NFL - Week Six Review

Many of the NFL games this weekend came down to the kickers.

Heading into the Monday Night Football game between San Diego and Denver, six of the thirteen games this weekend came down to a field goal to decide the outcomes.
The Thursday night game started it all as the host Tennessee Titans surprised the Pittsburgh Steelers, 26-23 as kicker Rob Bironas nailed a 40-yard field goal to win the game.
The Atlanta Falcons remained the only unbeaten in the league with a hard fought 23-20 win over stubborn Oakland in the Georgia Dome.
Falcons kicker Matt Bryant made a 55-yard field goal just after the Raiders had tied the score on a two-yard touchdown run by Darren McFadden.
The Detroit Lions mounted a furious comeback to beat the host Philadelphia Eagles, 26-23 in overtime as Jason Hanson drilled the winning kick from 45 yards out to cap the rally, which included the Lions scoring ten points in the final three and a half minutes of regulation to force the extra session.
Despite being outgained 462-192 in total offense, Miami beat the St. Louis Rams, 17-14 to improve to 3-3 and forge a four way tie in the AFC East as Rams kicker Greg Zuerlein missed on a 66-yard field goal attempt in the closing seconds. Dolphins' QB Ryan Tannehill threw two TD strikes to lead the win.
Another missed opportunity on a late field try goal happened in Baltimore as the Dallas Cowboys lost 31-29 as kicker Dan Bailey blew it by missing on a 52-yarder in the final seconds.

Ravens'  LB Ray Lewis is out for the year.

The win for the Ravens (5-1) was costly as they lost two starters on defense for the season. Linebacker Ray Lewis is done for the year with a torn triceps and defensive back Ledarius Webb tore a knee ligament to end his season.
Ravens running back Ray Rice ran for two scores and QB Joe Flacco had a TD pass to go with Jacoby Jones' 108-yard kickoff return for another score. Dallas QB Tony Romo threw for two scores in the loss.
The Buffalo Bills survived the desert as they beat back the Arizona Cardinals, 19-16 in OT when kicker Ryan Lindell made good on a 25-yard field goal.
The Cardinals had tied the game on a 61-yard field goal by Jay Feely with just over a minute to go in regulation. However, the Cards kicker missed a 38-yard try as time expired to take the game into overtime.
The loss by Arizona, coupled with a loss by San Francisco and a win by Seattle, forces a three way tie for the top spot in the NFC West with all three teams sporting a 4-2 record.
The Seattle Seahawks stunned the visiting New England Patriots, 24-23 as they over came a 13-point deficit in the final seven minutes of the game on a pair of TD passes by rookie QB Russell Wilson, including a huge 46-yard scoring pass to Sidney Rice with just 1:18 remaining.
The stellar Seahawks' defense, which held the Pats to just six points in the second half, stopped Tom Brady on fourth down to seal the win.
The San Francisco 49ers were thoroughly embarrassed by the visiting New York Giants, 26-3 behind four field goals from Lawrence Tynes and a TD pass from Eli Manning to Victor Cruz, who did his "salsa" dance in the end zone, much to the chagrin of the 49ers' fans. The Giants' defense intercepted Alex Smith three times in the win.
The Cleveland Browns earned their first win of the season by storming back to beat the visiting Cincinnati Bengals, 34-24 behind two TD passes from QB Brandon Weeden, a defensive score and a rushing touchdown by Montario Hardesty. The Browns' defense picked off three passes by the Bengals' Andy Dalton to help in the winning effort.

Shonn Greene

The New York Jets rode the legs of Shonn Greene (pictured left), the Heftyinfo NFL co-Player of the Week, who gained 161 yards rushing and scored three touchdowns to pace the 35-9 rout of the visiting Indianapolis Colts. Jets QB Mark Sanchez had two TD passes as well.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers rolled past the hapless Kansas City Chiefs, 38-10 in Florida behind three TD passes from QB Josh Freeman, who also threw for 328 yards and hooked up with wide receiver Vincent Jackson for two scoring strikes.

Aaron Rodgers threw six TD passes in Packers' win.

The Washington Redskins snapped an eight game home field losing streak with a 38-26 pasting of the Minnesota Vikings as rookie QB Robert Griffin III ran wild for two touchdowns, including a 76-yard run to clinch the win late in the fourth quarter.
Minnesota QB Christian Ponder threw for 352 yards  and two touchdowns in the loss, but also threw two picks, including one taken back for a score by Madieu Williams in the fourth quarter.
The Sunday Night Football game saw the Green Bay Packers throttle the host Houston Texans, 42-24 to get back to .500 as QB Aaron Rodgers, Heftyinfo NFL co-Player of the Week, passed for 338 yards and threw for SIX touchdowns to send the Texans to their first defeat of the season. Three of Rodgers TD strikes went to WR Jordy Nelson, who made nine catches for 121 yards.
The Denver Broncos, led by Peyton Manning's three touchdown passes and two defensive scores, roared back to top the host San Diego Chargers, 35-24 on the Monday Night Football game. The win for the Broncos leaves them and the Chargers in a first place tie at 3-3 in the AFC West.
Chargers' QB Philip Rivers, who enjoyed a strong first half while leading his team to a 24-0 edge at the break, was intercepted four times, including one taken back for a score. In addition, Rivers also fumbled on a sack and that was also taken back by the Denver defense for a touchdown to help provide the difference in the outcome.