The 6th night of Hanukkah is an NFL Sunday from the Bay Area.
I apologize in advance for this being a pathetic recap, far below my usual standards. I flew into Oakland yesterday, and I can only tell you that the rush I get from stepping off that plane into a city drenched in silver and black puts my intensity level to a fever pitch.
I was supposed to be in Green Bay Wisconsin this week watching my Raiders shock the Green Bay packers as they did in Super Bowl II. Oh wait, never mind. I was going to have a sign that said, “I’ll trade our 45 for your # 4.” I wanted to see Favre play once before he retires, and the Packers do not play the Raiders again until 2011. Hopefully he comes back next year, and plays somewhere I can attend. Besides, that way, I can root for them.
Unfortunately, football in Green Bay got trumped by politics in San Francisco. I was instructed not to divulge anything until Monday, but I can assure you, I will not be hanging out with liberals. I might also be in the Berkeley area, but only because they have sportsbar I have heard good things about. The people may be politically disastrous, but they are still the Raider Nation. As for Frisco, I have nothing positive to say.
Also, a girl in Oakland invited me to have breakfast with her. I have no idea what breakfast is, since I am usually asleep at the time. She said she would tivo the game and we would watch it after breakfast. We ended up at a breakfast place that was a bohemian’s dream, with paper napkin art on the walls. After breakfast was over, just as we were driving to watch the game, a medical emergency came up, and we had to call it quits. So yes, an awful experience and a missed Raider game all in one. I am not saying all women should be shot, but I will never have breakfast on an NFL Sunday with a woman again. At least the late games were blowouts, preventing me from missing much.
Again, here is my recap, and feel free to feel cheated. As a Raider, I often feel that way myself, for the last five years, anyway. Or you can go to www.nfl.com for a good recap.
Chicago Bears @ Washington Redskins was the Thursday night game. Still reeling from the Sean Taylor homicide and the shocking loss to Buffalo, this time the Redskins got the job done. A scoreless tie was broken just before the half, and three minutes into the second half the Redskins led 14-0. The Bears did close to within 14-10, and an exchange of field goals had Washington up 17-13. Very late in the fourth the Bears needed a stop in the red zone, and instead gave up a touchdown run up the middle. The Chicago defense is not the same as last year. The game was out of reach, as Chicago tacked on a meaningless field goal. The Bears are all but eliminated, and the Redskins are hanging by the loosest of threads. 24-16 Redskins
St. Louis Rams @ Cincinnati Bengals–Shayne Graham had 4 field goals for the Bengals, and the Rams started 3rd string quarterback Brock Berlin. Even had I watched this game a recap would have been undeserved. 19-10 Bengals
Dallas Cowboys @ Detroit Lions–The Lions defeated the Cowboys in the 2006 season finale, costing Detroit the # 1 pick in the draft. In this game, the Lions actually led 27-14 after 3 quarters. Good teams find ways to win, and bad teams find ways to lose. Up 27-21, normally reliable Jason Hanson missed a 35 yard field goal with 11 minutes left that would have given the Lions breathing room. Then the Cowboys missed an opportunity with 6 minutes left when Jason Witten fumbled at the goal line. Witten redeemed himself in a big way before the day was done. Down 27-21 with a couple minutes left, Tony Romo worked the two minute drill to perfection, and after 11 plays and 83 yards, a pass to Jason Witten with 18 seconds left won it for Dallas, who remains the top NFC team. Detroit has lost 5 straight, which would be normal had others not fawned over the 6-2 pretender start. 28-27 Cowboys
Miami Dolphins @ Buffalo Bills–The Dolphins had 5 turnovers, and are closing in on football immortality. They fell behind 24-7 after the first quarter, and Buffalo cruised after that. The Dolphins are 0-13, bringing their showdown with the Patriots some meaning. 38-17 Bills
Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Houston Texans–The Texans converted 10 of 17 3rd downs, kept the ball for 35 minutes, and simply wore down an exhausted Tampa defense. Sage Rosenfels had a Hanukkah to remember with 3 touchdown passes, the last one early in the 4th quarter to put the game out of reach. 28-14 Texans
San Diego Chargers @ Tennessee Titans–This was a game the Titans would love to have back. They led 3-0 at the half, 10-3 after 3, and 17-3 in the fourth. Down 17-10, Philip Rivers threw a 2 yard touchdown pass to Antonio Gates with 9 seconds on the clock. In overtime, Ladanian Tomlinson ran it in from 16 yards out. 23-17 Chargers, OT
Carolina Panthers @ Jacksonville Jaguars–The Jags only led 10-6 at the half, but an interception for a touchdown off of a Vinny Testaverde pass, and an 80 yard run by Fred Taylor turned that game into a blowout. 37-6 Jaguars
New York Giants @ Philadelphia Eagles–Donovan McNabb returned and threw a touchdown pass in the first quarter to put the Eagles up 7-0. Yet like so many NY-Philly games, this was about defense, and Big Blue harassed the Eagles all day. On the last play of the game, down by 3, David Akers attempted a 57 yard field goal. It hit the upright. The G-men might be the worst 9-4 team in some time, but they are winning. 16-13 Giants
Oakland Raiders @ Green Bay Packers–For more coverage of the game of the day, go to
Brett Favre threw a pair of touchdown passes, and Will Blackmon scored on a 57 yard punt return and a fumble recovery in the Oakland end zone. The Packers are d@mn good, and the Raiders have more work to do. I would elaborate, but I have to get back to sobbing. 5 straight losing seasons, and no end in sight. 38-7 Packers
Arizona Cardinals @ Seattle Seahawks–Seattle jumped to a 24-0 first half lead, and for some reason, the rest of the game was not cancelled. Arizona was only down 27-14 after 3 quarters, but got no closer. Marcus Trufant intercepted Kurt Warner three times, returning one 84 yards for a touchdown. Seattle clinched their 4th straight divisional crown, which would mean something if they did not play in the absolutely wretched NFC worst. 42-21 Seahawks
Minnesota Vikings @ San Francisco 49ers–The Vikings blasted out to a 27-0 lead, and for some reason the 49ers will be allowed to finish out their entire season. To make matters worse, I was almost late to a function in Frisco because the traffic from the fans leaving early clogged the freeway. 27-7 Vikings
Pittsburgh Steelers @ New England Patriots–The game of the day not played in Oakland had a first half struggle, with the Patriots leading 14-10. The Steelers run the ball and play solid defense, yet the Patriots seemed unimpressed. The Pats led 17-13 at the half, but broke the game open in the third quarter. By game’s end, Tom Brady had completed 32 of 46 for 399 yards and 4 more touchdowns. The Steelers held the ball for 10 more minutes, and only had one turnover, but it just didn’t matter. Down 31-13, the Steelers drove to the one yard line, where they were stoned on a gadget play on 4th and goal. The Patriots then drove 89 yards in 13 plays for a field goal. The Patriots are 13-0, and history is within sight. Mike Tomlin may be the coach of the year, but Bill Belichick is coach of the decade. 34-13 Patriots
Cleveland Browns @ New York Jets–The Browns led 7-3 at the half, and Cleveland was actually playing for a playoff spot. As for the Jets…Just End The Season. Leading 14-6 after 3 quarters, the Browns continued to run the ball in the pouring rain. Jamal Lewis ran for 118 yards, and the Browns had an insurmountable lead late in the game. The Jets did recover an onsides kick, which set up a field goal late in the game. However, they got no closer. The Browns are 8-5, and Romeo Crennel also could be coach of the year. More importantly, they are one game back of Pittsburgh for the division title. 24-18 Browns
Kansas City Chiefs @ Denver Broncos–Denver jumped out to a 24-7 halftime lead in a game that was more a grudge match than anything meaningful. Jay Cutler had 4 touchdown passes, and the Chiefs turned the ball over three times. The Broncos kept their faint playoff hopes alive. 41-7 Broncos
Indianapolis Colts @ Baltimore Ravens was the Sunday night game. On the one hand, the Colts loss to New England and inferior record (as if 10-2 is inferior in the real world) prevents them from being considered the best team in the NFL. However, they are the defending champs, and they throttled the team that New England barely survived.
The Colts led 23-0 after the first quarter. Manning only threw 17 passes, completing 13 of them. However, four of them went for touchdowns as the Colts led 37-7 at the half and 44-7 after 3 quarters. Manning was then benched for Jim Sorgi, although the early reports are that Sorgi will not be the new starter despite going 3 for 5 with 26 yards passing. Manning will just have to do better if he wants to stay in the game. As for the Ravens, they had 5 turnovers, and were never in the game.
Yes, New England is still the favorite to win it all, but the Colts are getting healthy and firing on all cylinders. Just ask Baltimore. 44-20 Colts
New Orleans Saints @ Atlanta Falcons was the Monday night game. A year ago it was one of the most inspirational games in NFL history, featuring the greatest blocked punt ever. A year later, it was two teams with promise that are simply bad teams. The Saints were playing without Reggie Bush, who is now out for the rest of the season. The Falcons Michael Vick has been out all year, and today was sentenced to almost two years in jail.
The Falcons bypassed Byron Leftwich and Joey Harrington, instead starting Chris Redman, who last started an NFL game five years ago. The Saints at least have Drew Brees, who I think might have thrown the ball 100 times in the first half. Yes, exaggerated, but the Saints clearly are pass happy, and tonight it worked. Three drives of 99, 94, and 80 yards led to touchdowns as the Saints jumped to a 24-7 lead. An interception return by Roman Harper put the Saints up 31-7, and they coasted from there. 34-14 Saints
eric