ATLANTA (CNN/SI) -- The St. Louis Rams' extraordinary run came to an end at the hands of Steve McNair and the Tennessee Titans, who defeated the Rams 24-21 in the kind of shootout predicted by Sports Illustrated's Dr. Z. Both teams are now 6-1.
Another up-and-coming team, the Indianapolis Colts (5-2), served notice they are ready to advance to the league's upper echelon, beating the (4-3) Dallas Cowboys 34-24 behind the passing of Peyton Manning and the running of Edgerrin James, who had 205 combined yards -- 113 rushing and 92 receiving.
In Denver on this Halloween evening, the Minnesota Vikings (4-4) probably drove a stake into the playoff hopes of the defending champion Broncos (2-6), beating them 23-20 behind the passing tandem of Jeff George to Cris Carter.
| Week 8 NFL Recap |
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Browns 21 (1-7),
Saints 16 (1-6) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
40: Number of carries by Saints franchise back Ricky Williams.
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| Player of the Game |
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Tim Couch: Browns quarterback was 11 of 19 for three touchdowns, including the game-winner with no time remaining. |
| Breakdown |
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The Saints have to be this season's tough luck team. After manuevering into position to win behind the running of Ricky Williams, the Saints took the lead on a 46-yard field goal by Doug Brien. Then they lost on a 56-yard "Hail Mary" pass from Tim Couch to Kevin Johnson. |
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Chargers 34 (5-2),
Chiefs 0 (4-3) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
4: Number of turnovers by the Chargers.
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| Player of the Game |
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James Hasty: Chiefs defensive back had another stellar game, making eight tackles, assisting on two others and defensing three passes. |
| Breakdown |
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The Chiefs defense did the job here, forcing 10 points in the first-half of the first quarter and keeping up the pressure. It was Kansas City's 10th straight home win over the Chargers. |
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| Rams 21 (6-1), Titans 24 (6-1) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
0: Field goals made by the Rams in two attempts.
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| Player of the Game |
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Steve McNair: Titans quarterback didn't show much rust despite a six-week absence following back surgery, completing 13 of 29 passing attempts for two touchdowns and rushing for another.
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| Breakdown |
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Kurt Warner proved that he could engineer a comeback after the Titans took a 21-0 first-half lead behind the quarterbacking of McNair. But Jeff Wilkins missed a 38-yard field goal with seven seconds left that would have given the Rams a tie in regulation.
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| Bills 13 (5-3) Ravens 10 (2-5) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
200: Number of total yards by the Ravens. |
| Player of the Game |
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Doug Flutie: Once again the diminutive Bills quarterback came through in the clutch, engineering the decisive drive with less than two minutes left.
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| Breakdown |
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Neither team played well offensively. Flutie threw three interceptions, and Ravens quarterback Tony Banks was mediocre in his first start for the Ravens, completing only 13 of 34 pass attempts for 129 yards.
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| Bears 22 (3-5) Redskins 48 (5-2) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
143: Number of rushing yards by Redskins' Stephen Davis on only 12 carries. |
| Player of the Game |
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Brad Johnson: Redskins quarterback completed 15 of 25 passing attempts for two touchdowns and no interceptions.
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| Breakdown |
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Stephen Davis set the tone with a 76-yard touchdown jaunt in the opening minutes, and the Bears were trampled by the onslaught. Although the Bears possessed the ball more than 10 minutes longer than the Redskins, they just couldn't do anything with it.
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| Giants 23 (5-3), Eagles 17 (2-6) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
31: Number of yards rushing by Giants' LeShon Johnson. |
| Player of the Game |
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Michael Strahan: Giants defensive end picked off a pass in overtime and returned it 44 yards for a touchdown.
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| Breakdown |
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The first three quarters belonged to the Eagles, who took a 17-3 lead into the fourth quarter. But the Giants came back behind the scrambling and passing of Kent Graham, who engineered a 16-play, 83-yard drive for a touchdown.
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| Jaguars 41 (6-1) Bengals 10 (1-7) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
4: Number of sacks by the Jaguars against the hapless Bengals. |
| Player of the Game |
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Fred Taylor: Back from an injury, the Jaguars' top back gained 128 yards on 15 carries.
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| Breakdown |
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The Jaguars jumped out to a 27-0 halftime lead and never looked back. So large was the lead that Mark Brunell, nursing a rib injury, and Taylor were held out the second half. The Bengals managed only 300 total yards.
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| Panthers 20 (2-5), Falcons 27 (2-5) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
6: Number of sacks by the Falcons' defense. |
| Player of the Game |
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Chris Chandler: Falcons quarterback stayed tough, passing for two touchdowns in a 14 of 21 performance.
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| Breakdown |
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The Falcons finally won one at home in this lost season. The Panthers were their own worst enemy, with quarterback Steve Beuerlein throwing three interceptions and fumbling twice.
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| Dolphins 16 (6-1) Raiders 9 (4-4) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
3: Number of field goals by Dolphins' Olindo Mare. |
| Player of the Game |
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Damon Huard: Dolphins backup quarterback played well enough to get the win -- 16 of 32 for 221 yards. No touchdowns but not interceptions.
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| Breakdown |
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This is not your father's Miami Dolphins. But they scored enough to win thanks to the leg of Olindo Mare and the efficiency of Huard, who is no Dan Marino. The Dolphins were able to grind it out in the fourth quarter, and Rich Gannon, playing with a broken left wrist, was sacked five times.
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| Patriots 27 (6-2), Cardinals 3 (2-5) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
166: Cardinals total offense, a stat that just about explains it all. |
| Player of the Game |
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Drew Bledsoe: Patriots quarterback matched his career high in touchdown passes, four, and completed 14 of 22 pass attempts for 276 yards.
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| Breakdown |
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The Patriots stayed in the hunt for the AFC East title, cruising to an easy win over the rudderless Cardinals. Backup Dave Brown, subbing for the injured Jake Plummer, had a horrible first game, going 12 for 23 for 107 yards with two interceptions.
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| Vikings 23 (4-4), Broncos 20 (2-6) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
0: Number of interceptions thrown by Vikings' Jeff George. Brian Griese was picked off once.
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| Player of the Game |
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Cris Carter: Vikings veteran wideout had eight catches for 144 yards and two touchdowns, including three huge grabs on the game-winning drive.
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| Breakdown |
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Gary Anderson came through for the Vikings this time, as his 23-yard field goal capped a 73-yard drive in the final few minutes. The Vikings' win improved their record to .500 (4-4) and probably ensured the defending champion Broncos will miss the playoffs.
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| Cowboys 24 (4-3), Colts 34 (5-2) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
314: Number of yards passing by Peyton Manning, who continues to play well during his second NFL season. |
| Player of the Game |
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Edgerrin James: Colts rookie running back rushed for 113 yards and a touchdown, and caught seven passes for 92 yards.
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| Breakdown |
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Was this a handing off of the baton from an aging NFL power to a surging new power? The Big Three of the Colts -- Manning, James, and Marvin Harrison -- showed they are a power to be reckoned with, while the Cowboys Big Three minus One -- Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith with Michael Irvin out -- failed to come through.
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| Buccaneers 3 (3-4) Lions 20 (5-2) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
0: Number of touchdowns scored by the Bucs during the past two games. |
| Player of the Game |
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Greg Hill: Taking up the slack for the injured Ron Rivers, Hill rushed for 123 yards on 16 carries.
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| Breakdown |
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Once again, the Bucs' offense was moribund. Eric Zeier, starting in place of Trent Dilfer, was able to move the ball (220 yards passing) but could not get it into the end zone. An apparent 12-yard scoring toss to Warrick Dunn in the third quarter was ruled down at the one after a challenge by Lions coach Bobby Ross, and the Bucs could not punch it in.
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