NFL Sunday Review #6
On a NFL Sunday when five games were decided on the last play, it was the return to prominence of the Indianapolis Colts offense that draws the spotlight.
The Colts dominated the Baltimore Ravens 31-3 with an offensive performance they haven’t displayed all season. The Ravens come into the game as the NFL’s top defense overall, against the run and against the pass. Baltimore opponents were averaging less than 200 yards per game.
It was Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison who were back in synch. The two-time NFL MVP was hitting receivers in stride, beating Baltimore double coverage and controlling the tempo of the game at the line of scrimmage. Manning finished 19 for 27 for 271 yards and three TD passes. Those numbers could have been better, but the Colts shut down the passing game late with the big lead.
It was the Colts first victory in their new Lucas Oil Stadium, having lost both pre-season games and the first two regular season games.
Baltimore was simply overwhelmed. Their offense went nowhere, producing just 49 yards in nearly 2 1/2 quarters, while the defense watched Manning beat them every possible way. He burned Chris McAlister for a 67-yard TD pass to Harrison on the Colts’ second series. Manning then threw a perfect strike to Wayne for a 22-yard TD in the back of the end zone on the next series to make it 14-0 and the rout was on.
“We’ve just been a little off and not been as sharp as we need to,” Colts head coach Tony Dungy said. “We saw more of that sharpness today. I think it’s good for the young guys to see how I think we can play.”
Five different games on Sunday were decided on the final play or with less than 10 seconds to play, topped by the Arizona-Dallas game.
- In overtime, the Cowboys won the toss and went nowhere in three plays. Punter Mat McBriar came in and his punt was blocked by Sean Morey, recovered by former Chiefs LB Monte Beisel who stumbled into the end zone for the winning points.
- On the final play of the game, Jason Elam kicked the game winning 48-yard FG in the Atlanta Falcons 22-20 victory over the Chicago Bears. This was a wild game down to the end. In the last eight minutes, there was a goal-line stand by the Falcons, an 85-yard kickoff return by Atlanta’s Jerious Norwood, Elam’s first missed field goal in 31 attempts, a drive by the Bears that culminated with QB Kyle Orton’s touchdown throw to WR Rashied Davis in the end zone with 11 seconds remaining. Then there was a squib kick, return a 26-yard completion from QB Matt Ryan to WR Michael Jenkins to set up Elam. “I’m really happy it went through,” Elam said.
- Maybe not as happy as the St. Louis Rams, who got their first victory over the season, beating Washington 19-17 on Kris Brown’s 49-yard FG with no time on the clock. The Rams nearly botched the ending. While St. Louis was trying to kill the clock to set up for an easy field goal attempt, RG Richie Incognito was called for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for something he said to an official. The 15 yards made Brown’s kick no longer a gimme. He still managed to make his fourth field goal of the game.
- Houston QB Matt Schaub scored the winning TD with three seconds to play in the Texans 29-28 victory over the Miami Dolphins. The score came at the end of a 12-play, 76-yard drive, which came after the Dolphins had scored to take a five-point lead with less than two minutes to play.
- Minnesota’s Ryan Longwell kicked a 26-yard field goal with nine seconds remaining and the Vikings beat the Detroit Lions 12-10. Longwell’s kick came at the end of a 10-play, 71-yard drive. The big play was a questionable pass interference call against Lions CB Leigh Bodden that moved the ball from the Vikings 32 to the ions 26-yard line.
MEMORABLE NOTES
Philadelphia’s victory over San Francisco was No. 76 shared between head coach Andy Reid and QB Donovan McNabb. That pushed them past the all-time leaders, Bill Walsh and Joe Montana … Indianapolis QB Peyton Manning picked up victory No. 108, moving into seventh place on the all-time QB victory list just ahead of Terry Bradshaw … New Orleans’ Reggie Bush had career catch No. 200 in 34 games, tying Arizona WR Anquan Boldin as the fastest to that total … With the victory over Oakland, the Saints are 3-1 in the Superdome, but they won’t return home again until meeting Green Bay in a Monday night game on Nov. 24. One of the Saints home games was moved to London … The Bucs did not have a turnover and now are 18-0 under Jon Gruden since 2002 when not committing a turnover … Washington entered the game as the only team in NFL history to open a season with no offensive turnovers through its first five games. In fact the offense hadn’t fumbled the ball even once. But that ended with four fumbles in their first six possessions.
LONGEST PLAYS
Arizona’s J.J. Arrington returned the opening kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown against Dallas.
Chicago WR Bernard Berrian caught an 86-yard TD pass from Gus Frerotte against Detroit.
Atlanta RB Jerious Norwood returned a kickoff 85 yards against Chicago.
Miami WR Patrick Cobbs caught an 80-yard TD pass from Chad Pennington against Houston.
Houston punt returner Jacoby Jones returned a punt 70 yards for a touchdown against Miami.
Dallas RB Marion Barber caught a 70-yard TD pass from Tony Romo against Arizona.
RUSHING
Washington’s Clinton Portis carried 21 times for 129 yards and 2 TDs against St. Louis.
Jacksonville’s Maurice Jones-Drew had 22 carries for 125 yards and 2 TDs against Denver.
Tampa Bay’s Warrick Dunn ran 22 times for 115 yards against Carolina.
Minnesota’s Adrian Peterson had 111 yards on 25 carries against Detroit.
Denver’s Michael Pittman carried 20 times for 109 yards against Jacksonville
San Francisco’s Frank Gore ran 19 times for 101 yards and a TD against Philadelphia.
PASSING
New Orleans QB Drew Brees completed 26 of 30 passes for 320 yards and three TD passes against Oakland. That’s a 144.4 passer rating.
San Diego QB Philip Rivers was 18 of 27 for 306 yards and 3 TDs against New England. That’s a 141.9 passer rating.
Indianapolis QB Peyton Manning hit 19 of 28 passes for 271 yards and three TDs against Baltimore. That’s a 134.7 passer rating.
Miami QB Chad Pennington was 19 of 25 for 284 yards, 2 TDs and I INT against Houston. That’s a passer rating of 122.8.
Tampa Bay QB Jeff Garcia was 15 of 20 for 173 yards and a TD against Carolina. That’s a 117.3 passer rating.
Atlanta QB Matt Ryan hit 22 of 30 passes for 301 yards and one TD against Chicago. That’s a 116.1 passer rating.
RECEIVING
Houston WR Andre Johnson caught 10 passes for 178 yards and a TD against Miami.
Miami WR Patrick Cobbs caught three passes for 138 yards and 2 TDs against Houston.
San Diego WR Vincent Jackson caught five passes for 134 yards and a TD against New England.
Minnesota WR Bernard Berrian had five catches for 131 yards and an 86-yard TD.
Dallas RB Marion Barber had 11 catches for 128 yards and a TD against Arizona.
Indianapolis WR Reggie Wayne caught eight passes for 118 yards and a TD against Baltimore.
Atlanta WR Roddy White caught nine passes for 112 yards and a TD against Chicago.
Carolina WR Steve Smith caught six passes for 112 yards against Tampa Bay.
DEFENSE
St. Louis S Oshiomogho Atogwe returned a fumble 75 yards for a touchdown against Washington.
Philadelphia’s Juqua Parker returned an interception 55 yards for a touchdown against San Francisco.
Cincinnati DE Chinedum Ndukwe returned a fumble 15 yards for a touchdown against the New York Jets.
Minnesota DE Jared Allen got credit for a safety when Detroit QB Dan Orlovsky was sacked in the end zone by stepping out of bounds.
Indianapolis DE Robert Mathis had three sacks, six tackles, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery against Baltimore.
Miami LB Channing Crowder finished with 13 tackles against Houston.
Carolina LB Jon Beason had 13 tackles against Tampa Bay.
Houston DE Mario Williams had two sacks and four tackles against Miami.
Green Bay DE Aaron Kampman had two sacks and four tackles against Seattle.
Green Bay CB Charles Woodson had two tackles, one sack and one interception against Seattle.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Arizona’s J.J. Arrington returned the opening kickoff 93 yards for a TD against Dallas.
San Francisco’s Donald Strickland returned a blocked FG 41 yards for a touchdown against Philadelphia.
Tampa Bay’s Geno Hayes had a 22-yard TD return with a blocked punt against Carolina.
Arizona’s Monte Beisel returned a blocked punt 3 yards for the game winning TD against Dallas.
Atlanta’s Jerious Norwood had four kickoff returns for 178 yards, including an 85-yard return against Chicago. That’s a 44.5-yard per return average.
Atlanta K Jason Elam hit five of six field goals, including the game winner from 48 yards in the Falcons victory over Chicago.
INJURIES OF NOTE
Detroit WR Calvin Johnson left the game in the fourth quarter when he was hit in the left eye and did not return … Cincinnati CB Jamar Fletcher and S Herana-Dze Jonese both suffered hamstring injuries against the Jets in the first half and did not return … Chicago CB Charles Tillman left the game in the second quarter with a shoulder injury and did not return … Bears S Danieal Manning left the game with a hamstring injury … Washington RB Ladell Betts injured his left knee and left t he game in the fourth quarter.
FORMER CHIEFS
Minnesota DE Jared Allen had three tackles, a sack for a safety … Vikings CB Benny Sapp was active, but was not credited with a tackle … FB Tony Richardson played but did not touch the ball for the New York Jets against Cincinnati … Oakland DT Terdell Sands had four tackles against the Saints … New Orleans LB Scott Fujita had one tackle against the Raiders … Tampa Bay RB Michael Bennett ran five times for 11 yards against Carolina … Bucs DE Jimmy Wilkerson had one tackle against the Panthers … Tampa Bay DT Ryan Sims was active but did not show up on the post-game stat sheet … WR Eddie Kennison actually started for the Rams against Washington, but did not have a catch … Dante Hall returned one punt for 34 yards and three kickoffs for 71 yards for St. Louis against the Redskins … TE Kris Wilson was inactive for the Chargers against New England … The Patriots released WR Maurice Price on Saturday so they could sign a RB for the game against San Diego.
I wan’t my monday morning cup o’chiefs and some Gonzo trade updates darnit!!
I watched the entire Atlanta/Bears game and it was some kind of NFL contest! One of the best games of the year and I must say that Matt Ryan looks all the world like a Pro-Bowl QB already.
If the Dirty Birds can turn around their fortunes this quickly, there’s hope for the Chiefs. That’s what I took from the game.
By the way, thanks for all the stats updates from yesterday, Bob. Excellent information.
Don’t look now guys, but the Rams and Texans finally won a game meaning that the Bungles are the only unvictorious team left. Since it appears we’re playing for a draft pick, that’s the kind of race we need to watch closely!
Colby,
Don’t forget the Lions! I think they’re the Chiefs biggest rivals for a #1 pick. They always seem to find a way to lose.
Phildo,
Here’s a Gonzo trade update…of sorts (take it with a grain of salt) but interesting in that it cobbles in Jared Allen:
http://www.prosportsdaily.com/comments/can-vikings-work-a-deal-for-tight-end-gonzalez-160174.html
ILChiefsFan
ACK! It’s still early I guess. How could I forget the Lions? Oh wait, I guess it’s easy to forget them. Thanks for catching my gaff there.
Thanks for the link Rich. This is the best I’ve found so far this morning.
– Tony Gonzalez Officially Asks for a Trade –
Sun Oct 12, 2008 –from FFMastermind.com
Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer reports in an exclusive interview, the league’s all-time receiving leader for a tight end, Kansas City Chiefs TE Tony Gonzalez, admits he’s asked for a trade and is hoping his wishes will be granted this week. “The Chiefs have a three-year plan to make this team good,” Gonzalez said late last night. “They are going young and at this point in my career, I want to play for a known contender “” a team that has a chance to get to win the Super Bowl before my career ends. If it doesn’t happen, of course I’ll play my butt off at the same level I always have. But by the time their plan comes to fruition I’ll be finishing up my career.” So Gonzalez went to GM Carl Peterson as far back as three weeks ago and asked for a trade, a deal he believed would benefit both sides. The Chiefs at first were reluctant to even remotely entertain the thought of bidding farwell to their most popular player of the last decade. But in the ensuing weeks Gonzalez continued to work on Peterson, appealing to their relationship. “Carl has been like my third father figure so he understands me better than anyone in this business,” he said. “He knows we’re going to experience some growing pains for a while and I asked him to let me finish my career on a team not in a rebuilding mode. Normally I don’t think it would be considered, but we have a different relationship than most. He said he understood and if there was a deal that would work for both sides, he’d try to make it happen for me.” The Chiefs have held talks with several teams but the franchise “” at least among those rumored to be interested “” that is most attractive to him is the Giants. Obviously New York makes the most sense on paper, considering they are already rolling and have proven they can win the Big Game. Gonzalez would add veteran leadership they lost with the retirement of DE Michael Strahan. Plus his addition to their red zone attack would give the Giants offense quite the advantage.
Whitlock and Posnanski both cover the Gonzalez topic pretty well in their latest over at the Star too.
Bet it does not happen. First the NFL wants every team to “look” competitive for its fans therefore no fire sales. Second the chiefs have not been offered anything like what they want for draft picks. Third just ran out of time to do the deal.
The trade deadline is Tuesday. There is still time.
I would sure hate to see Tony G. go, as he has been a productive fixture for our offense for so long. But I would like to see him get a ring even if it means going some where else. If, like the Jared Allen deal we can get good compensation in the draft then we should do it. I think we will be lucky to get a late third round draft choice for a player of his caliber late in his career. Then again it is really going to hinder this offense with out his pass catching skills. Of course he has mostly been a blocker for the last two years, but still has managed to catch a lot of passes. Also, anyone see where Jared Allen now has three sacks, his sack Sunday was when the Lions QB ran out of the end zone and he was the closest Viking player. For a guy who was supposed to be the sack master on their defense, it is K. Williams the DT who now has six sacks on the season. I wonder if he is a step slow with all that money he got paid this year. Go Chiefs!
I think this is going to set this offense back even more . If it happens this trade the passing game is going to be very bad the Chiefs other recievers cannot break free on plays Bowe has a way of stopping his route if he sees that the ball is uncatchable. Brodie Croyle’s only confident reciever he has is Tony G.He depends on him and Devard Darling only has one big play on this team and Mark Bradley is injury prone a start for a new team can help but when he is available he is inconsistent. Guys look for more dink and doinks to the running backs not too much homerun bombs this is going to be even more painful to watch. But again this is part of Herm’s youth movement. I can say also I do not like ball control offenses this is no different than what he said about Vermeil’s offense putting pressure on his defense . This offense is very much tiring our defense way too many predictable playcalling that causes three and outs . I very much miss the circus that left town because right now we are seeing wet paint on the wall.
I meant the Chan Gailey offense is like watching wet paint on a wall very predictable and very boring.
yet its better than a Solari offense. What is the common denominator between the two of them? Herm Edwards.