THE TYGRRRR EXPRESS

From Duffy’s Sportsbar in South Florida, here is the NFL 2010 Week 4 Recap.

(The upside is football starting at 1pm allows for sleeping in. Also, they serve the food to you…no having to get up to go to the fridge. The downside is that pajamas are not a good idea.)

New York Jets at Buffalo Bills–This had the potential to be  trap game for the Jets after a big emotional win on the road against Miami last week. Trent Edwards was released as Ryan Fitzpatrick stayed, which means something to somebody in Western New York. Early on Mark Sanchez took Gang Green right down the field, and a one yard plunge up the middle by Ladanian Tomlinson had the Jets up 7-0 early on. Nick Folk missed a field goal that would have extended the lead. Folk did connect in the second quarter to have the Jets up 10-0.

Late in the half Sanchez went deep to Braylon Edwards for a 41 yard touchdown to have the Jets up 17-0 in a laugher. However, the 2 minute drill gave the Bills a spark of life. Fitzpatrick hit Martin for a 4 yard touchdown as the Bills trailed 17-7 at intermission.

In the third quarter Rex Ryan went to his bag of tricks, and a direct snap ti Jerricho Cotcherry resulted in him throwing an 8 yard touchdown pass to Dustin Keller as the Jets led 24-7. Keller caught another short touchdown pass, this one from Sanchez in a more traditional manner, as the Jets continued slapping the Bills silly 31-7. Ladanian Tomlinson got in on the fun with a 26 yard touchdown run as the throttling had the Jets up 38-7.

Buffalo mounted a furious rally that fell just short by 24 points. The Jets did not take this game too lightly, as they now have 3 consecutive division wins, the last 2 on the road. Hard Knocks is what they are delivering as they are 3-1 and winning in statement fashion. 38-14 Jets

Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns–Until Ohio is sold to Canada, this intradivision rivalry will continue to waste airspace in the other 49 states. The Bengals have not lived up to the hype, while the Browns are a mess as Jake Delhomme remains out. Chad Johnson should send Pepto Bismol to every fan who watches this game because it will make them sick. The Browns kicked a field goal to lead 3-0 and allow the Walrus Mike Holmgren to let Eric Mangini coach the second quarter.

Seneca Wallace led an 87 yard drive that ended in a 24 yard touchdown pass to Evan Moore to have the Browns leading 10-0 in the Boredom Bowl. The Bengals did kick a field goal, although neither of their reality tv star wide receivers kicked the ball. With 3 1/2 minutes left in the half Carson Palmer went deep to Terrell Owens. Owens failed to drop the ball, racing for the 78 yard tying touchdown and then announcing to the crowd that he loves him some him. The Browns kicked a field goal to lead 13-10 at halftime. For some reason, the second half was played.

In the third quarter Seneca Wallace led the Browns on an 11 play, 64 yard drive that was capped off with Patrick Hillis running it in from one yard out to have the Browns up 20-10. Carson Palmer was then hit, and his fumble deep in Cincy territory led to a Phil Dawson field goal as the Browns extended the lead to 23-10.

Cincinnati did put a field goal on the board to trail 23-13, as Terrell Owens griped on the sidelines, most likely about the skyrocketing costs of his health insurance premiums. The PPO providers apparently don’t love him some him. The Bengals got the ball back and Palmer calmly led an 80 yard drive that was capped off with a 3 yard touchdown toss to Leonard as the Bengals were within 23-20.

With 9 1/2 minutes left in regulation, Palmer, who finished the day 25 of 26 for 371 yards passing, moved the Bengals from their own 14 to a 3rd and 3 at the Cleveland 31. Offensive holding on Chad Johnson pushed the Bengals out of field goal range as the Browns took over with 4 1/2 minutes left at their own 11.

Hillis took the game over, picking up gains of 1, 5, 5, and 1, as Cincy used their timouts. Hillis picked up 3 more, and then ripped off a 24 yard gain. The Bengals never got the ball back as the Browns hung on for their first win and the Bengals remain ridiculously overrated as Marvin Lewis fails to see his head cases get the job done. 23-20 Browns

Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers–This is why we watch football. This game was expected to be a head-knocker with points at a premium. The 2 teams who met in the AFC Title Game a couple years ago could be there again, as Mike Tomlin and John Harbaugh are virtual mirror images of attitude and consistency.

The attempt to keep the game scoreless was helped along by a 6 minute drive for the Ravens that ended in a missed Billy Cundiff field goal. Charlie Batch then threw a 34 yard deep strike to Fabian Washington at the one yard line. Rashard Mendenhall banged it in to have the Steelers up 7-0. Joe Flacco came right back with a 40 yard deep ball to Derrick Mason. Illegal contact kept the drive going. On 3rd and 7 from the 9 and the Steelers smelling pass, a perfect draw play resulted in a touchdown run by Willis McGahee to tie the game 7-7 early in the second quarter.

With 6 minute left in the half, Batch was stripped of the ball near his own goal line. Yet instead of falling on it, Ravens defenders tried to pick it up and run 1 or 2 yards to glory, allowing the Steelers to fall on it and retain possession. Offsetting penalties only added to the confusion. Flacco led the Ravens into the red zone with seconds left in the half but could not crack the Pittsburgh defense. From 33 yards out, Cundiff put the Ravens up 10-7 at haftime in a game that was every bit as nasty as advertised.

Denver Broncos at Tennessee Titans–After a scoreless first quarter, Kyle Orton hit Eddie Royal from 8 yards out to have the Broncos up 7-0 on the road. Yet Vince Young quickly brought the Titans 71 yards in only 4 plays, with an 8 yard touchdown to Kenny Britt deadlocking the game 7-7. With 23 seconds left in the half, Prater kicked a field goal to have the Broncos leading 10-7.

The second half became a slog as the Titans kicked a field goal to tie it and the Broncos added one of their own to lead 13-10. A game with little excitement got exciting in a hurry as a 98 yard Mariani kickoff had the Titans up 17-13. No laterals were involved. Orton brought Denver right back, but at the 18 the drive stalled. Prater connected on a 3rd field goal to have Denver within 17-16. With 5 minutes left in the third quarter Rob Bironas kicked his second field goal as the Titans led 20-16.

With 5 1/2 minutes left in regulation the Broncos faced 3rd and 1 at the Tennessee 11, a wildcat snap yielded nothing. Josh McDaniels decided to go for it on 4th and inches, and the Broncos made it on the ground by the nose of the ball. With 4 1/2 minute left the Broncos faced 4th and 3 at the 5. Orton fired to the back of the end zone but the low throw was dropped as Jeff Fisher saw his team make a critical stand.

The Broncos got the ball back, and with 2:17 to play they were at the Titans 45. At the 2 minute warning they were back at midfield facing 2nd and 25. Orton went deep, and defensive pass interference in the end zone set up 1st and goal on the one with 1:52 left. A false start pushed Denver back. Orton then hit Correll Buckhalter for the touchdown as Denver led by a field goal with 1:33 to play.

Jeff Fisher could only watch helplessly as the Titans fumbled the ensuing kickoff, ruining any chance of a comeback. The Titans had all of their timeouts, and held Denver to another field goal as the Broncos led by 6 with 30 seconds left. The ensuing kickoff was returned to the 43, but an illegal block nullified that. A deep pass was dropped with 16 seconds left. Another deep pass was dropped again with 8 seconds left. A final hail mary fell incomplete.

Denver improved to 2-2 with the hard fought road win as Tennessee lost another tough game at home. 23-20 Broncos

Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers–This is another example of a game on paper that was supposed to be a blowout for the homers. A couple years ago the Packers faced the 0-15 Lions and helped them make history. The mercy rule was not expected to be in effect today. Matthew Stafford is still injured and Bobbie Layne is still deceased.

Green Bay already led 7-0 due to a 29 yard touchdown pass from Aaron Rodgers to Donald Driver when the Lions offense decided to end the suspense with an early interception. Yet the Lions still have Calvin Johonson, and the all world receiver took in a 23 yard touchdown pass from Shawn Hill to tie the game 7-7 in the second quarter.

Yet the Lions are the gift that keeps on giving, and gift field position had the Packers at the Detroit 12. Rodgers hit Finley for the touchdown to have the Packers back on top 14-7. Rodgers has been firing at will this season, and a 17 yard touchdown pass to Greg Jennings had the Packers cruising at 21-7.

The Lions refused to quit, at least in the first half. Hill led a 13 play, 80 yard drive that took over 6 1/2 minutes off the clock. Just before the half, Hill hit Calvin Johnson from 21 yards out as the Lions were only down 21-14 at the break. Green Bay did fumble the kickoff before the half but stalwart Jason Hanson was short on a 55 yard field goal attempt. Hanson would redeem himself bigtime in the second half as everybody else but him went to sleep.

Hill kept throwing, but in the third quarter he was intercepted by 2009 defensive player of the year Charles Woodson, who raced 48 yards for a touchdown to have the Packers up 28-14. Detroit kept chipping away as four…yes four…field goals had the Lions only trailing 28-26 with practically the entire fourth quarter to play. Hanson connected from 39, 52, 49, and 24. The Lions then intercepted Rodgers on a bomb with 11 1/2 minutes left as the blowout had quietly turned into a thriller.

With 6 1/2 minutes left the Lions faced 4th and 9 from the Green Bay 37. Despite missing earlier from 55, Hanson was now red hot. Jim Schwartz decided not to give Hanson a chance, opting to punt and play field position.

Rodgers bled the clock, leading the Packers from their own 13 to a 3rd and 7 at the Detroit 21 with 55 seconds left. With the Lions prepared for the pass, Kuhn ran straight up the middle for 8 yards as the Lions helplessly watched the clock run out.

These are the Lions, and they did not get the job done to get their first win. Green Bay is 3-1, and while tis was far tougher than it should have been, to quote Chris Berman, “That’s why they play the games.” As for Lions, that’s why they lose the games, dropping to 2-34 in their last 36 games. 28-26 Packers

San Francisco 49ers at Atlanta Falcons–Mike Singletary scowls. So what? This is not 1985 Chicago. When Alex Smith threw a 12 yard pass to Vernon Davis, the 49ers led 7-0 and all of San Francisco talked of the second coming of Joe Montana to Dwight Clark. No, not really. Yet when the 49ers blocked a punt for another touchdown to lead 14-0, it became apparent that the Falcons were flat after their big emotional win on the road against New Orleans last week. Taylor Mays caught the blocked punt in the back of the end zone and got his feet down to make it a touchdown instead of a safety.

Matt Ryan is Matty Ice, and he calmly led a 12 play, 6 minute drive that covered 71 yards, with Ryan hitting Douglas for 8 yards to have the Falcons within 14-7. The defenses took over, and in the second quarter the Falcons kicked a pair of field goals to get within 14-13. The second kick never should have happened. With one minute and 20 seconds left in the half, the 49ers only needed to run the ball and try to end things. To describe how they screwed this up makes the Miracle at the Meadowlands seem sane. Singletary has a new offensive coordinator, and from the Atlanta 34 a pass for Frank Gore was intercepted.

From the Atlanta 33, Matt Ryan had Atlanta at the Atlanta 47 with one minute left. Ryan hit Douglas for 33 yards to the San Francisco 19. With 36 seconds left, the Falcons faced 4th and 1 at the 10. Mike Smith may look like an average non-descript white guy who looks like a guy named Mike Smith, but he does not act like it. Rather than kick the field goal, he decided to go for it so that the Falcons could bleed the clock and not leave 30 seconds left. If the gamble failed he would be ridiculed in Barry Switzer territory. Ryan picked up 2 yards, the field goal was good, and the Falcons trailed by a point at the break.

The second half was lifeless. Alex Smith led the 49ers from their own 8 to 3rd and 4 at the Atlanta 34. A penalty pushed them out of field goal range. Everything seemed over as Matt Ryan was intercepted with under 2 minutes to play. Yet rather than go to the ground, too many defenders want to be part of an ESPN highlight reel. Rather than go coast to coast, Roddy White caught up to the defender and stripped the ball loose, and the Falcons had one last shot. Ryan took over with 1:22 to play in regulation and the Falcons at their own 7 yard line. They had all 3 timeouts, but miles of ground to cover.

On 3rd and 10 Ryan hit Douglas for 17. Ryan hit Roddy White for gains of 13 and 20 to the San Francisco 39 with 52 ticks left. On 3rd and 2 from the 31, Ryan hit Tony Gonzalez for 5 yards as the 49ers were using their timeouts in case they needed a comeback of their own. Both teams took their final timeout with 7 seconds left and Matt Bryant coming in for a 43 yard field goal to win it.

The kick was good, and the 49ers dropped to 0-4. The Falcons have had back to back Cardiac wins to get to 3-1, and Mike Singletary is most likely still scowling somewhere. His team led 14-0, showing how motivated they are. 16-14 Falcons

Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints–When a bad team travels on the road to face a good team, the good teams are supposed to win in a blowout. This is especially true when the home team is angry after blowing a win the week before. After 14 minutes of scoreless football, Drew Brees went deep to a receiver in double coverage. Defensive pass interference set the Saints up at the 5.  Brees hit Moore for the touchdown.

In the second quarter Jimmy Clausen threw his first NFL touchdown pass, proving that Charlie Weis really is a genius. The 55 yard touchdown to Jimmy Stewart tied the game at 7-7. With 1:13 left in the half, last week’s goat Garrett Hartley did not come on the field. There was no chance at redemption as his predecessor became his successor. Old man John Carnet hit the 32 yard field goal to have the Saints up 10-7 in a game where they dominated statistically but not on the scoreboard.

In the third quarter Deangelo Williams took a handoff and raced 39 yards for a score as the Panthers shocked the home crowd and led 14-10. New Orleans put a field goal on the board to trail 14-13 late in the third quarter. With 3:50 left in regulation a third field goal by Carney had the Saints leading this war of attrition by a deuce.

The Panthers had a final shot, and on 4th and 4 from their own 46 with 1:53 left, Matt Moore completed a perfect strike at the Saints 38. On 3rd and 12 Moore was sacked. On 4th and 16, John Fox decided against a 62 yard John Kasay field goal. Moore threw incomplete and the Saints survived a heartstopper. Sean Payton knows repeating will be tough, and the last 2 weeks have proven this. It was ugly, but the Saints got the win and John Carney got redemption in the same week as his AARP card. 16-14 Saints

Seattle Seahawks at St. Louis Rams–USC lost the day before, justifying Pete Carroll’s exit. Yet the Rams are no longer the second coming of San Jose State, as Sam Bradford has them improved. Bradford led a 10 play, 90 yard drive that ended with a 15 yard touchdown pass to Gibson to have the Rams up 7-0. In the second quarter Matt Hasselbeck led a 14 play, 81 yard drive that took 6 1/2 minutes. However, the drive stalled at the 5 and a 22 yard Olindo Mare field goal had Seattle within 7-3. The Rams tacked on a field goal of their own to lead 10-3 at the half.

In the third quarter Bradford found Darby for a 21 yard touchdown pass as the Rams led 17-3 and got closer to Bradford’s first NFL win. Seattle mounted no comeback, and while the win was unexciting, the Rams will happily take it. Seattle never got going as the Rams clamped down on defense. Steve Spagnuolo helped win a Super Bowl in New York with defense. This may be the first building block. 20-3 Rams

Indianapolis Colts at Jacksonville Jaguars–Last year these teams put on a pinball clinic in Jacksonville as the Colts survived 35-31 in their march to the Super Bowl. The first half of this game was just as exciting, as defensive mind Jack Del Rio had few answers for Peyton Manning and Jim Caldwell almost had a facial expression the game was so exciting. Caldwell is all personality.

Manning put on a clinic early on with an 11 play, 59 yard drive that took 6 1.2 minutes and finished with Joseph Addai running it in from 2 yards out as the Colts led 7-0. David Garrard, perhaps the best dressed player in football, led a 5 minute 76 yard drive that ended with Garrard himself scrambling for 25 yards to tie the game 7-7.

In the second quarter with a short field, it was the Jaguars who led 14-7 when a 45 yard drive culminated with Maurice Jones-Drew took it in from one yard out to have the Jaguars up 14-7. Yet Manning is not in the Hall of Fame only because he has not retired yet. 85 yards, 11 plays, and 6 minutes later, a 7 yard touchdown pass from Manning to Dallas Clark tied the game 14-14 at intermission.

Manning had the Colts on the move again in the third quarter when he decided to go for all the marbles. He was intercepted in the end zone, and it was returned just past midfield. With a short field, Garrard calmly threw a 15 yard bullet between a pair of defenders to Lewis to have the Jaguars up 21-14.  As the third quarter was ending, Manning had the Colts going in for the tying score until Reggie Wayne fumbled at the 10 yard line. It was returned 43 yards past midfield, but the Jaguars failed to move the ball. The Colts got the ball back early in the fourth quarter at their own 4 yard line.

Manning went right back to Wayne for a gain of 21. Manning hit Wayne again for 13 and to Austin Collie for 12 more at midfield. Manning hit Dallas Clark for 15 and Wayne for 17 more. Manning then hit Wayne for 12 down to the 6. After a flurry of passes, Joseph Addai ran for 4 and 2 more to complete the 96 yard drive and tie the game 21-21 with 5 1/2 minutes left in regulation.

A 39 yard kickoff return had the Jaguars at their own 43, and Garrard answered Manning. On 3rd and 4 just shy of midfield, a critical roughing the passer call had the Jaguars at the Colts 23. On 3rd and 1 from the 14, Garrard picked up 3. On 3rd and 7 form the 8, Garrard hit Jones-Drew for the touchdown as the Jaguars led by 7. The Colts took over at their own 35 with 2:02 to play as Del Rio and the home crowd took deep breaths.

3 incomplete passes set up 4th and 10. Manning calmly hit Dallas Clark for 16 just past midfield. Manning then went deep to Wayne for a 42 yard gain to set up 1st and goal at the 7 with a full 1:07 to play. On 3rd and goal at the 1, Manning hit Collie for the tying score with 48 seconds to play.

Garrard had one last shot. On 3rd and 2 from the Jacksonville 31, Garrard hit Underwood for 6 yards. Garrard then hit Underwood for 22 to the Indy 41. Del Rio brought in Josh Scobee for a 59 yard field goal attempt with 5 seconds left. Scobee absolutely beat the daylights out of the ball, leveling it over the bar with some room to spare. Scobee took his helmet off and ran around the field, as was his right. This game was every bit as thrilling as last year, and this time the Jaguars stood tall as the Colts fell to 2-2. These teams meet later in the year in Indy. 31-28 Jaguars

Houston Texans at Oakland Raiders–Jewish Raider fans are still mourning the crushing loss last week. For more on the game of the day, go to http://www.justblogbaby.com

The Raiders started last week by giving up a kickoff return for a score. This week it was the Silver and Black taking the opening kickoff and seeing Ford return it 64 yards to the Houston 38. Golden field position was wasted when Bruce Gradkowski was hit and fumbled the ball, knocking the Raiders out of field goal range.

The Texans took over at their own 10 and Matt Schaub hit Dreesen for a 29 yard gain. Schaub then hit Walton for 12 and Steve Slaton for 13 more. From the Oakland 33, Ward raced around the right side for an easy touchdown as the Texans led 7-0.

The Raiders took over at their own 20. From the 25, Gradkowski hit Darren McFadden, who took a short pass for a 43 yard gain. On 3rd and 6 from the Houston 28, Gradkowski hit Zach Miller for 10 yards. Michael Bush picked up 8 yards, and then the final 2 as the Raiders tied the game 7-7.

After an exchange of punts, the Texans took over at the Raiders 37. Slaton picked up 23 on the ground, and on 3rd and 8 fro the 11, Schaub hit Dreesen for the touchdown as the Texans led again 14-7. In the second quarter the teams exchanged punts again as the Raiders took over at their own 36.

Gradkowski hit Miller for 17 yards to the Houston 44. On 3rd and 3 from the 37, Gradkowski picked up 5 yards himself. Gradkowski hit McFadden for 11, Miller for 8 more, and Reece for the 13 yard score as the Raiders again tied the game 14-14.

With 1:10 left in the half, the Raiders took over at their own 43 Gradkowski hit Miller for 23 and McFadden picked up 5 more. Well within Janikowski’s range, Gradkowski was then sacked and fumbled, killing the drive. Schaub actually got the Texans into field goal range, but as the half ended a field goal doinked off the upright.

For undisclosed team reasons, Gary Kubiak did not have Arriun Foster start. Unfortunately for the Raiders, he did play. The third quarter began with Foster easily rambling 74 yards for a score to have the Texans back on top 21-14.

The Raiders reached midfield but punted. Schaub then led a drive that consumed over 7 1/2 minutes of clock and 13 plays. Beginning on his own 10, he faced 3rd and 7 at the 13. He coolly hit Daniels for 8 yards. Arriun Foster took a short pass 31 yards. On 3rd and 1 from the Oakland 27, Foster picked up 4. The Drive stalled at the Oakland 17, but Neil Rackers connected from 35 to have the Titans up 24-14.

Gradkowski then went deep and was intercepted, with a return all the way back to the Oakland 35. Foster picked up 11 and Dreesen caught a pass for 9 more. On the opening play of the fourth quarter, Schaub hit Foster from 10 yards out to have the Texans coasting at 31-14.

As I keep saying, as long as Gradkowski is in the game, the Raiders have a chance to win. A healthy Darren McFadden also helps greatly. McFadden had 105 all purpose yards by halftime, and from the Oakland 13, he quickly picked up 23 yards.  Gradkowski then hit Johnny Lee Higgins for another 12. On 3rd and 8 from midfield, Gradkowski hit Miller for a pair of  9 yard gains. After an encroachment penalty, Bush picked up 6 and then Gradkowski hit Miller for 6 more and then for the 14 yard touchdown. The Raiders were within 31-21 with a full 11 minutes left in the game. After the Texans went 3 and out in only one minute, the Raiders took over at their own 18.

Gradkowski quickly hit Miller for 10 yards and Bush picked up another 11. A pass to Higgins went for 26 yards at the Houston 35. On 3rd and 5, Gradkowski hit Louis Murphy for just enough. The drive stalled at the 21, and Seabass came in for a 39 yard field goal. Last week he had a nightmarish game, and his 5 misses this year lead the league. He only missed 3 all of last year. This kick was good and the Raiders were within 7 points with over 6:13 still remaining. 613 is an important number in Jewish culture, although Al Davis did not factor that into the rest of the game.

With 3 minutes left, the Raiders got the ball back at their own 25. On 3rd and 3 Gradkowski threw incomplete, but defensive holding kept the drive going. At the 2 minute warning the Raiders faced a comfortable 2nd and 2 at their own 44. Yet a critical intentional grounding penalty followed by an interception gave the Texans the ball at the Oakland 41 with 1:40 left. The Raiders still had timeouts, and everything came down to 3rd and 6 at the 37 with 1:31 left. Foster ran for 8 yards and the Raiders were done.

This was the year that the Raiders were going to finally stop being losers and be an average team. They were a missed kick from being 2-1 last week. Instead they are 1-3, and in last place in the division. Tom Cable has to get wins in a hurry or he may lose the team. Every time the team looks like it is about to turn the corner, it takes a step back. Gradkowski finished 24 of 39 for 278 yards and 2 touchdowns with 2 interceptions. The Texans improved to 3-1, while the Raiders still remain unfulfilled potential. 31-24 Texans

Washington Redskins at Philadelphia Eagles–Forget Shakespeare. This is the real theatre with men in tights to watch. Donovan McNabb remains as classy as ever, refusing to criticize publicly the organization that royally screwed him over. Walrus Lite Andy Reid continued to have Michael Vick start while Mike Shanahan blamed Al Davis for the Albert Haynesworth situation. He just does not like Als. While Eagles fans have booed Santa Clause, for once in their lives they showed class, cheering McNabb before the game in ways they never did during his 11 years.

They had little to cheer about early on as McNabb put on a clinic. With a short 39 yard field, a 12 yard run by Torain had the Redskins up 7-0. Later in the quarter a 78 yard drive finished with a 31 yard touchdown pass from McNabb to Chris Cooley as the Redskins led 14-0 in front of a stunned crowd.

The crowd then went silent in the second quarter as Michael Vick made an some electric moves, and scrambled all the way to the Washington one yard line. Vick got sandwiched at the goal line, and left the game with injured ribs. In a series of 3 weeks, Eagles fans have went from worshipping Kevin Kolb for no reason to pillorying him for no reason to anxiously seeing what he could do. A penalty on the Vick scramble meant Kolb was starting with 3rd and 16. A field goal made it 14-3.

McNabb came right back with a 56 yard completion that would have been a touchdown had the receiver not stumbled to the ground untouched. After 11 plays, 72 yards, in 6 minutes, Gano kicked a field goal to have the Redskins up 17-3. Maybe now Eagles fans understand that McNabb can play. Down by the goal line on 4th and goal, a delay of game penalty after a timeout prevented a touchdown attempt as a field goal before the half cut the gap to 17-6, at which point Kevin Kolb was declared Mayor of Philadelphia.

The second half was uglier than the old Veterans Stadium. The Eagles fans did cheer for McNabb when he completed a pass to one of the Eagles, resulting in an interception.  Kevin Kolb did manage to get the Eagles into the end zone with 4 minutes to play. The 2 point conversion failed as the Eagles got to within 5 points.

With one minute left in regulation Kolb rallied the Eagles for one last chance. Defensive holding on Philip Buchanan had the Eagles at midfield with 26 seconds to play. With 13 seconds left, the Eagles faced 4th and 10. What occurred next was not the Miracle at the Lincoln, but it was close. A deflected pass was caught and then quickly lateraled, resulting in a 1st and 10 at the 32 with 4 seconds left. The Hail Mary was perfectly thrown, and could have been a touchdown as the receiver jumped high and had it in his hands. Without being touched, it slowly bounced out, and was intercepted.

Andy Reid made the decision to trade away McNabb, and he has to live with it. As for Kolb, he almost pulled off the miracle. Haynesworth was on the field for the final play, and imagine if his not getting to Kolb had turned ugly. McNabb got some sweet vindication in a hideous and hard fought game. McNabb and Reid shared a lengthy and very warm hug after the game. 17-12 Redskins

Arizona Cardinals at San Diego Chargers–Both of these teams were coached by the late Don “Air” Coryell, which proves that I was grasping at straws for a compelling storyline. The Cardinals survived an Oakland meltdown last week for a one point win, and were looking for back to back AFC West wins against a Chargers team off to its typical September slow start under Norvelous Norv Turner.

Philip Rivers started out making it look easy with an 89 yard drive that culminated in a 33 yard touchdown pass to Antonio Gates to have the Chargers up 7-0. Yet in the second quarter while looking for more, a fumble was returned by Rhodes for a 42 yard touchdown to tie the game 7-7. With Kurt Warner retired, Ken Whisenhunt takes points wherever he can get them.

Rivers needed only 5 plays to move the Chargers 63 yards, with a 5 yard run by Tolbert putting the Chargers back in front 14-7. On the next San Diego drive, 65 yards came easily, as Rivers hit Gates again, this time for a 26 yard touchdown to have the Chargers up 21-7. Derek Anderson completed a perfect pass to Phillips, who plays defense for the Chargers. The 31 yard return had the Chargers leading 28-7 at the break.

There would be no miracles for the Cardinals. For the second time in three weeks they were carpet-bombed on the road, falling behind 41-7. At least this time they mounted an inspired rally that resulted in a field goal. The Chargers did not have a letdown. They never let up either. 41-10 Chargers

Chicago Bears @ New York Giants was the Sunday night game. The defenses had the clear advantage, but late in the opening quarter Eli Manning led the Giants from their own 20 to the Chicago 5. The drive stalled, and a 22 yard field goal had Big blue up 3-0 at home. Jay Cutler was then intercepted to give the Giants a short field, but Lawrence Tynes missed a 38 yard field goal. The rest of the unwatachable opening half saw Jay Cutler get slammed to the ground and knocked out of the game just before halftime as the Giants still led 3-0.

Late in the third quarter the Giants finally mounted a drive, going 90 yards. From the Chicago 30, Bradshaw ripped off a 25 yard gain. Bradshaw carried people the final 5 yards on the next play as the Giants led 10-0 with 3 minutes left in the third quarter.

With 150 year old Todd Collins at the helm, the Bears did manage a field goal to close within 10-3. With 7 minutes left in the game, the Giants had a chance to turn out the lights as Ahmad Bradshaw broke free and raced toward the end zone. Naturally, he was caught from behind and stripped of the ball, as the Bears took over at their one yard line.

They ended up punting, giving the Giants golden field position. They finally slammed the door shut when Brandon Jacobs banged it in from a couple yards out. Collins was also knocked out of the game, and emergency quarterback rookie Caleb Hanie came in for 4 minutes of a rude welcome to the NFL under impossible circumstances.

Tom Coughlin silenced his critics for another week and Lovie Smith saw the Bears lose their first game, which they should have done a week earlier anyway. Mike Martz is an offensive mad scientist, but the Big Blue defense carried the night with 10 sacks, 9 of them in the first half on Cutler, 2 interceptions, and 3 forced fumbles. 17-3 Giants

Patriots @ Dolphins was the Monday night game, and a bizarre game it was. The first half was fairly uneventful. Chad Henne threw a 19 yard touchdown pass to Bess in the first quarter. In the second quarter New England kicked a pair of field goals, the second one after Randy Moss dropped a touchdown pass. Moss went without a catch for the first time since 2006, and Tom Brady passed for only 153 yards. The Dolphins led 7-6 at halftime. In the second half, all heck broke loose as a series of special teams plays defied disbelief.

First Tate ran the second half kickoff back 103 yards for a touchdown to have the Patriots up 13-7. Miami then had to punt, and the punt was blocked. New England took over at the Miami 15, and a 12 yard touchdown run by Green-Ellis had the Patriots up 20-7.

Henne brought the Dolphins back 80 yards, and a 28 yard pass from Henne to Ricky Williams had the Dolphins within 20-14. Yet despite having little offense, Brady led New England 78 yards in 12 plays in 5 minutes. An 11 yard touchdown to Woodhead had the Patriots up 27-14.

Early in the fourth quarter, Miami lined up for a 53 yard field goal to get them within 10 points. The kick was blocked, and returned 35 yards by Arrington  to have the Patriots up 34-14 in front of a shocked home crowd. Completing the rout was an interception of Henne that Chung took 51 yards for the final New England score.

For the first time in NFL history, a team in the same game scored a rushing touchdown, passing touchdown, blocked field goal, kickoff return, interception return, and had a touchdown set up by a blocked punt. Tony Sparano had no answers, apologizing to the crowd. Henne was benched late and Tyler Thigpen threw another interception. The evil hoodie Bill Bellichick saw his team excel on special teams in an unprecedented manner. 41-14 Patriots

eric

This entry was posted on Sunday, October 3rd, 2010 at 1:01 pm and is filed under SPORTS. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.