THE TYGRRRR EXPRESS

The 14th week of the 1010 NFL Season is upon us. Each team has finished 12 games, with four left to go.

It is at this time every NFL Season that I tell the story that should be passed down to generations of football fans.

It is the legacy of NFL Football Philosopher and finally Hall of Famer John Randall.

Every September, 32 teams all have a dream of hoisting the Lombardi Trophy. They all have an equal shot. They are all young puppies, eager and ready to bite whatever is in their path.

Yet as the season grows, these puppies become unequal.

September turns into December, and the puppies get separated.

There is no room in September for little puppies.

As legend John Randall tells us, heed his words and emotions.

“This is when the big dogs come out.”

So get your intensity level jacked up. Bite the bark off a tree. Eat raw red meat right off the bone. Tackle random objects. Howl at the moon for no other reason than you can.

This is when the big dogs come out.

With John Randall in mind, here is the Week 14 NFL Recap.

Indianapolis Colts @ Tennessee Titans was the Thursday night game. The Colts came in reeling from back to back home losses to fall to 6-6, as Peyton Manning has thrown 11 interceptions in the last 3 games. 4 of those picks have gone for touchdowns the other way. Jim Caldwell is so concerned that he almost made a facial expression last week. The Colts are one game out of first place. As for Jeff Fisher, his team has gone from 5-2 to 5-7, as his head case quarterback Vince Young has left the building for the rest of the season. Bud Adams wants to keep young and Fisher, which may not happen. Kerry Collins and Randy Moss have both had good careers, but not when they play together either here or in Oakland.

After an exchange of punts, the Colts took over at their own 32. Manning led an 11 play, 6 minute, 68 yard drive. On 3rd and 2 from the Indy 40, Manning hit White for 10, Pierre Garcon for 20, and White for another 20 to set up 1st and goal at the 10. On 3rd and goal at the 1, James took it in to have the Colts up 7-0.

On the opening play of the second quarter, a Titans fumble set the Colts up at their own 41. On 3rd and 14, Manning went deep to Wayne for a 50 yard gain to the Tennessee 13. Manning hit Garcon from 1 yard out to complete the 10 play drive and have the Colts up 14-0.

After another exchange of punts, Tennesee fumbled at their own 41, and after the chaos subsided, the Colts had a gift at the Titans 19. Manning hit Garcon for the score and the Colts had a 21-0 lead in what seemed to be a blowout.

With help from a personal foul against the Colts on the ensuing kickoff, the Titans began at their own 45 with 2:16 left in the half. On 3rd and 6 Collins hit Nate Washington for 21 yards and Chris Johnson for 25 more down to the 5. Johnson did the rest, scoring from 1 yard out to have the Titans trailing 21-7 at halftime.

The Titans took the second half kickoff at their own 38 and Collins found Washington for 12. Johnson then picked up 20. On 3rd and 7 from the Indy 26, Collins hit Kenny Britt for 18. Collins hit Stevens for the 7 yard touchdown and the Titans were back in it down 21-14 with plenty of time left.

The Colts took over at their own 20. From the Indy 46, Manning went deep to Wayne for another 46 to the Titans 8. The drive stalled at the 3, and Adam Vinatieri connected from 21 to give the Colts some breathing room up 24-14.

The Titans punted and the Colts took over at their own 27. There would not be a quick strike deep this time as Manning led a methodical 16 play, 8 minute drive. On 3rd and 1 Manning found Jacob Tamme for 10. On 4th and 4 from the Tennessee 36, Jim Caldwell decided against a 54 yard field goal try. With Manning passing well, going for it was the choice. Yet with the Titans expecting a pass, James took it up the middle on the ground 11 yards. The drive would again bog down deep, but Vinatieri hit the 28 yarder to have the Colts up 27-14 With 13 minutes left in regulation. They had some comfort, but did not put the game away.

The Titans took over t their own 34 and Collins found Hall for 10. Johnson took a handoff 37 yards down the sidelines to the Indy 18. On 3rd and 4, it was the Titans who ran in a passing situation as Ringer gained 9. Collins hit Bo Scaife from 4 yards out as the Titans were only down 27-21 with a full 8 minutes left in the game.

The Colts took over at their own 21, but a 3rd and 1 running play went nowhere as they punted. The Titans took over at their own 25 but a 3rd and 5 run by Johnson only gained 4. With 4 minutes to play, Jeff Fisher decided not to gamble on 4th and  1 in his own territory. The Colts took over at their own 25. Manning hit Garcon on a short pass that went for 43 yards. With 3 minutes to play, Vinatieri came in for a 47 yard field goal to try and ice the game. As people who watched all of his Super Bowls knows, he has icewater in his veins. He connected, and the Colts led 30-21.

The Titans took over at their own 23, and Collins had them at their own 39 with 3rd and 4 as the 2 minute warning came. Collins hit Johnson for 9, then for 14, and again for 5. Collins then hit Cook for 9 yards to the Indy 24 with 55 seconds to play. This is where both the normally sensible Jeff Fisher and Kerry Collins basically blew it.

The Titans needed 2 scores, and Rob Bironas is a good field goal kicker. If he makes a 42 yard kick, the Titans are within 30-24 and then can try the onsides kick with almost a full minute. Instead, Collins kept passing, trying to get the touchdown. They reached the Indy 16 with 32 seconds left, and still no kick attempt. They reached the 8 yard line with 27 seconds left and still no kick. By the time Collins spiked the ball, the Titans were at the 2 but only 10 seconds remained. This was still enough time for a kick, an onsides kick, and a Hail Mary. Instead, another pass fell incomplete. On 4th and goal at the 2, Collins hit Scaife for the score, but the clock was at double zeroes. This was mind boggling.

Perhaps the frustration of the season got to Jeff Fisher, who is one of the best coaches in the league. Yet this clock management was on him. Unless a team is gambling on football games and more concerned with the point spread than actually winning,  the clock management was senseless. They got the touchdown but never got to try the onsides kick. The Colts escaped to get to 7-6 while the 5-8 Titans, only 2 games back of the division lead, are all but eliminated from playoff contention. Even the usually safe Jeff Fisher has not gotten a vote of confidence from Bud Adams this time. 30-28 Colts

Cleveland Browns @ Buffalo Bills–The Bills are better than their 2-10 record, and Chan Gailey has seen his players improve in recent weeks. Eric Mangini has done his part to keep Walrus Mike Holmgren in the front office box as the Browns are 5-7 and fighting hard as well. The last 2 times these teams met the final scores were 8-0 and 6-3, with this game expected to be just as awful.

The Browns took over at their own 45 to start the game. From the Buffalo 44, Peyton Hillis ran for 25 yards, and then 8 more. Yet on 2nd and goal from the 2, Hillis got only half. On 3rd and goal from the 1, Hillis got stopped. On 4th and goal from the 1, Eric Mangini decided to take the points on the road and kick the field goal. Phil Dawson hit the 19 yard chipper and the Browns led 3-0. Ryan Fitzpatrick led the Bills to 4th and 2 at the Buffalo 36. The Bill went for it, and Fitzpatrick threw incomplete.

The Bills would take over at their own 11 late in the first quarter, and Fitzpatrick led a 14 play, 89 yard drive that consumed over 8 minutes. On 3rd and 6 from the Cleveland 11, Fitzpatrick found Nelson for the touchdown to put the Bills up 7-3. Jake Delhomme led the Browns 73 yards in 11 plays in 5 1/2 minutes. The drive stalled at the 8 yard line, but Dawson connected form 26 to have the Browns down 7-6. With seconds left in the half, Ryan Lindell hit a 30 yarder to have the Bills up 10-6 in a game as thrilling as expected.

The second half was even uglier. With 11 minutes left in regulation, Delhomme fumbled and the Bills took over at the Cleveland 23. On 3rd and goal at the 2, Fred Jackson got half. On 4th and goal at the 1 with 8 minutes left, Chan Gailey opted for the field goal. Lindell hit the 19 yarder, but it was still a one possession game.

Cleveland went 3 and out, got the ball back, and saw Delhomme get intercepted with 4 minutes left. Fred Jackson got the ball 9 straight times to run out the clock, as Cleveland did not get the ball back. The Browns fell to 5-8 and Buffalo improved to 3-10 for Gailey. 13-6 Bills

Atlanta Falcons @ Carolina Panthers–The best team in the NFC is on the road against the worst team in the NFL. While Mike Smith is the poster child for Non-descript Caucasian Monthly Magazine, Jon Fox is just counting the weeks until he is fired and eagerly courted by other teams.

On the first play from scrimmage, the game went exactly as expected as the Panthers fumbled, giving the Falcons the ball at the Carolina 29. Matt Ryan hit Roddy White for 9, Michael Turner ran for 16, and Ryan hit Tony Gonzalez for the 4 yard touchdown as the Falcons led 7-0 only 80 seconds into the game.

Carolina punted and the Falcons took over at their own 27. Matty Ice mad eit look easy. On 3rd and 3 from the Atlanta 45, Ryan went deep to Douglas for 46 yards. On 3rd and goal from the 1, Ryan rolled out and got nailed at the goal line. Yet defensive offsides gave the Falcons another try, Turner took it in to have the Falcons up 14-0.

In the second quarter Mike Smith may have been prepared to just run out the final 45 minutes given how lifeless the Panthers were. Ryan led a mind boggling 18 play, 64 yard drive that consumed nearly 9 minutes. It stopped at the red zone but Matt Bryant nailed a 39 yard field goal to have the Falcons coasting 17-0.

In the third quarter the Panthers found some life when Jimmy Stewart ripped off a 48 yard run. Goodson ran it in from 13 yards out to have the Panther within 17-7. An exchange of punts had the Falcons at the Panthers 49. Ryan hit White for 7 and 16, followed by encroachment. Ryan hit White for 18 more and Turner did the rest from 3 yards out to have the Falcons up 24-7.

Jimmy Clausen led the Panthers from their own 30 to the Atlanta 18, and a 36 yard Jon Kasay field goal had the Panthers within 24-10 with 10 minutes left in regulation. With 6 minutes left Carolina got the ball back, but there would be no comeback. Clausen was intercepted, and the Falcons took over at the Carolina 16. Turner ran it in from yards out to end the scoring. The Falcons remained an NFC best at 11-2 while the Panthers remained an NFL worst at 1-12. Next year they may have some luck, specifically Andrew Luck with the first pick in the draft. 31-10 Falcons

Green Bay Packers @ Detroit Lions–The Packers at 8-4 cannot afford to look past this game to their showdowns with the Giants and Chicago, since a playoff spot is not assured and they still trail Chicago by one game. As for Detroit, they are 2 games better than the 0-16 squad, but Jim Schwartz has not seen the team shake the ghosts of Rod Marinelli.

A scoreless first quarter saw the end of the streak for Aaron Rodgers, who had not been intercepted in 182 passes. All he did was throw a perfect bomb to Greg Jennings that should have been a touchdown. Jennings bobbled it, resulting in the interception. Detroit returned the favor as the teams played a scoreless first half that deserves no further description except to point out that Green Bay suffered a huge loss when Aaron Rodgers was knocked out of the game with a concussion. A backup named Matt Flynn quarterbacked the Packers in the half while 3rd stringer Drew Stanton played the whole game for Detroit.

The Packers began the third quarter at their own 28, and Flynn hit Quarless for 20 yards. The Packers would reach the Detroit 24, and when Mason Crosby kicked a 42 yard field goal the Packers led 3-0. Again, had this been Baltimore and Pittsburgh it would have been thrilling. It wasn’t and it wasn’t. Later in the third quarter Flynn led the Packers from their own 10. On 3rd and 10 at the 21 Flynn scrambled for 12. and then hit Jennings for 32 yards. An 18 yard pass to Nelson had the Packers at the 9 yard line. Flynn then capped off the drive with an interception in the end zone as it remained 3-0. The Lions took over at their own 9 and Stanton. From the 20, Stanton went deep to Calvin Johnson for 44 yards. Raynor came in for a 48 yard field goal to tie the game. It was no good.

30 seconds into the fourth quarter, the Lions took over at their own 20. On 3rd and  from the Lions 40 Stanton hit Johnson for 10. On 3rd and 2 Stanton hit Brandon Pettigrew for 11 more. A 12 yard pass to Nate Burleson went to the 13. Then, after over 52 minutes of ineptitude, the end zone was discovered Stanton hit Heller for the score. The 12 play, 80 yard drive took 6 1/2 minutes and had the Lions on top.

Both teams went 3 and out, and the Packers had one last chance from their own 9 with 4 minutes to play. On 3rd and 11, Flynn found Jones for 18, Nance for 14, and Greg Jennings for 9 to the Packers 49 at the 2 minute warning. Flynn hit Quarless for 11 and 8 more to set up 2nd and 2 at the Detroit 32 with 90 seconds remaining. With time not a factor, a run only gained one yard. An incomplete pass set up 4th and 1 with 1:03 left. Flynn fired incomplete and the Lions had the shocking upset in this horrendous football game to get to 3-10. The Packers at 8-5 remained one game out of the division lead. Flynn did not play badly, but Green Bay needs Aaron Rodgers to have a chance going forward. 7-3 Lions

Oakland Raiders @ Jacksonville Jaguars–Tom Cable and Jack Del Rio both have squads that have been derided by critics as overachievers, yet both of these teams may make the playoffs. The Raiders have less of a chance as Bruce Gradkowski is on injured reserve and Jason Campbell is starting, but Oakland is only 2 games back in the division with a showdown the final week against Kansas City. The Jaguars are shockingly in first place, and need a win to stay one game up before their rematch with Indy.

The Raiders took over at their own 20 and punted on 3rd and 4 when Campbell threw incomplete on 3rd and 4. The Jaguars took over at their own 33 and Jack Del RIo went straight to the bag of tricks with an end around. It was blown up in the backfield for an 8 yard loss. Maurice Jones-Drew got nailed on the next play and Jaguars also went 3 and out and punted. The Raiders took over at their own 30. On 3rd and 8 a short pass from Campbell to McFadden resulted in him faking out a defender at midfield and racing down the sideline for a 67 yard touchdown to have the Raiders up 7-0 only 4 1/2 minutes into the game.

David Garrard led the Jaguars on their next possession from their own 33 to a 2nd and 5 at the Oakland 36. Yet this time the Silver and Black came up big on defense,  forcing an incompletion followed by a sack for an 8 yard loss to move the Jaguars out of field goal range. A solid punt had the Raiders backed up to their own 3 yard line. They went 3 and out. Standout punter Shane Lechler was going into the wind, but somehow kicked it 49 yards to the Jacksonville 48.

On 2nd and 9 Garrard escaped a sack and scrambled to set up 3rd and 3. Maurice Jones-Drew took the pitchout and got just enough to move the chains. Defensive holding added 5 more yards, as the Raiders continued to lead the league in penalties in number and yardage. Yet the defense continued to play hard early on as Jones-Drew went nowhere and Garrard was called for intentional grounding after getting planted to set up 3rd and 22. After a punt the Raiders took over at their own 11.

Despite a stout Jacksonville defense, the Raiders like the Jaguars were determined to try and run the ball. McFadden picked up 7. A rollout pass to Zach Miller for 10 was nullified by illegal formation. A sack of Campbell led to another punt. Lechler boomed it again, but the Jaguars began at the Oakland 46.

Jacksonville was outgained 79-27 in the first quarter, but began moving in the second quarter. On 2nd and 14 just past midfield, Garrard hit Mercedes Lewis for 20. Garrard hit Jones-Drew for 9, and on 3rd and 1 Garrard scrambled for 3. Jennings took it 16 yards to the one, and Garrard hit Lewis for the score to tie the game 7-7.

The Raiders again had poor field position, starting at their own 18. Campbell hit Darrius Heyward-Bey for 16 yards. McFadden gained 5 and 2. On 3rd and 3 facing a ton of pressure, Campbell rolled out, and at the last second Found McFadden before getting drilled to complete a 17 yard catch and run. Campbell then found a wide open Jacoby Ford for a 27 yard gain to the Jacksonville 15. On the next play McFadden took  a pitchout and got to the pileon for an apparent touchdown, but holding nullified it. A sack was nullified by illegal contact on the defense. On 3rd and 3 it from the 6 was Tom Cable and Hugh Jackson going with a wildcat snap around the end to Jacoby Ford. Yet Jacksonville was not fooled, and the play lost 2 yards. Sebastian Janikowski hit the 26 yard field goal to have the Raiders up 10-7 with 6 1/2 minutes left to complete the 10 play, 74 yard, 5 1/2 minute drive.

The Jaguars took over at their own 24 and Garrard hit Lewis for 19. Jennings picked up 13 to the Oakland 44. Garrard then went deep and found an open receiver for what appeared to be a first down. Yet the receiver got blasted by Tyvone Branch, and the ball popped into the arms of Michael Huff. First it was ruled a turnover, then down by contact. Cable challenged the call successfully, and the Raiders took over at their own 21 with 4 minutes left in the half.

Campbell found Miller for 12 , and then avoided a sack to find Marcel Reese for 11 more. Michael Bush picked up 6 to midfield, and then got 2 more as the Raiders faced 3rd and 2 at the 2 minute warning.  Another roll out pass by Campbell led to a 13 yard gain by Reese. Campbell then worked the play action pass perfectly and found Heyward-Bey for 24 yards down to the 11. Bush picked up 3 and Campbell threw incomplete to set up 3rd and 7 at the 8. Campbell stayed in the pocket, fired to the back of the end zone, and found Louis Murphy for the touchdown with only 19 seconds left in the half as the Raiders led on the road 17-7.

The Jaguars continued to have great field position when a low line drive kickoff to start the second half had Jacksonville at their own 43. Garrard found Lewis for 17. After a penalty, the Jaguars finally got the big play after several near misses as Garrard went deep for a 48 yard touchdown bomb to get the Jaguars within 17-14.

The Raiders took over at their own 22, and on 2nd and 12 Campbell found Zach Miller for 29 yards. Again, Darren McFadden jolted the Raiders forward, bursting through the middle for a 51 yard touchdown to stun the Jacksonville crowd again and have the Raiders up 24-14.

Field position finally changed when a touchback had the Jaguars at their own 20. They went 3 and out, and the Raiders took over at their own 37. Bush ran for 11, but a sack of Campbell led to a punt and the Jaguars took over at their own 18. On 3rd and 2, Jennings escaped a tackle in the backfield, got to the sideline and escaped another tackle, and raced 75 yards for a score as the Jaguars were right back in it. Cable challenged the call saying Jennings stepped out of bounds. Cable lost the challenge as the Raiders led 24-21 with no more challenges left.

Disaster struck the Raiders when Ford fumbled the ensuing kickoff, giving the Jaguars the ball at the Oakland 21. Jones-Drew picked up 9 and 2 more to set up 1st and goal at the 10. A run went nowhere and Garrard got taken down on the next play for 3rd and goal at the 10. Garard fired to the end zone for a touchdown to Mike Sims-Walker. The receiver may have been out of bounds but again Cable was out of challenges. The Jaguars had their first lead of the game at 28-24 with 4 minutes left in the third quarter.

The Raiders went 3 and out on their next drive and the Jaguars took over at their own 38. Jones-Drew picked up 9 and another 3 while a toss to Greg Jones went for another first down at the Oakland 37. Jones-Drew picked up 7 more as the third quarter ended. The Raiders would have the wind advantage in the fourth quarter, but the Jaguars had all the momentum. On 3rd and 3, Garrard faked a pitch and the entire Oakland defense for a 24 yard gain down to the 6. On 3rd and goal from the 2, Jones-Drew got stopped. On 4th and goal from the 1, Del Rio decided to play it safe. Josh Scobee hit the 19 yard field goal as the Raiders were still within one score down 31-24 with 11 1/2 minutes left in regulation.

The Raiders took over on their own 27, and on 3rd and 10 Jacksonville thought they had the dagger. Campbell was sacked, and instead of tucking it, tried to do something. That something was a fumble, returned for a touchdown, and the Jaguars were an extra point from celebrating a 38-24 lead. Yet the Raiders got a very lucky break when instead a personal foul for  a helmet to helmet hit on Campbell instead gave the Raiders 1st and 10 at their own 42. After that hit, he was also slammed to the ground. Campbell was not so lucky as he was knocked out of the game and Kyle Boller came in.

On the next play, Boller went back to pass and got belted after he threw it. Yet the wounded duck was caught by Miller for a 20 yard gain to the Jacksonville 38. Boller scrambled on 2nd down to set up 3rd and 3. Boller fired incomplete, and Cable decided to go for it. Boller took a timeout, leaving the Raiders with only 1 left as 8 minutes remained. Boller was then intercepted, and the Jaguars had a chance to put the game away. Yet with the Jaguars facing 3rd and 3, Garrard got belted in the pocket. Jacksonville punted and the Raiders took over at their own 18 with 6 minutes left to play.

A gutty Campbell came back in, got nailed again, but just before getting hit got it to Reese, who broke a tackle and picked up 10 yards. After a false start, Campbell received a gift when a sure interception for a touchdown was dropped. Campbell hit Murphy for 12 to set up 3rd and 3. Campbell fired to Murphy for 10 to the Oakland 46. Campbell hit Reese again for 13 more. McFadden gained 5 to set up 2nd and 5 at Jaguars 36. McFadden slammed up the middle, barreled over a tackle, bounced off another one like a ping pong ball, and stunned the Jaguars for the third time. The game was tied 31-31 with 1:53 to play. The Jaguars would be going against the wind, but perhaps the Raiders scored too early.

The game changed again when the Jaguars returned the ensuing kickoff 65 yards to the Oakland 30. It might have been beneficial for the Raiders to let Jacksonville score rather than have them bleed the clock. Jones-Drew took it 30 yards on the first play as the Raiders trailed 38-31 with 1:34 to play and 1 timeout. A short kickoff was returned 27 yards to the Oakland 41.

On 2nd and 10 Campbell found Murphy for 15. On 3rd and 1 Campbell completed a 4 yard pass to the sideline. 18 seconds remained and the Raiders were at the Jacksonville 33. Campbell was sacked with 11 seconds left as the Raiders took their final timeout. Campbell had at most 2 chances, and had to go to the end zone. Instead Campbell threw  a pass over the middle that would have been better off dropped. The clock ran out on the game and most likely the season as the Raiders fell to 6-7. They are fighting had, but have not had consecutive road wins since 2001.

While Rolando McClain did sit this game out with a bad foot, that is no excuse. The Raiders fought hard on the road and came up short. As for the Jaguars, at 8-5 they are still one game up on Indy with their showdown with them in Indy next week. 38-31 Jaguars.

Cincinnati Bengals @ Pittsburgh Steelers–When an awful team that has lost 9 straight games to have the worst record in the conference goes against one of the best teams in the conference, the question will be if the league instills a mercy rule at halftime. The Bengals have a pair of tweeting twits, with one reality show for each victory on the season. Mike Tomlin may hire Marvin Lewis as a defensive coordinator next year since Lewis will not be back in Cincinnati, which is to his benefit.

The Bengals shocked the football world by starting at their own 31 and taking 5 minutes to march 69 yards. Defensive offsides on 3rd an 3 kept the drive going early on. From the Pittsburgh 43, Carson Palmer hit Terrell Owens for 22 yards. Defensive pass interference in the end zone led to a 1 yard touchdown pass form Palmer to Whitworth on a tackle eligible to have the Bengals up 7-0 on the road. Yet in the second quarter Palmer completed a pass right to Troy Palomalu, who plays defense for the Steelers. His Royal Hairness took it 45 yards for the score to tie the game 7-7. Naturally, Owens complained to Palmer on the sideline because he does that. Palmer reminded him that they both likely would not be back next year anyway.

Late in the half, Ben Roethlisberger, who despite Hanukkah having just ended is still not Jewish, took his team and his broken nose rapidly down the field 75 yards in 13 plays. They began at the 20, and on 3rd and 2 Big Ben hit Brown for 12. On 2nd and 12 he hit Hines Ward for 18. Big Ben hit Antwon Randle-El for 22 and scrambled for 13 more to the 5. They got nothing more, and a field goal had Pittsburgh up 10-7 at intermission.

The Steelers began the third quarter at their own 30, and a 6 1/2 minute drive peaked at the 9 yard line when Roethlisberger hit Ward for 21. Yet another field goal by Suisham had the Steelers only leading 13-7 going into the fourth quarter. Luckily, they were playing the Bengals, who were determined to lose 10 straight in Bengals fashion.

The Steelers had 2nd and 7 from the Cincy 15, but back to back sacks on Roethlisberger moved the Steelers back to their own 32. Mike Tomlin decided against the 50 yard field goal attempt, and a punt had the Bengals at their own 10. They were only one touchdown away from the lead. Palmer found Lamar Woodley for the touchdown. Unfortunately for him, Woodley also plays defense for the Steelers, as a 2nd interception return for a score went for 14 yards and a 20-7 lead.

Pittsburgh had only 6 points on offense, but for the seconds straight week their defense was coming up gigantic when it counted most. Pittsburgh would end up tacking on a field goal to get to 10-3 and lead their division by one game. The Bengals fell to 2-11 for their 10th straight loss. 23-7 Steelers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Washington Redskins–The 7-5 Buccaneers have not beaten any quality teams, but Raheem Morris has them in the hunt. The 5-7 Redskins are all but done, as Mike Shanahan has finally gotten rid of Albert Haynesworth. Donovan McNabb wants to avoid becoming a journeyman backup, and a winnable game at home is where he plans to start.

Had it been Pittsburgh and Baltimore playing a scoreless opening quarter, it would have been fantastic. It wasn’t, and it wasn’t. The Redskins began the second quarter at the Tampa 32. They got down to the 6. Graham Gano missed a 24 yard field goal. The Buccaneers would fumble the ball back as the Redskins took over at the Tampa 46.

On 3rd and 5, McNabb found Santana Moss for 22 and 21 yards down to the 6. On 4th and goal at the 1, Mike Shanahan decided to go for it, perhaps given how shaky Gano was. McNabb hit Paulsen for the score to finally have the Redskins up 7-0.  The Buccaneers took over at their own 25, and Josh Freeman went deep to Benn for a 64 yard completion down to the 11. The defense held, and the Bucs settled for a 25 yard Connor Barth field goal to trail 7-3.

The Redskins took over at their own 40, and Torain picked up 19 yards at the 2 minute warning. McNabb then hit Williams for 36 yards down to the 5. With 20 seconds left in the half, the Redskins had 3rd and goal at the 2. A false start killed the drive and this time Gano connected from 25 to have the Redksins up 10-3 at the break.

The Redskins continued the fine quality game by fumbling the ensuing kickoff, giving the Buccaneers the ball at the Washington 34. Tampa Bay went 9 yards backward, eventually moved a bit forward, and settled for a 44 yard Barth field goal to trail 10-6. After a punt the Buccaneers took over at their own 39. Benn picked up 17, and on 3rd and 11 from the Washington 34, Josh Freeman hit Kellen Winslow for just enough. Again the drive stalled, but Barth hit a 35 yarder to have the Buccaneers within 10-9.

A lifeless game saw the Buccaneers facing 2nd and 10 at the Washington 41 with 4 minutes left in regulation. Freeman went deep to Winslow for a 41 yard touchdown as a shocked Washington crowd saw the Buccaneers take the lead. Freeman ran in the 2 point conversion himself as the Buccaneers led 17-10. The Redskins took over at their own 25.

On 3rd and 3 McNabb hit Armstrong for 8 and Chris Cooley for 15 more to the Tampa Bay 45 at the 2 minute warning. McNabb hit Williams for 15 and 9, and Armstrong for another 10. With 32 seconds left in the game, the Redskins had 1st and goal at the 2. After an incomplete pass, a running play lost 4 yards. Another incomplete pass set up 4th and goal at the 16 with 13 seconds remaining. With everything on the line, McNabb fired to the end zone to Moss for the touchdown as the Redskins celebrated.

Then it happened. With the rain coming down, overtime was a virtual certainty. Except that the snap on the extra point was slightly high. It went right through the holder’s hands. Gano never had a chance to kick it. In a shocking ending, the Redskins lost at home on a failed extra point attempt. The Redskins are done at 5-8 while the Buccaneers are 8-5 and still in playoff contention. 17-16 Redskins.

St Louis Rams @ New Orleans Saints–In the NFC Worst, the 6-6 Rams under Steve Spagnuolo are tied for for first place, with Sam Bradford leading the charge. Yet today they are at the 9-3 defending champions, who are one game out of the division lead. Sean Payton knows the Saints have to go to Atlanta for the rematch, so they have to keep pace today.

Drew Brees went right to work, leading the Saints 72 yards in 13 plays over 6 1/2 minutes. After a pair of 3rd down conversions, the Saints faced 3rd and goal at the 5. Brees hit Marquis Colston for the score to have the Saints up 7-0. From the Rams 32, Stephen Jackson ripped off a 20 yard run, but then fumbled the ball away and the Saints were back in business at their own 39.

On 3rd and 8 Brees hit Moore for 12. On 3rd and 3 from the Rams 40, Brees found Reggie Bush for 6. On 3rd and goal at the 2, a touchdown pass was nullified by unsportsmanlike conduct on the offense. It did not matter, since on 3rd and goal from the 17, Brees hit Colston for the score to have the Saints up 14-0.

In the second quarter, Bradford led the Rams into the red zone, but no further. A 38 yard field goal by Josh Brown had the Rams within 14-3. Brees brought the Saints to a 4th and 4 at the Rams 33. Sean Payton decided to go for it, and an incomplete pass ended the drive. On the next Saints drive, Brees was intercepted, giving the Rams the ball at the Rams 43. A 23 yard pass to Gibson led to a 45 yard field goal as the Rams got to within 14-6.

The Saints fumbled the ensuing kickoff, and the Rams took over at the Saints 21 with 1:37 left in the half and all the momentum.  2 plays later came the key play of the game. Looking to tie the game, Bradford was intercepted by Jenkins, who returned it 96 yards for a touchdown. Just like that, the Saints led 21-6.

Midway through the third quarter, the Rams missed a chance to get closer when a 46 yard field goal try was no good. On 3rd and 5 from the Saints 41, Brees found Moore for 12. On 3rd and 10 Brees hit Colston for 11. Brees then went deep to Moore for a 31 yard touchdown to have the Saints rolling 28-6. The Saints tacked on a 40 yard field goal early in the fourth to extend the blowout. The Rams did get a garbage touchdown on 4th and goal at the 1 with 5 1/2 minutes left. The Saints improved to 10-3, one game out of their division lead. The Rams at 6-7 under Steve Spagnuolo are still tied for the NFC Worst division lead. 31-13 Saints

Seattle Seahawks @ San Francisco 49ers–Both of these teams are terrible, but in the NFC Worst that does not matter. Pete Carroll has Seattle at 6-6, while Mike Singletary at 4-8 can count on the rest of the division losing but not his team winning. He officially gets the Ray Rhodes all bark and no bite award if they have another losing season. Alex Smith takes from Troy Smith, which means something to somebody somewhere.

Today the 49ers were plenty of bite. Only 2 1/2 minutes into the game, Alex Smith hit Vernon Davis on a short pass that went for a 42 yard touchdown to quickly have the 49ers up 7-0. An exchange of punts had the Seahawks at their own 48. Matt Hasselbeck would end up hitting Martin on an 11 yard score to tie the game at 7-7. After that, the deluge came in only one direction.

On 3rd and 7 from the San Francisco 30, Smith hit Morgan for 21 and Dixon picked up 34. A 33 yard field goal by Reed had the 49ers up 10-7. In the second quarter Hasselbeck began completing passes to the San Francisco defense, a theme of the day. His first one set up the 49ers at the Seattle 44. A 44 yard field goal by Reed had the 49ers up 13-7. On the next series Hasselbeck was sacked and fumbled, as the 49ers began at the Seattle 17. On 3rd and 8 Smith hit Morgan for the score as the 49ers led 20-7.

On the next series Hasselbeck led Seattle to a 4th and 4 at the San Francisco 32. Pete Carroll opted against the field goal and decided to go for it. Hasselbeck threw incomplete. Smith then went deep to Bryan Westbrook, and instead of a possible 20-10 game, the 49ers led 27-7 with 1:50 left in the half. Haselbeck was intercepted again, and Butler returned it 20 yards to the Seattle 11. The defense held but Reed connected from 22 to have the 49ers romping 30-7.

The Seahawks began the second half with Hasselbeck getting intercepted again. Baker returned it 39 yards for a score as the 49ers led 37-7. Hasselbeck stayed in the game as Pete Carroll called Steve Sarkisian and Lame Kiffin searching for answers. Hasselbeck led Seattle on their next series to the San Francisco 7. Shockingly enough, Haselbeck was intercepted again. After an exchange of punts, Smith connected with Morgan for 46 yards to set up a 36 yard field goal as the 49ers led 40-7.

Leon Washington returned the ensuing kickoff 92 yards for a score to make it 40-14. The comeback was on. No, it was not. A 4th and 2 pass from the San Francisco 33 by Hasselbeck was incomplete. With 9 minutes to go down by 26, for some reason Seattle tried a field goal from 43. It was no good. Seattle did get a garbage touchdown at the 2 minute warning. Smith finished 17 of 27 for 255 yards and 3 touchdowns while Hasselbeck was 27 of 42 for 285 yards and 2 touchdowns, but with 4 interceptions and a lost fumble. Seattle at 6-7 is still tied for the NFC Worst division lead. As for the 49ers, much fun has been made of Mike Singletary when the team was 1-7. Yet the 49ers have gone 4-1 since and at 5-8 are actually one game out of the division lead. 40-21 49ers

Denver Broncos @ Arizona Cardinals–A pair of 3-9 teams meet in the Stupor Bowl. Only 2 years ago Ken Whisenhunt had Kurt Warner in the Super Bowl. Now with Max Hall on ijured reserve and Derek Anderson concussed, they are down to 3rd stringer Skelton. Not even Red Skelton could help this team, although Denver will be playing their first game since some unknown running backs coach took over from Evil Hoodie Wannabe and now former coach Josh McDaniels.

Given his Cardinal colored jersey, the Cardinals did have a Red Skelton leading them. Yet this awful game was the Jay Feely show. To describe the action would be unfair to the game of football. Denver had Hauschka filling in for the injured Matt Prater, and his 32 yard field goal capped off an 11 play, 73 yard drive. Later in the quarter Kyle Orton was intercepted by Adams, who returned it 36 yards to the Denver 23. Feely connected from 36 to tie the game 3-3.

The Cardinals began the second quarter at the Denver 47. Feely hit a 48 yard field goal to have the Cardinals up 6-3. Denver fumbled on their next drive, an on their ensuing drive Orton was intercepted. With 4 minutes left in the half, the key and only noteworthy play of the game came with the Cardinals kicking another field goal on 4th and 2 at the Denver 5. Feely did score, but not through the uprights as Ken Whisenhunt called a fake field goal. Feely ran around the corner and made it in to have the Cardinals up 13-3. Feely would add a 55 yard field goal at the halftime gun to have the Cardinals up 16-3.

An uneventful second half saw Feely hit another field goal, this time from 23 yards out. Hauschka missed his second field goal in 3 tries, while Feely after making 4 would also miss one from long range. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Feely made his 5th field goal in 6 tries to along with his touchdown and even one extra point. He had every single one of Arizona’s points as the Cardinals led 22-3.

With the game out of reach the Broncos faced 4th and 10 at the Arizona 12. The new interim coach decided on a field goal to make it 22-6. Yet the Cardinals decided to not wear out Feely, so they began scoring touchdowns instead of field goals. After 5 carries by Stephens-Howling, Tim Hightower raced for 41 yards, then 7 more, and the final 8 for the score as the Cardinals led 29-6.

After 56 1/2 minutes of pathetic offense, the Broncos benefitted from defensive pass interference in the end zone. Knowshon Moreno scored the one yard touchdown as the Broncos trailed 29-13. Yet Denver did what they could to keep this game from ending respectably.

Tim Hightower broke free for a 35 yard touchdown run. The Orton was intercepted by Washington at the Denver 40. Washington returned it but started strutting like Leon Lett near the goal line. The officials ruled that he crossed the goal line before it was knocked out of his hands, but it would not have mattered since it bounced to an Arizona player anyway. It was that kind of day. Tim Tebow did not play, as the Denver misery continued and the Arizona losing streak was finally stopped. As insane as it sounds, the 4-9 Cardinals can still win their division, at which point the entire division should quit and join Division III in the college ranks. 43-13 Cardinals

New England Patriots @ Chicago Bears–The real Evil Hoodie still has not had to see his deal with the devil cashed in, as the Patriots are 10-2, atop the conference after a demolition of the hated Jets. The Bears at 9-3 lead their division as well, but Green Bay is right on their heels. An interesting chess match will be the rematch from 2001 between Bill Bellichick and Mike Martz. They split the 2 games, but New England won the one that counted.

New England punted early on, and Devon Hester returned it 17 yards to the New England 46. On 3rd and 1, Matt Forte lost 2 yards, ending any threat for the Bears all day. The game was played in a blizzard, and after Chicago punted, the Patriots took over at their own 15. Brady came out snow throwing, hitting Wes Welker for 8.  Green-Ellis ran for 12. On 3rd and 10 Brady hit Welker for 17. On 3rd and 12 from midfield, Brady found Deion Branch for 16 and Welker for 24 more. On 3rd and goal at the 7, Brady found Rob Gronkowski for the score as the Patriots led 7-0.

The Patriots began the second quarter at their own 13. Brady found Welker for 12 and Green-Ellis picked up 11. A 19 yard toss to Welker followed by Green-Ellis runs of 9 and 17 set up Danny Woodhead from 3 yards out to have the Patriots up 14-0. On the next Chicago play from scrimmage, Johnny Knox fumbled and Guyton returned it 35 yards for a touchdown to have the Patriots leading in a rout 21-0. They were far from done.

Julian Edelman returned a punt 42 yards to the Chicago 30. On 4th and 2 from the Chicago 12, Shane Graham nailed a 30 yard field goal to have the Patriots up 24-0. The Bears took over on their own 17, and one play was all they needed for Jay Cutler to get sacked and fumble. The Patriots took over at the Chicago 10. The defense held, but Graham connected from 25 to make it 27-0 Patriots.

With 1:38 left in the half, a 71 yard punt return by Julian Edelman was nullified by holding, the only break the Bears got. It did not matter. Brady went deep to Branch for a 59 yard touchdown with 5 seconds left in the half. The extra point was no good, which would have been critical had the Patriots not led 33-0 at halftime.

The Bears began on the second half by failing to convert on 3rd and 1 as Cutler threw incomplete. After the punt, the Patriots took over at their own 37. Ever the classy gentleman, Bellichick had Brady keep throwing. Brady hit Branch for 20, Green-Ellis picked up 13, and Brady hit Gronkowski for 15 more. The drive stalled, but Graham hit the 29 yarder as the Patriots led 36-0.

The Bears would eventually crack the scoreboard, but by then they had been exposed at home. Not even Mike Ditka and Refrigerator Perry could have saved them on this day. At 9-4 they still lead their division by one game. The Patriots at 11-2 lead the AFC, have a stranglehold on their defense, and have carpet-bombed 2 other good teams in consecutive weeks by a combined 81-10. They became the first NFL team to clinch a playoff berth. Cutler was a miserable 12 of 26 for 152 yards and 2 interceptions. Brady was 27 of 40 for 369 yards and 2 touchdowns in his winter wonderland passing clinic.The deal with the devil that the Evil Hoodie made has apparently not expired yet. 36-7 Patriots

Miami Dolphins @ New York Jets–Miami cannot win at home, but plays well on the road. The Jets got destroyed by New England last week. Nevertheless, Rx Ryan and his bravado boys are still 9-3, while Miami at 6-6 is another loss from sleeping with their fellow fishes.

Mark Sanchez was intercepted, setting up the Dolphins at the Jets 42. Dan Carpenter kicked a 47 yard field goal to have the Dolphins up 3-0. On the next series Sanchez was hit and fumbled, giving the Dolphins the ball at the Jets 26. On 3rd and goal from the 6, Chad Henne hit Brandon Marshall for the touchdown. The Dolphins led 10-0, and the final 47 minutes of the game should have been canceled.

In the second quarter the Jets faced 4th and 1 from the Miami 37. Brad Smith took a direct snap and got stopped cold. Yet the Dolphins fumbled the ball right back, and Nick Folk hit a 35 yard field goal to have the Jets down 10-3. Miami fumbled again, giving the Jets the ball at midfield. With one minute left in the half Rex Ryan decided to punt rather than try a 54 yard field goal. That decision would loom large later on.

An awful second half saw the Jets take over at their own 7 with 10 1/2 minutes left in regulation. On 3rd and 13 from the 15 Sanchez scrambled for 14. Sanchez then found Santonio Holmes deep for a 42 yard gain to the Miami 26. The drive went cold, but Folk connected from 42 as the Jets trailed 10-6 with 5 1/2 minutes left in regulation.

The Jets got one final shot with 2:16 to play from their own 25. On 3rd and 14 from the 32, Sanchez found Cotcherry for 15. Yet with time winding down, the Miami defense dug in and sacked Sanchez twice to end the threat. Rex Ryan has seen hi team fail to score a touchdown in 2 straight games to drop to 9-4. The division is all but lost although if they right the ship they can still steer it into the playoffs. Tony Sparano continues to see his team lose at home but win on the road with just enough offense and a suffocating defense. At 7-6, the Dolphins are still in playoff contention.   10-6 Dolphins

Kansas City Chiefs @ San Diego Chargers–San Diego lost a stunner at home last week to the Raiders t fall to 6-6, as Norvelous Norv Turner saw his team come perilously close to elimination. Yet they are only 2 games back of Kansas City, and a win today would tighten things up again. The big story is that Todd Haley this week will be without Matt Cassel, who had an appendectomy 4 days ago.

The Chargers took over at their own 33. On 3rd and 1 Vincent Jackson ran for 14. On 3rd and 2 from the Chiefs 36, Rivers gained 4. On 3rd and 5 form the 27, Rivers hit Jackson for 10 and then threw the 17 yard touchdown pass to Malcolm Floyd to have the Chargers up 7-0 to complete the 10 play, 67 yard, 6 minute drive.

In the second quarter the Chargers began at their own 31. Rivers hit Mike Tolbert for 13. On 3rd and 9 he found Jackson for 19. From the Chiefs 26, Rivers found Floyd at the 8. Floyd fumbled but Jacob Hester recovered to keep the 5 minute drive going. Tolbert ran it in on the next play to have the Chargers up 14-0.

With 3 1/2 minutes left in the half the Chargers got the ball back at their own 19. Tolbert picked up 18 yards and then 6 more. On 3rd and 5 from the Chiefs 43, Rivers hit Sproles for 6 and then 9 more. Sproles then ran for 19, and Rivers hit Floyd for the 9 yard score just before the half to have the Chargers cruising 21-0.

The forgettable second half saw Rivers throw an interception and lose a fumble in the third quarter, with the Chiefs so anemic on offense that nothing came out of it. Early in the fourth quarter a 10 play, 5 1/2 minute drive that led to a 48 yard Nate Kaeding field goal to have the Chargers up 24-0. Late in the game a 42 yard punt return had the Chargers at the Chiefs 36. On 3rd and 8 from the 15, Mathews ran around the end for the finals core of the game.

Instead of the Chiefs locking up the division, the 7-6 Chargers are one game back of the 8-5 Chiefs. Philip Rivers was an efficient 18 of 24 for 226 yards and 2 touchdowns with one interception. As for the Chiefs, they desperately need Cassel back. Brodie Croyle has never won a game, going 0-10 in his career starts. Today he was 7 of 17 for a pathetic 40 yards passing. 31-0 Chargers

Philadelphia Eagles @ Dallas Cowboys is the Sunday night game. Walrus Lite Andy Reid has seen Michael Vick take the Eagles to 8-4 and a tie for the division lead with a showdown with the Giants still to come. Yet since Jason Garret took over the Cowboys, they have been one heartbreaking play by the defending champs away from going 4-0. Nevertheless, winning 3 of 4 still makes them a very dangerous spoiler as Garrett wants to fend off Jerry Jones from bringing in a big name coach from outside.

Vick began exactly as he did on the road at Washington when the Eagles racked up 59 point. He rolled to his left, fired deep across the field to the right to a streaking Desean Jackson for  a 60 yard gain to the Dallas 13. On 4th and 1 from the 4, Andy Reid decided to go for it. Yet the one thing Reid does not do is run up the middle because they never make it. Yet this time they actually did get 3 yards from McCoy. On the next play Vick took a snap in the shotgun and raced up the middle to have the Eagles up 7-0 only 3 minutes into the game.

Jon Kitna returned the favor as the Cowboys moved 77 yards in 10 plays over 6 minutes. On 3rd and 6 from the Dallas 45, an incomplete pass was nullified by a defensive facemask to keep the drive going. From the Dallas 40, Miles Austin, despite dating a Kardashian showed some substance by taking a double reverse 26 yards. Tashard Choice picked up 9 and then 3 more. On 3rd and goal from the 1, Kitna hit Jason Witten for the score to tie the game 7-7. After that, the defenses settled in.

After several exchanges of punts, the Eagles took over midway through the second quarter just shy of midfield. From the Dallas 39, Vick tossed a short pass to Jackson, who raced 37 yards to the 2 yard line. On 3rd and goal Vick hit Herremans for the score as the Eagles regained the lead at 14-7. After an exchange of interceptions, Kitna worked the 2 minute drill well enough to give David Buehler a chance from 50 with 13 seconds left in the half. Buehler snuck it just inside the upright as the Eagles went to the locker rooms leading 14-10.

The Cowboys began the second half at their own 33. On 3rd and 6 from the 42, Kitna hit Bennett for 11 and Witten for another 17. The drive stalled, but a 43 yard Buehler field goal had the Cowboys within 14-13.

The Eagles took over at their own 22 and Vick fired to Jackson for 22 yards. Yet on the next play Vick rolled to his right and fired back across to the middle of the field, which quarterbacks should not do. The pas was catchable, but it bounced off the receiver’s fingers and was intercepted. Dallas took over at the Philly 38. Kitna hit Felix Jones on a screen pass, and Jones took it all the way to the 2 yard line. After losing a yard, Jones scored from the 3. Jason Garrett wisely opted not to attempt the 2 point conversion as the Cowboys had their first lead of the game 20-14 midway through the third quarter.

The Eagles came right back as McCoy broke off a 55 yard run to the Dallas 21. Philly got nothing else and settled for a 39 yard David Akers field goal to get within 20-17. Dallas punted and Philly took over at their own 40. After a sack, Vick hit Cooper for 11 and Avant for 13 more. With 3rd and 2 at the 34, Vick hit Avant for 4 as the third quarter ended. One minute into the fourth quarter, Akers drilled a 50 yard field goal to tie the game 20-20.

Dallas went 3 and out on their next possession, and a strong punt had the Eagles backed up to their own 9 yard line. 91 yards took only one play as Vick threw a swing pass to Jackson, who shook one tackle and outraced everybody. Jackson was flagged for an excessive celebration penalty, but the Eagles led 27-20.

Dallas took over at their own 32 and they also needed only one play. Unfortunately for them, it was Kitna being intercepted by Patterson at the Dallas 33. McCoy picked up 13. On 4th and 1 from the 11 Andy Reid took no chances, deciding on the sure footed Akers to get the 2 score lead. Akers hit from 28 as the Eagles 16 unanswered points turned a 6 point deficit into a 10 point lead at 30-20 with 8 1/2 minutes left in regulation.

Dallas took over at their own 20 and Kitna hit Witten for 14 and then scrambled for 9. With 5 1/2 minutes left, it all came down to 4th and 7 at the Philly 49. Kitna scrambled for 10, hit Choice for 21, and then found Witten, who broke tackles for the 22 yard score. With 4 1/2 minutes to play, the Cowboys were within 30-27. Then an interesting occurrence happened on the ensuing kickoff.

Rookie Calvin fielded it in the end zone and decided not to run it out. Yet rather than take a knee, he ran sideways in the end zone thinking he was taking time off the clock. On a kickoff return, the clock does not start until the ball is in the field of play, which excludes the end zone. So in addition to running around for nothing, he also earned a 15 yard unsportsmanlike penalty for retaliating after getting shoved in the end zone. Philly took over at their own 10 as Dallas desperately needed a stop.

They could not get it as they had no answers for McCoy, who took a pass 6 yards, ran for 12 more, picked up another 19, and then again for another 13. Dallas took their final timeout with 2:33 left and the Eagles at the Dallas 40. Vick scrambled for 9 and stayed in bounds as the 2 minute warning hit. Dallas could not stop the clock, and Philly needed only one more yard to ice the game. On 3rd and 1 with everything on the line for both teams, the linemen on both teams collided and the Eagles won the battle as McCoy picked up 6 and then went down to avoid fumbling.

Andy Reid teams usually play smart football, and the Eagles improved to 9-4 before their showdown with the Giants. Dallas fell to 4-9, although they are much improved. In an odd scene after the game, Michael Vick was seen autographing something for a Dallas player. It was most likely for the man’s kid, but most coaches would fine a guy for getting an autograph from an opposing player after that guy just beat you. 30-27 Eagles

Baltimore Ravens @ Houston Texans is the Monday night game.–The Ravens lost a bloody game last week at home in heartbreaking fashion. At 8-4 they are one game out of the division lead when they were one or 2 plays away from having a stranglehold on it. John Harbaugh sees his team on the road against the 5-7 Texans, as Bob McNair decides what to do with Gary Kubiak, who is most likely out of miracles. The Ravens have a ruthless defense, but most likely there will be no punches thrown by or at Andre Johnson in this one. Matt Schaub will have a stern test against Ray Lewis and company.

Midway through the first quarter the Ravens began their second possession at their own 48. On 2nd and 14 Joe Flacco hit Ray Rice for 16 and McClain for 17. Defensive pass interference in the end zone led to a one yard Willis McGahee run to have the Ravens up 7-0. On the first play of the second quarter a 52 yard field goal by the Texans was short, keeping them off the scoreboard.

Midway through the second quarter a field position game favored the Ravens, and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on a punt against Houston had the Ravens set  up at the Texans 44. Rice picked up 16 and Flacco hit TJ Houshmanzedah for 14 more. On 3rd and 6 from the 9, Flacco hit Derrick Mason, who made a spectacular one handed catch in the end zone to have the Ravens up 14-0.

With just over 2 minutes left in the half, a pass by Matt Schaub bounced off a receiver’s hands and was intercepted. From the Houston 38, Flacco hit Mason for 20 at the 2 minute warning. A blindside blitz sack led to a fumble just like the one that killed the Ravens against Pittsburgh. Yet this time the Ravens retained possession. On the next play Flacco hit Mason for a 26 yard touchdown. Mason lost his shoe while jumping in the air, but kept the ball for the score as the Ravens led 21-0. With the Ravens in total control, one defensive breakdown got the Texans back in the game. Schaub went deep to Andre Johnson for a 46 yard touchdown pass to have the Texans down 21-7 at halftime.

The backbreaker came when David Reed fielded the second half kickoff 3 yards in the end zone for the Ravens and ran into 3 tacklers at the Baltimore 25. Yet he never went down, broke another tackle, got to the sideline, had a convoy, and finished with a 103 yard return to have the Ravens up 28-7

6 dropped passes killed the Texans, including more than one to wide open receivers. Schaub drove the Texans to a 3rd and goal, when a dropped pass in the end zone led to Gary Kubiak disgustedly deciding on a field goal. Neil Rackers made this one as the Texans still trailed 28-10. A deep bomb for a touchdown was ruled out of bounds as the receiver’s knee hit the chalk. Gary Kubiak unsuccessfully challenged the call, and the Texans settled for a 4 yard field goal to trail 28-13 as the third quarter was ending.

With 11 minutes left in regulation, the Ravens faced 4th and 5 at the Houston 38. John Harbaugh decided to punt, and the Texans took over at their own one yard line. From his own end zone, Schaub fired to Owen Daniels at the Houston 24. On 3rd and 3, Schaub hit Anderson for 10. On 3rd and 10, Schaub hit Arriun Foster for 8 to set up 4th and 2 at the Baltimore 35 with 8 minutes left. Schaub hit Andre Johnson for 13. Foster ran for 10, and with 6 minutes left it came down to 4th and 5 at the 7. Schaub hit Jones for the score to complete the 15 play, 99 yard drive that took 5 minutes, as the Ravens were still alive down only 28-20.

The Ravens moved from their own 25 to a 3rd and 2 at the Houston 44 as the Texans took their last timeout. A first down would end the game. Yet Harbaugh was not in the mood for a conservative run. He had Flacco throw, and the bold gamble backfired as Harbaugh fired incomplete. On 4th and 2 Harbaugh opted to punt. Another great punt pinned the Texans back at their own 5. On the previous drive the Texans moved 99 yards against the vaunted Baltimore defense. This time Houston would have to move 95 yards with 0 timeouts and 2:42 to play.

Schaub hit Walter for 16 as the 2 minute warning came. With 1:38 left the Texans faced 4th and 1 at their own 30 as the Ravens took a timeout on defense. Schaub hit Johnson for 7 and Johnson got out of bounds to stop the clock. Schaub hit Johnson for another 20 yards and again Johnson got to the sideline. Schaub hit Johnson a third time for 8 yards, and then scrambled for 8 himself as the clock stopped with exactly one minute left and the Texans facing 1st and 10 at the Houston 27. Schaub hit Foster, who evaded 2 tacklers and just made it to the sideline after a 10 yard gain. Schaub then hit Johnson for 12, and raced to the line to spike the ball. From the 5, Schaub evaded a sack and fired to the back of the end zone. Johnson got one foot down and then his other foot came down in bounds just before his hand came down out of bounds. The acrobatic catch had the Texans within a deuce. Schaub stepped back, and fired a bullet perfectly into the arms of Jones. With 24 seconds left, the Texans had come from down 21 to tie the game 28-28.

The Ravens defense was totally out of gas, and breathed a sigh of relief when Baltimore won the toss to start overtime. The Ravens took over on their own 20, and on 3rd and 5 Flacco hit Anquon Boldin for 16. On 3rd and 10, Flacco was sacked. Another great punt had the Texans starting at their own 9. After going 99 and 95 yards, being only 91 yards away was not so bad. Schaub had already thrown 60 passes, and his 61st could have been intentional grounding for a safety. It was ruled incomplete. Schaub was not so lucky on his 62nd pass as a routine screen was intercepted by Josh Wilson, who strolled 12 yards for the touchdown.

In front of a shocked home crowd that included former President George Herbert Walker Bush, a valiant comeback by the Texans ended in heartbreaking fashion. They have lost three times this year on the final play of a game, including a Hail Mary. At 5-8 they are pretty much eliminated from contention, and Gary Kubiak might not be back next year. The Ravens have played 2 straight thrillers, and after a decade of relying on defense, this time the offense carried them early on, although fittingly enough the exhausted defense won it in the end. The Ravens at 9-4 remain one game back of Pittsburgh in the division, and are on track for the playoffs. 34-28 Ravens, OT

New York Giants @ Minnesota Vikings is the second Monday night game. For those not paying attention, the entire Giants team got caught in a snowstorm and got stranded in Kansas City. The game was moved from Sunday afternoon to Monday night. Brett Favre was given an extra 31 hours to heal.

Making things even more crazy, the roof of the Metrodome collapsed, making it unsafe to play the game there at all. The NFL quickly scrambled to find another location in Minnesota, but nothing was feasible. The league decided to move the game to Ford Field in Detroit. Pro Football was played in Detroit 50 years ago when Bobby Layne quarterbacked the Lions. The Lions still play, but it is not considered pro football.

Ironically, although the Vikings would be the “home” team, the crowd would most likely be rooting for the Giants, cheating Minnesota out of a vital home game. Yet the Giants had to do most of the traveling. Lastly, since the tickets would be free and Detroit fans are known for being so well behaved when drunk, it was expected that the stadium would be in worse condition after the game than the Metrodome, requiring Detroit and Minnesota to find new facilities.

As for the game itself, the Giants at 8-4 are tied for their division lead and still have a rematch with Philly. The 5-7 Vikings have won 2 straight since Leslie Frazier took over. Either Brett Favre will start or he won’t. Either Tarvaris Jackson will start or he won’t. That comes straight from Frazier.

In the year 2030, if Tavaris Jackson is still starting, Brett Favre will be no big deal. Barring that, the Brett Favre streak ending is monumental. People should not use the number 297. The actual number is 321. Of course playoff games should be included. The beatings are even more severe. From now on 321 will be known for the area code of Cape Canaveral in Florida and Brett Favre. Some records will never be broken. Given the brutality of football, this may be one of them.

Favre was inactive, Jackson got the nod, and Eli Manning began by completing passes to the Minnesota defense. Manning’s first pick had the Vikings starting at the Giants 34. On 4th and 1, Leslie Frazier decided to go for it, and Jackson gained 2 after initially being stopped. The drive stopped at the 3 yard line, and Ryan Longwell connected from 21. Manning’s second interception did not lead to any points, as the Giants defense kept them in the game. The Vikings faced 4th and 2 at the Giants 37, and Frazier opted to punt.

One play turned the game around. On 2nd and 8 from the Giants 13, Brandon Jacobs rumbled for 73 yards to the Minnesota 14. Ahmad Bradshaw gained another 11, and on 3rd and goal from the 1, Jacobs took it in to put the Giants up 7-3. With less than 2 minutes in the half, a shotgun snap over Jackson’s head led to 4th and 24 and a punt. A Minnesota personal foul on the punt had the Giants take over at their own 46 with 1:33 to work with.

Manninh hit Hakeem Nicks for 30 yards. On 3rd and 6, Manning hit Kevin Boss for 1st and 10 at the 13 with 23 second left in the half. Manning hit Hagan for 10 and the Giants took their last timeout with 13 seconds left in the half. An exchange of penalties had the Giants at the 6 with 8 seconds left. Manning hit Boss for the touchdown as the Giants led 14-3 at halftime.

Late in the third quarter Bradshaw raced for a 48 yard touchdown to have the Giants up 21-3. With Percy Harvin out of the lineup due to migraines, it was Booker who gave the Vikings a ray of hope for a 96 yard touchdown return. The hope was dashed when the return was nullified due to an illegal block.

Minnesota still had very good field position at their own 43, and on 3rd and 15 after a sack, Jackson found Simeon Rice for 22 yards. Unsportsmanlike conduct on the Giants bench added 15 more to the Giants 25. A false start and a sack killed the drive and the Vikings punted again to end the third quarter. A scoreless rest of the game allowed the Giants to get to 9-4, tied for the division lead with their showdown with Philadelphia next week. The Vikings at 5-8 are effectively eliminated from playoff contention. Leslie Frazier lost his first game as a head coach while Tom Coughlin was so pleased with the win that he almost smiled. 21-3 Giants

eric

Tonight is the fifth night of Hanukkah. It also the 13th week of the 2010 NFL season.

In South Florida Hanukkah is a big deal. A few days ago the Miami Heat celebrated Hanukkah at their home game, although rumor has it that between Lebron James, Chris Bosh, Dwayne Wade, and Pat Reilly, none of them are Jewish. Early next week the Florida Panthers have a strangely nice promotion for their home game. Every single fan gets a Panthers yarmulke (skullcap). Most of the fans are not Jewish, but they are getting them anyway.

Having said that, neither basketball or hockey is football, and that is what this blog is about on Sundays.

My coed touch football team “Team Awesome” played on Saturday. I was not there, so I have no idea what happened. Either way, at 7-1 or 6-2, we will be in the playoffs, which is next week. A pursuit of another championship will be fierce.

With that, here is the NFL 2010 Week 13 Recap.

Houston Texans @ Philadelphia Eagles–Gary Kubiak and the Texans were 5-7 last year before running the table last year for their first winning record. At 5-6, miracles were not expected this year on the road as Walrus Lite Andy Reid has the Eagles in contention to win another division title.

The Eagles began at their own 12 and Michaek Vick immediately went deep, hitting Desheard Jackson for 30 yards. On 3rd and 9 from the Houston 37, Vick hit Captain Morgan Brent Celek for 20. From the 14, Vick hit Jeremy Maclin at the 2. On 3rd and goal at the 1, Vick hit McCoy for the touchdown to complete the 11 play, 7 minute, 88 yard drive and have the Eagles up 7-0.

The Texans took over at their own 31 and benefitted from a defensive facemask. Matt Schuab hit Leach for 21 but the drive stalled. Neil Rackers connected from 48 to have the Texans within 7-3

The Eagles took over at their own 28. Vick gained 10 and then fumbled, although Philly retained possession. On 3rd and 3 from the Philly 47, Vick found Jackson for 21. On 3rd and 8 from the Houston 30, Vick scrambled for 10. McCoy picked up 13 on the ground, 3 on a reception, and the final 4 on the ground as the 11 play, 5 1/2 minute, 72 yard drive had the Eagles up 14-3 seconds into the second quarter.

Houston punted, and the Eagles took over at their own 31. Vick went deep to Maclin for 34 yards and found him again for 12. The drive stalled and David Akers connected from 36 yards out to have the Eagles up 17-3

Houston took over at their own 20. On 3rd and 8, Schaub hit Walter for 14. From the Houston 47, Schaub went deep to Andre Johnson. With no Cortland Finnegan to drive him crazy, he instead continued to drive opposing defenses crazy, as the 36 yard gain led to an 8 yard touchdown pass to Jones to have the Texans within 17-10.

Philly punted, but Schaub was intercepted. The ball was returned inside the red zone and then fumbled, but the Eagles hung on to it at the Houston 18. The Houston defense stiffened inside the 5, and Akers hit a 22 yard chipper with 21 seconds left in the half to have the Eagles up 20-10. The Texans had 15 seconds left in the half, and from midfield, rather than try a Hail Mary, a reverse went for 29 yards to the Philly 21 as the gun sounded.

The Texans began the second half at their own 21. Foster picked up 13, and Schaub hit Dreesen for 13 more. A 19 yard pass to Johnson led to 3rd and 8 at the Philly 27. The defene jumped offsides, and Schaub hit Casey for 8. Schaub hit Foster for the 13 yard touchdown to complete the 11 play, 6 minute, 79 yard drive and get the Texans within 20-17

Vick went deep and was intercepted, setting up the Texans at their own 14. On 3rd and 1, Foster gained 2. On 3rd and 6 at the Houston 29, Schaub found Johnson for 17. On 3rd and 17, Schaub found Johnson for 31. Ward ten picked up 13. After a defensive penalty, Foster picked up 7 and then 3 for the score as the 13 play, 6 1/2 minute, 86 yard drive had the Texans up 24-20 with less than one minute left in the third quarter.

A short kickoff was returned 19 yards to the Philly 40. From the Houston 44, Vick went deep to Jackson again for 33 yards. Vick then hit McCoy for 9 and ran the final 2 yards himself to put the Eagles back in front 27-24. Houston punted, and the Eagles took over at their own 28 with 10 minutes left in regulation.

Vick found McCoy for a 40 yard gain. Harrison then ran for 14. On 3rd and 19 from the Houston 24, Vick found Celek for 18. On review, 4th and 1 was changed to a gain of 19 and 1st and 10. Vick hit Schmitt for the score to have the Eagles up by 10 with only 4 1/2 minutes remaining.

The Texans got the ball back but on 4th and 5 at their own 45, Schaub threw incomplete. HOuston got another chance with 3 minutes left at their own 11. Schaub hit Johnson for 39 yards to midfield, but on the next play Schaub was sacked and fumbled. Philly took over, and by the time the Texans saw the ball again, only 22 seconds remained.

The Eagles had the big lead, fell behind, but got the win to maintain the division lead. As for the Texans, they are 5-7 again. While they are still in contention for the division, being 2 games back with 4 to play means that Bob McNair will not give Kubiak the reprieve he did last year. 34-24 Eagles

New Orleans Saints @ Cincinnati Bengals–A very good team on the road faces a very bad team. Sean Payton is trying to repeat, while Marvin Lewis would rather be anywhere else than wasting his coaching skills on the malcontents in his city.

After a Cincy punt, the Saints took over at their own 5. Reggie Bush picked up 10 and Drew Brees went deep to Marquic Colston for 43. A 48 yard field goal by Garrett Hartley had the Saints up 3-0. Cincy shocked the football world by moving 13 plays over 7 minutes. Yet this netted only 42 yards, as a field goal tied the game 3-3 early in the second quarter. The tie did not last long as Ivory ripped off a 55 yard touchdown run to just as quickly put the Saints up 10-3.

A strong kickoff return had the Bengals at their own 45. Defensive pass interference on a deep ball had the Bengals with 1st and goal at the 10. Naturally, they kicked a field goal and trailed 10-6, one field goal for each overrated prima donna receiver with a reality show.

Brees led an 11 play, 88 yard drive late in the half that went from the Saints 6 to the Bengals 6. On 3rd and 9 from the Saints 18, Brees hit Robert Meachem for 12. From the Saints 36, Brees went deep to Graham for 52 yards. Hartley hit a 24 yard field goal just before the half to have the Saints up 13-6.

The Saints took the second half kickoff and marched 11 plays and 66 yards in 6 minutes. Ivory had a 21 yard run and Brees hit Colston for 19 more. A 18 yard completion to Jeremy Shockey set up Ivory from one yard out to have the Saints up 20-6. The ensuing kickoff went out of bounds, setting up the Bengals at their own 40. On 3rd and 9 just shy of midfield, Carson Palmer hit Chad Johnson for 33 yards. From the 5, Palmer hit Terrell Owens for the score. Owens loves him some him as the Bengals trailed and entered the game 2-9. The extra point was no good as the game was 20-12 Saints.

Brees was then intercepted, setting the Bengals up at the Saints 46. Palmer hit Johnson for 20 and the Bengals ended the third quarter by converting 3rd and 4 at the Saints 20 with a 9 yard toss to Johnson. Cedric Benson took it in from one yard out and with 14 minutes still left to play, Marvin Lewis opted against the 2 point conversion. The Saints only led 20-19, but Brees just kept firing. A 52 yard bomb to Meachem had the Saints right back up 27-19 before Cincy could blink.

The Bengals took over at their own 41 after another short kickoff. With 10 1/2 minutes left in regulation, the Bengals punted on 4th and 3 and received a major break when the Saints jumped offsides on the kick. The Bengals retained possession. Scott ran for 18 and Palmer hit Johnson for 11 more. On 3rd and 10 from the 29, Palmer hit Johnson for 21. Scott took it in from 4 yards out with 8 minutes left. Now was the time for the 2 point conversion, and Palmer hit Gresham to tie the game 27-27.

The Saints self-destructed on their next drive, punting on 4th and 26 as the Bengals took over with 6 minutes left in regulation at the Saints 44. Palmer hit Johnson for 13 and then the drive died. Stitser came in with 4 1/2 minutes left for a 47 yard field goal. It as good, the Bengals led 30-27, and the upset was in the works.

Oh no wait. The Saints are the defending champs and the Bengals are themselves. It was inevitable. The Saints took over at their own 32. From the 43, Brees went deep to Meachem for 42 yards to the Cincy 15. With 34 seconds to play, the Saints faced 4th and 2 at the 7. Nobody in their right mind would go for it  here. You kick the field goal and go to overtime. Yet Sean Payton called a passing formation. It could have been a bluff, but a neutral zone infraction made it 1st and goal at the 3. Again, these are the Bengals. 34 seconds was the time left on the clock when they lost their last Super Bowl. Brees then hit Colston for the touchdown.

Yet the Bengals had life when Scott returned the ensuing kickoff just shy of midfield. Palmer hit Leonard for 14 yards and the Bengals took their last timeout with 8 seconds left. From the Saints 37, a Hail Mary was well within range. The Bengals wide receivers never got the chance as Palmer was sacked for a 16 yard loss to end the game. These are the Bengals. The Saints are 9-3 and the Bengwads, Bungles, or Mike Brownies depending on the day are 2-10 and not even that good. Palmer was a good 23 of 33 for 249 yards and a touchdown, but Brees was a ridiculous 24 of 29 for 313 yards and a pair of touchdowns and one interception. 34-30 Saints

Chicago Bears @ Detroit Lions–Earlier in the year the Lions were robbed of a victory on a terrible call claiming Calvin Johnson did not score the winning touchdown. The Bears were also considered pretenders, but Lovie Smith has them playing well, with a solid defense led by Brian Urlacher. Jim Schwartz continues to channel his inner Rod Marinelli, but the Lions have been devastated by injuries to starting quarterback Matthew Stafford and backup Shawn Hill. Now the third stringer Drew Stanton has to begin against a nasty defense.

After an exchange of punts, the Lions took over at the Chicago 38. Stanton hit Nate Burleson for 15, and Stanton ran it in himself from 3 yards out to have the Lions up 7-0. Jay Cutler calmly led the Bears on a 13 play, 76 yard, 6 1/2 minute drive. On 3rd and 9 from the Chicago 25, Cutler hit Bennett for just enough. On 3rd and 8 from the Detroit 36, Cutler found Bennett again for 14. Cutler connected with Bennett for 13 more, and after defensive pass interference, Chester Taylor ran it in from one yard out to tie the game 7-7.

Stanton led the Lions on a 10 play, 5 minute drive in the second quarter. Rayner hit a 50 yard field goal to have the Lions up 10-7. Cutler quickly responded with an 83 yard drive in less than 5 minutes. A 33 yard completion to Bennett set up Matt Forte on the ground form 14 yards out to have the Bears up 14-10.

With 53 seconds left in the half, the Lions were at their own 9. They could have just run out the clock and gone to the locker rooms. Jahvid Best ran for a 45 yard gain. On the next play, Stanton hit Calvin Johnson, who took it 46 yards for a score, which is the way teams move 91 yards in 2 plays in less than 30 seconds to put the Lions up 17-14 at the break.

The third quarter began with Cutler getting sacked and fumbling, giving the Lions 1st and goal at the 9. Brian Urlacher and Julius Peppers kept it a one score game as the Lions went nowhere and settled for a 25 yard field goal to lead 20-14. After an exchange of punts, the Bears took over with gift field position of their own at the Detroit 31. They lost 5 yards, but Robbie Gould bailed them out as Lovie Smith trusted him with a 54 yard field goal try. It was good and the Bears were within 20-17.

The fourth quarter began as the Lions faced 3rd and 1 at their own 49. Stanton ran right into Urlacher for nothing. Jim Schwartz decided to go for it and Stanton got the yard. On 3rd and 1 from the Chicago 41, Jahvid best met Urlacher and Peppers for nothing. Schwartz again gambled on 4th and 1 and Stanton threw incomplete to end the drive as the ghost of Rod Marinelli hung over the team with 12 minutes left in regulation. Cutler then hit Forte for 20, Bennett for 12, and Brandon Manumaleuna for a 7 yard score as the Bears retook the lead 24-20 with 8 1/2 minutes to play.

The Lions had a golden opportunity when Stephan Logan returned the kickoff 60 yards to the Chicago 44. On 3rd and 3, Stanton hit Morris for just enough as the Bears were in long field goal range. Stanton was then sacked to end the drive. The Bears took over at their own 20 with 5:17 to play. Everything came down to 2nd and 11 at the Detroit 45 at the 2 minute warning and the Lions out of timeouts. There is no way you throw in this situation, unless you are a crazy man like Mike Martz. Cutler hit Manumaleuna for 16 and the bears ran out the clock to get the Bears to 9-3 and drop the Lions to 2-10, light years above the 2008 team and nothing else. 24-20 Bears

San Francisco 49ers @ Green Bay Packers–In 1995 the changing of the guard occurred when Brett Favre and the Packers rocked Steve Young and the 49ers. Yet now the 49ers are just a bad team and the Packers are a very good one. The 49ers have won 3 of their last 4, but against even worse teams. Mike Singletary is channeling his inner Ray Rhodes, although that criticism may have to be taken back if they somehow beat a good Packers team on the road.

Troy Smith hit Michael Crabtree deep for a 39 yard gain to set up a 44 yard field goal and a 3-0 49ers lead. Late in the first quarter, a bad punt had the 49ers starting at the Green Bay 39. From the 27, Smith hit Vernon Davis to set up 1st and goal from the 2. Smith was then sacked, and the 49ers settled for another field goal and a 6-0 lead early in the second quarter. With 5 1/2 minutes left in the half, despite having nothing working, the Packers needed one play to take a 7-6 lead as Aaron Rodgers hit Greg Jennings for a 57 yard touchdown.

After a punt, the Packers took over at midfield. From the San Fran 38, Rodgers hit Jackson, who took the short pass to the one yard line. Just past the 2 minute warning, Kuhn took it in to have the Cheeseheads up 14-6. The 49ers got the ball back at their own 34, and Troy Smith went for the bomb to Davis for a 66 yard touchdown strike. Mike Singletary wisely opted against the 2 point conversion as the 49ers trailed only 14-13 at intermission.

With the Packers wearing their 1929 championship blue throwback uniforms, Rodgers went deep to Donald Driver. The 49ers turned into Keystone Cops, bouncing off of Driver and each other as a 61 yard touchdown had the Blue Bay Packers up 21-13. The 49ers hung around as Smith led a 10 play, 64 yard drive that took over 5 minutes. Yet the 49ers could not get past the 5 yard line as another field goal had them within 21-16.

A very short kickoff was fielded at the Packers 27 and returned to the 44. On 2nd and 5 just shy of midfield, Rodgers went deep again to Greg Jennings for a 48 yard gain down to the 3. On 3rd and goal at the 1, Rodgers hit Jennings for the score as the Packers led 28-16.

After a terrible punt, the Packers got the ball back at the San Francisco 43. Mason Crosby kicked a 43 yard field goal one minute into the fourth quarter to have the Packer up 31-16. The 49ers ran the kickoff back to near midfield but did nothing and punted as the Packers took over at their own 20.

Rodgers led a ridiculous game closing drive that took 17 plays and bled 8 1/2 minutes off of the clock. On 3rd and 5 from the Packers 41, Rodgers picked up 11. On 3rd and 2 from the San Francisco 30, Rodgers hit Jones for 7. On 3rd and 6 from the 19, an incomplete pass was nullified by offsides. On 3rd and 1, Kuhn picked up 2. The drive finally stalled at the 6 yard line, but Crosby’s 24 yarder made it a 3 score game with only 3 minutes left to lock things up.

Troy Smith finished with an interception to end a miserable 10 for 25 day. Rodgers was the player that the 49ers passed over with the # 1 pick, taking Alex Smith instead. Smith is on the bench about to be drummed out of town while Rodgers was passed over by 23 teams and got some revenge today by going 21 of 30 for 298 yards and 3 touchdown passes as the Packers stayed in contention to win the NFC North while the 49ers cannot even gain ground in the NFC Worst. 34-16 Packers

Jacksonville Jaguars @ Tennessee Titans–The Jaguars lost a heartbreaker last week after winning ona  miracle Hail Mary the prior week. Yet they are still tied for the division lead at 6-5, and fighting hard for Jack Del Rio. Jeff Fisher saw the Titans start 5-2 before losing 4 straight, Kerry Collins to injury, and Vince Young to injury and another meltdown. This division will either get separation, or become total chaos.

David Garrard led a 12 play, 77 yard, 6 1/2 minute drive that was all the more amazing since Garrard threw only 1 pass for 6 yards. Jacksonville simply ran it down The Titans throats. On 4th and 1 from the Tennessee 11, Jack Del Rio decided to go for it. Jennings ran it straight up the middle all the way for the score as the Jaguars led 7-0 on the road.

Neither Garrard nor Kerry Collins tried to throw much as Del Rio and Jeff Fisher both tried to play smash mouth. After Collins was intercepted, Garrard led a 13 play, 7 1/2 minute drive in the second quarter that began at the Jacksonville 43. Garrard converted 3 times on 3rd down, including a 10 yard pass to Lewis on 3rd and 9 from the Tennessee 25. From the 4, Garrard overpowered and faked out tacklers to take it in himself and put the Jaguars up 14-0.

With 3 minutes left in the half, the Titans faced 4th and 7 at the Jacksonville 42. Fisher decided to go for it, and Collins fired deep to Randy Moss incomplete. Jacksonville took over and Garrard completed a pair of 12 yard passes to Thomas. With 3 seconds left in the half and the Jaguars facing 4th and 1 at the Titans 8, Del Rio took no chances. Josh Scobee nailed the 26 yarder as the Jaguars led 17-0 on the road at halftime.

With nothing working for the Titans and Tennessee facing 3rd and 10 at their own 19, Collins found Justin Gage for 25 yards. 10 plays and 62 yards resulted in a 38 yard Rob Bironas field goal as the Titans finally got on the board to trail 17-3 with 6 minute left in the third quarter.

The Jaguars tried to turn out the lights but a 49 yard field goal try by Scobee was blocked. Collins led a 13 play, 6 minute drive. Yet from the Jacksonville 11, the drive again stalled. With 12 minutes still left to ply in the game, Jeff Fisher decided on the field goal. Bironas connected from 30 and the Titans were down by 11. Again Scobee tried to wrap things up with a 48 yarder, and this time the kick hit the upright as the Titans still had 8 minutes left.

On 4th and 3 from the Titans 45, Collns threw incomplete. Yet with the Jaguars again trying to put it away on 3rd and 1 form the Titans 22, a running play lost a yard. After 2 missed kicks, Del Riod ecided to go for it on 4th and 2 and another run lost another yard. Yet an interception of Collins ended the suspense.

It was ugly, but Jacksonville at 7-5 leads the AFC South. The Tians have lost 5 straight to drop to 5-7. Earlier this year a confident Tennessee went into Jacksonville and bullied them and beat them up 33-3. This time it was Jacksonville on the road with a methodical offense and stifling defense. Garrard was only 14 of 19 for a paltry 126 yards, but Maurice Jones-Drew gashed the Titans for 186 yards on 31 carries for 6 yards a carry. Jennings added 44 yards on 10 carries.

Kerry Collins was an awful 14 of 32 for 169 yards and the interception, while Garrard was mistake free. The Tians have big offseason issues at quarterback because while it was Collins who led the Titans to 13-3 in 2008, Collins was 0-6 in 2009 and Vince Young went 8-2. Young is a basket case, but Collins, despite being severely underrated, is having some bad games. Bud Adams wants Young and Jeff Fisher does not. Stay tuned. 17-6 Titans

Denver Broncos @ Kansas City Chiefs–Denver is awful, but they have not quit on Josh McDaniels. They walloped the Chiefs a couple of weeks ago, and Todd Haley refused to shake his counterpart’s hand afterward. The Chiefs at 7-4 lead the division by one game, and are trying to dispel the expectation that they will choke that away.

The coaches may not be brothers, but the punters are, as both teams fielded a Colquitt. They had the action early on, but late in the opening quarter Matt Cassel led an 11 play, 70 yard, 6 1/2 minute drive. A 10 yard completion to Jamal Charles on 3rd and 9 and a 19 yard completion to Dexter McCluster on 3rd and 4 led to a 2 yard touchdown pass to Leonard Pope for a 7-0 Chiefs lead.

The second quarter was a slog. Orton led the Broncos 85 yards in 12 plays in 5 1/2 minutes, but Denver had to settle for a 25 yard Matt Prater field goal to get within 7-3. With very little time in the half, Cassel did enough to allow Ryan Succop to get the points back with a 47 yarder and a 10-3 Chiefs lead at halftime.

The Chiefs began the third quarter at their own 30 and used 1/2 the period to move to 4th and goal at the 2. Todd Haley decided to go for it rather than make it a 2 score game. Cassel was sacked for a 13 yard loss to end the drive. Later in the quarter a 57 yard run by Dexter McCluster turned into a McClusterf*ck as holding negated it. Cassel was then hit and fumbled, and the fumble was returned for the tying touchdown. Yet it was ruled an incomplete pass and intentional grounding, and the Chiefs escaped with a punt.

After a scoreless third quarter, a 41 yard Matt Prater field goal one minute into the fourth had Denver within 10-6. With 10 minutes left in regulation, Denver was at the Chiefs 29. Orton was sacked and fumbled, and the Chiefs took over. Both teams punted, as Orton was only 7 of 24 for 85 yards with 8 minutes to play, this coming after he started 3 for 3.

Denver got the ball back at their own 15 with 4 minutes left. With 2 1/2 minutes left and the Broncos facing 4th and 4 at their own 39, Josh McDaniels decided to punt and trust his defense. The Chiefs took over at their own 17.

On 2nd and 6 with 2:12 left, Jamal Charles picked up the 6. The Broncos took their final timeout and the Chiefs kept running. With 20 seconds left the Chiefs punted and a bizarre sequence ensued. Initially it looked like the punt was fumbled, picked up, run backwards, and called a safety. After a further look, it was touched first by the Chiefs. So the Broncos did have a chance, but from their own 8. 92 yards on one play does not happen often and it did not happen here. McDaniels and Haley shared a very sincere hug afterward as the pinball machine in Denver was replaced with a defensive bonelock in Kansas City. The Chiefs improved to 8-4 to still lead the AFC West while at 3-9 Denver is the cellar dwellar. 10-6 Chiefs

Cleveland Browns @ Miami Dolphins–Lebron James has nothing to do with this game. Miami went on the road and walloped Cleveland in basketball. Yet this is football, Miami is at home, and both of these teams have been very inconsistent, winning tough games on the road while losing at home. Walrus Mike Holmgren still wants to be the head coach, but Eric Mangini refuses to get himself fired. Tony Sparano has Chad Pennington out for the season and Chad Hene playing through injury.

An unwatchable first half finally saw Henne intercepted by Elam, setting up the Browns at the Miami 28. A field goal just past the 2 minute warning had the Browns up 3-0. With 1:41 left from the Miami 34 Henne led the Dolphins to the Browns 29 before going backward. On 4th and 23 from the 42, Dan Carpenter was brought in for a 60 yard field goal on the last play of the half. He leveld it, as the teams went to the locker room tied 3-3.

Midway through the third quarter, Phil Dawson doinked a 47 yard field goal off the upright. With 5 minutes left in the third quarter, the Browns got the ball back at their own 6. From the 9, Jake Delhomme, playing for injured Colt McCoy, hit Massaquoi for 37 and Watson for 15 more. Another pass to Massquoi went for 33 yards to set up Delhomme hitting Watson from 3 yards out as the end zone was finally cracked and the Browns led 10-3. On 3rd and 5 from the Cleveland 44, Henne scrambled for 10. On 3rd and 3 from the 27, Henne hit Bess for 9. On 3rd and 3 from the 11, Henne hit Fasano for the score to tie the game 10-10 with 10 1/2 minutes left in regulation.

With one minute left in regulation, the Dolphins faced 3rd and 9 at their own 26. Either convert or punt and play for overtime. Instead, Henne was intercepted for the third time, and Adams returned it to the Miami 2 yard line. There is losing games and giving them away. This was given away. Rather than even try and score, Eric Mangini had Delhomme kneel down and bleed the clock. On the final play, Dawson nailed the 23 yarder as Mike Holmgren was one happy Walrus. The Dolphins keep winning on the road and keep losing at home as they fell to 6-6. The Browns are fighting hard and it shows. 13-10 Browns

Buffalo Bills @ Minnesota Vikings–The Bills were one dropped touchdown pass from winning 3 straight for Chan Gailey, while Leslie Frazier has never lost a game as an NFL head coach, going 1-0 and getting a Gatorade bath. The Bills receiver was not blaming God. He was expressing his pain. However, while he feels that this is a stain on his career forever 2-9 is not much worse than 3-8. Scott Norwood is a bigger sufferer in Bills history, and that will not change. Norwood had a long and honored career, and hopefully the new receiver will as well. As for long careers, Brett Favre is still doing it.

Favre began by making things happen and scrambling, and getting hit as he threw for an interception and a short Buffalo field. Buffalo did nothing. From the Minnesota 8, the defense jumped offsides and Favre took advantage of the free play to go deep to Sidney rice for a 47 yard gain. On the next play Favre as sacked and the unthinkable happened. Favre hurt his hand and came out of the game. Tarvaris Jackson entered the building and the Vikings punted.

Ryan Fitzpatrick then got belted and fumbled, setting up the Vikings at the Buffalo 13. The play was challenged and overturned, and the Bills instead punted. Tarvaris Jackson then summoned up his inner Brett Favre, throwing an interception to Florence for a 40 yard touchdown going the other way as the Bills led 7-0.

Jackson rebounded, and from the Buffalo 31, Jackson went deep. At first the ball appeared intercepted, then both players came down with simultaneous possession, and then it was ruled incomplete. Minnesota challenged the call, and on review the call was reversed and ruled a touchdown catch by Sidney Rice to have the game tied 7-7. Buffao fumbled the ensuing kickoff, and this time there was no review as the Vikings took over at the Buffalo 14. Adrian Peterson barreled over people from 3 yards out to put the Vikings up 14-7.

After a punt, the Vikings took over at their own 40. Jackosn hit Vicente Shiancoe for 15. Fred Jackson ran for 13, and unneccessary roughness added 15 more. Jackson hit Todd Kleinsasser for 12 and Peterson took it the final 3 to have the Vikings up 21-7. Fitzpatrick was then intercepted by Antoine Winfield at the Buffalo 46. Winfield returned it to the 5, and Jackson hit Rice for a 6 yard touchdown to have the Bills cruising 28-7.

With 5 minutes left in the half, the Vikings took over at their own 18. Jackson led them to the Minnesota 20, where Ryan Longwell connected on a 38 yard field goal to end the half. While Favre may have been healthy enough to return, Leslie Frazier wisely decided not to risk his health with the team leading 31-7 at halftime. For those wanting to declare a quarterback controversy, please sit down.

The third quarter was a turnover fest, and on the first play of the fourth quarter the second exchange of turnovers gave the Vikings the ball at the Buffalo 43. Peterson turned out the lights by running all the way for the touchdown to make it 38-7. Leslie Frazier improved to 2-0 as coach as the Vikings got to 5-7. Jackson was 15 of 22 with 2 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. If Favre’s shoulder is ok, there is no discussion. He starts. The Bills fought hard for Chan Gailey for several weeks, but got blown out today. They will improve in time. They added one more touchdown with the outcome not in doubt. 38-14 Vikings

Washington Redskins @ New York Giants–Joe Gibbs and Bill Parcells are gone, but Mike Shanahan and Tom Coughlin also have Super Bowls, and great leaders in Donovan McNabb and Eli Manning. The Giants are in position to compete for the division lead, but the Redskins are on the ropes.

Brandon Jacobs ripped off a 39 yard gain, and then took it in from 8 yards to have Big Blue up 7-0. The Redskins punted, and the Giants took over at their own 41. Eli Manning hit Kevin Boss for 21 yards, and Jacobs barreled for 11 more. After a couple short passes, Ahmad Bradshaw did the rest on the ground, picking up 6, 2, and on 3rd and 2 from the 4, the final 4 for the score as the G-Men led 14-0.

In the second quarter Manning led the Giants form their own 19 to the Washington 4. He was intercepted to kill the drive, but a few plays later Washington would fumble it back. From the Washington 39, Bradshaw helped things along, as a 15 yard run was followed by a 10 yard touchdown run to have the Giants up 21-0.

Midway through the third quarter McNabb was hit and fumbled, giving the Giants the ball at the Washington 46. Manning hit Mario Manningham for 13. After defensive holding, Jacobs rumbled for the 28 yard touchdown to have the Giants up 28-0. McNabb finally got going when it was way too late, hitting Davis for 28 and then Armstrong for a 33 yard touchdown to get the Redskins within 28-7.

The rest of the game was uneventful as the Giants would tack on a field goal to close out the scoring and keep the Giants on pace to win the division. The Redskins are all but done, as Mike Shanahan will need time to turn things around. Tom Coughlin seems to have righted his ship. McNabb finished 26 of 44 for 296 yards and a touchdown but with 2 costly interceptions and the fumble. Manning was a pedestrian 15 of 25 for 161, but Bradshaw and Jacobs gave him 4 rushing touchdowns in the blowout win. 31-7 Giants

Atlanta Falcons @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers–Mike Smith is not just an average non-descript white guy who looks like a guy named Mike Smith. He has the Falcons at 9-2, the best record in the NFC. Last year the Falcons for the first time in their 40+ year franchise history had consecutive winning seasons. Now they have 3 straight winning seasons. The Buccaneers last year under Raheem Morris looked like the orange creamsicle pants Bucs of 15 straight losing seasons, but this year at 7-4, they are trying to shake the image of being pretenders on a soft schedule.

After an exchange of punts, the Falcons took over at their own 48. Michael Turner ran for 7 and 10 and Matt Ryan then hit Tony Gonzalez for 21 and 17. From the 5, Turner took it in to have the Falcons up 7-0. Josh Freeman brought the Buccaneers back, taking them 86 yards in 11 plays over 6 minutes. From the Atlanta 32 it was all Blount, who ran for 6, 20, and then the final 6 to tie the game 7-7.

Midway through the second quarter, the Falcons took over at their own 40. Ryan hit Jenkins for 15 and Douglas for 21. A personal foul for unnecessary roughness on the offense had the Falcons with 2nd and 28 at the Tampa Bay 42. Yet on the next play the unnecessary roughness was on the defense to set up 1st and 10 at the Buccaneers 17. On 3rd and 10 Matty Ice hit Mughelli for the touchdown to have the Falcons back in front 14-7.

The Buccaneers punted, but Ryan was then intercepted to give the Buccaneers the ball at the Atlanta 30 with 1:39 left in the half.  Josh Freeman hit Stroughter for 9 and Ben picked up 7. Freeman hit Williams from one yard out to tie the game 14-14 at halftime.

The Buccaneers took over in the second half at their own 34. Blount took over, picking up 28, then 4 more, and another 10. On 3rd 9 from the 23, Freeman hit Kellen Winslow for 8. In a key decision of the game, Raheem Morris decided not to go for it on 4th and 1 at the Atlanta 15. Blount had run hard, but Connor Barth was the choice. His 33 yard field goal had the Buccaneers up 17-14.

The Falcons punted, and the Buccaneers took over at their own 9. On 3rd and 10 Freeman hit Williams for 17. Freeman was intercepted, but the call was challenged and overturned. Freeman led the Bucs to 3rd and 1 at the Atlanta 41, but this time Blount was stoned. There would be no euphoric high for Tampa as Morris decided to punt.

With 12 1/2 minutes left in regulation, Ryan was intercepted. The Buccaneers took over at the Atlanta 39. Freeman hit Williams for 9 and then Benn for 28 down to the 2 yard line. A gadget play resulted in Graham tossing the touchdown to Gilmore as the Buccaneers led 24-14 and smelled upset with 10 1/2 minutes left in regulation despite wearing their orange creamsicle throwback pants. On the next play they looked like the old 70s creamsicles as Weems returned the ensuing kickoff 102 yards for a touchdown to get the Falcons within 24-21.

The Bucs punted, and the Falcons took over at their own 33 with 8 1/2 minutes left. On 3rd and 20, Ryan hit Roddy White for 25. On 3rd and 1, defensive pass interferenc tacked on 10 yards. A defensive personal foul had the Bucs self-destructing and the Falcons at the Tampa 16. On 3rd and 3 Ryan hit Jenkins for the go ahead touchdown with 4 1/2 minutes to play.

With 3:20 to play and the Buccaneers facing 3rd and 10 at their own 35, Freeman somehow hit Williams inbetween defenders for 21 yards. On 4th and 12, Freeman somehow found Straughter for 19 yards to the Atlanta 27 at the 2 minute warning. A Tampa comeback was in the works. Then Freeman was intercepted and the comeback evaporated. Michael Turner ground out 1st downs until kneeling down ended things.

The Buccaneers at 7-5 are not pretenders. They are much improved, but not an elite team yet. They fought Atlanta twice to the final moments, but the Falcons won both times. At 10-2 the Falcons have the best record in the conference and lead the division by 1 game, pretty much closing the door on the Bucs. Atlanta is an elite team, and today showed it. 28-24 Falcons

Oakland Raiders @ San Diego Chargers–A pair of blocked punts led the Raiders to snap the streak of 13 straight losses to the Chargers. Yet the Chargers at 6-5 have won 4 straight while the Raiders have lost to straight to drop to 5-6. With Bruce Gradkowski now injured with the same shoulder injury and out for the season, the Raiders are expected to get blasted and all but end their season. Philip Rivers is licking his chops as Norvelous Norv Turner looks forward to annihilating his former team again.

The Raiders lost at home last week against an average Miami team while San Diego went on the road and destroyed Indy. The Chargers were prepared for the coronation. Yet this is Hanukkah, and despite having a Christian first name, Chris Berman is 100% Jewish. The Swami has said, “That’s why they play the games,” and if ever a game deserved that quote, this was it.

The Chargers began at their own 18, picked up one first down, and punted on 4th and 13 at their own 29. The Raiders took over at their own 30 and went 3 and out, punting on 4th and 3 as Jason Campbell fired incomplete on third down.  Yet while San Diego has amazing play on offense and defense, special teams is still killing them. This time it was a fumbled punt, giving the Raiders the ball at the San Diego 18. On 3rd and 7, Campbell scrambled for 6 yards to set up 4th and 1 at the 9. Tom Cable decided to go for it, and Hue Jackson dialed up the perfect call. The Chargers bottled up the runner up the middle, but Campbell fooled everybody by taking the naked bootleg around the end, walking into the end zone for a 7-0 Raiders lead.

The Chargers took over at their own 14. Philip Rivers hit Malcolm Floyd for 19 yards, but on the next play Rivers was intercepted by Michael Huff. Huff returned it 15 yards to the San Diego 41. Campbell hit Reece for 11, and on 3rd and 2 McFadden only picked up 1 yard. On 4th and inches from the 21, Cable again decided to go for it. This time the Raiders went conventional, and Campbell snuck forward for 3 yards to the 18. On 3rd and 2 from the 10, another 4th and 1 was averted when Michael Bush picked up just enough. On 3rd and goal from the 4, Campbell hit rookie phenom Jacoby Ford for the score as the Raiders led 14-0 after the opening quarter in front of a stunned San Diego crowd.

The Chargers took over at their own 31, and on 3rd and 1, encroachment gave the Chargers an automatic first down. On 3rd and 4 just past midfield, Rivers hit Floyd for 24 yards to the quarter mark. The Raiders played inspired defense on this day, and the Chargers settled for a 39 yard Nate Kaeding field goal as they trailed 14-3.

The Raiders took over at their own 20 and kept moving. McFadden ran for 3 and 7. Campbell ran for 12 and hit Marcel Reese for 22 to the Chargers 35. Darrius Heyward-Bey took an end around 14 yards. On 3rd and 3 from the 13, a false start appeared to doom the Raiders. Instead, Campbell scrambled for 9 on 3rd and 8. Michael Bush ran for 3 and then for the 7 yard touchdown as the Raiders led in front of a shellshocked Chargers crowd 21-3. The 11 play, 80 yard drive consumed 7 minutes, and left the Chargers 4 minutes to work with.

From the San Diego 20, Rivers hit Mike Tolbert for 7 and Randy McMichael for 9. Rivers then found Antonio Gates for 24 yards to the Oakland 40. A sack made it 2nd and 15 at the 2 minute warning. On 3rd and 9, Rivers hit Gates and it was ruled 1st and 10. However, replays showed that Gates was tackled short of the yard stick. Cable wisely challenged the call, and was successful. The Chargers were faced with 4th and 1 at the 31. Turner decided to go for it, but the Raiders are the running team. The Chargers pass the ball. Tolbert ran the ball and was blown up in the backfield by Houston and Branch.

With 1:37 left in the half, the Raiders had done everything right. All they had to do was get to the half. Starting at their own 32, a false start moved them back. On 3rd and 7, a run would have most likely finished the half. Instead the Raiders tried to do too much, and a short pass to McFadden in traffic led to him getting blasted and fumbling. The Chargers had the ball at the Oakland 39, and 21-10 already seemed to be on the board.

Not this time. On 2nd and 3, Rivers fired incomplete twice. From 50 yards out, Kaeding was dead center but short, no good. The Raiders took the 21-3 lead into the locker rooms. The Chargers passed the ball on 22 of 28 plays, with only 6 runs. The Raiders were the reverse as McFadden and Bush ran wild. Campbell only threw 7 passes in the first half, completing 6 of them. He was managing the game.

The Raiders began the second half at their own 23. On 3rd and 5, Campbell hit Darren McFadden for 19 yards. McFadden then ran for 20 more to the San Diego 33. On 3rd and 8 from the 31, Campbell threw incomplete. Seabass was prepared for a 49 yard field goal to make it 24-3, but sooner or later everybody was waiting for the Raiders to screw up. A brain dead personal foul after the incomplete pass for unnecessary roughness moved the Raiders out of range and Shane Lechler punted. The Raiders had just thrown away 3 potential points. It was the beginning of the expected collapse.

Yet not so fast. The Chargers began on their own 15, made one first down, and punted from their 35 as the Raiders took over at their own 22. On 3rd and 3, McFadden picked up 5. On 2nd and 12, Michael Bush ran 24 yards to the Chargers 44. McFadden gained 7 and 5 and the Raiders were in field goal range again with 2nd and 5 at the Chargers 25. Yet again the Raiders messed up, as offensive holding pushed them back. Rather than try and gain a few yards on the ground, a pair of incomplete passes left 4th and 15. Cable decided not to have Seabass try it from 57, punting instead. The Chargers took over at their own 17 with 4 minutes left in the third quarter.

On 3rd and 11 the Raiders had a chance to really turn out the lights on defense. Yet RIvers found Washington for 14, and Ajirotutu for 15 and 19. A personal foul on Stanford Routt had the Chargers at the Raiders 13. Finally the Chargers would come back and win. Again, not this time. Rivers was sacked, and the Chargers settled for a 33 yard Kaeding field goal. After three quarters, the Raiders still led 21-6.

The Raiders punted, and the Chargers took over at their own 20 with just under 13 minutes left in the game. Rivers hit Gates for 14, scrambled for 5, and hit Floyd for 18 more to the Oakland 43. Rivers then hit Tolbert for 24, and a questionable roughing the passer penalty gave the Chargers 1st and goal at the 9. Tolbert ran for 5, and Rivers found a wide open Gates for the touchdown. 10 minutes still remained, the Chargers were within 21-13, and the full scale Raiders meltdown was going to happen.

Not this time. Cartwright returned the kickoff 28 yards to the Oakland 38. The Raiders had been getting penalties all day, while the Chargers were playing virtually penalty free despite trailing. Offensive holding had the Raiders facing 2nd and 17. McFadden picked up 10, and on 3rd and  from the Oakland 41, defensive holding gave the Raiders the automatic first down at their own 45. Bush ran for 3 and 6, and on 3rd and 1 from the San Diego 46, everybody including the cameramen were fooled.

The running back got nailed in the backfield, but he never had the ball. Campbell went deep to Louis Murphy for a 37 yard gain and 1st and goal at the 9. An illegal substitution penalty on the defense for 12 men in the huddle was declined. On the next play, the Chargers were again called for the exact same penalty, making it 1st and goal at the 4. Bush picked up 2, and after a false start, McFadden took it around the end for the 7 yard touchdown. Only 4 1/2 minutes remained, and the Raiders led by 15.

The Chargers took over at their own 20. On 3rd and 5 Rivers hit Gates for 18. Cable challenged the completion and lost. Givena couple earlier timeouts burned by Campbell, the Raiders were now out of timeouts. Yet it was actually a good challenge anyway since Rivers was in a groove and the delay slowed his momentum and allowed the defense to catch a breather. 4 straight incomplete passes later, and the Raiders had the ball at the San Diego 43 with 3 minutes left.

Bush picked up 5 and 1 more as the Chargers used their timeouts. On 3rd and 4, Bush banged through people for 7 yards as the Chargers took their last timeout.  Bush gained 3 more to the 2 minute warning. Bush picked up 3 more, and on 3rd and 5, his 6th straight carry was an attitude run of the 5 yards to end things. San Diego was not getting the ball back.

Philip Rivers finished 23 of 39 for 280 yards and a touchdown, with one interception. Jason Campbell was only 10 of 16 for 117 yards and one touchdown, but he made zero mistakes. He managed the game perfectly. The Raiders gashed the Chargers for 251 yards on the ground, 97 by McFadden and 95 by Bush. Campbell even had 7 carries for 37 yards. The Raiders possessed the ball for over 38 1/2 minutes to under 21 1/2 for the Chargers.

Campbell also showed a lot of heart after getting knocked out of the game at one point. Kyle Boller came in, and with everyone expecting runs, Hue Jackson dialed up a double reverse that opened things up. Boller made no mistakes, and Campbell came back in. Speaking of heart, this entire Raiders team has it as they snapped the Chargers 18 game win streak in December.

All the talk about the Chargers running the table over the lowly Raiders can now be discarded. Both teams are 6-6, 2 games back of division leading Kanas City. Both teams still play Kansas City. The Raiders are at 7-5 Jacksonville next week, but now it is finally time to give this team some respect. They have earned it. The Raiders have swept San Diego, and are 4-0 in the division. They still have a shot, and if they make the playoffs Tom Cable might merit some coach of the year awards himself. Al Davis is being rewarded with a team playing hard. 28-13 Chargers

Carolina Panthers @ Seattle Seahawks–The Panthers are a mess, and Jerry Richardson will most likely end the reign of Jon Fox. Pete Carroll is just starting in Seattle, and despite uneven play, 5-6 leads the NFC Worst.

The Panthers began at their own 39 with Jimmy Clausen back in the lineup. On 3rd and 4 Clausen hit LaFell for 14. On 3rd and 8 from the Seattle 28, Stewart ran for 11. Goodson picked up another 11 and then ran 6 yards for the score as the Panthers led 7-0. Seattle punted, and Clausen led the Panthers from the Carolina 21 to a 4th and 5 at the Seattle 36. Jon Fox is a good coach with a bad team, but at 1-10 a punt might not be the best call. He did.

In the second quarter the Panthers got the ball at their own 21. Stewart ran for 14 and Clausen went deep to Steve Smith for 39. Stewart would score on a 3 yard touchdown run to have the Panthers up 14-0 on the road. Matt Hasselbeck was intercepted in Carolina territory to kill one drive. At the 2 minute warning of a miserable half, Hasselbeck had converted a 3rd and 13 with a 14 yard completion to Brandon Stokely to set up the Seahawks at the Carolina 42. Defensive pass interference set the ball on the 6 yard line. On 2nd and goal at the 1, a false start ended that drive as a field goal had the Seahawks down 14-3 at the break.

Seattle fumbled the opening kickoff but retained possession at their own 4. After defensive holding, Marshawn Lynch gained 12 and Hasselbeck hit Morrah for 26. From imdfield, Forsett ran for 31 with a horsecollar tackle piled on. On 3rd and goal at the 1, Lynch took it in to have the Seahawks within 14-10. Clausen then threw a 26 yard touchdown pass to Lofa Tatupu. However, unlike his father, offensive standout Mosi Tatupu, Lofa plays defense. The interception return had the Seahawks up 17-14. Carolina punted, and Leon Washington returned it 84 yards to the Carolina 2. Lynch ran it in from a yard out, and just like that, a 14-3 Carolina lead was a 24-14 Seattle comeback.

Carolina returned the ensuing kickoff 96 yards for a score, but a penalty wiped it out. Carolina would punt, Hasselbeck would get intercepted, and Carolina would do nothing with it. Lynch would end the lack of suspense with a 22 yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to end it. Carolina dropped to 1-11 while Seattle played well enough at home against them to get to 6-6 in the NFC Worst, tied for the division lead. Pete Carroll is not eligible for a bowl game like USC is, but the playoffs are still possible. 31-14 Seahawks

Dallas Cowboys @ Indianapolis Colts–Dallas was one blunder away from 3 straight wins for Jason Garrett, but theyw ere simply the victim of a phenomenal play by a New Orleans team that showed why they are defending champs. As for the almost champs from last year, the Colts after 7 seasons of going at least 12-4 are now 6-5 and only tied for their division lead. It is so frustrating to Jim Caldwell that he almost made a facial expression last week. Peyton Manning had one of his worst games at home in his entire career last week, and he will be out for blood.

Yet early on it was Dallas laying the lumber from their own 20. Jon Kitna methodically led the Cowboys 80 yards, as Tashard Choice took a handoff from the Indy 20 and raced to the end zone to put Dallas up 7-0. Manning was then intercepted by Ball at the Dallas 16 on a deep ball. Kitna moved the Cowboys 72 yards in 12 plays in over 6 1/2 minutes. On 3rd and 2 from the Indy 13, Choice only got half. On 4th and 1, Jason Garrett took no chances and went with the field goal. Buehler connected from 30 and Dallas led 10-0. In the second quarter Manning was intercepted by Scadrick, who returned it 40 yards the other way for a touchdown. In a stunner, Dallas led the Colts 17-0.

The Colts took over at their own 14. On 3rd and 4 Manning hit Pierre Garcon for 10. On 3rd and 2 Manning hit Garcon for 6. On 3rd and 4 from the Dallas 45, Manning hit Garcon for 5 as the quick strike offense was replaced with dink and dunk. Garcon ran for 11, and Manning then hit him for 8 and for the 13 yard score as the Colts were down 17-7 after the ridiculous 15 play, 86 yard drive that consumed over 8 minutes.

After an exchange of punts, the Cowboys took over at their own 17 with 3 minutes left in the half. Kitna moved the Cowboys with precision to a 1st and 10 at the Indy 25 with 9 seconds left in the half. A false start pushed the Cowboys back and Jason Garrett decided to send in the field goal team right away rather than risk any more problems. The kick was no good as the Cowboys led 17-7 at halftime.

The Colts began the second half at their own 20 and Manning needed just over one minute. He hit Reggie Wayne for 16, and on 2nd and 6 hit Jacob Tamme for 26. On the next play Manning found Wayne for the 34 yard touchdown as the quick strike Colts did exactly that to trail 17-14.

both teams faced 4th and 1 on their next drive and punted, as the Cowboys took over at their own 36. On 3rd and 10 Kitna found Jason Witten for 19. After a 9 yard sack set up 2nd and 19, Kitna hit Roy Wlliams on a short pass that went for 22 yards. The drive stalled, but this time Buehler connected from 46 to put the Cowboys up 20-14.

The Colts took over at their own 20. On 2nd and 20 from the 10, Manning was intercepted again, this time by Lee. Lee took it 31 yards for a touchdown and the Cowboys had a 27-14 lead with 5 minutes left in the third quarter. Coach Caldwell then benched Manning and brought in Curtis Painter. No, not really.

The Colts took over at their own 20, and Manning hit Wayne for 17. A personal foul on the offense had the Colts facing 1st and 25 at their own 33. On 3rd and 12, Manning hit White for 13 to the Dallas 41. On the last play of the third quarter, Manning went deep to Wayne for a 40 yard gain down to the 1 yard line. On the first play of the fourth quarter, James took it in to have the Colts within 27-21.

Dallas went nowhere, and set up to punt with 13 minutes left in regulation. The punt was blocked by Smith, who recovered it at the 2 and rolled into the end zone to put the Colts up 28-27 as the 17-0 Dallas lead was gone.

Kitna then led what might be the most staggering drive of any team this entire season, starting at the Dallas 19. On 3rd and 6 from the Dallas 37, Kitna hit Witten for 10. On 2nd and 5 from the Indy 38, Choice ran for 26 down to the 12. On 3rd and 1 from the 3, Felix Jones picked up 2 to set up 1st and goal at the 1. Then things got bizarre. A pair of Choice runs went nowhere sandwiched around an incomplete pass set up 4th and goal at the 1 with 3 1/2 minutes to play. Jason Garrett decided on the field goal.

At that point a delay of game penalty on the Cowboys made it 4th and goal at the 6. This seemed like no big deal, since it was still only a 24 yard kick, which Buehler made. Yet a defensive penalty on the kick for unsportsmanlike conduct for leverage, meaning trying to climb on top of a player to block a kick, instead made it 1st and goal at the 3 as Garrett took the points off the board. Choice got smacked 2 more times, and on 3rd and goal at the 2, Kitna hit Witten for the touchdown. The 81 yard drive lasted 18 plays and a mind boggling 10 minutes and 18 seconds. Kitna hit Williams for the 2 point conversion and the Cowboys led 35-28 with 2:38 to play.

The Colts took over at their own 19, and on 3rd and 10 Manning hit Wayne for 19 yards and then again for another 13 just past midfield at the 2 minute warning. Manning hit Tamme for 7, and then played pitch and catch with Wayne for gains of 5, 13, and 17 to set up 1st and goal at the 7 with 52 seconds left in the game. With everyone expecting passes, James ran for 5 yards and then ran the final 2 as the 10 play, 81 yard drive was just another Manning clinic. The teams went to overtime tied 35-35.

Both teams punted on their first drive of overtime, and the Colts began their second drive at their own 27. On 3rd and 4, Manning was intercepted again by Lee. In front of a stunned Colts crowd, the Cowboys took over at the Indy 36. Garrett played it ultra safe, and a Felix Jones carry was followed by 4 straight Choice runs. On 3rd and 6 from the Indy 20 with 8 minutes left in overtime, Buehler came in for the field goal attempt from 38 yards out. It was good, and the Cowboys had the shocking upset road win.

Dallas is 3-1 under Jason Garrett, one blunder from 4-0. Jerry Jone will most likely have a hard time firing him in favor of the rumored big celebrity names out there. As for the Colts, they have dropped to 6-6 and are actually in trouble. They are one game out of the division lead, although they still have a rematch with Jacksonville. Yet Jim Caldwell has to be concerned about consecutive losses at home, unheard of in this century for the Colts. If we thought Bill Polian was grumpy last year, this year is testing everyone’s resolve in Indy. 38-35 Cowboys, OT

St. Louis Rams @ Arizona Cardinals–At 5-6, Steve Spagnuolo has the Rams tied for 1st place in the NFC Worst while the Cardinals became the worst team in the worst division by losing badly at home last week to the almost as pathetic San Francisco team. Both of these teams suffered after Kurt Warner, although Marc Bulger filled in capably and Sam Bradford is showing rookie promise. Derek Anderson and Max Hall are not showing anything for Ken Whisenhunt.

Sometimes a pair of not very good teams can play a thriller. This was not that game. Sam Bradford was 11 of 21 for 95 yards in the first half. Derek Anderson was 7 of 18 for 93 yards. Neither quarterback threw a touchdown in the opening half, and both were intercepted once. Jay Feely kicked field goals of 45 and 41 yards to have the Cardinals up 6-0. Josh Brown then connected from 28 in the first quarter and from 52 and from 20 in the second to have the Rams leading 9-6 at the break of a game that deserves even less coverage than this. To think that Kurt Warner led both of these teams to the Super Bowl and now crossing midfield is a challenge.

Bradford was intercepted in the third quarter to give the cardinals a short field, but the Cardinals punted. The Rams took over at their own 15. On 3rd and 5 Bradford hit Danny Amendola for 17. On 3rd and 3 Bradford hit Alexander for 16 to the Arizona 40. On 3rd and 1 Bradford scrambled for 4, and Stephen Jackosn raced for the first touchdown of the game as the Rams led 16-6. More punts followed and then Max Hall came in and did his Derek Anderson imitation with an interception to set up the Rams at the Arizona 41. On the first play of the fourth quarter, a 43 yard field goal had the Rams up 19-6. The conclusion of this game was just as unenthralling as the rest of it, but Steve Spagnuolo can seriously be considered a candidate for coach of the year as the Rams at 6-6 are tied for the NFC Worst lead. 19-6 Rams

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Baltimore Ravens–This is why we watch football. Call it a slobberknocker, headknocker, or good old fashioned beating, but these teams hate each other’s guts and play ferocious defense. They are both 8-3. Mike Tomlin got the Super Bowl ring after beating the Ravens in the AFC Title Game 2 years ago, but John Harbaugh has the advantage this year as the Ravens won 17-14 in Pittsburgh. Despite it being Hanukkah, Ben Roethlisberger is still not Jewish.

A jacked up capacity crowd began with the announcer having ACDC blaring “Thunderstruck” over the sound system, a song often used by football teams to get emotionally overloaded. Between Ray Lewis and James Harrison, the defenses were ready to beat each other senseless. The offenses then put 80 points on the board. Just kidding.

Baltimore began at their own 13, lost 6 yards and punted. The Steelers began at their own 38, gained 10, and punted, as the tone was set. The Ravens took over at their own 20, lost 3, and punted again. The Steelers began at the Baltimore 45, and faced 4th and 1 at the Baltimore 36. Mike Tomlin again decided to punt and play field position, as the Ravens took over at their own 8 after 6 minutes of stalemate.

The Ravens went backward for the third straight time, and faced 3rd and 15 from their own 3. John Harbaugh took out his cojones of steel, and Joe Flacco went deep to Anquon Boldin for a 61 yard gain to the Pittsburgh 36. Willis McGahee picked up 4 and Flacco hit Dickson for 7. On 3rd and 10, Flacco hit Dickson again, this time for 11. Flacco hit Boldin for the 14 yard touchdown as the Ravens led 7-0 with 4 minutes left in the opening quarter. The remaining 19 minutes of the half was a war of attrition.

Roethlisberger had his nose literally bloodied and bent as the Steelers punted. The Ravens punted back, and Big Ben went deep, only to be intercepted by Wilson at the 2 yard line. On 3rd and 6 from their own 6, again Harbaugh and Flacco went for all the marbles and again made the big play as the deep ball to Donte Stallworth went for 67 yards to the Pittsburgh 26. Yet this game was about defense, and a false start was followed by a running play that lost 2 and an 11 yard sack. On 4th and 26 from the Pittsburgh 43, the Ravens punted.

With 5 1/2 minutes left in the half, the Steelers took over at their own 15. From the 18, Roethlisberger hit Mike Wallace for 18 and Sanders for 12. Rashaard Mendenhall gained 8, and after an incomplete pass the Steelers had 3rd and 2 at the Baltimore 44. Redman ran up the middle, met Ray Lewis, and fumbled at the 2 minute warning. On 4th and 2, Mike Tomlin decided to go for it. Big Ben hit Johnson for 6. Yet 3 incomplete passes later, with one minute left in the half and the Steelers facing 4th and 10 at the Baltimore 38, Tomlin passed up the 56 yard field goal try and going for it. The Steelers punted, offensive holding made them do it again from 10 yards back, and they punted again. When bad teams play bad offense, the game is boring. When the top 2 defenses of the decade knock each other around, it is a standout game. This was standout, as the Ravens led 7-0 at halftime.

The Steelers began the second half at their own 20. Mendenhall ran for 5 and caught a pass for 9. Roethlisberger hit Hines Ward for 13 and Wallace for another 23 to the Baltimore 30. The defense stiffened, but Sean Suisham hit the 45 yard field goal to finally get on the board and trail 7-3.

The Ravens took over at their own 34. Rice ran for 12. On 3rd and 10, Flacco found Derrick Mason for 15 to the Pittsburgh 39. Rice picked up 3 and Flacco hit TJ Houshmanzadeh for 8 and another first down. On 2nd and 7, Flacco scrambled for 15, with illegal contact tacking on 5 more to make it 1st and goal at the 6. The Ravens called 3 straight passes, all incomplete. Billy Cundiff hit the 24 yard field goal to have the Ravens up 10-3 midway through the third quarter.

The Steelers took over at their own 20. On 3rd and 3, Big Ben got nailed and fumbled. Yet defensive holding instead gave the Steelers the automatic first down. Mendenhall took a pass for 9 and ran for 5 more to the Pittsburgh 46. On 2nd and 1 from the Baltimore 45, Mendenhall met Ray Lewis, and again Lewis won. On 3rd and 1, Redman took the carry and got nothing out of the Baltimore defense. On 4th and 1, Roethlisberger surprised the Ravens by hurrying up to the line so the defense could not make substitutions. Nobody was sure if this was a bluff, but the defense jumped offsides for another automatic first down. Big Ben then hit Brown for 11 to the Baltimore 29.

On the last play of the third quarter with the Steelers facing 3rd and 11, Roethlisberger rolled out, avoided a sack, and fired to Sanders at the 2 yard line. Sanders was not touched and could have gotten up, but that is where the play ended. On the opening play of the fourth quarter, Redman ran straight into the entire Ravens defense and got belted backward 3 yards. On the next play Redmond got nailed by Terrell Suggs, losing another yard. On 3rd down Big Ben tried a quick West Coast pass that appeared to work, until 3 Ravens swarmed him.

On 4th and goal from the 1, Tomlin had seen enough. Suisham came in for a 19 yard field goal and actually almost missed it. Yet it counted, and the Steelers were down 10-6 with 13 minutes left to play. It was actually more of a yard and a half, and the Baltimore defense was a brick wall that made trying to tie the game a chance Tomlin was not willing to take. After 16 plays, 79 yards, and 9 1/2 minutes, the Steelers settled for the 3 points.

The Ravens tried a gadget play that was blown up in the backfield for an 11 yard loss. They ended up punting, and the Steelers took over at their own 16 with 11:11 to play. On 3rd and 9 a successful conversion was nullified by offensive holding. On 3rd and 13 Roethlisberger scrambled for his life near his goal line and threw it away. The punt was almost blocked, as the Ravens took over at their own 48 with 10 minutes left. The Ravens netted 3 yards and punted as the Steelers took over at their own 13 with 8 minutes to play.

On 2nd and 8, an incomplete pass was nullified by defensive pass interference at the Baltimore 38. Baltimore took a timeout, as each team had 2 remaining. With the Ravens facing 2nd and 5 at their own 43, Flacco went back to pass with 3 1/2 minutes left. Troy Palomalu came on a blindside blitz and leveled Flacco, causing a fumble. Woodley picked it up at the Baltimore 35 and ran it 25 yards to set up 1st and goal at the 10 with 3:13 to play.

Roethlisberger then went back to pass, and Terrell Suggs was all over him. Suggs was going for the strip fumble, which cost him the sack as Big Ben somehow threw the ball incomplete. On 2nd down Roethlisberger fired it out the back of the end zone. On 3rd down of a game that was owned by the defenses, Roethlisberger hit Redman over the middle. For the first time all game, Redman broke tackles, once at the 5 and once at the 2. The touchdown gave the Steelers the 3 point lead with 2:51 to play. The Ravens only had one timeout left, and began at their own 18.

Flacco was sacked to set up 2nd and 18. He then hit Boldin for 16, followed by an incompletion to set up 4th and 2 at the Baltimore 26 with 2:05 left. Forced to go for it, Flacco hit Boldin for 8 yards at the 2 minute warning.

Flacco avoided the rush and fired to Boldin for 19 yards. Defensive pass interference on the next play set up 1st and 10 at the Pittsburgh 39 with 1:21 left. Flacco then went for the Hail Mary into double coverage, getting hit by James Harrison just as he threw it. It fell incomplete.    A short completion set up 3rd and 5 as the clock ticked under a minute. Another short pass was caught short of the first down. To make matters worse, the receiver failed to roll out of bounds.

With 37 seconds left and 4th and 2 from the 33, the winds made a 51 yard field goal tougher than normal. John Harbaugh decided to go for it. Flacco had an open receiver but the throw was short and fell incomplete.

This game was every bit as fantastic and defensive as expected. Both teams won thrilling finishes on the road by 3 points. Pittsburgh is 9-3 and the Ravens are 8-4. With all respect to the 2 teams playing on Monday night, these teams played in the AFC Title Game 2 years ago. The league would be elated if they met again. This was old time blood stained teeth rattling football at its very best. 13-10 Steelers

New York Jets @ New England Patriots–Not since Bill Parcells gave us the first Tuna Bowl against Pete Carroll has this game been so thrilling. Both teams are 9-2 and tied for the conference lead. The Jets won earlier this year at home, and the Patirots are burning for revenge. Evil Hoodie Bill Bellichick may try to run up the score with Tim Brady, while Rex Ryan allows Mark Sanchez and the rest of Gang Green to relax by putting all the pressure on himself. Rex Ryan also looks like a football coach, another reason to like his swagger. He claims his wife is hotter than Tom Brady’s. I love this guy.

Sadly enough, while the game the night before surpassed sky high expectations, this game did not. Tom Brady put on a clinic right from the start, which was the New England 25. He hit Wes Welker for 9 yards and Green Ellis for 12 more. From the Jets 43, he hit Deion Branch for 20. The drive stagnated, but a 41 yard Shane graham field goal had the Patriots up 3-0.

The Jets took over at their own 26, and Mark Sanchez led them to a 3rd and 1 at the Jets 46. He tried the quarterback sneak and was ruled short. Rex Ryan challenged the spot and lost. Ryan decided to go for it on 4th and 1. Greene picked up 2. On 4th and 7 from the Patriots 35, Ryan decided on the 53 yard field goal. It was wide by a mile.

The Patriots took over at their own 43. On 3rd and 7, Brady hit Welker for 14. Brady then went deep, and defensive pass interference in the end zone set the ball on the one. Green-Ellis took it in to have the Patriots up 10-0. Their was a strong wind blowing, and a Jets punt into the wind netted only 12 yards, giving the Patriots the ball at the Jets 32. On 4th and 3 from the 25 with the wind volatile, Evil Hoodie Bill Bellichick decided to go for it. Brady simply went deep to Branch for the touchdown to grab a 17-0 lead.

The Jets took over at their own 33. Green ran for 13 and Sanchez ran for 9 more as the opening quarter ended. Green began the second quarter running for 6 and then 11, but on 4th and 3 from the Patriots 21, Ryan again went for the field goal. The much shorter 39 yarder was good, and the Jets were on the board down 17-3.

The Patriots took over at their own 33 and Brady hit Woodhead for 35 yards. On 3rd and 2, Brady picked up 3. Green-Ellis then ran for 13. Offensive holding did not slow the Patriots from the 18, as he hit Welker for 14 and Brandon Tate for the 4 yard touchdown to have the Patriots cruising. Although Tate came down out of bounds, Ryan did not challenge the call for fear of being out of challenges. If ever there is a time to challenge something, it is for a game breaking touchdown.

Leading 24-3, the Patriots could have turned out the lights when they started a drive at midfield. Yet Brady was sacked to end that threat. With one minute left in the half Sanchez led the Jets from their own 17 to the New England 37 with 7 seconds left. A 55 yarder would have been very tough, so the Hail Mary seemed the right call. Yet Sanchez was sacked, ending the half.

The Jets took over at their own 32. Ladanian Tomlinson immediately fumbled a handoff but fell on it. Sanchez then hit Santonio Holmes for 12. Tomlinson picked up 8 and Sanchez found Braylon Edwards for 24 yards. On 3rd and 3 from the New England 17, the Jets tried a wildcat snap to Brad Smith that only gained 2 yards. On 4th and 1 Ryan again decided to go for it. Snachez hit Holmes for 4. Yet 2 plays later, Sanchez was intercepted at the 2 yard line to kill the drive as the Patriots took over at their own 7.

Brady hit Woodhead for 14, and on 3rd and 3 found Gronkowski for another 12. A 35 yard pass to Hernandez had the Patriots at the Jets 24. A reverse to Tate picked up 6, and Brady then hit Welker, who carried a defender the final few yards for an 18 yard touchdown as the game was now a blowout 31-3 Patriots lead.

A deliberately short kickoff was fielded by an upback at the Jets 30 and returned to the Jets 47. Yet down by 4 touchdowns, Sanchez went for all the marbles and was intercepted at the 6 yard line by McCourty. Bellichick and Brady, not known for class, kept throwing the ball out of the shotgun with an empty backfield. Brady hit Hernandez for 15 and Welker for 12. On 3rd and 4 from the Patriots 38, Brady went for the shovel pass, and Danny Woodhead took it 50 yards to the Jets 12. Green-Ellis took it 11 yards down to the one as the third quarter ended. On the opening play of the fourth quarter with everyone bunched for a run, Brady found a wide open Hernandez. Brady’s fourth touchdown to 4 different receivers made it 38-3.

Sanchez was then intercepted again, as Sanders returned it 16 yards to the Jets 28. Naturally, the Patriots passed on first down. For those who find this bad sportsmanship, the Patriots would answer that it is the job of their opponents to stop it. On 3rd and 1, Green-Ellis was stopped. On 4th and 1, Bellichick naturally decided to go for it. Green-Ellis picked up 9 to set up 1st and goal at the 10. Green-Ellis gained 4 and then the final 5 to officially make this a pre-Pearl Harbor Day 45-3 carpet-bombing. The Jets would drive to 4th down inside the New England 10 yard line, resulting in an incomplete pass.

For those into history, and the MNF statisticians clearly are, the 1986 Jets were 10-1 with the best record in football. They then went on Monday Night Football at Miami and lost 45-3. They would lose their final 5 games to finish 10-6, just as the late Pete Axthelm predicted they would. Shockingly, they actually won their opening playoff game, blowing out Kansas City 35-15. They then led Cleveland on the road 20-10 with 4 minutes left before collapsing and losing in overtime 23-20.

Ironically Cleveland would lead Denver 20-13 a week later before John Elway would lead “The Drive” to win it by the same overtime score. Denver would fall in the Super Bowl to the other New York team as Gang Green would continue suffering the inferiority complex to the Big Blue Giants. That coach was Bill Parcells, who won it all with the Giants twice but not the Jets. Parcells gave us Bil Bellichick, who rejected the Jets to coach the Patriots. The rest is history. As for this year, the Patriots are 10-2, while the Jets at 9-3 will have a tough road stretch in the playoffs, including another possible nightmarish return to Foxboro. 45-3 Jets

eric