#5: SAN DIEGO DEFENSE DOMINATES CHIEFS
The Chargers’ defense put the beatdown on the Chiefs during an easy 37-7 win in Kansas City. San Diego intercepted Matt Cassell three times, sacked him four times, and held him to just 3.9 ypa (97 yards on 25 attempts). Kansas City managed just 10 first downs and 203 total yards on the day, and was shut out during a first half which had the Chargers leading 20-0 by halftime.
#4: ROMO RIGHT ON WITH AUSTIN’S HELP
After struggling to find consistency earlier this season, Tony Romo had his best game of the season, going 21 of 29 for 311 yards, 3 TD, and 0 INT, and he seems to have found his replacement for the departed Terrell Owens, in Monmouth College product Miles Austin, who caught 6 balls for 171 yards including touchdowns of 59 and 22 yards, helping the Dallas Cowboys storm back for a 37-21 home victory after spotting the Atlanta Falcons a 7-0 lead after the first quarter.
#3: PACK DOES IT ALL ON BOTH SIDES OF THE BALL
There wasn’t much that Green Bay didn’t do outstandingly in their 31-3 rout in Cleveland. Defensively, the Packers shut down the Browns, holding Cleveland to just 139 total yards, just 58 on the ground and only 81 through the air, while shutting out the Browns for the first 50 minutes. Offensively, Aaron Rodgers was extremely efficient. He threw just 20 times, but completed 15 passes for 246 yards (a 12.3 ypa), 3 TD and 0 INT, and a 155.4 passer rating. Ryan Grant’s 148 yards on 27 carries led a Pack ground attack that amassed 202 rushing yards.
#2: JETS RUSH PAST RAIDERS
The Jets blew away the Raiders in Oakland, 38-0, rushing for 316 yards on 54 carries, led by the tandem of rookie Shonn Greene (19-144, 2 TD) and Thomas Jones (26-121, 1 TD). The output on the ground was nothing new for New York, although the outcome was drastically different than the previous week’s loss to Buffalo, as the Jets became the first team in 34 years to rush for over 300 yards in consecutive games.
#1: PALMER’S NEAR-PERFECT PASSING DAY
Cincinnati quarterback Carson Palmer was nearly perfect in a 45-10 home rout over the Chicago Bears. Palmer played the first three quarters, during which the Bengals scored all seven times they had the ball, getting 6 TD’s and a FG. Palmer was 20 for 24 for 233 yards, 5 TD (four of those coming on the Bengals’ first four possessions in the first half), and 0 INT, while leading touchdown drives of 77, 80, 63, 66, and 61 yards. It all added up to a passer rating of 146.7 for Palmer and finally, a laugher for the 5-2 Bengals after they barely eked out four previous wins.