Week 11 in Review Nov 19, 2007 | More

Week 11 in Review

Packers 31 --- Panthers 17
The Pack just keep on rolling. They’re 9-1 and will get ready for an NFC North showdown with the Lions on Thanksgiving after their easy win over the Panthers at home. Brett Favre continued his greatness throwing for 218 yards and 3 TD’s. Two of those three TD’s went to Donald Lee, who also had 49 receiving yards. Greg Jennings had the other receiving TD. Ryan Grant ran well once again with 20 carries for 88 yards.

As for the stumbling Panthers, they have now lost four straight and are working themselves out of the playoff picture. Vinny Testaverde made another start for the Panthers and threw for 258 yards, 2 TD’s, and 2 INT’s in the loss. With Steve Smith absent, Drew Carter took advantage and had 132 receiving yards with a TD. DeShaun Foster ran for 87 yards in the loss. Carolina will host a struggling New Orleans team next week.

Cardinals 35 --- Bengals 27

The Bengals are terrible. Terrible! Their offense, which was supposed to be their strength, gave the Cardinals 14 points on interceptions to the house. Antrel Rolle had both pick 6’s for Arizona in their key road win, which improved them to 5-5 on the year. Kurt Warner threw for 211 yards and 2 TD’s as Boldin and Fitzgerald were each TD recipients. Edgerrin James was held to 52 rushing yards on 22 carries.

Carson Palmer threw for 329 yards, 2 TD’s to Bengal WRs and 2 TD’s to Antrel Rolle. It’s too bad that Rolle plays for Arizona. Palmer finished with 6 turnovers as Cincinnati dropped to 3-7. TJ Houshmandzadeh caught 8 balls for 87 yards and a TD while Chris Henry did the same, but for 81 yards. The running game was ineffective as Rudi Johnson and Kenny Watson ran for 25 and 45 yards respectively.

Browns 33 --- Ravens 30

Upon further view. Scratch that. Upon further discussion, the field goal is good. You’ll have to catch the ESPN highlights, if you haven’t already, to understand what I’m talking about. Phil Dawson kicked a 51-yard FG to send the game to overtime, but it was originally called no good. After the referees discussed the play for several minutes, they concluded that the FG went off the upright, through the uprights, bounced off the supporting post, then back into the field of play. Therefore, the kick was good and we were going to overtime. The Browns got the ball and didn’t look back as Dawson kicked the less controversial game-winning 33-yard FG to improve the Browns to 6-4 on the year. With the offense they have and with their remaining schedule, the Browns can make a playoff push in the AFC. Derek Anderson threw for 274 yards and a pick while Jamal Lewis ran for 92 yards and a score. Braylon Edwards finished with 85 receiving yards and Joe Jurevicius had 82.

The Ravens 2^nd half comeback fell short as Kyle Boller threw for 279 yards, 1 TD, and 2 INT’s. Willis McGahee ran for 102 yards and a TD in a losing effort. The surprise of the day was Baltimore’s Devard Darling, who caught 4 balls for 107 yards and a TD. The Ravens are now 4-6 and have lost four straight, but don’t tell Ray Lewis.

Giants 16 --- Lions 10

The Giants won a key NFC matchup on Sunday defeating the Lions led by an old-time reliable Giant, Michael Strahan. Strahan led the Giants defense with 3 sacks. The Giants also picked off Kitna three times, including two in the final minutes of the 4^th quarter to seal the win. Brandon Jacobs ran for 54 yards, but had 49 yards receiving and a TD. However, he left the game with a hamstring injury in the 3^rd quarter, which put a damper on his big day. Eli Manning threw for 283 yards and 1 TD in the Giants win. New York, 7-3, will host Minnesota next week at the Meadowlands.

Jon Kitna threw for 377 yards, 1 TD, and the aforementioned 3 INT’s in the Lions tough home loss. The Giants defense held the Lions offense in check up until the 4^th quarter. Kitna threw a TD to Calvin Johnson to narrow the gap, but it wasn’t enough. Shaun McDonald (7-113) and Roy Williams (6-106) both had over 100 receiving yards for Detroit. However, Roy could have had more as Kitna couldn’t connect with a wide-open Williams at least once in this game.

Eagles 17 --- Dolphins 7

This one was ugly as Miami dropped to 0-10 on the year. Donovan McNabb left the game early and AJ Feeley led the Birds to victory. Brian Westbrook was a big part of the offense rushing for 148 yards. The Eagles are potentially back in the hunt in the NFC, but will travel to New England next week.

John Beck made his first start of his career and threw for just 109 yards. Jesse Chatman ran for 72 yards on 22 carries. The lone highlight of the day for the Dolphins was Ted Ginn, Jr.’s 87 yard punt return, which gave the Fins an early 7-0 lead. That seems like such a long time ago... The 0-10 Dolphins will travel to Pittsburgh, who will be ready to put a beating on someone after Sunday’s loss to the Jets, on Monday night. 0-11, here we come!

Bucs 31 --- Falcons 7

Gotta love a QB change after a 2 game win streak! The Falcons dropped to 3-7 while the Bucs improved to 6-4. The Bucs appear to have the NFC South in their hands since the Saints have now dropped two straight. Jeff Garcia led Tampa with 159 yards and 2 TD’s. Joey Galloway had 63 yards and a score while Earnest Graham ran for 102 yards and a touchdown. Tampa will face Washington in a big NFC game next weekend.

Byron Leftwich started for Atlanta and threw for 139 yards and a TD. However, Joey Harrington made an appearance, but threw 2 picks. The Falcons will host the Colts on a primetime Turkey Day game.

Vikings 29 --- Raiders 22

Chester Taylor proved that he could do what AD did behind that mammoth Minnesota offensive line rushing for 164 yards and 3 TD’s. That was all the offense that Minnesota had, and was all they needed to beat the Raiders. The Vikings are now 4-6 and will head to East Rutherford to take on the Giants next weekend.

As for the now 2-8 Raiders, Daunte Culpepper threw for 344 yards, 1 TD, and 1 INT. However, the Jamarcus era is going to begin soon. Justin Fargas ran for 60 yards against a tough Minny run defense while Ronald Curry caught 4 balls for 120 yards. Oakland travels to Arrowhead for an AFC West rivalry game.

Jaguars 24 --- Chargers 17

The Jaguars once again stepped up against a quality team, if that’s even what you want to call the Chargers these days, at home. David Garrard threw for 189 yards and 2 TD’s in his return to the lineup. Maurice Jones-Drew ran for 33 yards and a TD while Fred Taylor ran rumbled for 80 yards. The Jaguars are now 7-3 and will host Buffalo, who is on the receiving end of a good ole-fashioned New England Patriot lashing.

As for San Diego, they continued their inconsistent play, led by Philip Rivers. Rivers threw for 309 yards, 1 TD, and 2 INT’s. Tomlinson ran for 62 yards and a TD, but also had 93 receiving yards. Antonio Gates caught 4 passes for 54 yards and score as well. The Chargers will host the Ravens in Week 12. They’ll have to get their act together quick since they are leaving the AFC West wide open.

Colts 13 --- Chiefs 10

This one wasn’t supposed to be this close. However, the Colts made it close. Peyton Manning threw for only 163 yards and a pick. That’s right; no touchdowns. Joseph Addai ran for 72 yards and had the only TD for the Colts. Reggie Wayne had 75 receiving yards, which led the team. Indianapolis is now 8-2 and will play on Thanksgiving in Atlanta. The status of Marvin Harrison is still unknown.

Brodie Croyle almost led the Chiefs to the upset of the week, but fell short. He threw for 169 yards and a TD to Bowe, who finished with 64 yards. Priest Holmes rushed for 55 yards on 19 carries, but it was the defense that kept the Chiefs close in this game. Kansas City, now 4-6, will host Oakland next week. Even though they are under .500, KC is still just one game out of first.

Texans 23 --- Saints 10

Oh no. Don’t tell me it’s happening again. Are the Saints entering a tail-spin again? Has the magic run out? Or was the return of Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson in front of the home crowd just a bad matchup for the Saints. For now, I’ll believe the latter, but if New Orleans loses to Carolina next week, I’ll be singing a different tune. Matt Schaub threw for 293 yards and 2 TD’s in the Texans 5^th win of the year. Andre Johnson caught 6 balls for 120 yards and a TD. Houston is 3-0 when Johnson is on the field. Ron Dayne led the way with 21 carries for 89 yards with Ahman Green out. Houston travels to Cleveland in a fantasy dream matchup next week.

Drew Brees threw for 290 yards, 1 TD, and 2 INT’s in the Saints 6^th loss of the year. Marques Colston led the team with 118 receiving yards, but Reggie Bush caught a team leading 12 balls for 70 yards. He only ran for 34 yards on 15 carries, though. The Saints must get back on the same page before they find themselves in a deep hole in the NFC South.

Jets 19 --- Steelers 16

Kellen Clemens led the Jets to the biggest upset of Week 11 as he threw for 162 yards, 1 TD, and 1 INT. Thomas Jones ran for 117 yards on the ground against a tough Pittsburgh defense that doesn’t normally give up many rushing yards. The Jets defense also played extremely well sacking Big Ben seven times. It was an all-around solid win for Jets as the Steelers left New York stunned. Laveranues Coles caught one ball for 56 yards on a flea-flicker where he was tackled at the one yard line. However, Coles left the game with an ankle injury and local reports are that he will miss the Thanksgiving game at Dallas.

Willie Parker was held to 52 yards rushing and averaged just 2.4 yards per carry against the Jets defense. Santonio Holmes caught 5 balls for 75 yards and a TD, but left the game late in the 2^nd half. The Steelers will host a Monday night game next weekend and will likely take their frustrations out on the unfortunate Dolphins.

Seahawks 30 --- Bears 23

Matt Hasselbeck has provided fantasy owners with some outstanding play this season, especially of late. He threw for 337 yards and 2 TD’s against the Bears defense, which is not what it used to be. Maurice Morris filled in nicely for Shaun Alexander and ran for 87 yards and a score. DJ Hackett caught a TD in his 3^rd straight game and also had 136 receiving yards. He has played very well since returning three weeks ago after missing six games.

Sexy Rexy didn’t throw any picks on Sunday…but he didn’t throw any touchdowns either. He completed 24 of 37 passes for 266 yards in the Bears loss, which dropped them to 4-6 on the year. However, Cedric Benson ran for 89 yards, but 43 of them came on a long TD run in the 1^st quarter. Bernard Berrian led the Bear wide outs with 102 yards. Chicago will host Denver next weekend.

Rams 13 --- Niners 9

The Niners have now lost 8 straight games and have nowhere to hide. Frank Gore ran for only 32 yards and Trent Dilfer threw for 231 yards and 2 picks. Vernon Davis caught 4 balls for 50 yards in the loss. San Francisco won their first two games and has lost the rest.

On the other hand, the Rams have won their last two after previously losing their first six. Steven Jackson ran for 92 yards and caught 4 balls for 20 yards. Marc Bulger threw for 155 yards and a TD to Torry Holt (7-55). The Rams will looks to keep it going vs. Seattle next week.

Cowboys 28 --- Redskins 23

Nick Folk kicked 4 extra points in this game as Dallas defeated the Skins in an NFC East battle. Oh, did I mention those 4 Dallas TD’s were all caught by Terrell Owens? T.O. had his biggest game of the year catching 8 balls for 173 yards and those 4 scores. Can he be stopped? In addition to the four touchdowns, Tony Romo threw for 293 yards and a pick. Can he be stopped? As of right now, it doesn’t look like it. And on Turkey Day, you won’t see the Jets stop Dallas in their old school uniforms.

Jason Campbell had a big statistical game with 348 yards, 2 TD’s, and 1 pick. However, that one pick was costly in the final minutes of the game inside the Cowboys 25 yard line. Clinton Portis only ran for 36 yards as the Skins concentrated on the pass. Santana Moss had 9 catches for 121 yards and a TD while Chris Cooley had 8 grabs for 89 yards and a score. Washington, 5-5, will travel to Tampa Bay in a game that they need to have to stay in playoff contention.

Patriots 56 --- Bills 10

Anything you can do, I can do better, said Randy Moss. After watching the other 81 score four times in the Dallas game, Moss caught 4 TD’s for himself – in the first half. It was the same story, but a different week for Tom Brady as he threw for 373 yards and 5 TD’s. Laurence Maroney scored his first TD of the year, but left with an injury. Wes Welker had 7 catches for 78 yards while Ben Watson racked up 43 yards and a score. Ellis Hobbs capped off the game with a 35 yard fumble return in the 4^th quarter. If you didn’t know, the Pats are now undefeated and they’ll be in primetime again against Eagles on Sunday night in Week 12.

As for the Bills, they dropped to 5-5 on the year, but they have to move on since they have a key AFC game at Jacksonville next week. Marshawn Lynch did not play in the game, but it would not have mattered for the Bills. JP Losman threw for 173 yards, 1 TD to Roscoe Parrish, and 1 INT.

That’ll do it for Week 11. The Titans travel to Denver for an actually decent Monday night game. Let’s see if it lives up to the bill…