NFL WEEK 2 Wrap-Up

All Hip-Hop NFL Week 2 Recap

This is the first of weekly NFL recaps. Sorry there wasn’t one for Week 1, but I was too busy celebrating my San Francisco 49ers win over the Arizona Cardinals. Besides, that was the past, let’s take a look at Week 2:

Game of the Week: Arizona Cardinals (1-1) def. Seattle Seahawks (1-1)

Location: Cardinals Stadium, Glendale, Arizona

Score: 23-20

The Cards are going to make some heads turn this year. Believe it. They have a good, young quarterback in Matt Leinart, two great receivers in Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald and despite having an off year (he still rushed for 1,000 yards last season), Edgerin “The Edge” James in the backfield. Unlike some other teams, the Cards are slowly putting the pieces in the right places. Only time will tell how well this team grows. Oh, by the way, did I mention that their defense is not bad either?

The Cards took the lead 2:18 on the clock in the first quarter with a 28-yard field goal by Neil Rackers. They scored again in the second quarter with a 30-yard pass from Leinart to TE Leonard Pope to make the score 10-0. Later in the second quarter, Edgerin James ran 17 yards to score a touchdown and the Cards were up 17-0. But the Seahawks would not die. Matt Hassellbeck led a charge down the field starting at the Seahawks’ 20-yard line and set up a 24-yard touchdown pass to WR Nate Burleson with 1:24 left in the first half to set the score 17-7 going into halftime. Shawn Alexander, who rushed for 70 yards with 18 carries, scored his sole touchdown on a 16-yard run early in the third quarter. .

The score was 14-17 when Seattle kicker Josh Brown hit a 28-yard field goal to tie the game with 3:36 left on the clock in the third quarter. Brown hit another 28-yard field goal to give the Seahawks the led at 20-17 midway into the fourth quarter. With their backs against the wall and looking at their second straight loss, the Cards sent Neil Rackers out in the fourth quarter with 4:53 left on the clock to tie the game with a 52-yard field goal. With a 1:55 left on the clock, Hassellbeck fumbled the ball on Arizona’s 36-yard line. Edgerin James ran on four plays for 22 yards and helped set up Neil Rackers with a game winning 42-yard field goal with four seconds left on the clock.

This was, in my opinion, the most exciting game of the day. Leinart was 23 for 37 with 299 yards passing. He had 1 touchdown and 1 interception. Hassellbeck was 22 for 36 with 281 yards passing and 1 touchdown. Edgerin James led all rushers with 128 yards and 1 touchdown off of 24 carries.

Cleveland Browns (1-1) def. Cincinnati Bengals (1-1)

Location: Cleveland Browns Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio

Score: 51-45

The Shoot Out at the Dog Pound. On the heels of a trade that sent Week 1 starter Charlie Frye to the Seattle Seahawks, the Browns went with third year veteran Derek Anderson and he put on a show. Anderson completed 20 of 33 passes and threw for 328 yards with 5 TDs and 1 INT. Braylon Edwards had 8 catches for 146 yards and 2 TDs while Jamal Lewis reverted to his old form and ran for 215 yards for 1 touchdown in 28 carries. Not to be forgotten, Carson Palmer was 33-50 with 401 yards and 6 TDs while Ocho-Cinco, Chad Johnson, had 11 catches for 201 yards and 2 TDs. A combined 96 points were scored in a back and forth battle that ended with an interception by Leigh Bodden in the final seconds of the game. The Bengal fans cry out Who Dey? at their home games. They need to cry out Where Dey? in reference to the Bengals defense.

Green Bay Packers (2-0) def. New York Giants (0-2)

Location: Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

Score: 35-13

Brett Farve became the winningest QB in NFL history on Sunday with his 149th. win against the New York Giants at Giants Stadium, surpassing Hall of Famer, John Elway, on the All-Time list. This was just the first of five records Farve should break this year if he stays healthy. Dan Marino is currently the holder of three of those records (TD Passes, Pass Attempts, and Passing Yards). Breaking those records are just garnish for an already stellar Hall of Fame career. The other, (Most Interceptions), held by George Blanda, will just be a product of his 17 year long career. Farve went 29 for 38 with 286 yards, 3 TDs and 1 interception. His counterpart, Eli Manning, was 16 for 29 with 211 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception. Jeremy Shockey led the Giants for receiving with 5 catches for 60 yards. Plaxico Burress had 2 catches for 32 yards and 1 touchdown. D&D, Donald Driver and Donald Lee, each had a touchdown for Green Bay. Making his first NFL start for the injured Brandon Jacobs, Derrick Ward had 15 carries for 90 yards and look really good in the offense.

Indianapolis Colts (2-0) def. Tennessee Titans (1-1)

Location: LP Field, Nashville, Tennessee

Score: 22-20

Last season, the Tennessee Titans forced Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts to stage a fourth quarter comeback with 5:10 left on the clock to win the game 14-13 in the RCA Dome. Later that season in week 13, the Titans beat the Colts by the score of 20-17 in Tennessee with a 60-yard field goal by Ron Bironas with 7 seconds left on the clock. This year, the first game between these two conference rivals took place in Tennessee at LP Field and the Titans gave the Colts a run for their money again. The always-reliable connection of Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison was not as reliable on Sunday as Harrison only had 6 catches for 87 yards and no touchdowns. Peyton Manning was 28 for 42 and threw for 312 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception. The surprising part was Adam Vinateri’s performance. Despite having 3 field goals (22, 39, & 20 yards), he had a PAT blocked after the Colts were the first to score a touchdown with 8:48 left in the first quarter and he missed a 36-yard field goal with 12:30 on the clock in the fourth quarter. Despite the loss, Vince Young went 17 for 27 for 184 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception throwing the ball. He also had 15 carries for 64 yards and 1 touchdown running the ball. Joseph Addai had 1 rushing touchdown for the Colts while LenDale White had a rushing touchdown for the Titans. If the last 3 games between these two teams are of any indication, that Week 17 game between the Titans and the Colts in Indianapolis might be a barnburner.

San Francisco 49ers (2-0) def. St. Louis Rams (0-2)

Location: Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis, Missouri

Score: 17-16

The Niners had one of the ugliest games so far this year with their 20-17 win over the Arizona Cardinals in Week 1. It was also a big step in the right direction for a team that most critics have as their surprise pick for the playoffs this year. Last Sunday, the Niners went to the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis to build on that momentum. After missing practice on Friday due to the death of his mother, Frank Gore decided to give his mother a “Thank You” gift by rushing for 81 yards and scoring 2 TDs. One the first touchdown, Gore reached the end zone and point to heavens saying “This is for you mom.” Alex Smith, who is slowly improving, and is a much quarterback when he’s moving in the pocket, threw for 126 yards and was 11 for 17 with no touchdowns. On the other side of the ball, Marc Bulger was 24 for 41 with 368 yards and 1 touchdown in a losing effort. Issac Bruce looked like the Issac Bruce of all with 8 catches for 145 yards. Torry “Big Game” Holt had 5 catches for 74 yards and a great touchdown catch with 6:13 on the clock in the first quarter down on the San Francisco 12-yard line.

After having 2 fumbles in Week 1, Stephen Jackson is struggling a little. The Niners’ D-Line held him to 60 rushing yards on 20 carries. The turning point in the game was a botched punt return by Dante Hall that led to a fumble and a recovery by S.F. free safety Marcus Hudson. Four plays later, Joe Nedney hit a 40-yard field goal that gave the Niners the led with 3:28 left on the clock. With a 1:45 left in the game, Marc Bulger and Issac Bruce (remember him) moved the ball down the field to the St. Louis 48-yard line. With 1:04 left on the clock, Jeff Wilkins missed a 56-yard field goal by inches. The Rams now go on the road to face the 1-1 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, while Niners prepare to face the Pittsburgh Steelers who are also 2-0.

Pittsburgh Steelers (2-0) def. Buffalo Bills (0-2)

Location: Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Score: 26-3

When you lose a player to injury, the life of a team could be drained or it could make that team stronger. In last Sunday’s game against the Steelers, the Bills still had TE Kevin Everett still in their hearts and minds. Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past week, Everett suffered a spinal injury in Week 1 that has left him paralyzed. Since Week 1, Everett has had some movement in his legs and both of his hands. The doctors are now saying that he has a good chance to walk again. That’s always good news. But it wasn’t good news for the Bills as Ben Roethlisberger went 21 for 34 with 242 yards passing and had 1 touchdown and 1 interception. Steelers’ running back, Willie Parker, had 26 carries for 126 yards and 1 touchdown. The Bills’ J.P. Losman went 15 for 24 for 154 yards and no touchdowns. The lone Bills score was a 24-yard field goal by Rian Lindell with 9:44 on the clock in the third quarter. Buffalo has a combined 17 points in their first two games of the season.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-1) def. New Orleans Saints (0-2)

Location: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida

Score: 31-41

After the beating the Saints took in their Week 1 match up with the Colts, you would think they would come out like some wild maniacs to prove to the world that last year’s success was not a fluke. Think again. The Saints are struggling. The offense is way out of sync and the defense is just barely holding on. It showed in last Sunday’s game against the Bucs. Jeff Garcia was 10 for 16 with 243 passing yards and 2 TDs. Cadillac Williams had 24 carries for 61 yards and had 2 TDs. Joey Galloway put on a show. He had only 4 catches, but they were 4 big catches. Galloway had a total of 135 yards in receiving with 2 TDs. Nice day’s work in my opinion. The Saints just couldn’t run the ball last Sunday. Deuce McAllister and Reggie Bush each had 10 carries. McAllister ran for 49 yards and had 1 fumble that was recovered by the Bucs defense, while Bush ran for 27 yards and fumbled the ball twice. Neither player scored a touchdown. Drew Brees was 26 for 44 and threw for 243 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception.

Houston Texans (2-0) def. Carolina Panthers (1-1)

Location: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina

Score: 34-21

The Texans are 2-0 for the first time in the history of the franchise. Granted the franchise is only 5 yrs. old, but this is a big step in the right direction for a team that has been criticized in the past for some of their decisions for building this team. One decision that you dispute is the fact that Matt Schuab is a pretty good QB. Schuab was 20 for 28 with 227 yards and 2TDs. Andre Johnson had 7 catches for 71 yards and 2TDs. Ahmed Green ran for 71 yards with 15 carries and 1 touchdown. Jake Delhomme threw for 307 yards for 3 TDs and had 1 interception. The highlight for the Panthers was WR Steve Smith’s 8 catches for 153 yards and 3-touchdown performance. The Panthers were totally off beat last Sunday. Hopefully the Panthers can get it together this Sunday as they face a weak Atlanta Falcon squad.

Jacksonville Jaguars (1-1) def. Atlanta Falcons (0-2)

Location: ALLTEL Stadium, Jacksonville, Florida

Score: 13-7

The Jags and the Falcons started their seasons with quarterback issues. We all know the Falcons’ situation with Michael Vick pleading guilty to dog fighting which resulted in a suspension by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. That led the Falcons to pick Joey Harrington as the starting QB. The Jags waited right before the start of the season to release Byron Leftwich, who just signed with the Falcons this week, and named David Garrard the starting QB. Well in last Sunday’s game, Garrard showed why he’s currently the Jags starting QB. He went 17 for 25 with 272 yards passing and 1 touchdown to WR Reggie Williams early in the fourth quarter with 14:16 on the clock. Jon Carney scored earlier in the second quarters with a 35-yard field goal. The Falcons’ Joey Harrington was 12 for 20 with 200 passing yards and no touchdowns. The Falcons’ only score came on a 4-yard touchdown run by Warrick Dunn on the Jags’ 4-yard line. The Jaguars defense held the Falcons to 82 yards rushing.

Detroit Lions (2-0) def. Minnesota Vikings (1-1)

Location: Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan

Score: 20-17 (OT)

When the season started, Lions’ QB, Jon Kitna, said the Lions will win 10 games this year. Last Sunday, he did what he had to do to keep that promise. After getting knocked out of the game in the second quarter with a concussion, Kitna came back into the game with 8:22 left on the clock in over-time to lead the Lions down the field and set up a 37 yard field goal for kicker Jason Hanson that won the game. The Vikes trailed for most of the game until a fumble recovery by Vikings DE Ray Edwards in the third quarter tied the game at 17-17 and sent the game into over-time. J.T. O’Sullivan replaced Kitna with 8:25 left on the clock in the second quarter after the hit. O’Sullivan 13 for 23 with 148 yards and threw 1 touchdown and 2 INTs. Kitna finished the day 22 for 33 with 245 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception. Lions’ receiver Roy Williams had 7 catches for 111 yards and 1 touchdown. Vikings quarterback Tavaris Jackson was 17 for 33 with 166 yards and 4 interceptions. He left the game in overtime due to a groin injury and was replaced by Brooks Bollinger. Bollinger was 3 fro4 with 26 yards of passing.

Dallas Cowboys (2-0) def. Miami Dolphins

Location: Dolphin Stadium, Miami, Florida

Score: 37-20

The Dolphins had an opportunity to take rookie QB Brady Quinn from Notre Dame in the 2007 draft to fill their vacancy at quarterback. Instead, they took Ohio State WR Ted Ginn, Jr. who, at the time, was rehabbing his left foot that he sprained in the 2007 BCS Title Game. What? So, later in the summer, the Dolphins traded their 5th round draft pick for the 2008 NFL Draft to the Kansas City Chiefs for QB Trent Green. Are you kidding me? Cam Cameron has to be smoking something. So now a new era begins in Miami with a “concussion prone” quarterback, and a young, ankle rehabbed wide receiver.

The future looks right dim in Miami right about now. After a losing in over-time to the Redskins in Week 1, the Dolphins played host to the Dallas Cowboys, who came in with one thing on their minds; build on their Week 1 win against the NY Giants. And they did just that. The Cowboys forced 5 turnovers on defense and the offense just clicked. Like Alex Smith, Tony Romo is a good quarterback when he’s on the move. Romo was 14 for 20 with 186 yards passing and 2 TDs. Terrell Owens had 5 catches for 97 yards and 1 touchdown. Marion Barber rushed for 89 yards with 10 carries and scored 2 touchdowns. On his second touchdown, he broke a 40-yard run in the fourth quarter with 3:26 left on the clock that sealed the deal for the Cowboys. Trent Green threw for 287 yards and was 23 for 40 passing with 2 TDs and 1 interception. Dolphins’ WR Marty Booker had 4 catches for 70 yards and 1 touchdown.

Chicago Bears (1-1) def. Kansas City Chiefs (0-2)

Location: Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois

Score: 20-10

After a lack luster performance in Week 1 against the San Diego Chargers, Rex Grossman continues to play just like his name suggests, Gross Man. Although he was 20 for 34 with 160 yards passing and 1 touchdown, he gave up 2 INTs. Cedric Benson ran for 101 yards with 24 carries and no touchdown. The Bears’ scored touchdown from a 73 yard punt return from Devin Hester. Can somebody stop this guy, please? Damon Huard threw for 175 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception for the Chiefs while the Bears defense held Larry Johnson and Michael Bennett for a combined 69 yards rushing. Bennett also fumbled the ball twice. The Chiefs’ rookie WR Dwayne Bowe had 2 catches for 22 yards and 1 touchdown. Apparently the Chiefs didn’t play to win the game.

Baltimore Ravens (1-1) def. NY Jets (0-2)

Location: M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland

Score: 20-13

In week 1, both the Ravens and the Jets had injuries to their starting QBs. Chad Pennington injured his right ankle from a sack by Jarvis Green in the Jets’ Week 1 game against the New England Patriots. Steve McNair strained his groin towards the end of the fourth quarter in the Ravens Week 1 opener against the Bengals and back-up QB, Kyle Boller, replaced him.

The Ravens took the lead early and it wasn’t until the fourth quarter when things started to interesting. The Jets scored a touchdown with 3:12 on the clock with a 3-yard pass to TE Chris Baker in the fourth quarter to make the score 13-20. The Ravens went three and out on their next possession and the Jets got the ball back with 2:38 left to play in the game. The Jets charged down the field and with a 1:04 left on the clock. Ray Lewis intercepted a pass in the end zone that bounced of off the hands of Jets WR Justin McCareins to seal the win for the Ravens. Clemens was 19 for 37 with 260 passing yards. He had 1 touchdown and 2 INTs. Boller was 23 for 35 with 185 passing yards and 2 TDs. Not great numbers, but they’re not bad numbers either. The Ravens held the Jets to 69 yards of rushing. Thomas Jones was held to 67 rushing yards off of 24 carries. Jones is having a very slow start with a combined 109 yards rushing in his first two games with Jets. Willis McGahee had 97 yards rushing off of 24 carries.

Denver Broncos (2-0) def. Oakland Raiders (0-2)

Location: Invesco Field, Denver, Colorado

Score: 23-20

The Broncos led most of the game until Raider LB Thomas Howard intercepted a Jay Cutler pass and returned it 44 yards for a touchdown. With 8:55 left on the clock, the Raiders were successful on a two-point conversion with Josh McCown finding WR Ronald Curry in the end zone making the score 20-17. With 2:22 left on the clock, Jason Elam hit a 20-yard field goal that would send the game into overtime. With 11:53 on the clock in the OT, Raider kicker, Sebastian Janikowski, hit a 52-yard field to win the game for the Raiders. To quote Lee Corso, “Not so fast my friend.”

As the Raiders rejoiced, the referee called off the field goal stating that the Broncos called a time-out before the ball was snapped. The Raiders claim that they never heard the whistle and the Broncos took the field as if nothing had happened. Janikowski retried the kick and missed it. The Broncos got the ball back and charged down the field to the Raiders’ 6-yard line where Jason Elam put the game away with a 23-yard field goal. Jay Cutler was 23 for 33 with 269 passing yards, 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions. Josh McCown was 8 for 16 with 73 yards passing, 1 touchdown and 3 interceptions. Rushing the ball was the key to this game. The Broncos’ Travis Henry rushed for 128 yards off of 26 carries while the Raiders’ Lamont Jordan had 25 carries for 159 yards. Neither running back scored a touchdown.

New England Patriots (2-0) def. San Diego Chargers

Location: Gillette Stadium, Foxboro, Massachusetts

Score: 38-14

The Pats faced the Chargers in a rematch from last years second round playoff match-up that ended 24-21, Patriots. Round 1 was at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego and ended with a Stephen Gostkowski 31-yard field goal with 1:14 left on the clock . The real noise came from LaDainian Tomlinson and other players from the Chargers who were irate with Patriots who were mimicking Chargers LB Shawne Merriman’s “lights out” dance on top of the Chargers’ logo on the field. Tomlinson was quoted as saying, “They showed no class and maybe that comes from the head coach.” Last week, when Tomlinson was asked about the spygate controversy he said “I think they live by the saying if you ain’t cheating you ain’t trying.”

Tom Brady was 25 for 31 with 279 yards passing, 3 TDs, and 1 interception. Randy Moss and Wes Welker had 8 catches each. Moss finished the day with 105 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns. It was Moss’ second straight game with over 100 yards receiving. In Week 1 he had 183 yards in catches against the Jets. Tomlinson, last season’s MVP, was held to 43 rushing yards with 18 carries. The Pats went crazy in the first half and were up 24-0 going into halftime. San Diego finally got on the board with 6:47 left in the third quarter with a short pass from Philip Rivers to FB Lorenzo Neal. They later scored in the top of the fourth quarter with a 12-yard touchdown pass from Rivers to TE Antonio Gates to make the score 14-31. But the Pats had the game won at that point and the “nail in the coffin” was a 3-yard touchdown run by RB Sammy Morris. Philip Rivers was 19 for 10 with 179 passing yards. He had 2 TDs and 2 INTs.

Washington Redskins (2-0) def. Philadelphia Eagles (0-2)

Location: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Score: 20-12

“Fly, Eagles Fly” is the fight song for the Philadelphia Eagles. After Monday’s game, irate Eagle fans should be asking, “Why Eagles, Why?” In Week 1, the Eagles lost a heartbreaker to the Packers by a score of 13-16 while the Washington Redskins won a heartbreaker against the Dolphins in overtime also by the score of 13-16. Both of those games ended with a field goal. Donovan McNabb, who returned in Week 1 from a torn ACL he suffered 10 months ago, was 28 for 46 with 240 passing yards and no touchdowns. The Redskins’ QB Jason Campbell was 16 for 29 with 209 passing yards. He had 1 touchdown and 1 interception. It was a pretty tight game up until the third quarter when Redskins’ RB Clinton Portis scored a touchdown down on the Eagles 6-yard line to make the score 20-9. The Eagles scored again off of a David Akers 22-yard field goal late in the fourth quarter to make the score 20-12 which was the final tally. Donovan McNabb is having a rough start coming off of his ACL injury. In the first two games this season, McNabb is 43 for 79 with 424 passing yards. He has 1 touchdown, 1 interception and 4 sacks. Eagles FS Brian Dawkins left the game in the fourth quarter with a neck stinger. He’s listed as probable.

Tid bits: Shout-outs to Eli Manning and Osi Umenyiora for playing in last Sunday’s game despite being hurt. Jets Fans, show me some class this weekend. Hey Cowboys, run Marion Barber more and I’m not sure signing DT Tank Johnson to a 2 year deal was a smart move. Speaking of Tank Johnson, here’s your second chance. Use it wisely and make the most of this opportunity. The Bengals signed Dhani Jones to a 1 year contract. Kevin Everett, we will continue to keep you in our prayers as well as Frank Gore and his family for the passing of his mother, Liz Gore.