After LaDainian Tomlinson scored the opening touchdown of the game, which established a 10-0 lead for the Chargers, he sat down on the bench, looked at his teammates and said, “That was easy.”
That’s exactly how I felt with picking the Chargers to cover the nine. The Raiders were so pathetic, this game was more comical than anything else.
Oakland has many problems, but the prominent ones are lack of discipline and the tendency to make stupid mistakes. That was extremely evident on many occasions in this contest. Let’s discuss the team’s three worst errors on Thursday night:
1. On what would have been a third-and-long deep in San Diego territory, Raiders defensive tackle Tommy Kelly committed a senseless personal foul, giving the Chargers a first down. San Diego went on to score a touchdown. It’s a good thing the Raiders didn’t spend too much money on Kelly!
2. On the subsequent drive, the Raiders were moving the football efficiently. However, once they ventured into San Diego territory, Kwame Harris, who signed a $16 million deal this offseason, false started. This put JaMarcus Russell into a long-yardage situation. He subsequently threw a pick on second-and-long. As of Nov. 20, Harris led the league with nine false starts.
3. On another promising drive, the Raiders had a first-and-10 on San Diego’s 23. Unfortunately, Darren McFadden committed a personal foul. On the next play, Harris was whistled for a face mask. Oakland was stuck with a second-and-35 on San Diego’s 48.
Oh, and by the way, McFadden didn’t even put his arms up for a pass on a fourth down because he didn’t want to get hit. Good thing the Raiders don’t have a lot invested in him either!
Oakland’s offense was shut out in this game. The team’s only touchdown came on a kickoff return by Justin Miller.
The Raiders still have only one offensive first-half touchdown this season, and it doesn’t look like they’ll score another one. That’s because JaMarcus Russell, who was 9-of-13, 68 yards, two picks and a fumble, left the game in the second quarter with an ankle injury. X-rays were negative, but his status is still unclear.
Andrew Walter picked up where Russell left off, and finished 8-of-17, 61 yards and an interception.
Once again, the only target of note for Oakland was Zach Miller, who had eight grabs for 64 yards.
Justin Fargas rushed for 50 yards on 12 carries. Darren McFadden had eight total yards of offense on one rush attempt and two receptions.
LaDainian Tomlinson didn’t manage 100 rushing yards against the Raiders again, but he tallied 91 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries.
San Diego moved the chains primarily through the air with long passes to Vincent Jackson (5 catches, 148 yards, TD) and screens to Darren Sproles (3 catches, 34 yards, 2 TDs). Philip Rivers finished 10-of-22, 214 yards and three scores.
Chargers linebacker Shaun Phillips, expected to step up his game in the wake of Shawne Merriman’s injury, has disappointed this year. However, he abused Oakland’s offensive line for five tackles, 2.5 sacks and a forced fumble. Inside linebacker Stephen Cooper, meanwhile, had seven tackles and two picks.
Eagles 20, Eagles 14
Going into this game, all everyone said this week was, “Oh, the Plaxico Burress arrest isn’t going to hurt the Giants – they have other great receivers.”
Well, Domenik Hixon had the ball slip right through his hands on what would have been an 80-yard touchdown in the second quarter. The Giants had numerous drops against the Eagles.
That said, I think this contest was more about the Eagles continuing where they left off on Thanksgiving than the Giants being flat in the wake of the Burress arrest. Philadelphia has always stepped up its game as huge underdogs under Andy Reid (9-3 against the spread as +6.5 or more since 2000). At one point, the Eagles converted a streak of 9-of-10 third downs, one of which was a 30-yard Brian Westbrook touchdown.
Westbrook gave a whole new meaning to the term “complete debaclation.” Westbrook tallied 131 rushing yards, 72 receiving yards and two total touchdowns. The Giants simply had no answer for him.
Meanwhile, Donovan McNabb missed on some throws, but came up big when it mattered most, as he was responsible for Philadelphia’s inexplicable success on third downs. McNabb was 19-of-30 for 191 yards and a touchdown. He also ran five times for 20 yards. Those rushing numbers may not be impressive, but he was able to move the chains with his legs, keeping some drives alive.
Tying the Eagles with the reception lead was the beleaguered L.J. Smith, who somehow grabbed six balls for 44 yards.
Plagued by drops the entire afternoon, Eli Manning was just 13-of-27 for 123 yards and a touchdown. That score came at the very end of the game when the Eagles were in prevent. Steve Smith (4 catches, 47 yards), Domenik Hixon (3 catches, 30 yards) and Amani Toomer (2 catches, 25 yards) were non-factors.
Though they had a nice YPC average, Earth, Wind and Fire managed only 100 rushing yards. Brandon Jacobs led the band with 52 yards on 10 rushes.
To summarize, Philadelphia won this game because it stopped committing the stupid mistakes it was guilty of all year. Well, for the most part…
1. No surprise here – the Eagles used all of their first-half timeouts in the first quarter. That’s the bad news. The good news is that without any timeouts, Reid was unable to challenge anything. Reid is 0-of-5 on challenges this season.
2. The Eagles, who already had a blocked kick returned for a touchdown this year, had that happen to them again at the end of the second quarter. The Giants later blocked yet another chip-shot field goal.
Titans 28, Browns 9
Zzzzzzzzzz… Oh, oops, sorry. I fell asleep just thinking about this game. My bad.
Though Cleveland had a 6-0 lead in this contest, they never really had a chance to win. Not with Ken Dorsey. The Browns didn’t even reach the red zone the entire afternoon!
The Browns had just 178 net yards. Ken Dorsey threw for 150 of them on 22-of-43 passing, but was guilty of a pick and a fumble. Braylon Edwards led all Cleveland wideouts with three receptions and 38 yards. No Cleveland running back had more than seven rushing yards.
With all that in mind, Cleveland was in position to cover until a late Chris Johnson score extended Tennessee’s lead to 28-9.
Johnson rushed for 136 yards and a touchdown. He also led the team with 30 receiving yards. LenDale White, meanwhile, rumbled for 99 yards on 24 carries, and walrused a score away from Johnson.
Nothing of note out of the Tennessee passing attack; Kerry Collins had just 155 yards. He didn’t really need to throw because Johnson and White moved the chains on their own.
Oh, and by the way, the Titans have officially clinched the AFC South.
Saints 29, Falcons 25
These NFC South teams continue to thrive at home, despite the fact that visitors have dominated the league this year. As of this writing, NFC South squads are 23-2 as hosts.
The Saints showed us why their offense is so unstoppable at home (compared to just above average on the road). They tallied 414 total yards of offense and punted only three times.
Drew Brees was 18-of-32 for 230 yards and two touchdowns, as he leaned on his running game more than anything. Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush combined for 182 yards on 26 carries. Thomas had a rushing touchdown, while Bush also had three catches, 26 receiving yards and an aerial score.
Marques Colston and Lance Moore disappointed their fantasy owners, catching just three passes each. Moore and Colston had 35 and 26 yards, respectively. Neither wideout found the end zone.
Jeremy Shockey led the Saints in receptions with five (64 yards).
If the Falcons would have pulled this game off – and they led in the fourth quarter, so that was a very realistic possibility – I would have led with Matt Ryan converting a third-and-21 with a 28-yard hook-up to Roddy White being one of the key moments of his young career. Unfortunately, that drive culminated in a chip-shot field goal from New Orleans’ 5-yard line.
Despite the loss, Ryan continued to impress despite being a mere rookie. Ryan finished 24-of-33 for 315 yards, one touchdown and a pick.
Ryan found Roddy White 10 times for 164 yards. His touchdown, however, went to Brian Finneran (yes, he’s still in the league.)
Michael Turner rushed for just 61 yards, but only received 18 carries, as this game turned into a shootout very early. Fantasy owners were happy to see that he found the end zone once, at least.
Dan Marino Record Watch: Drew Brees now has exactly 4,100 passing yards on the season. He’s on pace for 5,046 yards. Dan Marino had 5,084 yards in 1984.
Texans 24, Packers 21
Ugh… That’s all I have to say. I picked the Texans to cover early in the week, but once I saw that the temperature would be in the low teens, I changed my selection. No way would a team from Houston win at frigid Lambeau, right?
Whoops. The Packers were the ones who played dead on Sunday. They simply couldn’t get off the field. Houston converted 8-of-14 third and fourth downs, and won the time-of-possession battle, 34:03 to 25:57.
Matt Schaub was simply incredible. As if playing in 10-degree weather wasn’t enough, Schaub was coming off a month-long injury. Despite all that, Schaub was 28-of-42, 414 yards, two touchdowns and a pick.
With those stats, it’s curious that Andre Johnson caught just four balls for 55 yards and a score. Houston’s leading receiver was Kevin Walter, who roped in six passes for 146 yards and a touchdown. Owen Daniels had six grabs for 65 yards.
Steve Slaton also debacled the Packers, rushing for 120 yards on 26 carries.
While Houston moved the chains with ease, the Packers couldn’t stay on the field. They were just 1-of-10 on third downs!
Even though they didn’t see much action on the field, Aaron Rodgers and Ryan Grant still put up pretty good numbers. Rodgers was 19-of-30 for 295 yards, two scores and a pick. Grant, meanwhile, totaled 104 rushing yards and a touchdown on 19 carries.
Greg Jennings and Donald Driver had 74 and 75 yards, respectively. Neither found the end zone.
A major reason the Packers couldn’t produce offensively is because of untimely penalties. They were whistled for six infractions, but most of them happened on key plays. For example, penalties wiped out a 45-yard pass and a 12-yard connection on third down – both of which occurred on the same drive.
Colts 35, Bengals 3
Going into this game, the Colts averaged just 13.7 points per game this season without center Jeff Saturday. Good thing they were playing the crappy Bengals!
This game was actually close at halftime – Indianapolis held a 14-3 lead – but that’s when Peyton Manning took over. Manning was nearly flawless, finishing 26-of-32 for 277 yards and three touchdowns.
The leading receiver on the Colts in terms of receptions? Marvin Harrison? Reggie Wayne? Dallas Clark? Anthony Gonzalez? Nope! How about Gijon Robinson? Robinson somehow caught six balls for 69 yards.
Harrison, Clark and Gonzalez each caught touchdowns, however. Harrison led the team with 78 receiving yards. Wayne had five receptions for 48 yards.
Saturday’s absence affected the running game, which was why Indianapolis got off to a slow start. Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai each carried the ball 10 times for 31 and 26 yards, respectively.
As usual, nothing of note from Cincinnati’s offense, though Chad Ocho Cinco (5 catches, 79 yards) and T.J. Houshmandzadeh (8 catches, 75 yards) both had solid performances. Too bad their quarterbacks – Ryan Fitzpatrick and Jordan Palmer – combined for three interceptions. Fitzpatrick also had two fumbles.
Vikings 20, Lions 16
I never thought I would have said that a Lions game would be full of intrigue, but this matchup was pretty crazy. Check out what happened if you missed it:
1. As if Detroit establishing a 6-0 lead wasn’t nutty enough, first-round bust Gosder Cherilus undercut Jared Allen, temporarily taking the star defensive end out of the game.
2. Allen then went after Cherilus, but had to be restrained by teammates.
3. Lions fullback Moran Norris, living up to his first name, threw a punch at a Vikings defender and was ejected.
4. Adrian Peterson fumbled three times!
5. Gus Frerotte was carted off the field with a back injury in the second quarter. His status is still unclear.
6. Replacing Frerotte, Tarvaris Jackson led a comeback – without turning the ball over.
7. Frerotte, prior to being taken out of the game, threw two picks. Oh wait, never mind… we all expected that.
The story of this game is that the Lions are now 0-13, becoming the sixth team in NFL history to reach that mark. But they could have won… Detroit elected to go for it on a pair of fourth-and-fours in the second quarter: one from Minnesota’s 30, another from Minnesota’s six. They failed to convert both. Note that they lost by four points.
The only two Lions worth mentioning are Kevin Smith (22 carries, 63 yards) and Calvin Johnson (3 catches, 84 yards, TD). It’s a shame their talent is being wasted.
Though he had those three aforementioned fumbles, Peterson tallied 102 yards on 23 carries.
Visanthe Shiancoe somehow caught five passes for 65 yards. He must have put glue on his hands.
Bears 23, Jaguars 10
At what point do you bench David Garrard? Not permanently – but in a Donovan McNabb fashion. I know it’s not all Garrard’s fault – he has no running game and his offensive line sucks – but the Jaguars need some sort of spark. Besides, at halftime, Garrard was 4-of-12 for 33 yards and an interception that led to Chicago’s opening touchdown.
Garrard piled on some meaningless yardage in junk time, finishing 19-of-38 for 178 yards, one touchdown and the aforementioned pick. Surprisingly, Garrard and Matt Jones connected only three times for 34 yards.
Maurice Jones-Drew led the team with seven receptions, totaling 47 receiving yards and a touchdown. Jones-Drew also had 55 rushing yards. Fred Taylor, meanwhile, chipped in with 53 yards on the ground.
Matt Forte also had a decent game, tallying 106 total yards.
Kyle Orton looked solid for the first time since his injury about a month ago. Orton finished 20-of-34 for 219 yards, two touchdowns and a pick.
Patriots 24, Seahawks 21
This game featured two horrendous defenses going head to head. Neither stop unit could get off the field. While most expected New England’s offense to keep moving the chains – they were 10-of-18 on third downs – no one really thought Seattle’s scoring attack would have been just as dominant (7-of-12 on third downs).
Looking past the numbers, the main reason why New England’s defense couldn’t get off the field was because the team lost both Tedy Bruschi and Vince Wilfork to injuries. The newly signed Junior Seau took Bruschi’s place and was beaten like a mule by star rookie tight end John Carlson, who caught eight passes for 69 yards and a touchdown.
Seattle’s leading receiver, however, was former Patriot Deion Branch, who garnered 88 yards and two scores.
With Matt Hasselbeck out, Seneca “The Backdoor Bandit” Wallace torched New England’s hobbled secondary for 20-of-28 passing, 212 yards and three touchdowns.
Save for runs of 15 and 14 yards by Leonard Weaver and Maurice Morris, respectively, Seattle’s ground game was pretty much neutralized. Morris, Weaver and T.J. Duckett combined for 87 yards on 23 carries. The Backdoor Bandit actually led the squad with 47 rushing yards.
Matt Cassel out-passed The Backdoor Bandit, finishing 26-of-44 for 268 yards and a touchdown. Cassel and Wes Welker hooked up 12 times for 134 yards. Randy Moss, meanwhile, tallied three receptions for 56 yards. With that performance, Moss eclipsed 13,000 career receiving yards.
Dolphins 16, Bills 3
I’m starting to feel really bad for these foreign countries. First, England gets a sloppy Giants-Dolphins game last year. Now, the poor Canadians had to witness an anemic Buffalo offense, led by inept quarterback J.P. Zohan. It’s almost as if we’re trying to instigate wars with these nations.
Zohan finished 13-of-27 for 123 yards and a pick. He also fumbled thrice. Fortunately for Zohan, he didn’t get booed as much because this game took place in the Rogers Centre in Toronto. I’m going out on a limb and predicting that there won’t be a quarterback controversy in Buffalo anytime soon.
Zohan didn’t get much support from his rushing attack; Marshawn Lynch managed just 31 yards on 13 carries. Meanwhile, Lee Evans paced all wideouts with three catches for 23 yards.
Not much of note from Miami either… Chad Pennington was a very economical 23-of-29 for 181 yards and a touchdown. Davone Bess led the team with nine receptions for 74 yards. Ted Ginn had only one catch.
Ronnie Brown rushed for 70 yards on 16 carries. Ricky Williams had 40 yards on 11 attempts.
Broncos 24, Chiefs 17
If the mob wants someone to disappear, they should just ask Mike Shanahan to make that person his new starting running back. Peyton Hillis, who gained 58 yards and a touchdown on just eight carries, became the sixth Denver back to suffer an injury this year. Tatum Bell replaced Hillis and tallied 52 yards on 11 attempts. No word if Bell stole Hillis’ bags, but we do know that Hillis is likely out for the remainder of the regular season.
Jay Cutler capitalized off Hillis and Bell, going 32-of-40 for 286 yards and two touchdowns. Unfortunately, he threw a pick-six in the first quarter.
Cutler looked toward Brandon Marshall early and often. Marshall caught 11 passes for 91 yards and two touchdowns. Eddie Royal (6 catches, 42 yards) and Tony Scheffler (5 catches, 61 yards) helped terrorize Kansas City’s putrid secondary.
Tyler Thigpen had a decent performance. He finished 17-of-32, 187 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for 34 yards. However, he was stuffed at the one-yard line on Kansas City’s last offensive play of the contest. Denver took over at the one and ran the clock out.
Thigpen looked toward Dwayne Bowe seven times for 96 yards. Tony Gonzalez, meanwhile, caught five balls for 73 yards and a touchdown.
Surprisingly, Kansas City couldn’t run the ball against the Broncos’ 29th-ranked rush defense. Larry Johnson gained just 36 yards on 11 carries.
49ers 24, Jets 14
Don’t be surprised by this result. There were three reasons why I picked the 49ers to upset the Jets:
1. As head coach of the Jets, Eric Mangini is now 0-3 on the West Coast. He was debacled by the Chargers on a Monday night in September and lost to the Raiders earlier. One has to wonder if Mangini has his team fly in a small plane filled with chicken crates.
2. Since teaming up, Shaun Hill and Mike Singletary are now 3-2, with their losses coming at 8-5 Arizona and 8-5 Dallas. Hill is now 5-2 as a starter in this league.
3. The Jets could still be reeling from their two road victories at the Patriots and Titans. Look at the Redskins – they won back-to-back games at Dallas and Philadelphia, and they’ve struggled ever since. I’ll discuss this in more detail later.
Speaking of Hill, I was pleased to see that he had a solid performance because I touted him in last week’s USA Today Sports Weekly. Hill finished 28-of-39, 285 yards, two touchdowns and a pick.
Hill found Isaac Bruce and Bryant Johnson six times each. Bruce had 70 yards; Johnson recorded 49 yards and a touchdown.
Frank Gore, who had a tough task going against the Jets’ fourth-ranked run defense, rushed for just 52 yards. He saved his fantasy owners with a receiving touchdown.
Meanwhile, anyone who owned anyone in the Jets’ passing attack has to be, as Mike McCarthy would say, “fustrated.”
Brett Favre was just 20-of-31, 137 yards, an interception and a rushing touchdown. Dustin Keller caught two passes for 14 yards. Jerricho Cotchery and Laveranues Coles had one grab each for 10 and five yards, respectively.
Thomas Jones, meanwhile, totaled just 56 yards, but did so on only 10 carries. He had New York’s other touchdown.
Cardinals 34, Rams 10
As Mike McCarthy would say, I’m very fustrated right now. Very very fustrated. The Rams were positioned for a backdoor cover – down 17, they had first-and-goal on Arizona’s 10. Marc Bulger fired the ball toward the end zone, but it was picked off by rookie corner Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and returned 99 yards for a Cardinals touchdown. I’ve had so many backdoor covers go against me – you’d think I’d get something to go my way. But nooooo…
Then again, maybe I should have thought twice before counting on Bulger. The rag-doll quarterback actually went 22-of-37 for 228 yards, a touchdown and the aforementioned pick-six, but most of that yardage came once Arizona established a large lead.
Torry Holt actually did something for a change, catching five balls for 61 yards. No other Rams receiver, including Donnie Avery, had more than two grabs.
Steven Jackson rushed for just 64 yards on 19 carries. He also fumbled the ball away twice. I was expecting more from Jackson, who was playing in his second week back from his quad injury.
Arizona’s passing offense didn’t disappoint. Successfully rebounding off a tough performance, Kurt Warner finished 24-of-33, 279 yards, one touchdown and a pick.
Larry Fitzgerald, who had six receptions for 73 yards, had Warner’s lone score. Steve Breaston caught seven balls for 90 yards, while Anquan Boldin hauled in five passes for 62 yards.
Yet another 30-yard performance from Tim Hightower. Hightower has rushed between 20 and 39 yards in eight of 13 games this year. Fortunately for his fantasy owners, he scored a touchdown.
By the way, it should be noted that Arizona clinched the NFC West with this victory, marking the first time they’ve won their division since 1975.
Dan Marino Record Watch: Kurt Warner now has 4,020 passing yards on the season. He’s on pace for 4,948 yards. Dan Marino had 5,084 yards in 1984.
Steelers 20, Cowboys 13
Remember when I was complaining about not getting any breaks in the Arizona-St. Louis write-up? Yeah… how about that pick-six that ruined Dallas’ chances of a push, let alone a cover? Once again, I’d like to apologize for possibly urinating on someone’s grave in a drunken stupor. I don’t recall going to a cemetary after drinking, but I won’t dismiss that possibility, especially with my bad luck.
The pick came from Tony Romo, who continued to pull an Aurora Snow in December. In his three-year career, Romo is 4-8 straight up and 1-9-2 against the spread after Nov. 30.
Romo finished 19-of-36 for 210 yards and one touchdown, but he also had three interceptions and a fumble.
That said, Romo deserves only some of the blame. Jason Witten ran the wrong route on one of the interceptions. Witten also failed to look back for the football on Romo’s final pass attempt.
Witten finished with six catches for 62 yards. Terrell Owens, meanwhile, caught Romo’s sole touchdown.
So, who led the Cowboys in receiving yardage? Believe it or not, it was Tashard Choice, who took Marion Barber’s place in the lineup. Choice caught five passes for 78 yards. He also had 88 rushing yards – the most any running back has tallied against Pittsburgh this year.
Pittsburgh, on the other hand, had no success on the ground; Willie Parker and Mewelde Moore garnered 25 and 22 yards, respectively.
Ben Roethlisberger was 17-of-33 for 204 yards and a touchdown. Hines Ward caught just one pass for two yards. Santonio Holmes had three grabs for 82 yards.
