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| Authored by Andrew Perna - 22nd November, 2005 - 4:25 pm
 In week twelve we saw Indianapolis win a shootout in Cincinnati, Kurt Warner defeat his old team in St. Louis, and Chicago win a battle between two of the NFL?s hottest teams.
We also saw Tampa Bay come back to bite Atlanta, the Dolphins get blanked by the Browns, and the continued free-fall in Philadelphia.
Those were just some of the highlights from week eleven in the NFL. Here is my complete list of highs and lows.
The Highest of Highs
Colts go 10-0
It was billed as a match-up between two of the NFL?s best teams, and it was. Cincinnati receiver Chad Johnson claimed the Indianapolis defense couldn?t stop him, and they couldn?t. The Colts were hoping to become the 17th team in NFL history to go 10-0, and they succeeded. Indianapolis was victorious 45-37 over the Bengals on Sunday. Peyton Manning threw for 365 yards and three touchdowns, while his opponent Carson Palmer threw for 335 yards and two touchdowns. The Colts tight end Dallas Clark broke out with 125 yards and a touchdown, while Cincinnati was led by Johnson who had 189 receiving yards and a score of his own. The Colts look to go 11-0 when they face the Pittsburgh Steelers in week twelve.
Warner Beats Rams
Former Rams quarterback Kurt Warner was able to celebrate in St. Louis once again. This time, as a member of the visiting Arizona Cardinals. Warner threw three touchdowns passes to go along with 285 yards in the Cardinals 38-28 victory. In his first game in St. Louis since the 2003 season, Warner earned his first victory in five starts as Arizona?s quarterback. Arizona continued to get production from Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald, who combined for 209 yards and two touchdowns.
Ravens Shock Steelers in OT
Baltimore finally ended their 12-quarter touchdown drought after a second quarter pass by Kyle Boller. But they needed more than that to beat Pittsburgh on Sunday. With the Ravens leading 13-6 and less than six minutes left in the fourth quarter, Tommy Maddox connected with Willie Parker for an 11-yard game-tying score. After both teams had a chance to win in regulation, the game headed into overtime with the Steelers getting the ball first. Following the Steelers second overtime punt, Baltimore?s offense finally broke through, winning on Matt Stover?s 44-yard goal.
Bears Win Battle of Streakers
Last week Chicago cornerback Nathan Vasher returned a missed field goal 108 yards for the deciding touchdown. This week he intercepted Carolina quarterback Jake Delhomme twice, helping the Bears defeat the Panthers 13-3. The win was Chicago?s sixth straight, while the loss snapped Carolina?s own six game winning streak. Chicago held the Panthers to 3 points on 238 yards of total offense. The Bears, now 7-3, are in control of the NFC North and rolling towards the postseason.
Parcells Running Game
Cowboy running backs Julius Jones and Marlon Barber combined for 145 rushing yards and two touchdowns, in Dallas? victory over Detroit. Their balanced running attack allowed the Cowboys to control the game-clock, and keep their defense off of the field. The Cowboys defeated the Lions 20-7, to keep pace with the Giants ? the teams are tied atop the NFC East. Barber and Jones will need to play well next week against the Broncos, who have the league?s best backfield tandem in Mike Anderson and Tatum Bell.
The Lowest of Lows
Redskins Losing Pace
The Redskins, in need of a victory to keep up with the Giants and Cowboys in the NFC East, crumbled against the Raiders on Sunday. Trailing 13-3 at halftime, the Raiders put together a strong second-half performance that resulted in their fourth win of the season. Washington was shut out in the second half by the Oakland defense, as the Raiders scored thirteen points after the half on their way to a 16-13 win. The game-winning drive was capped with a 19-yard field goal by Sebastian Janikowski with 1:17 remaining on the clock. The game was an important one for Oakland head coach Norv Turner who was fired by Washington in December of 2000. The Redskins head into a battle against the red-hot Chargers next Sunday.
Dolphins Blanked
Cleveland shut out the Miami Dolphins 22-0 on Sunday, after totaling two interceptions and two sacks. Maybe the Browns are finally buying into former New England defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel?s philosophy. Miami was held to 194 total yards by the Browns, while allowing the Browns to put up their second-best point total of the season ? they scored 26 in the week two win over the Green Bay Packers. The Dolphins never even entered the Cleveland red zone. After challenging for the AFC East lead a few weeks ago, the Dolphins have now lost three straight games and have fallen to 3-7, ahead of only the wretched New York Jets (2-8).
Atlanta Shocked by Tampa Bay
It looked as though the Falcons were in control leading 27-20 with eight minutes left in the game. Then, with 2:00 minutes remaining Buccaneers running back Cadillac Williams tied the game with a 9-yard touchdown run. Atlanta?s Michael Vick had the ball in his hand with an opportunity to lead the Falcons to a dramatic victory over Tampa Bay, but as Vick and the Falcons were driving towards victory, the Bucs Derrick Brooks caused a Vick fumble which led to Matt Bryant?s 45-yard game-winning field goal. With under a minute remaining on the clock the Falcons couldn?t answer Bryant?s field goal, and fell 30-27 to Tampa Bay. The win, broke a tie between the two NFC South teams, and vaulted the Bucs into a first-place tie with the Carolina Panthers.
Eagles? Free-Fall
Philadelphia was supposed to make another run at the Super Bowl. They are now without Terrell Owens (suspension) and Donovan McNabb (injury), and will also go without another championship run. Despite a valiant effort the Eagles fell to the rival New York Giants 27-17 at the Meadowlands. Having pulled within a field goal midway through the fourth quarter, the Eagles looked as though they might pull off the impossible on Sunday. Instead, Eli Manning and Plaxico Burress hooked up for a 61-yard score that put all hopes of an Eagles comeback to rest. Philadelphia will be without McNabb and pro bowl cornerback Lito Sheppard for the rest of the season to due injury.
Priest Replacement
The Kansas City Chiefs lost running back Priest Holmes for the season a few weeks ago when he suffered a severe concussion in their week eight match-up against the San Diego Chargers. But Holmes, considered one of the NFL?s elite running backs, has hardly been missed since he was placed on the injured reserve. His back-up Larry Johnson has run for 450 yards and four touchdowns in his past three games, including a 211-yard performance against the Texans on Sunday night. Holmes value in Kansas City is quickly falling, and rumors of his retirement are surfacing, the Priest Era may in fact be over. Johnson will face the defending-champion Patriots defense in week twelve. |
