Fifth Down, Week Eight

My fantasy team got crushed, I got my keys locked in my vehicle, I ran out of gas on the way to work this morning, I had to bail my eight-year-old son out of jail Saturday night, and the Colts lost again. Oy vey.

Ravens 20, Raiders 9 - Win. JaMarcus Russell grew up a little today after Baltimore took him out to the woodshed. Actual score: Ravens 29, Raiders 10

Panthers 27, Cardinals 17 - Win. Carolina didn't limit Kurt Warner much, but they caused turnovers, and this, tripled with running the ball well and stopping Arizona's running game, gave them the close victory. Actual score: Panthers 27, Cardinals 23

Buccaneers 24, Cowboys 13 - Loss. Marion Barber didn't have to run it forty times, but he did run in twenty-five, and the Cowboys defense played inspired football, making the Bucs pass much more than they wanted to. Good game, this one was. Actual score: Cowboys 13, Bucs 9

Redskins 31, Lions 14 - Win. Portis didn't double the 120 as I predicted, but he did meet it, and the 'skins ground game help them keep the Lions at bay long enough for Washington to overcome their early miscues. Detroit is still winless. Actual score: Redskins 25, Lions 17

Bills 17, Dolphins 10 - Loss. Chad Pennington played the best game he's played in three years, and the Dolphin D came up huge in the fourth quarter (a safety and three turnovers)...Actual score: Dolphins 25, Bills 19

Patriots 20, Rams 17 - Win. Stephen Jackson didn't run for the Rams, but the Rams still ran, but New England's D stood tall in the fourth, as did QB Cassell, who overcame two early picks to lead the Pats to victory. He's no Brady yet, but he's developing much quicker than I thought he would. Actual score: Patriots 23, Rams 16

Chargers 31, Saints 30 - Loss. New Orleans--at least their offense--didn't lag at all, as Brees played phenomenally, going 31 of 40, for three touchdowns and over three hundred yards, and no picks. The man--if he keeps up some semblance of this pace--is a lock for MVP. I gotta ask, though...whatever happened to the Chargers D that played with such grit and enthusiasm last year? Actual score: Saints 37, Chargers 32

Jets 899, Chiefs 2 - Win. The Jets, as I mentioned in Sunday's post, have one of the best run defenses in the league, and the Chiefs worry too much about testing it; instead, they let third-string QB Tyler Thigpen throw the ball...thirty-six times! And the young man produced, putting up 280 yards threw the air, with two touchdowns and no picks. His counterpart, Mr. Farve--both wear #4--threw forty times, with two touchdowns, and three picks. And he won the game at the end, where Thigpen came up just a hair short. This was a fantastic dual, and Thigpen was something to see. I hated that his D let him down. Actual score: Jets 28, Chiefs 24

Eagles 28, Falcons 12 - Win. This one was much closer than the score indicated, as the Falcons were down late only twenty to twelve, when their punt returner apparently muffed one, and the Eagles went one to score and win. Turns out, the punt was not muffed; the Falcons, though, were out of time outs, and they couldn't challenge. Ouch. Actual score: Eagles 27, Falcons 14

Jaguars 12, Browns 9 - Loss. Shaun Rogers played the best individual defensive game I've seen all year. He notched nine solo tackles, and a forced fumble, but he disrupted nearly every down, as he hurried Garrard into making throws that didn't find their mark. Actual score: Browns 23, Jags 17

Bengals 14, Texans 13 - Loss. Pity the poor Bengals. I was wrong--bad wrong--on this one. I thought they had turned the corner. Fitzpatrick threw two picks, the offense failed to score a touchdown, and failed to score at all in the second half, while Matt Schaub played nearly perfect football, going 24 of 28 for 280 and three touchdowns (and no picks). Wow. And Andre Johnson: eleven catches for 143, which is about what he produced last weeekend. Wow. Actual score: Texans 35, Bengals 6

Giants 24, Steelers 20 - Win. Great game. Tough and defensive, with both offense spending quarters without producing. Fortunately for the Giants, they produced when they needed to. It's possible we could see these two again in the Super Bowl. Actual score: Giants 21, Steelers 14.

49ers 2, Seahawks 0 - Loss. San Fran didn't get up for their new coach Samurai Mike, but one did get out for him, as--and this is the first time I've ever seen this--Samurai Mike tossed his own player--TE Vernon Davis--out of the game, and pulled his starting QB for ineffectiveness. Now, I wonder, when he's going to give offensive coordinator Mike Martz the same treatment, 'cause the guy's getting the SF quarterbacks killed back there. I feel sorry for them, and I don't even like San Fran. Oh, and I deeply apologize to all Seattle fans, for their defense most assuredly did not suck (five sacks, four forced fumbles, and one interception). I was terribly wrong on this one. Actual score: Seahawks 34, 49ers 13.

Titans 27, Colts 20 - Win. Indy's defense tried, and performed well for three-and-a-half quarters, but the Titans fierce D discombobulated the man from Tennessee (the University of, that is). Actual score: Titans 31, Colts 21

Record this week: 8-6

Record this year: I'll check it later, folks.