No one could have fathomed Kurt Warner possibly beginning his career with such an amazing start.
Trent Green probably can't even get a good table in a restaurant in St. Louis anymore, but only a few months ago the fans of St. Louis were praising him as the man to lead their potential-filled offense into the season.
One preseason knee injury and four games later and a cult hero has emerged in St. Louis. Warner's 14 touchdown passes are the most ever by a quarterback in his first four starts, and he is currently on pace to break Dan Marino's single-season touchdown mark of 48 set back in the 1984 season.
It remains to be seen whether the former Arena League superstar can keep up this incredible pace or not, but regardless of what happens the rest of the season, it has been quite a ride for Rams' fans to start the 1999 season.
| Week 5 NFL Recap |
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| Falcons 20 (1-4), Saints 17 (1-3) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
139: Yards by which the Saints outgained the Falcons in the game.
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| Player of the Game |
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Terance Mathis, WR, Atlanta. Mathis caught his first touchdown pass of the year, and finished with five catches for 67 yards to help the Falcons to their first win. |
| Breakdown |
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Atlanta won its first game of the season thanks to an impressive second-half effort. Ray Buchanan redeemed himself in the fourth quarter with a clutch interception after getting burned on Eddie Kennison's 90-yard touchdown catch earlier in the game. Atlanta won its ninth straight game over New Orelans despite starting its backup quarterback and third-string running back in the game. The Falcons return to the Georgia Dome next Sunday to face the NFC West-leading Rams in another difficult divisional game. |
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| Rams 42 (4-0), 49ers 20 (3-2) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
14: Touchdown passes thrown by Kurt Warner in the Rams' four games this season, to go against only three interceptions. |
| Player of the Game |
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Kurt Warner, QB, St. Louis. Warner continues to set records for the best start to an NFL career for a quarterback, throwing for five touchdown passes and completing 87 percent of his passes against the 49ers.
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| Breakdown |
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Isaac Bruce and Warner seemed to have some kind of cosmic connection. The two hooked up for four touchdown passes and made the 49ers secondary look silly for most of the afternoon. Bruce is proving that he is one of the best receivers in football when he is healthy, and so far his hamstrings have held up well this year. San Francisco has to be worried with how easily the Rams threw the ball on them, and teams will continue to exploit this weakness throughout the season.
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| Bears 24 (3-2), Vikings 22 (2-3) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
49: Total first downs in the game by both teams, part of an offensive show with 824 yards of total offense.
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| Player of the Game |
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Jim Flanigan, DT, Chicago. Flanigan led a solid defensive effort by the Bears with three tackles and two sacks on Randall Cunningham.
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| Breakdown |
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Chicago continued its improvement under new head coach Dick Jauron by pulling off one of the biggest upsets of the year in the Metrodome. Jauron has to be among the early leaders for Coach of the Year, as the Bears could contend for a playoff spot in a tightly-bunched NFC. Shane Matthews played another efficient game at quarterback before leaving with an injury, completing 19-of-28 passes for 184 yards and two touchdowns before giving way to Cade McNown. Chicago sacked Cunningham four times and forced four turnovers by the Vikings, all of which resulted in scores for the Bears. Chicago matches up with the Eagles at home next week, while the Vikings try to regroup in another tough divisional game at Detroit.
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| Chiefs 16 (3-2), Patriots 14 (4-1) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
35:37: Time of possession for the Chiefs in the game, allowing them to keep the ball out of the hands of Drew Bledsoe and the high-powered Patriots offense. |
| Player of the Game |
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Dixon Edwards, LB, Kansas City. Helped hold the league's fifth-best offense to 14 points by contributing nine tackles, picking off a pass and defending one pass.
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| Breakdown |
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The Patriots managed to gain 378 yards in total offense, but couldn't put the ball in the end zone. A last-minute drive was going well but Adam Vinatieri's field goal bonked off the right upright preserving the win for the Chiefs. Kansas City managed 140 yards on the ground with its running back-by-committee system, and the defense held New England's rushing attack to 62 yards. The Chiefs continue to protect Elvis Grbac well, allowing only one sack to add to their fourth-best total of only four sacks allowed coming into the game. Kansas City gets 10 days off before traveling to Baltimore to play a Thursday night game on October 21.
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| Bengals 18 (1-4), Browns 17 (0-5) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
36:49: Time of possession for the Bengals in the game, thanks to a dominating ground game that allowed them to hold onto the football on several long drives. |
| Player of the Game |
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Corey Dillon, QB, Cincinnati. Dillon finished with 168 yards on 28 carries for an impressive 6.0 yards per carry.
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| Breakdown |
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The Bengals pulled out the "Ohio Futility Bowl" by controlling the clock with a running attack that managed 212 yards on the ground against the Browns. Cleveland continues to struggle moving the football, though the Browns did manage a season-high 17 points on Sunday. Tim Couch completed more than 50 percent of his passes for the time in his young career, but the Bengals held the Browns to 13 first downs and 224 yards of offense. Cleveland has a tough stretch on its schedule coming up with road games at Jacksonville, St. Louis and New Orleans in the next three weeks, so missing an opportunity to win a game at home against the lowly Bengals could prove costly.
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| Eagles 13 (1-4), Cowboys 10 (3-1) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
12: Total first downs by the Eagles (compared to 19 for the Cowboys) in the game. |
| Player of the Game |
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Charles Johnson, WR, Philadelphia. Johnson gained a bit of redemption for a disappointing start by catching the game-winning touchdown with 1:07 to play.
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| Breakdown |
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The Eagles hadn't moved the football going into the fourth quarter, but a clutch final drive pulled out a big win over their division rivals. Philadelphia managed only 244 yards of offense, but Dallas did a good job of controlling the ball in the ground to keep it away from the Eagles. The Cowboys finished with a 36:11-23:49 advantage in time of possession but they couldn't find the end zone either.
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| Bills 24 (4-1), Steelers 21 (2-3) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
48: Rushing yards by the Steelers, with Jerome Bettis gaining only 24 yards on 13 carries. |
| Player of the Game |
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Doug Flutie, QB, Buffalo. The diminutive quarterback had another great game, with 261 yards passing and three touchdowns to go along with 39 yards rushing on seven carries.
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| Breakdown |
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A strong defensive effort helped the Bills move into a first-place tie in the AFC East with the Patriots at 4-1. Buffalo held Pittsburgh to 255 yards of total offense and limited the Steelers to 4.7 yards per play in the game. The Steelers were held to 2.1 yards per carry for the game, and the longest run that they mustered on the day was an 11-yard scramble by Kordell Stewart. Buffalo gets the Raiders at home next week before embarking on a tough three-game road trip that could make or break its season.
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| Chargers 20 (3-1), Lions 10 (2-2) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
1.5: Yards per carry for the Lions on Sunday against the NFL's fifth-best run defense. |
| Player of the Game |
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Junior Seau, LB, San Diego. Seau played another spectacular game in helping hdld the Lions to only 10 points at home, making 12 total tackles, recording two sacks and defending one sack.
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| Breakdown |
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San Diego had six sacks, an interception and recovered two fumbles to hold the Lions to only 10 points in the game. Detroit ran the ball 24 times for only 37 yards, and Charlie Batch struggled with only a completion percentage of only 55.3 percent. Detroit has lost two straight since its surprising 2-0 start, and the Vikings will be visiting the Silverdome next Sunday coming off a home loss to the Bears, setting up a crucial game for both teams. San Diego looks like it could be in the mix for a wild-card berth in what is shaping up to be a very balanced AFC West division.
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| Cardinals 14 (2-3), Giants 3 (2-3) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
31: Rushing yards by the Cardinals against one of the league's best run defenses. |
| Player of the Game |
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Rob Fredrickson, LB, Arizona. Fredrickson had 15 total tackles to lead the Cards' defensive effort.
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| Breakdown |
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The Cardinals broke their three-game losing with an ugly win over a struggling Giants team. The two offenses combined for only 491 total yards and 18 first downs between them. Jake Plummer played an interception-free game for the first time this season, but he suffered a hip injury early in the third quarter that caused him to miss much of the quarter. Arizona meets Washington next Sunday at Sun Devil Stadium in another divisional matchup, while the Giants host Dallas on Monday night.
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| Broncos 16 (1-4), Raiders 13 (2-3) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
55: Rushing yards by the Raiders against a Denver defense that had been giving up 143.5 yards per game, the third-worst total in the league. |
| Player of the Game |
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Alfred Williams, DE, Denver. The Broncos sacked Rich Gannon six times, and Williams had two of those sacks, as well as eight total tackles and one pass defensed.
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| Breakdown |
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Brian Griese must feel a bit like a yo-yo after the week that he's had. After being pulled from the starting lineup on Wednesday, Griese ended up getting the start anyways when Bubby Brister pulled a muscle in a passing drill on Friday. The Broncos struggled running the football again, but their defense held the Raiders running game to 55 yards on 24 carries. The injury woes continued to mount for Denver though, as Shannon Sharpe broke his collarbone on a third-quarter hit from Raiders safety Eric Turner. Denver has a tough three-week strech with games against Green Bay, at New England and against Minnesota in the next three weeks.
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| Titans 14 (4-1), Ravens 11 (2-3) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
212: NFL record penalty yardage amassed by the Titans on 15 penalties in the game. |
| Player of the Game |
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Samari Rolle, CB, Tennessee. Rolle had two sacks and seven solo tackles in a dominating defensive effort by the Titans.
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| Breakdown |
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The Titans moved to 4-1 on the season with another hard-fought win against a divisional team. Yancey Thigpen continued his hot start to the season with five catches for 99 yards and a touchdown. Neil O'Donnell completed 68.6 percent of his passes and didn't throw an interception for the first time since the Browns game three weeks ago. Of concern for Tennessee is its struggle to run the football yet again, with Eddie George gaining only 55 yards on 20 carries. George doesn't have a 100-yard rushing game yet this season, and his yards-per-carry average dropped to 2.89 after today's performance. Four of the Titans' five games have been decided by three points or less, with only their 26-9 blowout win over Cleveland having more than a three point margin of victory.
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| Dolphins 34 (3-1), Colts 31 (2-2) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
39: Points scored by the two teams in the fourth quarter. |
| Player of the Game |
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Dan Marino, QB, Miami. Marino completed 25-of-38 passes for 393 yards and two touchdowns.
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| Breakdown |
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The Dolphins put 25 points on the board in the fourth quarter to pull out an impressive road win over the Colts. Marino's yardage total was his best in nearly four years, since a 450-yard passing game at Cincinnati on October 1, 1995. Tony Martin had 10 catches for 166 yards and a touchdown, and Oronde Gadsden caught four passes for 123 yards and a score to pace Miami's passing game. Cecil Collins ran for 76 yards and his first career touchdown, but the Dolphins finished with a team average of only 2.7 yards per carry. Miami controlled the ball for 34:07 keeping the Colts' high-powered offense off the field for much of the game.
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| Packers 26 (3-1), Buccaneers 23 (2-3) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
452: Total yards of offense by the Packers against the league's top-ranked defensive unit which had been giving up only 219.5 yards per game coming in. |
| Player of the Game |
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Brett Favre, QB, Green Bay. Favre finished off his third last-minute comeback win of the season and the 16th game-winning drive of his career with a 21-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Freeman with 1:05 to play.
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| Breakdown |
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On his 30th birthday, Favre played one of the best games of his illustrious nine-year career. Nursing a nagging thumb injury for much of the game, Favre completed 22-of-40 passes for 390 yards and two touchdowns. The 390-yard performance was the third-highest single-game yardage total of his career. Green Bay had two receivers eclipse 150 yards receiving, with Bill Schroeder catching seven passes for 158 yards and Antonio Freeman grabbed seven balls for 152 yards and two touchdowns. The Packers now have a half-game lead over the Bears of all teams for first place in the NFC Central. Tampa Bay drops into a tie for last in the division with Minnesota, with both teams having lost heartbreakers at the hands of Favre and the Packers.
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| Jaguars 16 (4-1), Jets 6 (1-4) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
10.4: Points per game given up by the Jaguars' defense this season, the best total in the league. |
| Player of the Game |
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Bryan Barker, P, Jacksonville. Barker was stellar in a defensive battle where field position was crucial, averaging 45.9 yards on seven punts, including a booming 83 yarder in the first quarter from his own 5-yard line.
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| Breakdown |
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Jacksonville's revamped defense continues to play great under new defensive coordinator Dom Capers. The Jaguars kept their opponent out of the end zone for the third time in their first five games. With Tampa Bay having allowed 452 yards to Green Bay on Sunday night, the Jaguars took advantage of the Bucs' struggles to move into the top spot as the best defense in terms of yards-per-game allowed. The Jets were held to 230 yards of total offense, and Rick Mirer was sacked four times. Mirer struggled badly in his fourth start for the Jets, completing only 50 percent of his passes and throwing two interceptions. With the win Jacksonville kept pace with Tennessee for first place in the AFC Central, and the Jags get 0-5 Cleveland at home next Sunday. The struggling Jets face Indianapolis at home next Sunday and then travel to Oakland to face the Raiders the following week.
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