CNNSI.com's Jon A. Dolezar reviews the Week 9 games.
| Week Nine |
|---|
 |
St. Louis 48 |
at St. Louis |
 |
Carolina 14 |
• Recap
• Game Summary
|
| Key Stat |
306 -- Difference in rushing yards between the Rams (337) and Panthers (31).
|
| Player of the Game |
Marshall Faulk, RB, St. Louis: Proved again that he is the best player in the league when healthy, rushing for 183 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries, all in the first half.
|
| CNNSI.com's Breakdown |
This one played out about exactly as you'd expect a battle of a 6-1 team and a 1-7 team would. The Rams took control early on Faulk's 71-yard touchdown run less than two minutes in and the rout was on. Faulk's return to health was well complemented by Trung Canidate's 16 carries for 145 yards and one touchdown. St. Louis was running the ball so efficiently that even a bad day for Kurt Warner (three interceptions in 20 pass attempts) couldn't halt the Rams' offensive express. |
|
 |
Green Bay 20 |
at Chicago |
 |
Chicago 12 |
• Recap
• Game Summary
|
| Key Stat |
38 -- Career touchdown passes for Brett Favre against the Bears, his most against any opponent.
|
| Player of the Game |
Brett Favre, QB, Green Bay: Moved his career record against the Bears to 15-4 by completing 19 of 32 passes for 268 yards and two touchdowns.
|
| CNNSI.com's Breakdown |
The 162nd meeting between the Packers and Bears went pretty much according to the recent script for the NFL's oldest rivalry. Favre pulled out some big completions when he needed to as Green Bay ended Chicago's impressive six-game winning streak. The Packers won for the eighth consecutive time at Soldier Field, extending the longest road winning streak for a visiting team at one stadium.
|
|
 |
New England 21 |
at Foxboro, Mass. |
 |
Buffalo 11 |
• Recap
• Game Summary
|
| Key Stat |
5-2 -- Tom Brady's record as a starting quarterback this season.
|
| Player of the Game |
Antowain Smith, RB, New England: Rushed 20 times for 100 yards and two touchdowns, giving him 350 rushing yards in the past four games.
|
| CNNSI.com's Breakdown |
In a defensive battle that featured 12 combined sacks, the Patriots persevered despite their problems in the passing game. Brady hit a high percentage of passes (15 of 21) but threw for only 107 yards and was pestered all game by the Bills' pass rush. The Bills tightened it up to 14-11 with an Eric Moulds touchdown grab with 2:43 to play, but the Patriots put it away when Smith broke free for a 42-yard scoring run on the first play after the two-minute warning to seal the victory.
|
|
 |
Tampa Bay 20 |
at Pontiac, Mich. |
 |
Detroit 17 |
• Recap
• Game Summary
|
| Key Stat |
118 -- Receptions that Keyshawn Johnson is on pace for this season, and without a scoring catch through eight games, Johnson could surpass Al Toon's mark for most catches without a touchdown (74 set in 1991) since the 1970 merger.
|
| Player of the Game |
Ronde Barber, CB, Tampa Bay: Finished with seven total tackles and two interceptions.
|
| CNNSI.com's Breakdown |
Has there ever been an uglier, scrappier 4-4 start than what the Buccaneers have compiled this season? Well, actually, try the past three seasons as well. Tampa Bay is .500 at the midway point of the season yet again, despite a sloppy, uninspired performance against the league's worst team. Leading 17-7 heading into the final quarter, the Bucs let the Lions claw back into it before ultimately sealing the deal on Martin Gramatica's 35-yard field goal with four seconds left. The bright spot for Tampa Bay was the play of Warren Sapp, who had four tackles and two sacks in his best game of the season.
|
|
 |
Pittsburgh 15 |
at Cleveland |
 |
Cleveland 12 (OT) |
• Recap
• Game Summary
|
| Key Stat |
35:59 -- Time of possession for the Steelers, who ran 75 offensive plays for 428 yards compared to only 187 yards on 63 plays for the Browns.
|
| Player of the Game |
Jerome Bettis, RB, Pittsburgh: The Bus continued to roll with 29 carries for 163 yards, putting him on pace for a career-high 1,732-yard season.
|
| CNNSI.com's Breakdown |
The Steelers churned out 247 yards on the ground and held the Browns to only 74 rushing yards. Jason Gildon led the defensive charge for Pittsburgh with three sacks, with the team totaling seven against a flustered Tim Couch. Kordell Stewart played an impressive all-around game, passing for 188 yards and rushing for 65.
|
|
 |
Miami 27 |
at Indianapolis |
 |
Indianapolis 24 |
• Recap
• Game Summary
|
| Key Stat |
1.8 -- Average yards per carry (10 rushes for 18 yards) for Colts running back Kevin McDougal, who replaced the injured Dominic Rhodes, who was already replacing the injured Edgerrin James.
|
| Player of the Game |
Chris Chambers, WR, Miami: Dolphins' 2001 second-round pick had three catches for 113 yards and two touchdowns and continues to emerge as a top deep threat.
|
| CNNSI.com's Breakdown |
The Dolphins overcame the magic of Marvin Harrison to pull out the hard-fought win to stay along atop the AFC East. Harrison caught nine passes for 174 yards and three touchdowns, but the Colts didn't have a running game to augment the passing attack. Chambers scored on a 74-yard bomb in the second quarter and then added the game-winning 29-yarder with 7:44 to play. Lamar Smith continued to struggle with only 53 yards and 18 carries, but Travis Minor was effective for the Dolphins as a change-of-pace back with
seven carries for 71 yards and a touchdown.
|
|
 |
New York 27 |
at East Rutherford, N.J. |
 |
Kansas City 7 |
• Recap
• Game Summary
|
| Key Stat |
5 -- Combined penalties by the Chiefs (four) and Jets (one).
|
| Player of the Game |
Curtis Martin, RB, New York: NFL's leading rusher continued to roll, carrying 20 times for 113 yards and three touchdowns, putting him on pace for 1,630 yards and 17 rushing touchdowns. |
| CNNSI.com's Breakdown |
When the Chiefs traded for Trent Green, this wasn't what they were expecting. Green had another poor game, completing only 16 of 31 for 143 yards and three interceptions. Vinny Testaverde wasn't impressive either, but with Martin finding the end zone three times, the Jets didn't need a hot passing game to beat the Chiefs. John Abraham continued to prove himself as one of the top defensive players in the game with 11 total tackles and two sacks, giving him seven sacks in the past four games.
|
|
 |
Jacksonville 30 |
at Jacksonville, Fla. |
 |
Cincinnati 13 |
• Recap
• Game Summary
|
| Key Stat |
91 -- Difference in total yards between the Bengals (352) and Jaguars (261).
|
| Player of the Game |
Mark Brunell, QB, Jacksonville: Completed 20 of 32 for 189 yards and two touchdowns.
|
| CNNSI.com's Breakdown |
The Bengals had a golden opportunity to put away the Jaguars and move to 5-3, which would've kept them squarely in the midst of the AFC playoff hunt. Instead they blew a 13-7 halftime lead by surrendering 21 points in the third quarter. Fred Taylor's replacement, Stacey Mack, ran for 71 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries while Tony Brackens had two sacks to lead Jacksonville defensively.
|
|
 |
Atlanta 20 |
at Atlanta |
 |
Dallas 13 |
• Recap
• Game Summary
|
| Key Stat |
2.4 -- Average yards per passing attempt for the Falcons, who managed only 46 net passing yards on 16 attempts.
|
| Players of the Game |
Maurice Smith, RB, Atlanta: Rushed 27 times for 148 yards, setting his career-high mark for the third consecutive week.
|
| CNNSI.com's Breakdown |
The Falcons ruined the return of Ryan Leaf as a starting NFL quarterback by resorting to a little quarterback trickery of their own. Michael Vick started, but he and usual third-stringer Doug Johnson rotated for much of the game in place of the injured Chris Chandler. Head coach Dan Reeves used a similar gimmick in 1992 with the Broncos, rotating Tommy Maddox and Shawn Moore on every play in a loss to the Cowboys while John Elway was injured. Unfortunately Vick and Johnson didn't have much success throwing the ball, but with Smith slicing through the Cowboys' defense with ease, passing yards weren't needed for the win.
|
|
 |
San Francisco 28 |
at San Francisco |
 |
New Orleans 27 |
• Recap
• Game Summary
|
| Key Stat |
903 -- Combined total yards for the Saints (488) and 49ers (415).
|
| Player of the Game |
Jeff Garcia, QB, San Francisco: Torched the Saints for 252 yards and four touchdowns.
|
| CNNSI.com's Breakdown |
San Francisco spread the wealth offensively, getting great games from Garrison Hearst and Terrell Owens in addition to Garcia's game. Hearst rushed for 145 yards on 17 carries in his best performance since returning from his career-threatening leg injuries. Owens caught eight passes for 100 yards and two touchdowns, giving him 10 touchdowns in eight games this season.
|
|
 |
Denver 26 |
at Denver |
 |
San Diego 16 |
• Recap
• Game Summary
|
| Key Stat |
39:54 -- Time of possession for the Broncos, which allowed them to run 27 more offensive plays than the Chargers.
|
| Player of the Game |
Brian Griese, QB, Denver: Completed 21 of 31 for 224 yards and two touchdowns.
|
| CNNSI.com's Breakdown |
The Broncos bounced back from their MNF loss to the Raiders by jumping all over the Chargers in the first half and then coasting after leading 23-0 in the third. Doug Flutie had thrown only four interceptions coming into the game but was awful against the Broncos, completing only 12 of 31 for 165 yards and four interceptions. Terrell Davis proved he is healthy enough to be a workhorse again, but the staunch Chargers defense limited him to only 83 yards on 33 carries.
|
|
 |
New York 17 |
at Tempe, Ariz. |
 |
Arizona 10 |
• Recap
• Game Summary
|
| Key Stat |
4.5 -- Yards per carry for the Giants, who rushed 41 times for 186 yards.
|
| Player of the Game |
Michael Strahan, DE, New York: Extended his amazing sack streak by dropping Jake Plummer in the second quarter, giving him at least one sack in his seventh consecutive game and putting him on pace for 26 this season, which would break Mark Gastineau's record of 22.
|
| CNNSI.com's Breakdown |
At last, Thunder and Lightning decided to storm in the same game. Tiki Barber rushed 17 times for 118 yards while Ron Dayne carried 19 times for 49 yards and one touchdown. The Cardinals wasted another great game from emerging superstar David Boston, who had nine catches for 137 yards and one touchdown.
|
|
 |
Philadelphia 48 |
at Philadelphia |
 |
Minnesota 17 |
• Recap
• Game Summary
|
| Key Stat |
186 -- Difference in total yards between the Eagles (487) and Vikings (301).
|
| Player of the Game |
Donovan McNabb, QB, Philadelphia: Completed 19 of 29 for 223 yards and three touchdowns.
|
| CNNSI.com's Breakdown |
What was a mild panic is now turning into a full-fledged crisis for everyone's favorite dysfunctional football team. The Eagles stomped all over the Vikings thanks to a 24-point second-quarter outburst that gave Philly a 31-10 halftime advantage. Duce Staley rushed for a season-high 146 yards and a touchdown while James Thrash caught five passes for 52 yards and two touchdowns. Defensively, Hugh Douglas led the Eagles with seven tackles and two sacks as Philadelphia shut down Minnesota's rushing game, allowing only 56 yards on 21 carries.
|
|
 |
Seattle 34 |
at Seattle |
 |
Oakland 27 |
• Recap
• Game Summary
|
| Key Stat |
7.6 -- Yards per carry for the Seahawks, who rushed 42 times for 319 yards. |
| Player of the Game |
Shaun Alexander, RB, Seattle: Carried 35 times for a team-record 266 yards and three touchdowns, giving him 731 yards and eight rushing touchdowns in his five starts since taking over for the injured Ricky Watters. |
| CNNSI.com's Breakdown |
The Raiders came into this game ranked 20th in rush defense with 120.4 yards per game allowed. They'll head into next week's contest against the Chargers allowing 142.3 and ranked near the bottom of the league after Alexander tore them up for the fourth-most single-game rushing yards in league history. Matt Hasselbeck completed 65.2 percent of his passes and didn't throw an interception, but most importantly did a great job of turning around and handing the ball to Alexander. |
|
 |
Baltimore 16 |
at Nashville, Tenn. |
 |
Tennessee 10 |
• Recap
• Game Summary
|
| Key Stat |
8 -- Consecutive possessions that ended in punts to start the game. |
| Player of the Game |
Qadry Ismail, WR, Baltimore: Caught eight passes for 129 yards and a touchdowns. |
| CNNSI.com's Breakdown |
One of the
most physical games of the season ended appropriately, with a fierce collision at the goal line that kept Steve McNair from scoring the winning touchdown. Once again Eddie George was not at his best against the Ravens, coughing up a key fumble in the fourth quarter that led to the go-ahead score. |
| |
