Week 8 Sunday Scores & Monday Prediction

By TLarner

Favre is out with an apparent head injury, and Moss may be packing his bags, too. Check all of Sunday’s scores to make sure your team isn’t doing as bad as Minnesota, and prepare for the Texans vs. Colts.

Outstanding Oakland

What has Head Coach Tom Cable done in Oakland to turn on the Raiders’ offense? In the past two games, the Raiders have outscored their opponents 92-17. Last week, they defeated the Broncos 59-14, and yesterday they beat NFC West leading Seahawks 33-3. Oakland is now ranked fourth in points scored per game (26.5), eighth in yards gained (366.0), and second in rushing yards per game (168.5). The 4-4 Raiders are second only to Kansas City in the AFC West.

Jason Campbell made his third consecutive start in place of the injured Bruce Gradkowski, and may have stolen the job for a few more weeks with another great performance. In the second quarter, he hit running back Marcel Reese for a 30-yard touchdown. In the fourth quarter, after a couple Sebastian Janikowski field goals, Campbell dodged a defender, then threw a 69-yard touchdown to Darrius Heyward-Bay to take a 23-0 lead. The drive was setup by a Tyvone Branch interception. Corner Stanford Routt tipped a pass intended for Deon Butler, and Butler tipped the ball again as he stretched out trying to make the catch, and Branch was in the right place at the right time as he caught the bobbling football. Michael Bush ran in a four-yard score, his fourth rushing touchdown of the year, after the two minute warning to add insult to injury. Give the Raiders’ defense some credit too, as they sacked Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselbeck eight times.

Campbell finished with 310 yards with two touchdowns and no picks. Darren McFadden ran for 111 yards. Bush ran for 51 yards, and caught one pass for another 51 yards. Reese ran for 32 yards in addition to his 90 yards receiving. Heyward-Bay led all receivers with five catches for 105 yards. Janikowski was 4-5 on field goals. Kamerion Wimbley and Richard Seymour each had two sacks. The Raiders’ offense totaled 545 total yards, their first back-to-back 500 yard games in franchise history. The defense only gave up 162 total yards. Hasselbeck only threw for 160 yards and an interception for the Seahawks. Running back Leon Washington led the team with 29 yards rushing. Marshawn Lynch had nine carries for a mere seven yards. John Carlson had three catches for 47 yards. The Seattle offense only converted one third down on 16 attempts.

Blount Force Trauma

Remember LeGarrette Blount? Yea, he’s that kid who threw a punch after his Oregon Ducks lost to Boise State during the last college football season, and was suspended most of his senior year. The undrafted rookie is now the lead man in the Tampa Bay backfield, ahead of former first round pick Carnell “Cadillac” Williams. Blount’s big game helped the Buccaneers (5-2, 2nd in NFC South) win 38-35 over Arizona (3-4, 3rd in NFC West).

Another undrafted rookie, Max Hall, started at quarterback for Arizona on Sunday. He began the day with a three-yard touchdown pass to Larry Fitzgerald. He then threw a touchdown to linebacker Geno Hayes of Tampa Bay. Hayes picked off Hall for a 41-yard touchdown to tie the game at seven in the first quarter. The Cardinals took the lead after a Beanie Wells touchdown, but Buccaneer QB Josh Freeman tied it back up with a 47-yard bomb to yet another rookie, receiver Mike Williams. Hall threw another interception, this time to Tampa Bay corner Aqib Talib, who took it back 45 yards for another pick six. The Cardinals entered the half down 24-14, and Derek Anderson replaced Hall at quarterback after another rough outing. In the third quarter, Blount extended the Buccaneers’ lead after running over a few Cardinal defenders on his way to a 15-yard touchdown. LeRod Stephens-Howling cut the lead to 10 after a 30-yard touchdown run. Arizona linebacker Gerald Hayes returned a Blount fumble for a touchdown,  followed by an Anderson touchdown pass to Fitzgerald. Tampa Bay went up 38-35 after Blount’s second touchdown run of the day. With just over two minutes left in the game, Anderson had the Cardinals’ offense on the twenty yard line of the Buccaneers, but threw his second pick, another to Talib, to seal the victory for Tamp Bay.

Freeman threw for 278 yards with one touchdown. Blount finished with 120 yards on the ground with two touchdowns. Freeman completed a pass to 10 different targets, led by Williams with four catches for 105 yards and a touchdown. Anderson threw for 234 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. Hall threw for 71 yards, and also threw one score and two picks. Wells had 50 yards and one touchdown on the ground, and Stephens-Howling added 41 yards and another score. Steve Breaston had a game high eight catches for 147 yards, and Fitzgerald finished with six catches for 72 yards and two touchdowns.

Game of the Week Results: Minnesota 18, New England 28

Brett Favre did in fact start in the Week 8 Game of the Week at New England, but was unable to finish. He looked rather comfortable on his ankle, and was able to move around in the pocket effectively. However, a blow in the fourth quarter from Patriot defensive lineman Myron Pryor left Favre bleeding from the chin, and he looked dazed as he was carted off the field.

Adrian Peterson gave the Vikings the lead in the first quarter with a short touchdown run. Danny Woodhead tied the game with a touchdown run of his own. Inside the two minute warning, on fourth and goal, Coach Brad Childress decided to go for a touchdown rather than the field goal, but Peterson was stuffed at the three-yard line. After the half, Tom Brady, doing his best Michael Vick imitation, scrambled around the backfield, spun backwards to avoid defenders, then threw a seemingly no look pass to Brandon Tate for a 65-yard touchdown. Favre was intercepted after Devin McCourty stripped the ball out of Percy Harvin’s hands. The turnover led to a 13-yard touchdown run by BenJarvus Green-Ellis, and the Patriots went up 21-10. In the fourth, after Favre left the game, Tarvaris Jackson came in and threw a one-yard touchdown to fullback Naufahi Tahi, then completed the two-point conversion to Harvin. New England proceeded to run off most off the clock on their next drive, which was topped off by another Green-Ellis score.

Favre was an efficient 22-32 for 259 yards with one interception. Jackson was 4-6 for 36 yards and one touchdown. Peterson ran for 92 yards and a score. Harvin caught six passes for 104 yards. Rookie running back Toby Gerhart caught five passes for 67 yards, and Peterson added another 50 yards receiving. Randy Moss was targeted only twice, and had one catch for eight yards. Brady threw for 240 yards and a touchdown for New England. Green-Ellis finished with 112 yards and two touchdowns. Tate had three catches for 101 yards and one touchdown. Tight end Aaron Hernandez had only two catches for 33 yards, and Wes Welker caught 3 passes for 24 yards.

Randy Moss Released!?

On Monday, Coach Brad Childress apparently informed the rest of the Vikings that Randy Moss will be waived from the Minnesota roster. While players have told the media about Childress’s comments, no official report has been made by the team. The official league waiver wire did not include Moss after Monday’s deadline. Moss reportedly has not been informed of his release by the team, but expects he will be waived. In four games since returning to Minnesota, Moss had 13 catches for 174 yards and two touchdowns. If waived, Moss will have to pass through waivers, where teams can claim him before becoming a free agent. Teams with the worst records have the first opportunity to claim Moss, meaning Buffalo would have the first chance to pick up the future Hall of Fame receiver. If the Patriots were interested in Moss, they would have to wait patiently to see if he would fall to them, as New England is an NFL best 6-1.

Remaining Scores from Sunday:

Denver 16, San Francisco 24 (Wembley Stadium in London)

Jacksonville 35, Dallas 17

Miami 22, Cincinnati 14

Buffalo 10, Kansas City 13 (Overtime)

Washington 25, Detroit 37

Carolina 10, St. Louis 20

Green Bay 9, New York Jets 0

Tennessee 25, San Diego 33

Pittsburgh 10, New Orleans 20

Monday Night Football

Tonight, the Houston Texans head north to face the Indianapolis Colts, as the AFC South rivals meet for the second time this season. Both teams are tied at 4-2, and the winner would take a slight lead over the Titans (5-3) in the division. During their Week 1 meeting, the Texans upset the Colts, 34-24. Houston running back Arian Foster tore the Indianapolis defense apart as he ran for 231 yards and three touchdowns. Peyton managed to throw for 433 yards on 40 completions, and added three touchdowns of his own.

On the season, Houston is seventh in points scored (25.5), and fifth in yards gained (379.7). Quarterback Matt Schaub has thrown for 1,538 yards with nine touchdowns and five interceptions. Foster has run for 635 yards and six touchdowns with a 5.5 yard per carry average. Receiver Andre Johnson has caught 32 passes for 488 yards and two touchdowns. Johnson has been hampered by nagging injuries, and sat out Week 4 against Oakland, but should be healthy after the Houston bye week. Kevin Walter is second on the team with 266 yards, and has a team high three receiving touchdowns. Defensively, the Texans are last in the league in yards allowed (410.5). Middle linebacker DeMeco Ryans is out for the remainder of the season with a ruptured left Achilles tendon. Ryans was the 2006 Defensive Rookie of the Year, and two time Pro Bowler. Defensive end Mario Williams leads the team with five sacks.

Indianapolis is third in the league in points scored (27.2) and second in passing yards (314.2). Peyton Manning has a 103.4 passer rating through six games. He has thrown for 1,916 yards with 13 touchdowns and only two interceptions. Joseph Addai leads the team with 406 rushing yards and three touchdowns, but is out for tonight’s contest. Donald Brown is questionable, with Mike Hart the only running back at 100%. Reggie Wayne has 602 yards receiving with two touchdowns. Austin Collie is having a great season with 503 yards and six touchdowns catches, but he is also out tonight. Dallas Clark, who is always a receiving threat, was placed on injured reserve, ending his season. Pierre Garcon will return from injury. He has 14 catches for 214 yards and one touchdown. The Indianapolis defense ranks 14th in points allowed per game (20.8) and 28th in rushing yards allowed (137.3). If they let Foster run free again tonight, the Colts’ front seven will be in for a long night.

Prediction

The Texans surprised everyone but themselves when they started the 2010 season with a victory over the Colts. Even more shocking in the emergence of Foster as an elite back. If Houston wants to affirm themselves as the new leaders of the AFC South, sweeping the series with Indianapolis is a great way to start. On the other hand, I don’t think Manning is ready to give up his crown. Yes, many offensive stars are out or playing at less than 100%, but Manning is the one QB who can overcome those missing players. Last week against Washington, the Colts gained 170 total yards on the ground, compared to only 44 yards during their Week 1 meeting with Houston. If the Colts continue to commit to the rushing attack with Brown and Hart, that will take pressure of Manning and the young receivers. I expect the Colts to win tonight over the Texans, and keep their lead in the AFC South.

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