Week 15 Game Reviews

8/14/2019 Week 15 Game Reviews

1/9

WEEK15 NFLGAMEREVIEWS


2/9

NewOrleansSaints(77)24ChicagoBears(86)27ThursdayNightfootballforthethirdtimethisseasonanditwasanotherelectricgame,onethatwenttoovertime.ThiswasakeybattleforbothteamstheSaintswerein

desperateneedofwintokeeppaceintheNFCsouthwhereasawinfortheBearswasvital

inkeepingpacewiththerampagingVikingswhohavenowwon4straightgames.This

wouldntbeaproperBearsgameifsomeonedidnttakeakickorpuntbackforaTDand

DanielManninggotstraightdowntobusiness,takingtheopeningkickoff83ydsfortheTD.

DrewBrees

didnt

exactly

get

off

to

ahot

start

his

first

drive

was

ended

with

apick.

2nd

quarternowandafterKyleOrtonfumbledtheballawayathisown1ydlineitwas

inevitablethatBreeshitPierreThomasfrom2ydsoutforthetyingTD.Rookiesensation

MattFortegrabbedtheleadbackfortheBearsontheirnextdrive,1ydoutitwashisfirst

TDoftheday.KyleOrtonlookedtoextendtheadvantagebeforehalftime,anddidwhenhe

raninontheQBrunfrom6ydsoutfora14pointleadathalftime.Thesecondhalfstarted

withaBreespick,followedbyanOrtonpick,thatgavePierreThomasanice42ydfieldto

rundownandhedidfortheTD.GarrettHartleygotgoingtostartthefourthquarter,

connectingona30ydfieldgoalbringingtheSaintswithin4points.AfterOrtonwas

intercepted,theSaintsstoletheleadbackwithaBreesconnectionwithMarquesColstonfrom11ydsout.Itlookedtobeallover

thatwasifyoucountoutthekickingpowerofRobbieGouldhestrucka28ydsfieldgoaltosendthegameintoovertime.I

reallydonotapproveofthisfirstscorewinspolicyoftheNFLsoIllkeepthisshortBearsgottheballGouldwonthegame.

TheBearswin2724andtheSaintsarestartingtotailofftheNFCsouthshotpace.

GameNotes....o Penalties will destroy you! The Saints committed five penalties for 97 yards, and none was bigger than the 38yard pass

interferencecall inovertime.Hesteralsodrewa39yardpenalty inthesecondquarter,which ledtoanothertouchdown.Hester

finishedwithfourcatchesfor46yards.

o Abitofhistory...TheBearshavewonthelastfourmatchupsagainsttheSaints,includingthe2006NFCChampionshipGame

TampaBayBuccaneers(95)10AtlantaFalcons(95)13

Thiswasagamefortheplayoffsand itshardtosaythatseeingtheFalconswitha95

record.Afterthisgame,theFalconswillgettheNFCs lastwildcardsportandtheBucs

willnothardtobelieve,butthatishowkeythisgamewas.Itwasscrappyandslow

butnotall football isart! JasonElamstarted thedayhotconnectingona26yd field

goal.AfterMichaelTurnerhadwatchedTampagetshredded lastweek itgavehimma

fewideas...Hedominatedthedefenceonthenextdriveandcappeditoffwitha1ydTD

run.MattRyan threw2 interceptions in thesecondquarter,and theBucs turned this

into7pointscourtesyofaBrianGriesepass toAntonioBryant from20ydsout.After

halftimethehighlightofthethirdquarterwasaBrianGrieseinterceptionandaFalcons

TDthat

was

fumbled

and

recovered

for

atouchback.

We

had

to

wait

until

the

fourth

quarterbeforeMattBryantmissedafieldgoal,MichaelKoenenhadapuntblockedand

Bryantmanagedtoturnitintoa38yd,gametyingfieldgoalthisgamewasinovertime

baby!TheBucswontheballbutfailedtomoveitespeciallyafterJohnAbrahamkilled

thedrivewitha 13ydsack!TheFalconstookthepuntandElamnaileda34ydfieldgoal

forthewin.TheFalconsleapfrogtheBucswiththatwinandstayincontentionforaplayoffspot.

GameNotes....o WhatshappeningtotheBay?OneweekafterbeinglitupbythePanthersfor299rushingyardsonMondayNightFootball,the

Buccaneers'rushdefencewasonceagaingashed thistimefor175yards.

o ThePredatorFalconsDEJohnAbraham'sthreesacksgavehimacareerhigh15.5ontheseasono Damn...soclose! FalconsTEJasonRadercaughthisfirstpassbutfell1yardshortofscoringhisfirsttouchdownwhenhefumbled

theballbeforecrossingthegoalline.


3/9

WashingtonRedskins(77)13 CincinnatiBengals(2111)20IvebeensayingforweeksthattheRedskinswouldselfdestructandthiswasprobablythe

killernailintheCoffinforthem.Losingtoateamthathaswononly1othergamemustbe

humiliatingand itnowvirtuallyputs themoutof theplayoffs.Lets seehow theBengals

skinnedtheSkins.ItstartedbadlyfortheSkinsTEChrisCooleyfumbledtheballawayon

theopeningdriveandRyanFitzpatrickrolledrightdownthefieldandrantheballinfrom

1ydoutonthenakedbootlegplay.Fitzpatrickdid itagain4drives laterwhenhehitChris

Henryfrom

12yds

out

for

the

TD.

The

second

quarter

began

with

another

Bengals

score;

thiswasa32ydShaneGrahamfieldgoal.EvenwhentheSkinsdidgetaTDitwascursed

JasonCampbellhitSantanaMossfrom10ydsoutforthescore,butMosswassoonslapped

witha15ydunsportsmanlikeconduct foul!ShaunSuishamaddeda23yd fieldgoal toend

thehalf 1710 to theBengals.After anuneventful thirdquarter, ShaneGrahamout the

Bengalsbackoutaheadby10pointswitha45yd fieldgoal,and thebest theSkinscould

managewasa36ydShaunSuishamfieldgoalthefinalscorewas2013andtheBombis

beginningtodestructinZornslockerroom....expectmoreClintonPortisarguments!

GameNotes....o Heresafirst...RyanFitzpatrickranandpassedforatouchdown thefirsttimehehasdonethatinhiscareer....BengalsWRChris

Henryscoredforthefirsttimethisseasoninthefirstquarter

o Haveago ifyouthinkyoureZornenough... AfewdaysaftercriticizingcoachJimZorn inthemedia,RedskinsRBClintonPortisrushedfor77yardson25carries....Washingtonsuffereditsfifthlossinitslastsixgames.

TenesseeTitans(122)12HoustonTexans(77)13TheTexansare improvingand theTitansare levellingoffafter theirstunningstartto

theseason.Theyhavealreadyclinchedaplayoffspot,butthatdoesn'tmeantheydont

wanteverywintheycanget!TheTexansgotMattSchaubbacklastweekandwesaw

just how valuable he is to this team oh and dont overlook the NFLs number 1

receiverthisyear...AndreJohnson thosetwohaveasweetpartnershipgoingon!Kerry

CollinsstartedthegamewithapickSchaubsresponsewastoplay fairandfumble

theballbacktotheTitans.Thissetupa26ydRobBironasfieldgoalforthe lead.The

Texansmanagedtorespondquicklywitha16playdriveyettheyonlygota32ydKris

Brownfieldgoaloutofit.TheTitanswent3andoutandSchaubgotanotherchance

thistimehewenttohissweetpartner,AndreJohnson,from13ydsoutforthefirstTD

oftheday.ThehalfendedwhenBironasnaileda23ydfieldgoaltheTexanswereon

top106.ThirdquarternowandBironaswascertainlyearninghispaycheck!Hestruck

a51ydfieldgoalhisthirdofthegame.TheTexansputtogetheraanastonishing19

playdrivebutKrisBrownmisseda simple26yd fieldgoal...hey...when isa fieldgoal

EVERsimple?

Fourth

quarter

now

and

Brown

made

up

for

it

with

a24yd

field

goal,

swiftlyfollowedbya34ydBironasattempt.Itcertainlywasanotherkickinggameand

hadonly1TD.TheTexanswinuglyandjustedgetheTitans1312togivethema.500record.

GameNotes....o Topofthecharts!AndreJohnsonfinishedwith11receptionsandacareerhigh207receivingyards,aTexansfranchiserecord.His

secondquarterscorewastheonlytouchdownofthegameandgavetheTexansaleadtheywouldnotrelinquish.

o TD=7,FG=3Tennesseefinished2of13onthirddowns,settlingforthreeRobBironasfieldgoals.o Anotherfirst!Houstonhaswonfourstraightforthefirsttimeinfranchisehistoryo WelcomeHome TexansQBMattSchaubis40atReliantStadiumthisseason.o RookieMagicTexansrookieRBSteveSlatonrecorded100rushingyardsforthefourthtimeinhislastfivegames.


4/9

GreenbayPackers(59)16 JacksonvilleJaguars(59)20Thesetwoteamshavealotincommon...Theyrebothseeingtheirshouldbesuccessful

seasons,slipaway into thenight.And theyhaveonly themselves toblame.The Jaguars

havenotbeenable togetapassinggamegoingand thathasovershadowed thequite

brilliantyeartheMauriceJonesDrewishaving.ThePostFavrepackersarestartingtofeel

thepressureandAaronRodgers isnotgetting thesympathyhewasatthebeginningof

theseason themediaexpecthim tobeFavreesque...notquiteyet though ishe!The

gamestarted

promisingly

for

the

Jags,

on

their

first

possession

they

constructed

a12

play

drivewhichculminatedina30ydpassdeepdownthefieldtoDennisNorthcuttfortheTD.

ThePackerstriedtorespondtheymanageda22ydMasonCrosbyfieldgoal.2nd

quarter

now and after Josh Scobeemissed a 51yd field goal Aaron Rodgers didntmiss his

opportunitytotaketheleadheorchestrateda10playdriveandthrewa4ydTDpassto

GregJennings.MasonCrosbyextendedthatleadgoingintohalftimehis23ydfieldgoal

gavethePackersa137lead.Afterascorelessthirdquarter,Garrardbegantofightback

hittingRBMauriceJonesDrewfrom14ydsoutforthelead.MasonCrosbyreturnedthat

leadtothePackersbenchwhenhestrucka38ydfieldsgoalattempt,butthatwasquickly

erasedwhenMaurice JonesDrewwentstraightup themiddle that2ydTD rungave the Jags the final lead.The following

Packerschallengeoftheplayfailed,thefollowingtwopointattemptalsofailed!ThegamewasoverwhenRodgerstriedadeep

balltoDonaldLeebutwaspicked.ThePackershopesforaplayoffrunarenowintattersbutintheend...soaretheJags!

GameNotes....o GameBall...ThePackerswentforitonfourthand1toopenthefourthquarterandfailedtoconvert.TheJaguars,startingattheir

own44,scoredatouchdownontheensuingdrive.

o RunDavid...!DavidGarrardis8for8whenrunningonthirdand1thisseasono NosmallfeatJaguarscoachJackDelRiopickeduphis50thregularseasonvictoryo Disappointing ThePackershavelostsixoftheirlastsevengames

SanFransisco49ers(59)9 MiamiDolphins(95)14Its the revamped49ers takingon theNewLookDolphins...both teamshavehada

makeover the Dolphins got Chad Pennington, the 49ers gotMike Singletary

Whosnewlookwasattheheightoffashionthisweek?WellChadPenningtondidnt

take longtoscore...ontheDolphinsfirstpossessionhelofteditdeepdownthefield

toDavidMartinfora61ydTD.JoeNedneybroughthe49erswithin4afterstrikinga

38ydfieldgoal,butPenningtonwasshowingwhyhestheFinsnumberone...Hewent

deepdownthefieldyetagainandfoundJoeyHaynosintheendzonefrom19ydsout.

3rd

quarternowand JoeNedneyhithissecond fieldgoalof theday, thisone from

23ydsout,andthatwasfollowedinthe4th

withhisthirdfieldgoalfrom28ydsout.

TheFins

needed

only

two

TDs

to

defeat

the

49ers

whose

offense

never

really

got

going,settlingfor3simplefieldgoals.

GameNotes....o Touchdownsareworth7,Fieldgoalsareworth3!Miami'sdefenceincreaseditsstreakofquarterswithoutallowingatouchdown

to12,afterholdingSt.LouisandBuffalooutoftheendzonetheprevioustwoweeks.SanFranciscowaslimitedtothreeJoeNedney

fieldgoals(from38,23and28yards).

o Whatwereyoudoingwiththeball?...SanFranciscolostdespitewinningtimeofpossession38:13to21:47


5/9


6/9

SanDiegoChargers(68)22KansasCityChiefs(212)21Ihadafunnyfeelingthatthiswouldbetightandtheresultprovedmeright.TheChargers

haveanintangibleknackofcomingbackandeventhoughtheyhavehadafairlymediocre

offensethisseason it isstillveryVERYexplosiveandcapableofputtingpointsupwhen

theyneedthem.ItdoesntlooklikeKansashasaclearcutQBnowandanothernamewas

thrownintothemixtoday...yesitsLarryJohnson!ThestarHBgottheopeningTDwhen

hethrewittoalltimebesttightendever...TonyGonzalez!TylerThigpenthrewapickinthe

secondquarter

but

the

Chargers

couldnt

capitalise

Thigpen

made

no

such

mistake

again

though hitting Dwayne Bowe from 1yd out. Nate Kaeding saved some face for the

Chargersbeforehalftimehittinga32ydfieldgoaltogivetheChiefsa143leadatthehalf.

AftertheHerminatorhadpumpeduphismenforasecondhalfnevertoforget,theybegan

wellpickingoffPhillipRiverswasthestart,TylerThigpenrunning3ydsupthemiddlefor

theTDwas theend.Time to see thatexplosiveoffense fireonallbroadsides...Ladanian

Tomlinsoncanstilldodge em likeheused tostrolling in from6ydsout tocut thegap

backto11points.FourthquarternowandPhillipRiversgotthearmpumping...4ydsout,he

hitWRMalcomFloydforhisfirstTDofthegame.AftertheChargersrecoveredanonside

kick,RiversdiditagainhethrewthewinningTDtoVincentJacksonfrom10ydsouttosealthelead.Thefollowingtwopoint

attemptwasno good but itwas enough to edge theChiefs.Charlie Barthdid try a 50yd field goal to send the game into

overtime,buthemissedandtheChargersgetonlytheir6th

winoftheseason.

GameNotes....o NoSurprisesTheChargershavewonthreeoftheirpastfourmeetingswiththeChiefs.o ThebestTightEndEVER!TonyGonzalezhadsixcatchesfor62yardswithatouchdown.ThisseasonagainsttheChargers,Gonzalez

has16catchesfor175yardswiththreeTDs.

o ExplosionsinKansas TheChargerswerelatebloomers,rollingup150oftheir394totalyardsontheirlasttwodrives.Theyuseda15play,89yarddrivetocutthedeficittosixafterafailedtwopointconversionandthenscoredagainafterrecoveringanonside

kick.

DetroitLions

(0

14)

21IndianapolisColts(104)31Youwould thinknothingwas impossible...yet thisprobablywas.The Lions travelled to

LucasOilstadium,probablyknowingthiswasoutoftheirgrasp.Theydidindeedputupa

bravefight,buttheColtsareonarollanditsgoingtotakemorethantheDetroitLions

tostop that.DominicRhodesgot things rolling for theColtshecappedoffa14play

drivewitha1ydTD run.Detroitmanaged toget theballbackafteraColtspuntwas

muffedandturnedthat intoa51ydJasonHansonfieldgoal.2nd

quarternowandKevin

SmithfumbledaLionsballaway,buttheColtsdidntcapitalise.Theydidcapitaliselater

onthoughChadSimpsonrantheballinfrom2ydsoutforhisfirstTDoftheyear.Not

everything

is

hopeless

in

Detroit

they

do

have

a

star

receiver

in

Calvin

Johnson

and

he

wasthelucky(butexpected)recipientofa33ydDanOrlovskyTDpass.PeytonManning

quelledanyformofLionsmomentumwhenhehitDallasClarkintheendzonefrom3yds

out, sending the Colts into halftimewith a 2110 lead. After the Colts came out and

fumbled away another punt, Jason Hanson got another 3 points from thismistake

3oydsout itwashissecond fieldgoalof theday.4th

quarternowand theLions finally

foundsomeenergy,KevinSmithraninfrom1ydoutfortheTDand...Braceyourself...the

Lionsmadeatwopointconversion!DominicRhodesfollowedwithhisownTDfrom1yd

outandAdamVinatierifinishedthegamebutstrikinga31ydfieldgoalthroughtheuprights.Orlovskyhadtimefor1moredrive

buthewassackedandfumbledtheballaway.TheColtsgetthewinandremainfirmcontendersforaplayoffposition.

GameNotes....o GameofsecondsTheColtsopenedthegamewitha14playdrivethatendedinatouchdownandtookuphalfofthefirstquarter.

Indianapolisfinishedwith28firstdownstoDetroit's18andheldontotheballfiveminuteslonger.

o HistoryMan MarvinHarrisonpassedTimBrownforthethirdmostcareerreceptionsinNFLhistory.Harrisonandisnowtiedforthird(1,095)behindJerryRice(1,549)andCrisCarter(1,101).

o HistoryManIILionskickerJasonHansonbroketheNFLrecordformost50yardfieldgoalsinacareerwith41.


7/9

MinnesotaVikings(95)35 ArizonaCardinals(86)14Runmeetspass...KurtWarnermeetsAdrianPeterson.Thiswasreallyabattleofdefence

whocouldstoptheothersplaymakersand,asweknowitsveryhardtostopAdrian

Peterson! The gamewas underwaywhen Billy Graham punted towards deep threat

receiver Bernard Berrian he took that punt 82yds to the house for a spectacular

openingscore.AfterKurtWarnerwaspickedbyCedricGriffinonthenextdrive,Tarvaris

Jackson,who is filling in for the injured Gus Frerotte, tossed a TD pass to...Bernard

Berrian

41yds

deep...thats

why

they

paid

him

big

bucks!

Anquan

Boldin

had

butter

on

his fingerswhenhe fumbled theballawayon theCardinalsnextpossession,Tarvaris

made thempayagain,hittingSidneyRice from6ydsout toopenupa3TD lead.Kurt

Warnerfumbledagainonthenextdrive,buttheCardsgotapuntaway...Didntdomuch

tostoptheVikingsthough,JacksonthrewanotherTDpass,thistimetoChesterTaylor

from11ydsout.TheVikingswentintohalftimewithamassive28point,4TDlead.Third

quarternowandKurtWarnercameoutofthelockerroomfiringhetookjust3plays

to find JerhemeUrban from50ydsoutabigplaydayjustgotbigger! Itwasspecial

teamsthatgottheVikingsthinkingnext...RyanLongwellhada34ydfieldgoalblockedby

DominicRodgersCromartie, itwas recoveredbyRoderickHoodof theCardinalshe

tookit68ydsfortheTD.TarvarisJacksondidntwanttogiveupa4TDleadandhegotitbackto3whenhehitBobbyWadefrom

59ydsoutthatwasJacksons4th

TDpassofthegame.Neitherteamcouldmanagetobreakthedeadlockinthefourthquarter

and thegameended3514 to theVikings.Theynow lookalmostcertainofaplayoffspot theCardinalsarealready there,

havingclinchedtheirdivisiontwoweeksago.

GameNotes....o PlayoffPictureMinnesotawonitsfourthconsecutivegame....TheVikingscanclinchtheNFCNorthwithanotherwin,oralossby

theBears.

o AdrianBaby!HemaynothavehadaTDtoday,butAdrianPetersonhadacolossal165ydrushinggame,includinga32ydrun.o Balance?TheCardinalshadonlysevenrushingplays,allowingtheVikingstoputpressureonKurtWarner.

PittsburghSteelers(113)13 BaltimoreRavens(95)9

Biggameof theweekas the Steelers looked to clinch theAFCNorth andguarantee

themselvesaplayoffspottheRavenslooktostayaliveinthewildcardhuntandawin

would put them in superior stead for one.With such big teams and especially big

defences(Iwouldcertainlyrankthemnumber1and2intheNFL),thiswasnevergoing

tobeahugescoringgame.Afterascorelessfirstquarter,MattStovergottheRavens

rollingwithhis first fieldgoalof theday from28ydsout. JeffReed levelled thingsup

witha31ydfieldgoalofhisown.Stoveraddedanotherfieldgoalbeforethehalfended

26yds

out,

it

gave

the

Ravens

a63lead

at

the

half.

Stover

also

got

the

only

score

of

the thirdquarter,a28yd fieldgoalwhich came thanks toaSantonioHolmes fumble

which Ed Reed recovered. Jeff Reed gothis second field goal of the day hitting it

through from 30yds out. The only TD of the game came right at the end, Big Ben

Roethlisbergers pass to Santonio Holmeswas ruled down at the 1yd line itwas

challengedbytheSteelersandoverturnedforaTD.ThegameendedwhenJoeFlacco

waspickedoffbyWilliamGay.TheSteelersclinchtheAFCNorthandhaveafirstround

byeweek.

GameNotes....o FieldPositionrulesallTheSteelersbegan fourdrivespinned insidetheirown10yard line.Twodrivesended inpunts,one ina

fumbleandthefinaldriveresultedinthefirsttouchdownofthegame.

o Nowthisisamazing... TheRavenshavenotalloweda100yardrusherin32gameso Equallyamazing... Pittsburghhasyettoallowanopponentgain300yardsoftotaloffensethisseason.o BeginnersLuck?MikeTomlinbecamethesixthcoachtowinadivisioninhisfirsttwoseasonsasaheadcoach


8/9

DenverBroncos(86)10CarolinaPanthers(113)30Sonow thePanthersare starting toget someextraattention...theyvebuiltupan113

record,andcurrentlylie2nd

intheNFLsleaguetable(JustbehindTennessee).Sneakingby

withoutanyonenoticing,theyonlybecameknownlastweekwhentheirrungametorched

theBucsdefenceandpeoplearewonderingjusthowgood this team is.They cameup

againsttheBroncos,whotoptheAFCWestdivisionandevenwithaloss,havestillpretty

muchsewnupthedivision.Twoleadersandtwowinners...whowonhereandwhosegame

endedafter

the

first

quarter?

Jay

Cutler

got

the

scoring

going

with

a7yd

TD

pass

to

P.J.

Pope(lovethename!)ThatwasswiftlyfollowedbyaclassicJakeDelhommeSteveSmith

connection from15ydsout.MattPrateradded3points from43ydsoutandafterChris

GambleinterceptedJayCutlerspassintendedforrookieEddieRoyal,JohnKasaystrucka

39yd fieldgoal to tie thingsup for thePanthers.Well thatwas it for theBroncos...the

Panthersheldthemincheckandtherestofthescoringwasdonebythecats.2nd

quarter

nowandJonathandailyshowStewartraninfrom2ydsouttogivethePanthersthelead.

SelvinYoungfumbledawayaBroncopossessionandJohnKasayturnedthatinto3points

from44ydsout.ThirdquarternowanditsbecomingclearthatDeAngeloWilliamsisdoing

thisat leastoncepergame...heranstraightthroughtheBroncodefencefora56ydTD.AfterDelhommewas interceptedthe

Broncosmisseda47ydfieldgoal,andthePantherstookthegoodfieldpositionandturneditintoa42ydKasayfieldgoal.That

wasthegametheBroncosfellasleepafterthefirstquarterandthePantherscomewithinonewinofclinchingtheNFCSouth.

GameNotes....o SuchagreatnameBroncosRBP.J.Popeamassedacareerhigh75yardsfromscrimmageandscoredhisfirsttouchdowno WelcometotheNFLDenverrookieJoshBarretthadhisfirstcareerinterceptiono BigPlays Carolina'sbigplayability,asevidencedbytheir7.1yardperplayaverage,provedtobethedifferenceinthismatchup.

NewEnglandPatroits(95)49OaklandRaiders(311)26How longbeforethegatesofMcAfeeStadiumhasabandonhopeallwhoenterwritten

on thedoor. Itreally isadesperatesituation thereand itdidntgetanyeasierwhen the

Patriots rolled into town. Their points scoringmachine was rolling smoothly andMatt

Cassell did indeed play and made his dad very proud indeed. Cassell started

hot...connectingwithRBKevinFaulkintheendzonefora7ydTD.Thatwasswiftlyfollowed

bya20ydTDpasstoRandyMossandfinallySammyMorriswentupthemiddlefora29yd

rushingTD.TheRaiderswerentoutofitJaMarcusRussellmadeaTDpasstoJohnnyLee

Higginsfrom56ydsdeepfortheTD.JohnnyLeeHigginsisreallystartingtolooklikeasmall

lightinaverydarktunnel!2nd

quarternowandthePatriotswouldnotletup.Cassellwent

toWesWelkerthistimefora13ydTDpass.OntheensuingkickoffitwasJustinMillerwho

proved toomuch for thePats special teamshe ran the kickoffback91yds for theTD.

Rememberthe

rule

Tit

for

tat?

well

on

the

next

kickoff

it

was

Ellis

Hobbs

on

the

return

andhetook itback95ydsfortheTDandthefirstbacktobackkickoffTDsoftheseason.

The half endedwith a Cassell pick, followed by a Russell pick. The scorewas 3514 at

halftime.3rd

quarternowandCassellwas certainlyhavinga superbdaypassinghehit

RandyMossfrom9ydsoutforhisfourthTDoftheday.JaMarcusRussellfollowedwithaTDpassofhisowntoRonaldCurry,but

thingsgotspicywhenJanikowskihadhisextrapointblocked.LaMontJordanisaformerRaideronewhogotoutjustintimeby

thelookofit!Hetaughthisoldteamsomerespectandranrightthroughthedefencefrom49ydsoutfortheTD.Thegamewas

overalreadybutthefinalscorewastotoprookierunningbackDarrenMcFaddenheraninfrom11ydsout,thefollowingtwo

pointattemptfailed.ThePatriotsrollovertheRaidersandsomewhereMattCasselsdadwassmilingdownuponhim.

GameNotes....o 4 score and 70 years ago The Patriots recorded 21 first downs in the opening half, scoring touchdowns on their first four

possessions,whiletheRaiderstotalledjustfivefirstdownsinthatstretch.

o PlayoffPictureThewinkeptNewEnglandinathreewaytieforfirstplaceintheAFCEastwiththeDolphinsandJets,bothwinnersearlierintheday

o FormerRaidersrule MossandLaMontJordanhadbigdaysagainsttheirformerteam.Mossfinishedwithfivecatchesand67yardstogowithhistwotouchdowns,whileJordanrushedfor97yardsandascoreon12carries.


9/9

NewYorkGiants(113)8 DallasCowboys(95)20BigSundaynightmatchupthatwouldhaveknockoneffectsforplayoffposition.The

GiantshaveatwogameleadovertheCowboysnowandhaveclinchedthedivision

forthecowboysthiswasamustwingame, ifonlytostay intheNFCwildcardhunt.

Afterascorelessfirstquarter,itwasTonyRomowhodrewfirstbloodhittingPatrick

Craytondeep intheendzonefrom34ydsout.JohnCarneybroughttheGiantsonto

theboardwitha34ydfieldgoal.TheCowboyshelda73leadathalftime.Thethird

quarterheld

about

as

much

action

as

the

first

and

the

next

score

was

Romos

second

TD pass of the day this time from 1yd out, hitting Deon Anderson. The Giants

defencewas all over Romo for the entire game, the pinnaclewas the safety they

forcedbysackingRomo inhisownend zone itnearly turned intoaTD,butwise

RomotippedtheballoutofboundsbeforeaGiantcouldfallonit.JohnCarneyadded

3pointsfrom47ydsouttobringtheGiantswithin6points;howeverTashardChoice

washavingasuperbdayandgotthewinningscorewhenheranupthemiddle,38yds

for theTD.ThegamewasoverwhenEliManningwaspickedbyTerrenceNewman

andtheCowboyskeeptheirplayoffhopesalivewithacrucialdivisionalwin.

GameNotes....o NoRhythm thanks to8 sacksTheGiants'offensive lineentered thegamehavingallowedjust15 sacksall season,butDallas

capitalized on the loss of starters KareemMcKenzie (back) and Rich Seubert (flu) by sacking EliManning eight times.Outside

linebackerDeMarcusWareledtheteamwiththreesacksandtwoforcedfumbles.

o RomothenextAikman? With244passingyards,Romobecame the firstCowboysQBwithconsecutive3,000yardseasonssinceTroyAikmandiditinthreeconsecutiveyearsfrom199597andthesixthCowboysquarterbacktosurpass10,000yardsforhiscareer

o T.O.ShowWiththreereceptions,TerrellOwenshas940forhiscareer,tyingArtMonkforseventhalltime.o WeneedsomeCoughlinmedicine TheGiantsfailedtoscoreatouchdownforthefirsttimesinceDecemberof2004.

ClevelandBrowns(94)10PhiladelphiaEagles(103)30The

Streaky

Eagles

come

to

Monday

night

football

and

they

face

the

Dawgz

of

the

Browns.Awinfortheeagleswasprettymuchessentialinordertokeeptheirveryslim

playoffchancesalive.TheBrownshavenothingtoplayforexceptpride.Theirseason

never got going and theyre searching for solutions at the QB position. Donovan

McNabbstartedthescoringwhenhehitKevinCurtisintheendzonefrom14ydsout.

PhilDawsonhadthefirstBrownsscoreofthegamehis27ydfieldgoaldrewthegap

closer.Thatgapopened toend the firstquarterwhenDavidAkerswasonline from

24ydsoutforhisfirstfieldgoaloftheday.2nd

quarternowandafterMcNabbthrewa

pick,KenDorseythrewitbacktotheEaglesAsanteSamuelwastheluckyrecipientof

thegiftandhetookit50ydsbacktohousefortheTD.McNabbendedthehalfwitha

pickbutthescoreremained173.AfterhalftimeitwasuptoDavidAkerstostrikea

34ydfieldgoaltogivetheEaglesa20pointlead.Akersbeganthefourthquarterwith

histhirdfieldgoaloftheday,followedbyaMcNabbtouchdownthatcameoffofaKen

DorseypickMcNabbhitGreg Lewis from 10ydsout.With the game sewn up the

Eagles substituted Kevin Kolb on and he proceeded to throw a pass to Greg

Lewis...whichwas interceptedbyBrandonMcDonald forhissecondpickof thegame.McDonald took thisone to thehouse

though24ydsendedthegame.TheEagleskeepslimplayoffhopesaliveandtheBrownshaveyetmorequestionstoanswer.

GameNotes....o Puntordontpunt?TheEaglesdidnotpuntuntilmidwaythroughthefourthquarterwithMcNabbsittingonthebenchandthe

gameoutofhand.Theyscoredonfiveoftheirfirstsevenoffensivepossessionsandthrewinterceptionsintheendzoneontheother

two.

o Didtherestdohimanygood?SincebeingbenchedinWeek12againsttheRavens,McNabbhasthrownseventouchdownsandoneinterception

o JasonAvantsmagicalwonderlandPhiladelphiaWRJasonAvanthadhisfirst100yardreceivinggameo WelcometoPhiladelphia,thisiswhywepaidyoubigbucks! AsanteSamuelgotintotheendzoneforthefirsttimeasanEagle.

Week 15 Game Reviews

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