Nov

22

Colts Remain Perfect, Edge Ravens 17-15

Posted by Stephen Rhodes under Baltimore Ravens, Indianapolis Colts
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Matt Stover

Typically with the Indianapolis Colts, they usually rely on quarterback Peyton Manning to get the job done, which he does with alarming regularity. But as of late, it has been the defense that has saved the day for the Colts, as evidenced by their narrow win over the New England Patriots last Sunday. The Colts would have their hands full Sunday when they went up against a pesky Baltimore Ravens squad at M&T Stadium. Curiously enough, Indianapolis’ defense once again were the heroes as they intercepted a Joe Flacco pass, allowing Indianapolis to remain undefeated, edging Baltimore 17-15.

The Colts drew first blood, going 87 yards on seven plays, capped by a 3-yard TD pass from Manning to tight end Dallas Clark (one-handed, no less!), giving Indianapolis an early 7-0 lead. A pair of field goals by newly-signed kicker Billy Cundiff (46 and 44 yards, respectively) narrowed the Ravens’ deficit to 7-6; a pair of field goals by Cundiff (38 and 36 yards, respectively) sandwiched around a 5-yard TD run by the Colts’ Joseph Addai, allowed Indianapolis to take a narrow 14-12 edge going into halftime.

The third quarter was 15 minutes of ball control warfare, for the most part as no scoring took place. The fourth quarter would find Baltimore tacking on another field goal by Cundiif, giving the Ravens their first lead at 15-14; just over three minutes later, former Ravens kicker Matt Stover put Indianapolis ahead 17-15 with a 25-yard FG with 7:02 remaining in the game. The Colts would ice the win when the Ravens’ Ed Reed fumbled on a punt return with 17 seconds left.

Manning put up un-Manning-like numbers as he went 22-of-31 for 299 yards with a TD and 2 interceptions while Joe Flacco went 23-of-35 for 256 with an INT. Addai rushed 19 times for 74 yards and a score while Ray Rice rushed 20 times for 71 yards while catching 7 passes for 64 yards. Pierre Garcon led all Colts receivers with 6 receptions for 108 yards while Reggie Wayne caught 7 passes for 89 yards; tight end Tom Santi caught 6 passes for 80 yards. Derrick Mason led the Ravens receiving corps with 9 receptions for 142 yards while the aforementioned Rice caught 7 for 64 yards.

Indianapolis (10-0) look to extend their winning streak to 20 when they travel to Houston to take on the Texans next Sunday while Baltimore (5-5) remains at home to host the Pittsburgh Steelers – also next Sunday.


Nov

22

Seattle Can’t Slow Down Favre, Vikings in Seahawks 35-9 Loss

Posted by Devon Heinen under Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks
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Justin Forsett, welcome back to Earth.

After getting 123 yards on the ground against the Cardinals last week, the second-year back out of Cal finished with just nine today in Minnesota as his Seahawks failed to get much of anything going in their 35-9 loss to the Vikings.

The Vikings (9-1) held Seattle (3-7) to just 212 net yards of offense and four fumbles.

Only getting 10 first downs for the entire game, the Seahawks were forced to punt seven times and leave its defensive unit on the field for over 42 minutes.

Those 42 minutes proved to be costly, as Vikings quarterback Brett Favre picked apart the Seattle secondary with ease by throwing for more touchdowns (4) than incompletions (3).

In the second quarter alone Favre flung three scoring strikes.

The first came on a first-and-ten from the Seattle 23. With 10:17 on the clock, Favre took the snap from the shot gun and had all day to find Percy Harvin over the middle of the field. Harvin caught the pass at the seven with three Seattle defenders in the area, but was able to get his way into the end zone despite being tripped up by Lawyer Milloy near the one yard line.

With 5:01 left in the half and on second-and-goal from the Seattle nine, Favre dropped back and hit tight end Visanthe Shiancoe on a slant route on the left side. That strike and a Ryan Longwell extra point put the Vikings up 14-0.

Favre’s final score of the quarter came with a little over a minute to go, when he found receiver Bernard Berrian for a four yarder, giving Minnesota a 20-0 lead prior to Longwell’s kick.

One thing that Seattle did do well defensively was shut down running back Adrian Peterson.

The wonder back was limited to 82 yards on the ground. The longest run of Peterson’s day ate up 16 yards. He also was held out of the end zone. It was his fourth game this season under 85 rushing yards and just his third without a rushing score.

Seattle’s lone scoring plays came on an Olindo Mare 40-yard field goal in the third and a Justin Forsett one-yard rush in the fourth with a failed two-point conversion after the run.

Seattle will next head to St. Louis to take on the Rams. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00pm Eastern.

Nov

22

Saints a Perfect 10-0 Following 38-7 Win Over Tampa Bay

Posted by DJ Boursiquot under New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Bucs
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The New Orleans Saints are 10-0 for the first time in franchise history.

Brees and the offense rolled to a 38-7 win against the 1-9 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With the offensive line not allowing any sacks, Brees threw for less than 200 yards; however, he had 3 touchdown passes and 0 interceptions.

Robert Meacham finished the game with only 10 yards but had two touchdown receptions. This was his third straight game with a receiving touchdown. He now has 6 in the season.

Mike Bell added two touchdowns of his own. The running game overcame a slow start as they gained 147 of their 183 rushing yards in the second half.

The defense picked off Bucs rookie quarterback Josh Freeman 3 times and recovered a fumble. All three quarterbacks selected in the first round of this year’s draft have thrown 3 interceptions against the Saints. Josh Freeman is the only one who has thrown a touchdown pass between them.

The Saints face the New England Patriots next Monday night.

Nov

22

Cowboys’ Lone TD Enough, Edge Redskins 7-6

Posted by Stephen Rhodes under Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins
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Patrick Crayton (#84)

With the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins, you have two teams going in two totally different directions. With the Cowboys, you have a team that is like the little girl with the curl; when they’re good, they’re very good. When they’re bad, well…I think you get the gist of this. Meanwhile, with the Redskins, you pretty much know what to expect: a team that is, to put it mildly, offensively-challenged. Having said that, both teams hooked up Sunday afternoon at Cowboys Stadium with Dallas having the most at stake.

Unfortunately for both teams, they had this aversion for the end zone for the most part as while both teams chewed up yardage, scoring came at a premium as there were only three scores all game – a pair of field goals and a touchdown. The touchdown, a 10-yard Tony Romo-to-Patrick Crayton TD pass with 2:41 in the final period, helped Dallas remain on top of the NFC East, edging Washington 7-6.

As already mentioned, scoring was sparse; a 45-yard field goal by Shaun Suisham with 10:22 left in the first half and a 31-yard FG by Suisham with 41 seconds left in the third quarter gave Washington a 6-0 lead going into the final quarter. Romo led the Cowboys on their lone scoring drive, capped by a 10-yard TD pass to Crayton, which gave Dallas a 7-6 advantage with 2:42 remaining in the game; that score would ice the game.

Romo, stat-wise, didn’t stand out, going 15-of-27 for 158 yards with a TD and an interception while Jason Campbell went 24-of-37 for 256 yards with an INT. Marion Barber led the Cowboys rushers with 99 yards on 20 carries while Felix Jones added 49 yards; With Clinton Portis and Ladell Betts out, Rock Cartwright led the Redskins’ attack as he rushed 13 times for 67 yards and caught 7 passes for 73 yards.

Miles Austin led all Cowboys receivers as he caught 4 passes for 47 yards while tight ends Jason Witten and Martellus Bennett caught 5 and 3 passes respectively for 43 yards; in addition to Cartwright’s 7 receptions for 73 yards which led all Redskins receivers, Antwaan Randle El caught 5 passes for 45 yards. Dallas (7-3) gets a short week as they host the Oakland Raiders Thursday while Washington (3-7) travels to Philadelphia to take on the Eagles next Sunday.

Nov

22

Crazy Finish Seals Detroit’s Wild 38-37 Win Over Cleveland

Posted by Matt Loede under Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions
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It went down to the wire, but the Lions were able to take advantage of a crazy last play penalty, and because of it the Lions won their second game of the year Sunday, 38-37 over the Browns. The Lions were down 37-31, and on the last play of regulation they were given an untimed play because Browns safety Hank Poteat was called for pass interference in the end zone when Matthew Stafford heaved a desperation attempt.

Stafford then threw his fifth touchdown pass from 1 yard out to Brandon Pettigrew, and Jason Hanson’s extra point with no time on the clock gave the team the crazy one-point win. The Lions also had comeback from a first quarter 24-3 deficit.

It looked bad for the Lions as Brady Quinn threw four TDs, surpassing his previous career total, and connected with Michael Gaines with 5:44 left to put the Browns ahead after helping them score a franchise-record 24 points in the first quarter.

The Lions though hung in, just as they did all day, and were able to get the last second attempt as Stafford scrambled around and then heaved the ball in the end zone. Stafford threw for a career-high 422 yards with five TD’s and two picks.

Stafford’s fourth touchdown pass of the day gave the Lions their first lead of the game, 31-27, with 2:47 left in the third quarter. The 1-yard pass to Will Heller off a play-action fake capped a 10-play, 84-yard drive.

Overall it was a day of happiness in Detroit, as the Lions were able to escape some of the demons that usually haunt them for the improbable win.

Nov

22

Steelers Suffer Stunning OT Setback to Chiefs 27-24

Posted by Matt Loede under Kansas City Chiefs, Pittsburgh Steelers
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Call it a trap game. Call it a lack of focus. Whatever you call it, the Steelers 2009 season is now officially in a world of trouble. Such is the case after Sunday’s 27-24 shocking overtime loss to the formerly 2-7 Kansas City Chiefs. The Steelers had a 10-point lead at 17-7, only to blow that, then 24-17 in the fourth quarter, only to have that fall by the waysides.

The team is now 6-4, losers of two in a row, and in big trouble when it comes to even thinking about playing in the post season. The team dominated the game from the stats standpoint, and after they allowed an opening kickoff for a touchdown took charge, scoring 17 straight points.

Then turnovers took their toll, as first a pick from QB Ben Roethlisberger that bounced off the shoulder pads of Heath Miller early in the third quarter led to a KC touchdown to tight end Leonard Pope to make it 17-14. The Steelers then had another shot to rally put the game away, as they marched to the KC 20, but Roethlisberger threw a pick in the end zone that Andy Studebaker took back 94 yards. That turnover lead to a field goal to make it 17 all.

The Steelers were able to get the lead back with 11 minutes left, as Lawrence Timmons forced a fumble, and James Harrison recovered at the KC 27. Five plays later Roethlisberger found Rashard Mendenhall for an 8-yard score to make it 24-17. That’s when things went wrong.

KC marched from their own 9 and went 8 plays, including a pass play of 30 yards then another of 47 yards to get to the Steelers 13. Four plays later Matt Cassel hit Jammal Charles with a two-yard score to make it 24 all with 4:54 left. The Steelers, who had over 500 yards of offense total, were unable to get past midfield, and were forced to punt.

The Chiefs tried a play, but then downed the ball and the game went to OT. More bad news. The Steelers got the ball first, and seemed to be moving the ball well. They got to the KC 49, but then on a run Roethlisberger was kneed in the head, and had to leave the game. Add to that a hold on Justin Hartwig, and the ball was back at the Steelers 40.

Then though backup QB Charlie Batch came in and made a big play, hitting Santonio Holmes for 17 yards to the Chiefs 43. Then though they had an incomplete pass, an 8-yard run by Mendenhall, and on third down, Moore fell with a two-yard loss, ending the final Steelers possession.

The Chiefs got the ball at their 20, and quickly struck. After three plays, Cassel hit Chris Chambers, who caught the ball in stride and went down the sideline for a 61-yard gain to the Steelers four. The next play Ryan Succop put the Steelers out of their misery with a 22-yard field goal to make it the 27-24 final.

Pittsburgh had outgained the Cheifs n regulation 463-206. The Chiefs stayed in the game with a 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to start the contest. The Steelers also held the ball for 19 more minutes. Roethlisberger was 32-for-42 for 398 with three TD’s and two picks.

Nov

22

League Fines Cardinals’ Dockett, 4 Others

Posted by Stephen Rhodes under Arizona Cardinals, NFL, Off The Field News, Seattle Seahawks
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Darnell Dockett

The NFL just got a little richer as they have fined Arizona Cardinals defensive tackle Darnell Dockett $7,500 for roughing the passer during the team’s 31-20 win over the Seattle Seahawks last Sunday.

Specifically, Dockett shoved his elbow into the neck of Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck. Others who were fined as a result of their actions last Sunday include:

* Cardinals cornerback Bryant McFadden, $5,000 for a major facemask.

* Cardinals running back Beanie Wells, $5,000 for unnecessary roughness.

* Seahawks defensive back Jordan Babineaux, $7,500 for unnecessary roughness (horse collar).

* Seahawks safety Deon Grant, $5,000 for unnecessary roughness.

Nov

21

Casserly Interested In Browns GM Gig

Posted by Stephen Rhodes under Cleveland Browns, Off The Field News, Rumors
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Just as quickly as it was learned that former Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers head coach Mike Holmgren was interested in the vacant Cleveland Browns’ general manager position, now there’s a report from Mike Florio over at Pro Football Talk that former Houston Texans GM Charlie Casserly is interested in the vacancy.

It could be that Casserly’s interest allows the Browns to increase the number of potential candidates so as to not move all the attention on Holmgren. Personally, I find it comical that the Browns would even express even an ounce of interest in Casserly.

This is the same guy who managed to find a way to mess up the Houston Texans by his actions up in their front office. Which is exactly why he needs to remain in the studios of NFL Network, because that’s where he does his best work – which is a contradiction in terms, actually. If Randy Lerner (the Browns’ owner) wants to be taken seriously, he would wise to cross off Casserly from consideration for the GM post.

But regardless of who eventually takes over, he may want to assess head coach Eric Mangini’s situation.

Nov

21

Former Seahawks Coach Holmgren Says He’s Interested in Cleveland

Posted by Matt Loede under Cleveland Browns
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There’s been plenty of talk about former Seattle and Green Bay coach Mike Holmgren coming to Cleveland to be the new GM, and now it seems that it actually may happen. Holmgren said on his weekly radio show on Seattle’s KJR that he has not yet spoken to Browns owner Randy Lerner, who is looking for a “serious, credible leader” football authority to run his struggling team.

Holmgren did not say if he would like to coach again, but indicated he would be welcome the chance to take on a rebuilding project like the 1-8 Browns. Holmgren was Seattle’s GM and coach for four seasons. He stepped down as coach after last season.

Earlier, Hall of Famer Jim Brown said Lerner had met with “one of the great football minds in this country,” and hinted that person may have been Holmgren.

Nov

21

Giants Defensive Stud Pierce Out Indefinitely

Posted by Jeremy Fuchs under Injuries, New York Giants
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The Giants couldn’t be healthy for this long. Moments ago, the Giants announced that Antonio Pierce is out indefinitely after a MRI revealed a bulging disc in his neck. Here’s what Pierce had to say:

”I’m shocked with what I heard from the doctors this afternoon..had no idea what happened a few weeks ago could keep me off the field.

No word on how long indefinitely means. His replacement was not announced, but I would suspect it to be Chase Blackburn. This is a huge blow to the Giants. Pierce is the leader of the defense, he makes all the calls on the field. Blackburn, or whoever it might be, has to step up.

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