Free Live Odds - Scores and Odds - Sports News - Sports Information - Live Scores - Sports Statistics - Sports Articles - Sports Standings - Live Scor

O&N HOME | NFL MLB NBA NHL NCAAF NCAABk Nascar Golf Soccer Tennis Boxing Horse Racing All Sports

Line of Scrimmage: Monday Morning Sentence Fragments (Week 12)

Sun 29th, November 2009

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - You may be reading this from your workplace on Monday, but your Thanksgiving weekend is far from over.

Don't let any post-holiday malaise get in the way of Saints/Patriots on Monday night, a matchup that might very well be reprised two-plus months from now in Miami.

Some observations from the undercard of Week 12's main event:

I WAS SURPRISED THAT...

...the Ravens had so much trouble putting away Dennis Dixon and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Much of the world had been chalking up a win for the Ravens after it was announced that Dixon, who had thrown just one previous NFL pass, would be starting in Baltimore on Sunday night thanks to injuries to Ben Roethlisberger (concussion) and Charlie Batch (wrist). But Dixon nearly sent the Ravens to a loss that would have punctured their playoff hopes, putting the Steelers ahead, 17-14, on a 24-yard option run midway through the fourth quarter. But Baltimore managed overtime thanks to a 44-yard Ray Rice catch-and-run on 4th- and-5 with fewer than four minutes to play, setting up a Billy Cundiff field goal. Cundiff, who would miss a 56-yard kick at the end of regulation, would ultimately hand Baltimore a 20-17 win six plays after Dixon (12-of-26, 145 yards, 1 TD) made his only real mistake, an interception that was returned into Steelers territory by Ravens rookie linebacker Paul Kruger in overtime. Baltimore (6-5) may have saved its season with the win, but if the Ravens play like that on Dec. 27 at Heinz Field, they'll lose by three touchdowns.

...the Dolphins choked in Buffalo. Many Miami fans were already looking ahead to next Sunday's battle against the Patriots, since the Fins were expected to have a chance to pull into a tie for the AFC East lead in that game. But in Perry Fewell's home debut as interim head coach, Buffalo stunned Tony Sparano's team, outscoring the Dolphins 24-0 in the fourth-quarter to polish off a 31-14 win. The normally efficient Chad Henne (17-of-31, 175 yards) threw three interceptions in the game (Ricky Williams added a fourth), and Miami's young secondary had trouble containing Terrell Owens, who caught five balls for 96 yards, including a 51-yard touchdown in the all-important fourth. Now 5-6, the Dolphins could be three games back of New England when the teams meet next Sunday, and the Patriots will essentially be able to wrap up the AFC East in that contest.

...Merrill Hoge died in 1994. I'm able to watch the NFL pregame shows on only a sporadic basis, but since I was covering Ravens/Steelers on Sunday night, I happened upon ESPN's telecast, in which Hoge revealed that his heart stopped beating after suffering a concussion while playing for the Bears in 1994. "They take me to the training room where I died -- I flat-lined," Hoge said. "My heart stopped. In the process of trying to resuscitate me, I started to breathe again." Hoge, who discussed the incident as part of a larger discussion about concussions in the NFL, never played another down and revealed on Sunday that he had to re-learn to read and was still having issues related to the concussion two years after it had occurred. Amazing that it took 15 years for the severity of this incident - which should give serious pause to every player who tries to play through a concussion - to come to light.

...Larry Johnson played a role for the Bengals, and played it well. Though it wasn't a surprise that Cedric Benson missed his second straight game with a hip injury, the fact that Bengals backup Bernard Scott had rushed for over 100 yards last week made an increased workload for Johnson seem somewhat unlikely. But Kansas City's former prima donna was a big part of Cincinnati's not- especially-impressive 16-7 win over the Browns, as Johnson rushed 22 times for 107 yards in his home debut with the team. It was the former first-rounder's first 100-yard game since last Dec. 21st. Scott also played a role in helping the Bengals rebound from a dismal loss at the Raiders, carrying 18 times for 87 yards to keep Cincinnati (8-3) well ahead of the AFC North posse.

...the Texans failed to finish the job against the Colts. Houston needed desperately to beat visiting Indianapolis on Sunday after a pair of heartbreaking losses had dropped it to 5-5, while the Colts came in at 10-0 and feeling much less urgency. That situation showed in the first half, as the Texans built leads of 17-0 and 20-7 to put itself in good position to earn the important victory. But Houston didn't answer the bell after halftime, with three Matt Schaub turnovers helping Indy score 28 consecutive points and assume control in what would become a 35-27 victory. Indianapolis wrapped up the AFC South title with the victory, while Houston - which will play three of its next four on the road - earned the right to be flooded with questions about Gary Kubiak's job security until further notice.

I WAS NOT SURPRISED THAT...

...the Jets finally gave the home fans something about which to cheer. With the Jets' Mark Sanchez and Panthers 'Jake Delhomme opposing one another, you had to figure the NFL single-game record for turnovers (12) was in jeopardy, but Sanchez made certain it didn't come to that. Though he did throw one pick, Sanchez was otherwise an efficient 13-of-17 for 154 yards, while the Jets defense forced Delhomme into four picks as Rex Ryan's club snapped a three- game home losing streak in a 17-6 victory. Cornerback Darrelle Revis and recently-demoted safety Kerry Rhodes posted two picks each in the triumph, with Revis' first going the other way for a 67-yard touchdown that had Gang Green off and running. It could be too late for the Jets (5-6), but it's almost definitely too late for the Panthers (4-7), who appear to be growing ever-closer to the end of the John Fox era.

...the Eagles had a bit of trouble against the Redskins. There was little doubt entering the day that Philadelphia was a better team than depleted Washington, but the Redskins had been playing hard of late and hadn't lost in Philly since 2006. True to form, the Skins gave the Birds all they could handle again, as the Eagles had to rally from a 24-16 fourth-quarter deficit to win, 27-24. But Donovan McNabb (21-of-35, 260 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) led two terrific fourth-quarter drives to help Philadelphia win in come-from-behind fashion for a second straight week, tying the game with a 10-play, 90-yard march capped off by a one-yard Eldra Buckley touchdown run, followed by a two- point conversion, then leading the team on a 10-play, 66-yard drive to get David Akers within range of a game winning 32-yard field goal. The victory kept the Eagles (7-4) one game back of the Cowboys in the NFC East, and helped Philly keep hold of the top Wild Card position as well.

...Vince Young out-dueled Matt Leinart - again. In an eerie repeat of the 2006 Rose Bowl, Young led the Titans on a mythic 18-play, 99-yard final drive, capped off with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Kenny Britt as time expired, to lift Tennessee to a 20-17 victory over the Arizona Cardinals. Young, who threw for a career-high 387 yards on 27-of-43 passing in the victory, was 10-of-16 for 94 yards on the final drive, converting three fourth-downs on the march. Leinart, subbing for the injured Kurt Warner (concussion), wasn't awful in his first start since 2007, completing 21-of-31 passes for 220 yards without a touchdown or turnover, but didn't make enough big plays to usher the Cardinals to what would have been a sixth consecutive road win. With the victory, the Titans became the first team in NFL history to follow up an 0-6 start with five straight victories.

...the Niners got back in the win column, while the Jaguars crashed back down to earth. The objective for San Francisco was to get into position to make its Dec. 14th home game against Arizona meaningful, and the Niners (5-6) got one step closer to that reality with a 20-3 victory over the Jaguars. Alex Smith was a crisp 27-of-41 for 232 yards and two touchdowns without an interception, while the 49ers defense limited the big plays from Maurice Jones-Drew (15 carries, 75 yards) and generally tightened up at the right times. Two missed Josh Scobee field goals and a pair of David Garrard fumbles didn't help matters for the Jags (6-5), who were outscored by a composite of 61-3 in their two trips to the west coast this year. A difficult three-game Jacksonville homestand begins next week with the Texans, and will continue when the Dolphins and Colts visit North Florida.

IF THE PLAYOFFS STARTED TODAY (WHICH THEY PROBABLY WON'T)

AFC Byes: No. 1 Colts (11-0), No. 2 Bengals (8-3) AFC Playoffs: No. 3 Chargers (8-3) vs. 6 Jaguars (6-5); No. 4 Patriots (7-3) vs. No. 5 Broncos (7-4)

NFC Byes: No. 1 Saints (10-0), No. 2 Vikings (10-1) NFC Playoffs: No. 3 Cowboys (8-3) vs. No. 6 Packers (7-4); No. 4 Cardinals (7-4) vs. No. 5 Eagles (7-4)

PUT TO THE TEST

Another enjoyable one, in which you'll have to rattle off all the players who have recorded a 1,000-yard rushing season during our current decade (through Week 11 of this year). I picked up 163 of 165, missing one Bear and one Raider who were the second- and third-least remembered on the list.

http://www.sporcle.com/games/MattL1216/Rushing1000