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| Authored by Andrew Perna - 1st November, 2005 - 10:22 pm
 In week eight we saw the Texans earn their first win of the season, the Giants take hold of the NFC East with a blow-out win over the Redskins, and Patriot linebacker Tedy Bruschi make a triumphant return to the gridiron. We also saw Daunte Culpepper go down for the rest of the year, the Broncos light up the Eagles? pro bowl secondary, and the debut of Gregory Gall ? the fan who was responsible for Brett Favre?s sixth turnover of the game.
Those were just some of the highlights from week eight in the NFL. Here is my complete list of highs and lows.
The Highest of Highs
Houston Finally Wins
It took seven games, but the Houston Texans finally earned their first win of the 2005 season. The Texans beat the Cleveland Browns 19-16, on a 40-yard field goal by Kris Brown with 2:56 left in the fourth quarter. Quarterback David Carr, who has been ineffective all season, threw for 138 yards, a touchdown, and an interception against Cleveland. Carr was helped by running back Domanick Davis who ran for 91 yards, and connected with Carr for 25 receiving yards. Houston?s lone touchdown came threw the air when Carr hooked up with Jerome Mathis for a 34-yard score. The Texans will aim for their second win of the second when they face the Jaguars (4-3) next week.
Giant Performance from New York
The Giants demolished the division rival Redskins 36-0, just days after the death of team owner Wellington Mara. The win gave the Giants sole possession of first place in the NFC East, and allowed them to remain the NFL?s top-rated offense ? having scored 209 points through their first seven games. Running back Tiki Barber ran for 206 yards and a touchdown, while the Giant?s defense grabbed one interception, three fumbles, and sacked Redskin quarterbacks five times. The Giants will take their 5-2 record into San Francisco in week nine.
A Barber in Dallas?
With Cowboy?s running back Julius Jones sitting out his third straight game because of a sprained left ankle, rookie Marion Barber was given the starting nod by coach Bill Parcells. Barber took the ball and ran with it, literally on Sunday. Barber ran for 127 yards and scored two touchdowns against the Arizona Cardinals. Barber, who had run for only 126 yards in the three games in which he saw action, unfortunately may not get the ball as often when the Cowboys return from their bye-week. Starter Julius Jones is expected to have healed by then, and will return as the Cowboys feature running back against Philadelphia.
Resilient Rams
It wasn?t enough that the Rams were playing without their head coach Mike Martz. It wasn?t enough that the Rams were playing without star wide receivers Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce. The Rams also lost quarterback Marc Bulger in their week six loss to the undefeated Indianapolis Colts. With quarterback Jamie Martin starting the past two weeks the Rams are 2-0, with wins over the Saints and the Jaguars. The Rams have been successful largely due to running back Steven Jackson. In their win over the Jaguars this Sunday, Jackson ran for 179 yards, and caught a 19-yard game-winning touchdown pass in the fourth quarter. Since Bulger?s injury, Jackson has carried St. Louis. He has rushed for 364 yards and three touchdowns. Jackson has also caught nine passes for 79 yards and one touchdown.
Bruschi?s Back
Just 8 ? months after suffering a mild stroke, Tedy Bruschi returned to the football field for the New England Patriots. Bruschi, who was cleared to practice less than two weeks ago, started for New England at inside linebacker. Largely considered the heart of the Patriots defense, Bruschi hardly seemed as though conditioning and lack of practice had affected his play. After his stroke last February it was speculated that he might never play another game of football. Instead, he completed a miraculous comeback against the Bills on Sunday totaling two solo tackles, and assisting on five more. The Patriots were able to rally back from a 16-7 fourth quarter deficit, with consecutive one-yard touchdown runs by running back Corey Dillon. Bruschi and the Patriots will host the undefeated Colts in week nine.
The Lowest of Lows
Misery in Minnesota
The Vikings didn?t just lose to the Carolina Panthers 38-13 on Sunday, they lost quarterback Daunte Culpepper for the rest of the season with multiple tears in his right knee. The Vikings fell to 2-5, and have been struggling on offense all season after having one of the league?s most explosive offenses last year. In 2004 Culpepper had a career year with 4,717 yards, 39 touchdowns and only 11 interceptions. So far in 2005 Culpepper had only thrown 6 touchdowns to go along with 12 interceptions. The Minnesota defense also allowed Carolina wide receiver Steve Smith to set a franchise record with 201 receiving yards, this after cornerback Fred Smoot begin pre game warm-ups with constant trash talk to the Panthers receiver.
Pity the Packers
The Packers fell to 1-6 after a 21-14 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals this weekend. Green Bay, who out gained the Bengals on offense, continued to struggle on offense. Third-string running back Tony Fisher ran for 51 yards and scored one touchdown, as Brett Favre threw for 290 yards, but only threw one touchdown while throwing five interceptions to the Cincinnati secondary. Things were so bad for Favre that even fans were taking the ball away from him - if you?re confused just Google, Gregory Gall. It won?t get any easier for the Packers as they face the Steelers and the Falcons in the next two weeks. Unless Green Bay makes an incredible second half run, it appears as though Brett Favre may not get his change at another Super Bowl championship.
Tennessee?s Touchdown Foul
An 82-yard punt return for a touchdown by the Titans was overturned after a personal foul penalty. Just a few plays later, Raider Warren Sapp sacked Tennessee quarterback Steve McNair and forced a fumble that was recovered by Jarrod Cooper in the end zone for a touchdown. That extended Oakland?s lead and gave them the momentum they needed to withstand a late charge by the Titans. The loss was Tennessee?s third straight, while the win was Oakland?s third in four games. The Titans will also without the services of wide receiver Drew Bennett until their week eleven match-up with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Philadelphia Defense Falls Hard
One week after blocking a punt and returning it for a touchdown to beat the Chargers, the Eagles defense got pounded by the Broncos. The Eagles quickly fell behind 28-0 midway through the second quarter, but rallied back after scoring third straight touchdowns to enter the fourth quarter down just one touchdown. Before long the Broncos had scored on consecutive drives, and the rout was on. 564 total yards later, the Broncos had beaten the Eagles 49-21. Denver quarterback Jake Plummer had a career day throwing for 309 and four touchdowns. The Broncos didn?t just punish Philadelphia threw the air, running backs Mike Anderson and Tatum Bell combined for 233 rushing yards and three touchdowns. The Eagles defense will need to regroup with three straight division match-ups coming up.
Bucs Lack Bite
Tampa Bay, who entered the week 5-1, squared off against San Francisco this weekend, who entered the week 1-5. The Buccaneers potent run offense was sure to cause the 49ers? lackluster defense an array of problems, right? Wrong. Tampa Bay totaled just 43 yards on ground, while San Francisco had 158 rushing yards. In a low scoring affair, typically the Buccaneers specialty, the 49ers came away victorious. San Francisco beat Tampa Bay 15-10 on Sunday, with all of their scoring coming on Joe Nedney?s five field goals. The Buccaneers, who have one of the league?s top ranked defenses, won?t continue to win if their offense continues to struggle. The Bucs have Carolina, Washington, and Atlanta in the next three weeks. |
