Indianapolis Colts (35) - New England Patriots (34)

We'll lead with this one mostly because I'm beside myself, can't believe what I just saw and need to digest it as I think it out and type it on the screen. WOW! Why does the NFL even have any other teams? They should just let the Colts and the Pats play every week.

I had a whole thing ready to post here about how Brady (29/42 for 375, 3TD's, 1 INT) to Moss (9 for 179, 2 TD's) and Welker (9 for 94 w/ a bazillion 1st downs) were just too much for the Colts and how Peyton Manning was "off" throwing duck after duck with 2 INT's and then Belicheck decides to go for a 4th and 2 on his own 28 with 2:08 left in the game.......

A few things about what transpired here.

1. That was the stupidest call I've ever seen in pro football. I understand that you don't want to give Manning the ball back, but going for it inside your own 30! Would he have done that on his own 5 too!
2. By going for it he sent a message to his defense that he had no confidence in them. Even if that were the case you still have almost half of a season left to play and you can't send that message. Play the percentages and make Manning drive 70-80 yards. He was having an "off" night and you had already picked him off twice.
3. Any other coach gets fired on the spot but Belicheck gets a brain freeze pass. He always does everything so right.... and this was so wrong... I'm shocked. And blowing the two time outs for no reason! It's like he's the Jets coach after all, that's what they do right?
4. I understand the official's call about the ball being bobbled, but I'm still not certain that it wasn't a first down.
5. Once Manning did get the ball, it was over. They guy was a shark in blood infested waters. Manning ends up 28/44 for 327, 4 TD's, 2 INT's. Don't you wish your QB would have "off" days like that?
6. Reggie Wayne caught the back end of the ball in what can only be called "clutch." Memo to all NFL receivers who dropped balls today - ‘watch how Reggie does it.'

Indianapolis Colts (9-0)
New England Patriots (6-3)

San Francisco 49ers (10) - Chicago Bears (6)

This past Thursday the NFL Network showed the first of eight live games this season, a matchup between the Chicago Bears and the San Francisco 49ers. The game kept the viewers riveted to the network broadcast to literally the last second as the Jay Cutler and the Bears were driving the filed for the win in the final seconds. On 2nd and 10 Cutler took the snap with :08 from the 49ers 12 yard line and threw the ball into the end zone intended for his tight end Greg Olson (81) only to be picked off by 49ers safety Michael Lewis (32). It was Cutler's 5th interception of the night and the touchback was the game's final play.

• 49ers RB Frank Gore was the lone offensive standout of this game, for either team, rushing 25 times for 104 yards and a touchdown while adding four catches for 21 yards. Gore's 14-yard run in the second quarter was the only touchdown of the game.
• Jay Cutler has thrown 11 interceptions in three nationally-televised primetime games this year.

Washington Redskins (27) - Denver Broncos (17)

• In his first start since 2006, Ladell Betts ran for a punishing 114 yards.
• Kyle Orton threw for 193 yards and two touchdowns in the first half but did not return for the 2nd half with an ankle injury. Chris Simms replaced Orton and threw for MINUS 8 YARDS (I meant to put that in caps). Perhaps his dad needs to have a talk with him.
• Brandon Marshall caught 40- and 75-yard touchdowns on Denver's first two possessions but then only had 3 catches for 19 yards the rest of the game.
• Punter & Place Holder Hunter Smith threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to Mike Sellers on a fake field goal
• The Broncos stared off 6-0 and have now lost their last e games.

Washington Redskins (3-6)
Denver Broncos (6-3)

Carolina Panthers (28) - Atlanta Falcons (19)

• The Panthers unleashed a no-huddle offense on Sunday with Delhomme calling the plays, and it produced two touchdown passes to Steve Smith, no turnovers and a 28-19 victory.
• A great quote from Panthers WR Steve Smith about the no huddle - "No huddle is controlled chaos. You've got defense running around and they don't know what they're doing. The no huddle is really easy and simple."
• Coming into the game Jake Delhomme had won 60% of his career starts and played like a winning QB in this game. He was efficient, protected the ball and scrambled for key first downs. Delhomme was 15/24 for 195 yards and 2 TD's.
• DeAngelo Williams (92 yards) and Stewart (82) paced the Panthers with a solid running game
• Falcons RB Michael Turner rushed for 111 yards in the first half before leaving with a high ankle sprain.
• Matt Ryan showing a bit more sophomore slump was 22/41 for 224 yards, TD and 2 INT's
• The Falcons failed to sweep Carolina for the first time since 200

Carolina Panthers (4-5)
Atlanta Falcons (5-4)

Cincinnati Bengals (18) - Pittsburgh Steelers (12)

• Bengals rookie RB Bernard Scott scored the lone touchdown in this contest, a 96-yard kickoff return in the first quarter. Scott also filled in for an injured Cedric Benson in the second half, rushing for 33 yards on 13 carries and catching one pass for 21 yards. Looks like Larry Johnson may be coming to Cincinnati...........
• Pressure, pressure, pressure. Ben Roethlisberger was sacked four times, including twice by DE Jonathan Fanene. The Steelers' quarterback has now been brought down 27 times in nine games this season.
• The Bengals smothered Ben Roethlisberger and Pittsburgh's running game, yielded only four field goals by Jeff Reed.
• The Steelers were without star safety Troy Polamalu for all but the opening series as he aggravated the left knee injury that previously sidelined him for four games. He underwent an MRI exam, but there was no immediate word about his status.
• The Bengals swept the Steelers for the first time since 1998. Cincinnati has swept Pittsburgh and Baltimore in the same season for first time in franchise history.
• The Bengals are 5-0 in divisional games for the first time in franchise history. They have won six straight AFC North games overall.
• Pittsburgh's loss snaps a five-game winning streak and eight-game home winning streak.
• The Steelers have allowed a return TD (defense or special teams) in seven straight games.

Cincinnati Bengals (7-2)
Pittsburgh Steelers (6-3)

Jacksonville Jaguars (24) - NY Jets (22)

• Jaguars RB Maurice Jones-Drew rushed for 123 yards and a touchdown, but his biggest play came when Jones-Drew did not get in the end zone -- on purpose. He took a handoff at the 10-yard line on the game's final drive and darted towards the end zone, but took a knee at the 1-yard line with 1:48 left (shades of Brian Westbrook in 2007). The Jaguars were able to run the clock down with the Jets out of timeouts and win the game.
• The Jets came out of their bye-week break making the same mistakes that plagued them in the first eight games. New York has dropped five of its last six, and is headed to AFC-leading New England next Sunday.
• New York's defense had trouble tackling in the first half, allowing Jacksonville to gain 250 yards. With the game on the line in the fourth quarter, the Jets allowed a 15-yard catch by Mike Thomas and a 33-yard grab by Marcedes Lewis to help set up Scobee's game winning kick with time expiring.
• "Maybe we're not one of the best defenses in the league," an uncharacteristically stifled Bart Scott said. Bart, really!
• Rex Ryan talks a big game but certainly is showing his rookie status. His 'pressure defense' gets no pressure on the QB, he wastes timeouts during the game leaving him with few options towards the end of games and game plans way too conservatively during the 1st half of games. Braylon Edwards who finished with 3 receptions for 79 yards didn't even have a ball thrown to him in the 1st half.

Jacksonville Jaguars (5-4)
New York Jets (4-5)

Miami Dolphins (25) - Tampa Bay Buccaneers (23)

• Capitalizing on a costly Chan Henne interception Tampa Bay went ahead on a Cadillac Williams touchdown run with 1:14 left, but couldn't hold on.
• Henne then directed a 77-yard drive and Dolphins K Dan Carpenter made a 25-yard field goal with 10 seconds remaining to seal Miami's victory.
• With Dolphins RB Ronnie Brown out for the entire fourth quarter, RB Ricky Williams took over down the stretch and rushed nine times for 53 yards. His final carry, which went for 27 yards, set up the winning field goal. Williams finished with 20 carries for 102 yards.
• Tampa Bay committed nine penalties for 77 yards, often killing its own momentum. The Dolphins, meanwhile, had just three penalties for 30 yards.
• Dolphins LB Joey Porter will be at practice Monday, coach Tony Sparano said. Porter sat out the game because of a coach's decision........ what's that about?

Miami Dolphins (4-5)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-8)

New Orleans Saints (28) - St. Louis Rams (23)

• Reggie Bush was a difference maker rushing for 83 yards on eight attempts, including a 55-yard run bursting through tackles. He scored one rushing touchdown and added a 15-yard scoring reception.
• Inferior teams have to play well on special teams and win the turnover battle to win. The Rams were able to stay in the game by winning the turnover advantage. St. Louis intercepted New Orleans QBDrew Brees twice and also recovered a fumble. The Rams committed only one turnover, but Marc Bulger's first-quarter interception in the red zone was a costly one.
• Courtney Roby opened the second half with a 97-yard kickoff return and Robert Meachem's 27-yard grab early in the fourth quarter gave New Orleans (9-0) just enough breathing room to tie the franchise record with nine straight wins.
• Rams RB Steven Jackson scampered for 131 Yards on 26 rushes. He's been the only Rams highlight all year and his run for the tying score was only the Rams' fifth touchdown out of 18 trips inside the 20 all year.

New Orleans Saints (9-0)
St. Louis Rams (1-8)

Tennessee Titans (41) - Buffalo Bills (17)

• Chris Johnson went over 100 yards rushing for the fourth consecutive game, making him the first Titans back to accomplish the feat since Eddie George did it five straight times in 1998. Johnson finished with 132 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries. He added 100 yards on nine receptions. WOW!  The guy is fast.
• While the Bills struggled to move the chains on third down (5 of 14), the Titans converted 11 of 17, including a 14-yard touchdown from Vince Young to Nate Washington. The Titans also converted both of their red-zone visits into touchdowns.
• Vince Young just wins. He's now 3-0 this year and 21-11 in his young career.

Tennessee Titans (3-6)
Buffalo Bills (3-6)

Kansas City Chiefs (16) - Oakland Raiders (10)

• This one was tough to watch, but with three wins between them coming in.... what did you expect.
• The Raiders were unable to overcome their 10 penalties for 88 yards. Several of the flags proved costly as three of them gave the Chiefs a first down and three more negated Raiders first downs.
• Kansas City entered the game with a league-worst 22 percent conversion rate on third down and that number will fall after it converted only 1-of-15 on Sunday
• Oakland benched starting QB JaMarcus Russell for the second time this season. Bruce Gradkowski came in and finished the game. Russell was 9/24 for 67 yards, but like he said... "I don't think it's my fault do you?"
• Jamaal Charles 45-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-1 in the second quarter was the difference.

Kansas City Chiefs (2-7)
Oakland Raiders (2-7)

Arizona Cardinals (31) - Seattle Seahawks (20)

• The Seahawks led 17-10 at halftime but were held to three points in the second half and were successful on just one of four trips to the red zone in the game.
• Kurt Warner had one of his "A" games going 29/38 for 340 Yards, 2 TD, 0 INT's.
• Cardinals S Adrian Wilson intercepted Matt Hasselbeck's pass on third-and-goal with 1:52 left and Arizona up by 11 sealing the victory.
• Seahawks RB Julius Jones was taken to locker room in the first quarter with a chest injury. He did not return and was replaced by second-year RB Justin Forsett, who rushed for a career-high 123 yards
• Seattle was penalized nine times for 113 yards; Arizona was flagged 11 times for 136 yards.

Arizona Cardinals (6-3)
Seattle Seahawks (3-6)

Green Bay Packers (17) - Dallas Cowboys (7)

• Cornerback Charles Woodson led an inspired Packers defensive effort with nine tackles, two forced fumbles, a sack and a diving fourth-quarter interception in front of Green Bay's end zone.
• The Packers sacked Tony Romo five times and allowed the Cowboys to convert only three of 12 third-down chances. The Cowboys' first third-down conversion came with 9:24 remaining.
• Aaron Rodgers was 25 of 36 for 189 yards and a touchdown in another rough day, taking four sacks and spending much of the day under pressure, but he took matters into his own hands to lead the Packers on a 15-play, 80-yard drive capped by a 1-yard sneak for a 10-0 lead early in the fourth quarter.
• Romo threw a touchdown pass to Roy Williams with 38 seconds left, avoiding a shutout

Green Bay Packers (5-4)
Dallas Cowboys (6-3)

San Diego Chargers (31) - Philadelphia Eagles (23)

• LaDainian Tomlinson (remember him) rushed for 96 yards and two touchdowns.
• The Eagles made five red-zone appearances, settling for field goals on their first three trips inside the Chargers' 20-yard line. Philadelphia had a first-and-goal at the 1 in the second quarter, but could only come away with a David Akers field goal, setting the tone for the game.
• The Eagles rushed for only 29 yards
• Donovan McNabb (35 of 55 for 450 yards, two touchdowns and one interception) threw for more than 400 yards for the second time in his career and finished just shy of a career-high (464)
• Philip Rivers was an efficient 20/25 for 231 Yards, 2 TD's, 0 INT's.

San Diego Chargers (6-3)
Philadelphia Eagles (5-4)

Tonight it's the Baltimore Ravens vs. Cleveland Browns in Cleveland and we get to see if ‘Dawg Pound Mike' and his protest does anything for the Browns......

Mike Cardano is the founder of the Around the Horn Baseball Blog and the Extra Point Football Blog.

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