NFL Scores Week 7: Biggest Surprises In Each Game
The New Orleans Saints fell at home to the Cleveland Browns, Buffalo Bills force overtime against the Baltimore Ravens, and the Oakland Raiders put up 38 points...in the first two quarters.
The NFL's week seven certainly was an interesting one with some surprising blowouts, some close games, and some very controversial calls.
Drew Brees and Tom Brady struggled, while Matt Moore and Ryan Fitzpatrick enjoyed career days on the field. The Carolina Panthers enjoyed their first win of the season gladly denying themselves entry to the defeated club of the "0-for" Detroit Lions and Tampa Buccaneers teams, while the Bills' quest to not win a single game remains intact.
With such an odd week in the NFL yesterday, here are the biggest surprises in each game.
Bengals-Falcons: Carson Palmer Throws for Over 400 Yards...and Loses
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The Atlanta Falcons took care of the visiting Cincinnati Bengals this week in a high-scoring game that featured two top quarterbacks, yet one of them had to lose.
Carson Palmer had one of the best games of his career completing 72 percent of his passes for 412 yards and three touchdowns. Palmer did not throw a single interception or turn the ball over with a fumble either.
How did the Bengals manage to lose a game in which their quarterback played so effectively?
The defense just couldn't stop Matt Ryan, Michael Turner, or Roddy White. Ryan passed for just a yard short of 300 yards with over 200 yards and two touchdowns in the direction of Roddy White. Turner amassed 144 total yards and added two touchdowns as well.
The lesson here:
No matter how many points you score, you still gotta hold the other team to less. Also, falling down 24-3 at the half is never a good idea.
Bills-Ravens: The Bills Actually Leading at Halftime / Pushing the Ravens to OT
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Nobody expected the winless Bills to travel into Baltimore and escape with the win. Well, those doubters were right, but the game was a surprisingly close contest.
In the first 21 minutes of the game, the anemic Buffalo Bills offense scored 17 points against the stout Ravens defense and was leading by 14 points. While the Bills were able to hold onto the lead at halftime and force the game into overtime with a Rian Lindell field goal, eventually a lost fumble in overtime would lead to their demise.
Still, Ryan Fitzpatrick impressed by throwing for 374 yards and four touchdowns making up for the deficiencies displayed by the Bills running game. The Bills may actually have outplayed their opponents, gaining more yards, but turnovers eventually led to their demise.
49ers-Panthers: Carolina Gets Their First Win
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I guess it's not really a huge surprise to get your first win when it comes against the San Francisco 49ers.
While the Panthers running game continued its surprising struggles, the 49ers won the "who can be the worst team out on the field" contest. Mike Singletary got absolutely no help from his quarterbacks Alex Smith and David Carr who threw at a clip of less than 50 percent completion rate. Frank Gore once again managed 100 yards on the ground in a losing effort and is still one of the few bright spots on a disaster of a team.
On the other side, Matt Moore displayed some of the talent he demonstrated last year by racking up over 300 pass yards and two touchdowns. He may even have found a new favorite target in rookie wide receiver David Gettis. In any case, the Panthers are satisfied to have the monkey off of their back with their first win on the season.
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Redskins-Bears: Ryan Torain Eclipsing the 100 Yard Mark...Again
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After accumulating his first 100 yard running performance of his career last week, Ryan Torain continued to display improvement with 125 yards on the ground against the Bears this week.
Truth be told, as surprising as this is, Mike Shanahan always seems to pull running backs out of the trash and turn them into superstars. In a game with only two offensive touchdowns combined between both teams, the running game, field position and controlling the clock became essential to victory.
In a game featuring nine turnovers between the two teams, Torain was a stabilizing force for the Redskins and has created a conundrum for Mike Shanahan when Clinton Portis returns from injury.
Jaguars-Chiefs: The Dominating Chiefs Running Game
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Opposing teams know that the Chiefs are going to run. They just simply can't stop them.
Thomas Jones and Jamaal Charles have emerged as one of the best running back tandems in the game today. In week seven, the two combined for 196 yards and two touchdowns without putting the ball on the ground a single time.
Perhaps more impressive is the fact that opposing teams know that Todd Haley and the Chiefs are going to run the ball, yet they still can't stop them. Matt Cassel has not attempted 30+ passes in a single game this season and the run-pass split is astronomically favored towards the run in the Chiefs offense.
Nevertheless, the surprising upstart Kansas City Chiefs must be considered the favorites in an AFC West division that is one of the weakest in the NFL.
Steelers-Dolphins: The Fumble That Kinda Happened
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With a little over three minutes left in the game, the Pittsburgh Steelers were threatening to score at the Miami two-yard line. Down two points, Ben Roethlisberger rushed up the middle in an attempt to get in the end zone. In the process, in what was originally ruled a touchdown, a fumble occurred with both teams claiming ownership of the football.
The Steelers got the ball back and would eventually kick a game-winning field goal on that drive. To the dismay of Dolphins fans, the referees could not determine who actually had the football.
The Dolphins can blame the game on the referees, but their failure to score touchdowns rather than field goals in the red zone is what really cost them the game. Consequently, the Dolphins fell to an odd 0-3 at home versus 3-0 on the road.
Browns-Saints: Everything
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How the defending Superbowl champion New Orleans Saints can lose to the Cleveland Browns still confounds me. How Drew Brees can pass for 280 more yards than Colt McCoy and still lose is simply unbelievable.
However, this is what happened yesterday as the Cleveland Browns defeated the Saints at home 30-17. Brees was intercepted four times and the Saints never established a running game. The Browns never really got it going offensively, but it did not matter as two defensive touchdowns resulted from Brees interceptions.
The Saints had the ball for the majority of the game, but in the end the points were simply not there. Too many mental errors combined with a poor running performance equated to a loss against the lowly Browns.
Rams-Buccaneers: LeGarrette Blount Receives the Majority Of Carries
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Coach Raheem Morris hesitated to proclaim that Blount has taken over the position of number one running back, however, the statistics would state otherwise. Blount received 11 carries to Cadillac Williams's four carries.
While Williams did figure more prominently into the passing game, Blount's success on the ground can't be denied. Blount averaged over six yards per carry in comparison to Cadillac Williams who is averaging 2.5 yards per carry on the season.
Morris may not be quite ready to name Blount the starter, but it is evident that he will be playing a much larger role in the running game in future games with Cadillac Williams struggling.
Eagles-Titans: The Titans Score 37...Chris Johnson Has 0, Kenny Britt Has a Lot
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Maybe the Eagles should have game planned a little more for Kerry Collins than for Chris Johnson. Johnson struggled to gain just 66 yards on 24 carries against the Philadelphia Eagles. Johnson was essentially a non-factor in the game despite all of Jeff Fisher's efforts to get him going.
The other story was Kenny Britt. The second year wide receiver finished with 225 receiving yards and three touchdown receptions. His abilities to make big plays downfield demolished the Eagles secondary. Britt has now scored a touchdown in five consecutive games and seven on the season.
Whether it is Kerry Collins or Vince Young throwing the ball, Britt has a knack for finding the end zone.
Cardinals-Seahawks: Mike Williams Has More Yards Than Larry Fitzgerald
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You gotta feel for Larry Fitzgerald. With Kurt Warner the wide receiver is the top in the NFL easily surpassing 1000 yards receiving on a yearly basis. Now with Max Hall and Derrick Anderson delivering the football, the receptions have not come so easy.
Fitzgerald was held to just three receptions for 30 yards against the Seahawks. On the other hand, former bust Mike Williams out of USC contributed eleven receptions for 87 yards and a touchdown. Williams now has over 200 receiving yards in the last two games.
Fitzgerald can't seem to break the 100 yard receiving mark in a game this year. Anquan Boldin has to be happy that he escaped Arizona before the Max Hall/Derrick Anderson era began.
Raiders-Broncos: Oakland Scores 38...in a Half
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During a span of less than two minutes in the first quarter the Oakland Raiders scored 21 points. With over half of the second quarter remaining, Jason Campbell's team was leading the Denver Broncos by an embarrassing score of 38-0.
Untimely fumbles and interceptions may have led to the inflated score, but the Raiders do deserve some credit. Darren McFadden had 196 total yards and four total touchdown, and the Raiders ran for over 300 yards against the Broncos.
The Raiders defense had four sacks, an interception, a defensive touchdown and four forced fumbles creating opportunities for the offense with great field position.
The AFC West continues to be one of the most unusual divisions in all of football.
Patriots-Chargers: The Patriots Struggle...on Offense?
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While the Chargers pass defense is one of the league's best, it is unusual to see Tom Brady and the New England offense flummoxed. That is exactly what happened in week seven when Brady was held to just 159 yards and the New England offense managed just 210 total yards.
New England appeared to miss Randy Moss and his ability to stretch the field and force double coverage. Deion Branch and Wes Welker struggled to make big plays happen. In the first half, Brady completed less than 50% of his passes for just 35 yards.
It was only Norv Turner's complete inability to manage an offense that held Philip Rivers back until the the fourth quarter. The Chargers simply can't find a way to win, even when they outplay their opponents.
Vikings-Packers: Brett Favre Finally Done?
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Brett Favre continued to struggle for the Vikings throwing three interceptions in a game for the second time this season. Everyone knows Favre has a tendency to throw for interceptions, but the other abilities that make up for his turnovers appear to have faded. Favre is averaging under 200 passing yards per game this season and has thrown ten interceptions to just seven touchdowns.
Favre isn't just a big reason for why the Vikings are off to a 2-4 start this season. He is THE reason the Vikings have appeared so hopeless this year. It will be a difficult decision, but at some point coach Brad Childress will have to go to Tavaris Jackson if the Vikings stand a chance to compete for a playoff spot this season.
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