Mattie T’s Week 8 Recap of the 2006 NFL Season

At Lambeau Field, the Green Bay Packers built an early 21-0 lead, then held off the Arizona Cardinals for a 31-14 home win.

The Packers got a pair of 100 yard rushing performances during their win.

RB Ahman Green ran 21 times for 106 yards and scored twice.

Green also scored his 51st rushing touchdown as a Packer, moving him past Paul Hornung for second in team history.

Jim Taylor is the team’s all-time leader with 81 rushing touchdowns.

Backup RB Vernand Morency added 101 yards on just 11 carries.

It’s the first time that Green Bay has had a pair of 100 yard rushers since December of ‘85 against Tampa Bay.

Green Bay won 21-0 in a game that was highlighted by a game-day blizzard with winds howling from 25-35 mph.

Packers QB Brett Favre tried a Lambeau Leap for the first time in his 16 year career after a 1 yard touchdown run in the third quarter.

“I should have found a lower spot,” Favre said. “I’m not real savvy in the stands-jumping department.”

Arizona now heads into their bye week with 7 consecutive losses & the worst record in the NFL at 1-7.

The constant losing is frustrating the team.

“We come to practice every day,” Cardinals QB Matt Leinart said. “We come out here. We play hard. It’s just tough losing like this.”

“It’s wearing on everybody,” Cardinals S Robert Griffith said. “He’s (Dennis Green) not the only guy it’s wearing on. This is my 14th year doing this. You think I want to go 1-7? It’s just frustrating and wearing on everybody.”

“I just don’t have anything to say,” Cardinals RB Edgerrin James said.

“We have guys in here that are great athletes,” Cardinals WR Anquan Boldin said.
“Honestly, this is the most talented team I’ve been on since I’ve been in the NFL. It’s just ridiculous that we’re 1-7.”

For those who still think the Packers have no chance to rebound from a 1-4 start, Packers WR Donald Driver has some words of advice:

“It’s not over,” Driver said. “We’re still in the hunt. I think a lot of people kind of ruled us out. But the Pack is back.”

At Paul Brown Stadium, the Atlanta Falcons got another strong game from Michael Vick to squeeze out a 29-27 road win over the Cincinnati Bengals.

Vick completed 20 of 28 passes for 291 yards (season-high) for 3 touchdowns & no interceptions. He also added 55 yards on 9 rushing attempts.

Bengals WR Chad Johnson provided some comic relief heading up to kickoff.

On Wednesday, Johnson encouraged reporters to call him “Ocho Cinco”, which is his jersey number in Spanish.

Johnson came onto the field in pre-game warmups with “Ocho Cinco” replacing his last name on the back of his jersey.

Just seconds before kickoff, Bengals QB Carson Palmer ripped the “Ocho Cinco” sticker off Johnson’s jersey. Johnson was told by the NFL that he would be fined if he took the field during the game with the “Ocho Cinco” moniker on his back.

Johnson guaranteed two touchdowns on Sunday but only recorded one, a 12 yard catch-and-run score in the second quarter to give Cincinnati a 14-6 lead.

Johnson had a possible second touchdown catch slip right through his hands after he had beaten Falcons CB DeAngelo Hall right behind him.

Bengals WR Chris Henry caught 5 receptions for 81 yards & a touchdown in his return to the starting lineup, which included a 55 yard touchdown from Palmer in the fourth quarter for Cincinatti’s final points of the game.

Henry had been benched by the Bengals for one game and suspended by the NFL for two more for violating the league’s personal conduct and substance abuse policies.

Atlanta moved into a first-place tie with New Orleans after Sunday’s win.

At the Superdome, the Baltimore Ravens forced 5 turnovers en route to a 35-22 road win over the New Orleans Saints.

Baltimore scored 28 of their 35 points in the first half thanks to three touchdowns from Ravens QB Steve McNair.

McNair ran for a touchdown and added a pair of touchdown passes to WR Clarence Moore & TE Todd Heap to give Baltimore a commanding 28-7 lead at halftime.

The Ravens also got 2 defensive touchdowns from CB Ronnie Prude & S Dawan Landry,(both Louisiana natives) to give Baltimore their highest point total since their 48-3 home win over the Green Bay Packers in December of ‘05 during Monday Night Football.

Saints WR Joe Horn became the team’s all-time leader in touchdown catches (49) with his 32 yard touchdown reception in the 2nd quarter, passing Eric Martin.

Ravens RB Jamal Lewis rushed 31 times for 109 yards for his first 100 yard game of the season.

Saints WR Marques Colston caught 6 receptions for 163 yards & scored 2 touchdowns.

Colston is 8th in the NFL with 577 yards receiving & is the only rookie among the league’s top 10 wideouts.

At LP Field, the Tennessee Titans recorded a 28-22 home win over the Houston Texans despite allowing 427 yards on defense.

Titans QB Vince Young got a win in his first game against the team that passed him up in April’s NFL Draft.

“It means something to me, my family and all the fans back home in Houston, but at the same time, it meant the most here,” Young said with a smile. “The Tennessee Titans wanted to get another victory coming off the bye.”

The Titans’ defense and special teams recorded 2 huge touchdowns to lift Tennessee to the win.

Titans DT Tony Brown recovered a fumble by Texans QB David Carr and returned it 40 yards for a touchdown to give Tennessee a 14-3 lead in the second quarter.

Titans CB Adam “Pac Man” Jones returned a punt by Texans P Chad Stanley 53 yards for a touchdown to give Tennessee a 28-10 lead in the third quarter.

Tennessee held on for the win after a pair of touchdown passes from QB Sage Rosenfels to TE Owen Daniels.

Houston has now lost 11 consecutive road games. Their last road win came in December of ‘04 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

At Lincoln Financial Field, the Jacksonville Jaguars totaled just 76 yards passing during their 13-6 road win over the Philadelphia Eagles.

Jaguars RB Fred Taylor rushed 15 times for 103 yards & scored the only touchdown of the game.

Jacksonville’s defense sacked Eagles QB Donovan McNabb & held him to his lowest passing yardage total (161) since his 161 yard performance during Philadelphia’s 21-20 loss in November of ‘05 to the Dallas Cowboys.

Philadelphia faced a halftime deficit for the fifth consecutive game & is 2-3 during that stretch.

At Arrowhead Stadium, the Kansas City Chiefs racked up 499 yards of net offense during their 35-28 home win over the Seattle Seahawks.

Johnson rushed 39 times for a season-high 155 yards & 3 touchdowns. Johnson also added 2 receptions for 26 yards & a touchdown to cap off his huge day.

The Chiefs also got a pair of 100 yard receivers during the shootout win.

WR Eddie Kennison caught 6 receptions for 132 yards & TE Tony Gonzalez caught 6 receptions for 116 yards.

Chiefs QB Damon Huard completed 17 of 25 passes for 312 yards & a touchdown despite his groin injury that had been lingering him since Thursday’s practice.

Seahawks head coach Mike Holmgren announced Monday that RB Shaun Alexander will miss at least one more week with a broken foot and is now eligible to return on November 12th against division rival St. Louis.

At Soldier Field, the Chicago Bears scored 41 first half points en route to a 41-10 home win over the San Francisco 49ers.

Chicago scored 24 points in the first quarter and kept it rolling against a San Francisco team that has now given up 3 games of 40 points or more defensively, which leads the NFL.

The Bears recorded 5 first half touchdowns, 3 touchdown passes from QB Rex Grossman (2 to TE Desmond Clark & 1 to WR Muhsin Muhammad) and a pair of touchdown runs from RB’s Thomas Jones & Cedric Benson.

Grossman bounced back nicely after his poor performance 2 weeks ago in Arizona, completing 23 of 29 passes for 252 yards & 3 touchdowns.

Grossman is 4th in the NFL with 13 touchdown passes.

Chicago once again has the NFL’s best offense, averaging 31.6 points per game which is a shade over San Diego’s 30.9 points per game. The Bears are also 7-0 for the first time since 1985, which is the year of the team’s last Super Bowl win.

49ers RB Frank Gore ran just 12 times for 111 yards in a losing effort.

At Giants Stadium, the New York Giants scored 14 first-half points to lift themselves to a 17-3 home win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Giants have also held their opponents to just 6 points in their last 2 home games, both wins.

Giants WR Plaxico Burress made a one-handed 7 yard touchdown grab to put the Giants up 7-0, then RB Brandon Jacobs added a 1 yard score to make it 14-0.

The Giants held the Buccaneers to 3 points offensively despite missing several starters on defense.

DE Osi Umenyiora (hip), LB Lavar Arrington (achilles) & CB Sam Madison (hamstring) were all inactive with injuries. The team also lost LB Brandon Short (quad) in the second quarter.

Twin brothers Ronde & Tiki Barber had their moments, but Tiki’s Giants got the win.

“If it’s the last time we play, good for him because he got back in the win column,” Ronde Barber said of Tiki, who’s planning to retire after this season. “He’s still down 3-2.”

At Qualcomm Stadium, the San Diego Chargers scored 24 of their 38 points in the second half during their 38-24 home win over the St. Louis Rams.

Chargers RB LaDainian Tomlinson rushed 25 times for a season-high 183 yards & 2 touchdowns. Tomlinson also caught 3 receptions for 57 yards & a touchdown.

Tomlinson is 2nd in the NFL with 656 yards & leads all running backs with 9 touchdowns.

Rams QB Marc Bulger completed 27 of 40 pass attempts for 327 yards & 2 touchdowns in a losing effort.

Rams WR Issac Bruce led the team with 5 receptions for 105 yards.

Bruce also moved past Art Monk (12,721) for 10th place on the NFL’s all-time receiving yards list.

Chargers LB Shawne “Lights Out” Merriman had 5 tackles and 3 sacks during the win. Merriman said after the game that he is considering dropping the appeal and beginning his suspension.

“Like I said on Day 1, it will be a for-the-team decision if anything like that were to occur,” he said. “My teammates want me to do what’s best for myself. I want to do what’s best for the team. I have to make the best decision possible.”

“I play every play like it’s my last one,” Merriman said. “That’s how I’ve always taken the game of football. You’ll never feel like you’ve left anything on the field.”

At Invesco Field, the Indianapolis Colts won on a 37 yard field goal from K Adam Vinatieri with 2 seconds remaining to lift themselves to a thrilling 34-31 road win over the Denver Broncos.

Vinatieri made 4 field goals in the game, but none were bigger than his game-winning kick to keep Indianapolis unbeaten at 7-0.

Peyton Manning provided his most masterful performance of the season against the NFL’s top-ranked defense.

Manning completed 32 of 39 passes for 345 yards & 3 touchdowns. (All 3 touchdowns passes were in the 2nd half.)

Indianapolis did not allow a sack or complete a single turnover during the game, which shows you how unstoppable Manning & his offense can be when the Colts play mistake-free football.

Colts WR Reggie Wayne had a big day, catching 10 receptions for 138 yards & 3 touchdowns.

Colts RB Joseph Addai rushed 17 times for 93 yards and improved his chances to be the team’s feature back.

Colts RB Dominic Rhodes carried just 3 times for no yards.

Broncos RB Mike Bell ran 15 times for 136 yards & 2 touchdowns in a losing effort. Bell also had a dazzling 48 yard run in the fourth quarter, displaying an array of moves to break 3 tackles along the way.

Broncos WR Rod Smith moved past Steve Largent into 12th place all-time with 821 career receptions.

Indianapolis will now travel to Gillette Stadium to face Tom Brady & the New England Patriots in another prime-time showdown Sunday night on NBC. The winner of this game will have the lead for homefield advantage throughout the AFC playoffs.

At Cleveland Browns Stadium, the Cleveland Browns won thanks to an overturned call on a game-tying touchdown grab from Chris Baker during their 20-13 home win over the New York Jets.

 

Jets TE Chris Baker made a magnificent one-handed catch on the right side of the end zone before being hit out of bounds by Browns DB Brodney Pool with 59 seconds remaining in the game. Baker held onto the ball and the officials did not immediately make a call.

Because the game was under 2 minutes, the play was non-challengeable by either coaches & a decision would have to be made by the replay officials in the press box.

They huddled for several seconds before referee Mike Carey said Baker could not have made the catch in bounds. Because it was a judgment call, the play is not reviewable under the NFL’s instant replay system.

Afterward, Carey said field judge Buddy Horton determined that Carey caught the ball out of bounds.

“There was not a force out on the play,” Carey said. “There was nothing to review. It’s a judgment call.”

Still, TV replays showed Baker making the catch and his body seemed to be in position to land in the end zone when he got rocked by Pool.

Jets coach Eric Mangini called a timeout hoping the replay official in the press box would examine the play.

“We took the timeout to provide a little more time for everyone to take a look at it,” Mangini said. “The coaches upstairs were yelling, `It’s a touchdown! It’s a touchdown!”‘

For several minutes, the Jets stormed around the sideline looking for an explanation as Cleveland fans hugged in relief after seeing the Browns finally come out on the winning side of a strange finish.

Browns coach Romeo Crennel had no problem with the official’s decision.

“I saw it the same way the referee did,” Crennel said, busting into a wide grin.

The Jets’ only touchdown came on a 99 yard kickoff return by CB Justin Miller in the third quarter.

Browns RB Reuben Droughns rushed 33 times for 125 yards (first 100 yard game this season) & a touchdown during the win.

At McAfee Stadium, the Oakland Raiders generated just 98 yards of net offense during their 20-13 home win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

 
The Raiders defense captialized on 4 turnovers from Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger and had 2 of them returned for touchdowns by CB Nnamdi Asomugha & CB Chris Carr.

Carr’s return was a goal-line interception that he ran back 100 yards for the momentum-changing touchdown. Pittsburgh was trailing 13-6 before Carr made the big play.

Steelers WR Hines Ward caught 8 receptions for 81 yards in a losing effort.

At Bank of America Stadium, the Dallas Cowboys scored 25 fourth-quarter points to finish off a 35-14 road win over the Carolina Panthers.

Cowboys QB Tony Romo completed 24 of 36 passes for 270 yards with 1 touchdown & 1 interception in his first pro start since replacing Drew Bledsoe in the starting lineup.

The Cowboys also got strong running performances from Julius Jones & Marion Barber III.

 

Jones finished with 24 carries for 92 yards & a touchdown, while Barber III finished with 49 yards on 9 carries & 2 touchdowns.

The Cowboys also got strong receiving performances from WR Terrell Owens & TE Jason Witten.

 

Owens finished with 9 receptions for 107 yards, while Witten finished with 6 receptions for 80 yards & a touchdown. (first of the season)

Panthers WR Steve Smith finished with just 55 yards on 6 receptions & had two critical special-teams drops while returning punts.

At the Metrodome, the New England Patriots forced 4 turnovers during their 31-7 road win over the Minnesota Vikings.

Patriots QB Tom Brady had his best game of the season, completing 29 of 43 passes for 372 yards, 4 touchdowns & 1 interception.

Brady connected with 10 different receivers during the win.

The Patriots defense held Vikings RB Chester Taylor to just 22 yards on 10 carries during the win.

Taylor left the game in the third quarter with a shoulder stinger & the team is unsure if he will be ready for Sunday’s game at San Francisco.

The Vikings’ only points of the evening came in the third quarter on a 71 yard punt return from RB Mewelde Moore.

That’s a wrap with the Week 8 Recap!

Don’t forget to watch the NBA opening season doubleheader tonight on:

Game 1:

vs. from

8:00 PM EST.

Game 2:

vs. from
10:30 PM EST.

And last but not least,

Mattie T

Sports Writer for BMS Radio Chicago

www.bmsradio.com & myspace.com/bmsradiosports