Bush's League
Falcons 24, Redskins 14 Game Recap By: Evan Silva The Big Story
Washington exploded for an early 14-0 lead as
Ladell Betts and
Santana Moss (7-115-1) each scored touchdowns in the game's first 13 minutes. But when
John Abraham applied pressure on
Jason Campbell in the second quarter, Campbell panicked and forced a throw that flew right into the hands of
Chauncey Davis. The Falcons noticed the rookie mistake and started sending six, seven, and eight men at Campbell. He folded under the pressure.
Beyond the Box Score
Betts (28-155-1, 3-18), who hadn't scored since Week 3, never slowed down. He had more rushing yards (84) in the second half than he did in the first.
T.J. Duckett (4-9) had two quality gains on Washington's first drive but barely saw the field after that. Betts got the call inside the ten and scored his touchdown from eight yards out.
Michael Vick (8-16-122-2-0, 5-29) stayed cool despite getting down early to find
Alge Crumpler (2-62-1) and
Michael Jenkins (4-43-1) for TDs. Atlanta scored its first two touchdowns via the air but was obviously more successful on the ground.
Warrick Dunn (21-87) didn't break a long run but still had his best game since Week 6.
Jerious Norwood (9-107-1) shook three would-be tacklers,
Carlos Rogers twice, on his 69-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
Brandon Lloyd (2-26) isn't physical enough to fight through a jam.
Chris Cooley (2-12) had his worst game with Campbell under center.
Antwaan Randle El (2-14) is a $31 million gadget player.
Going Forward
Disgruntled
Santana Moss owners have likely been scrambling for options recently. Now they can stick him back into their lineups as a WR3 or flex every week. He may be inconsistent during the stretch run but Moss' explosiveness makes him a risky sit at any point.
Other teams will likely see how Atlanta shut Campbell down in the second half and continue to send several rushers after him. Campbell probably won't be a good fantasy QB over the last four games.
Michael Jenkins has the size always to be a solid red-zone option. He's Atlanta's No. 1 receiver but not worth counting on in fantasy leagues because he's so inconsistent.
If this game doesn't tempt Falcons coach Jim Mora to split carries between Norwood and Dunn, maybe nothing will. Mora is certainly a loyal coach, but Norwood is too good to keep on the sidelines. He should be cutting Dunn's work in half next week. If Rotoworld was setting the lineup, Norwood would be Atlanta's starting running back.
Betts is an every-week RB2, especially in points-per-reception leagues. He doesn't come out on any downs.
Chargers 24, Bills 21
Game Recap by: Gregg Rosenthal The Big Story LaDainian Tomlinson topped 100 rushing yards and scored at least two times for the sixth straight game, bringing his total to 26 touchdowns on the season. On a cold, blustery day that didn't encourage consistent passing, Tomlinson led the Chargers on a 13-play, 80-yard, 8:06 minute scoring drive in the fourth quarter to ice Buffalo's playoff hopes. San Diego has the inside track to a bye in the AFC at 10-2.
Beyond The Box Score
It's been over a year since
Willis McGahee (16-26-1, 1-1-0) called himself the best running back in the league. It was hard not to think about that statement watching Tomlinson slice and dice the Bills, while McGahee could barely stay on the field. McGahee went to the locker room early, possibly after re-aggravating his ribs injury. He returned, but was lifeless other than a short touchdown.
Anthony Thomas played on many third downs, catching four passes.
None other than Ron Jaworski said
J.P. Losman (21/37-184-2-2, fumble lost) was making impressive progress lately. So I watched Losman closely Sunday hoping to see the new J.P. I'll say this: the old J.P. wouldn't have rallied the Bills for 21 second-half points in the past. Of course, Losman looked like his old self during the entire first half. At one point, I counted four straight passes that could have been intercepted. Losman was highly inaccurate and bothered by the San Diego pressure before settling down in the final 30 minutes.
Philip Rivers (17/29-160-1-0) is finally treating
Antonio Gates (7-90-1) like a number one receiver. Gates busted Buffalo's zone defense up the middle repeatedly. Despite all the talk about a down year, Gates is one pace for almost 1,000 yards and eight touchdowns and is peaking the right time.
Two pass rushers were dominant in this game.
Aaron Schobel had four tackles, a forced fumble, and a sack. He's playing as well as any defensive end in the NFL and deserves a Pro Bowl spot.
Shawne Merriman returned from his steroid suspension with a bang: 6 tackles, 2 sacks, and two forced fumbles. Buffalo had no answer for him.
Going Forward Keenan McCardell was carted off the field with a calf injury and didn't return. He spoke with the media after the game and wasn't sure about his status for next week.
Vincent Jackson picked up snaps for McCardell but didn't make a catch. Only consider picking up Jackson in deep leagues. Drop McCardell in most redrafts.
The Bills continue to play far better pass defense than run defense, like most Tampa 2 teams. That makes their next two opposing runners,
Cedric Houston and possibly
Ronnie Brown, good fantasy plays.
Willis McGahee is looking shaky, but the Jets are a solid matchup for him next week. This isn't the same Jets rush defense as the beginning of the season, but we'd still use Willis as a RB2.
The Chargers play a steadily tough schedule in the fantasy playoffs. That makes
Eric Parker unattractive as a WR3 option.
Cardinals 34, Rams 20 Game Recap By: Evan Silva The Big Story
Despite a good game Sunday,
Edgerrin James (26-115) has reached a new fantasy low. He has now lost goal-line carries to special teamer
Marcel Shipp. Arizona dusted Shipp off and he scored three touchdowns, all from inside the ten-yard line. The Cardinals are so sold on Shipp as their short-yardage back that they kept giving him the ball even after he was stuffed on a fourth-and-goal at the Rams' one early in the second quarter. And Shipp responded to Arizona's confidence with touchdown runs of six and nine yards in the second half. Shipp's seven carries Sunday gave him ten on the season.
Beyond the Box Score Matt Leinart (15-24-186-1-0) wasn't spectacular but didn't turn the ball over. He noticed 6-3/220-pound
Larry Fitzgerald (5-46-1) in single coverage against 5-9/185-pound Rams corner
Tye Hill in the red zone during the second quarter. Fitzgerald was easily able to get in front of Hill and box him out for the 11-yard score.
Marc Bulger called out his teammates after the game. Thing is, Bulger (27-45-314-2-3) wasn't that great himself. The Rams' offense was sloppy, and Bulger threw an interception directly to
Adrian Wilson with a chance to narrow the 17-10 deficit late in the first half. Shipp scored one of his three TDs plays later. St. Louis was never in contention again.
Torry Holt (7-115-1) got off the snide, scoring for the first time since Week 6.
Isaac Bruce (5-75-1) caught his TD deep in garbage time.
Kevin Curtis (1-16) was barely heard from.
Joe Klopfenstein caught four short passes and totaled 31 yards.
Leinart spread the ball around, hitting seven different receivers, but it came at the expense of
Anquan Boldin (2-32), who did not make much of an impact.
Leonard Pope (2-20) is starting.
Bryant Johnson (2-38) has been one of the league's better third receivers this season.
Steven Jackson (21-96-0, 9-69) is unstoppable in the receiving game. It's like defenses don't account for him when he slides out of the backfield. He's usually not tackled until he gets into the secondary. But Jackson had a bad drop on a forced throw by Bulger during the fourth quarter that was picked off. He was also stuffed on the goal line with less than a minute remaining.
Going Forward
Bulger's decent fantasy stats were not indicative of how poorly he played Sunday and his inability to stay comfortable in the pocket. Week 14 presents a mismatch for
Todd Steussie and St. Louis' porous offensive line as they host Bears rush ends
Alex Brown,
Adewale Ogunleye, and
Mark Anderson. Bulger can be benched for a better option.
Don't go nuts picking up Shipp. He's worth a look in deep and TD-heavy leagues but won't get many carries except around the goal. Shipp is a burden on Edge, not an emerging fantasy stud.
Boldin will turn it around, just like Holt did Sunday. Leinart and the Cardinals play three of their final four games against weaker pass defenses.
Bears 23, Vikings 13
Game Recap by: Scott Morrow The Big Story
Following his second straight three-interception performance, the howls for the job of
Rex Grossman (6-19, 34 yards, 3 INT) will only get louder. It may not matter, however; Chicago's defense and special teams saved the day once more.
Devin Hester's fourth touchdown of the season and an interception return by Ricky Manning, Jr. put the Bears out in front, and
Brad Johnson's putrid performance (11-26, 73 yards, 4 INT) got him benched.
Beyond the Box Score
The ten combined turnovers in this game were a season high for 2006. Bears KR
Rashied Davis fumbled the opening kickoff, Grossman and Johnson exchanged interceptions on their teams' second possessions, and for a while it looked like neither team wanted to win this one. The Bears have committed 18 turnovers in their last five games.
Hester, the second of Chicago's second-round picks this season, continued his bid to make the Pro Bowl. The smooth-moving rookie broke a pair of tackles and slipped through four Vikings defenders during his 45-yard touchdown in the second quarter, and it accounted for the Bears' only points until late in the third. Kick-return duties also went to Hester later in the game.
Manning undercut a slant route before running in a 50-yard touchdown of his own. Johnson then threw his fourth interception on his very next pass, and that was enough for Vikings coach Brad Childress. Backup
Brooks Bollinger (7-9, 70 yards) came in and gave Minnesota a spark, but later injured his shoulder while being sacked by left end
Adewale Ogunleye. Rookie QB
Tarvaris Jackson (3-4, 35 yards, FL) subsequently received his first professional playing time.
Chester Taylor (17-99-0) continued to expose Chicago's struggling run defense, but missed most of the second half after injuring his ribs. Backups
Ciatrick Fason (11-75-1) and
Mewelde Moore (3-13-0, 5-51-0) split snaps after Taylor's exit; the former was powerful while slashing through the Bears' one-gap defense. Fason's only real miscue was being tackled for a safety while he attempted to bounce outside of his own end zone.
Going Forward
Owners of Taylor should go ahead and pick up Fason for insurance. Moore will continue to serve as the team's third-down back regardless of Taylor's situation, but Fason would likely take the majority of carries if Taylor were to miss Week 14.
Cedric Benson (9-60-1) had what was arguably his best performance of the season, breaking tackles while running inside and flashing his deceptive speed to hit the corner. He had just three less carries than
Thomas Jones (12-32-0), and Chicago's backfield may finally be headed towards the timeshare that many have predicted of it.
If Jackson, a second-round pick in this April's draft, gets the nod in Week 14, the values of his surrounding cast may not change much. No member of Minnesota's receiving corps has been a strong fantasy option this season, and the team figures to continue pounding the ground game no matter who starts behind center.
N.Y. Jets 38, Green Bay 10 Game Recap by Matt Lawrence The Big Story
Led by
Chad Pennington and
Cedric Houston, the Jets scored on their first five possessions and took a 31-0 lead into halftime against the Packers. With snowy-December conditions abound at Lambeau Field, Green Bay never got it together offensively and fell to 1-5 at home this year.
Beyond the Box Score Chad Pennington put together three touchdown drives of 70 yards or more in the second quarter, and connected with
Jerricho Cotchery and
Chris Baker for scoring passes in the blowout. It was just his second two-TD game since Week Two. He finished the game 25-for-35 passing for 263 yards and has very attractive matchups vs. Buffalo and Minnesota the following two weeks.
Coach Eric Mangini started
Cedric Houston in the Jets backfield and the second-year back responded with a career-high 105 yards rushing and a pair of touchdowns. He added three catches for 24 yards and seems to have emerged as the Jets latest primary back. With
Kevan Barlow and
Derrick Blaylock healthy inactives,
Leon Washington pitched in with 40 yards rushing and a touchdown as the team's third-down back.
Jerricho Cotchery was Pennington's main receiving target most of the night, racking up nine catches for 99 yards and a score. He caught his 12-yard touchdown on a 3rd down-and-nine play as safety
Nick Collins appeared to lose his footing on the play.
Laveranues Coles was held to three catches for 28 yards.
Ahman Green registered his fifth 100-yard game in 10 contests this season with a 14-carry, 102-yard performance. With the Packers down so much early, they basically abandoned the run in the second half.
Noah Herron caught a career-best seven passes for 51 yards as the third-down back, mostly in the third and fourth quarters.
Brett Favre needs just 152 yards passing to rack up his 15th straight 3,000-yard passing season. He went 24-for-47 for 214 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions in the loss, and now needs just nine TDs in his final four games to tie Dan Marino for the all-time TD record (420).
Going Forward
At 7-5, the Jets are smack dab in the middle of playoff contention. They have four winnable games remaining on the schedule against Buffalo, Minnesota, Miami and Oakland. Expect a big game from
Cedric Houston against the anemic Bills run defense next Sunday - they are allowing 135 rushing yards per game.
In the Packers next three games, they play against three of the weaker pass defenses in the NFL. Favre should finish his 16th season in grand style with matchups against San Francisco, Detroit and Minnesota the next three contests.
Saints 34, 49ers 10
Game Recap by: Gregg Rosenthal The Big Story Reggie Bush enjoyed his coming out party with a monstrous four touchdown effort. Bush played with newfound toughness and confidence, breaking tackles and ankles with the sort of moves people grew accustomed to at USC. The rookie led the Saints with 131 receiving yards and the next closest Saint only had 18, largely because
Joe Horn left the game early with a groin injury.
Beyond The Box Score Deuce McAllister (26-136-0, 1-4-0) had a great day in his own right, but saw Bush (10-37-3, 9-131-1) vulture his scores in a reversal of fortune. That won't happen often.
Only one of Bush's runs was from the goal-line, a reward for a nasty 14-yard run where Bush juked half the San Francisco team, then dragged the other half to the one-yard line. It was a revelation to see Bush run with such power. Later, Bush fumbled the ball on a 74-yard catch out of bounds with no defenders near him. He made up for it with another highlight reel ten-yard score two plays later. While Bush can't do this every week, his use in the red zone is a good sign for the fantasy playoffs. He aggravated a minor shoulder injury late in the game, but returned quickly.
Joe Horn (1-18-0) left the game early after re-aggravating his groin injury. We expected
Devery Henderson (2-14-0) or
Terrance Copper (no catches) to step up, but the Saints weren't successful stretching the field.
Drew Brees (17/28-186-1-0) was happy to throw check downs instead of chase Dan Marino's record.
Frank Gore (13-40, 5-28) had his worst game of the season in a surprising place. The 49ers oddly went to a lot of gadget plays and direct snaps early in the game instead of having Gore test the NFL's 28th ranked rush defense. Mike Nolan ruined San Francisco's season last week when he didn't trust Gore (or
Maurice Hicks) to go for a fourth-and-inches late in the game against the Rams. Sunday's play-calling was even more curious.
Alex Smith (14-28-171-1-3) appears to be hitting a wall. He connected with
Antonio Bryant (4-79-1) on a long score in the third quarter, but it was too late. Smith only had 32 yards on 4-of-12 passing in the first half. Smith hasn't topped 175 yards or thrown for two scores since Week 6. The lack of quality depth at receiver and offensive line for San Francisco has Smith playing scared.
Vernon Davis (1-21-0) busted a big play up the seam, and forced another long pass interference. But he doesn't appear ready to be a consistent weekly option. He's only worth picking up as a TE2 with some upside.
Going Forward Drew Brees has carried many a fantasy team this year, but next week's matchup against the Cowboys will test him.
Devery Henderson isn't an option and
Deuce McAllister and
Reggie Bush look like flex plays - not RB2s. I'd play Bush over Deuce in points-per-reception leagues, but not in standard scoring.
Like most players averaging over 18 yards a catch,
Antonio Bryant is tough to count on. But a matchup against the Packers next week offers his owners a chance to roll the dice as a WR3.
New England 28, Detroit 21 Game Recap by Matt Lawrence The Big Story
Powered by three rushing touchdowns from
Corey Dillon and 305 passing yards from
Tom Brady, the Patriots erased an eight-point, fourth quarter deficit Sunday and came back to top the Lions 28-21 in Week 13.
Beyond the Box Score Laurence Maroney left Sunday's game after just the second series and did not return. He finished with just four carries for 14 yards before departing. The Patriots initially said he got his wind knocked, but it's likely the injury is more serious. The CBS crew mentioned Maroney taking a blow to the head, so it sounds like he may have suffered a concussion. We'll fill you on his status in the next couple days.
Corey Dillon benefited by Maroney's absence with touchdown runs of six yards, four yards and two yards. He only got nine rushes on the day, but sure made the most of them. In 39 regular season games with New England, he's now got 34 rushing touchdowns. If the rookie has to miss any time, Dillon would get the brunt of carries in New England's backfield.
Kevin Faulk pitched in with eight catches for 59 yards as a receiving back Sunday.
Lions QB Jon Kitna put together his 12th straight game with at least 200 yards passing Sunday, finishing with 314 yards through the air. The 10-year vet went over 3,000 yards for the sixth time in his career. He hooked up with
Mike Furrey nine times for a career-high 123 yards and a touchdown. Look for big games from both next Sunday as the Lions host the weak Minnesota secondary. Kitna threw some terrible interceptions, but that's par for the course for him. The Lions have showed no willingness to remove him.
With
Roy Williams double-teamed and ineffective most of the game, the Lions tried to use backup quarterback
Josh McCown extensively at wide receiver. He did catch two passes for 15 yards, but also was flagged for an offensive pass interference call in the second half. Although Williams was held to just three catches for 50 yards, he did surpass the 1,000-yard receiving mark for the first time in his three-year career.
Mike Williams got some playing time, but didn't do much with it.
Kevin Jones returned from a one-game absence and racked up 142 total yards, including 86 through the air on five receptions. He missed Thanksgiving's game against Miami with a sprained ankle, but looked sharp today. The Lions have three difficult matchups in their final four games, so don't expect a lot from Jones down the stretch. Minnesota, Dallas and Chicago all rank in the top-eight against the run.
Tom Brady had a typical
Tom Brady-game, hooking up with eight different receivers and throwing for an impressive 305 yards in the win.
Reche Caldwell continues to emerge as his favorite wide receiver threat – he came through with a season-high eight catches for 112 yards. Brady will continue to spread out the wealth to everybody, while Caldwell has already compiled a career-high in receiving yardage (577 yards).
Mike Vrabel sealed the win with his second interception of the game in the final minute, registering his first career two-INT performance. He was tackled by Lions WR
Mike Williams and came down awkwardly on his right leg before watching the final snaps from the bench. He'll be evaluated throughout the week but shouldn't miss any time.
Going Forward
New England takes on Miami, Houston, Jacksonville and Tennessee to wind out their season. The Patriots were held to just 211 total yards against Miami earlier this season, so keep that in the back of your mind. The Texans and Titans represent their best two matchups.
The Lions pass attack of Kitna, Williams and Furrey are all great fantasy options the next two weeks. Detroit takes on Minnesota and Green Bay, who entered Week 13's play ranked No. 30 and 31 against the pass.
Browns 31, Chiefs 28 Game Recap By: Evan Silva The Big Story Charlie Frye's season may have ended Sunday, as it is feared that he broke his wrist. Frye (11-13-122-1) had gotten off to a very strong start, finding
Braylon Edwards (3-36-1) for a 23-yard touchdown to put Cleveland up 7-0 early and leading the Browns to a game-tying drive just before the close of the first half. However, his replacement became the big story.
Derek Anderson, who came into the game without a single pass attempt in the NFL, engineered Cleveland to 14 unanswered points in the second half and the game-winning drive in overtime.
Phil Dawson connected from 33 yards seven-and-a-half minutes into the extra frame to give the Browns their fourth win of the season.
Beyond the Box Score
Not to be forgotten is the performance of
Trent Green (24-32-297-4-1), who showed expert efficiency before Cleveland got key stops late. Green made marvelous use of
Tony Gonzalez (9-105-2) and the streaky
Eddie Kennison (7-117-1) to allow for the Chiefs to get a big lead in the first place.
Kellen Winslow (1-26) caught his only pass from Anderson but was outdone by
Steve Heiden (5-27-2) in the red zone. Both of Heiden's fourth-quarter scores came from within six yards of the goal line. Edwards' touchdown catch was thrown by Frye and he did not make big plays while Anderson was under center.
Joe Jurevicius (6-75) remained strong throughout.
The Chiefs for once didn't feature
Larry Johnson (28-110, 2-26) when inside the red zone. Maybe it was in an effort to lessen his workload. Coach Herm Edwards has caught flack in the media for allowing L.J. to get on a
Jamal Anderson-like pace for carries.
Michael Bennett (3-14, 4-33) saw some quality action and produced.
Reuben Droughns (14-70-1, 5-48) surprisingly started over
Jason Wright (11-25, 2-70). Wright took a short pass for 54 yards late in the game but did little else.
Jerome Harrison was inactive.
Going Forward
It's possible Jurevicius will become Anderson's go-to target while Frye is out. At 6-5, Jurevicius is at the 6-6 Anderson's eye level. Heiden could be in store for one more decent game but isn't as talented as Winslow. Anderson and Winslow should develop more of a rapport in practice this week.
Don't think Anderson will be a fantasy sparkplug for the stretch run. Pick him up if you're seriously desperate or play in a two-QB league.
Wright will remain a part of Cleveland's running back committee for the foreseeable future. The Browns' schedule from here on is grueling and Droughns is far from a lock for a solid finish.
Green probably won't have another game like this the rest of the year. His wide receivers are too inconsistent. As the Chiefs feel pressured to make the playoffs, expect Edwards to get back to milking the clock.
Tennessee 20, Indianapolis 17 Game Recap by Matt Lawrence The Big Story
Like last week, the Titans found themselves down early against a Manning-led team, but somehow squeaked out another thrilling, against-all-odds comeback. Trailing 14-0, Tennessee capped a nine-play, 33-yard drive with an improbable 60-yard field goal in the final seconds to give them the 20-17 victory over Indianapolis (10-2).
Beyond the Box Score
Rob Bironas capped all scoring with a 60-yard FG with about seven seconds remaining in regulation. Coach Jeff Fisher almost elected to play it cautious and punt, but then changed his mind again and sent Bironas back out there. He promptly set the franchise-record for longest field goal and sent the Titans to their third straight win. He's the sixth kicker in NFL history to connect from 60 yards.
Vince Young rushed for a career-high 78 yards on just nine carries, and has 196 yards on the ground in his past three games. He's quietly 5-2 as a starter and is playing with an incredible amount of poise in crunch-time. His completion percentage has been a concern, but in his past two games he's completed 64 percent (39-for-61) of his passes. Although, the No. 3 selection in the draft obviously still has a lot to learn, he's surpassing all his lofty expectations with his late-game management.
Travis Henry became the 100th player in NFL history with 5,000 yards rushing. He finished with 20 carries for 93 yards.
LenDale White returned from a hip flexor injury and came through with four rushes for 35 yards – all in the first half.
After rushing for four touchdowns and a career-high 171 yards last Sunday night against the Eagles,
Joseph Addai was held in check to 56 yards rushing on 16 carries. Coach Tony Dungy hinted that he'd continue to use a two-headed monster in the backfield, so you can expect a split workload in the final month.
Dominic Rhodes found the end zone for the first time in over two months, compiling 39 yards on the ground.
Peyton Manning finished 21-for-28 for 351 yards and a touchdown in the loss. He tied Dan Marino for second place when he eclipsed 3,000 yards passing for the ninth straight season (
Brett Favre has the record with 14 straight 3,000-yard passing seasons). Indianapolis out gained Tennessee 451-382, but the Colts had the ball for only a little more than 12 minutes in the second half.
Reggie Wayne eclipsed the 1,000-yard marker for the third straight season Sunday, finishing with three receptions for 57 yards. Meanwhile,
Marvin Harrison needs just seven yards for his eighth consecutive 1,000-yard campaign.
Going Forward
The Titans will travel to Houston next week to go for their fourth straight win. If they didn't start out 0-5, they could be competing for a playoff berth at this time. In the final month, they have favorable matchups against the Texans and Bills, but also have to tangle with the Patriots and Jaguars.
Indianapolis will have a tough AFC South matchup this Sunday against Jacksonville. They could be in for a defensive struggle in that game as the Jags will definitely try to slow down the speed of the game. The following two weeks against Cincinnati and Houston are very favorable opponents though – if the Colts don't rest their regulars. This loss suggests they won't.