WEEK ONE RUNDOWN

WEEK ONE:

Indianapolis 41, New Orleans 10

Peyton Manning hooked up twice with Reggie Wayne and once with Marvin Harrison for touchdowns. The Colts defense left Drew Brees and the Saints offense in disarray en route to blowout victory. That Colts offense is just something to marvel at. Simply amazing.

Buffalo 14, Denver 15

Jay Cutler leads Broncos in two minute drill, shades of John Elway. With the clock running down inside of 10 seconds, the Broncos run their field goal unit on to the field and Jason Elam hits a 42 yard field goal as time expires.

Jacksonville 10, Tennessee 13

The Titans defeated the Jags behind the legs of Chris Brown and his 175 rushing yards and Vince Young's touchdown run, leading them to a three point victory in a tightly contested battle of divisional opponents.

Washington 16, Miami 13

Antwaan Randle El aided the Redskins struggling offense with 5 catches for 162 yards, but it was Shaun Shuisham who stole the show, going 3/3 on field goal attempts including the game winner from 39 yards out.

St. Louis 13, Carolina 27

Jake Delehomme is back. He quieted the critics, throwing for 200 yards and three touchdowns, two to Drew Carter and one to his boy Steve Smith. The Panthers dominated all phases of the game, absolutely shutting down Steven Jackson.

New York Jets 14, New England 38

Complete and total domination, whether the Pats cheating or not having anything to do with it is still to be determined. Regardless, no more explanation needed. The Pats are pretty decent (sarcasm.) Anyone still calling Randy Moss slow or over the hill? Didn't think so.

Minnesota 24, Atlanta 3

The Joey Harrington seen in the preseason was nowhere to be seen. However, Joey from Detroit and Miami was in attendance. Atlanta is terrible, plain and simple. Warrick Dunn 22 carries 55 yards. Jerious Norwood 5 carries 33 yards. Something is wrong with that. Adrian Peterson makes big debut. He's going to be a good one.

Cleveland 7, Pittsburgh 34

There was no uglier performance than that of the Cleveland Clowns. Man oh man are they bad. Charlies been fyred, Romeo is next. Brady Quinn expected to make his first start Sunday vs. Cincinnati. As for Pittsburgh, don't get too excited and hyper up over Roethlisberger and fries, they only beat the Frowns. Not that there's no potential there, but the erroneous comparisons to the Steelers Super Bowl team of 2005 are out the wazoo.

Green Bay 16, Philadelphia 13

In a game that featured a lot of defense and not a lot of offense, the Packers outlasted the Eagles in a nail-biter. Had it not been for two muffed punts by the Eagles, the game may have been different. Yet, people still say special teams isn't important. Regardless, that Packers defense is tenacious! Plus, the Packers made the Eagles pay, as Mason Crosby hit a 42 yard field goal to win it for the Favres.

Houston 20, Kansas City 3

In an exemplary effort of offense by the Kansas City Chiefs, they turned the ball over more times than the amount of points they scored (4-3.) The Chiefs offense was nowhere to be found, despite the efforts of Herm Edwards to find them. The Texans rolled to an easy victory over a team who may find themselves under a rolling pin weekly.

Seattle 20, Tampa Bay 6

Shaun Alexander has an impressive return running for 105 yards and a score as the Seahawks stampede the Bucs. But the Bucs lost more than the game. Quarterback Jeff Garcia and Running Back Cadillac Williams left the game within minutes of each other after each sustained an injury. For Tampa, it will be a long season, and it isn't because they will be playing deep into January. As for Gruden, he may not be coaching then either.

San Diego 14, Chicago 3

Ladanian Tomlinson had a better day at quarterback than Phillip Rivers, but through the struggles, they prevailed because of Tomlinsons touchdown pass and touchdown run. The Chargers defense was charged up, but stopping Rex Grossman is like riding a bike. 99% of people can, but that 1% can't. Lucky for San Diego they were in the majority. Not that the Bears defense didn't do their job, making LT look as if he were an offensive lineman trying to run the ball. Too bad Rex is still Rex.

Oakland 21, Detroit 36

Jon from Cincinnati and his high powered offense, aided Josh McCown interceptions, survived a late game scare and cruised to a big win. Kitna had a typical game for him, a lot of yards, a couple tds, and some turnovers. As for Calvin Johnson, he looked good, scoring his first touchdown of his career. As for first tds, Tatum Bell got his first as a Lion. McCown looked good for the Raiders, throwing for over 300 yards, but their inability to score in the first half cost them the game early.

Dallas 45, New York Giants 35

This loss will have a lasting effect on the Giants, and it isn't because they gave up 45 points. The injuries sustained in the game by Giants' Brandon Jacobs, Eli Manning, among others will devastate them in the upcoming weeks, not something a coach on the hot seat wants to see. Naturally, it came after Eli Manning looked oddly similar to his brother Peyton, in other ways than their looks. As for the Cowboys, Tony Romo arguably had the best week of any quarterback, throwing for 345 yards and 4 touchdowns. The Cowboys balanced running game helped their offense and passing game become very efficient. Cowboys won the shootout, but winning games when giving up 35 points isn't the recipe for success.

GAME OF THE WEEK!

Cincinnati 27, Baltimore 20

What defense dressed up in Bengals orange and black on the field? It sure wasn't the one we all are used to seeing. That defense forced 6 turnovers, including two game saving interceptions by defensive lineman. However, the Bengals offense looked totally out of whack. Carson and Chad were on the same page, but Carson wasn't on the same page with the rest of his receivers, let alone the same book. As for special teams, the Bengals allowed a punt return for TD and consistently gave the Ravens great starting position. However, great teams find a way to win and that is what the Bengals did. Baltimore hung around all game long. Fighting through the turnovers, the Ravens were able to retain the lead after an Ed Reed punt return for TD. But after a turnover gave it back, the Ravens drove down, despite Steve McNair leaving the game due to injury, the field for a first in goal at the three. From there, we saw what will most likely be the greatest goal line stand of the year and perhaps the greatest interception of the year, if not the most athletic...


1-3-CIN 3
(3:11) 23-W.McGahee right guard to CIN 2 for 1 yard (59-L.Johnson; 28-D.Jackson).

2-2-CIN 2
(2:29) 7-K.Boller pass incomplete short right to 81-D.Darling (28-D.Jackson).
Timeout #3 by BLT at 02:23.

3-2-CIN 2
(2:23) 23-W.McGahee right tackle to CIN 1 for 1 yard (29-L.Hall).

Two-Minute Warning

4-1-CIN 1
(2:00) 7-K.Boller pass to 86-T.Heap for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN NULLIFIED by Penalty. PENALTY on BLT-86-T.Heap, Offensive Pass Interference, 10 yards, enforced at CIN 1 - No Play.

4-11-CIN 11
(1:54) (Shotgun) 7-K.Boller pass incomplete to 87-D.Williams. CIN-90-J.Smith was injured during the play. PENALTY on CIN-40-M.Williams, Defensive Holding, 5 yards, enforced at CIN 11 - No Play.

Timeout #2 by CIN at 01:49. {Charged due to injury under 2:00}

1-6-CIN 6
(1:49) 23-W.McGahee left guard to CIN 2 for 4 yards (55-A.Brooks).

2-2-CIN 2
(1:24) 7-K.Boller pass incomplete short right to 37-L.McClain.

3-2-CIN 2
(1:19) 7-K.Boller pass short middle intended for 86-T.Heap INTERCEPTED by 96-M.Myers at CIN -2. Touchback. {Pass deflected by Heap (BLT#86), then off L.Johnson (CIN#59), then was caught by M.Myers (CIN#96)}

...that catch by Michael Myers was not just a catch, but a diving, full extension leap for the ball as he caught it off the ground. What a play! That capped off the night full of gut-wrenching hits, costly turnovers, and intensity. ESPN couldn't have asked for a better Monday Night Football game, not only because of the unbelievable finish, but because of the playoff atmosphere.

San Francisco 20, Arizona 17

Frank Gore didn't look great, Alex Smith looked even worse, but a bounce of fortune gave the 49ers a second chance and a game winning touchdown. A fumbled ball into the endzone got away from Cardinals defensive back Eric Green, allowing the 49ers to recover and get the ball at the one yard line. An end around to Arnaz Battle scored what would be the game winning touchdown. Its a game of inches, a game of twist and turns, and that ball that bounced inches away from Green and twisted and turned ended up costing the Cardinals the game. It was a defensive struggle from the onset, and it was the home team that survived the battle of the fittest.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK:

Randy Moss, 9 catches 183 yards, one touchdown.

HONORABLE MENTIONS: Tony Romo, Tom Brady, Joseph Addai, and Chris Brown.

Brandon