Summin’ up
Green Bay 34, Minnesota 31—The Packers held off a late rally led by Daunte Culpepper and the Vikings in the fourth quarter. Robert Ferguson fumbled the kickoff after the Vikings tied the game, but Green Bay recovered near midfield. Brett Favre led the Packers into scoring position for Ryan Longwell to kick the winning field goal.
Baltimore 20, New York Jets 17 (OT)—The Jets ran a trick play before halftime that proved costly. Ed Reed intercepted a half back pass by Lamont Jordan, setting up a Baltimore touchdown and giving them some momentum before halftime. Poor clock management by the Jets ended any chance of going for the winning touchdown. Kyle Boller made a key pass on third-and-long to set up Matt Stover for the game winning field goal.
Arizona 17, New York Giants 14—The Giants were looking to rebound against perennially weak Arizona, but ended up losing. Emmitt Smith helped the Cardinals back in the game with his first two touchdown game in two seasons. Kurt Warner was sacked six times, as the Giants’ offensive line looked clueless. Fans of Eli Manning are getting their wish, as he will start next week’s game against Atlanta.
Jacksonville beat Detroit in overtime 23-17. The Jaguars were led admirably by David Garrard, who got the start because Byron Leftwich is injured.
New Orleans finally showed some of their offensive explosiveness, beating Kansas City, 27-20. Aaron Brooks hooked up with Joe Horn for the game winning touchdown mid-fourth quarter.
St. Louis didn’t need any comebacks this time, as they beat the Seattle Seahawks 23-12. Both high-powered offenses focused on their ground attack, but field goals were the only points put on the board after the first quarter.
Chicago’s defense came up big to beat Tennessee 19-17. Da’ Bears sacked Billy Volek for a safety in overtime to win the game.
New England was able to easily herd the Buffalo Bills 29-6. The Patriots look to be in playoff form, with their balanced offense and play-making defense.
Indianapolis routed Houston 49-10. Peyton Manning is making a case for repeat MVP with his third five-touchdown performance this year.
Lookin’ Ahead
Denver at New Orleans—Denver is looking to take the AFC West lead away from surprise San Diego. New Orleans needs to build off its win to gain ground on Atlanta.
Detroit at Minnesota—Someone needs to break from the pack in the NFC North. The Vikings are looking to end their three game losing streak, while Detroit is looking to rebound from their overtime defeat. If Detroit wins, and Green Bay loses, there could be a three-way tie for first.
<i>Fantasy Watch</i><br />Stud of the Week
Muhsin Muhammad—The Carolina Panthers’ offense was expected to struggle even more without their top two running backs for the rest of the year. Jake Delhomme hooked up with Muhammad for three touchdowns in the second half to help lead the comeback. Muhammad also finished with 123 receiving yards.
Dud of the Week
Matt Hasselbeck—The Seahawks needed Hasselbeck to step up in this important conference matchup. Even with Shaun Alexander taking pressure off the passing game, Hasselbeck couldn’t get it going against a weak Rams defense.
Burnin’ Up
Peyton Manning—Manning and the Colts’ offense are on fire. Manning has spread the ball around so well that fantasy owners can’t predict if Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne, or Brandon Stokley will have a big day. Manning has already surpassed his 2003 touchdown total, and is making a run to challenge Dan Marino’s single season records.
Ice Cold
Andre Johnson—Fantasy owners were expecting great things from this up and coming receiver. However, after his breakout performance against Minnesota, Johnson has yet to break the 100-yard receiving mark or score a touchdown. Johnson has a chance to end that this week against a Packers’ defense that let up four passing touchdowns last weekend.
Under the Radar
Curtis Moore and Nate Burleson—With the absence of their team’s—Baltimore and Minnesota—traditional receiving stars (Todd Heap and Randy Moss) both wide receivers have stepped up and are becoming the newest playmaker on their team.
