Down 21-0 early in the second quarter, the Oakland Raiders faced a turning point in their season.
As a team shooting for the playoffs, Oakland knows it needs to win key games on the road, and beat AFC teams. Facing a 21-point deficit and the Colts' imposing offense is not a recipe for a comeback, but Rich Gannon got his wheels going, and the Raiders' fight back began.
Gannon had run for only 12 touchdowns in his previous 101 games in the league, but his three rushing scores helped lead Oakland back from despair to pull off the 38-31 upset victory at the RCA Dome.
This was a tale of two games.
The Colts outscored the Raiders 21-0 in the first 18:32, but then the tide turned. During the next 35:49, Oakland put up 38 points and held Indianapolis to only a field goal.
The win by the Raiders established Jon Gruden's team as a legitimate threat in the AFC. The Raiders' win, combined with Kansas City, Seattle, and San Diego all falling to 0-2 on Sunday, puts Oakland atop the AFC West along with Denver, with a heated game between the two scheduled for next Sunday in Oakland.
| Week 2 NFL Recap |
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| Titans 17 (1-1), Chiefs 14 (0-2) OT |
Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
164: Advantage in total offense for the Titans (353) over the Chiefs (189). |
| Player of the Game |
| Neil O'Donnell, QB, Tennessee: Relieved injured Steve McNair and completed 11 of 17 passes for 132 yards and the game-tying touchdown. |
| CNNSI.com's Breakdown |
| The Titans struggled at home, but beared down when they needed to. Tennessee had problems running again, with only a second-half rally by Eddie George giving him 80 rushing yards. The Titans held the Chiefs to 1.9 yards per carry (62 yards on 33 rushes) and sacked Elvis Grbac three times. |
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| Raiders 38 (2-0), Colts 31 (1-1) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
5: Total punts by Oakland's Shane Lechler and Indianapolis' Hunter Smith. |
| Player of the Game |
| Rich Gannon, QB, Oakland: Led the Raiders' comeback with three rushing touchdowns and 207 yards passing. |
CNNSI.com's Breakdown |
| Perhaps Raiders head coach Jon Gruden can bottle his halftime speech from Sunday and sell it, or hit the motivational-speaking circuit in his spare time. The Raiders announced their presence as an AFC contender with an impressive comeback. Indianapolis rolled up more than 300 yards in the first half, then stalled in the second half while Oakland stormed to 24 points in the third quarter. The Colts outgained the Raiders by 103 yards, but Oakland committed zero turnovers while forcing Indy into three. Oakland's offensive gameplan was very balanced, with 10 first downs rushing and 11 via the pass. Oakland gets a big test next Sunday when division rival Denver visits the Bay Area. |
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| Vikings 13 (2-0), Dolphins 7 (1-1) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
259: Advantage in total offense for the Vikings (468) over the Dolphins (209). |
| Player of the Game |
| Daunte Culpepper, QB, Minnesota: Threw for 355 yards and his first career touchdown, and scrambled for 37 yards on eight carries. |
| CNNSI.com's Breakdown |
| The Vikings kept pace with the Buccaneers in the NFC Central by shutting down the Dolphins' rushing game that looked so strong last week. Miami ran for only 49 yards on 16 carries, and Lamar Smith was held to 27 yards after his 145-yard outing against the Seahawks in the opener. Despite the defensive nature of the game, Cris Carter caught nine passes for a career-high 168 yards. The Vikings controlled the ball for 37:19, thanks to a rushing attack that averaged 4.5 yards per carry (125 yards on 28 carries). |
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| Giants 33 (2-0), Eagles 18 (1-1) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
370: Rushing yards by the Giants in their first two games. |
| Player of the Game |
| Kerry Collins, QB, New York: Looked sharp in completing 21 of 29 passes for 220 yards and two touchdowns. |
| CNNSI.com's Breakdown |
| Duce Staley upped his season rushing total to 212 yards, but unfortunately for the Eagles, 201 of those came last week against the Cowboys. The Giants limited the Eagles to 56 rushing yards, and 237 yards of total offense. Philadelphia averaged 4.7 yards per carry, but fell behind by so much in the first half that it only ran 12 times. The Giants dominated the time of possession, 38:44 to 21:16. Tiki Barber followed up his impressive season-opening performance by rushing for 96 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries while Ron Dayne added 21 carries for 50 yards.
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| Ravens 39 (2-0), Jaguars 36 (1-1) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
90: Passes attempted by quarterbacks Mark Brunell (28-of-50 for 386 yards) and Tony Banks (23-of-40 for 262 yards). |
| Player of the Game |
| Jimmy Smith, WR, Jacksonville: Caught an eye-popping 15 passes for 291 yards and three touchdowns in a losing effort. |
| CNNSI.com's Breakdown |
| The Ravens staked their claim to a possible run at the AFC Central title. Jacksonville led 17-0 after the first quarter and 23-7 at halftime before Baltimore bounced back with 32 second-half points. Tony Banks passed for a career-high five touchdowns, the last of which to Shannon Sharpe with 42 seconds left provided the winning margin. Ray Lewis recorded 11 tackles, and Peter Boulware added four tackles and two sacks, but Baltimore surrendered 421 yards of total offense. Smith's amazing receiving day was the fifth-best single-game receiving performance in NFL history, and he became one of only three players to get 275 receiving yards and three touchdowns in the same game.
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| Bills 27 (2-0), Packers 18 (0-2) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
9: Sacks in the game, with the Packers downing Rob Johnson five times and the Bills getting Brett Favre four times. |
| Player of the Game |
| Jay Riemersma, TE, Buffalo: Caught four passes for 70 yards and two touchdowns. |
| CNNSI.com's Breakdown |
| The Bills blew the game open in a four-minute span surrounding halftime. Buffalo broke a scoreless tie with 46 seconds to play in the first half on a Johnson touchdown pass to Jeremy McDaniel, and added a field goal at the halftime gun. Johnson then hit Riemersma 3:02 into the third quarter to push the Bills' lead to 17-0. The Packers played better defensively than they did in the opener against the Jets, but despite the five sacks, Green Bay allowed Johnson to complete 69.2 percent of his passes (18-of-26) and throw three touchdowns. The Bills travel to the Meadowlands next Sunday to meet the Jets in a key AFC East showdown. |
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| Browns 24 (1-1), Bengals 7 (0-1) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
0: Wins by the Browns in nine home games at Cleveland Browns Stadium; they are 3-6 record on the road. |
| Player of the Game |
| Tim Couch, QB, Cleveland: Threw for 259 yards and two touchdowns on 19-of-31 passing. |
| CNNSI.com's Breakdown |
| The Browns appear to have made the right decision in choosing Couch over Akili Smith as the top pick in the 1999 NFL Draft. Smith threw for 250 yards, but completed only 15 of 43 passes (34.9 percent). The Browns sacked Smith seven times, with defensive end Keith McKenzie getting three and linebacker Jamir Miller two. |
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| Buccaneers 41 (2-0), Bears 0 (0-2) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
11: Years since the Buccaneers last scored more than 40 points, when they beat the Bears 42-35 on Oct. 8, 1989. |
| Player of the Game |
| Ronde Barber, CB, Tampa Bay: Tough to pick with the Bucs' amazing defensive effort, but Barber had 2 1/2 sacks and returned a fumble for a touchdown late in the second quarter to boost the lead to 20-0. |
| CNNSI.com's Breakdown |
| After Week 1, the Bears looked like they might be able to survive in the tough NFC Central and battle for a playoff spot. After Week 2, the Bears look like they need to regroup and rethink things offensively. Cade McNown threw for only 96 yards, was sacked five times and was picked off twice. Donnie Abraham had both interceptions, and the Buccaneers' secondary held Marcus Robinson to two catches for 25 yards. Brad Culpepper was shut down in his emotional return to Tampa, making only one solo tackle and being neutralized by Frank Middleton on the line for most of the game. |
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| Panthers 38 (1-1), 49ers 22 (0-2) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
809: Total yards allowed by the 49ers in their first two games, after giving up 450 to the Panthers in Week 2 and 359 to the Falcons in Week 1. |
| Player of the Game |
| Steve Beuerlein, QB, Carolina: Threw for 364 yards and three touchdowns on 24-of-32 passing. |
| CNNSI.com's Breakdown |
| Beuerlein got back on track after a poor game against the Redskins last week, pushing the Panthers to a 28-0 lead in the first half. Beuerlein has thrown for 1,032 yards and 11 touchdowns in his last three games against the 49ers. Carolina nearly had three receivers surpass the 100-yard receiving mark, as Wesley Walls came up one yard shy of joining Donald Hayes (six catches for 115 yards and one touchdown) and Muhsin Muhammad (eight catches for 108 yards and one touchdown). The 49ers got two fourth-quarter touchdowns to make the score more respectable, but this game was all Carolina from the start. |
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| Rams 37 (2-0), Seahawks 34 (0-2) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
6,616: Yards that Kurt Warner is on pace to throw for this season, after adding 386 yards against Seattle to his 441-yard night in the opener against Denver. |
| Player of the Game |
| Kurt Warner, QB, St. Louis: Completed 35 of 47 passes for 386 yards, one touchdown and one interception, upping his season numbers to 60-of-82 for 827 yards. |
| CNNSI.com's Breakdown |
| The Seahawks gave the Rams a better game than expected, but Warner's poise in the pocket during the final scoring drive was the difference. Warner's accuracy and ability to find the open receiver are far above any other current quarterback, and he has hit on 73.2 percent of his passes through two games. Jon Kitna cut his interception total in half from last week, throwing only two, but his costly fumble deep in Seattle territory allowed St. Louis to jump up by seven with five minutes to play. The Rams move into NFC West play next week with the 49ers at home, and then travel to Atlanta in Week 4. |
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| Saints 28 (1-1), Chargers 27 (0-2) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
36:06: Time of possession for the Saints, who also outgained the Chargers in total yards 323 to 188. |
| Player of the Game |
| La'roi Glover, DT, New Orleans: Former San Diego State star had four tackles and two sacks playing in his old college stadium. |
| CNNSI.com's Breakdown |
| Ricky Williams' return to his hometown ended on a high note, but the Saints' second-year runner struggled on the ground against the Chargers' tough run defense. Williams gained only 50 yards on 24 carries, but caught four passes for 27 yards and a touchdown. Jeff Blake led the Saints on a 10-play, 90-yard drive in the final two minutes to pull out the dramatic win. Blake hit on 8 of 9 passes on the drive, finding Joe Horn for the game-winning score with 47 seconds left. Horn caught 12 passes for 116 yards and two touchdowns. Ryan Leaf was better than he was against the Raiders, but his five sacks against and two interceptions proved costly. Junior Seau was outstanding for the Chargers, recording 15 tackles.
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| Broncos 42 (1-1), Falcons 14 (1-1) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
41.4: Completion percentage by Falcons quarterbacks Chris Chandler (9-of-22 for 128 yards) and Doug Johnson (3-of-7 for 43 yards). |
| Player of the Game |
| Mike Anderson, RB, Denver: Ran for 131 yards and two touchdowns on 31 carries in his first NFL start filling in for the injured Terrell Davis and Olandis Gary. |
| CNNSI.com's Breakdown |
| Can the Broncos line anyone up behind their offensive line and have a guaranteed 100-yard day? It sure seems like that, and rookie Anderson is the latest Denver running back to turn the trick. The Broncos jumped out to a 34-0 lead in the second quarter, then coasted home to hand Dan Reeves an embarrassing loss in his return to the Mile High City. Denver sacked Chandler four times, then got his replacement, rookie Johnson, twice. Jamal Anderson gained 38 yards on seven carries, but wasn't given the chance to get into the offensive flow due to the large first-half deficit. Rod Smith caught seven passes for 117 yards and two touchdowns, giving him 10 catches for 205 yards and three touchdowns in two games. Brian Griese played another spectacular game at quarterback, completing 20 of 33 passes for 268 yards and three touchdowns. |
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| Lions 15 (2-0), Redskins 10 (1-1) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
4.3: Average yards per play by the Lions, who gained only 244 yards on 57 plays. |
| Player of the Game |
| Jason Hanson, K, Detroit: Hit 5 of 5 field goals, including 49 and 54 yarders. |
| CNNSI.com's Breakdown |
| The Redskins will find out this week how owner Daniel Snyder will react following a loss. The Lions picked off four of Brad Johnson's passes, including Terry Fair's interception at Detroit's 20-yard line with 49 seconds to play, halting a potential game-winning drive. Johnson completed 23 of 35 passes for 245 yards and a touchdown, but four of his 12 incompletions were corralled by the guys in the home blue jerseys. Neither team managed to get its ground game on track, as Washington's Stephen Davis was held to 59 yards on 17 carries, and Detroit's James Stewart was limited to 65 yards on 21 carries. The Redskins open their NFC East schedule next Monday night at home against the Cowboys, and a loss could be devastating to both Norv Turner's future as coach and Johnson's starting job. |
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| Cardinals 32 (1-1), Cowboys 31 (1-1) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
14,022: Career rushing yards for Emmitt Smith, who Sunday night became the third player in league history to rush for more than 14,000 yards. |
| Player of the Game |
| Jake Plummer, QB, Arizona: Captain Comeback recorded the 12th fourth-quarter of his young career, throwing for 243 yards and two touchdowns. |
| CNNSI.com's Breakdown |
| Randall Cunningham made an impressive first start for the Cowboys, playing well until the final drive. After completing his first 13 passes in the game, Cunningham finished 24-of-34 passing for 243 yards and three touchdowns, but his four straight incompletions on the final drive killed a possible game-winning rally. Dallas stabbed itself in the foot by committing five penalties that cost the Cowboys 102 yards in field position. David Boston caught six passes for 102 yards -- including the 63-yard completion on the go-ahead scoring drive -- and Frank Sanders grabbed four passes for 56 yards and two touchdowns. Simeon Rice had two tackles and a sack in his first game back after ending his holdout earlier in the week. |
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| Jets 20 (2-0), Patriots 19 (0-2) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
12: Points scored by the Patriots in their first five trips into the red zone, from which they got only four Adam Vinatieri field goals. |
| Player of the Game |
| Wayne Chrebet, WR, New York: Quiet in the first three quarters, Chrebet caught two fourth-quarter touchdown passes and finished with four catches for 71 yards. |
| CNNSI.com's Breakdown |
| The Jets got outplayed at home, but timely completions late in the game allowed them to pull out the win. New England actually controlled the ball for 38:00, but failure to find the end zone in the first half ended up costing the Patriots the game. Drew Bledsoe's lack of mobility was exposed yet again, as the Jets sacked him six times, matching Tampa Bay's total from its win over New England in Week 1. Jets rookie first-round picks John Abraham and Shaun Ellis combined for three of the six sacks, with Mo Lewis, James Farrior and Jason Wiltz each pitching in with one. New York faces a big Week 3 challenge, when Buffalo comes to the Meadowlands with first place in the AFC East on the line in a matchup of 2-0 teams. |
