2008 NFL Week 6 Review

Texans 29, Dolphins 28

How can anyone ever figure out Miami's offense when it has plays that look like this:

2-8 MIA47 (6:19) C.Pennington pass deep middle to P.Cobbs for 53 yards, TOUCHDOWN. (Direct snap to MIA #23, who handed to MIA #34, who handed to MIA #10, who threw the pass.)

NFL.com doesn't even know who the players are! They had to refer to them as numbers!

Yet another impressive performance by the Dolphins. I know Houston's defense is absolutely abysmal, but still - Miami barely could move the chains last year. Bill Parcells, Tony Sparano, and all of the Tuna's other minions deserve tons of credit.

Ronnie Brown didn't put up monstrous numbers (50 yards), but he carried the ball just 13 times and he scored a touchdown as well. Chad Pennington, meanwhile, was 19-of-25 for 284 yards, two touchdowns and a pick. Pennington's two scores were 80- and 58-yard throws to Patrick Cobbs, which undoubtedly had Ted Ginn, Greg Camarillo and Anthony Fasano fantasy owners cursing in disgust. Camarillo accumulated 49 yards on four catches, but neither Ginn nor Fasano did much of anything.

Poor Houston. They should have beaten the Colts and they could have beaten the Jaguars. They finally earned their first victory, but 3-2 would sound a lot better than 1-4 right now.

The Texans barely beat the Dolphins, who were 1-15 last year, but they deserve lots of credit. I didn't think they could recover from last week's depressing loss. Matt Schaub was incredible, going 22-of-42, 379 yards, one touchdown and two picks. Andre Johnson caught 10 of those passes for 178 yards and a score. Kevin Walter and Owen Daniels each had four grabs, for 98 and 70 yards, respectively.

Falcons 22, Bears 20

I'd like my Matt Ryan crow well-done, please. And hold the onions. I didn't like Atlanta's selection of Ryan because I wasn't impressed with him at Boston College, and I felt as though the Falcons had way too many other needs to address the quarterback position.

Oops.

Ryan was 5-of-5 for 57 yards on his opening drive despite not getting anything out of Michael Turner (three carries, seven yards). On the next possession, Ryan converted a third-and-16 to Harry Douglas and a third-and-nine to Roddy White. Ryan later managed a 26-yard pass on second-and-25. Late in the game, he found Michael Jenkins 26 yards downfield to set up Jason Elam's 48-yard game-winning field goal.

Ryan, who looks like a seasoned veteran, was 22-of-30 for 301 yards and a touchdown versus Chicago's defense, though it should be noted that Nathan Vasher was out and Charles Tillman left the game with an injury. Still, Ryan was able to perform well despite the fact that Michael Turner was limited to 54 yards on 25 carries. More importantly, Ryan has the Falcons at 4-2. The same Falcons who were picked by many to finish at the bottom of the NFC South.

We all know about Roddy White, who was once again a force, catching nine balls for 112 yards and a touchdown. But rookie Harry Douglas is beginning to emerge as a solid secondary option for Ryan. Douglas compiled five receptions and 96 yards.

Though the Bears couldn't score against the Falcons, Kyle Orton still put up solid numbers, finishing 26-of-43 for 286 yards and a touchdown. Devin Hester somehow led the team in receiving, catching six balls for 87 yards.

So, what was the problem for Chicago? Other than the fact that Ryan torched its skeleton-crew secondary for 301 yards, the team just couldn't establish the run. Matt Forte managed just 76 yards on 20 carries, despite the fact that Atlanta was 24th against the run entering the contest.

Congratulations to Falcons defensive end Jamaal Anderson, who registered the first sack of his NFL career. Anderson was chosen eighth overall in last year's draft. At this pace, Anderson could get six, maybe seven sacks in his career!

Vikings 12, Lions 10

Brad Clueless was up to his old tricks again. Adrian Peterson's carry total of 25 was a solid number (111 yards), but I don't get why Minnesota didn't set up any screens for Peterson against the blitz-happy Lions. Detroit sacked Gus Frerotte five times. Running some screens would have kept the Lions honest on defense.

Luckily for his job security, Childress saw Frerotte connect on an 86-yard bomb to Bernard Berrian in the third quarter. Thanks to an earlier safety (discussed later) and a game-winning 26-yard field goal from Ryan Longwell, Minnesota squeaked out a victory despite being a two-touchdown favorite. If the Vikings lost, the case for Childress' firing could have been made.

Frerotte finished 18-of-33 for 296 yards, one touchdown and a pick. Including his 86-yard score, Bernard Berrian compiled five receptions for 131 yards.

Despite the heroics of Berrian and Longwell, the player of the game for Minnesota was Kevin Williams, who had eight tackles and a whopping four sacks. Williams returned a Saints blocked field goal for a touchdown last week.

Why are the Lions wasting their time with a bum like Dan Orlovsky? Shouldn't they play Drew Stanton to determine whether they'll need to draft a quarterback come April? Orlovsky will never be a franchise signal caller. Stanton has a shot. He deserves some playing time. Instead, Detroit fans were subjected to Orlovsky's craptastic performance. He was 5-of-10 for 39 yards at halftime, leading the Lions to just three points. No surprise that Orlovsky went to Kevin Smith most often; he doesn't have the arm to get the ball to his talented receivers. He was also "sacked" in the end zone for a safety, which actually involved him running out of the back of the end zone obliviously to avoid the pass rush.

Orlovsky led the Lions to a touchdown drive in the second half, but it wasn't enough. Scoring 10 points when you have Calvin Johnson and Roy Williams at your disposal is a disgrace. Orlovsky finished 12-of-21, 150 yards and a touchdown. Johnson caught four balls for 85 yards and a score. Williams managed just two grabs for 23 yards, which means that he'll be complaining during the week unless he gets traded.

Rams 19, Redskins 17

You usually hear a football crowd boo or cheer. I've never heard one laugh before. That's exactly what happened in this game, as Redskins fans were actually laughing at the Rams' offense after Marc Bulger threw an ugly duck to Steven Jackson in the second quarter.

The Rams had the last laugh though, somehow pulling the upset on the road despite the fact that Washington was the largest favorite this week. St. Louis' 19-17 victory was very inexplicable, especially considering that the team failed to score an offensive touchdown. The only time the Rams reached the end zone was on a 75-yard O.J. Atogwe fumble recovery on a Jason Campbell tipped pass that landed in the arms of offensive lineman Pete Kendall. Instead of falling on the ground, Kendall started running and was subsequently stripped.

No overly impressive numbers from anyone on St. Louis' offense, though Donnie Avery had four catches and 73 yards, including a great, one-handed, 43-yard grab that set the Rams up for their winning field goal. Torry Holt had five catches for 23 yards. Jackson finished with 79 yards on 22 carries. Bulger was 15-of-26 for 136 yards.

Entering this game, the Redskins' offense had no turnovers on the season, which would explain their impressive and unexpected 4-1 record. Well, they had three on Sunday, which would explain this loss. This was a tough spot for Washington, coming off two consecutive divisional victories on the road. I can't really blame them for being unfocused.

That said, there's no excuse for losing to the awful Rams. I thought this game would be close, but allowing Jim Haslett, a makeshift offensive line, a crippled Bulger and a Swiss cheese defense to beat you is inexcusable.

Clinton Portis literally carried the Redskins, compiling 129 yards and two touchdowns. Jason Campbell was 18-of-26 for 208 yards, connecting with Antwaan Randle El and Chris Cooley five times each (87 yards and 57 yards, respectively). Santana Moss had just two catches for 22 yards.

Congrats to Haslett for winning his first game as a head coach, but don't get excited if you're a Rams fan. They still suck. Of course, if you cheer for the team, I don't need to tell you that. Here's one telling play: Jason Craft missed an easy tackle on Ladell Betts on what would have forced a fourth-and-11. Instead, Betts pushed forward for 10 more yards, setting up fourth-and-inches. On the next play, Clinton Portis converted the first down.

St. Louis was just lucky to catch an unfocused Washington squad on a bad week. The Redskins probably win this matchup nine out of 10 times.

Buccaneers 27, Panthers 3

There was a huge debate about this in the NFL Week 6 Live In-Games Thread about this, but I'm not too impressed by Tampa Bay's 27-3 victory. The Buccaneers' first touchdown came on a blocked punt. The second was the result of great field position, thanks to a bobbled interception deep in Carolina territory.

From then on, the Panthers were behind 14-0, so they couldn't run the ball. Tampa Bay teed off on Jake Delhomme, picking off two more of his throws.

Look, I'm not saying the Buccaneers suck or anything; they're an above-average team. It's just that they're not going to get the benefit of a punt block or lucky turnovers every week. They didn't against Denver, and they consequently were "debacled." And look at the Vikings; they had a bunch of rinky-dinky scores against the Saints, but weren't so fortunate versus Detroit. They nearly lost to the Lions despite being massive favorites.

Because Tampa Bay had multiple defensive scores, Jeff Garcia didn't have to air it out that much. That's why he was just 15-of-20 for 173 yards and a touchdown. No Buccaneer caught more than three passes.

Warrick Dunn continues to amaze despite the fact that he's 33 years old. He had 115 yards on 22 carries, even though Carolina hadn't allowed a 100-yard rusher the entire season. Earnest Graham carried only five times because he had to play fullback in the wake of an injury. Dunn called Graham's willingness to do this "one of the most unselfish acts I've ever seen on a football field."

While Dunn trampled Carolina's defense, DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart couldn't really do anything; the two runners combined for 39 yards on 17 carries.

The only Panther to actually produce solid numbers was Steve Smith, who caught six passes for 112 yards. Delhomme had 242 yards on his own, but he also responsible those three interceptions.

Saints 34, Raiders 3

Though the Raiders led 3-0 in this game, they really had no shot because Drew Brees was on fire. Brees completed his first 17 passes for 196 yards. That's a YPA of 11.5 - a guaranteed first down every time he threw the ball!

Brees finished the game with four incompletions; he was 26-of-30, 320 yards and three touchdowns. He found Lance Moore seven times for 97 yards.

Brees' 17-of-17 may be impressive, but check this out: Anquan Boldin once owned the NFL record for being the quickest to get to 200 receptions (34 games). Guess who just tied him? No, not Ronald Curry or Johnnie Lee Higgins... That would be Reggie Bush. Oh, in case you haven't heard, he's a running back!

Bush caught three passes for 40 yards. He also rushed for 27 yards on 14 carries. He scored twice.

So... maybe the Raiders shouldn't have fired that Lane Kiffin guy. Tom Cable's first NFL game was a disaster. JaMarcus Russell was 13-of-35 for 159 yards, one interception and a fumble. His receivers had numerous drops. Javon Walker had one catch even though Jason David was covering him. Oakland also couldn't run the ball; Justin Fargas and Darren McFadden combined for just 46 yards on 11 carries.

One bright spot for those poor fantasy players who own Raiders not named Fargas or McFadden: Zach Miller was involved in the passing game. Somewhat. He registered three receptions and 46 yards. Hey, that's better than all of those zero-catch performances he registered at the beginning of the year.

Jets 26, Bengals 14

What was I thinking when I picked the Bengals to cover with Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback? Cincinnati had no hope of moving the chains; in fact, they didn't record a first down until 4:13 remained in the second quarter.

I don't know what's more laughable: Fitzpatrick's passing numbers (20-of-33, 152 yards) or the fact that Fitzpatrick led the Bengals in rushing (six carries, 23 yards, one touchdown). The Bengals are a joke.

Fitzpatrick actually had more rushing yards than both Chris Perry and Cedric Benson combined. Benson had six yards on four carries. Perry, meanwhile, managed 14 yards on 11 rushes. Oh, I almost forgot. Perry also caught two passes for two yards! How could I miss that!?

The Bengals should consider cutting Perry. Seriously. Does he bring anything positive to the table? He can't run the ball (his rushing average is 2.6). He fumbles a lot (five this year). He even drops passes (including what would have been a key first down in the Jets game).

Chad Ocho Cinco, meanwhile, was actually productive for once. He caught five passes for 57 yards - both numbers being season highs. T.J. Houshmandzadeh grabbed seven balls for 49 yards.

But enough about the POS Bengals. Brett Favre's numbers weren't impressive - 25-of-33, 189 yards, one touchdown, two picks - but he got the job done and moved the chains enough. Favre found Jerricho Cotchery and Laveranues Coles eight times each for 85 and 61 yards, respectively.

Sign here if you went against Thomas Jones in fantasy and feel cheated. I felt confident in my Touchdown League because my opponent had Jones going, despite the fact that he had just one touchdown on the year. Lo and behold, Jones traveled into the end zone three times. Please keep reading this page as I jump off the roof of my house.

Colts 31, Ravens 3

This game was a blowout, so complaining about Baltimore's play-calling on the first drive may seem inconsequential, but it definitely set the tone for what was to come. Everyone and their evil stepmother expected the Ravens to pound the ball with Willis McGahee and LeRon McClain. Yet, after a 3-yard rush from the former, the Ravens called two consecutive passes. Joe Flacco's second throw was an interception.

Two possessions later, Flacco dropped back in the pocket on all three downs. He took a sack on first down; completed a short pass on second down; and fumbled the ball away on the final play. The sack and fumble put the Ravens back on their own 11, forcing poor field position on the ensuing punt. The Colts scored a touchdown on the next drive.

In total, the Ravens had just 14 rushing yards at halftime, which was shocking because the Colts have been so porous against opposing ground attacks. But looking at the plays, Baltimore ran the ball just 10 times in the first 30 minutes. That's not nearly enough against a defense whose strength is defending the pass.

It was clear early that Indianapolis didn't respect the pass. Good call on their part; Joe Flacco was completely abysmal, throwing three picks and fumbling twice.

Meanwhile, McGahee and McClain finished with terrible numbers. McGahee had 18 yards on eight carries, while McClain had minus-2 yards and a fumble on two attempts. Ray Rice compiled 89 total yards (64 from receptions), but that came in the second half.

On the other side of the ball, Peyton Manning and Tony Dungy have to be very pleased with their results. Manning and Marvin Harrison finally looked like they were on the same page; Manning was 19-of-28 for 271 yards and three scores. Harrison caught three balls for 83 yards and two scores. Reggie Wayne led the squad in receiving with 118 yards and a touchdown.

Unfortunately for the Colts, Joseph Addai left the game with a hamstring injury after accumulating just three rushing yards on two carries. It looks like he'll be OK.

I have to give CBS some "dap" for switching to the Jets-Bengals contest from the Ravens-Colts blowout when the score was 31-0. I usually criticize both CBS and FOX for not switching to more competitive games more frequently, so I have to praise the former for doing so.

Jaguars 24, Broncos 17

I really thought I had the wrong side in this game when I watched the Broncos march down the field on their opening possession for a quick, easy touchdown - an 11-yard pass from Jay Cutler to Brandon Stokley. I even said to myself, "Ah crap, I can't believe I put three units on the Jags!"

Overreaction, much? Jacksonville went on to outscore the Broncos, 24-3, until Denver had a late touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Denver's defense was up to its old tricks, as it failed to stop both the run and the pass. David Garrard had his second solid outing of the year (including the preseason), finishing 25-of-34, 276 yards and a touchdown.

Meanwhile, Maurice Jones-Drew totaled 125 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries. Matt Jones led the squad in receiving yet again, notching seven catches and 69 yards.

Cutler was 7-of-7 for 67 yards on his first drive, so it should be a surprise that his final numbers were so pedestrian (21-of-37 for 192 yards, two touchdowns, a pick and a fumble).

I guess Cutler needs Eddie Royal and Tony Scheffler more than we thought. Brandon Marshall was the only one in Denver's receiving corps to do anything; he had nine catches and 98 yards. Stokley left the game in the second quarter.

Another Bronco who was missing was Selvin Young, though it's not like the Broncos struggled to run the ball in his absence. Michael Pittman had all the carries, gaining 109 yards on 20 touches.

Packers 27, Seahawks 17

Should I just copy-paste what I wrote for the Bengals-Jets game? Sure, why not? Is the owner of this Web site going to fire me or something?

What was I thinking when I picked the Bengals (read: Seahawks) to cover with Ryan Fitzpatrick (read: Charlie Frye) at quarterback?

Check out Seattle's second-half possessions: First drive: Three-and-out, net total minus-5 yards. Second drive: Three-and-out, net total zero yards. Third drive: Three-and-out, net total minus-3 yards. Fourth drive: Interception on the third play. Fifth drive: Interception on the fifth play.

Frye was so awesome on Sunday that he threw for just 83 yards and two interceptions. Hey, at least he didn't fumble. Frye actually tossed two touchdowns, but his YPA of 3.6 is depressing.

Only one offensive player on the Seahawks is worth noting in a positive manner. Bobby Engram didn't catch a pass. Koren Robinson led the team with 23 receiving yards. Julius Jones totaled 44 yards on 12 carries. Only John Carlson impressed (four catches, 22 yards, one touchdown).

Guess Aaron Rodgers isn't too hurt, huh? Rodgers played extremely well, finishing 21-of-30, 208 yards and two touchdowns. Rodgers found Greg Jennings on a 45-yard reception. Jennings caught five balls for 84 yards and a score.

I guess the Packers were making sure Ryan Grant was in shape. Grant carried the ball an eye-opening 33 times. He gained 90 yards, but it's nice (for Grant owners) to see that Mike McCarthy has that much faith in him. Then again, maybe his workload had something to do with Brandon Jackson sitting this game out.

Eagles 40, 49ers 26

Guess which coach-quarterback combination has the most amount of wins in NFL history? It's not Bill Walsh-Joe Montana. It's not Tony Dungy-Peyton Manning or Bill Belichick-Tom Brady. And no... believe it or not, it's not Art Shell-Andrew Walter.

With their 40-26 victory over the 49ers, Andy Reid and Donovan McNabb became the most successful combo in league history (76 wins).

In honor of this, no Reid bashing today! If you want to see some of that, check out my NFL Power Rankings which will be posted Tuesday morning.

McNabb had an ugly interception to Takeo Spikes in the third quarter, which was more L.J. Smith's fault, but he was pretty sharp if you exclude that play. McNabb was 23-of-36, 278 yards and two touchdowns.

Reid was bashed relentlessly during the week for not playing DeSean Jackson against the Redskins last week. Because Reggie Brown was out, Reid had no choice. Jackson capitalized on his opportunity, registering six catches and 98 yards.

No Brian Westbrook? No problem - Correll Buckhalter totaled 191 total yards and a touchdown. Of course, playing the 49ers can always help your numbers.

I'll also discuss the 49ers in more detail in my NFL Power Rankings. Let me just say that I was watching the Eagles-49ers game with a friend, and we couldn't stop laughing at the stupidity of Mike Nolan and Mike Martz. Stay tuned.

For now, let me just say that J.T. O'Sullivan sucks. He threw for 199 yards, but most of that came on screens. O'Sullivan tossed two interceptions, including a game-clinching pick-six. He also fumbled once.

Frank Gore rushed for 101 yards and a touchdown, but once again, he didn't get enough carries. Gore had just 19 rushes. As long as Martz is ruining the 49ers, Gore will never reach his full potential.

A bright spot for the 49ers: Vernon Davis had more receptions in this contest (6) than he had this season before this game started (5). But once again, most of Davis' yardage (75) came off screens.

Cardinals 30, Cowboys 24

NOTE: This is the final game I'm covering on this page. I'll talk about the Sunday and Monday night games in my NFL Power Rankings.

I wrote the following in my forum when the Cowboys cut Arizona's 24-14 lead down to three: "If the Cowboys kick a field goal, go to overtime and score a touchdown to win by six, I'm going to crap my pants." I had the Cardinals as my October Pick of the Month in my Week 6 NFL Picks page. A Dallas touchdown would have been disastrous.

Also, I would have felt really sorry for the Cardinals. This was their statement game. All of the fans came out to the stadium, dressed in red. This was their opportunity to say that after all those years of losing, they were here as a legitimate playoff contender.

So, you could say that I was pretty glad that Arizona won in overtime. Sean Morey's blocked punt, which was returned by Monty Beisel, became the first instance in NFL history where an overtime game concluded with a blocked punt returned for a touchdown.

I thought it was really cool to see Ken Whisenhunt high-fiving all the fans in the stands after the game finished up. Arizona is legit.

The Cardinals' offense couldn't do anything in the first half - their lone touchdown came on a J.J. Arrington kickoff return - but they were hitting on all cylinders in the final 30 minutes. Kurt Warner finished 22-of-30 for 236 yards, two touchdowns and a pick despite not having Anquan Boldin for the second straight week. Steve Breaston led all receivers with eight catches, 102 yards and a touchdown. Larry Fitzgerald chipped in with five receptions, 79 yards and a score.

Tony Romo struggled at times - the Cowboys also had just seven points in the first half - but he finished 24-of-39, 321 yards and three touchdowns. Surprisingly, Romo's leading receiver was Marion Barber, who caught 11 balls for 128 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for 45 yards.

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