A Look Back at the NFL's Week 6
Redskins and Cowboys Upset, Giants Lose First Game of 2008
Oct 13, 2008
Keeping it Close
Four of the 14 games played in Week 6 were decided by a field goal or less. Three of those tight games were won (or lost) as the clock ticked to zero.
- St. Louis Rams 19, Washington Redskins 17: The Rams (1-4) won their first game of the season 19-17 on a 49-yard field goal by Josh Brown as time expired. The Redskins (4-2) came into the game without having committed a single offensive turnover on the season and promptly lost three fumbles, one of which was returned 75 yards for a touchdown. Brown accounted for the rest of the Rams' points by converting all four of his field goal attempts, including the dramatic game-winner.
- Atlanta Falcons 22, Chicago Bears 20: After Chicago (3-3) scored a touchdown with 11 seconds left in the game to make the score 20-19 it looked like they were well on their way to a win. But the Falcons returned the ensuing kickoff to their own 44-yard line and had six seconds left. Quarterback Matt Ryan then aired out a 26-yard pass completion to Michael Jenkins who ran out of bounds at the Bears' 30-yard line with one second left on the clock. Jason Elam followed with a 48-yard field goal that landed just inside the uprights to give the Falcons (4-2) the dramatic win. Rookie quarterback Ryan finished with 301 passing yards and one touchdown and is making Atlanta fans ask, "Michael who?"
- Minnesota Vikings 12, Detroit Lions 10: In the first half, the Vikings and Lions combined for five points off a safety and field goal, respectively. It took the Vikings nine drives before they scored their first offensive points of the game in the third quarter on an 86-yard touchdown pass to Bernard Berrian that brought Minnesota within a point. Over 12 minutes later, Ryan Longwell booted a 26-yard field goal with nine seconds left to give Minnesota (3-3) the win and keep Detroit (0-5) winless on the season.
- Houston Texans 29, Miami Dolphins 28: In Houston, it wasn't a kicker that won it for the Texans. It was quarterback Matt Schaub, who led a 12-play drive down the field with less than two minutes left and finished it off on his own with a three-yard touchdown run that left just three seconds on the clock. It was Houston's (1-4) first win of the season and one that prevented the Dolphins (2-3) from moving into a three-way second-place tie with the New England Patriots and the New York Jets in the AFC East.
NFC East Gets a Little More Interesting
The NFL's best division is led by a team at 4-1 and finished at the bottom by a team playing .500 football. The heavily favoured Giants lost their first game of the season to the Cleveland Browns on Monday night but still sit in first place in the division ahead of the Redskins, who were upset by the Rams, and the Dallas Cowboys, who fell to the Arizona Cardinals when their overtime punt was blocked and returned for a touchdown. So, the Redskins and Cowboys, both 4-2, now sit right behind the Giants (4-1) based on percentages and just ahead of the Eagles, 3-3, who pulled off a convincing 40-26 win over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. In Week 7, the Giants play the 49ers, the Cowboys play the Rams, and the Redskins play the Browns. The Eagles have the week off before facing the Falcons on the following Sunday. Injured star running back Brian Westbrook should return from injury to help Philadelphia make a push in the division. The Cowboys learned on Monday that quarterback Tony Romo will be sidelined for as many as four weeks with a broken finger. He'll be replaced by Brad Johnson. Some excitement is definitely brewing in the NFC East.
Oakland Raiders, Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers and New England Patriots Lose Big
If you needed to write headlines for the games these teams lost they would probably look something like this:
- Beating Raiders a "Brees" as Saints Quarterback Throws Three TD Passes in 34-3 Win
- Manning and Harrison Connect for Two More TDs as Colts Clobber Ravens 31-3
- Garcia Starts and Leads Buccaneers to 27-3 Defeat of Panthers
- Moss Catches Three Passes for 26 Yards and Cassell Struggles as Brady-Less Pats Fall 30-10 to Chargers
Other Results from Around the League
New York Jets 26, Cincinnati Bengals 14: Thomas Jones rushed for two touchdowns and caught one more from Brett Favre as the Jets moved to 3-2 on the season and the Bengals (0-6) joined the Lions as the only teams still without a win.
Jacksonville Jaguars 24, Denver Broncos 17: Maurice Jones-Drew rushed for 125 yards and two touchdowns and David Garrard tossed another TD pass as the Jaguars (3-3) upset the Broncos (4-2).
Green Bay Packers 27, Seattle Seahawks 17: Quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw two touchdown passes and rushed for one more as he has fought through a shoulder injury suffered in Week 4 against Tampa Bay and helped Green Bay (3-3) end their three-game losing streak. Since injuring his shoulder in the fourth quarter of the September 28th game against the Bucs, Rodgers has thrown five TD passes. Seattle falls to 1-4 on the season.
Sources:
www.nfl.com
