The NFL Blog: Week 10 and 11 Reviews

I’m still trying to catch myself back up to speed after the technical difficulties. Here’s a review of the weeks 10 and 11 of the NFL season.

Week 10 Review

Cutler and Broncos Spoil Quinn’s Debut on Thursday Night

Week 10 featured the first late season Thursday night game of the year, broadcast on the NFL Network. Originally the matchup of Denver at Cleveland was not that intriguing. The 4-4 Broncos had seemingly been exposed as frauds since their 3-0 start, while the 3-5 Browns were among the most disappointing teams in the League. Then, just a few days before the game, the Browns announced out of the blue that Brady Quinn would make his first start in the game on Thursday night. That made things a lot more interesting. The Browns were criticized for folding to fan pressure and making a rash decision. But as far as how Quinn played individually, his debut couldn’t have gone that much better. The Browns utilized a conservative offensive game plan, using short and safe passes, mixing in running plays and working clock. Quinn executed the plan beautifully, completing 23 of 35 passes for 239 yards, throwing 2 touchdowns and no interceptions. For much of the night it looked like the Quinn era would begin with a victory but the Broncos stormed back late and Cleveland’s defense simply couldn’t stop Jay Cutler when they needed to. The Broncos took the lead late and held on for a huge 34-30 win.

Like many young QB’s, Quinn seemed to feel most comfortable throwing to his tight end and Kellen Winslow was Quinn’s main target throughout the game. The impossible-to-like Winslow caught 10 passes for 111 yards and caught both of Quinn’s touchdown passes, but he also committed a costly turnover, a costly penalty, and had a very costly drop. Jay Cutler had a monster game but it was one of those big statistical games for a player that sneaks up on you, as his numbers got a lot bigger late in the game. At the end of the day, Cutler completed 24 of 42 passes for 447 yards, threw 3 TD and 1 INT, and also ran 7 times for 29 yards. Cutler spread his passes around but Eddie Royal caught 6 of them for 164 yards and a TD. The Broncos defense allowed 399 yards of offense to Cleveland, and yet Denver wound up outgaining the Browns by 165 yards, as Cutler and the offense amassed 564 yards.

Denver looked in control early, missing a 38 yard field goal and scoring a TD to go up 7-0 on their first 2 possessions. On Cleveland’s 2nd possession, Quinn led the Browns on a 6 play, 59 yard TD drive to tie the game. The key play came on 3rd and 5 from the 5 when Quinn found Winslow in the back of the end zone for his first ever touchdown pass to tie it up at 7-7.

The Browns started to take control of the game early in the 2nd quarter, as they took the lead on a FG, and then Cutler was intercepted in Denver territory and Cleveland took over at the 20. On 3rd and 6 from the 16, Quinn got the ball to Winslow again and he scored to put the Browns ahead 17-7. Denver got a FG but the Browns answered with a FG of their own to take a 20-10 lead into halftime.

The Browns got the ball first in the 2nd half and went down and kicked a FG to increase their lead to 23-10 with 10:21 to go in the 3rd quarter. The Broncos responded with a FG to make it a 10 point game again with 5:37 remaining in the 3rd. Cleveland then began moving the ball down the field again, with Quinn throwing to Winslow to convert a 3rd and 9, and Jamal Lewis rushing for 2 yards to convert a 4th and 1 at the Denver 47. The Browns ate up the rest of the time in the 3rd quarter and took a 23-13 lead into the 4th.

The game turned on the first play of the 4th quarter. Cleveland had a 3rd and 6 at the Denver 41. Quinn threw to Braylon Edwards for a gain of 15 yards and a first down at the 26. Obviously this was huge, as the drive would now continue, clock would run, and at the least the Browns figured to be in range for a Phil Dawson field goal try. However, there was a flag on the play, and it turned out that Kellen Winslow had committed a foolish and unnecessary pass interference penalty. That wiped out the first down and the 15 yard gain and left the Browns with a 3rd and 16 from their own 49. The Browns played it safe and Quinn threw underneath for a 6 yard gain and Cleveland punted. They downed the ball at the 7. The Broncos were pinned down by their own end zone and down 10 with 13:43 to play. The momentum still seemed all on Cleveland’s side but that changed on the very first play of this possession. Cutler dropped back on 1st down and saw Royal had gotten behind the Cleveland secondary up the left side line. Cutler put some air under his throw and dropped it in to Royal at the 40. Royal made the catch in stride and when Brandon McDonald tried to jump up and bat the ball away and missed, Royal was gone for a 93 yard TD that got the Broncos right back in the game. Suddenly it was just a 3 point game with 13 and a half minutes to play.

Joshua Cribbs returned the ensuing kickoff 43 yards to the 50 to take away some of Denver’s momentum. Then on 3rd and 6 from the Denver 46, Quinn threw a bullet to Winslow who made the catch for a gain of 8 and what appeared to be a first down but Winslow was stripped and the Broncos recovered at the 38. Denver drove into Cleveland territory. On 3rd ad 11 from the Browns’ 28, Cutler hit Daniel Graham with a short pass on the left side and a pair of Cleveland defenders looked to have him pinned at the 20, well short of the first down, but somehow they barley managed to touch Graham and he crossed the first down marker. But Graham didn’t stop there, taking a Cleveland defensive back head on at the 15, running him over, and high stepping into the end zone for a touchdown to put Denver ahead 27-23 with 9:50 to play. That disgusting play capped off a horrifying series of events that had the Browns finding themselves behind by 4 points after leading by 13 earlier in the half. However, Quinn was unfazed, and he led the Browns right back down the field on a 9 play, 78 yard drive to retake the lead. Lewis stretched the ball over the goal line on 3rd and goal from the 1 to put the Browns back on top 30-27 with just 4:57 to play. On the ensuing Bronco drive, Denver appeared to be moving the ball down the field with ease, but then the Browns forced a 3rd and 10 from the Denver 36. On 3rd down, Cutler zinged a pass underneath to Brandon Stokley for 9 yards. On 4th and 1 from the Denver 45, the Broncos decided to try and run for the first down, but their running back corps had been decimated by injury, and thus they were handing the ball off to rookie fullback Peyton Hillis. The Browns got heavy penetration and appeared to have the play stopped a couple yards behind the line of scrimmage but Hillis was able to avoid being tackled and then fell forward across the first down marker while being tackled from behind. The drive continued. On 3rd and 2 from the Cleveland 45, Cutler took the ball himself and ran off left guard for 2 yards and a first down at the 43. The Browns had a 1st down at the Denver 29 following the 2 minute warning and Cutler took off on a designed run and went untouched through the middle of the Browns’ defense for a gain of 18 yards. On 2nd down from the 11, Cutler fired a laser to the left corner of the end zone where Brandon Marshall caught it for a touchdown, with McDonald getting burned again on the play. That put the Broncos back on top by 4 points with just 1:17 to play. After scoring, Marshall began taking something out of his pants but before he could draw a 15 yard penalty, Stokley ran over and kept him from going through with whatever celebration he had planned. Marshall revealed after the game that he had a black and white glove which he wanted to raise in a tribute to Barrack Obama being elected president and as a statement about racial harmony.

The Browns weren’t dead. They started their final drive at the 33 and Quinn threw to Winslow for a 9 yard gain to the 42 on the first play. But then Quinn threw incomplete on 2nd and 1 and on 3rd and 1 he short armed a pass over the middle on a play that the Browns would have had a first down near midfield if he had made a normal throw. On 4th and 1, Quinn fired a bullet to Winslow at eye level, sneaking the ball in between the coverage at the 47, but Winslow dropped it. Denver had hung on and the Browns had lost another heart breaker. The loss was a crushing blow to Cleveland’s playoff hopes, as they fell to 3-6 on the season. For the Broncos, their win got them back over .500 at 5-4 and got them back on the right track after losing 4 of 5.


Titans Throw the Ball to Get Passed Bears at Soldier Field, Stay Perfect on the Season

People have been waiting for Tennessee to finally lose all season and many were predicting that their first loss would come in week 10 in Chicago. The theory went that the Titans were due for a loss, they had had to go to overtime to escape against the Packers at home the week before, and most importantly, the Bears had a defense that could slow down Tennessee’s running game. If the Bears forced Tennessee to rely on Kerry Collins to move the ball and make plays, the Titans could be had. A funny thing happened on Sunday. Chicago did indeed do a number on Tennessee’s running game. In fact, the Bears defense shutdown the Titans’ ground game in a way even those who picked Chicago to win didn’t expect, holding the #3 ranked rushing attack to just 20 yards on 29 carries, an average of 0.7 yards a carry. They put all the burden on Kerry Collins. And guess what? Tennessee won anyway. Collins threw the ball 41 times and completed 30 of those attempts for 289 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. Before week 10 Collins hadn’t even hit the 200 yard mark in any game this year. While Collins was leading the offense, the Tennessee defense was forcing the Bears to rely on Rex Grossman. The Titans held Chicago to just 243 yards of total offense, they sacked Grossman twice and intercepted him once. Tennessee won again in week 10, 21-14, proving they could win even if their running game was nullified.

Early on the Bears did look like the fresher team, as they scored on their first possession to go up 7-0. On their 2nd possession, Grossman made that mistake that you counted on him making, getting intercepted in Bear territory. Chris Hope returned the ball to the Chicago 25. However, the mistake didn’t end up costing the Bears at all. The Titans drove to the goal line but on 4th and 1 full back Ahmad Hall took the handoff and should have scored easily but he lost control of the ball at the goal line and the Bears recovered at the 2.

Actually, it’s not exactly accurate to say that Grossman’s mistake didn’t hurt Chicago. The Bears were still ahead 7-0 at the start of the 2nd quarter but they were backed inside their own 5 and they had to punt right back to Tennessee. The Bears defense stopped the Titans from getting into field goal range but Tennessee punted and pinned Chicago inside their own 10 again. The Bears had to punt back to Tennessee from their own end zone, and this time Chris Carr received the punt at the Titan 49 and returned it 29 yards to the Chicago 22. 4 plays later on 2nd and 9 from the 10, Collins zinged a pass to Bo Scaife in the end zone for a touchdown to tie the score at 7-7. The game continued to be a field position battle for the rest of the half. Rob Bironas missed a 49 yard field goal try as the clock ran out in the 2nd quarter and the game went to halftime tied at 7.

On Tennessee’s first possession of the second half, Collins led the Titans on a 6 play, 56 yard drive, during which he went 5 for 5 for 54 yards through the air. The drive was capped off by a 12 yard TD pass from Collins to Justin Gage on 3rd and 3 that gave the Titans their first lead of the game, 14-7. The defenses took over for the rest of the quarter and Tennessee took a 7 point lead to the 4th. The Titans scored early in the 4th quarter to make it a 21-7 game. Tennessee blocked a 48 yard field goal attempt by Robbie Gould and then Chicago finally got in the end zone again to cut the lead to 21-14 with 4:55 to play. Chicago got the ball back at the Tennessee 41 with 3:12 left and they gained 9 yards on first down to set up a 2nd and 1 from the 32. But the Titan defense held, stuffing the run for a 3 yard loss on 2nd down and then forcing incompletions by Grossman on 3rd and 4 and 4th and 4 to take over on downs. On 3rd and 5 from the 40, Collins completed a 10 yard pass to Scaife for a first down that iced the game, as the Titans won 21-14, to stay unbeaten and move to 9-0 on the season.


Colts Come Up With Huge Road Victory Over Steelers to Get Back in the Hunt

The best game on the slate of 4:00 PM games in week 10 was the battle between the Colts and Steelers in Pittsburgh. Indianapolis came into the game at 4-4 and still not looking anything like the Indy teams that have dominated the regular season during this decade. The Steelers came into the game at 6-2 despite being hampered by injuries throughout the year. For a while it looked like Pittsburgh was in control and would win this game as expected, but things changed late in the first half as Indy used mistakes by the Steelers to their advantage. Indy took advantage of 3 Pittsburgh turnovers, made a huge goal line stand, and went on to pull out an enormous victory at Heinz Field, 24-20.

The Steelers took the opening kick and marched 62 yards in 10 plays for a TD to go up 7-0. The Colts tied it up on the 3rd play of their first possession, as Peyton Manning’s pass deep down the left side was tipped by a Steeler DB and then caught by Reggie Wayne and taken all the way for a 65 yard TD to tie the score at 7-7. The Steelers went on a 72 yard scoring drive to go back on top 14-7 early in the 2nd quarter. The Pittsburgh defense kept Indy under wraps after that fluky TD on the tipped ball and Jeff Reed hit a 42 yard field goal to increase the Steelers’ lead to 17-7 with 4:18 remaining in the half. After another stalled Indy drive, the Colts pinned the Steelers at their own 8 yard line with 1:43 left until halftime. Trailing by 10, it was the Colts who were in trouble at this point, and after 1 yard and 7 yard gains by the Steelers on 1st and 2nd down, the Colts used their first 2 timeouts. The game changed on the next play. The Steelers were playing with reserve running back Mewelde Moore as their main running option, and with this in mind, on 3rd and 2 from the Pittsburgh 15 with 1:30 left on the clock, the Steelers decided to try and throw for the first down. Ben Roethlisberger dropped back and fired up the left sideline for Santonio Holmes. Big Ben’s pass would have had to be perfect in order to get the ball to Holmes through tight coverage. Instead, Big Ben’s pass was terrible. He didn’t get nearly enough on the ball and Keiwan Ratliff intercepted it at the 32. All of the sudden, the Colts had the ball at the Pittsburgh 30 with 1:24 left in the half. The Steelers almost held Indy to a field goal, but on 3rd and goal from the 2 with 9 seconds left on the clock, Manning took the snap and fired to Dallas Clark for a touchdown to cut the score to 17-14 with just 6 seconds left before the half.

The Colts were now obviously very much in the game and they took the opening kick of the second half and marched down into Steeler territory. On 3rd and 3 from the 18, Manning threw a perfect pass to Marvin Harrison near the right pylon but the future Hall-of-Fame receiver dropped it as the Steeler DB’s converged on him. The Colts settled for an Adam Vinatieri field goal that tied it up at 17-17 with 8:14 left in the 3rd. The score stayed tied going to the 4th quarter. The Steelers went on a long, clock eating drive down to the Indy goal line and looked to be on the verge of going in for a score to take the lead midway through the 4th. On 2nd and goal from the 1, Moore got the handoff and tried to go off left guard and was stopped for no gain. On 3rd down, a Colts defense often maligned for being too small, too soft, and too vulnerable against the run got a tremendous individual play by undrafted rookie DT Eric Foster that saved the game and could end up being their biggest play of the season. The Steelers handed the ball off to Moore again and this time he went up the middle and at first it didn’t look like the Colts had gotten enough of an initial surge to keep him from crossing the goal line. Then in a tenth of an instant, Foster stopped Moore like a brick wall at the half yard line and slammed him down to the ground on his back. On the play, Foster was taken out by the Pittsburgh O-line but he managed to get back on his feet and meet Foster and deaden him at the goal line to bring up 4th down. The Steelers had to settle for a field goal to take a 20-17 lead with 7:57 left in the game.

The Colts went 3 and out on their next possession and Pittsburgh got the ball back with 6:13 remaining. Then instead of putting the game in the hands of the League’s best defense, Roethlisberger made another risky play. On 3rd and 4 from the 34, Roethlisberger tried to force a ball in to Holmes and Tim Jennings made an excellent defensive play and came up with the ball for a pick. The Colts took over at the Pittsburgh 32. On 1st and 10 from the 17, Manning made a brilliant play look easy, giving a play action fake to Dominic Rhodes, then throwing it to Rhodes down the right sideline a moment later, perfectly placing the ball over the outstretched hand of Troy Polamalu and into the arms of Rhodes at the 7. Rhodes trotted into the end zone from there to put Indy on top for the first time in the game, 24-20, with 3:04 left to play. The Steelers had a chance to drive down for a touchdown to save themselves but they couldn’t advance the ball quickly enough. They had a 1st down at the Indy 38 with 48 seconds left but then a killer holding penalty and a sack for a 7 yard loss put the Steelers in dire straits. On 3rd and 21 from the 43, Big Ben threw a pass to Moore for 16 yards to the 27 and then the Steelers rushed to try and get off one more play. Big Ben got the snap off with 1 second left, bought some time, and then threw a ball up in the air to the right corner of the end zone. Nate Washington jumped and got his right hand on the ball but it went off his hand and fluttered towards the back of the end zone. Dallas Baker happened to be moving across the end zone to the right directly behind at this point and the ball was heading right into his waiting arms, but Melvin Bullitt hung in the air, reached behind himself with his right arm, grabbed the ball with his right hand and pulled it in for a one-handed interception that saved the win for Indy, 24-20. No doubt the Steelers did much to let Indianapolis win this game, but make no mistake, the Colts did just as much to win it.


Giants Pull Out Victory Over Eagles in Philly on Sunday Night

The Sunday night contest in week 10 was a classic matchup between NFC East rivals the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles in the City of Brotherly Love. The Eagles needed a win more, as they came in at 5-3, while the Giants were sitting atop the division at 7-1. In a strange and highly entertaining game, the Giants outmuscled and outmanned the Eagles on Philly’s home turf to win 36-31. The G-Men outgained the Eagles 401-300, outrushed them 219-106, had 9 more first downs (26-17), controlled the ball for 39 minutes and 10 seconds, and held Philly to just 3 for 11 converting 3rd downs.

The Eagles took the lead first in the game, going up 7-0 early in the 1st, but the Giants scored the next 17 points, leading 10-7 after the 1st and scoring on the first play of the 2nd quarter to go up 17-7. The Eagles recovered a fumble by Brandon Jacobs at midfield halfway through the 2nd quarter and that got them back in the game. They turned the turnover into a TD to cut the lead to 17-14 but then an interception by Donovan McNabb led to a Giants field goal that made it 20-14. The Eagles got a field as time expired in the half but the Giants took a 20-17 lead to the locker room. The Eagles got the first score of the 2nd half, with Donavon McNabb throwing a 7 yard TD pass to Hank Basket to put Philly on top 24-20. The Giants responded with a 13 play, 69 yard TD drive to go back on top 27-24. The Giants got the ball right back and ran the rest of the clock out in the 3rd quarter as they moved back into Eagle territory. The G-Men got a first and goal at the 7 but then Philly’s defense held and forced a field goal that made the score 30-24 with still over 12 minutes to play. The Giants returned a punt 72 yards for a TD but the play came back due to a holding penalty. Still, New York took over at the Eagles 40 and needed just 5 plays to score to take a double digit lead. They went for 2 but their conversion attempt failed and the score remained 36-24 with 9:30 left on the clock.

The Eagles looked done for but they didn’t quit. They came back on their next possession, going 71 yards in 10 plays for a TD, with McNabb throwing a TD pass on 4th and goal from the 2 to cut the lead to 36-31 with still 5:30 left to play. The Giants went 3 and out on their next possession and the Eagles got the ball back at their own 14 with 3:14 remaining. On 1st down from the 31, McNabb was picked off at the 45 but the play was wiped out due to defensive holding. The drive continued. On 2nd and 10 from the 36, McNabb snapped the ball with 2:29 on the clock, dropped back, and decided to take off up the middle for a 7 yard gain to the 43. That took the clock down to the 2 minute warning and set up a 3rd and 3 from the 43. The Eagles gave the ball to Brian Westbrook on a pitch to the right side and the Giants forced him out of bounds at the 45, a yard shy of the first down. On 4th and 1, the Eagles gave the ball to Westbrook on a handoff and he tried to go off right tackle and the Giants stopped him easily. The Giants ran out the clock to hang on for the 36-31 win.


Chiefs Play to Win the Game in San Diego, Lose for 8th Time in 9 Games

With the San Diego Chargers at 3-5, having lost their last two games, and coming off of a bye week, you would think they would be focused and come out ready to take care of business at home against the lowly Chiefs in week 10. You would think that but you’d be wrong. San Diego allowed 339 yards of offense to a KC team that had Tyler Thigpen at QB and no Larry Johnson; they committed a pair of turnovers; they trailed for almost all of the first half; and they had to fend off a 2-pt conversion attempt in the closing seconds in order to eke out a 1 point win, 20-19. Kansas City’s offense set the tone early, walking all over the Chargers on a 12 play, 95 yard scoring drive on their first possession that put the Chiefs up 7-0 on the road. The Chargers finally got on the board with a field goal early in the 2nd quarter and then kicked another field goal to make it a 1 point game midway through the 2nd. But the Chiefs back with an 83 yard TD drive. Tony Gonzalez took a short pass over the middle and rumbled through the SD secondary for a 34 yard TD to put KC up 13-6. All the Chiefs needed to do to have an advantage of a TD and a 2-pt conversion was kick an extra point but they bungled the snap and hold and so the lead stayed at 7. The Chargers drove into KC territory on their next possession and looked to at least kick another field goal but on 1st and 10 from the Chiefs’ 28, Phillip Rivers threw a jump ball up for grabs down the right side and Bernard Pollard intercepted at the goal line for a touchback. The Chiefs ran out the clock and took a 13-6 lead to the half in San Diego.

The Chargers stopped the Chiefs on their first 2 possessions of the second half and on SD’s 2nd possession of the 3rd quarter they drove 58 yards for a TD to tie the game at 13-13 with 3:43 to play. San Diego’s defense stopped KC for another 3 and out after that and the Chargers moved into KC territory again. But on 1st down from the 46, Rivers threw another pick and the Chiefs took over at their 38. The Chiefs couldn’t move the ball very far but they were able to flip field position and pin the Chargers inside their own 10 yard line as the 4th quarter began. But at this point the Chargers finally looked like the better team, marching 94 yards in 13 plays to score the go-ahead TD, taking their first lead of the game, 20-13, with just 6:55 left in the game. The Chiefs were stopped at the SD 45 on their next possession, punted, and got the ball back at their own 40 with exactly 3 minutes remaining. They converted on 3rd and 1 from the 49, gaining 8 yards for a 1st down at the SD 42 as the two-minute warning hit. On 3rd and 5 from the 38, Thigpen hit Mark Bradley for 7 yards and a first down at the 31. On 4th and 8 from the 29, Thigpen found Bradley again for 11 yards and a first down at the 18 with 51 seconds remaining. A pass interference call on 2nd and 18 gave the Chiefs a 1st and goal at the 1 yard line with 41 tics on the clock. Thigpen threw incomplete on 1st down. The Chiefs gave the ball to Mike Cox on 2nd down and he lost 2 yards. They burned their last timeout with 29 seconds left. On 3rd and goal from the 3, Thigpen threw a bullet to Gonzalez and he made a remarkable catch for the TD to bring the Chiefs within a point with 23 seconds left on the clock. Herm Edwards decided to have the Chiefs go for 2. The Chargers had lost earlier in the year in a similar situation when the Broncos went for 2 and got it to beat SD by a point. But this was the Chiefs. They ran play action and had Thigpen roll out to his right. The Chargers weren’t fooled and he ended up having to lob a desperation pass up towards the back of the end zone intended for Gonzalez and the Chargers intercepted. San Diego recovered KC’s onsides kick and took a knee to hang on for a 20-19 win.


Cards Unimpressive but Get Goal Line Stand to Hang on for Win over SF on MNF

The National Football League is a ratings monster and at this point it’s hard to imagine a time when the League will be replaced by another league atop the American sports landscape. The nation’s interest in the League is often shown most impressively when a stand alone game comes along that features a seemingly undesirable matchup and a large audience tunes in all the same. Such was the case in week 10 when the San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Cardinals squared off in Phoenix on Monday Night Football. This was a 2-6 San Francisco team, whose newly appointed head coach was a football legend but who was quickly becoming a legendary for being a clown as a coach. On the other side, a franchise that has less history than perhaps any other team in the NFL, despite being in existence since the early days of the League. And yet, the broadcast produced very solid ratings in all categories, and considering the unsexy matchup, which featured no east coast teams or traditional ratings juggernauts, the broadcast’s ratings were fantastic. And the game—despite some ugly and inept play—actually ended up being very interesting, very exciting, and actually quite memorable. This was supposed to be Arizona’s chance to show the nation that they were truly won of the contenders in the NFC; that they were more than just the least bad team in an awful division. But the Cardinals trailed for much of the night and seemed intent on giving the game away. Arizona managed to hang on for a 29-24 win, but in reality they had to rely on the Niners’ incompetence in order to avoid losing this one.

The night began with a bang, and one that immediately quieted the Arizona crowd, as Allen Rossum took the opening kickoff back 104 yards for a TD to put the Niners ahead 7-0 just 12 seconds into the game. The Cards responded with a field goal on their first possession and the score remained 7-3 for the rest of the 1st quarter. But on the 2nd play of the 2nd quarter, Shaun Hill hit Josh Morgan on a 31 yard TD strike and the 9.5 point underdogs were up 14-3. This time the Cardinals were able to answer with 7 of their own and they did it quickly, going 78 yards in just 4 plays for the score to cut the lead to 14-10. The Niners went 3 and out and Arizona drove back into SF territory. Tim Hightower fumbled and the Niners recovered at their own 44 but the play went to replay and the call was reversed. The Cards ended up going 65 yards in 12 plays before settling for a field goal to make it a 1 point game with 4:41 left in the half. You figured the Cardinals would just take care of business the rest of the night and the Niners would fade away but instead SF put together a stunning 14 play, 77 yard drive. On 3rd and 11 from the SF 22, Hill ran for 12 yards and a first down. They converted on a pair of 3rd down and 1’s as they drove into field goal range. Then with 36 seconds left and no timeouts, the Niners took one last shot at the end zone on 3rd and 10 from the 18. Hill fired down the middle of the field and Vernon Davis came down with the ball in the end zone, making a tremendous catch to put the Niners up 21-13. The crowd was a bit stunned as the teams jogged off the field at halftime.

Steve Breaston took the opening kick of the second half 38 yards to the Arizona 39 to give the Cards good field position to start the 3rd. The Cards needed just 3 plays and 1 personal foul penalty to move all the way down to the SF 14. On 3rd and 1 from the 5, the Niners stopped Hightower for no gain. The Cards decided to go for it on 4th down and Warner found Larry Fitzgerald for the touchdown to bring Arizona within a point. Once again the Niners did not fade away, responding with a FG to make it a 4 point game. Arizona then went on a time consuming drive that looked destined to result in a score of some kind as the Cards had a first down at the SF 27. But a sack and an offense pass interference call wrecked the drive and Arizona had to punt. San Fran took over at their own 10 and on the first play of that possession Hill finally did the sort of thing you expected it a career 3rd stringer to do, throwing a pick 6, with Antrel Rolle taking it back 30 yards for the score to put Arizona ahead. But there was a flag on the play and Adrian Wilson was called for offsides, nullifying the play. The Niners eventually got a first down at the 20, but then on the 3rd play of the drive, Hill did another one of those things you expect a career 3rd stringer to do, fumbling the snap, and the Cards recovered at the 10.

As the 4th quarter began, the Cards had a 2nd and goal at the 3. However, a false start penalty backed them up to the 8, they gained 3 yards on a pass play, and then on 3rd down from the 5, Kurt Warner threw incomplete. The Niners had forced a FG try. Neil Rackers booted the chip shot through to cut the lead to 1 once again. Neither team moved the ball on their next possession and the Niners took over at their own 14 clinging to a 1 point lead with 7 and a half minutes remaining in the game. On 3rd and 4 from the 20, Hill made another one of those plays, throwing a pick 6, this time to Wilson, who took it back 21 yards for the score to put the Cards ahead for the first time in the game. But there was a flag. Offsides on Darnell Dockett. Instead of Arizona scoring a touchdown, the Niners had a 1st down at the 25. But again Hill gave the Cards another chance just 2 plays later, throwing a pick to Karlos Dansby at the 39, and Dansby returned it 34 yards to the 5. There was a flag but and for a moment it looked like defensive pass interference would wipe out a 3rd interception but it turned out to be offensive pass interference. The Cards scored on 2nd and goal from the 4, with Warner throwing to Anquan Boldin for the score to finally put Arizona on top for the first time on the night, 29-24 with 4:16 to play. The Cards went for 2 and failed to leave it a 5 point game.

Again, you expected the Niners were done, but they weren’t. Rossum took the ensuing kickoff back to the 38. On 3rd and 10, Hill threw to Morgan for a 9 yard gain to the 47, bringing up 4th and 1, but the Niners didn’t have to go for it because Dansby was called for unnecessary roughness and SF got a 1st down at the Arizona 38. The Niners converted a 3rd and 3 on a 6 yard run by Frank Gore that gave them a 1st down at the Arizona 25. But then a killer holding penalty backed the Niners up to the 35 and brought up a 1st and 20. After an incomplete pass and a false start, SF was facing a 2nd and 25 from the 40. But Hill completed a pass for 22 yards to bring up a 3rd and 3 from the 18. When you keep asking Hill to make plays, however, you keep taking the risk of him doing something stupid, and on 3rd down he threw another pick to Wilson at the 9, and Wilson took it back 12 yards to the 21 before being tackled with just 2:24 to play. But just when you thought one team had made one mistake to many, the other team made a mistake to open the door. An unnecessary roughness penalty on Antonio Smith after the pick backed the Cards up to their own 10. The Cards gained 8 yards on 1st down and the Niners took their final timeout, stopping the clock with 2:15 left. On 2nd and 2, Hightower was stopped after a 1 yard gain and the 2-minute warning hit with the Cards facing a 3rd and 1. A first down here would seal the win, but Hightower took the handoff and was destroyed in the backfield by the SF defensive front, which threw him for a 4 yard loss. Arizona called a timeout with 1:15 on the clock and then punted from outside their own end zone. Rossum received the punt at his own 45 and returned it 13 yards to the Arizona 42. San Fran would not die. And it was starting to look like they had hung around just long enough to make the Cardinals wilt in their own desert. Hill threw a 13 yard completion on 1st down to Jason Hill, who avoided tacklers and managed to get the first down and get out of bounds at the 29. Shaun Hill threw a 14 yard completion on the next play to Jason Hill on an out route and the receiver got out of bounds at the 15 to stop the clock with 52 seconds left. On the next play Shaun Hill found Jason Hill open on a quick pass to the right, the receiver made a couple of men miss and took the ball inside the 5. Hill stumbled while trying to chop his feet really quickly and ended up falling forward to the 1 yard line. Had he not stumbled, Hill would have almost certainly had enough momentum to push the ball over the goal line. As it was, the Niners had a 1st and goal at the 1. They were so close. They were on the verge of pulling off this upset on the road on Monday Night Football to give Mike Singletary his first win as head coach. And this is where things got too big for them and what ensued was a calamity. There were 43 seconds on the clock when the officials began trying to spot the ball and the offensive line got to the 1. But instead of getting set, spiking the ball with 40 seconds or so on the clock and then having a 2nd and goal from the 1, the Niners tried to make a bunch of personnel changes, bringing in more of a goal line set. There was confusion. The players in the game didn’t know if they were coming or going. The players on the sidelines didn’t know if they were staying or leaving. Eventually the Niners decided to just line up and spike the ball but by the time Hill spiked it there was just 20 seconds left. They wasted a good 20 seconds. This meant that a run would be pretty risky. But after an Arizona timeout, the Niners decided to go with a run, putting the ball in the hands of their best player, Frank Gore. Gore took the handoff and ran towards left tackle but the Cards defense had slunk inside, so Gore cut at the 4 and bounced it outside. He moved a few yards laterally to the left and then turned towards the end zone and he turned the corner with no one at all close enough to stop him. There was no one ahead and no one behind. But Gore tripped and stumbled and fell in front of the end zone and then was touched down by an Arizona defender before he crawled to the goal line. There was 13 seconds on the clock when the officials marked him down and the clock continued to run. The Niners hurried to get set to (presumably) spike the ball and then regroup for a 4th down play. But just as they were about to hike the ball the whistles blew. The officials wanted to review the play. It was determined that Gore had indeed been touched down by a defender and it was also determined that he had actually lost a yard and a half on the play. The head ref announced that the ball would be placed at the 2 and a half yard line and the clock would start on the whistle at 4 seconds. The Niners had had time to come up with a play during the pause when the officials were reviewing the play. However, the could also have just spiked the ball to stop the clock with 3 seconds left and then regrouped for 4th down. They weren’t going to get 2 plays here no matter what so it would be of no consequence to waste a down. But the Niners decided to go with the formation and play they had called. Hill took the snap and handed the ball off to Michael Robinson on a dive play up the middle and he was stopped easily. He was hit at the 2 and stopped at the 1 and a half, well short of the touchdown. There would be no reviewing this one. The game was over and the Cards had won (or the Niners had lost) 29-24.


Lions Blown Out by Jags at Home, Remain Only NFL Team Without a Win

The Detroit Lions came into week 10 with an 0-8 record but since getting blown out in each of their first 4 games, the Lions had actually been competitive in their last 4 games, beating the spread in 3 of those 4 games, and missing the spread by just a point in the other game. I will say that this narrator expected the Lions would get their first win any week now and thought it might come over the underachieving Jacksonville Jaguars at home in week 10. Nay. The Lions relapsed into their awful play, losing 38-14 to remain the only winless team in the NFL, falling to 0-9 on the season. Dante Culpepper came off the streets to start for Detroit in week 10, and things did not go well for him. On the 3rd play of the game, Culpepper was picked off at his own 37 and the ball was returned to the Lions 23. However, Detroit’s defense forced a FG, and on the Lions 3rd possession of the game, they went 81 yards in 9 plays for a touchdown. Culpepper led the Lions from the Detroit 19 to the Jacksonville 3 before coming out after having his face mask twisted. Drew Stanton relieved him and threw a TD pass on 2nd and goal from the 1 to give the Lions a 7-3 lead with 3:33 left in the 1st.

Things went down hill from there. The Lions led 7-3 at the end of the 1st but on the 2nd play of the 2nd quarter, Maurice Jones-Drew scored on a 6 yard run to cap an 80 yard TD drive and put the Jags ahead for good, 10-7. The Lions went 3 and out on their next possession, and the Jags got the ball back and marched 71 yards for another TD, with Jones-Drew scoring on the ground again to make it 17-7 Jax. On the ensuing Detroit possession, the Lions drove from their 31 to the Jacksonville 15 before settling for a 33 yard field goal attempt by Jason Hanson. But the kick was blocked and the Jags returned it to the 42. The Jags moved inside the 10 and then Mo JD scored on an 8 yard run for his 3rd TD of the half to put Jacksonville up 24-7 going to the half.

Jacksonville got the ball first in the 3rd quarter and went on an epic, 15 play, 83 yard drive for a TD that put the game away. David Garrard threw an 7 yard TD pass to cap off the drive and make it 31-7 Jacksonville. Garrard threw a 10 yard TD pass on the first play of the 4th quarter to make it 38-7. The Lions scored a meaningless TD to make it just a 24 point loss but the 38-14 defeat dropped them to 0-9 on the year and was their 16th loss in their last 17 games dating back to last season.


Other Week 10 Notes

8 of 14 games were decided by 7 points or less in week 10; 7 of 14 were decided by 5 points or less…A number of surprising teams found continued success in week 10; the Falcons blew out the Saints for their 4th win in 5 games to improve to 6-3 on the year; the Dolphins hung on to beat Seattle, 21-19, for their 3rd straight win to move to 5-4 on the season; Baltimore destroyed Houston, 41-13, for their 4th straight win to get to 6-3 on the season; the Jets obliterated the Rams, 47-3, for their 3rd straight win to get to 6-3 on the season…favorites were 6-8 against the spread in week 10, 10-4 straight up.



Week 11 Review

Jets Get OT Win over Rival Patriots in Foxboro on Thursday Night

For the first time since week 3, there was a full slate of 16 games in week 11, and the fun started on Thursday night with an excellent matchup between the New York Jets and New England Patriots in Foxboro. This rivalry has been heated in recent years because of the Bill Belichick/Eric Mangini/Spygate controversies. But on the field the series has been completely one-sided this decade. The Patriots came into this game having won 11 of 12 over the Jets, including a 19-10 victory over the Jets at the Meadowlands in week 2. That loss was particularly disheartening for Jets fans, as they finally thought they might have closed the gap with the Pats, now that they had Brett Favre and Tom Brady was gone for the season. This game was not just important in terms of the rivalry, it was a key game in the AFC East Division race. Both teams came into week 11 at 6-3, 1 game ahead of the Bills and Dolphins who were both 5-4. A victory for the Pats would give them sole possession of 1st place and really put them 2 games up on the Jets because they would own the tie-breaker by virtue of a head to head sweep.

For much of the evening it looked like the this was the Jets’ night to break through against their rivals, as they pulled out to a big lead in the 2nd quarter. But the Pats got back in it right before the half, continued to comeback in the 3rd, and caught the Jets twice, the second time sending the game into overtime. New York managed to pull it out of the fire, however, winning on a FG in OT, 34-31. Favre played just how Jets fans hoped he would, guiding the team efficiently and staying away from costly mistakes. He was 26 of 33 and threw for 258 yards, 2 touchdowns, and (this was key) no interceptions. However, Favre’s counterpart, Matt Cassel, was impressive in his own right. With their running back corps ravaged by injuries, the Pats could not mount any mind of rushing attack against the vaunted Jets’ run defense. Therefore, Cassel was relied on greatly, and he responded. He threw the ball 51 times, completing 30 passes, and threw for 400 yards and 3 touchdowns without a pick. In addition, Cassel was NE’s leading rusher, carrying 8 times for 62 yards. The Pats ended up amassing 511 yards of offense.

The Jets took the opening kickoff and marched right down the field for a TD to take an early 7-0 lead. The Pats got a FG on their first drive. The Jets flew down the field on their second possession and had a 1st and goal at the 5, but the New England defense stiffened and forced the Jets to settle for a FG. The 1st quarter closed with the Jets on top 10-3. The Pats kicked a FG on their second possession early in the 2nd quarter, as both teams scored on their first 2 possessions. But after Stephen Gostkowski booted the FG through to make it a 10-6 game, his kickoff was returned 92 yards for a TD by Leon Washington to make it 17-6 New York. Washington had caught a touchdown pass for New York’s first score of the game. The Pats had to punt on their 3rd possession and the Jets took over at their own 13, but they would cross the 87 yards between themselves and the end zone in just 5 plays, with Favre connecting with Jerricho Cotchery 3 times on the drive for a total of 79 yards, including a 15 yard TD pass that gave the Jets a 24-6 lead with less than 5 minutes remaining in the half. The Pats muffed the kickoff and had to start at their own 15. They tried to respond, moving 55 yards in 2 plays for a 1st down at the NYJ 30. On 3rd and 1 from the 21, Heath Evans was stopped for a 2 yard loss to bring up a 4th and 3 from the 23. Rather than bring Gostkowski out for a 40 yard try, the Patriots elected to go for it, and on 4th down, Cassel was sacked back at the 30 for a 7 yard loss and the Jets took over on downs still up by 18 with just 2:33 left before halftime. The New England defense came up with a big 3 and out at that point, and using the two-minute warning and their 2nd timeout, along with an incompletion by Favre that stopped the clock, the Patriots managed to get the ball back at their 32 with 1:44 still on the clock and a timeout in their pocket. Cassel threw to Jabar Gaffney on the first two plays of the drive for gains of 11 and 8 yards, and then scrambled for 19 yards and a first down at the NYJ 30. Cassel threw to Ben Watson for 9 yards to bring up a 3rd and 1 but he then threw incomplete to bring up another 4th down at the 21. The Pats decided to go for it again and this time Cassel got it on a QB sneak. The Pats burned their last timeout with 31 seconds on the clock. Cassel threw incomplete on the next two plays bringing up a 3rd and 10 from the 19 with 20 seconds left. New England needed a big play and Cassel delivered on 3rd down, tossing a 19 yard TD strike to Gaffney for NE’s first TD of the night with 15 seconds left on the clock to get them back in the game. The Patriots trailed 24-13 at the half but things looked far better than they had just moments earlier.

The Patriots took the 2nd half kickoff and moved right down the field into scoring position. On 2nd and 10 from the NYJ 34, Cassel hit Ben Watson for a gain of 12 down to the 22 but Watson fumbled and the Jets recovered. The NE defense forced a 3 and out and the Patriots got the ball back and gained a 1st down at the Jets’ 38. But on the next play Cassel fumbled and there was a mad scramble for the ball as it squirted farther and farther back into NE territory. When it was all over, the good news for the Pats was that they had retained possession. The bad news was that they had lost 24 yards, they were now at their own 38, and they were facing a 2nd and 34. They had to punt. The offenses continued to struggle for a while now until the Pats took over at their own 22 with 2:25 left in the 3rd and began to move the ball. They went 78 yards in 7 plays, with Cassel hitting Watson for a 10 yard TD score to cut the deficit to 24-19 on the final play of the 3rd. The Pats went for 2 and Cassel threw complete to Gafney for the conversion to trim the lead to 3 heading to the 4th quarter.

The Jets moved the ball into NE territory on their next possession but the Patriots stripped Cotchery of the ball at the end of a 9 yard gain and they recovered at the New England 48. The Pats moved back into NYJ territory and Gostkowski nailed a 47 yarder to tie it up at 24 with 10:16 to play. Gillette Stadium was rocking. The Jets responded with a signature drive, going 67 yards in 14 plays, with help from 2 Patriot penalties, and taking 7:06 off the clock, with Thomas Jones going in from 1 yard out to put the Jets back on top, 31-24, with 3:10 left. The Patriots went 3 and out on their next possession and had to punt it back to the Jets with just 1 timeout left. It was looking pretty good for the Jets. The Pats used their final timeout and then got the two-minute warning with the Jets facing a 3rd and 2 from their own 31. New York gave the ball to TJ and the Pats stopped him a yard shy of the first down. The Jets took all the time off the clock that they could and then called timeout with 1:15 to go. Wes Welker returned the punt 10 yards to the NE 38 where Cassel and the offense took over with 1:04 and no timeouts, needing 7. Cassel threw to Ben Watson for gains of 9 and 11 yards on the first two plays of the drive, and then spiked the ball at the Jets’ 42 with 36 seconds on the clock. Cassel then found Wes Welker for 17 yards down to the 25, and then spiked it with 23 ticks left. After a false start penalty, Cassel hit Welker again for 14 yards down to the 16 and then spiked it with 8 seconds to play. It was 4th and 1 at the Jets’ 16. The Patriots needed a TD to tie. On 4th down, Cassel rolled right and fired a pass to the far right of the end zone. Randy Moss went down and got it for the score with 1 second on the clock. The Pats kicked the PAT up and good to tie it and send it into overtime.

The Jets thought they had had the game a number of times during the night but now they would have to start all over again in sudden death. The Jets won the all-important coin toss and started their drive at their own 20. Right away Favre and the Jets faced a 3rd and 15 from their own 15. Favre threw complete to Dustin Keller on 3rd down for a 16 yard gain and a first down at the 31. From that point on the Jets basically had the game won, as they marched right down to the Patriots 16, and then Jay Feely kicked a 34 yard field goal through the uprights to give the Jets a 34-31 overtime win, perhaps their biggest victory of the decade.


Collins Rallies Titans for Come From Behind Win at Jacksonville to Remain Perfect

Once again in the days leading up to week 11 folks all around the country were predicting that this was going to be the week that Tennessee’s perfect season ended. They were going on the road to face a division rival—Jacksonville--that was desperate and due for a good win. Something many people had said during the last couple of months was that Tennessee would have trouble coming from behind if they ever fell into a sizeable hole because they would have to rely on Kerry Collins. Okay, so Collins had had success throwing the ball against the Chicago defense geared to stop the run in week 10, but how would he do if his team was down a couple of scores and the defense knew they had to pass? Well, we would find out in week 11, and once again, the answer was decidedly pro-Collins and pro-Tennessee. The Titans trailed 14-3 in the 3rd quarter but came back on the arm of Kerry Collins, who fired two TD’s in the 3rd to put the Titans on top 17-14, and then threw a 3rd TD in the 4th quarter to put the game away, as Tennessee won it 24-14. The Titans achieved just 13 first downs in the game and went 1 for 12 on 3rd down conversions, but they put up 344 yards of offense, with Collins completing 13 of 23 pass attempts for 230 yards, 3 TD, and 1 pick.

The day didn’t start out well for Collins. Well, actually, he hooked up with Justin Gage on a 47 yard completion on the first play of the game, but then on 3rd and 11 from the Jacksonville 34, Collins threw deep for Gage again and this time Reggie Nelson intercepted at the 2. The Titans kicked a field goal on their 2nd possession to take an early 3-0 lead. But early in the 2nd quarter, the Jags went on a 74 yard TD drive to take the lead, 7-3. The defenses took over from there but then late in the half the Jags got a good punt return to start a drive at the Tennessee 37 with 1:06 left on the clock. They had a 1st and goal at the 1 with 19 seconds left and then gave the ball to Maurice Jones-Drew who went into the end zone for his 2nd TD of the game to give the Jags a 14-3 halftime lead.

On Tennessee’s first possession of the 2nd half they started out with good field position at their 45. The Titans marched 55 yards in 7 plays for their first TD of the game to cut the score to 14-10. On the drive, Collins was 4 for 4 for 37 yards, firing a 13 yard TD strike to Brandon Jones to cap it off. The Jags then went 3 and out and Tennessee got the ball back at their 37. On 3rd and 3 from their 44, Collins went deep down the left side line for Gage and hit him in stride for a 56 yard TD to put the Titans back on top, 17-14. The score remained that way until well into the 4th quarter as the defenses took control. With just under 6 minutes left in the game, David Garrard was picked off by Chris Carr and the Titans took over at their own 49. The Titans ran the ball 3 straight times to run some clock and then on 2nd and 8 from the Jacksonville 38, Collins threw deep for Justin Gage down the left side again and once again the two connected for a score to put the game away. Tennessee led 24-14 with just 3:57 left and when they stopped the Jags on downs on their ensuing drive the Titans were able to run out the clock to ice the win. With the come from behind 24-14 victory the Titans remained the NFL’s only remaining unbeaten team, moving to 10-0 on the year.


Lions Lose Again, Keep 0-16 Dreams Alive

The Detroit Lions entered week 11 as the only remaining winless team in the NFL and they were still without a win at week’s end. At least the Lions were competitive again in week 11, something they hadn’t been in their previous game against the Jags. Detroit was on the road at Carolina in week 11 and they were 14 point underdogs against the Panthers, but they managed to keep it respectable and even led for a while before eventually losing by the score of 31-22. The Lions have beaten the spread in 4 of their last 6 games, and they came within a point of covering in one of the two weeks that they didn’t beat the spread. Against Carolina, the Lions put up 316 yards of offense and achieved 20 first downs, going 6 for 16 on 3rd down conversions and 2 for 3 on 4th down, and they controlled the ball for 34 minutes. But they turned the ball over 4 times.

The Lions led for part of this game and they weren’t out of it until the closing minutes. Detroit scored first on a 29 yard TD pass from Daunte Culpepper to Calvin Johnson midway through the opening quarter to take a 7-0 lead. Jason Hanson hit a 40 yard field goal early in the 2nd to make it a 10-0 Detroit lead. The Panthers got on the board on a TD pass by Jake Delhomme after that but the Lions responded with another FG to make it 13-7 Detroit. But then DeAngelo Williams scored on a 56 yard run to give Carolina a 1 point lead with 2:39 to play in the half and Jonathan Stewart scored on a 22 yard run just a minute and 36 seconds later to make it 21-13. The Lions got a FG just before halftime to get the score to 21-16.

Detroit got shutout of the 3rd quarter while the Panthers added a FG to take an 8 point lead into the 4th. But the Lions would threaten to tie the game up, as Culpepper scored on a QB sneak with 6:05 left to bring the score to 24-22. The Lions went for 2, sending Culpepper on a draw up the middle but he was stopped short and the Panthers kept the lead. The Lions got the ball back with almost 5 minutes left on the clock but Culpepper was picked off at his own 20 and the Panthers returned it to the 4. Williams scored on the next play to put the Lions away, and the Panthers went on to win, 31-22, as Detroit remained without a win, falling to 0-10 on the year.


Steelers Eke Out Hard Fought Win over Chargers Despite Not Scoring a TD


The Steelers’ brutal schedule continued in week 11 as they hosted a desperate (or at least they should have been) but talented San Diego Chargers team. The Steelers dominated the Chargers for the most part but they were unable to get into the end zone and in the end they narrowly escaped with a 1 point win by the unusual score of 11-10. Pittsburgh outgained the Chargers by 192 yards, putting up 410 yards of offense while holding the Chargers to just 218 yards of offense. Pittsburgh achieved 8 more first downs than SD (24-16), controlled the ball for 13 more minutes, and turned the Chargers over twice while never turning the ball over themselves. And yet, they needed 3 Jeff Reed field goals and a safety in order to get the win.

San Diego scored first in this one, with LaDainian Tomlinson scoring on a 3 yard run to put the Chargers ahead 7-0. Early in the 2nd quarter, James Harrison sacked Phillip Rivers in his own end zone, forcing a fumble, and the Chargers fell on the ball in their own end zone for a safety and 2 points for Pittsburgh. Jeff Reed hit a chip shot field goal as time expired in the half to cut the score to 7-5 going to the locker room. On the Steelers’ first drive of the second half, they got another field goal from Reed to take their first lead of the day, 8-7. The Chargers then missed a field goal and the Steelers to their 8-7 lead into the 4th. San Diego went on 17 play, 78 yard drive in the 4th quarter but it ended in a field goal. That put the Chargers back on top, 10-8, but it left the door open for the Steelers to win without having to score a TD. The Steelers ran the clock down while moving into position for another Reed field goal try and he hit a 32 yarder to put the Steelers up by a point with 11 seconds left. The Steelers kicked off and SD took over at their 21 with just a few seconds remaining. They tried a crazy lateral play and it quickly collapsed and Troy Polamalu picked the ball up and ran it into the end zone for a touchdown. For some reason, the officials reviewed the play. Then, despite the fact that there was nothing out of sorts or anything about the play that should have affected the ruling, the head ref came out and said that there had been an illegal lateral and the play was ruled dead after the first lateral. The game was over and the touchdown didn’t count. This had no effect on the outcome, however, it had a major effect on the outcome against the spread. When the Steelers scored the touchdown they covered; when the play was erroneously reversed, the Chargers beat the spread. Personally, this narrator was surprised and amused by how much of a stir the whole thing caused. And it wasn’t only people in Vegas bitching; the play may actually lead to changes in the instant replay system. Anyway, the Steelers won, 11-10, to get to 7-3 on the year and send the underachieving Chargers to 4-6.


Romo Returns, Helps Cowboys to Big Win in Washington on Sunday Night

Tony Romo was finally healthy enough to get back under center for Dallas in week 11, and not a moment to soon, as the Cowboys were on the road at their arch rivals the Washington Redskins, who had beaten the Cowboys at home earlier in the year. If the Cowboys lost this game, they would fall to 5-5 and they would essentially be 3 games behind the Redskins, as Washington would be 7-3 and would have the tie-breaker by virtue of the head to head sweep. At this point, it was already a bit of a stretch to think the Cowboys could challenge the Giants for the division title, so they really needed to focus on Wild Card position. This was a big game in that regard. Romo didn’t exactly set the world on fire in his return, going just 19 for 27 for 198 yards, 1 TD, and 2 INT. But he did enough to lead the Boys to a win, as the Cowboy defense shutdown Washington in route to a 14-10 victory. The Dallas D sacked Jason Campbell 3 times and intercepted him once, while limiting the Skins to just 228 yards of total offense. Washington led 7-0 after the 1st and 10-7 at the half and they maintained that lead into the 4th quarter. But Romo hooked up with backup tight end Martellus Bennett for a 25 yard scoring strike to give the Cowboys a 14-10 lead with 10 and a half minutes to play and the Dallas defense made it stand up. They stopped the Skins on downs on the ensuing Washington possession and then Romo and the offense ran out the final 6 minutes of clock to win it 14-10.


Eagles and Bengals Finish OT Deadlocked at 13-13 for First Tie Since 2002

The Philadelphia Eagles and Cincinnati Bengals played to a 13-13 tie in week 11, with neither team managing to score during the 15 minute overtime period. For the Bengals, it gave them a 2 game non-losing streak, after opening the season with 8 straight defeats. For the Eagles, it was almost the same as a loss, as they ended the week a half game behind both the Cowboys and Redskins in the standings. The game was all about ugly play. Each team seemed intent on matching each other bungle for bungle, mistake for mistake. In a game defined by inept play and poor performance, no one was worse than Donovan F. McNabb. The Eagles’ diva QB threw 58 times, completing on only 28 of those attempts, for 339 yards, and 1 TD. He was intercepted 3 times, fumbled, took 2 sacks, missed countless open receivers, and refused to use his greatest asset (his legs), attempting just 1 run for 2 yards. McNabb’s mistakes gave the Bengals 10 points and he should have been picked off in OT but the Bengals DB dropped a gift INT. McNabb’s gaffes didn’t end when the clock ran out in overtime. In the post game press conference, McNabb claimed that he didn’t know a game could end in a tie and that he had been expecting to continue playing on after the end of the overtime period. The thing is, the Eagles didn’t even deserve a second overtime even if the rules were setup for such a thing. They were just 3 for 18 on 3rd down conversions and they passed on all 18 third downs (!!!). They shanked 3 punts, committed dumb personal fouls, and trailed 13-3 at one point to the 1-8 Bengals. The Eagles are done for and perhaps it’s time to put an end to the Donovan McNabb era in Philly. It may even be time to end the Andy Reid era in Philly or at least change things up so that Reid’s role is strictly as head coach and not as the manager of the offense and the guy in charge of building the roster.


Other Week 11 Notes

12 of the 16 games in week 11 were decided by 10 points or less; 10 of 16 games were decided by 6 points or less; 7 of 16 games were decided by 4 points or less; 5 of 16 games were decided by 3 points or less…Favorites were 8-8 ATS in week 11, 12-3-1 straight up…The Falcons lost for the first time in 5 home games this year in week 11, losing to the Broncos as 6.5 point favorites…The Chiefs remained one of only 3 teams in the League with less than 2 wins, losing 30-20 to the Saints…The Giants remained the only team other than Tennessee with less than 2 losses, hammering the Ravens, 30-10…The Bills lost their 4th straight game in week 11, falling 29-27 at home to the Browns on a last second field goal on Monday Night Football to drop to 5-5 on the year.