Week 9 Sunday Scores & Monday Prediction

By TLarner

On Sunday, three games went into overtime. Seven games were decided by less than a touchdown. It is important to note that Brett Favre also had another career day. He threw for 446 yards, a new personal record, in a slim victory over Arizona.

Wade Phillips Fired

After the Cowboys’ fifth straight loss, and a dismal 1-7 start, owner Jerry Jones fired Head Coach Wade Phillips. Sunday, Dallas lost 45-7 to the Green Bay Packers. The Cowboys are last in the NFC East. Offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, considered the head coach in waiting, was promoted to intern head coach. Phillips acted as the team’s defensive coordinator, too. He called the defensive plays, but the Cowboys were ranked 31st in the NFL in points allowed with 29.0 per game.

Browns Down New England

Last week, the Cleveland Browns stunned the defending Super Bowl Champion New Orleans Saints with an outstanding defensive performance. This week, they beat the Patriots, arguably the best team in the AFC, by a final score of 34-14. Colt McCoy won his second career game, and running back Peyton Hillis had another career performance.

The Browns took a 10-0 lead in the first quarter after a two-yard touchdown run by Hillis. Tom Brady answered with a two-yard touchdown pass to rookie tight end Aaron Hernandez in the second quarter. However, Coach Eric Mangini, once a pupil of the great Bill Belichick, had a few tricks up his sleeve. Chansi Stuckey scored an 11-yard touchdown on a trick wildcat play. The offensive line stood tall and only the center got in his stance. Stuckey hid behind the right guard, and receiver Joshua Cribbs, the wildcat QB, quickly took the snap, faked an option to the right, and handed the ball to Stuckey on the reverse. After the half, McCoy, who used his mobility in the pocket to avoid the pass rush, ran for a 16-yard touchdown to extend the lead to 24-7. Brady cut the lead to two possessions after another touchdown pass to Hernandez, and the Browns led 27-14. In the final minutes of the game, Hillis scored his second touchdown of the day on a 34-yard run.

Brady finished with 224 yards and two touchdowns. Danny Woodhead ran for 54 yards, and caught two passes for another 38 yards. Hernandez led all Patriot receivers with five catches for 48 yards and two scores. The Patriots only converted on three third down attempts. They lost two fumbles, and only had 21:52 in time of possession, while Cleveland held the ball for 38:08. Cleveland outgained New England 404 yards to 283. McCoy completed 14 of his 19 pass attempts for 174 yards, and a rushing touchdown. Hillis ran for 184 yards and two touchdowns. Mohamed Massaquoi had four catches for 58 yards.

Eagles Soar Past Colts

Michael Vick looked sharp in his return from a rib injury as the Eagles upended Peyton Manning and his Colts 26-24. On the first play from scrimmage, Philadelphia running back LeSean McCoy ran for 62 yards down to the Colts’ nine yard line. From there, Vick hit DeSean Jackson for a touchdown. Up 13-0 after a few David Akers’ field goals, Manning cut into the Eagles lead with a touchdown to tight end Jacob Tamme. Fourth string running back Javarris James got playing time due to injuries to both Joseph Addai and Mike Hart, and made the most of his time by scoring his first rushing touchdown of his career before the half, and the Colts led 17-16. In the fourth quarter, Vick scored on a one-yard touchdown to take a 26-17 lead. After another James touchdown, Manning was intercepted by Eagles’ corner Asante Samuel to end Indianapolis’ chances of a comeback.

Manning was 31-51 for 294 yards with a touchdown, and doubled his season interception total by throwing two to Samuel. Donald Brown ran for 50 yards. Tamme led the Colts with 108 yards receiving and a touchdown. Reggie Wayne caught 11 passes for 83 yards. Vick threw for 218 yards and a touchdown. He has yet to throw an interception this season. He also added 74 yards and a touchdown on the ground. McCoy ran for 95 yards. Jackson caught seven passes for 109 yards and a touchdown. The Eagles were flagged 14 times for 125 yards.

Indianapolis receiver Austin Collie left the game in the second quarter after taking a head to head hit from safety Kurt Coleman. While Coleman didn’t lead with his helmet, initial contact by Quintin Mikell changed Coleman’s aiming point, and caused the helmet to helmet contact. Collie was taken off the field on a stretcher. Fortunately, Collie only suffered a concussion. The play drew a flag for unnecessary roughness, but Collie was not a defenseless receiver. After catching the ball, he took two steps and ducked to protect his body before taking the hit. No fines have been handed down by Rodger Goodell.

Game of the Week Results: Tampa Bay 21, Atlanta 27

The Atlanta Falcons took a half game lead in the NFC South by defeating divisional rival Tampa Bay on Sunday. Tampa Bay Coach Raheem Morris was quoted saying his Buccaneers are the best team in the NFC, but Atlanta begged to differ.

Atlanta running back Michael Turner opened the game with two rushing touchdowns. Tampa Bay quarterback Josh Freeman threw two touchdowns in the first half. Rookie Arrelious Benn caught a 14-yard score. Another rookie receiver, Mike Williams, took a short slant route 58 yards before the half, and the Falcons led 17-14. Atlanta had a rookie of their own score. In the third quarter, tight end Michael Palmer caught a five-yard touchdown from Matt Ryan. Down 27-14, Buccaneers’ receiver Michael Spurlock took a kickoff back 89 yards for a score. With 2:44 remaining in the game, the Buccaneers lined up for a 4th and one on the Falcons’ two-yard line. However, LeGarrette Blount was stopped for a loss.

Freeman threw for 189 yards, two touchdowns, and two picks. Blount ran for 46 yards. Williams caught four passes for 89 yards and a touchdown. Tampa Bay had only 14 first downs, compared to Atlanta’s 26.  Ryan threw for 235 yards and a touchdown. Turner finished with 107 yards and two scores on the ground. Tight end Tony Gonzalez hauled in eight catches for 72 yards. Corner Brent Grimes and defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux each intercepted Freeman.

Remaining Scores from Sunday:

Miami 10, Baltimore 26

Chicago 22, Buffalo 19 (Rodgers Centre, Toronto)

New Orleans 34, Carolina 3

New York Jets 23, Detroit 20 (Overtime)

San Diego 29, Houston 23

Arizona 24, Minnesota 27 (Overtime)

New York Giants 41, Seattle 7

Kansas City 20, Oakland 23 (Overtime)

Dallas 7, Green Bay 45

Monday Night Football

The Pittsburgh Steelers head to Cincinnati to face their AFC North rival, the Bengals. The Steelers (5-2) can remain tied with Baltimore for first place with a win. The Bengals (2-5) hope to around a disappointing season with a big win inside the division. Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will start his fourth game since returning from his suspension.

The Steelers have been winning games with a stellar defense. What else is new? Pittsburgh is ranked first in points allowed per game (14.6) and first in rushing yards allowed (58.9). They surrender an average of 2.6 yards per rush, and have only given up eight offensive touchdowns through seven games. Linebacker James Harrison leads the team with six sacks and four forced fumbles. Ten different defenders have recorded at least one sack. Ike Taylor and Troy Polamalu each have two interceptions, and defensive lineman Brett Keisel has a 79-yard pick six. On offense, Roethlisberger has thrown for 754 yards, five touchdowns, and two interceptions. His passer rating is an outstanding 103.4. Rashard Mendenhall is having a great year on the ground. He has rushed for 603 yards and six touchdowns. The veteran receiver Hines Ward leads the team with 27 receptions. Mike Wallace has a team high 397 yards and four touchdown catches.

The Bengals were thought to have a complete offense with the additions of Terrell Owens and rookie tight end Jermaine Gresham. However, it has been anything but great. Last year, Cincinnati won the division by running the ball effectively with Cedric Benson. So far this year, Benson has gained 545 yards on the ground, but only has a 3.8 yard per carry average, and has fumbled three times. Carson Palmer has also faced his share of struggles. He has had four games with a passer rating under 63.0. He has thrown for 1,855 yards with 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Owens has impressed some with his performance this season. He leads the team with 45 receptions for 629 yards and five touchdowns. Chad Ochocinco has 458 yards and only two touchdown catches. The Cincinnati defense is 23rd in points allowed per game (23.3). As a team, they have only six sacks, led by free safety Chris Crocker with two. Corner Leon Hall has four interceptions.

Prediction

The Cincinnati Bengals have been a disappointment again in 2010, although their performance has been shadowed by teams like Dallas and Minnesota. Although Palmer threw for 412 yards against Atlanta in Week 7, I doubt he will be upright long enough to come near that total. Benson won’t be running far against the stout Pittsburgh defense. On the other hand, Big Ben has done a good job since his return. The Steelers will handle the Bengals rather easily.

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