Mattie T’s Week 12 Recap of the 2006 NFL Season

At Ford Field, the Miami Dolphins’ defense recorded 8 sacks & 2 turnovers during their 27-10 road win over the Detroit Lions.

Detroit took an early 7-0 lead on QB Jon Kitna’s 2 yard touchdown pass to TE Dan Campbell.

K Jason Hansen added a 52 yard field goal to make it 10-0 Lions with 6:23 remaining in the 1st quarter.

From that point on, Miami took over the game.

The Dolphins would end up scoring 27 unanswered points to end the game.

Dolphins QB Joey Harrington had a successful return to Detroit, completing 19 of 29 passes for 213 yards, 3 touchdowns (ties season-high) & 1 interception. (QB rating of 107.4, season-high)

Harrington’s 3 touchdown passes went to WR Marty Booker (scored twice) & TE Randy McMichael.

Booker led the team with 7 receptions for 115 yards & 2 touchdowns.

Dolphins head coach Nick Saban thinks the Lions didn’t handle Harrington’s depature the right way.

“It’s a shame people can’t appreciate what he tried to do for this organization,” Saban said. “To be honest for you, I don’t have a lot of respect for what they did.”

Miami’s defense had a big afternoon, sacking Kitna 8 times during the win, intercepting him once & forcing a fumble that they recovered.

Kitna is now tied with the Raiders’ Andrew Walter for the most QB sacks with 41.

Dolphins RB Ronnie Brown rushed 15 times for 68 yards, but left the game in the 3rd quarter with an injured left hand.

Brown had surgery on Friday & the team is unsure when Brown will return.

RB Sammy Morris came in & immediately picked up the slack.

Morris rushed 12 times for 91 yards & a touchdown in limited duty & will most likely be Miami’s starting running back for their December 3rd game against Jacksonville.

Dolphins CB Michael Lehan underwent surgery to repair a broken nose. Like Brown, there was no immediate timetable announced for Lehan’s return.

Lions RB Kevin Jones missed the game with an ankle injury. Backup Arlen Harris only rushed 8 times for 15 yards.

Lions WR Roy Williams led the team with 6 receptions for 126 yards in a losing effort.

Williams is currently the NFL’s leading receiver with 993 yards.

Dolphins LB Zach Thomas, DE Vonnie Holliday & DE Matt Roth all had 2 sacks apiece during the win.

Lions fans directed their frustration at team president Matt Millen with the loudest “Fire Mil-len!” chants of the season.

Detroit is an NFL-worst 23-68 since Millen took control of the franchise in 2001.

“Matt’s not down here playing football, we are,” Lions LB Boss Bailey said. “If they want to chant ‘Fire Millen,’ they should be chanting to fire the whole damn team.

All Matt does is bring in players, and every year we talk about how much talent we have. So it should be on us. This isn’t about Matt.”

Lions WR Mike Williams, the 10th overall pick in 2005, made his first catch of the year and was given a standing ovation.

At Texas Stadium, The Dallas Cowboys racked up 435 yards of net offense during their 38-10 home win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The 435 yards of net offense is a season-high for Dallas, breaking the mark of 396 yards they totaled during their 45-14 win over Tennesseee in Week 4.

Cowboys QB Drew Bledsoe was behind center during that game.

On Thursday, Cowboys QB Tony Romo had the best game of his short professional career.

Romo tied a Dallas Cowboys’ franchise record by throwing 5 touchdown passes during the big win.

The last Cowboys quarterback to throw 5 touchdown passes in regulation was Danny White in 1983.

“I thought it was Aikman out there,” Tampa Bay head coach Jon Gruden said.

Well, there was one difference: Troy Aikman needed overtime for the only five-TD game of his career. And Roger Staubach, the other Hall of Fame quarterback for the Cowboys, never did it.

While it’s tough to lump Romo in with those guys at this point in his career, it is no longer “ludicrous” to consider him being Pro Bowl-caliber, as coach Bill Parcells said earlier this week.

The Cowboys are 7-4, with a half-game lead in the NFC East and the second-most wins in the conference behind Chicago (9-1), and Romo is a major reason for it.

He’s 4-1 as a starter, with three straight wins. In the previous two, he outplayed Peyton Manning as Dallas handed Indianapolis its first loss and he earned NFC offensive player of the week honors for his performance against Arizona.

Romo completed 22 of 29 passes for 306 yards & 5 touchdowns. (season-high QB rating of 148.9)

Romo’s 5 touchdown passes went to WR Terry Glenn (scored twice), RB Marion Barber III (scored twice) & WR Terrell Owens.
Barber also rushed for 83 yards on 16 carries during the win.

“The sky is the limit for the guy,” said Owens, who for all his antics knows a thing or two about quarterbacks, having played with Steve Young in San Francisco and Donovan McNabb in Philadelphia. “He’s poised back there in the pocket. He makes things happen on the run. He makes great decisions and he’s managing the game. He’s exceeding expectations right now.”
Romo now owns the highest quarterback rating in the NFL at 110.8.

The next highest NFC quarterback rating belongs to McNabb with 95.5.

McNabb tore his right ACL during Philadelphia’s 31-10 loss to Tennessee, ending his season.

Buccaneers QB Bruce Gradkowski struggled to find any type of rhythm during the game, completing just 10 of 20 pass attempts for 120 yards & 2 interceptions. (season-low QB rating of 29.2)

Buccaneers RB Carnell “Cadillac” Williams led the team with 78 yards on 17 carries.

Buccaneers WR Joey Galloway caught 3 receptions for 71 yards in a losing effort.

The Buccaneers scored their only touchdown in the 1st quarter on FB Mike Alstott’s 1 yard run to give Tampa Bay a 7-0 lead.

Buccaneers LB Derrick Brooks set a Tampa Bay record by starting his 184th game. The mark had been held by OT Paul Gruber.

At Arrowhead Stadium, the Kansas City Chiefs totaled 223 rushing yards during their 19-10 home win over the Denver Broncos.

The win moves Kansas City into 2nd place in the AFC West over Denver by virtue of division record. (Chiefs are 3-1, Broncos are 3-2.)

Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt lobbied the NFL for 37 years to put a Thanksgiving game in Kansas City, but had to listen to his Chiefs beat Denver on Thursday night over the phone in his hospital bed.

“Lamar, I hope you’re feeling better,” an emotional Trent Green said moments after the Chiefs wrapped up a 19-10 victory in a key AFC West showdown.

“This win,” the Chiefs’ quarterback said, “is for you.”

The 74-year-old Hunt, who has missed only a handful of games since founding the franchise, was admitted to a Dallas-area hospital on Wednesday, bitterly disappointed he would not see Kansas City’s inaugurating the NFL’s new Thanksgiving tripleheader.

“He’s doing much better,” said his son, Clark Hunt, the chairman of the Chiefs. “He had a lung issue and needed to go to the hospital and let them take a look at it.”

Having the Chiefs dedicate the game to him was certain to be a great tonic, the younger Hunt said.

“This game has been important to him really going back to the AFL days. He’s worked since the merger to try to get the game back here.”

Like most NFL fans, Hunt was unable to view the game. His hospital is not hooked into the NFL Network, which broadcast the game to about 40 million of the country’s 111 million television homes. So his daughter held the phone near her television while he listened on the other end.

“He told me to call him at halftime,” Chiefs president Carl Peterson said. “He said, `I’m hearing it good, I’m hearing it good.’ I told him, `Well, we’re doing good.’ This night is his night as far as I’m concerned.”

Chiefs RB Larry Johnson had another strong game against a Broncos defense that was allowing just 90 yards per game on the ground, rushing 34 times for 157 yards & scoring a touchdown.

“I felt real good,” Johnson said. “Overall, it’s just your energy. You know that the whole nation is going to be watching you. It’s the only game at night and it feels like a Monday night football game.”

Johnson is the first NFL back to 1,200 yards this season & will need 798 yards in the Chiefs’ final 5 games to become the NFL’s first 2,000 yard rusher since the Ravens’ Jamal Lewis finished with 2,066 yards during the 2003 season.

Chiefs RB Michael Bennett also added 56 yards on just 2 carries, which included a 41 yard burst in the 4th quarter to put the game away.

That resulted in a 21 yard field goal by Chiefs K Lawrence Tynes to give the Chiefs a 19-10 lead.

Broncos QB Jake Plummer completed 25 of 39 pass attempts for 216 yards, 1 touchdown & 1 interception during the loss.

Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan will now have 10 days to decide whether to stick with Plummer, or turn to rookie QB Jay Cutler to try & save their season.

“We’ll see what happens there,” Broncos S John Lynch said. “That is the other side of the ball. We’ve got to look at our side.”

Broncos RB Mike Bell rushed 10 times for just 28 yards during the game.

Broncos WR Javon Walker caught 6 receptions for 55 yards in a losing effort.

Chiefs WR Sammie Parker led the team with 3 receptions for 71 yards during the win.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was in town for the game and said the league had not discussed how the third leg of the Thanksgiving tripleheader would be rotated. Clark Hunt said the Chiefs would try to get it next year.

At the Metrodome, the Minnesota Vikings held off a furious rally to hold on for a 31-26 home win over the Arizona Cardinals.

Arizona took an early 7-0 lead on RB J.J. Arrington’s 99 yard kickoff return to begin the game.

Vikings RB Chester Taylor tied it 7-7 on his 1 yard touchdown run with 9:42 remaining in the 1st quarter.

Minnesota took the lead for good on QB Brad Johnson’s 17 yard touchdown pass to WR Marcus Robinson to give the Vikings a 14-13 lead with 31 seconds remaining in the 2nd quarter.

Johnson tossed 2 more touchdown passes (2nd TD was by WR Billy McMullen in the 3rd qtr), his 3rd & final touchdown going to FB Jeff Dugan to give Minnesota a 31-13 lead with 12 minutes remaining in the game.

“Two weeks ago, Jeff Dugan was holding the clipboard and this week he’s scoring a touchdown,” Vikings C Matt Birk said. “That’s what we need.”
Arizona began an attempted comeback when Taylor fumbled at the Cardinals’ 1 yard line.

Cardinals S Adrian Wilson recovered the fumble & returned it 99 yards for a touchdown.

Cardinals QB Matt Leinart missed the 2 point conversion to WR Anquan Boldin, making it 31-19 Minnesota with 10:08 remaining.

Arizona made the game even tighter on Leinart’s 9 yard touchdown pass to Boldin to make it 31-26 Minnesota with 39 seconds remaining.

The onsides kick was recovered by Cardinals LB Monty Beisel, giving Arizona a chance to pull off a stunning upset.

Leinart was able to hit WR Larry Fitzgerald for a 20 yard gain to the Vikings’ 36 yard line with 32 seconds remaining.

On the game’s final play with 10 seconds remaining, Leinart was intercepted in the end zone by Vikings S Dwight Smith to end an exciting finish.

“This is the first time we’ve played pretty well on the road and had a chance to win at the end,” Cardinals QB Matt Leinart said.

“I thought we showed a lot of fight as an offense and as a defense, and special teams contributed. All around I thought it was a great effort, we just ran out of time.”

Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald had a big game despite the loss.

Fitzgerald, who was a star at Holy Angels High School in Richfield, Minn., and was a Vikings ball boy under Green caught 11 receptions for 172 yards.

“This was a huge game for me, my team, Coach Green, so we wanted to win this game and we fought until the end but we shot ourselves in the foot a few times,” Fitzgerald said.

Cardinals WR Anquan Boldin caught 9 receptions for 140 yards & scored a touchdown in a losing effort.

Cardinals head coach Dennis Green was unable to get a win in his return to the Metrodome.

Green was curt during the postgame press conference, saying this game was no different than any other he’s coached in a career that spans three decades.

“Just a game that we hoped to win that we didn’t win,” he said.

Green last coached a regular season game in the Metrodome on Dec. 23, 2001, a 33-3 loss by the Vikings to Jacksonville that was the beginning of the end of a stormy 10 years in purple.

He racked up an impressive 97-62 record in Minnesota, but lost both times the Vikings appeared in the NFC championship (lost to Falcons in ‘98), including a 41-0 drubbing to the Giants after the 2000 season.

In his third season in the desert, Green’s job security is in question again.

The Cardinals entered the day tied with Detroit and Oakland for fewest wins in the league, and Green has been unable to recreate the high-flying offense that got him so many wins in the Dome.

Leinart completed 31 of 51 pass attempts for 405 yards (career high), 1 touchdown & 2 interceptions in a losing effort.

Cardinals RB Edgerrin James had another disappointing game, rushing 4 times for just 15 yards & fumbling once.

Vikings QB Brad Johnson completed 27 of 41 passes for 271 yards & 3 touchdowns. (QB Rating of 108.9, season-high)

Vikings RB Chester Taylor rushed 27 times for 136 yards & scored a touchdown during the win.

It was Taylor’s first 100 yard game since his 26 carry, 169 yard performance during Minnesota’s 31-13 win over Seattle in Week 7.

Cardinals LB Karlos Dansby recorded 10 tackles & 2 sacks in a losing effort.

At FedEx Field, the Washington Redskins gave Jason Campbell a successfull home debut during their 17-13 home win over the Carolina Panthers.

Campbell directed the Redskins on a 80 yard, 4 play drive that ended with Campbell’s 66 yard touchdown pass to TE Chris Cooley for the game’s final points with 4:26 remaining.

Campbell had to call the big play himself after having problems with his helmet transmitter.

“We could tell that there was something wrong,” Redskins T Jon Jansen said. “But he picked up and just took us out there and we ran the play, and it was big.”

“I didn’t hear the play that was called,” Campbell said. “I just tried to call one of the plays that we worked on all week that would give us an opportunity to make a first down. Fortunately, God was with me when I made that call, and Cooley did a great job of running after the catch.”

Cooley was able to break away from Panthers S Mike Minter during the biggest play of the game.

“This one stinks — especially when I didn’t make that tackle,” Minter said. “He beat his guy — 100 percent of the time you have to make that tackle.”

Cooley finished the game with 3 receptions for 89 yards & a touchdown.

Redskins RB Ladell Betts rushed 24 times for 104 yards during the win.

Panthers WR Keyshawn Johnson led the team with 6 receptions for 38 yards in a losing effort.

Panthers WR Steve Smith was held to just 5 receptions for 34 yards & a touchdown during the loss.

Panthers QB Jake Delhomme (23-38, 168 yards, 1 TD & 2 Int) passed Steve Beuerlein as the Panthers’ career leader in completions and yards. He has 1,055 completions for 12,854 yards.

Carolina is now 1-7 all-time against Washington & 0-5 against them on the road.

At Cleveland Browns Stadium, the Cincinnati Bengals recorded their first shutout since 1989 during their 30-0 road win over the Cleveland Browns.

The shutout is shocking for many people, considering that Cincinnati came into Sunday’s game ranked last in total defense. (378 yards allowed per game)

However, the Bengals held the Browns’ offense to 203 yards & forced 5 turnovers.

“The defense was huge,” Bengals QB Carson Palmer said.
They got us fired up. We were jumping around with every turnover. Our defense has taken a lot of criticism, so for them to get this shutout is huge. I can’t remember when we got a shutout.”

A lot of frustration showed on Sunday on the Browns’ sideline during the shutout loss.

“This is pretty low,” said Clevland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel, 9-18 in two seasons with Cleveland.

“Last year I was pretty low, too. I wasn’t really expecting this.”

The game also included a sideline exchange between Browns WR Braylon Edwards & Browns QB Charlie Frye.

Following an interception, Edwards approached Frye and the two exchanged words. At one point, a heated Edwards grabbed Frye by his jersey and teammates moved in between them to calm things down.

Edwards continued to rant about something as Frye turned his back and walked back to the bench.

Earlier this week, Edwards criticized Cleveland’s conservative play calling and then blasted S Brian Russell for his hard hit on Bengals WR Chad Johnson when Cincinnati beat Cleveland 34-17 on Sept. 17.

Edwards didn’t make any friends with his comments, and his latest antics could cause a rift with Browns fans and Frye, who was sacked four times and roughed up all afternoon.

“Me and Braylon are fine,” Frye said. “Our biggest opponent right now is us. We have to get on the same page and fight together. We have to stop fighting each other and start playing against the other team. If not, we are not going to win many games.”

Edwards declined to comment after the game. After getting dressed, he left the locker room, pausing to slap Frye on the backside before exiting.

Crennel dismissed Edwards’ behavior as “a young guy, a fiery competitor who wants this team to do good.”

Browns WR Joshua Cribbs returned the opening kickoff 101 yards for a touchdown, but the play was nullified on a holding call.

That would end up being the Browns’ best scoring chance all game long.

Bengals QB Carson Palmer completed 25 of 32 passes for 275 yards, 3 touchdowns & 1 interception.

Palmer has recorded 3 straight games with a QB rating of 100 of more, which is a season-high.

Bengals WR Chad Johnson caught 7 receptions for 123 yards during the win.

However, Johnson’s guarantee failed as he was unable to reach the end zone.

The Pro Bowl wideout had promised earlier in the week to leap into Cleveland’s notorious Dawg Pound to celebrate his score.

“I don’t think this game was so much easy as we executed,” Johnson said. “We took what they gave us. We just came in and got a win.”

Johnson is the first WR to reach the 1,000 yard plateau this season & leads the NFL with 1,055 yards receiving.

Bengals WR Chris Henry caught just 5 receptions for 41 yards, but 2 of those receptions resulted in touchdowns.

Browns QB Charlie Frye struggled all game long, completing 18 of 29 passes for 186 yards & 4 interceptions.

Frye was also sacked 4 times during the loss.

Bengals S Kevin Kaesviham & CB Tory James recorded 2 interceptions each on defense.

Browns defensive coordinator Todd Grantham interviewed for the vacant head coaching position at Michigan State, but lost out to Cincinnati Bearcats’ head coach Mark Dantonio.

Bengals RB Chris Perry broke his right leg during the second quarter & will be sidelined for the rest of the season.

Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis said Perry will undergo surgery to have a screw inserted.

At Giants Stadium, the New York Jets overcame just 27 rushing yards of offense during their 26-11 home win over the Houston Texans.

Jets QB Chad Pennington offset the poor rushing performance by completing 24 of 31 passes for 286 yards & 1 touchdown. (QB rating of 115.8 is highest since Pennington’s 123.2 rating in the Jets’ 23-16 Week 1 win.)

The Jets got a pair of 100 yard receivers during the win.

WR Laverneous Coles caught 9 receptions for 111 yards & a touchdown during the win.

Jets WR Jericho Cotchery caught 7 receptions for 110 yards.

Houston’s only touchdown of the game came on QB David Carr’s 3 yard touchdown pass to WR Andre Johnson with 3:54 remaining in the 4th quarter.

Johnson led the team with 10 receptions for 98 yards & a touchdown in a losing effort.

Both teams combined for just 52 rushing yards on 40 carries.

The Jets have won all 3 meetings with the Texans.

Houston hasn’t won consecutive road games since 2004, when they beat Chicago (Dec. 19) and Jacksonville (Dec. 26).

At Ralph Wilson Stadium, the Buffalo Bills got a time-expiring field goal from Rian Lindell to record a 27-24 home win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Jaguars QB David Garrard tossed a 3 yard touchdown to WR Matt Jones tying it at 24 all with 28 seconds remaining in regulation.

Bills QB J.P. Losman then led his team on a 36 yard, 4 play drive that ended with Lindell’s game winning kick.

It’s the second week in a row that Losman has led his team to an exciting, last-second finish win.

“You have to call it momentum,” said Losman, who finished 21-of-28 for 169 yards passing. “We’re feeling really, really tight.”

“Certain things are going our way now that didn’t go our way earlier in the season,” Bills WR Lee Evans said with a smile Sunday. “You can start to see the consistency starting to come along.”

Bills RB Willis McGahee returned to the starting lineup after missing the past 2 games with a rib injury & rushed 12 times for 63 yards and scored 2 touchdowns.

Buffalo got a big special teams play during the win, as WR Roscoe Parrish returned a Chris Hanson punt 82 yards for a touchdown to give the Bills a 24-14 lead with 3:46 left in the 3rd quarter.

Jaguars RB Fred Taylor rushed 22 times for 101 yards in a losing effort.

Jacksonville is now 1-4 away from Alltell Stadium & will play 3 of their final 5 regular-season games on the road.

At the Georgia Dome, the New Orleans Saints won despite giving up 281 yards rushing during their 31-13 road win over the Atlanta Falcons.

The Saints got out to a quick start, thanks to a 76 yard touchdown pass from QB Drew Brees to WR Devery Henderson to give New Orleans a 7-0 lead with 13:25 remaining in the 1st quarter.

Henderson finished the game catching 4 receptions for 158 yards & a touchdown during the win.

New Orleans made it 14-0 on RB Deuce McAllister’s 1 yard touchdown run with 4:44 remaining in the 1st quarter.

The Falcons kept it close in the 1st half thanks to a pair of field goals by K Morten Andersen, but the Saints ended the 1st half in a big way as Brees hit WR Terrance Cooper for a hail mary 48 yard touchdown pass on the last play of the 1st half.

“I just jumped up and tried to catch it,” Copper said.

“It was a good throw by Drew. It just fell in my hands.”

The Falcons scored their only touchdown of the game on RB Warrick Dunn’s 1 yard touchdown run to make it 21-13 Saints with 8:04 remaining in the 3rd quarter.

McAllister added the Saints’ final points of the game on his 9 yard touchdown run with 2:23 remaining in the 4th quarter.

Falcons QB Michael Vick made an obsence gesture toward fans with both hands following Atlanta’s 31-13 loss & apologized for his actions on Monday.

“I would have never thought that six years into my career I would ever do something like that,” Vick said.

“It will never happen again. Never.”

Vick said that as he walked off the Georgia Dome field, he heard an especially disturbing insult from a male fan.

“He just said certain things I won’t say in front of this camera,” Vick said at a news conference. “It was very inappropriate. I was down, upset, frustrated. I just did one thing I’ve never done through all the games I’ve ever lost, no matter how frustrated I’ve been after a game. I don’t know where it came from, but the people who know me know that’s not me and that’s not my character.”

Vick again apologized.

“I’m sorry and I apologize to all the young kids and to whoever saw me make that gesture,” he said. “I just let my emotions get the best of me in that situation and it won’t happen again.”

Falcons head coach Jim Mora said the incident was isolated.

“Mike offered a very sincere apology and that’s all I can say about it,” Mora said. “He obviously felt bad about it. He came forward right away and issued an apology and I’ll let it stand at that.

“To me that’s out of character for Mike, what he did. The Mike Vick I know, he appreciates the fans. It was more of just real frustration. I know he’s contrite. His apology stated that.”

Mora said Vick’s action was not a sign of other problems on the slumping team.

“The things you typically see when there is frustration is backstabbing and backbiting and finger-pointing and we’re not seeing that,” Mora said. “I’m not seeing it internally. I’m not seeing that with our players. If there’s a positive, that’s a positive.”

Saints QB Drew Brees completed 21 of 30 passes for 349 yards & 2 touchdowns during the win.

It was Brees’ 5th consecutive game of 300 passing yards or more.

Brees leads the NFL with 3,463 yards passing. His total is 499 yards more than the 2nd best passer, the Colts’ Peyton Manning with 2,964 yards.

Falcons QB Michael Vick ran 12 times for 166 yards in a losing effort.

Vick is 33 rushing yards away from having a career-high season on the ground.

Vick’s previous best was 902 yards rushing during the 2004 season.

Falcons TE Alge Crumpler caught just 1 reception for 43 yards during the loss.

Saints DE Will Smith recorded 5 tackles, 2 sacks & forced a fumble during the win.

At M&T Bank Stadium, the Baltimore Ravens allowed just 172 yards of net offense during their 27-0 home win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Ravens enjoyed their 2nd shutout of the season while coming very close to knocking the defending Super Bowl champs out of the playoff picture.

“It’s the next step,” Ravens head coach Brian Billick said. “It’s against a championship-caliber organization. They have a Super Bowl ring, a number of them, and we can feel very good about it.”

It was Pittsburgh’s most lopsided defeat since a 37-7 loss to Dallas in the 1997 season opener.

“A very pitiful performance out there today,” Steelers coach Bill Cowher said. “Where we go from here is we’ve got to line up and play this thing out. It starts next week.”

The Ravens’ defense created havoc all day long on Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger, sacking him 9 times during the big win.

Baltimore also recorded 9 sacks in a 1997 game against Philadelphia.

“They got after it. You can’t get mad at the line; they did a good job,” Roethlisberger said. “There were so many things they had to pick up.”

“We do what we always do. We just did a little bit more of it,” said Ravens LB Terrell Suggs, who had six tackles and two sacks. “It came from different places that we don’t usually do.”

“You got a rivalry game and they don’t score, you not only send a message for the next time you play them, you send a message to the next team you play.”

Baltimore’s next opponent is 6-5 Cincinnati, who has won 2 out of their last 3 games since Baltimore’s 26-20 home win during Week 9.

It’s a must-win game for Cincinnati, while Baltimore can become the first team to clinch a division title & earn a playoff berth with a win on Thursday.

Ravens TE Todd Heap led the team with 7 receptions for 58 yards & a touchdown during the win.

Heap is tied with the Falcons’ Alge Crumpler for the most touchdowns by a tight end this season with 6.

The Ravens also recorded a defensive touchdown when CB Corey Ivy forced a sack on Roethlisberger.

LB Adalius Thomas picked up the fumble on a bounce and ran it back 57 yards for Baltimore’s 5th defensive touchdown of the season, which leads the NFL.

Baltimore is now 5-0 since Billick fired offensive coordinator Jim Fassel and began calling the plays himself.

The offense was impressive, but the key to the blowout was a defense that welcomed back LB Ray Lewis who missed the previous two games with a back injury.

Lewis was credited with six tackles, including a sack.

“It’s just great to have 52 back,” Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan said. “He just energized the whole team.”

Steelers S Troy Polamalu hurt his knee during the game & will miss Sunday’s game against Tampa Bay.

Steelers WR Hines Ward had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee Monday & will also miss Sunday’s game against Tampa Bay.

Former Steeler RB Jerome Bettis received some tragic news on Tuesday as his 61 year old father Johnnie Bettis died of an apparent heart attack at a hospital in suburban Detroit.

The 61 year-old Bettis suffered the attack while driving in a suburb north of the city around noon, police Lt. Carl Fuhs said.

“He apparently felt it coming on,” Fuhs said. “He was able to pull his vehicle off to the side of the road and stop it, which probably saved injury if not another person’s death. That’s a very busy two-lane road.”

Another motorist stopped and administered CPR, and a passing nurse and physician also stopped to help before police and paramedics were called, Fuhs said.

Bettis was taken to Huron Valley Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 12:58 p.m., hospital spokeswoman Annessa Carlisle said. She said she did not know the cause of death or whether an autopsy would be performed.

Fuhs said he notified Jerome Bettis’ wife Trameka that the player’s father had died. Family members were arriving at the hospital Tuesday evening, Carlisle said.

Jerome Bettis retired after helping Pittsburgh beat Seattle in last season’s Super Bowl in his hometown of Detroit.

He is now a studio analyst for Sunday night football games on NBC alongside Bob Costas, Cris Collinsworth & Sterling Sharpe.

Johnnie Bettis worked as an electrician for the city of Detroit. He and his wife Gladys attended every one of their son’s regular-season and postseason games, dating back to ninth grade.

They had a dinner for the Steelers at their home four days before the Super Bowl and hosted about 65 people in their home for a Thanksgiving dinner in 1998 when Pittsburgh played the Detroit Lions, a game remembered for a botched coin flip in overtime with Jerome Bettis as a captain.

When their son offered to buy them a new home, the Bettises spurned the suburbs and moved about six miles to a house on the city’s west side, trying to lead a normal life.

“When Jerome found out we were going to the laundromat, he said that wasn’t acceptable and told us to go get a new washer and dryer,” Johnnie Bettis said a few days before the Super Bowl. “But I kind of liked the laundromat because you get to meet so many interesting people.”

At the Edward Jones Dome, the St. Louis Rams scored with 27 seconds remaining to lift themselves to a 20-17 home win over the San Francisco 49ers.

The Rams led for the entire 1st half on RB Steven Jackson’s 36 yard touchdown run & a pair of field goals from K Jeff Wilkins.

The 49ers took the lead with QB Alex Smith’s 1 yard touchdown pass to TE Eric Johnson with 2:21 remaining in the 3rd quarter.

49ers K Joe Nedney added a 24 yard field goal before Rams QB Marc Bulger led his team on a 12 play, 80 yard drive that ended with Bulger’s game-winning 5 yard touchdown pass to WR Kevin Curtis with just 27 seconds remaining in the game.

The win puts the Rams in a 2nd place tie with the 49ers in the NFC West.

“We needed to win in the worst way,” Curtis said. “To come out of there and score when we need to gives us a lot of hope for the rest of the season.”

“This is a game we felt that we should have won,” 49ers DE Bryant Young said.

“But when you allow teams to stick around, they’re not going to lay down.”

Rams RB Steven Jackson rushed 23 times for 121 yards & a touchdown during the win. He also added 9 receptions for 71 yards.
It was Jackson’s first 100 yard rushing game since the Rams’ 20-13 loss to the 49ers in Week 2.

The Rams were able to win despite not getting big production from WR Torry Holt.

Holt finished with 4 receptions for just 30 yards & has been held under 100 yards receiving in 5 consecutive games. (Rams have gone 1-4 during that stretch.)

However, Holt did pass legendary WR Jerry Rice for the most yards receiving in the first eight seasons of his career. Holt has 10,282 yards, 9 more than Rice.

49ers RB Frank Gore rushed 21 times for 134 yards & scored a touchdown during the loss, but he rolled his right ankle during the 4th quarter & was forced to leave the game.

49ers head coach Mike Nolan described the injury as a “bruise” and also added that Gore was taken for X-rays after the game and again before the 49ers left town.

Rams CB Tye Hill recorded an interception during the game & is tied for the NFL rookie lead with 3 interceptions.

At Qualcomm Stadium, the San Diego Chargers scored the go-ahead touchdown with 3:39 remaining to record a 21-14 home win over the Oakland Raiders.

The Raiders stunned everybody by taking a 7-0 lead on RB ReShard Lee’s 1 yard touchdown run in the 2nd quarter.

Chargers RB LaDainian Tomlinson answered with a 1 yard touchdown run just 47 seconds later to tie the game 7-7.

The Raiders went back ahead on QB Aaron Brooks’ 2 yard touchdown pass to WR John Madsen to make it 14-7 Oakland with 7:40 remaining in the 3rd quarter.

The touchdown was the first in Madsen’s NFL career.

San Diego began their comeback in the 4th quarter when Tomlinson launched a 19 yard touchdown pass (6th touchdown pass of career & 3rd against Raiders) to TE Antonio Gates to tie it at 14 with 9:46 remaining.

“We’ve done that plenty of enough times where you kick it to me and I just run around the end,” Tomlinson said. “So they’re thinking that was a run play and they come up to try to support the run and Gates just slipped right through them. You see the cornerbacks, they run up, and the next thing they see Gates and they’re saying, ‘Oh no!’ ”

Said Gates: “When you give the ball to No. 21, the whole defense better run to him.”

“Shoot, if I ain’t throwing it good, let him,” said Chargers QB Philip Rivers, who had his worst game as a starter.

Rivers completed just 14 of 31 passes for 133 yards & 1 interception. (QB rating of 44.2, season-low)

San Diego took the lead for good on Tomlinson’s 10 yard touchdown run (24th total touchdown of the season) with 3:39 remaining in the game.

It was the fifth straight game that Tomlinson has scored 3 touchdowns or more. The Chargers have won all 5 games.

Tomlinson needs just 5 touchdowns in San Diego’s remaining 5 games to break Shaun Alexander’s single-season record of 28 rushing touchdowns in 2005.

Tomlinson’s 14 TDs against Oakland are his most against any opponent.

San Diego won despite a bizzare play that was made by WR Vincent Jackson that caused a 10 minute delay.

With the Chargers trailing 14-7 and facing 4th & 2 from the Raiders 40, Jackson made a diving catch on a 13 yard pass from Rivers, rolled to the ground untouched, then stood up and spun the ball forward in celebration.

Raiders CB Fabian Washington jumped on the ball for an apparent fumble recovery.

“My emotions just got me for a second,” said Jackson, a second-year pro.

Referee Mike Carey originally signaled Oakland’s possession and the Raiders’ offense came on the field. The Raiders (2-9) rushed to the line of scrimmage, but umpire Garth DeFelice told them to hold up while Carey huddled with other officials.

Then it was ruled an illegal forward pass, with Carey saying that with the penalty, the Chargers didn’t have enough yardage for the first down, and it was Raiders ball.

Then he ruled the Chargers did have enough yards for a first down, at the 32.

“Once we got the yardage set correctly … they had the first down,” Carey said.

“I think we have a new rule about to happen,” Raiders QB Aaron Brooks said. “What’s the difference between a spike and a little flippity-flip, or whatever he did?”

“No question, the momentum turns back around in our favor.”

Chargers head coach Marty Schottenheimer got his 200th career win on Sunday, becoming just the 7th head coach in NFL history to accomplish the feat.

Don Shula is the NFL’s all-time winningest coach with 347 victories.

At Gillette Stadium, the New England Patriots were able to shake off a 5 turnover performance to record a 17-13 home win over the Chicago Bears.

Both teams came into the game #1 & #2 in points allowed, and did not disappoint.

The Bears & Patriots combined for 5 interceptions & 5 fumbles. (4 of them were lost, 3 by New England.)

New England scored first on RB Laurence Maroney’s 1 yard touchdown run to make it 7-0 Patriots with 9:07 remaining in the 2nd quarter.

Bears K Robbie Gould redeemed himself after having his 45 yard field goal attempt blocked in the 1st quarter by nailing home a 46 yarder to make it 7-3 New England with 4:04 remaining.

Gould tried out for the Patriots & was cut before the 2005 season opener. He then quickly signed with the Bears.

Gould performed steadily before breaking out this season. Before Sunday’s game, Gould converted his first 24 field goal tries, including 10-for-10 from 40 to 49 yards.

“He has been great for them,” Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said. “It’s hard to know exactly how good he was going to be, but he did a good job when he was here. We were impressed with his leg strength, his accuracy and his consistency.

Patriots K Stephen Gostkowski missed a 52 yard field goal wide right in the closing seconds of the 1st half, but he got another chance thanks to Bears head coach Lovie Smith.

Smith called a timeout just before the snap to try & freeze the rookie kicker.

It backfired as Gostkowski drilled home the 52 yarder with just 1 second remaining before halftime.

Chicago scored their only offensive touchdown in the 3rd quarter on RB Cedric Benson’s 2 yard touchdown run to tie the game 10-10.

New England took the lead for good on QB Tom Brady’s 2 yard touchdown pass to TE Ben Watson to give the Patriots a 17-10 lead with 8:22 remaining in the game.

On that drive, Brady juked out Bears LB Brian Urlacher for an 11 yard run which resulted in a first down.

5 plays later, Brady threw the touchdown pass that would put New England ahead for the rest of the game.

“I’ll tell my kids one day I slipped Brian Urlacher,” Brady said with a grin. “They won’t believe me.”

The Bears scored their final points of the game on Gould’s 32 yard field goal with 3:32 left, but had one final chance at a come-from-behind win after Bears DE Alex Brown recovered a fumble by Patriots RB Corey Dillon with 1:52 remaining on the Bears’ 25 yard line.

On the Bears’ first play on the drive however, QB Rex Grossman threw his 3rd interception to Patriots CB Asante Samuel which ended the game.

“This is prime time against the team with the best record,” Samuel said. “They like to go deep and it was something we were expecting.”

New England also became the first team to total over 300 yards of net offense against Chicago during their win.

Bears QB Rex Grossman completed just 15 of 34 pass attempts for 176 yards & 3 interceptions during the loss. (QB rating of 23.7, season-low)

Grossman’s QB rating has dipped to 77.6, which is the lowest rating among all 8 first-place teams in the NFL.

Bears RB Thomas Jones finished a yard shy of recording his third consecutive 100 yard game on the ground.

Jones carried the ball 24 times for 99 yards during the loss.

Bears WR Bernard Berrian led the team with 5 receptions for 104 yards in a losing effort.

It was Berrian’s first 100 yard game receiving since Chicago’s 37-6 win over Seattle in Week 4 when he caught 3 receptions for 108 yards & a touchdown.

Bears LB Lance Briggs & CB Danieal Manning each forced 2 fumbles during the loss.

Patriots QB Tom Brady completed 22 of 33 pass attempts for 269 yards, 1 touchdown & 2 interceptions during the win.

Brady tossed his 20th touchdown of the season during the 4th quarter, which gives him 5 consecutive seasons of 20+ touchdown passes during his 7 year NFL career.

Patriots LB Junior Seau broke his right arm during the game & will be sidelined for the rest of the season.

“Junior is a big loss,” Patriots LB Tedy Bruschi said. “He is a guy who came in here and picked up the system real well. To see him go down, it hurts the team. He is going to be missed greatly.”

After Seau’s injury, the Patriots moved LB Mike Vrabel from outside linebacker to inside next to Bruschi. LB Tully Banta-Cain took Vrabel’s spot at outside linebacker.

Seau played the first 13 years of his career with the San Diego Chargersand is the franchise’s best defensive player.

He spent the last three seasons with the Miami Dolphins, who released him last March to save $2.1 million under the salary cap.

Last year, Seau played in just seven games before suffering an Achilles tendon injury. In 2004, Seau started eight games for Miami before suffering a torn pectoral muscle.

Seau was selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame All-Decade Team for the 1990s and was named to the Pro Bowl 12 straight years from 1992-2003.

After an All-American career at Southern California, Seau was selected by San Diego fifth overall in the 1990 draft.

Patriots RB Kevin Faulk set the Patriots record for career receptions by a running back. His six catches Sunday gave him 262, one more than Tony Collins.

At LP Field, the Tennessee Titans recorded their biggest comeback in franchise history during their stunning 24-21 home win over the New York Giants.

The Giants struck first on QB Eli Manning’s 3 yard touchdown pass to WR Plaxico Burress during the 1st quarter, then added a pair of touchdown runs by RB Brandon Jacobs to give them a 21-0 lead with 8:05 remaining in the second quarter.

For 50 minutes & 25 seconds, the Giants kept the Titans out of the end zone.

But in the 4th quarter, Tennessee started to build up a comeback for the ages.

Titans QB Vince Young put his team on the board with a 4 yard touchdown pass to TE Bo Scaife to make it 21-7 Giants with 9:35 remaining in the game.

Young then added a 1 yard touchdown run to pull the Titans within a touchdown, making it 21-14 Giants with 5:24 remaining.

After eluding a sack by Giants DE Mathias Kiwanuka, Young scrambled for a 19 yard run on 4th & 10 from the T itans’ 24, Young hit WR Brandon Jones 4 plays later for the game tying touchdown with 44 seconds remaining.

The Giants started their critical drive at their own 19 yard line, but Manning threw an interception to Titans CB Adam “Pacman” Jones on just the 2nd play of the drive.

“A bad decision on my part,” Manning said of throwing the ball instead of playing it safe.

Young them calmly led his team on a 18 yard, 3 play drive that ended with Titans K Rob Bironas drilling home the game winning 49 yard field goal with 6 seconds remaining to finish off one of the NFL’s best comebacks of the 2006-07 season.

“Wow,” Titans coach Jeff Fisher said when it finally ended.

The final minutes felt like a flashback to the national championship game last January when Young led his Texas Longhorns past Southern California

Vince Young also made some NFL history on Sunday.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it’s the biggest fourth-quarter comeback by a rookie quarterback ever, topping John Elway’s 19-point rally with Denver on Dec. 11, 1983 against Indianapolis for a 21-19 victory.

Young finished the game completing 24 of 35 passes for 249 yards & 2 touchdowns. He also ran 10 times for 69 yards & a touchdown.

“The legend of Vince Young began a long time ago,” said Jones, who caught the TD pass that tied the game.

Young agreed.

“It’s a sneak peek of what’s to happen not just me, but this team in general,” Young said of a club that has won four of its last six in matching last year’s victory total with five games left.

The comeback topped the Titans’ previous best fourth-quarter rally from 15 points on Nov. 1, 1987, against Cincinnati.

It was the biggest in the NFL since Indianapolis came back from 21 down in the fourth period at Tampa Bay on Oct. 6, 2003, and won 38-25.

Amazingly, Tennessee won just their 2nd game in 23 tries when trailing after three quarters through the past three seasons.

Despite their 3rd straight loss, the Giants are just 1 game behind the first place Cowboys in the NFC East, setting up a huge divisional showdown between the two on Sunday from Giants Stadium.

At the RCA Dome, the Indianapolis Colts set a franchise record during their 45-21 home win over the Philadelphia Eagles.

Colts RB Joseph Addai rushed 24 times for 171 yards & scored 4 touchdowns, tying an NFL rookie record for rushing scores in one game; he shares that mark with eight other players.

Addai also broke a franchise record for points scored by a rookie in a game — the previous high was 18, reached in 1956, 1994 and 1996.

“I think it started way back in camp, just learning little key things,” Addai said. “That’s what you have to do as a rookie is work on the small things and you’ll do pretty good.”

“We rode the hot hand a little bit,” Colts head coach Tony Dungy said.

“We actually ran the ball this game probably more than we have in a while, so people got a chance to see what he can do. … He knows he’s a good back, and he just wants to come in here and fit in, and he’s done that very well.”

Peyton Manning also made some NFL history during Sunday’s game.

His first completion of the game, a 17 yard pass to WR Reggie Wayne made Manning the fastest player in league history to 3,000 completions.

The two-time MVP achieved the feat in 139 games, breaking a record previously shared by Dan Marino and Drew Bledsoe of 146, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Manning finished the night with 3,013 completions, but was more content with the win.

“Guys were disappointed after last week,” Manning said. “You always want to get a win and get that taste out of your mouth.”

Despite Indianapolis’ season-high 45 points on offense, WR Marvin Harrison was held to just 1 reception for 8 yards.

Harrison apparently walked to the locker room seconds before the final play of the first half, a field goal by Adam Vinatieri that gave the Colts a 24-7 lead.

Dungy shrugged off the story on Monday.

“It doesn’t disturb me in the way I think you guys want me to be disturbed,” Dungy said.

“Marvin was in the locker room getting stretched at halftime, and that part wasn’t a big deal.”

The Colts did suffer a blow Sunday when TE Dallas Clark limped into the locker room just before halftime with a sprained right knee.

Clark was injured when Eagles S Sean Considine tackled him after a 4-yard completion with 34 seconds left in the second quarter. Clark’s right leg got caught in the turf and dragged awkwardly underneath him before he hit the ground.

He stayed down and after taking off his helmet & put both hands on top of his forehead in obvious pain.

Clark came into the game as Indianapolis’ fourth-leading receiver with 25 catches for 307 yards and four TDs. The injury occurred on his first catch of the night.

On Monday, the agent for WR Ricky Proehl said that his client signed Monday with the Colts, who have been without WR Brandon Stokley for most of the season.

The 38-year-old Proehl agreed to a one-year deal that would be prorated on a $1.2 million base salary, his agent Alan Herman said.

The Colts made no announcement about the signing, and coach Tony Dungy said earlier Monday that the team was talking with Proehl. Herman declined to elaborate on the negotiations.

“(Proehl) brings a veteran guy who’s been in these December and January big games,” Dungy said. “A slot receiver who knows how to get open and make tough catches. I think he’d fit into what we’re doing.”

Stokley has played in just two games, most recently Oct. 8 against Tennessee, when he sprained his left knee. The Colts keep hoping he will return, and Dungy said Monday he thought Stokley could practice this week.

Proehl has played in 242 games during a 16-year career, including stops in Arizona, St. Louis, Chicago, Seattle and most recently, the Carolina Panthers.

He was part of the Rams and Panthers Super Bowl squads.

Injured Eagles QB Donovan McNabb had surgery Tuesday to repair a torn knee ligament & could be sidelined between 8-12 months.

Renowned orthopedist Dr. James Andrews performed the reconstructive knee surgery in Birmingham, Ala.

Head athletic trainer Rick Burkholder said McNabb also needed expected repairs to his meniscus, fibers and cartilage in the knee.

He added there was a “good” chance McNabb will be healthy for Philadelphia’s season opener, which would be about nine months.

“Donovan, with all his injuries, he works hard and expedites it,” Burkholder said. “We’re setting it up so he can be back for training camp.”

McNabb, who turned 30 on Saturday, was having one of the best statistical seasons of his eight-year career. He finished with 2,647 yards passing, 18 TDs, six interceptions and a passer rating of 95.5.

He had surgery for a sports hernia and missed the final seven games last season when Philadelphia finished 6-10 a year after going to the Super Bowl. Mike McMahon was 2-5 as the starter after McNabb went down.

McNabb also sat out the final six regular-season games in 2002 before returning for the playoffs. Koy Detmer and A.J. Feeley led the Eagles to a 5-1 record in McNabb’s absence.

At snowy Qwest Field, the Seattle Seahawks scored 15 unanswered points during their 34-24 home win over the Green Bay Packers.

Green Bay took a 14-12 halftime lead thanks in part to Seahawks QB Matt Hasselbeck’s three 1st half interceptions.

“I think Matt went through what I went through last week,” Seahawks RB Shaun Alexander said.

“The game is so fast. It’s one of those things, he’s trying to throw and make plays, and at times the ball was getting away or was a little bit behind, or he was just one step off. You could tell in the second half he just got a little bit better, a little bit better, and used to the speed.”

Alexander rushed a career-high 40 times for 201 yards (NFL season-high) to help Seattle put together a strong 2nd half & defeat Green Bay.

“Classic Shaun Alexander,” Seahawks FB Mack Strong said.

Hasselbeck threw three 2nd half touchdowns (WR D.J. Hackett, WR Darrell Jackson & TE Jerramy Stevens) to help put the Packers away.

Green Bay’s only touchdown in the 2nd half came on QB Brett Favre’s 48 yard touchdown pass to WR Donald Driver to make it 21-12 Packers with 12:39 remaining in the 3rd quarter.

Seattle ended up outscoring Green Bay 22-3 the rest of the way.

Favre fell to 41-9 when the temperature is 34 degrees or less, & made his 252nd straight start which could possibly be his final appearance on the Monday-night stage he has lit up over his shining career.

The Seahawks’ previous high for rushing attempts was 36, set by Chris Warren.

That’s a wrap with the Week 12 Recap!

My Week 13 NFL Predictions will be online tomorrow (i hate that there will be Thursday games at least once a week for the next month, this NFL Network thing ain’t goin’ too well with me.)

Just 3 more days until the U-Hype 1 Year Anniversary Jam!

Time for me to turn it in as it is nearing 2am, i’ll holla at ya’ll tomorrow with my Week 13 Predictions.

Until then,

Mattie T

Sports Writer for BMS Radio Chicago

www.bmsradio.com & myspace.com/bmsradiosports