Week 9 AFC Recap
byAndrew Farrell of
TrevRogers.com
Atlanta 17, Miami 10
The Falcons have shown they can win with an erratic passing game.So what happens when Michael Vick is pinpoint accurate? In thiscase, bad news for the Dolphins. After passing for only 211 yardsin the past two weeks, Vick went 22 for 31 for a season-high 228yards. His Miami counterpart, Gus Frerotte didn’t fare nearlyas well as he completed only 13 passes in 22 attempts for 103yards and an interception. The only thing that kept this gamefrom being a lopsided victory was some finishing problems by theAtlanta offense. A 79-yard Atlanta drive netted no points aftera lost fumble and a 91-yard drive finished with only a field goal.The only bright spot for Miami was that the running back duo ofRicky Williams and Ronnie Brown worked well for a second straightweek. Williams carried 10 times for 52 yards and a touchdown whileBrown went 12 times for 67 yards.
Cincinnati 21, Baltimore 9
The Bengals continued their hold on the top spot of the AFC Northat the Ravens’ expense. Carson Palmer had another impressive gameearning a 128.4 passer rating by going 19 for 26 for 248 yards,two TDs and no interceptions. His two passing touchdowns broughthis season total to 18, already matching his entire productionlast year. The Ravens were hampered by another poor performancefrom their offense (last in the NFL in scoring). They only managed240 net yards and couldn’t find the end zone once. Baltimore dropsto 2-6, their worst start in franchise history.
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Jacksonville 21, Houston 14
The Jags got a scare from lowly Houston after trailing 14-7 inthe fourth quarter but two long Jaguar scoring drives of 80 and82 yards gave the team their fifth win. Byron Leftwich’s secondhalf performance was perfect as he went 11 for 11 with 162 yardsand a touchdown. He added another touchdown with his legs in thefinal quarter on an eight-yard run. Houston, despite being dealttheir seventh loss in eight games, looked improved. For a teamthat lost their first six games by an average of 17.5 points,a seven point loss to a strong team is a step in the right directionfor the Texans.
Kansas City 27, Oakland 23
Kansas City coach Dick Vermeil went for it all on the final playof the game. Trailing by three with the ball on Oakland’s 1-yardline and time for only one more play, Vermeil elected to go forthe touchdown instead of an easy field goal that would have sentthe game into overtime. Larry Johnson launched over the pile togrind out the one-yard run that gave Kansas City the thrillingvictory. The loss was a heartbreaking one for the Raiders whopieced together two fourth-quarter touchdown drives of their ownto take the lead after trailing 20-9.
San Diego 31, N.Y. Jets 26
The Chargers narrowly avoided another fourth quarter meltdownby shutting down a Jets offense that was three yards away fromwinning the game. With 3:13 left and leading by six, Drew Breesfumbled to turn the ball over to the Jets at the San Diego 30.Brooks Bollinger was then able to lead the Jets 27 yards San Diego3-yard line. However, the Jets couldn’t push any further on thenext four downs and their comeback hopes were dashed on fourthdown as Bollinger’s pass was batted away by Quentin Jammer. LaDanianTomlinson scored a career-high four touchdowns for the Chargersto bring his season total to 13.
Cleveland 20, Tennessee 14
Reuben Droughns bounced back from off-field controversy to helpCleveland climb from last place in the AFC North. Charged withdriving under the influence after being pulled over for speedinglast Tuesday, Droughns rushed for 116 yards and caught 4 passesfor 73 yards. Steve McNair nearly led the Titans to a comebackvictory. Trailing 20-7 in the final quarter, McNair led one successfulscoring drive and then led another one to Cleveland’s 28 withtwo seconds remaining. However, his final throw to the end zonewas picked off by Brodney Pool.
Pittsburgh 20, Green Bay 10
With quarterback Ben Roethlisberger sidelined by knee surgery,Steeler backup Charlie Batch couldn’t fill Big Ben’s big shoesand only passed for 65 yards, no touchdowns and an interception.However, the Steelers defense compensated by forcing three turnoverswhich were converted into 17 points, including a Troy Polamalu77-yard touchdown return of a Brett Favre fumble. Injuries alsoaffected the Steeler run game as an injured Jerome Bettis necessitatedactivating backup running back Duce Staley for only the secondgame this season. Staley filled in well carrying 15 times for76 yards and a touchdown.
Indianapolis 40, New England 21
Entering Monday night’s game, Foxboro had not been a good placefor Peyton Manning and the Colts. The team had dropped nine straighton the Pats’ home turf including season-ending playoff lossesthe past two seasons. What would it take to overcome the curse?Apparently, an undefeated Colts matched up against a hobbled NewEngland was enough to reverse history. The Colts didn’t just wineither; they trounced New England. The Indianapolis offense wasunstoppable, scoring on seven of nine drives and only puntingonce. Manning finished 28 for 37 with 321 yards, three touchdownsand an interception. New England’s run game was again noticeablyabsent. The Patriots, in the bottom five of the NFL in total rushing,only mustered 34 yards on the ground.
Andrew Farrell writes for TrevRogers Sports,which can be found at
www.trevrogers.com
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