Baltimore 30, Arizona 27 Trench Counter: Ravens +6.5, Cardinals -6.5 Trailing 24-6 at halftime, the Baltimore Ravens (5-2) scored 27 of the game's final 30 points to edge the Arizona Cardinals (1-6) on Sunday afternoon. The two teams combined for close to 200 penalty yards and nearly split time of possession. Joe Flacco struggled in the first half, but rallied in the third and fourth quarters to finish 31-for-51 with 336 yards and an interception. His long passes set up Ray Rice, who ran 18 times for 63 yards and three rushing touchdowns. Arizona scored touchdowns on a run by Beanie Wells, punt return by Patrick Peterson and a pass from Kevin Kolb to Early Doucet over a five-minute stretch in the second quarter. For then on, the Cardinals would only score on a 45-yard field goal by Jay Feely to momentarily tie the game with close to nine minutes left in regulation. Arizona had just 207 yards of total offense and went 2-for-11 on third down. Minnesota 24, Carolina 21 Trench Counter: Vikings +3.5, Panthers -3.5 The Minnesota Vikings (2-6) won just their second game of the season as rookie quarterback Christian Ponder got his first NFL victory in a close contest against the Carolina Panthers (2-6). The game featured a pair of rookie quarterbacks as Cam Newton played well yet again and drove Carolina to within range of a game-tying field goal with less than 30 seconds remaining. However, Olindo Mare missed a 31-yard attempt (wide left) to give Minnesota the victory. Newton had 290 passing yards and three touchdowns, but Ponder and the Vikings averaged more yards per pass (8.2 to 7.6). Carolina outrushed Adrian Peterson and Minnesota, averaging 5.2 yards per carry as a team. Newton scrambled six times for 53 yards and wide receiver Steve Smith, who caught seven passes for 100 yards and a touchdown, gained 12 yards on one ground attempt. The Vikings tied the game at fourteen late in the second quarter after Newton fumbled on a sack by Jared Allen. Houston 24, Jacksonville 14 Trench Counter: Texans +10.4, Jaguars -10.4 The Houston Texans (5-3) downed the Jacksonville Jaguars (2-6) thanks to timely offense and a fairly strong defensive effort. Arian Foster ran for 112 yards and a touchdown on a workmanlike 33 carries and Houston's defense limited Jacksonville to just 2.8 yards per pass at Reliant Stadium. Jaguars rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert went 10-for-30 with 97 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. Foster's lone touchdown run gave the Texans a 21-7 lead early in the fourth quarter and it was his ability to gain yards late that allowed Houston to seal the victory. The Jaguars gained just 174 total yards on offense and came back down to earth after their shocking win over the Baltimore Ravens on Monday Night Football. Maurice Jones-Drew rushed 18 times for 63 yards and a touchdown, his first road score of the 2011 season. N.Y. Giants 20, Miami 17 Trench Counter: Giants +2.2, Dolphins -2.2 The Miami Dolphins (0-7) flirted with their first win of the season but ultimately fell to the favored New York Giants (5-2), who came to life in the fourth quarter. Dan Carpenter hit a 40-yard field goal with 12:17 left in the third period to give Miami a 17-10 lead, but the Dolphins didn't score again and Eli Manning and the Giants moved the ball well in the second half. The Dolphins committed the only turnover of the game, sealing their fate as Matt Moore was intercepted by Corey Webster with little time remaining. Manning attempted twice as many passes as Moore, accumulating 349 yards and two touchdowns, one to Mario Manningham and another to Victor Cruz. The connection with Cruz came on a 25-yard completion and gave New York their first lead of the game with 5:58 left in regulation. Reggie Bush rushed 15 times for 103 yards, his first 100-yard rushing since 2006 and just the second of his NFL career. St. Louis 31, New Orleans 21 Trench Counter: Rams +3.7, Saints -3.7 The St. Louis Rams (1-6) won their first game of the season in impressive fashion, topping the New Orleans Saints (5-3) with A.J. Feeley filling in for Sam Bradford (ankle sprain). The Rams jumped out to a 24-0 lead and held off a late charge by Drew Brees and the Saints at the Edward Jones Dome. St. Louis was led by Steven Jackson, who rushed 25 times for 159 yards and two touchdowns. They had nine first downs on the ground, against just three for New Orleans. The Saints scored three touchdowns in the final 17 minutes of the game, but it wasn't enough after they dug themselves an early hole. Brees threw a pair of interceptions, including one that was returned for a touchdown in the fourth quarter to give the Rams a 31-14 edge with less than three minutes remaining. New Orleans averaged just 2.8 yards per rush, with Pierre Thomas, Chris Ivory and Darren Sproles struggling against a surprisingly potent Rams defense. Tennessee 27, Indianapolis 10 Trench Counter: Titans +2.3, Colts -2.3 The Indianapolis Colts (0-8) bounced back a bit after their embarrassing loss to the New Orleans Saints last Sunday night, but they remain winless after losing to the Tennessee Titans (4-3). The Colts had more first downs than the Titans (22 to 17), but Indianapolis committed a pair of turnovers while Tennessee didn't give up the football. Delonte Carter and Donald Brown combined to lead the Colts to 6.1 yards per rush and Curtis Painter added 79 yards on seven scrambles, but they were just 6-for-17 on third down and 0-for-2 on fourth. Matt Hasselbeck found Nate Washington for a 14-yard touchdown pass with 5:20 left in regulation to seal the win for Tennessee. Hasselbeck averaged 6.8 yards per pass, totaled 224 yards and threw for the aforementioned touchdown. Chris Johnson struggled yet again, gaining 34 yards on 14 touches, but Javon Ringer padded the team rushing average with 14 carries for 60 yards. The Titans protected Hasselbeck well. He was sacked just once and hit only five times in all. Buffalo 23, Washington 0 Trench Counter: Bills +18.8, Redskins -18.8 The Buffalo Bills (5-2) absolutely dismantled the Washington Redskins (3-4) thanks to a great performance on both sides of the ball. Ryan Fitzpatrick went 21-for-27 with 262 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, while Fred Jackson had 194 total yards (26 attempts for 120 rushing yards). The win moved Buffalo into first place in the AFC East with nine games to play. John Beck was ineffective, going 20-for-33 with 208 yards and two interceptions. The Bills defense totaled nine sacks, eight tackles for loss and hit the quarterback 14 times. Washington managed just 178 total yards and was a combined 4-for-16 on third and fourth down. The game marked the first time that Redskins coach Mike Shanahan had been shut out in his coaching career. Detroit 45, Denver 10 Trench Counter: Lions +14.9, Broncos -14.9 The Detroit Lions (6-2) got back in the win column with a drubbing of the Denver Broncos (2-5) and quarterback Tim Tebow. Matthew Stafford, playing despite suffering a foot injury last week, went 21-for-30 with 267 yards and three touchdowns. Stafford threw a touchdown pass in each of the game's first three quarters. Calvin Johnson was his leading receiver with six receptions for 125 yards and a score. Detroit averaged 6.1 yards per play. Tebow, a week after leading a dramatic comeback win over the Dolphins, went 18-for-39 with 172 yards, a touchdown and an interception. He also rushed 10 times for 63 times in just his second start of the 2011 season. Tebow was sacked seven times and hit on seven other occasions. Denver didn't score a touchdown until the 8:19 mark of the fourth quarter when Tebow found Eric Decker for a 14-yard score. Pittsburgh 25, New England 17 Trench Counter: Steelers +6, Patriots -6 The Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2) scored the first 10 points of the game and made a defensive stand late to defeat the New England Patriots (5-2) at Heinz Field. Pittsburgh had 10 more first downs than New England, who went three-and-out on their first possessions of both the first and second halves. The Patriots managed just 213 total yards and held the ball for only twenty minutes. Ben Roethlisberger threw the ball early and often, going 36-for-50 with 365 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. He averaged 6.6 yards per attempt, while Tom Brady had a 4.9-yard average. Brady went 24-for-35 with 198 yards and two touchdowns, but Pittsburgh used press coverage and swarmed the ball whenever a pass was completed. The Steelers averaged 5.5 yards per play. The Patriots moved an average of just 4.3 yards per offensive snap. San Francisco 20, Cleveland 10 Trench Counter: 49ers +10, Browns -10 The San Francisco 49ers (6-1) remained hot with a nice win over the Cleveland Browns (3-4) at Candlestick Park. The 49ers remained the only team in the NFL with one loss and they have the second-best record in the league behind the Green Bay Packers (7-0). Alex Smith managed a good game, going 15-for-24 with 177 yards and a touchdown, while Frank Gore did the heavy lifting. He rushed 31 times for 134 yards and a score. Colt McCoy had a rough afternoon for Cleveland, tossing an interception and losing one of his four fumbles. He finished 22-for-34 with 241 yards for a decent 7.1 yards per attempt average. The Browns averaged just 2.9 yards per rush attempt and totaled only 66 yards on the ground with Peyton Hillis out. Cincinnati 34, Seattle 12 Trench Counter: Bengals -2.7, Seahawks +2.7 The final score was ugly, but the Cincinnati Bengals (5-2) were close statistically in their victory over the Seattle Seahawks (2-5). Seattle actually had more first downs (20 to 18), total yards (411 to 252), and a higher yard per pass average (7.4 to 5.5). Marshawn Lynch scored on a two-yard touchdown run with 8:55 left in the game to bring the Seahawks to within 17-12, but Cincinnati scored the final 17 points of the game. Ironically, it was their special teams that put the game away with Brandon Tate returning a punt 56 yards for a touchdown and Reggie Nelson returning an interception 75 yards for another seven points in the final four minutes of the game. The AFC North is now loaded at the top with the Bengals and Ravens tied for second place between the Steelers at 5-2. Philadelphia 34, Dallas 7 Trench Counter: Eagles +14.1, Cowboys -14.1 The Philadelphia Eagles (3-4) moved into a three-way tie for second place in the NFC East with an impressive win over the Dallas Cowboys (3-4) on Sunday night. The Eagles jumped out to a 7-0 lead and led 34-0 a few minutes into the fourth quarter. The Cowboys scored their only touchdown on a 70-yard pass from Tony Romo to Laurent Robinson at the 12:44 mark of the final period. Philadelphia had 31 first downs (against Dallas to 12), went 7-for-12 on third down (against 3-for-10 for Dallas) and 495 total yards. The Cowboys gained just 267 yards at Lincoln Financial Field. The Eagles held the football for 42:09 as they earned their second-straight win after a very poor start to the season.

Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez has already surpassed most records for players at his position, but he is also closing in on some wide receivers. If he catches four passes for the Falcons against the Lions on Sunday, Gonzalez will move into second place on the NFL's all-time receiving list, behind only Jerry Rice. Gonzalez currently has 1,099 catches in his career, just behind Cris Carter (1,101) and Marvin Harrison (1,102). His 12,781 receiving yards and 92 touchdowns are both the best for any tight end in NFL history.

The AFC The Buddy Nix Jay Skurski of Buffalo News: “At least for the short term, running back CJ Spiller has a new position on the Buffalo Bills. Spiller, the Bills’ first-round pick in the 2010 draft, played wide receiver in Sunday’s 27-24 loss to the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. That’s where he’ll stay for now, according to coach Chan Gailey.” The Jeff Ireland The South Florida Sun-Sentinel: “The Miami Dolphins running game was one of the lone bright spots in Monday night's game against the Jets. Tailback Reggie Bush entered Monday night averaging 3 yards per carry but increased that with a productive first quarter against the Jets.” The Jonathan Kraft Richard Hill of Pats Pulpit: “Sunday marked the 16th time in the regular season a former Patriots coach under Bill Belichick has returned to face their old team as either a lead coordinator or a head coach. Some names are familiar, such as Romeo Crennel, Eric Mangini, and Josh McDaniels.” The Mike Tannenbaum Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News: “If anybody was frightened by Brandon Marshall's vow to play like a monster, it wasn't Darrelle Revis. The Jets' cornerback embraced the challenge of playing opposite the self-proclaimed beast, and then robbed his Halloween candy.” The Ozzie Newsome Baltimore Beatdown: “There is something about playing your former team. From Pop Warner on up to the NFL there is nothing sweeter than sticking it to the guys that thought they could go on with out you. Bernard Pollard and Vonta Leach did just that on Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium.” The Mike Brown Ryan Harper of Cincy Jungle: “After six games the Bengals have already matched their win total from last season. They are riding a three-game win streak and currently trail the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC North. Andy Dalton and A.J. Green have both made relatively smooth transitions from college to professional football and overall the team has been performing well against their opponents. Everything seems to be falling into place, right?” The Tom Heckert Chris Pokorny of Dawgs By Nature: “There's the panic button! I admit that I was ready to hit it when I did not see running back Peyton Hillis in the game during the second and third quarters yesterday. It seemed like a mystery, and because the cameras showed Hillis standing on the sideline with his helmet in hand, I thought that something had happened between he and head coach Pat Shurmur that put him in the doghouse.” The Kevin Colbert Neal Coolong of Behind The Steel Curtain: “Steelers veteran and captain Hines Ward was on The Jungle on the Jim Rome Show this afternoon. He gave some Hines-like positive sentiment and provided plenty of reasons why Steeler Nation has cheered for him harder and longer than perhaps any other player on the roster. He did admit this contract will be his last. Ward doesn't have any plans to continue playing after his contract expires.” The Rick Smith Battle Red Blog: “The Ravens may end up having one of the better defenses in recent NFL history this season, the Texans played without Andre Johnson or Mario Williams, and a win on the road against a formidable foe would have changed the way people around the NFL see the Texans.” The Chris Polian Stampede Blue: “Before we start clamoring to blow up the team, let's slow down and take a deep breath. Adam Schefter's idea that the Colts should trade Mathis and Wayne is in keeping with the wildly overstated purported demise of the franchise and the panicked nature surrounding the organization.” The Gene Smith Alfie Crow of Big Cat Country: “The Jacksonville Jaguars are the worst passing team in the NFL. They're second to last in the NFL in points per game. Outside of the running game with Maurice Jones-Drew, the Jaguars offense is... well, awful.” The Mike Reinfeldt Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean: “The Titans aren’t sure if Texans receiver Andre Johnson will be back for Sunday’s game at LP Field, but they learned a lesson from their 38-17 loss to the Steelers. “After all the talk about who might play and might not play for the Steelers, whoever lines up we have to be ready,” safety Michael Griffin said. “It doesn’t matter who is playing.” The Steelers were without several starters but whipped the Titans on Oct. 9.” The Brian Xanders Sayre Bedinger of Mile High Report: “It's the beginning of the beginning for the Denver Broncos, and while the timing isn't conventional, they are letting the team know that it's time to step up or you are not going to be part of the future.” The Scott Pioli Joel Thorman of Arrowhead Pride: “It's Oakland Raiders week for the Kansas City Chiefs and, even though both teams have struggled in recent years, it's still a heck of a rivalry, one that still gets us pumped up. It's even better this year now that both teams are (somewhat) competitive and in a meaningful AFC West race.” The Al Davis Rich Langford of Silver And Black Pride: “There is no particular reason to post this, other than the fact I resent Michael Crabtree for laughing when the Raiders selected Darrius Heyward-Bey over him. Well, that and the fact that the selection was widely panned.” The Dean Spanos Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune: “A strained calf and a concussion slowed their assault on the record book, but Chargers running backs Ryan Mathews and Mike Tolbert returned to practice Monday and, seemingly fully healthy, are still on track to cover more ground through the air than any running back tandem in NFL history.” The NFC The Stephen Jones Blogging The Boys: “Coming into the 2011 season, most Cowboys fans believed the star-studded offense would have to carry the team. The defense was atrocious in 2010 and would also need time to learn the new Rob Ryan scheme.” The Jerry Reese Ebenezer Samuel of The New York Daily News: “We all knew Hakeem Nicks was off to a good start this season. How good? The bye gave us some chance to crunch some numbers. And with 508 receiving yards in six games, the third-year receiver is on pace to finish with 1,354 yards. That would break Amani Toomer's nine-year-old single-season team record for receiving yards (1,343).” The Howie Roseman Bleeding Green Nation: “When the Eagles shuffled Todd Herremans over to LT and started Winston Justice at RT, it looked like a recipe for disaster. As it turned out, it was anything but. In fact, you might even say it was the best performance we've seen from the line all season. When you consider that it was against such a good defensive front, it's all the more impressive.” The Bruce Allen Mike Jones of The Washington Post: “Washington Redskins inside linebacker and defensive captain London Fletcher expects his team to rebound from Sunday’s loss to the Philadelphia Eagles and put together a strong performance against the Carolina Panthers this weekend.” The Jerry Angelo Dan Pompei of The Chicago Tribune: “On the 32 plays when Jay Cutler either dropped back or lined up in shotgun Sunday against the Vikings, the Bears protected him with six or more blockers 75 percent of the time.” The Martin Mayhew Sean Yuille of Pride Of Detroit: “The reason the news about Jahvid Best's latest concussion didn't come until early Monday morning is because he didn't actually experience any symptoms until after the 49ers game, according to Jim Schwartz.” The Mark Murphy Acme Packing Company: “One topic discussed was the game by LB Clay Matthews. I read a couple of "Clay is back" articles on Monday. He was able to tip multiple passes, but I've seen him with a few near deflections this season. He recorded one sack, but that was a coverage sack. He was getting pressure on the quarterback, but he's been doing that over the past few games anyway. Was this his best game of the season, or just another strong game?” The Mark Wilf Shari L. Gross of The Star Tribune: “Jared Allen says when your team is as bad as the Vikings, things have to change and Brian Robison has a special message for players already looking ahead to the 2012 season.” The Thomas Dimitroff D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “After another poor showing on third down, the Falcons defense slipped into last place in the league in third-down efficiency. Teams are converting 49 percent of their third downs against the Falcons.” The Marty Hurney Cat Scratch Reader: “I would have to agree the Panthers were missing some basic fundamentals in stopping [Michael] Turner on those stretch plays to the outside. The DE's were getting sealed off and the LB's were a step too slow to the edge. Throw in a failure to wrap up and you have Run Stopping 101 rules being violated just about every running play.” The Mickey Loomis John DeShazier of The Times-Picayune: “If the lesson learned by the New Orleans Saints from Sunday is that they don't wear flame-retardant uniforms, then falling into second place in the NFC South might have been worth it.” The Mark Dominik Bucs Nation: “The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had won 13 of 21 games over the past year and a half before coming into yesterday's contest against the New Orleans Saints. Amazingly of those 13 wins, only one came against a team that finished the season with a winning record, or that had a winning record going into the game.” The Rod Graves Revenge Of The Birds: “I am sick of hearing the Cardinals are done and garbage and have no chance to win. All these "They suck posts" are really pissing me off. I have been watching the Cardinals football for a long while and at some times it was hard to call it football but some of these fans are ridiculous. "Fire Whisenhunt,” "Kevin Kolb sucks,” "Switch back to a 4-3" and "Start Trading Away Guys" is what I am hearing. I won't begin to dismantle these statements instead here is how the Cardinals can beat the Steelers.” The Billy Devaney Jim Thomas of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch: “The newest Rams wide receiver, Brandon Lloyd, had 1,448 yards receiving and 11 TDs in just one season — 2010. So, yes, in acquiring Lloyd from the Denver Broncos on Monday, the Rams added much-needed experience and play-making potential to their youthful receiver corps.” The Trent Baalke The San Francisco Chronicle: “One day later, in keeping with NFL custom, the 49ers reflected. They relished their spirited pass rush Sunday in Detroit, savored their game-winning touchdown, bemoaned their barrage of penalties - and vowed (sort of) to work on the post-game handshake.” The John Schneider The Field Gulls: “A couple of weeks ago, some VMAC reporters were asking Pete Carroll about how the NFL has changed in terms of the growth of the passing game since his time in New England. Pete last coached in New England in 1999, sandwiched in between the reigns of Parcells and Belichick. I would be lying to you if I didn't wonder sometimes if Pete's unique philosophies will work in the modern NFL.”