THE TYGRRRR EXPRESS

After several weeks on the road, the Tygrrrr Express decided to forego a second trip to New York in 2 weeks for the ability to do what I have not done since Week 1…watch football in front of my own television in Los Angeles. I have watched football from 5 different cities the first 5 weeks. It is time for my NFL package to not be a complete waste. With that, below is my Week 6 NFL Recap, from the comfort of my living room.

Chicago Bears @ Atlanta Falcons–Matt Ryan started out on fire, completing 8 out of his first 9 passes for over 107 yards, as the Falcons built a 6-0 lead. Ryan kept firing, and after a touchdown pass was called back, a field goal added to the lead as Atlanta led 9-0. Atlanta led 9-3 at the half, and Jason Elam’s 4th field goal had the Falcons up 12-3. When Matt Forte ran in a short touchdown, the end zone had finally been reached, with the Bears down only 12-10 in the 3rd quarter. What was notable was that Kyle Orton, who led the 14 play drive that ate up over 8 minutes, is developing into a solid quarterback. Orton was benched for Rex Grossman in 2005 after leading the team to 8 wins in a row. He is not exciting, but he makes few mistakes. Yet he seems to be turning into more than a mere manager.

The 4th quarter contained one of the all time great finishes. Matt Ryan is exciting, and is developing into a superstar. On 3rd and 9 from his own 25, he found Douglas for 47 yards to the Chicago 28. An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty pushed Atlanta back 15 yards, but Ryan found White for 26 yards to the Chicago 17. With 13 1/2 minutes remaining, Ryan found White for 3 yards to put the Falcons up 19-10.

Wolfe returned the kickoff to midfield, and Orton went right to work with the short field. On 3rd and goal from the 1, McKie was stuffed. On 4th and goal from the 1, Forte ran into an Atlanta brick wall. The goal line stand with 8 minutes left appeared to end things, but this game was far from over.

The Bears held, and began their next drive with 6 minutes remaining at their own 46. From the Atlanta 36, Orton found Greg Olsen for 2 yards down to the 14. The drive stalled, but a field goal had Chicago within 19-13 with 4 minutes left. Jerrius Norwood returned the ensuing kickoff 85 yards to the Chicago 17. This game was completely over. No, it was not. The Falcons stalled, and Elam, who had made 4 field goals, missed a 33 yard chip shot.

Orton began at his own 23, and the Bears had reached their own 37 at the 2 minute warning. Orton completed short passes as the clock ticked. From the Atlanta 34, Orton cut the distance in half by finding Devon Hester at the 17 with 28 seconds left. Orton found Davis for the touchdown with 11 seconds left. The Bears had won a shocker 20-19.

Except the game still was not over. With only 11 seconds, the Falcons took the squib kickoff to their own 44. 6 seconds remained. Ryan found Jenkins for 26 yards to the Chicago 30. The Bears insisted the game was over, but the officials ruled that one second remained. Elam redeemed himself, drilling the 48 yarder, his 5th field goal in 6 attempts. A pair of lead changes in the final 11 seconds ended this stunner. 22-20 Falcons

Miami Dolphins @ Houston Texans–The Dolphins were the worst team in the NFL last year. They may not be the best this year, but they are the most exciting. The “Wildcat Offense” is lighting up the scoreboard. Today, a double reverse to Ronnie Brown led to a 53 yard halfback option pass to Patrick Cobbs for the 7-0 Dolphins lead. Cobbs then took a swing pass for 80 yards and another touchdown for a 14-3 Miami lead. For those who do not know, Cobbs is the fullback. Yes, the most exciting and heralded player on the field except for the rest of them had a pair of thrilling touchdowns. Yet the Texans came back. Down 14-6, a 70 yard punt return for a touchdown by Jacoby Jones pulled the Texans to within 14-13 at the half.

In the second half, Matt Schaub found Andre Johnson for a 12 yard touchdown pass. The Texans needed only 5 plays to go 78 yards for the 20-14 Houston lead. Chad Pennington led the Dolphins right back, and a 5 yard Ricky Williams run put the Dolphins back up 21-20. Schaub threw a 30 yard pass that set up a Kris Brown go ahead field goal with 6 minutes remaining.

With 3 minutes remaining, Pennington had a ball that was deflected, batted, and intercepted by Eugene Wilson. Memo to defenders (grabbing a bullhorn): GET ON THE GROUND. Instead, Wilson ran it back in traffic, and fumbled it back to the Dolphins. Pennington made the Texans pay, as a swing pass to Ronnie Brown went for a long gain deep into Houston territory. Brown finished the drive with a 10 yard touchdown to put the Dolphins up 28-23 with 1:45 remaining.

Schaub ran the 2 minute drill to near perfection. On 4th and 10, he found Andre Johnson for the 1st down. Another completion had the ball on the Miami 11 yard line. With 7 seconds remaining, the Texans faced 4th and 2 at the Miami 4. In an “Are you kidding me!” moment, with the entire world expecting pass, Schaub ran up the middle on the quarterback draw to win it. It was the only run on the 12 play drive. The Texans have their first win, and a thriller it was. 29-28

Texans Baltimore Ravens @ Indianapolis Colts–This was the offense of the Colts, which this year seems to only operate late in the game, vs the defense of the Ravens, which malfunctioned last week only when it counted. The Colts had the better of things in the early going as Peyton Manning lit up the scoreboard. A pair of touchdowns, including a 67 yarder to Marvin Harrison and a 22 yarder to Dallas Clark, had the Colts up 14-0 early on. Manning had a 5 yarder to Harrison to have the Colts up 24-0 at halftime. The Colts cruised in the second half. Joseph Addai plunged in from a yard out to put the Colts up 31-0. Both teams then slept through the rest of the blowout. For some reason the Ravens kicked a field goal, perhaps to say they scored something. 31-3 Colts

Detroit Lions @ Minnesota Vikings–With all respect to my friend, the P*ssed off tree rat, the Lions are a mess. Against Minnesota, the Lions managed only 14 yards in the 1st quarter. Nevertheless, the Vikings were almost as inept. The Vikings led 2-0 on a safety. The Lions led 3-2 at the half, and for some reason the second half was played. Orlovsky, playing instead of John Kitna, found Johnson for 12 yards to put Detroit up 10-2. That lead lasted 14 seconds as Gus Frerotte found Bernard Berrian for an 86 yard touchdown pass to pull the Vikings within 10-9. Although this game was dreadful, it did have an exciting and controversial finish. A questionable pass interference penalty on Lee Bodden with 2:15 remaining positioned the Vikings at the Detroit 23. It was a 50 yard penalty. A field goal by Ryan Longwell on the game’s final play left the Lions winless. The Vikings are winning ugly, but the wins count. The safety was the difference. 12-10 Vikings

Oakland Raiders @ New Orleans Saints–The Tom Cable era has begun. For more go to www.justblogbaby.com

The Saints went 3 and out on their opening drive, and Johnny Lee Higgins returned the punt 35 yards into New Orleans territory. With the short field, JaMarcus Russell completed passes of 13 and 8 yards to Ronald Curry. Unfortunately, as is the case with the Raiders, the drive bogged down inside the 10 yard line. Sebastian Janikowski hit the 26 yard field goal to put the Raiders up 3-0. The Saints did move right down the field, but a pair of penalties had them at 3rd and 22. On 4th and 6 from the Oakland 14, the chip shot 31 yard field goal was wide. The Raiders did not move the ball, but a Shane Lechler punt set up the Saints at their own 13. After Reggie Bush returned a pair of punts for touchdowns last week, good punting and punt coverage would be e in this game.

Nevertheless, the Raiders seemed to have no answer on defense for the rushing of Bush and Deuce McAllister. The Saints moved down the field with relative ease. Brees was a ridiculous 14 for 14, and on 3rd and goal from the 8, Brees’s first incomplete pass seemed to end the drive. However, the Raiders jumped offsides. Given a second chance, Bush scored from 3 yards out to cap the 11 minute drive. The Raiders just kill themselves over and over again.

The Saints had problems of their own, mainly in the kicking game. A kickoff out of bounds had the Raiders starting at their own 40. At the 2 minute warning, the Raiders had 3rd and 7 at the Baltimore 40. After an incomplete pass, Coach Cable took a gamble that did not work. Seabass was brought in for a 57 yard field goal. He has the leg, and even attempted a 76 yarder earlier in the season. Yet that was on the last play of the half. This kick was no good, and the Saints had excellent field position and 1:48 to work with.

A pair of completions had the Saints at the Oakland 17 with 1:11 left in the half. After opening with 16 straight completions, Brees finally threw an incomplete pass. On 3rd and 8 he then threw an incomplete pass to nobody that was ruled intentional grounding. A 44 yard field goal was good, and the Saints led 10-3 with 50 seconds left in the half. From their own 25, the Raiders decided not to kneel on the ball. A 35 yard catch and run by Higgins had the Raiders in business. An incomplete pass was expected to be defensive pass interference, but for some bizarre reason was called on the offense. With 11 seconds left, Seabass was brought in for a 59 yard attempt. Again he was long enough but wide left. Seabass has the most 50+ yard kicks in the league since 2006, justifying the attempts. Brees then fired a pass, and the Saints insisted one second remained on the clock. The referees declared halftime.

The Raiders had the ball for less than 10 minutes in the first half, an began the second half by going 3 and out. The Saints then took over at their own 45. Earlier in the game the Saints went 18 plays. This drive was for 11 plays, and Drew Brees found Aaron Stecker on 3rd and goal from the 8 to put the Saints up 17-3. On the net series, Russell was intercepted by Jason Davis. Russell had only one interception the whole year before this one, but this one was costly. Brees found Bush, who escaped a tackle and went 17 yards for the score. The Saints led 24-3, and further analysis seemed unnecessary.

The Raiders have a decent defense, but it gets exhausted because the offense is not functional. Hopefully in future weeks Cable will turn it around. The Raiders were in full quit mode when Brees found Devry Henderson for a 51 yard bomb to each the Oakland 20 as the 3rd quarter ended. That set up a field goal, and when Russell fumbled deep in Oakland territory, the Saints tacked on their final touchdown. 34-3 Saints

Cincinnati Bengals @ New York Jets–When the Jets wore their throwback New York Titans earlier this year, Brett Favre threw 6 touchdown passes in a game where New York scored 56 points. They wore them today against the winless Bengals. The Bengals did take a 7-0 lead, as Favre was hit and fumbled, with Ndukwe returning it 15 yards for the score. Favre then rebounded, and found Thomas Jones for a 5 yard touchdown pass to tie the game. Jay Feely nailed a 38 yard field goal to put the Jets up 10-7. On their next possession, the Jets ran a double reverse that set up first and goal. Thomas Jones ran up the middle on the next play to put the Jets up 17-7. Fitzpatrick, filling in for Carson Palmer, led a 14 play drive just before the half that ended in a one yard Fitzpatrick run to put the Bengals within 17-14.

With the Jets leading 20-14 in the 4th quarter, Favre had the Jets on the move. Yet a pass to the goal line was a jump ball that was deflected and intercepted with 12minutes remaining. The Bengals could not move the ball, and Favre then led a 6 minute drive that ended with Thomas Jones’s 3rd touchdown of the day. The one yard plunge with 2:22 remaining had the Jets up comfortably. The Bengals were game, but remained winless. 26-14 Jets

Carolina Panthers @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers–These teams are about defense and secial teams, and the start of this game was no exception. A blocked punt for a touchdown had the Buccaneers up 7-0. A Jake Delhomme pass bounced off the hands of Dante Rosario, and was intercepted by Denard Jackson. That set up a short field, ending in a 3 yard touchdown pass from Jeff Garcia to Alex Smith to put the Buccaneers up 14-0. Tampa Bay led 17-3 at the break. The second half was all defense. The highlight may have been a 60 yard Josh Bidwell punt that went out of bounds at the Carolina 1. Warrick Dunn ran well, as the Buccaneers won by a larger margin than this usually tight game expects. 27-3 Buccaneers

St. Louis Rams @ Washington Redskins–The Redskins led 7-0 when Clinton Portis ran up the gut for 3 yards. This was because the Rams turned it over inside their own 5 on a Stephen Jackson fumble. Leading 7-3, the bizarre play of the game was the difference in the first half. Jason Campbell had a pass deflected, and caught by one of his own offensive linemen. Rather than fall down, the lineman was hit, fumbled, and had the ball returned 75 yards by Otogwe to put the Rams up 10-7 Only seconds remained in the half, and it changed a game the Redskins were controlling. Field goals ruled the second half, with the Rams leading 16-7 after 3 quarters, and 16-10 late in the game. However, new coach Jim Haslett knows what he is working with.

A 29 yard Portis run had the Redskins in business. Jason Campbell threw a deep ball to Antwon Randle-El to the two yard line that set up the go ahead touchdown with 3:47 remaining. The Rams took over on their own 24. The Rams reached their own 44 at the 2 minute warning. On 3rd and 13 from their own 41, Bulger threw a prayer, and the Hail Mary was answered. Avery caught the ball for a 43 yard gain down to the Washington 16 with 38 seconds remaining. In easy field goal range, one player who should have obeyed his name messed up badly. The player was Incognito, and he should have remained that way. Instead, an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty pushed the Rams back to the Washington 32. A chip shot field goal attempt was now a 49 yarder. These are the Rams. It didn’t matter. Josh Brown nailed it as the final gun sounded. The Rams and Jim Haslett had their first win of the year against a good Washington team. 19-17 Rams

Jacksonville Jaguars @ Denver Broncos–Jay Cutler went right to work, leading the Broncos 80 yards in 10 plays, with an 11 yard touchdown pass to Brandon Stokely to put Denver up 7-0. Cutler then became turnover plagued. After an interception, Cutler then later on fumbled near midfield, setting up a Jacksonville field goal. Cutler’s second interception had Jacksonville at their own 6. Denver’s 4th turnover occurred when a Cutler pass to Brandon Marshall was fumbled by Marshall. David Garrard then led a 75 yard drive in 12 plays over 6 1/2 minutes, culminating in a one yard plunge by Maurice Jones-Drew to put the Jaguars up 10-7 with 3 minutes left in the half.

The Jaguars took the second half kickoff, and needed little more than a minute. Maurice Jones-Drew raced 46 yards for a touchdown to put the Jaguars up 17-7. AFter a Denver field goal, Garrard found Lewis for a 30 yard touchdown and a 24-10 lead. In the 4th quarter, after a strong punt return, Denver began at the Jacksonville 37. Cutler found Graham for 11 yards with over 9 minutes remaining to pull within one score. They got no closer, and after an exchange of punts, Jacksonville ran the final 6 minutes off of the clock. 24-17 Jaguars

Dallas Cowboys @ Arizona Cardinals–J J Arrington took the opening kickoff 91 yards for a touchdown and a 7-0 Cardinals lead right off the bat. The rest of the 1st quarter contained 3 turnovers, 2 first downs, and 15 yards total offense. In the 2nd quarter, Romo was hit in his own end zone, and fumbled for a Cardinals touchdown. After further review, the infamous Tuck Rule reversed the call. The Oakland Raiders forever remember that rule, as now the Cardinals fell victim to it. Romo then led the Cowboys 91 yards in only 7 plays, as a 55 yard pass to Patrick Crayton with one minute left in the half tied the score 7-7. The Cardinals fumbled the ensuing kickoff, and Dallas took over at the Arizona 27. It did not matter, as Nick Folk clanked a 36 yard field goal attempt off of the upright to end the miserable half. Each team had one good play and nothing more to brag about.

The Cowboys took the second half kickoff and marched 77 yards in 12 plays, eating up almost 7 minutes. Romo found Austin for 14 yards to put Dallas up 14-7. Nick Folk kicked the ensuing kickoff out of bounds, putting Arizona at their own 40. 11 plays and 5 minutes later, Kurt Warner found Larry Fitzgerald for a 5 yard touchdown pass and a tie game 14-14. The Cardinals then gambled on an onsides kick that failed, but no points came out of it.

As the 3rd quarter was ending, Warner, from his own 6 yard line, brought the Greatest show in the Desert to life. A 15 yard pass to Breston was followed by a 39 yard pass to Fitzgerald. Edgerrin James moved the chains, and Warner found Breston for 11 yards and the leading touchdown with 11 minutes left. After a Dallas punt, Warner kept firing, and a field goal had the Cardinals safely in front 24-14.

Safely was the wrong word. A short swing pass to Marion Barber followed by several mistackles led to a 70 yard touchdown. The Cowboys trailed 24-21, but a taunting penalty after the touchdown forced Dallas to kick from their own 20. They had 2 timeouts left, and kicked off. Arizona took over at their own 43 after a short kickoff. Arizona went nowhere, and Dallas got the ball back with one minute left deep in their own territory.

With 22 seconds left from their own 36, Romo fired to Jason Witten at the Arizona 40 with 3 seconds left. Folk prepared for a 57 yard field goal to tie the game. The officials huddled and ruled that an Arizona player was offsides when the ball was spiked. Therefore, Folk had his chance from 52 yards. The kick was blocked, but the Cardinals had called timeout before the kick. This was reminiscent of the New England-Baltimore game last year. Folk had another chance, and he drilled it. The game went into overtime.

The Cowboys had all the momentum, and they won the coin toss in a  game that should have ended in regulation. However, they went 3 and out and had to punt.The punt was blocked by Morey, who was so far deep in the backfield that the punter’s foot never touched it. It was recovered at the 3 yard line by Beisel, who staggered in for the touchdown. The Cardinals closed the game the way they opened it, with a special teams touchdowns. Both teams are 4-2. 30-24 Cardinals, OT

Philadelphia Eagles @ San Francisco 49ers–After a San Francisco field goal, Demps returned the kickoff 63 yards to the San Francisco 37. That set up a Correll Buckhalter run from a yard out to put the Eagles up 7-3. The 49ers added another field goal, but Donovan McNabb then went 78 yards for another touchdown. A pass to Buckhaleter for 25 yards set up the 2 yard toss to Baskett. On the next Philly possession, McNabb’s 3rd and goal pass set up 4th and goal at the 1. Andy Reid decided to kick the field goal, to put the Eagles up 17-6. With 30 seconds left in the half, the 49ers added a 3rd field goal to pull within 17-9.

McNabb needed less than that to set up a 54 yard field goal attempt by David Akers. The kick was blocked by McDonald, and returned 41 yards for a touchdown by Duane Strickland. Instead of being up 20-9, the Eagles led only 17-16 at the break.

The 49ers took the second half kickoff, and began at their own 22. J T O’Sullivan passed the team to the Philly 31, and Frank Gore had a 25 yard run to the 6, before running the remaining 6 yards on the next carry. The 49ers led 23-17, and tacked on a field goal to lead 26-17 after 3 quarters. The 3rd quarter was all San Francisco, but the 4th quarter was all Philadelphia.

The 49ers took over at their own 12 after intercepting McNabb and thwarting a drive, but a poor punt had Philly starting at the San Francisco 44. 5 plays later McNabb found Smith for 2 yards, and the Eagles were within 26-24. The game then turned into the David Akers show. Despite the blocked one earlier, he redeemed himself several times in the 4th quarter.

Akers nailed a 38 yarder with under 8 minutes remainign to give the Eagles the lead. AFter an O’Sullivan interception, Akers connected from 25 yards to give the Eagles a 4 point lead. O’Sullivan then fumbled, and again the Eagles could not convert a short field into a touchdown. With 1:14 remaining, the Eagles led 33-26.

With one minute to go, the 49ers reached midfield, but O’Sullivan was intercepted, and the 55 yard return by Parker for the final score locked up the game. The Eagles put up 17 points through 3 quarters, and 23 points in the 4th quarter. 40-26 Eagles

Green Bay Packers @ Seattle Seahawks–this was once an exciting game, with Brett Favre and Matt Hasselbeck dueling, and Shaun Alexander running, until Al Harris intercepted Hasselbeck in overtime to win it. Those days are gone. Aaron Rodgers started for the Packers, Frye did for the Seahawks, and Mike Holmgren was an unhappy Walrus in his final season coaching Seattle. Frye found Carlson for a 6 yard touchdown pass midway through the seond quarter to put Seattle up 10-3. Rodgers then led a 7 minute drive that took up 66 yards and 13 plays. Aaron Rodgers snuck it i himself one yard for the tying score with 30 seconds left in the half.

Midway through the 3rd quarter, Rodgers went deep to Greg Jennings for a 45 yard touchdown to put the Packers on top 17-10. After a Seattle punt, Rodgers led the Packers on an 84 yard drive that took 15 plays and 8 minutes. Rodgers found John Kuhn for a 1 yard touchdown pass to put the Packers comfortably in front 24-10 with 11 1/2 minutes remaining. Charles Woodson intercepted Frye on the next series to end any suspense. 27-17 Packers

New England Patriots @ San Diego Chargers was the Sunday night game. The Chargers took the opening kickoff, and on the first play Philip Rivers found Vincent Jackson for a 48 yard bomb. Antonio gates dropped a touchdown pass, and the Chargers settled for a field goal. After New England missed a field goal, the Chargers took over at their own 38, and began firing again. Rivers went for the jugular, and the 49 yard bomb to Floyd had the Chargers up 10-0. Floyd made an acrobatic catch, out wrestling Deltha O’Neal for the ball.

After a punt left New England with a short field at the San Diego 43, a field goal cut the gap to 10-3. Yet New England punted on their next drive, and a strong return by Darren Sproles with a personal foul tacked on had the Chargers in business at the New England 31. Rivers went to Jackson for 4 yards and a 17-3 lead just before the half.

In the second half, the Patriots mounted a drive, and from the San Diego 29, Matt Cassel tosses a short pass to Sammy Morris. Morris took it all the way to the San Diego one yard line. On first and goal, Cassell threw incomplete. A run was stuffed on 2nd and down, and another incomplete pass on erd down set up 4th and goal form the 1. Cassel tried to take it himself on the draw, and got rocked. The goal line stand was the turning point in the game.

From his own 6, Rivers threw from his end zone to Vincent Jackson for a 59 yard bomb to the New England 35. 2 plays later, a defensive pass interference penalty in the end zone set up a 1 yard touchdown pass from Rivers to Gates. Instead of 17-10, the Chargers led 24-3 midway through the 3rd quarter. An interception of Cassel on the next series set up a field goal, and the Chargers added another field goal after that. The game was never close. 30-10 Chargers

New York Giants @ Cleveland Browns was the Monday night game. Despite not having Jim Brown and Sam Huff, this game had plenty of stars and action. On the 3rd play of the game, Derek Anderson hit Braylon Edwards for 49 yards, setting up a Phil Dawson field goal and a 3-0 Cleveland lead. Eli Manning had the Giants on the move, but was intercepted at the Cleveland 5 yard line. The Browns drove close enough for Dawson to attempt a 52 yard field goal, but this one was caught by the wind, and sent wide. Manning then tossed a 34 yard pass to Kevin Boss to the Cleveland 24, setting up a 7 yard run by bruiser Kevin Jacobs. The Giants led 7-3 early in the second quarter.

The Browns took over on their own 26, and Anderson bombed away to Edwards for a 70 yard gain, setting up 1st and goal at the 4. Jamal Lewis did the rest on the ground, and Cleveland was back on top 10-7. After a New York punt, Anderson led a 77 yard drive over 5 1/2 minutes. Anderson hit Dinkins on a 22 yard touchdown pass to put the Browns up 17-7 with 2:15 remaining in the half.

Manning ran the 2 minute drill to perfection, and in a play reminiscent of the most recent Superbowl, Manning found Plaxico Burress on a fade route in the corner of the end zone with seconds left. The 3 yard touchdown pass put the Giants within 17-14 at halftime.

Manning opened the second half by throwing his second interception, allowing Cleveland to start at the New York 46. Cleveland ran a double reverse that went for 33 yards, setting up a field goal to go up 20-14. After a New York punt, Cleveland began at their own 13, after a false start, they moved 92 yards, on a 14 play drive that ate up 8:16 off of the clock. Anderson passed to Edwards for the 11 yard touchdown that put the Browns up 27-14 on the first play of the 4th quarter.

Manning then led a nearly 7 minute drive from the New York 14 to the Cleveland 9. He then threw a touchdown pass to Eric Wright. Unfortunately for Manning, Wright plays for the Browns. Manning;s 3rd interception was returned by Wright 94 yards to what Stuart Scott would refer to as the “hizzy.” The 2 point conversion gave the Giants their first loss of the season. Manning did bring the Giants back to within the Cleveland 10, but a poorly thrown 4th down pass was dropped in the end zone.

While the Browns had several false starts on offense, they had zero punts, gave up zero sacks, and had zero turnovers. This was the difference, especially in the 4th quarter. 35-14 Browns

eric

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