Mattie T’s Week 4 Recap of the 2006 NFL Season

In Atlanta, the Falcons used 262 rushing yards to break open a 32-10 win over the Arizona Cardinals.

Backup RB Jerius Norwood led the way with 101 yards on just 6 carries, which included a 78 yard touchdown run (longest in Falcons history) in the 4th quarter to put Atlanta up 29-10.

QB Michael Vick added 101 yards on 11 carries. Vick rushed for 75 of his 101 yards in the first half.

Atlanta also got 5 field goals from 46 year-old Morten Andersen, who just recently signed with the Falcons for his second stint. Andersen is the No. 2 scorer in NFL history with 520 field goals & 2,358 points.

CB DeAngelo Hall intercepted a Kurt Warner pass in the 3rd quarter and returned it 37 yards for a touchdown before busting into his Deion Sanders impersonation dance in the end zone.

SS Adrian Wilson made some history as well, returning a Michael Vick interception 99 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter, making it the longest return in franchise history.

Atlanta’s defense has only allowed 1 touchdown in the first 4 games of the season, which was the “Superdome Special” play New Orleans used during their 23-3 win over Atlanta in week 3.

In Tennessee, an ugly incident highlighted the Dallas Cowboys 45-14 blowout win over the Tenneesee Titans.

It occured after a 5 yard touchdown run by Cowboys RB Julius Jones in the third quarter to put Dallas up 21-6 with 11:53 left.

Dallas Cowboys center Andre Gurode’s helmet came off during the touchdown run, with Gurode lying on the ground after the play.

Tennessee Titans DE Albert Haynesworth then came up to Gurode and used his right foot to kick Gurode in the head, drawing an immediate ejection from the game.

Gurode said they hadn’t been talking or having any exchanges that led to Haynesworth kicking him twice.

“In all my years of football, this has never happened to me. I’ve never been kicked in the face like this, and I’ve never seen anybody kick nobody else in the face,” Gurode said.

Gurode required nearly 30 stitches to close the gash above his forehead & beneath his eye.

Haynesworth was suspended 5 games by the NFL yesterday for his actions, making it the biggest on-field disciplinary action in league history.

Haynesworth said that he would not appeal the suspension & also reached out earlier today to Gurode with an apology.

Gurode & his family are still discussing whether or not they should press charges on Haynesworth.

Cowboys RB Julius Jones ran for 122 yards on 23 carries & a touchdown, while WR Terry Glenn caught 5 receptions for 54 yards & 2 touchdowns.

Cowboys WR Terrell Owens led all receivers with 88 yards on 5 receptions.

Owens will make his much-anticipated return to Philadelphia on Sunday in what could possibly be the game of the year.

In East Rutherford, the Indianapolis Colts got a late touchdown run from QB Peyton Manning to hold off the New York Jets 31-28 for their 4th win of the season.

There were 5 different lead changes during an exciting fourth quarter that saw both teams combine for 4 touchdowns in a 7 minute span.

N.Y. Jets CB Justin Miller returned a kickoff 103 yards for a touchdown with 2:20 left, giving the hometown Jets a 28-24 lead & sending the Meadowlands crowd into a frenzy.

Peyton Manning then led the Colts on a 9 play, 61 yard drive which resulted in a 1 yard Manning touchdown run to give Indianapolis the go-ahead score with 51 seconds remaining in regulation.

The Jets actually could’ve sent the game into overtime, but head coach Eric Mangini decided to go for it on fourth & goal during their first possesion of the third quarter, rather than kick a field goal to give his team a 17-14 lead.

Jets QB Chad Pennington ended up throwing his first career red-zone interception to Colts LB Rocky Boiman, which highly questioned Mangini’s decision.

Indianapolis Colts WR Marvin Harrison caught 7 receptions for 79 yards, moving him past Andre Reed for fourth on the NFL’s all-time receptions list.

Harrison now trails only Tim Brown (1,094), Cris Carter (1,101) & Jerry Rice (1,549) on the all-time receptions list.

In Houston, Texans rookie DE Mario Williams recorded his first career NFL sack as the Houston Texans withheld a late rally from the Miami Dolphins to win 17-15, giving Gary Kubiak his first win as head coach of the Texans.

Houston cruised for most of the game, leading 17-6 after QB David Carr’s 3 yard touchdown pass to WR Andre Johnson before Miami started their comeback attempt.

Miami cut the deficit to 17-9 after K Olindo Mare connected on a 22 yard field goal with 5:41 remaining in the game.

Miami then cut the deficit to 17-15 after QB Daunte Culpepper’s 16 yard touchdown pass to WR Chris Chambers. Miami attempted a 2 point conversion, but RB Ronnie Brown threw the ball out of the end zone, ending Miami’s chance at a possible fourth-quarter comeback.

Texans WR Andre Johnson caught 9 receptions for 101 yards & a touchdown. Johnson has recorded three 100 yd receiving games in the Texans’ first 4 games of the season.

In Orchard Park, the Bills withstood a late rally to defeat the Minnesota Vikings 17-12.

Minnesota got down to Buffalo’s 16 yard line with no timeouts remaining, but was unable to get their offense to the line of scrimmage in time before time expired on the game, giving them their second consecutive loss decided by 5 points or less.

Minnesota converted only 2 third-downs out of 13 attempts on Sunday, which may have also kept them from reaching the end zone until the 3:07 mark in the fourth quarter.

NFL leading rusher Willis McGahee scored his first touchdown of the season in the second quarter.

In Carolina, the Panthers got a huge late touchdown run from Deshaun Foster to hold off the New Orleans 21-18 on Sunday, lifting Carolina back to the .500 mark.

Carolina took the lead for good on QB Jake Delhomme’s 4 yard touchdown pass to WR Drew Carter with 7:15 left to give Carolina a 14-10 lead.

RB Deshaun Foster then added some insurance with a 43 yard touchdown run with 1:45 remaining to extend Carolina’s lead to 21-10. Foster finished with 105 yards on 16 carries & a touchdown.

That touchdown by Foster would prove to be big, as New Orleans scored 30 seconds later on a 86 yard touchdown pass from Saints QB Drew Brees to WR Marques Colston.

Colston caught 5 receptions for 132 yards & a touchdown. He leads all rookies in receptions, receiving yards & touchdowns, and is also 6th in the NFL in receiving with 336 yards.

Carolina Panthers WR Steve Smith caught 10 receptions for 87 yards & a touchdown in the win. Since Smith’s return from his hamstring injury, the Pro Bowl WR has caught 17 receptions in 2 games for 199 yards & 1 touchdown, both Carolina wins.

In Baltimore, the Ravens got a last-second touchdown drive from QB Steve McNair to defeat the San Diego Chargers 16-13 and keep the Ravens unbeaten at 4-0.

Baltimore was trailing for most of the game before their final 55 yard, 6 play drive that resulted in a 10 yard touchdown catch from Ravens TE Todd Heap.

Heap was able to get past Chargers LB Shawne Merriman, who missed a crucial tackle as he muscled his way into the end zone to give Baltimore the lead for good.

Chargers RB LaDainian Tomlinson ran for 98 yards on 27 carries against the NFL’s top-ranked run defense. Tomlinson has another tough test on Sunday night when he faces Pittsburgh’s fourth-ranked run defense.

In Kansas City, the Chiefs routed the San Francisco 49ers 41-0 to give Herman Edwards his first win as head coach of the Chiefs.

Kansas City recorded their first shutout since Dec of 2002 & has not allowed a touchdown in 2 consecutive weeks.

Chiefs RB Larry Johnson finished with 101 yards rushing on 30 carries & 2 touchdowns.

49ers QB Alex Smith had a miserable game in the loss, completing 13 of 25 passes for just 92 yards & 2 interceptions. Smith was also sacked 5 times.

Chiefs QB Trent Green was cleared to drive last week, but it’s unsure on when Green can return on the field.

In St. Louis, the Rams spoiled Mike Martz’s homecoming with a 41-34 win over the Detroit Lions.

Since Detroit’s 9-6 loss to Seattle in Week 1, the Lions defense has given up a whopping 106 points in the past 3 games, an average of 35.3 points per contest.

The game was not decided until Rams QB Marc Bulger’s 5 yard touchdown pass to WR Isaac Bruce with 1:56 left. Bulger then completed a 2 point conversion to Bruce to give the Rams a 7 point lead.

The Rams had a pair of 100 yd receivers, as WR’s Torry Holt & Isaac Bruce combined to catch 13 receptions for 203 yards & 2 touchdowns.

Rams RB Steven Jackson rushed for 81 yards on 22 carries & scored a touchdown.

Lions WR Roy Williams caught 9 receptions for 139 yards in a losing effort.

Lions RB Kevin Jones rushed for 93 yards on 19 carries & scored 2 touchdowns.

In Oakland, the Cleveland Browns erased an 18 point deficit, rallying themselves to a 24-21 road win over the Oakland Raiders.

Raiders RB Lamont Jordan ran for a 59 yard touchdown with 4:08 to go in the second quarter to give Oakland a 21-3 lead.

After that touchdown, Cleveland scored 21 unanswered points to end the game & stun the Raider faithful.

Browns QB Charlie Frye threw 3 touchdown passes to WR’s Darnell Dinkins, Joe Jurevicius & TE Kellen Winslow to complete the comeback.

Browns RB Reuben Droughns rushed 25 times for 100 yards & fumbled once.

Raiders WR Randy Moss caught his first touchdown pass of the season in the 2nd quarter on a 5 yard toss from QB Andrew Walter.

In Landover, the Washington Redskins got a 68 yard touchdown pass in overtime from QB Mark Brunell to WR Santana Moss to defeat the Jacksonville Jaguars 36-30 in an unexpected shootout between the 2 teams.

Brunell beat his former team for the first time since leaving Jacksonville after the 2003 season. He finished 18 for 30 with 329 yards, 3 touchdowns & 1 interception. The Redskins O-Line played fantastic on Sunday, allowing no sacks against a menacing Jacksonville front four.

Jaguars QB Byron Leftwich was unsucessful at trying to get a win during his first game at FedEx Field. Leftwich grew up in the D.C. area & purchased roughly 90 tickets for family & friends to watch him play. Leftwich grew up a Redskins fan and called the game “a special feeling.”

Leftwich finished the game completing 21 of 35 passes for 289 yards, 3 touchdowns & 1 interception. However, Leftwich was sacked 4 times by the Redskins defense.

Redskins RB Clinton Portis became the first back to run for 100 yards on the Jaguars defense, who was allowing just 59 yards on the ground before Sunday’s game. Portis carried 27 times for 112 yards & scored a touchdown to give Washington the lead that they wouldn’t relinquish.

WR Santana Moss had perhaps the biggest game of his career, catching 4 receptions for 138 yards & 3 touchdowns, including the 68 yard game-winner in overtime to send the FedEx field crowd in a frenzy.

WR Reggie Williams led Jacksonville with 5 receptions for 93 yards & 2 touchdowns.

In Cincinnati, the New England Patriots used a 24-7 advantage in the second half to break open the game and record a 38-13 blowout win over the Cincinnati Bengals.

The win keeps New England’s impressive streak alive. The Patriots have not lost consecutive games since December of 2002 & their current 53 game streak tied the 1976-79 Denver Broncos for second-longest since the NFL and AFL merged in 1970.

Rookie RB Lawrence Maroney enjoyed the best game of his short professional career, rushing 15 times for 125 yards & scoring 2 touchdowns. Maroney is the first Patriots’ rookie RB since Robert Edwards in ‘98 to score more than one touchdown in a season.

RB Corey Dillon added 67 yards on 17 carries, which included Dillon throwing a football into the stands after his 1 yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter broke the game open. Dillon received a chorus of boos in his first game at Paul Brown Stadium in nearly 3 years.
A fan immediately threw the ball back onto the field, which almost made Paul Brown Stadium look like Wrigley Field on Sunday.

Dillon said after the game that nothing has changed about his feelings regarding his former team. Dillon was traded to New England after the 2003 season after requesting a trade out of Cincinnati. Dillon is still the top RB in Bengals’ franchise history.

The Patriots defense sacked Bengals QB Carson Palmer 4 times & forced 2 fumbles, recovering them both.

The Bengals made WR Chris Henry inactive for Sunday’s game after learning that Henry was a passenger in a vehicle driven by Bengals LB Odell Thurman that was stopped last week by police.

Thurman was charged with drunken driving & has been suspended by the NFL for the rest of the season.

In Chicago, the Bears scored 30 points in the final 3 quarters to break open a 37-6 blowout win over the Seattle Seahawks.

Chicago sent a statement message to a team that they could very well face down the road in January with a Super Bowl berth on the line.

“Thirty seven-six just shows what we’re capable of, but we’re a lot better than that,” Bears QB Rex Grossman said. “They’re a lot better than they played tonight and we realize that. … We realize we may face them down the road at some point, and we’re glad we got the win.”

Grossman completed 17 of 31 passes for 232 yards, 2 touchdowns & no interceptions.

Chicago finally got their running game going in the big win, as RB Thomas Jones rushed 24 times for 98 yards & scored 2 touchdowns.

WR Bernard Berrian also enjoyed his best game as a pro, catching 3 balls for 108 yards & a 40 yard touchdown in the final minute of the third quarter.

Seahawks RB Maurice Morris rushed for just 35 yards on 11 carries in his first start of the season.

RB Shaun Alexander is currently sidelined with a broken left foot, but plans to return on October 22nd for Seattle’s home game against Minnesota.

In Philadelphia, the Eagles got two passing touchdowns from QB Donovan McNabb to WR Greg Lewis in a 67 second span during the third quarter to break open a 31-9 home win over the Green Bay Packers.

Lewis finished the game catching 2 receptions for 75 yards, both touchdowns. He will be McNabb’s #1 target on Sunday if WR’s Donte Stallworth & Reggie Brown are unable to go.
Philadelphia struggled offensively before the 3rd quarter breakout, fumbling twice in the red zone during the first half.

McNabb made sure his team wasn’t primed for a letdown with a huge division game looming with Terrell Owens’ Dallas Cowboys coming to town on Sunday. He finished the game completing 16 of 30 passes for 288 yards with 2 interceptions and no interceptions. McNabb also ran for 2 touchdowns on the ground.

McNabb has been off to a MVP start so far, completing 85 of 143 passes for 9 touchdowns & only 1 interception during the Eagles’ first 4 games.

McNabb leads the NFL in passing yards (1,248), yards per game (312), yards per attempt (8.7) and quarterback rating. (106.0)

The Eagles did suffer injuries to both of their starting WR’s during the win.

WR Donte Stallworth left the game in the fourth quarter after re-aggravating his hamstring injury that kept him out of Philadelphia’s 38-24 win over San Francisco in Week 3.

Stallworth caught just 1 reception on Monday for 26 yards.

WR Reggie Brown also left the game in the fourth quarter with a shoulder injury. It is unsure whether both WR’s will be able to play on Sunday against Dallas.

Quick note about my fantasy football team in the BMS Radio league:

I am off to an 0-4 start & definitely am not happy with it. However, there is still time to turn things around which still gives me confidence.

3 of my 4 losses have been by 9 points or less & i’ve actually contributed to 2 of my losses by benching certain players that would’ve helped me squeak out wins for those 2 weeks.

I just sprung a trade that will get me RB Steven Jackson (2nd in the NFL in rushing) & QB Chad Pennington. I might have to drop Pennington even though he’s off to a good start. (I have Palmer & Brunell at QB.)

I am trading RB Thomas Jones & WR Bernard Berrian in return. Jones was off to a slow start before his solid game on Sunday night against Seattle. Berrian has impressed many during the Bears’ first 4 games & looks like he will be Grossman’s deep threat all season long, barring any injuries.

I do have some talented WR’s which include Marques Colston, Chris Chambers, & i currently have a waiver pending for Andre Johnson.

My TE’s are also good with Todd Heap & Kellen Winslow.

I have Matt Stover as my kicker & San Diego as my defense, so i know i’m going to break through with my first win very, very soon. After that, i just have to stay positive and try to bounce back from my poor start.

After all, i rebounded from a 2-4 start in my first ever year playing fantasy football & wound up winning the league championship after winning 7 straight games, which included a tiebreaker.

The only two players i remember from that team were QB Randall Cunningham and RB Emmitt Smith.

Guess who i’ll try to beat on Sunday for my first win?

You got it, DJ Special Blend & his Inner City Youth team, which is off to a 2-2 start.

Special Blend, if you readin’ this, good luck on Sunday & may the best team win!

Until next time,

Mattie T

Sports Writer for BMS Radio Chicago

www.bmsradio.com