THE TYGRRRR EXPRESS

From Texas, my attempt to catch some games at the Galveston airport will be a challenge.

Before getting to the games, in football news, the NFL cracked down on the Captain Morgan Rum company after Eagles Receiver Brent Celek struck the pose during the game. This article is well written, and the part about former Bears Quarterback Jim McMahon is hilarious.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=cr-celekpose111209&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

Nevertheless, here is my delayed Week 10 NFL Recap.

Chicago Bears @ San Francisco 49ers was the Thursday night game. A pair of error-prone teams played an error prone game. After a scoreless and turnover filled first half, late in the second quarter Jay Cutler had an interception returned 51 yards, setting up a short Frank Gore touchdown to put the 49ers up 7-0. The Bears kicked a field goal at the end of the half and another field goal in the third quarter as the 49ers led 7-6 entering the fourth quarter of this hideously ugly game.

After Jay Cutler’s fourth interception, Frank Gore broke off a big run before fumbling. Yet despite thee defenders in the area, the 49ers retained possession inside the five yard line. Gore was knocked backwards on subsequent plays, and a field goal had the 49ers up 10-6 with 10 minutes to play. As awful as the game was, Cutler worked the 2 minute drill well, and the Bears had the ball at the 49ers 12 yard line with 8 seconds left and one timeout. Cutler then fired to the end zone for his fifth interception. Mike Singletary beat his old team in a game that was notable for nothing else except that these teams were rivals 25 years ago. 10-6 49ers

Atlanta Falcons @ Carolina Panthers–The competitive game between division rivals struggling to stay in the hunt started with a field goal by Jason Elam and a 3-0 Falcons lead followed by a one yard run by Jimmy Stewart to put the Panthers up 7-3.In the second quarter Jake Delhomme capped off a 12 play, 80 yard drive with a 4 yard touchdown pass to Steve Smith on 3rd and goal to put the Panthers up 14-3. Matt Ryan came back with a 14 play, 80 yard drive that ate up 6 1/2 minutes. On 3rd and goal form the 1, Snelling crashed over to get the Falcons within 14-10. With 3 1/2 minutes left in the half, Ryan was intercepted at his own 33. Then a defensive pass interference call set up another 3rd and goal at the 4 touchdown from Delhomme to Smith as the Panthers led 21-10.

In the third quarter Ryan drove the Falcons over 12 plays and 5 1/2 minutes, but the drive bogged down at the Carolina 6 yard line. A field goal had the Falcons within 21-13. The Panthers drove down the field and set up for a 51 yard John Kasay field goal to extend the lead again, but the kick was blocked. From their own 41, Ryan led the Falcons in 14 plays over 7 minutes. Everything came down to 4th and 1 at the Carolina 3, where Ryan hit Peele for the touchdown only one minute into the fourth quarter. I personally would have kicked the extra point given all the time left, because so many teams end up needing to try a 2nd 2 pointer which would be unnecessary had they not tried the first one. Just ask John Fox about the Super Bowl in 2003. The conversion failed, and the Falcons trailed 21-19.

The Panthers drove the ball to the Atlanta 38, but on 4th and 3, Fox decided to punt rather than try a 55 yarder, given that one was blocked earlier. Ryan drove the Falcons from their own 4 to the Carolina 16. After failing to convert 3rd and 1, Mike Smith decided not to gamble on 4th and 1. Yet the chip shot field goal was no good with 6 1/2 minutes left. The Falcons got the ball back, but with 4 minutes left Ryan was intercepted at midfield. Jimmy Stewart then broke off a 45 yard touchdown run. given the earlier missed 2 point conversion, this extra point iced the game. 28-19 Panthers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Miami Dolphins–Fresh off of their failing to become the 1976 Buccaneers, Tampa Bay actually took a 3-0 lead in this game. Yet Chad Henne then brought the Dolphins 77 yards, with a one yard run by Ronnie Brown completing the drive. The extra point was blocked as the Dolphins led 6-3. In the second quarter  12 play, 7 minute drive led to a Miami field goal and a 9-3 lead as Tony Sparano decided not to gamble on 4th and 2 from the Tampa 31. The Bucs came back, but on 4th and 1 from the Miami 32, Raheem Morris also decided not to gamble, and the long field goal had the Bucs within 9-6. With 90 seconds left in the half, Josh Freeman was intercepted by Jason Taylor at the Tampa 8 yard line, and Henne hit Sperry from 5 yards out to give the Dolphins the 16-6 lead. The Bucs quickly went 3 and out, and Miami got the ball past midfield to add a field goal just before the half to lead 19-6.

Tampa Bay slowly clawed back into the game with a 54 yard field goal late in the third quarter to get within 19-9. After a Miami fumble, Freeman hit Stovall for a 33 yard touchdown pass on the first play of the fourth quarter to get the Dolphins to within 19-16. With 6 minutes remaining in the game, Miami added a 45 yard field goal to lead 22-16. Yet with 2 minutes left all hell broke loose.

Miami had 3rd and 7 at their own 25, and Chad Henne threw for the first down and instead was intercepted. Freeman got the Bucs to the one yard line, where Cadillac Williams scored. Thanks to the earlier blocked extra point, the Buccaneers led 23-22 with 1:14 left. Yet despite the fact that this team is still awful, Kellen Winslow Jr. took an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, as the Bucs kicked off from their own 15. Somehow, Miami still only managed to start at their own 16 yard line.

Henne then threw 25 yards to Bess, followed by a defensive penalty that had Miami at midfield with 41 seconds left. A 16 yard pass to Bess had Miami at the Tampa 34 with 23 seconds left. Somehow, with everyone thinking pass, Ronnie Williams ran for 27 yards to the Tampa Bay 7. The Tampa comeback turned into the Tampa collapse as Carpenter’s 25 yard field goal with 10 seconds remaining gave the Dolphins the win to keep them in the playoff hunt. The Bucs had their one game win streak end, and John Gruden just signed a Monday Night Football contract extension. 25-23 Dolphins

Detroit Lions @ Minnesota Vikings–Brett Favre took the Vikings to the Detroit 4 yard line on their opening drive, where they settled for a field goal and a 3-0 Minnesota lead. Matthew Stafford drove the Lions into field goal territory, where veteran Jason Hanson did everything that Ryan Longwell did except make the kick. An Adrian Peterson fumble in the Detroit Red Zone was a missed opportunity for Minnesota to put the game away early. Yet in the second quarter, Favre went deep to Sidney Rice for 43 yards, and Peterson redeemed himself with a 22 yard touchdown run to make it 10-0 Vikings.

Minnesota dominated the game, but squandered chances. On 4th and 1 from the Detroit 8, a run got stuffed up the middle. On the next drive Adrian Peterson ripped off a 43 yard run but at the Detroit 18 fumbled it away again. With 2 minutes left in the half, Stafford moved the Lions in 11 plays. A field goal on the last play of the half had the Lions within 10-3 in a game they could have been losing 31-0.

Yet these are the Lions, and in the second half they were the ones being charitable. They fumbled the second half kickoff, and Peterson ripped off a 27 yard run followed by a one yard touchdown run to put the Vikings up 17-3. Stafford did respond with a 15 play, 6 minute drive that covered 84 yards. An 8 yard touchdown pass from Stafford to Heller had the Lions only losing 17-10 in a game that was supposed to be a laugher.

In the fourth quarter, reality set in. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Favre went deep to Rice again, this time for 56 yards, setting up an 8 yard touchdown pass to Dugan to put Minnesota up 24-10. Longwell added another field goal with 7 minutes left to end the scoring. Once again, a very bad team played a very good team with no surprises, although the game was much more lopsided than the score. 27-10 Vikings

Jacksonville Jaguars @ New York Jets–On the first play from scrimmage, Mark Sanchez was intercepted, and Maurice Jones-Drew ran 33 yards for a touchdown to put the Jaguar up 7-0. Jack Del Rio tried a surprise onsides kick that did not work, and the short field led to a Jets field goal and a 7-3 game. The Jaguars then moved into field goal position themselves, but Josh Scobee hit the upright no good. On the next New York drive the Jaguars were called for a pair of defensive penalties, holding and roughing the passer. Sanchez hit Jerricho Cotchery for 21 yards ad then for the 7 yard touchdown to put Gang Green up 10-7.

David Garrard in the second quarter led the Jaguars 70 yards in 11 plays and 5 minutes, scrambling the final 11 yards himself to put the Jaguars back in front 14-10. After a Jets punt, Garrard led the Jaguars 86 yards in 11 plays and 5 minutes, with a 26 yard touchdown pass to Sims-Walker giving the Jaguars a 21-10 lead. The Jets did kick a field goal as the half ended to pull within 21-13.

An ugly third quarter saw Sanchez get intercepted by Groves, who returned it 37 yards to the New York 4 yard line. Jacksonville fumbled the ball away at the goal line. Sanchez went deep again, and was intercepted again. Jacksonville did not capitalize, and Sanchez finally settled down and led a 14 play, 7 minute drive that led to another field goal as the Jets were within 21-16 only seconds into the fourth quarter.

The Jets got the ball back, and Sanchez led a 16 play, 7 1/2 minute drive that covered 77 yards. On 4th and 1 from the Jacksonville 15, Greene ran the ball 14 yards, as Thomas Jones scored on the next play. The 2 point conversion failed, but the Jets led 22-21 with 5 minutes left in the game. The Jaguars took over at their own 17 and went right to work, as the vaunted Rex Ryan defense never materialized. From the New York 47, Garrard hit Lewis for a 33 yard gain down to the 14 at the 2 minute warning. Jack Del RIo then showed some real coaching intelligence.

Since the Jets were out of timeouts, he instructed Maurice Jones-Drew not to score a touchdown, but rather get close and go down to bleed the clock. From the 10, Jones-Drew ran past Jets defenders, who were trying to let him score so they could get the ball back. Jones Drew got to the one yard line and took a knee. Garrard took a couple more kneel downs, and the 21 yard Josh Scobee field goal at the gun gave the Jaguars the win. This is what good coaching and unselfish play can do. 24-22 Jaguars

Cincinnati Bengals @ Pittsburgh Steelers–The Bengals missed a 51 yard field goal on their opening drive, but points were at a premium in this slugfest. An 11 play, 6 minute drive led to a 28 yard Pittsburgh field goal and a 3-0 Steelers lead. A game with virtually no offense did have a special teams play as the ensuing kickoff was returned 96 yards for a touchdown. The Bengals failed to make the extra point when the snap was fumbled, yet they led 6-3.

With 8 minutes left in the half, a 25 yard punt return had the Steelers starting in Cincinnati territory. They reached the five yard line, but were pushed backward. Another field goal had the game tied 6-6. The Steelers got the ball back at their own 22 with 3 minutes left in the half. Ben Roethlisberger moved them down the field to the Cincy 8 yard line. However, Cincinnati again pushed the Steelers back and another field goal had the Steelers up 9-6.

The Bengal defense has been playing like demons possessed, and defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer has the heaviest heart of all. His wife recently died unexpectedly at age 50, and the entire team has rallied around him. An interception of Big Ben had the Bengals on the Pittsburgh 14, but on 4th and 1 from the 5 Marvin Lewis decided not to go for it. Points came difficult, so the field goal had the game again tied 9-9. A Pittsburgh punt had the Bengals starting at the Pittsburgh 47. Carson Palmer moved them to the 14 where yet another field goal had the Bengals up 12-9.

Field position changed when the Bengals punted from their own 2 yard line and the Steelers began at midfield. A 12 play, 6 1/2 minute drive was full of intensity. On 4th and 1 from the 12, Big Ben picked up the yard. Yet again the Bengls knocked the Steelers backward, and again it was a field goal and a 12-12 game with 11 1/2 minutes left in regulation.

Palmer moved the Bengals form their own 34 to a 4th and 1 at the Pittsburgh 15 with 7 1/2 minutes left. As expected in this game of defense and field position, Marvin Lewis opted for the field goal. The Bengals led 15-12. Pittsburgh punted, and the Bengals took over at their 21 with 6 minutes left. Palmer slowly and methodically moved the Bengals down the field. On 3rd and 3 from the Pittsburgh 23, a run lost 2 yards at the 2 minute warning.  Josh Reed had already kicked his four field goals, So Shane Graham added his fourth field goal in five tries to give the Bengals a 6 point lead.

Big Ben took over at his own 33 needing a touchdown in a game where the defenses allowed none of them. The Bengals simply knocked Roethlisberger around on 4 straight incomplete passes. Mike Zimmer and Marvin Lewis have the Bengals playing with fire and attitude, and that is what it takes to go on the road and beat the defending champs. The Bengals are 5-0 in the division, and have swept Baltimore and Pittsburgh in the same year for the first time ever. One kickoff return was the difference. 18-12 Bengals

New Orleans Saints @ St. Louis Rams–The unbeaten Saints traveled to face a pathetic Ram team that somehow won a game. For the third straight week, the Saints had difficulty with an inferior team. After a scoreless opening quarter in which Drew Brees and Marc Bulger traded interceptions, Brees then led a 13 play, 7 1/2 minute drive that covered 78 yards. Reggie Bush ran it in from 3 yards out to put the Saints up 7-0. Bulger came back 5 minutes later and fired a 29 yard touchdown pass to Avery to tie the game 7-7. Robert Meacham then ran the ball 41 yards to set up a 15 yard touchdown pass from Brees to Bush to get the Saints back in front 14-7. The Rams hung tough, as Bulger led a 13 play, 6 minute drive that covered 73 yards. Stephen Jackson ran it in from 2 yards out as the very game Rams tied the game 14-14 with one minute left in the half.

The deadlock was broken again when Roby returned the second half kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown to put the Saints back in front 21-14. The Rams punted, but Brees was then intercepted, allowing the Rams to take over at the Saints 40. They reached the 14, but on 3rd and failed to convert. A field goal had the Rams within 21-17. The Saints had a chance to put the game away when Reggie Bush ripped off a 5 yard run to the red zone. Yet Marquis Colston fumbled at the one yard line, and it resulted in a touchback. Yet the Rams could not capitalize, and Brees ended the next Saints drive with a 27 yard touchdown pass to Meacham to give the Saints some breathing room at 28-17 with 12 1/2 minutes left in the game.

With 7 minutes left, the Rams had 4th and 1 at their own 41 and decided to go for it. Stephen Jackson was stuffed for a one yard loss. The Rams got the ball back, and Bulger hit Avery for a 19 yard touchdown pass with 2:50 remaining. The 2 point conversion failed, but the Rams were within 5 points. 30 seconds later the Saints had 4th and 3 at the Rams 35. Sean Payton decided to punt rather than risk a blocked field goal. The Rams took over at their own 20. Bulger moved the Rams to a 4th and 1 at the Saints 32 with one second left. The Hail Mary was incomplete, and in a year where blowouts have been common, the Saints had survived a tough one to remain perfect. 28-23 Saints

Buffalo Bills @ Tennessee Titans–In a meaningless statistic, Ralph Wilson leads Bud Adams in age 91-86. Adams leads in being fined this week $250,000 to 0. The Titans are a bad team with a very good coach, and Jeff Fisher has held a bad team together after an 0-6 start with consecutive wins. The Bills are a bad team coached by Dick Jauron, which explains why they will not get better. Although Trent Edwards was quarterbacking the Bills, a Wildcat snap to Jackson led to a 27 yard touchdown pass to Lee Evans to put the Bills up 7-0. Dick Jauron is a genius. Yet Chris Johnson rambled for a 28 yard score a few minutes later to tie the game 7-7. On the next Tennessee drive Vince Young hit Britt for 38 yards to set up his 14 yard touchdown pass to Nate Washington to put the Titans up 14-7.

In the second quarter Rob Bironas connected on a 38 yard field goal to put the Titans up 17-7. Yet Edwards came right back, hitting Terrell Owens for a 46 yard gain to set up an 8 yard touchdown pass to Evans to get the Bills to within 17-14. Vince Young was intercepted, but the Bills failed to capitalize. With 1:05 left in the half, Young moved the team in position for a 60 yard Bironas field goal attempt, which was no good.

The Bills took the second half kickoff and moved from their own 17 to the Tennessee 7 in 12 plays and 7 minutes. A field goal tied the game 17-17. Somehow, a deadlock after three quarters turned into a fourth quarter blowout. A 12 play, 5 minute drive featured a 23 yard Chris Johnson run to set up his 3rd and goal at the one touchdown run to put the Titans up 24-17. The Titans got the ball back with 9 1/2 minutes left and bled the clock with a 6 minute drive that led to a field goal. The Tians led 27-17, but 3 1/2 minutes was plenty of time to do more damage.

Edwards was intercepted by Fuller, who returned it 26 yards for a touchdown to put the Titans up 34-17. Ryan Fitzpatrick came in for Edwards, and he was intercepted by Hood, who also returned it for a touchdown. The 37 yard score completed the action as the Titans won their third straight in a show of heart and guts against a Buffalo team lacking both. 41-17 Titans

Denver Broncos @ Washington Redskins–This could have been Clinton Portis seeking revenge against his old team, but he did not play, leaving this to be a god team playing badly against an awful team playing even worse. Kyle Orton hit Brandon Marshall for a 40 yard touchdown pass as the route was supposedly on with the Broncos up 7-0. Yet much maligned Jason Campbell led a 12 play, 6 minute drive that culminated in a 2 yard touchdown to Yoder to tie the game 7-7. Orton responded by going to Marshall again, this time for a 75 yard touchdown as the big play quick strike Broncos led 14-7.

With 6 1/2 minutes left in the first half, the Redskins faced 4th and 20 at the Denver 35. A fake field goal attempt was executed perfectly, as punter Hunter Smith showed his quarterback credentials with a 35 yard touchdown pass to Sellers had the game tied 14-14. The Broncos took over at their own 11 and bled the entire 6 1/2 minutes with a staggering 18 play drive. They could not get past the Washington 7 yard line, yet the 82 yard drive led to a field goal that had the Broncos up 17-14 at intermission. The game completely changed in the second half when Chris Simms came in to replace an injured Orton.

The third quarter featured little offense and no scoring. With 4 1/2 minutes left the Redskins did reach the Denver 28. On 4th and 1, they lost 2 yards and gave the ball back.  Washington got the ball back on their own 9 and embarked on a 13 play, 7 minute drive. They reached the Denver 12, where a 30 yard Suisham field goal had the game tied 17-17 with 10 1/2 minutes left in the contest.

Denver had 2 big plays in the first half, but no offense in the second half. Simms went for all the marbles, but was intercepted in the end zone. The Redskins ran it out, lateraled, and reached their own 40. An 11 play drive ate up over 6 minutes, and on 3rd and goal from the one, Betts crashed in to put the Redskins up 24-17 with 2:44 to play. From their own 27, Simms fired 4 straight incomplete passes as Josh McDaniels decided not to punt with 2:20 left. With 1:10 left, facing 4th and 1 at the Denver 18, Jim Zorn opted for the field goal. It was good, and the Redskins manaed to avoid Zorn and Daniel Snyder being impeached for one more week. Denver lost its third straight and are clinging to their division lead going into their game with Norvelous Norv Turner in San Diego. 27-17 Redskins

Kansas City Chiefs @ Oakland Raiders–For more on the game of the day, go to http://www.justblogbaby.com

Despite defending him for more than long enough, a couple weeks ago I finally came to accept that JaMarcus Russell is a complete and total bust. At least we did not give up multiple picks to get him, making him less of a bust than Ryan Leaf but worse than many. He wears jersey # 2 because that describes his play. He went 9 for 24 for 67 yards before being benched again. In week 2 he actually looked like he was turning a corner. Despite playing awful the whole game, he came back in the final seconds as the Raiders beat the Chiefs in Kansas City 13-10, their second straight win in Arrowhead. They just can’t beat them at home.

Like several games this season, the Raiders started strong. Michael Bush ripped off a 60 yard run to the Chiefs 4, and Justin Fargas finished form one yard out as Oakland led 7-0. As good as this was to start a game, big plays are not sustained drives of offense. The Raiders get a big play now and then, but there is no consistency on offense. The defense played well again, intercepting Matt Cassel on the first Chiefs drive. Yet even with Darren McFadden finally back in the lineup, the Raiders offense was inept. Matt Succop nailed a 50 yard field goal to pull the Chiefs to within 7-3. The Raiders punted, and received a break when Shane Lechler’s kick was fumbled. The Raiders recovered, failed to make a first down, and settled for a 50 yard Sebastian Janikowki field goal to lead 10-3. Again, points do not mean offense.

Early in the second quarter, the Chiefs faced a 4th and 1 at the Oakland 44. This was certainly not John Riggins in the Super Bowl, but the result was exactly the same, as Charles ran for a 44 yard touchdown to tie the game 10-10. On the next drive the Raiders faced 3rd and 6, which eventually became 4th and 29 and a punt. From the Chiefs 26, Cassel hit Dwayne Bowe for a 41 yard gain and Chris Chambers for 24 more to set up 1st and goal at the 7. Cassel then fumbled, but the Chiefs recovered it to keep the ball. They moved no further, but a field goal had them up 13-10. The final 9 1/2 minutes of the half featured punts, the most frustrating being when the Raiders failed to convert 2nd and 1 and 3rd and 1 at their own 40 when Russell threw incomplete passes.

The Chiefs took the second half kickoff and moved to the Oakland 34, but a 52 yard field goal attempt was no good. The Raiders took over at their own 43, and Tom Cable refused to let Russell throw the ball. Five straight runs by Michael Bush had the Raiders at the Chiefs 22. For some reason Russell started throwing again, and on 4th and 15 from the 27, Seabass missed a 45 yard field goal. The Chiefs took over on their own 36, and moved the ball. On 4th and 1 from the 14, Todd Haley decided to go for it. Without departed Larry Johnson, who absolutely would have broken Priest Holmes’s rushing record on this day, Cassel threw an incomplete pass as the Raiders dodged another bullet in a game both teams tried to lose.

The Raiders went nowhere, but received another golden opportunity when another fumbled punt by the Chiefs had the Raiders just past midfield with a little over two minutes remaining in the third quarter. Russell was benched in favor of Bruce Gradkowski. Michael Bush picked up 5 yards, but rather than let the successful ground game work, Gradkowki imitated Russell and fired incomplete passes to waste the drive.

With 11 minutes left in the game, Gradkowski was intercepted at midfield. On 3rd and 11 form the Oakland 48, Cassel threw incomplete, but defensive pass interference by Nahmdi Asomugha had the Chiefs at the Oakland 29. Yes, Asomugha is all world, but this penalty hurt. Charles ran the ball down to the 13, where the defense stiffened. A field goal had the Chiefs up by 6 points, but over 6 minutes remained. All the Silver and Black needed was one offensive touchdown.

On 3rd and 5, Gradkowski was sacked, and the Chiefs got the ball back with 4 1/2 minutes left. The defense of the Raiders hung tough, and with 1:53 left, the Raiders had one final shot from their own 20. Gradkowski hit Chaz Schillens for 9 yards and Johnny Lee Higgins for 14 more. Gradkowski scrambled for 9 more yards, and on 3rd and 1 from the Kansas City 48, Gradkowski hit Darrius Heyward-Bey for 22 yards to the Chiefs 26 with 44 seconds left. With 38 seconds left, Gradkowski went deep for Heyward-Bey at the 10 yard line. Yet Heyward-Bey is fast becoming the JaMarcus Russell of receivers, wasted potential. Michael Crabtree is no longer available. The ball bounced off of Heyward-Bey, and was intercepted with 30 seconds left.

Both teams are 2-7, and the Raiders appear to have no hope. Al Davis and Tom Cable are controversial, but they can’t make the players play. Big money was shelled out for Russell and Heyward-Bey. They have to at some point do something positive. Another winnable game became another humiliating loss. 16-10 Chiefs

Seattle Seahawks @ Arizona Cardinals–The inconsistent Seahawks faced off against the inconsistent but vastly improving Cardinals in the desert. Matt Hasselbeck put the ball in the air 52 times, completing half of them for 315 yards and a touchdown. However, he was picked off twice. Kurt Warner continued the Greatest Show in the Desert, going a ridiculous 29 for 38 for 340 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

When a punt pinned the Seahawks at their own 1, a punt gave the Cardinals excellent field position. They reached the Seattle 1, where on 4th and goal Tim Hightower was stuffed on  goal line stand. Again Seattle began on their own 1. This time Hasselbeck went deep to TJ Houshmanzadeh for 53 yards, with a 15 yard facemask tacked on to the Arizona 31. Forsett ran it in from 11 yards out to put the Seahawks up 7-0.

In the second quarter of a game in which the Cardinals had little offense up to that point, Hasselbeck fired again from the Arizona 31 and found Carlson for the touchdown as the Seahawks had a 14-0 lead. The Seahawks were in total control, but a defensve pass interference penalty set up a 28 yard touchdown pass from Kurt Warner to Steve Breaston as the Cardinals closed the gap to 14-7. With 5 1/2 minutes left in the half, Hasselbeck moved the Seahawks from their own 19 to the Arizona 12. O 3rd and 7 they lost 2 yards, and the field goal had them up 17-7.

The Cardinals got the ball back at their own 20 with 1:09 left in the half. Warner then put on a clinic. He hit Larry Fitzgerald for 25 yards, Steve Breaston for 28 more, Anquon Boldin for another 13, Doucet for another 8, and Hightower for 3 more to reach the Seattle 3 yard line with 16 seconds left in the half. Warner then fired the touchdown to Breaston, but offensive holding nullified what was up to then a perfect drive. Neil Rackers made the field goal as the Cardinals trailed 17-10 at intermission.

The Seattle defense had little time to rest despite halftime because the Cardinals took the second half kickoff and moved 82 yards in 13 plays in 7 minutes. The key play of the drive was the final play. On 4th and 1 from the Seattle 10, Ken Whisenthunt decided to go for it. Although Wells failed to pick up 3rd and 1, he took the 4th down carry the entire 10 yards for the tying touchdown at 17-17. Seattle then punted, and the Cardinals faced another 4th and 1, this time at midfield. This time Whisenhunt punted, and Seattle took over at their own 7 on a day where they had miserable field position throughout the game.

Again Seattle moved the ball from the shadow of their own goal. 12 plays and 5 1/2 minutes later, they had moved 92 yards to the Arizona 1. On 1st and goal Hasselbeck threw incomplete. On 2nd and goal Forsett lost a yard. With everything on the line, Hasselbeck fired incomplete, and on 4th and goal at the 2, Jim Mora Jr. sent out the field goal team. The kick had the Seahawks up 20-17 with 13 minutes left in the game, but the wasted opportunity would cost them dearly.

Arizona rapidly came right back. Warner fired a 37 yard pass to Boldin, and a 15 yard horsecollar tackle penalty had the Cardinals at the Seattle 13. Wells ran it in on the next play to give the Cardinals the lead at 24-20 with 11 1/2 minutes left. Seattle punted, and with 9 1/2 minutes left the Cardinals were backed up at their own 15. Warner hit Fitzgerald for 23 yards and Wells for 9 more. Wels then ripped off a 29 yard run on the ground. After a pair of 3 yard runs by Hightower, it came down to 3rd and 4 from the Seattle 18. Seattle had no defensive answers as Warner hit Fitzgerald for the touchdown to lock up the game.

Seattle was outscored 31-6 after taking their early lead, but this is a game of inches and the failure to make 36 inches was the difference. Hasselbeck furiously tried to rally Seattle, but after playing mistake free football all day, was intercepted twice in the red zone in the final 3 1/2 minutes, once at the 17 yard line and once at the 5 yard line. 31-20 Cardinals

Dallas Cowboys @ Green Bay Packers–In the 1990s these reams combined for 5 trips to the Super Bowl. The Cowboys are back and rolling under Tony Romo, while the Packers are reeling. Blaming Aaron Rodgers is not totally fair, since Brett Favre rarely beat Troy Aikman. Yet the Packers had just lost the Bay of Pigs, and this was a game the Cowboys had to be careful about after an emotional road win at Philly.

The Cowboys moved well on their first drive, but Nick Folk missed a 38 yard field goal. Mason Crosby missed a 52 yard field goal for the Packers to keep the game scoreless. The second quarter was just as ugly. With 4 minutes left in the half, Tony Romo hit Roy Williams for a 42 yard gain, but Williams fumbled the ball after being stripped by Charles Woodson, who made the recovery. Aaron Rodgers then fumbled the ball back as the teams remained scoreless for much of the half. Poor Dallas field position had Green Bat starting at midfield after a punt with 42 seconds left in the half. Rodgers hit Donald Driver for 24 yards and Crosby connected on a 48 yarder to have the Packers up 3-0 as the half ended. The third quarter was scoreless.

An ugly 3-0 game finally got going in the fourth quarter as Rodger led a 15 play, 80 yard drive that consumed over 8 1/2 minutes.  On 3rd and 11 from the Green Bay 34, Rodgers hit Greg Jennings for 14 yards. On 3rd and 13 from the Green Bay 45, Rodgers hit Lee for 17 more as the Dall as defense, which had played well all game, this time could not get off of the field. On 3rd and 6 from the Dallas 8, Rodgers hit Nelson for 7 yards and then Rodgers took it in himself on the next play as Green Bay led 10-0 with a little over 13 minutes left in regulation.

Romo had been harassed all game, and disaster struck when he was then sacked and fumbled. Green Bay took over at the Dallas 3. This was no Ice Bowl, so Rodgers tossed a 2 yard touchdown to Havner to put the Packers up 17-0. 11 minutes still remained, but the game was out of reach. Romo did move the Cowboys from their own 23 to the Green Bay one yard line, but with 6 minutes left, Romo was intercepted on a day when nothing went right for the Cowboys. They did reach the end zone with 38 seconds remaining to avert the shutout, but Green Bay had the win and perhaps a salvaged season after last week’s debacle. The Cowboys had a chance to take a big division lead, and instead the division remained up for grabs. 17-7 Packers

Philadelphia Eagles @ San Diego Chargers–Donovan McNabb and Philip Rivers both love to air the ball out, and Andy Reid and Norv Turner call many pass plays. The Eagles cannot convert on 3rd and 1 on the ground, so they have no choice, especially with Bryan Westbrook coming off of a concussion. Norvelous Norv Turner is the Rasputin of the NFL, as he keeps pulling off the Lazarus act in the great tradition of Wayne Fontes. San Diego was coming off of a thrilling win against New York at home, while the Eagles had lost a heartbreaker at home to archrival Dallas.

Field position gave the Chargers the ball at the Philly 40, and Rivers hit Tolbert for a 20 yard touchdown to put the Eagles up 7-0. In the second quarter Rivers led a 10 play, 6 minute drive that covered 82 yards and was capped off with a 3 yard Ladanian Tomlinson run that had the Chargers up 14-0. The Eagles took over at their own 22 and McNabb got them to the San Diego one yard line. On 1st and goal, a run failed. If I failed to mention it, Philly is awful in short yardage. McNabb threw incomplete on 2nd down, and on 3rd down, a run again went nowhere. For those who missed the last sentence, Philly is awful in short yardage situations. On 4th and goal from the 1, Andy Reid opted for the surrender, and the field goal had the Eagles trailing 14-3. With 4 1/2 minutes left in the half, McNab moved the Eagles in 14 plays 87 yards from their own 6 to the San Diego 7. Again they settled for a field goal as the Chargers led 14-6 at intermission.

In the third quarter, an unnecessary roughness penalty on the Eagles defense followed by a 20 yard toss from Rivers to Antoni Gates led to Tomlinson running it in from 20 yards out as the Chargers appeared headed for an easy win at 21-6. McNabb then began unleashing passing yards with reckless abandon. A 58 yard pass play to Avant led to a 3rd and 1 at the San Diego 7. Did I mention the Eagles were awful in short yardage situations? They should just take intentional penalties because they can complete 3rd and 6. On 3rd and 1 they did not even think of running it, and McNabb fired incomplete. On 4th and 1, a disgusted Andy Rid again waived the white flag and kicked another David Akers field goal as they trailed 21-9.

The magic yard line for the Chargers was the 20 yard line, and for the third time in the game, a 20 yard touchdown had them far ahead. Rivers hit Naanee for the score, and the Chargers led 28-9 in a game that had more excitement in the fourth quarter than a game like this should have had. With Norv Turner coaching, no lead is safe.

A 27 yard kickoff return had Philly at their own 46. McNabb hit Jeremy Maclin for 28 yards, and then he hit Avant for 21 more on 3rd and 18. On 3rd and goal at the 5, Andy Reid made sure the team did not reach the 1 yard line so that McNabb had room to throw. He hit Maclin for the 5 yard score as the Eagles got within 28-16 less than one minute into the last quarter. After a San Diego punt, the Eagles took over at their own 23 as McNabb simply fired at will.

On 3rd and 2 from the San Diego 26, the Eagles lost 2 yards. Oh by the way, the Eagles are awful in short yardage situations. Yet on 4th and 4, McNabb hit Captain Morgan Brent Celek for 17 yards. On 3rd and 5 from the 6, Reid ordered his team not to gain 4 yards. Yet McNabb hit Yo ho ho and a bottle of Rum Celek for the6 yard score as the Eagles were within 5 points at 28-23 with 7 minutes left. The 2 point conversion try failed, because Andy Reid could not have it moved back to the 5 yard line and his team refused to commit a penalty. Yet after 12 plays and 5 minutes, the Eagles had a shot to win.

Yet Rivers would not give them the ball back. He drove the team from the San Diego 23 to the Philly 11, bleeding almost all of the clock. A pair of 3rd down conversions killed the Eagles defense, who could not get the stop. With 30 seconds left, the Chargers did have to settle for a Nate Kaeding field goal, so the Eagles were within 8 points. From the Philly 34 with 24 seconds left, McNabb hit Jackson just past midfield. A 15 yard completion to Maclin had the Eagles at the Chargers 34 with 2 seconds left. Had they made the 2 point conversion, David Akers would have come in. However, it was up to McNabb. He had already passed for an insane 450 yards, but his Hail Mary was intercepted in the end zone. The Eagles missed a chance to get back to a tie in their division, while the Chargers are now within one game of collapsing Denver with a showdown against them next week. 31-23 Chargers

New England Patriots @ Baltimore Colts was the Sunday night game. Super Bowl 43 1/2 began with an exchange of punts, but on their second drive Peyton Manning moved Indy on a quick 90 yard drive that ended with a 20 yard touchdown pass to Jospeh Addai on a perfectly executed screen pass to put the Colts up 7-0. Tom Brady came right back with a 55 yard strike to Randy Moss to the Indy 6 yard line to set up Lawrence Maroney from one yard out to tie the game 7-7.

Early in the second quarter the Patriots drove to a 3rd and goal at the 4, but a sack of Brady ended the drive with a field goal as the Patriot led 10-7. On their next possession, Brady went deep to Moss for a 65 yard touchdown pass. They simply make the spectacular look ordinary, and the Patriots led 17-7. On their net series, Brady threw 36 yards to Ben Watson. Then he avoided a sack and hit Julian Edelman for a 10 yard touchdown pass as the game was turning into a blowout at 24-7 Patriots. Brady had 232 yards passing after only one and one half quarters.

Despite being stifled on all but one of their drives, Manning finally got the Colts. Helped along by a defensive pass interference penalty, Manning hit Reggie Wayne for a 20 yard touchdown in this game of big plays to get the Colts to within 24-14 with 4 minutes left in the half.

The third quarter was about turnovers and wasted opportunities. New England lost a scoring chance when Brady was intercepted in the end zone. Manning then went deep and was intercepted as well. New England then drove right down the field, but fumbled the ball away at the goal line. Yet despite dodging several bullets, the Colts ran out of luck when Wes Welker ran back a punt 69 yards to the Indy 7 yard line on the final play of the third quarter. Seconds into the fourth quarter, Brady’s touchdown to Moss had the Patriots up 31-14.

Manning brought the Colts right back in the hurry up offense, and less than 2 minutes later, a touchdown pass to Pierre Garcon had the Colts within 31-21. On their next drive, Manning was intercepted in Indy territory. The defense held the Patriots to a field goal, but with a little over 4 minutes remaining in the game, the Patriots led 34-28. Yet Manning came right back, and another defensive pass interference call on a deep ball had the Patriots at the 13 yard line. Joseph Addai ran it in from 7 yards out as the Colts closed to within 6 points with 2:23 left. The Colts had all 3 timeouts left and the 2 minute warning, so they decided to kick it deep despite lining up in an onsides formation. The kick was a touchback. The Patriots seemed disorganized as the Patriots took their second timeout before running a single play.

On 3rd and 2 from the 28, with 2:11 left, Indy took their second timeout as everything boiled down to the next play. An incomplete pass that was nearly intercepted and returned the other way fell incomplete. The Patriots took their final timeout and lined up to go for it. In what seemed to be just an attempt to drive the Colts offsides, Bill Bellichick really did decide to go for it. Brady threw a short pass that initially appeared to be a first down befpre the receiver was knocked backwards. However, since the ball was being juggled, forward progress was not granted. In a stunning turn of events, the Patriots turned it over on downs at their own 29 with 2:00 left. The Patriots were out of timeouts so they could not challenge the spot.

Manning fired one completion to the 14 yard line, and time was no longer a factor. Addai ran it down to the three yard line as the Patriots could not stop the clock on defense. With the Patriots smelling run, Manning fired to Wayne for the touchdown pass with 13 seconds left in the game. Matt stover kicked the extra point, and the Patriots 24-7 lead went down in flames in another game in this rivalry that will live forever. Bellichick will forever be questioned about going for it at their own 28 and wasting timeouts.

Instead of the Patriots getting within one game of the Colts, the Patriots fell to 6-3 as the Colts moved to 9-0. Home field advantage is already on the line at the midpoint, and the Colts are one step closer. Jim Caldwell has an unbeaten team, but this will be the game Bellichick lost for his team. The league is praying that the rematch comes in the AFC Title Game. 35-34 Colts

Baltimore Ravens @ Cleveland Browns was the Monday Night game. The 2009 Ravens have struggled, but luckily they were playing the 2009 Browns, who want to party like it’s 1999, when they were an “expansion” team that went 2-14. Describing the first half would be unfair to those who love football. The game was 0-0 at intermission, although the action was less exciting than that.

Reality set in for the Browns when Rice ran it in from 13 yards out to put the Ravens up 7-0. While Joe Flacco did not light up the scoreboard, Brady Quinn had a rougher night. He has finally come in and won his job back from Derek Anderson, although it might not be worth winning. Quinn did complete a 48 yard touchdown pass to Landry. Unfortunately for Quinn, Landry plays defense for the Ravens. The extra point was blocked, but the Ravens led 13-0. The Ravens added a field goal as the teams entered a final quarter that for some reason was not canceled. 16-0 Ravens

eric

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