Editor
- Wager On Football .com Sportsbook
Review
BALTIMORE 17, WASHINGTON
10 Sunday, October 10
LANDOVER, Maryland --
Defense, special teams and a heavy second-half dose of Jamal
Lewis spelled victory for the Baltimore Ravens.
Safety Ed Reed and rookie B.J. Sams
scored third-quarter touchdowns and Lewis ran for nearly
100 yards in the second half to spark the Ravens to a 17-10
win over the Washington Redskins in a battle of interconference
neighbors.
"This was a huge win, a character
win," Ravens coach Brian Billick said. "I told
the team at halftime to trust one another."
Washington (1-4) has lost four in a
row since a season-opening victory over Tampa Bay. It is
the second four-game losing streak in coach Joe Gibbs' 13
seasons in Washington. The Redskins started 0-5 in 1981.
"From a Redskins standpoint, I
think the biggest focus for me right now is that as a team
we've got to hang tough," Washington coach Joe Gibbs
said. "I believe we're a good football team. We're
going to have to find a way to work our way through this.
I've been through this before and we have to make sure we
stay together."
Washington held a 10-0 lead when Reed
came on a blitz and stripped quarterback Mark Brunell from
behind and raced 22 yards for a TD with just under nine
minutes left in the third quarter.
Sams gave the Ravens the lead just
over two minutes later with his second punt return touchdown
in two weeks. An undrafted rookie free agent from McNeese
State, Sams fielded the ball and ran towards Deion Sanders,
faking a reverse. After picking up a key block from Reed,
Sams raced 78 yards for the score.
From there it was all Lewis, who was
held in check in the first half but finished with 116 yards
on 28 carries. He managed only 19 first-half yards on 10
carries but wore down the Redskins defense in the second
half.
It was a strong performance by Lewis
who has been the center of controversy lately. He was suspended
for two games Friday for violating the league's substance
abuse policy one day after pleading guilty to trying to
set up a drug deal four years ago.
"We wanted to control the clock
and pound the ball in the second half," Lewis said.
"Coach called my number and I did my job. This game
wasn't about me. We handle adversity as a team. What happens
off the field stays off the field."
"Jamal (Lewis) took the game on
his shoulders in the second half and did what he does best,"
Billick said. "I gave him the game ball and said we'll
be here when he gets back."
John Hall kicked a 26-yard field goal
and Brunell hit rookie tight end Chris Cooley with a seven-yard
TD in the second quarter for Washington's only points.
Brunell completed 13-of-29 passes for
83 yards and was intercepted once. Washington managed only
nine first downs and 107 total yards. Clinton Portis, acquired
in a blockbuster offseason trade for cornerback Champ Bailey,
had only 53 yards on 25 carries.
"Our offense didn't play well.
They are a very good defensive team, but we didn't play
well," Gibbs said. "We haven't been playing well.
We have to find a way to make things click. We've got to
start making plays offensively. There is no one thing. I
think we need to look at everything. Offense is my deal.
I've said that before, that it starts with me. That is my
responsibility."
Baltimore didn't play a whole lot better
than Washington on offense except for Lewis' effort. Quarterback
Kyle Boller completed only 9-of-18 passes for 81 yards and
was intercepted three times.
"This is 2000 all over again.
Great defense, special teams and run Jamal," Ravens
linebacker Ray Lewis said. "B.J. Sams is like Jermaine
Lewis in 2000. The guy is special."
ST
LOUIS 33, SEATTLE 27 (OT) Sunday, October 10
SEATTLE -- Marc Bulger
and the St. Louis Rams staged quite a "Late Show"
performance and knocked the Seattle Seahawks from the shrinking
ranks of the unbeaten.
Bulger threw two touchdowns and engineered
three scoring drives in the final 5:34 of the fourth quarter
to erase a 17-point deficit and then lofted a 52-yard scoring
pass to Shaun McDonald 3:02 into overtime to lead the Rams
to a 33-27 victory over the Seahawks in a battle of NFC
West rivals.
"I have been coaching over 30
years and I got to tell you I have never been so proud of
a football team than this one today," Rams coach Mike
Martz said. "Nobody backed off, nobody was discouraged
at halftime. It was a remarkable win."
Seattle (3-1) appeared on the verge
of starting a season 4-0 for the first time in franchise
history, building a 27-10 lead.
But Bulger started the dramatic comeback
for the Rams (3-2) with an eight-yard touchdown pass to
tight end Brandon Manumaleuna with 5:34 remaining.
After St. Louis' defense held the Seahawks,
McDonald returned a punt 39 yards. On the next play, Bulger
connected with Kevin Curtis on a 41-yard TD with 3:30 left.
The Rams defense held again as defensive
end Leonard Little sacked Matt Hasselbeck for a 12-yard
loss and forced a fumble on a third-down play. Center Robbie
Tobeck recovered for the Seahawks.
Bulger then drove the Rams 46 yards
in six plays to set up the game-tying 36-yard field goal
by Jeff Wilkins with eight seconds left. The key play was
a 27-yard pass to Isaac Bruce.
The Rams won the coin toss in overtime
and needed just six plays to win it. Bulger hit Torry Holt
with a 13-yard pass on a 3rd-and-6 play to keep the drive
alive. Three plays later, Bulger lofted a pass to McDonald,
who ran past safety Terreal Bierria, caught the ball at
the Seattle 20 and raced untouched into the end zone.
"I knew I could beat the safety,"
McDonald said. "I was just hoping he (Bulger) would
put the ball up."
"You need third and fourth receivers
to match up against nickel and dime guys to win and we have
that," said Bulger, who was 24-of-42 for 325 yards
with three touchdowns and three interceptions.
While the Rams celebrated in the end
zone, the record crowd of 66,940 sat in stunned silence.
"This one hurt real bad,"
said Seahawks cornerback Ken Lucas, who had two interceptions.
"We had this game in the bag and let it slip away.
It's a lesson to be learned."
The Rams' fourth-quarter flurry conjured
up memories of the Rams' "Greatest Show on Turf"
led by former quarterback Kurt Warner with running back
Marshall Faulk and receivers Holt and Bruce starring on
offense.
Bulger has the same cast of characters
to work with and also utilized young receivers McDonald,
Curtis and Dane Looker, who caught a 16-yard pass on the
game-tying drive.
"Obviously, we have some playmakers
here," Looker said. "And don't forget big B, Brandon
Manumaleuna, who kind of got it started with that touchdown
catch. And Shaun McDonald and Kevin Curtis just ran by their
guys."
The Seahawks dominated the first half,
nearly tripling the Rams in yards, 306-122, and building
a 24-7 lead.
Shaun Alexander rushed for 98 of his
150 yards in the first half and scored on a one-yard run
for Seattle. Hasselbeck was 15-of-26 for 188 yards and two
touchdowns in the first half, but completed just five passes
for 26 yards in the second half.
Jerramy Stevens caught a 24-yard touchdown
pass and Hasselbeck connected with Darrell Jackson on a
56-yard scoring play in the second quarter.
The second half was a different story.
The Rams outgained the Seahawks, 248-85, before driving
71 yards in overtime.
"As good as we were in the first
half, I thought we were average to below average in the
second half," Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren said. "Give
the Rams credit. They hung in there."
SAN FRANCISCO 31, ARIZONA 28
(OT) Sunday, October 10
SAN FRANCISCO -- Tim
Rattay authored a much-needed fourth-quarter comeback for
the San Francisco 49ers.
Rattay accounted for 16 points in the
last 4:36 of regulation, and directed a drive that led to
a game-winning 32-yard field goal by Todd Peterson as the
49ers pulled out a 31-28 come-from-behind overtime win over
the Arizona Cardinals in a NFC West confrontation.
Rattay threw for a career-high 417
yards, completing 38-of-57 passes. He had never thrown for
300 yards in a game. Jeff Garcia was the last 49er to throw
for more than 400 yards, passing for 402 against Chicago
on December 17, 2000.
"It was a good win," Rattay
added. "Guys kept making plays and we never quit. This
one feels pretty good."
With Arizona leading 28-12, Rattay
connected with tight end Eric Johnson for a six-yard touchdown
and then sprinted in for the two-point conversion with just
over four minutes left in the game.
"It was a perfect team effort
at the end of the game," Johnson said. "The offense
did their job, and the defense got a big three-and-out.
We tore it up at the end. Hopefully this game will define
us."
After the Niners defense held the Cards,
Brandon Lloyd made a diving 24-yard touchdown catch and
then caught the two-point conversion to send the game into
overtime.
"Tim (Rattay) allowed me to make
the play," Lloyd said. "We didn't take any shots
downfield up until that point. Tim had faith in me and put
the ball up only where I could get it, and I made the play."
In the first series of the extra period,
Arizona appeared to stop San Francisco on just three plays,
but rookie defensive lineman Darnell Dockett was called
for a roughing-the-passer penalty to keep the drive going.
Rattay took the Niners to the 15 to
set up Peterson's winning field goal.
"We were thinking that we can
come back and win the game," Rattay said. "Two
touchdowns and two two-point conversions was all we needed.
This team knows now that if we keep fighting, anything can
happen."
The victory kept San Francisco (1-4)
from dropping to 0-5 for the first time since 1979, while
the Cardinals (1-4) extended the NFL's longest road losing
streak to 16 games.
However, not all the news was good
for the Niners. Pro Bowl linebacker Julian Peterson was
lost for the season when he tore his left Achilles tendon
late in the first quarter as he was rushing quarterback
Josh McCown.
"It's a crime that that had to
happen", Niners coach Dennis Erickson said. "It's
devastating for that to happen to such a great player and
our leader on defense. When you lose a guy like that it
hurts. He defines our defense."
"I have to go out there and support
my guys," Peterson said. "I know they would do
the same for me. I just want to go out there and give as
much support as possible. It may help the guys to have some
reinforcement from a veteran."
The loss spoiled a career-high three-touchdown
performance by McCown. One of those was a 24-yard strike
to rookie Larry Fiztgerald - the first TD for the third
overall pick in the draft.
"I've just got to be more consistant,"
Fitzgerald said. "It just hurts right now. We came
so close to claiming a victory. It's just frustrating and
it hurts bad."
Arizona's Emmitt Smith left the game
in the fourth quarter with a pulled groin. He rushed for
67 yards.
"Nothing hurts as much as us losing
this game right now," Smith said. "It hurts to
lose one like this. For what this team is doing and where
we want to go, it was devastating."
"I've coached for over 30 years
and this is one of the worst losses I've experienced,"
Cardinals coach Dennis Green said. "If you play hard
for 60 minutes you can win the game no matter what the circumstance.
That's what San Francisco did to us today."
DENVER 20, CAROLINA 17 Sunday,
October 10
DENVER -- It appears
the Denver Broncos have found another running back who can
thrive in Mike Shanahan's system.
Filling in for the injured Quentin
Griffin, Reuben Droughns carved up the Carolina defense
with a career-high 193 yards to spark the Broncos to a 20-17
victory.
"It's been a long time,"
Droughns said. "Since I was in Detroit, they gave me
some opportunities but it wasn't what I wanted. Once I got
here, I knew they had the offense that I am used to running
in. It is zone type of running and I knew I was home."
"You don't go into this game thinking
a guy is going to get 30 carries," Broncos coach Mike
Shanahan said. "He was what we needed today."
Droughns entered the game with 127
career rushing yards and the fifth-year veteran from Oregon
was Denver's starting fullback before Griffin got hurt.
He carried 30 times and caught a five-yard TD pass from
Jake Plummer with 57 seconds left in the first half to give
the Broncos a 13-10 lead.
"He was awesome today," Broncos
quarterback Jake Plummer said . "He was getting contact
10 to 15 yards downfield and still running through guys.
I knew he would do well but not like this."
"I always felt I could play running
back," Droughns said. "We have a good group of
backs here so I just had to wait for my opportunity and
make the best of it. With Quentin and the rest of the great
guys here, I don't mind blocking for them as long as they
get the 100-200 yard games. I never thought I would get
those numbers."
Panthers defensive end Julius Peppers
set up the only score of the third quarter with a 101-yard
interception return. Plummer rolled to his right on 4th-and-goal
while being pressured by safety Mike Minter and lofted a
pass into the end zone that Peppers intercepted and returned
to the Denver 3.
The 101-yard return was the longest
non-scoring interception return in NFL history.
"I saw it the whole way,"
Peppers said. "I had a good break on it. I wasn't worried
about how far the goal line was, I guess I should have been.
It was a long run."
On third down, Panthers quarterback
Jake Delhomme, who was 13-of-20 for 173 yards, ran around
the left end from a yard out to put Carolina on top, 17-13.
"We had our chances to win this
game," Delhomme said. "It's frustrating because
we have a decent team."
In the fourth quarter, Plummer, who
completed 17-of-29 passes for 226 yards, atoned for his
mistake, hitting Ashley Lelie with a 39-yard TD pass with
10:08 to play to give Denver (4-1) a three point lead. Plummer
also threw a pair of interceptions.
"It was third and long and somebody
needed to make a play," Lelie said. "Jake threw
an outstanding ball and put it in the only place it could
be for a touchdown."
"We got the look we wanted with
the coverage," Shanahan said. "Ashley made a big
play, the kind of play we want from him. That was great
coverage by Manning but Jake threw a perfect ball."
Carolina (1-3) appeared to tie the
game with just under seven minutes left when John Kasay
kicked a 43-yard field goal. The Panthers were flagged for
a false start and then an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty
when tackle Matt Willig picked up the flag and threw it
downfield. It appeared that the flag hit Willig and he threw
it in anger, but the penalty stood and Carolina had to punt.
"It was a big play but I was not
sure there were any offsides," Panthers tackle Jordan
Gross said. "Matt said it (the flag) hit ] him in the
eye. It was a reaction and not thinking of the situation.
I know he was upset and he's down."
"It's certainly disappointing,"
Delhomme said. "It's especially frustrating because
John had made the kick. I am sure Matt wishes he could have
it back. One play did not cost us the game, but we would
like to have that back."
Already without Stephen Davis, who
is out with a knee injury, the Panthers lost DeShaun Foster
to a sprained shoulder in the second quarter and effectively
lost their running game. Carolina finished with 55 yards
rushing. Brad Hoover gained 21 yards on five carries and
Nick Goings rushed 12 times for 22 yards.
"This stuff happens," Foster
said. "I knew something happened when I ran off to
the left. I thought it was a stinger at first, but soon
after I could feel that it wasn't."
"He broke his clavicle,"
Panthers coach John Fox said. "He'll be out for an
extended period of time. Hopefully, we'll have Davis back
next week but right now we are running thin."
SAN DIEGO 34, JACKSONVILLE
21 Sunday, October 10
SAN DIEGO -- Jesse
Chatman recorded his first 100-yard rushing day while wearing
the San Diego Chargers' powder blue 1960's-style uniforms.
Chatman, who played most of the second
half in relief of LaDainian Tomlinson, scored on a 41-yard
run in the fourth quarter to help lead the Chargers to a
34-21 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
A third-year player from Eastern Washington,
Chatman gained just 36 yards in his first two pro seasons.
But he finished with a career-high 103 yards on 11 carries,
including back-to-back gains of 31 and 41 yards in a two-play
scoring drive that put the Chargers up 34-14 in the fourth
quarter.
"All week the coaches told me
I had a good feel for our running game," Chatman said.
"I just tried to be patient and make good reads. My
blocking, both from the line and the wide receivers, was
great."
"I've always been a fan of (Chatman),"
Chargers coach Marty Schottenheimer said. "He's got
himself in the kind of playing condition right now where
you just have to watch him because he's a very talented
young man."
Chatman became the first San Diego
player to have a 100-yard rushing day, other than Tomlinson,
since Jermaine Fazande gained 183 against the Denver Broncos
on January 2, 2000.
San Diego (3-2) bolted to a 21-0 lead
in the first 20 minutes.
The Chargers benefited from a replay
ruling on their first possession, when tight end Antonio
Gates was ruled inbounds after catching a 26-yard pass from
Drew Brees at the Jacksonville 1. Three plays later, Brees
hit Gates for the TD, giving the Chargers a 7-0 lead.
"I was supposed to go to the corner,"
Gates said. "But I saw the safety sitting there, so
I kind of hooked back. That's not the way the play was drawn
up. But I was wide open."
"Over time, we are starting to
get a feel for each other," Brees said. "If he
is one-on-one, he is getting the ball."
Facing a third-down situation on the
next possession, Brees flipped a short pass to Tomlinson,
who raced 54 yards to the Jaguars 19, setting up a one-yard
touchdown run by Tomlinson.
Bothered by a minor groin injury, Tomlinson
sat out most of the second half and finished with 56 yards
on 19 carries and caught four passes for 78 yards. He topped
the 5,000-yard rushing mark in only his 53rd game.
Early in the second quarter, nickel
back Drayton Florence intercepted a pass by Byron Leftwich
and returned it 40 yards to the Jacksonville 21.
"It was right to me," Florence
said. "That's what we've been trying to do all week
is just make plays when they come to us. And we did that
today. It felt good. It was my first (interception)."
Five plays later, Brees found Gates
again for an 11-yard TD to give the Chargers a 21-0 lead.
Brees was 17-of-26 for 211 yards and two TDs.
Jacksonville (3-2) which played its
first-ever game in San Diego, allowed 34 points after giving
up 52 in its first four contests.
"We didn't show up with our run
defense today," Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio said. "It
was not a matter of physically not being able to hold up,
it was too many mental errors. To be plain honest, it is
embarrassing. As a coaching staff, we have to take responsibility
to prepare ours guys better."
Leftwich set career-highs in attempts,
completions and yardage. He was 36-of-54 for 357 yards,
with a seven-yard TD pass to Cortez Hankton and a two-yard
scoring run in the fourth quarter.
"Turnovers killed us today,"
Leftwich said. "But give San Diego credit. They made
the plays today. I am not going to make traveling across
the country as an excuse. To be honest, we just came out
today and laid an egg."
Fullback Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala scored
his first TD of the season for the Jaguars in the second
quarter to wrap up a 15-play drive that lasted nearly eight
minutes. Fuamatu-Ma'afala missed the first month of the
season with an ankle sprain.
Schottenheimer won for the ninth time
in 30 games as Chargers coach. He beat one of his former
players, Del Rio, who was a linebacker for Schottenheimer
with the Kansas City Chiefs from 1989-91.
NEW YORK JETS 16, BUFFALO 14
Sunday, October 10
EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey
-- The New York Jets are 4-0 for just the second
time in their history and Chad Pennington is not making
any excuses on how they got there.
Doug Brien kicked his third field goal
of the game, a 38-yarder with 58 seconds remaining, as the
Jets squandered a 13-point fourth quarter lead before edging
the winless Buffalo Bills, 16-14.
"I'm not going to apologize for
being 4-0," said Pennington, who completed 7-of-8 passes
for 51 yards on the drive that set up Brien's game-winning
kick. "We'll take them any way we can get them. Last
year we were losing these type of games."
The Jets (4-0) looked like they were
on the verge of giving one away after Drew Bledsoe beat
cornerback David Barrett on a 46-yard touchdown pass to
rookie Lee Evans to put the Bills ahead 14-13 with 6:20
left.
But Pennington took control, engineering
an 11-play, 60-yard drive that included passes of 17 yards
to Justin McCareins and 11 yards to tight end Anthony Becht.
"I don't think there was anyone
in our huddle who didn't think we would get points on that
drive," said Wayne Chrebet, who had eight catches for
90 yards overall.
The points came from Brien, who missed
a 29-yard field goal on the opening drive of the game, but
later connected from 37 yards on the final play of the first
half and from 36 yards in the third quarter. As a gust of
wind came up, Brien's game-winner barely made it over the
crossbar.
"The wind was tough out there.
Thirty-eight yards is not a gimme," Brien said.
The Bills (0-4) had one more chance
and moved the ball near midfield before Terrell Buckley
intercepted Bledsoe on the final play of the game.
The Jets also were 4-0 in 2000 under
coach Al Groh but failed to make the playoffs. New York
joins New England and idle Philadelphia as the only remaining
unbeaten teams in the NFL.
"There ain't any more secrets
when you're 4-0," Jets defensive tackle Jason Ferguson
said. "They'll be coming at us."
The Atlanta Falcons (4-1) and Seattle
Seahawks (3-1) were each knocked from the ranks of the unbeaten
on Sunday.
It was another bitter defeat for the
Bills, who are winless under first-year coach Mike Mularkey
and have lost three of those games by three points or less.
"As we've lost these four, we
can win these four," Mularkey said. "There are
no heads down. There is lots of football to come and we'll
get the job done."
Brien's second field goal gave the
Jets a 13-0 lead, but the Bills did not quit as an interception
by linebacker Jeff Posey early in the fourth quarter gave
them some life and Bledsoe soon followed with a 16-yard
TD pass to tight end Mark Campbell.
Bledsoe, who completed 16-of-29 passes
for 197 yards, would soon put the Bills ahead, only to watch
helplessly as the Jets gained the lead back and sent Buffalo
to its second 0-4 start in three years.
The Bills and Miami Dolphins are the
NFL's only winless teams.
"It's the same stuff, the same
stupid little mistakes beating us," Bledsoe said. "I
don't know what it takes to figure it out."
Bledsoe spent the afternoon running
away from an aggressive New York defense led by John Abraham,
who had three of his team's four sacks.
Travis Henry, who ran for 169 yards
in his last meeting with the Jets, was held to 33 yards
on 12 carries.
NEW ENGLAND 24, MIAMI 10 Sunday,
October 10
FOXBORO, Massachusetts --
Even with Tom Brady completing just seven passes for 76
yards, the New England Patriots still found a way to set
the NFL record for consecutive wins.
Brady passed for two first-half touchdowns
and Corey Dillon rushed for 94 yards to lead the Patriots
to their 19th straight win, a 24-10 victory over the Miami
Dolphins in a battle of AFC East Division rivals.
The Patriots (4-0) won their last 12
regular-season games in 2003, three postseason contests
and their first four games this season to eclipse the record
of 18 shared by the 1997-98 Denver Broncos, the 1989-90
San Francisco 49ers, the 1972-73 Dolphins, and the 1933-34
and 1941-42 Chicago Bears.
Patriots coach Bill Belichick spent
most of the week downplaying the streak but hugged his coordinators
on the sidelines after the game and was doused with a bucket
of Gatorade by defensive end Richard Seymour and safety
Rodney Harrison.
"I did tell the team that they
should be proud of what they accomplished," Belichick
said. "It's something that no other team in pro football
has done. But with that being said, that's not our ultimate
goal."
The acknowledgement of the streak by
the usually reserved Belichick was a bit surprising, but
not for veteran cornerback Ty Law.
"I saw it coming," Law said.
"Everybody has a little bit of want in them and a little
bit of selfishness to see that we can have a piece of history.
We own it now but it doesn't mean anything if we can't make
it to the postseason. No one is going to talk about winning
19 in a row if we don't win a championship. You're always
going to talk about the 1972 Dolphins because they went
undefeated."
They were certainly not playing the
1972 Dolphins, who had the only perfect season in NFL history
with a 17-0 record. At 0-5, the Dolphins are off to their
worst start since their inaugural 1966 season.
The year started with Miami losing
star running back Ricky Williams to retirement and wide
receiver David Boston to a torn ACL. The offense has never
recovered, with Wannstedt playing musical chairs with quarterbacks
Jay Fiedler and A.J. Feeley.
Before Sunday's game, kicker Olindo
Mare, who is perhaps Miami's most reliable weapon, strained
a calf muscle in warmups, forcing the Dolphins to use rookie
punt returner Wes Welker as the kicker. Welker kicked a
29-yard field goal and converted an extra point.
And if that was not enough both quarterbacks
were injured in the fourth quarter. Fiedler suffered a rib
injury after being sacked for a 12-yard loss. Two plays
later, Feeley was shaken up after being hit by linebacker
Rosevelt Colvin.
Meanwhile, everything Belichick touches
turns to gold. The free agency/salary cap era was supposed
to render the dynasty as a dinosaur in the NFL, but the
Patriots continue to roll along in their quest for a third
Super Bowl title in four years.
Brady, who was just 7-of-19 for 76
yards, connected with tight end Daniel Graham on a scoring
play and also hit David Givens with a five-yard touchdown
pass with 36 seconds left in the second quarter to stake
the Patriots to a 17-7 halftime lead.
The Patriots took advantage of a pair
of Dolphins turnovers and excellent field position, never
having to go further than 48 yards on any of their scoring
drives.
Randall Gay intercepted a pass by Fiedler
and returned it to the Miami 30. A roughing-the-passer penalty
on Dolphins nickel back Will Poole preceded Brady's scoring
pass to Graham.
Miami was forced to punt from its 43-yard
line with 3:21 left in the first half. The snap to Matt
Turk was high and Turk decided to run, but was tackled short
of the first down at the Miami's 46 yard line. Six plays
later, Brady hit Givens in the end zone.
"We don't make enough plays on
offense and we are making too many negative plays,"
Dolphins coach Dave Wannstedt said. "We were giving
them a short field to operate on. It is frustrating for
everyone."
Rabih Abdullah scored on a one-yard
touchdown run midway through the third quarter to increase
New England's lead to 24-7.
TAMPA BAY 20, NEW ORLEANS 17
Sunday, October 10
NEW ORLEANS -- Jon
Gruden was counting on Chris Simms - not Brian Griese -
to stop the bleeding in Tampa Bay.
In relief duty of Simms, who was injured
in the first quarter of his first NFL start, Griese completed
16-of-19 passes for 194 yards as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
avoided their first 0-5 start in eight years with a 20-17
victory over the New Orleans Saints.
The third-stringer behind Brad Johnson
and Simms entering the season, Griese completed seven of
his first eight passes for 106 yards, capped by a 45-yard
touchdown to tight end Ken Dilger down the middle of the
field for a 20-7 lead just over three minutes into the third
quarter.
Dilger finished with 60 yards on three
receptions for Tampa Bay (1-4), which gained 319 yards and
limited the Saints to a season-low 251.
Simms, named the starter by Gruden
on Wednesday, is listed as day-to-day with a sprained left
shoulder after being sacked by rookie Will Smith in the
final minute of the first quarter.
Johnson, who reportedly has asked to
be released following his demotion, did not play.
"We like Griese. We like Brad.
We like all of them," Gruden said of his quarterbacks.
"I thought Brian did a heck of a job. I think that's
the story today. He can't play much better. He did a great
job. He moved the team and made some key plays in situations."
Griese, who led the NFL with a 102.9
passer rating while with Denver in 2000, completed a career-best
84 percent of his passes in his first relief appearance
since 1999.
"So you guys have something good
to write about me now," Griese said. "What a great
win, on the road. It's kind of hard being a backup quarterback
in the NFL, but you have to be ready because you never know
what's going to happen. It's an unfortunate situation for
Chris, but I had to come on there and get us going, and
we did that."
Griese's performance upstaged the return
of Deuce McAllister, who rushed for 102 yards on 21 carries
but fumbled twice in the second quarter in his first action
for New Orleans since suffering a high right ankle sprain
in Week Two against the San Francisco 49ers.
Cornerback Ronde Barber returned McAllister's
second fumble for an 18-yard score, giving Tampa Bay the
lead for good at 13-7 with 4:50 remaining in the second
quarter.
"On the first (fumble), the guy
was pulling at the ball while I was spinning," said
McAllister, who rushed for 100 yards for the first time
since November 30, 2003. "That was really the whole
game - they were just going for the ball. They weren't really
trying to tackle me but just tackle the ball. On the second
one I was cutting back and I didn't have the ball tight
enough and (Greg Spires) just reached at it."
Barber's touchdown, his eighth in the
NFL and his second on a fumble return this season, came
18 seconds after Martin Gramatica's season-best 53-yard
field goal.
Tampa Bay's defense held Aaron Brooks
to 106 yards on 11-of-23 passing. Brooks threw touchdown
passes to tight end Boo Williams and Joe Horn, but was intercepted
by cornerback Brian Kelly at the Tampa Bay 17 in the fourth
quarter.
The Saints (2-3) scored the final 10
points but never regained possession after John Carney's
43-yard field goal with 3:43 remaining. The Bucs overcame
1st-and-20 on the final possession and, because the Saints
had no timeouts, ran out the final 1:50 after Michael Pittman
ran 10 yards to the New Orleans 21 on 3rd-and-5.
It was the second straight week that
New Orleans lost to a winless team. The Saints suffered
a humiliating 34-10 defeat at Arizona last week.
"I am frustrated, and I think
everyone in the organization and city is, too," coach
Jim Haslett said after the Saints' second loss in three
home games. "We need to start doing the little things
right to get over this hump."
The Saints lost for just the ninth
time in 25 all-time meetings with Tampa Bay. The visiting
team in the series has won the last three meetings and five
of the last seven.
NY GIANTS 26, DALLAS 10 Sunday,
October 10
IRVING, Texas -- Tiki
Barber and Steve Christie are rapidly gaining coach Tom
Coughlin's confidence.
Barber recorded 198 total yards and
scored a touchdown and Christie made all four of his field
goal attempts, including a 51-yarder, to lift the New York
Giants to a 26-10 win over the Dallas Cowboys in a battle
of NFC East rivals.
Despite not having the confidence of
Coughlin entering the season because of his propensity for
fumbling, Barber has responded with four 100-yard games
- including 122 against the Cowboys.
"I knew I had to prove myself
to Coach Coughlin coming into this season," said Barber,
who leads the NFL with 577 rushing yards. "He's helped
me to reinvent myself and become a significant contributor."
The versatile tailback added 55 of
his 76 receiving yards on a screen pass when he lined up
as a wide receiver on a crucial 3rd-and-10 from the Giants
30 with 5:19 left in the game. That led to his three-yard
touchdown to cap the scoring.
"We run that play every week,"
Barber said. "(Cowboys safety) Roy Williams left a
big hole open on that side, and I was able to turn it into
a big gain."
Coming off a game in which he missed
three field goals, Christie was given a vote of confidence
by New York's first-year coach and he responded by going
4-for-4, including the season-best 51-yarder with two seconds
left before the half. It was the first of the Giants 26
unanswered points.
"I worked all week on getting
better and feeling comfortable kicking again," Christie
said. "I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity
to come back and have the chance to try."
The victory was the fourth straight
for the Giants (4-1) after a season-opening loss at Philadelphia.
It is their best start since 1993.
Dallas' running game carved through
the Giants' defense throughout the first half on their way
to a season-high 166 yards, leading to Vinny Testaverde's
seven-yard TD to Keyshawn Johnson with 9:24 left in the
second quarter - Johnson's first with the Cowboys (2-2).
"I think this is the first game
we had the running game on track," said Dallas' Eddie
George, whose season-high 75 yards led the team. "We
just need to strive to play a complete game."
Billy Cundiff booted a 41-yard field
goal to increase the lead to 10-3, but the Cowboys were
shut down the rest of the way.
Averaging over 300 yards in their first
three games - second in the league - the Cowboys passing
attack was stifled by an aggressive Giants defense. Testaverde
threw for only 125 yards with an interception
"We are making too many mistakes
right now," Cowboys coach Bill Parcells said. "We
haven't played a real solid game all year, but there's a
lot of football left."
The Giants took a 13-10 lead with 5:39
left in the third quarter when tight end Jeremy Shockey
capped a 10-play, 86-yard drive with a one-yard leaping
grab in the end zone over safety Roy Williams. It appeared
that Shockey pushed off Williams before making the catch,
but no penalty was called.
The Cowboys were stopped on two fourth-down
plays, one when George was stopped for a two-yard loss needing
only inches to gain a first down on the New York 5 early
in the second.
On the second occasion, with the Giants
ahead 16-10 and the ball on the Dallas 43, Testaverde completed
a short pass to fullback Darian Barnes, but he could not
gain the one yard needed after an excellent open field tackle
by Giants cornerback Will Allen.
The Giants extended the lead to 19-10
on the ensuing drive on Christie's fourth field goal of
the game.
"I was trying to get some energy
but here's the deal," Parcells said. "I learned
a long time ago that if you need some momentum-creating
event in the middle of the game, then you probably don't
have a very good team. When you got fourth and an inch you
should be able to make it."
PITTSBURGH 34, CLEVELAND 23
Sunday, October 10
PITTSBURGH - Rookie
Ben Roethlisberger and Duce Staley have turned out to be
a formidable combination for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Roethlisberger threw for a touchdown
and ran for another score and Staley topped the 100-yard
mark for the third consecutive game as the Steelers knocked
off the Cleveland Browns, 34-23, in a battle of AFC North
rivals.
"I think every week it gets a
little bit better," Roethlisberger said. "The
receivers are more comfortable with me. The weeks we've
had in preparation have really helped it out. I'm out there
trying to lead. Just trying to win the ballgame. That's
all that matters."
Staley, who rushed for 117 yards on
21 carries, opened the scoring with a 25-yard TD run for
Pittsburgh (4-1), which has won three in a row since Roethlisberger
took over as the starting quarterback for the injured Tommy
Maddox.
The last Steeler to rush for 100 yards
in three consecutive games was the man Staley supplanted
as Steeler starter, Jerome Bettis, who did it in October
2001.
After the game Staley, who had a toe
infection during the week, was treated for a groin injury.
"The running game is important
to our success. We've shown consistency with Duce leading
the way," Pittsburgh coach Bill Cowher said. "Duce
was bothered with groin strain in the third quarter. We
didn't want to get greedy. That's why we have Jerome Bettis."
In a reduced role, Bettis carried the
ball 14 times for 34 yards and scored a 3-yard touchdown
in the third quarter, his sixth TD of the season.
"I felt good about it. It's one
of those things where they ask you to carry the ball at
the end of the game," Bettis said. "Tough yards
but you have to find a way to do it."
Cleveland tied the game on a 20-yard
interception return by safety Chris Crocker on a pass that
went off the hands of receiver Antwaan Randle El.
Roethlisberger shook off the interception
and gave the Steelers the lead for good, 14-7, with a six-yard
scoring run midway through the first quarter. He added a
37-yard TD pass to Plaxico Burress in the second quarter
as the Steelers built a 27-13 halftime lead. Burress finished
with six catches for 136 yards.
"We planned coming into this ballgame
that we were not going to give up big plays. You have to
give Pittsburgh a lot of credit," said Cleveland coach
Butch Davis, who is now 1-7 against Pittsburgh. "We
paid for receivers getting loose in the secondary. We had
seen Roethlisberger scramble in the preseason and be somewhat
effective."
Jeff Garcia had a tough time getting
into a rhythm for Cleveland (2-3), finishing 16-of-34 for
210 yards and a TD. Garcia was also the top rusher for the
Browns with 41 yards on five carries.
"They brought sometimes more guys
than we had seen on film," Cleveland offensive lineman
Kevin Garmon said. "They definitely tested us with
more guys than we could pick up."
Cleveland kicker Phil Dawson connected
on field goals of 24, 34 and 46 yards to extend his league-high
streak to 21 in a a row.
Pittsburgh has a 2-1 record after facing
its three divisional opponents for the first time, beating
Cincinnati and Cleveland after losing to Baltimore.
MINNESOTA 34, HOUSTON 28 (OT)
Sunday, October 10
HOUSTON -- There is
something to be said for second chances.
Marcus Robinson made up for a crucial
drop in overtime with the game-winning touchdown catch in
the Minnesota Vikings' 34-28 victory over the upstart Houston
Texans.
Just 21 seconds after he failed to
catch a wide-open pass with no defenders in front of him,
Robinson hauled in a 50-yard TD pass from Daunte Culpepper,
helping the Vikings overcome the loss of a 21-0 lead and
improve to an NFL-best 13-3 in games after the bye.
"I was definitely happy that they
went back to me," Robinson said. "I just dropped
the ball, and I was sick after that play. I was upset about
that. When I got back to the huddle, everyone was like,
'Now you have to win the game for us.' I just had to forget
it."
"Robinson is a veteran,"
Culpepper said. "I'm definitely going to keep my confidence
in him because I know that nobody is perfect. Everybody
makes mistakes. It's just what you do after you make mistakes."
The overtime TD capped an outstanding
game for Robinson, who took advantage of the double teams
on Randy Moss and finished with nine catches for 150 yards
and two scores. Moss had 90 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Culpepper outdueled Houston's David
Carr in a Texas-style shootout, completing 36-of-50 attempts
for 396 yards and five touchdowns. He became just the third
Vikings' quarterback to surpass 100 career touchdown passes,
joining Fran Tarkenton (239) and Tommy Kramer (159).
Rookie running back Mewelde Moore,
starting in place of injured Michael Bennett and suspended
Onterrio Smith, finished with 182 total yards for Minnesota,
including 92 yards on 20 carries.
"Mewelde runs harder than you
think," Vikings coach Mike Tice said. "He breaks
a lot of tackles. He's a very good player. He had 1,000
yards rushing and a 1,000 yards receiving in college and
only a few guys have done that. We were very confident of
what Mewelde could do."
"Moore did a great job of keeping
the defense off-balance," Culpepper said. "We
would run and then pass. Our offensive line made key blocks."
Seeking its first three-game winning
streak, Houston rallied from a three-touchdown deficit in
the second half behind Carr, who entered the game as the
NFL's top-ranked passer in the fourth quarter with a 140.9
passer rating.
He completed 19-of-30 passes for 288
yards and three touchdowns in the second half, including
a 22-yarder to Andre Johnson with two minutes remaining
in regulation, knotting the score at 28-28.
"We certainly had a number of
opportunities to win this football game," Texans coach
Dom Capers said. "It was great the way our team fought
back after being down 21-0. They hung together and found
a way to tie it. We weren't consistent enough and at times,
we were sloppy in our execution, but it took tremendous
heart to fight back."
"It was just the strength and
character of the team," Carr said. "How they carry
themselves. There was never a time when we gave up. There
was a never a sign that we couldn't score 21 points. We
fought hard."
Johnson finished with 12 catches for
170 yards and two touchdowns.
INDIANAPOLIS 35, OAKLAND 14
Sunday, October 10
INDIANAPOLIS -- There
was not a lot of pride and poise on the part of the Oakland
Raiders.
The Raiders committed penalties to
prolong every touchdown drive by the Indianapolis Colts,
who rode customary big games from Peyton Manning and Edgerrin
James to a 35-14 victory.
The Raiders had won eight of their
last nine meetings with the Colts, a run that dated to the
days when the team's motto was "Pride and Poise."
However, Oakland (2-3) has lost 12 straight road games,
the second-longest current streak.
Perennially among the league leaders
in penalties, last year the Raiders were labeled as "the
dumbest team in America" by none other than coach Bill
Callahan, who was fired at the end of the season.
New coach Norv Turner is finding out
what Callahan meant. Kerry Collins threw three interceptions
as Oakland's turnover differential dropped to minus-9, and
the Raiders committed nine penalties for 59 yards, including
a handful that gave second and third chances to the awesome
offense of the Colts (4-1).
"We weren't the dumbest team in
the league, but it is very frustrating," Raiders cornerback
Charles Woodson said. "When you have opportunities
to get the other team off of the field or make plays yourself,
and the penalties negate that ... it's disheartening."
"We just have to keep concentrating
and working on it," Turner said. "It's not which
team is the most talented, it's which team plays the best."
Manning completed 16-of-26 passes for
198 yards and three touchdowns. James had a season-high
136 yards and a touchdown on 32 carries, helping Indianapolis
win its fourth straight game.
A face mask penlty on linebacker Tim
Johnson on the opening kickoff and an offsides on defensive
lineman Tyler Brayton helped the Colts score on the game's
first possession. Manning found Brandon Stokley for 25 yards
on third down to help set up his one-yard TD pass to running
back James Mungro.
"It was important to jump out
on them early and get the lead, which is why the first series
was key," Manning said. "We put their offense
in a bind by going 7-0, then 14-0, because we knew their
game plan coming in was to run the ball and keep us off
of the field."
Early in the second quarter, Indianapolis
was prepared to punt when Oakland's defensive end Akbar
Gbaja-Biamila jumped offsides. On the next play, Manning
hooked up with Wayne for a 35-yard TD pass to make it 14-0.
"As soon as he touched the ball,
I popped, thinking it was going to be a quick snap,"
Gbaja-Biamila said. "That's not the way I'm supposed
to play football. I made a dumb mistake that cost us huge."
"You look at the situation (4th-and-1)
and you're like ... that didn't have to happen," Woodson
said.
The Raiders responded with a 69-yard
drive culminating with a one-yard TD run by Justin Fargas
with 8:59 left in the first half. But again, a penalty by
Oakland helped Indianapolis march into the end zone.
Hard running by James and Dominic Rhodes
moved the Colts to the Raiders 11. On third down, cornerback
Denard Walker - burned earlier for a TD by Wayne - was whistled
for interference in the end zone. Two plays later, Manning
threw a four-yard TD pass to tight end Dallas Clark two
plays later.
On the last play of the third quarter,
Manning threw a 34-yard pass to Marvin Harrison to the 4.
There were a pair of automatic first downs on defensive
holding penalties before James banged in from the 1 for
a 28-7 bulge with 13:29 to play.
Collins was 28-of-44 for 245 yards.
He threw a 21-yard TD pass to Courtney Anderson with 6:14
left but gave it back when he was picked off by Jason David,
who returned it 34 yards for the game's last score.
"I've went through stretches like
this before and I've just got to play through it,"
Collins said. "I felt like I made more good decisions
this week than I did last week. I made a few throws that
I wish I could have back, but I'll get better and we'll
get better."
James eclipsed 100 yards for the 35th
time in 70 career games. The Colts held a 338-269 advantage
in total yards while collecting 25 first downs and four
sacks.
"I don't think we had an answer
for much of anything they did today," Raiders defensive
lineman Warren Sapp said. "They only lined up to punt
a couple of times and we jumped on one of those. We've got
to practice during the week what we are going to put out
on the field on Sunday. We aren't doing that; it's that
simple."
DETROIT 17, ATLANTA 10 Sunday,
October 10
ATLANTA -- Jim Mora
Jr. was an unbeaten coach before he ran into his mentor.
Rookie linebacker Alex Lewis and defensive
linemen Shaun Rogers, Jared DeVries and James Hall made
key plays as the Detroit Lions handed the Atlanta Falcons
their first loss of the season, 17-10.
The Falcons (4-1) won their first four
games under Mora, the rookie coach who served as a defensive
coordinator under Lions coach Steve Mariucci with the San
Francisco 49ers from 1999-2002.
Mora's impact already has been felt
in Atlanta, which ranks second in the NFL by allowing 13.2
points per game. The Falcons ranked last in the league in
total defense last season.
But it was Mariucci's Lions who made
the big defensive plays in this one, forcing Falcons quarterback
Michael Vick to fumble three times. Vick, who is still adjusting
to Atlanta's new West Coast offense, lost two of the fumbles
and was also intercepted once.
"It's totally something that I
have to work on, and I'm conscious of that," Vick said
of his turnovers. "Sometimes you get caught up looking
downfield, looking for a receiver, and you kind of get careless
with the ball. It happens. The only thing I can do is put
it behind me and try to move forward."
The biggest defensive play was by Lewis,
who intercepted a pass by Vick and returned it 33 yards
to the Atlanta 2. Three plays later, Artose Pinner scored
on a one-yard run to give the Lions a 14-7 lead with 1:57
left in the first half.
"I feel blessed to get that interception
off of Michael Vick," said Lewis, a fifth-round pick
out of Wisconsin.
Trailing for the first time in a game
this season under Mora, the Falcons managed just a field
goal by Jay Feely the rest of the way.
"There is going to be adversity
in a season and I think the true measure of your team is
how you handle adversity," Mora said. "What we
are seeing now with Mike and our team is some growing pains.
We made some good plays and then we slide back. It's going
to be like that for awhile."
Vick drove the Falcons to the Detroit
21 in their final drive, completing three passes, including
a 24-yarder to tight end Alge Crumpler. But Rogers roared
in from his defensive tackle position and sacked the NFL's
fastest quarterback for a five-yard loss.
On a fourth down play, DeVries hit
Vick, who banged his arm off tackle Todd Weiner and fumbled.
Hall recovered the ball at the Detroit 32 to seal the win.
In the third quarter, Hall forced a
fumble by Vick that defensive end Cory Redding recovered
for Detroit.
Coming off their bye, the Lions (3-1)
have won consecutive road games after snapping an NFL-record
24-game road losing streak in Week One with a 20-16 victory
at Chicago.
"I guess we hadn't won a game
on the road against a winning team in a while," Mariucci
said. "Since Mt. Rushmore was just getting carved.
So many guys made plays for us today. Alex Lewis' interception
obviously stands out."
Atlanta scored its lone touchdown after
a fake punt resulted in a 39-yard pass from Chris Mohr to
Brian Finneran. Warrick Dunn scored on a two-yard run with
6:26 left in the second quarter, giving the Falcons a 7-0
lead. It was the sixth touchdown of the year for Dunn, who
was held to 44 yards on 18 carries.
The Lions tied the game on a 39-yard
touchdown pass from Joey Harrington to Az-Zahir Hakim with
3:20 remaining in the first half.
"I think that we are naive enough
and young enough, that we don't care enough about what's
happened in the past," Harrington said. "This
is a different team, a younger team, a fresher team."
Week 1 .
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