2009 Game Reviews
NFL Week 5
by Jody Jamieson
15/10/2009
 
Bengals 17 Ravens 14
 
Bengals games are brilliantly insane. This was another excellent game with another wild finish.
 
Cincinnati left a multitude of points on the field in this one. First, they missed a chip shop field goal on their first drive after another dodgy snap by Brad St Louis. How hasnt he been cut yet? He made yet another pathetic snap on an extra point attempt in the 3rd quarter but was luckily saved by an illegal formation on the defense. Then they had to settle for a field goal when they had first and goal on the 5. Then on a third down play from the Ravens 45 Daniel Coats dropped a certain touchdown and the Bengals had to punt the ball away. Also, on the Mark Clayton fumble, how did the Ravens retain the ball after review? CBS had a perfect view to show the ball was clearly coming out before the knee hit the ground, so how could they rule down by contact? The officials completed their miserable review of the play by incorrectly spotting the ball by 5 yards. If Baltimore are retaining the ball, Clayton was down by contact at his own 25. Baltimore made the next play from the 20. Then to complete a miserable first half, Ed Reed forced The Artist Formerly Known As Johnson to fumble the ball while on the charge in Baltimore territory. Cincinnati could have been up by about 14 at half time if it wasnt for their miscues but were instead down 7-3. Carson Palmer had made a big mistake in the 2nd quarter when he stared down his receiver with Ed Reed in the vicinity. Reed made the INT and went in unchallenged for the touchdown.
 
Cedric Benson became the first runner since Larry Johnson in 2006 to put up 100 yards on the Ravens defense and capped his day off with a 28 yard touchdown run. Ray Rice looked to have given Baltimore the win with a marvellous 48 yard TD catch after he slithered out of a tackle he had no right to break, but Carson Palmer has been clutch in the 4th quarter and had no trouble leading his team down the field, and with 22 seconds remaining, Andre Caldwell crossed the goalline on a 20 yard reception to win the game and send the Bengals to 4-1.
 
As if Bengals games werent wild enough, they get the Texans next at home. This is guaranteed to be the most exciting game of the week.
 
Redskins 17 Panthers 20
 
Everything started marvellously for Washington in this one when DeAngelo Williams fumbled inside the first minute and Albert Haynesworth recovered the ball. Campbell hit Portis underneath for a 10 yard touchdown. Then when Brad Hoover carried on 4th and goal and fumbled, Jeff King recovered. By rule, the ball was given to the Redskins, but Clinton Portis was stuffed in the endzone by Julius Peppers and Thomas Davis for a safety. Washington added a field goal for a 10-2 half time lead, and it was 17-2 early in the third quarter when Jake Delhommes pass was tipped by Mushin Muhammad and intercepted by DeAngelo Hall and returned to the one yard line. Portis dived in on the next play and the game looked over.
 
Thankfully for Carolina, special teams saved the day. On the resulting kickoff Kenny Moore returned the ball to the Washington 40 and Carolina took full advantage when Delhomme hit Jeff King for the touchdown. It was 17-12 when a Jason Baker punt hit Byron Westbrook in the foot, who crashed into Antwaan Randle El as the Panthers recovered at the Redskins 12. Jonathan Stewart went in 2 plays later and Carolina had their first win of the season. Delhomme had one of his better days with his interception being completely on Muhammad. He even iced the game with a 9 yard scramble on 3rd and 8 to run out the clock. Secret Agent Campbell had a good day for the Redskins, but did enough to ensure Jim Zorns firing is just around the corner. Washington have Kansas City and Philadelphia at home before their Week 8 bye. I doubt Zorn is still the Head Coach come Week 9, and if hes fired by the time this article goes live, I wouldnt be surprised.
 
Browns 6 Bills 3
 
Billy Cundiff kicked a field goal in the second quarter. Then Ryan Lindell kicked a field goal in the third quarter. Then Billy Cundiff kicked another field goal in the fourth quarter.
 
Thats it. Its quite hard to put into words how dreadful this game really was. There were more punts (16) and penalties (16 again) in this game than points. Derek Anderson was 2/17 passing for 29 yards and an interception. Thats a horrendous line in a horrendous game. Cleveland did have 9 drops on the day, but not all of them were completely on the receivers. Anderson was horrible.
 
Moving swiftly on...
 
Steelers 28 Lions 20
 
Daunte Culpepper replaced the injured Matthew Stafford in this one and showed he still has the legs, running for 34 yards on Detroits first drive. Culpepper overall had a good game in relief against a staunch Pittsburgh defense, going 23/37 282 yards 1TD 1INT and never allowed the Steelers to pull away which was impressive considering Calvin Johnson got injured in the first quarter and was in and out all day. Pittsburgh led 7-6 after a Rashard Mendenhall TD run came in between two Jason Hanson field goals. The lead was stretched to 8 when Heath Miller went in on a tight end screen but Detroit were back within a point when William James picked off Ben Roethlisberger and took it the other way. Pittsburgh led 21-13 at the half when Hines Ward went in.
 
The lead was stretched to 28-13 when Roethlisberger found Mike Wallace deep for a 47 yard score but the Lions never gave up and with 5 minutes left Dennis Northcutt caught a Culpepper pass to make it a one possession game. Detroit had a chance to tie the game late when they had the ball on the Pittsburgh 21 yard line with 2 minutes to play. Culpepper was subsequently sacked 3 times and on 4th and 34 a Hail Mary pass fell incomplete. This was a regular theme as left tackle Jeff Backus was blown up all afternoon by James Harrison. Culpepper was sacked 7 times on the day. Pittsburgh improved to 3-2 and get Cleveland next before a big Week 7 showdown with the Minnesota Favres. Luckily, it seems like Troy Polamalu will be back this week against the Browns. Its likely that the Steelers star safety would have played on Sunday if they werent on the artificial turf, so its almost certain Polamalu will play in Week 6.
 
Cowboys 26 Chiefs 20 (OT)
 
Dallas needed a record 250 yard receiving day from Miles Austin to finally squeak past the Chiefs in overtime. This is not a recipe for consistent success. Tony Romo still has issues despite the fact that the Cowboys continue to run the ball terrifically. Romo was 20/34 for 354 yards and two touchdowns which is a nice line, but his accuracy is letting him down. It must be noted though that Romo isnt being helped by his offensive line who are letting him down big time. Flozell Adams happily went a whole 60 minutes without kicking someone, but was flagged for 2 false start penalties. I named my fantasy football teams False Start 76 Offense in tribute to Flozell, who doesnt let you down. Meanwhile on the other side Matt Cassel had his best game as a Chief but it wasnt enough to inspire his team to victory. Despite the fact that Cassel played well, Dallas shouldnt find themselves down 13-3 in the 3rd quarter against Kansas City, but penalties killed them, and two key turnovers (Crayton muffed punt and a Romo fumble) handed the Chiefs 10 points. Tashard Choice started the comeback with a 36 yard TD run and after Nick Folk tied the game up in the 4th, Miles Austin scored his first long TD of the game to make it 20-13 Dallas.
 
Cassel led his team down the field late in the game and on 4th and 7 with their last chance, Cassel to Bowe at the back of the endzone tied the game up, but in overtime Austin slipped a tackle and raced free to send Dallas to 3-2. I found it interesting that in this game the Chiefs spent most of the game stuffing the box to try and limit the rushing attack while daring Romo to beat them through the air. While obviously Romo did beat them through the air, it took overtime. If Romo doesnt find his groove soon its going to be a long season in Big D.
 
Vikings 38 Rams 10
 
One of the best trivia questions in NFL history was ruined in this game. Who caught Favres first ever NFL completion but never caught another pass in his career? The answer of course was Brett Favre. That was until he caught his second NFL pass on Sunday in this game after it was tipped at the line. He now had -9 receiving yards in his career. The Vikings comfortably took the opening possession down the field and scored when Adrian Peterson went in from 5 yards. St Louis replied with a Kyle Boller empty hand pass that Jared Allen picked off the turf and took the other way for an early 14-0 lead. Allen was again in the thick of it when Boller and Steven Jackson messed up the handoff on the Vikes 2 yard line and Allen recovered it. Favre threw a horrible interception to James Laurinitis, deep in Vikings territory, but the Rams could only turn it into 3. The Rams blew yet another chance to score when Daniel Fells fumbled at the Vikings 5 and EJ Henderson this time recovered.
 
Minnesota took their opening possession down the field and Favre hit Visanthe Shiancoe over the middle with a beautiful pass to make it 24-3. On 4th down with the Rams desperate Kyle Boller threw an interception into triple coverage that Tyrell Johnson held onto to mark the third time theyd turned the ball over less than 10 yards from the goalline. Peterson then scored again before the Rams ignored the redzone altogether when Boller threw a 27 yard TD to Donnie Avery. Chester Taylor went in from a yard to complete the scoring to take Minnesota to 5-0 and drop the Rams to 0-5.
 
Raiders 7 Giants 44
 
Eli came, saw, conquered and left. His heel injury was only a factor in Coughlins decision to pull him before half time in a game that got out of hand in almost record time. The Giants were up 28-0 up 4 minutes into the second quarter as the Raiders were in typical disarray. On Ahmad Bradshaws 2nd TD run it was a toss right and the cutback lane opened so wide because 5 Raider defenders somehow ended up on the outside in a hilarious over pursue. The only time the Raiders got inside the Giants 40 yard line was on a muffed punt by Sinorice Moss. Michael Bush scored on a 5 yard run.
 
JaMarcus Russell dropped back 19 times in this game. He was sacked 6 times. It shows just how much confidence Tom Cable has in Russell that despite the fact they were behind huge in this one early, he didnt air it out. They actually ran the ball 25 times (although two were Russell scrambles) and didnt let the game get out of hand by letting Russell pass the ball. He was 8/13 for 100 yards, which is probably his best line of the year, but he did fumble the ball 3 times. Darrius Heyward-Bey had no catches for the third time in 5 games. He only has 3 touches on the season (1 carry) and has done nothing to justify the 7th overall pick. Of course, its not particularly fair to kill him considering he shouldnt be a starter right now and, of course, Russell sucks.
 
Buccaneers 14 Eagles 33
 
How good are the Eagles? I honestly have no idea. Theyve only had one mildly difficult game and they got drubbed with Kevin Kolb at quarterback (who played well but made some key mistakes). Donovan McNabb returned from injury and rookie receiver Jeremy Maclin had a breakout day as the Eagles ran out comfortable winners against a bad Tampa Bay team. McNabb threw 3 TD passes in the first half. Two to Maclin and one to Leonard Weaver. Brian Westbrook had a rushing touchdown on his return from injury. Darren Howard recorded a safety for the Eagles when he nailed Cadillac Williams two yards deep in the endzone.
 
Diner friend Josh Johnson looked ok in his second NFL start, but was victimised by some bad drops from his receivers on key plays. He eventually finished with 26/50 240 yards 2TD 3INT. Johnson needs to take better care of the football, but the signs are there that he can be a decent NFL quarterback given time. Kellen Winslow caught both of his touchdown passes and Asante Samuel caught two of his picks.
 
Michael Vick was ineffective again in the Wildcat, completing 1 pass. Hes now 1/5 for 1 yard as an Eagle. He did have 4 carries for 10 yards.
 
Falcons 45 49ers 10
 
Dre Bly had one of those moments on Sunday that will be remembered for a long time for all the wrong reasons. It may not have cost them they game by any means (Atlanta were leading 35-10 at the time) but when Bly intercepted Matt Ryans pass and was taking it the other way he showboated, was tackled, fumbled and looked on in embarrassment as Todd McClure recovered. An impromptu Top Fives asks 5 key questions as to what Bly was doing.
1. Why are you showboating down 35-10? Even if you score, youre still getting squashed by 18 at home.
2. Why are you sticking your hand behind your head when youre on your own 30 yard line? I hate showboating at the best of times, but dont most people go all Deion Sanders once theyre 5 yards from the goalline?
3. Did you not guess by the fact that you made the interception in the middle of the field that there may be would be tacklers nearby as you turn the corner? Bly was at nickelback and made the pick right in the middle of the hash marks. He had to know he wasnt going to trot down the field untouched.
4. Why, after almost coming to your senses and stopping the bravado, did you conveniently forget to secure the football? He seemed to have a temporary return to sanity as he sensed Roddy White gaining on him, but still continued to carry the ball like a loaf of bread.
5. Why after the dumbest move of your football career did you try and defend your actions post game? Dres always going to be Dre? Well if thats the case then Dre is always going to be an idiot.
 
Someone must have conveniently forgotten that Mike Singletary chewed out the entire team for how terrible they looked 28 points ago. Everyone believed this would be a tight contest but the Falcons blew it open early over a hapless 49ers team. Atlanta had 340 yards of offense in the first half alone. Michael Turner on the ground and Roddy White through the air made it 14-0 before a Glenn Coffee TD and a Joe Nedney field goal made it 14-10 but after that the Niners capitulated, allowing Michael Turner into the endzone two more times in the second quarter after Matt Ryan threw a 90 yard touchdown pass to Roddy White. In the second half Jason Elam kicked a field goal and Matt Ryan went in himself to have 45 on San Francisco. That was an unacceptable performance by a 49ers team who have become the favourites for the NFC West after a 3-1 start, but they need to get back on track soon.
 
Texans 21 Cardinals 28
 
This was an excellent game. Matt Schaub is having a good year for Houston, but he made two huge mistakes in the last few minutes of this game. First with the scores tied at 21 he held the ball a fraction too long before throwing to the outside on 3rd down, allowing Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie to jump the route and then take the interception back to the house. What wont be remembered though is that Schaub on a naked bootleg to the left had all the time in the world to set his feet and play pitch and catch with a wide open Joel Dreessen at the back of the endzone. Schaub didnt swing his hips and threw and awkward lob just too high for Dreessen who made a marvellous effort but just couldnt keep his feet in bounds.
 
Warner threw for over 200 yards in the first half as the Cardinals completely dominated. Tim Hightower scored on a 1 yard run before two Kurt Warner to Larry Fitzgerald passes looked to have ended the game as a contest at 21-0. Houston blew a chance at the start of the second half when in field goal range they went for it on 4th and 1. Schaub threw towards the endzone into double coverage and it fell incomplete. Chris Brown did go in to make it 21-7 before Schaub led two more touchdown drives, both ending in Andre Johnson scores. With the chance to win it Schaub threw the pick six to DRC, but still had the chance to tie it. After missing Dreessen on third down Chris Brown was stopped on 4th down inches short as Arizona held on.
 
Patriots 17 Broncos 20 (OT)
 
Did Denver honestly play football in the 60s in that Bradford City rip-off uniform? I love throwbacks, but that was terrible. That was just as bad as the neon nonsense Seattle wore a few weeks ago. New England looked to have finally exposed the Denver defense, hanging 17 points on them in an impressive first half showing. They did score in the second half. Matt Prater missed a 48 yard field goal after a good first drive from Denver. The Patriots took full advantage when Tom Brady hit Wes Welker for a touchdown. The Broncos gave it right back to the Patriots when Jerod Mayo forced a Knowshon Moreno fumble and Brandon McGowan recovered. The lead was 10-0 when Stephen Gostkowski kicked a 53 yarder. Denver scored a touchdown when Kyle Orton under threw a fade pass but Brandon Marshall went into beast mode and caught it over Shawn Springs for the TD, but the Patriots responded with 10 seconds to go to re-establish the 10 point lead. Brady to Benjamin Watson made it 17-7 at the half.
 
Brady was 5/14 for 63 yards in the second half as the Denver defense played shutdown mode and allowed their offense a chance to get back into it. A short Prater field goal made it a one possession game. Gostkowski hit the left upright from 40 yards and this cost the Pats as Brandon Marshall scored his second TD of the game to take it to overtime. On the previous play Brandon Merriweather somehow got flagged for taunting before he even stood up. He definitely did taunt by the letter of the law, but the flag clearly comes out before he does anything. If the side judge was on the new hit TV show FlashForward, then his vision was of him flagging Merriweather on that play. Denver got the ball first and didnt waste it, even though Josh McDaniels bizarrely got pass happy inside the Pats 30 in a seemingly desperate attempt to chuck the game away. Thankfully Kyle Orton didnt match the stupidity of the play calling and Matt Prater kicked the game winner from 41 yards. Denver are inexplicably 5-0 while the Patriots are an unconvincing 3-2. Tom Brady lost in overtime for the first time in his career.
 
Jaguars 0 Seahawks 41
 
I beg your pardon? This had close game written all over it, until it actually started. Seattle walloped Jacksonville on Matt Hasselbecks return from injury. Things went wrong for Jacksonville before the game even started when Mike Sims-Walker was suspended for violating team rules. And when the game began things got no better. Owen Schmitt meanwhile picked up the dumbest injury in the history of the NFL in pregame introductions. He got a little fired up when being introduced, and smacked himself in the head with his own helmet, looking like something out of the WWE as the blood dripped down his face with the proverbial crimson mask as Jim Ross might say.
 
Jacksonville actually had the chance to take a 7-3 lead in this one but on 4th and 1 from the 2 the Seahawks completely blew up Garrards bootleg to the right and he had to throw it away. Seattle added another field goal before going on a touchdown bonanza. Matt Hasselbeck threw 4 touchdown passes with two going to TJ Houshmandzadeh and the other two being hauled in by Nate Burleson. Nick Reed completed the rout with a 79 yard fumble return after David Garrard was strip sacked.
 
It would be easy to say Jacksonville were miserable. They were miserable, but Seattle came into this game with a point to prove and played magnificently.
 
Colts 31 Titans 9
 
Maybe the Titans arent for real after all. Some speculated that they were the best 0-4 team ever. The truth is that theyre simply a team with major issues on both sides of the ball who will continue to stutter along this season.
 
The disaster started early when Antoine Bethea forced the ball loose from Alge Crumpler and Keyunta Dawson recovered. Peyton Manning to Reggie Wayne on 4th and 1 gave the Colts the lead. Tennessee responded with two Rob Bironas field goals. Joseph Addai rushing and Austin Collie receiving added touchdowns to give the Colts a 21-9 half time lead. Collie scored again in the second half and Vinatieri kicked a field goal after Reggie Wayne dropped a cookie in the endzone.
 
Vince Young saw his first action of the season. First impression? He looks overweight, which is unacceptable. Its been discussed many times that the quarterback must at least appear to be the hardest worker on and off the field, so when the guy who should be doing everything he can to get his starters job comes on with a belly that was worse than mine (ok thats a lie, but whatever) then its a joke. Kerry Collins is not the answer anymore, but VY is setting a bad example.
 
Jets de Nueva York 27 Delfines de Miami 31
 
I know nothing about celebrity life, so I was a little puzzled by a guy called Marc Anthony was singing the Star Spangled Banner to commemorate Hispanic Heritage Month. After scouring the internet I found he was born to Puerto Rican parents, so it made a little more sense. However I found it ironic that Chad Johnson changed his name to Chad Ocho Cinco while this legend of Hispanic heritage changed his name to Marc Anthony from Marco Antonio Muniz. Sometimes, the quirkiness of the human race makes me smile. I didnt even know he was married to Jennifer Lopez till I saw them in an executive box together during the game. If I actually cared about the life and times of celebrities, I may have known this. The first penalty call of the game was even given in Spanish by referee Alberto Riveron (or Albert Rivers when he changes his name) as Hispanic Heritage Month takes full swing in the NFL.
 
The Dolphins moved the ball well from the Wildcat, and Ronnie Dos Tres even had his first pass of the season before going in from 2 yards out for the 7-0 lead. The Jets looked to have gone three and out on their first possession, but punter Steve Weatherford ran for 23 yards on 4th and 3. Braylon Uno Siete then scored on a 3 yard pass from Mark Sanchez to tie the game. It was Edwards first touchdown in 13 games. With the score 10-7 Miami with 5 minutes left in the first half, they faked another punt on 4th and 3 (this time on the MIA 40) with the up man Brad Smith taking the snap for a 12 yard run. The Jets tied the game with a field goal and then took a 13-10 lead when Jay Feely kicked another field goal to end the half. There was no scoring in the third quarter, but that wasnt quite the case in the 4th.
 
First Anthony Fasano scored after a 2 yard Chad Henne pass. Mark Sanchez made a wonderful pass to David Clowney but after intentional grounding the Jets were left with 3rd and 22. Sanchez made another marvellous throw and Braylon Edwards adjusted his body brilliantly in the air to come down with the catch on the one yard line. Thomas Jones scored from a yard. Chad Henne then hit Ted Uno Nueve Jr over the top for 53 yards and a 24-20 lead. The Jets went right back down the field and Thomas Jones scored again, but with 6 seconds left Ronnie Brown scored on the ground to give the Dolphins a win in a great game.