NFL - Week Five Review

The New England Patriots topped the visiting Denver Broncos, 31-21 as Tom Brady improved to 9-4 all-time in the head-to-head match up with Peyton Manning.

The Patriots outrushed the Broncos, 251-70 in the win while Brady (pictured left) passed for a touchdown and ran for another while Manning threw for 345 yards and three scores.
In New Orleans on the Sunday Night Football Game, the Saints beat the San Diego Chargers, 31-24 for their first win of the season as quarterback Drew Brees passed the legendary Johnny Unitas in the record books by throwing a touchdown pass in his 48th consecutive game.
Brees outdueled former teammate Philip Rivers in the win by throwing for 370 yards and four touchdowns along with an interception. Rivers had 354 passing yards with two TD and an INT and also fumbled when sacked late in the game as the Chargers were driving for the tying score.
A second pick thrown by Brees, which was taken back for a touchdown, was negated by a roughing the passer call against the Chargers' defense. That proved to be the turning point of the game as the San Diego lead stayed at 24-14 late in the third quarter.
Atlanta stayed unbeaten as running back Michael Turner scored on a 13-yard run to lead the way in a 24-17 road win against the Washington Redskins. Falcons' QB Matt Ryan added a pair of scoring passes along with 345 yards in the win.
Robert Griffin III, the 'Skins' rookie QB, was knocked out of the game with a concussion and is questionable for next week's game.
The New York Giants stormed back from a 14-point deficit to pound the Cleveland Browns, 41-27 as QB Eli Manning found his favorite target, Victor Cruz for three touchdowns.

QB Andrew Luck led the Colts to comeback win over Green Bay.

The Indianapolis Colts stunned the visiting Green Bay Packers, 30-27 as they overcame an 18-point halftime deficit behind the passing of rookie QB Andrew Luck, who hit Reggie Wayne for the game winning four-yard strike with just 35 seconds remaining.
Luck threw for 362 yards and two touchdowns and also ran for another score to lead the comeback. The Colts' defense sacked Packers' QB Aaron Rodgers five times and limited the Pack to just six points in the second half.
Packers' kicker Mason Crosby missed a 51-yard field goal that would have tied the game at the end of regulation. 
San Francisco annihilated the Buffalo Bills, 45-3 as quarterback Alex Smith had three TD passes to go with 303 yards passing while the 49ers rang up 621 yards in total offense to just 204 yards for the Bills.
The Pittsburgh Steelers got a 34-yard field goal from kicker Shaun Suisham at the final gun to knock off the visiting Philadelphia Eagles, 16-14,
The yawner game of the day saw the Baltimore Ravens kick their way (literally) past the host Kansas City Chiefs, 9-6 as all the points came from field goals.
The Minnesota Vikings continued their winning ways with a 30-7 thumping of the Tennessee Titans as QB Christian Ponder had a pair of touchdown passes while the Vikings' defense limited Titans' RB Chris Johnson to just 24 rushing yards.
The Seattle Seahawks bottled up Carolina QB Cam Newton in a 16-12 road win as they limited the Panthers' offense to only 190 yards for the game.
The Miami Dolphins shocked the host Cincinnati Bengals, 17-13 in a grinder game that saw the Dolphins get rushing touchdowns from Daniel Thomas and Reggie Bush. The Miami defense chipped in the win with a pair of interceptions, a fumble recovery and three sacks of Bengals' QB Andy Dalton.
The Chicago Bears woke up in the second half and completely dominated the host Jacksonville Jaguars, 41-3 as their defense led the way with two more scores as Charles Tillman and Lance Briggs each scored on interception returns for the second straight game.

Lance Briggs

Charles Tillman

It was the first time in NFL history that two teammates scored defensive touchdowns in consecutive games and earns both Tillman and Briggs the Heftyinfo NFL co-Players of the Week.
The Bears outgained the Jags, 501-189 in total offense, including a 214-60 edge on the ground. Chicago QB Jay Cutler had two TD passes to go with 292 yards in the air and Matt Forte' ran for 107 yards as the Bears improved to 4-1 to gain a first place tie in the NFC North with Minnesota.
The St. Louis Rams manhandled the visiting Arizona Cardinals on the Thursday night game, 17-3 as quarterback Sam Bradford threw for two scores to help knock the Cardinals from the ranks of the undefeated.
The Houston Texans stayed unbeaten with a 23-17 road win on Monday night against the New York Jets as Arian Foster ran for 152 yards and scored a touchdown to go with a touchdown pass from quarterback Matt Schaub.