CNNSI.com's Jon A. Dolezar reviews the Week 10 games.
| Week Ten |
|---|
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New Orleans 34 |
at New Orleans |
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Indianapolis 20 |
• Recap
• Game Summary
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| Key Stat |
50-34 -- Jim Mora's lifetime record at the Superdome after losing to the Saints.
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Player of
the Game |
Aaron Brooks, QB, New Orleans: You can't get much more accurate than this, as Brooks hit on 19 of 22 for 249 yards and two touchdowns.
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| Breakdown |
The Saints' offense was close to perfect, though the Colts' porous defense may have helped make them look unstoppable. Ricky Williams continued his brilliant all-around play with 28 rushes for 120 yards and a touchdown and four catches for 48 yards. Joe Horn was Brooks' top target with eight catches for a season-best 148 yards. The Colts contained Marvin Harrison (six catches for 55 yards) but Marcus Pollard got open for big plays with three grabs for 126 yards and a touchdown. |
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Atlanta 23 |
at Green Bay, Wis. |
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Green Bay 20 |
• Recap
• Game Summary
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| Key Stat |
273 -- Career touchdown passes for Brett Favre, passing Joe Montana for sixth place all time.
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Player of
the Game |
Chris Chandler, QB, Atlanta: Completed 29 of 50 for a season-high 352 yards and two touchdowns, hooking up with unlikely targets Bob Christian and Brian Finneran for the scoring passes.
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| Breakdown |
The Falcons surprised the Packers by coming out and throwing the football and Green Bay's pass coverage was hurt when LeRoy Butler was lost in the second quarter with a broken shoulder blade. Atlanta only recorded two sacks, but its pressure on Favre was enough to force him into throwing three interceptions. The Packers needed a better performance out of Favre since the Falcons were shutting down the running game, holding Ahman Green to only 62 yards on 17 carries.
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Philadelphia 36 |
at Irving, Texas |
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Dallas 3 |
• Recap
• Game Summary
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| Key Stat |
.25 -- Cowboys' third-down conversion percentage (3 of 12), while the Eagles were successful on 7-of-17 third-down plays.
|
Player of
the Game |
Jeremiah Trotter, LB, Philadelphia: Led the Eagles' impressive defensive effort with five tackles, an interception return for a touchdown and a fumble recovery.
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| Breakdown |
Emmitt Smith ran hard and gained 80 yards on 15 carries, but he continues to get little help from the Cowboys' quarterbacks. Ryan Leaf completed only 11 of 26 for 102 yards and two interceptions and was sacked three times. Donovan McNabb had an ordinary game with 129 yards passing, but the Eagles' defense scored on two interception returns and David Akers kicked five field goals, so a big day wasn't needed from the offense.
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New York 24 |
at Miami |
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Miami 0 |
• Recap
• Game Summary
|
| Key Stat |
232 -- Rushing yards for Lamar Smith (46.4 yards per game) in the past five games since gaining 144 yards against the Patriots in Week 4.
|
Player of
the Game |
Victor Green and Aaron Glenn, CBs, New York: Each picked off a Jay Fiedler pass and ran it back for a score as the Jets' defense dominated the Dolphins.
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| Breakdown |
The Jets leapfrogged the Dolphins for first place in the AFC East thanks for the generosity of Fiedler. His three interceptions allowed New York to hand Miami's its first shutout at home in 31 years. Vinny Testaverde passed for only 76 yards and the Dolphins held NFL-leading rusher Curtis Martin to 66 yards on 18 carries, but the Jets' defense came up with the game-turning plays when they needed to.
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San Francisco 25 |
at Charlotte, N.C. |
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Carolina 22 (OT) |
• Recap
• Game Summary
|
| Key Stat |
563:23: -- Minutes played by the 49ers this season, thanks to a team-record four overtime games.
|
Player of
the Game |
Jeff Garcia, QB, San Francisco: Completed 34 of 54 for 305 yards for three touchdowns, giving him 20 touchdowns in nine games this season.
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| Breakdown |
The 49ers are earning their paychecks more than any other team. San Francisco won its seventh game of the season but needed to scratch and claw with pesky Carolina to do it. The 49ers controlled the ball for 39:20, running 83 offensive plays for 417 yards compared to only 280 yards on 57 plays for the Panthers. Terrell Owens continued his great season with seven catches for 99 yards and one touchdown and was complemented by J.J. Stokes' eight catches for 72 yards and two touchdowns. |
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Cleveland 27 |
at Baltimore |
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Baltimore 17 |
• Recap
• Game Summary
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| Key Stat |
13 -- Interceptions this season for Elvis Grbac in 266 attempts (20.46 attempts per interception), compared with 11 in 226 attempts last season for Trent Dilfer (20.55 attempts per interception).
|
Player of
the Game |
Anthony Henry, CB, Cleveland: Picked off three Grbac passes to give him seven interceptions this season and his second three-interception game of the year to become the first player since David Fulcher of Cincinnati in 1989 to have two games with three picks in one season.
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| Breakdown |
The 2000 Ravens would be proud of the 2001 Browns for winning a 27-17 game liks this despite only 232 yards of total offense. Tim Couch threw three interceptions in 30 attempts and Cleveland averaged only 3.8 yards per play. But Devin Bush returned an interception for a touchdown in the second quarter and Benjamin Gay and Jamel White each had touchdown runs to give the Browns just enough offense.
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Seattle 23 |
at Orchard Park, N.Y. |
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Buffalo 20 |
• Recap
• Game Summary
|
| Key Stat |
169 -- Advantage in passing yards for the Bills (303) over the Seahawks (134).
|
Player of
the Game |
Matt Hasselbeck, QB, Seattle: Didn't put up big numbers but completed 16 of 23 for 134 yards and one touchdown to get the victory. |
| Breakdown |
Shaun Alexander rushed for 173 fewer yards than he did last week, but his 93 yards and one touchdown were still pretty impressive. The Bills wasted a great effort by fill-in starter Alex Van Pelt, who completed 28 of 42 for 316 yards and two touchdowns in place of the injured Rob Johnson. The Seahawks held Travis Henry to 29 yards on 13 carries for their fourth win in the past six games.
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Tennessee 20 |
at Cincinnati |
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Cincinnati 7 |
• Recap
• Game Summary
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| Key Stat |
2.76 -- Yards per carry for Eddie George this season after gaining only 61 yards on 23 carries against the Bengals.
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Player of
the Game |
Steve McNair, QB, Tennessee: Completed 16 of 25 for 172 yards and rushed five times for 68 yards.
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| Breakdown |
Keith Bulluck led Tennessee's defense with five tackles and had an interception for the second consecutive game. The Titans held Corey Dillon to 38 yards on 17 carries and allowed Jon Kitna to complete only 54.8 percent of his passes. Derrick Mason caught four passes for 62 yards but, most importantly, kicked off the game with a 101-yard kickoff return to get the inept Titans offense out to a 7-0 lead.
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Oakland 34 |
at Oakland, Calif. |
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San Diego 24 |
• Recap
• Game Summary
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| Key Stat |
15:2 -- Touchdown-to-interception ratio for Rich Gannon this season after throwing four touchdowns and one interception against the Chargers.
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Player of
the Game |
Jerry Rice, WR, Oakland: Caught eight passes for a season-high 131 yards and three touchdowns.
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| Breakdown |
Rice and Gannon are starting to get comfortable with one another and the results could be perilous for opposing teams. Doug Flutie played his third poor game in a row, completing only 12 of 27 for 98 yards and one interception. Oakland held LaDainian Tomlinson to 68 yards on 22 carries, giving him only 382 yards in the past six games after rushing for 412 in his first four. The Raiders held the Chargers to 12 first downs and limited them to only 3.6 yards per pass.
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Arizona 45 |
at Tempe, Ariz. |
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Detroit 38 |
• Recap
• Game Summary
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| Key Stat |
895 -- Combined total yards for the Lions (478) and Cardinals (417).
|
Player of
the Game |
Jake Plummer, QB, Arizona: Burned the Lions for 334 yards and four touchdowns to give him 12 touchdowns and 10 interceptions this season.
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| Breakdown |
The Cardinals rallied from a 31-21 deficit in the fourth quarter with Plummer performing his vintage late-game magic. Arizona won despite allowing Charlie Batch to throw for 436 yards and three touchdowns. The Lions abandoned the running game early on, finishing with only 49 yards on 22 carries as Batch threw a career-high 62 passes. David Boston continued his Pro Bowl-quality season with five catches for 80 yards and two touchdowns, putting him on pace for 106 catches for 1,678 yards and seven touchdowns.
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Washington 17 |
at Denver |
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Denver 10 |
• Recap
• Game Summary
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| Key Stat |
12 -- Fumbles by the two teams, with the Redskins recovering three of their six and the Broncos recovering four of their six.
|
Player of
the Game |
Michael Westbrook, WR, Washington: Struggling wideout had his first big game this season, catching nine passes for 104 yards and one touchdown.
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| Breakdown |
The Broncos' season is going down the tubes in a hurry as playoff-bound teams usually don't lose to 3-5 teams at home. The Redskins seem to be turning it around after their awful start, winning their fourth in a row and continuing to play intense football for Marty Schottenheimer. Kent Graham responded well after coming off the bench when Tony Banks got hurt, completing 12 of 18 for 123 yards and two touchdowns. Washington had Brian Griese confused all game, limiting him to a 35.5 percent completion rate (11 of 31), his first time all season under 50 percent. Denver's running game also struggled without Terrell Davis, with Mike Anderson rushing 13 times for 31 yards and Olandis Gary carrying the ball 10 times for 28 yards.
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Pittsburgh 20 |
at Pittsburgh |
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Jacksonville 7 |
• Recap
• Game Summary
|
| Key Stat |
34:51 -- Time of possession for the Steelers, who rushed 34 times for 145 yards.
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Player of
the Game |
Hines Ward, WR, Pittsburgh: Tied his career-best mark of nine catches and set his career-high with 112 yards receiving, with one touchdown pass from Kordell Stewart.
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| Breakdown |
The Steelers stretched their AFC Central lead by winning and having the Ravens fall to the Browns. Stewart threw for 266 yards and a touchdown and also rushed five times for 50 yards and a touchdown. Kendrell Bell had four tackles and two sacks to continue his impressive rookie campaign. Jonathan Quinn filled in for Mark Brunell, completing 17 of 31 for 225 yards, but also fumbled three times. Pittsburgh held the football for 34:51 by rushing 34 times for 145 yards, but Jerome Bettis failed to rush for 100 yards for only the fourth time this season.
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Chicago 27 |
at Tampa, Fla. |
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Tampa Bay 24 |
• Recap
• Game Summary
|
| Key Stat |
140 -- Yards by which the Buccaneers (414) outgained the Bears (274).
|
Player of
the Game |
Marty Booker, WR, Chicago: Had a career day with seven catches for 165 yards and three touchdowns.
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| Breakdown |
Buccaneers fans have been begging to throw the ball more. Against the Bears, they ran the ball only 15 times for 19 yards and threw it 56 times, but never found the end zone through the air. Brad Johnson completed 40 of 56 for 399 yards and two interceptions. Warrick Dunn caught 12 balls for 138 yards while Keyshawn Johnson grabbed 12 for 89. But Tampa Bay's red-zone woes continued, while Chicago made the most of it with an electic combination of Jim Miller passing to Booker.
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St. Louis 24 |
at Foxboro, Mass. |
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New England 17 |
• Recap
• Game Summary
|
| Key Stat |
252 -- Yards by which the Rams (482) outgained the Patriots (230). |
Player of
the Game |
Kurt Warner, QB, St. Louis: Had his best game of the season, completing 30 of 42 for 401 yards and three touchdowns. |
| Breakdown |
St. Louis is still looking good for the NFC West title, but the pesky 49ers keep hanging around one game behind. The Rams never had their typical explosive portion of a game, instead relying on a steady effort in which they scored in each quarter. Isaac Bruce was Warner's top target, catching seven passes for 130 yards. London Fletcher led the Rams defensively with 11 tackles and an interception, as the Rams overcame the loss of defensive players Damione Lewis, Adam Archuleta, Mark Fields and Leonard Little. |
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Minnesota 28 |
at Minneapolis |
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New York 16 |
• Recap
• Game Summary
|
| Key Stat |
10 -- Catches each by Randy Moss and Cris Carter as the Vikings found their missing offense. It's the first time in franchise history Minnesota has had two receivers catch double-digit passes in the same game. |
Player of
the Game |
Randy Moss, WR, Minnesota: Had his best game of the season with 171 yards and three TDs. |
| Breakdown |
It's still too early to count out the Vikings if that offense gets in gear. Minnesota struck for the big play with Moss, who had TD catches of 28, 25 and 57 yards. Daunte Culpepper had four TD passes, including a 1-yarder to Carter on fourth down to take the lead for good. The Vikings improved to 4-1 at home, but are 0-4 on the road. The Giants fell to 5-5 and may need another Jim Fassel guarantee to return to the playoffs. |
