The Skinny: Visiting Seattle rallied from 14 points down to take the lead, then made a successful last-play stand from the 1 yard-line to preserve the victory over dipping Jacksonville.
Stud: Seahawks quarterback John Kitna. Usually a Stiff in this space, the much-maligned signal-caller roared out of the doghouse by completing 22-of-33 passes for 231 yards and three touchdowns, including the game-winning score -- a 4-yard toss to Ricky Watters.
Stiffs: Well, take your pick. Jaguars wideout Alvis Whitted blew a Mark Brunnell audible on the final play of the game -- it was supposed to be a QB sneak, but Brunnell audibled to a pass to Whitted -- and Brunell's pass fell incomplete. But in post-game, Jags coach Tom Coughlin took the blame, so guess you take the Stiff award with ya, coach.
By the numbers: How about the loneliest number you never knew -- 1 yard. That's what Jacksonville failed to gain twice in the shadow of the goal line. With 13:40 to go in the game, Coughlin went for it on fourth-and-goal from the 1, but Fred Taylor was stopped. And how about these beauties: Taylor rushed for over 100 yards, Keenan McCardell and Jimmy Smith each had over 100 yards receiving -- and the Jags lost.
Next week: Seattle (4-7) has the bye, while Jacksonville (3-7) travels to Pittsburgh.
Eagles 26, Steelers 23 OT
The Skinny: After looking horrible through three quarters, quarterback Donovan McNabb rallied visiting Philadelphia from 10 points down with less than three minutes remaining to pull out an improbably huge win -- their second straight in overtime.
Stud: While McNabb was great late, David Akers was even better. The Philly kicker booted the winning field goal from 42 yards out 4:16 into the extra session -- his fourth game-winning kick this year. That was after he tied it with a hurried 42-yarder on the final play of
regulation following an onside kick recovery.
Stiffs: The Steelers secondary, for not keeping their mouths shut and their hands to themselves. Before the game, safety Lee Flowers gave the Eagles lockerroom fodder by revealing coach Bill Cowher's challenge to run the rest of the schedule. During game-time, cornerback Chad Scott was penalized twice for 38 yards for pass interference during the Eagles second-quarter scoring drive which produced the first TD against Pittsburgh in 21 quarters.
By the numbers: Eagles kick returner Brian Mitchell became the all-time NFL career kick returner after his six returns
for 134 yards, giving him 10,371 yards for his career. Mel Gray
held the record at 10,250. ... Of the Steelers' five losses, four
are by three points or fewer, including last week's 9-7,
last-minute loss to the Titans.
Next week: The Eagles (7-4) host Arizona, while Pittsburgh (5-5) hosts Jacksonville Sunday night.
Browns 19, Patriots 11
The Skinny: In a bad game between two bad teams, host Cleveland snapped a seven-game losing streak thanks to a defense that forced four turnovers and an efficient offense that did just enough to beat New England team that is now questioning themselves.
Stud: Browns kicker Phil Dawson, who booted a career-high four field goals that proved the difference in the game -- from 39, 43, 35 and 35 yards out. Props also to Browns QB Doug Pederson, who only threw for 138 yards, but did complete 20 of 37 passes and did not turn the ball over.
Stiff: In honor of the rabid Dawg Pound, we'll give it to Patriots coach Bill Belichick, who was welcomed back to Cleveland with the old familiar chant of "Bill Must Go!", and made the dubious decision to start an ailing Drew Bledsoe at quarterback -- who went 21-of-35 passing for 212 yards, one TD and one INT, and also fumbled twice.
By the numbers: The Browns went
231 minutes, 45 seconds between TDs, since scoring in their Oct. 15
game at Denver. The score was a 9-yard TD pass from Pederson to rookie TE Aaron Shea.
Next week: Cleveland (3-8) travels to Tennessee, while New England (2-8) hosts Cincinatti.
Ravens 24, Titans 23
The Skinny: In the upset of the day, visiting Baltimore handed Tennessee its first loss in Adelphia Colesium, thanks to Trent Dilfer's 2-yard TD pass to Patrick Johnson with 19 seconds left, and Matt Stover's extra point that lifted the
Ravens into the lead.
Stud: This is not a typo -- Ravens new No. 1 quarterback Dilfer, who was 23-of-36 for 281 yards and two touchdowns as the
Ravens rolled up 361 yards against the NFL's fourth-stingiest
defense.
Stiff: This pick is the easiest of the week: Titans veteran kicker Al Del Grecco (lots of kickers mentioned this week, eh?). The right-footer not only put the Titans in a pickle by clanking a point-after off the upright -- his first miss in 229 tries, dating back to 1993 -- he then missed a 43-yard field goal on the final play that would've been the win.
By the numbers: Baltimore, featuring the league's best defense, held Eddie George and the Titans to just 286 yards total offense. The Titans
managed only 62 yards rushing, their second-lowest total this season. ... It was
the Ravens' seventh straight victory over an AFC Central opponent
on the road.
Next week: Baltimore (7-4) hosts Dallas, while Tennessee (8-2) hosts Cleveland.
Lions 13, Falcons 10
The Skinny: Former University of Michigan coach Gary Moeller won his first game as NFL coach, guiding host Detroit to a comeback victory over a brutally-bad Atlanta club.
Studs: Lions defenders Corwin Brown and Bryant Westbrook each picked off passes that led to the victory. Brown, who played for Moeller in Ann Arbor, picked off Atlanta's Danny Kanell to set up Jason Hanson's game-winning field goal (another kicker the difference -- what is going on this week?), while Westbrook ended the Falcons' last drive to seal the deal.
Stiff: Gotta go with Kanell, the former Florida State man who started in place of the injured Chris Chandler and completed just 14 of 34 passes for 126 yards and the two interceptions.
By the numbers: The Falcons saw their streak of 16 victories when Jamal
Anderson has 20 or more carries, including their three wins this
year, snapped. Anderson had 25 carries for 119 yards, which marked
his first 100-yard game since the win over San Francisco in the
1998 playoffs.
Next week: Detroit (6-4) travels to the Meadowlands to face the Giants, while Atlanta (3-8) travels to San Francisco.
Bills 20, Bears 3
The Skinny: Host Buffalo easily dispatched injury-ravaged Chicago, which lost backup quarterback Jim Miller -- who was in for the injured Cade McNown -- to a torn left Achilles' tendon in the second quarter.
Studs: The Bills defense turned in another stellar performance. They gave up 234 yards, Keion Carpenter had two interceptions, and Daryl Porter had another interception and returned a fumble 23 yards for a touchdown.
Stiff: While Bears third-string quarterback Shane Matthews was admittedly horrible, going 11-for-24 for 106 yards, with three interceptions and one fumble -- the real Stiff has got to be Buffalo head coach Wade Phillips. The rotund sideline man once again stirred his witch's brew of quarterback controversy, naming Rob Johnson as his starter next week despite another solid, winning performance by Doug Flutie (16-of-26, 171 yards, 1 INT, 1 TD rushing).
By the numbers: Johnson did see action, coming in to march Buffalo 54 yards to set up Steve Christie's 42-yard field goal with 61 seconds left in the first half for a 6-3 halftime lead. He completed 2 of 3 passes for 29 yards on the march. ... Bills wideout Eric Moulds, who caught five passes for 91 yards,
extended his string to 43 games with a reception, tying the franchise record.
Next week: Buffalo (6-4) heads to Kansas City, while Chicago (2-8) hosts Tampa Bay.
Cowboys 23, Bengals 6
The Skinny: Dallas star running back Emmitt Smith gained just 16 yards on 17 carries, and the host Cowboys still easily beat laughably-bad Cincinnati, snapping a two-game losing streak.
Stud: Here we go again, another kicker. Cowboys rookie Tim
Seder, who spent the last two years as a high school teacher and coach, called on his high school running back days to score a 1-yard touchdown on a fake field goal, and added three field goals and two PATs for a 17-point afternoon.
Stiffs: Let's just give it to the entire Cincy offense, because they all deserve it. Dallas' league-worst run defense limited Corey Dillon to 94
yards and its league-worst pass rush had three sacks after getting
10 in the previous nine games. Meanwhile, second-year quarterback Akili Smith
was inept at best, completing 10 of 25 passes for 68 yards and
an interception and losing a fumble.
By the numbers: The Bengals ensured themselves of a 10th straight losing season. ... Incredibly, some good numbers for the Bengals -- their two field goals were the first points they have scored outside the state of Ohio.
Next week: Dallas (4-6) heads to Baltimore, while Cincy (2-8) travels to Foxboro, Mass., to take on the Patriots.
Saints 20, Panthers 10
The Skinny: It was a bittersweet victory for high-flying New Orleans, which won its sixth straight to move to 7-3, but lost star running back Ricky Williams for probably the rest of the regular season with a broken ankle.
Stud: Saints linebacker Keith Mitchell led a defense that suffocated Carolina. Mitchell recovered two fumbles, the first he returned 90 yards for a touchdown -- the longest fumble return for a touchdown in New Orleans
history. Overall, the Saints forced five turnovers and had eight sacks of Panthers pummeled QB Steve Beuerlein.
Stiffs: Give it to the Panthers' offensive line, which was completely run over by the Saints. Running back Tshimanga Biakabutuka was held to a
season-low 22 yards rushing, while Beuerlein was dead meat all day.
By the numbers: How good is the New Orleans' defense? The Saints are 7-0 when they score 20 or more points. ... Williams gained 93 yards on the day, giving him exactly 1,000 yards for the sesaon -- becoming the first Saints' 1,000-yard rusher since Dalton Hilliard in 1989.
Next week: New Orleans (7-3) hosts Oakland, while Carolina (4-6) travels to Minnesota.
Vikings 31, Cardinals 14
The Skinny: Minnesota first-year starter Duante Culpepper showed newfound patience to pick apart visiting Arizona, taking the underneath ball that the Cardinals gave him and turned a close 10-7 game into another easy Viking victory.
Stud: It's gotta be Culpepper, who was near-perfect on the day -- completing 25 of 32 passes for 302 yards and three touchdowns, while also running for another score. And don't forget Vikes running back Robert Smith, who had 117 yards on 20 carries, giving him 1,025 yards rushing for the season.
Stiff: Look-it here, another member of the kicking team. But this time, it's Cardinals holder Scott Player, who bobbled the snap on a 28-yard field goal attempt that would've given Arizona a 10-7 lead.
By the numbers: Smith is the first back in Minnesota's
40-year history to rush for more than 1,000 yards in four consecutive seasons. Chuck Foreman had three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons from 1975-77. ... The Cardinals completed the game's scoring on MarTay Jenkins 98-yard kickoff return with 3:30 left in the game, the Cardinals' first kickoff return for a TD Roy Green in 1979.
Next week: Minnesota (8-2) hosts Carolina, while Arizona (3-7) travels to Philadelphia.
Dolphins 17, Chargers 7
The Skinny: Host San Diego celebrated its 40th anniversary by naming its all-time team at halftime, and the Charger fans wished they stayed on the field to play the rest of the game. AFC East leader Miami came in and easily kept the hosts winless, with Lamar Smith running for two more scores and Jay Fiedler near perfect on the day.
Stud: Fiedler's end-game numbers aren't so stunning, as he finished 13 of 20 passes for 160 yards. But he started out by completing his first nine passes for 130 of those yards, including 6-for-6 for 57 yards on a drive that Smith capped by running 6 yards untouched for a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter.
Stiff: Oh, joy -- we've got Ryan Leaf to kick around again! After starter Moses Moreno was knocked out of the game, Leaf came on to complete just 9 of 21 passes for 92 yards and one interception. Leaf was of course booed by the home crowd, but that was as he came onto the field to take over from the injured Moreno.
By the numbers: Leaf, Moreno and the-recovering Jim Harbaugh all played for San Diego, and all were picked off. Now, the trio have combined for an NFL-high 20 interceptions, and have lost eight fumbles. ... San Diego had just 55 yards of offense in the first half. But, the Dolphins gained just 38 in the second half. ... Dolphins DE Jason Taylor had a sack in his sixth
straight game, tying a team record set by Doug Betters in 1983.
Next week: Miami (8-2) hosts the New York Jets in a key AFC East battle, while San Diego (0-10) travels to Denver for a AFC West clash.
49ers 21, Chiefs 7
The Skinny: The NFL's worst overall defense turned the tables on one of its most explosive teams, as host San Francisco held Kansas City to just 107 first-half yards, 290 total and scoreles for almost 54 minutes as the 49ers rolled to victory.
Stud: Remember the name, folks. Niners safety Lance Schulters made seven tackles and set the San
Francisco defense's physical tone by flattening receivers Derrick
Alexander and Sylvester Morris, briefly knocking out both KC receivers. Kudos also to Niners running back Charlie Garner, who rushed for 102 yards and a score, and added five receptions for 39 yards.
Stiff: Elvis is back in the building! Chiefs quarterback Elvis Grbac, making his return to San Fran, completed just six first-half passes, before finishing 22-of-40 for 271 yards and one interception.
By the numbers: How about these numbers from maligned Niners quarterback Jeff Garcia? He completed 20 of 25 passes for 244 yards and capped two
second-quarter drives with short TD runs, of 1 and 2 yards. ... The Chiefs needed Donnell Bennett's 1-yard TD run with 6:27 left to avoid being shut out for the first time in 101 regular-season games.
Next week: San Francisco (3-8) hosts Atlanta, while Kansas City (5-5) hosts Buffalo.
Rams 38, Giants 24
The Skinny: Even without Kurt Warner and Marshall Faulk again, visiting St. Louis was its old explosive self -- as quarterback Trent Green threw touchdown passes to four receivers and scrambled for another, as the Rams used three turnovers and a couple of big plays on special teams to beat the New York Giants in the Meadowlands.
Stud: It was a Green day in the swamps of Jersey, as Kurt Warner's famed backup finished
27-of-45 for 272 yards, and he also rushed for 54 yards on six
carries.
Stiffs: The Giants as a whole, who did nothing to dispell critics of the NFC East leaders with this performance. "We heard all the nay-sayers say we hadn't beaten anybody and
is this team a first-place team?" Giants tackle Lomas Brown said.
"We wanted to answer those questions and silence them. We
didn't."
By the numbers: The Rams rushed for 141 yards against the Giants,
the NFL's second-best rushing defense. ... The Giants' running tandem of Ron Dayne (9-66) and Tiki Barber (9-61) had another efficient day, but Dayne was stopped twice from the 1 yard-line at the start of the third quarter with the Giants trailing 28-14. They had to settle for a Brad Daluiso field goal.
Next week: St. Louis (8-2) host Washington on Monday Night Football, while the Giants (7-3) host Detroit.
Bucs 20, Packers 15
The Skinny: Visiting Green Bay was poised to pull off an upset for the second time in a week, but Tampa Bay all-pro Warren Sapp knocked out Packers QB Brett Favre, and the host Buccaneeers erased a 1-point deficit in the fourth quarter to pull out the win.
Stud: OK, this is getting ridiculous now -- but we have to do it. Bucs kicker Martin Gramatica, nicknamed "Automatica" in college, extended his streak of consecutive field goals to 12 with fourth-quarter kicks of 54 and
51 yards to push Tampa into the winner's circle.
Stiff: Packers all-pro wideout Antonio Freeman -- who caught just four balls for 36 yards. But that's not the main reason. In the second quarter, he drew a costly penalty for knocking the ball out of an official's hand after a third-down incompletion. The unsportsmanslike conduct call forced Ryan Longwell
to attempt a 53-yard field goal that he missed.
By the numbers: Favre lost for just the fourth time in
17 regular-season starts against the Bucs, and now his NFL record QB streak of 135 consecutive starts may be in jeopardy due to his left foot sprain he suffered in the third quarter. ... Tampa Bay's Randall McDaniel appeared in his 200th game.
He's fourth among active NFL linemen in games started (198) and
second in consecutive games started (180) behind Tennessee's Bruce
Matthews (208).
Next week: Green Bay (4-6) hosts Indianapolis, while Tampa Bay (6-4) travels to Chicago.
Colts 23, Jets 15
The Skinny: Host Indianapolis broke out to a 20-0 lead, but then had to hold off the irreverant New York Jets who were trying for another improbable comeback in this key AFC East contest.
Studs: The Colts offense, which held onto the ball for almost 20 minutes of the first half and built a 17-0 lead. The Colts marched 70 yards in 13 plays on their first
possession, capped by Peyton Manning's 6-yard touchdown pass to
Marvin Harrison just 6:35 into the game. It was the Colts' most
time-consuming touchdown drive of the season. Then Jeff Burris intercepted a pass from Vinny Testaverde, and the
next drive was even longer -- 83 yards in 12 plays -- giving the
Colts a 14-0 lead on James' 2-yard run just 43 seconds into the
second quarter.
Stiff: It's a tough one to swallow, but it goes to Tetaverde, who completed 20 of 38 passes for 271 yards and one touchdown, but threw two interceptions and four straight incompletions to kill the Jets' last drive.
By the numbers: Playing in his
140th NFL game, Jets linebacker Bryan Cox raised his career total
for tackles to 1,000 with his first one. ... The victory was
Manning's 23rd as a starter, the third-highest total in franchise
history. Johnny Unitas leads with 116, followed by Bert Jones with
46.
Next week: The Jets (6-4) travel to Miami, while Indianapolis (7-3) heads to Green Bay.
