NFL - Week Nine Review

The Dallas Cowboys fired Head Coach Wade Phillips following the dismantling loss to the Green Bay Packers 45-7 at Lambeau Field on Sunday Night Football.
The Cowboys (1-7) have been the league's biggest disappointment halfway through the 2010 season and Cowboys' owner Jerry Jones had seen enough.
The Packers (6-3) were led by Aaron Rodgers (289 yards and three touchdown passes) and a tough defense, which included a 62-yard interception return for a score by linebacker Clay Matthews.
The Minnesota Vikings rallied for a 27-24 overtime victory at home against the Arizona Cardinals as Brett Favre found tight end Visanthe Shiancoe for a 25-yard scoring pass with 27 seconds left in regulation and kicker Ryan Longwell kicked a 35-yard field goal in the OT to win the game and keep the Vikings (3-5) in the hunt in the NFC North.
The Chicago Bears (5-3) stayed right on the heels of the Packers with a 22-19 nail biter against the winless Buffalo Bills in Toronto, Canada.
Bears' QB Jay Cutler threw for two TDs and had 188 yards through the air and the defense stymied the Bills by picking off two passes. The Bills (0-8) lost their third straight game by three points.
The Cleveland Browns rode the legs of Heftyinfo NFL co-Player of the Week Peyton Hillis, who had 184 yards rushing and scored twice to lead the Browns over the New England Patriots, 34-14.
The San Diego Chargers got their first road win of the season, 29-23 over the Houston Texans.
Chargers' quarterback Philip Rivers, Heftyinfo NFL co-Player of the Week, threw for 295 yards and had four touchdown passes despite missing all three starting wide receivers, including tight end Antonio Gates, who leads the league with nine TD receptions.
The Oakland Raiders did their rival Chargers a favor by knocking off the visiting Kansas City Chiefs, 23-20 in overtime while also winning their third straight game. The Raiders (5-4) got a 41-yard field goal by Sebastian Janikowski to force OT and then won it on his 33-yard field goal.
Jacoby Ford led the way for Oakland with six receptions for 148 yards and also returned the second half kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown. The Chiefs (5-3) got two scoring passes from QB Matt Cassel in the loss.
The Philadelphia Eagles beat the Indianapolis Colts, 26-24 as Michael Vick returned at quarterback and passed for 218 yards and also ran for 74 yards while passing for and running for a touchdown.
Atlanta (6-2) knocked off the upstart Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 27-21 in the Georgia Dome as Michael Turner scored twice and rushed for 107 yards. The Falcons defense stuffed the Bucs (5-3) on fourth and goal from the two-yard line to seal the win.
The New York Giants pounded the Seattle Seahawks, 41-7 as they built up a 35-0 halftime lead and never looked back. Quarterback Eli Manning passed for 290 yards and three TDs and the Giants (6-2) ran for 197 yards while their defense limited the Seahawks to 162 yards total offense.
Baltimore smothered Miami, 26-10 as Ray Rice ran for 83 yards and QB Joe Flacco (266 yards) threw two TD passes. The Ravens (6-2) intercepted three passes as the Dolphins couldn't get any offense going in the second half after trailing by just three (13-10) at the half.
The Saints (6-3) won their second straight game as they blasted the Carolina Panthers, 34-3 behind a pair of TD passes by Drew Brees. The Panthers went through three quarterbacks in the game as they managed just 195 total yards.
The New York Jets (6-2) escaped the Detroit Lions, 23-20 in OT as kicker Nick Folk nailed a 30-yard field goal for the win.
The Jets rallied from ten points down in the final three minutes to tie the game as QB Mark Sanchez scored from a yard out and Folk hit a 36-yard field goal as regulation time expired to force the overtime.
Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford (240 yards passing and two TD passes) was injured and did not return to the game as the Lions fell to 2-6 with the loss.
The Pittsburgh Steelers kept pace with Baltimore at 6-2 in the AFC North with a 27-21 win at Cincinnati on Monday Night Football.