NFL: Week Five News, Notes, & Observations
The fifth weekend of the NFL season is now in the books with some big goings on. Donovan McNabb and Matt Hasselbeck make triumphant returns, a pair of wideouts go for 200 yards, the Panthers and Browns break through with their first wins of the year, the Chiefs almost pull one out, the Broncos win a thriller over the Pats, and Peyton Manning is the American Idol of football just churning out stars on a weekly basis.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (14) vs. Philadelphia Eagles (33)
Donovan McNabb made a triumphant return leading the Eagles to a 33-14 romp over the hapless, winless Buccaneers Sunday. McNabb was sharp completing 16 of 21 passes for 264 yards and three touchdowns in his first game back after missing a pair with a broken rib.
Jeremy Maclin ended up stealing the spotlight from McNabb though. Maclin, starting for an injured Kevin Curtis, had his coming out party Sunday catching 6 passes for 142 yards including 51-yard and 40-yard scoring strikes from McNabb. Maclin stepped up on a day where DeSean Jackson was held to just one catch for one yard. McNabb showed exactly why the Eagles need him if they want to make a deep playoff run this winter. Kevin Kolb never would have completed those long passes to Maclin.
As was expected Brian Westbrook played but was used sparingly as the Eagles ran out to an early 14-0 lead and never looked back. Westbrook carried the ball just six times for 18 yards but he did score a touchdown.
After two starts one still has to wonder what Raheem Morris sees in Josh Johnson that made him switch from Byron Leftwich as the starter. Johnson completed just 26 of 50 passes and threw three interceptions. He did, however, throw a pair of TD passes to Kellen Winslow for his first multi-touchdown pass game of his career. His 240 yards also mark the first time he has thrown for 200 or more yards in a game. For the year Johnson is completing just 52.4% of his passes with three touchdowns and four interceptions.
Winslow remains the lone bright spot for the Bucs offense this season posting season highs of 9 catches, 102 yards, and a pair of touchdowns. Sunday was Winslow’s fifth career 100-yard game and second two touchdown performance. Winslow has scored in 3 of the Bucs five games and has found the end zone four times overall.
Eagles tight end Brent Celek has caught at least four passes in every game this season.
Fullback Leonard Weaver scored his first touchdown of the season for Philly.
Bucs defensive end Jimmy Wilkerson recorded three sacks Sunday giving him five for the season.
Philadelphia corner backs Sheldon Brown and Asante Samuel combined to intercept three passes and knock five others to the ground.
Trent Cole recorded a sack on Sunday meaning has at least half-a-sack in every Eagles game this season.
Philly defenders Victor Abiamiri and Chris Gocong recorded their first sacks of the season Sunday.
New England Patriots (17) vs. Denver Broncos (20)
Kyle Orton threw for 330 yards and a pair of touchdowns in leading the Broncos to a 20-17 victory over the Patriots in an overtime thriller Sunday. Orton threw for a pair of scores for the second straight week after spotting the opposing team ten points before leading a comeback vicotry.
Tom Brady continues to battle inconsistency for the Patriots this season. He completed just 19 of 33 passes for a season low 215 yards. He did throw for a pair of scores but he missed wide open targets down the field on more than one occasion.
Knowshon Moreno rolled up 100 yards of offense for the first time in his career running for 88 yards on 21 carries and adding an addtional 36 yards on a career best 4 catches.
Denver receiver Brandon Marshall scored both of Denver’s touchdowns Sunday and has scored in each of the Broncos last three games.
Denver’s Vonnie Holliday recorded a sack for the second straight game.
Elvis Dumervil was held sackless for the first time in four games for the Broncos.
Cincinnati Bengals (17) vs. Baltimore Ravens (14)
Cedric Benson became the first player in 39 games to rush for 100 yards against the Ravens as the Bengals snatched another victory from the jaws of defeat when Carson Palmer hooked up with Andre Caldwell on a 20-yard touchdown pass with 22 seconds left to lift the Bengals to 4-1 and sole possession of first place in the AFC North.
Benson rumbled for 120 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries for the Browns, and going into Monday Night’s game he leads the league in rushing. Benson has rushed for at least 74 yards in every game this year and has scored in three of the Bengals five contests.
Baltimore’s Ray Rice gained over 140 yards of offense for the second straight game with 143 yards and a touchdown. Rice ran for 69 yards on 14 carries and added another 74 yards on 7 catches including 48-yard touchdown catch.
Baltimore’s Joe Flacco threw for a season low of 186 yards and threw two picks for the first time this season.
Chad Ochocinco posted season highs of 7 catches and 94 yards for the Bengals.
Andre Caldwell scored for the second time in three games for Cincy.
Willis McGahee was held out of the end zone for Ravens for the first time this season.
Atlanta Falcons (45) vs. San Francisco 49ers (10)
Matt Ryan hit Roddy White for 90-yard and 31-yard scoring strikes and White posted a career best 210 yards, and Michael Turner hit pay dirt three times as the Falcons steamrolled the Niners at home. The Falcons rebounded nicely from their loss to the Patriots while the Niners are beginning to look more and more like a fraud as they have yet to win a game outside of their division.
White also caught a season high 8 passes as he eclipsed the 100-yard mark for the first time this season.
Turner had his best game of the season piling up 97 yards on 22 carries in addtion to his three scores. While Turner is not posting the yards he was last season he has scored in three straight for the Falcons and has five touchdowns in four games this season.
Ryan completed 22 of 32 passes for 329 yards on Sunday marking the first time, and third in his career, this season he has hit the 300-yard mark. Ryan has thrown at least two touchdown passes in three of the Falcons four games this season. Ryan also scored his first rushing touchdown of the season.
Glen Coffee scored his first career touchdown Sunday.
Indianapolis Colts (31) vs. Tennessee Titans (9)
Peyton Manning completed 36 of 44 passes for 309 yards and three scores as the Colts cruised past the Titans for their fifth straight win this season while Tennessee remains winless. Manning has now thrown for at least 300 yards in five straight contests and at least two scores in four straight. Manning has completed 73.5% of his passes this season.
Austin Collie appears to be the latest Colts receiver making a name for himself this season as he had a career best game with 8 catches for 97 yards and a pair of scores. Over the past two games Collie has caught 14 passes for 162 yards and three scores.
Reggie Wayne scored a touchdown for the fourth time in five games for the Colts.
Dwight Freeney notched a sack for the fifth straight game giving him six for the season.
Pittsburgh Steelers (28) vs. Detroit Lions (20)
Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger threw for 277 yards including touchdown strikes to three different receivers leading the Steelers to a 28-20 victory over the scrappy Lions. Roethlisberger completed 23 of 30 passes including scoring passes to Heath Miller, Mike Wallace, and Hines Ward. Roethlisberger has now thrown at least two TD passes the last two weeks and has a TD pass in every game this season. He also completed at least 71% of his passes in four of the Steelers five contests this year.
Lions quarterback Daunte Culpepper was solid starting in place of the injured Matthew Stafford. Culpepper completed 23 of 37 passes for 282 yards, a touchdown, and an interception.
The Steelers dropped Culpepper seven times led by James Harrison who notched 3 sacks on the day. Harrison has recorded at least two sacks the last two weeks and has a sack in each of the last three games.
Rashard Mendenhall kept his grasp on the running back role for the Steelers running for 77 yards on 15 carries Sunday. Since being tabbed as the starter Mendenhall has run for 242 yards and three touchdowns on 44 carries. Rashard has scored at least one touchdown the last two weeks.
Hines Ward scored his first touchdown of the season Sunday. Ward is coming on of late and has caught 15 passes for 198 yards the last two weeks.
Steelers tight end Heath Miller scored a touchdown for the second straight game.
Mike Wallace continues to be a play maker for the Steelers catching a pass for at least 35 yards for the third straight game, and finding the end zone for the first time in his young career.
Steelers LB LaMarr Woodley recorded his first sack of the season getting 1.5 on Sunday after posting 11.5 last season.
Dallas Cowboys (26) vs. Kansas City Chiefs (20)
Dallas escaped Kansas City with a 26-20 win in overtime. Miles Austin was the story for the Cowboys catching 10 passes for a franchise record 250 yards including a game-clinching 60-yard strike from Tony Romo. While Austin had a huge game he did drop several catchable passes thrown his way and, on paper, the Cowboys should have won this game easily. It is beginning to look more and more like the Cowboys are simply not as good as they, or the media for that matter, think they are.
Romo bounced back from three so-so games to throw for 351 yards and a pair of scoring strikes. He still only completed 58.8% of his passes and lost a fumble though.
The Chiefs passing game continues to struggle with consistency as Matt Cassel completed just 23 of 41 passes. He did throw a pair of touchdown passes and has not been picked off since week two against Oakland. Cassel has thrown two touchdown passes in each of the last three games.
Chiefs WR Dwayne Bowe caught his third touchdown pass of the season and he posted season highs of 5 catches and 74 yards.
Cowboys LB DeMarcus Ware recorded his first two sacks of the season Sunday.
Kansas City running back Larry Johnson is averaging just 2.4 yards per carry and has yet to score a touchdown this season.
Oakland Raiders (7) vs. New York Giants (44)
This game was over before it even got started as the Giants buried the Raiders for their fifth straight win.
Ahmad Bradshaw posted his second 100 yard game in three weeks and scored a pair of touchdowns in pacing the Giants offense. Bradshaw has scooted for 278 yards on 37 carries over the past three games for the Giants and is averaging 6.5 yards per carry.
Brandon Jacobs continues to struggle to find his mojo averaging just 3.2 yards per carry Sunday.
Eli Manning played sparingly completing 8 of 10 passes for 173 yards and a pair of scoring strikes before giving way to David Carr.
Oakland quarterback JaMarcus Russell was actually not terrible completing 8 of 13 passes for 100 yards. Russell did not throw an interception for the second straight game, however, he did lose three fumbles on the day. He completed over 60% of his passes for the first time this season.
Giants rookie wideout Hakeem Nicks scored a touchdown for the second straight week.
Mario Manningham scored for the third time in five games for the Giants.
New York’s Justin Tuck registered a pair of sacks marking the first time since week one he sacked the quarterback.
Mathias Kiwanuka got a sack for the second straight week for New York.
Minnesota Vikings (38) vs. St. Louis Rams (10)
Adrian Peterson scored a pair of touchdowns as the Vikings cruised to their fifth straight victory as the Rams remain winless on the season. Peterson has scored in four of the five Vikings contests and has found the end zone a total of seven times this season. Since running for 180 yards the first week of the season Peterson has yet to reach 100 yards since then.
Rams receiver Donnie Avery scored his first touchdown of the season and posted a season high of 87 yards on five catches.
Vikings TE Visanthe Shiancoe scored for the third time in four weeks versus the Rams.
Rams quarterback Marc Bulger completed seven of seven passes for 88 yards and a touchdown in relief of Kyle Boller meaning there is a good chance he starts the Rams next game.
Minnesota defensive end Jared Allen rumbled 52 yards for his first career fumble return for a touchdown Sunday.
Rams linebacker James Laurinaitis snagged his first career interception.
Rams safety Craig Dahl recorded his first career sack.
Houston Texans (21) vs. Arizona Cardinals (28)
The Cardinals ran out to a 21-0 halftime lead and held off a valiant comeback effort by the Texans to escape with a 28-21 win.
Texans’ quarterback Matt Schaub completed 35 of 50 passes for 371 yards and a pair of scoring strikes to Andre Johnson. Johnson caught 8 passes for 101 yards. Schaub has thrown for 300 or more yards in three of the Texans’ last four games.
Kurt Warner hit the 300-yard mark for the second straight game finding Larry Fitzgerald for his two touchdown passes. Fitzgerald has four touchdowns this season and has scored in three of the Cardinals four games.
Jacksonville Jaguars (0) vs. Seattle Seahawks (41)
Jacksonville looked like it was starting to turn things around with two nice wins the past two weeks, but, Matt Hasselbeck threw for four scores in leading the ‘Hawks to a 41-0 shellacking of the Jags after missing all or part of the last three games with a rib injury. Nate Burleson and T. J. Houshmandzadeh each caught a pair of scoring strikes from Hasselbeck as he completed 18 of 30 passes for 241 yards.
Housmandzadeh’s touchdowns were his first two of the season.
Torry Holt had his best game as a member of the Jags catching 7 passes for 95 yards, both season highs.
Seattle rookie LB Aaron Curry had his best day as a pro notching 10 stops, a sack, and a forced fumble.
Washington Redskins (17) vs. Carolina Panthers (20)
The Redskins ran out to a commanding 17-2 lead in Charlotte only to see the Panthers score 18 unansered points for their first victory of the season. This game marks the second time in three weeks that the Redskins have lost to a winless team.
Washington’s Clinton Portis found the end zone for the first time this season catching a 10-yard touchdown pass and scoring on a one yard plunge.
Carolina back Jonathan Stewart scored his first touchdown of the season as well.
After going two full seasons without a sack Panthers’ linebacker Jon Beason has notched a sack in each of his last two games. He also registered at least ten tackles for the second straight game.
Thomas Davis also logged a sack for the second straight game for the Panthers.
Panthers’ end Julius Peppers recorded his first two sacks since the first week of the season.
Redskins DE Andre Carter had 2.5 sacks marking the first game since week one that he got to the quarterback.
Brian Orakpo notched half-a-sack marking the third straight game he has recorded at least half-a-sack for the ‘Skins.
Rookie defensive end Everette Brown got his first career sack Sunday.
Cleveland Browns (6) vs. Buffalo Bills (3)
Why did Eric Mangini yank Brady Quinn for Derek Anderson again? Anderson was just brutal Sunday completing just 2 of 17 passes for 23 yards and an interception. Anderson’s performance made JaMarcus Russell look like a Pro Bowl quarterback Sunday. It goes to show how much Braylon Edwards meant to the Browns passing game. I said to keep an eye on Mohamed Massaquoi and see if he will be able to produce without Edwards in the lineup, and he failed to deliver catching just one of six balls thrown his way for 16 yards.
Cleveland’s Jamal Lewis and Buffalo’s Marshawn Lynch were the lone offensive bright spots Sunday. Lewis posted his first 100 yard game of the season going for 117 on 31 carries after missing the last two games with a hamstring injury. Lynch gained 125 yards of total offense running for 69 yards on 17 carries and catching six passes for another 56 yards.
Buffalo’s Trent Edwards was only slightly better completing just 16 of 31 for 152 yards and an interception.
Bills’ wide outs Terrell Owens and Lee Evans combined to catch just 6 passes for 55 yards.
Browns linebacker D’Qwell Jackson recorded 13 tackles Sunday marking the third straight week and fourth in give games that he has posted at least 10 stops.
Kamerion Wimbley notched a sack for the fourth time in five games for the Browns Sunday.
